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How once woman went from being a SAHM of four to a published freelance science journalist |
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I'm revising this intro after more than 15 years to better reflect my intention When I started this blog in 2004, I was a stay at home mom to two small children, a college graduate with a degree in English and Astrophysics. By 2007, I had four small children, ages newborn, 2, 4, and 6. For several years, Writing.com was how I kept my sanity. This blog began, first as a way of staying connected. Later, when I worked on a novel, I used it to stoke the writing fires as I plotted out short stories and the next step of my novel. Ultimately, I moved my writing preparation to "Invalid Item"  In 2010, I became a single mom who had homeschooled her children for several years. I had a 2, 4, 6 and 8 year old and had never had a "real" full time job, since I was married while in college. Everyone told me that I would have to buckle down and take on a "real" job. Instead, I decided to attempt to live my dream: to make it as a writer. I knew that if I didn't try then, I would never really dive in. I counted my money and set a deadline. If I hadn't began making a decent (defined) amount of money after so many months, I would suck it up and get a J-O-B. After some thought, I decided to play to my strengths. I served an internship at Sky & Telescope magazine while in college and enjoyed writing about space and astronomy. With an astrophysics degree, I thought I would be able to sell myself more easily, and a small niche should be easier to penetrate. It's been about ten years since I was first paid for an article on Space.com. In that time, writing - journalism - has been my primary moneymaker. I've often thought about setting up a blog on my website - www.astrowriter.com - but just haven't gotten around to it. There are a few things I would like to share for those who are interested in scientific journalism in general. Now that I'm back on WDC, there's no reason not to combine the two and use the site blog for that sort of interaction. There are certainly plenty of folks on this site interested in the publication process. So while I'll probably meander around some, that's the intention of of this blog: to share some of my struggles as a published journalist and to help answer oft-asked questions. |
| Yesterday's Word Count: 4,127 Total Word Count: 41,271 Yes, I have a novel-length manuscript. It doesn't have an ending, so um, it's not a novel, but I finally cracked the 40k mark! Woot! I'm really excited about this. Yesterday, I had another stick-it-out day. I wrapped up the section and I was at around 3,700 words, so I went back and added something that I had planned to correct on the edit, and I passed the 4k mark. Last night, I had issues with my game, so I logged out. It was only about 9:30 (and I'm up way too late, after midnight every night), so I opened up WDC and spent about 45 minutes in Calling My Muse plotting out an overview for the section I'm starting today. There is a lot of stuff going in here, so I think it's going to be a little longer than previous sections, but I'm excited, because finally we're going to start interacting with the bad guy. I have not been thrilled to have him relegated to the background while I built up Jonathan and Caroline, but there really was no way to draw him in sooner - although I did touch on him somewhat in the section I just finished. But in the last three sections, especially the last two, we're really going to have some interaction with him. So my friend Adam - the one who told me I needed to be writing a novel and kinda kicked me into gear - read the short stories I wrote to give me an idea of where Caroline, Jonathan, and Alex (the 3 mains) were coming from. I mean, I wrote them, what, two or three or four years ago? (Wow) Anyway, he said he likes Alex the best, or at least those stories - story, I only did one - followed by Caroline. He was quite perturbed to learn that Alex was the bad guy. He also asked when he gets to read the first draft, lawl. I was like, no one reads the first draft. Not only do I have flat-out skipped sections, I also changed a few things in the future that need to be corrected in the past. I have a whole page of "fix me"s to work on. I told him he could have the second draft. Also, I have the printout, and I've been editing. My daughter had piano lessons today, and the other three and I go to the library while we wait. So I took my book with me to edit as I go. I just left it in the car for now, so I can pull it out at any point and work on it. I wish I could find an empty binder, I know there's one around this house somewhere, but for now it's on a clipboard. I figure I can do some of that editing as I go, in the small spots, as available. At the moment, it's not my priority, but there's no reason not to work on it as I go. I'm glad I did the overview last night, it really helped. There's a lot going on in this section, it's one of the more intensive sections, I think, and I feel less as at a loss. Really, I should do that every night, now that I think about it. There's one other slight issue of concern for me, and that is novel length. I've been hitting about 10k words per section, and I have three sections left, if I count the conclusion as a section; but really, it's more like two, since the last leap really is the last section. But once I get through the time travel issues, I have to wrap up. Okay, so I've been hitting about 10k a section, that gives me only 30k more words. I think maybe this section I'm on will be closer to 20k, and the ending might go a little longer, which will take me to 80k, so I won't be going over. I dunno. I'm kind of concerned about coming up too short. Of course, I have the whole omitted section, that whole "oooh, I love you marry me" crap that I am STILL not in the mood to write. But that I'm going to have to get in the mood to write in the next two weeks. I think I'm going to play that by ear. At some point, I've got to be in a lovey-dovey mood, right? <sigh> Probably not. Ah well, I'll wind up faking it, and it will be rough - I mean written rough, not hard-on-me rough, although it probably will be, too. I think I'm going to put that on another card to post to the left of my comp: "That's why God invented editing." LOL |
| Did I just say 'woot'?! Yesterday's word count: 5,386 Total Word Count: 37,164 ^ Look at yesterday's word count! Over 5,000 words! So...I was writing and checking my word count, and for some reason I was thinking my goal was 5k a day instead of 4k. I have no clue exactly how that happened. I wrote up the flashback, and it was cool. I went ahead and stopped in the middle so I would have a leadoff for today. And actually, I went ahead and dialogued it. As much as I prefer flashbacks and hate dialogue-only stretches, it didn't seem to fit any other way. I made it somewhat conversational, so it isn't just one big block, but also tried to keep the flow smooth. The only thing I hate more in a book than a six page monologue is six page with flow-breaking interruptions to keep it from being a monologue. Hopefully I didn't just do that. Of course, that's why I have the option to edit, eh? Yesterday, I had a heart attack when I realized it was 11 days until December 18th. (10!!) Okay, I'm still having a heart attack. I think it came when I read Kare's comment about how if I keep going, I'll make my goal. So I was going, what, ten days and I'm only halfway through! But then I realized...if I hold to the 4k/day, 5 days a week, that's 35k more words, which puts me pretty darn close. Of course, I haven't been precisely consistent with 4k/day, AND I think this is going to go a bit beyond 80k. But. But, holy crap. The technical definition of a novel - albeit one unlikely to get published - is 40k words. I have just over 37k today, which means by the end of this afternoon, I'm going to have a novel-length manuscript. If I wind up taking a handful more days to get through the novel, honestly, I'm okay with that. You know, if it takes me a month and three days. To write my novel. I'm having a "holy ****" moment right this minute...I can't believe I'm halfway through, or close to it, anyway. I can't believe it really, honestly looks like I'm going to finish this. After yesterday, I thought about bumping myself up to a 5k/day goal, but I decided not to, although I may try to hit it more often if I'm in a groove. The only reason for not is because...crap, am I really going to have this done before Christmas?! sorry, another surreal moment...um because I don't want to crash and burn. I've been doing pretty good with my 4k/day, but some days that 4k is like pulling teeth, and I don't want to get too disheartened. Alright, I'm going to go write. I have to finish up this section today, and I'm still not sure how Jonathan is going to wind up trusting Caroline. Although...I did have a couple of ideas yesterday, I just need to develop them. Although now that I think more about them, I'm having problems. Stupid paradox - I have to tell you how many headaches that gives me. ...for the record, it wasn't until Thursday night that I finally came up with a last name for Jonathan, one of my main characters. Almost at the halfway point. But I still don't have a last name for Alex, the villain. How sad is that? I've known Caroline's last name for, what, three years?! LOL |
| First, the excuses. I didn't get anything written on Thursday or Friday. Thursday I told you about. Friday was just terrible - I had to drive my oldest an hour to pick up the nuts for her Girl Scout fundraiser, the ones she sold. (Brag: she hit her goals, she sold 50 nuts, 9 magazine subscriptions, and over $400 worth of stuff, picking up all the incentives she aimed for. Virtually all door-to-door. Now she wants to sell over a thousand cookies to get an iPod.) So anyway, I was gone during 95% of my writing time, the kids missed naptime, and Friday night I was wiped. I should have logged and written Friday night, or at least edited, but I didn't. Part of it, too, was that I was loathe to start a new section on Friday and let it sit for two days, although it wouldn't have hurt to let it simmer, I suppose. I did do some thinking about what I was going to write about, but not a ton; I did more today, and got some organized. I still have some holes. Good news, kinda: I got a lot of support from my plan on my homeschooling website. I'm sure someone will tell me to grow up and get a job, but so far, so good. So, while that's not anything concrete, it feels good to have so much positive affirmation. Also, I have some good plot points for the new part that I'm starting today, although I have to go through the whole "building trust" thing again. Just realized something - an emotional point. Good to remember, LOL. Key to this section is learning how Jonathan became a time traveler, so I'm alternating between having him tell it or flashing back. Typically, I hate flashbacks, but I also hate long dialogue-only sections, and more can be conveyed in a flashback. If I flashback, I then have to decide whether to switch to first person, which makes it seem like he's talking to Caroline, but is also a totally different voice to write in. Anyway, that's a good section of the novel right there. I'm thinking stay in 3rd person, though. I can convey enough differences without the "I". Oh here is my other lame excuse: man, I am tired! I had to get up early this morning - not "early" but early-for-me. Ugh. But I made it somehow. In the subject of reality, I found another house to rent. This one is $200 less a month, but requires me bringing my own stove to the table - actually, stove, fridge, and washer/dryer, but I have the other three. I'm thinking for $200 I can pick up a cheap stove somewhere, and then I come out ahead, esp after I sell the stove when I move. The yard is smaller but...it's there, and it's fenced, and it's livable. For cheap bucks, I get what I get. It's also facing a busy street but the parking is in the back so the kids won't be there, the yard as said is gated, and the big problem is going to be the noise - which I can get through. The master bedroom is the one on the street.  Not ideal, but livable. And livable is what I'm aiming for. I'm leaning towards it, as much as I hate it.Alright, off to brainstorm and clarify. I'll probably start writing in under twenty minutes, and then it's all about hitting the goal...and if I write fast enough, maybe I can squeeze a nap in. |
| Yesterday's Word Count: 3,849 Total Word Count: 31,778 Well, today is going to be a test of my stick-to-itiveness. I am having the blahs and just don't feel like writing, and actually I'm less than thrilled on the content of what is to be covered today. You can see that I didn't make 4k yesterday. I logged back in last night and couldn't make it work. Not kidding: an hour for three paragraphs. I finally gave up. So, I'm at the point where my two main characters are all, oh, hey, we're in love. Like I said yesterday, not really in the mood for the whole "first love" thing. On top of that, the kids and I watched "Up" this afternoon, for the first time, and do you know, I bawled all the way through it. Seriously, I think it really brought me down right now. Stupid kids movie. So...I could just skip the rest of the section. I'm actually tempted to do that. I mean, really, all that's left is that they get married, I just have to write the scenes. You know what? I'm going to do that. That's why editing and rewriting was invented, right? I mean, it's maybe, maybe 3-5k words, if that many. They are necessary and needed but I know how it's going to pan out. Kare made the comment about how I write in stream of consciousness. I dunno if that's good or bad, but that's an excellent example; typing it out helps me get there. I'm fortunate enough to type 80 words a minute, give or take, so it's not completely complicated, although of course it doesn't quite go as fast as my thoughts; but much closer than a slower typing speed would. So, I've given you the bad news - not the least of which means I have to figure out how to make the next section work out. And at some point, I have to determine if Caroline knows what order Jonathan is jumping around in, so he knows. That's more for plotting, though (you should see the stream of BS in that journal!). Now for the good news! I updated my Facebook status last night to say, approximately, that creativity is a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it gets. So, I know I have the next project set up and planned, but last night, I came up with another good non-LDS-oriented fiction story. I won't deny that I totally stole it from a song - Incubus, shockingly. But here's the problem: as I devised it, it works more for historical or fantasy, neither genre of which I'm overly fond of. I could conceivably make it sci-fi, but ugh, the first thought I had is not really what I want. Although my current novel is based around time travel, I'm very loose in the sci-fi department; it's not strong sci-fi. Not like Star Trek or something. And that's more of where I want to settle. Still, I have complete confidence in my ability to revise it to where I want it to be. However, the point is, I have another project in mind that got me excited. I mean, okay, I'll admit, the LDS short story genre isn't really thrilling me. But it's totally doable, not to mention marketable, and so it's what I'm going to do. I think this next one will really get my excited, though. I am trying not to think about it right now - ha ha, I have the song that inspired it on a loop right now, not thinking at all - because I don't want to lose my focus or excitement from the current project. Still, just knowing I have something else on the works to get me pumping is exciting. I have also played with the idea, since the LDS novel is a collection of short stories, of working on them concurrently. But...I'm not thrilled by that. Split focus. Sci-fi in my inspirational fic. LOL Also considered dumping the LDS for now, but I'm also not thrilled with that, not as a business model. Perhaps if I was staying home, and married, and I didn't really have to worry about getting published, maybe. But in terms of marketing - ugh yes, I read books on marketing, because believe it or not, I've always wanted to run my own business - the fact is, that is going to be the easiest. Well, maybe it is more "sales" than marketing, LOL. But the idea is to get my name out there, thus making it easier to do what I want, write what I want. I worry that, because I am excited about said new project, I'm going to struggle more with the LDS project - but then again, it might make me press through it quickly so I can move on. Two short stories a day. Yeah, sure, no problem. Pressing through quickly, however, could cause reduced quality, a worry as well. I dunno. Actually, as I think about it, January is going to be crappy awful. We'll have just told the kids their parents are getting divorced, we'll have moved, everyone will be upset. In all honesty, a collection of short stories is going to be an ideal project for the situation. Whether or not I can do two in a row will be something to consider, but the fact is, given January, I'm going to do better with short stories. When I hit my new project, I want the dust to at least have started settling. So, yeah, I'd better go and figure out what's going to happen in the new section. Since I didn't intend to write it yet, I haven't really plotted it out, so hitting 4k is going to be a challenge. And I have to take the kids various places tonight, and I'm supposed to be on for a discussion at 9 and a raid at 9:30, so I may not get to write tonight. Ugh. That just means I need to hit my goal today, this afternoon. So I should go write. ...also, my stomach is massively upset today, for some unknown reason.  edited to add: I am distracted by RL. This is not going to happen today. It's after 2, the kids will be up in an hour, and I can't seem to get things together. Total fail. Maybe we'll wipe tonight...crap, I forgot to do my homework (don't ask), or Mookie's boy scout activity. I talked to a close friend of mine in real life and he said something that threw me. I got an email from my best friend in Georgia, also thrown. This day is just crap. I'm going to journal some, and maybe that will pull me back together. But I don't think I'm going to get any writing done. I will, however, be prepped to go tomorrow, I'll have a full-out game plan and put the kids down early, I promise. <sigh> edited about 5 minutes later to add: If I'm not writing, I'm going to do some work still. I will print out the first batch of pages and do some editing. I can revise a few scenes, do some basic overlook, and the like. I hate the idea of editing as I go, but it will get me partway through. I'll print out the first fifty pages and go from there. Or maybe I'll just print them all and have them on hand. I like that idea. May as well have them ready to go. It's not writing, but...what the heck? It's Thursday, I'm supposed to be closing in on 40k words. Well, whatever. I'll print and edit tonight, and that will have to suffice. Maybe that will help me with figuring out what direction to go tomorrow, as well. I'll take some blank pages. |
| So here I am, insanely frustrated by this whole proposal scene. Needless to say, I'm not in much of a romantic, lovey-dovey mood at the present. So I've been struggling through the whole thing. I mean, okay, I'm kind of cheating with the idea that they've been developing a relationship over FIFTY YEARS, so they don't need to date. I'm just skipping it. For crying out loud, after fifty years, you'd think they'd know they loved each other, they just need to admit it. Both of 'em. And so I'm being admittedly brusque. I have a feeling I'll be re-editing the whole courtship crap anyway. But that's okay. I told myself, no way you're quitting. I put my iPod on when the kids came down and forced myself to keep going. And I actually made it pretty well through. But there's no way I'm going to make it now. They're all running and jumping around me, and Michael is bugging me about dinner, and I do actually have to leave in the next 15 mts anyway. So I am giving it up for broke, for now. I'm going to get the other 400 words or so done this evening. I can manage at least 400 words, right? On the one hand, here I am, yammering on about hitting goals, and with time to do it. And babbling about how I need to write the scenes even when I don't want to. Not three hours later, I'm quitting. But seriously - writing a romance scene is a big enough PITA when you're going through a divorce. Four kids running around when you're trying to force yourself to think all romantical is almost guaranteed to be a disaster. That's not an excuse, it's a reason, right? Note to Kare: So at the moment, we are still in PA, and I'm going to be here at least until all the legal-eagle stuff gets settled. After that, I've got to head back south again. I don't know where, yet. My soon-to-be-ex-husband wants me to move wherever he moves so he can stay near the kids, and he doesn't understand why I balk at that. So, to sum up, I know I'll most likely be moving in the next twelve months, but I have not a clue where. But yeah, seriously, I have to get back where people say "ya'll" instead of "yous guys". <shudder> |
| Yesterday's Word Count: 2,039 Total Word Count: 28,001 Ugh. So, as you can tell, I totally wimped out yesterday and only made it halfway to my goal. But I have an excuse. I had a monster headache after getting the whole issue of paradox FINALLY sorted out. Okay, lame excuse, I know. But it was a serious, monster headache! I'm not kidding, this novel gives me headache after headache. I should be ashamed. I should have come back and written last night. I even knew it last night when I was doing something totally frivilous. (Wow, okay, I give up fixing *that* spelling. Stupid spell check, distracting me.) I'm having all kinds of self-doubt on the responsibilities of my goal. I just sent an email to my church leader about receiving food in January, with the possibility of assistance with utilities as we go forward. I have no problem accepting church or government aid in the short term, as I get back on my feet, but it is not a long term plan. Here's the thing. I really want to stay home with my kids, and I really want to continue to homeschool them. It is possible to do this while relying on child support only - albeit difficult - but it sucks as a long term plan. In 16 years, when my youngest is 18, there will be no more income. I will have no retirement. Insurance for myself will be a challenge. Most work-at-home positions pay very little; it's not going to be a significant income. For the long term, if I want to stay home, I need to do one of two things: freelance write in some capacity, or start a business. (Although technically, writing would be a business, but that's a whole 'nother story.) Of the two, I prefer and most enjoy writing. In some respects, then, this is a viable long-term plan. More viable - and more responsible - would be to send my children to public school, take a full time job, and stay up all night writing. This would combine the best of both worlds. Except. The kids are going through so many changes - divorce and moving - that I hate for this to be their introduction to public school. They've never even been in daycare. Putting them in now would be majorly difficult for them. One year. I'm giving myself one year. I may have doubts, but either way, I'm going to write myself blue. No more of this whiny "I have a headache" crap. If this is how I am going to support the kids and stay home with them, then I need to do it, even when it's tough. So...I just made a 3x5 card, all caps: "This will keep you home! 4K - No Excuses" I'm keeping it where I can see it. When I get wimpy, wussy, or whiny, I'm going to remember that. And I'll go back and write. The other day, when I was about 300 words from my goal and wanted to quit, I made myself write some more. And it was a very simple interaction scene. It will probably wind up cut, but if nothing else, it gave the two of them a chance to get to know each other a little better, to interact over dinner. In short, it rounded out my characters, made them more real. Even if it does get cut, it breaths more life into them for me. And although I had trouble getting started, once I did, it flowed easily. As I said, I did about 500 words in maybe 20 minutes, with little stops and starts. It's always like that. It's just getting past that "crap, now what do I write?" stage. edited to add: Here is the problem with goals, and also inspiration. So, I went over and wrote and wrote, and I had some awesome ideas. I solved the whole "prove we were back in time" idea with some technology. But. I did it in a thousand words. Now, I can go and add some other scenes in, but it's kind of ugh. I knew that PLANNING wasn't going to have a lot of action in it, but I did at least think the planning stage would take longer than 30 minutes!! LOL Anyway, I'm not finished; I'll donate the capsule and then they can get all excited or whatever. I have to work into the marriage issue, anyway. But it's kind of annoying that the scene I thought would go for 4k - or sheesh at least 2k - only came in at barely 1k. <sigh> |
| Yesterday's Word Count: 4,298 Total Word Count: 27,176 Okay, it's really not braggable. Yesterday, I got down to about 3,700 of my 4k words and couldn't come up with anything else to write. And I was ready to call it a day. After all (I argued), the idea is to get the range, right? I don't stop exactly at 4,000. So it's okay if I'm a little short because on other days I go over. What matters (I continued to argue) is that I'm writing in the range. And besides, I wrote about 1,500 over in my little inspirational put-together journal, where I just sort of ramble about my plan. So really I surpassed my goal...right? And hey, it was 4:45, the kids were getting anxious. They had the TV on, and rather than moving from my spot at the kitchen table, I just put my iPod on. I listen to Incubus  while I write, usually a good idea although it's bothering me today, but anyway, I didn't hear them and could work, and they were zonked on the TV. (In my defense, they generally only watch TV between 4-5, which is supposed to be when I'm making dinner...)Anyway, the point being, I decided that my logic was stupid, I had a 4k goal, and either I was going to finish then or I was logging back in last night to do it. So I finished it - about 600 words more - in under half an hour, thus hitting my goal. The point being, if I really want to make this "work", I need to finish up. And really, I think I'm going to write even if I think it's not particularly good, because it may well lead me somewhere good. For instance, yesterday's last 600 words led me to the issue of paradox, something I've been wanting to discuss. I'm not altogether sure where I stand on the issue, though, and I think I need to be, for the sake of the novel and clarity. I have a decent idea, and I think I can weave it in as an underlying theme, but the heck, if I'm going to make it a theme, I need to clarify it. Maybe tonight after everyone is headed to bed, I can beat the keyboard about it and work the theme out. Even if it's not a theme, per se, it's a problem that is really weaving itself through. Another thought I had - I think I mentioned earlier that I wanted each section to be between 10-12k in length, which means that I should have each section written in two to three days, which is kind of mind boggling. Doable, I mean, but that's a lot of covering. I just started this section - technically the third - and by all accounts I should be done by tomorrow. In some ways, my head is spinning at the rapid pace intended, but on the other side, it kind of spurs me on. Kind of a "go for it" thing. Alright, so I'm in the second part of this section. Actually, I can kind of see how to break it down over three days, for this one; yesterday was something of an intro, today will be the hashing out of the plan (all talk, by the way), tomorrow will be putting the plan into action. Actually, that's an idea; I can break each section down into three basic parts, and figure out what to cover in each day; I dunno. That may wind up being too much fragmenting. I don't want the reader to feel like they are reading parts; I want them to join. Then again, I think I can smooth that over, and of course there will be some overlap. Today: 4k or bust! edited to add: Bust. I want to bust. I went over to my planning section, and then I realized that the best place to put the whole paradox discussion and text is basically in the stuff I am writing today. I cut about 2,000 of yesterday's words and saved them elsewhere - I don't think I'm going to wind up using them! but I don't want to delete them, because I may add them back in earlier - and then wrote a little over 2,000 words today. But I had to figure out the whole paradox thing, and that drove me crazy; it still is. I'm really tempted to take a break. The house is quiet, everyone is sleeping, even my husband (please don't ask me why he felt like he should skip work today when we are broke), and I want to crawl back into my bed. Instead, I'm going to take a 15 minute break - hello, I will set the timer, that is perfect and should keep me from going over (too much) - and then I'm going to write the rest. But you see, I had all these great plans when I left my blog, and then...they all fell apart. And also...yesterday, I looked up the lyrics to some of the Incubus songs, where I wasn't totally sure of what they were saying, and you know, it's easier to just listen when I don't know what the words say...when I know, I want to sing along, LOL. I'll try to survive it. So...in short, I am dodging my fifteen minute break, which I only talked myself into by coming here; I was sorely tempted to quit before I started editing. So lame. |
| Saturday's Word Count: 2,895 Total Word Count: 22,878 Well, I failed on Saturday to finish, but it's because, as I stated earlier, I think I'm basically finished with the section. I'll start with the next section today; that should be interesting. I have a few details to work out that will make 4k words during nap time a challenge, but I'm going to rock my way through and if I don't get it during rest time, I'll get it after dinner. But dinner tonight is leftovers - Monday is leftover night by default - so I can stretch the writing, as well. The problem is going to be the overview of the section, but I'll spend some time in the next hour or so pondering that. I've done some thinking about my "plan." On the one hand, on a personal level, I feel keenly the importance of being a stay at home mom. On the other hand, I also feel the importance of, you know, money and food. I think I could manage to hack it as a writer, but sometimes I question the reality of that dream. Especially when I crunch the numbers. So this is my plan to achieve both. I am going to take one year to try to get things set up with writing. It's going to be a write-as-a-job year, I'm going to hit 4k words a day or pretty darn close. I'm going to finish this novel before Christmas and do some massive research on where to send it, and then I'm going to send it. But the next one is going to be more realistic, honestly. I was laying in bed today and thinking, crap, I have no idea about what the next novel is going to be about. And I was okay with that, because I don't want to get distracted. I want to stay focused on this one. And I am ignoring the ideas of discouragement - or reality, depending on my mood - and pushing on. Because, frankly, when I add up monthly expenditures, it can be easy to be discouraged. This morning, however, I remembered a book idea that I posted here earlier, one that has a far better likelihood of success in terms of getting published. I was thinking some random thing about formula books - you know, like those Star Trek books or romance novels (I would never write romance novels, but you get the idea). And it occurred to me that I have a good chance of cracking a much smaller market - that of LDS fiction. There are some great LDS fiction writers, but there are also a lot of duds. I've read some novels and scratched my head thinking, this is publish-worthy? I know I can write better fiction than that. If you remember, last year I posted the idea of writing a collection of short stories that was based on my seminary classes - not directly based, as in, on my real students, but based around the idea. Because of the nature of it, it actually comes out to four books - four collections of short stories. Granted, it is not the same as a novel, per se, but I think I'm going to put an overarching theme that connects the stories as well. But, the point is, I think it has a reasonable chance of success, and it will certainly be an easier market to crack. So...that is my plan for my January novel. February at the latest, depending on how long the revision process takes me but...I am not going to drag it out. The only reason it would is because the intent is for me and the kids to move out after Christmas, so there's going to be some life resettling issues. I'm going to give it one year; I'm going to try to finish a book approximately every month and a half - a month to write, two weeks to revise. I'm going to mail them out like crazy. I'm going to find a source for publication. If, by the end of December, I haven't even gotten a prospect of publication, then I'm going to come up with an alternate plan. It may involve me going to work full time and putting the kids back in school, or it may involve me finding something from home. Actually, I'm thinking that I'm going to do a re-examination of the plan in August. If I'm going to put the kids in school, that would be the ideal time to do it. But...I may hold out, if I think I'm getting some positive reception somewhere. Frankly, my hope is to write the first LDS novel in January and have it published by then, but I don't know how long the process will take. You see, there's a question of timing with the marketing, and so in that sense, publication before August - not acceptance but publication - would be ideal. However, I'm not certain that is realistic. Of course...thinking...if I have five short stories after the first week of January, I could stop and polish them, and send them out for publication. I could take a break - no more than a week, but really it should take me, what, two days to polish the stories (plus Sat), and a day to print and mail them, right? - and get them sent out, and then finish the collection by the end of the month. Granted, it is rather silly to write the second novel in the series before the first is accepted, but I think I'm going to sell it in the letters I send out: "I am also in the process of writing a similar collection for the OT, which should be completed in the near future." This will let them know if they are more interested in the second novel than the first, because of the time it takes to publish something, that they have that option. And here's the important point: if I can get published in the LDS authors, that is a good jumping off point for a wider market. I don't per se want to write LDS fiction forever, but it's a good starting point. It gets the foot in the door, and that is the hardest part, or so I hear. Granted, a compilation of short stories is different from a novel, but once I have the short stories, then I can write a solid LDS fiction novel or two, which bridges the gap. And who knows? Maybe my current novel will get picked up quickly; I doubt it, but hope does exist. Or maybe it would work in the LDS fiction novel, although it's not strictly speaking LDS fiction. In fact, assuming the short stories get picked up first, that would be the next logical step; offering up my time travel novel. If all of this fails, then I will have to decide whether or not to go the self-publishing route and seriously beat down the doors. That's a lot of work and up front cost, and I have to decide whether or not it's worth it. We'll see. I'm not sure I have that in me, LOL, but I might. That would be part of the recoup in January plan, though. So that's my plan. It's very calculating, but also realistic. You can either have writing as an art or as a business; it's pretty tough, I think, to do both. I want to continue to love it, but the fact is, I need money, and the best kind of job is one that you excel at. I tend to doubt myself in a lot of things, but on writing, I'm actually confident. I'm a good writer. It's the publication process that worries me. Getting through the innumerable slag of submissions to actually land on the publisher's desk. You know what else I should do? I still have that children book I wrote last January. I haven't heard back from the publisher I sent it to. I would say, it is time to resubmit it. I'm going to pull it off my desktop and send it out, as well. After all, I did all of the hard work, right? I even have a list of people to send it to already compiled. So I'm going to get that taken care of this evening and send out the next submission of it tomorrow...no more stalling. I'm going to make it so. There's an idea, as well, to continue writing children books in between full out novels. A quick and easy write, some chapter books. It gives me a small breather, a little fun, and it also increases my chances of publication. It's the research that is going to get to me, though, the publication research. Hmm. We'll see. I don't know if I want to stray quite that much. But it's an idea. Eh, I probably won't, not tell I have at least the two seminary novels finished. Alright, it's almost lunch time, and then I have to write. Um. So much for pondering my novel in the interim. But that's okay, I'll make it happen. edited to add: (I need a macro for that, LOL) 1,620 words, and my head hurts, and the kids are driving me crazy. How is it already 2:45? Argh. It's so strange how quickly I can write sometimes and how slowly other times. I guess it depends how driven I am. Anyway, gonna take a ten minute break and let my brain work. The kids are supposed to get up at 3 but they're making me nuts and it's raining, so they can't go outside. Argh. So I'll take a little quiet time now and figure out how to make it work. I can't believe I'm only about a third of the way through, though. I have to stop watching and just write, but that word count option really makes it too easy. The plus side: almost to 25k words (24,499). Wow. That always seemed like such an out-there goal for someone who thinks 5k stories are a challenge. I'm not posting it but if I did, I bet I wouldn't get many reviews. LOL I struggle with R&Rs on those 5ks. You know, although I'd be really ticked if I quit right now, I also have to admit I'm rather proud of myself for how far I've gotten. 43 pages. Even my fake novel from way back when, the one I rewrote seven times in high school or whatever, wasn't this long. I think it was, like, 30 pages (talk about rushing the action!). That's kind of funny, actually. As I remember it - and the memory is fuzzy, mind you - I was all about jumping from action to action with little extrapolation, whereas now I'm going, where's the action? Kåre Enga in Udon Thani   pointed out in one of the comments that good stories succeed when they're character-driven. (Extrapolating out) If we don't care about the characters, we really don't keep reading, right? I"m gonna go with that, and take a break. I only stress in points. Mostly I'm too busy trying to figure out what's next to let myself worry. Although sometimes I *do* want to smack Caroline. She irritates me sometimes. |
| Well, I didn't go on to write on Wednesday, and I failed to follow up Thursday. I would like to say that this is because it was Thanksgiving and I was hanging out with my family, but I'm afraid not. No one came up, we didn't go anywhere, it was just Michael & the kids & I. We decided this would be our last Thanksgiving and Christmas together, and we didn't need the added pressure of extended family, not to mention travel. I don't think I can hack 14 hours in the car each way with Michael. So anyway, I slept late yesterday, and then I took a nap. But what the heck, it was Thanksgiving, I'm cutting myself a very little bit of slack. So, I am going to try to hit 8k words today. We'll see how that goes. I don't feel overly optimistic, but maybe. I don't know why I'm not optimistic. Well, it's just, that's a lot of time to sit in front of the computer. Then again, it's not really. I dunno, it depends on how long it actually takes me to write. Theoretically I could argue that I'm waiting for my EMS friends to write back, but...I actually think I know how this is going to go down. For some reason, I was going to send Caroline & Jonathan to the hospital, but I'm thinking they're going to wind up with a cursory check and then they'll go from there. Wet clothes, they'll need to change. Sorry, plotting. I've been drawn further back into my Warcraft addiction. Randomly, I started playing my mage yesterday, trying to level her, and she was a lot more fun when I know what I'm doing. Of course, I had someone to talk to the whole time, always makes leveling more fun. That's random, but it explains where I was yesterday. <whistles> Eight thousand words for today and tomorrow, ugh. That actually sounds scary. It's not undoable, I know it's totally possible, but I'm psyching myself out. I think instead I'm just going to write and stop paying attention. And then I'll count. Except I'm such a math-nerd, I keep taking breaks to see how far along I am. Sheesh. Anyway, there's not really anything to report, so I'm going to go plot a little bit, and then I'm going to write. At the very least, I'm going to hit 4k today, but I'd really like to try for 8 so that my week's tallies are all good. Ultimately, though, I think even if I miss a day, it is probably better for me to just keep going with the same daily goal so as not to get overwhelmed. Yeah, I should probably just stick with my 4k goal and not worry about what I missed. Of course, Michael is home with the kids, so he can deal with them, too. That gives me a little more wiggle room. edited to add: Oh look, I'm stalling already. I had a sectional rework that occurred to me; that is, I was going to put a key action in one section but I realized today that it makes more sense to add it into the next section. So all I need now is to get though the last of the trust issues. Caroline is trudging around outside, stomping through the woods and muttering over whether or not she's fallen in love with a married man, and she's irritating me because I just want to smack some sense into her and have her talk to Jonathan. But I'm also not sure yet of exactly how he's going to respond, although I do have some good ideas. But then comes the next question...exactly where do I go from here? I mean, in this section, Caroline and Jonathan are going to college - still don't know where, though - do they really need a four year degree or what? WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO?!?! - but I haven't even begun to discuss that idea. I wonder if perhaps I should have sent them away before the whole lake scene. In fact, if they're going to do community college, then why wouldn't Caroline have already started? You don't need Ivy League to get a job, and she's staying out of her field, they both are. I have no idea about her job. Dangit. But I need to work that in. But anyway, I may have to sneak that in later, in the revision, just drop a little bit here and there. The nice thing about action (she says) is that something is happening. Not this wandering around, am I in love, crap. It's getting on my nerves. It needs to be done, it sets up the rest of the novel, but I'm not sure how to do it. Incidentally, I'm also not sure how to handle the fact that she's in love with him but they're going to stay apart the rest of the time they are together. That's another problem. You know what Caroline needs to do? Own her own business. They both do. They should do that. They don't even need to go to college for that, they can keep themselves afloat, it won't matter that Jonathan disappears for years at a time...that's what they are going to do. Um. What kind of business is the next question. I'm going to have to work that in, too. I'm only at 1,554 words, by the way. WHAT A SLACKER. edited to add: Okay, I am up to 2,895 words, almost three thousand. Wow, it took me an hour to write less than 1500 words? <sigh> This is not working so well. It's because I hate this emotional crap. I'm trying to figure out how to end the section. But. I haven't had lunch yet, and it's 2 o'clock, and I really need to eat. (Almost 23k words total!) I am almost finished the first section. What I really need to do is to wrap up the section. I have basically everything accomplished, but I have to figure out how to close it. I can make it abrupt and just jump to the next section, or I can try to taper off, to "summarize". I don't like the idea of summarizing at the end; I would rather summarize at the beginning, fit it into the action. I can start the next section - PLAN - with Caroline in the clearing, waiting for Jonathan. I also need her to get the stuff from him, although again, that can be fit into the section. ARGH. This is such a pain. I hate these huge fifty year gaps. It's not going to be that huge, but it's going to be something, at least. And I need to work it in, somehow. Alright, so I'm going to merge the "in between" stuff. I still have to figure out the best place to end this section, and I am not sure of it. If I could figure it out, then I could probably manage it with this last thousand words. But I have to really think about it. I'm going to go get lunch and ponder. Ugh ugh ugh. |
| Yesterday's Word Count: 3,975 Total Word Count: 19,977 Well, I came in 25 words shy yesterday; I thought about writing a little more but I finished the section and I figured I was okay. But today has been a scheduling nightmare. Usually the kids are down by 1:30 at the latest, and closer to 1, but here it is 2:39 and they are just going down. I'm extending nap time, but there's no way I'm going to make my goal this afternoon. However, if I am truly disciplined <gag>, I should be able to do the rest this evening, before logging on to WoW. Which is going to be tough, because the truth is that I am massively undisciplined. And also, before I get started, really need to figure out what we're doing for dinner tonight...umm. I don't really want to, though. Maybe we'll do hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill again. Nice and easy and quick. So, yesterday I finished the action sequence. A whole 1,023 words. Okay, that looks like a fake number, but it's not. Wow, lol. That's kinda pathetic for an action sequence. It's obvious that I should put down whatever I'm reading and pick up some Koontz books, and really analyze what I'm reading. A thousand words? The problem with this novel is that, by necessity, there is no interaction with the villain. I remember trying to figure out a way to make that happen, but frankly, there's no way to work it without changing Alex's personality...unless...what if Alex were sent back? Gak. That's such a massive rework. Even then, it's not like he's going to attack Jonathan and Caroline, he just wants to complete his project, and they aren't going to attack him. I have too many nice people. Dark Rivers of the Heart, that's what I should read. Total reworking of trust involved there. But the bad guy, <shudder>, he's got to be about the most evil of all of Koontz's bad guys. In so many of his books, we don't meet the bad guy until the very end, but we hear about him as we go. Now, theoretically, that could work. But that would mean making the novel so out of sequence, it would give everyone a headache. I can handle the point of view swap, I suppose, but the timing. Plus, it's not actually like Alex is doing anything between scenes, other than standard scientist stuff. The only point of nefariousness is when he sends Jonathan back, and we hear about that, so it's not like we need to experience it first hand. You know, this is one of the biggest reasons I have put this novel off for so long. This is a serious problem. There is no element of rush, nothing to push you through it quickly. It's very laid back in the time stream, especially once Caroline is injected. There's no impetus to make it a page turner. No psycho FBI guys, no Volturi...of course, there was no Volturi or James for the first 2/3rds of the Twilight novels, and they did fine. Gone With the Wind - that was a series of snapshots and crisisies (how the flip to you pluralize crisis?!). Trying to think of science fiction, but sadly, I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, believe it or not. Ender's Game - crisis was the end of the world. The Rowan - no crisis til the middle. David Eddings series - there was always a quest, but that was more fantasy. I just read another fantasy book - new author, awesome book - where the purpose was basically a gathering of info, interspaced with some action, so small bits here and there. But fantasy and sci-fi are different genres. Um. Sassinak - a general "get the space pirates" but mostly expositive until a plan was in place, what, 2/3rds of the way through? Crystal Singer - okay, just weird. But yeah, Anne McCaffrey seems to do fine mostly working biographically, with a plan about 2/3rds of the way. What is 2/3rds of my novel? That would be around COMPUTE, when the plan really gains momentum. Okay, so the more I think about the sci-fi I've read, the more I think it has merits. That gives me a little relief. I mean, I still want to get the story out, but if I'm going to have to massively modify it, I'd rather do it now. I think it's still doable, provided I give enough action going through. So, with that in mind, I guess I better go get all post-action emo. Still nervous, but whateva. edited to add: I can't seem to get in the groove, and I realized that I have absolutely no clue what to expect from the EMS. Theoretically, I could write now and then hash the other in later, but I hate to do it that way. SO, I sent emails (well, facebook messages) to two of my friends who work or worked for EMS asking what the SOP would be, and I'm waiting for answers. What with the kids and Michael, there's not a huge reason to keep trying to press on, I don't think, so maybe I'll go think about the actions forthcoming - well, the conversations - so that when I get info on the action, I can merge the two accordingly. Of course, I really have a good idea...ugh. I hate to rehash that much. I could do it. I should do it. I am feeling lazy. LAZY. If I could convince Michael to eat early tonight, like 4:30, then I could work on my novel after that...how sad. If I start writing at 4:30, I should finish by around 7:30; that should give me ample time to <blush> do my Warcraft stuff. Wow. A deadline. If I go plot out exactly what is said, then the writing should be unbelievably smooth, because I'll already know how it's going down. So, yeah, I'll do that, I'll run through it in my mind, and then put it on paper. OR, I could go play with my kids for an hour...that would probably be a better use of my time... |
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