An Aspiring Writer

Wordcount Challenge Page

2011-03-26T12:31:00.005-06:00

Thank you to Inkygirl and her great idea to set and meet modest goals so as not to get discouraged. WHOO-HOO!

Busy weekend here, but starting Monday, I'll be writing 250 words/day. That's not a lot (one DS page), but it's something I can be successful at. Yay!

Writing Manually

2010-08-02T16:27:00.002-06:00

I attended a wonderful workshop by Anne Randolph a few weeks ago. She extolled the advantages of writing longhand ... on paper ... with a pen! How long has it been since any of us did anything more complicated longhand than signing a check or making a grocery list? She gave us a few assignments in the workshop, and I was stunned at how differently my creative process worked. My language was somehow more fluid and colorful than when I type on my computer.

Then I spent a week with my mother down in Texas. I took my netbook but didn't use it for writing. I took a journal one of my daughters had given me for my birthday, and I wrote in it. I'm still surprised at it. Yes, it was frustrating because I type much faster than I write longhand, but then again, that was kind of the point. It gave me a chance to use better words, to enjoy the artistry of loops and dips below the line, and to think while I was writing. Pretty nifty overall.

I'll be translating that from my journal to the computer later today and then submitting it to my critique group for next week. It will be interesting to discover if they see a difference. Cool.

Write .... just write

2010-07-21T14:42:00.004-06:00

It's time to use my writer's blog again, after all, it's been two years since I posted here with any regularity. It's time to crank up the blog writing if for no other reason than to write!

I've updated the look of my blog (very Colorado, I think), will edit down some of the old archive stuff and go to town with personal thoughts, links to interesting articles, info on writing classes, and whatever makes me think these days.

I'm starting with a link from Mark Terry's blog. I don't know Mark, I was passed the link on the RMFW email loop today and it fired me up. His article, This Writing Life: No Apologies, is great. Or rather it was great for me. Yes, on the surface it starts out sexist, but that's not what this is about. It's about writing, it's about not being perfect, or finishing today, or writing something magnificent every day. It's about being pleased that ou are writing at all.

I can SO identify with that. So with that .... I'm off to hammer out some pages and edits on my WIP.

Happy writing!

Colorado Gold 2007

2007-09-16T22:24:00.000-06:00

Wow! What an amazing experience. Three days of workshops, panels, meals, drinks, cram courses, partying, and pitching to agents/editors. Just ... WOW! I'm still processing the barrage of information I've been accumulating, wanting to stay in touch with new friends I've made, and going through my photos to find the least incriminating. *grin* hehehe

For those who have never been to this writers' conference, I encourage you to do so in the future, particularly if you live in Colorado (though it's not just for us Rocky Mountain types). The key speakers ... C. J. Lyons, Bob Mayer, and Joan Johnston were inspiring, encouraging, and informative ... as were all the workshops I attended. My only complaint was that I couldn't attend ALL of them!

Of course, one of the most exciting aspects for me was to pitch one of my erotica pieces to Raelene Gorlinsky of Ellora's Cave. She was interested and I'm brushing it up just a bit more before I send in my "first three chapters, final chapter, and 2-3 page synopsis." Excited? MOI?! You'd better believe it!!!

With any luck next year I'll be among those with the little "author" ribbon hanging on my name badge. It's certainly what I'll be working towards!

YAY ME!!!

2007-09-15T10:11:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am at the Colorado Gold Writers' Conference and this morning I pitched a mainstream version of Baby, oh Baby to Raelene Gorlinsky of Ellora's Cave. My first pitch, and I had WAAAAAY too many margaritas last night!

So ..... I've been asked for the first 3 chapters, the last chapter, and a 2-3 page synopsis!!!! WHOO-HOO!!!

She was lovely (wears great hats!) and asked all the right questions of this nervous first timer!

Now I'm going to get moving on that last minute polish and figure out how to make my one paragraph pitch into a 2-3 page synopsis! ACK!

Thank you to all those who have been cheering for me as I take this next step toward .... dare I say it .... being a published author!

Catching up

2007-08-19T10:28:00.000-06:00

It's been a whirlwind the last two and a half months. Since May ....

College Girl graduated from college.
DS applied for and has been accepted at college (he starts locally next week).
I planned not one, but TWO, surprise birthday parties for my brother; one in Las Vegas, one at his home. This absorbed a lot of my life in May & June, but we pulled it off and everyone had a GREAT time.
DH & I took the fam on a "graduation celebration" cruise with friends and family in the Western Caribbean. This involved driving down to Galveston, jumping on the ship for a week and driving back.
I stopped in Fort Worth on the return trip to spend a few days with my 93 year old grandmother who had broken her shoulder right before we left on the cruise. I ended up staying about 10 days. It's true what they say about people of that age, do not let them break a bone. They stuck this very active woman into bed which caused complications and infections and eventually pneumonia. Sadly, we lost her on August 3rd. Gratefully, though, she passed away peacefully. It's been difficult as she was such an active and vibrant woman and this was unexpected, even for someone 93 years old. As she told all of us, though, she'd been ready to go for two years but none of us would let her. We had many, many years with her, but I'm selfish, I would have liked a few more.
School is already back in session, I'm already teaching again and trying not to panic that (no longer) College Girl is planning to move to New York in November. She also has an audition for a cruise ship the first week of September (which would be great), so please think good thoughts.
Oh, in writing, regarding that Vampire story contest I mentioned in my last entry, I took second place. One of my prizes, the fiercely sought after Devil Duck, went on the cruise with us and had many great adventures. I will probably put together a journal for him just for the fun of it!

What's coming up ....

Colorado Gold Conference, which is a writers' conference sponsored by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (of which I'm a member and the newsletter editor). I have a pitch appointment with Raelene Gorlinsky of Ellora's Cave .... I'm excited and terrified. I will be pitching the mainstream rewrite of "Baby, oh Baby" (which I haven't settled on a final name for, since Baby is no longer the protagonist). It would be interesting if this turned out to be my first published work, as I only wrote it because I was so annoyed with bad paranormal pregnancy fics. *LOL* That appeals to my sense of the ironic. Wish me luck!
The disappointment ... I didn't make the finals of the Colorado Gold new writers competition. It was a mainstream piece that really wasn't finished anyway, but still, it was disappointing. I'm waiting for the detailed critique, which I'm looking forward to. I know a lot of contests are subjective, and I'm sure this one is no different, but I just keep remembering I didn't get a role from every audition I've ever done either. My average was about 1 in 5. So, if that holds true, I'm just about due. :)
I'm getting ready to set up lunch with a lot of local friends I haven't seen all summer, particularly my friend Jeanne Stein (whose second book, Blood Drive, second in her Anna Strong series, was a rousing success and the third in the series, The Watcher, will be coming out in November) who went to Comic-Con where she met her IDOL, Joss Whedon and was on a paranormal panel with Laurell K Hamilton and Majorie Liu. Very cool. I can't wait to hear all about it!

As for now, I have suitcases to take to the basement and a vegetable garden to look at before I settle in for some writing this afternoon. I looked at the calendar and realized in 6 weeks during summer (late June to the second week of August) I had been home a total of 9 days. ARGH! No wonder I feel like I'm behind in my life!

Yea for Vampire Writers!

2007-06-02T10:58:00.000-06:00

My friend Jeanne Stein (author of The Becoming and the soon to be released Blood Drive) and her partner in crime (read: fellow writer), Mario Acevedo, have a blog together. Currently they are running a contest for vampire writers. Now, don't panic, all they want is the first PARAGRAPH of your vampire book! The prizes are varied and some outright silly (devil duck?) and the deadline is June 15.

This is their way of getting some traffic to their blog, so even if you are not a writer, go check them out. Both write urban vampires, I've read all their stuff (it's great), and once you've read The Harlequin, All Together Dead, and Undead & Uneasy (that all come out within weeks of each other, for some damned reason), you're going to need something else to fill in the summer, right? So check them them out.

Here's a link = Biting Edge: CONTEST!

Jeanne Stein ... The Becoming, Blood Drive, The Watcher, and she's been contracted to write two more in the Anna Strong, Vampire Bounty Hunter (she IS a vampire, she doesn't necessarily HUNT vampires *LOL*). Anna is gritty and compelling, and Jeanne is part of the "Joss Whedon is a God" club, so it wouldn't be a leap to say she's been inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, as well as Anita Blake. I really enjoyed The Becoming and I know some of you did, too. Blood Drive, the sequel, comes out June 26, The Watcher is scheduled for November 27th. Jeanne also has a story appearing in Charlaine Harris'a Anthology coming out in September, Many Bloody Returns. ((Jeanne's been busy lately!))

Mario Acevedo ... The Nymphos of Rocky Flats and X-Rated Blood Suckers, both stories of Felix Lopez, vampire investigator (again, he's vampire, he doesn't necessarily investigate them, though, actually, Felix does a lot of that, too).

If you don't want to make an investment in new writers just now (though these two are really terrific), be sure to check them out at your local library. I've really enjoyed both of their works.

New Strategies

2007-02-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today's wordcount: 7,125
On LAUNCHcast: Gladiator Soundtrack
On my nightstand: "Dead to the World" by Charlaine Harris
On my mp3 player: "Metro Girl" by Janet Evanovich

Part of my new writing strategy is accountability. I've made a decision regarding which book I'll finish first (working title: American Werewolf in Baja) and will keep a posted word count to track my progress. The number one issue I have in writing is rewriting and "perfecting" the first three chapters instead of just telling the darned story first then going back to clean it up. To quote my DH, "Finish something!" *LOL* Well, yeah, why didn't I think of that. I can't start writing queries and pitching my work to editors until I have an entire work to pitch, instead of the FIVE just begun works. So, I literally randomly picked one of the unfinished works and I'm committed to it.

So, I figure that means I will almost immediately be inspired to write something entirely different. *LOL* Isn't that how it works for most writers?

Getting into the groove

2007-01-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Today's status: January has been an interesting and challenging month for me. Other than the obvious blizzard issues (we've been getting hammered here in the Denver area since before Christmas), I had surgery on my right hand on January 3rd. This made typing more than a little challenging. Writing, too. So now, things are beginning to calm down, the sun is shining, and I'm now, FINALLY, organizing myself for the new year.

One of my New Year's goals is to blog at least once a week, just to keep myself updated on what is going on around me as well as inside me. I enjoy Kristin Nelson's blog a great deal (more on that later), so I'm going to use some of her features.

What's playing on Launchcast: "This Never Happened Before" by Paul McCartney (from The Lake House)

I love reading publishing blogs .... authors, agents, other industry professionals. I find it interesting, exciting, and VERY educational.

Kristin Nelson of the Denver-based Nelson Agency is one of my favorites. She's direct, honest, and encourages aspiring writers. Her agency web site gives a TON of information on making queries, expectations, and what specifically her office is looking for. I attended a query writing program given by a writers group in Parker last fall that she offered. It was exemplary and made me seriously consider the value of having an agent rather than going it alone.

All that said ... The Nelson Agency has just (in the last few minutes) sent out their first newsletter. It's quite wonderful and gives lots of insight into what agents are looking for, the excitement of sales, and more reminders of guidelines. Kristin's assistant, Sara, wrote a little bit about what she's reading. I loved the name of her column, "On Sara's Nightstand." *LOL* Anyway .... now that I've blathered on, what did I FIND on Sara's nightstand? The following, "Let's see—of all that, what breakouts have I read this month? Transformation by Carol Berg was such a winner! I felt like it had a real, tangible, powerful, intense, new fantasy world. I loved it!!!" That's OUR Carol Berg, the RMFW Writer of the Year for 2006! Whoo-hoo!

Anyway, I thought I'd share this great newsletter (Link) and encourage others to join Kristin's mailing list and, while you're at it, take a gander at her very informative blog (Blog Link).

Writing wise, I have the third chapter of my free online story almost finished, and I'm organizing the three unfinished novels and prioritizing them to get one completed and ready to pitch by April's RTCon (I hope). We'll see.

I'm a fangirl!

2006-12-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, it's true. I get giggly and child-like when I'm around a published author. And when said published author is a friend of mine, I'm almost embarrassingly childish ... er ... child-like! :)

Last night was Jeanne Stein's signing at the local Tattered Cover for the (re)release of her book The Becoming, now with Ace. It was a grand & fun event, with a crowd of more than 50 and so much chatter and excitement that high school study groups came over to see what the fuss was about (I have pictures of them looking inside the book). I got the opportunity to meet members of the RMFW who I missed meeting at the Christmas gathering last weekend (due to brain damage on my part), and watch first hand the joy in my friend's eyes as she signed each book and greeted each fan & friend. It was a tremendous success and a true testimony to Jeanne's perseverence, passion, and personality. Congratulations, Jeanne, on a wonderful event and a bright future for "The Becoming" (now #7 on the Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi Fantasy list!).

I am now officially the newsletter editor for RMFW. One of the great treats of last night was in meeting Jeff Shelby, previous newsletter editor and my new stalking victim. He assured me that this job was a piece of cake. Of course the awe with which others spoke to me in welcoming me into the fold makes me wonder .... just how big IS that piece of cake? Hmm, well 12 pages worth each month for starters, but I know with the help of the many RMFW writers I met last night, and the great accummulation of information and history that Jeff has passed onto me, I'm sure it will be a lovely, fun, and eventful piece of cake ... chocolate, with chocolate frosting ... from Cold Stone. :)

In other news, I have just finished my run of Miss Nelson Has a Field Day at Town Hall Arts Center in Littleton. It was great fun, a great cast, and a great experience. Just great all around! Of course I also saw short stories & novellas in each of my fellow cast members ... hehehe ... we'll see how that develops. I think Kent would make a FABULOUS werewolf in an upcoming book.

Cool Happenings

2006-11-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

Jeanne Stein mentioned me this week on the blog she shares with two other Denver area writers, Biting Edge." It's the first time I've been mentioned on a blog (that I know of). :D That's really cool. I'm all giggly about it!

And finally, contratulations to John Turley, from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW), took first place in the Bay Area Writer's League short story contest. He just signed the contract to have his story included in a new Anthology they are publishing called, "That Thing You Do, Too." John's advice to authors ... that I am sharing with you now ... "Can't publish if you don't write and can't win if you don't enter."

Writers' groups

2006-11-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have recently joined the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW). What a terrific organization! It is comprised of both published authors and unpublished authors with a friendly, helpful atmosphere and a depth of great experience and knowledge to share.

Last Saturday New York Times Best-Selling author Joan Johnston gave a program on "Writing the Unputdownable Novel" that was interesting and exciting. I learned a lot, and I am extremely grateful to Joan and her generosity to fellow writers in both sharing her professional style and her great sense of humor in her presentation. Joan writes primarily contemporary western romance, a genre I've never been drawn to until I heard her this weekend. Wow, I'm now chomping at the bit to jump into some of her works. And that is the main reason any aspiring author should join into a local writers' group, exposure to authors of different genres and the opportunity to learn from masters of their craft.

On their web site, the RMFW states they offer four things essential to writers ..

Support for each member, published or unpublished.
Education through critique groups, workshops, programs, & the annual Colorado Gold Writing Contest.
Access to agents and editors from major publishing houses via our annual Colorado Gold Conference. Recognized as one of the best in the country!
Monthly news & articles through the Rocky Mountain Writer. The official newsletter of RMFW.

This is a lot of support and information for the $45/year dues. Joan's program this weekend was worth more than that. I must thank Jeanne C. Stein (a terrific local author whom I met at the Romantic Times Convention this spring) for pointing me toward this great group and for being my friend.

SHAMELESS PLUGS ...

Jeanne has a book coming out at the end of November. The Becoming, a paranormal about Anna Strong, a bounty hunter, who discovers strength she didn't know she had in a strange twist of fate. It's quite wonderful. Don't miss it!

Joan Johnston's newest releases include The Next Mrs. Blackthorne, Hawk's Way Brides, and Texas Brides.

The E-book Challenge

2006-10-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

Paperback Writer issued a challenge a few months ago, asking writers to provide some free stories on their web sites or blogs. Though I was late getting into it, I did join in the fun and managed a short story. Okay, an almost finished short story, but it has a cool cover I designed myself. I'll be adding to it, hopefully weekly, and let it be a bit of an e-serial type of book.

As noted on the dedication page, special thanks go to Michele Bardsley who, when I approached her at the RTCon with the idea I had been toying with, and her book with the same basic theme was scheduled for late September publication, said .... "Write it anyway!"

If it's received well, I'll probably continue the saga of Vampire Mom with other strange adventures.

Enjoy!

As November approaches ...

2006-10-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year. Before the sugar rush of Halloween has begun to crash, writers all over the world will be neglecting their families, jobs, housekeeping, and personal hygiene to reach a challenging goal ... the NaNoWriMo.

For the unintiated, NaNoWriMo stands for "National Novel Writing Month" and the many, the demented, and the determined accept the challenge and attempt to crank out a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It begins at the stroke of midnight November 1st and ends at 11:59 p.m. November 30.

What are the benefits? You write, write, and write some more, focusing on little else but writing in an effort to beat the clock. If you make it to 50,000 words, you win. What do you win? Bragging rights and a little banner to put on your web site or email or elsehwhere. Approximately 16% of the thousands of entrants actually reach the 50,000 word goal.

I encourage anyone who is serious about writing to give it a try. You can join up at the NaNoWriMo web site (linked above), and it's free. You can become as involved as you want to be, as much as joining a local chapter that meets weekly (or more) or just reading the forums or just locking yourself in your study space and shutting off the internet (it's a distraction) until you finish.

If you need some ideas, the founder of NaNoWriMo, Chris Baty, has written a book called No Plot? No Problem! explaining how to survive the NaNoWriMo successfully even if you have no clue what you're going to write about!

Good luck to any who are going for it. Be sure to stock up on coffee, water, granola bars, and your chocolate of choice. And don't forget to set up you soundtrack to write by ... music soothes the savage beast and titillates the writing muse (well, it does for me anyway) I'll see you in a month!

On being a juggler

2006-10-23T17:20:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been playing the juggling game. Most women, and particularly moms, know what I'm talking about, that game where you are doing more things at one time than you have hands (or even limbs) to accomplish well.

For me, I'm in rehearsal for a children's show (very fun, but potentially stressful and very time-consuming), I teach privately four afternoons a week, DH is systematically painting the inside of the house (which requires at least my frequent attention if not my all out assistance), the usual home chores like dinner and upkeep, plus I'm trying to prepare for my son's Eagle Court of Honor and a house full of guests over Thanksgiving, get a jump on (no I WON'T say it) that time of year when we buy gifts, as well as finish a short story for a contest and do preliminary work for this year's NaNoWriMo challenge in November. All this while exercising 6 days a week (3 swim days, 3 yoga days) to get my weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar down.

Whew. Are you tired? I am! And totally overwhelmed. ACK! I feel like one of those patients in "Awakenings" where I'm going so fast that I actually seize up!

So what happens? I make a lovely routine/to do list that is almost impossible to accomplish in one day. Stare at it. Pour a cup of coffee to enjoy while I ponder revising the list then read all my email, group lists, and favorite blogs. I'm not writing. I'm not cleaning. I'm not memorizing my lines.

The thing is, I love doing all these things! I love writing, I love reading blogs, I love helping paint in the house, I love rehearsing and teaching. But I hit certain times of the year and I find all things collide into this cornucopia of activities that are difficult to keep up with. Hmmm, perhaps that's why Thanksgiving is traditionally portrayed with a horn of plenty?

So, I'm going to slow down. Dump half of my to-do list. Turn off my email alarm. Restrict my email groups to daily digests and prioritize. Then I'm going to enjoy the heck out of everything I do and anything that doesn't get done that day can take a higher priority the next.

That should work ... uh ... right? :-)

He made it!

2006-10-04T08:45:00.000-06:00

My son passed his Eagle Board of Review last night and officially became an Eagle Scout. We are so excited and so proud of him, and it's been a long, challenging road.

For those not in the know, Eagle Scout is the highest achievement a Boy Scout can reach. 1-2% of all Boy Scouts make it. He must do all the requirements and plan & carry out an approved Eagle Project before his 18th birthday. The project is a test of leadership and organization and must include other people, it can't just be him and his family. He has to have earned a minimum of 21 merit badges (12 specific ones), received letters of recommendation from a few adults, a teacher, his parents, and his church minister (or write a statement of faith himself), he has to have served as a troop officer, and passed all the previous rankings before Eagle. This is not something you do over the weekend. It takes years of dedication and the project alone takes months to achieve with planning and paperwork. Then comes the board of review, the final step, where he is questioned & interviewed by a committee of adult scouters (in this case, four, plus the Scoutmaster watched but is not allowed to participate).

He came through with flying colors and everyone was congratulating him and us immediately afterward. I couldn't be more proud, and I know his father (who is also an Eagle Scout) is so excited he's almost dancing. We will be celebrating with an Eagle Court of Honor over Thanksgiving when some of my family is coming up from Texas and my father will be here from overseas.

It's a wonderful thing to see our children achieve something so challenging right as they enter adulthood. I just keep saying the same thing over and over again ... I am so proud of him!

Surprise! I'm a Published Writer!

2006-10-02T14:45:00.000-06:00

It was news to me! I just kind of stared at the web site and realized I am a published author. I haven't finished my novel(s) yet, or had my short story picked up, or even a couple of articles I keep hidden to submit to some publication 'some day' ... but ... after dropping a note to Leigh Michaels (who has been teaching the online course I've been taking for the last month), I got the official verdict. I'm published. I'm actually published.

Where am I published? Online, and yes, that counts as long as it's not your web site or sponsored by you in any way. I am published at International War Veterans Poetry Archive (http://www.iwvpa.net/piercev) and Inspiritnews.com (http://www.inspiritnews.com/James.html). Both of these publications are a direct result of an email I wrote several years ago after attending the funeral of my nephew, James Kiehl, who was killed in the early days of war in Iraq. From time to time I get requests to post it on someone's web site, and I always give them permission. It is the least I can do for James, his family and the sacrifice they made for our country. What I hadn't realized was that in doing so, I became a published writer.

So I spent the day updating my new web site with links, small blurbs on my works in progress, and other official looking details and mentally celebrating that I accidentally became a published writer two years ago and didn't even know it.

Who'd a thought? :D

Getting Started

2006-09-30T12:04:00.000-06:00

Getting started is half the battle, they say. For me, finishing is a bigger challenge. I have no problem getting started; I have started four novels, I have started cleaning up my office, I have started painting and decorating my house. But I don't want my headstone to read, "She almost finished," so I've decided to make an end-of-the-year resolution to get some things finished.

I'm finishing an online writers' course taught by Leigh Michaels, a Harlequin writer. It's been wonderful and I've learned a lot. I'm on the final lesson and I WILL FINISH. I will have done all the lessons and writings, something that is more difficult than you might think. It's very easy to fall behind and skip some of the steps with an online class.

What have I learned in this class? Diligence. That there are unlimited sources for an interesting story in your local newspaper (something I have always worried about, the end of ideas and being blocked). That a romance novel comes down to one man and one woman overcoming adversity together and making a happy ending. Wouldn't it be great if life could be that simple? Perhaps that's why so many of us enjoy romance novels, their simplicity and promise of a happy finish.

So, with that, I'm off to do my last writing assignment and then draw lots on which of my unfinished novels becomes the first one to be finished. And I think I'll clean off my desk while I'm at it.

Happy finishing!