Boycotting The Whole Goal Setting Thing

No goal setting for me in 2012.

Not this year.

Not because I don't have goals.  I do.

But I'm tired of finding myself at year end explaining why I haven't met my goals.

There are often good reasons and a few excuses, often of a personal nature.

Neither matter when the outcome is the same:  Goal. Not. Met.

Some might call this avoidance, but that's not what I'm feeling. I need and want goals. I just want to keep things simple and focused.

I was trying to find the words to encapsulate what I was feeling when I saw this tweet from author Sandie Bricker:  My advice as you enter the new year: You can't reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday's junk! Let it go. Onward!

So I'm letting go of the 2011 goals I didn't meet and moving onward.

I did accomplish some writerly things of which I am proud.  

In 2011, I managed to:

• Get published in the 2011 Writer's Market


Complete NaNoWriMo


Judge the 2011 INSPY awards


Reduce my reading obligations


Query an editor


Publish my 1,000th blog post


Complete the Miranda Parker/Shelia Goss writing workshop:  How to Plot Your Novel and Bring Your Characters to Life and become part of a very cool support group of writers.


Earn some money freelancing with at least one editor contacting me for story ideas and continued work.


Final in two freelance writing contests.

There might be more but I can't think of it right now.

Bottomline, it wasn't a bad year.

My focus for 2012?  

Write.

That's it.

Don't you love the simplicity?

Really, I've got three things on my mind this year as far as personal goals:  eat smaller portions, exercise daily, and write daily.

That's all.  I will track my progress on all fronts.  Along the way, I will likely set other short term goals, like entering a contest, querying an agent, writing X number of words in a month, and ushering my oldest through the college admissions process, but these remain my two biggies.

Eat Less. Move More. Write Always.

Wouldn't that look great on a T-shirt?

What are your goals, writing or otherwise, for 2012?  (Even if I'm not setting my own, I'd love to cheer you on as you accomplish yours.)

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

Teaser Tuesdays: Redemption's Touch

"'Ah, Arianna,' the housekeeper said, as though the most normal thing in the world was for a dreadlocked, tattooed and muscle-bound man to show up unannounced on their private estate and ask for Arianna, 'you have a visitor.'" -- from Redemption's Touch by Ann Christopher, the Kindle version.

The last Christopher book, Redemption's Kiss, was so good, I downloaded the next book (book 5) in the series, Redemption's Touch.  A Christmas present to me.

It's just as delicious as the last.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page (in the comments or via link to your own blog)

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Reading anything interesting? (Even if you don't post the meme, psot a comment to tell us what you're reading!)

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

Top 12 Amazing Reads for 2011

Out of the 117 books I read in 2011, these were my top 12 favorites.  These books are contemporary and historical, romantic and suspenseful, irreverent and topical.  They made me sit up and take note of their excellence in writing, storytelling and the lasting emotion after the back cover was closed.

Technically, there are 16 books on my top 12 list.  A few of my favorite authors, namely Steven James, Ronie Kendig and Patti Lacy, produced multiple books I found equally amazing.  Too hard to choose so I lumped their multiples together and counted each set as one.

For me, this year's amazing reads, in no particular order and with excerpts from the comments I made in my reading log, were:

Exposed by Ashley Weis
My first read of 2011 and it was stunning.  The story of two women, one a wife who discovers her husband's secret porn life and the other a young woman who falls into a world of porn. A "wages of sin is death" kind of book, Weis pulls no punches with her scenes yet manages to be explicit without being graphic.

Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones
With a neverending wit, Jones explores what it means for two people, one who comes from nothing and one who has everything, to feel unworthy.  She delves into and reveals spiritual truths, like the need to ignore Satan's lies, in a way that gave me goosebumps.  My first but not my last Jenny B. Jones book.

The Queen by Steven James (and two other amazing Patrick Bowers books, The Pawn and The Knight)
I'm not sure anyone does suspense better than Steven James, even Stephen King.  James doesn't have any extra words. Every sentence, every word is meaningful.  Definitely not for speed reading, but beyond that, it's another fabulous installment in the Patrick Bowers series.

Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews
The story of Dinah, granddaughter of Isaac; an emotional and riveting retelling of Job's story, one of my favorites, that whet my appetite for more Biblical fiction and certainly more from Andrews.

The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil by Victoria Christopher Murray
Murray writes really, really well.  Her stories are full of plot twists, and in this case, with the exception of the $5M offer and resulting temptation, Evia's story in many ways mirrors experiences I and many, many others have had in these tough economic times.

The Edge of Grace by Christa Allan
In first few pages, I knew this would be one of my top reads for 2011.  No sophomore slump for Allan who offers up a fresh take on homosexuality and how Christians deal with it.  This book was amazing.  It touched on every stereotype and belief about homosexuals--what they are and what they aren't--not offering "answers" but showing one slice of life in the gay community.  It particularly honed in on the notion of homosexual Christians and how God could both love and condemn them.  Fascinating.  Might be a book I actually reread.

Twice the Chance by Darlene Gardner
This category romance was storytelling at its best.  Every word counted.  Every plot point related to some other plot point.  The twists and turns and how they are explored on more than one level to emphasize certain things for the reader are brilliant.  Loved it, this story about Jazz Lenox and Matt Caminetti.  The Caminettis are another strong family.  Refreshing that this story doesn't have automatic series all over it.  Gardner focused on telling a single, wonderful story.

Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig  (and also, Digitalis)
Kendig is an amazing writer who has clearly researched the military and special ops until writing about them has become second nature for her.  To the uninformed, it seems that she nails the jargon, the attitude and the realism needed in books of this nature.  The progression of the romance is as agonizing as the march through the jungle.  Painstaking.  One step at a time.  Fraught with danger.  Fantastic!

Heiress by Susan May Warren
Amazing not quite contemporary retelling of Issac and Esau's story, but focused on two sisters:  Esme and Jinx.  Set in the Gilded Age.  Warren is at her best in these longer sagas, I think, and she never disappoints.

The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund
Wonderful sophomore book.   Priscilla and Eli's story was beautiful and told in a way reminiscent of Julie Lessman's A Passion Most Pure.  Vivid description.  Poignant dialogue.  Taut sensuality.  Reader gets a real sense of how harrowing the East-West journey to get to Oregon must have been.  Get the impression that Hedlund truly makes every word count.

Reclaiming Lily by Patti Lacy (and also The Rhythm of Secrets)
Amazing book.  With a series of flashbacks to understand how Dr. Chang Kai and her sister Lily came to be in America, and how Kai found her sister, Lacy unfolds the story of Lily's medical issues.  Kai must decide between being a loving sister or a impassioned but controlled doctor even as she comes to a true understanding of faith.

Cherished by Kim Cash Tate
Another fabulous read from Tate.  Learning to forgive oneself and others is one of the hardest lessons we each must learn.  Tate illuminates this in a story that has multicultural flavor without a whole lot of distracting physical character descriptions, offering a tale that is universal in its presentation and appeal.  Love the complimentary song by Da Truth w CeCe Winans.

What were some of your favorite reads this year?

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

Making A Book List and Checking It Twice

It's that time of the year, time for a "best of" reading list.

I tried harder than ever this year to reduce the number of books I read in order to make time for writing.  Mid-year, I reduced the number of books for review in a major way.  I stopped entering contests to win books.  I bought fewer books.  At times, I found myself with nothing waiting in my queue.

But, after participating in NaNo in November, I confirmed what I already knew.

Reading is what I do, no matter what.

During that intense 30-day period, even as I tapped over 60k words, I read.  I managed to complete seven books in November, in part because I finished NaNo with 10 days to spare.

So what we all know, that I've always known, is that I will always read.  Period.

I'm still mindful of taking on fewer review obligations.  I also must be mindful of passing on ebooks because I find that I like reading on my smartphone as much as reading a physical book, especially if the ebook is short and fast-paced.  And ebook reading is a greater procrastination aide than physical books since my phone is always at my fingertips.  That will be the challenge in 2012.

Said all that to say, I read 117 books this year.  (I'm trending in the right direction, though, down from 129, 136, 150, 157 in the preceding four years.)

As always, there were a lot of good books in the bunch.  Most of what I read I would considered good -- pretty well written, entertaining, thought-provoking and reasonably memorable.

But then there are the ones that, as I'm turning the pages and absorbing the story, I'm also amazed.  By the excellence of craft.  By the skill with which sensitive subjects are handled.  By the ability to make me laugh out loud.  By the information that is shared and the lessons that are taught.  By the knowledge that I will never forget the story.

2012 will again bring fewer reads (under 100?) and more writing.  I have no doubt there will be just as many good books and as many amazing ones to choose from.

Maybe I'll use reading as a reward.  After I written the synopsis.  After I've penned a few chapters.  After I've finished a draft.

Tomorrow, I'll post my top 12 amazing reads for 2011.

Is there one thing you do that you find it hard to scale back on in order to do other things?

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

Teaser Tuesdays: Redemption's Kiss

"The words were both on the tip of her tongue and locked behind a thick steel door guarded by armed soldiers and pit bulls.  She couldn't get them out and couldn't hold them back.  'I need--'" -- from Redemption's Kiss by Ann Christopher, the Kindle version.

Difficult to pick a teaser from the ebook version.  Not the same experience as thumbing through pages.  Sigh.  But Ann Christopher writes so well, with so much tension on every page, I just went to the section I'd read last.  This is book 3 of the Warner Family and Friends series, the reconciliation of ex-Governor Beau Taylor and his wife, Jillian.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page (in the comments or via link to your own blog)

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Reading anything interesting? (Even if you don't post the meme, psot a comment to tell us what you're reading!)

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

Reader/Writer Tidbits -- December 17, 2011

I love Christmas lights.  Christmas decorations.  Christmas images.  Christmas gifts. Christmas stories.

The Christ story.

Pretty much everything Christmas.

8 more days...

As you think about your plans for 2012, freelancer Carol Tice offers "113 Things You Can Do To Grow Your Freelance Writing Income -- Now."  I'd say most of her tips apply to any writers, not just freelancers.

From RT Book Reviews, "Ten Places Now Accepting Manuscripts."

If you've ever considered taking a pen name--and even if you've never thought about it--read Ali Knight (aka Alison Potter's) path to finding an acceptable publishing moniker.

Mike Shatzkin, who often has interesting things to say about the publishing industry, argues "Paying Authors More Might Be the Best Economics For Publishers in the Long Run."

Looking for free online storage?  Not sure I'd take Amazon up on it since it's starting to feel like they have a little too much power in the market, but hey, in a pinch, a free 5GB is a free 5GB.  Amazon Cloud Drive.

The world outside of the novel writing community continues to be amazed and fascinated by epublishing successes, like Michael Prescott, Barbara Freehy, C.J. Lyons, and of course, J.A. Konrath, as reported in this USA Today article.

Another epublishing success, a tale of persistence and creativity, comes from author Darcie Chan.

And finishing up on a fun note, "Can You Use Math to Write a Bestseller?".  This, from Publishers Weekly, introduces The Bestseller Code, an algorithm that considers the word complexity of a passage and sentence length to determine the probably of becoming a bestseller.  Very interesting (at least to we math-minded folks).  One of the later passages from my NaNo writing failed miserably, scoring 2.5 out of 20 on the bestseller scale while one of my earlier passages, when I was taking a bit more time with the writing, scored a 15.5.  And yes, it was definitely a better written passage.  If I had time, I'd plug in passages from a few bestsellers, some classics, and some favorite reads just to see how they compare.

But no time for that.  Christmas is coming!

This will be the last set of weekend tidbits for 2011.  Sorry, no tidbits on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve.  Not because there won't be things to talk about and share, but because I'm hoping you'll be spending your time (and me too) enjoying the holidays with your loved ones.

Happy Readin' N Writin'!

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

2011 INSPY Awards

The 2011 Inspy Awards were announced on Monday.  This year, I had the privilege of serving as a judge in the Romance category for the second time.

This year's winners are:

CREATIVE NONFICTION

Passport Through Darkness  by Kimberly L. Smith (David C. Cook, January 2011) 

In Passport Through Darkness, Mrs. Smith portrays sacrificial Christian living as the absolutely normal and healthy choice for all Christians. She and her husband are willingly transparent with their weaknesses and present a realistic picture of what a Christian living looks like: hard, messy, and painful, but right and worthwhile. Passport Through Darkness is a powerful story that can change who you are at a fundamental level.

GENERAL FICTION

City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell (Henry Holt & Co, September 2010)

We chose City of Tranquil Light because it tells a compelling story with complex characters that feel true to life, characters we care about. Bo Caldwell’s prose is lyrical.  The characters live a very real faith. Everything they do has Kingdom service in mind, yet they never come across as preachy. Their faith is organic. Serving Christ is what they do, it’s who they are. Because of that, this book’s appeal goes beyond that of the Christian community.

LITERATURE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Saint Training by Elizabeth Fixmer (Zondervan, August 2010)

Saint Training is realistic in its examination of religion without stereotype or fundamentalist views. An inspiring read, relevant to young readers and a stand out in its genre. Mary Clare is very down to earth and anyone will be able to relate to her struggles.

MYSTERY/THRILLER

The Bishop by Steven James (Revell, July 2010)

Steven James did not shy away from the “tough” questions about God and we appreciate that an author – a Christian author at that, would be up-front and center with the real tough spiritual questions. The Bishop treats the reader as intelligent and with a mind of her own. The plot was engaging and the characters felt real.

ROMANCE

Yesterday’s Tomorrow by Cathy West (Oak Tara, March 2011)

Catherine West gives us a gritty and moving account of the Vietnam War as experienced by an intrepid journalist providing innovation of the setting, time period and subject matter. The edgy realism and poignant honesty that flow from West’s pen in Yesterday’s Tomorrow place it head-and-shoulders above some of biggest bestsellers on bookstore shelves today, and it easily fulfills all the requirements set forth to make it the INSPY Award Winner for Romance.

SPECULATIVE FICTION

The Falling Away by T.L. Hines (Thomas Nelson, September 2010)

Non-linear plot lines that all converge without being predictable, responsible treatment of mental disorders without cliche; self sacrifice, demonic encounters and the power of Grace; all these reasons and more make The Falling Away by T.L. Hines the speculative INSPY winner. In his own distinctive “noir bizarre” style, Hines explores powerful truths about life, death and redemption. The author managed to tackle a familiar subject (spirituals warfare) in a most unconventional way. Full characterization meshed with a tight plot that is engaging even for newcomers to the supernatural thriller. Ultimately, more than one character learns important truths about the fallen world we live in and the spiritual dangers one may face from without and within. This novel is an embodiment of the concept that God’s power is made perfect in human weakness.

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

Teaser Tuesdays: Desired

"I had done it.  I had slept with the Hebrew.  I was his wife forever now.  My hand went to my belly, a strange new reflex.  I would bear children from this man." -- from Desired:  The Untold Story of Samson & Delilah by Ginger Garrett, pg. 119

This year, I've read a number of what I call "Biblical fiction" titles, i.e. stories that retell and richly expound upon the Biblical accounts.  I've always been fascinated by the story of Samson so I knew I wanted to read this novel, the second one in Garrett's Lost Loves of the Bible series.  (Book 1 told the story of Queen Esther.)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page (in the comments or via link to your own blog)

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Reading anything interesting? (Even if you don't post the meme, psot a comment to tell us what you're reading!)

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

Nearly Six Years and 1000 Blog Posts

This is my 1,000th post.

I thought about waiting the 64 days necessary for it to fall on exactly my six-year blogging anniversary...but only for a nanosecond.  I enjoy blogging too much!

I began this blog in February 2006.  Blogging was just becoming mainstream and I thought it'd be a fun way to talk about books.  Books I read and books I planned to write.

My baby boy was not quite one year old and I'd just returned to the workforce a month prior.  I didn't say it in those early posts, but I suspect blogging was also a bit of a stress relief.

I told you about books and authors that I loved, especially books that taught me something or especially moved me.

I wanted to encourage aspiring writers who were on the The Writing Journey with me.

I acknowledged that plotting was a challenge.

I shared more of myself, my weight loss woes and efforts to exercise, somehow always tying them back to books.

I posted cutsy things like "What Flavor of Ice Cream Are You?" and blog awards, things that were in blogging vogue back then.

I talked about my publishing successes that year, inclusion in a short story anthology and my first royalty-paying novella.

I expounded on publishing industry issues, like poorly done self-published works and the underrepresentation of African Americans in major industry awards like RWA's Rita Awards.

I participated in my first NaNoWriMo in which I wrote something well short of the 50k words necessary to win.  My sister, also an aspiring writer, also participated...and won.

My niece, just two years younger than me, passed away.

Five years later...

I'm still talking about books and authors I enjoy.

Baby boy is a brusing six year old and burgeoning artist.  Smart as a whip.  Oldest is a hop, skip and a jump from entering college.

I continue to encourage other writers.

Plotting is less of a challenge.  Now the challenge is overall storytelling, that is, bringing all the craft elements together into a readable, salable story.

I share much less of myself here, in part because I created a second blog for that purpose (although I rarely blog there).

Won my third NaNo attempt.

Lost my big brother, just two years older than me, this year.

I have not published since.

Wow.  That floors me.

And now...

I will continue to blog because I enjoy it.  More Reader/Writer Tidbits.  More book reviews. A return to author interviews.  I'll try to share more of myself.  More personal reflections, probably tied to books, and more thoughts on publishing or whatever else strikes my fancy.  More on the writing and publishing journey, which is picking up steam.

I'm going to expand my blog to include more pages.  I'm thinking about a website.

And I'm planning a BIG book giveaway (because I've got tons of them) for 2012.  I'll call it something like "Books I Wish I'd Read Bonanza" of new and gently used, recently published books.  Something like that.

Thanks for hanging out with me.  I hope you'll stick around.

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

Reader/Writer Tidbits -- December 12, 2011

Only 2 more weekly "Tidbits" in 2011!  Are you ready for the holidays?  Out shopping? Preparing for family or travel of your own?  Take a moment to read or write.  I find both to be soothing and energizing.

From Cindi Myers' newsletter,  Move Books is a new middle grade publisher, Founded by Eileen Robinson, former executive editor at Scholastic’s Children’s Press. Move editors are eager to see stories that will appeal to 8 to 12-year old boys. They will accept manuscripts from both agented and unagented authors. The first titles in the line will be published in Fall 2012.

In a very long post, author Dean Wesley Smith gives an insightful history of publishing to talk about "The New World of Publishing:  How Bad Agent Information Gets Talk".  (Perhaps that should say "bad information about agents", as Smith is not knocking agents, per se.)

Indie publishing?  This article provides tips for "Turning Self-Published into Self-Employed."

When beginning a story, do you cast your characters with visual representations first or develop the character, then find a photo to match?  This week, the Thriller Thursday blog looked at "Which Comes First, The Casting or the Character?"

"What You Need to Know about SEO."  If you don't know that SEO stands for "Search Engine Optimization", you might want to take a moment to read this article.

Still have questions about ebook pricing?  So does the government.  The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether ebook publishers and Apple have been breaking anti-trust laws.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers tips for "How To Make Traditional Publishing Writer Friendly."  Before you sign another traditional contract, read this.

Amazon wants to pay you even more!  Amazon announces KDP Select, a way to earn money based on Kindle Lending Library traffic...if you'll give them a 90-day exclusive.

Join author Lisa See and legendary editor Alan Rinzler at the San Francisco Writers Conference in 2012.  If you register before Dec 31st, you save $100.

These tips on how to get noticed in the digital publishing scene, from Disney publishing executives, refer to publishing apps, but they seem perfectly logical for selling books too.

Happy Readin' N Writin'!

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

What I Learned From NaNoWriMo

Before we get too far into December, I wanted to collect my thoughts about the whole NaNo thing.  It definitely was a learning experience.

NaNoWriMo.

50k words in 30 days.

I wrote 50k in 19 days.  Then, I wrote another10k for a total of 60,842.  (I reported 59,475 officially, but I wrote another day after that.)

Having the push of a big goal in front of me, the support and camaraderie of many, and the absolute determination to succeed, I wrote every single day for 19 straight days.  Then, with the pressure off, my output dropped significantly.  That occurred mostly due to the holiday, during which I took off four straight days, and I also reduced my daily goal from 2k to 1k.

But what did I learn?

It is possible to write fast.  A lot of a writer's time is spent thinking about which way a story should go and maybe backtracking when, later, a different idea arises.  I eliminated this by having a complete synopsis.

Fast writing promotes quantity over quality.  I can pound out quite a bit in a hour.  Like 1200 words.  That's not bad.  I could probably pare that back to maybe 800 or 900 words and have a slightly higher quality output.

Most of what comes out when writing fast is dialogue.  Dialogue with action beats can move the story forward, even though I found that many conversations were longer than they needed to be when I finished for the day and thus, will get chopped in revision.

Even with a synopsis, the story will change.  The first draft is all about finding the story, even with a synopsis.  When things started to change, because I learned more things about my characters or because I had new ideas that worked better than the planned ones, I made notes on prior chapters of what needed to change during revision and kept moving forward with the new idea in mind.

Writing with friends is fun.  Half the fun was connecting with other writers and posting word counts so that you could cheer on (and hear the cheers from) other writers.  The rest of the year, writing can be pretty solitary.  Having a couple of trusted friends for accountability may be helpful.

Be selective of time usage, especially online.  Camaraderie is great but it's possible to connect with too many NaNo-oriented groups and commit to post counts in too many places, which becomes a distraction.  I stayed away from the local meetups.  Although it would have been nice to actually meet other writers, the scheduled times didn't work for me and including the travel, they would have taken up too much time.  So I went online (mostly after I finished my writing for the day).

I quickly narrowed down to the official NaNo board, on which I mostly stayed away from the forums, the My Book Therapy site, where I was helping to monitor the forum and be an encourager, and the FB group from the workshop I particpated in last month.  The last is where I spent the majority of my time because it felt like hanging out with old friends (even though we'd been together only a month) and we remain in touch.

In the end, it's all about the commitment.  This was my 3rd attempt at NaNo, my first win.  The biggest difference this time, aside from my kids' being older and pretty much ignoring Mommy when I immediately jumped on the computer after dinner, was that I was 1000% committed to making the goal.  Whatever it took.  That included writing via Evernote on my smartphone while I waited at basketball practices, soccer games and art lessons.  It also included staying up later than normal and driving Hubby crazy with both the light on laptop and the background noise of the television.  He's thankful November is over.

So what's up for December?

NaNo is supposed to be about writing a story in a month.  But for me, 50k words did not tell my whole story.  I did get over the halfway mark, which is encouraging.  So I  will keep writing.  I had hoped to complete it before Christmas, but it looks more like I'll be writing until the end of the year.  No matter.  By January, I'll have a completed first draft, which I'll put aside for a bit while I start on the synopsis for another story.  When that synopsis is done, I'll trade off again and start rewriting/revising this one.

And I'm looking forward to NaNo 2012.

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

Reader/Writer Tidbits -- December 5, 2011

The year is starting to wrap up.  But there a few more tidbits of interest to readers and writers.

Writing romance?  Struggle with pacing?  Check out Kate Walker's tips for Cutting for Pace.  Beyond her romances, Kate is known for her 12-Point Guide to Writing Romance.

And here's another pacing article from author Darlene Gardner.  I love Darlene's category romances so I'm not surprised her tips were short and sweet (but very applicable).

Agent Rachelle Gardner provides best ever response I've seen to writers thinking about quitting in "Called To Write."

Adult hardcover and mass market book sales are down.  Ebook sales are waaay up.  Any surprises in that?  Galleycat provides the latest publishing numbers.

Now that NaNo's over, some of you will move on to editing.  Story structure guru, Larry Brooks, has some revision tips for you. 

Some NaNo'ers, like me, are still writing, getting closer to The End.  If you're in the latter group, this might help you:  Elements of a Great Ending.

SheWrites and Girls Write Now are co-sponsoring a contest for their first ever Young Adult Novel Contest, looking for the best five YA novels written by women. The deadline is December 15.

Happy Readin' N Writin'!

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.