Grateful

When the writing is coming "easily"...knock on wood... it makes you grateful. Every chapter I write I'm worrying g about not just the next chapter but all the ones after that. I just can't help it. This story is so different from anything else I've written. So I'm going to try really hard to just be grateful! I'm taking it one chapter at a time, plotting them out during nap time, car drives, showers and right before I go to sleep. I'll keep plugging away, writing during nap time and when the kids are in bed. I suggest you also: Keep on keeping on!

Butt in chair

I've made it to chapter 5 already. It's possibly a record for me. However, I can feel myself beginning to slow down. Real life is a clingy baby who won't nap unless I hold her(I'm not a CIO mom as much as I threaten it in my head) and the story is... Well it's very much still there but I've made it to a chapter that requires a little more work. I've got the idea for it but to make it work, to have the tension and interest I have to work at it. And work is, well it's work. So today I took a nap with little one instead of writing, which means I only wrote once today. But I did write; I did put my butt in the chair and managed 800 or so words. Now I'm going to reward myself with a shower. 10:30 at night and it's the only time I might not have a baby in the crib screaming while I shower.'life of. Mom! Keep on keeping on!

Close enough

I've been working on the first draft of R and it's been going good. The next chapter is the first time I'll come in contact with the "touchy" part. At first I was afraid of what going there would do to me, what memories it would bring back. Now I'm afraid I won't do the story justice. It all makes me think of how often writing and fear go together. I'm going to try and jump in feet first. There can't be just sticking a toe in the water. Keep on keeping on.

Darker

I finished draft 2. I wanted to dive right back in but in the spirit of listening to the all knowing www I am taking at least a 1 week break. In the mean time I had to decide between two other stories I've had brewing so that I'd have something to work on. I chose the darker of the two ideas. It's gonna hit close to home and it's making me a bit anxious. I'm trying to really have a good outline before I dive into writing. That's a diversion cause reality is I always have a very loose if at all existing outline and I fly by the seat of my pants on the first draft. I think I'm also grasping at straws to keep a handle on the story and how it's touch me. Keep on keeping on.

Just a Little While

Yeah, so it's been a lot longer than a little while. I'm back at a point where I'm writing again, consistently(that's an important point.). I'm also thinking about being published again. After numerous rejections of my first two books and life requiring me to fully participate, and you know, having another baby and quitting my job, I'm finally writing again. This 3rd book is actually been in the works for at least 2 years. The first draft took FOREVER to finish and even though I wanted to publish it someday I just couldn't bring myself to touch it again for fear of how hard it had been the first time. The second draft is allowing me to think I can now handle this book. Quit laughing at me! So for whatever reason, when I'm serious about writing I tend to want to blog about it. I'm not sure why though. Regardless, I'm here again. Honestly, who knows how long, but still I figure, why the heck not?! Keep on keeping on ;)

Vulnerability

A family member recently told me Facebook was of the devil. Of course since I'm addicted to FB I argued against him. This isn't just about FB, it's about the internet in general. The web is dangerous if only because it allows someone to have a bigger outreach than if they had no access to the web. I really do believe you can use the web for good too. Online and in your books, you are making yourself vulnerable. In both instances your audience is far bigger than the people you see everyday. It takes a certain amount of courage to make yourself that vulnerable. I think we're oftentimes so hungry to be heard we don't think of the vulnerability until we've laid ourselves open. Here's to being brave! On another note I've finished my chapter outline and the first draft of my synopsis. I'd like to get another draft or two done on the synopsis before letting it simmer so I can rewrite my query. Keep on being brave and vulnerable!

Determination

Writing a book takes determination. Each phase has it's own challenges, each draft makes you want to kill it, and then you must squeeze that whole book into one page(your query) and two pages(your synopsis) all while maintaining your voice but NOT going over the established #of pages allowed! That's where I'm at right now. While my most recent WIP simmers I'm revisiting my 2nd finished book to get it published. I was a slacker and never wrote a synopsis which severely limited me to which agents I could query. So first on my agenda is to nail that synopsis! Then... I didn't get a single nibble from any of the 15 or so agents I sent my query to so I'm going to have to rewrite it too. That will be hard just because I really thought I had done a good job :( I'm not going to give up though, nope! So back to the synopsis grinding board :) Keep on going!!