How did this happen?

blonde-1296489_1280Here it is – more than 2 weeks after the end of April.

2 weeks after completing the AtoZ Blog Challenge.

3 weeks… THREE!!!… after participating in an outstanding short story intensive.

And what have I done in the last two weeks? Not write. That’s what I’ve done.

It’s not that I didn’t have very good intentions. There are a couple of short stories that I started and want to finish. There is the novella that began on my blog. I want to keep practicing with the techniques learned in my class so my writing continues to get better and faster.

And I haven’t done any of it.

I could enumerate the reasons. Some of them are actually good.

But I won’t.

Because the reality is that no matter how good my reasons, if I want to be a writer, I need to write. It needs to take priority over Facebook and other time wasters, for starters. It needs to be at the top of my To Do list on a daily basis.

I struggled with that and (mostly) won during the blog challenge. There were days that I had a lot going on, but I’d made a commitment and I followed through.

But as soon as the challenge was over, I gave myself permission to take a couple of days off. A couple of days became a couple of weeks, and here we are, more than halfway through the month and this post is the most I’ve written.

So, effective immediately, I’m making a new commitment to myself. My commitment is to write.

  • I will work on fiction at least 5 days a week.
  • I will post on this blog at least once a week.
  • I will not allow myself to make excuses for putting off my dreams.

I might not always win the struggle… and make no mistake, for me keeping any kind of routine is a struggle. But I will continue to do this thing that gives me so much pleasure. I’ll continue to create and lose myself in interesting worlds filled with interesting characters.

I will write.

And hopefully you’ll be glad I did.

I’ve been featured…

Well, here’s a derp moment for ya.dab-93485_1280

I was featured on another writer’s blog, and I completely forgot to link to it here. Oops!

The post is me answering questions about indie publishing. She’s doing a whole series of these, so if you’re interested in indie publishing, you’ll want to read the responses from the other writers as well. There’s good information out there.

 

Now, where was I?

Ok, so I blinked and 2 months went by.

I almost wish I could say I’d been sitting around eating bon bons and just “forgot” to be blogging, writing, and getting on with things because I was having too darn much fun.

And if wishes were pages, I’d have written a whole library by now.

The reality is that my “real job” doing desktop publishing got crazy for a while. Plus I was off the grid for a bit visiting family. Add to that some stress over how I was going to wrap up my work in progress, and you’ve got the trifecta that is the bane of every writer’s existence: unplanned busyness, personal obligations, and writers’ block.

*insert a heavy sigh here*

I do want to say, though, that I was, in fact, having fun. I mean, come on. Creative play on my laptop and a trip to California? How much more fun could I have? It’s just that those sorts of activities tend to sap all my creative energy and there’s not enough left for writing. Especially when I’m trying to figure out some piece of my story. :-/

But that, as they say, was then. This is now. And today I’m here on my blog. Today I have a finished draft for my short story. FINALLY!!! Today I’m really happy with my world. (My story world, that is. Actually, I guess I’m pretty happy with the actual, real world too.)

So yeah. Today. Today was a good day. And very soon, I will have a free story available for you to download, if you so choose. Hopefully that means today is a good day for you, too. 🙂

 

Sign up for my mailing list if you want to be the first to know when my story is finally going to be available.

THIS is my year!!! I will write a book.

Photo by: Amy Padgett

I’ve mentioned it to a few people, almost in passing.

I’ve posted about it on the How To Think Sideways bootcamp forums.

I’ve thought about it quite a bit.

But I think, maybe, this is my first public declaration (such as it is with my very limited readership on this blog).

THIS IS THE YEAR
I WILL WRITE A BOOK!

  • I will develop an idea to completion
  • I will write consistently to expand my idea
  • I will create a completed manuscript
  • I will revise and edit judiciously
  • I will release my book into the wild, probably by self-publishing (although traditional publishing has not been ruled out)

I feel a little nervous about the prospect. I feel a little excited.

I’ll admit to being somewhat worried that I can’t/won’t meet my goals. Goals are hard for me and I have often been one to find convenient excuses to avoid them in the past. But NOT THIS YEAR. This year, I will achieve my goals!

Before 2013 is over, I will have written and published a book.