WRITING MY WAY - Part 2 Balancing Home Life with Writing

 Good morning!

Another hot day in the Ozasrks. I am so over the heat. However, the heat does give me a good reason to park my hiney in the office and get real work done.

Last week I talked about finding your best writing time. I suggested Sarra Cannon's videos to help in your search. I mentioned that my best 'novel' writing time is from about 4-6 p.m. So, what do I do the rest of the day?

I can manage writing shorter pieces, like this blog post, during the day when my 1950s housewife brain is focused on taking care of my home and family. I can write a blog post or outline a short story then get up and work a load of laundry, set the robot sweeper to run, prep dinner; you know, the general household duties. Since Bob retired that might also include a game of Triple Yahtzee or a card game. I'll explain why that task is important in a future post.

This is also a great time for the administrative side of my business such as posting to social media, buzzing through the email, or other tasks involved in running a successful writing business. Maybe I need to write a blurb, order a cover, line up beta and ARC readers. Am I successful? Not even close. Another topic we'll dive in to another time. But I'm learning as I go. 

Sarra's Publish & Thrive course was an eye-opener and to be honest, scared the crumbs out of me. I have so much to learn about this business and I hate the fact this is one more facet of my life other entities feel the need to get their claws in. 

The key is in KNOWING your best writing time for whatever you need to do. Writing also includes the business tasks, not just writing the book but the entire profession you have chosen. 

So how do we balance our writing business with our personal life? Sarra has some great tips in the video below.

Next week, I'll talk about deciding what is most important to me, and figuring out yours.

All my best!

~ Angela

WRITING MY WAY - Part 1

 Good morning, friends!

I'm trying to get back into sharing my process. In return, I'd love to hear yours in the comments.

I've always been a writer. When I first wrote An Ozarks Christmas, (almost 30 years ago), I raised our daughter, had an in-home daycare, was a leader to multiple Girl Scout troups, and managed our home. After closing the daycare I worked at our local Girl Scout council, helping to design the Talking With TJ (an anti-violence educational program) for National. For a side-hustle, I would enter up to one hundred categories in each of five county fairs. I also led a weekly writing group on AOL called The Writer's Zone. I networked with some amazing and talented authors. I kept busy. Maybe that's why I needed all of those years to write Book 1 in the Planned to Perfection series.

After we moved to south east Missouri, I found a yahoo group using writing sprints as our medium. The core group of six, met every day. I did okay with the on again, off again, sprint times as I was reworking the then titled Ozarks Angel. Then I found Sara Cannon and my whole writing process changed.

Through her series about the Pomodoro method and how to find your best writing time was a lightbulb moment for me. Here are links to the 5-part series in order.

DAY 1 - Pep Talk

DAY 2 -  Live Writing Sprints

DAY 3 - Night Owl Sprints with Sarra

DAY 4 - Your Choice

DAY 5 - Sprint Boss!

The idea is to take each day's challenge. By the end of Day 5 you should have a feel of when the words flow best for you.

Prior to taking Sarra's challenge, I dedicated an entire day to sprint with my group. What I discovered is that for long pieces, such as my novel, the word counts escalated after about 4 p.m. My word counts were much higher in the time frame of between 4-6 p.m I've sinced backed that up to begin writing around 3 p.m. That gives me a chance to settle in and the word count climbs from there.

So why, is this time frame best for me? We'll talk about that more next week. In the mean time, I suggest you check out Sarra's challenge. The workbook is available in her Google Docs. Signing up for her newsletter will give you access to everything including the workbook and so much more.

Until next week..

All my best!

~ Angela

HOW MY WRITING BEGAN - Part 2

 

Good morning.

Today, I thought I'd share how I got into writing romance. Like most of us, the journey began with a book - LOTS of books.

I read books as a little girl. I still have a massive tome of Children's stories my mom purchased from a young man selling books door to door. She bought that and an entire set of Bedtime Bible Stories. I think there were 12 books in the set. (Before we moved to Missouri 15 years ago, I gifted those books to dear friends who were Methodist ministers with six kids to enjoy them).

I also remember reading The Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew. Remember The Red Trailer Mystery? I remember writing my own spells when I was about ten. Even then I know I was a witch but that wasn't something you said out loud.

But I didn't discover romance novels until about the 9th grade. My English teacher, Mrs. Reeves was very contemporary (this was the late 1970s). Her sister had a book store. When they had to swap out books for current published, they were only required to send back the covers to the distributor for credit, the remainder of the books were tossed. But in this case, she would hand them off to her sister. 

Mrs. Reeves would bring flats of them back to the class room. When I close my eyes, I can still see those long tables (similar to our 8' folding tables now) laden with flats of books. There were Silhouette Special Edition, Second Chance romances, as well as westerns and sci-fi to interest the boys.  We could borrow whatever we wanted as long as we didn't shirk our studies. I was really good in English so I seldom had homework - except for reading the books I brought home. 

Except for a couple of collaborative stories with my best friend in 8th grade, this is when I started writing fiction. I was the target for lots of teasing and physical abuse in school from the 7th grade through 11th. So you can imagine my horror when, on one of the many bus rides from school, my binder wound up in the wrong hands and the kids were reading my stories, passing the pages around. I was horrified, sure this would only lead to more teasing. That did not happen.

Soon, kids were asking if I'd added to a story. Could they read it. I was baffled but kept writing. The teasing lessened (never completely stopped) and I had found my niche - even if that niche was outside of the cliques I so wanted to be a part of. 

I still love writing sweet romance... stories that readers can connect with in some way, and maybe... inspire those readers to follow their dreams.

How did you get into writing? I'd love to hear in the comments below.

All my best

~Angela

WRITER TIP THURSDAY - Beth Bartlett

 Good morning, everyone!

We are back with Beth Bartlett with a great writing tip!

Write everything down! Use those eleventy-thousand pristine notebooks every writer has stored, and get every idea on the page. You'll never know when it will come in handy!

You'll find Beth on the folowing links:

WEBSITE   TWITTER  INSTAGRAM  TIK TOK

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

MONDAY MOTIVATION

 Good morning, everyone!

This is the last motivational post with a NanoWriMo undercurrent. National Novel Month ends tomorrow! How've you done? I'd love to hear how your month went.

As we approach the new year; a time when everyone sets new goals, here is something to keep in mind:

A line from Pretty Woman reminds us to think about...

'What's your dream?'

All my best

~Angela

FRIDAY PHOTO - The Day After Thanksgiving!

 Good morning, everyone!

I hope everyone had a pleasant day yesterday. Plenty of good food and family... and a memory or two. That's what today's Friday Photo is all about...

Whether you write about something that happened yesterday or twenty years ago.... take time out of the Black Friday shopping to write about a Thanksgiving dinner memory. 

All my best

~ Angela

MONDAY MOTIVATION

 Good morning, everyone!

Growing up, my (step) mom told me (repeatedlly) that I could do anything I set my mind to. 

Dare I say she was right? Maybe because she was not my biological mom, but the one mom I loved beyond a doubt, I took her words to heart.

When you feel yourself faltering, repeat these 3 simple words... let them become a mantra. You got this!

All my best

~Angela

FRIDAY PHOTO On Saturday - Play Monopoly Day

 Good morning, everyone!

NOTE: I really wanted to inclulde this post but yesterday was Writer's Nest so I'm posting this one today. Have fun!

I think most every household in America (and around the world) has owned a monopoly board game at one time or another so seems fitting the game should have its own day.

Write a memory of playing Monopoly or include the game in your current story. 

With just the two of us, Bob and I have found we prefer a card game version called DEAL. Santa brought us a deck a couple of years ago. When Bob is home, the deck/ card holder never leave the dining room table. We are on our second deck. This particular deck is hard to find. The newer one is harder to read. The deck we have is shown in the video below.

All my best

~ Angela

FRIDAY PHOTO - Chicken Soup for the Soul

 Good morning, everyone!

Personally, I think this is one of the best anthologies every compiled. So many heartwarming stories to encourage and just give you that warm, fuzzy feeling. 

Have you written for Chicken Soup for the Soul? If so, leave a link to the book your story(ies) were in. A little shameless self promotion never hurt :-)

If you've not submitted to them, go HERE and get all the details.

All my best

~ Angela

MONDAY MOTIVATION

Good morning, everyone!

Whether you are participating in NanoWriMo or doing your own thing, remember this...

All my best

~Angela

 

FRIDAY PHOTO

Good morning, everyone!

Do you remember what it was like to play outside? The first Saturday in November is National Play Outside Day!

Include this lead in your current work-in-progress or write a short memory piece.

All my best

~Angela

 

WEDNESDAY REVIEW & UPDATE

 Good morning, everyone!

I have officially completed my Nano Prep and uploaded weekly videos about the prep with some tips that I hope, if you've not started already, will help get you on your path to a successful National Novel Writing Month.  

Here's the link to my YouTube Channel

Now that NanoWriMo is officially underway, I can say I'm really focused to not just win Nano this year but to complete the first draft of An Ozarks Homecoming, Book 2 in the Planned to Perfection series. While at conference, a lot of people asked why I didn't have a table and when Book 2 would be available. Participating in NanoWriMo should prevent those questions from coming up again in 2022.

My GOAL is to finish the rough draft of An Ozarks Homecoming then let it rest over the holidays. I'll bust out edits/ Beta Readers/ publishing after the new year. Then I plan to write Book 3 during the first Camp Nano in April.  

I wasn't able to schedule a Writer's Nest for October but I do have one ready for this month. I'm taking December off to enjoy the holidays, catch up on Hallmark movies and start the planning for 2022.

Are you participating in Nano aka National Novel Writing Month 2022? If so, did you do any prep work?  If you're still needing a nudge, check out my video link above as well as the great inspiration from the Nano Headquarters HERE.

All my best

~Angela

MONDAY MOTIVATION

 

Good morning, friends!

Bob leaves tomorrow, so I've pre-written and scheduled this post. I'm trying to schedule more of them - 'batch blogging' so that I don't have gaps as I approach NanoWrimo.

I'll take tomorrow off from doing anything but maybe YouTube videos, napping or reading, then kick back in on Wednesday.

My Top 3 for this week:

# November Blogs

# November Videos

# November meal prep

WRITER'S TIP THURSDAY

 Good morning, friends!

I'm sharing one of the best motivational Preptober videos I've found so far. Yoanna is fun to listen to and she brings up a couple of things I've not heard any of the others mention. Watch her short video and see if you can spot her very practical tip on 'conditioning yourself to write'.

All my best

~Angela

MONDAY MOTIVATION

 

Good morning, friends.

I have a light week this time. Bob leaves out on the 26th so I try to spend as much of his last week home with him. That doesn't mean I'm not working on something.

# Plan November Videos

# Final Preptober Activities

# Sprints

I've been trying to write every day. It's not always happening but I'm getting better.

Do you struggle for time to write?

All my best

~Angela

WRITER'S TIP THURSDAY

 Good morning, friends.

As we approach the half-way point of Preptober, there are still tips to learn from those who've been there.

Today, we have Anna Sacket. She is a courrent youtuber... meaning she's still out there learning and sharing. 

All my best

~Angela

MONDAY MOTIVATION - The Countdown Begins!

Good morning, friends!

Ozark Creative Writers Conference

There's still time to join us!

I'm scheduling this a full week ahead as this week is going to be nuts as I prepare for my trip to the Ozark Creative Writers Conference in Eureka Springs AR. I will be presenting back-to-back sessions on Friday afternoon. My topic: Blogging is not dead. 

My Top 3 for this week is really simple:

* Pack

* Clean the house

* Prep meals for Bob

Mind you, Bob is quite capable of cooking for himself. He's a very good cook. But, there's still that 1950s hosuewife upbringing that won't let me go on a trip without ensuring Bob at least has a few things he can heat up. He also eats out on occasion.

I love going to Inn of the Ozarks. The place has become 'home away from home'. I've been staying at the hotel at least once a year (except 2020) since 1996). I've made many friends there. Here is a short video about the hotel & conference center:

One of the things I hope to do is visit the Bridgeford House B & B. Bridgeford House was the inspiration for Stephanie's home in An Ozarks Christmas. I've never seen the inside. I'm hoping for a tour.

Bridgeford House B & B

There are a couple other places I'm hoping to check out as they relate to An Ozarks Homecoming. Maybe a bit of on-sight inspiration will kick this book into gear!

I've scheduled posts for the next couple of weeks so the blog won't be totally deserted. 

All my best

~Angela

WRITER'S TIP THURSDAY

Good morning, friends!

Can you believe that tomorrow is October 1st!  We are thirty-one days from the beginning of #NanoWrimo2021.

I've been scouring YouTube for videos I hope will inspire you to make the most of #Preptober and be ready for NanoWrimo this year. We'll talk more about National Novel Writing Month next week. For now, here's Danyal Fryer with his Top 10 tips from last year's video:

All my best

~Angela

MONDAY MOTIVATION - A Kick in the Ass kind of day

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Good morning, everyone!

Man, it has been a busy few weeks. Sadly, very little of it having to do with writing. I'm changing that this week... without a morning cup of coffee. I just need to get through the headache then we'll see.

I thought with my lack of coffee this morning, I would live vicariously through the photo. This also reminded me of a young girl ( nor more than 12) wearing a t-shirt the other day. The shirt said... My Dreams Are My Future.

How amazing for someone to be in that mind set at such a young age. I know adults who can't grasp that concept!

So, while we should never stop dreaming, at some point we have to take the steps toward that future. That's where I am today.

I'm trying to get back on track with my main sources of income here. Writing/ Crafting.  I'm starting by getting the blogs for the next 2 weeks or longer out of the way. I'll be speaking at the Ozark Creative Writers Conference in Eureka Springs Arkansas in a couple of weeks on of all things - blogging. LOL

I'm working on a game plan today. Aside from having my numbers, I need the outline finished, the handouts constructed... and I'd like them done by the weekend. Bob comes home on October 6th and I leave on the 7th. I don't want to be scrambling last minute when I need to spend those precious few 

hours with him. 

Courtesy of Pixabay

Part of the handout is to (hopefully) have a social media planner that I could feasibly sell at the conference. I know that's pushing the envelope - and I've had 18 months to work on the project - but I'm a last-minute kind of person. So we shall see.

One thing I have accomplished is to request my rights back from Boroughs Publishing Group for Somewhere Down the Line. At first they said (per my contract) I'd missed the window for the request. They have since changed and are considering the option. I'll keep you posted. 

My Goals for this week:

1 - blog posts

2 - workshop outline

3 - learn how to format planner pages

That should keep me out of trouble!

There will not be an Author Spotlight/ Review post tomorrow. I haven't had time to curl up and read. 

All my best

~Angela

 

WRITER TIP THURSDAY - Elizabeth Bromke

 Good morning, everyone!

Our tip for today comes from Elizabeth Bromke. We get to see her Writer's Nest tomorrow. In the mean time, here's her tip:

Give yourself permission to write where you want. The words will flow better.

All my best

~Angela