Word count anyone?

Whenever you go to a publisher's submission guidelines, you see that the publisher is looking for stories that fit between certain word counts, and if you submit a story that isn't in that certain word count, they'll flat out reject it. This alone is enough to make one stare at the word count meter on their word processor, but after a dose of Nano on top of those publisher guidelines, the problem can lead to obsession over word count, as an author friend and I discussed a couple of days ago.

Then there're the authors who go by page count. I know of ones who focus more on that than word count, and they're probably just as bad about having to get to that certain page count. Sweat with Sven follows this pattern of having to write 4-6 pages a day. They as well translate that into word count at the end though.

Another friend said to just write the story and submit it based on the length it happens to be. But is that realistic? How about after you've already gotten a book published and you're writing the sequel? I don't think it's that easy, especially if one is looking to get a novel published. I have to have a goal in front of me to get there.

Word counts are a necessary evil, but how do you handle juggling a good story and fitting it into a certain word count for publisher guidelines? Is there such a thing as being obsessed over word counts? Have you felt this way? Do you agree with my friend that you should just write the story and submit based on the length it happens to get to? Let me know. *smiles*

Nano November Hell!!!!

Awesome Friday! I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving. Who besides me ate too much? ;-)

Nano--@#$%! It ends Sunday, November 30th. I’m not sure if I’m happy or depressed by that fact. I need another week. I have just over 38,000 words, but I’m not sure I’ll make my word count by Sunday. *breaks down and weeps from the pressure*

Seriously, what was I thinking when I signed up for Nano? Did I really think I needed more pressure? More obligations on my plate? My Novembers are always busy to begin with from my youngest son’s birthday, karate testing, football/basketball games and practices and then this year I added a surgery, Nano and my husband out of work the entire week of Thanksgiving! @#$%! As if Thanksgiving travel didn’t make writing challenging enough, he is off and at home with me the entire week. Joy, joy, not another word is wrote! lol That line has the ring of some sick joke or twisted song!

So, here’s to all you Nano exhausted participants. *raises my glass of wine at you* Whether we achieve our 50K goal or not, we are all winners because we at least wrote something during our 30 day writing-psycho-sprint. Without Nano I probably wouldn’t have managed a single word, except in the vast void of my brain cells and then it would have been dumped after a few days just like my computer trash bin. Of course, it’s pure speculation at this point that the writing isn’t pure crap or that the crappy parts are even fixable for that matter. ;-)

I hope everyone has an awesome and safe weekend. If you’re cramming for Nano, the best of luck to you! I won't keep you reading because you SHOULD be writing and not reading my blog!!!! =)

Week four of Nanowrimo

Hello everyone! This is the final week of National Novel Writing Month and November in general. Happy early Thanksgiving!

As you can see from my word count meter, I'm not doing too hot. While I'm at 40,023, and that's great, it's not where I want to be as I'm technically behind now for the first week. I'm climbing in snail crawls, but that just means that the next five days will have to be ones that I use wisely and really start climbing the ladder quick. No more of finding ways to slack off or not get my necessary writing done. I have to "win" and make it to at least 50,000 words. I will, I'm sure, but I'm actually starting to get a little concerned. That's probably a good thing though.

Anyways, I wish everyone the best on the holidays! What are you going to be doing for Thanksgiving? Also, how are your novels coming along?

Week three of Nanowrimo

Wow, it seems like just yesterday that we got started on this journey. Isn't it crazy? As of now, I'm at 36,074 words. Time has flown, and I've written quite a bit in that period of time, but in some ways I'd love to be at a higher word count. Although, to be honest, I've written more and had more dedication this year than years in the past. It's nice to know that I'm growing from the experience. I hope to not make the mistake of stopping this experience of dedicated writing after this time has passed. I really stand firm with Sierra on sending off a manuscript to NY early next year.

What have I learned this week? Pretty much that I don't have the turbo battery that the energizer bunny does and that if I don't make time for writing, or if I decide to goof off while I have the time of writing, then nothing gets done and I just beat myself up over the "failure." I have to stay focused on my story and not let myself think of all of the other stories that are beginning to pull on my mind. Also, even though my story is starting to drag and I want to throw things because the proverbial waters of my plot are getting muddied so I can't tell where in the world my story is going, I have to keep pushing forward. I can't just laze around and complain about it. That doesn't get anything done. It keeps me away from the manuscript and probably makes things worse.

So! How are you guys doing with Nano? Have you been going strong or wanting to give up? Has it become hard for you as well? Or are you speeding through it? Let me know. *smiles*

Week two of Nanowrimo

Well, it's week two, and boy, I am feeling it. Every other day, I've been actually craving going to bed early (midnight). Or even been feeling like my body isn't as well prepared to deal with staying up and writing or mustering up the courage to face life, nano, and the weather change (or whatever else is going on at the moment). I can't let that get in the way of my victory though. I am with Sierra on the pact we made (hooray for submitting to NY at the beginning of next year!), since that is something we really want to happen. (I'm so glad you joined it with us, Gracen! We're the Deadly trio of Vixens. ;)) You don't have to change your name to have an "S" beginning, we love you as you are!)

Anyways, this week with Nano is all about pushing through even when you don't feel like it, and I've really had to do that as much as I've been too sleepy and worn down. On Monday, I could only muster 137 words, then I had to get to bed. Tonight seemed to be going well, but then it took a turn and life got in the way. I'm having to push it back in its boundaries, which it doesn't really like. But I managed to get a decent word count down. As of right now, I have 23,470 words written. Tomorrow will be another day, and I'll get more writing done. Hopefully, I can start climbing out of the pit with a victorious roar and show my word count who is boss. *smiles*

So! The moral of today's story is that you can accomplish your word count goals, or at least, get some writing done each day, even if you're not satisfied with how high that number is. One of my main goals this is, besides from winning with a special number I have in mind, is to write each and every day, which I haven't always done in past Nanos. Also, when life pushes and tries to get in the way, you have to stand up and push back. You can win Nano, you can be a published author, and you can be a multi-published author. It's all about keeping your goals in mind and your priorities set. You can do anything you set your mind to!

So, how are you doing with Nano? Or life in general? What are things you're learning in regards to week two of Nano? I'd love to hear from you! *smiles*

Warning: My Depressed Rant About Nothing

Awesome Friday! Yesterday was my youngest son’s seventh birthday. My oldest turned eleven in August. Where have all the years gone? *shakes head* I don’t feel any older. A littler fatter maybe, but definitely not older, and yet they are proof that I’m older than I feel. Time didn’t go this fast when I was their age. Now it feels like I’m rolling down a hill gaining speed with absolutely no brakes. And in all the years I’ve been writing, since middle school, I’ve got one book published, but only because I decided I was going to try and chase my dream for a change instead of helping my husband chase his. It seriously does not help that he's not on board with my dreams.

So, maybe you guessed it…I’m a tad melancholy today. Not only are my boys growing up, but I’m frustrated with my writing. I joined Nano and I’ve typed a little over 13,000 words since Saturday, which I think is pretty good. Hopefully, I’ll get more written this weekend. But, I was reading over some of it yesterday and it was complete drivel! I’d have scraped it if I didn’t need the word count. That alone makes me frustrated. I want perfection, I expect perfection from myself…so, yeah, I’m a perfectionist in a lot of ways.

That led me to thinking how do I know my stuff is good enough to be published? Am I chasing a hopeless dream? How can I know they’re worth chasing? My friends like my stuff, but they’re prejudiced and they’d like anything I wrote. My mother won’t read it because it has the dreaded stuff in it…S-E-X. Shh…don’t tell anyone. She just told me last week that she has almost worked up the nerve to read my book. What? I am so rolling my eyes right now. Really, if she needs to work up her nerve to read it, then I wish she just would not read it! I don’t need the extra drama in my life right now, thank you very much. My mother-in-law thinks I’m going to hell for writing about vampires. If she read any of my stuff, her theory would be confirmed and the flames of hell would be nipping at my heels. I might need to take my socks off and make sure the soles of my feet aren't blistering as I write this rant.

So, I have no true critique group. It’s hard for me to trust folks to give me an honest opinion. One, they’re either going to try and spare my feelings and not give me the cold hard truth. Which does not help me hone any of my writing one little bit. Or, two, they’re going to give advice that is so far out in left field that it’s going to take every hope I ever had and crush it. I’ve seen that happen to someone, had them questioning their ability to write and that person now has a contract for the book that was severely slashed apart. Seriously, sometimes I wonder if folks intentionally want to crush other people’s dreams.

Sorry for the rant, the melancholy, the gibberish above that makes no sense whatsoever. Maybe I’m already cracking under the pressure of Nano. Maybe I’m just cracking under the pressure of a husband that is working too much, children that are involved in anything that involves a ball, a kick or a punch, and I’ve been zooming about like a single parent entirely too much lately. I don’t even know what a home cooked meal is any more. Anyway, I’m shutting up because I’ve dragged you all down entirely too much today. Rah! Rah! What a way to start the weekend off Gracen!

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend. If you care to share, I’d love some advice on how you know your writing is worth placing your hopes and dreams in it? How you battle the husband who doesn't support your writing? How do you stay upbeat without letting your doubts wear your down?

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for your chance to win a copy of Linda Ambrosia’s book, Gulliver’s Children!

I've decided this post is proof that I can write a lot about nothing!

Week one of Nanowrimo

Disclaimer: This blog was written after working on my novel, meaning it might not make too much sense at times, and there may be grammatical errors. *grins*

Well, as I discussed in last week's blog, I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month, which for those who haven't heard about it is a 50,000 word adventure to the depths of a writers imagination (meaning you write 50,000 words in one month). My journey thus far with Nano has been splendid. I've learned a lot about myself that I hadn't really known in previous years. Including the fact that I don't have to always be the underdog that catches up at the end. I can be on top of my writing the whole month long... or at least so far. *smiles* As of writing this blog, I'm 12,050 words in, and not planning on slowing up.

In the past, I did more slacking, at least this far in, and would always have to play catch up toward later in the month. Now I'm ahead of the game and wanting to reach a ridiculous amount of fairly clean pages. I've gone a little too much on the side of letting my fingers fly over the keyboard before that I'd keep in some spots that I knew probably would be edited out, which is a good thing to do to make the word count, but this year I've allowed myself to go back and correct some errors, especially after one year of going back into the novel to edit and scratching my head at a typo that I couldn't figure out what should have been there. Yikes! I ended up having to just delete that sentence when it had been pretty good except for that mysterious word. I love editing, but if I could take a little more time with the first draft, I think I wouldn't have to do so much!

I also find that with my current speed, it's easier to break through rough patches. So far I've gotten through two sticky scenes, one of which turned into my favorite as of now. This year has been a first since I have been kind of pantsing since I had a very, very rough outline, which was more of an idea than outline. And that idea has managed to change on me, for the good, mind you, but still... It's a wee bit exciting!

Anyways, I want to hear from you! How are you doing with your word counts? Has your journey been going well? What are you learning about yourself and your writing? =) Let me know!

Sleep. What a beautiful concept.

Oh the joys of staying up all night. I'm so tired that I want to go to sleep right now and catch up on all the missed hours. Unfortunately, that's not a good idea. If I don't stay up tonight, I'll never sleep tomorrow day and work tomorrow night will be a bear. So, I'm sitting here trying to keep my eyes open, and hoping they don't just clamp shut on me. That is a real possibility. 

I think one of the things that makes it more difficult, is that very few people are awake at the same time as I am. It's quiet. Perfect sleeping condition. It's dark outside, which tells my body that it's time to go to bed. Even after years of working nights, I still have trouble with my sleeping schedule. I hate it.

One positive thing about it though, is that when I stay up all night, I usually can get a lot done. I don't have all the distractions to keep me from my work. I can sit at the computer and write away. That's always a nice thing. Who doesn't want hours of uninterrupted computer time? It's definitely a big plus! If I had time to do that NaNo this year, it would make things a lot easier. 

Unfortunately, I have too many edits to do to try writing a new story right now. I would love to do NaNo this year, but I've got two stories that desperately have to be revised/edited and I am so slow at that process. I may have to do a NaNo on my own in December :D

I am doing pretty good on my edits so far, yay. I'm halfway through with the first story already. I may have to go through it one more time though. I'm not sure yet. I'll finish it up before I decide that. Then I'll have to move on to my second story for revision. I'm on a bit of a timeline, so I don't have any time to spare. The first book is with TWRP and they want the edits back in a couple of weeks, so I've really been focusing on that one. It's my first submission, so I want to make sure I do a good job with it. 

My second story is one that a partial was requested. I want to go through it again just in case they request a full. I haven't had time to really work on it yet, but I figured it's not as high a priority as the first, since the edits are already requested on it.

So, that's my writing life right now. No actual writing going on, just a lot of editing. How many of you are doing the NaNo this month? How is it going so far? Let me know what you're up to with your writing. I hope to hear from you.

Prepping for insanity...

Hi everyone!

This week, I've been getting ready for an intense experience know as none other than... National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, for short). For those who don't know, it's a month long writing event where you aim to write 50,000 words by the end of November. It begins November 1st, and you have a daily goal of 1,667 words. This year will be my fourth year/win (I'm so humble. *winks*)

So, I'm sure you're waiting for me to get into the meat of how I'll be preparing, right? Okay.

1. First things first, I've let my family and friends know that I will be participating in National Novel Writing Month. By now they know how important it is to me, so I'll have their support throughout the month. They'll be there to cheer me on, but also, it shows them that I have set a priority on my writing.

2. I've taken care of things that could tie up my time during November, and other writing projects have been placed to the back burner while I work on this new novel. Anything that isn't urgent or pressing has been dealt with. I've gotten caught up on my favorite shows, too. That way my obsessions won't take up a lot of time! lol

3. Plotting an outline! With the amount of words needing to be written in the span of only thirty days, I always figure out what my novel is going to be about and outline it accordingly. Now, mind you, I'm not the type of person to write fifty page intensive outline, I just like to have that road map of getting from Point A to Point B. I like to explain what I do as looking on a map and seeing that I'd like to get from Orlando to Miami. I have a sense of direction, but there's a lot of options still open. It's still an adventure.

4. Cleaning my desk. Yes, I know. It should be something that I keep tidy on an average day, but with NaNo here... I'll need a place for my story notes, my character list, and plot outline. Plus, since I'm still getting settled into the new place, I put off setting up my desk, so I have a reason for once get it mostly set up. =)

5. Lastly, I'm reading How I Write by Janet Evanovich. It's really pumped me up for what's to come, and I love learning about the craft. This book is informative, and she gives examples of what she means from her Stephanie Plum novels. I haven't read the Stephanie Plum novels, and I still know what's going on in her examples because they are that good and informative. It makes me want to start reading her books. *smiles*

Anyways! That's what I'm doing this year. I hope it gave you ideas of things to make this year a winner if you're participating in NaNoWriMo! Each week in November, I'll be blogging my journey and sharing with you how things are going. Are you doing NaNo this year? What are you doing in preparation?

The official National Novel Writing Month website. http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Tips for NaNo.
http://www.writersdigest.com/article/november-is-national-novel-writing-month/

Making it with Discipline

Today I'll give you guys a look at an article I did in April that was featured in Michelle Pillow's Frivolous Fridays blog. It is still something I have to read over because I have struggles with procrastination sometimes. Let me know what you all think! If you'd like to reprint it for public use, please ask for permission first. =)
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Making it with Discipline
By Sarah Mäkelä

In the past, I have had a lot of trouble with staying focused and being disciplined when it came to writing. I had thought that writing was something people do when they’re feeling creative and inspired. New York Times Bestsellers probably wrote every day, but they made a living writing. I would write when I thought about it, and I loved writing when I did, but it wasn’t something I would do on a regular basis. I loved my characters and thought about them a lot, and when I did sit down to write, I would think about new ideas that had occurred to me, and start writing out those stories. Needless to say, I now have six partials for novel-length works. Most of those are around twenty thousand words.

I always hear a lot about writer’s block, and my answer is that I don’t believe in writer’s block, so it doesn’t believe in me. Most times when I’m “blocked,” I just need to keep that much more focused on the work and break through it. That doesn’t mean I think there can’t be actual problems going on when a writer is stuck. Always examine where you are stuck and try to figure out why, but then continue on. I know of well-known bestselling authors who write their first draft quickly, and then go back and make sense of the manuscript. Stephen King in his book, On Writing, suggests three months for this process.

Before completing my first manuscript with the help of National Novel Writing Month, I didn’t understand that. Why would I want to hurry through such an important step? With National Novel Writing Month, you have to turn off your internal editor and lock her in the closet. If you don’t, you simply won’t be able to write fifty thousand words in one month.

I think sometimes writers get bogged down with making everything perfect on the first time through, but if the first draft doesn’t get done with the diligence of sitting down to write every day, then you won’t make it to the second draft. Now with my first book coming out April 1st, and my second book ninety-one percent written, I recognize that a person needs to have discipline when writing, or pursuing anything else that they desire in life. Writing is a creative process, but it’s also a business.

If you have the desire to write, then go for it! Don’t let others deter you from your dreams.

(c) Sarah Mäkelä