Laser Focus

I love Camp NaNoWriMo.

The thing about camp is that you can do pretty much anything related to writing. This will be the third summer I'm using camp to edit one of my WIPs.

Of course, I can edit anytime, but that's just it, it's so easy to get distracted by shiny things. Camp gives me a goal. I'm accountable to my NaNo buddies. I can't let them down!

Now, where was I...

Brain Puddle

I haven't touched this blog in quite some time.

This past school year sapped all of my creative juices. I took a position working with at risk youth. More specifically, I have a K-3 class comprised of kids who were "asked to leave" their neighborhood schools because of the degree of misbehavior they exhibited in the classroom/school. While my class is small number wise, every one of them is defiant and oppositional. I come home wiped out. I don't even have the energy to cook.

Thankfully, my son, Josh, has come to my rescue. He has made me dinner practically every week night this year, for which I am eternally grateful.

What does this have to do with writing?
Nothing and everything. Nothing as in, I've no creative energy left to write.

Whine, whine, whine.

Actually, while immensely stressful, I love the challenge of my job. I feel like I'm making a difference in the lives of kids who have been cast aside. Hopefully next year I'll be able to find more balance!

Now, that summer break is here I'm looking forward to turning my writer brain back on!

Made It!

*Brushes off hands*

Another NaNo done and I achieved my goal. My story now is at 51,213 total words, or about 28k written in November. I do feel a bit guitly about going rogue, but I accomplished what I wanted to--for now. After all, fifty thousand does not a book make.

Thank you NaNo for giving me the encouraging place and a deadline.

I'm still not quite sure what The Long Day is, but I've put some ideas on paper. Now to go back and properly flush them out.

Kick in the Pants

Man, I don't know how the rest of you who have full time jobs find the energy to write. After a day of teaching I have no creative juice left. Granted, I work with emotionally, and physically challenging students with behavior issues. Still, I'm sure many of you out there have stressful jobs too.

*shakes out limbs*

Okay, now that I have that out of my system...

I've decided to cheat.
I'm going to be a November NaNo rebel.

One of the biggy rules for NaNoWriMo is that you are supposed to work on something new: no writing before Nov 1, except plotting. But, I'm going to come clean here, I'm going to use NaNo this year to see if I can push Water, Water, Never There over the 50k mark. The point of NaNo is to get the writer to commit time and to focus on a goal. I'll be doing that.

Mea Culpa.

I Published a Book!

I did it! I self-published my historical fiction book---Rule Number One: Know Thy Enemy.

It's pretty exciting to hold your own book. Now the challenge is selling it. For me, that's a two pronged problem, probably one shared by many writers.

First, I have to ask people to buy it. I'm not someone who's naturally comfortable with sales. For example, I wasn't one of those girl scouts who sold a ton of cookies. Most of my cookie sales came via my mom who'd take orders at work. My mom's not around anymore, so time to pull up my big girl panties, as the saying goes.

Second, people are going to ask, "What's your book about?" You'd think this part would be easy--I've spent a great deal of time thinking about it, writing it, editing it...editing it again...and again. (You see where I'm going with that.) But for some reason, I have a hard time summarizing what it's about. Phil (my beloved) calls it my 9 second speech. I see all the bits. When I focus on one part, the others feel left out.

Truth be told, it probably has more to do with the nervousness of putting my baby out in the world and fearing rejection, so I find myself hemming and hawing. So, let me practice here.

Rule Number One is about a young woman whose marriage seals an alliance between two powerful kingdoms. Though wary that the prince is as kind as he seems, she's relieved to finally be free of her abusive brothers. Then she's kidnapped from the royal garden. Rescue comes quickly, but rumors soon fly about the legitimacy of the child she carries. If she doesn't figure out who orchestrated the kidnapping a usurper could lay claim to the crown.


You can purchase Rule Number One: Know Thy Enemy here. And please, go to Amazon and leave a review!

You can hear me read the prologue and/or read it for yourself, and chapter one too by clicking here.

The end, that isn't an ending

Camp NaNo is over and much to my surprise I ended the month with 23,000 words! I'm feeling kind of jazzed to keep on.

I came upon an exciting scene where my MC meets up with her mother, a woman with an ax to grind -- well, who can blame her? M'miri killed two of her other mothers.

If you want to know how it played out you'll have to read my manuscript!

You know how some scenes just sing? This was one of them. It was a fun scene to write, and I'll admit I'm rather proud of it.

Still not 100% sure I have a novel length book, but the odds are feeling a lot better.

Update: Water, Water, Never There

Well I must say I'm feeling pretty excited. I just upped my word goal to 20,000! Three weeks ago I didn't think I'd hit 15,000. I still don't see a full lenght book, but you know, it might not be impossible.

So far I've discovered there are culling squads in some towns and villages. People are so full of hatred towards Elementari for things that happened in the past that they are rounding them up and killing them, like rats carrying the Bubonic Plague.

Also, there is this stranger who can pull the moisture out of M'miri. At least, I think that's what he does. He's still a bit mysterious to me. I suspect we'll learn more about him.

Then, kind of against her will, M'miri has picked up companions.

And get this, her mothers drown people and eat them! No wonder she hit the road. A lot can happen in 17,000 words!