You Should Be Writing

The trick is getting those words on paper. It’s not a first draft until it’s out of your head and on to the page. Unfortunately shaking your head over a blank piece of paper doesn’t work. (Yes, I have tried it and got nuttin but a few pebbles, an old commercial jingle and a few scattered thoughts)

You have to write or type those words onto the page one by one, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph until an entire page is filled. Then another and another until The End.

The only way to do that is to make time to write. Daily word count goals can be great motivators. So are those great “You should be writing!” memes and posters. Encouraging us to find those little spaces of time to carve out a few words, even on the days we think it’s impossible.

A scheduled block of time to sit down and write is the best option. Yet sometimes there are distractions (Facbook… damn you Candy Crush) or interruptions (Mommmm can you…(insert item/ food/ thing to get or look at here).

 It is up to us to make sure that first draft gets all the attention it needs by taking the time for a few words

when that special writing time isn’t available or near long enough. Are you in a long grocery line or a coffee line? Pull out your phone, start the note pad app and start jotting down the next scene or ideas for it at least.

You’ll be surprised how many words you can pop out that way. Or, waiting for your order in a restaurant, I usually get at least a page out of that. The point is even if there aren’t blocks of time to write, we can get that first draft out of our head and onto paper if we grab a pen during those pauses in life.

Just as you can’t wait for inspiration to show up you have to club it. You can’t wait for the perfect time to sit and write. You have to grab it when it appears, even if its one word at a time.

Update Goals for Round 3 Week 2:

1. 1000 words a day on novel

1k a day did not happen. Still there was writing done every day. The second chapter of Outlaw Born is nearly finished.

2. Finish out this class to the next exam

The text for this section is a lot longer than I expected. I was also assigned to visit a local historic attraction and write a report about the business side of it. I am scheduled to do that next week. Yay! I wuve museums. See School really is fun!

3. Fill two more boxes of stuff to leave my abode.

This one was nailed. Two more boxes of things no longer welcome in my house are waiting by the door to be evicted on our next trip into town.

New Goals for Week 3 ROW80

1. Write on Outlaw Born every day and finish chapter 2

2. Get to that exam this week

3. Two more boxes of stuff to be evicted 

How do you steal time to write?  Do you have a favorite You should be writing poster or motto? 

OneWord/60 Seconds: Derived

OneWord.com is a website for getting the muse warmed up. Each day you get one word and sixty seconds in which to write what it inspires.This is my entry for today's One Word. What's yours? For more of my past One Word entries check out my One Word Profile EliseV

The blood dampened messaged read. "I have the proof. Meet tonight at the Black Pony. Bring the money and come alone." 

By the knife sticking out of her husband's corpse in the bar's parking lot she derived, he had been the victim of a payoff gone wrong. A search of his body as she called 911 produced nothing but a wallet, broken watch, and key ring.

As she played the part of distraught wife to the operator, she glimpsed an envelope under the car. That was it, her darkness revealed. But who else knew her secret? 

Moving Forward One Word at a Time

"I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because .a money in a barrel has better grammar than I some days."

There will be weeks that start off gangbusters then fall into shambles mid-week. Roadblocks can pop up at any time to distract or discourage from our goals. That’s okay because roadblocks are temporary.

You’re sitting on the road looking at a guy in an orange vest holding a stop sign, road construction going on behind him. You turn the radio up a little louder and watch for the dude with the sign to spin it around from stop to slow for your turn.

Notice that every so often as cars go through you get to move your car forward. Okay, it’s only an inch or two, but you are moving forward until the road is clear for full speed ahead.

Take that approach when writing. Don’t just let LIFE roadblock your muse. Inch that word count forward a word at a time. Even if you add only 10 words that day to your manuscript that’s 10 words you didn’t have the day before. The story is still moving forward and you’re still meeting your goal.

You might even find a way to squeeze in a few hundred words on those roadblock days blasting through the roadblock. Just try not to run the dude with the sign over. :o) 

Goal update:

1. Making that forward momentum on novel. Didn’t reach daily word count every day but there was writing every day so I call that a win.

2. Degree progress is moving forward. At least this class is interesting Historical and Adventure Tourism.

3. Clutter reduction was a plus too. There are 2 bags of clothing and two boxes of books and things to go to Goodwill.

New Goals for Round 3 Week 2:

1. 1000 words a day on novel

2. Finish out this class to the next exam

3. Fill two more boxes of stuff to leave my abode.

Last week LIFE interfered and yet words still got on the page and things got done. That story will be written one word at a time. Now it’s your turn. Did you reach goals this week? Do you have a tip that keeps you moving forward through the roadblocks?

For more about ROW80 click on the button below. 

3 Tips for Goal Success

July 1^st has arrived with promises of adventure and achievement over the next 80 days. Round 3 of Round

of Words has begun and the goals for the quarter have been set.

Round 3 Goals

 1. July 1^st is also the first day of Camp NaNoWrimo! 30 days of novling around the campfire. A new perk for campers this year is the ability to set your own word count. So my first goal is to meet my set camp goal of 25k.

2. Complete camp novel and start Edits

3. Finish out my Hospitality Management degree.

The plan for successfully meeting these goals for now is to simply take it one day at a time.  Far too often goals and stresses can overwhelm. We have a tendency to expect more and pressure ourselves more than anyone else.

Here are 3 tips for keeping the forward momentum through it all.

1. Break down your goal into daily bites. Daily goals allow for a realistic approach and the flexibility to make adjustments for the large scale. Plus those daily successes can build confidence and make you feel good about yourself.

2.  Don’t sweat the big stuff. Stress and pressure are the two biggest goal killers. Stress can make you physically sick if it’s prolonged. LIFE will always show up and it will be unexpected. The key to keeping the momentum moving forward instead of stress slamming the breaks is to not sweat it.

Have a moment or two of holy cow that suck monkey nuts. Then get over it. Let it go and look at the big picture a head. Honestly what does stressing over something do? Many times it can keep you from finding a solution and make things even more stressful. 

As the saying goes this too shall pass. Look at your goals and make some adjustments then put the gloves back on and get in the ring for the next match.

3. Celebrate. Celebrate even the smallest successes. Those happy dances can get you over those moments that LIFE throws at you. Celebrating helps you remember that you can make it on those days when achievement seems impossible. Making a big deal out of the small stuff can even take the sting out of the failures. Giving you the momentum to keep going and not give up.

Now ring the bell my gloves are on and I’m ready to step into the ring of Round 3 for the knock out.

How about you? 

Want to know more about Round of Words in 80 Days just click on the button to the left :) 

Don't Touch Sneak Peek

This week I'm taking part in Sneak Peek Sunday Hosted by Sara Walter Ellwood. The following excerpt is a sneak peek of six paragraphs from the psychic thriller Don't Touch. 

Dr Ryan Reign has unlocked a gift she calls a curse. Detective ackson Prince and his partner need her help to stop a serial killer before he murders again.

One problem Dr. Reign can't touch or be touched. She's become a recluse never leaving her home for fear of what she might'see'. Jackson knows he has to help her accept her gift or there will be more deaths.

It takes a woman's touch to catch a killer.

Excerpt: 

             As they cleaned up dinner Ryan’s eyes kept going to the folders on the coffee table. Jackson tugged her shirt sleeve. “Why don’t we give it a rest tonight?”

            Moving to stand looking down at the crime scene photo of Tina, Ryan shook her head. “That’s the problem, Jack. I’ve given it a rest for too long.”

             Pointing to a photo on the end table of Ryan and another woman at Disney posing with Tigger.  “That’s my sister, Amber. I’ve lost her; I’ve lost all of who I was. I gave up.”

            Jackson came over and stood next to her. “So what are you going to do about it?”

            Looking at the photos again she took a deep breath feeling like she was jumping out of a plane without a parachute. “I’m going to get a life back. It can’t be the same one but I can’t live in these four walls for the next sixty or so years. Do me a favor, if for some reason I can’t let go take the picture from me.”

            Before he had a chance to protest she picked up the picture of the murder weapon and touched the two dimensional knife. There was a blink of the photographer; he was tired, pulling a double shift. The next was a glimpse of a gloved hand setting the knife beside the victim. Heavy duty work gloves, not latex. The knife was set down with care so the blade was pointing at the victim’s feet. Then she was just looking at the picture again. She opened her fingers and let it fall to the table.

            Her hands were trembling as she processed the visions and what they were. “I did it. I saw him or her. I saw someone.”

Buy Don't Touch on:

Smashwords

Amazon

Lulu 

For more Sneak Peek Sunday excerpts click the banner below and follow the linky list to the next blog. 

Final Countdown of Round 2 ROW80

Round 2 of Round of Words in 80 Days 2013 drawing to a close. The next check in will be the first of Round 3- 2013. A chance to launch a new set of goals to conquer in 80 days.  This final countdown is a chance to review and most importantly acknowledge the successes and failures of the last 80 days.

Round 2 Goals

1. Finish the Blogging from A to Z challenge

Success! This was my third year participating in the challenge and the first time making it through all 26 letters.

2. Make my 25k word count set for Camp NaNo

Nailed it! Camp NaNo 2013 unveiled some great new features this year. One of the best being the ability to set your word count for the month. My goal of 25k wasn’t to finish a manuscript so much as to give it a good kick start, and, it did just that.

3. Complete the above mentioned novel rough draft by the end of Round 2.

Fail. The novel has made progress beyond Nano but LIFE decided to break loose right about the beginning of May and hasn’t stopped. The novel didn’t get finished but the story is still moving when I can get my muse and LIFE to cooperate with me. I’m not worried though, I’ve talked to the characters about it and we’re going to gang up on Muse and LIFE and show’em who’s boss next round.

4. Complete 2 classes in school

Done deal! I’ve been taking classes for a degree in hospitality management. I’m two classes closer to the end and hopefully a job with a nice enough paycheck to support the creative in me. Not to mention supporting my addiction for notebooks, notepads and cool pens/pencils. :o)

5. Clean out my bedroom closet.

Fail. The pit of mementos and stuff that hasn’t been seen or used in years.  The closet is still stuffed full of … stuff. *sighs … So much stuff. How does so much stuff get in there? Surely it’s not all my stuff. If there’s a monster living in there he’s probably stuck under something piled in the tiny room of omg I forgot I had that closet.

The past 80 days have been filled with many ups and downs, fantastic feats, showers of blessings, and omg why me moments. Most important I’ve learned new things and have a renewed sense of personal success with every goal met or failed. So in a few days Round 3 will launch on a positive note with new goals and challenges.

I’m ready are you? 

What's in your characters pockets?

What’s in your character’s pockets?

The more detail you have about a character the more real they become to your readers. That doesn’t mean you have to spill all those juicy little details. There is such a thing as TMI (too much information) for fictional people too, but only on the readers side.

The more information an author has the stronger they can build the story elements. Characters being the most important, with out them our plots would go nowhere. Writers have a standard set of information on a character.

We know if their handsome, what color hair they have, where they grew up, if a life event brought them to where they are now. All those things are needed and shape the character but what about the tiny details that make us real.

It is said that the things we carry around in our purses or pockets everyday can tell a persons story all on their own. Not so sure about that but pocket contents can be very telling about the person’s likes/dislikes or a bit about their personality.

Let’s take a look at my mess purse contents and see what they have to say.  *dumps mini messenger bag style bag and hopes there’s nothing embarrassing.*

 Let’s see.. with all the pens, notebook, and author cards you can tell I’m a writer. That I have asthma by the inhaler and cough drops.  I like Pirates of the Caribbean, Russell Crowe and Adrian Paul *blushes as her fangirl obsessions are reviled. 

By the Sponge Bob lens cloth I wear glasses, the batteries would be sitting with the camera but I had to use that to take the pic :o) Never leave the house without it. Now you know about me… your turn.

Take your purse and pour out the contents or empty your pockets. You might find five bucks you didn’t know about in the bottom like I did. This can be a very lucrative exercise. What little details fall out of your pockets?

Now let’s turn it around on our characters. What would your hero carry around with him every day in his jeans? What are your heroine’s must haves when she leaves the house?

For an example we’ll make Jackson Prince from my novel Don’tTouch empty out his pockets. Come on Jackson don’t be shy.

*he grumbles dumps out his pockets…  He can be cranky when he hasn’t had enough coffee. :o) Let’s see what we’ve got here… Keys, wallet, change, some bills in a worn money clip, handcuffs, rubber gloves, a couple small empty evidence bags, and a pocket knife.

‘Looking’ at this pile of junk you can deduct he’s a cop, but there’s a little more if you examine it. He carries the essentials nothing more so he’s not a complicated guy, likes things to be simple even though they never are. The worn money clip says a lot on its own, as most men will put their bills inside their wallets.  The clip is more than likely a memento, something with personal meaning. (if you want to know the story of Jackson’s money clip you’ll have to read Don’t Touch to find out :o)  That adds a detail to the character that a reader might relate to him.

We all have those standard items we carry but it’s those little extras like a money clip, photograph, engraved pen, lucky coin, or religious item that can tell a bit about who we are. Or who our characters are, making them more realistic and relatable to readers.

Now it’s your turn. What’s in your characters pockets?