As I mentioned yesterday, I've been blogging instead of writing, but finally got my butt in gear and went to work on proofing my second novel before my end-of-the-month deadline arrives. 

And you know what?  It wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be.  By this point in the writing process, you've read and edited your book so many times that you're sick of it.  Proofing your copy is like picking fleas off a dog.  You hope you don't find many fleas and you hope you catch any and all fleas on your dog, but you still have to use that fine-toothed comb to go through their fur and can leave no part unsearched. 

And even with all that diligence, a few fleas will still probably get overlooked, even with a couple of other people proofing the book, too.  It's the nature of fleas: they're small and wily and are good at hiding. 

The good news is that I was able to proof seven chapters in three hours.  The bad news: because I run two businesses and teach classes and take care of a zoo of companion animals, I'm not able to work on writing-related tasks every day.  It's just how it is. 

But at least I'm no longer procrastinating, something I do when I'm overwhelmed with too much on my plate.  But hey, at least I'm never bored, right?

The Weredog Whisperer is scheduled for a December 31, 2013 release in trade paperback and eBook from World Weaver Press. www.worldweaverpress.com

 

After a couple of months (and then some) of not writing, I've finally regained some forward momentum.  First I hit a roadblock in a work-in-progress and set it aside to think about it.  There's nothing inherently wrong with this, but my downfall came in not working on something else.  I usually have at least two projects going on at any given time.  That way I avoid major wheeling spinning and writing downtime should I hit a roadblock.  But my other WIP was being reviewed by beta readers, and instead of making notes on a brand-new book, I just figured I'd weather it.

As Dr. Phil would say, "How is that workin' out for you?"

Well, it didn't work out.  The fallow writing period turned into true procrastination.  My beta readers returned their comments to me, and instead of diving in and looking them over, I kept putting that task off.  Then the holidays were upon me and my motivation to do anything productive pretty much evaporated.  Oh, and I added a new job to my already crowded schedule in November and the hard drive on my one and only computer failed early December.  More road blocks to success.  Uh huh. 

But hey, a new year was on its way and I set goals that I was gonna implement come January 2nd. 

Yeah, right.  My body had other ideas.  I overstretched my back from sitting in a recliner the wrong way--and yes, there is a right and a wrong way to sit in a recliner.  Who knew?  My back seized up, hurting most when I had to--guess what?--sit upright in bed or at my desk.  

But all that is behind me now.  I have almost finished  reviewing beta-reader comments on The Weredog Whisperer and am excited about starting in on the third and final draft.  The photo above reminds me of one of the tacky tourist traps in the novel.  I shot that picture while in South Florida last summer. 

So onward into a new year with new goals and a new determination to move forward.

Happy 2013!
May it be your best year yet!

The life of a fiction writer is glamorous, right?  All that sitting around all day, dreaming up stories when other people are slaving away at real jobs. 

Unless you're a BIG NAME writer who has hundreds of fans camp out at a book signing, no, the writing life is not all that glamorous.  It's a job, just like any other, and while generally an enjoyable job, it's still a job, none the less. 

Writing professionally requires craft, that is, you've got to know the tools of the trade and how to properly use them.  A rough draft might be created willy nilly with no heed to craft (which is unlikely for most pro writers), but then at revision time, one must know how to sculpt a good story or novel from thousands of words and hundreds of pages.  It takes skill, dedication, and talent. 

Then you have the most unglamorous part of writing: the waiting. Waiting to hear back from editors when you submit short stories, waiting to hear back from literary agents when you're trying to break into the biz, waiting to hear back from said literary agents when they request a partial (part of your manuscript).  Very often this waiting is not days or weeks, but months.  In some cases, even years.  Waiting is hard.  Many would-be writers give up when they have to wait so long.  And very often what you get at the end of the wait is rejection.  So we have to have a tough skin and believe in ourselves. 

Another not-so-glamorous aspect is having to self promote.  Nowadays it's not enough to just write a good book or story, you've got to be your own marketing director and publicist.  Most writers write because that's what they love and do well.  Very few of us know much about effective marketing and publicity.  I mean, people get degrees in those things!  So, we have to join Twitter and follow Facebook and develop websites and write blogs (like this one) in the hopes that someone out in cyberspace will notice us and purchase our products.  With the growing popularity of self electronic publishing, you can add to your list of writer tasks formatting your book for electronic publication.  Believe me, there's more to it than just just uploading a Word document. 

Writing is also a lonely occupation.  That's why I teach fitness classes.  It gets me out around people who very often inspire characters and stories.  Otherwise, I'd be cooped up all day with just the dogs and cats for company.  Not always the best thing for one's mental health.

So, if you think the writing life is for you, then by all means go for it.  But just know, it's not all sitting around writing whatever pops into your head the live long day. 

It's a job.  But for me, it's the right job.