I'm alive

So, I'm alive.  I know I completely neglected this blog, along with other things in my life while I was very sick and pregnant and then for the first few months of my baby's life.  I mean... look at his face! I'm completely in love and intoxicated by him!

I'm trying to find a balance again and that brings me to today!  I joined a writing critique group and we met for the 2nd time yesterday.  I think its going to be really good for me because it will give me some deadlines and force me to find time to write.  Hopefully. :)

We shared the first 15 pages of our WIPs and then talked about them.  It was the first time I had read any of it to someone other than a family member, and they really seemed to like it so that was good.  I got across the emotions and suspense I was going for in the beginning so I feel like that was successful.

I have worked over that first part extensively so I was glad that it seemed well received.  This month I would like to focus on 3 things:

1)  My second chapter I have written in two different ways and I need to sort through how I want to do it.

2)  I have a little over 50K words.  I am aiming for 100K for the finished product.  Once issue I'm having is that I had decided to make it into three books, but I feel as though I am 75% though my storyline for the first book at 50K.  So Im debating if I should figure out a way to stretch the first book out to the 100K words or if I should try to condense everything into one super solid book?

3)  I need to move forward even though Im mulling the prior things over and get a new chapter written.

Those are my three goals this month.  My writing group meets again Feb 15th and we have to select a 15 pages to bring for critique.  I'm excited to be getting back into it again.  I really love to write and I really want to get this book finished!  I've been working on it for so long, I just want to have the whole thing done.  I need to finish for myself- its something I have committed to do and I'm going to do it.  Even if its a little harder juggling with a baby.  Who I am am head over heels in love with. :)

24 Weeks....

Hi!  It's been a minute, huh?  OK.  So, I am finally ACTUALLY feeling better!  I know I thought I was out of the woods on my last post... but NO SO FAST.  My body decided to be sick for almost 6 months.  Yikes!  Well, now I'm 24 1/2 weeks and feeling better for the most part!  Well at least not nauseous ALL day. So I am planning on writing again.  I know you've heard that before but now Im SERIOUS.  For real.  I even set up my writing room. :)  Anyway, I will be posting more frequently while I try to get more finished on the book and get ready for the baby!  Oh, it's a BOY, by the way.  My due date is Sept 21st, which will be here before I know it!!  Anyway, I thought I should just post my INTENTION on here that I am gearing up to get going again, now that I don't want to die. :)


More SOON!!

a riddle...

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riddle:  what happens to a dedicated writer when she finds out she is pregnant and has hoooorrrriiibbbllleeee morning sickness that lasts all day and all night??


answer:  she falls off of the face of the planet for the first trimester. 


Hello.  Its me.  I am alive.  Barely.  So first, I apologize for the lack of EVER writing, or even mentioning what was going on.  I basically was just trying to survive. 


It is a true miracle that I am pregnant.  We have been trying for about 6 1/2 years and have done everything short of In Vitro, which we were planning on doing this summer.  And then... WHAM I just got pregnant all on our own!  Everyone says that always happens, when you stop worrying about it or stop trying.  But I swear, I've not worried and not tried before, and nada.  


Anyway, the one day that I didn't write on here, that I said that there was a family event... well that was me finding out I was pregnant! :)  I was COMPLETELY shocked and almost a week late because I never get pregnant! Anyway, it has been very very exciting, short of me thinking I was dying on a daily basis. 


I am feeling better sometimes in the mornings now, and so I'm ready to keep writing.  I am doing an edit of what I have written so far, and just to help me get back into the groove.  So once I finish that, I will be back to a set word count again. 


The baby is due late September and we are soooo excited!!  Again, my apologies for going AWOL.
But hey... I'm just growing a human. :) :) :)


Hope things are going well for everyone!!!  More soon.... I promise!!   Have a great FRIDAY!!

end of week 2- "a month of obsession"

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End of Week 2 of "a month of obsession."
Yay!  Made it to the end of two weeks.  Here are my numbers:

Jan 18- 640 (This was my one exception, but since I wrote 7K words right before, and I had a major family thing that day, I'm letting it be ok.)
Jan 19- 2,207
Jan 20- 2,034
Jan 21- 2,107
Jan 22-  2,113
Jan 23- Day Off

The best part is the feeling I get when I've hit my word count for the day.  There is nothing like it.  I get this huge grin on my face and I'm so excited!  The other thing that's really fun is to look at my 'project statistics' in Scrivener.  It keeps track of my word count for each section, but also the whole tally.  It tells me how many pages it would be printed out and how many that would translate to in paperback.  It is so exciting to see my progress when I'm writing like this!

I can't believe we are towards the end of January already!  This month has flown by and I'm so excited about what I have to show for it.

Ok gotta keep it going!!

end of week one- a month of obsession

END OF WEEK ONE!!


I am so proud to say that I have kept up with my goal, and even surpassed it!  Here are my numbers since last time:


Jan 13: 2,107
Jan 14: 2,125
Jan 15: 2,052
Jan 16: 7,116 (!!!!!!!!!)
Jan 17: Day Off


I can't even TELL you how much of a difference this is making.  I have had so many breakthroughs, it's intoxicating.  


The first thing I learned about writing 2000 words a day is that its DIFFICULT.  Sometimes, I just ended up sitting there.  Waiting.  Thinking.  Trying to be brilliant.  Or just maybe write a word- yes, let's start there.  


Before this Month Of Obsession, that's where I would have stopped.   But if I wasn't at my wordcount,  I couldn't stop anymore.   So I would just keep thinking, and thinking.  I had decided that I wouldn't let myself do anything else (internet, reading, movies, etc.) until I had hit my wordcount for the day.  Sometimes, that ate up the entire day.


But, you know what?  EVENTUALLY, I thought of something. Every. Time.  I didn't know I could do that!


Another thing I learned is something that I've read a bunch of times, and Stephen King says it in On Writing, but for some reason I didn't just LISTEN to him, I had learn it the hard way, of course.  Here it is: If you are IN your book, your story, your creation- ENOUGH- your brain starts connecting things in ways you have never experienced before.  It always takes me a little bit of time to get back IN it, before it starts flowing.  What I've found when I'm writing so much more is that I'm thinking about it ALL THE TIME.  I wake up thinking about a character.  I see something and suddenly think of a perfect way to tie in two seemingly unrelated story lines.  It became so real, I found myself dreaming about it, and waking up thinking of solutions, or where I will go next.  


Sunday was supposed to be my day off.  I don't know if since in my mind I was thinking I didn't HAVE to write, that it just all flowed, or what, but it was AMAZING.  I seriously couldn't stop.  Honestly I didn't get out of my pajamas until about 3 in the afternoon.  I just wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote.  It was like I couldn't stop!  I was in the ZONE.  I mean... 7,116??  For me, that's a personal best.  :)


It's interesting, because I have been working on this series for years, and I have soooo much written.  But  a few months ago, I finally got the storyline SOLID.  I finally got it to work.  I figured out an ending and solidified how I was going to write it.   


Now its just getting it OUT.  On the paper.  


It really helped me to tell my friends and family about my commitment.  They ask me about it every day and keep me motivated and accountable.  


I havn't finished today, so I've got to go for now.  But it feels good to check in here, and say that I'm still going strong on A Month of Obsession!!

word count ~ 2000

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Feeling good, feeling good.  I have hit my goal every day so far:

Jan 10: 2006 words

Jan 11: 2093 words

Jan 12: 2570 words

The first day I hit it pretty easily.  The second day was rough.  But a day like that is exactly why I need a word count because when I pushed myself I FINALLY got it.  Granted, it was 10:30 at night.  But I got it. Yesterday I had my 2000 by 11am.  So it just kind of depends. I decided to tell family and friends about my commitment and that has really helped.  I didn't do that before because I think I was afraid that I would have to REALLY do it, no matter what.  So, once I got out of my own way... things are going nicely.

I am trying to read a lot lately, which I really believe helps with my writing.  I read a large variety of genres and authors, and that helps a lot too.  I'm in a book club and this month's book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which surprisingly I haven't read and I'm excited about.  I have also started next month's book, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare because I am moderating next month, so want to be ready.  For my psychological thriller, I'm reading Thr3e by Ted Decker.  

I also try to watch good movies, and I find that I pick up on different things from doing that.  On Sunday my husband and I watched The Godfather.  I hadn't seen it, which is unacceptable.  Fantastic movie, of course.   I'm excited to see the next two.  Yesterday for my lunch break, I watched "The Machinist," with Christian Bale.  I can't believe how much weight he lost for the part!   Holy hell, he was skin and bones- literally.  Crazy movie!  

I swear its good for me to be exposed to a lot of books and movies while I'm writing.  Yes, for my job, I get to read lots of great books and watch movies, all in the name of research. :)      

A MONTH OF OBSESSION... continues.....

obsessed- a one month commitment

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One Month.  Today is January 10, 2011.  Here is my commitment to be obsessed with my WIP for a month.  We are talking totally immersing myself in it, pounding the pavement and putting everything else aside.  I WILL hit a minimum of 2000 words a day, six days a week.  There you have it.  A Stephen King inspired word count for someone who is serious.  

I feel like it's a movie that I've seen, and I just have to get it down on paper.   Here we go....

I can feel it seeping into my system.  The obsession.  Bring it on.