I don’t do new year resolutions. Resolutions to me, one either succeeds at the resolution or fails. No in between. I don’t think that’s a sustainable way to better yourself. You’re gonna have ups and downs and you have to accommodate for the ebbs and flows of life… Continue reading On Writing: Poem a Day Challenge
8 days into May and I’ve celebrated the 12th birthday of my youngest niece and the 22nd birthday of my oldest niece. I went from writing a poem a day to nothing. It was a needed creative break. Life got in the way of the April Poem a Day Challenge. There were days I didn’t get to sit down to write and there were days … Continue reading Reflections on the Poem a Day Challenge
As I trudge along, writing the novel that I have been working on since at least the year 2000, no joke there, the thought “maybe you really don’t want to be a writer” came to me as I hit a block of text where I have no idea what to write. NO. IDEA. BLANK. EMPTY. The words aren’t vibing. The scene feels stiff and inflexible … Continue reading Maybe I Don’t Want to be a Writer
I have started working on finalizing THE SOUND OF MADNESS to be self-published. I originally wanted to have it self-published in January, but it didn’t feel right so I kind of pushed it aside. When I self-published BARFLY in December 2014, it was for me. It was me conquering my fear of putting “my baby” out there for the world. I knew I could handle rejection from … Continue reading Self-Publishing Lesson: Don’t Rush
While watching one of my favorite television shows a new character was introduced. So when the television character’s name was said, I sighed. Not a good sigh. A “are you fucking serious?!?” sigh. How could this character be named this name of all names in the free f’ing world. OF ALL THE NAMES!! Continue reading KILL YOUR DARLINGS
I have three beginnings for my WIP (work in progress) that I’m calling Goliath. (This is not the real title, it’s just that it’s my Goliath, my Mount Everest as I said in my post “Following Your Joy”.) I’ve been struggling with which one would be the best beginning for this novel. I have written and scraped, rewritten and re-scraped, and put this process on repeat more times than I should have. Continue reading THE RIGHT BEGINNING
Rejection letter two on THE SOUND OF MADNESS. It’s funny when I receive a reply from an agent, I automatically think, well there’s another rejection letter. Lloyd Dobler in SAY ANYTHING said it best “If you start out depressed everything’s kind of a pleasant surprise.” If I don’t get my hopes up, I’m not crushed when it’s an agent that says no. Now as a … Continue reading Another Dose of Rejection
And so it begins… Putting yourself out there and being rejected. I don’t mean from a potential mate, but from potential agents. The query process can make or break a writer. We all think we’ve got what it takes to be the next big writer. Some of slave away for hours, days, months, years on a novel. While some will be happy to say, “I … Continue reading Putting Yourself Out There and Being Rejected
As I see the finish line in the current WIP in the distance, I started contemplating on if I could truly call myself a writer even if I am currently not getting paid to do so. If I honestly respond to to the 8 statements to the left, then the answer is YES. But do I call myself a writer? I am not a published … Continue reading Can I Call Myself a Writer?
To make someone smile and I am so honored that Michael Franti took time out of his schedule to read what I wrote and let me know it made him smile. I am beyond touched and moved. Continue reading This is Why I Write