Category: Writing

It’s been a while since I posted a self-challenge update and, since I didn’t have anything else planned for tonight, this seemed as good a time as any to do so. (more…)

When I’m not writing, I feel sad and out of sorts.  These facts came home to me with a vengeance last week, because for some reason, I stopped writing.  I didn’t write.  At all. Nary a word.  Nary a peep, except on the blog, Facebook or Twitter. Nary a jot nor a tittle. (more…)

While writing the first draft of the book which eventually grew up to be HOLD ME (the book being published soon – in case you didn’t know), I gave a few friends each individual chapter as soon as I was finished writing it.  I discovered about half-way through the process that this, for me anyway, was a bit of a mistake. (more…)

Week 2 of my self-challenge had more…opportunities for growth, shall we say…than Week 1.  First, I was back at work, and the day job does tend to require both time and energy.  Also, I usually find the second week of anything to be more difficult than the first because the novelty has worn off.  Heaven only knows what Week 3 will bring! (more…)

Here’s one thing I learned while I was on vacation last week.  I need structure.

I mean, I kind of knew it before, but I’ve been trying to deny it.  I want to believe that I’m footloose and fancy free. That I’m bohemian. That the only thing keeping me from writing a novel a week is the fact that I have to work to pay bills and keep the indoor plumbing, but if I just had the tiiiimmmmeeee…

The problem is, when I’m just hanging around the house all day and have all the time in the world, I just don’t seem to get much done.  (more…)

As you may, or may not know, last week I issued myself a challenge.  Basically, starting May 1st, I challenged myself to 1) write every day for 58 days, 2) write at least 1000 words a day (1500 words on the weekend), and 3) finish the first draft of my WIP before the RWA convention at the end of June.  Since today is the end of the first week, I thought I’d let you know how things are going. (more…)

I’ve been doing some soul-searching recently, thinking about my life and where I’ve been and where I’m going.  Thinking about goals.  Thinking about challenges.

It’s so easy to turn away from challenges, to stick with the normal and the mundane.  It’s easy to believe that your life will just coast along in the same path forever.  But time passes and none of us lives forever and things happen and change comes.  And one day you’ll wake up and say “hey? how did I get here?” (thank you, Talking Heads) (more…)

It seems to me that the rarest commodity in the world today is not oil or gold or silver.  The rarest commodity of all is Time. And the rarest of all Time is time to think.  Time to think is rarer than the rarest of gemstones, my friends. But if you are going to be a writer, then you are going to need to cultivate it.

It’s hard to push away the demands of life to clear out some thinking time. It’s especially hard if you have a full-time job, or a full-time family, or both. But it must be done if you want to be a writer.  It’s been my observation that writing is 75% thinking and 25% actually putting the words on paper in the right order. It’s probably more like a 90/10 ratio.  Plus, whether you want to be a writer or not, thinking time just plain makes you a better person. (more…)

Last Sunday, I returned the art fact sheet for my book to the publisher. This is the information Carina Press will use to come up with a cover, among other things.  (Yes, digital books DO have covers, smartypants. In fact, Carina Press covers are beautiful, and I suggest that you go look at them sometime.) (more…)

I work. I write. I work at working. I work at writing. Sometimes I try to work on both of them in the same day. (more…)

As of the writing of this post, what I believe are the final changes for my book, HOLD ME, have been returned to my editor.  In celebration, I thought I’d share some relatively amusing behind-the-scenes factoids about HOLD ME in case anyone was even remotely interested. So, here we go: (more…)