Making A Plan And Making Writing A Priority

It is really easy to put things off. I am the Queen of Procrastination. It isn’t that I don’t want to do certain things, but the phrases “I am going to start this soon” or “I will get on that tomorrow”, become easier to say. And tomorrow turns into the next day and so on.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about my writing. I am kicking myself for wasted days and being lazy. I’m not as prolific as I used to be. I’m not happy with that, so it is time for a REAL change.

I’m not the type of person to write every day. Some writers are. Even during NaNoWriMo there are days I don’t write. Either because life is simply too hectic that day, or I need to give my brain a little bit of recharge time. (Although I only do that if I am at least a day or two ahead of schedule.)

While I am not a person to write every day, all week, all year, I know I can write some of the week. So I am making myself a schedule of sorts.

I am vowing to write four days a week. If more, bonus! But unless life takes some major curve ball, I know I can write (or edit) even a page or two that much during the week. I have no real excuse right now not to do that.

I have last year’s Nano to work on, plus a new project I have been dying to get at. So I have a great starting point for my work.

Instead of just thinking about writing, I need to get off my ass and start DOING.

Have you made any new changes or goals for your writing? If so, what have you decided to do?

 

NaNoWriMo: Day 1

I thought that throughout the month I would update my progress and struggles. And I would love to hear from fellow Wrimos! 🙂

I stayed up til midnight last night, so I could get started right away. By the time my eyes were heavy I managed to crank out just over 2000 words, which made me happy. I knew anything else I would get written today would be a bonus.

After a brisk walk this morning and getting some caffeine into me, I came home and began to write again. I am now at just about 4000 words. So I am feeling pretty good. It is still early in the day so I might write again. However I won’t pressure myself. Ususally during NaNo, I write between 15k and 25k the first few days. But I am trying to pace myself this year. I tend to burn out mid month, which makes the last two weeks or so brutal.

I feel like I am off to a slow start, story wise, but I am not dwelling on it. This is NaNo. We don’t have to like what we write.

How is your first day going? 🙂

Writer Gears Are Rusty But They Are Turning

With October around the corner, there’s a lot on my mind. I love fall and all that comes with it. And usually part of that is prepping for NaNoWriMo.

Until yesterday, I didn’t even know if I was going to do it or not. None of my recent ideas or projects I wanted to start interested me. With the wedding officially less then a year, I have a lot to do and get done for it. I feel stressed, and NaNo is for sure an added stress and time bandit.

I was at work, cleaning up and the like when all of a sudden an idea hit me. Something fun. Something I think I can get really creative with. And it excited me!

I haven’t written a heck of a lot this year. I’ve had personal issues and a lot has been put on the back burner. It made me sad that my ‘writer brain’ was sitting, getting rusty, and I wondered if I would ever use it again.

Right away I scribbled a few notes down before my next client came in. I don’t have a whole lot planned out, not even a full skeleton. But I have something to start with. A basic idea and two characters. That’s enough for me to get into my novel prep!

Over the next few days and over the coarse of October, I will build and create my main characters, and do some world building. I will work on character sketches, create a story board on Pinterest, a ‘Novel Bible’, and do a lot of brainstorming.

So, fellow writers, have you decided if you are taking part in NaNoWriMo? If so, do you have an inkling as to what you’re writing about, or still in “maybe I will just wing it” mode? Do tell! 🙂

Book Review: The Murder Prophet

Back Cover: Kit Stablefield is a detective with a secret and a crush on a guy she knows only online, in a future where magic is a part of everyday life. But when millionaire Aleshu Coro walks into the offices of Darcko and Sadatake with a message from the Murder Prophet and fourteen days to live, everything changes.

Suddenly Kit is questioning the decisions of her past, trying to find out if the man she loves is, in fact, a man, and hunting for a murderer and a mysterious seer. With her eighty-six-year-old grandmother insisting on helping out, and a sentient goose who simply won’t stop pestering her to watch his “killer” video game moves, Kit has more than her hands full as she races against the clock to prevent Coro’s murder…and possibly her own.

My rating: 5 out of 5

My Review: I am a HUGE fan of Sherry D. Ramsey, and not just because I happen to know her in real life. I have read quite a few of her stories, including her break out novel ‘One’s Aspect To The Sun.’ And even though some of her stories aren’t typically in the genre I read, she never fails at capturing my attention and drawing me deep into the world she has created.

If you love science fiction and fantasy, then this book is for you! It has an intriguing story line with strong and interesting characters.

This novel has so much that I loved. I was hooked right at the beginning when we met Trip, a talking goose who is addicted to video games (and happens to have KILLER ninja moves). Then there is the mysterious man who goes by LemurCandy, an AI with some pep, a group of co-workers who are all very different but manage to work well together, magic, and a mystery when a millionaire has his life threatened.

‘The Murder Prophet’ is full of twists, suspense and secrets, and I was engrossed in the story. The only reason why I hadn’t finished this quicker is because life got in the way. (It has an unfortunate way of doing that sometimes, doesn’t it?)

This was a great read overall. I am really looking forward to the next book and finding out what adventures Kit Stablefield goes on next!

I really wish I could convey just how much I loved this story. With being home sick, I’m not functioning at high capacity. 😉 So if you really want to see for yourself how good it is, go grab yourself a copy and dive in! 🙂

Oh, and as for my Goodreads challenge of reading thirty books this year, I’m on track and this makes five books finished. How many books have you read so far this year?

New Year, New Resolutions

It is that time of year when people are getting ready to make new plans and goals for themselves. Loose weight. Save money. Go to the gym. Blah, blah, blah.

Last year I didn’t make any, since I seem to fail at any and all I make. One year I gave up pop. What was I doing three weeks later? Sipping on a Pepsi and thinking “Oh shit, didn’t I give this up?”

This year I decided to make some that I consider fun. It is more to help me get some things accomplished, rather then improve myself/my life. (I try to do that anyway during the year.)

So here is a list of my 2015 Resolutions!

1- Read. I’m setting myself a goal on Goodreads to read 30 books this year. I do hope to read more then that, but that’s a realistic number for me. Between life getting in the way, and migraines, I can’t read a book or more a week ALL year. I posted a book challenge not too long ago, and I plan to use it as a guide and see how many I can scratch off.

2- Write. I’m going to finish my NaNo novel I wrote this year and polish it off. With any luck, I’ll submit it somewhere as well. I also want to keep going here, and start a new project or two at the very least.

3- Snail mail! I’m hoping in February or March to have a snail mail challenge, in which I will write a piece of mail every day. It might be a card or full blown letter. I’ll be posting about it here before hand. Maybe someone will want to join me, or even get a piece of mail themselves 🙂 (You know it is way better then getting a bill!)

4- Create My Bucket List. I recently found a journal I had when I was fifteen. I wrote about forty things I wanted to do by the time I was thirty. I actually managed to do some. However my efforts to end world hunger have yet to work. I decided I’m going to write up a new list, and make plans to start scratching it off. Some things will be easier to accomplish, and others will be in the “far fetched” category. Hey, it never hurts to dream! (And at fifteen I didn’t think I’d get to actually “Meet ten celebrities.” Thanks to conventions, I have doubled my original goal 😉 )

5- Get Creative. This year, for whatever reason, I lost touch with my creative side. I love photography, Smashbooking, and other little art projects. Not only is it fun, but it is also a form of therapy. And it also helps boost my writing. Sometimes when I’m zoning out and working on a project, I have a new story idea or a problem I’ve been having solves itself. So instead of buying craft supplies and letting them collect dust, I’m going to put them to good use.

It’s a small list but that’s ok! I might end up adding more. Are you making any resolutions this year? If so, what are they? I would love to hear about them! (And I’m betting my own list will grow! 😉 ) I wish you all a very happy new year and I hope 2015 treats you amazingly well!!! xo

National Novel Writing Month – 5 Tips for NaNoWriMo from Stephanie Perkins, Writer Extraordinaire

I really needed to read this today. It came in at the perfect time. Every year during Nano, I get to a point where I either give up, or I fight the urge to do so. This morning I was having a ‘fuck it!’ moment, deciding to give up and finish it in the new year, when the craziness of the holidays are over. But no, I won’t give up. Even if I don’t make it to 50k, I won’t throw in the towel now. There’s been too much poured into this already. So, if you are having the kind of day I had with my novel, read this. It might just give you the push to keep that sucker going!

 

National Novel Writing Month – 5 Tips for NaNoWriMo from Stephanie Perkins, Writer Extraordinaire.

NaNoWriMo hasn’t eaten my soul…yet!

A big hello to everyone out there!! How are we all doing? If you are writing a novel this month, how goes it? And if you aren’t writing this month, what good things have you been reading? I need to make a list of books for the new year! (Even though I have 1.2 million novels on my book shelf I have to read…what makes me NEED more?!)

I have been taking part in Nanowrimo yet again this year. So far on day six, things are going pretty good. At least I think they are. I am trying really hard not to dwell on the EPIC CRAP I have written over the last six days because I know that inside it somewhere is a little nugget of goodness. (Fingers crossed it IS in there.)

In the first two days of the month I wrote over 10k. I was very happy with this, since I like to work with a little buffer. Yesterday I had a little situation pop up, so I was unable to focus properly. (All is good now though!) I just finished writing for the day, so I thought I would crank out a few more words and check in here. I am up to 16.806 words and feel my novel itself is coming along and developing well. I already had an idea for my beginning, middle and end before I had even started, so that does help. But I have been writing this novel much differently then in the past.

On day one I wrote the first two or three scenes and stalled. I realized that while I had some planning for my skeleton, the meat of the thing hadn’t been thought out as much as I had originally hoped. I had an “Oh Shit” moment. But I didn’t let that stop me. I began working on another scene, one that would take place in a few chapters into the novel.

And that trend continued. I wrote a few scenes, ones that didn’t connect, but then went back to fill in the gaps. I have done this in the past, but not to this extent. But my random scenes are now coming together and the story is filling out. Of coarse, there are a few scenes that are still looking very out of place, but in the days to come that problem will be solved.

One of the things that has kept me going through Nano now (and over the years) is the writing community, both online and in real life. So far I have been to two Nanowrimo events held in my area. Our first meet up was on Sunday, and Tuesday evening we had a two hour write in. (Bonus: Our Municipal Liaison brought chocolate. Yet another thing that keeps my brain going during the writing frenzy 😉 ) I love meeting fellow authors as well as getting together with friends. Everyone has been very friendly and supportive. It’s a great way to get inspiration and a kick in the pants if needed.

How is your word count going? Better yet, how is your novel coming along? Are you happy and still riding the wave of excitement, or are you debating on punching your computer (or notebook) in the face? If you are ahead of the game, good for you! Have a cookie. If you are behind, no worries! Have a cookie and keep going! 🙂

Genre Overkill- Dealing With My New Novel

I finally headed over to the Nanowrimo website, to start checking things out and see what’s happening in the forums. There’s a lot of great stuff there. Too much sometimes. I could get lost for hours in them, reading and posting comments. I collect ideas from various threads like the famous “Dares” thread and brainstorm with fellow writers. The people there are pretty cool and I always enjoy a solid month of hanging out on the site before the writing frenzy begins. (Or as my friend likes to call it, “the month where Kerry disappears and comes out hissing at the sun.” Both descriptions are accurate.)

As I ventured over to the genre lounges, I popped into the horror/supernatural section. I read several threads right off the bat about dealing with vampires. Cliches, ideas for what new threats are in their world, vamp mythology, etc… As I read some of these, my heart dropped a bit.

I fell in love with vamps before they were ‘cool’, and God, looooooong before they ever effing sparkled. I remember as a kid, they were my favorite creature. I loved the true horror version of them, and also the romanticized versions of them as I got older. I began at a young age to write stories, and loved the looks I would get when I told people what I wrote. My stories went from horror (*cough* more like the attempt at horror) to romance. It all depended on my mood.

Truth is, I still love vampires today as much as I did when I was a kid. And I love writing stories about them. My fourth short story is about to come out in December, and that is a vampire story. I classify myself as dark fantasy, seeing as how I write about different creatures from the supernatural, and romance is an element, NOT the plot.

Anyway, as I was reading, I came to realize how beat to death this genre is. SO many people are now writing about vamps. Which is a good thing. But people also have negative views on it. I can almost here the mental eye rolls of people now when I tell them what I write.

So what do I do? I had a moment tonight of thinking, ‘Sod it. I need to find something new. Something not so beat to death.’ (or close to it) I was embarrassed for a moment at the thread I started, asking for a bit of advice on yet another vampire novel. Especially after reading about cliches. Yeah, I totally fit in some of them.

And then I thought ‘Fuck it!’ This is what I love to write. Or at least one of the things. Why should I let what someone else thinks hinder my love for it? For the record, not one person has ever said anything negative to me on that site. People (in my experience) have been pretty supportive. I think it’s my inner critic rearing it’s ugly little head, trying to make me doubt myself.

So, beat to death or not, I’m going to write what I love. I’m going to keep working on my plot and giving my characters depth. (I am very much in love with one of them. So how can I tell the poor bastard that I can’t come out to play? That would just break us both and I can’t do that now, can I? 😉 ) I’m going to tell that inner critic to shut it, and focus on doing what makes my geeky lil heart happy. I think that’s an important rule in life, to do what makes you happy and screw what anyone else thinks. 🙂