Cold as Ice

For anyone keeping score, I'm probably halfway through my next endeavor. Pushing hard on the writing because the next few months will lock me up at the day job (nearly literally). I'd like to get as far into Cinda's story as I can before it becomes a struggle to allocate my personal time.

On the plus side, the weather has been cooperative for someone who wants to be trapped behind a computer. This has been a wicked winter! I am not a fan of cold. With that being said, I did venture out into the Chiberian cold to visit the Community Crisis Center, where I had a fascinating discussion with my new friend, Ruth. And the Executive Director, Gretchen. Thanks, ladies! Otherwise, I've been firmly planted behind my computer creating Cinda's world.

Chiberia is the coined phrase for the Siberian-type weather we are experiencing in and around Chicago (as well as across a big chunk of the Midwest). With my "dedicated writing week" at an end, I'm now faced with having to go out into the arctic climes. Can I just say I'm not amused? At some point, cold is cold and it doesn't matter what the temperature is. Subzero ceases to impress. Don't get me wrong - I'm all about the PSAs that say don't go out in this (although not all of us have that luxury). It isn't something to be taken lightly. The weather is making national headlines and has wreaked havoc.

And so my friends, keep warm. Watch out for black ice (which doesn't melt when the temperatures are this severe). Stay safe. Curl up with a book to ride out mother nature's temper tantrum (one of mine ought to warm you some!)

Anon

Chicago at -2 copyright Scott Kleinberg

AHEM - "Pay No Attention to the (Wo)Man behind the Curtain"

Karla is currently "butt in chair, hands on keyboard" for a dedicated week of writing. (Well, except for Tuesday, when she has offered to help One Young Son relocate). THEREFORE, there will be no magical words of wisdom {cough cough} this week.

Stay tuned for a status check next week.

Forcing the writing and Marketing tip of the day

There are days when, as an author, the words flow like water over a dam. Ideas rush through the fingers, onto the paper (or through the keyboard) faster than you can write/type.

And then there are those other days.

Part of the process is consistency. Writing. Even if it is garbage. The important part is getting words on the page. You can fix something you've written poorly, but you can't fix something that isn't there at all. With that being said, I've definitely hit a landfill. I'm putting words down, but I'm afraid to read them because I know they aren't coming from the creative, inventive part of my brain. I'm re-establishing my routine after weeks of interruptions and rescheduling. I'm moving the story forward, which is essential, but the river is in drought at the moment, which means the water running over the dam is a trickle and not a spring flood.

With 1,000 words to the good, I begin to think about social networking. Looking up something fun to share. Procrastinating and wasting time because my muse is clearly still on holiday, but the story won't get written unless I write it. And so . . .

Sometimes you have to write garbage to move forward. Keep the trickle flowing. That way, when the rain falls and the deluge sweeps through, at least you have a foundation to wash over, to clean up, instead of allowing the process to dam up with stagnant water.

Do you suppose that it's part of the writing process that authors like to speak in analogies? (Am I just frittering away time instead of writing?)

Under the category of "What I learned today" - I haven't been marketing Heart for Rent as aggressively as I probably should be due to the holidays, distractions, etc. so when Google reminded me that I ought to be doing SOMETHING, I stepped up to the plate. The question for me was how I wanted to track the results of said marketing campaign. Initially, I linked back to my web page, to not only track the hits but also to piggy back with the other books in case something else hit a browser's fancy. The results were somewhat lackluster, so for the second half of the campaign, I linked directly to Amazon hoping for "one click" sales. And something enlightening happened. Amazon has algorithms for everything, doncha know. Including recognizing when a product is getting a lot of hits. Foolish me. I know how many people visited my book page, but that's where it stops. Amazon not only knows how many people visited my Amazon page, they paid it forward and included my book in their email suggestions! Lesson learned.

Back to it! I have a book to write.

What's Going On?

People have been asking me what's going on. Normally I keep my readers posted on my latest projects here on my blog and folks have been reminding me that I haven't been doing that through the holidays. So . . . .

The holidays are over. In answer to the question, YES. I am working on Cinda's story, currently titled "Rekindling." I'm going to give you a view inside the paranoid workings of an author's head so you can see where I'm at with this story. Bear with me a moment.

First: In each of my stories, I pull in personalities that I've known during the course of my life. These personalities do not necessarily coincide exactly with the characters in my novels, i.e., my best friend might have an odd personality quirk which I find entertaining that I decide to bequeath to one of my characters. This does not make that character a representation of my best friend. (That's the disclaimer.) In Cinda's story, I have called on certain incidents that are stranger than fiction from real life, and my critique partners are not on board. I will admit that on a first draft, the writing might not be sharp enough to justify said situations.

Second: Critique groups are awesome. Sometimes.I love my critique partners. Really, I do. But because my writing style can be a little scattered, their comments in the beginning stages can be toxic to the process. This is where I have to pull on my "big girl pants" and just keep going. I know that the story will develop, I know that the writing might not be perfect on the first round. Hearing people you know and trust tell you that the story doesn't track and isn't realistic can definitely derail you. I need to remind myself that the foundation for some of these situations will be there - but for my personal writing style, it might not be there until the second draft.

Third: holidays and family are distracting. Yes. I have been writing. I'm also still developing the story, so research is being done, plots are reshaping, and just when you find out the information you need to keep going with the story, you're out of "writing time" for the day. Status check? I am about 10,000 words into the story, I have the research I need to keep writing, and the month of January will offer increased blocks of writing time. In fact, while I generally will spend some time each day dedicated to writing, in January I am planning a full week - no day job, no family commitments - for writing time.

{Deep breath} Where does that leave us? Full speed ahead. I have to tell you that winning the award at Writer's Digest is an excellent boost to the confidence level which also helps squash those insecurities that tell me I'm writing garbage. So pressing forward with Cinda's story. Readers of Living Canvas need to see there's more to her than "Audrey's unlikeable friend." I'm comfortable with my voice, I'm comfortable with some of those "stranger than fiction" situations finding their way onto the page, and even if the first draft isn't perfect, I feel good about this story!

Another year in the books

I have some bragging rights that I need to exercise.  In 2013, I published two books, Mist on the Meadow and Heart for Rent, with an Option.  I'm proud to announce that Mist on the Meadow was awarded an Honorable Mention for Writer’s Digest’s e-Book Awards in Fiction.

I'm also a proud mama in 2013 - with my son's graduation and my daughter adding to her family. We have been blessed!

So what's next? Well, I've loaded my Kindle with books (as is my custom for my post-Christmas book binge). I also have a paperback advanced, unedited edition from another author to read, and there's Cinda's book to finishing laying down. I've had several "false starts," but I think I'm heading in the right direction now. That story is flowing pretty well, in spite of the issues on presentation. Which means I can probably get moving on the second in the Kundigerin series in time for Christmas next year. I will be attending the Chicago Spring Fling Writer's Conference in April. Looks like an exciting 2014!

Wishing you all the best for the new year - a fresh start, a new outlook, new trails to be blazed.

Happy New Year!