Things That Have Been Happening. (A Truly Inspired Blog Post Title)

1. I started NaNoWriMo.

2. I quit NaNoWriMo because my revision notes for Rise of the Prince arrived from le agent. Caution: reading revision notes will immediately result in Revision Brain. Use wisely.

3. I won a copy of WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE by Caridad Ferrer, and I'm really excited about it because a friend of mine gushed and gushed about it.

4. My pup injured his back somehow, resulting in a midnight trip to the vet. I was so frightened he might need spinal surgery. I've been down that road before, and it's not pretty! Thankfully he did not need surgery, but we do have to keep him still (no playing, jumping) and carry him up and down the stairs for three weeks or else he could injure himself further. He's on steroids and pain meds, and just lies around, wondering why we won't play with him. I feel so sorry for him. At least he has his big brother to keep him company. --->

5. I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. I OMGoshSqueeLOVED Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. I will be going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 again tonight with the hubs. And yes, I do realize that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 should've been titled Harry Potter and the Extremely Long-Winded Film Title, though I heard David Yates voted against it. Snobby film directors and their snobby film directions!

6. Due to the pup's back injury, we won't be able to take him on a 4 hour car ride to see family for Thanksgiving. A kennel would be out of the question as well. So we're staying home! And we've been invited to crash another family's Thanksgiving meal, so we'll see how that goes. We're pretty good at crashing things.

7. The effects of Revision Brain are scary. At first you realize how ridiculous your book truly is and that no one in their right minds would ever read it. Then you move on to hating your writing and wanting to hide away in a bomb shelter for the rest of your life, talking to soup cans you can't bear to open because they're your only companions. Then the self-loathing haze clears, and you start to see the epic ways in which you can improve your manuscript. Then the creativity light switches on and floods you with newfound ambition.

8. That's where I am now. I know how to fix what needs to be fixed, and now all that's left is rolling up my sleeves and getting it done. Huzzah!

9. I've officially completed The Project of Doom. I had to overhaul my parenting website, upgrade to a whole new system, then figure out how to reformat all our old data into something purty for our readers. (Otherwise it would all come out looking like gobbledygook on the screen.) I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of myself!

10. I really can't think of a tenth item to round this list out. That's how lame my life is. Use this truth to feel better about yourself and how non-lame your life is compared to mine. That's my gift to you.

Happy Thanksgiving!


   

Monday's Muse ~ What She Said

I almost wish I had written this myself.

Today for Monday's Muse, head on over to Myra McEntire's blog for her awesome (and totally relatable) It's Not You, It's Me post.

Why is a twittercation so hard to accomplish? I'm always worried folks will miss me, then forget me, and I'll lose the connections I've worked so hard to maintain.

If you're worried about the same thing, know this: twitter pals are unique in the way they befriend you. You can be a twitter ghost for months, come back, and everyone will welcome you with open arms. There are no strings. (I should put that on a t-shirt...) I've seen it happen time and time again, especially in the writing community. We all understand deadlines; we all need to take time off to focus on our writing.

We get it.

So go on. Get those pages done. We'll see you when you get back.



  

November Giveaways

I'm giving away some awesome books at YABooksCentral.com this month! We've got Star Crossed: Gemini Night by Bonnie Hearn Hill, Labyrinth's Door by Jacquitta A McManus, and last but not least, The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney! 

Click on the covers to enter the prize drawing.

Good luck!

NaNoWriMo -- Good or Evil?

Come November 1st, there's always a lot of trash talk concerning NaNoWriMo. Some people love it, while some hate it with an intense, fiery passion.

But why?

A lot of folks feel writing a 50k novel in one month results in poorly written prose, and I suppose that can be true. Focusing on word count rather than quality can certainly be an issue, one that would need to be addressed during revisions. But what does it really matter if a writer pumps out a poorly written draft in November? What does it matter to anyone but the writer who wrote it?

Not one book arrives on bookstore shelves without some sort of editing process. And while I think it's relatively foolhardy to assume a book written in November will be polished enough to sell in December, we must remember that there are thousands of unsold books out there that have taken years to write.

Time is not the issue.

If you're the type of writer who thrives on word count goals, that's great. If you're not, that's great too. Whatever gets you writing is the key.

Most writers have other careers. They have families. Things get in the way. Not all of them are paid for their prose, but they still have that undeniable drive to write, and I think NaNo is a great way to learn the discipline of daily writing.

If the thought of writing 2k (1666.66667 to be exact) a day stresses you out, then NaNo isn't for you. It's not for everyone. Nothing ever is. If you don't find NaNo fun or productive in some way, why do it?

An equally valid question is, why bash it? Why make others feel stupid for trying it?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.