Time to Write

One of the things that make us professional writers is we write.

You wouldn't believe how many people forget that.  As a writer, I have to write my books and short novella's and get them to my editors in order for readers to read them.

If I don't write, I don't get paid because I've sold nothing to my editors and there's nothing for the reader to buy.

Some of the most successful writers do just that write.  Some write 365 days a year, others take time off for the holiday's, others write Monday through Friday and take weekends off.

It doesn't matter how you do it, but you must write and submit your work.  Otherwise, how will readers find you and buy your work.

Writing, at least for me, is a part of me.  When I'm not writing, I'm not happy.  Right now I don't write every day, but I'm working on it.  And I've found so far, for two weeks now, I've been writing or editing every day and I feel so much better about myself and my writing.

This leads in to last weeks topic, keeping track of time.  If I hadn't been keep track I wouldn't have noticed how much I'd progressed in the last two weeks.  I finished editing a novel, which I'd been ignoring, and sent it to my editor.  I'm now working on a novella that has a deadline of the end of this month (November).

I've had things come up in the past two weeks to throw me off my game, but I've made a commitment to myself so I write or edit every day.  Sometimes its very late a night, and I really don't want to do it, but I do and I feel better that I'm keeping my commitment.  Even if its only to myself.

Next week: tracking expenses

When the Words Won't Flow

It's been that kind of week for me.  I sent my editor off the short story and now the words just won't flow.

I've gone back to the story I'd started before this, I had to do a bit of reading to get back into it, but the words dried up.

It's taken me days to get back into the story and I really hate that, because I have other character's wanting their stories told, but this one needs to get done first.

Always when I'm fighting a story, more ideas pop into my head and characters just want to have their time on the page.

If you're a writer how do you handle this?

If not, when you have to do something and you don't feel like it what do you do?

Have a great week.

Marie

Another Story Done

Wow, time is passing fast right now.  I just finished up another short story for Sybarite Seductions titled: Silver Screen Dom.

I've been writing this short for a while now, while life interfered with me finishing it.  Last week I finally got it off to my critique group, then turned it around in a few days, got it back to me and I finished editing it over the weekend and sent it off to my editor.

I'm happy to with the story and the characters are happy they got to tell their story.

Writing isn't easy.  I struggle everyday to get words onto paper (or into the computer) sometimes I just can't face it and others, I'm eager to dive in and write.  Many writers are like this.

I'm getting back into the "I'm eager to write" phase which is good, I have three more novella's and another short story to get done this year and there isn't much left to this year.

So tell me, what do you do when you don't want to do something?  How do you convince yourself to do the task?

Have a great week.

Marie

Too Many Ideas Not Enough Time

It's one of those rare times, for me as a writer, where I have too many ideas.

I know it sounds strange.  How can a writer have too many ideas?

Usually most writers love it when they have too many ideas, me I like it, but right now its driving me crazy.  I have ideas for 4 different books and they're all trying to get my attention.

Its hard for me when I get ideas of characters and new story lines, I want to sit down and write those books now.  But I can't.  I'm under contract for two books right now.  One is in the middle of edits and the second one hasn't been written yet.  Plus I'm working on another book for an editor that will be under contract shortly.

What is a writer to do?

I don't have all the answers.  I've barely written a word in the last week because of all these ideas floating around.  So this week, I'm going to try something different.  I'm going to write myself notes in a brand new notebook that captures these characters, their stories, and what ever else they want to tell me and see if that frees my mind up to work on the book I need to work on.

So how do you handle this when it happens to you?  Or do you have an advice?

Have a great week.

Marie

Off to RWA National Conference

The past few weeks have been crazy for me.  I'm sorry for not blogging.

I'm in the process of clean out/moving my mom from a house she's lived in for almost 60 years.  It's a move she wants to make, so it does make things easier but cleaning out all the stuff accumulated over the years is difficult.

This week the Romance Writers of American (RWA) National conference is being held in Anaheim, and I'm on my way to it.  I'm driving with another writing friend so we don't have to worry about how many books we bring back.  Okay, I have to worry because I don't want to pack them to be shipped to the new house.

It will be a fun filled week, lots of workshops, meeting friends, and all around writing fun.  The big literacy event is Wed. night at 5 p.m. it's being held at the Anaheim Convention Center which is better than in the hotel ball room.  I won't be signing because my books are only in e-book format and RWA will only allow print books, but I will be there supporting other writers for literacy.

So if you want to meet lots of author stop by the literacy event.

Have a great week.