Permission Granted

I always want to write, but I rarely commit to putting my butt in the chair long enough to write. When I do crack open the lap top, I read past writing. I read articles about writing. I catch up with fellow writers on Twitter. Some will say these are the things one does to get ready to write or to think out a plot issue. I want to believe I am preparing myself for a day, an hour, ten minutes of words on the page. I’m still waiting for the writing to come. I am writing this blog post. I am not writing my novel.

As most of us do, I have a myriad of tasks to complete from physical house work to mental life work. How do these things keep me from writing? None of those things physically remove my ability to open my lap top and write. Mentally, I am checked out.

So, how do I check in again? I am trying to stay connected to writers around me through virtual meetings, and when I am with them, I am ready to write. I am ready to talk about writing, and I am open to hearing what others have to say about writing. The meeting ends. I fall back into my head. Sure, I have a lot going on right now, but I feel calm when I write. Writing quiets the self-doubt, the crappy things I tell myself, and the guilt of not being better. Writing is my mental escape from everything. I need only to give myself permission.

Wednesday – Writing Update

Last week I posted a word count of 7,424 words on my draft. As of today, I have written 8,468 words. So, no too bad. It’s not the 1,000 a day I needed to get to 25,000 by the end of this month, but there is no set deadline. I am the only one telling myself I need to get it done. No one else. Just me. From time to time I remind myself to breathe.

I wrote all of those words in one sitting, and I did not write a single word the rest of the week. When this happens, I try to break down the reasons I avoided writing after having a great night of writing. I changed the locks on the doors. I painted the front door. I cut the grass. I cleaned up the outdoor furniture. During all of these tasks, the writing called to me. So, why did I literally do everything else?

Here’s what happened. I realized I needed a stronger catalyst to push the story forward. My MC needs to make a decision and cannot stay in her present way of life. My initial catalyst was a decision for her to stay in her contract or go back to her previous life prior to the contract. This was not enough. My MC says, “I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing then. It’s not ideal, but I’m used to it now.” Okay, end of book. So I had to up the stakes. Now, her choice is to stay in the contract with a slight change or go back to her previous life also with a slight change, but those “slight” changes were enough to make this a real debate. When I realized the choices my MC would now need to make, my stomach dropped. Can I even write something like this? I know it can be written. I’ve read much worse, but can I write it?

Then I just stopped writing. I stared at my screen for an eternity, pushed away from the desk, and went to bed. I have been thinking about what came out of the last writing session, and, deep down, I know this is how it has to be. My MC is braver than I am.

I don’t think she meant literally scares me,
but here we are.

Books I’m Reading

A little about me. I get sleepy when I read. I zone out while reading, and when I zone back in, I am left wondering why the main character is on a boat and why he is holding a dog. I try to stay focused on what is in front of me, but eventually my mind wanders away. Audio books are a bit better for my focus as I can do other tasks while listening, but even then, I lose track of the story if my task becomes involved. Anyone else have these issues?

I tell you all of this to tell you — I am no speed reader, no book worm per se, and certainly no library of knowledge on book suggestions. However, I do love books. I love the smell of the bookstore and the library (vastly different smells). I love holding a book in my hand and the stories inside. I want to read them like others do. I want to devour them. I want to feel the ache at the end when the story is done but you wanted it to go on forever. Posting a weekly review of what I’m reading is an active step in the right direction.

Today’s offerings are book three in the Joe Ledger Series, The King of Plagues by Jonathan Maberry as an audio book and the first book in The Dresden Files, Storm Front by Jim Butcher as an e-book. Jonathan Maberry is my husband’s favorite author. The style is not typically my cup of tea, but I like this author as a person. He is active on Twitter and Facebook. He teaches affordable classes on writing. He is a great guy. Like military lingo? Like international badassery? The Joe Ledger Series is for you. Each book has a new threat and time is always of the essence. We are talking about world annihilation. As I said above, I am up to book three, and Mayberry is still releasing new books in the Ledger series.

I have just started with The Dresden Files and am only a couple chapters into the first book. This series follows Harry Dresden, and he is a wizard, though I guarantee you have never seen a wizard like him. The setting is an everyday city with every day people doing everyday things. Harry handles the not so every day evil oozing from the darkest corners and alleys. I chose this book as it closely represents what I am currently writing. Every day people living among evils they cannot see.

Neither of these books are for the faint of heart. If you plan to check out the Ledger series, start with book one. Each Ledger book could be a standalone, but I prefer the full picture. I cannot offer too much on the Dresden series as a whole, but I’m liking the set up thus far.

Thanks for reading and comments always welcome.

Wednesday – Writing Update

I have been working on this page and linking all my social media together with like names (Wendy Crafton Writes). I also set up a schedule for posting, blogging, and sharing. I am sorry to say I have not written. I was going to say I have not written much, but I have not written at all.

I started April with just over a thousand words on the page for this first draft with a goal of reaching 25k by the end of the month. Today is the 21st and I have (sloppy drumroll) … 7,424 words. To get to 25k by the end of the month I would need to write 1,758 words per day, including today. While not
impossible, this is a lofty goal for me.

Next word count update next Wednesday. By then I should have reached 19,727 words. 

I’m not crying. You’re crying …

New Diggs and Serious Vibes

I finally made a move towards, what I consider, serious marketing as a writer. The move from Blogger to WordPress was so much easier than I thought it would be and I was able to export all my previous posts from Blogger to WordPress without issues. Granted I need to go through each post to remove a few hiccups and update the style, but wow, I did it.

I also may or may not have bought a domain. Yeah, I did. I bought a domain. Serious vibes. Was it a late-night purchase? Yes. Do I have buyer’s remorse? Maybe, but I am here now. I can always downgrade next year if needed.

Why the move? I have been listening to a few talented marketing agents and I believe it is time to take myself a bit more seriously. If I do not take my work seriously, how can I expect others to take my work seriously. So here we are. Being serious about writing.
I hope you will continue to follow me through this journey from unknown writer to author. I have many small goals along the way, but the ultimate goal is publication.

Rules are Meant to Be Broken. Right?

Rules are meant to be broken. Does that include your own rules? I would guess so. Or is that something people say when they can’t follow the rules they created for themselves in a moment of trying too hard? Let’s review the rules I made just over a week ago.

  • Write everyday. No that’s not specific enough for me. I need structure. Write everyday at 7pm for no less than 30 minutes. That’s pretty specific. 
Nope. I think I wrote a few days, but then disappeared in research and talking to myself. I’ve been talking to myself about the story for days now. No words to paper or screen.
  • Research, organizing, and plotting count towards writing time. 
This one I have in spades. I’ve researched Greek gods, demons and angels. I’ve researched a car I’m trying to remember from my teen years. My sister had it for a while. It was a “classic”, huge and faded olive green. The fact that it was a convertible made it even cooler. I named that car Consuela Juanita Vasquez. I don’t know why, but my sister loved the name. She’s no longer here, so I can’t ask her about the car. I digress. I’ve also plotted out a dream sequence (in my head) and had an epiphany about it just today.
  • Limit social media time. Nope, needs more. During writing periods, no social media. Social media is for outside of writing periods. (Yes, this blog counts as social media.)
Nope. Social media has definitely been a distraction over the past week or so. There’s so much news lately. I’ve never felt FOMO until now. I’m constantly checking Twitter, FaceBook, and TikTok. I don’t want to miss anything.
  • Block out distractions. No TV. No humans. Pets okay. If possible, get behind a closed door.
Not behind a closed door, but outside distractions have been few. I easily distract myself without any outside help.
  • Allow for hiccups in the plan. Be open to moving the time of day – but get 30 minutes in daily.
Now, this rule I actually forgot I’d written. I could have saved myself a lot of guilt. Guilt that stopped me from writing at all that day. How does that even make sense? I feel so guilty for not writing when I was supposed to write that I can’t possibly write now!
  • Get to bed by 10pm and asleep before 11pm. No social media in bed. For the love of all things, no TikTok! (If you haven’t installed TikTok, don’t! It’s the worst time trap ever! It’s too late for me, save yourself!)
I managed to do this one a few times and get some good sleep, but I also had a few long nights watching video after video. Just one more. Just one more. And 3 hours later… ugh.
Why can’t I get serious about writing? Why can’t I make time for writing? Why is my writing not as important to me as I want it to be. When I think of having a quiet weekend to write, I get excited about the possibilities. When Friday comes, I say I’ll write for hours Saturday and Sunday. Saturday comes and I do everything under the sun, but write. None, absolutely none of the things I did yesterday (Saturday) needed to be done.
Today, Sunday, this is the first I am sitting down to acknowledge the lack of writing. Will I write after I post this? My brain right now says, of course I will, but will I? Maybe I will. Maybe. I’ll keep working on my goals and getting writing into my every day habits.