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becoming an author... my journey
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I am in the process of writing my first novel and hope someday to be published. This blog documents my progress, road-blocks, tips, excerpts, and anything else dealing with the process of becoming an author.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'novel'
I Didn\'t Die
I've just been taking a break.My focus was off because of things in my life... mostly good things, but they still interfered. Life does tend to get in the way of writing; but sometimes what I've written gets in the way of writing... I reached a...
I Finished My Book!
Oh, I wish it was that one! No, I just finished reading The Appeal by John Grisham. I needed a break from my WIP. I had to get my mind off it for a bit. I didn't like the last chapter I wrote and thought taking a break would he...
Sidetracked...
Or should I say kidnapped! What am I writing? Labels. Yep, labels. Oh, it takes lots of creative genius to come up with a label for an egg carton.In case you don't follow my farm blog blahwg!, I'm talking about Mr J's chicken ...
The Danger of Agents\' Blogs Part II - My Brain is a Sponge
...and it's dripping all over my manuscript! Have you seen that commercial for bing, the new search engine? It's the one where the people keep spewing strings of information. I'm having a similar problem. I am constantly editing.&nb...
Writer's Haven Goes to Hell
I do most of my writing in my bedroom. I designed this house with my in-laws in mind, so we each have our own area at opposite ends of the house. From my room, I cannot hear their TV. I made our bedroom large enough for our sitting area. I have t...
Editing My Blogs
One of the blogs I follow, A Walk In My Shoes by Susan Mills, has been discussing the topic of what we post in our blogs; specifically, things we wouldn't want potential agents to read. Susan would have been celebrating her 100th post today, but in...
The Danger of Agents' Blogs
I have posted several times about the positive side of following agents' blogs. Now, it's time I told the other side of the story...Remember when you first discovered the internet? If you're like me, you were in utter amazement at the amount of in...
The Long Wait
Why is that everything I see, hear or smell gets me thinking about my MS? A story on the news makes me ponder a new plot. A song on the radio creates a scene in my head. I was born to write. I really believe that. I wrote songs and poems when I...
Chicago Manual of Style
Just thought I'd drop a quick note about my experience using the Chicago Manual of Style. I spoke about it before, but had only used the Q&A section. The Q&A is free, but doesn't necessarily contain everything you might need. The manual is...
Using Real Names of Things...
Yes, I'm limiting my time here. Yes, really. It's just that something I've been wondering about showed up on a billboard in Blogville today. I was just running my quick errands, (scanning the agent blogs) when I came across this title: Product P...
Progress report, and plans for the future:
Finally! I got back to the book today. Health issues have had my mind a little off. I tried writing some the past couple of weeks, but when I read it today, I had to laugh! Every other word was not just misspelled... it was flat the wrong word! ...
Self-Publishing... Is it right for you?
Let me start out by stating that if I choose to go the route of a standard publisher, I will certainly do so only with agent representation. Even though I've only been following the blogs for a short period of time, I have learned that it's well wor...
Wisdom for Writing
While reading my morning mail, I came across this in my daily devotional message from the Presidential Prayer Team:"One definition for wisdom is “the skill of navigating toward a goal with precision.”" Even though the message was pointed to the ...
Saved from the Chopping Block
The other day I tweeted about deleting a big chunk of my book. Have you ever been on auto-pilot with your writing? That's how I felt about the last bunch of pages. I was going down a path that I did not plan. It didn't seem to fit. It felt unpu...
Michael Bolton in my book?
Hurray for me! I've passed forty-seven thousand words! I like spelling it out; makes it feel like even more! I had reached another transition that was giving me some difficulty. It didn't seem 'alive' enough. I spent oodles of time with my finge...
In it for the long haul...
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. T. S. EliotThis quote was on Judy's The Road to Here blog this morning, in her post, A Far Reaching Thought.It quickly reminded me of one of my favorite quotes... Tho...
How many times can I go through Chapter Eleven?
Don't I have to wait so many years? Just kidding... It's not THAT Chapter Eleven.Did you ever get the feeling your manuscript was more like a jigsaw puzzle? Maybe you've put a piece into the wrong place, and that's why you can't find the piece you...
Everybody is a Winner!
I told you I hate making decisions! Fortunately for me, only six of you had suggestions on names for the characters and the company. (No points for agreeing, sorry.) I've picked one suggestion from each of you, and I like the results...Carol, Rae ...
New name pick....
I'm loving the comments on the character names. Now I'll have a tough decision to make. But since you're all so good at this... How about giving me a company name? Another main character has his own business. He makes a gizmo that is part of a ...
Burning up the calendar...
I was looking back through my old posts to when I started this blog. I was hit upside the head! Back in March I wrote that I was in the middle of Chapter Eight. March! That was forever ago. Now here it is, almost August and I'm only nearing the ...
Where I'm at...
I've added a few more sites to my sidebar for you to check out. Most of them have links to other sites that are also helpful. Sometimes I suffer from information overload... There's so much good stuff out there that it can be overwhelming. I've b...
Blogs Worth Reading
OK, I'm obviously not going to find time in the near future to detail very much about the different blogs I've been learning from, and what they've taught me. So here's what I have for you now...Check out my sidebar for the links under 'blogs worth ...
A Site for sore eyes...
If you're like me, you spend so much time on the computer that your eyes blur. Well, here's another place to invest a little time...I promised when I had time to post some of the sites I have found to be helpful to me as an aspiring published author...
Leaps & Bounds!
I have passed through a doorway! Just days ago, I stumbled on a blog with lots of helpful information for writers and wanna-bees. I clicked to follow it, and through that I have found several more helpful sites. Plus, I already have several blogs...
Oh no! Not another blog to read...
I love starting my e-day with blogs. I've made so many wonderful friends in Blogville! Some blogs I follow have stunning photography and art. A couple feature their homemade crafts. But mostly it's the daily life thing... I feel like I know some of y...
excerpt
How could she not let herself fully trust this man? He understood the tug-of-war inside her head without her having to say a word. Liz took Michael’s hand and headed back toward the surf. Yes, I'm writing today!...
Nope, Nada, Nothing...
Just checking in... Nothing much to report. I wrote a few paragraphs this week. It should have been a chapter. Priorities.Life is a juggling contest. Seems like just when I've got all the balls in motion someone tosses me another one. I'm learn...
LIfe gets in the way...
I was on a roll! I think I need a clone. Just when things start speeding along, falling into place, the wall comes up. This time it's life instead of brain fog, but it's halting just the same.I suppose if you visit my other blogs you will understa...
Feelings stirring inside...
Ah, sweet love! Romance novels... Most ladies have read at least one or two. Some women are addicted to them. Personally, I like something a little deeper. But, even without a murderous plot or intriguing secret, romances do hit a chord. We rea...
Emerging from Chapter Eleven ...an update
Finally! And I think I escaped the process much better than GM's upcoming adventure. It was a torturous but delightful chapter! My main character Liz experienced a huge amount of personal growth. She is at a critical turning point in her life that...
