- Submit 6 stories to Anthologies
- Get published 1 full length novel e-book
- Get one novella published
- Finish Blaze Rough Draft
- Become more confident in my work
- Write and/or finish two full length rough draft MS's
Friday, December 31, 2010
My Plan And why I've been Absent
I've been pretty late on posting this blog mostly because I've been wrestling with being sick in various crippling forms for a little over two weeks now. My holiday was a little less filled with joy than I would have liked. However, that didn't stop my post-Christmas wish from coming true. I was offered a short story contract by Ellora's Cave and I now have a kick ass editor and a fantastic publisher to call my own! I've been a lucky, lucky girl the end of this year. I'm really proud of what I've accomplished and that I've come so far with my work. So, on that good note, here's my to-do wish list for 2011:
Monday, December 20, 2010
My Procrastination Station
Sorry, I know I've been absent from the blog for a bit now lovely readers. It wasn't intentional by any means, time just kind of got away from me. I'm working on a lot of projects right now including my sixth round of edits and rewrites of Not So Pure. I've been trying to contract with a full length book for who knows how long now. But it will be done, my work ethic will make it so. I've gotten great advice from a lot of brilliant people, including my Ellora's Cave editor, so hopefully I can whip this baby into shape and you'll see her on e-book shelves soon.
As far as EC goes, I've been spending most of my time writing new things for my editor. I just finished the content edits for Party Games. After I get my line edits, I'll let you know my official release date. How cool is that? I get an official release date for EC! Still kinda in shock about all that. Good shock, but shock-y shock. Now, I just have to get my editor something else "crosses fingers"
Along with these developments I've sent out six short erotica submissions for antho calls since Jan 1st. So the list of calls on my wall has kept me just as busy as everything else. Right now I still have six more I'd like to write before May 1st. Busy, busy. I've managed to tack up a billboard of all my submission dates, story ideas I'm working on now, and story ideas I'll be working on after the next WIP is put to bed. So far the system seems to work better for me. Keeps the inner organizational crazy person happy and it keeps me motivated.
Anyway, figured an update was in order. Thanks for hanging in with me. I should be back to regular posting soon.
As far as EC goes, I've been spending most of my time writing new things for my editor. I just finished the content edits for Party Games. After I get my line edits, I'll let you know my official release date. How cool is that? I get an official release date for EC! Still kinda in shock about all that. Good shock, but shock-y shock. Now, I just have to get my editor something else "crosses fingers"
Along with these developments I've sent out six short erotica submissions for antho calls since Jan 1st. So the list of calls on my wall has kept me just as busy as everything else. Right now I still have six more I'd like to write before May 1st. Busy, busy. I've managed to tack up a billboard of all my submission dates, story ideas I'm working on now, and story ideas I'll be working on after the next WIP is put to bed. So far the system seems to work better for me. Keeps the inner organizational crazy person happy and it keeps me motivated.
Anyway, figured an update was in order. Thanks for hanging in with me. I should be back to regular posting soon.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Celebration Giveaway
I finally loaded Thumbtacks, my naughty lesbian corporate office story onto Smashwords for use in all e-book formats. To celebrate, until December 16th, readers can get my e-book FREE by typing in the coupon code VE99Q at checkout. What was once a .99 cent purchase is free for a limited time. Who doesn't like free stuff?
Me? I'm just happy I made it through Smashwords infamous meat grinder system with all my limbs!
Here's the blurb:
Tyler and Brie share a quirky fetish--office supplies. Unable to embrace their mutual needs and desires in a work environment, the women have been meeting in secret every week to troll the local office supply store for a little foreplay. But now it's no longer enough. What follows is a torrid session in office politics that could get them fired--and laid
Me? I'm just happy I made it through Smashwords infamous meat grinder system with all my limbs!
Here's the blurb:
Tyler and Brie share a quirky fetish--office supplies. Unable to embrace their mutual needs and desires in a work environment, the women have been meeting in secret every week to troll the local office supply store for a little foreplay. But now it's no longer enough. What follows is a torrid session in office politics that could get them fired--and laid
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Way I Feel...
When browsing in a bookstore:
Euphoric and like a little kid all at once---full of wonder. For the first five to ten minutes in a bookstore I always spend my time just glancing around at all the pretty covers and stroking--yeah, I stroke--the new books. Sometimes I have to smell them too. Don't you judge me. Then I get a little giddy when I find authors I know. Then the reorganizing starts.
When forced to make an outline:
My brain starts getting really frazzled and shoots tons of ideas into my fingers and then my hand can't keep up but I'm so pessimistic about the outline in the first place that I want to destroy every word that my pen can get out. Then I stress that it should be better, faster, stronger. A slow boil of panic followed by lots of tea. But then I start writing and tell myself to shut up.
When waiting on submission:
This is the worst feeling ever. I go from pride because I actually had the nerve to sub something again even though I just got a million R's for the last submission to wondering why I subbed in the first place because it will only add to my pile of mighty R's. Sometimes a blinding, shining hope shows up and blows everything else away for a few hours. But don't worry, that doesn't last long.
When finding a new book by a new author:
If I've stumbled on a new series and I'm ripping through it like a werewolf through chains, well, I'm a happy little writer. I want to buy everything they've ever done that very second. Yay for the power of a back list. When I can't afford it or there isn't anything left for my brain to consume from their back list I kinda get the shakes and start working around the house like a chicken with it's head cut off. And then I repress the need to pull comparisons between me and this other, magical, god/goddess writer. Then I tell myself to shut up again. I do that a lot.
When the writing's going well:
On the somewhat rare days when this happens it's like I don't even have to think. My brain can be somewhere else while my fingers fly across the keyboard and my heart pounds until I'm afraid it'll break my ribcage. The two main reasons I'll stop are for TV and food. In that order. Nothing can go wrong on these days and somewhere towards the middle I start to get really, really tired. But I just drink more tea and ignore it.
When it isn't:
Oh, these days are not few and far between. These are the days when pressure builds inside my chest until I think I might explode from the inside. I can't help over analyzing every bump and hiccup along my journey. Much procrastination is had until, eventually, I get a solid page and I won't allow myself to stop once this goal is reached. Every word is agony but at the end of the day I can come up with some of my best work. Until about three hours later when I review it and decide it's all crap. But there's a little self satisfaction there somewhere.
Why I do it:
I don't know how to answer this question. But I love my job. Otherwise I would have picked a new one already.
Euphoric and like a little kid all at once---full of wonder. For the first five to ten minutes in a bookstore I always spend my time just glancing around at all the pretty covers and stroking--yeah, I stroke--the new books. Sometimes I have to smell them too. Don't you judge me. Then I get a little giddy when I find authors I know. Then the reorganizing starts.
When forced to make an outline:
My brain starts getting really frazzled and shoots tons of ideas into my fingers and then my hand can't keep up but I'm so pessimistic about the outline in the first place that I want to destroy every word that my pen can get out. Then I stress that it should be better, faster, stronger. A slow boil of panic followed by lots of tea. But then I start writing and tell myself to shut up.
When waiting on submission:
This is the worst feeling ever. I go from pride because I actually had the nerve to sub something again even though I just got a million R's for the last submission to wondering why I subbed in the first place because it will only add to my pile of mighty R's. Sometimes a blinding, shining hope shows up and blows everything else away for a few hours. But don't worry, that doesn't last long.
When finding a new book by a new author:
If I've stumbled on a new series and I'm ripping through it like a werewolf through chains, well, I'm a happy little writer. I want to buy everything they've ever done that very second. Yay for the power of a back list. When I can't afford it or there isn't anything left for my brain to consume from their back list I kinda get the shakes and start working around the house like a chicken with it's head cut off. And then I repress the need to pull comparisons between me and this other, magical, god/goddess writer. Then I tell myself to shut up again. I do that a lot.
When the writing's going well:
On the somewhat rare days when this happens it's like I don't even have to think. My brain can be somewhere else while my fingers fly across the keyboard and my heart pounds until I'm afraid it'll break my ribcage. The two main reasons I'll stop are for TV and food. In that order. Nothing can go wrong on these days and somewhere towards the middle I start to get really, really tired. But I just drink more tea and ignore it.
When it isn't:
Oh, these days are not few and far between. These are the days when pressure builds inside my chest until I think I might explode from the inside. I can't help over analyzing every bump and hiccup along my journey. Much procrastination is had until, eventually, I get a solid page and I won't allow myself to stop once this goal is reached. Every word is agony but at the end of the day I can come up with some of my best work. Until about three hours later when I review it and decide it's all crap. But there's a little self satisfaction there somewhere.
Why I do it:
I don't know how to answer this question. But I love my job. Otherwise I would have picked a new one already.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Secretly, I'm a Workaholic
So, I have this cycle. It goes thus:
- Pressure myself with looming deadlines, fear that I'll get nowhere next year, and latch onto the need to preserve no matter what including crippling fear
- Panic and write like the wind
- Wait a week where I bite my nails, tell myself not to look, start like five other projects, and wait to edit WIP
- Edit WIP and immediately think nothing is good enough, it all needs to go in the trash NOW
- Send to CP's and Beta's
- Work like the wind the minute I get back all my edits from other people.
- Try to fight said edits because WIP is now my child, I can't change my child!
- Freak myself out into a frenzy until I'm forced to do every edit
- Start panicking that I won't meet my deadlines---must go faster! Nothing is ever fast enough!
- Submit. Let the pessimism that I won't ever get into anything wash over me for a few days.
- Feel unwavering hope that maybe, just maybe, this will work! I will get accepted!
- Start from 1 all over again, rinse, and repeat.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Revise and Resubmit: To Rejoice or Rip Out Your Hair
I'm pushing off a few submissions I wanted to do this month in order to do my first full novel rewrite for a revise and resubmit. I've gotten some of the best advice from my mentor on how to go about doing it and how to emotionally handle ripping apart what feels like my child---but when it comes down to it there's nothing left for it but to start writing it, right? And yet, nothing.
What am I afraid of? Probably a typical fear of many writers, re-writing a whole book from scratch. That it'll be worse than the first one---that I can't quite make it better, sexier, stronger than my first love of an MS that took me a year to write and polish at least five times.But this is when I have to put on my big girl panties and suck it up. I know it's only my perfectionist standards getting in the way combined with my need to please everyone right off the bat---including editors that had supremely nice, but semi-vague things to say in their email.
I'm such a fun mix of stubbornness, go-get-em attitude, and scared little girl throwing myself out into this big hurricane of a writing world and hoping the Wicked Witch of the West will start singing songs from Wicked instead of trying to kill me.
What am I afraid of? Probably a typical fear of many writers, re-writing a whole book from scratch. That it'll be worse than the first one---that I can't quite make it better, sexier, stronger than my first love of an MS that took me a year to write and polish at least five times.But this is when I have to put on my big girl panties and suck it up. I know it's only my perfectionist standards getting in the way combined with my need to please everyone right off the bat---including editors that had supremely nice, but semi-vague things to say in their email.
I'm such a fun mix of stubbornness, go-get-em attitude, and scared little girl throwing myself out into this big hurricane of a writing world and hoping the Wicked Witch of the West will start singing songs from Wicked instead of trying to kill me.
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