Writer's Conference Update!

I'm a little late here with the Create Something Magical Conference update but that doesn't mean it wasn't great! We had a blast! My only problem...there wasn't enough time to see every seminar. There were a few times during the day I wish I could have been in two places at once.

First up was Scene of the Crime by Geoff Symon. A former Federal forensic investigator, Geoff gave us the run down on crime scenes and discussed a few of the more famous crime scene investigations. Check out his website!

Next up; The Line Between Good and Evil offered by Janice Gabie Bashman & Katherine Craft. This covered the POV character and how its the first relate-able thing to the reader. We also talked about the anti-hero or tormented villain.

While I was absorbing Scene of the Crime by writer friend went to one called; Draw Me a Story presented by Shiloh Walker. She snagged me a hand out. This covered Character Sketches and applying them to the plot of the story. What does your character want and what obstacles/conflicts are you going to put in their path?

From there we went to World Building presented by a panel that included Christi Barth, Stephanie Draven, Eliza Knight, Lea Nolan, and Kate Quinn. It was an interesting talk about in-bedding details about the world/town/culture and avoiding info dumps. They gave us the "sins" of world building

• Info dumps (better to layer)
• Glossary - depending on how detailed and different your world 
• Obsessing over details
• Forgetting aspects as you build your story. Don't let one aspect change another's facts
• Over reliance of dialog to impart details. Character saying things like, "As you know on planet X..."

One great tip of world building if you're writing a series; Make a series bible so you can keep track of the towns, houses, character jobs, etc. 

From there we had lunch with speaker Sylvia Day. She was a very inspiring author and gave us all her blunders and successes on the road to being a full time writer. One thing she did say was, follow your heart. When they tell you can't, don't listen. 

Raiders of the Lost Arcs was up next covering Structural Elements that create a story arc. Katheryn Craft was the presenter. This covered everything: the premise, inciting incident, motivation, high stakes for failure, complications through to the dark moment and climax. And of course, the resolution. 

From there I went to Marketing with Review Blogs with Joyfully Jay, Francesca Bensi, and Susan Lee. This was great insight into the other side of the review blogs and how they chose books to review, who does the reviews, and how to find the right ones. Basically, search blog tours or book review blogs and see if they did your kind of book. They said some of the  most successful author interviews are the ones that do giveaways of books or gift cards. They talked about Good Reads for reviews, too. 

The last seminar for Saturday was 5 Things to Start Doing Before You Get a Book Deal! The speaker was Donna Galanti and she was one of my favorite speakers of the day. 

• Connect with readers through book bloggers. She covered Google Alerts for your genre. Set the alert and find out where other authors are putting their books. Invite other authors to your blog to get traffic before you launch your book. 
• ID your reader and market. Does your book appeal to a certain group? Teens, mountain climbers, vegetarians? Find the groups on Twitter and engage in conversation. 
• Find 2 or 3 places to master on social media. Search for online reviewers, if you want an agent or publisher -follow them. (www.literaryrambles.com) 
• Promote others. Heartwarming or humorous posts get the most engagement. Find/follow pages that relate to your genre.  (www.aerogrammestudio.com/2013/04/21/twitter-hashtags-for-writers/)
• Blog, Engage, and Run Contests (Rafflecopter)
• Join writer organizations & volunteer 

If you want the handout on this one email me and I'll send you a copy. She gives several good websites for marketing information. 

And that was my Saturday. Sunday was a short day. Three seminars; Beyond Spell Check; Self editing before submission, Tying it all Together, and The In the Know, How to Guide to Self Publishing. 

It was a great weekend with a lot of good information. Can't wait for next year! 

Writer's Conference in New Jersey! Yay!

Heading out tomorrow to the Liberty State Fiction Writers Create Something Magical Conference in Woodbridge, NJ.
I'm excited!
I belonged to Liberty State Fiction Writers a few years ago but I made a decision that I was not ready to share with my fellow writers. Writers that had been traditionally published. Not because I was afraid of their feelings on the subject (back them going Indie wasn't as accepted as it is today) but because I just didn't want to hear it. I made a decision. End of story. (or just the beginning of it?)
Either way, I drifted away from this awesome group of writers. Got a few books up on Amazon and went on with life.
Then I saw it...a traditionally published writer whom I respected put a book on facebook. When I clicked the link and saw the publisher....Amazon. This multi published author was putting her back list up on Amazon. Independent of the big five.
Was this a turning point? Did I see something on the horizon regarding Indies?
So I signed up to go to the conference and I can't wait to go to the seminars and rub elbows with people I respect in the industry. This time I'm not going hoping to meet an agent or publisher. I'm happy with my choice and want to keep on my Indie path. The Create Something Magical Conference has a "How to" seminar on self publishing. (hate that name! Is there anything wrong with calling it Independent Publishing?) A sign of the times? We'll see. I'll let you know how it goes.
Write on, my friends!

How to Edit Socially

I work in a place where I often see writing that needs a little help. Now, I'm no grammar expert but I think I have a basic handle on it. I've been at it for years and have been published here and there. Hopefully, that counts as something.

When I see mistakes, missing commas, repetitive writing, etc. the corrections sometimes just pop right out of my mouth. I went on a job interview once where the owner of the company was using a word wrong and he kept repeating it. Suddenly, in the  middle of the interview I blurted out, "You're using that word wrong." I couldn't help it. My mouth had a mind of its own and my poor little grammar lovin' heart couldn't take it any more.
Surprisingly, I got a call the next day with a job offer.
I turned it down.

Now back to work. My job is nothing spectacular. I answer phones, process mail, write stuff, and help everyone else in the building do everything. And I love it. There's always work to do, the people are happy, and the bosses are great. Everything my last job wasn't. Except for writing. My pet writing peeves take a hit almost every day.

Peeves;
1. Repetitive words. The home was devastated and needed repairs. The devastated condos were devastated. For God's sake get a Thesaurus...or hit shift F7.

2. Starting each sentence with the same word. When they fixed the home... When it was time for... When the family... Think outside the box. There are millions of words out there. Something else will work just as well as that one word.

3. Run on sentences. If you're sentence runs three or four lines and takes up three separate thoughts....Separate them!

4. And as the guilt washes over me from #3...pet peeve #4...No exclamation points in business writing. I once had a journalism prof tell me, "No exclamation points unless you're on fire." Good advice.

5. Almost as annoying as repetitive words is repetitive thoughts. Turning one sentence around and saying the same thing as the previous sentence. Same thought, different words. They worked day and night to get the job done. Everyday they worked long into the night and finished the job.

Enough of my peeves, what's yours? And what's the best way to bring it to the person's attention? Some don't like to be corrected. Then I vacillate between taking it to a manager or just forgetting about it. Not my circus, not my monkey.
But I like the company and want it to do well.
Dilemma.

Loss of a Dear Friend and Quantum Physics

  

I've been in and out of many writing groups in my life. Years ago a new Barnes & Noble opened in our town and a Woman's Writing Group formed. I was one of the first members and remember sitting in a circle, nervous, unsure of what we would do, where this little group would take us.  Another member was Bernice Roberts. A sweet woman, older than me but with the most inquisitive mind I've ever been blessed to encounter. Bernice would read everything. She shared books on everything from writing to Quantum Physics. She was enthusiastic about life and learning.

One day she came in and told us had she read that to accomplish anything in life you had to "Put your ego in the back seat." Meaning if you let the ego, the thing that worries about what others think, rule your life, you'll never get anywhere. Now, years later and with the passing of my good friend Bernice, I realize it's those words that gave me the power to go Indie. When I worry about looking like a fool or not being good enough, I think of Bernice's advice, "Put your ego in the back seat."
Don't let a worrisome ego be the barometer of your goals. I think the "ego" statement says it all. Don't let "ego" be your copilot, throw the damn thing in the backseat and put your foot on the gas.

Thank you, Bernice Roberts. You taught us many things and your time here on earth will always be cherished by those you left behind.

Now I'd like to encourage everyone to read a book on Quantum Physics in memory of Bernice.

The Missing Ingredient in Your Writing

I was just over at Blogging on the Side (whom I found on Pinterest) and realized something that made me feel stupid.
I love writing.
No, that's not what made me feel dumb.
I have several blogs, some more active, some neglected. A few that I have great ideas for but for some reason, never execute any. And then Blogging on the Side posts this one; How to hit 1,000,000 in a year of Blogging.  The biggest thing I learned from this article is discipline. Something my piano teacher once said, "We must learn to discipline our talents."  I believe this is especially true for writers.

Writers usually have a project they're working on. Whether its a book, articles for work, or other writing, actually getting the words on paper, cutting out that time slot, is the hardest part. I can write. So why don't I?

I can ask myself the same thing about dieting. It's not that I don't know how to lose weight, it's that I don't know why I don't do it. (Hic!) I almost said "I'm not stupid."  (see first paragraph;)~

Discipline. I wonder how many people decide to tattoo that somewhere? Its an often forgotten element to any work from home/self-employed career where we have to find the motivation within. The day job is easy; go to work, do what you need to do or get fired. Simple.
Writing? Not so simple. If I don't go to work I'm stagnant. I don't move forward, but I'm not going backwards.

So where's your discipline?

It's NANO time!

This NaNo season my daughter and I are exchanging character sketches. The sketch we get has to be the main character of the story. A simple challenge.
I gave her a woman about the same age as she is, who is a celebrity photog. Meaning she chases celebrities for the best shot. Have fun with that! :)
I think I'm so smart.
So what does she give me?
A 12 year old girl genius. The kids a college student. A 12 year old college student!
Oy!
Its going to be a long NaNo...

So tell me? Do you NaNo and what's your biggest writing challenge?

Happy Endings, Closure, & Cliff Hangers...

I like happy endings in a book. I want the hero to come out on top and the bad guy to find justice. (or Karma...that's sometimes as good as justice) I also want closure in a book. Tie up the loose ends and finish all parts of the story. I try to do this in my stories and I hope my readers think so.

I also like to leave them looking for the next book. Just a little whisper in the last page that lets them know part of the story lives on. Not in the way a serial would do it, but more like one or two of the characters coming together to form the a totally separate story.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm torturing the reader by doing this, but maybe its just the writer wondering...what if?

In Betrayed by an Angel, one of the angels is reminded by the higher ups that his work isn't quite finished and the last page is that scene. The the book ends. I've started that next story but haven't finished it. Will my readers get mad if I'm slow to the gate with that next book? I'm not sure. I haven't really given enough information to explain the next book, but just a little tease.

Do you make sure all story lines within your story are closed? Do you always have a happy ending? Or do you end with a teaser?

Writers Need Writers

Its a fact; I'm definitely more productive when I'm around other writers. Its like when you have a good friend who always makes the healthy choices on the menu, you follow. Or if you're with the one who eats ice cream...you tend to eat more ice cream. When I'm around other writers talking writing, exchanging ideas, asking questions, finding answers, I become more writing centered.

I'm loving the writing sites I've found on Facebook! Writer's Around the World is a great group just there to talk about writing. Nirvana. They also have rules about what can be posted on which day and that helps keep the group on track. Well done, WAW. You guys rock!

Indie Author Group is another good one dedicated to Indie authors. No promo just exchanges with other authors talking shop. I love it.

I've found a few others and most seem great. The ones with promo rules are best. As writers wanting to shamelessly promote our books, we need a little restraint!

There are also reader-author sites to connect with readers and share you work. I do a little of that too.

Not that I didn't enjoy Facebook to a degree, but I have to admit seeing what people ate for dinner or discussing medical issues didn't keep my interest. IMHO; foot fungus reports don't belong on Facebook. Eeesshhh! But now I'm with my peeps, the writing peeps and I'm in heaven.

So tell me??? What's your fav writing site? Link us!

Updating Book Cover

After reading a few articles about book covers and how people interested in certain genres look for certain types of art on the cover I thought it was time for a change.
On my first cover for Betrayed by an Angel I couldn't find a decent angel photo that hadn't already been used or didn't look goofey, so I went with a photo of a sunset that I took in Key West.
After reading about the importance of book covers I found a cover designer who changed the look of my cover.

From this:

 To this:

I told her there was a scene in the book where the they were on the beach and there was lightening and a few other things and this is what she sent back to me.

I think it works. Kissing couple = romance and beach and lightening maybe give a hint of a threat? Either way I'm happy. 

Now I'm curious to see if it makes any difference in sales....

Book Covers & Money

I haven't made much money on my books. I haven't marketed and only have 2 and a half up on Amazon and a couple of shorts up on Inkbok. My third book will be out in August (if all goes well) so I started looking at options for the cover. My last two I did myself (and covers for the shorts on Inkbok) and I think it shows.

Since I couldn't find a good angel man to represent one of the main characters or at least one that hadn't already been used on other books when I searched angel books on Amazon, I used this sunset I shot in Key West. Eh.
For Soul Mates I just put paws across a sky to represent the heaven reincarnation  aspect of the book. Not great but, hey! It was my first book so I didn't have $$$ to spend on anything.

Now I'm working on final edits for No Apologies and I found a cover artist. She sent me a sample of what she'd like to do for me and I'm tingling with excitement! The book is Romantic Suspense and I think she nailed the mood of the book. After seeing her work I know its worth the money. She took my critique of the first two ideas she had and her third one gave me what I wanted. She's working on the final and I'll post it as soon as I get it.

I never knew cover art could get me so excited!

Marketing the Indy Author

Marketing is the hardest part of going Indy.
What should the budget be?
Where should I advertise?
What kind of ad?

It's time. I've been slacking in the marketing department for ~ like~ ever.
I've done a facebook ad. Very easy to do, you can set a budget and say what kind of people you want to see your ad. However, I didn't see any great return on it. But I know this is something I have to do if I ever want to make a living at this writing stuff.

Thinking of places like these:

Indie Author News

Kboards

BookBub

Google Adsense

Yahoo Ads

I'm not sure which would be more productive. I think I need to go find a book about this stuff.

I did get a book recommended by Hugh Howey on Facebook. It talked about creating an email list so you can update your fans, but at my level, with my 3.5 measly little books, I wonder if it would be worth it?

Any recommendations on marketing or a book on marketing for the Indy would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Writing!

Oh wait! This is my new foster pup. He's thin as sticks and was found as a stray in Cliffwood, New Jersey. We're looking for his owners but he must have been out on his own for a long time because he's very skinny.

And he's collecting all the dog toys in the house.

Stop Me From Ranting

I was planning a blog on commas...vexation of my mind....but all this Amazon / Indy hate has sidetracked me. I was just over at Konrath's Blog and felt the need to speak out against the authors who are giving the negative to Indies and Amazon. all I can think of is....who cares?
If you want to go Indy...have at it. Indy lets you say what you want to say without censure. Be yourself, post your book...but beware. . .

Indies aren't resting on their laurels...or books...they work hard at marketing. I should know, I suck at marketing. I start, stop, start, stop...never knowing where to invest my marketing dollars.
Indies are in editing hell from day one, yet they push on for the love of the story.
Indies have to deflect that question; Have I read anything you wrote? (Okay, I always answer this with a wide-eyed stare, "You can read???")
Indies have questions, problems,life and everything else that the legacy authors have,but they have built their empires alone. There are lots of Indies who made it big, who had stories to tell that people loved.

So what's with Patterson and the rest of the (almost always an older and popular) authors who give a f**K about how others are publishing? Why should they care? My life, my book, none of their business.

In my book, Betrayed by an Angel, a publisher once told me it couldn't be accepted because the hero doesn't enter the picture until the second chapter. Like there's a rule that the heroine and hero have to meet in the first five-ten pages. My main man is a runaway angel and the set up is when the heroine discovers she was supposed to die, but her guardian saved her and was banished to earth. Now she has to hunt him down. Could I have changed it and had him appear on page five? Probably. But I liked my book as it was written. It flowed and made sense. So I put it up on Amazon. Go read it and tell me what you think? (Insert shameless plug here.)

My book, my decisions. Why is this a problem to other authors? Please! Someone explain it to me!

The Indies are out there and they're ready to give you a wonderful read. Go find them and when you do, leave a review to make them smile and keep them writing.

The Amazon Hate Game

I've been over at Konrath's blog and reading about all those who are mad at Amazon for offering thousands of writers a chance at their dreams. Konrath (love this guy) has it right. Go check it out.

He sites a few articles that are bashing Amazon including Patterson's attempt to come to the aid of his publishing house. Wait, I thought I read somewhere that Patterson had a team of ghosts and didn't even write his own books anymore? (Hey Jim! It shows!) I have to wonder; what's the point? Why wouldn't an author want to control his own work? Is Patterson so rich that it doesn't matter anymore?

I went Indy a few years ago and don't have half the stuff up that I should have by this time. I worry too much about the polishing and I'm always working on my next book. There are too many books to write and too little time. There are several reasons I went Indy and none had to do with money. Don't get me wrong, any money would always be nice, but that didn't push my decision. I went Indy because I just want to write. There is where the joy lives.

If I were with a publishing house and scored the contract as a romance writer, I doubt they'd like it if book two of three were a mystery or a zombie book, or that vampire idea I've been cooking. If I had a contract I'm sure I'd lose a bit of control. My work would be a shared decision with someone in an office that makes decisions, not on my work alone, but on several factors. Climate of the industry, length of the book, what's hot, and their own personal preferences.

Bah!

How many ditched the the Harry Potter book for some of those reasons? Why did they make that decision? The quality of the book was probably not the issue, yet they still rejected it.

One of the criticisms of Indy books is the quality of the book, but that doesn't really fly, does it? I've seen books come from the big publishing houses that had typos and grammatical errors. I've read lots of traditionally published crap. Sometimes my hand itches for that red pen! Then I've read Indies who are outstanding and some with problems. There's really not a big difference in quality between traditional and Indy.

So why go Indy? Or better yet, why not?

Control is an awesome thing when it comes to your own work. 

The Balancing Act

One of the hardest things in writing is everything else in life. The day job, the kids, hubby or wife, extended family, doctor visits, and on and on...

So how does a writer find the time to write? It's always hard to clear the head enough to get the words flowing. Is this more of a problem for women? Traditionally, women are the care givers and are constantly thinking about others. Do the kids have what they need? Laundry done? What to cook for dinner? Carpool? Take care of that fiverr gig. (Check out my fiverr in the right column!) Oh yeah, write the book!

I started a new job which, so far, I'm loving. The people are great and I get to write stuff for their website. I do a lot of other things too but I'm most excited about the writing. Like all jobs there's a learning curve and between that and finals, my book has fallen to the way side. I haven't touched it in three weeks.

THREE WEEKS! Yikes! I can't believe that. Its so sad. I have such high hopes for this book. No Apologies was fun to write. It came from writer's block and to break through I just let myself write badly. As I read through my pages I found I liked the book. It has tension, some funny parts, and a little romance.

I need to find balance. Carve out that writing time and stick to a new schedule to get this book edited and off my desk. I think every change in our lives calls for a new writing schedule.

What's your schedule? When do you write? Has change ever knocked you off your book?

Harmland Dark Tales - A Review

I picked up this book a while ago, but just got around to reading it. My only question is: Why did I wait so long? Harmland is definitely a 5 STAR read!

Harmland by Charles Allen Gramlich is a great collection of short and creepy tales that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Each story brings out both psychological and supernatural elements that will keep you guessing till the end.

If you've ever watched the Twilight Zone or enjoyed an Alfred Hitchcock movie then Harmland is definitely your kind of book. Hitchcock stories had you guessing till the end and would then slap you with a major twist, Gramlich hits you just as hard. His use of language and description had me jealous of his ability to paint vivid pictures with his words.

The parrot still haunts me.....go read Harmland and you'll be haunted, too.

Left Brain Right Brain Insane

I wish for a life where I can write and/or paint all day. This tree was a housewarming gift for a friend. It took me four hours and I'm pretty okay with how it turned out. 

I think all writers are artists and all artists are writers. Even if they don't know it, I believe it comes from the same side of the brain. The theory goes; left-brain people are more organized and systematic. Right-brain people are more creative and intuitive. I think art takes organization and is systematic so I don't understand this theory. To make a tree I have to stare at trees, absorb tree structure...then sketch it and outline it and on and on...

Writing is the same. Even if we start with random writing and just pushing forward without knowing where we're going to end up, writing -   good writing- has structure. It takes the systematic placement of elements in a story to create direction and plot for the story. Then we throw in all that creativity and we've got one best selling novel. (at least that's what I've heard. . . I haven't hit best seller yet.) 

So right brain, left brain doesn't make sense. I'm thinking those who invested the research into this theory might have missed something. But just to be sure...I'm going to go take the test. 

Below is the tree I painted Sunday for a friend. The right brain sketched it out, the left brain filled it in...wait, maybe that was left to sketch and right to fill...or ....

Inkbok Launches!

I came across Inkbok a few months ago and thought it was an interesting concept. Writers put their books and short stories up, Inkbok charges for the read (check out their very reasonable fees here) and writers make money. I know there must be other places like this, but one of the things that drew me in was that a percentage goes to charity. I like the thought that here at Inkbok, it's not all about the money. Something good is here, too.

(Inkbok, if you happen to read this...I volunteer for a non-profit animal rescue...they would love to be on your charity list; Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue)

Today Inkbok goes live! So if you're looking for a good read with a very wide range of genres and subjects in both fiction and non-fiction check out Inkbok!

While you're there you can read my short stories; No Redemption and Escaping Pigwell. Warning! They're darker than my usual writing, but I'm glad they found a home on Inkbok.

Writer; What and Who you are

Wandering through the job search sites I see lots of interesting things. I apply for this or that and see things I know I can do. I've done lots of various jobs and succeeded at all of them. Not because I'm a genius or anything, but because I'm driven. Every job or assignment is a challenge. I love a challenge.

I don't get challenges from writing. When writing I go into a different place. Writing is almost like reading a good book, (of course it's good, it's mine! or yours!) and stopping writing is like being pulled back into reality from an alternate universe.

In hunting for jobs I question the universe. Is there a job out there where I could write? I've done Demand Studios, but I feel there's more. Something better. More creative.

If you go to Mark Terry's site he has some great info on freelancing. I've registered at Demand Studios again to write, but haven's started yet. I will. It takes a quiet room, a little research and putting words together. Not really that hard.

I'm thinking of contacting a couple of editors I know and seeing if I can cover some local stuff. I like wandering around and finding unique things about the community. Writing that stuff could be fun.

And then there's fiction. And a screen play I'd like to sell. (how do you sell a screen play?) And writing....always writing....

So, where do you write? Any interesting writing sites on your radar?

Relationships in Romance Novels and Beyond

Once, in a writer's group I read the first half chapter of one of my WIPs. The man said my writing was always about relationships. I replied that everything in life is about relationships. A relationship doesn't have to be about love or sex or romance. The group we were sitting in was a combination of relationships. When we go to the grocery store we have some sort of relationship with every person we interact with. By reading this, my fellow blogsters are engaged in a relationship. Relationships happen on a daily basis whether we realize it or not. Some are limited, some vanish as quickly as they came, some might grow, some might kill.

The chapter that was read in group eventually led to a murder investigation and wasn't going in the romantic way that the group might have suspected. It was only half a chapter so they really didn't get the whole story.

In romances the relationship has to go somewhere. Maybe a good place where they fall in love, in bed, into a happily every after or maybe just a hint at what was coming next for our characters.

What makes up these relationships? Eye contact/looks, verbal exchange, physical exchange, and even information exchanged by a 3rd party. In some stories we can use all of these to build characters. We hear their thoughts when eye contact is made, watch the verbal exchange and reactions, or sometimes we're in the character's head while they work out questions.

Kinds of relationships?

Norman Bates and his mother
Prez Obama and Speaker of the House Boehner
Teachers and students
Coworkers
Doctors and patients
Bus drivers and riders
Stewardess and passengers
Cops and victims and criminals

Relationships are everywhere!

I was a little surprised I had to explain that everything in life is a relationship of some sort. I think some limit that word to romance, but its so much more and important in every single thing we write.

So what kind of a relationship is building in what you're writing? What techniques do you use to build it?

One Week - Too Many Excuses to Write

I plan, I plot, I think out my writing schedule and still can't get that WIP opened up and rolling. True, there is still that darkness lurking, but things there are changing and maybe for the better. Do we see a light at the edges of the evil? It's looking like the accused was actually set up by a darker force. Its what I thought in the beginning, but everyone argued against it, telling me I was just not facing it. Back to writers and investigations... Writer's need to plot. For a plot to work it means things have to line up. They have to make sense even in fiction. We can only separate from reality for just so much, before we lose our reader. Even in sci-fi, there has to be a believably factor.  In that dark place there were too many things that didn't add up for me. I seemed to be the only one who questioned things and that had me doubting myself. However, law enforcement didn't take things at face value. They investigated, are still investigating, but hopefully heading in the right direction now.

So you'd think this would free up my emboggled (<~~Look a new word! Okay, maybe not...) mind to get back to work, but it hasn't, not yet. So, now I need to plan this writing week. Write everyday between 9 and 5? Or maybe a slower start? write 9 to noon, get other stuff done, write 2 to 4? Believe it or not I once had a great schedule and stuck to it like religion. I need to get that back. I need to believe this is where I need to be and shuck off the outside forces that seek to knock me down.

The other day a friend told me when she was unemployed she wanted something to show for it. She didn't want all that time to pass and have nothing to show for it. Then she wrote enough songs for her first album. She just did it, got it done. Told herself it was what she needed to do and did it.  Inspiring.

Stephen King once said he writes like 10 pages a day. Sometimes he's done by noon, other time's he's still there late into the night. Not sure if that's true or something he had to say when pressed for answers in an interview but it sounds like a plan.

So what's your writing schedule? If you're ever knocked off balance, how do you get it back?