Balancing and juggling

Okay, one week to go to the next deadline, and this one is a doozy!  Sorry, it kind of dominates my life right now, except . . .

Yes, I'm getting excited about the book signing, even though the new book isn't out yet.  I have a new chapter down for Epitaph and another chapter "brewing."  I'm anxious to spend some quality time with my keyboard, and yet, I'm at least getting intermittent time so I can keep my hand in it.  It's a precarious balance, this working full time gig while entertaining the writing muse.  Some days it's near impossible, and yet, here I am.

Taking deep breaths, knowing that soon the balance will shift.

Billy Joel said in a lecture that people who wondered if they could be musicians weren't.  If you don't know, then you aren't.  I believe the same applies to most artists.  It's in your DNA.  That being said, writing is something I've done all of my life.  It took a while to get to where I am today, and I still have a ways to go (along with more juggling and more balancing). It's a part of who I am - the best is yet to come.

Welcome Sweet Spring Time

One more week until Spring has officially sprung.  The weather is giving us indications of the changeover, warmer temperatures, RAIN, crocuses.  My favorite thing about spring is the sense of renewal, rebirth, reawakening.  Things go from drab to technicolor in the space of a few short weeks.  Its a great time to shake off the dust and lethargy of winter and jump with both feet into new projects, new starts, renewed motivation.  For me, it's a gigantic boost for the mental state of mind.

Yes, there is still busy season to contend with.  And daily life.  This past weekend, I took a drive 75 miles away to watch One Young Son play volleyball (thanks for riding with me, sis!).  I went to a baby shower for my niece.  Action packed, these weekends.  With the time change, I feel like I missed this weekend altogether, even though I still enjoyed those parts of it that I wasn't working . . .

There's a light at the end of the tunnel and a writer's conference on the horizon. And Springtime to refresh the attitude.  Never mind that they're threatening snow for next weekend (they might be wrong, you know!).  And then, hopefully, I'll have more interesting thoughts to blog about again.  More projects to keep you posted on.  More publishing news! 

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Deadline: a double 4 letter word

Yes, I've been in this business longer than I care to admit, and every year as we hit deadlines it's bedlam and mayhem all over again.  And yet, there's a certain amount of adrenlin that goes with it.  Each year has it's own personality at deadline times and this one is no exception. 

I've been wound up, preparing for this year, anticipating what's coming and how to meet the unreasonable demands.  You do what you can ahead of time, and then when time runs out, you hope you make it through.  Well, we did make it through the first round, my team and me. (pats on the back all around).  Ready for the next one.  It's rapid fire this time of year.

Along with the day job, there is the writing deadline aspect of things.  Yes, some of us thrive on the adrenalin rush, and yes there are times you don't think you're going to pull through.  Riding on a wave of achievement, I'm reflecting on the writing tasks ahead of me.  I'm still editing Epitaph, I'm nearly finished with the one after that one and I have one "on the shelf" that continues to tug at me to make it more saleable.  Then, there's my first book, which I've had a number of recent sales on and which I believe is outdated (almost ten years since its publication date).  The thought runs through my head to update it.  All projects that vie for my attention.

The most important part about deadlines, however, is prioritization.  Knowing what has to go first and what can wait.  With the Chicago conference coming up next month, there is some preparation I have to do.  With a little luck, I'll have an agent/publisher meeting to pitch Epitaph, in which case I'll need to finish those edits (for my own peace of mind - they won't be looking at it at the conference).  I have to pull together promos for the book signing and yes, I'm still juggling that pesky day job that pays the bills. 

Sometimes life works in concert with you, though, and you have to take advantage of those opportunities.  This is one of those years where things are in alignment, so the deadlines aren't quite so scary this time around.  It's just a matter of pushing through them and making sure you get done what needs to be done ahead of time so that when that last day hits, you're ready for it.

This year - I'm ready!

Writer's Conferences

Writers are supposed to go to writers' conferences.  It's a great networking opportunity, a chance to learn more about your craft, a chance to ask the more successful authors for tips, a chance to meet agents and publishers.  It's a great opportunity all the way around.  The catch, is that a majority of writers tend to be  . . . is the right word antisocial?  They tend to prefer sitting alone, at the computer (or typewriter), creating an alternate universe to the company of crowds of people.

I'm starting preparations to go to the Chicago writer's conference, which is always a very nice event.  The North Shore Chapter of RWA does a great job putting it together and they've always been friendly and helpful.  I've posted many times that I work a seasonal day job.  And the season is spring (and autumn, but that's beside the point).  This conference always falls in the spring which, for most people, is a great time to get out and enjoy the returning pleasant weather, to break out of our winter prisons.  For me, its a time of tremendous pressure and stress, and yet, the conference provides a nice break from all of that.  Coupled with that, its a conscious "turning on" of the personality.  In order to network, I have to make a concerted effort to be outgoing (which I don't come by naturally).  It's a break out of my comfort zone.  And it's always rewarding, as difficult as it is to get time off from the day job at this time of year.  This is a source of great stress, but at the same time, it's one of those things I do for me.  Work life balance, doncha know, and a chance to show a different side of my personality that stays hidden for large periods of time.  That outgoing stuff?  It's something I've learned through the years.  Credit it to a great speech teacher in high school, coaxing out shy, introverted kids to be able to address a room full of people.  I've always been a quick learner, and I understand the application of those lessons to my daily life.  Do I wish I was an outgoing person?  The life of the party?  Nah, that's not me.  I can do it when I have to, and I don't mind, but I'm just as happy sitting quietly in the corner, observing the rest of the room.  In the end, that's what writer's are best at.  Observing, imagining and putting the stories that come into your head onto "paper."

For those of you that are in the Chicago area toward the end of April, stop by and buy some books!  Coupled with the conference will be a book signing featuring Cherry Adair and Julia Quinn, among dozens of other authors (ahem, me included).  4:30pm to 6:00 pm Saturday, April 24, 2010, at the Deerfield Hyatt.  You will be able to find details posted on my website. Visit the Events Page.
Chicago Spring Fling Book Signing.

Distractions

Okay, so this is the time of year when my posts will be a little more erratic.  The day job takes over, and being highly seasonal work, we are in high season.

Which brings me to today's topic - social networking.  I've gone back and forth about whether or not to express my opinion, and since my brain waves are a short on creativity at the moment, I guess I'll go ahead and have my say.

Facebook.  My Space.  Twitter.  And I don't even know how many others (well I know some of them, but those are the main ones).  They're great ways to market yourself, they're great ways to keep in touch.  But the more you subscribe to, the less time you have for your real life.  Hence, I've limited myself to Facebook and to my writing social network sites.

One thing that has amazed me about Facebook is the old friends that I've reconnected with.  People I haven't seen or spoken to since grade school, but who I remember fondly, nonetheless.  People I've had longer standing relationships with.  People I care about and would like to stay in better touch with, but time and distance seperate us.  I opened my Facebook account to network with other writers, but very quickly, my family and friends "friended" me.  Don't get me wrong, I still use it for networking, but it's use has expanded.  How fun to connect with people I haven't heard from since I was 10 years old (and younger!).  And yet some of these people are forever a part of me.  I'm one of those people who hold friendships close.  I don't forget people I've developed friendships with, even when they've faded into the past, or moved into different stages, so its fun to reconnect.  And yet, for some of the long-ago friends, we've grown into completely different people (not all of us, but some).  People I was close to all those years ago, I probably wouldn't develop a friendship with if I met them for the first time on the street today, but history holds us together.  We can still reminisce about the fun times we had.

On the other side of that coin, I sometimes wonder if the reconnecting is always a good thing.  I had some friends who had a very difficult home life.  While we've all grown into healthy (for the most part), responsible people, I stop to wonder if renewing old acquaintances on Facebook dredges up ugly memories better left forgotten.  We all have skeletons in our closets and memories we've tucked safely away.  We move forward and away from some things better left forgotten.  And then someone sends us a friend request and it all comes rushing back.  No, this hasn't happened to me, but I have to wonder . . . then again, that's the writer's imagination - fodder for a new book, you think?

Like my blog, I try to keep up, but sometimes, after a twelve hour day in front of my computer at work, its very difficult to turn on the computer at home. So to my Facebook friends (and other places I frequent), forgive my inattention. I'll check in when I can, when real life is less demanding. 

Anon

What do I think I'm doing?

I took a very memorable seminar at a writers convention about the arrogance of writers.  For most of us, we reach a point where we ask ourselves, "What do I think I'm doing, writing a book?  What makes me think I can compete with the big names?" 

For some, it's the need to express oneself.  For others, it's therapy - letting go of feelings they've been holding onto.  For others, it's pure ego.  Wanting recognition.  And then there are those that have a story to tell.

This seminar, in conjunction with a panel discussion by some well-known authors who admit that even after achieving their goals as a best-selling author they've had work rejected, helped to bolster this author's spirits (which were sorely sagging at the end of the first day of the conference).  After the first day, I remember feeling out of my league.  Maybe I should just go home.  But there's an inner voice that helps you along, and then there are those seminars that remind you that you are not alone.  A large number of people at that conference felt the same way and the seminar was a reminder to not give up if you are doing something you (a) truly believe in, (b) truly love.

Writing is not a lucrative career for most of us.  I tell the people at my day job it's a hobby - I don't make enough money at it to qualify it as anything else.  But like a woodworker, I refine my craft and work at it and I'd like to believe, in someone else's immortal words, that at the end of the day, my work "doesn't suck."  It gives me satisfaction -  a creative outlet.  It helps to make me well-rounded, not to mention the things you learn researching a story.

I draw on that seminar from time to time, reminding myself that even if people don't hang on my every word, it's worth something to me.  And if someone else sees value in my hard work, that answer to the question, "what do I think I'm doing?," is entertaining.  If not someone else, then my own self.  (maybe it's a problem that I'm easily amused, eh?)

Cheers.

Kindling

I don't know about you, but I like to hold a book in my hands.  A hard (or paperback) cover book with pages that you turn along with that little "swish" sound when you turn them.  There's something about the Feel of a book.  The Smell of a book.  It's a sensory experience beyond just your sight.  With the advent of electronic books, I didn't see much success for them since, arrogant person that I am, I believe most of the population likes that sensory experience along with me.

Until the Kindle.

As a commuter, I see people with Kindles on the train.  I've often thought to ask them what they thought of them, but I haven't, because more people that I actually KNOW are getting them.  I had a conversation with someone in a training class (during the break!) and she said she misses the feel of a book, but the Kindle works.  While many people, when they read, will at some point in time look where their bookmark is to judge their progress in getting through the story, the Kindle TELLS you (60% completed).  That's a little wierd, and yet, informational.

I'd looked into getting a Kindle for myself, but felt it was cost prohibitive, and at the time, they didn't read PDF files (and I already have PDF books), rather like the iPod when it was new in that you can only read what they give you and not anything else, so I didn't make the investment.  Then there was the Sony Reader.  As my husband points out, technology eventually catches up, and now the Kindle WILL read a PDF file, and the price is adjusting with more competition.  I do believe this is something I will buy - eventually.

Which brings me to the author point of view.  With publishing becoming more competitive than ever, and publishing houses complaining about the cost of producing paper books, I'm seeing the trend toward the future.  E-books are making more and more sense. 

While the Kindle will never replace the sensory feel of a new book, at least the design can appease some of what you lose.  Pushing a button is not a replacement for the swish and crinkle of turning a page, but it mimics it near enough as to be a sort of methadone until you can hold the read thing.  Maybe it's like borrowing a book from the library.  It gives you the opportunity to read it and decide if its something you want on your permanent shelf.  And then, when you find a book that warrants keeping, you can bond with it, read it all over again on a more intimate level.

What do you think about the Kindle/Sony Reader?