Writerly Ways

First off congrats to silvrethorn for selling her novella!

Secondly, swear to god tinhutlady I WILL edit something soon. Now I'm just being willfully lazy (okay technically I don't remember where i put the print out)

Today my message is understand how you work best. Because I'm NOT working to my best. I am, however, doing a bit better and the reason is I know I work better if I'm 'in competition' with someone else. I need an outside motivator. That was hammered home in nano with the word sprints.

So I've been following around the write every day challenge a bit more doggedly and I signed up for inkingitout which isn't so much competition (either of these) as they are accountability sites. I don't stress about them though which would be counterproductive but they do let me see if I'm working or slacking off. Sometimes I have good reasons for slacking (day job for example) others less so.

Also I've found someone for the time being (because who knows we might tire of) who I chat with almost nightly and we hold each other's feet over the fire. That has been a big help. My usual chat people aren't around much any more and I missed that.


Links from around the web - #1 enemy of writers.

become a demanding self editor

what editing software can teach us I'm torn between actually investing in the software or keep doing what I'm doing now and looking for some of the things it searches for using the search functions in Word.

Seven Attributes Of Exquisite Writing

Narrative structure

best time to sell your book

15 Book Publicity Commandments (some of these are eye rolling like sending a hand written thank you to people featuring your book/reviewing it. Yeah, like we even KNOW the address for these people these days.

The #1 mistake of self-published authors for worldwide book sales

ASK THE WENDIGO: MY ADVICE TO A YOUNG WRITER

write with intention

New Year’s resolutions for indie authors frankly the qualifier of indie here isn't needed, this is good advice for all.

being an author and mother

and from Betty - the power of failure

writing fearlessly

secrets of good story telling

first lines

why readers stop caring I want to add 'characters did things too stupid to live' that stops me more than anything listed here. Yeah we all make mistakes but when characters do something so incredibly dumb I just can't stay with it.

How to write a great author bio that will connect with readers here’s mine see what you think. I was aiming more for whimsy and less of the stodgy.

Yearly word count -

3505 / 100000 words. 4% done!

Sacred Kin -

17742 / 30000 words. 59% done!

Haunted Hills

47514 / 75000 words. 63% done!

Rose Island (a new lesbian short story I've started)

214 / 12000 words. 2% done!

Splinters- edited ch 1

Laziness I art thou

So lazy. I didn't accomplish much today other than garbage disposal, dishes washed and the car cleaned off for whenever I DO escape here. I haven't even written like I wanted to (two days down, barely any writing done)

So once this post is live it's back to expanding my SF LGBT novella (any one want to look at it?)

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to scratchingpost1. I hope it's a great day.




I'm running behind on my good things jar so here it is, all the good things that ended up in 2017's jar (given that it was a crappy year it's surprising anything is there). They're listed in order that I pull the papers out of the jar.

1.ahahaha I have NO idea what I wrote here. It looks like stamp with under the sea. Yeah, no clue. Head desk

2. Crossed going to the Newport "Summer Cottages" off the bucket list

3. I turned 50 (still processing that one)

4. I finished Blood Red Roulette's revision and sent it in for consideration.

5. I sold my steampunk Christmas story The Glow of Lumniferous Aether on Tinsel to Nine Star Press (and it's got a 4 star rating and a few 4 star reviews!)

6. I made it to Cincinatti's Steampunk Spectacle and got to meet Leanne Hiber, Cherie Priest and G.W. Jeter over beers and got to talk to Aurelio Voltaire after a concert for the first time in 20 years.

7. I sold Conned to MLR Press (it's also gotten nice reviews)

8. I went to the Imbolc ritual my friend's daughter led.

9. Made it through a brand new class, epidemiology

10. Crossed wading in the Great Salt Lake off my bucket list

11. Ditto for hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir live (fantastic)

12. I ghost hunted in Newport Rhode Island

13. I ghost hunted in Salt Lake City

14. I learned cool things from the HAPS convention (and the University of Utah is pretty)

15. Hiked in the Wasatch Mountains

16. Put a toe in the Atlantic (on a rainy 50 degree day in July in Newport because that's my life)

17. Had fun at Tsubasacon, the Renn Faire and Bob Evans Farm Fest

18. Had a stress free family Christmas.

19. hired two new faculty members

20. Hiked out to ash cave

21. won nano (with a novel that's still going strong and might be the best thing I've ever written)





Day 14 -In your own space, create your own challenge. Whatever your challenge is, and have fun with it!

My challenge is to make time for yourself, be kind to yourself and if you'd like, take my Good Things Jar. I got this from a friend years ago. Every time something happens that's good and makes you happy, put it in the jar. When times are hard go to the jar, pull out a strip of paper and read it, see that there ARE good things happening. Last year I went so far to put up a Joy of the Day every day on Facebook. This year I'm being less strict on how often I post but I want to keep it up because some days I DO need reminding there is joy in this world.