Too Much

I seem to be in one of those phases where I have too much to do and too little time.  A friend suggested I sit down and list everything I do in a day and how much time it takes to do them.  Right.  I'll fit that into everything else I have to do.  I guess I could spend less time online, but everyone needs a little chat time with other humans even if it's the faceless "friends" we have online.  I could hire a housekeeper for two days a week and save about eight hours, but I have no idea where that money would come from.  I refuse to give up any hubby time.  And TV time is really hubby time, since we spend most of our down time in front of the TV.  I sometimes share my hubby time with writing time, since I have a laptop and can work and stop if he gets in the mood to talk.  And since I'm talking about time management, I guess I should close off and get back to my word count goal for the day.  See ya in a couple of days.

The Writing Life is Strange

I'm sitting here after spending a great deal of time rewriting a couple of chapters.  I'm taking a writing course at RWA on writing suspense.  So far it seems common sense lessons, but sure enough after reading what I've written so far on Murderous Visions, I found some things that needed to be added/changed.  I don't mind.  Lord knows I want to write the best story I can.  But what is that makes us sit down and let the words flow as they will, knowing that you're leaving out some things that will have to be added later, or things that will have to be changed or even deleted.  Here is what I think.  If I (maybe not you) have to keep rethinking as I write, I will get frustrated and give up on the story.  I need to write it as my brain sees it at that moment or the Muse will go off on a tangent (read vacation). So I will write the bones of the story, enjoy writing without rules, and finish the first draft.  Then I will go back and unbreak rules (or not, if I think it works as is), add in "how does that make her/him feel?" and describe the world I've created for my characters.  And if SBP is ready to take me on again, Murderous Visions will be my next book.  I'll keep you updated.

Shadows by Jen Black

Shadows by Jen Black
Released 24^th May 2011 by Sapphire Blue:

http://www.sapphirebluepublishing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=118&osCsid=a20ceebd00e8092d01a8a771526ddf5b

Genre: Contemporary romance with ghosts

Blurb:

Melissa thinks she’s taking a huge risk in going on holiday with Rory Hepburn. He may be gorgeous, but she only met him three days ago. But when she sees the old watermill in rural France, she is delighted. Within ten minutes of her arrival, she sees the man in black, but thinks nothing of it. Concentrating more on keeping her secrets and sleeping alone, she is shocked when ghosts disturb her first night at the mill. Not just one ghost, but two. When Christophe arrives at the mill, the chic Frenchman regards Melissa as his soul mate, and Melissa knows she’s in real trouble.

A chilling tale, written with humour and drenched in the sights and perfumes of the rural Dordogne, this is a must-read tale for those who like a romance with a ghostly twist.

This Jen’s fifth published book, and her first contemporary tale. In many ways writing about character in this century is easier than writing about people in the sixteenth or eleventh centuries. There isn’t as much research required, though it’s important to get things like brand names, distances, food and fashion right - hairstyle or hemlines can speak volumes about a character’s personality today.

Jen lives in Northumberland, a corner of England rich in castles and history, and visits France regularly for summer holidays. You can find her at http://jenblackauthor.blogspot.com where she writes about anything that catches her interest – usually something to do with writing fiction! and shares one of her other hobbies - her photographs.

5 Star Read

New York Times Best Selling author, Erica Spindler is now offering her book Blood Vines in Ebook for $2.99. I bought this book in hardback the day it was released. I've been a big fan of Erica's for years and Blood Vines does not disappoint. Shoot, for $2.99 I'll but the Ebook just so I have it on my Kindle.

Deadend Brainwaves

Some days I think my brain has taken a wrong turn and has ended up on a dead end dirt road. Everytime I try to sit down and write, I find my thoughts are blocked by dust and debris. Trying to turn my thoughts around and get them back on the right highway is comparable to pulling teeth with tweezers. I'm not sure what has me in this quandary, but I've had enough. I've given myself a few goals for 2011 I will meet or die trying. I will finish Murderous Visions by the end of July (first draft, edits and sending to my publisher). I will finish Demon Slayer by December (second book of the Genesis Series). I also have applied to a small local newspaper to write articles about authors and their books. If I'm given this opportunity I'll be putting out a call for authors who'd like be be interviewed for the articles.
Am I biting off too much? Maybe, but I really think I can handle the load as long as I treat my writing like the business it is. As my hero, Nora Roberts would say: Sit down and do it, it's your job. Okay, maybe not a direct quote, but close enough. The hardest thing to do will be to cut back my on line time. Emails, newsletters, blogs, will have to wait until I have my daily quota. And on good days, they will have to wait until the brain deadends again.

Sigh

I'm in one of my pitty potty moods. Every word I write sucks. Every paragraph is a total waste of time. You get the idea. I really hate it when I get like this. It's so counterproductive. Feeling sorry for one's self has never gotten anyone anywhere. Have I written today? Yes. Ten pages so far. So I don't let the pitty potty stop me, it just makes me doubt myself and my talent.




What set off the mood? This is the shameful part. Someone I know (from the Internet), and truly like, emailed me this morning so excited that her email was filled with typos. Usually her little notes are perfect. No missing commas, every paragraph indented, no bad grammar. So I knew she was beside herself with joy. Her book is on the top 100 e-book best sellers list this morning. I'm thrilled for her and I told her so. Then after the little notes back and forth were over that evil little jerk called the Inner Editor started up on me. "Looser! She's going to be a success. You're just a wanna be and will never be anything else. Why don't you just give up?"



Here is my answer to Inner Editor:



Go F yourself. I'm a good writer and getting better with each book. I may never be a NY Times Best Seller, but I am selling. I enjoy writing. I actually have readers who like my books. I have emails from them telling me so, and asking when my next book will be out. So, go bug someone else. I have a book to write.

Too Long

I'm writing a new WIP, the first book of a possible seven book series.  It's taken me a long time to get back into writing after the release of Fugue Macabre Bone Dance.  I had so many story ideas jumping around in my head, I couldn't write just one.  I finally sat down and wrote down the basic plot of all the stories and then decied I could actually make them into a series.  Then I had to decide which book would be #1, #2, #3, and so on.  The last two books were easy to place.  The first one was pretty easy to decide on, too.  But the other four required more thought.  Then once that was set in stone, I started plotting out the stories so they would tie into each other.  I had to come up with seven paranormal abilities to give my heroines or heros and what use this ability was to the main plot of the stories and the eventual culmination.  Anyway, if I'm not posting on a regular basis, remember I'm writing again and not ignoring you.  I'm trying to write the best book for you to read.