Living as a writer. That’s the dream. A book or two out there being read by real people, a multi-book contract with a real publisher. It all sounds so exotic, surreal. To die for, daahling.
Here’s the thing… I’m living the dream but my life somehow missed the memo. Or maybe it didn’t. Maybe it read it, had a good chuckle, scrunched it up and aimed at the bin. And missed.
So my plan is to throw back the curtains on just what an average #writerslife looks like. Here’s #1.
Slept 5 hours last night. Chasing words, you ask? Er, no. Gluing sequins and bathing in glitter to make a mask for my 15yo’s school dance tonight. My hands won’t come clean. Look-
You should see my lounge. Kiddo is happy, so it’s all good.
Finding Mia Book Trailer
Hello!
I’ve always said that trying to write a synopsis (or Heaven forbid.. a BACK PAGE BLURB) is much like squeezing the entire contents of your house into the post box. I’ve also discovered that making a book trailer is just as impossible hard.
So I know it is probably too long, but here you go… the book trailer for Finding Mia…
I’ve just signed a contract with Pelican / Watershed for a 3 book YA series called Spirit Walker. *Pinches arm* I keep checking just to make sure that the contract is real and not one of those so-real-you-can-smell-the-coffee dreams. Each time I look, there it is, all signed and beautiful. It is truly the stuff that I hardly dared dream of way back when I first had the crazy thought that I should try writing books.
So have you ever wondered what an author does after signing something like that? Exotic things involving corks and fine crystal? Nope. Painting the town red, hiding from the hordes of screaming fans? Uh, not quite. I went to my little girls room (that’s her up there on the beach) and finished cleaning up dirty dishes and clothes. There you have it. Exciting stuff, hey? Hehe.
But the fact is, now the truly exciting bit starts. You see, a contract is a beautiful thing because it comes with a deadline. The beauty of a deadline is that it gives me permission to get lost in my head. It gives me permission to hide away in my room and hunt words. It gives me permission to say no to some things because I seldom have the guts to do that all by myself.
How about you? What is your big dream and what’s stopping you from going for it?
The Stuff Inside
Hello friends,
My eldest turns 17 today! Isn’t that incredible? She can now start learning to drive… now there’s a thought.
What have you all been getting up to while I’ve been neck deep in book #3?
Going back, to move forward
So this novel I’m working on is being as stubborn as a donkey neck-deep in peanut butter. I distinctly remember with my other two, being so full of ideas and words at times, that I’d choose writing over a nap. With this one? The naps win. Every time.
Part of the problem is that it’s my first dabble in a fantasy / supernatural genre. World-building is not for sissies, trust me. That aside… it still refused to gell.
Many naps A nap or so later, I’ve realised that I’ve been handling the transitions between the two realms incorrectly. Shifted my thinking and VOILA! It now feels right.
So I’m heading back… rewriting the offending sections. I know that by the time I reach the end of what I’ve written, the words will still be pumping and I can’t wait.
A little bit like life, isn’t it? Sometimes when you feel stuck, the best thing you can do is look back. Maybe it’s a simple apology or putting something right that will oil your wheels and get you going again.
What do you do when you feel stuck? (In life or writing)
Why ?
Everybody, meet my big brother. And yes, this made me tear up.
Where should we go today?
Blogging on HCC Living Letters today…
Lifehack & Peanuts
Happy Mommy’s Day to all the mommy’s who may be reading this!
It’s been a week since I became a Lifehack contributor. In that time, I’ve had 3 articles published and I’ve been assigned another that I’m working on. This is good and bad! Writing for them is like eating peanuts… it is very hard to stop.
The thing is, they suggest all these delicious article topics. As you read through them, you think… I could write that. And that. And that… and so on. Accepting an article is a matter of clicking on it and you’re good to go. I have to remind myself that Spirit Walker (my 3rd novel) is my priority. I’m just short of half way through and aiming to finish by end June.
On the other hand, having such a wide built-in readership that Lifehack offers, is a real privilege. So for now, I’m going to juggle them both and see how we go.
If you don’t know what LifeHack is, you can check it out here.
PS – Aren’t these images awesome? They are used with kind permission from WolfWorx.
If you’re a regular visitor to Doodles, you’ll know that this is a recurring theme in my life – one that I fought for many years, but now have embraced as a good friend. You know the type… they visit sporadically, ask the hard questions, yet leave you better than you were before. Comfortable? No. Good? Yes!
Feel free to share it if you think its a worthwhile read.
Much love, till next time!
Being a Prolific Writer
The word ‘prolific‘ is one I’d love to be labelled with… Oh look, she’s turned out another bestseller book! What a prolific writer she is…
I’ve aimed at ridiculous wordcounts per day, I’ve pantsed and plotted and settled into a happy combination of both. I’ve changed my sleeping habits, tried NaNoWriMo, read a ton of blogs from writers I love and respect and so on and so on.
The sad, dismal truth fact I’m currently facing, is that if you give me an hour in a day, or a few uninterrupted hours in a day, my output will probably be about the same.
Are you kidding me?
Sadly no kidding here. Maybe that will change, I live in hope.
In the meantime, I’m borrowing a lesson from my middle child’s induction ceremony into High School from the beginning of this year. They start the event with a single torch burning on stage. All the new Grade 8’s lead in in the dark. As you can see from the gallery above, the prefects start by lighting their candles and passing on the flame. The transition from a deeply dark hall to one lit by many individual lights was moving to say the least. The message was clear – your individual contribution counts.
How does that make me a more prolific writer? It doesn’t. But what it does do, is make me value each word that willingly joins the ranks of the little army of words that make up my story. I only need 65 000 of them to show up at the the right time, and I’m done. (Young adult, in case you’re wondering at the low count.) Do I cringe at 500 word days? Nope. Do I cringe at the 23 words I manage to string together before I’m called to go see Barbie perform a death-defying dive from the top of the tap into my 6yo’s bubble bath – AGAIN? Not any more.
All that matters is that I’m adding words. I will not waste energy on beating myself up for not being prolific. Maybe, just maybe… prolificacy (yes, I did just make that up) will creep up on me as I quietly grow my wordcount. Till then, I’ll soldier on, adding each precious word as it shows up.
If you have found any magic formula for upping your daily count, I’d love to hear about it. It probably won’t work on me, but go ahead and share anyway!
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friends,
