Wildcard Post: Looking Back at 2009

Last year on January 1st, the company my husband was working for had just been sold, so after thirteen years his employment was on shaky ground. We’d found out just before Christmas that Lucy (our German Shepherd/Lab mix) had a digestive disorder that would require a lifelong commitment to treated food and B12 shots, a discovery that racked up a healthy bill for both the diagnosis and the enzymes she needs. So I was "relearning" how to feed her and praying she would gain weight, while hoping for the best with hubby's job situation. Needless to say, our year did not start off on a pleasant note. We muddled through of course, and while it was touch and go for the first six months, we finally got it together in the last half.

One of the best things that happened to me this year was buying my netbook in March. Once I was “freed” from being chained to a desk to write, my long-time dream of being a writer didn’t seem so rooted in fantasy anymore, and I’ve been writing almost daily ever since.

I won’t bore you with the resolutions I didn’t keep last year – there are always some, and I simply shrug them off. They either weren’t *that* important, or they’ll show up again this year, reworked for better viability as I reflect on why they didn't work out last year.

Resolutions Kept in 2009 (all categories meshed together): 

- Make or buy cloth produce bags to use instead of plastic for groceries. I don’t use bags for produce anymore, though I did crochet some net bags for peppers/onions.

- Replace any worn-out nylon/polypropylene bags with organic cloth (cotton, hemp, etc)

- Learn how to make “natural” fragrances with essential oils rather than using commercial perfume. Did this, and learned how to make my own moisturizer too.


- Make dog food at home. Lucy does better on raw food with her condition, and homemade is cheaper, so I developed a recipe for our dogs.

- Research and try out water-based nail polishes/removers. Tried ‘em, they’re okay.

- Keep working on morning/evening routines. I've done this well, just get lazy occasionally.

- Post a serial novel to my blog twice a week. I stepped down to once per week, but done. This was expressly “resolved” to get myself into the habit of writing regularly, and worked well.

- Do a better job recording our annual Halloween party. Thus the “Scaryview” blog was born…

- Write two first drafts, and start editing one for publication. I made this goal when I started writing in March…and completed it in Dec. with drafts of Her Private Chef (in revisions) and Desert Heat.

That’s a little over half my list from last year - a good percentage, I think. When making resolutions, I keep the following guidelines in mind:

1. Make resolutions that don't require outside interference to complete. In other words, "Submit for publication" is good, "Get published" is bad. "Be a better employee" is good, "Get a Promotion" is bad. Anything that requires the opinion or approval of someone else is beyond my control...and therefore off limits for my resolutions list. I also never resolve to "lose weight" - because that can be affected by outside influences as well. "Be more active" is more realistic for me.

2. Have a plan to succeed. Resolving to "Submit for publication" is all well and good, but I can't leave it at that. It's too easy to be overwhelmed by it. Beneath it I would put the steps I plan to take in order to complete it, and maybe even tentatively schedule those steps in my calendar. When I'm thinking about it is the best time to make a schedule for completion - odds are I won't if I plan to do it "later".

3. Make at least one resolution I can achieve within the first month of the year. It's motivating to reach the end of January, and know that I can already cross one thing off my list.

4. Make at least one resolution that will be very difficult, if not impossible to achieve. I'm always surprised at how much I can do if I push my own self-imposed boundaries. And if I don't get it done, I'll know what doesn't work and can try another approach next year (or decide it wasn't all that important, and choose something else). This resolution is still subject to guideline #1 above, of course.

5. Share the list with someone. I post them on my blog, so everyone can see and keep me accountable if they wish, but if that's a little too public, even trading lists with a good friend can be very motivating. 

So that's my year in review, and how I go about creating my resolutions each year. How was 2009 for you? If you made resolutions, how did you do? Do you have tips or guidelines you like to stick to?

Tomorrow, I'll post my resolutions for 2010. I'm pretty excited about starting fresh this year, on a far less stressful note than last. 

Round Robin: New Year's Kiss

Welcome to the weekly Round Robin! Each week I post a four-sentence prompt, and your mission, should you choose to accept it is to continue the story (up to 4 sentences at a time) in the comments. You may post more than once, but not consecutively. You don’t have to be a writer to join in – anyone can play, and take the story whatever direction you want.

Jump in - play with me!

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New Year's Kiss

Allie closed her eyes as the clock began to strike twelve, making a silent wish. She had come to the party desperate not to spend the first few moments of the new year alone in her apartment. Energy swirled around her amidst the revelers, cheering and blowing horns in her ears as confetti rained softly down to tickle her skin. The eleventh chime rang – and her heart sped up to a staccato rhythm as warm lips flitted lightly over hers.

Construction Zone: Rearranging Scenes

I’m finally back to work on the revisions for Her Private Chef (yay!). That's part of my draft above, the first twenty pages all marked up. I’m deviating from Holly’s advice a little here, and I’ve decided this draft will need two passes, not one. I was half-expecting that anyways with this draft, because of all the plot changes I needed to add/fix through the beginning. It’s mostly because I’m lazy, and don’t want to hand-write all the scenes I need to add (which is what she’d do – write them as she goes on the backs of the pages). I’m actually not sure I’d be able to read that much of my own handwriting. The second pass will be much easier though – just looking for continuity and line edits I may have missed the first time. I expect I’ll be able to do that in one good weekend (or one week). With all I’ve learned about plotting and outlining, I’ll be surprised if I write another draft in need of this much repair. At the same time, I think it’s good that I’m learning how to revise and edit on *this* draft, because the next will be that much easier for it.

In any case, the oddest thing I’ve been doing lately is rearranging scenes. I know most writers do this with wild abandon, but I’m a linear thinker – so even though I was familiar with the notion, I’ve never actually done it myself. Honestly, I’m surprised it seems to work so well. I’m sure the time is coming, but I haven’t had to delete a scene yet – anything that hasn’t fit where it was originally written has been reworked into another place with minimal rewriting necessary. How many scenes have I moved, you might ask? Four in twenty pages – and that’s not counting the two scenes I’m merging together where the main plot crisis is introduced.

Why am I moving scenes around? I’m changing some key information to the plot – the introduction of a stalker, fleshing out my main female character (Hannah), and changing her motivations slightly. A big change is what she does – in the first draft, she worked in a plant nursery…her only occupation. Now she’s going to school as well, and I moved a scene with another woman that originally took place at the greenhouse to the school, which makes it fit the “stalker” subplot better. Another scene will be moved into its place, but remain nearly unchanged (will include some of the new sub-plot information). Yes, I’m being intentionally vague so as not to give too much of the story away…

How many more scenes will be switched around? I won’t know until I go through them, but it’s kind of fascinating (and scary) how they seem to be at least somewhat interchangeable. And I’m grateful for yWriter – my whole novel is written in separate scenes, so to move them around I can just drag and drop. I can’t imagine what a daunting task it would be to move so many things around in one long document.

Do you often rearrange your scenes in revisions? Have you ever been surprised that one fit better in another position? Or do yours basically stay in the order you write them?

Goals & Reading List 12/28/09

Before I get into my goal report from last week, and the few goals I have for this week, I want to share this link from JA Konrath's site (if you don't already read his blog, you should). What I Know is a distillation of his knowledge, and sound advice for any writer, in my opinion. Go read it - I'll still be here when you get back.

As for last week's goals - on the personal front, all completed. Whew! Glad that's over, and my house is back to a normal, minimalistic, somewhat-cluttery-but-not-too-bad state. I even watered my dying houseplants/trees. I still have to deal with the gift items that came in, but I have a good solid plan for that. So all is much calmer on the home front, thank goodness.

The writing goals didn't fare so well, as expected. In fact, they were completely neglected. That's okay though (or so I keep telling myself), because it was only for a week. And while I wasn't able to actually work on my revisions, they were still mulling about in my head, so when I went back to them last night, I had some great ideas to work in. I am kind of sad I didn't get the stories done for the blog, but such is life. I haven't abandoned them, and will have them done for next Christmas (or submittal elsewhere early enough for possible publication next year?). In a fit of practicality, I've moved the deadline for HPC revisions/edits to January 31st.

I'm excited that I should have a good chunk of time on New Year's day to write...can't think of a better way to usher in 2010.

Weekly Goals

Writing

- Keep working on revisions for HPC. 8-10 pages marked up per night?
- Plot new serial, and start outline
- Plot next novel draft, and start outline

Personal

- Check last year's resolutions (Thurs), write & post new for this year (Friday)
- Deal with Christmas gifts
- Clean off/reorganize kitchen counter and pantry (Saturday's project - start the new year organized).

Reading List

Currently Reading

Ebook: Sexy Ms. Takes by Jo Leigh

Just Finished

Midnight Resolutions by Kathleen Panov - I enjoyed this quite a lot, but it also made me really sit back and think. Here we have a heroine who is convinced she has no heart. The writing itself is a bit cold and stilted just as the heroine is, which I found interesting and a little disturbing, truth be told. The woman is, in fact, confused, scared, and much like my own heroines - frightened to let herself feel. I find it fascinating that just as I was lamenting that my own girls aren't "womanly" enough to be sold, here comes this one, proving me wrong.

I have to admit, due to the timing and nature of the story, I was more interested in the writing for this particular book than the story. Normally I can set aside my "critical eye" when reading and just enjoy the story, but this one was just too close to the issues I was/am dealing with in my own writing. Honestly, I'm not sure whether or not I'd have enjoyed the book on an entertainment level - as I said, the writing was stilted. But I found the heroine fascinating, and that was enough to make it a good read for me. If you try it, I'd be extremely interested in what someone else thought of this...

So...what's on the list for you this week? Anything? Rest & Relaxation? More holiday stuff?

Variety News 12/27/09

I hope everyone had happy holiday celebrations this weekend. I didn't quite get the "gift stories" I was working on done (my apologies), but I may get them up yet. I'm not going to rush it...I really want to get back to my neglected revisions for Her Private Chef. Needless to say, prioritizing and scheduling is going to be on my list of resolutions this year.

I'm skipping the "Notable Posts" post again this week - will return after the holidays are all over.

This Week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Goals & Reading List
Tuesday: Construction Zone - Rearranging Scenes
Wednesday: Round Robin - New Year's Eve
Thursday: Wildcard - 2009 Wrap-Up
Friday: Resolutions for 2010

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Spiced Variety Pages - A new, "spicier" blog for the new year that I'm tentatively planning to post at once per week. This is the place for writings and discussions of an "adult" nature that I don't feel comfortable posting over here on the main blog. It's not locked - but you will have to agree to being a certain age before you can enter.

Nail Art Tuesday - This week, a "blue" manicure for the new year.

Word Blizzard - This blog will go silent for awhile as I work on revisions to HPC. It will get busy again in late January as I start revisions to Desert Heat.

Tea on Tap - I'm closing this blog, but have been asked to leave it up as a reference. So I'll be creating and posting indexes to the different types of tea reviews this week.

Here's to another great week in the blogosphere...

Merry Christmas!

I'm going to delay the gifts here one more day, and instead just wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully relaxing, peaceful day. :-)

Much joy and laughter to you and yours,

Jamie

Wildcard Post: On Finding Holiday Spirit

It's no secret that I've been sadly lacking in holiday spirit this year. Just putting up the decorations was an exercise in willpower (and I freely admit I'm looking forward to packing them all away again this weekend). Some years it's worse than others, and while I thought about writing this post yesterday to schedule early, I decided to wait. Even yesterday afternoon I still hadn't really "found" the Christmas spirit, and I was hoping it would show up before I had to write this. I didn't want to admit that there would be no holiday spirit this year, because on the rare year I don't find it, I feel like a petulant child throwing a temper tantrum for no good reason. It adds stress to an already stressful time.

But there's good news after all, dear readers. Last night as I was wrapping up gifts and writing out an "I Owe You" note for my mother's unfinished present, I finally felt the peace return, that innate belief that everything will work out fine, good times will be had by all, and there's just nothing more to worry about. The stress just kind of floated away, and all was well. And today, I find myself in the proper frame of mind for time spent with my parents tonight, and my in-laws tomorrow.

It seems like Christmas just brings out the worst parts of me. The first problem is my own selfishness - I feel obligated when it comes to gifts. I resent that I have to give them, and to some extent, I resent that I have to accept them. I resent it when someone asks me what I want, because I feel like anyone who knows me well enough to give me something should *know* what I would like. And I resent those people who are never happy with anything I might give them, yet insist that gifts are important, and not to be skipped. I know - it's a lot of ugly resentment, and I need to work on that. Truthfully, most years I wish we could just dispense with the whole gift thing. I think for some people who insist on giving gifts, it's more of a way to make themselves feel good (by getting the reaction) than actual generosity. That could just be my cynicism showing though.

I'm of the mind that if you want to buy someone a gift, you should do it, no matter what time of year it is, and *give it to them then*, not wait for some holiday. That's true generosity to me, because there are no obligations when gifts are given in such a manner, and it shows you were thinking of that person *right then*.

That leads me to another "worst part" of me - thinking I can be that generous person who slaves away on gifts that everyone will exclaim over on Christmas morning. Honestly, I'm too selfish to be that person, even though I try about every other year. This particular year, I wanted to spend my time writing, and it made me angry that I couldn't - that I felt obligated to create wonderful homemade gifts for people rather than just buying something I thought they'd like. I know, it's messed up thinking, but that's me.

There are other family-related things that stress me out during the holidays, but none so much as the gift thing. I need to serious thinking on that over the course of the next year, and try to come up with a way to dispense with feelings of obligation and forced generosity, and deal with it in a way that takes the stress out of the process.

But for now, the gifts are wrapped, all is calm, and everything will be just fine.

It's your turn - how do you find your Christmas Spirit?

Round Robin: The Package

Welcome to the weekly Round Robin! Each week I post a four-sentence prompt, and your mission, should you choose to accept it is to continue the story (up to 4 sentences at a time) in the comments. You may post more than once, but not consecutively. You don’t have to be a writer to join in – anyone can play, and take the story whatever direction you want.

Jump in - play with me!

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The Package

Annabelle stretched, raising her arms high over her head as she padded into the living room on Christmas morning, slumping down into the cozy couch cushions. She stared at her tree, sparkling lights illuminating a few little packages from friends under it's branches, and sighed wistfully, wishing she had someone to spend the holiday with. A glint of gold shimmered higher up on the tree, and her brows drew together as she stared at a small metallic box nestled among the branches. "How did that get there?" she murmured to herself, rising from her seat.

Construction Zone: The Psychology of Revisions

This post may as well be titled "Deconstruction Zone", since that's what I've been doing lately - deconstructing my draft of Her Private Chef. I started last week, and unfortunately haven't had time to get back to it with all the holiday stuff I'm trying to get done. I apologize if this gets ramble-y - I'm still trying to clarify my own thoughts on the subject.

I'm big on the idea that whenever possible, we should work *with* our natural inclinations rather than against them. I've done edits/revisions before, and while I enjoy line-editing, I'm finding that I don't enjoy the actual plot revisions that need to be done. It's not really that I "dislike" them either, I'm just sort of afraid of them - or rather, afraid of the revision (not editing) process. It's not exactly tedious going through and making notes, writing new scenes, and threading in sub-plots, but it is daunting, to say the least. I feel like I'm way outside my comfort zone on this, because I've never actually revised a draft this length.

I'm going to push on through with this draft, of course - it started as a "learning" draft, and may as well continue that way. If I can get through the edits on this, Desert Heat will be a piece of cake comparatively speaking. But it's really underscored the need for me to write as clean a first draft as possible, so that I don't have to slog through major plot revisions afterward. I want to spend the majority of my time writing, not revising.

So - anyone else out there doing revisions, and fighting fear at the same time? How are you dealing with it? Which do you like better, the writing, or the revisions/editing?

Kissing Day Blogfest: "First Kiss"

Sherrinda at A Writer Wannabe is hosting an official "Kissing Day Blogfest" today, wherein all the participating bloggers are posting a kissing or "almost kissing" scene - from a WIP, a new scene, or even a favorite book/show. You knew I wouldn't be able to resist that, right? After you've read mine, don't forget to pop over to her blog and go through the whole list...much fun to be had today!

So today, I offer you a scene from Desert Heat, my nano draft that's quietly marinating this month. Marie is a botanist who is frantically chasing down a lead on some new research that she must publish soon or lose her funding. Darren is one of the new members of her team, and someone she's avoided to this point because he makes her uncomfortable (in a good way). They are spending the night in a hotel after their flight was delayed, and Marie has lost her copy of the itinerary for the rest of the trip. Darren has been asked to take her a copy, since his room is just across the hall from hers.

It is still in draft form, so please forgive the roughness. Enjoy!

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Darren put the phone down and got the plastic room key off the table. He considered putting his shoes back on, but couldn't bear the thought of putting his feet back into them. Surely the doctor had seen bare feet before? He let himself out into the hall, and was surprised when room two-fifteen was right across the hall from his. Interesting. He walked to her door and knocked. She opened the door almost immediately.

"Nell told me you were coming." Her eyes moved over him, and he imagined what she was seeing. Untucked t-shirt, old jeans, and of course, two bare feet. She looked up again, and met his gaze with one eyebrow crooked up. "Comfortable?"

He grinned, glancing down at his feet, and noting that her own were bare too, with a far brighter pink shade of polish on her toenails than he would have guessed. "Getting there, anyway." He looked her over, taking his time to examine every detail. He'd never seen her hair down before, she always put it up for work. Now it swirled around her face and shoulders in gentle waves, the red highlights shimmering through dark brown in the lamp light. The business jacket she'd worn buttoned up all day was gone, with only the thin yellow t-shirt she'd worn underneath covering her ample breasts. Wishing he had x-ray vision, he noticed her chest moving a little faster as she breathed. Could he be affecting her as much as she affected him?

Ever since the party he'd wondered if she'd felt the same chemistry between then that he had. When he'd leaned over to speak to her, it had been as if a magnet drew him, pulling him nearer. Unable to resist testing the theory, he took a step forward, then another, feeling it in his gut the moment he crossed into her personal space.

"Um...did you bring the schedule, Dar...uh...Dr. Newbury?" Her voice was steady despite the stumbling, but there was something else in her tone that Darren couldn't quite describe. Panic? Desire, maybe? He looked into her eyes as he held the document up. There was definately desire in them, he noted before she broke eye contact and reached for the page.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Mentally he cursed. Why had he come out and said that? Even if it was true, there was her rule about fraterinization. Would she kick him off the team? He reached out a hand, ran a single finger over her collarbone. She shivered.

"I...um...don't think..."

He moved his finger up to her neck, her pulse strong and fast under his touch. "Good," he said. Had she swayed closer? "Don't think. Close your eyes. Feel."

Her lashes fluttered down, and he nearly groaned. She was so beautiful, so trusting. He carressed a path down her chest, then back up the center of her throat to trace along her jaw. Cupping her head in his hand, he laced his fingers in her hair, coaxing her head back as he stepped up to press his body against hers. God, she was so warm, so soft as he leaned over and kissed her neck, then her jaw, finally pressing his lips to hers.

She whimpered, then opened for him, kissing him back with a hunger that seemed contrary to everything he knew about her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her more tightly against him, backing her into the room and letting the door swing shut. He slid his hands down to cup her buttocks, sure she could feel his arousal through the front of her jeans. He laved once more at her lips, then kissed down the side of her neck, bending her backward enough that he could taste the smooth place between her breasts.

Three loud thumps came from behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder with a frown. Marie was struggling in his arms, and he turned back to her, noting the bright red color rising in her cheeks and her absolute refusal to meet his eye. He let her go, careful to make sure she was steady before removing his hands from her arms.

"Oh my god," she said, turning away from him and running a hand through her hair. "That's probably Scott. What was I thinking?" She turned back, distress lining her face. "I'm so sorry, that was a huge mistake. You have to go."

Darren frowned. "What's wrong?" He picked up the forgotten itinerary, holding it out to her. She snatched it and laid it on top of some folders on the table, then twisted her hair up into the tidy style she always wore, securing it with a few pins. She spared him only a cursory glance, her normal bland expression back in place.

"I'm having dinner with Scott," she said, reaching for her jacket and buttoning it back over her shirt. He realized the wanton woman he'd just been with was gone, and the cool, controlled doctor was back. "We made plans earlier on the plan." Three more knocks sounded, and Darren felt like opening the door and punching the man on the other side.

"Cancel," he said, blocking her way as she walked briskly toward the door. "Stay with me."

A flicker of that other woman sparked briefly in her eyes when she finally met his gaze. "I can't."

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Goals & Reading List 12/21/09

Last week was a bit less than stellar when it came to personal goals. My writing goals went pretty well, but I think that's because I was using them to procrastinate from the other stuff.

Needless to say, for this particular week of this particular year, I'm going to have to put my writing goals second this week, because Christmas is on Friday, and gifts/cards must be finished on time. I'm hoping that won't be necessary next year, if I shift some things around (ie, no more homemade gifts, or having them *done* before December).

So for this week, personal goals first.

Weekly Goals

Personal

- Finish Christmas cards & mail (have decided to skip letter, & just write quick notes)
- Finish craft gifts, wrap everything
- Relax and try to enjoy actual holiday activities
- After Christmas is over, put away decorations and clean house for the new year (Yay! I'm so tired of the mess and clutter...)

Writing

- Fun gift for blog readers on Friday. Finish, edit, and create cover art.
- Work on revisions to HPC after holiday stuff is done.
- Start plotting next blog serial story.

Reading List
Not much reading last week - was too busy trying to get gifts finished up, and writing, of course.

Currently Reading

Print: None
Ebook: Midnight Resolutions by Kathleen Panov

Just Finished

Immortal Warrior by Lisa Hendrix - Another shape-shifter paranormal, I really loved this book. The shifters are unique, or they were for me anyways, and the story is very engaging. The romance is wrought with all sorts of misunderstandings, but both main characters are just plain good people, trying to struggle along as best they can and help each other in the process. It's a wonderful relationship to watch develop, and moves along at a nice, steady pace. The only problem I had was with the epilogue, but I can sort of understand why it was done that way.

This book was recently nominated for an award - best of luck to Lisa, I hope she wins!

What's on your goals list this week? Are you ready for Christmas?

Variety News 12/20/09

Ack! Only four and a half days to Christmas! How am I going to get everything done? Are you ready? Panicked? Brimming with Holiday Spirit?

This week we'll have a few fun changes for the holiday, including a special gift for all of you on Friday. I'll admit, I can't wait until January is here and all the holiday bustle is behind me, but hopefully I'll be able to find the holiday spirit again before Christmas.

I'll be participating in the Official Kissing Day Blogfest on Monday, wherein bloggers are each posting a kissing scene they've written in honor of the mistletoe tradition. Join us!

This week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Goals & Reading list, followed by the Kissing Day Post.
Tuesday: Constructon Zone - The Psychology of Revisions
Wednesday: Round Robin - Something Christmas-y
Thursday: Wildcard - On Finding the Holiday Spirit
Friday: Are you Naughty or Nice?

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Word Blizzard: The serial draft of Desert Heat is finishing up this week, I think.

Nail Art Tuesday features the last Christmas manicure of the year.

That's what's going on over here this week - thanks for joining me! What's going on in your neck of the blogosphere?

Notable Posts

Three thought-provoking posts this week dealing with goals and organization for writers. Time very well spent, in my opinion.

Resolutions for Writers 2010 by Joe Konrath

When Writing Demands Cut Into Other Priorities by Jody Hedlund

Unfinished Pieces for Another Time by Lost Wanderer

Enjoy!

Wildcard Post: Talkin’ Time Management

People always ask how I get so much done in a week. Keeping in mind that nearly everything is allowed to “flex” when needed, here is a typical week-day schedule for yours truly.

5:30am – 7:30am (Mon) or 6am – 8am (Tues – Thurs)
Get myself and hubby up, dressed and out the door for the day job.

8am (M) or 8:30 am (T-F) to 12pm
Work day job

12pm – 1pm
Home for lunch – reading time

1pm – 5pm(M) or 5:30pm(T-F)
Work day job

5:30pm(M) or 6pm(T-F)
Get home, After work routine (dogs, mail, start dinner, start laundry, etc)

7pm – 7:30ish
Dinner – except on Weds, then we eat earlier due to Hubby’s pool league night

7:30pm – 10pm
Relax, watch TV, crafts & cards this time of year, social networking, blogging, etc. If we have to run any errands or do any shopping, this is when that happens too. Hate shopping on the weekends, except for groceries which I do on Sunday mornings. I switch the laundry into the dryer around 9:30pm too. This is when the “bulk” of my day actually happens, and workouts fit here too when I’m doing them. Most Wednesdays I’m out at the bar watching hubby play pool with the guys (flex!).

10pm – 10:30pm
Clean kitchen/prep next day’s dog food/put laundry away

10:30pm – midnight
Writing time, except on Mondays, which are manicure nights (recently moved from Sundays). This week, I split my writing days – Tues/Weds are for new words, Thurs – Sun. are for revisions.

I used to be able to sneak a few things in at work (blogging being one), and still can from time to time (my boss doesn’t care, as long as work is done first), but lately with the extra responsibilities I've had to take on it’s been far too busy for much of that (blogging is moving to evenings, starting tonight). So I tend to try to squeeze everything into that 2 ½ hours at night I have between dinner and the late-night stuff…which sometimes works, and sometimes doesn’t. Any “leftovers” get pushed to the weekends, which really ends up being mostly Saturday since I grocery shop, clean, and make dog food on Sundays. I guard my writing time pretty religiously.

The first key to organizing time is the same for organizing money – one has to know where it’s going. The second key is to work with natural inclinations. Morning people seem to put writing time in the morning before work – which would kill me and my writing, I kid you not. Those people might also start laundry before work, and any other number of things that my night-driven brain can’t handle that early in the day. That’s why my schedule is heaviest at night (that and the whole day job thing, which prevents me from using my afternoons to the fullest potential).

Now it’s your turn – we’re all thinking about goals for next year (you can’t tell me you don’t have at least one), and they’re always less intimidating when you know you can find the time to work on them. What’s your basic daily schedule, and how is it working for you?

Round Robin: What's Your Name?

Welcome to the weekly Round Robin! Each week I post a four-sentence prompt, and your mission, should you choose to accept it is to continue the story (up to 4 sentences at a time) in the comments. You may post more than once, but not consecutively. You don’t have to be a writer to join in – anyone can play, and take the story whatever direction you want.

Jump in - play with me!

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What's Your Name?

Andrew was mesmerized. Standing beside the buffet, in a slim gown of watery blue silk was a goddess. Tousled red curls spilled recklessly over pale shoulders, and at her smile he had the sudden desire to get down on one knee and pledge his devotion to her for eternity. "What's your name," he whispered, starting to push through the crowd.

Construction Zone: Beginning Deconstruction

Tonight, I’m finally going to start revisions on Her Private Chef. I’m using Holly Lisle’s One-Pass Revision guidelines, because I just can’t be one of those people who goes over it a million times – I’ll end up ruining it if I try to keep hacking away at it. And frankly, I’d rather be writing more books than revising this one over and over. I already have another draft ready to be revised, and will be starting another one soon as well.

I’ve got a hard copy printed out to work from, because I always see the words differently on paper than on screen, and it’s easier for me to read aloud from a paper copy (if something doesn’t sound right in my head, I can normally figure out why if I read it aloud). I’ve got a notebook, and two different colored pens to work with – my favorites are green and purple. Green is for line-edits, purple is for plot revisions (new scenes, add/delete notes, description, etc).

My first order of business before starting is to write a short synopsis of the story. This will help me to see the themes and character arcs that Holly talks about with her method, and I can go into my revisions with a very clear idea of what the finished manuscript should look like. And hey, I need a synopsis anyways for submissions, so it will also serve as my first draft for that.

Then it’s time to go through the draft, scene-by-scene. I’ll go through each scene with my purple pen to mark major revisions, and then go back through with the green pen for line-edits on any sentences that manage to escape the purple pen.

After I’ve gone through the whole draft, I’ll start over at the beginning, and transcribe my edits back into the computer files, scene-by-scene. I'm sure a lot more line-editing will occur at this point. I’ll send the revised manuscript out to beta readers one last time to make sure I didn’t miss anything major while I revise the synopsis and write the query, then out the door it goes.

I’m giving myself a deadline – if Holly can do a complete revision on 125k words in two weeks, I should be able to revise my draft (which should come in around 60-65k) in five to six weeks (considering that I work full time, and this is my first time revising an entire novel-length draft). So I’m setting my deadline for January 17 – which also happens to be my birthday. Stick around if you're interested - I'll be talking about this a lot in the coming weeks, and sharing what's working and what might not be.

Your turn to spill – what’s your basic revision process? Do you have one? Does it work?

Weekly Goals & Reading List 12/14/09

The first draft of Desert Heat is finished. I freely admit that I rushed it to its end, because I wanted it done. Early comments from readers say it’s a fairly sound draft (for as far as they’ve read) which makes me very happy since that was the whole goal. It will be refreshing to revise something that isn’t full of holes or missing plot lines.

But before I get to that, I’m going to revise Her Private Chef, which I almost got to last week but for a ridiculous argument with my printer. Apparently we have different views on double-sided printing, and to top it all off, I ran out of paper (hence the reason I was lobbying for double-sided printing). I have paper now though, and have acquiesced to the printer’s demand for single-sided printing, so this week revisions for HPC will begin. I’m really looking forward to that!

I also got one draft critiqued for Erica, and am working on the second for Annarkie that should be finished soon. I have to say, with all the marking up I’ve been doing, and my own draft waiting to be revised, I’m starting to get itchy to write something new! I’m working on a schedule that will include some time for new writing along with all the revisions.

As for personal goals – I finally finished the decorations and tree amidst much grumbling and whining at my husband on Saturday. Then I spent the better part of Sunday afternoon creating a new spreadsheet for Christmas cards…and didn’t actually start on the cards until evening. So that will be an ongoing project this week, along with the crafts that are scattered all over my dining room table. Gotta love the holidays…

Weekly Goals

Writing

- Finish critiquing Annarkie’s draft
- Start revising HPC
- New secret project for the blog
- Write the last chapter of Tempest for Friday
- “Revise” my writing schedule to include time for new writing w/the revisions.

Personal

- Finish my Christmas Cards
- Get moving on those crafts for gifts
- Move manicure night to Mondays since I get to sleep1/2 hr later on Tuesdays.

Reading List

Current Reads

Ebook: Midnight Resolutions by Kathleen Panov
Print: Immortal Warrior by Lisa Hendrix

Just Finished

Moon Kissed by Michele Hauf – C R Ward sent me this Harlequin Nocturne (paranormal romance), and I very nearly couldn’t put it down. I can take or leave vampires, but werewolves are my “thing” (shape-shifters, really), and this is not only original, but deals with both the man and wolf as different consciousnesses in the same body…very intriguing. I loved it…if you like paranormals and werewolves, this is a must read. Thanks C! In the spirit of sharing, I’ll send this to the first person to comment and ask for it – who wants it next?

Blazing Bedtime Stories III by Tori Carrington and Tawny Weber. (Harlequin Blaze) – If you’re not familiar, Harlequin occasionally comes out with short story collections in it’s category line, and Blazing Bedtime Stories is one of those series. There were two stories in this one, and the first was an international “near-miss” story of a woman who must make the choice of whether to marry for money or stay true to herself, though it will hurt her family if she does. A very poignant story of true love from Tori Carrington.

The second was my favorite of these – another page-turner not to be missed. A magazine journalist whose specialty is stories on sex is cursed until he puts a woman’s needs before his own. He gets stuck in a remote cabin with a fellow journalist who happens to be the daughter of the magazine’s owner, and someone he’s deemed “off limits” because of that. But sparks fly, deep conversations ensue, and attraction won’t be denied. It’s a fabulous read, with the added bonus that it’s short (which is sometimes helpful when reading on lunch hours. Tawny Weber does an excellent job, as usual.

That’s all the published reading I got done last week – I’ve been reading drafts instead.

That’s it for me – how’s your week shaping up? Any goals to share? Good reads to recommend?

Variety News 12/13/09

Brrr! It's cold and snowy here today, and I'm staying home for the duration to keep warm. Blog posts, evil Facebook games and Christmas cards are the order of the day. Oh, and a draft I'm critting this evening.

Obviously, I'm not doing so well keeping up with the "Notable Posts" posts. But I like the idea so much that I'm not giving up - and I have a plan for organizing my blog reading this week that will make it less time intensive to get those posts done. So I'll do better in the future - promise.

This Week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Goals & Reading List
Tuesday: Construction Zone - Beginning Deconstruction
Wednesday: Round Robin - What's Your Name?
Thursday: Wildcard - On Time Management
Friday: Final Chapter of Tempest
Saturday: Notable Posts

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Nail Art Tuesday features a "sweet" manicure.

Word Blizzard continues with daily serial posts of Desert Heat.

Tea on Tap - I'm trying to decide what to do with this blog. If I'm going to keep it open, I need to post at least once per week. Obviously, my mind is not so tea-focused anymore, and I'm not sure if I should try to hang on to this any longer, or just let it go. I'll be posting my quandry over there this week, but I'm seriously considering just shutting it down for good.

Here's to another great week in the blogosphere!

Wildcard Post: Writer's Meme

Lost Wanderer tagged me with this meme, and aside from answering the questions, I thought I’d also answer another one that seems to follow this around: What is a meme?

From Dictionary.com: n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

So now we all know. I’m supposed to pass this on to two people, so I hereby tag…


Tara at Eye Feathers
Cindy Wilson at Her Blog


Now for the questions – from my mind to yours (sounds very Vulcan, no?):

1. What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?
Last thing – Desert Heat (NaNo draft)
First thing I still have – the first 3 chapters of a suspense novel I started in college (no name)

2. Write poetry?
Nope – I suck at poetry.

3. Angsty poetry?
Nope, just angsty prose.

4. Favorite genre of writing.
Romance, followed by horror.

5. Most annoying character you've ever created.
Lemme think…There’s a whiny secondary character in Tempest who’s annoying, but she’s got a very small part.

6. Best plot you've ever created?
I have to choose just one? But all my plots are awesome – until they go to paper!


7. Coolest plot twist you've ever created?
If I told you that, you’d be watching for it.


8. How often do you get writer's block?
Never. If the movie in my head stalls, I force my brain to take over until the movie starts playing again.

9. Write fan fiction?
Nope. I used to read it, but feels too weird playing with someone else’s characters for me to write it.

10. Do you type or write by hand?
Type. My handwriting can’t keep up with the aforementioned movie I’m transcribing.

11. Do you save everything you write?
Depends on if it has potential. If it doesn’t suck too bad, I save it. If it’s reprehensible, I delete with abandon.

12. Do you ever go back to an idea after you abandoned it?
Haven’t yet, but there are a few I’d like to revisit and find a way to make work.

13. What's your favorite thing you've ever written?
My last two drafts – Her Private Chef & Desert Heat. Because they are actually good enough for me to want to spend time editing.

14. What's everyone else's favorite story that you've written?
Don’t know – don’t have too much out there, but one of the flash pieces got pretty rave comments…

15. Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?
Romance, all the time. Not into teen drama.

16. What's your favorite setting for your characters?
Fictional settings I can control completely (whatever I can make up).

17. How many writing projects are you working on right now?
A few. My blog serial, revisions for Her Private Chef, and a secret project for the blog (ooo…did I just type that?)

18. Have you ever won an award for your writing?
Nope – have to enter contests to win awards.

19. What are your five favorite words.
This is hard – only five? I’m drawing a blank, but according to my WIP’s, they are: Was, the, smiled, nodded, turned.

20. What character have you created that is most like yourself.
All my female characters have some of my traits. I try to keep them from being *too* much like me though (getting better, slowly).


21. Where do you get ideas for your characters?
Daydreams, people I see out and about, etc (normally not people I know personally).

22. Do you ever write based on your dreams?
I have an entire plot planned out from a “sleep” dream – the only one I’ve ever remembered enough of to write down. That’s it though, and it’s not written yet. Most of my plots start as daydreams.

23. Do you favor happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers?
Scenes should end on a cliff-hanger, but never a story. Never. I’m all about “happily ever after”, since I write mainly romance, but with horror, anything goes (except a cliffhanger!).

24. Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
Yes – at least in the sense that it has to be basically correct and readable. I always end up re-phrasing a lot of sentences when I edit, but I can’t leave a sentence that makes me cringe too much the first time around.

25. Does music help you write?
No. I prefer silence, though I can write with background noise like the TV or talking. The wrong music at the wrong time can just ruin a scene for me…easier to just avoid that altogether.

26. Quote something you've written. Whatever pops into your head.
I “transcribe” what I see going on in my head more than “thinking in words” – so the odds of being able to quote myself verbatim are pretty low. The last word in Desert Heat makes me sound like James Joyce though (which amuses me).

“Yes.”

Round Robin: Under the Tree

Welcome to the weekly Round Robin! Each week I post a four-sentence prompt, and your mission, should you choose to accept it is to continue the story (up to 4 sentences at a time) in the comments. You may post more than once, but not consecutively. You don’t have to be a writer to join in – anyone can play, and take the story whatever direction you want.

Jump in - play with me!

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Under the Tree

Julie stretched as far as she could with one foot on the ladder to hang another ornament on the back of the tree. Who had decided to put it so close to the window anyway? A man, no doubt, she thought as she reached just a little further out. Catching the hook on the chosen branch, her satisfied smile lasted only a second before she felt the world start to tip.

Construction Zone: Characters and Gender-Typing

I have a problem. My heroines are lacking. When I realized that from critiques I was getting back, I had to really examine my characters, who they were and what they were like, to try to figure out where I was going wrong with them. The answer kind of surprised me at first, but it makes sense when I consider my own personality.

I have a hard time relating to people who show/acknowledge emotion, because I’m really just not a demonstrative person. I’m a blunt, tell-it-like-it-is sort of person, who doesn’t get too sentimental over most things. I don’t cry at movies, or weddings, or funerals, and I have no interest whatsoever in babies or baby showers or much of anything that sends most women into an outpouring of “heart”. That’s not to say I don’t care, but most people who meet me in person tend to consider me a little cold, or even snobbish at first. It’s because I’m guarded with my words and actions, and choosy about whom I let beyond that outer shell. I relate to men far better than other women, and always have. Unfortunately, I've given my female characters too many "male" traits as a result...and I think that's the problem women have when trying to relate to my female characters. They just aren't "woman" enough.

I want to write women who are strong and tough, but tender enough for other women to relate to. I want to capture the best of both worlds with my women, which means tapping deeper into the emotional part of me that I keep guarded from the world in my personal life. I need my heroines to let that out, to be vulnerable, to show strong emotions and take risks that I probably wouldn’t allow myself to take (which most of them do already). As reserved as I am, even I respond on a very deep level to vulnerabilities in fictional women - it's something I think all women can really relate to and maybe even need to complete the emotional bond between reader and character.

The end goal, of course, is to make my readers feel what the heroine is feeling right along with her, the ups and downs, angst and pleasure…all the way to that happily ever after moment. If they can't relate to her, they can't get to that point of empathy with her - and that just won't work. Basically, I need to write women who, no matter how tough they are, still show a universal feminine side that nearly all women can relate to. That "universal female" is who I need to get to know on an intimate level to round my female characters out.

Sometimes, writing is like tapping a vein, and letting the very essence of who you are spill out onto the page. In this case, I have to “tap into” things I feel and experience very deeply and privately that don’t (and won’t) have any other outlet but through my characters. It’s an interesting and somewhat uncomfortable experience for such a logical, linear thinker such as myself, but my writing will (I hope) be all the richer for it.

What “vein” have you tapped recently in regard to your characters? How did you deal with it?

Weekly Goals & Reading List 12/7/09

Sub-zero weather, anyone? No? I don’t blame you. Zero is supposed to be our “high” today (which is just wrong, really). I like snow, but I’m not fond of temps much below 30 or so in winter. Neither are the dogs.

Last week I took a couple days off after that mad NaNo sprint, then got back to writing. I normally take one day off a week (Sunday – manicure night), but it was kind of amazing to me how tough it was to get back into the story after leaving it for such a short period. I got about 1500 more words done on Desert Heat last week (not as much as I’d have liked), and spent way too much time on Twitter. As much as I enjoy talking to other writers, time spent talking about writing is, sadly, not *actual* writing. Huh.

As far as my personal goals, I kind of lost momentum towards the end of the week. My crafting is in full swing (all over the dining room, and a card table in the living room), and Thanksgiving is put away, but Christmas is still “in progress” (the tree is up, with lights, but no ornaments). It’s pretty rare that I let it stretch out so long, but it will get done eventually. I thought about Christmas cards, but didn’t do anything else about it aside from hanging up the two I have already received. Guess I’d better get going on those – I need to write a quick letter for the people I never see, and then just sit and start writing them out.

Weekly Goals

Writing

- Finish up the draft of Desert Heat
- Finish crits for two people (working on now)
- A new chapter of Tempest for Friday, plus plot the ending. I’d like to finish Tempest before Christmas, so we can start a new serial in the new year.
- If I get Desert Heat finished, I’ll start the revisions for Her Private Chef

Personal

- Finish Christmas decorating, tonight if possible. Need to get that out of the way.
- Work on gift crafting.
- Christmas Cards
- Re-work some of my routines to keep my blogging, work tasks and writing all going efficiently. Includes choosing a new night for “manicure night”. I just can’t do the late Sunday/super-early Monday thing anymore (3 hours sleep last night).

Reading List

Current Reads

Ebook: Blazing Bedtime Stories III by Tori Carrington and Tawny Weber. (Harlequin).
Paperback: Moon Kissed by Michele Hauf (Harlequin Nocturne)

The two books I’m reading at the moment I can hardly put down, and will both be finished tonight or tomorrow. Excellent reads…more on those next week (after I’m done).

Just Finished

Bodyguard Under the Mistletoe by Kay Bergstrom (Harlequin Intrigue)
Fiona is an enigma…she’s strong, nervous, transformed, and a widow trying to move on after losing the love of her life. Jess is everything an alpha male should be – tough, stubborn, and oozing with masculinity and a sense of honor that occasionally gets in the way. They’re a fabulous pair, and it was a great mystery too – certainly worth the read.

Barely There by Samantha Hunter (Paranormal Romance Short Story – self-pubbed)
For anyone unfamiliar, Samantha Hunter is a Harlequin author whose work I absolutely adore. She’s started publishing some shorts on Amazon, and I downloaded the Kindle for PC app (for those of us who don’t have a Kindle) to read this offering from her. Oh. My. God. It’s incredible – full of very intense emotion, mind-blowing passion and an amazing, unbelievable situation. It’s $.99 on Amazon – go download the reader, buy a copy and prepare to be blown away. I’m really looking forward to whatever else she decides to publish there!

That’s it for this week – any goals you’d like to share? Lots of people are revising drafts this month…how’s that going? And is everyone ready for the holiday?

Variety News 12/6/09

It's snowing and cold outside, and today, I'm decorating inside for Christmas. After I post this, I'll make some chai tea and put in a movie to watch while I test lights to string and unwrap ornaments that remind me of years gone by. Christmas is not my favorite holiday as it is for so many, but it is one of my favorite times to reflect on another year quickly slipping away.

One of my favorite ornaments is a blue satin ball with white tatted lace surrounding it. When I bought my first house, I lived next door to a wonderfully sweet old woman who even at her age (I think she was 82) still practiced whatever arts she could. Canning and tatting were two of her favorites, and I always enjoyed chatting with her over the back fence when we were both out working in the yard. She died shortly before I moved out, but her memory lives on with me every year when I hang that ornament on our tree.

This Week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Goals & Reading List
Tuesday: Construction Zone - Characters & gender roles
Wednesday: Round Robin - Behind the Tree
Thursday: Wildcard - Writer's Meme
Friday: Chapter 35 of Tempest

Elsewhere on The Variety Network

Nail Art Tuesday features a Holly Jolly manicure.

Word Blizzard features the serialized version of my NaNo draft...email for an invitation to read.

Do you have an ornament or piece of holiday decor that reminds you of someone special this time of year?

Here's to another great week!

Reflections on NaNoWriMo 2009

I think I’ve finally recovered from this year’s insane sprint to the NaNo win – as evidenced by the respectable word count I managed without much effort last night. Desert Heat, my NaNo novel is still in progress, but I’m hoping to finish the draft this week or early next week so I can set it aside for awhile. Every year I learn more about myself, my writing abilities and my process, and this year was no different. Here are the top five things I found myself ruminating on while drafting this year’s novel.

1. Planning is everything. This year, I created a scene-by-scene outline of my plot to start from, and allowed them to be flexible depending on what “came out” as I was writing. I limited the flexibility though – avoiding potential plot holes and sub-plots with nowhere to go. It made all the difference in the world, even though I didn’t have nearly enough planned out for the entire novel. When I ran out of scenes, even though I’d been changing and tweaking them as I wrote, the continuity got ten-times harder to stick to (though I did manage, I think). My next plot will be planned out scene by scene to the end – at least for most of the larger scenes, before I even start writing.

2. My character gender roles are reversed. This was a huge, huge revelation to me, and will completely change the way I look at (and write) characters from now on. My men are based on a fantasy of what the “perfect man” would be (which is probably why women tend to love my heroes), but my women are the strong, silent type…which I hate to admit is a trait they get directly from my own personality. The thing is, many women don’t identify with that – they need the more emotional side to relate to, since a lot of women are vastly more emotional creatures than I am (or so it seems). I’ll explore this more in next week’s Construction Zone post, for those interested.

3. I can write nearly 20,000 words in a weekend…something I’d rather not do often, but it’s good to know I have the skill should I need it.

4. I write comfortably at 800-1000 words in a sitting. More than that, and I start having “creative difficulties”. By that, I mean rather than just watching things unfold in my head & transcribing them, I have to start actually *pushing* the story out…which results in stilted storytelling. It’s far more work to force it than to just rest when I know I need to rest, and come at it fresh for another session.

5. When I started this year’s draft, I wondered if everything I’ve been learning about the craft of writing this past year would still stick around through quick, often forced writing speeds, or if my writing would “devolve” back into what it was before. I’m happy to say that the changes stuck, giving me a technically superior draft to anything I’ve written before. I’m sure I’ll have better drafts as I keep improving, but at the moment, this one does a good job of showcasing what I’ve been working on.

So that’s that. Another NaNo come and done, and I’m still working on the draft, though it should be finished early next week. I’ll be looking forward to next year, and whatever that might bring.

Most of you other Wrimos have already posted your final thoughts on your own blogs, but feel free to share any stray thoughts here – congrats to all the other winners!

Round Robin: With the Snow

Welcome to the weekly Round Robin! Each week I post a four-sentence prompt, and your mission, should you choose to accept it is to continue the story (up to 4 sentences at a time) in the comments. You may post more than once, but not consecutively. You don’t have to be a writer to join in – anyone can play, and take the story whatever direction you want.

Jump in - play with me!

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With the Snow

Abby cradled her cup in both hands, and looked out the picture window at the brilliant white landscape. Fresh fallen snow covered everything in a crisp, sterile blanket that shimmered in the early morning sun. It was good to be home after all these years.

The rumble of an engine broke the stillness, and she frowned as a dark green sedan turned into her driveway.

It's Free E-Day!

It's Free E-Day, friends...and yours truly finds herself unable to participate as planned. Lots of reasons, or excuses if you'd rather, but the fact is, I had trouble even finding the time to put up this post today. And yes, I feel incredibly bad about that. My apologies.

If you've come here looking for free stories, there are links on the right (marked "Free Reads"), with both serial novels and free flash fiction that you are welcome to read, copy, share and enjoy. If you'd like .pdf files of the flash fiction, email me (address to the left) and I'll send you the file as soon as I can today.

I hope you'll support the other independent artists participating - read, watch, listen and chat...you'll find all the links on the Free E-Day site. Enjoy, and celebrate the independent creative spirit!