It's almost NaNo time!

Yes! It's almost that time! National Novel Writing Month starts on November 1st! Never heard of it? That was me two years ago. I found out about NaNo about a month before it started, and I am so glad I participated. (By the way, to "win" means to have written at least 50,000 words in the month of November. Remember, this is simply a first draft and by no means perfect.)

NaNo is so much fun! Ready? Set? NaNo!

A new grandbaby!

Praise the Lord! My grandson Noah was born Wednesday, October 11th! Can't wait to see him! We'll visit over Thanksgiving.


And, for all you Nano-ites, the Nano forums are open for the season! Counting down the days 'til November 1st!

Finally!

I finally got into my Blogger dashboard so I could make this entry! Whew! That was just plain hard. I'd tried repeatedly to log in, but for some reason, I couldn't. Now, I'm in. The only problem is: What was it I wanted to say? LOL!

Ah, yes. It was about writing, or, rather, the lack of writing. After all, how am I supposed to write every day when there are other things that don't get done? How do you write when there are checks that need to be written and mailed, there are dishes waiting - no, demanding - to be washed, there's a dusty car interior to clean?

You know what? Other people do it. Other people find, even "make," the time to write. "Write for ten minutes each and every day," one book instructs. Okay, that sounds easy enough. So why don't I do it?

Three little words (okay, two little words and one big word): lack of organization. I truly feel that lack of organization steals time and energy that could (and hopefully would) be spent on reaching my goals.

Now that I know what I lack, how do I get what I need? Do an Internet search, you say? Well, yes and no. Yes, if I want to find some great resources; no, if I want to slog through over a million results (more or less).

I've played with organization time and time again. I love, love, love to plan. It feels good, yet I'm really not accomplishing anything yet, so it's safe and easy. Sitting on the couch, filling out a time schedule, is just plain comfy, but getting off my behind, keeping track of time and chores done, doesn't seem so comfy. I'm beginning to get irritated by my own busy-ness and laziness. Yeah, I come home from work tired, but so does everyone else.

I'm going to formulate a plan (yay - comfy time!), and I'm going to work that plan. The sense of satisfaction I'll receive from regularly working toward - and accomplishing - my many goals will be more than worth the effort.

Come along on this journey with me. Start thinking about what areas of your life you're feeling disorganized in. I'll bring my thoughts, insights, and plan right back here, and I'm confident there will be answers and solutions to the idea of there's not enough time.

I just finished reading:

Reason and Romance by Debra White Smith (a contemporary Christian version of Jane Austin's Sense and Sensibility)

I will be reading:

Put Your House on a Diet by Ed Morrow, Sheree Bykofsky, and Rita Rosenkranz

I want to get back to reading:

Get That Novel Started! by Donna Levin


Got ten minutes? Then write! (Does this blog count?) :)

I have a new job!

Yes, I am now working outside the home five hours each weekday, to go up to seven hours per day in February. I like it. I'm working with people I've known for almost two years in a good environment. I haven't been in the workplace for almost twenty years, although I've done quite a bit of volunteer and group activities, which helped a lot when it came time to make up a resume!

The big question, in addition, of course, to when to go to the laundromat, etc., is: When am I going to write? I posed this question to my fellow writers on the Romance Divas website and received all kinds of great advice. Here's some:

-- Use an Alphasmart work processor
-- Write to and from work if using public transportation
-- Use the computer at work during breaks/lunch and put the info on my own disk
-- Get up earlier/stay up later
-- Make up a writing schedule to make sure I use those bits and pieces of available time
-- Set a goal of two- or three-thousand words per week
-- Make up worksheets for character sketches and plotlines to fill in during breaks/lunch
-- Use bits and pieces of time to jot down dialogue

Some of these ideas, I can use; others, I can't (no public transportation where I live, for instance), but the bottom line of all this is that I'm encouraged that, yes, I can make time to write.

How about you? How do you make time to write? If you've been struggling with that, I hope some of these suggestions can help you see that with a little thinking and planning, you, too, can make time to write!

Remember: The more productive we are with our writing time, the closer we get to publication!

Happy writing!

Excited about a rejection letter!

Yes, you read that correctly. I am excited about a rejection letter I received today. I'm more than excited; I'm encouraged!

Had I expected to receive a rejection letter after my submission being out for six months? No. My other rejections from the same publication came exactly at six weeks. However, this submission made it all the way to the hands of one of the editors, and the reason I'm so happy about my rejection letter is that it has a great note from the editor written on it.

She was kind enough to sandwich constructive criticism of my story in between two compliments. She began by saying that it was a "nicely written story" (yay!) and ended by saying that she like my writing style, a comment that was punctuated with an exclamation point! Yay again!

On my way to the post office this morning to pick up my mail, I planned to submit three new stories to that same publication tomorrow. I feel much better about submitting them now! :-)

I encourage you to get excited about your writing. Perhaps you already are, but if you, like me, get tired of being patient while waiting to hear back from a publication, or if you, like me, just don't want to do those rewrites as the days go quickly by, be encouraged. Are there any ideas, outlines, or stories you could work on today, even if it's just for fifteen minutes? Try it. You'll probably find that time flies by. Remember - a writer writes!

See if you can...

...pick up a copy of The Writer magazine (May 2006) at your library or wherever you buy magazines. This particular issue has a lot of interesting articles. Some of the highlights are:

• Master the art of the personal essay
• 3 top freelancers tell us what it takes to succeed
• Give your fiction a nudge - 10 surprising places to find ideas
• Description - how to use it effectively in your fiction
• 7 grammar mistakes and how to avoid them
• How to turn journal entries into powerful fiction

I usually find several good bits and pieces in each issue, but this one had so much in it! I think it would be worth your while to take a look at it.

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Some other books I currently have from the library are:

• Self-editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
• What in the Word? by Charles Harrington Elster (reviewed in the May issue of The Writer)
• The Wrong Word Dictionary by Dave Dowling (explaining the definitions and spelling differences of words like peak, peek, and pique, for example)

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Looking forward to having more time for writing when the busyness of the next month settles down. How about you? Are you "too busy" right now to write? I know that it's important for writers to write, but I also acknowledge that sometimes life is just sooo busy! After this long Memorial Day weekend, I hope to find - no, make - some time to get back to writing, even during this next busy month. You can, too. Will you?

Put your feet up and grab a good book...

Here is a great read - "Mixed Signals" by Liz Curtis Higgs. It's a funny, funny, fast-paced contemporary Christian romance. I loved it so much, I immediately bought a copy! You'll never look at a radio tower the same way again.

I enjoy reading for the sake of relaxation, but I also read to learn how to write - and in some cases, how not to write.

When I read to learn, I'm focusing on what works and why. How did the author use so few words, yet draw the reader in so powerfully? How did the choice of words convey a description, whether of place or person, so vividly that I had an immediate sense of "seeing" the story? How might I have written a certain portion of the book, for better or for worse? Does the writing "sound like" the way I write? Is there a portion that reads awkwardly due to an omitted comma? On and on it goes.

When I read to relax, I enjoy using my imagination to really "see" the story. It's slightly distracting when my "editing gene" picks up an error in the manuscript, but I welcome that. It means I'm still aware of what I'm reading from a professional writer's viewpoint, even when I don't realize it.

Am I a "professional writer"? Depends what you mean by that term. I have had nonfiction pieces published by a magazine and regional and state newspapers. I have submitted romance fiction to a magazine, and I have more stories ready to submit. I have received rejection letters. I have one story right now that has been at the magazine for quite a while, so I'm hoping they're interested in publishing it. I actively seek out learning experiences, whether through the internet or books on writing. I attend online workshops. Now - one thing is left, the most important thing of all...writing! Do I write every day, all day? No, I don't. I have other responsibilities which I am glad to perform. However, I am making myself a schedule that will guarantee me time to write. Yes, you heard correctly - you must make time to write. My scheduling goal is to set aside two hours each weekday with no more than 30-60 minutes for research/learning and the rest of the time for writing.

I feel I am viewing my writing as a professional, and I am learning all the time. My goal is to produce professionally-written, heart-touching fiction that has integrity and purity, and to see these pieces published.

Whenever that day comes, I'll be posting the information on this blog.

Ahhh, time to sit back, get comfortable, and open a good book...

If you're a Christian, remember to open the Good Book as well!

Let's talk about romance writing...

Good morning! Happy Mother's Day yesterday to everyone concerned.

If you are at all interested in writing romance fiction, Charlotte Dillon's site will gladden any writer's heart! Stop by and have a look.

There's so much to romance writing that it gets overwhelming for a newcomer like me. Where do you start? I usually start with a snippet of a scene, perhaps people I've seen in a certain situation or just in my mind, and then I wonder who they are and why they're doing what they're doing. For the first novel which I wrote through NaNoWriMo (loads of fun!!!), I had the beginning and the ending and enjoyed quite a ride getting from one to the other! LOL! I had more of the beginning for the second novel (yes, again through NaNo).

Here's what you can do. Keep a pad of paper and a pen handy whether you're home or out and about. Jot down those snippets, perhaps a phrase or two, maybe a short physical description of someone you see who would be perfect for your story or novel.

Any ideas yet?

My first post...

Good morning! I love to talk about sweet romances and how to write them. I'll be posting books I've read, books I'm using to learn from, and snippets from my own writings that have either been submitted for publication or that are being readied for publication. More another day...