Wanderings of Wednesday 1/6/16

How is it possible that it is already Wednesday again?!!!! Yikes!
So this will be short and sweet as normal chaos has been amped up a bit with the new year... 

WRITERLY Things:

• I'm still working edits for STATIC... discovering that the substantial rewrite I did helped with the beginning, but now the ending needs help - I'll keep plugging away at it. Something will stick eventually.
• And yes, I want to play with ETCHED and others, but I'm trying to watch my focus now - I don't have time to be flaky and play with too many ideas as once - so STATIC is getting all my attention - the others will have to wait their turn regardless of how much they kick and scream.

PUBLISHINGLY Things:

• Etched in Lies is officially out there and I still can't quite believe it... does this ever feel real? (Yes, I already shared this.... some things don't change) - A few reviews have come in - I'm honored that some have taken the time to tell everyone what they thought. 
• Now, I'm working on setting up some book signings and maybe a reading in a few places.
• I'll also be setting up to answer questions via GoodReads! At least once a month - more often when I have the time, I will answer one question posted... want to ask me something... now's your chance!

READERLY Things:

• I'm sad to say that I'm still working on the book I started before Christmas. I love it, but haven't had one of those days where I can just sit and read ad nauseaum (like THAT will ever happen) - I hope to finish it soon. I already filled my kindle with lots of books I can't wait to read.

OTHERLY Things:

• Winter is finally here - my ankle is killing me in this cold, but I am happy to report that I have stuck with my workout routine that I started before the New Year. I'm into week two of PiYO - it is kicking my butt and I love it!
• Lots of things happening at work - busy with yearbook and student government... but it's all worth it.

And so this week is wrapped up!

Chat again soon!

Wrapping up 2015

Here it comes! 2016

.... whether we're ready to not!

The holidays are crazy! A great time to gather ideas for new character, but maybe not the best time to write about them... so in the moments of quiet that I find (few and far between), I'm taking a look back at 2015 and a look towards 2016.

Besides passing too quickly, with each year speeding away even more quickly, I look back without regret. Like life, there were ups and downs... but overall, more laughter than tears.

And as I look forward, I march into 2016 with several goals - things that I don't necessarily "resolve" to do... but strive to continue doing...

• to keep writing, brainstorming, drafting, editing - and dreaming
• to continue working towards a healthier me with good food & consistent workouts
• to find time for the little things before they are only memories of what could have been

What are your goals or resolutions?
See you on the other side!

What's Up Week in Review...

We're back to Wednesday so I think it's a little time for an update... 

WRITERLY Things:

• I've gotten back into edits for STATIC - altering from feedback with one critique partner and swapping pages with another. I'm liking where this one is heading, and hope to clean it up by the spring for queries.
• I'm playing around with the idea of a companion to ETCHED... there's more that needs to be told - I may have to break my November only rule (well - it's been the only time in the last few years that I have drafted) and set some of those ideas down soon....

PUBLISHINGLY Things:

• Etched in Lies is officially out there and I still can't quite believe it... does this ever feel real? Part of me hopes it does... part of me hopes it doesn't.
• It's still not to late to get your copy in time for the holidays.... (hint hint) Check out the Etched tab at the top for links to retailers from around the world

READERLY Things:

• Knocking out a few books before the end of the year - though my to read list keeps going... I'm almost afraid to finish reading my current books because I'm not sure which ones I should read next...

OTHERLY Things:

• You can feel the buzz in the air as the holidays approach - it doesn't matter that it's warm and raining...well, maybe for the atmosphere - but around school you know everyone is counting down to a longer break from everything...on both sides of the desk.
• Hoping to make some cookies soon - that might help build a little of Christmas cheer since Mother Nature is having a hissy fit.

Chat again soon!

Well it's Wednesday....

I lost last week in the craze that was the end of NaNo as well as Thanksgiving preparations - sorry about that. I won't make a habit of it... Is it just me or has the hectic pace of life only increased with time? I remember thinking and hear it often from my students: "I can't wait to be an adult and get to do what I want when I want..." cue laughter, which is my usual response because seriously! In a technological society where convenience is expected, we are so busy the idea of relaxing is several levels removed from reality!

Whoops! Sorry about that rant - though I do feel marginally better - yet now to get down to business with my weekly wrap-up

WRITERLY

I did finish NaNo coming in at just over 58K - *does a little happy dance* To celebrate?? I've given myself a little time away from writing and editing to just relax...but that is quickly coming to an end as I dive back into the editing trenches this week for STATIC - I would really love to have this ready for agents early 2016 - so that's my goal and I've made it public. We'll see how it all shakes out.

PUBLISHINGLY

Can you believe that ETCHED will officially hit the shelves in TWO DAYS!!!!!!!! I can't! I know amazon has been shipping them early - but I'm really excited to see ETCHED out there and get some feedback from readers. For those in the area, I am working with a local artist to set up a book signing in the very near future - I'll let you know when I get more details!

READERLY

Still swinging away at my to be read list so I can add more - though I am trying to get into the holiday spirit and throwing a few Christmas inspired books into the mix. One of the books I'm currently reading Dash and Lily's Book of Dares which I started not realizing the time setting of the book. I have a few others to add to my read list for this month...

OTHERLY

As far as other things go, I feel like a bit of a broken record - lots to do - not a lot of time to get it all done... feeling a bit rundown with a crazy pace needed to keep up with everything had needs to happen. I'm looking forward to a bit of time off for the holidays and hope it will be a period of at least a little rest.

Counting down to ETCHED.... #2

In ETCHED IN LIES, 16-year-old Dylan Lord has just discovered she can physically feel the lies told to or around her... she struggles to come to terms with a world and an existence in which she must seek for the truth at all costs.

As I prepared and wrote this story, I had to do some research about lies.

To celebrate ETCHED's release on December 11, 2015, I am counting down to one with some of the fun fact and interesting ideas I stumbled upon in the name of writing... as well as a tidbit or two about how I came up with the idea....

Happy Reading!

1.

2. The Quote that inspired ETCHED

Several of the stories I have written have been inspired by a quote. The first was a line from TS Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"... ETCHED proved no different. It was harmless enough - I was just skimming through Facebook - I wasn't even looking for it (probably why I found it), when a quote caught my eye and the rest, as they say, was history... so thanks for posting it!

"The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for."  Bob Marley

I hope as you read ETCHED, you can see the inspiration in the final version of the story... Have you used a quote to guide your story?

Tomorrow - we'll wrap up this top 10 with the most common lie told.... check back then!

3. Children....

4. Lies we tell ourselves (See 12/7/15)

5. And now for the lies Girls tell Guys (See 12/6/15)

6. Lies Guys Tell... (See 12/5/15)

7. Well known Quotes about Lying (See 12/4/15)

8. Lies Girls tell Girls (See 12/3/15 Post)

9. Employee/Employer Lies (See 12/2/15 Post)

10. Greatest Lies In History (See 12/1/15 Post)

Weekend Review & Mashup

Obviously Wednesday's wrap up didn't happen... my procrastinator spirit was in full drive as I raced from work to liquor store and grocery story (no one can say I don't have my priorities straight...) home to finish cleaning before in invasion on Thanksgiving.

I'm also getting ready for a little release/count down fun - so be sure to check back starting on December 1 to see what's happening!

So a lot in a little space:

I'm doing one more crock pot meal for the month. Last week's turned out really well - and left overs were still good.. but there was something about the way it smelled that made me less then happy with the cool ranch chicken (sometimes it is the little things) - But this one is different. It's my twist on a lasagna soup. It took me about 45 minute to get everything ready and into a crock pot to simmer all day was the lasagna sauce (my own recipe: tomato sauce; paste; seasonings/spices; garlic; onion, ground beef) + Italian sausage (first time I tried that)
Then it will be buffet style later with gluten and gluten free noodles for the guests... hopefully this will work well?


And onto other things:

WRITERLY

I am almost done!! I have a few bits to add while I'm thinking about them - and then not thinking about them because ideas will always pop into my head when I'm NOT actively writing *grumbles* So as of Monday - I'll be done with NaNo and taking a few days off to reset the mind before jumping back into edits for STATIC

PUBLISHINGLY

We are at t-minus 12 days.... EEEEP!! I'm so excited and so nervous... and I'm working on a bit of fun for the beginning of December.

READERLY

Taking a little of that down time to get some reading started. i have a huge wish list stored for Christmas, which means I need to knock out some more now (twist my arm!)

OTHERLY

Getting ready for a crazy three weeks at work before the nice Christmas break - lots to finish in a short period of time... but if you haven't noticed, I tend to thrive a bit on chaos - so I say bring it! (remind me I said that then I'm losing it later)

So short and sweet - as I have rooms to vacuum, food to prepare and workouts to starts... and obviously words to pound

Chat soon!

Wanderings of Wednesday...

Short and sweet - this week's crock pot - the bourbon chicken was really good. I was afraid that it would be dry and  maybe too full of flavor - but it wasn't either. And leftovers have been yummy!
Now onto other things:

Writerly
NaNo is continuing to roll - some days are easy and I can knock out 8K+ - others I'm fighting to break 1K... I'm hoping to break 40K tonight so I'm in the home stretch to that goal of 50K but feel fairly certain my story will need more then 50K words - but I have time... hehehe
This NaNo continues to amaze me - some times the characters are all but screaming at me - and that's usually when I've stopped for the night and am just about to fall asleep... wow - totally just remembered that I had typed myself a note in my phone that I never reviewed...three cheers for plot help!

Publishingly
I'm trying to spread the word - let people know ETCHED is coming... I'm getting other pages on this Blog ready for release. I'm hoping to get to some local bookstores in the next few days and set up signings and other fun stuff.

Readerly
Same books - little progress... maybe I'll get them finished this weekend...

Otherly
So because of NaNo and student council conferences - I'm behind on grading and housework... and with Thanksgiving coming up, I'm trying to use my time really wisely...

So this will remain short - with the idea that in the future, I'll have more time to really expound on writer life and read life... so until then, keep writing.

Put it in the pot!

So this week's Crock Pot meal will not be prepared until Tuesday.... have I mentioned November
hates me? Not really - but maybe a little.

I have been neck deep in words - pounding keys as quickly as the story will unfold because life just has too many things planned for me - which is why Tuesday will be crock pot day!

Last Christmas, my brother got me a programmable crock pot - the problem that I had previously run into was that I left really early for work - and most meals only needed 7-8 hours to cook - I was usually gone at least 10 (on a good day) - therefore a programmable crock pot + freezer prepped meal = yummy food that was completely over cooked or dried out.

The recipe? Slow Cooker Bourbon Street Chicken - you can get the recipe I'm using via https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2034705

This particular meal has been prepped and waiting in the freezer for a few weeks. I just bought the last ingredient - Apple Juice at the store - so we're ready to go!

Now let's hope I remember to actually (1) put it in the pot (2) turn the pot on... both have not happened before and I didn't even have NaNo to blame...

Wish me luck...
Now get back to writing!

Rebooting Life

This blog has sat dormant for way too long... sorry about that. Real life and the real world got in the way - as did, in some cases, my writer life.

So what's happened in the last year? Why I'm glad you asked!

I am happy to report that we are T-minus two months until the launch of my first novel! Can you believe it! Giveaways and fun stuff are coming

ETCHED IN LIES was my first NaNoWriMo project, and I'm am so excited to see it out there... and a little terrified if we're being honest. So it's pretty cool that it's launch comes on the heels of this year's NaNo...

In addition, I've been editing another, and prepping NaNo for a third... and then there's the family, and the teaching, and everything else that likes to get in the way.

There is not enough time to accomplish everything, and I have learned - am learning - that fast may not always be the best way. Some times it's okay to slow down and take a little longer to edit, or work on a project before hitting that submit button.

So that's what I've been trying to do.

Slow. Down.

It's not working....

Checking in one last time #YABbootcamp

I'd love to say that I stayed strong, and completed all my goals....but I can't. Life, as it usually does, got in the way more than I would have liked.

BUT I did make progress in each of the goals I set forth at the beginning of the boot camp, and I can honestly say that #YABbootcamp helped me get further than I would have if left to my own devices. That is both awesome and saddening at the same time.

But spring is hard for me. Real life demands a lot in these three months - a lot more than I realized when I decided to jump on and walk the plank.

And these three months have left me with lots to think about as I move forward.

SO: status:

I DID edit some, and in so doing, really evaluated the genre. I went NA with the story - a shift I was happy with, but has left me wondering if the characters survived the shift - jury is still out.

I DID send query drafts and a few rounds to my CP of awesome for some valuable positive and negative feedback

I DID get to see and provide feedback for that same CP of awesome - and I was soooooo happy to see words from her. I think that inspired me to keep going.


Where do I go from here?

Forward.

I think the query for WHITE LIES I've been playing with is finally ready for a round with agents.

STATIC - thought definitely still a draft is going somewhere - and there WILL be time in the near future to play with it more.

Thanks YA Buccaneers for a lot of fun, the chance to meet some truly awesome and inspiring teammates, and the time (and accountability) to keep writing even when everything was in my way!

Has someone seen my horse??

I JUST realized that I haven't been on here in FOREVER... okay, so slight exaggeration, but close enough! I am still alive!!!

And I've returned - or am returning - or trying to return, depending on how I feel like looking at it.

SOME of the chaos of my work related life has subsided - quite successfully - so now it's time to get the rest of my life back into a semblance of normalcy *laughs at the thought of normal*

To do this, I need my horse - the writing / editing / proofreading horse so I can catch it and get back on it!

So - Have you seen my horse?

 

Color: Depends on her mood - or mine - currently invisible

Last seen: fleetingly while I brushed my teeth last month

 

Answers to the name of: Muse

 

If you see - approach with extreme caution! While Muse is not dangerous, she spooks easily and will disappear again without much provocation.

 

Responds positively to chocolate and Doritos

 

This week! I do have a few goals that I feel confident I can actually achieve.

1. EDIT more!!

2. Send pages for review to my awesomely amazing CP

3. breathe and regroup

 

 

 

The only dead end is the one I make for myself.

Check in #4.... YABbootcamp

This week... well... it went. Real life got in the way a tad - actually a lot more than I want or care to admit, but some good things did happen.

Goal Update:

First things first, and update on goal #2: I'm happy to report I have a working title! My current project shall henceforth be known as STATIC

*does happy dance* *Muppet flail*

This title was hard to peg - but I think this title may stick - at least until an agent or editor wants to change it. I resisted it originally because that is the first word in the book, but the more I thought about it, not only does static play a pretty important part in the entire thing, but it also serves as a pretty nice metaphor for what Sam, my main character, has to go through as she tries to unravel and understand exactly what is going on around her.

Now as to goal #1:

I think I went into red overload - no reference to static or any other electrical charge intended here. I had gotten to far with edits and changes, that a vast majority of my story was red. To clarify, I utilize and LOVE the track changes feature in Word. So everywhere I altered anything, it either became red, was underlined in red or was crossed out in red.

And before you suggest, I am fully aware that I can change the color of the edits...but I'm a teacher - red works for me... until this week, that is.

So this past weekend, I realized what I had to do. I was so overwhelmed with all the red, that I couldn't see what I still needed to do....

File - Save As - Create new File - Accept all changes - Voila! - no more red - and a shiny new document to bleed all over :)

I am not ready to send anything to anyone, but I feel like progress can be had this week. I am almost to the point where feedback will be needed to let me know if I'm going in the right direction, but there are some holes and elements that I need to fix first! And naturally, my story is shifting again, taking another turn I wasn't ready for.... but I'm trying to let the story tell itself, rather than me force it to tell something it doens't want to.

This week, I also started Mapping everything after the fabulous post on YA Buccaneers. For some...err....most this will probably seem backwards, but right now, as I'm shifting from one genre to the next this is helping me validate where those plot holes are and what I still need to fix!

And now I need to get back to those words....

Shifting Hurts: YABbootcamp Check in #3

? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ?  ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ?

? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ?

In case you couldn't tell, for me this past week has been full of questions and what ifs....

I found myself in what I felt was a moral dilemma. My original premise set my main protagonist being a 16-year-old girl...but this week, as I started editing - I mean really started editing the plot and events, I found that I wasn't completely comfortable with some of the situations I was putting her in.

This led me to wonder if the plot would still work if she was older, and since I knew I had a long way to go, after a lot of deliberation and I'm sure annoyance to my critique partner, I decided to give it a try.

And can I just say this shift - from 16 to 19 is not. easy...and one week later, I'm not 100% sure if it is the right thing to do. And one person that I trust with my words stated that she thought it read like a teenager in YA rather than NA...And I value her advice and criticism above just about evetrytyhing, so her feedback gave me pause. But I knew that if I didn't at least TRY I'd alwasy wonder and maybe never be completely comfortable with it all. 

Basically, this week was a lot of staring at the tracked changed in my word document and wondering if they were the right changes to make and therefore a lull in forward progress - but this happens from time to time.

Let me qualify this post by stating that I am fully aware that teen age girls can get caught in some very sticky situations, and that I loved the toughness of my 16 year old girl.... but in the long run, it is my hope that some of the character interactions and plot elements will work better with a little bit older individual.

SO bottom line -
I did make some progress towards goals #1 - a *cough* working draft.
I DID play with a few possible titles BUT would like to hang on to those until I've made a final decision
And it is my goal for this week to be able to send a bit to my CP of Awesome and see if the age shift actually is working - and if not, work though elements to either make it work at 19 or make it work at 16.


Guess I better get back to the words!
Until next time.

Walking the Plank #YABbootcamp Style

So here goes... an updated, though still early draft from the beginning of my still *coughs* untitled story.

“Why won’t you believe me?” I yelled at my mother for the 157^th time since Megan disappeared. A week later and already it was as though nothing had happened. I squared my shoulders and continued. “Lori told me what happened. Lori told me what they did. She wasn’t kidnapped by some random idiot, she was taken.”

I thought back to what I did…what I should have done on that first day…

I know what happened. It wasn’t pretty, and I’m not entirely proud of myself for what I did to Lori, but I had to find answers since no one else was telling me anything.

I looked down at my hands. My knuckles were bruising and there’s blood still under my nails.

“Well that’s just silly,” my mom said and pulled me back into the conversation. “You and your government conspiracies.”

I rubbed my temples and shoved the last of my homework into my bag. “Mom,” I started in a softer tone, hoping to get some kind of response, “it’s not my conspiracy.” I bit my lip to keep from yelling. “I heard the three clicks from the hallway. Everyone knows what they mean. Someone was listening.”

“Enough,” she snapped but didn’t look at me as she cleaned off the kitchen counter. “Now, this is hard enough on all of us. We don’t need you spreading these types of rumors. You know the government doesn’t take people just for saying the wrong word. You know those camera systems were put in for our benefit and protection.”

Roller Coasters of the Editing Persuasion

#YABbootcamp Goals Update:

• Progress on #1

• stalemate on #2

• no advancement on #3…yet

Editing sucks.

This isn’t a new, earth shattering realization by any stretch of the imagination, but I needed to put that out there for the universe so that I could deal and move on.

I am currently *cough* enjoying the editing roller coaster. For those of you who’ve experienced the ride, you understand exactly that I’m going through. 

I love it.

I hate it.

I love it.

I’m ready to throw my computer out the window.

I wonder why I even bothered to write this in the first place.

I laugh.

I cry.

 

And then, I walk away from the computer and repeat everything again the next day...

Let me go back and qualify a bit, because I’m realizing I was too harsh in my initial comment. I DON’T hate hate editing….I just hate the place I’m at right now.

And where’s that? Somewhere, sadly enough and ironically enough, between love and hate.

I haven’t touched this story since I finished that first draft a few Nanos ago… and because of that, I had forgotten about some elements… but not all.

I hadn’t forgotten that the beginning needs major restructuring, or that some of the content may read too mature even by YA standards – and these are things that I am actively dealing with…

But!

I had forgotten about the good. I had forgotten about the interaction of some of my characters. I had forgotten a few scenes that even in edit stage gave me goose bumps when a read them (yes…toot toot…but we, as writers a allowed and required to do that from time to time).

I had forgotten that in less than a month, I had managed to take a premise and turn it into something intriguing…

And it’s important not to forget those positive – especially when other elements feel so daunting.

So I’ll get back on the roller coaster and continue the editing ride and see what’s left when I finally decide to get off.

 

Until next time...

Inspiration... that rebel

If you are forcing it, inspiration will always be the next exit, always be just a little out of reach.

Inspiration is not the child who waits to be put in time out after digging up your beautiful rose bush. It is not the teenager who calls you to let you know they snuck out and won't be home in time for breakfast.

Inspiration is the child who looked around the yard before grabbing your pruning shears.
Inspiratios is the teen who checked your bedroom door and waited to hear snoring before giving the dog a treat and slipping out the back door.

It is is thought that hits you at the worst possible moment - you know the one - when you are three quarters of the way through your current draft and everything is flowing well, but you know one little derailment could throw everything out of whack? Yup! That's when inspiration will strike.

It will be the dream that you can't get out of your mind even though you are already too overwhelmed with your non-writer life to do anything about it. It is the seemingly random thought that will strike on the drive home when you can't stop to jot it down.

Inspiration is the rebel that dares you to write and at the same time, dares you not to, because it knows as well as you, that if you accept the dare, the laundry won't get done. The dishes will sit in the sink. You will miss your favorite television show, and manage to go to sleep just as the sun is rising.

That's just the way inspiration likes it, that rebel. And as a writer, it is those moments we strive for, we crave, because they let us know there will be one more story to tell, one more chance to write, one more opportunity to speak for the characters trapped in our heads.

Don't go searching for inspiration. It will find you. . . when it's ready.

Truth:

Words are a lens to focus one’s mind. - Ayn Rand

Simplicity

“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
― Stephen King

I first read this quote several years ago when I only had the dream of writing a novel. I had started several stories - but never finished them. Real life or substandard concepts or mediocre characters got in my way. Those ideas still sit in a filing cabinet - waiting for a day when maybe the muse will strike. Then again, maybe it won't.

 

But as I revisited this quote, I think I finally get it. It is as simple as that...however it took me a while to get it. How can I expect to become a better writer if I exist only within my limits. By reading others, I can experience their craft on multiple levels.

 

First, I read as a reader. I read as a person who loves to read. I get immersed in the story. I laugh and cry with the characters and, in some cases, I'm not afraid to admit it, weep when I hit the end knowing there isn't another page to turn.

 

Then I read as a writer. I look at the way they create plot, build characters, raise conflict and draw the reader in. I look at those crucial opening pages. I look at where they break chapters and if I'm reading a series, I look at how they try to hook me into reading the next, or how they fail.

 

Finally, I read as a critic. I wonder what would I do to change this story? How could I have written the character differently? Did I like the setting? Did I even get the setting? Did I get a full picture of the characters or just a marble outline...

 

I never try to make it "better" because I know how it feels when someone is messing with my babies - my novels - but the critic in me needs to see what I could do to change the story - and in so doing, I get to see how I can change my own story.

 

So it all starts with reading. And speaking of which, I have a book calling my name.

Until next time

My Nano Survival Kit

Are you ready for November 1st?

While some of you are probably thinking: Aten, it's more than a month away!! I don't even have time to worry about it yet, I am here to tell you time flies and before we all know it, National Novel Writing Month will be well underway...again.

And with that in mind, I decided to sit down and start preparing my own Nano survival kit, incorporating items that I used and lived by during last year's month long mad dash to 50K+ words. While some of the items on the list may feel like Duh moments to any writer, they weren't always so clearly defined for me - SO the pantser in me is taking a back seat to the plotser need to get this list generated!

1. An idea - for the pantser in all of us - just a spark could help....for the plotser in us a little more knowledge is necessary - regardless of your approach you need an idea. I have one flopping around in my head trying desperately to come to life.

2. A notebook and favorite pen. Yes, we live in a digital age, but I still like the feel of ink on paper and like to scratch out ideas while I'm typing away.

3. MUSIC! You know you need to keep your muse happy - so create that play list that will lead you through all the scenes OR for those of you who must live in a bubble of total quiet, grab a pack of ear plugs because you KNOW that someone will call...or cough...or show up at that exact moment when your muse is playing nice and the words are at the tip of your tongue.

4. FOOD! This one is not only for you, but any other people who are unfortunately living with you this month and may have to fend for themselves. Make sure to have a lot of easily prepared meals set aside AND snacks that you can eat in between the meals you skip to hit your daily word goal.

5. TIME!! This year will be different for me. I will be trying to Nano and work at the same time. I was fortunate enough to have the ability to only worry about writing last year. This year, I feel like I'll be batting in the big leagues with all the other writers trying desperately to live a life, work, keep the house away from hazmat suits and quarantine signs AND write a novel....why do I have the sudden urge to laugh uncontrollably??

Other tips? Check out the Nano web page for inspiration and procrastination needs; follow the Nano feeds on twitter for writing sprints. While I didn't sprint with everyone, a few helped me out of writer's block last year, and I'm sure they will again.

Cheer on your fellow Nano-ites as they aim for 50K

The most important aspect?? HAVE FUN and enjoy the ride. I learned so much about myself and the way I thought I had to write a book last year. I can't wait to see what I learn this year! Look forward to another post on that after Nano this year.

I wasn't ready....are you?

   This, about sums up my current state of being....

but that is a good thing! (I swear!)

So after months of read, revising, editing, rounds of emails with my super fabulous critique partner, a few trusted friend readers, I was feel just pretty good about posting materials for this year's Writeoncon.

 And why shouldn't I? I've worked diligently over the last few months to polish my MS and make it agent ready....

And then I hit the forums, and all I can think is:

NOW why the Hell didn't I see that??

Yup. I had a totally head slap moment. Actually, I've had a few of them in the past few hours. *pops open the Advil and takes a few more from all the head slapping fun* And you know what? I am so glad!!

I am not channeling one of those athletes who wanted and were expected to get gold and are "happy" with silver.



I am channeling all those writers who sent things out thinking they were READY only to get no bites. I am channeling all those writers who a week after sending out queries spotted that one mistake (yes, I've done that too). I am channeling all those who thought they were ready but took a step back and waited just a little longer....

Did I want to wait? Does any one want to wait? No! I was ready and willing to send out last week...but I didn't, and it had nothing to do with the state of my manuscript. I didn't think I had my agents in a row yet. I thought everything else was as closed to prepped as an agent-less query could be.

But now? I'll gladly take that step back, and force myself to breathe just a little slower and look even more closely at what I'm sending.

It sort of hurts. I really REALLY thought I was there... but I know I'm not. My query may be there, but based on comments, maybe my manuscript deserves another round of edits and tightening...and don't I deserve it to myself AND my story to make it as polished as possible?

Yes. So I'm turning that "D'oh!" into a learning experience that reminds me there is a positive in patience....even if I have trouble seeing it. :)

Happy Writing!