Writing Interuptions - How to manage them?

One BIG challenge a writer faces is finding uninterrupted writing time. Those few precious hours when you can shut out the world and just write. A place where words flow and your brain is churning out the perfect story.

One way I found to get more on the paper (or word doc) is to schedule a block of time for writing. A time when the house is quieter, the family is busy with whatever and the animals have been fed and walked. 

Ahhhh, that perfect world. 

Can anyone tell me where to find it??? 

For those of you who believe in the WoooWooo, Aug 8th is the Lion's Gate Portal. A time when the sun in Leo aligns with the star Sirius and the constellation Orion. 

It's a time when you can manifest the best things. The universe is ready for your requests. 

So, I'm in that final edit. I have maybe 20 pages left and today, Aug 8th I was going to send that Query letter out into the Lion's Gate Portal! Yes! Let the planets align and bring positive energy to my work. 

Great plan? 

Maggie Mittens didn't think so. 

I'm sitting on the couch with my laptop, papers and notes spread out all around me, and here comes murder Mittens. She puts that snout on the back of my laptop and flips it closed. 

AAaahahaha!  Open, check the save, did I lose anything? 

"Go lay down, Maggie." She moves away, picks up her chew toy and I get back to work. 

This is good, brain engaged, recaptured the zone, and words are starting to flow again. 

Bam! Laptop lid closed!  Who's little face is there? 

                                        Yeah, this one. -->

"Out? Wanna go out?"  She looks at me and lies down. 

Back to work...the vibe is still there... somewhere. 

Here comes the cat. She thinks the keyboard is some kind of massage bed. Is it the heat from the keyboard? Or is she some kind of critic? And now? Wait! People are texting me.... 

So much for the Lion's Gate Portal. The frustration has me wanting to lock myself in the bathroom. (and don't think I'm so far from it!) 

Tomorrow is the full moon. Any advice on that? 

Almost there! Or Maybe Not? Yes, No, Yes, No...

 The book is done. 

I've been editing it for weeks. 

Over on Query Tracker reading about agents who are open. 

The book looks good. 

Wait! 

One more read through.... It's 380 pages, so this might take a few days. 

Is it too long? Should I cut it?

Did everything come together at the end? 

Did I wrap up all the loose ends? 

Does the editing process ever end? Oy! 

Check back for the Query letter pain: 

Be unique, but not odd. Write a good hook & make them love you, but keep it business-like. Research every agent. Do they want my genre? Are they open to queries right now? How long have they been agenting? Should I wait until the new moon? 

Excuse me while I go ice my brain.... 

From last Edit to Complete ReWrite

 I'm crazy. 

I was almost there. Loved my story. Only had that basic last edit to go through and then...a light bulb went off in my brain. 

Suddenly I knew.... I had to change something. Add some things,  remove others. Something deep inside clicked. 

So we'll have to see how long this will take. Advice from all the publishers and agents say "Polish, polish, polish." Make your manuscript shine before releasing it into the world. 

Alas, I see room for improvement. Hopefully by the next new moon, Threshold to Midnight will be ready to launch out into the world. 

Agent? Publisher? Or just list it on Amazon like the rest of my books and short stories. You can check the out here! 

Next Book in Edits

 My next book to be released, Threshold to Midnight, is in editing. 

How I feel now: 

Go Indie or Publishing House?

 Like the song says; You can buy your own Flowers. 

Yet still we hesitate. 

Agent - Publishing House - Indie

Okay, getting an agent who can give you a 3-book deal with a movie option would be a dream. The question is; How often does that happen? Really? 

A publishing house probably wants you to have a decent social media following. (Agents, too.)

 Indie? Enough if you want it bad enough. Amazon and Barnes & Noble can get your book out there but you better be prepared to advertise and share the heck out of it. Build a website, an author facebook/TikTok/BlueSky/Instagram... and whatever other platform comes up. Be social and let them love you back. That helps sell books. See what other authors do and steal some marketing ideas. 

 Publishing house? Check them out in every way possible. Make sure they're legit. There's a lot out there that just want you to pay them. I believe the first rule of "never paying to publish your book" still stands. Good publishing houses don't take your money, they help you make money and take a percentage of sales. If a publishing house asks for upfront money, they're a vanity press. Not exactly legit and will probably publish things without the best editing, which will kill your book in the long run. Unless you want to pay a good editor before going to the vanity press. But if you do that, why not just go full Indie? 

Back to agents? My dream was to get an agent to get me a big deal so I could just sit back and write more stories. Is that realistic? I'm sure agents make you work for it, too. 

Bottom line? Check it all out. Spend a day (a week? a month?) reading reviews on all the ways. Read agent reviews and pub house reviews, and find out what other authors whom you respect are doing. 

Homework makes the Dream work. 

5 Ways Not to Lose Your Story Ideas

 I'm driving to the day job, watching the road, thinking about the other drivers and the landscape around me. 

SUDDENLY! 

I've got a story idea. It's rolling around in my brain. Building up. Getting legs and growing. Yeah, I like this story idea. I want to run with it. 

However, I'm driving. Not able to write anything down without crashing my car. Options? Pull over somewhere and put notes in my phone or scratch it out on one of the ten a gas receipts flowing around in my console. Do I do this? Naw, I'll remember and take notes when I arrive at work. 

I pull into work and there goes my brain. I'm not even out of the car yet and my mind is thinking about workie things. Did I write this brilliant story idea down? No. Do I remember it hours later? No.

5 Ways Not to Lose Your Story Ideas

1. Always carry a notebook. These are easily purchased in any store (Dollar Store, too!) to keep in your purse or your car. Make sure there's a pen or pencil with your notebook. 
2. Notes on the phone. I use this feature for a lot of stuff. From work passwords to reminders and grocery lists. It's a quick easy place to write it down if you have no pen or paper. 
3. Learn to use the voice recording feature on your phone. I think that comes with every phone on the market now. On the iphone it's called Voice Memo. I moved this to the top of my aps so I can easily click it when needed. --> At the red light and never while driving. :)
4. If  unable to get it down any other way think of key words. Like building anything online a key word will help trigger your brain into remembering. Don't use generic words like rain or road. Think of something more story specific. If the story is about a woman who meets a prince that turns our to be a serial killer use something like killer prince. Story about aliens landing in a backyard of a hippy. Use alien hippy. Whatever is more exact but short. 
5. Repeat your plot/idea out loud over and over. Then again and again. Repetition is one way to memorize things. Saying it out loud helps cement it into your memory. 

Be Prepared and save those ideas! 

5 Steps to Complete NANOWRIMO

 

The challenge; Complete 50,000 words in the month of November.  Don't worry it can be done without panic. 

First: Check out all the good stuff on the official NANOWRIMO website; https://nanowrimo.org/ They've got lots of inspiration and things to get you writing. 

Second: Plot your NANO attack. I don't mean plot your novel but you can if you're a plotter (not a pantser?) I mean plot your work time. Think of your life and where you can get uninterrupted time to write.  I once got up a half hour early to win NANO. That book is now up on Amazon: Soul Mates A Different Kind of Love Story At that time in my life I was in work by 8:30 am so I got up at 6:30 am and wrote for a half hour to an hour depending on how the story was moving. But it was getting up at that hour that gave me time to dedicate to my goals. 

So plot out your writing time. Make it a time when you can have some uninterrupted writing time. I chose morning before the family woke up but if you're more of a night owl go for it. What's your perfect time?

Third: Assemble your space. There's nothing worse than having to get up and clear dishes or toys off your table before getting to work. Truthfully, that has tanked my writing sessions more often than not. Got a desk? A table you can squeeze into a corner or any place you get on your laptop, tablet or however you write and be set to go when you sit down. Make it yours, make it comfortable and make it a place you want to go. 

Fourth: Get down the bones. Write your story. Get up & go to your special place and write. Decide if you're a plotter or a pantser. This is probably something you already know if you're been writing a while but the one thing to know is you don't have to be exactly one or the other. You can combine it. 

I get an idea and first write the blurb of the idea. You know that first inkling of a story that comes to you? Not the whole story but maybe a bit of the direction you're going. The blurb is kind of like that thing on the back of the book or in the book description that gives you a bit of the bones of the story. It doesn't have to be a lot just enough for you. If you like to plot then write down that outline. You don't have to follow it but if it gets you going, then great. If not, then change it as you go. The writing rules at this point are your rules. 

Fifth: Tell people. Join a NANOWRIMO group in your area. Find other writers either in person or online for encouragement and to help keep the NANO alive in your vision. Life gets busy and sometimes our goals fall to the sidelines when that happens. Connecting with others with the same goal can keep you on track. 

GO NANO! You've got this!