20Spec

Do you like the idea of writing a story set in the roarin' twenties? How about a story set in the twenties, with a speculative fiction twist? Jaym Gates and Erika Holt (editors of the nearly infamous Rigor Amortis) are taking submissions for a new anthology and I thought some of you might be interested! Here's the submission guidelines, the only change being they have extended the deadline to December 20th.

They're looking for "stories about such things as gansters, the Klan, social and political upheaval, speakeasies..tell stories that take place after dark, far from home, in abandoned stills. Don't be afraid to travel abroad, either."

If you're on twitter, check out hashtag #20spec for updates from the editors and tweets from people working on their stories. I've started my story..why not join me in submitting!

I'm currently reading this book for inspiration. :)

Patrick Rothfuss Raises Money

I'm a big fan of Patrick Rothfuss (Name of the Wind) and he's helping out his favourite chairty Heifer International, an organization that (from Pat's blog) "It helps people raise themselves up out of poverty and starvation. All over the world Heifer promotes education, sustainable agriculture, and local industry.

They don’t just keep kids from starving, they make it so families can take care of themselves. They give goats, sheep, and chickens to families so their children have milk to drink, warm clothes to wear, and eggs to eat."

He's collecting money through direct donations, lottery and auction items. There's a TON of great stuff to be won, including Pat's own donations, hundreds of books from Subterranean Press and Del Rey, you wouldn't believe it all if I told you. ;) But you might believe it if you see it. You can check out all the great stuff HERE on Pat's blog, just follow the links.

You could also bid on a professional critique of your manuscript. Some of you might have read on my blog that I did this at a fundraiser called The Boom Effect (raising money for Tee Morris' daughter) and had the unique experience of having professional agent Laurie McLean of the Larsen-Pomada agency. It was worth every penny!! I'm probably going to bid on this auction as well. Wait a second, then why am I telling YOU about it?! Because it's for a great cause. Get on over to Pat's blog and check it out!

The Reward System

I'm finally getting back into the groove of first draft writing. I've been editing so much lately, or just writing short stories, that returning to sitting down and writing 2000 words on a novel in one sitting was tough! Part of the reason I got my mojo back is that I remembered I'm extremely motivated by the reward system, the carrot on a stick method. It's definitely something that works for me.

Maybe it's because I'm still such a child?! LOL. You may be thinking, but writing is it's own reward, isn't it? Maybe in the long run, but short term, I need the extra kick in the pants!! It doesn't have to be a huge reward, just something small. And frequent. I need more than just a "when I finish this novel I'm going on a shopping spree!" Sometimes I need hour by hour rewards. "If I sit here and write till 4:00pm, I'm going to get up and make some tea." Then I make it through that hour. After that, "if I reach my 2000 word goal for today, I'm going to watch an episode of Buffy!"

I'm glad I remembered how to manipulate myself in this way. ;)

Do you use the reward system? In what way? PLEASE don't tell me you use food. *hangs her head*  I know I'll probably get it for that, but just think, if you're always rewarding yourself with treats, and you write every day..that's a LOT of treats..building up..over time. I just had to slip that in, cuz that's what I do. ;)

Happy writing and don't forget to reward yourself! 

New Goal

I have finally come to terms with the fact that I'm writing a brand new novel. I'm not "rewriting," I'm not "editing," this is a whole new novel. I've kept some of the same characters, the setting...and that's about it. It's a tough pill to swallow, this was the first novel I've written (since I was nine!) and I did five drafts on it. The difficult part has been getting my brain to accept that I'm doing it over. Again. From scratch. Good news is, my brain and I have worked things out, and we've even set a new goal to have this "new" novel done by the end of the year. That's going to mean about 2000 wds a day, six days a week. I'm sharing this with you, of course, so that you can keep me accountable in reaching this goal. Feel free to harass, check in, crack the whip and demand updates.

Today happens to my day off-no really, it's been pre-scheduled...because I'm going to see the new Harry Potter movie!

PS-This blog post is a part of another goal, to blog three times a week on days I go to the gym. Today is one of those days! (yay me!)

Blogging Schedule

After posting yesterday and reading people's feedback here and on Twitter, I've come up with a blogging plan. Since excerise is always a constant and easy thing in my life, I'm going to attach a not-so-easy thing, regular blogging, with it. Whenever it's a weight training day, I'm going to blog before I go. There. I said it. So, that's three times a week. I really hope it works.

If you're in the opposite situation, you blog regularly but don't exercise regularly, try it the other way around! What? I'm just sayin'.....

I'm actually double blogging today. It was also my turn today to post over at our new website, INKPUNKS, which Molly Tanzer called "a really cool group blog I just found out about, aimed at supporting early-career writers". Get on over there, check it out, and definitely leave me a comment if you have the time! ;)

The Blogging Habit

I'm afraid to even look at the date of my last blog post. (don't look!!) I seem to have fallen off the blogging wagon. It seems for me, blogging is like exercising for other people. I set goals to blog three times a week, I get very excited and keep it up for a short time, then it starts to be harder to stick to, my blogging becomes a little irregular. But I don't give up, I tell myself I'm going to make up for it. Then, all of a sudden, life gets busy and I haven't blogged for a week. Then I feel like I've lost momentum and soon another week has gone by without blogging. Well, by then I've thrown my goals out the window, feel like a terrible failure and can't bring myself to dive back in to do a single blog. Am I right?

For me, exercise is second nature. It's not a matter of "sticking to it" because it's just a constant part of my life. Now, if I could only figure out a way to make that happen with my blogging..because I do enjoy it! I like the creativity of it, reading other people's blogs, receiving comments on my blog..I just need to stick to it!

For those of you who blog on a regular basis and have done so for a long time, do you have any tips for me?!!!