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

CONFERENCES, CONTESTS, & WORKSHOPS - Publish & Thrive

Good morning, everyone!

Wow! Where did the month of January go? For me, I think hibernating from the frigid cold temperatures and keeping busy inside helped the time fly by. Thus, I'm coming in just under the wire to tell you about this week's Conferences, Contests, & Workshops spotlight!

Registration is now open for PUBLISH & THRIVE, created by YA Fantasy author, Sarra Cannon. 

Note, the above link is an affiliate link if you want to help a girl out ;-)

I've been enrolled in this course for a couple of years and have yet to walk myself through all of the modules. That's my mind shift for this year. My Word of the Year is FINISH. At first, I thought I would use FORWARD, because Sarra is always reminding us to stay focused on what will move us forward, closer to our goals. 

With that in mind, I plan to walk through each module of this course as she leads us through this first round of 2024 (the course will be offered again in the fall)

Once you pay for Publish & Thrive (or any of her courses) you have Lifetime Access! That means you pay for the course once and can go through it at your own pace, if you choose, and as many times as you'd like. You also receive all of the upgrades she makes to the curriculum as she is always keeping the information current with the industry!

We start with a LIVE Kick-off call via FB & YouTube (private link will be sent to you prior once your registration is confirmed) That is always a great time.

I know the price may seem a bit much but in comparison to what others charge, you won't get better bang for your buck anywhere! She also offers six or twelve- month payment plan.  

If you can't afford the jump right now, that's fine. Start a Cash Envelope and save for the next round.

Also, remember... if you are SERIOUS about building a business as an author, this class is invaluable and tax deductible! She also offers a money back guarantee but I promise you won't need that. 

HURRY... sign up closes either tomorrow night or Noon Saturday. Our Live Kick Off Call is at 2 p.m. EST on Saturday.

If you have questions, you will find me on FB - https://www.facebook.com/angela.drake.58

All my best!

~ Angela

NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH - Week 1

National Novel Writing Month is here again! I almost look as forward to Nano as I do any holiday of the year - except for maybe Halloween. 

I really put my best foot forward this year. As crazy as September and October was for me, I was determined that November would be about writing. 

I started by taking days in October to really go through the Preptober Planner by Sarra Cannon. I printed out all 95 pages, made notes on the book, decorated the tracking pages and got in the mind set that I would be writing in November.

While the planner is primarily for NanoWriMo, there is a lot of 'plan of attack' tips in the booklet as well. You can get your free download by subscribing to her mailing list. With that you have access to all of her other great writing tools. She will update the Camp Nano Planner in March of 2024.

Here is the video for her Preptober Planner 2023. Links to her website so you can get yours is in her description box.

Book 2 of the Planned to Perfection series is coming along, finally. I figured out my problem.

I was putting all of my attention into the crafting for the etsy shop and not immersing myself in things writing. 

So, while I'm still crafting, I'm also back to watching the writing videos and sprinting with folks on YouTube again.... every day! Even if I only get 200-300 words, it's more than I've written in a long time.  I took part in Double Down Day on Saturday and wrote over 3400 words!!! My goal was 3400.

If you aren't familiar, Double Down Day is the first Saturday of each month where you try to double your best word count for the week in a single day. I was tired by 8 p.m. but proud for having done what I sat out to do. I didn't give up. That's why I thought yesterday's Thoughtful Monday was so appropriate.

Are you doing, Nano? If so, share your goal/ progress below. And if you'd like to buddy up - you'll find me as Rainlyte on the nano boards.

All my best!

~ Angela

 

CAMP NANO PREP - #2 - The Plan

 Good morning, friends!

Bob's been gone a week and I've been trying to accomplish stuff but this icky wet/ cold weather is just not conducive to wanting to do anything but curl up under a blanket with the Hallmark Channel. I haven't but tempting.

Monday was the first day of Spring, and while you couldn't really tell by the weather,  I took my witchy self out for a day in Poplar Bluff. I spent two hours at Bluff Coffee & Mercantile enjoying a large coffee and mapping out the entire video series for Camp Nano prep.  I posted Part 2 this morning - The Plan - where I talk about forming a writing schedule based on whatever is going on in your life while still reaching your goal. You'll find several recipe links in the description box as well as a link to Sarra Cannon's Heartbreathings (author) channel where you'll find her video and links to freebies when you sign up for her email. 

I have an art video to do today then I can work on the next Camp Prep video.

Also, because I don't want this to get lost in this post, tomorrow I'm going to post info about a 24 hour write-a-thon taking place on YouTube. twenty-four hours of sprints to help you reach your writing goal! I hope you'll come back for that tomorrow.

In the mean time, here is today's Camp Nano video:

All my best!

~ Angela

MONDAY MOTIVATION - A Final Push

 Good morning, everyone!

Well, first off, I apologize for no review of Something Blue last week. For some reason I can't get it to open on either of my Kindles and I just have not had time to sit and call customer service about the issue. 

I hope to have a review post for Wednesday on a totally different book. For now... 

The date has changed for Dean and Rhonda's visit. They will be here on the 9th! Yikers! That really cuts my time but I'm on a mission.

First off, I need spending money for Wednesday. So I'm paying myself an hourly wage (mind you - below the minimum wage but still...) so I can hit the Hobby Lobby clearance sale. 75% off paper crafting supplies is something I can't afford to miss since I use them in my 'day job'. I spoke with a manager at the store this morning and she told me they are behind but that everything should be in place later this week. When you're on a budget, you can't afford to miss big-ticket items like dies when there's a price reduction that large!

There's still time to Register!

https://www.ozarkcreativewriters.com/

I did not get any entries for OCW. I really had something in the back of my mind, but like Book 2, if I can't produce a quality product, I'm not going to just put something out there.

I did make progress on Publish & Thrive. I'm really enjoying the course though I know I'm still a couple weeks behind. I've been making time almost daily to sit and watch while taking lots of notes. I found out I may not need the LLC so postponed that appointment with Chrys. 

For this week, I fixating on three things:

1 - The studio. Since I lost a week with the visit date being moved up, I don't have a choice. 

2 - The Graphic 45 project is due on Friday. I'd love to post no later than Thursday

3 - Continue with Publish & Thrive

Hopefully, I'll see you back here on Wednesday.

All my best

~Angela

MONDAY MOTIVATION - Back On Track!!

Good morning, everyone!

Wow, after last week I'm ready for a fresh start.

I didn't get any writing done last week because I crunched to get things out of the way in preparation for a FREE on-line writer's conference I heard about from Sarra Cannon earlier in the week.

WEBSITE

I encourage everyone to check out the website and watch the videos. Just go to SCHEDULE 2022 then click on the YouTube icon next to the sessions that interest you.

This was an intense three days of great information on both Writing and Publishing. My brain is kind of on over-load as I took copious notes and screenshots from most of the sessions. I still have a few to go back and watch thanks to a migraine that hit on Friday. I made connections with some really great people and found some new sprinting groups I hope to take part in. 

One thing that was a REAL eye-opener is how much time this whole writing business thing is going to take. I mean, I KNEW but I just didn't absorb the enormity of the process. I know the over-all journey is an evolution and I'll get there. That's what Sarra Cannon's HB90 course is all about - avoiding the overwhelm while still moving the needle forward.   

The coordinators realized they probably could have timed this better, since this is Camp Nano month so they've scheduled the 2023 YouTube conference for June 23-25, 2023.  Mark your calendar for an amazing conference from the comfort of your own home!

Speaking of Sarra Cannon, She did an awesome presentation on Saturday talking about Planning To Thrive. She is a planner girl and pretty much everything she does involves a planner. She also just opened registration for the Publish & Thrive course that starts in a few weeks. Here's her video with all the details:

PUBLISH & THRIVE INFORMATION VIDEO

Note that she does offer payment options as well as a bundle savings when you purchase Publish and Thrive PLUS the HB90

I do have a busy week but one I'm SUPER excited about.

I have an interview later today with a retired combat training officer from Ft. Polk Army training grounds. This interview should clinch the research I need to finish An Ozarks Homecoming. I don't recall if I mentioned but a few months back I finally realized what my hero's internal struggle is - all stemming from an incident when he was stationed at Ft. Polk. However, I'm determined to not misrepresent the military in any way so I needed to find someone who could tell me if the incident that led to his struggle is plausible. Jason should be able to answer those questions. 

For this week:

1 - Continue work on studio

2 - Kanban board

3 - Write 500 words per day minimum - beginning today!

The 500 word per day challenge came as a result of meeting  Joe from SixCats Press during the AuthorTube Conference. I'll link his video down below. I'm a few days behind to be in sync with him but as Amber McCue would say - I'm right on time!

That pretty much brings you up to speed. I'll be back tomorrow and Wednesday with the next two Something Blue anthology authors - Robyn Neeley and Annie Rains.

All my best

~ Angela

 

MONDAY MOTIVATION - Busy Week!

 Good morning, everyone!

Have you been checking out the Something Blue authors? These gals are super talented. 

Speaking of talented folks, I have a fabulous surprise for you this week. How many of you have seen A HEAVENLY CHRISTMAS on the Hallmark Channel during Christmas?

That movie is one of my favorite and 'must-see' holiday movies. The movie has also brought me a dear friend, Gregg McBride.  Gregg wrote the story. You can find out more about him on his YOUTUBE Channel

Gregg just released his first children's book - Biron the Bee Who Couldn't, released last Friday. In his honor, I'm stepping away from the Something Blue authors to shine the spotlight on Gregg all week long! You won't want to miss all Gregg has to share.

This week and next are super-busy for me. Bob comes home Wednesday, I leave for the Between The Pages writing conference on Friday. I'll get home on Sunday night and my in-laws arrive the following Tuesday. The house is my main focus this week. They've not visited in six years.

Beyond that, I really want to spend quality time with Bob. We've not just enjoyed each other's company in his past two trips home. With that in mind, I will do my best to schedule blog posts ahead between cleaning jags and conference time. 

We had the live kick-off for the Q3 of HB90 boot camp. If you recall, I had cracked my ribs two days before the Q2 kick off so the whole thing kind of tanked. I'm healthy and ready to make Q3 a productive quarter. By the weather forecast, the temps are going to be unbearably hot for the remaining of the summer so a good time to stay in and stay focused.

I'm also hoping to participate in Camp Nano and get serious about writing/ finishing Book 2. I am hoping to meet with the combat training officer on Wednesday to get a couple of questions answered. Bob will leave on the 5th so I will have the rest of the month to pound out words! I should have a word count bar up on my blog soon, courtesy of Sarra Cannon's husband, George. 

My Top 3 for this week:

1 - Put studio back together.

      I'm after Progress, not Perfection.  My in-laws haven't seen the studio since they helped lay the floor six years ago. All we had was walls and windows at the time.

2 - Straighten up the rest of the house. Presentable not Perfect

3 - Pack and be ready to enjoy three days of being with writer folks and being away from the house!

I'll be back tomorrow to shine the spotlight on Gregg McBride. I hope you'll join me!

All my best

~AngelaBTP

MONDAY MOTIVATION - My Weekly Plan

 

Good morning, everyone!

I've decided to go back to the Goal Setting posts for Monday with a bit of positivity woven in. Please bear with me on this transition.

Here we are - the first quarter of the year almost gone and I'm just now setting goals for the year. 

One of the first things I did was sign up for Sarra Cannon's HB90 Bootcamp course. I've followed the idea through her videos for the past three or four years but decided now was the time to actually take the course. I've followed Sarra for years. Life has thrown her lots of curves in the past year yet she is still smiling, still positive and still motivating others.

Her HB90 course has you setting and managing three main goals to through in a 90 day period.  We've just started this round but she offers the course four times a year. Follow her (under HeartBreathings) on YouTube, FB and IG to get a heads up when the next round will begin... usually the last two weeks of a quarter so the next round should begin about mid-June. She uses the Kanban board method. I'll drop one of her videos at the bottom of this post.  I love working with the Kanban board and have used her system very loosely the past couple of years. With having lost nearly the first three months of this year, I decided 'loosely' wasn't going to work if I want at least two more books published by the end of the year.  You will also find her HB90 planner in her ETSY SHOP.

We had our kick off call yesterday. For the next seven days, we'll be given assignments to help set us up for success. There's a lot of prep work. We don't even get to the KanBan board until Day 6 or 7. 

I'm already off to a slow start, having slept through the first twenty-five minutes while on pain meds. I am not a skier and usally pretty steady on my feet but...

We had about 2.5" of snow last Thursday. Most of it was gone by Saturday morning but I took the least steep part of the yard to go out to my truck. I needed a grocery trip. I made it to the truck once to start the vehicle warming up, came back into the house for my purse/ phone - then promptly fell on my backside going back to the truck. Mind you, there wasn't 1/4" of snow left anywhere I was walking and the temperature was above freezing. I was fine til I went to roll over so I could get up... and heard the #4 rib pop on the right side. So all the things I planned to do, like have my HB90 workbook/ planner ready to go for the conference call on Sunday didn't get done. I'm comfortable sitting/ reclining but getting up to move is like doing crunches, compacting the rib into the one below. So not comfortable or condusive to accomplishing anything. Of course, Bob is on the boat so I'm managing on my own.

My Top 3 for this week are simple

1 - Remember to take it easy so this rib can heal

2 - Work on An Ozarks Homecoming EVERYDAY

3 - Remember to take it easy

I'm not going to push myself. I need this rib to heal before I have to start working in the yard/ garden. That said, I think getting older is going to make healing a slower progress than I would like. It is what it is.

Here's one of Sarra's many videos using her HB90 method and her Kanban board:

What's on your agenda for this week? Are you writing? Share in the comments below what is going to be your biggest hurdle this week in achieving your goals!

All my best

~Angela

WRITER'S TIP THURSDAY

 Good morning, friends!

We are three days away from NanoWrimo2021.  Where has this year gone?!

Today, I want to share a very special lady with you. Sarra Cannon has been my mentor for several years. I aspire to have her dedication. I keep saying if Sarra can do it, so can I! 

Sarra and her family are living a vagabond life at the moment. Through circumstances with their previous lease, then builders canceling contracts left and right - including on what she thought was her dream home - Sarra has stayed up beat, positive, and encouraging to herself and others. Their family are testing various areas of the US to see if there's someplace they are supposed to be.  I have four words...

SARRA CANNON IS AMAZING!

Today's video talks about her Preptober workbook. I encourage you to watch the video as well as subscribe to her channel and click to get notifications. We're all hoping, in her vagabond status, she'll have time to update our Nano tracker for 2021. But we'll make it work if she can't. We get it!

This is just the tip of the writer's ice block Sarra offers for FREE on her website.

All my best

~Angela

WRITER TIP THURSDAY - The Master Class

 Good morning, everyone!

I'm in the garden early this morning then in the kitchen canning this afternoon.

Welcome to a new month!

PIXABAY

The Month of July is going to be Christmas In July. Christmas reads you might want on your list, tips from authors who've written Christmas stories, etc.

I'm still putting the list together so in the mean time, I thought I'd kick the month off with THIS article from MASTERCLASS on 8 Tips for Improving Your Writing. 

Camp Nano for April began today. I'm really hoping to push through this block. I have ideas but household stuff has to come first. You'll find me on the boards as RainLyte! I invite you to come friend me and we'll encourage each other!

I've also started #6M4L with Sarra Cannon. There are some areas in my life I really need to work on. One of them is being more consistent with my writing so I've joined her 'Don't Break the Chain' promise... to write every day. We're focusing on July but what a great way to keep the momentum going by the end of the month.

If you'd like to join us, just look for the hastag #6M4L .

For Don't Break the Chain, simply pull out any calendar for July. Every day that you write, put an X through the date, put a smiley face sticker... whatever will inspire you to KEEP GOING! You can also sign up for Sarra's newsletter and get access to a lot of free printables.  Check out her video below then join us. You'll find her links in the video description box:

I'm off the rest of this week. I purchased peaches and blueberries yesterday that need put into jars... and of course, writing!

All my best

~Angela

TOP 3 - January 18

 Welcome back!

Thank you while I took necessary time off last week to find my office corner. I can work at a real desk again even though, as I type this, I'm sitting at the dining room table The animals like it better out here in their comfy chairs but don't want me out of sight. Spoiled babies, the lot of them!  Okay, only my precious beagle and my oldest black cat. The other cat stays in the bedroom pretty much all the time because the black beast really can be a bully.

I've been working on putting the plotting planner together so I know exactly what my daily target word count needs to be to meet deadlines. The plotting planner is a good system. I just need to actully use it this time around. My plotting planner consists of my book projects themselves as well as the Writing Goals planner. I got the idea from Sarra Cannon (yes, you'll see her name come up a lot. She is my mentor on this indie-publishing journey). I'm posting her video here. Her plan for mapping out your writing goals, or any major project you want to accomplish, is a great video. 

That's me for today. I'm off to see if I can get my goals set for the year. 

All my best,

~Angela

TOP 3 - November 2

 Good morning, everyone!

Wow, what a difference between yesterday and today. Woke up to twenty degrees cooler than yesterday morning. I guess it's November, after all, but geez! Good thing I'll have the oven on this morning so I can dry can grains and pasta for the pantry.

Is it just me or does everything start moving faster once November hits?

Since I have been busy trying to get stuff caught up around here before Bob comes home on Wednesday, I've not taken the time to sit down and fill in the Preptober Workbook - a freebie from author Sarra Cannon. I'm posting her video walk -through below.

There is a relatively new bakery about an hour from me. She opened last fall or early spring. Small but beautiful shop. I hope to talk to her about what she went through in opening her bakery so I know my heroine's journey as getting her bakery open is her make or break in the story.

Lastly, 2,000 words per day. That may adjust once I fill in the Preptober book, which I hope to work on today.  One other thing to add to the list is to add a word count bar to the blog side-bar. 

Speaking of being busy, there will be blank spots as we go through the next two months. I want to enjoy the holidays. There won't be a Writer's Nest post again this month or possibly next. I do have someone scheduled for December but she's in the middle of a major move and not sure she'll be settled in by December. 

I do have a new series coming in December, though so stay tuned!

With that, I wish you Happy Reading!

~Angela