Moving Forward in the New Year

Welp, it is a new year. Although oddly enough, it feels pretty much the same. I don't know about you, but I'm hoping for lots of positive changes in the year to come.

 

I don't do New Year's resolutions, but I usually like to have a focus or goal for the new year. Last year it was "Embrace joy." I did pretty well with that one, all things considered, but I think it needed a corollary of "Avoid stress and drama." Well, that one is pretty tough, really, if you are staying involved and aware.

 

So this year's focus is "Keep calm and carry on." (While continuing to try and find and embrace joy wherever I can.) This basically means I'm going to do my best to stay involved and aware without letting it make me as crazy as it has for the last couple of years. We'll see how that goes.

 

In the meanwhile, in more concrete goals, I hope to finish working on the current nonfiction project for Llewellyn by the end of this month, come up with plans for two books in 2020 (probably one fiction and one nonfiction, but I still have to confer with my agent), improve my health, do more magic and meditation, and eat more really good chocolate. Life is short, after all.

 

What are your goals or resolutions for the new year?

500 Words a Day

I have been fighting to make anything that resembles progress on the new novel (yes, the title and theme are still a secret...I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you). Not because I don't like the story--in fact, I'm more excited about this one than I have been in ages. Which makes the lack of progress even more frustrating, really.

Mostly summer is just not a great time for me to write. There are too many other things going on; the shop is busier because of tourist season (yay tourists!), the garden and yard demand constant upkeep, and so on. (Also, a number of folks in my life are in crisis, and they're not people I can say "call me back later, I'm writing" to when they call and interrupt. Not if they really need me.) And I haven't been sleeping well for various reasons, which tends to turn my brain to mush. Well, more mush than usual, even. Yadda yadda yadda.

Usually, when I am in full-on writing mode, I average about 1,200 words a day (at an average of 300 words a page, that's about 4 pages, although it can vary). On a good day, I can double that. This week, I'm averaging about 500 words a day. That's right--less than two pages. *headdesk*

But I'm still making myself sit down every night and do whatever I can do. Even if it is only 500 words.

Here's why:
If you write 500 words a day every day, after 180 days you will have 90,000 words. That's a novel, folks. So even at only 500 words/day, you can finish two books a year. TWO BOOKS.

Obviously, that's not taking into consideration things like editing and revision. But still. 500 words/day = TWO BOOKS A YEAR.

So if you write, don't let the slow days discourage you. Remember: BICHOK: Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. Or my particular version... BICHOKNOL (Butt in chair, hands on keyboard, NOT online!)

Now go write 500 words, then come back here and tell me you've done it :-)

February Writing Report #1

I know that some of you are fans of my writing (bless you!) and many of you are also writers, so I've decided to start posting periodic reports on my current writing process. Feel free to chime in with what you're working on and how it's going in the comments!

You can also check to see how I'm doing by watching the new little word-count meter I added up top. I'm aiming at 90,000 words for the WIP (work in progress, for those of you who don't speak Author Jargon), although you never really know how long a book is going to be until it is done. And then you edit it, and it can change by a lot, so you still don't know. Urgh.

THE REPORT
The main project I'm working on at the moment is a post-apocalypse romance called "Seeds of Change." It has some small paranormal elements to it, and something of an urban fantasy feel, since it takes place in the aftermath of a catastrophic worldwide disaster caused by genetic seed manipulation gone wrong. [Side note: in researching the novel, I found out WAY more than I wanted to know about GMO's and Monsanto. Be afraid. Be very afraid.]

It doesn't sound like a cheery book, I know. In truth, it is darker than most of the things I've written. But the story itself is about survival, and hope, and the reader will end up (if I do it right) rooting for the two main protagonists: Alysia (a Wiccan) and Wolf (a Native American...and a hunk--if I could sleep with one of my characters, I'm telling you, he's the one).

I'd actually started working on the novel back in October--just doing research, some character and world building, and writing the first couple of chapters to get a feel for Alysia and Wolf. (The characters often come to me most clearly as I am writing them.) The story really fought me, though, and I finally had to set it aside to deal with the holiday rush and making jewelry to sell during The Season.

When I picked the story up again in January, it was still fighting me. I just couldn't get into it. But I'd promised my agent, Elaine Spencer, I'd work on this one. So I did some brainstorming with pals Candace Havens and Heather Long, and got through another couple of chapters. Did some more research. Then some brainstorming with my main CP (critique partner) Lisa DiDio. Wrote another chapter.

Then something amazing happened. The words started to flow, the story decided it wanted to be told after all, and three weeks later, I've written 37,666 words. As you can see from the meter, that brings me to a total of 48K and change as of last night, and that, people, is 53% of the book. (Assuming it actually turns out to be 90K, and frankly, who knows.) Whew.

This is as close to writer's block as I've come since I returned to serious writing, many years ago. (We're not counting the 15+ years in which I wrote nothing at all. That wasn't a block, that was not trying, and that's something else entirely.) It was scary. And unpleasant. But as you can see, muscling through it and refusing to give up--and knowing when to ask for a little help from my friends--got me through to the other side.

Although, interestingly enough, I think the most helpful thing I did was to start writing something else: a silly, fun, humorous paranormal romance with the horrible temporary title of "I Met God at Starbucks." I was just doing it for me, to get the words flowing again, but it really helped me to recapture that love of writing. I'll probably go back and finish it at some point, just for the heck of it.

GOALS:
By the end of the month, I hope to be at 70K with Seeds of Change, and have a completed outline for the rest of the book. (At this point, I'm outlining about three chapters ahead of where I am--not my usual practice at all, which is usually to outline the entire book before I start. What can I say...each book is different, and I just do what the voices in my head tell me.)

So--just so I know--is this the kind of thing you're interested in reading about on this blog, or did I just bore the pants off you all? And what are you working on, writing or otherwise?

Happy Friday!

A New Year: Goals and Focus

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, as such. People rarely seem to stick to them, and then they feel bad. Phooey.

Goals, on the other hand, I can get behind.

I like lists, for one thing, and you can write down goals in lists. But I also find that if I start the year with a concrete set of goals, it helps to keep me focused as I forge ahead. And let's face it, with everything we have on our plates, it is nice to have a reminder of what the heck it was we'd set out to do in the first place.

I sat down this week and reviewed my goals for last year to see how well I'd done. Not terrible, actually...about 7.5 out of 10, I'd say. (Yes, the list could have been written better, hence the .5)

I tend to divide my goals into two categories: personal, and writing. On the personal side I did much better with rediscovering how to relax and have fun (thanks, Blue Moon Circle!)and pushing outside my comfort zone. Didn't find the man of my dreams, but I'm not sure that belonged on the list anyway. Oh well. Let him find me.

On the writing side, I actually accomplished 4.5 out of 5--finished Pentacles and Pentimentos,the novel I'd started during NANOWRIMO (and another after it), finished the edits for P&P and sent it out to agents, spent more time and energy promoting the nonfiction books (since I had two coming out in one year), and managed my online time better with more blogging and less "social" time. Oh, and I got an agent. WOOT.

Yep, that was the big one.

The only thing I didn't accomplish was to get a book contract for the fiction. So that goes on the top of this year's list. And I have every expectation that I'll be able to put a check-mark beside that goal before too long.

I'm coming up with a new list of goals for this year, both personal and writing. But the biggest goal remains the same: to be my best self, both as a human being and as a writer. Working on that one...check.

What are your goals for the year, and what are you doing to achieve them?

Writing update

Sorry I've been a little scarce lately. After all the whirlwind of birthday celebrations and the Spiritual Arts Fair, I buckled down to finish the first draft of PENTACLES AND PREDATORS--aiming at finishing by June 1st in order to get it to first reader Candace Havens when she said she'd have a window to read.

I'm almost there, which is why I haven't been here.

Hit 83K words yesterday, aiming at about 88K as a final word count (that's what the first book was). I should be done with the first draft by the end of the week, or maybe a bit sooner, depending on how smoothly things go and whether or not the characters have any more surprises for me (*grins*). Then another week or so of integrating the edits from my wonderful critique partner Lisa Didio [another one of the Witchy Chicks who blogs with Candace], one more run-through, and it is off to my agent Elaine, Candy, and my other two first readers.

Assuming this all goes as planned--which I never assume--I will easily make the June 1st goal. I'll keep you posted.

Finished! Yay! And other stuff.

First the good news: I have already accomplished one of my 10 major goals for the year by finishing the first draft of my current novel, PENTACLES AND PENTIMENTOS, last Saturday. YAY! FINISHED! WOOT! (Ahem.)

The bad news, is that I did it last Saturday, and didn’t get around to blogging about it until today—a week later—despite my goal to blog more regularly. (Drat.) Still, there were extenuating circumstances, and at least it’s not as bad as my blog reporting on my NANOWRIMO experience last November…which I still have yet to write.

The extenuating circumstances were pretty major, too. The break-up of one of my most treasured and important friendships. Ouch. It really threw me, and I didn’t much feeling like “wooting” about the finished manuscript until now.

So I hope you’ll forgive me 

One of the casualties of the friendship imploding was my plan to go to the RT convention in Ohio at the end of April. My friend and I had planned to go together, give a workshop, socialize with some of our author and agent pals, do some networking, and celebrate my 50th birthday in style. She’s still going. I’m not.

So the new plan, probably, is to celebrate my birthday here in town with my lovely circle and a bunch of other pals, and maybe go to the RWA convention in July instead with best bud Robin. No half-naked male cover models (as there would have been at RT), but you can’t have everything.

Tomorrow my coven will gather at my house for a slightly belated New Moon project: putting together focus boards for the new year. This is a project we’ve done for the last two years, and it seems to work well for us. For those of you who have never made one, a focus board is simple: write down a list of your goals for the coming year, cut out words, phrases and pictures from magazines or catalogs that represent those goals, and paste them on a piece of poster board. Then put the focus board where you will see it on a regular basis, to remind you to focus your energy and intent on those goals. This year we will be adding something new: a joint focus board made by all the women in the circle, as a goal focus for Blue Moon Circle itself, to keep us moving in a good direction as a group.

Also on the agenda for tomorrow—start on the edits for PENTACLES AND PENTIMENTOS. Finishing the first draft—even a polished first draft—is only the start of the process. Now I sit down, reread the manuscript, and try to figure out what changes I need to make to improve it. More on that next time…

Hope you all had a wonderful (and trauma free) week.

Blessings, Deborah

2010: The Year of Dreams Coming to Fruition

2010: The Year of Dreams Coming to Fruition

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. What I do, however, is chose a theme for my aspirations for the year, and make a list of goals that will help me to work towards fulfilling those aspirations. I tend to focus on “self-improvement” in various forms—mental, physical, spiritual… And, of course, there are always the writing goals.

This year I am feeling really good about where I’m at in life. Not that my life is perfect, or that I have everything I want (although things are pretty good, for the most part, there are things I would improve). Mostly, I feel like I have done a lot of hard work over the last ten years—in a lot of different areas of my life—and I believe much of what I have been working toward is on the verge of coming to fruition. This is the years that dreams come true!

So here are my goals for 2010. Feel free to check back in and ask how I’m doing. You can keep me honest 

Goals—

General:
1. Banish negative thinking and use positive energy to actively manifest my dreams
2. Work towards health (get in better shape physically, balance work/play, re-learn how to relax)
3. Find and connect with the man of my dreams (remember the goblets!)
4. Push back the boundaries of my comfort zone & expand my world by doing things that challenge me
5. Cut credit card debt in half by the end of the year (so I am free to spend money on the important things as necessary without worry)
Writing:
6. Finish PENTACLES AND PENTIMENTOS by mid-January
7. Finish edits on P & P by the end of January/send out to top 5 agent choices
8. Get agent and fiction book contract by end of year (by birthday if possible!)
9. Boost success of nonfiction by the end of the year, in part by promoting the two new books & giving NF more time and attention
10. Manage online time better; less “social” time and more regular blogging

Overall goal: embrace success and happiness on all fronts!

What are your goals for the year to come? And what do you intend to do to improve yourself or your life? Tell me, please—I’d really like to know!

Update on January Goals and new February Goals

I didn't manage to accomplish all my writing goals for January, although I made a fairly good dent in them. Here is my report for last month and the month to come:

Writing Goals

This Week (Feb 2-Feb 8):
1. Update blog
2. Enter “Chase the Dream” contest again
3. Write G-H on Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook
4. Write 20 new pages in King Me!
5. Read and edit Writer’s Group pal Shannon’s book chap 9-12

Last Month (January 2009)
1. done Finish all edits on WEWYC (set aside other than agent/contest submissions)
2. did only thru F Complete thru “L” on Everyday Witch Spellbook
3. done Review and revise first 100+ pages of King Me!
4. did 3, decided to wait on more Send 10 queries for WEWYC (if necessary)
5. got verbal “yes” and waiting on contract Get contract for Everyday Witch Spellbook
6. done Update blog weekly
7. Write up outline for Witch Ever Way You Turn didn’t get to
8. Write additional 50 pages on first draft of King Me! Didn’t get to
9. Find 2 opportunities for freelance article writing did one of 2
This Month (February 2009)
1. Update blog weekly
2. Enter one contest
3. Complete G-M on Everyday Witch A to Z
4. Complete 50 additional pages on King Me!
5. Work with webmaster to update website

How are you doing with your goals?

More goals

Okay, I admit it--didn't manage to accomplish all my goals for last week. I blame the winter. And stuff. I did get 5 of the 8 goals completed, and worked on the others...
The biggest one I did accomplish, however, was finishing the edits for my completed mss, WITCH EVER WAY YOU CAN. It is off to a few more agents, and I will still be sending it out to contests, but other than that it is getting set aside for now so I can return to work on the WIP (work in progress), KING ME!
Here are my writing goals for the coming week:


This Week (Jan 26- Feb 1):

Update blog
Enter “Chase the Dream” contest again
Write E-F on Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook
Review and revise 1st 137 pages of King Me!
Write 20 new pages in King Me!
Enter “Sheila” contest
I'll let you know how it goes:-)

Hope everyone has a good week and meets or exceeds their own goals.
Blessings, Deborah

Great news and this week's writing goals

This week was quite productive, and I managed to do all but one of the goals on my list. But I am TIRED and am devising a slightly more manageable list for next week.

THE GOOD NEWS IS: I got the call from my aquisitions editor at Llewellyn, and they will be contracting for my 4th book, The Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook. Yahoo! That puts me in line to achieve my goal with the NF, which was 5 books in 5 years. (I decided that was what it would take to get me "known.") So big ol' happy dance here! Of course, now I have to finish writing it:-)

Did: updated my blog, entered two contests (small free ones), got info to my webmaster pal so we can update my website, wrote all of the "C" and some of the "D" entries for Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook, reread and polished Witch Ever Way pages 100-190, sent out 3 queries for it (got 2 rejections almost immediately--sigh) and finished reading and scoring my entries for the Golden Heart and Great Expectations contests and sent them in.

Didn't do: I only managed to get through part of "D" for the A-Z, when I'd been aiming at finishing thru "F." Still, not a bad week, all in all.

Updated Writing Goals

This Week (Jan 19-25):
1. Update blog
2. Enter “Chase the Dream” contest again
3. Write up mini-proposal for Itty Bitty Kitty Spellbook
4. Write D-F on Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook
5. Reread and polish WEWYC page 193-263 (end)
6. Send out 3 Queries for Witch Ever Way You Can
7. Send out Full of WEWYC to Lois Winston
8. Review and revise 1st 35 pages of King Me!

I hope everyone is doing well keeping up with their goals and new year's resolutions. I am working on a few personal goals too, but it is a little to early to share them. I'll let you know if things go well:-)

Writing goals for January

I know, I know, I've been among the missing, blog-wise. December is a crazy month for me, what with being in retail and then getting the flu.I am trying to get back into the writing groove and re-establish a little self-discipline. To wit, I have come up with a (hopefully reasonable) list of writing goals for the month of January and the upcoming week. [We're not even talking about the rest of my life, which I should have a list of goals for as well...maybe next week.]
Writing Goals

This Week (Jan 4-11):
Neaten writing area
Organize contest info
Set goals for week/month
Update blog (s)
Review editorial suggestions for WEWYC/take notes for editing
Reread and polish WEWYC thru page 100 (already edited)
Finish typing up thru “B” on Everyday Witch A-Z Spellbook
Enter “Marlene” WRWA contest

This Month (January 2009)
Finish all edits on WEWYC (set aside other than agent/contest submissions)
Complete thru “L” on Everyday Witch Spellbook
Review and revise first 100+ pages of King Me!
Send 10 queries for WEWYC (if necessary)
Get contract for Everyday Witch Spellbook
Update blog weekly
Write up outline for Witch Ever Way You Turn
Write additional 50 pages on first draft of King Me!
Find 2 opportunities for freelance article writing

I welcome any comments or input, and I'd love to hear about anyone else's goals (writing or otherwise).Hope you had a great holiday season and a wonderful New Year. We will now return you to your regularly scheduled program...
Blessings,Deborah