Day 7: Wednesday Words Are Coming Hard

To my right is a bottle of water and box of tissues. To my left is a bowl of beef stew that I can barely taste. In front of me is my computer . I have my current work in progress open and the cursor is linking at me as a reminder that I am supposed to be writing. The words are slowly struggling to get out of the dense fog that has drifted in and settled around my mind. 

Who and what is to blame for this? The answer is plain as day, and one look around my house would show you the answer.

First my husband brought this crappy cold home. Luckily I didn't catch it completely just a stuffy head. So I blithely went on about my life thinking I was in the clear. WRONG! 

Why? Because my youngest (who will be 21 soon, yes I'm that old, and today I feel it!) came down with it only a few days later. Now my middle son got it even worse (he's about to be 25, but with this bug he's acting more like 15). If dealing with 2 sick men wasn't bad enough between the two of them they managed to make sure I got the damn thing. So hoping my oldest doesn't catch it. She's not a pretty sickie!

The youngest is starting to feel a bit better, the middle is managing with theraflu. As for me the dishes are done, I could really care less if the laundry gets done today, I'm eating, and trying to write.

I should probably give up and go to bed. I'll most likely just purge anything I do get written today. Then again who knows it may be some fabulous stuff that oozes out of the haze.

Day 6: Preparation Is Key

It doesn't matter what path you take to get where you want to go. Everyone's journey is going to be different. I know both of those facts are true. The thing is no matter what you want to do planning truly is key.

As a writer my plan is like a tree. It has a thick trunk with lots of goals inside. Little by little I get things done and the tree grows. Unlike what most people think the first step isn't writing the story. 

The first step is coming up with the idea for a story. For me that includes determining where the story fits. Is it part of a series, or a stand alone? If it's part of a series where does it go? That's why the base of my tree is so thick. As I answer the questions that's when it starts to thin. Then comes the actual writing. Branches now start to sprout. While doing writing I have to think about whether or not I'm going to put it out myself or submit it to a publisher. If I do it myself I have to start thinking about cover art, promotion, editing and all the other stuff that goes with it.

Sometimes you'll hear writers talking about being a pantser or a plotter. I'm a mix of both. I like to know the beginning, middle, and end of my stories. I don't like knowing too much more than that. I like having the freedom to let the story grow naturally. Now I do like to have a list of points for each chapter that I want to make sure I get in.

Day 5: Manic Monday

Real Life VS. Writing Life

There are just those days when you have a dozen or so things on your list that you have to put everything else aside and take care of.

Phone calls and tracking paper work down are a pain in the ass, especially when the people you are dealing with are states away. Seriously we were beginning to think we were going to have to drive to Maine and meet with the school to get things straightened out. Luckily everything was accomplished today with about four phone calls. It only took four and a half months!

Then there are errands. Normally I don't mind running them because we grab lunch or do something fun while we're out. But this does seriously interfere with my writing time.

When I started writing I was working a 3rd shift job and trained myself to write during those hours. I still write better between 11pm and 7am.

Day 4: Weekly Wrap Up

Okay so we're only 4 days into January, but I'm feeling pretty good about the goals I've set for myself.

Writing and Admin: I've gotten some words in. I've nailed down a production and release schedule. Right now I'm about 2 Weeks behind where I want to be. That means I really need to pick up my pace.

Health Wise: I'm sticking to my NO SODA rule. I'm doing pretty good too. It's been over a month. I've been tempted a lot since my family still drinks it. So go me!

I also got compression braces for both of my knees, which have been bothering me. they really help a lot. Now I can ride the exercise bike longer and faster, I hope!

Eating better is still something I'm striving for.

I've also made an appointment for a physical in June, but I'm going to see the doctor before that to get back on my meds.

Financial: Okay it may not be realistic to want to earn enough so my hubby never has to work again. But a girl can dream right? For now I just want to pay all the bills and just have enough for us to do fun stuff together.

Join Or Don't Join

That is my question of the day?
So what am I considering joining?

Here's my list:
      RWA
      New England RWA Chapter
      Some other romance focused writing group
     

What do I already belong to?
As I mentioned before I'm a member of Romance Divas.

I'm a member of a local writer collaborative. It's multi-genres and so far I haven't found it to be super helpful. But I think maybe it's because I haven't discover a way use it to my advantage.

I did just join a sprinting group on FB, so we'll see how that goes.

Since I write mainly Contemporary Romance and Romantic Comedies I need to find a support system that is going to help me become a better writer (because we all want that) and helo me promote my genres better.

Still thinking. Will make a decision and post about it later.

Day 2: Project Management, A Positive Jump Toward Rainsing Productivity.

New Years Eve I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with another author and talk. This author also wears an editing hat. We talked about goals and what I want to accomplish this year, We both laughed at some things, but she totally got where I was going.

We discussed what is realistic goals and milestones. There are some really awesome things that I have already done and things that I wish I have done. Several of the issues we discussed were having a good support system, being organized, and what direction I wanted to take my writing in. So I'm going to break those down a little here. Remember this is just my take on how I have been performing and would like to this year.

Support System: My family comes 1st. They are the ones I depend on to honest and helpful.

I have writer friends, but sadly most of them don't live close enough to see often. Which is why I'm contemplating joining RWA again. MAYBE. I really didn't get much out of it the first time, other than reaching my PAN status. But now that my local chapter meetings are only an hour away, instead of four, it might help. There's also a chapter in NH I can get to easily. And I just found out about a group in RI I might check out.

I also lurk on a few forums. Romance Divas is very valuable. I've been a Diva since 2008 and have learned so much. I really need to stop lurking and talk more. But that falls back to me getting out there more.

Being Organized: I think this is super important for me. If I have everything, notes-research-ideas, where I think it belongs I don't waste time trying to  put stuff in order before I start writing. I can just go and if I need something I know right where to find it. I also write better when my desk isn't completely cluttered. Usually with other peoples stuff.

Direction: Okay this is where it gets super tricky. I would love to get a deal with a publisher that would get my books into bookstores and maybe Target And Walmart. This is not going to be a quick or easy thing to do. I need to put some serious research into finding the right publishers and then there's no guarantee that they'll have a spot for me in their stable. So right now though I think I'm going to stick to the path I've laid out in front of myself. I'm 90% sure focusing on my Kismet Falls series is the right thing to do.

So to wrap up this post I'm going to dive into my organization and start really thinking about getting a solid support system in place. What do you guys do?

First Steps = Accountability, Productivity, Discover-abilty

Day 1: Accountability

This isn't my 1st attempt to find a way to keep track of my goals and make myself accountable for getting them accomplished. However I'm going to go harder, deeper, and longer. In fact this project is going to last a full year. I'm going to list my goals and hopefully get a lot done this year.

         : Productivity

I'm still working on Book 5 in ht Heiresses In Aprons series. This will be the final book. It's going to feature Gina Foster, Sophia's younger and wilder sister, and Wes Moreland. Right now it sits at almost 12,000 words. I hope to have it finished and out by the end of the month.

Also I'm starting a new Series called Kismet Falls. This series is going to be different from the series I normally write. Kismet Falls will actually be host town where a few series take place. Some will contemporary romances and some will be romantic comedies, so there will be full-lengths (50k words and up) and novellas(up to 35k words). I'm hoping that will allow me to get more stories finished and out for readers to enjoy.

         : Discover-ability

This is going to drive me crazy until I figure out what the hell I'm doing wrong. I may even be doing some stuff right and not knowing it. Don't consider this whining, because it's not. Really what I'm doing is learning and that shouldn't be confused with complaining. If I do complain its only going to be about me. I know I can't compare myself or my writing career (yes, I do consider it a career not just a hobby or job) to anyone else's, but I can hope to someday reach the status of some fabulous writers.