Setting Goals

Setting goals and then achieving them can be one of life’s most difficult prospects.  I had plans to update this blog more regularly this month, so that’s one goal I will have missed.  It only means I will have to work harder next month.   The two major goals in life that I have already accomplished are earning a college degree and completing graduate school.  Other future goals I have for myself:  beginning my career; financial independence; and getting married.  I would also love to travel more.  I have found in the past that placing things on a timeline and expecting them to happen at certain intervals just doesn’t work for me.   It’s like buying something because you have the money for it—sometimes you take a step back and decide to put it off just in case.  Sometimes you miss your chance, but other times you avert potential disaster by being prepared for the future.  My writing doesn’t really follow specific time frames—it flows, I allow it to happen, and I usually wind up completing my work much quicker than expected.  This is an instance where setting goals, like writing one chapter a day, are merely building blocks to a larger process.

Currently listening to “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson

Neglect

I feel bad because I have been neglecting this blog!  I’ve been so busying with writing, and my summer reading, that I forget to type out thoughts here.   Anyway, writing is going very well—getting to 40,000 words won’t take long at all at the rate I am typing.  Even though I was worried about this novel, I am slowly finding my voice, and the voices of the characters.  Inspiration truly comes from the strangest places sometimes.  And as always, there’s a certain amount in the fiction that reflects my own personality, desires, and interests.

Currently listening to “Cheaper than Free” by Stevie Nicks

Stumbling Through Writer's Block

I've been known to dramatize things, turning minor events into life-altering situations with a simple turn of phrase.  So it should no surprise that, halfway through writing my third novel, I find a slight lack of inspiration to be disconcerting.  I'm writing this as we speak, maneuvering back and forth.  I tend to do multiple things at once—a manic kind of multitasking that I know isn't good for my brain!  At any rate, I am still looking at writing through different angles, drawing inspiration from any and all sources.   Ideas can come from unexpected places; notions can arrive from unknown recesses of the brain.   I find myself not as able to blog right now, either, but I’m trying.  Call it a summer dry spell. 

Currently listening to “Blue Moon with Heartache” by Rosanne Cash

Nose to the Grindstone

I am hard at work at my third novel, even though I promised myself I would take a sabbatical from writing. When the inspiration to write hits me, however, I have to start again.  It’s an interesting process thus far.  It’s a sequel to my first novel, Windswept, but I am working to cover different ground, to tell a story from a different angle.  I’ve explored a variety of subjects in my first two novels, things I had never really considered writing until, well, I wrote them.  So with that said, I’m still thinking about the different angles.  Many popular fiction authors will write upwards of 30 or more books during a career—how do you get to a point where everything is still unique,  and you aren’t just writing the same thing over and over again?  It requires a lot of creativity, a lot of effort on the part of the author.

Spelling Test

I may change my mind later, but so far my least favorite part of self-publishing has been self-editing.  Earning two college degrees, suffice it to say I spent a lot of time editing and perfecting my own work.  However, editing fiction seems to be a different animal entirely.  In reading fiction, the mind seems to fill in gaps and enhance the story--it's all about using your imagination.  So when I read, and then re-read, it seems as though my mind has skimmed over annoying little typos, and even more alarmingly, a missing word.  Someday I wouldn't mind having an editor peruse my work.  But for now, it reflects me and my quirks.

Twice as Nice

It's official--I'm a two-time author.  My book is up digitally and physically on Amazon and I am thrilled.  This has been a really interesting year so far.  When it began, I was not an author.  Now I am, a mere seven months into the year, the author of two whole books.  I've decided to stick with the author thing for as long as I possess the time and energy.  I would love to have, you know, a full-time job that pays the bills but as of today no one is interested in me.  Therefore, I'm gonna keep writing and blogging until my fingers fall off or the world gets tired of me, whichever comes first!
Kindle e-book:

http://www.amazon.com/Kentucky-Summer-ebook/dp/B008J1T3PA

Paperback:

http://www.amazon.com/Kentucky-Summer-Mr-Tommie-Conrad/dp/147819815X

Proof

Today the proof for my second novel arrived in the mail.  Again, I was overcome with a sense of joy.  The cover looked beautiful and the book is rather thick, much longer than I ever could have expected.  Anyway, the joy of accomplishment is hard to dim.  I find myself wondering, albeit hopefully, if I'll manage to write anything as compelling in the future, anything I will enjoy as much.  I'm well aware that I've been putting a lot of myself into my writing and sometimes I wonder if it's too much.  Then again, only a select few people could ever understand all of the little personality quirks and inside jokes littering the pages.  In some ways though, it is only appropriate--I'm writing a story that I would enjoy reading and if others enjoy it, that's fantastic, too.

Currently listening to "Play" by Rascal Flatts