You Tube & Book Trailers

I finally looked at You Tube for the first time. Not that I haven't heard about it, I just haven't really had any desire to view anything. As you probably know, many authors are using MySpace, and You Tube, and Yahoo to promote their books. Well the book trailer is the way to go. Now I'm hooked. Last night I even made my own video. Nothing worth the effort of uploading to an email or You Tube, but it was fun to make. I'm thinking of making a few for friends who write. It would be so much fun. As much as I'm at the computer, I could easily do this type of thing for a living if I didn't write. Oh, yeah, I'll fit it in between running a restaurant, designing jewelry, and writing. Sleep, I don't need no stinkin' sleep. lol

Time to Write

I belong to several writers' groups and writing associations, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, KOD, Chick Lit Writers, etc. Though I don't get to go to the monthly meetings, I do get to several each year. This year I'm planning a trip to RWA in San Francisco, and Bouchercon in Baltimore.
Among aspiring writers I always hear, "I just don't have time to write each day." I'm here to tell you this is a total crock of crap. Yes, I'm being blunt. The following is my day in a nutshell, only I have two different kinds of days, the days alternate, but I work like this six days a week. I have Sundays off (not really because I'm always working on jewelry orders in Sunday, but I don't have to):
Day 1 - Restaurant day:
Wake up - 8am Shower and get ready for work. Feed the horses, check to make sure they didn't do anything stupid during the night, like cut themselves, tear down the fence, etc.
Check my email, and print orders (for my other business)
9 am - arrive at restaurant and set up for the day, do a bank run for deposits and getting change, deliver packages to UPS drop off.
10 am - 10 pm - work at the restaurant, deal with customers, pay bills, deal with everyday business. (I use the downtime from 1:30 to 4 pm to fit in some writing, it's interrupted, but I usually get at least 3-4 pages written)
10:30 pm - arrive home, check email (again), let the dogs out for a run, feed the horses, climb into bed to read for about 30 minutes.

Day 2 - repeat of Day 1, until 1 pm.
1:30 pm - Arrive home, let dogs out, check horses, check email, print orders.
2:30 pm - 8:30 pm -Go to jewelry studio to make glass beads for pending orders, make jewelry, package finished orders, be constantly interrupted by ringing phone (which I don't answer while I make beads). I also listen to audio books or my iPod during this time.
8:30 pm - eat dinner
9 pm - Go to office, print invoices, pay bills, accounts receivable, print UPS labels for orders to ship the next day. If I don't have orders shipping, I write during this time.
10:30 pm - Talk to husband when he gets home, do some reading, go to bed.

And guess what? I still fit time into nearly everyday to write!!! I average 3-5 pages a day! And I also have time to interact with my wonderful critique partner, and read her latest work.

No I don't have kids, but I own two businesses which take about 80-90 hours a week of my time. I want more, so I find the time to write. And when I don't find the time, it's because I make excuses and watch TV, or talk to family and friends.

Don't think you have time to write? Think again.
If you want it bad enough you will find time.
Some days I want it more than others, so some days I write more than others. lol

Dogs

I love dogs, and when I see one running down the road, I stop to see if they have a collar. If they do, I call and try to find their home. If they don't I load them up in the car and bring them home. My husband says this is bad, since they may be close to home and I've probably gotten them lost. Well I would hope that someone would bring my dogs home if they ever got lost. Not that my dogs would go near other people. My dogs have no social skills.

But my Doberman, Lola is good at covering herself. In the photo, she's pulled her blanket over her. Sometimes she pulls both blankets over her and you can only see her nose. lol

Posting

I've been lax on posting and I know it. But I have queries out, and a partial, so I'm polishing my manuscript to a glossy shine. I'm hoping to be done by the end of the month. And I also hope that I actually get a request for the full by then or even after.
I've been working with a brilliant critique partner for a couple of months now, and I really think my writing is better for it.
With polishing, the restaurant, and the winter trade shows (for my jewelry line), I've been a busy girl.
And as if I don't have enough on my plate, my husband and I are researching a new business. This will not be a local or regional business. This time we are going whole hog. I'll expose the sordid details when I can.
In the meantime, check out these great blogs: www.workingstiffs.blogspot.com and www.kwanawrites.blogspot.com

Until next time...

Time in a Bottle

I wish I could save time in a bottle, and give myself extra moments during the day. Since Saturday, 2-16-08, I've worked 3-13 hour days and 2-8 hour days at the restaurant. I'm exhausted. I come home at night and want to pass out. But I have emails to write/answer, and pages to write.
Ah, the life of the unpublished fiction writer. We must make a living and etch out time and space for our tall tales. The tales actually keep me sane.
Off to do research for my suspense novel.

New for 2008

I've made myself a lot of promises for the upcoming year. They aren't promises to complete or finish things, but to be better at the things I do. I have a habit of rushing into things and then burning out. This year, no rushing. I'm going to enjoy the moments, and not rush through them. I'm going to start knitting a handbag that may never get finished, but I'm going to knit well, and make it a nice bag. I'm going to write, and I'm going to write the way I want, then I'll go back and edit. I'm going to try harder to do everything I do well. Very well thank you.
I've heard it said that you should identify your weakness and work to make them your assets. In 2008 I'll accumulate assets. I hope to be asset wealthy by 2009.

SVRWA Gotcha Contest

Well, I got the results back from the contest...
Let me start by saying, when you save every draft of your WIP, make sure you label them by date. I accidentally entered my 1st/2nd draft of Let Us Prey, with extraneous crap, typos, spellos, and general garbage. So in other words, I wasted $25. Live and learn. From that, I'll just not go into the details of the very bad score sheets.
On the other hand, I sent in the first draft of Under 13 (now called Judge and Jury) on a whim. Though it received scathing remarks about my puntucation, grammar, and lack of physical attraction (I entered it in a romantic suspense category), I got great reviews on the story itself. One judge said, "The story is the star, not the characters." Well, duh, it was only the first 15 pages, and I wanted to draw the reader in. The details were so well written I was asked if I was in law enforcement. lol And (remember this was the very rough first draft) it placed 10th out of 37 entries. Just goes to show, you never know.
Alas, I'm working on polishing Let Us Prey, so J&J will have to be in line for a while longer.