writing
Busy Weekend
Hi Everyone,
Sorry that I didn’t get a post up this last weekend, but I was busy fixing my car. It decided last week that it did not want to start so I spent the weekend testing all of the electrical components of the ignitions system with an multimeter and a spark tester. My husband helped me change the distributor cap and rotor; the spark plug wires; and the spark plugs. That fixed it. Oh, for any other financially strapped writers out there. The site that I use to help me fix my car is www.alldatadiy.com You do have to pay for a subscription (it’s yearly, for around $30) but it’s been worth every penny for me. Anyway, I suppose I am way off topic. Back to writing. Well, I have the new beginning. I have just a few more tweaks and then I’ll put it up. I’m very pleased with it. I am rewriting large chunks and am very happy with how it’s going. Well, I have to get to work, more later.
~Keep Reading.
And the Wait Begins…
I finished edits on Saturday and mailed my manuscript out on Monday. It was delivered yesterday morning. I always use priority mail when I mail things like this out. So now, I hope, pray, and wait…
Finding a Way Through Chaos
Chaos. I think that describes how I’ve been feeling perfectly. Whenever life itself overwhelms me and I’m filled with anxiety, doubts, anger, and well every negative emotion possible. I seem to forget, the simplest way to remove all of it. Write. I know that probably sounds corny or stupid, but when know you are meant to do something and you are doing it, everything else just seems to fall away and the world is right again. I know I’ve written about this before, but I often forget my own lessons. I haven’t spent enough time writing lately. Yeah, Monday I had a good excuse. Last night, however, not so much. Tonight and this weekend I am going to finish my final edit of Pelegra and the Son of Merek and rewrite my synopsis. By the way, I hate writing synopses. I really do. It’s so difficult to walk that fine line between enough and too much, plus there’s the whole condensing a book down to a page description. I know, I know, it can’t be that hard right? Oh, I did send off a query to a new agent. I’m hopeful. A member of the writing critique group that I belong to suggested him. So, the waiting begins or I suppose continues.
~Keep Reading
Random Ramblings
Well, I spent Monday at doctor due to gastritis. I went to the DR to make sure I didn’t have any gallstones. I’m doing better. I’m getting ready to send off another submission. I’ve also been doing another round of edits, just to tighten things up. I’ve devoted a lot of time recently to learning more about the craft of writing and then applying new techniques to my own writing. I’m mainly making sure my word choice is correct for what I want and that the details are vivid and purposeful. I am also reviewing my sentence structure. Anyway, I’m going to be going to bed soon but I wanted to drop in and say hi. ~ Keep Reading
No one can hold you back except for yourself
So it’s 12:53am and I’m still awake. Which kinda sucks seeing as I do have to get up and go to work (the day job) tomorrow. So I took another half a tablet of melatonin and took a long hot shower. I was thinking while I was in the shower. I was thinking to about a year ago when I had started heavily writing again and was trying to find my way as a writer again. I decided I wanted to go to a writer’s conference only I didn’t know where the nearest one was or how expensive it would be. So I googled Oregon and writers conference and that is how I found the Willamette Writers ( A wonderful organization). I was talking to a good friend of mine about it, his name is Fred. He offered to pay for me to go to the conference and I could pay him back. Which he did and I am doing. That evening one of things he said to me as stuck with me and I remember it over and over again. I had been talking about my dream of being published and he looked at me and said, “Really the only thing holding you back is you.” I blinked at him several times, momentarily speechless. He was absolutely right. So that moment came back to me tonight. You see I have received several rejections and have been a little (yes only a little) down about it. But I figured my match was out there somewhere and it’s only a matter of time. I realized though, no one can hold me back. Not an agent who says no. Not an editor who doesn’t like me. Not a critic who hates my work. No one can hold me back except for myself. I don’t see any rejection as failure. If I were to quit now, that would be failure and that’s not something I am going to do. So if you are like me and still searching for your perfect match out in agent/editor land, don’t give up. No one can hold you back except for yourself.
Keep Reading
Edit one, mission complete
I finished the first edit of the first draft of Pelegra and the Son of Merek. I figure it I’ll probably do at least two more rounds of editing. What do I mean by round? I mean I go through the entire manuscript correcting one thing. This particular edit was content with some sentence structure thrown in. Next time it will be grammar and/or typos. Though to be honest, I’ll probably have my husband read through it for typos. He’s very good at catching things like that.
Well that’s all for now.
Keep Reading.
The End
Well after many sleepless, okay near sleepless nights I have finished the first draft of Pelegra and the Son of Merek. Now I just have to finish editing. The beginning is already edited I think it is currently at version three or so. The rest of it still needs a couple of edits.
Regardless, I can’t even express the joy that I felt when I read the last sentence. The last sentence of my book.
I plan on being finished with edits (since that and work is pretty much my life) by the beginning of December. Then I will start submitting again.
Well that’s all for now, lots to do….
Keep Reading,
Jina
Personal Pick Me Ups…
I think that every person (writer or not) deals with days they are down, grouchy, cranky, and completely bitchy. It happens. It’s part of life. When I am in an exceptionally bad mood I can’t focus. Not on my writing. Not on cleaning the house. Not on anything. I’m not really good for anything but sulking.
However, one of the ways I have learned to combat this crankiness is to focus and think about things that make me happy. I also try and do things that I find relaxing (right now I’m listening to a brain sync meditation track by Kelly Howell–www.brainsync.com and I’m blogging.)
I journal. Regularly. On the back inside cover of my journal I’ve written notes to myself. Things like remember if you are bitchy then pause, breathe deeply, and imagine Pelegra. That almost always calms me down. I’ve written things I’m thankful for. I remind myself that writing is my dream and worth every second of effort. Most importantly I remind myself to believe. Believe in my dream. Believe in myself.
Anyway, so I suggest that you have a happy book–a small notebook with happy thoughts–or even just one page. something you can go to for a personal pick me up.
I’ve also taken to buying inspirational prints. Technically I think they are motivational prints and I realize that sounds cheesy but I really like the two that I have. One of them is of rings left in water after a drop has fallen and says “Serenity: the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” and the other one is of a dock looking across a body of water at a mountain and says “ambition: the world makes way for those who know where they are going.” Oddly enough I bought both of them at Blockbuster.
So when I am down I read my notes to myself and study my prints and they help me remember to keep working toward my goals and believe that I can accomplish them.
The Magic Words
Requested Material. Two. Magic. Words.
Ok, so there are other magic words we all wish to hear, like “I love your book I want to publish it” but hey, baby steps.
For right now the magic words are requested material. Out of the slush pile, or well maybe at least moved to the top. I hope.
I mailed off my two submissions today, to the agents that requested them from the Willamette Writers Conference. I used priority mail so they should have them by Friday at the latest.
So now it’s the waiting game…
Things I ‘ve learned the past week or two…
Ok. I think I’m done rambling now.