MY BOOKSHELF: END-0F-'12 RESOLUTION

One of my end-of'-'12 resolutions was to shut down the computers in the evening and spend my nights reading.  I think all authors struggle with balance; I know firsthand how easy it is to get lost in my own work, or to get so involved with new marketing ideas that I suddenly look up and discover that what had felt like twenty minutes was actually four hours.

I've been really enjoying my end-of'-'12 resolution...Carving out time to read's a little like making a resolution to eat more chocolate.  Here's a glance at my holiday bookshelf:

THIS JUST SUMS IT ALL UP...

"My dog + coffee + my WIP  = Bliss."  Now, there's a math problem I can solve...

PUKE

Okay, so not the classiest of titles for a blog post. But that's what I've been doing lately. I'm not sick...I'm just drafting new work. And I've decided that's actually the most accurate, vivid way to depict the drafting process. I mean, a first draft isn't supposed to be pretty. It's just supposed to come out. Just like, well...

I've also discovered a fantastic new way to get through the puking drafting process. I call it Give Credit Where Credit's Due. So often, at the end of the day, a writer can look at the number of words (or pages) and feel a little rotten about how skimpy it seems. Really, though, it's so much better for a writer's mental health to take stock of what really happened during the drafting process that day. If you figured out a plotting problem or made a breakthrough with backstory, that's worth far more than the sheer number of words typed that day. Always remember to take stock of what you accomplished, not what you think you should have accomplished.

Speaking of word count, though, I've also started giving myself credit for all the words I write during the drafting process...even notes to self, scrawled down the margins of notebook paper. I find that if I give myself credit for the words written outside of the story, I allow myself to go on tangents, to explore aspects of the story that might not ever have been addressed (at least, not in the earliest stages of writing the book).

All of this makes drafting infinitely more enjoyable. And that's definitely important, for someone who far prefers revising to drafting. Drafting's now so much more enjoyable, in fact, that I'm celebrating all WIPs at my house—even the WIP belonging to my dog, as this snazzy new sign illustrates! (More on Jake's WIP here.)


Happy puking drafting, everyone!

IDEA. JUNKIE.

I've said it before: I’m an idea junkie. It’s a bit of a disease, actually. I get two, three chapters into a new project when I'm suddenly bowled over by the concept for yet another book.

When I first began the pursuit of publication, those new ideas would sometimes get me sidetracked. I learned I need to keep a spiral-bound notebook where I can jot down the basics of a new plot, then get back to the project at hand.

Being the idea junkie I am, I recently found myself with a backlog of projects I wanted to get out of outline form…I reorganized my office, getting all my materials in order so that I could move straight from one project to the next, throughout 2012. Ten in all. Yeah. I know. Ten new books. I’ve got the list of books (written in the order in which I'll tackle them) thumbtacked to the wall above my computer, in my office.

My true goal for 2012, though? Not to get all the way through the list.

Writers know the scenario well: you get about halfway through drafting a new book when your editor sends you the revision notes for a book you’ve already got in development. You have to put your current project aside, to work on revisions.

Right now, my agent’s shopping several new books...and I have to admit, my Christmas wish is that my agent will sell those projects, and I’ll be interrupted all through 2012, as the revision notes for those books come in from editors…

At this point, I’ve quit just crossing my fingers. I now have my toes crossed, my eyes crossed, the strands in my ponytail crossed…A little bit of praying doesn't hurt anything, either:

Until then, I’ll be plugging away at the first project on my list!

MY MUSE, GRISELDA

Yup, here she is: Griselda, my muse, who has occupied my office for the past ten years. (Anytime somebody says "muse," I instantly get this picture in my head: black hair, tambourine and all...)

I'm eyebrow-deep in yet another project right now; good ol' Griselda's been working overtime this summer...

UNADULTERATED JOY

Just happened to snap this shot as my pup, Jake, took off for a walk with my brother this morning…Don’t we all wish we stepped out of the front door feeling so utterly free?

…Actually, I think I had this look on my face last weekend, when I wrapped up yet another revision.

On to the next project…