Post It or Forget It--My Reminder Wall

I have a very good memory, but I am also very visual and need concrete reminders about what to do as a writer, mother, friend, wife. If I don't see it, I often don't do it. My CINC House (Commander in Chief of Household) notes are pretty typical. I have a fridge with a grocery list, an in-box where all my important daily papers go, 3 binders holding household info, medical info (ugh), and Darling Teen info which I maintain. I also have a calendar with all our important appointments which hangs on the fridge. And finally I have my weekly to-do list in a spiral notebook which has my writing tasks and my CINC House tasks written down. This works for me. Sometimes things slip through the cracks (like my Darling Teen's Spanish 2 final but that's fixed now--I hope), but that's life. And honestly, sometimes I just ignore the task--it keeps moving to the next page and the next week till I get sick of writing it down.

My writing world had different kinds of notes. I'm a Post-it note girl and an Index Card Girl. I am so into my Post-its that when I am a published author that is what I'm going to giveaway as a promotional item. I got a Post-it stack from author Sharon Archer when I won her book THE MAN BEHIND THE BADGE. I love them. They have her name and her information on the top left corner and a beautiful photo indicating her genre--Medical Romance. Can you guess what the picture is? If you do, I'll send you a gift card from Starbucks. Not only are Sharon's Post-its appreciated, I also appreciated reading her book. She's a wonderful writer with a great eye for detail, an excellent melodic voice, and compelling characters.

The wall behind my laptop is covered with reminders, inspiration, and craft information. Right now the following notes are on my wall:

*Golden Heart entries with two checks to indicate payment for the first two entries (I have four to enter and want to spread the financial pain).
*Character Reaction Order of Events: 1-physical, 2-thought, 3-dialogue, 4-purposeful action. BE VIVID. This is my quick & dirty cheat sheet for writing visceral, deep, and detailed character reactions.
*Motivation sentence (cause), Reaction Sentence (effect). Thank you James Scott Bell for that Q&D
*MP (midpoint) has to have a Moment of Grace. Hero/Heroine aware of moral premise.
*Recap Due for GIAMx4 (Goal in a Month) December 13th.
*Suzanne Johnson Interview Questions for March 2012 (debut author!!)
*Audience: who reads is very important. The world is waiting for me to get it right. LEARN PERSIST BE SERIOUS. COMMIT MASTER AND KEEP LEARNING. CHAMPION YOUR WRITING! BE A WARRIOR WRITER!
*Jennifer Greene: "Conflict is what the main character CAN'T walk away from..."
*12 Stages of Intimacy (won't detail that here LOL)
*WRITE THE BOOK YOU WANT TO READ
*Straight Contemporary Authors to read--Robin Kaye, Melanie Milbourne, Melinda Curtis--recommendations from Margie Lawson (who is an awesome teacher)
*My Yahoo email address and login password
*Dates for my final two Petit Fours & Hot Tamales blogs (Yikes, one is due to be posted tomorrow)
*Enid Blyton (I read her books when I was a kid and I keep meaning to hunt them down)
*Query Tracker login and user name
*blogger username/login
*Disney ID (I can dream of going again and again and again)
*my RWA #
*Tami Cowden's FROM LUST TO LOVE worksheet
*Michael Hauge's 6 Stage Plot Structure Worksheet
*Latest blurb for next book I'm writing THE MAVERICK'S RED HOT REUNION
*An email about editing and agents
*a quote from Donald Maass
*word count for a Golden Heart entry and a note to check spelling is same throughout document of a character's last name.
*an index card with notes about what to seek and destroy in ALL my manuscripts. Words like after, were, saw, was, etc. Checking transitions, modifiers, etc. (not that I always succeed).


On days when I am blue, I open my closet door and I read the Things That Make Me Smile list. On days when I feel like a hack who will never see her books get published, I open my closet door and read my list of accomplishments (which are not exclusive to writing). And on days when I feel uninspired, I open my closet door and look at my Hugh Jackman poster.

What's on your wall?

Creative Avoidance 101

Well the conference is less than a month away and I have to get prepared to pitch to my agent/editor. Whew, that means making cute little index cards with boatloads of prompts about my stories and being able to talk about them effortlessly.

My first foray into this endeavor meant distilling info given at my local chapter meeting. Then I fritzed around and started a home DIY project. Can we say I am not focused? Then I had a bit more time on the computer. I researched my editor's authors and my agent's background. Post Its on the wall--need to transfer to the index cards.

Oh, did I mention that I now have multi-colored cards? Yeah~after my dr. appointment, I went to Staples and bought all kinds of conference items (get ready to pitch and more). Now I have purple, pink, yellow, green, and blue 4X6 index cards, a cool clear index card holder, and a black box holder.

Shopping is good creative avoidance.

And I managed to work on the DIY project some more, cook a cool appetizer, go out for dinner, shop for a Father's Day gift with my daughter whilst signing up for Publishers Marketplace and researching my agent/editor a bit more. Oh, and I got onto Amazon and ordered two writing books.

But my pitch is still embryonic at best.

I did order business cards. And I bought Avery labels to plaster on the back of some of them--with my one liner hook on them.

Goal: tomorrow is Father's Day--no rest for the weary.

Goal for Monday: clean house and work on pitch-

Goal for week: prep two pitches so I have them ready to try out at the workshop on the 27th....

I also have to get my DD ready for her camp (starts on the 29th), clean house (really needs it), get a mammogram (oh joy), connect with a writing friend on Wednesday, figure out my wardrobe for the conference (I have NO clothes), oh, and I HAVE TO WRITE AND PREP MY PITCHES AND PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

No problem... really ....

Pitch Panic

Well it's all in. I have my pitching appointments and now I must sit down and prepare my two pitches, my elevator pitches, and my head-to-head pitches.

Yikes. When? This is the weirdest writing time of year for me. Summertime is usually a time of year when I notch down my writing. This year I have a child underfoot, company coming in about two weeks, and I have travel myself (part of it is the National Conference). I can WRITE the pitches, but when can I practice them?

Yesterday I drove to Chattanooga with Darling Daughter and we practiced the first part of my pitch at a restaurant. The GMC of my characters as well as the high concept/hook. I'll start filling in the gaps today. I want to have a pitch ready to practice by Monday at the latest. I want to have both pitches ready by Friday. 

On Saturday I go to the Southern Magic Meeting. Kelly St. John is leading a pitching workshop. I want to be prepared with my two main pitches and a catchy elevator pitch for each one as well. Hopefully, I'll be able to refine the pitches at the workshop and have more to practice the week of the 29th. 

My DD goes to camp on the 29th. My company arrives on July 1st and stays a week. I am glad to see my friend, but I hope she doesn't mind it if I practice my pitches on her!! I pick up my DD from camp on the 3rd. We drive my friend to Birmingham on the 8th. I may spend the night. 

We leave for DC on the 11th! I can practice my pitch in the car, in the hotel, and on my writing friends. 

Today I have a doctor's appointment. I hope it doesn't throw me off my game. I am going to Staples after I'm done. I'll pick up my index card box and different colored index cards for my pitches. I'll buy Avery labels as well to print out my one liner hooks. Must order business cards and postcards for the conference and for querying. Will do that tomorrow. They usually arrive in about a week.

I hope I can focus on this task--it's so important. And when I am afraid I will fail, well then it's easier to fail if I didn't prepare properly. I can blame the lack of prep rather than the quality of my work.

Must overcome that tendency. Must do it now.

Index Cards and Indignities

First of all, indignities:

1) I have written for 5 years now -- and during a move. Someone asked me after a ladies' night, "have you written a book" when I said I was a writer. I reply: yes, 3 of them. She replies with a "why aren't you published? What are you doing to get published??" Hello? What a rude bunch of questions!  How does one even answer those questions to non-writers?  I just say, I will publish one day.

2) I hunt down all my rejections over the past 5 years, call RWA Offices to ask which rejection is best to include in my PRO Pin applicaton. Now think about that? Which rejection? And to top it off, in my blabbering, I say, "I can't believe I lost the really good one I had from Silhouette Publishing in the move!" A personal indignity the day before little Miss PhD who is stuck at home with three kids and miserable had the audacity to deal me out the first indignity listed.

Second: Index Cards

1) I like them--I like toting them around with me. I like writing down my scenes and characters on tiny pieces of paper.

2) I also like post its-- I have them in my bathroom now for when I am inspired during the shower. Now I don't run half naked through the house to find a postit and pen to write an idea down if I am in the middle of getting ready for my day (another strange indignity).

3) I need more.

4) I think I should color code them.

5) I think I am in love with index cards and what they mean to me: they mean I am busy getting ready to write my FOURTH book. Let's see what miss PhD has to say about that one!

Ah, I feel better now. And even better than that, maybe I believe I will get published. I don't have control over the industry, but I do have control over my index cards!