Mission Completed: Camp NaNoWriMo

Last month, I decided to take part in Camp NaNoWriMo for the first time.  It was an exhausting endeavour but it was made easier by my "cabin" of fellow writers who, despite being complete strangers, encouraged each other to meet their targets.

With a mighty last minute push, I managed to meet my personal target of 30,000 words.  Quite the accomplishment with the usual work and family life juggling that usually makes my monthly word count a third or less than that.

For me, Camp NaNoWriMo was completely worth it and would have been useful even if I hadn't made my goal at the very last moment (too late, it turned out, to even remember to validate my winner status).  While I didn't meet my secondary goal of finishing one or more of my current romance works-in-progress, I made some major strides in several of them and I edited what I have completed so far of another project so I can (almost) jump back into that when I'm ready.

I would recommend Camp NaNoWriMo to every writer because you can set your own goals and, more importantly, focus on your writing.  Too many distractions in too many months (and days) can lead to you forgetting what you love about writing (or simply just how much you love it) and the camp brings that back to the forefront.

See you at the next Camp in July!

Doing the Camp NaNoWriMo Writing Challenge

This month, I embark on my second NaNoWriMo enterprise.  NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month, which is actually in November every year.  The original event is held with the goal of reaching fifty thousand words, or completing the equivalent of an entire novel.

I successfully completed the 2012 NaNoWriMo challenge but did not actually complete the book I was writing.  It was about zombies.

In April and July, the NaNo group offers a "camp" where you can join to write a self-determined amount of words.  This year, for the first time, I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo with the goal of finishing (or at least getting substantially on the way towards finishing) several of my works in progress, which are all romances.  My goal is thirty thousand words towards this worthy, if somewhat amorphous, accomplishment.  I kid myself that my publishers are eagerly awaiting these works but really, in the world of writing, you are your first (and often only) motivator.  So I am writing these romances for myself.  And sometimes I go a little too easy on myself, which is why I need the kick in the pants that NaNo offers.

Unique to the Camp NaNo experience is the opportunity to join a "cabin" with other writers.  You can talk to them and encourage them on their way.

I'm excited to be into my second week of Camp and so far I am on target.  Fingers crossed for a successful finish.

Committing to a Story

Two months ago, I made a stupid promise.  I responded to a query from my publisher to submit an erotic romance story to a recent submission call by saying "yes", I would write a story to fit their guidelines.  That meant agreeing to write at least 10,000 words (and as much as 15,000) in a month.  Was this promise feasible?  Yes.  Was it wise?  Probably not.

You see, having published with this romance publisher many times before, I had already seen this specific submission call, thought about the theme and decided not to submit a story.  You read that right.  I decided against it.

I had many reasons not to write a piece for this call.  First of all, I have published in several of their anthologies and thought it might not be wise to submit to too many, which might lead to a de facto rejection simply based on volume.  Another thing, I wasn't too sure what the theme meant and hadn't written a lot of stories in this vein.  So, unfamiliar territory.

Of course, as always, there are other calls on my time.  I am currently in the middle of about a dozen erotic romance stories, many of which are clamouring to be finished.  (Yes, I can hear them clamour).  Plus, between work, family, and school, I already have plenty of deadlines I may or may not meet.  I didn't need another one to add to my list.

So why did I agree to write this story?

The personal query flattered me.  I write ménage erotic romances (among other kinds) and the idea that my editor would have thought of my other stories while reviewing this submission call made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Pandering to my ego works, people!

I agreed to submit a story, worked my ass off for weeks to draft and edit it, and finally submitted it in early October.  A few weeks later, I got the news that my story was accepted for the anthology!  Yay!

Bottom line: I stretched myself thin to write this story.  I think it's a pretty good one, with a non-hero character I might end up using in a future tale.  Because I tend to write according to mood, I often didn't feel like writing this story, but in the end I finished it and it turned out well.

Don't believe what people tell you.  Writing is hard work.  It isn't always up to your inclination what you write about.  It was worth more to me to please my publisher, to push aside my other projects, and to finish this story.  I gave up something to gain something.

When you commit to a story, what do you give up?  What do you gain?

Bad Romance (Reviews)

I have to admit that the bad reviews get me down.  Most of them are tinged with back-handed compliments (good sex, okay story).  Others are just all out bad (although I take mean spirited pleasure in noting that these are the ones that also tend to be poorly spelled).

I enjoy a good review.  The meaning of a good review has changed in recent months.

When I read a book and provide a review on Goodreads, I tend to simplify the experience.  If I liked the book, I give it a four star review.  If I loved it, five stars.  Two or less stars means I really didn't care for it.  One star pretty much means I didn't finish it, which is exceedingly rare.

Perhaps I am a generous reviewer.  I don't mind.  I realized long ago that I can love an infinite number (and variety) of books.  My all time favourite books I tend to read and re-read regularly.  They're like old friends.  And you can't have enough friends.

So, back to my reviews.  I know now that not everyone shares my view on books.  Some reviewers never seem to hand out five stars.  Others have their grading curves hovering around three instead of four or five like me.  People are different.  My idea of being a book lover is being fairly uncritical.  If the book made me feel strongly, I usually love it.  Even if it makes me sad.  Especially if it makes me sad.  That's the power of a book.  They don't all have to evoke the same emotions or tell the same type of story.  Imagine if all books did.  What horror.

People like your writing or they don't.  Not exactly stunning wisdom but the truth.  Everyone reads, and reviews, in different ways.

I can write good sex scenes.  I'll take it.  I write erotic romance so giving good sex scenes is a crucial part of my craft.  But I also want to tell a good story so I do read the negative reviews and try to see where I can improve.

Do I give the bad reviews too much power?  Perhaps?  They get me down.  At least now they get me down for a few minutes when, in the beginning, I would worry about them for days.

The good reviews outweigh the bad ones, both in number and in effect.  I want people to read my stories and feel something.  Hopefully, something sexy.

99 Problems (with Writing): Too Busy to Write

We all know that old excuse.  Come on, say it together now...but I'm too busy to write!

Yeah, right.

I know, I don't like hearing it either.  I AM busy.  I swear it.  But so are most of us.  We're busy, yes, but not too busy for some things.  Like our families.  Like our jobs.  Like eating and sleeping (mostly) and online shopping.

So the problem isn't really that we're too busy, full stop.  It's that we're too busy to write.  Too busy to carve out the time to do something that we all really love doing (or else why would you be reading my blog about writing, right?)

I love writing.  I really do.  I love the high you get as you watch the words tumble onto the page.  I love the struggle of finding the right word or phrase or description.  And I am in love with the sense of accomplishment you get from just having finished writing a few pages or even just a few lines.

So why do I (and here I mean all of us writers) sometimes put writing at the bottom of our list of priorities?

Because, deep down, we don't see writing as being as important as our jobs or our families (we're right here) or our sleep or our online shopping (or t.v. watching or whatever else we do to relax after a day of working etc.

THAT'S the real problem.

Don't get me wrong.  I am a firm believer in t.v. watching (particularly if that t.v. is The Walking Dead, in which case it isn't actually relaxing to watch at all).

Yes, I'm busy...with a fairly high stress day job, my lovely family, two volunteer positions and the myriad other activities that give my life purpose and meaning.  But so does writing give my life purpose and meaning...and joy and a creative outlet...need I go on?

We all love to write.  In most of our cases, we need to write, the same way we need to eat and sleep and work.  So trying waking up a half hour early and writing.  Or carving out a half hour between sitcoms to write.  Or taking a writing break instead of a lunch break at work (bring your own laptop for this purpose).

You're busy.  But you're not TOO busy to write.  Not if you really love it.

New Year...Same Resolutions

Last year, I wrote about tackling the same resolutions as the year before.  And this year...well, same thing.

Don't mess with a winning formula, right?

That isn't to say that I met my goals last year.  I didn't.  Not by a long shot.  I wanted to write more, blog more and send out submissions.  I wrote a lot.  I blogged a little.  I sent out even fewer submissions.

But end result?  I published more.  I got more of my erotic romance stories published in 2013 than 2012.  And I hope that 2014 will offer more opportunities.  At this point, I already have four stories scheduled for publication in 2014 (one is due out in a few days, my first with Ellora's Cave) and that's not too shabby.

I set huge goals.  I wanted to send out 100 submissions last year and I ended up doing about ten percent of that.  But I like making the big goals and I really like striving for them.  Every time I chalked up a submission, I rejoiced--and that feeling was worth it.

So strive for the big goals this year.  You might just make it.  And if you fail, well, you'll have failed trying.

Saying No to NaNoWriMo

Excuses.

I've got a lot of them.

But at no other time of the year do they become as important as November, when it feels as though the entire world is getting their crap together and participating in NaNoWriMo.

This year, I am not doing NaNoWriMo.  And, of course, I have many reasons not to, not least of which is that I was successful in "winning" at NaNoWriMo last year.  Really.  I even have the badge to prove it.

So here are my excuses, in no particular order (feel free to use any of these when you need a handy, all-purpose excuse):

• I'm too busy with work
• I'm too busy with school (I'm currently doing my Masters on a part-time basis)
• the weather is lousy (I live in Canada, which is not part of the excuse but more of an explanation of the weather)
• I can't pick just one writing project to concentrate on
• I've already started writing all the projects I want to for now (NaNoWriMo requires all the writing to be done from scratch, outlining is okay but not prior writing)
• the stories I'm writing (and publishing) are shorter than the 50,000 word target needed to "win" at NaNoWriMo
• I already keep track of how much I write and I write a decent amount
• I'm too tired/ lazy/ bored/ hungry

You get the picture.  Nature may abhor a vacuum but I can fill it with as many excuses as you could possibly want.

Bottom line: I just didn't want to do it this year.  Granted, I did make a belated attempt to start on November 5th but when I realized that it was already November 5th, for Pete's sake, I correctly gave up.  One of my tips from last year's successful NaNoWriMo attempt was to start off strong, a piece of advice that actually arose from my failure to do this the last time.

I'm still working on my novel started during last year's NaNoWriMo.  This year, during November, I am hoping to edit another novel manuscript that I shelved many months ago.  As you may notice, I don't suffer from a lack of productivity.  I just don't do very well with self-edits, queries and the rest of the process.  I'm working on it.  I promise.

So this year, I'm sitting out NaNoWriMo while the rest of you creative your Great Canadian Novels.  Don't worry, I'll be back next year.

It's Never Too Late

It's never too late to be who you might have been - George Eliot

Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss are two of my favourite classic works of literature.  And Mary Anne Evans was brilliant in other ways as well.

Her quote above is constantly inspiring me.

You see, I've been writing for a long time.  Seriously, for most of that time.  I've only just started getting published in the past couple of years.  My goals are simple: every year, I publish more.

Will I ever become a great writer, like Ms. Evans?  Perhaps.  Perhaps not.  But I keep trying.  That's the only way to become who I might be.

Happy New Year!

Another year over...and a new one just begun - John Lennon

Yes, it is 2013, already.  Yikes!  To show you how unprepared I was for the new year, I spent time on the first morning of the year printing a calendar.  Even though, according to my family, I ought to have known the year was coming.  Let's just say I hadn't completely written off the idea of a Mayan apocalypse.

But, having survived to see a new year, I am left with the task of deciding on my new year's writing resolutions.  Again.

See, last year, I was ambitious.  Some may say, too ambitions.  I set out a series of writing resolutions and I charted my progress throughout the beginning of 2012.

Okay, so I did one progress report on my resolutions last year...and that was in January.  Anecdoctal evidence suggests that I am in the majority.  Most people do seem to forget about their new year's resolutions very early on.

So why I am making new resolutions?  Because I am ambitious.  I want to be the best writer I can be and I want to try to show the world some of my writing.  But more than that, I know myself, and I feel better about me when I write and send out submissions.  If you write, you probably feel the exact same way.

So what are my resolutions for 2013?  Write more.  Blog more.  Send out more submissions.  That's all.

Good luck to you and me!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Winning at Writing

Last month, I took part in the National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo, a writing challenge that encourages everyone with a book in them to write 50,000 words in the month of November.

And I won!

As it turns out, November was an incredibly busy month for me.  I was involved in several volunteer projects, which included attending meetings, leading to two whole days of zero writing. Some days, hitting the computer seemed like the hardest thing in the world.

I got off to a good start in the challenge by keeping pace with the 1,667 words I needed to write on a daily basis.  However, on Day 11, I hit a roadblock.  I wrote nothing for the next few days, then wrote a little, then again nothing for a while.

The thing about this challenge is that a month isn't enough time to procrastinate--at least, not to procrastinate well.

I realized that the worst move I could make was to fall behind in the first days of NaNoWriMo.  In the last few weeks, I had to write my butt off, putting in at least 2,000 words every day, whether I wanted to or not.  Without this last minute push, I would have never finished on time.

Tip: Have a viable story idea in your back pocket.  When I first ran out of writing juice, it was because my idea had run its course.  I didn't know where else to take my heroine.  That was the point at which having a story outline or even a few plot points jotted down would have come in really handy.

So, in reality, the days I spent not writing were spent trying to work out where I was going.  It was time well spent, but it was time I could have put aside in October, before I was faced with a crunch deadline.

In all, NaNoWriMo was a great experience.  I got to spend more time with my writing than ever before and I was happy producing so many pages, even if after 50,000 words, my novel is nowhere near finished.  Plus, winning was a real rush!

But, next year, I will definitely outline my novel in advance.

Save Your Inspiration For When You Need It

Like most people, I subscribe to a bunch of email newsletters and publications.  Many of these are writing-related.

And, also like most people, I don't usually have the time to read even a fraction of the emails I receive during that same day (or week, or month).  Usually, I just skim the subject line and sender field and decide if it needs my immediate attention (usually career or publisher-related) or sometime soon attention (friends) or if it can wait.  Indefinitely.

Lots of the writing emails I get are interesting and informative (or I wouldn't subscribe to them).  I get a bunch of different emails from Writer's Digest, literary journals like Kenyon Review, which has great suggestions on what books to put into my To Be Read pile, and blogs like the Quick Brown Fox.

I hate having more than a hundred emails in my Inbox so I am pretty obsessive about deleting old ones. I get happy when I have lots of "trash" to take out.

So what do I do with these emails that I don't have the time to read but eventually want to read?

I bookmark them and save them for when I need a shot of quick writing inspiration.

This usually means saving them in my Favourites tab under the heading of Writing (of course) and coming back to the first one on my list when I sit down to write but find that I can't get any words out.  Reading about writing usually gets my fingers moving and these articles I save usually have side notes about published authors and how they got their start.  What better inspiration is there than that?

So, try doing what I do and saving your writing inspiration for when you need it.  Rather than trolling the internet for a quick boost of motivation (and getting sidetracked by a new online game), go to your saved writing favourites and get into the mood.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Nan-NoWriMo!

A big hello to everyone out there in the blogosphere (this is the first time I have ever used that word and I think I already hate it)!

If you don't hear from me much in November, it's because I'm taking part in the National Novel Writing Month challenge, or NaNoWriMo for short.  Yes, this is my first time.  Be gentle.  And, if you're a user, check out my NaNo profile.

Happy NaNoWri-Month!

(Oh, and I'm calling my writing month Nan-NoWriMo, because I'm that much of a nerd!)

Success and Failure

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. – Winston Churchill

Today, I was toting up my writing career.  To date, I've published two erotic romance short stories/ novellas and I have a full length contemporary novel forthcoming in January 2013.

Not too shabby, right?

Well, I've been writing romances for about fifteen years.  Yes, you read that right.  Fifteen...years.

I've completed about a dozen full manuscripts and have countless short stories, chapters, first pages and scraps written.  Again, not too bad, right?

In my sums today, I realized that I have sent out each of these manuscripts at least two or three times to publishers.  I've spent a fortune on ink, paper and stamps.  So far, I've had the three publications I mention above.

That's a lot of failure.

Fifteen years of trying and three publications.  Is it worth it?  Yes!

Seeing my work in print (okay, e-print) ranked right up there with one of the best feelings ever.  And you know what, without sending out my work over and over, I would have never gotten here.

So, a la Alanis Morrisette, thank you Failure.  Without you, I wouldn't have achieved success.

How to Handle Competing Priorities

Like most women, I have about a dozen "to do's" on my list every day.  Heck, every hour.  Work, family, writing, friends, volunteer work, they all pile up every day and every day I must attack the pile.

Lately, we've heard that multitasking doesn't work, but we still do it, don't we?  Right now, I've got my smartphone beside me as I type this out and I have several windows open on my browser, all touching on different topics and all waiting for my attention.

In my writing life, I have second edits due back to my publisher next week, I have an entire novel I'm trying to write by mid-month, I have a submission I have to send off to my writing group which meets this weekend, and I want to read entries for the So You Think You Can Write contest.  Oh, and this blog post.  Does that sound like enough yet?

I can't do everything at once -- nor do I want to -- so how do I handle it?

Set Time Frames

Most of the writing tasks I have to accomplish will take an extended period of time.  Some have concrete deadlines (like my edits), while others don't.

Make a list -- mentally is okay -- of the tasks and how long you estimate they will take to complete, or, if they have a deadline, when it is due.

The Snowflake Method

The snowflake method is a debt reduction strategy I recently read about where you pay the minimum balances on all of your outstanding debts, but you pay off your smallest debt first by putting all of your available funds into that payment, then when that's paid off, you roll the extra payments into your next smallest debt and so on until you've paid them all off.  The idea is to promote a sense of accomplishment as you see your number of debts be reduced.  Another version has you paying off your highest interest rate debts first.

If any of your tasks can be completed in a short time, say less than fifteen minutes, do it first.  Do it now.  So, I would finish this blog first then I would send off my chapters to my writing group.

Set Mini Deadlines

After I've tackled the tasks that can be completed quickly, I move on to my larger ones.  These are high priority tasks that need to be completed by certain deadlines.

The edits will take a few days and I have about a week on hand.  I set out a block of time in my schedule -- the weekend should be okay -- to complete them.  That's my deadline before the deadline, which gives me time to catch up in case I fall behind.

Writing the novel is another larger task and I know I have to dedicate more time to it, but at this point I'm not sure how much time I will have on hand.  So I set a different kind of goal.  Every day from now until I decide that I need to have my first draft completed, I will write X number of pages a day.

In between all of these other tasks, I will be reading entries to the contest...such as when I need a mental break from writing or editing.

This may not be the best way to balance all of the millions of things that come up every day but it is a guideline and I always feel better with a plan in hand.  Try it and see if it works for you.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Vote for my Romance: The Dating Lesson

The voting portion of the So You Think You Can Write contest is now open!

Vote for my Harlequin Romance, The Dating Lesson.

Just a word of warning, the voting works differently than in past years for this contest.  Instead of rating each entry as you read them, you can now only vote for your favourite -- one per day.  Trust me, I learned the hard way and voted for an entry that did not really impress me.  Oh well, tomorrow is another voting day.

Major Editing: Read As A Reader

I recently received major edits back for my upcoming romance release with Crimson Romance.  Although I have published erotic romance stories before, I have never edited a full length manuscript.  It was an experience.

Give It Time

Usually, my first and best piece of advice for editing is to give your work some time to breathe.  Like a fine wine, you need to let it rest, undisturbed, for a period of time to allow the full flavours to develop.  And to try to ensure that you no longer are 'in love' with every single letter you've written.

Of course, in this instance, I'm assuming that you haven't seen or heard from your manuscript in weeks, even months -- that's the time in takes to hear back from the publisher, to sign the contract, and to wait for the first edits to come to you.

So, step one -- done.

Read As A Reader

My first tip, and the method I used for this edit as well as for unpublished manuscripts, is to read over the entire piece once.

The way I do this is to print out the entire manuscript.  Yes, onto real paper.

Sure, maybe you read faster off of the computer screen and you really hate killing trees, but the point of this part of the process is to experience your book as a reader would.  An old-fashioned, Kindle-free, reader.  Trust me, if you've written your book on computer (which we all do nowadays), having a physical copy in your hand will immediately distance yourself from the writing process, giving you a precious bit of objectivity.  Hint: this will come in very handy during major edits.

Don't Pick Up That Pen!

While you're reading your work, don't make a single mark on those pages.  You are trying to recreate the reading experience, how an eventual purchaser of your book will see it.  And, in another sense, you're trying to see your work through the eyes of the editor.  You've already seen their comments and, chances are, they will be on the pages you have printed as well.

Read the comments.  Keep the tips in mind.  But don't make any changes yet.  Not even correcting the typos.

The point of this exercise is, one, to see your book from different eyes, and also, two, to put into your subconscious what needs to be changed.

Now that you have your editor's feedback, it will be lodged in your brain as you read through your book this time.  You will likely see why they made the comments and suggestions they did.  Or, if you don't quite see their point, you can at least look at your work as objectively as possible and see their argument, as well as formulate your own -- if you need it later.

Now that your work is back at the forefront of your mind, along with the comments from your editor, it is time to go to work.

First Chapter of The Dating Lesson Now Available!

I've done it!

I just submitted my first chapter of a Harlequin Romance to the So You Think You Can Write Contest.

Read my first chapter of The Dating Lesson! And remember to vote for my entry beginning October 2.

Good luck to my fellow writers who have taking the plunge and submitted to the contest.  Fingers crossed for us all :)

So You Think You Can Write Contest

Once again, Harlequin is holding it's So You Think You Can Write (love the name!) contest, seeking new romance authors for the chance to win publication of their work.

I am a lifelong fan of Harlequin/ Mills & Boon (my mother apparently read nothing else when I was in utero...so it must be an inherited trait) and I love the idea of seeking unknowns to become the next published author in their line up.

Please, try putting up your first chapter in the last week of September--the contest opens on the 23rd--and join me in the nail biting.  You know I will be working on my first chapter in the weeks to come.

The Editing Process: Give It Time

Over the past few weeks, I've been editing a manuscript that has been sitting idle for the past year.  Yes, you heard that right.  One whole year...that's how long I've been procrastinating on this process.

Why?  Well, let's say that editing takes a lot out of me.  It's a different story when I get back notes and suggestions from the editor at a publisher, as I have done with my first two erotic romances.  Then, I've been able to step back and neutrally assess the suggestions and I have generally found them to be right on the dot.

But editing myself is a whole different endeavour.  Let's face it, we think what we write is pretty darn good.  Not stellar, perhaps, but usually passable.  Right after I've written something, I might indeed think it is stellar.

What's the solution to being unable to see your own flaws and mistakes?  Like good wine, a story needs time to mature.

After some time (many experts suggest a month or so but I don't think anyone has ever suggested a whole year), you gain perspective on your writing.  The key first step to editing a manuscript is being able to read the piece again as a reader.  Very difficult, if you've written the thing!

After a year languishing in my computer, my manuscript has seemed like a new novel.  I don't remember most of what I wrote and I certainly didn't remember the plot details, which I am now scrutinizing very closely (and finding holes!).  Reading my manuscript after that gap of time has allowed me to gain precious objectivity which I would not have possessed had I started editing it immediately, or perhaps even the usual month later.

Most writers don't have the leisure of a year to park a story.  Deadlines and other pressing matters force them to pick it back up quickly.  I suggest giving yourself as much time as you can to be away from your writing.  Take a break.  Start on your next piece.  Let your story breathe a little.

Just Joined Tumblr!

Hey all, I've just leapt into the future (that is, a few years ago) and joined Tumblr.

Check me out and, apparently, ask me anything: here!