I’m not alone!

Ok, so I said I wasn’t going to blog but this was too good not to share.

This past weekend, I was feeling pretty crappy about not getting more done on my novel. Overly ambitious planning coupled with an intense work schedule and a sudden left field attack of vicious allergies (rain, rain, come my way; wash this pollen all away!) can do that to a person.

Thank goodness for blogging friends who are brave enough to admit the same.

It’s nice to know I’m not alone.

Mridhu Kullar Relph posted about having to scale back her expectations a bit too in favor of more manageable goals. Specifically, actual accomplishable goals.

What a terrific idea.

Instead of setting pie in the sky goals, I need to set better ones. Ok, so my work and allergies wipe me out by the end of the week. Why can’t I get my rest AND focus on only 25 pages at a time?

That certainly seems possible.

Back after these messages…

I’ve decided to take a break from blogging until the end of May.

Between the long hours (and the very unexpected explosion of pollen that makes my head feel like a bowling ball filled with glue) I’ve only managed to get in a little writing down here. Lots less than what I’d ambitiously anticipated which means I most likely will not meet my May 31 goal of having the second draft done and ready for Beta Readers.

As a result:

#1: This sucks.

#2: If I ain’t writin’, I ain’t got nuttin’ to blog about.

Yep, I’m one of those gals who, if she has nothing to say, says nothing at all. Why waste the oxygen?

Anyway, rather than beat myself up over not reaching my weekly goals (my allergies are already doing that quite nicely), I’ve decided to do what I can, when I can, and to take a break from blogging until things get back to normal in June.

Note to self: If I do manage to get in some writing, I must remember not to write outside. At least not until the pollen’s gone–which should be in about 6 weeks.

Right around the time I’ll be leaving.

See you all in June.

California dreamin’

California dreamin’

Leaving work early and heading back to Hotel California for some sunshine, refreshing ocean air, and some quality time with my guys.

And with my checkbook.

End of month means bills to pay so writing’s gotta take a back seat to administrative stuff.

At least until next weekend.

Until then, peace out.

On the road

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Starting Monday, I’ll be slogging away for 10 weeks in an attempt to create order out of policy and procedure chaos for an offsite client. Yeah, it’s one of the things I do best.

So for the past several days, I’ve been running around like a crazy chicken getting its ducks in a row.

Hmm, that visual just doesn’t seem right.

Anyway, lots of things to get done before I dive back into the corporate world. One of them includes figuring out a do-able writing schedule. Not sure what to expect right now so on a pessimistic note, I’m pushing back my beta reader deadline to May 31.

Then again, since I’ll be removed from my usual procrastination temptations, there’s a chance I’m completely offbase in my timing.

Let’s see what happens.

Publishing: traditional or self?

Image courtesy of ddpavumba / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Update: And wouldn’t you know? One day after this post goes live, those sneaky people over at Wise Ink go and post an article on why more traditional writers are going indie.

 

Someone asked me the other day what route I was going to to take for publishing–traditional or self?

“Not sure,” was my answer. Both options have bennies. Both also have major drawbacks.

Self publishing means I don’t have to wait three years for my book to hit the shelves, I get more cut of the profits, and I have more control over the final product.

Traditional’s still got the agent working in your favor, someone else handling the font type, copyediting, cover art, etc., and yes, changing the title to give it more zing.

Perhaps there’s even some marketing moolah thrown in for good measure.

Bwa-ha-ha!

(She wipes her eyes) Oh my,  I swear I just crack myself up sometimes.

Now where was I?

Oh yes, traditional or self pubbed–it’s a tough decision to make.

Luckily I don’t have to decide right now. I need to finish the darn thing and polish it (oh freelancing gods, please send me an extra plump contract to help pay the copyeditor fees…) until the book magically morphs from an artistic, creative endeavor into a business product for sale.

And here Mom always told me opposites never attract.

Sure, I’ve got some ideas but rather than put the cart before the horse, I’m backburnering everything until the time is right.

Meanwhile, I skim PW news and blogs while also keeping an eye peeled on what those tricky folks over at WiseInk are up to.

Changing gears, slightly

Image courtesy of winnond / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Oh boy, it’s been a little bit since my last explosion of postings. I have to chalk it up to last minute interview scrambling for a freelance article and some other unexpected monkey wrenches tossed into the mix for good measure.

I’m hoping to do better because March goals are starting to loom and April’s have just crested the horizon.

But for now, I need to change gears slightly. Going forward, I’ll be half on for marketing (need to whip up some more freelance business) and half on for noveling.

I had some noveling success last week when I finally hit some big spots of first draft text that easily slid into second draft revisions with only a minimum of changes.

Phew! Maybe it was just completely tossing the first, second, third and ok, the fourth chapters of the first draft and slogging through complete revamps that made me drag my feet (and eat more chocolate than usual – hey, excess Valentine’s Day candy should never go to waste) about this whole revising idea.

 

Liebster Award!

How cool is this for ending up a week of hard work?

Joan Reginaldo, the sassy and fabulous author of  Work in Progress, decided I needed a Liebster Award nomination. And no, it has nothing to do with the fact that I also live in the Bay Area. Although I would like to point out creativity does runs high here, what with all the entrepreneurs/geeks/engineers in the area.

So what’s a Liebster Award?

A Liebster is a nod from fellow bloggers (thanks, Joan!) that they like something you’re doing. It’s also a way of spreading the word about up and coming blogs and bloggers. Does it get any better than getting a pat on the back from your peers?

No, it does not.

Award rules:

1. Post a Liebster Award image on your blog. There are several varieties. Google them and find the one you like the most.
2. List 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions asked by the person/people who nominated you.
4. Make up 11 questions for those to be nominated.
5. Nominate 11 people to receive the award. They should have fewer than 200 followers on their blog.
6. If you’re nominated, your name and/or link will appear at the bottom of this post. Just follow the same format and voila! you’re a recipient

So without further ado, Part I: 11 random facts about me.

1. I think cemeteries are the best place for finding good mystery plots – no pun intended.
2. I adore well done hash browns.
3. I’m a Peets coffee fan.
4. However, I do drink Yorkshire Gold English tea, but just in the mornings. Afternoons are reserved for Glengettie Welsh tea.
5. Funkiest place I’ve ever visited: St. Gegard Monastery in Armenia.
6. Favorite city: London.
7. Writing office = modern, sleek, and with NO mess.
8. I currently have two monitors and wish I had room for a third. One to display my draft, one to display the revision draft I’m currently reworking, and one for google research.
9. Cat or dog? Right now, a cat that thinks he’s a dog
10. Best editing project ever done: Editing music lyrics for Delusion Squared albums I and II.
11. Best part about writing? Listening to people tell their stories.

Part II: 11 questions from Joan:

1. What makes you cry? Sad movies like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.
2. What is your deepest fear -  a fear you haven’t told anyone because you don’t want to appear foolish? Not being taken seriously in my work.
3. Han or Luke? Luke’s an immature twit and Han’s an egotistical chauvinist so I gotta go with Chewy.
4. How do you deal with criticism? Pretty good, actually. I try to take the useful while discarding the useless.
5. What’s the best suggestion you have for new writers? Keep learning but also take a few things with a grain of salt.
6. Plotter or Pantser? HA! I answered this a couple posts ago. I’m a planster.
7. What short story has influenced your life (not necessarily writing life) the most? I can’t think of a short story but definitely, Women Who Run With the Wolves made quite an impact. The book is so marked up and dog-eared it’s almost unbelievable. And guys, don’t let the title scare you – it’s quite good.
8. What current world event has made you disappointed in humanity? The brutal gang rape in India. And now the defendants are pleading not guilty.
9. What current world event has made your proud of humanity? Too many to choose from. Here’s a list.
10. Which of your bad writing habits do you wish you could break? Procrastination! Takes me too long to get started.
11. What do you like best about your current project? My novel where I solve the mystery of a pit full of bones belonging to several young girls who died almost 100 years ago.

Part III: My 11 questions to my nominees:

1. Cat or dog?
2. Most remote place in the world you’ve ever been?
3. Hardest thing about your job?
4. Best thing about your job?
5. What’s the one job you’d never like to do?
6. What gives you peace?
7. What makes you angry?
8. What’s your favorite swear word?
9. Carnivore or vegetarian?
10. What’s one thing you regret not doing with your life?
11. What are you doing about it?

Part IV: My nominees (Most of my faves already have tons of followers but I’m determined to find some more treasures out there).

Sabine Ludwig – world traveler extraordinaire

Issa Mas – single mom and smartass writer extraordinaire

What’s next?

Image courtesy of digitalert / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ok, so the PNWA contest milestone’s reached.

Next up, getting the novel cleaned up and beta reader ready. This is a big milestone. Lots more cleaning, revising, polishing and coffee swilling involved here before anything gets sent out.

But at least I don’t have to do a summary/synopsis. That’s one headache already checked off the list.

2012 in review: Thanks to all my visitors!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 14,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 3 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

Happy Holidays!

2012 was an interesting year.

I spent the first 8 months slogging through a labor-intensive contract and several extra-tough freelance assignments. The year seemed to last forever. I was constantly tired and run down.

Then late August rolled in, I finished up my contract, submitted my last freelance article rewrites, and started writing my novel in earnest.

The experience was wonderful. The whole process of writing the first draft, breathing life into my characters, learning their personalities, struggling with their sheer bullheadedness, finally understanding how the whole puzzle should (hopefully) fit together–oh yes, it was worth every second of hard work and careful budgeting.

What a difference a shift in work focus makes. It’s like comparing night and day.

I had the time of my life.

Best of all, I’ve had so much fun sharing my progress (and frustrations) with like-minded writers. (Yay for Twitter!)

So before heading out for a long overdue vacation with friends and family, I wanted to say thank you for sharing my journey. I hope you have a wonderful, happy holiday season and that 2013 is healthy, happy, and prosperous.

See you in January!

Wow, I leave for a bit and look what happens…

I can’t believe it’s only been a year since I decided to stop posting. There  have been some great questions and helpful comments–keep ‘em coming!

I’m so glad I decided to keep the blog live because I had no idea how useful it was. Many thanks to all my 16,000 + visitors in 2011 and yes, I will be around to answer questions if you have them.

And who knows? I might even get inspired to start posting again.

Happy New Year!