I won NaNoWriMo now onto revision nightmare

After many painstaking nights and headaches due to my eyes being fixed to a computer screen, I did it. I won National Novel Writing Month which means that I wrote a book in a month. It was insane but the experience helped me learn much more about myself as a writer. Even though I was working on other deadlines for my freelance contracts I was amazed at how much time I could carve away to work on this new novel. And I love it! Thinking about these characters are my new favorite obsession but will I embark on this writing journey again? My answer is no. It really is about the experience and I've done it but I do not feel that I put out my best work when it is a writing sprint. Now I fear that my revision process will be much longer than usual.

The trick now is too not lose the focus that so many of us thrived on during this month of writing chaos. I've finished a new manuscript but that's really just the beginning for this story. I need to evaluate my characters motivations. Check my facts, grammer check and revise for consistency and so on. Now the hard stuff begins but I know that just like I pushed through this month I know that I can make this manuscript work so that hopefully one day before too long it'll find its way into readers' hands. This group of characters deserve that. And I deserve to experience new ways of working in this craft. Writers lead reclusive, private lives driven by odd hours and insane bursts of creativity. This November has been awakening and I look forward to continuing to grow in this wonderful craft.

Family time can also help your writing

The holiday season is upon us and if you're anything like me you are thinking, "how will I finish my draft, meet my deadlines and stay on schedule while spending time with family?" The good news is that you can do both and it may be easier than you think.

Tomorrow in the wee hours of the morning the husband, baby and of course, Oscar our dog will begin the long drive from Little Rock to Houston where we'll have a jam packed week of family time. This involves making time for all family members which are dispersed throughout the large city. The good news is that they all want time with the baby and I'll let them have it. With eager arms wanting to hold baby that means more time for Mommy to write.

Now, as my husband always reminds me, don't be anti-social. I'm not implying for you to lock yourself up in a room and spend Thanksgiving typing away but when you're with family take advantage of their help. Let them play with the kids/pets if you have them. This will easily allow you to carve out a few hours of writing.

Also, don't forget to set your alarm. It's easy to write in a quiet house before everyone wakes up. Plus when the family wakes up you'll be wide awake probably on that second cup of black tea or coffee and ready for a writing break to talk and catch up.

And don't forget to use your family for some brainstorming help. This will let them all know how serious and productive you're being with your writing career and it is always a good idea to bounce ideas off others.

Have fun and enjoy the holiday season while still making time for writing. It can be done. Trust me!

November: The perfect month to get re-energized

If you've seen all the Twitter hastags then you know that November is NaNoWriMo. If you don't know what this funny sounding word then I'll fill you in on this crazy month for many writers. November is National Novel Writing Month. Many writers celebrate this month by writing a novel in a month. Sound crazy? It can be but then again what writer isn't crazy? We make up stories in our heads and that's seen as being OK in society.

For those of us that are participating in NaNoWriMo it's this time of the month when you might be thinking the following: What did I sign up for? I've been thinking the same thing. Writing a novel in one month while caring for a four-month-old, meeting my freelance deadlines and trying to revise my current YA manuscript can all be a challenge. And I didn't even mention my dog and personal writing assistant, Oscar who requires lots of love and kisses! But the truth is that writing is hard. The month has nothing to do with the nature of this business. Writing is always hard but this is a great month to reevaluate your writing career and get re-energized.

I attended a two-day writing working shop this weekend. New York Times Best Selling author Bob Mayer was in Houston teaching his Warrior Writer and A-Team workshops. They were both wonderful and very helpful. Now with new drive I'll be continue my quest for NaNoWriMo just after posting this blog.

What are you doing to re-energize in the middle of NaNoWriMo?

Learn more about author and teacher Bob Mayer here. And don't miss his publishing company, Who Dares Wins Publishing's blog where they're posting tips for NaNoWriMo participants. And the advice is good for all writers even if you're not NaNoWriMoing.

Tomorrow, I'll be back on my way home to my family. And it couldn't come soon enough. Evidently Oscar has been stealing pens from my desk and munching them. Apparently since he hasn't been with me to assist on writing that he is taking things over for me in the office. For the sake of my BIC pens I must return soon! Tomorrow night I'll be reevaluating my pen supply and apologizing to Oscar for leaving town.

NaNoWriMo: Yes, I'm doing it!

OK so if you are an author or aspiring to be one then you've probably heard of NaNoWriMo. The month of November is National Novel Writing Month. It's basically when writers both professional and amateur get behind their keyboards and write an entire novel in one month. Yes, it sounds crazy but it may be the kind of craziness that I need to get my Middle Grade sci-fi finished.

I've been so wrapped up in my baby, my move into a new house, finishing my YA fantasy and my freelance work that I've been neglecting some very annoying characters and a story that needs to be written.

A little background...I won the State Scholastic writing competition in the short story category my freshman year of high school. I has forgotten that story for years until at some point during my pregnancy I had a vivid dream of the story and it hit me that it could easily be a series. There was a whole world and universe that I was failed to see when I was in 9th grade. This story had depth and purpose and it had to get written. I took Laurie Campbell's Plot Via Motivation class and used this story for the exercise.

So now I've had this amazing story but until now it has always fallen on the back burner. I'm now changing that and hoping that with the motivation of NaNoWriMo that I can make it happen. I'm committing to this project and I guess experiment. I'm hoping for this story to be around 60K so we'll see how well I manage it and all my other projects.

But seriously I've spent a year on the YA. It's time to wrap it up in a neat package and send it off while I give this MG a chance.

Are you working on a project for NaNoWriMo? If so, what are you doing to get ready for the month of literary craziness? Do share!

Find the Energy

Being a professional writer has its pros and cons just like any vocation. One major con is that writers mostly spend their days alone, stuck in front of their computers and piles of notes. Sometimes in order to boost your writing energy a writer needs to get out and smell the roses or in my case the breakfast at La Madeleine's.

I've blogged before about the importance of surrounding yourself with successful writers. What a better way to learn about this crazy industry then spending time with those who obviously know what they're doing? But you can gain more than industry knowledge from other writers you can feed off their energy. To get energized you don't have to be in the room with New York Times bestsellers. Surround yourself with other writers of all levels and genres.

A group of writers in Houston recently launched a Houston YA/MG group. We meet once a month and discuss various related topics. The topic discussions are helpful but the best part is feeling that energy in the room. The excitement that each writer has for the craft is contagious and I love it! I'm currently on my final revision pass for my YA WIP. Ok, I know I said in my last post that I finished but I'm beginning to think that I'll never finish! I do PROMISE that this will be my last read through before send off!

Back to today's blog topic, energy. I have found that when I'm revising I lose the energy that I had when first got lost in my fantasy world, writing the WIP. After spending 3 hours in a room of energized writers how could I not feel pumped and excited to get back to my WIP? Even if I am revising, energy can make all the difference.

So yes, I should have been revising Saturday morning but after getting re-energized I was more productive in my revising. No matter what kind of deadline you are on you need ENERGY. Find a writing group or a small group of friends. Set a regular time and take a writing break. Taking the time to re-energize will boost your writing and your moral in this business. Enjoy the break! If you have had a great "energizing" experience please share in a comment below.

Keeping the Celebration Short

i just wrapped my final revision pass of my YA fantasy. Now I still have the final read through, to perfect the synopsis and send it off to agents that I still need to research. So, yes I still have some work to be a glass of wine while enjoying old episodes of 'How I Met Your Mother' with my husband couldn't possibly hurt!

This morning I'm back on the keyboard following my daily writing plan. A plan that will in time lead me to my goal of making a living as a fiction writer. Celebrate the milestones and large goals being met but don't lose sight of your overall goal. I see each goal that I check off my list as one step closer to the reaching the big picture. Use that check-off list as your ultimate motivation. I do.

Especially now since time is my enemy most days. As a writer and a new mother to an almost one-month-old I have to make the most of my time. Celebrating can be fun but it won't get me on the New York Times Bestselling list. Whether you are caring for a child, an elderly loved one, or working another job while trying to write you have a full plate. Make the most of your time, whatever your situation may be. Enjoy the small celebrations without losing sight of big picture and enjoy the road to reaching your ultimate goal.

Seriously?

As they commonly say on Gray's Anatomy, "seriously?" applies to everything you do in your life or it should in my opinion. With exception of getting out and having some fun every now and then I take everything I do seriously and this includes my writing.

As a freelance writer I keep a schedule (yes, that means I get up really early!) just as if this were a "typical" job. To be successful as writers we must take it seriously or their can be no success. If you don't take your career seriously then who will?

I just had my baby and now working from home has some more challenges! My advice to any writer with children is to ensure that your spouse and/or family take your writing career just as seriously as you do. When I'm on a deadline my husband takes it seriously and does what he can to help me when he gets home from work and on the weekends.

He accepts my career. Does your family accept yours? Seriously, they should. Sorry it's been a while since my last post but the last few weeks have been crazy getting ready for and having a baby. Any spare time that I had was devoted to writing and not blogging.

More advice and experiences to come from the life of this freelance/fiction writer.