writing – Page 19 – anywhere is….

Word Counts & Goal

21 January 2006 / writing

January Goal:

16,022 / 15,000
(106.8%)

Overall Goal:

16,022 / 50,000
(32.0%)

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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I Need More Writing Time

20 January 2006 / life, mommyhood, writing

Anyone have any suggestions?

It’s getting to the point where the only interrupted and peaceful time I have is like … NOW and I can’t take it because I have to be up for work in six hours, and work (not counting the commute) means at least eight hours of writing time gone every day. In addition to that:

– Aidan stays up later and later;
– Chris comes home and spends all his time doing other stuff which leaves ME to entertain Aidan all evening;
– Traffic seems to be taking longer and longer to get through every day (and I use BACK ROADS);
– The house NEVER stays clean for longer than an hour after I get done picking up;
– Life, obligations, friends, family, church stuff…all that jazz.

Does anyone have any suggestions???? I feel like I’m part of a losing battle here.

When I wrote ONLY YOURS, I didn’t drive yet, so I had to wait for Chris to get me after work, which meant an extra 90 minutes at my desk everyday. As I wasn’t getting paid for it, I used to time to write. Aidan also had a decent bedtime–he’d go down about 9 or 10. Now, it’s more like midnight or one, later if he can help it. He fights it so much and I’m the enforcer. With me being a night owl, it’s hard to get him to sleep when that’s the last thing on MY mind.

Now, it’s HARD to find time, it truly is. And guess what? I have a cough, a scratchy throat, and probably a fever. Guess who is tempted to stay home tomorrow/today? But it’s not as if I’ll get writing done…Chris won’t take Aidan to be watched if I am home sick. :[

If I ever sell a book and make loads of money, I am SO hiring a nanny.

(In the meantime, thank goodness for legal pads and little note pads. At least I can jot things down, even if I can’t seem to find the time to put them into fruition ever.)

P.S. Aidan is still awake. So much for my peaceful, uninterrupted late night time. Anyone have any advice on getting headstrong/nightowl/three-year olds to bed before 2am???!??!?!?!!?!?

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

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It’s Fate!

18 January 2006 / writing

Mandy (mandywriter) and I came up with this:

You know you’re a writer when…

…your friends invite you to parties, and you think “Crap. How am I going to get in some computer time amidst all this?”

…when you’re having a conversation with someone, you make note of some of their quotes to use in future novels.

…it pisses you off when you buy a book and it totally sucks, and all you can think is “I write better than this.”

…you know the difference between Chick-Lit, Hen-Lit, Lad-Lit, and Mommy-Lit.

…you have more critique partners than real-life friends.

…you go up to a shelf in a bookstore and make room for the place your book is going to be.

…you read Miss Snark.

…while buying a book, you brag to the cashier at a bookstore about how you know the writer, because she’s your critique partner or she has the same agent, or you once emailed her five months ago.

…you know what a synopsis is, and how much writing one sucks.

…your spouse knows the names of all your characters, because you talk about them like they’re real people.

…your spouse knows what said characters would do when confronted with a moral crisis.

…the words PROPOSAL, ADVANCE, and QUERY mean something to you.

…you have a thumb drive, a CD burner, a stack of 3.5 inch floppies, and an email address… all devoted to backing up your stories.

…you speak of your favorite author as if s/he is an A-list movie star.

…you’re more excited about an autographed book than your anniversary, which you’re skipping to stand in line at a book convention.

…you have regular breakdowns regarding the quality of your work and the futility of an actual career.

…you routinely post on your LJ that you’re a total hack and no one will ever buy your book.

…the next day, you tell everyone how amazing your book is, and how well things are going.

…when you finally sign with an agent/sell a book, the first place you go is to your LJ to share the news.

…you know what NaNoWriMo is.

…you attempt NaNoWriMo.

…and you post word count meters on your LJ.

…no matter what happens, no matter how many rejections you get, how many breakdowns you have, you cannot stop writing. It’s a part of your soul, your life. A part of you.

Happy Writing, everyone!