Bonnie the Wannabe Hurricane

Looks like we'll get a little rain from that wonderfully pitiful hurricane wannabe that's headed this way (that's me waving hi under the top black rectangle). We need the rain desperately and the gulf didn't, so as far as this storm is concerned, the only way it could have been more perfect was if it had died out completely. Especially considering it was like a bullseye on the oil spill (the second highest dot).

So far so good. I spoke to someone yesterday who vacationed on the beach last week and said it was beautiful, workers standing by to clean it up but they enjoyed their trip. Hopefully, the marshes weren't hurt too much by the removal of the booms prior to the storm.

For once, most of the country is hotter than we are. Stay cool.

Goals ~  On target
My first re-working of FIMB is done, enough that I can work on the pitch and synopsis. Next, I plan to do the same for OTHR which should take about a week, maybe two (busy work week). Then, I'll get my notes together for re-crafting Tempest Rising and spend the time before October conference getting it revised and the sequel started. Nano begins in November, which may be good timing to write book two.  I'll have to look at last year's results to see if I want to do it officially or unofficially.

Compartmentalizing

I'm exhausted already!

Is it just me, or is this year going by way too fast? I'm just getting around to putting some of my plans for this year in place. The trip backed me up and threw me out of muse mode.

But I realized I've gotten in the habit of setting long range goals. When I posted that I usually write around 900 words per 45 min sprint, one of our loop members said, "well, then two sprints a day and you've met your goal". That was like a wake up call.

I've been thinking in terms of the upcoming March conference, or the first of February, but not 'Today's goal is...'. For those of you who have ever used a Day-Timer, organizer, Day-Runner, or any other organizer in a book, I just want to give you a heads up. I invented it. Not really, it looks like Day-Timer did in 1947, but I didn't know about it so I can say just like plots turn up on new ground, I created my own version of it, in my little parallel universe.

Mine was kind of a personal bible to my life, work, and contacts. I bought a ring bound address book, inserted pages, a calendar and some tabs. When I need to record information about friends, I turned to F for my page labeled Friends. I for the Insurance page. or S for Songs to learn. It was such a help, I can't imagine why I got away from it. Probably after I ditched working 80 hour weeks, I figured I could handle managing my day in my head.

Wrong! I've always had a pen in my hand. I work by lists. Oh, I look over stuff on the list but I'm much more likely to complete 75% of it than if I haven't written it down. So, I'm back to that process.

I have so much that has to be coordinated in the next few months, a writing challenge, crawfish season, taxes, the mail job insurance class, and starting up computer classes again. And believe me I'm not a plotter, not in writing, and not organizing my life.

This is the style I chose. It's Flavia ( I have to have a pretty inspirational style) and I chose two page per day. See the right page is a journal page. I'm going to use that to do a minimum of 400 words per day. I know that if I write 400, I'll write more. Then I can coordinate classes, work, word counts, and appointments on the left.



How do you stay organized?

Yey, I'm a winner!

I'm very pleased with my progress in Nano, considering I lost an entire week. So my 51,509 total was achieved in three weeks minus the Thanksgiving weekend. It's good to know what you're capable of doing if push comes to shove.

Word count was the goal but it wasn't the only benefit of Nanowrimo. Through the interactive website a writer can become acquainted with others across the globe as well as those in his/her local region. Writers were competitive but greatly supportive.

I was even more thrilled this year to be a part of Nano. The community feel is so successful in goal setting that our Goals loop is setting up our own challenge similar to Nano so our members can take advantage of this ritual. I'm excited about being able to participate in two or even three of these challenges a year to enhance my productivity.

So now we have Nano in November, perhaps two challenges with our loop, the BIAW loop run by Barbara one week of each month. Are you aware of other writing challenges, loops, contests? I'd love to know about them.

'Thinking'

Hmm, yesterday I was sitting in front of the boobtube watching - you guessed it - FOOTBALL!!!! and realized that my last blog was on the first football Sunday of the year. Now, it's not like I only function on football Sundays but the last few weeks, it's been the highlight. Sick, huh.

I'm still trying to wrestle the community of characters into shape on RC. So in addition to eating something that didn't sit well with my stomach all week and pulling a muscle on the treadmill (I told you that would happen), I had to just grit my teeth and plow through all my notes, character sketches, prewritten scenes, to get organized.

I know where it's going, some high points, though I don't know where they'll end up - end of a chapter, end of the book, the second book... My plot is essentially character driven so if I understand my characters' past and present, their paranormal natures and abilites, I'll wing the rest.

In my notes, I came across four scenes that I'd meant to write, so over the weekend I wrote 4000k. God, it was good. Reminded me what I'm preparing to do - and research ain't it.

So what to call my thinking process? I mean it should have a name. It can't really be research when some aspects are totally fiction. Planning seems to involve plotting, and I don't do plotting. Inventing, procrastinating... Then, I remembered that Allison Brennan, a pantser, said she'd been planning her paranormal suspense series for eighteen months! Yowsa! That's a scary thought. But this was done while she was writing her other books and actually it took much longer than that. What did she call her process? Drum roll (bdddDDDDDrrp)

THINKING! (Duh, so much for grandiose terms.) She quoted Steven King who said if there's a simple word for it - use it. Great minds...

Yesterday I brainstormed some titles. A good working title helps me stay focused on the story's theme. Also, finally got everything organized into my Scrivener file. I can promise you it won't be 18 months before I get back into it, more like a month. My new goal is November 1st - the start of NaNoWriMo so I can use the momentum to write a bunch in November.

How many words do you average a day/week/month? How long does it take you to finish a rough draft? I seem to write around 900 words per sitting in sprints, 2500-3000 on good days so I think 1000 a day average would be safe for goal setting. That would be a rough draft in 3-4 months. I could live with that.

On another note, don't forget Castle starts tonight on ABC. And of course, Monday Night Football. (Saints won big time - again - but that's a subject for another blog.)

Treadmilling

I feel so worthless, such an utter failure. I set my goal of treadmilling for life and put my ticker on view for the world to see, then five days into my lifetime grind, I had to stop. (I look pretty good here for someone so out of shape.)

The problem is I tend to jump in like I've been exercising for years and not sitting on my duff reading and writing since crawfish season ended, not that I was doing a whole lot during CF season. I pulled a muscle in my shoulder and whether it was on the mail route or due to the stretch bands I have mounted above my machine, I had to take a couple weeks off to let it heal. I have to stop thinking of it as losing momentum. After all, with only five days under my belt, I was still closer to inertia than moving forward toward my goal.

So, today I start again. My goal is to have 365 days of treadmilling in 390 calendar days. That allows me 25 days for illness (I'm never sick) or for holiday mail deliveries which pretty much take care of my leftover energy.

Why don't you get on there with me. Starting July 22, 2009? Any kind of exercise will qualify you. Just give me an occasional update to tell me how you're doing.

Oh, in case the brown hair didn't give you a clue, the very fit bod on this person should have told you - I wouldn't put a full shot of me in shorts on this blog at least until I'm a little fitter. Is that a word? But afterward, maybe I'll post a before and after. Jeez, am I getting brave or what.

Goals for 2009

I'm late posting my goals for the year. My work life is changing a lot this year with many of my 'jobs' - computer classes, singing, insurance and mail delivery all creating a better environment for work. I could wind up with an office away from the house to work or write.

I'd have to say my first and foremost goal would be to try to find a balance between scheduling work, writing, and physical activity. Bring it all together into one cohesive plan.

~Record a vocal CD! I could have done this when I was 16. Well, better late than never.

~Study the publishing industry for better understanding of who to target.
~Revise FIMB and submit in February.
~Attend Nola Stars in March - pitch OTHR.
~Finish RCM first draft.
~Attend Southern Magic in April to pitch RCM.
~Work hard to justify attending either DC-RWA in July or GRW in October
~Submit more to agents/publishers.
~Start new paranormal.
~Revise OTHR completely and submit.
~Finish AMC and submit.
~Find an agent
~Learn to do a better job of pre-world building,
characters, concept
~Update website, renew commitment to blogging regularly, and
participating in fellow authors projects and blogs
~Simplify, unclutter my home space and life so that I can achieve
these goals
~Get an editor/agent to request a full manuscript this year
~Learn more about author marketing strategies
~Setup handouts and marketing for computer classes
~Attend training for insurance products
~Find out about strategies for managing ADD so I can create more daily
structure in my life
~Setup a reminder system.
~Deal with interruptions and change more gracefully.

I want to be more present and proactive, concentrating on the positive
constructive energy and expecting the best for 2009!

Each month - break each of these goals down at the beginning of the
month into weekly and daily goals

Revising strategy

Okay, started a new job this week and since training is taking up so much of my time, I've decided to take a chapter of OTHR with me everyday. I can revise it on my lunch hour. I'll be further along than if I let it sit at the house.

I seem to get more done when I have more to do. I'm sure you know what I mean. The adrenaline is pumping, organization mode stays in play, rather than relaxation mode.

Another one bites the dust

Another goal, that is. I mailed my partial manuscript of OTHR yesterday and what a chore that was! It was much much easier and quicker to email my submission the day before to the agent.

My goal was to submit OTHR, formerly MOL, by June 17th to beat the RWA rush into the agents and publishers in August. I should have considered that mailing it to Canada was going to be a bit different than mailing within the US. I had read the guidelines on HQ's website but once I started thinking about the details I had all sorts of questions:

1. They don't use the same stamps do they, so how am I going to send a SASE?
2. It's going to be more expensive to mail internationally - MUCH!
3. Tracking wasn't going to be easy since the postal clerks were telling me that I couldn't track it past the border of the US unless I sent it Global International Guaranteed 1-3 days for get this - $43.75.
4. What were my options on getting the manuscript or a response returned?

My CP, Leah, found something in the FAQ on HQ's site which said you could simply mail a check for the return postage. Thank God for Leah. She's so patient when I'm obsessing over the details (but it was my first child to leave the nest). Thanks, Leah, for not sending the Canuck Incredible Hulk after me.

Well, I thought that was the simple solution, I had the return postage taken care of. But once I decided to spring for the $43.75 to get it there in three days or less, i.e., by the end of the week, they couldn't find any Global Express envelopes! Our clerk at the PO couldn't remember ever sending anything that way. (Remember we're not in the BIG CITY.)

Finally, I settled on Express Mail International which ended up costing $23.75 and 'should' get there in five days which would put it at HQ in Ontario by Tuesday! That was acceptable.

But next time I set goals depending on the destination, I'll allow for more transit time. Though I'd still probably send it via some tracking enabled method.

Staying positive

It's tough to do, stay positive in an environment where other authors you know are completing books, selling, making the NYT list, making money and it's what you really want to do. But there's such a thing as paying your dues, learning as you write, growing in the craft and in the business. None of the other careers I had happened overnight. They all took hard work, challenge, and education. All uncomfortable stuff.

On the mail route yesterday, I was listening to Carla Neggers' and Brenda Novak's workshops on the RWA cds. What an inspiration Brenda is, but how daunting to see what she accomplishes in a short period of time with 5 children and a busy life.

Carla's advice not to compare yourself to other writers, to understand that we all have our own style and pace reminded me of something Wayne Dyer said:

"Everything is as it should be. Just because dreams aren't manifesting now doesn't mean they never will. We are exactly where we are supposed to be, everything is happening exactly as it was meant to, I am who I am supposed to be at this time."

And the ancient advice which has been proven to work over and over:

ACT AS IF. (I used to have that on my phone, and it's going back on it.)

Act as if what I want is already here, it just needs to be attracted to me - the alignment of my intention with divine purpose.

I believe I've discovered this passion for writing for a reason. As good as my singing voice is I never had that passion to accomplish anything with it, just enjoyed listening to it. So I have to believe I will succeed.

Writing Craft Meme

I always end up on the tail end of a MEME with no one to send them to so I've created one instead of waiting for it to come to me out of the great MEME black hole. I thought it would be interesting to engage other authors about our craft of writing.

1.List one of your writing goals for the month of June and how likely you are to accomplish it.
Mine: Get MOL submitted by June 15 which means finishing the revisions, the synopsis and creating the query letter. Same for FIMB - cause it needs to go to the agent at the same time as MOL.

2.What genre or subject would you like to write about that you aren't currently?
MD: Mystery romance or political thriller

3.What is your writing lifestyle, habits ? How do you manage the interruptions with your writing? HOW do you stay positive? Believe in your writing success?
MD: I always thought that since I get up everyday around 5:30 I'd settle into a morning routine, but it seems that I do best when I get started around 9 or 10am. Part of that is that my INTERRUPTION usually leaves the house around then. So as you can see, I don't manage my interruption very well. I need an office with a door that isn't a main passageway between two tvs and the bathroom.

4.Are you a pantser or plotter?
MD: Absolutely, no question, pantser. LEAH had a great blog the other day which said it to a 'T'. I keep thinking I'm going to outline and plot and interview but once I start writing, most of it goes out the window. I also find that a lot of the workshops are given by plotters which means most of the advice has to be fine-tuned for my pantser ways.

5.Who are two of your favorite current authors and why?
Molly O'Keefe because I'm reading SuperRomance to make sure my submission falls within their guidelines and her book Baby Makes Three was one of the best books in any genre or publisher I've read lately.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips - always - I just finished re-reading Natural Born Charmer. She's just awesome, humor, deep emotion, great plots,sassy heroines, hunky heroes. What more could a girl want for real escape material?

6.How does your family feel about your writing?
My husband is torn between being jealous of anything that doesn't include him and being proud, leaning hopefully to the proud supportive side. He's not into books unless it's a Smoke Jensen western so I understand. My cousin, Pete, who lives in Vietnam was very enthusiastic about my book - he's a sheriff in one of the books in the series - so he's happy to be immortalized.

That's it for me. I'm tagging Leah, Cora, and Dani.

Tag three people.

Revision Update MOL

Three steps forward, two steps back, but at least I haven't stopped moving.

My goal last week was to get my first five chapters revised so I could get them to my critique partner and start working on my synopsis and query letter.

Well, I got 4 out of 5 chapters revised but I have to rework a love scene before I can finish. I'll try to get that done today so that while I'm running the mail route this week, I can be thinking about my synopsis and query letter.

I mustn't stop this week just because I have to work, have to learn to accomplish small pieces of the larger goal, especially when it gets down to the uncomfortable, unfun stuff like revision.

My Dream

My goal is to become a published author, specifically to sell my first book in 2008.

How do I expect to achieve it? Through time spent learning the craft, studying the industry, long hours with my fingers on the keyboard, through a successful critique partnership, and support of my husband and friends. By networking in the industry with authors and other writing professionals.

I am pursuing it with the same passion I employed when self teaching myself guitar, computer, manufacturing management. Nothing exemplifies my professional life more than the quote by Thoreau on my Welcome page.

"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined,he will meet with success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau

And like the fountain at Centennial Park in Atlanta, that expresses the music in so many different ways, the mind is an image fountain.



Capturing those images in a unique way is a challenge and a passion I’ve only recently discovered is as necessary as the air I breathe.

A Novel's Journey

I'm starting a new tradition. When I read Write Away by Elizabeth George I was so encouraged that she included her 'journal of a novel' describing the feelings that plague all authors at each step of the process. I meant to begin this in October when Leah and I were taking the Deep Edits class but we were too busy with all the work. lol.

So once a week I plan to update my progress, my successes, and probably some insecurities which will show up with solutions later.

I've listed the steps to this point in my goals on my website but here's the jist of it for 2008.

January - Began FIMB novella, wrote 14k. Continued writing another 40k on MOL in preparation for Nola Stars Conference March 1.
February - Got to 80K on MOL before conference and spent the rest of the most preparing pitch, synopsis, business cards for it.
March 1 - Met with agent and editor and received requests for partials on MOL and FIMB.
CURRENTLY: In revisions on both, critiquing with CP, getting ready to do RODIWRIMO, Angela Knight's workshop, and start something new. Have been nearly stalled by my internal critic. She's very influential, thinks she knows more than she does.

If I can get through crawfish season, hopefully I can get the revisions done on both partials and get them sent off by June 25th.

Life Interruptus

I was beginning to feel guilty and a bit worried that I haven't accomplished the revision of my partial manuscript or any forward writing on my other wips. But then I took a realistic look at what I have been doing the past three weeks.

The carrier I sub for got married a couple weeks ago and I had to cover for her, then work the remaining days for Crawfish Man, either at the stand or making the seven hour drive south to pick up crawfish. Had to find time - about four days worth - to gather tax receipts for annual taxes, get monthly sales tax together, work on budget, pay bills and straighten my office, do some critiquing.

Then I was called in to learn a new route, two days of training, two still outstanding, and today, I had to plant those flowers I bought last week before the freeze. I was just too frigging tired to do much after that, even read, so you know I was exhausted.

One more blip on the radar. Tuesday, I will spend a few hours of my previously scheduled writing time loading my car with stuff to take to Mississippi on Wednesday. We're hearing that the National Guard and Corps of Engineers are trying to maintain the levee in St. Joseph about 30 minutes away. Someone said, "It's trying to slide into the river." The river is supposed to crest in Natchez tomorrow at 57, a foot higher than it's ever been.

The thing is - you can't make a plan of action other than a priority list because we are nearly surrounded by levees and depending on where it fails you have more or less lead time to get out, and different exit routes.

So, just as a precaution, I'll take a computer, my external hard drive, guitars, keyboard, jewelry, pictures to high ground Wednesday. And we've made a prioritized list of what we'll grab depending on how much time is allowed.

Hopefully, I'll get some work done tomorrow and next week I'll get back on track.

I finished!

I finally finished my first manuscript - MOL. I'm so relieved - another goal met.

When I pitched it last month it was over the publisher's word count but it wasn't finished. Now I have two versions, one which may or may not make it through the cutting room floor, and the original.

As if that wasn't hard work, now the really hard work begins. This is the one that took second in Romancing the Tome '07. So I must make sure the rest of it lives up to the contest entry.

While my CP takes a look at the two versions of MOL, I'll go on to the next three goals.

Finish FIMB. (I like the hero too much to submit to its intended publisher so I'll see where this beautiful guy leads me.)

Refine first three chapters of MOL and FIMB for submission to publisher and agent. (Is that one or two - I have a tendency to make too large a goal, but I'm working on it.)

No writing this weekend though, 'cause I'm helping Crawfish Man - biggest crawfish weekend of the season! As usual, there's not enough to go around and this season is the worst so far. Late, young, and soft crawfish make for high prices and low supply.

Happy Easter!

2008 The First Twelve Days

I ask myself - How am I coming so far this year with my goals and resolutions.

Well! As far as exercise, and this isn't an excuse, I sprained my left foot in mid- December and the week after that pulled a muscle in my rib, which made exercising pretty much impossible and delivering the mail torture. So I try to remind myself of what I said after January 1. I can't just throw up my hands and say - oh well, I didn't start on time so I'll just wait til next year. No, with the help and gentle pushes from my critique and exercise partner, I will get back on the treads a little at a time until I can do more.

The diet - that's another story entirely. If I ever get back on a regular exercise routine I think it will come together.

December 31st I got my contest entry sent off. Of course, I went to the website for my judge and he had a general statement on what kinds of plots he doesn't accept. Um, mine was one of them. But at least I've sent it out there, I've done my best, I accomplished more than one goal where that was concerned, now I just need to finish the manuscript.

But as I was running the mail route last week a new hero ran in front of my fertile imagination. So of course I had to detour and interview him, research and get a few thousand words down before he escaped. You know what I mean. I'm pleased with how his story is progressing though.

I must keep my eye on my first deadline for 2008 - the Shreveport conference, March 1st. By then, I'm committed to finishing my two currents WIPs, getting my website designed and uploaded, working on my pitches, and helping my critique partner achieve her goals.

Whew, lots to do before then. For a while, I got away from setting goals, but I've always worked better under deadlines, especially self-imposed.

Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. As Leah said yesterday, BICFOK. Butt in Chair, Fingers on Keyboard.

See ya, gotta get back to it. (And of course there's the playoffs.)

Writing goals and starvation diets

Okay, I'll admit. Setting a goal for 10,000 words to catch up after four days of not writing is kinda like going on a starvation diet to compensate for overeating. If it hadn't been for NaNo...

Well, I know what I need to do - just keep plugging out the very manageable 1500 to 2000 a day. At least I'm developing a better pattern of writing behavior. I actually setup a hair appointment for 11:30 am Monday because I plan to write until 11:00. Baby steps.

Habits get better with practice.