Sunday, June 20, 2010

Just Write it Down!

Freelancing and fiction writing comes with some crazy weeks. For me this coming week is one of them. So how do I handle it? I just do what I aim to do best...write. I write everything down that needs to happen. This includes what I need to do and when to achieve any deadlines, interview schedules and of course my personal goals for my YA and MG.

By writing it down it makes it easier to follow and I won't get overwhelmed with the whole. Also, it is such a great feeling when I can check something off my list and this is a safe way to ensure that nothing will get overlooked.

So yes, it's an extra step but trust me it is worth it. When juggling multiple projects write it all down. I also, plan out my daily goals every Sunday so that I have a plan.

Make a plan, follow it and you'll get through the stress of deadlines and goals!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Exciting news!

So I'm still in the revision process for my YA so unfortunately my exciting news is not about that. However, I am still really excited to announce that I will soon be a National writer for Examiner.com. For the past year I have been writing as the Houston Budget Events Examiner and this will not change. Beginning in a few weeks I will be The Mortal Instruments Examiner. If you don't know what that is then I predict that you soon will. The Mortal Instruments is a popular young adult series by Cassandra Clare. This series has been optioned and the first movie is in development. According to IMDB the release date of movie one will be in 2012. Many blogs, articles, etc. have claimed that this series has the potential to be the next "Twilight" capitalizing on the vastly popular young adult genre.

As a young adult writer myself I'm thrilled to combine my freelance writing with a genre and a series that I truly enjoy. As my column goes live I will post more information on this. And hopefully I'll be able to write about good news involving my YA or MG series. For now though I'm working through revisions, taking care of my health (thank you challenging pregnancy) and making sure that everything is done right. Now I'm back to more writing and those revisions!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Knowing when to slow down

The past few weeks I've been stuck in a frantic frenzy trying to get my manuscript off to agents before I deliver my baby. Yes, I'm still trying to wrap up revisions but it hit me over the weekend that maybe I was rushing too much and sacrificing quality. I decided that I'd rather wait a month or two to send it off then send of a rushed draft only to be rejected and agree with it!

My new plan is to take it step by step and make the manuscript be the final version that I want before sending it off. The end result will be the same, to get my fiction writing published.

Unfortunately, fiction is not all that I write. I do have to work significantly on my freelance contracts.Especially now since I need to be working ahead on everything. It is always smart to have deadlines even if they are self assigned. But when those deadlines begin to impact the quality of your work it is time to take a step back and rethink your strategy.

In other news I've been posting a lot lately to my Examiner.com page. You can view the articles here http://www.examiner.com/x-13982-Houston-Budget-Events-Examiner

I'm the Houston Budget Events Examiner which means if you are looking for summer fun at budget rates then I'm your girl. Even if you don't live in the Houston area some of the advice that I give is useful to everyone. Like picnics. Bring back an old classic family outing and out a modern twist to it. I think you can see where I'm going with this. Well, I'm back to work and please leave comments below if you have budget-friendly summer ideas!