Resolutions

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

30 December 2008, Tuesday

For the year 2009, I will try to write every day.

As you can see, there is no specific amount of words or pages I need to write. I just need to write. As easy as it may seem, it's not easy at all. I have this weird tendency to have "no time". Where does all my time go? I could tell you but it always sounds too unbelievable to be real.

I've never had a New Year resolution before. Is there supposed to be more than one? Because I think my one is quite quite enough. Writing is very hard, especially when I'm not very good at it. As much as I love it, I know that my attempts are mediocre at best.

So how are my stories going? I love them. Of course my sole concentration is on my Historical Romances and all the others are just for fun, but I'm having so much fun writing all these stories. It's frustrating and they drive me crazy at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Every day they kinda grow and develop a bit more. What was before a simple story line of boy meets girl now has complications and something different that makes the story stand out. All I need now is the time and determination to write it out properly. And of course I need to stop procrastinating.

I also need to learn to fit my writing in between everything else which is important to me - which is like only four (Family, work, study, boyfriend) things, but those things take up all my time. I think this has been the crux of the problem. I haven't been able to fit my writing in between my life. Instead, I keep hoping that I will find more time to write. It has taken me this long to figure it out, but yes, no time is going to come spouting out, I really just gotta squish writing in. So maybe now I'll try to clean my room, and then I will do some writing before going back to doing two of those important things in my life.

I'm racking my brains but I guess this will be a short post. It's very hot here and as much as I love the sunshine, my head doesn't really work in hot weather.

Happy New Years every one!

http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

10 December 2008, Wednesday

The 2nd Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge

Don’t mess with the Ladies of the Craft, they whispered. They are terrifying and powerful - a deadly combination. Born into the elite and select world of the Crafted, they are an arrogant and ambitious lot. Gone are the wild ancient ways of the Craft, and present are the ones who have forgotten. Forgotten what it means to be the Craft.

Conferences and Contests

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

09 December 2008, Tuesday

As everyone may or may not know (Where have you all been?), the wonderful Eloisa James is my all time most loved author. She is the one author who I feel has pure talent and personality, and she is my only auto-buy author. On a side note: did you know that today I went out to purchase her newest book; When The Duke Returns, and they did not have it in stock?!?! I was flabbergasted and it was a true show of my control that I did not kill the lot of them right then and there! Though I was sorely tempted to.



This year the magnificent Eloisa James is the luncheon speaker for RWA's national conference at Washington DC 2009: Strength Knowledge Power. I was determined to go last year. But that never happened. I insisted to go this year, but I know that can't happen - I need to graduate this year! So it's Nashville next year for me, or the next in New York - which will be the last straw!

Since I'm nearly 99.99% sure that I won't be going to the RWA conference due to my graduation, I have decided to go to RWAustralia National conference in Brisbane 2009: Hot August Nights. Mary Jo Putney will be our conference speaker. I will have to organize my time so that it does not interfere with my studies since it's in the middle of my second semester. But at least this conference will be go-able.

I'm feeling much better now that I've accepted that I won't be going to Washington DC and that I've decided to go to Brisbane instead. I don't consider going to Brisbane a consolation prize. Rather, another challenging step. I'm going to have to work my ass off to at least complete one manuscript. First for critique and then for pitching at the conference - only for some experience, nothing too serious... well, maybe a little serious about it.

Talking of manuscripts and critiques and so forth, Literary Agent Nathan Bransford is once again hosting a fantabulous first paragraph contest over at his blog. Come over and enjoy the competition. Great prizes to be won including partial critiques, query critiques or a 15 minute phone conversation with the man himself - for those who are in the dark: Nathan Bransford. This Contest ends on Thursday/11 at 4pm exactly. I'm dying to enter in something, but I've got nothing!

It is too bad he doesn't represent romance or I would run to him straight off. He is my dream agent. If I ever complete a manuscript and finish revising it, I will still send a query to him just so I know at least I did try. I know, very silly of me since I well know he does not represent my genre.

Well, better get back to my manuscript and stop procrastinating!

Happy writing everyone!

The End!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

06 December 2008, Saturday

Here at long last is my overdue blog on my NaNo WriMo experience. NaNo WriMo is over. It was an amazing month. It went by far too quickly, and yes, it was an experience. I absolutely loved it. Of course what I had written is most probably babble and useless, but it was great fun nevertheless.

I managed to scrape a win by the tip of my fingers - never will I leave it to the last minute and attempt to write twenty two thousand words in the last six or so remaining hours - craziness I tell you! It ended with my fingers all frozen and numb, an aching head and very blurry sleep deprived eyes. I've never written so much in one day - not even for assignments. I just typed and typed and typed non stop. It was insane! Not to mention that I can't touch type and that I'm a slow typer (in my personal opinion - I have seen faster).

Now I'm all back to being lazy and back to procrastinating all day while I zoom around the internet (Which is what I have been doing for the last five or so hours). I haven't written a word since NaNo WriMo ended. But I'm trying to get myself right back into it and start writing 1000 words a day. I know thats not very much, but it's better than no progress.

I will be getting back to my historicals now. I miss them so much. No more paranormal or fantasy for a while. I wrote so much I ran out of things about the darn story in the last 10 or so thousands of words - terrible! I guess the para/fantasy genre isn't my fort, but it was so much fun to write it and experience something new. I might get back to my NaNo 2008 story one day. I might even finish it (what are the chances of that ever happening? ...Exactly).

Now I better get back to my writing.

Happy writing everyone.