Loved this!

I've been trying to find fun and informative blogs to follow, mainly blogs that talk about writing. I hope to do some cyber networking too. I came across this one particular blog a little while back....Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and I really really love what they have to say. This recent post rings so true for me!!!

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/top-five-things-you-didnt-know-about-romance-readers-and-watchung-books/

It is about romance readers, but I'd say it's pretty much covers romance writers as well.

New queries, new rejection

Sent some new quesries today. These were for my children's book/series idea. It was something that's been floating in my head for a few years and finally I wrote it out and wrote up a query/proposal. It sat in my computer for a few months and today I decided to send it out. 17 letters I emailed today I think. 3 rejections so far. I'm not heart broken about it and I'm not expecting anything at all. Children's writing is a whole new thing for me.

I also sent the submission for my novelette. That one I am anxious to hear back about. But that could take a while. I think they say it could take 3 months for a response.

I love the creative process!!

I really really love the creative side of what I do. I love dreaming up a story and bringing it to life through characters I come to love, that become my close personal friends. I know everything about them...I know how they tick. I hope they can become friends to my readers. I hope my readers can identify with them and find someone to connect with, even if it is a fictional character. That's when I know my job as a writer is done! If I can put a smile one someone's face and have them say "Yeah, I've been there", I am happy!

I am actually in creative mode and editing mode at the same time. I think I am done editing Soap Dreams, my latest creation- the novelette. And I am on to another novelette that is based on a flash fiction piece I wrote that took top 10 honors for WOW! Women on Writing's Flash Fiction contest. It's called Paradise Cove. But I'm not sure if that will stay. The flash fiction piece was titled- A Faded Oasis and I really like that, but this is a continuation, where the oasis becomes un-faded and is renewed, brought back to life.

I have a good excuse for not posting, I do..really!

I am finally fully recuperated from my whirlwind trip to Hollywood this past weekend. We had a fantastic time and managed to stuff a ton of sight seeing into the day and a half we were there. Even got to see a movie being filmed...sooooo cool!!!

Last Wednesday i was a featured reader at The Screening Room, a local venue that holds a open mic night for poetry and other literary works once a month. It's a very cool place to go..very warm and the people are so supportive. The reading is online to listen too and I feel horrible, now knowing I went almost 10 minutes over my time...eek!! Didn't realize I went that far over!!! I listened to it just now, and I sound pretty good...not nearly as nervous as my previous readings. Hopefully everyone enjoyed it. If you care to have a listen...here it is:

http://www.thinktwiceradio.com/screening-room/090417/11.mp3

Now I am back and the trip is done...spent so much time the previous two weeks researching and wondering and worrying about this trip. Now I can get back to work. My novelette is finished...but I'd really love to take the last few chapters to my writers group for critique. But that will take time...I can only take one chapter to a meeting. We have time constraints. But I am so darn anxious to send this out!

And I wonder what to work on next. Do I start a new novel??? Do I work on another novelette? I just don't know.

Confidence......

Funny how the times I think something is good...I take it for critique from my writer's group and they find all kinds of holes and things...and other times, I take a section I feel can maybe be cut from the story or just isn't too exciting...and they love it!

I wonder if I will ever be completely confident in my writing...and is any writer completely confident..ever???

Writing is such a personal thing. I know a lot of my writing, even the fiction, is based on things from my life, things that are difficult to share, even if the readers think it's purely fiction. When the critique it, it's sometimes hard not to take it personally.

Yikes....I just dropped a wad of cash!

I understand it takes money to do pretty much everything on this planet. And with the current economic state, I realize prices have had to go up.

But sometimes it still shocks me.

Two days ago I took a disc to Office Max with my manuscript on it and had them print it. I could have printed it at home, but 457 pages would probably take two ink cartridges and almost an entire reem of paper. Having office Max do it was just way easier. Last time I had to print a manuscript it cost me about $20. This time........$39 and change after tax. I was FLOORED!!!! Granted, this manuscript is about 100 pages longer...but still. Then I had to ship it...Thank God for flat rate shipping boxes...only $10.35 for that. I calculated afterwards....2 ink cartridges....$8 each at Target (I'm lucky...my printer uses cheap ink)...so $16 plus paper...max...$5.....I could have saved almost $20 by printing it at home. Lesson learned.

So...it's now on it's way. I am so praying this is it. That this is my big chance!!!!!

In other news, my novelette is pretty much done. I need to go over it a few more times. It's gotten GREAT reviews from my readers so far! Yay! Thanks!!!! I want to get the submission sent out before I leave for my big Hollywood trip...which I still am not sure when we're leaving.

This week is starting out to be really FANTASTIC!!!!!!

Yesterday was a GREAT day, regardless of the filling I had to get that I was totally NOT prepared for mentally. I thought it would be just a quick looksey by the dentist and he would say, if it was indeed a cavity, "make an appointment on your way out to have it filled..." Oh no...before I knew it, he was pumping me with Novocaine.

So earlier that day I got an email from a friend of my friend's aunt...who works in publishing. My friend had told her aunt about me and my writing and she immediately called her friend and she told her to tell me to send her an email. I sent the email with my standard query and the first 3 chapters of my manuscript. Yesterday she asked if I could print up the ENTIRE manuscript and mail it to her....um YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most of yesterday was spent with butterflies flipping and flopping in my belly. I think I blogged about qualifying for a radio contest. They were giving away a trip to Hollywood to see my most favorite guys- NKOTB, in concert. I had a 1 in 10 chance of winning..... they were making the announcement at 5 yesterday. Every time I thought about it, my heart beat faster and I told myself several times that I was not gonna win. a 10% chance was really not all that good....when the weatherman predicts a 10% chance of rain, does everyone cancel their picnic plans...hell no! I arrived home after my filling at 4:15 and had to wait 45 excruciating minutes. I was on Facebook, updating my status, glancing at the clock every 3 minutes, willing it to move faster! Then at 10 to 5 I got a call.....the number was a 905 area code, which I knew was Canada (where the radio station broadcasts from). I knew I had won. The dj played around with me for a few minutes and then announced what I had suspected!!!!! I screamed and jumped like a tween, and in the process scared the ever living daylights out of my son and made him cry. Poor baby...but Momma's going to Hollywood!!!!!! I am beyond excited and am dying to know the details. Where are we staying, when are we leaving????? My fear is that they will fly us out the day of the show....yikes....a 5+ hour flight, a 3 hour time change and a concert that night.....what a looooooong day. I am so hoping for at least a Friday flight...that would give us all day Saturday to sight see. Thursday would even be more fantastic.....almost 2 days to do Hollywood!!!

Finished...woo hoo!!!

Yay...my first novelette is done!! I truly enjoyed writing this!!!! My only fear is that the end wraps up too easily and too nicely. That's why I need to call on my treasured panel of readers!!!!!!!!!!!

This length was really fun to work with....I finished this in less than two weeks! I think I may have to write novelettes more often!!

One positive thing ....

That comes from resting an out of whack back...tons of writing gets done!!!

After sitting on my couch for seriously 6 hours..with one or two bathroom breaks and a lunch break, I added 2300 words to my novelette!! I am stoked about this!!!

Now comes the hard part. I am almost to 9000 words. It needs to be under 10,000 to submit to the magazine I am writing it for. So, I now need to finish this story in 1000 words. I think I can do it....but I am afraid the story will end too abruptly and problems will be solved too easily. I hate the thought of writing it out without thinking of the word count...and then having to cut out a ton. The story is so short and to the point that I'm not sure there is much that can be cut out. With writing something so short, I have no choice but to stick to the main story (which I think I'm really liking by the way!!), so there really isn't much there that's useless information. I can think of one scene that may be cutable....but we're only talking 500-750 words.

Just shy of 1000...for now.

Had a pretty productive writing day today...and the day is barely started! I am working on a novelette....finished product will be between 9-10,000 words. A friend sent me a link to a new romance publication that publishes fiction of that length. I thought I'd give it a whirl....if I did my 1000 words a day, which I have done very successfully in the past...I could have this thing done and polished in 2-3 weeks time. It's something new and challenging and I like it. I love writing novels where you can get intricate with characterization and really stretch into a detailed story that takes place over a period of time, while adding some subplots and things....but this is kinda fun too. I have to stick to just the main story and my cast of characters is really small. It's almost simpler.

The working title of this piece is Soap Dreams...and basically it's about a women who becomes a soap opera writer for a show where the main character is the ex-boyfriend who made her promises then broke her heart. He knows he messed up and wants her back...problem is, she's married with a family and is happy...or is she???????