First off — Happy Canada Day to my family and friends North of the Border!
I’ve spent more time scrappin’ this week than writing but I’m starting to hear whispers, so must have been just what the doctor ordered
The plan is to relax this month. To dabble in whatever strikes my fancy at the time. I do have a stocking to finish cross-stitching for #4 before Christmas. And Nicole is always teasing me with socks to knit. However, I need to get back into the writing. It’s not just a want anymore. So for the month of July my writing goal is to spend 30 minutes each day butt in chair, internet off, hands on keyboard, and the door shut to wee beastie distractions. Crossing fingers those whispers turn in to shouts or demands.
Coyote Con is back!Joely Sue Burkhart snatched up the domain and has set October 26-28 for this year. The main site is still under construction but she’s got forums started and some exciting plans. I’m tentatively set to do a Tarot Panel. Be sure to check out the forums for the other panels and workshops.
So the rest of my July goal is to let go of the pressures I’ve put on myself to be everywhere, play some online games (MIL and I have been challenging each other all week, I’d forgotten how much fun we have doing this), read more, walk Beastie Girl, swim with the wee beasties, and do some of the crafts that often get pushed aside in the writing frenzy. Somewhere in there I hope to find that middle ground I lost along the way during Round 2 of ROW80.
Yesterday, That Man and I ran a gazillion errands and I picked up a new pair of walking shoes. Squee! Beastie Girl and I are out breaking them in as this goes live
And last but not least, a Happy Independence Day America.
I used to go to this every year in Oregon. And I have been missing this inspiration, creative outlet, mingling of like-minded peeps since moving to Sin City.
Yesterday, I reconnected with a friend I first met online.
Yesterday, sparked a wee scrappin’ fest.
So, pardon the shortness and randomness of this post…I have glue on my fingers! See you Tuesday to talk about pets in fiction
Once upon a time, Kait Nolan mentioned on her blog something about reading 100 books before attempting to write one. Or something along those lines. I’m a bit on the lazy side as I’m typing this up. Oh heck, let me find the link…Reflections on the Book 100. Anyway, I’ve been stalking following Kait for a few years now and her advice hasn’t steered me wrong yet. Of course she was talking about learning craft while reading. And I wasn’t serious about my writing when I read her first post on the subject. However, I took up the challenge of the 100 books in a year.
I'm nice & warm now!
I even created a lovely spreadsheet :pets Excel: (Here’s an online version if you dare: Book List. I have one sheet for books I’m looking for, one for TBR, and one for read.)
No, beastie girl isn’t part of the whole reading theme here but peeps wanted to see her model the sweater I knitted for her.
How did I do?
Well, as of the typing up of this post…113 for the year.
Some were short stories and novellas. So I made some adjustments. Using 200 as an average page count, 1-70 page books scored a 1/4 point, 71-135 page books scored a 1/2 point, 136-200 page books scored a 3/4 point, thus anything over 200 pages equaled a full point.
How did I do?
76.75
LOL, gotta love those partials, but not too shabby.
How much did you read in 2011? Care to join me for 100 in 2012?
~I’m sure someone out there has an actual challenge for this
I’m over at Maria Zannini’s blog today talking about creating greeting cards and staying green. Pop on over and share your craft of choice for a chance to win the giveaway!
And continue visiting through December 22nd for posts about creating cool crafts and mouth-watering dishes.
Tomorrow, I’m over at Maria Zannini’s as part of her DIY 12 Days of Christmas. I hadn’t realized Maria was starting her Do It Yourself 12 Days of Christmas on Wednesday, otherwise I would have mentioned it last week.
There’s a giveaway Hope you’ll stop by!
Have a reader on your list? Aside from the obvious buying of books and giving of gift certificates to bookstores (certainly much loved gifts), what to give? MizB at Should Be Reading introduced me to GoneReading. And the best part is that the profits go to fund libraries. That folks is a win-win.
The pressure to get things done before the wee beasties are out of school for the holiday is on. The only downside to the holiday season for me. On the other hand, That Man is taking a week of vacation time so we have some quality day trips planned.
Blog: I finally got my posts finalized and scheduled for most of the month. I lied about commenting on 3 blogs last Sunday but I made it up Monday And I think I maintained my minimum of 3 blogs this week.
Social Media: Fail. I was in a bit of a funk this last week and never opened TweetDeck. Will do better this coming week.
Wordage: See the above mentioned funk.
Some of my above mentioned funk may have to do with my knitting focus. I blame Nicole over at Book-Wyrm-Knitsfor tantalizing me with her socks and general knitting endeavors.When we first got Beastie Girl, aka the dog, aka Roxy, I thought she’d been shaved for the summer. I’ve never seen a dog with such naturally short hair. She’s also all muscle. She has no fat stores — oh, to have that problem, LOL — and has actually been shivering with cold at night. Worse, she doesn’t want to go outside first thing in the morning or after the sun goes down at night. A house bound dog she was not meant to be!That Man said he’d pick up a sweater at the pet store. I scoffed at that. I have leftover yarn. I have needles. I can knither a sweater. Off on the hunt for a dog sweater pattern I go. It was quite the hunt too. Most of the patterns I found maxed out at a 24 inch chest and Beastie Girl has a 30 inch chest. My knitting is rusty enough that I didn’t want to try and adjust a pattern.Pay dirt. I stumbled across this Cables and Hearts pattern.
The only real change I made was to knit this on a circular needle. I love knitting but detest, with unreasonable passion, sewing the knitted pieces together. If I do this again — and what girl is satisfied with one sweater? — I’ve noted additional adjustments. I was hoping to have a work in progress picture but ran out of time before scheduling this post. It’s a fast knit so maybe I’ll have the finished sweater next week
Before I started to take my writing seriously my non-fiction shelf was a sad little thing. Why hold on to them when I could get them from the library or find the information online? Well, before I took my writing seriously I didn’t need to refer back to books once whatever project was done and out the door.
For the sake of my sanity, because I doubt I could put this list in true order of preference, I’ve tried to categorize it.
Ha! The dreaded interview question. At least that’s what I’ve gleaned from reading various author interviews.
I was asked this question earlier this week.
Was that a shiver of dread?
NO!
For me, it meant someone was taking me seriously.
Yes, my bio says “aspiring romance author” (which Kristen Lamb says is a no-no) but for me that’s more I’m aspiring to become a published romance author. I’m a writer. And having someone ask me the classic “where do you find your inspiration” question…well, shiver of excitement moment, folks.
Where does any artist find their inspiration?
Um, in the world around us!
The weather.
After a recent thunder storm I captured this…
The Eye of God? The Universe? Or something darker?
All sorts of inspiration came from this one photo. I free wrote ideas for fifteen minutes after I took it and when I’ve got time to explore a new shiny I’ll pull that paper out.
Art.
Happening across this drawing, Selkie Moon, by Jade N. Bengco prompted me to write a Selkie story for National Novel Writing Month a few years ago.
The story sucks rocks at the moment (didn’t make NaNo that year). However, I love the Selkie myth. I plan to revisit it and hopefully rewrite it one day.
Drawings and sketches, collages, etchings, pottery, pictures, sculptures, etc. Perhaps even crafts like cross-stitching, crocheting and knitting, quilting, and certainly scrapbooking.
What about music? Movies?
(I’m a Phantom fangirl. Not just the Gerard Butler version — though admittedly he’s not hard on the eyes — but that’s another post.)
Nature.
How about this one?
I was sitting at my parents, enjoying that first cup of coffee before everyone woke up, and happened to see this out the window. (Yes, they live in a log “cabin” on a river.)
I’m a recovering short story snob. There I said it. In my defense, though, when you’re forking out hard earned dollars toward your addiction hobby you do want to get the most bang for your buck. I wasn’t kidding in my bio when I said I was “an avid reader able to gobble up 100,000 words in a single sitting.” (For you readers who don’t pay attention to word count, a 100,000 word story is approximately a 400 page paperback book.) I inhale books at a disturbing rate, just ask the bookshelf that collapsed over the weekend.
Wallpaper by Pickyme Digital Artist
However, the advent of e-books has me rediscovering the joys of reading shorter works. And with my handy dandy Nook I can carry a lot of those babies around with me.
But that hard earned dollar thing comes into play with e-books, too. For example, I won’t pay more for an e-book than I would for its corresponding paperback (which I can sell or trade or gift) unless it only comes as an e-book. So for a 100,000 word e-book I’m not going to spend over the $6 or $7 bucks it would be in paper. And realistically, not over $4 or $5 because I can’t sell, trade, or gift (or even loan in most cases) that e-book once it’s mine. Therefore, a 50,000 word e-book isn’t going to find its way to my Nook for more than $2 (well, maybe $2.99 if I really, really love the author). So where does that leave Novellas (and stories under 50,000)? A Novella (20,000 to 50,000 words) might get me at $1.99, definitely at $0.99. Which really puts the other short stories in a bind.
I know there has been tons of blog posts on the subject of e-book pricing and I don’t really want to hash it out again here, well, maybe I do if it opens a discussion.
But, as an aspiring author, I’ve been thinking about story length. How long should my WiP be? Am I aiming for a category romance? My friend Maria Zannini seemed to think it might fit. And here’s another confession, I’ve never read a category romance. Gasp. It goes back to that inhalation of books I mentioned. Yet, I know a number of people who read nothing but category romances. So, where does that leave me? Other than rambling here, LOL
Let’s get a discussion going in the comments. What is your preferred format? How fast do you go through books? And, for kicks and giggles, what are your thoughts on book pricing (e-book, paperback, hard cover, and how about audio)?
It’s one thing to look in the mirror and tell myself I’m a writer yet another to actually give myself the title “author.” I’m not published. I haven’t even shared my WIP with anyone and am fully aware that I have a long, long way to go on this journey.
I recently read a couple posts on this writing life I’ve decided to pursue.
I love that visual. Lending a helping hand whenever you’re able is good karma. I’m not in a position to offer advice, I’m still very much learning, but I can support others by listening to what they have to say and sharing their insight.
Picks up whatever a person drops and hands it back.
I’ve been that harried mother with my hands full. This falls under the karma of “do on to others as you’d have done on to you.” The Internet is a strange place. We develop relationships with people we’ll likely never meet in real life and sometimes we forget that golden rule. If I wouldn’t say it to your face, I won’t say it.
Remember my roots.
I’m blessed with one of the craziest and most supportive families on the planet. What this point says to me is not to forget the other areas of my life.
In the end I can only try to be true to myself and hope that shines through.
This is so important, especially when you also happen to be a writing MOM. How does that fit with the kind of writer I want to be? Simple, I want to remember to keep my family in the forefront.
Reach out to the writing community.
This comes back around to Deborah Burns‘ first and second points. I hope to pay it forward, give newcomers the same chances I’m being given.
Seek out non-writing jobs and hobbies.
Traditionally, one of my hobbies overwhelms the others to the point of distraction. Now that I’ve moved the writing from hobby to career, I’m finding the non-writing hobbies all the more important. But having the hobbies isn’t enough, scheduling the time to partake in them is just as important.
Connect with readers.
They will keep you humble; after all, readers can make or break an author. As a reader, I know how much I enjoy hearing from my favorite authors and I want to extend the same.
What resonated with me from KM Weiland‘s post is balance.
It’s quite the juggling act. How do you maintain balance between the different areas of your life?
There’s this place in me where your fingerprints still rest, your kisses still linger, and your whispers softly echo. It’s the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me.
— but that’s another post.)
