Take a Sick Day!

Last week was rough. That’s it, just rough. I had a great start, but my week got hacked! I was so sick I could not get out of bed, seriously. The thought came to me that I should pick up my laptop and type away as I lay in bed. What a great use of my down time! Due to my aching and nausea, I had a realization. I should take time to get well. Relax, take care, and get well. What a concept!

 

Am I less motivated to reach my goals? No. If I were clocking in and out of a job, would I have gone to work last week? No. I would have taken the time off that I needed to get well, and then checked back in this morning. Done and done. This week would have been loaded with extra work from missing last week. Yep, that’s there for me too. I’ve got some catching up to do.

 

If you find there’s been a legitimate reason that’s delayed your writing, don’t give up or give yourself a mega guilt trip about not reaching your goals! I am not a failure because I got sick. I would fail only if I stopped. I am currently behind the goals I set for myself, but watchout! This week is gonna rock, and I will catch right up and get back on track, now that I can get out of bed. What a blessing to be able to work.

Personalized NaNoWriMo

Today is the first day of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. All over the world, prospective novelists are beginning their writing goal for the month of November, of 50,000 words. The gargantuan goal of writing a first draft of a novel in one month is motivating and exciting!! In the past weeks, I asked myself if I should join in the fun. I do want to write a YA novel, after all.

 

I discovered by questioning myself about my writing goals is that NaNoWriMo is not for me this time around in it’s true form. As much as I want to write a novel, I will not be conquering a novel 2,000 words a day (25 days, 30 minus Sundays and Thanksgiving Day). There are other stories in my head that need to come to life first!

 

I will be adjusting NaNoWriMo to fit the goals I have! I want to write more children’s stories! I want to submit my completed Toilet Monster story! I want to update my blog on a regular basis with helpful, hopefully inspiring, and enjoyable information! I decided my “NaNoWriMo” time should help get me to where I want to be. Also, my very first responsibility is to my family. Some may insist that it’s only one month, but I’ve had enough pull me away in the last six months or so. More about that later.

 

After all the considerations of time and goals, I have decided on my personalized NaNoWriMo. It will still motivate and stretch me. My overall goal is to create my regular working routine. It will require dedication and sacrifice. I am a busy woman with many responsibilities! Early mornings will by my ally. Here’s what’s going to happen. There are 30 days in November. I don’t work on Sundays, so we’ll subtract those 4 out, 26. I’ll also let myself enjoy Thanksgiving Day, so I’ve got 25 days. I will write 500 words every working day. 500 x 25 = 12,500 words! My stories, submissions and blog articles are included in the word count. I will update my blog at least twice a week. I will write at least 4 new children’s picture books. I would love to make my goal higher, but I don’t want it out of reach. If I’m plodding along on 500 words and I can increase it, I will! Mark my words, this is the beginning of something beautiful.

 

Is NaNoWriMo for you this month? Is it what you need to stay motivated to get that fantastic novel idea out to the world?? Or do you need to adjust it? Don’t let this be an excuse not to accomplish 50,000 words! That is not the point. If you’re going for those 50,000, stick to it! It’s a fantastic goal and many great novels have been printed from this awesome NaNoWriMo month! If it’s not for you, find what goals will stretch you this month, and get to it!! Make sure your ladder is against the right wall!

Toilet Monster...Still

And I thought I was done, ha!

I was happily typing along, doing what I thought were the last few changes to my Toilet Monster story,

An awesome illustration by my son. I figure it's
close to what I look like when happlily typing along. ;)

when during a conversation with my sister, I discovered that if I rearrange the storyline it would be so much better! Arg! Yeah!

Don't worry, the basic premise for my story about a giant is well noted and is contentedly waiting it's turn. I am going to finish my Toilet Monster story first. Once it is written, I'll hand it over for illustration.

While the story is out for illustration, I'll search and study how to e-publish. I'm so excited to learn how to e-publish, and I can't stop smiling about the thought of one of my stories being accessible to others to enjoy. I can sense the feeling of momentum and smell the coming accomplishment. The end result of the changes will be well worth the extra effort, and as I find out how to e-publish an illustrated children's book, I'll let you know.

Check out my handmade deadlines on the right. I'm incorporating time dedicated to writing into my daily routine to meet my deadlines. It seems if it's not on the schedule, it doesn't get done...so now it's on the schedule.

NaNoWriMo Plot Party!

I went to the NaNoWriMo plot party, and I'm so glad I went! There were about 16 people in attendance. They ranged from the older, experienced published novelist to young writers, quirky and loud. The gal who sat next to me was easy to talk to, and has published a novel already and is working on her next novel.

I planned on talking to more people, but the tables and chairs were set up so that I was only sitting near one person. Her name was Cheri Lasota. She had some great ideas and questions that helped me form my plot and characters. Thank you Cheri!

It's always great to meet good people. People who you can learn from, and people who you can relate to then think, if they can do it, then I think I can too. Hopefully I can pass that on.

During the plot party I concentrated on my New King story. I'm so excited about the characters that are being formed, and other characters who have transformed. The result is an almost completely changed story. The storyline has blossomed into a tale that could be a great novel! I'm so excited for the possibilities!

So for the next 15 days or so, I'll be preparing for NaNoWriMo! Filling out character worksheets, scene plotting worksheets, and doing a little math to figure out how many words I need to write each day in November minus Sundays to complete at least 50,000 words, 176 pages! Whew!

If you want to check out Cheri Lasota's book, check out http://www.spirehousebooks.com/ on Twitter she's @CheriLasota.

NaNoWriMo

Did you just say, "Eh?"

Yes, NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month! Hooray! At my last trip to my local library I read a poster about NaNoWriMo, suggesting to write a novel! Participants begin writing November 1 and finish a 175-page, (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30!

NaNoWriMo is "a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved." Hmmm. Sound familiar?

So if any of you fit that criteria, maybe you should check  your local library to see if they're playing along. Mine is having a plot party on October 13th. Apparently there will be fun and games to help me prepare and plan my novel. That way when November 1st comes around I'll be ready to start!! How about you?

My Blog's Current Purpose

I've created my blog for several reasons:

1. Practice - I'll be posting my practice writings including a weekly short story inspired by the word of the week on IllustrationFriday.com. It's a fabulous site for illustrators, and great for inspiration for me. If I chose my weekly word, it would be too contrived. Maybe I'll have a weekly suggestion from followers after things get rolling?!

2. Readers! - What good is having a story, if no one is around to read it? It will be so fun to share all that I'm writing and learning along the way.

3. Accountability & Motivation - Doing any self-motivated action that is sustainable, sometimes needs accountability. I will post goals and the results they produce. If I post that I'm going to submit a manuscript to a publisher, well I best do it!

4. Feedback - It will be helpful to know when I'm getting better! I don't expect to be a well-known children's favorite, award-winning author just yet. I wouldn't turn the job down, I just don't think I'm ready yet. So thank you for comments, critiques, and encouragement!

5. Enrich and Entertain - When people come to my blog to find out more about me and my stories, I want them to see that I enjoy writing. I want them to be able to sit back and enjoy a few minutes outside their busy world, and feel better going back into it. I want people to know they can go from not knowing a morsel about how to accomplish something, to being confident and proficient in that endeavor if they choose.