Are You a Lark or an Owl?

After the Amazing Email that changed my life, I went about the business of wrangling a new world. First the website had to be revamped, then my Tumblr account, the blog is brand spanking new thanks to the College Kid, and I have awesome new business cards to give away at Nationals.

At first I was so busy getting to know my new publishing home, joining groups on Yahoo, reading about other debut sales, and more that I barely had time to write. And I get kind if twitchy when I can't write. Really. Twitchy.

I cleared my desk of all the technical, business issues slowly and steadily, but I was frustrated by the brain drain of my creativity. Fortunately, I had already started revising a book before we went on vacation in May, and I had signed up for a very cool plotting class with Suzanne Johnson (more about that in another blog). So while I knew I have two new stories to write for 2014 for Entangled Publishing, I also know myself well enough that I need the proper planning time to do it. So instead of stressing out about what was expected, I decided to focus my energy on the current revisions during the plotting class.

I harnessed all my creativity for this class and the manuscript I was revising for another reason: it's summer in the South and everyone is underfoot. The Physicist is taking extra time off work, the College Kid is in and out of the house at odd hours, and we're all traveling more. Plus there's the 2013 RWA National Convention just around the corner which entails a lot of pre-planning and prep. Not a lot of time to generate new story ideas, but plenty of time to work with words that have already been written and need revision.

The first thing I had to do was reevaluate my schedule. It's so easy to get sucked into the Cyber Vortex of emails, new Yahoo Groups, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and my latest obsession Vine. But if I do that I lose precious writing time. I'm best in the mornings, but I won't stop going to my morning Zumba Classes so what's a writer to do?

This writer starts writing early. At 7AM I'm usually up and at 'em. I write for 2 hours with a breakfast break, then I get ready for the gym. After my workout, I get ready for the day and grab lunch, then I sit down to write for 2-3 more hours. After that there isn't much left in the creative well. That's when I bumbled my brain through the business side of writing (and the Linda Howard Contest).

This rhythm has ebbed and flowed over the years. I'm a Lark Writer. I'm most productive if I start early and finish early. I have another writer friend who is the complete opposite of me: she's an Owl Writer. Often times she'll be signing off Twitter when I'm signing into see if there are any #1k1hr writers who want to sprint write with me.

I've always been a Lark. The College Kid is an Owl. The Physicist just wants coffee and a trip to his cave. Tell me, are you a Lark or an Owl?

A Circle of Support

Every year I sit down and I rebuild my goals based on a book I read six years ago, LIFE MAKEOVER, by Cheryl Richardson. You can read about my process here and here. I have a professional and personal list of goals and priorities to help guide and shape my daily life. This map is a guide, one I can veer from if necessary, but it helps me remain focused regardless of how many potholes and bumps I encounter along the way.

On Monday I posted my 2011 Writing Goals and shared which ones I had accomplished and afterward I received some lovely comments from dear readers and fellow bloggers. Ellen, Katherine, Karen G, Stephanie Jones AKA Alicia Pace, Angela Blount (blogging as Red Peril). I appreciate their kind words about how I influence them as writers, but I'm not accomplishing all my goals in a void where only I spur myself on.

I lean on others during the dark days. The days when I wonder if I am wasting my time. The days when life interferes in big ways. The days when life picks at me in small ways. I would not be where I am today as a writer without Sharon Wray, Karen Johnston, Pam Montovani, M.V. Freeman, Sia Huff, my Goal in a Month x 4 online group -- with a shout out to Amy Atwell for forming this amazing circle of friends--my professional mentors, and generous authors like Lynn Raye Harris.

There are larger circles surrounding me which give me professional support. My local writing chapters in Alabama and Georgia provide a wealth of information about this crazy industry. The Romance Writers of America organization undergirds my writing world. I appreciate the lessons I've learned from countless others throughout the  years during conferences or in virtual classrooms which have been made possible by the RWA.

One day I hope to give back to the larger writing world as a published author. I hope to provide true mentorship and encouragement and pay it forward. Meanwhile, I continue to do my best as a hardworking, unpublished writer to motivate and in some way inspire others to reach for the stars. For in reaching for the stars you will soar.

On Friday I'm posting my professional goals for 2012. I know that no matter life brings I can be confident of one thing: my circle of support will not allow me to give up. Last year the core of that circle uplifted me and held me to my standards despite my health issues, my daughter's mono case, the April 27 tornado cells blowing through Alabama, the loss of my beloved Dowager Feline Clancy, the disappointments, the countless hours driving to colleges with my daughter, and the sad news about a dear family friend's terminal illness.

So you see the greatest gift you can give yourself as you prepare to tackle the year and reach your goals is to give yourself a strong circle of positive and supportive people who want to see you WIN and who will help you pick yourself up and dust off the dirt whenever life sticks a boulder in your path.

If not for the encouragement of others, I would not be where I am today as a writer. And these others, these wonderful women who believe in me and my dream, won't let me walk away from my desires.

Encircle yourself with dream makers.

Hiatus is Coming to An End: Fun Things In Store

Hi folks! Miss me? I have been out of the blogger world for a few weeks now due to travel, the RWA National Conference, uber expensive Internet charges at the Marriott Marquis (boo), and more travel!!

Next week I plan to post my 3 blogs a week again. I can't wait to share the travel news with you as well as my experiences at the National Conference. If you want to get a sneak peek, you can take a gander over to the PETIT FOURS AND HOT TAMALES and see my post about all my conference confessions. I'm also super excited to be hosting the wonderful and gifted Margie Lawson next week. She is coming to Alabama to teach an all day workshop about EMPOWERING CHARACTERS EMOTIONS at the Southern Magic Romance Writing Chapter.

This year is turning out to be one fantastic year with wonderful debut authors and friends sharing their experiences. Stay tuned for more fabulous authors coming to visit the Veranda with their tales and stories.

I've had a great summer. I actually took time away from writing. I know. Unusual as I usually write every day. But I really needed a break. As many of you know, it has been a long and difficult spring. In addition to my daughter's mono (yay, she's cured!) and the horrific tornadoes, I've also been battling an ongoing sinus infection. I'm finally back to my normal self. "Normal" being as sane as one can expect me to be considering I write for quarters and I pay myself for "trying to get published" letters.

Now I'm starting to get pumped up about writing. Not selling. But writing. Nationals was a great way to juice up the writing genie. And being around my super friends in this business, new and long term, jazzed me even more. Plus I got to be part of other people's successes in the Golden Heart, the Rita, the Daphne and The Readers Choice Awards. Sometimes being at the game is enough. I showed up, I smiled, and I felt my old happy writing self come out of hiding.

So stay tuned! I can't wait to get back to action on Monday.

Shoes, Glorious Shoes!!

The lone Travel Pro

I've been packing my stuff for the Romance Writers of America's big Annual Conference in NYC. I am also packing for a trip to see friends in Virginia before and after the conference.

I thought I could manage it all in one big suitcase and one cosmetic bag from the TRAVELPRO company. The big suitcase is a bit battered, but it can hold a lot of stuff.

My shoe dilemma

I always begin packing by making a comprehensive list. This time I had a mini-travel-to-VA list as well. That meant casual clothes along with fancy clothes and professional clothes. And all the shoes to go with the various outfits for both parts of my trip.

Purses and bling.

I felt confident I could do it. I taped my lists to the wall in the bedroom and began gathering my various articles of clothing and shoes and stuff for the trip. Oh, did I mention I need more than one purse, too? Yah, each dress I'm wearing to the fancy parties requires a different style of clutch and I have to have a big girl purse because I don't think my little Kavu purse will suffice (but I LOVE that purse--it's so easy to find stuff in it!!).

My new shoes in center!

I started out by putting my shoes at the bottom of the big suitcase. I have a drop cover that I can use to cover them.
Didn't work. I just couldn't fit all the clothes for both parts of the trip as well as the shoes into one big suitcase. So up the stairs I went to get a small suitcase to use for the VA part of the trip. Sigh. I had to unpack everything, then repack it all and that worked.

My shoes all fit!

So I have 1 big suitcase, 1 small suitcase, 1 cosmetic bag, my briefcase, my Kavu, my daughter's huge duffel bag, my daughter's computer stuff, my daughter's companion stuff to fit in on the way back from VA, as well as a pool bag, a wine bag (yes, I have my priorities straight), a cooler for normal drinks, a hostess bag, and a food bag to drag up north as well.

I guess I'll be shipping books back to Alabama because the shoes took up all my extra space!

Two suitcases packed! 

How do you prepare for packing? Am I crazy for bringing so many shoes?

And here's a confession: I left out a pair that I really wanted to bring, too.

P.S. I did pack my tiara. If you can guess where I put it based on this picture, I'll send you a Starbucks gift card!!

Celebrating All My Courageous Writing Friends

Tomorrow is a big day for many romance writers. Many of us have entered the Romance Writers of America's contests for published and unpublished authors. The RITA and the GOLDEN HEART contests are our industry's version of the OSCARS for writers.

Today, as an unpublished writer, I'm getting all twitchy because I have two entries in the GOLDEN HEART. I have other unpublished friends who have entered as well. Tomorrow we will most likely be nervous and anxious as we wait for all the finalists to be announced. We'll pretend we don't care, but we do. It's a huge honor! A huge feather in one's writing cap. It opens doors. It doesn't guarantee publication, but it does mean that you've become part of a select sisterhood of writers. So it is a big deal. A very big deal. It's like getting a college degree: once you have it, no one can take that honor away. For unpublished writers it is also a huge affirmation that they aren't whistling dixie against the wind and completely delusional.

This is the creme de la creme. A finalist gets all kinds of writing princess perks. Who wouldn't want to be a Princess for four days at the RWA National Conference?

A lot of my wonderful published friends entered the RITA. This contest is important to them, too. I know it generates more interest. Gets agents interests, booksellers interested, but I'm not published so I have no idea how much extra oomph a RITA Award can give a published writer. I do know this: it's beautiful, bright and shiny. I touched one at a writer's meeting. The winner brought her RITA Statuette into the meeting and shared her victory with us. It was sweet. It was a moment. She was a Princess for four days during the RWA National Conference. Then she shared her sweet Princess moment with us.

The award mattered. A lot.

But for all the people who final, or win, these awards, there are many who don't. Tomorrow will be a day of highs and lows. Therefore I thought that today I'd focus on why we became writers--why we strive to create stories. Because we have to have more than shiny awards and statues to keep us going as writers. We have to have an inner drive that supersedes material recognition. Otherwise we won't keep writing--writing for no pay, no recognition, no awards.

So today, before the announcements are made, I want to say that YOU ARE ALL WINNERS! You entered, you wrote books, you took a chance, you put your heart out there, you risked losing. And in risking the disappointment you grew as writers.

I have a few quotes I want to share with you. Quotes that keep me going as a writer. Quotes that remind me about why I write:

I hope that your measure of success will be not the gratification of getting an agent or seeing your name on the cover, but putting together a novel of real depth--of having something to say and saying it in a story with lasting power. Donald Maass

The object of goals is getting there... the object of dreams is the journey. Delle Jacobs

The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both. James A. Michener

Tomorrow will be a big day. I have three bottles of champagne chilling in the fridge. I plan to open one of them and to celebrate everyone's successes. I am also going to have a THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE party.

So join me tomorrow for a special blog that celebrates ALL of the writers who have entered the prestigious RITA/GOLDEN HEART contests. Let's be happy for the finalists. Let's celebrate their victories. But let's also remember to celebrate the gift of having the courage to enter the contests because we all love writing compelling stories that move people.

And that is what we're all about: writers on a journey who encourage and celebrate each other!!

See you tomorrow!