freedom

So many special friends from near and far sent birthday wishes to me last week. It was wonderful to reconnect. But the inevitable question surfaced: WHEN IS YOUR NEXT BOOK COMING OUT?

I wish I knew that answer. And I should know how to answer that questions. But here is the problem:

It's not ready.

It may not be ready for a very long time.

It may not ever be ready.

There. I said it.

Now I can breathe.

And I can feel free to let you know about my other writing projects.

Freedom is good.

love

it changes everything.

happy hearts day.

Time to Confess

Are you sitting down? I have something to tell you.

I submitted a manuscript for publication in December.

It was rejected.

I thought I would crumble and never want to write again. I had worked hard (but who doesn't?) and I thought it was good. Really good. Epic.

I was wrong.

So the good news is that I can see what needs work, what is too cliché or too simplistic. And I've been reading books about how to fix, how to improve, how to create a voice of my own.

The other good news, potentially great news, is that one editor who read my manuscript was supportive and encouraging while critiquing my work. She gave suggestions and offered to look at my next project once I finished it.

So even though I was disappointed, I wasn't crushed. I did have to take time away from everything for a little while - hence my abscence here for two months. But it was time well spent as I learned more and pushed myself instead of wallowing or moping.

My desk is still clean. I'm getting up early every morning to write. And I love it. Each rejection gets me closer to being the writer I want to be, and for that I am thankful.

PS - In case you're curious, my manuscript had nothing to do with the Between Souls series and wasn't even in the Young Adult genre. I'm trying new things all the time, and I actually finished a whole novel aside from my first series. I'm not giving up on Between Souls, just keeping things fresh.

Happy 1/28/13!

Is it too late to wish you a Happy New Year? I don't think so - it's still January for a few more days.

There. Now that the formalities are out of the way, time to get back to work.

First thing - get the desk in shape. The office always becomes our dumping ground over the holidays. Where can I put those boxes that I haven't organized yet? In the office. What about the old magazines and catalogs I don't want to recycle until I review them? In the office. Kids' toys and random collectables? You guessed it. So I end up with something like this:

It's dark, I know. And I spared you the view of the boxes of random items placed everywhere. But you can see the piles on my desk, no room for my computer, knitting, etc. Without a clear space, I get nothing done. I tried writing on the couch last week, but I ended up wasting time. I need this desk with the window view to get me in gear. So....

OK - a bit of a biased pic because of the filter and soft focus, but how lovely! Now I'm ready to get back to it.

More on exactly what I plan to write this year later this week. For now, time to type.

NaNoWriMo Advice

Each #nanowrimo, I write like a maniac. And I'm always rushing to finish on 11/30. But not this year.

102% written, 7 days to go

The amazing thing is that it should read "102%, 10 days" because I finished my 50k on November 20th. 10 whole days early. SHUT. UP.

Here is what I learned this year that I didn't realize before:

• The story REALLY MATTERS. When I wrote what I thought I should write, I struggled. But this year, I picked a story that I wanted to write, and it was so much easier. 
• Outlines rock. I started with a shell, but I took time to revise the outline as I went so that each session had a goal. Maybe this doesn't match with the "literary abandon" theme from nanowrimo, but it worked for me.
• Momentum can make a big difference. I had one day when I wrote over 7k. That felt amazing. But it also meant I sat in my chair typing for hours and hours. I wrote after the kids went to school, after they got home from school, while I worked on dinner, after dinner, and as the kids got ready for bed. It was a long day, and I only did that once, but it really got me through the heart of the story and into a new section.
• Supporters make it work. I've done this for a few years now, so my husband knows not to expect a full house cleaning before Thanksgiving. The kids know that I'll be working on my next book for most of the month. Their support and encouragement help me to keep going. And I know not to schedule too many outside meetings, get-togethers or other distractions so that I can focus.
• Ignore the 1,667 goal for each day. When I used that number as my daily goal, I inevitably fell behind, then forced myself to write gibberish the last few days to catch up. Ignore it. Double it. If you know you have a big conflict, vacation, or family visitors for Thanksgiving, then triple it. That way, on those days when you must have a zero, you won't feel defeated. You'll have the strength to keep going. It made a big difference for me this year.

Don't get me wrong - what I wrote still needs a lot of work. And I'm sure that grand total of words will go way down as I edit the crap and make it smooth and readable. But to have the book here, in my computer and ready to mold, feels wonderful.

So thank you, Office of Letters and Light, for making NaNoWriMo a tradition in my house. I plan to make my donation now to keep this worthwhile and inspirational group going next year. If you've participated this year, I know they'd appreciate it if you would do the same.

One last piece of advice - DON'T PANIC if you aren't finished. There are still seven days to go, and that is more time than you realize. Thanksgiving is over and there is a whole week of November remaining. Shopping and holiday prep can wait until December 1. Just keep typing...