how to write a novel blindfolded, while riding a horse backwards, through a lake, while eating a taco

Posted on March 10, 2010 - Filed Under writing | Leave a Comment

I love hearing writers talk about their process.  I’ve heard many, many writers speak and I’m happy when someone asks the process question—it’s always so different!  But I swear to chocolate, I have got to have one of the craziest novel-writing processes that I’ve ever heard of.
No outlining, very little prep, hardly an idea of [...]

the shawshank redemption way of effectiveness training

Posted on March 5, 2010 - Filed Under mayalife, writing | Leave a Comment

If you haven’t seen The Shawshank Redemption, you really ought to netflix that puppy at your earliest convenience.   If you’ve seen it, you’ll get what I mean.  If you haven’t seen it, I’m not going to explain the title of this post because I don’t want to give any spoilers.  Just go watch the movie [...]

podiobooks anyone?

Posted on February 28, 2010 - Filed Under geeklife, writing | 2 Comments

In other news, I’m thinking about podcasting one of my novels. Just for fun. Although today I’ve been in and out of the tech-world, trying to fix my blog editor problem—turns out it’s a bug in the PHP my host uses, whatever the fuck that means, so I can’t fix it anyway, they [...]

turns out, i need my dust

Posted on January 3, 2010 - Filed Under writing | 3 Comments

Emotional feedback needs vs. Intellectual feedback needs.

the long haul

Posted on December 17, 2009 - Filed Under writing | 2 Comments

I just got two more rejections, the most recent in a whole lot of publishing-related rejections this year. Blech. Stick’em in the file with the rest of them, right?
Part of me feels depressed, but it feels sort of ghostlike, a shadow—a dark shadow, perhaps, but a shadow nonetheless—of former publishing related depressions. Such that, although [...]

1000 words a day

Posted on November 6, 2009 - Filed Under writing | 3 Comments

I hit 35,000 words on my current novel this morning. That’s about 120-140 pages, depending on how the paging is done. In other words, close to half. In Scrivener, each chapter has it’s own little file, so you don’t see the whole number unless you ask for it. I thought I was down in the [...]

how to get up and write at 5 in the fucking morning

Posted on September 18, 2009 - Filed Under writing | 3 Comments

Let me tell ya. Getting up at 5 In The Fucking Morning to write, something I would have sworn would NEVER work for me, not in a million years, not ever, getting up when it is cold and dark and lonely, well, it’s going GREAT.
It is so incredibly freeing to have my evenings to spend [...]

when to write

Posted on August 29, 2009 - Filed Under writing | 3 Comments

Every day, of course.
Yeah, all right. But when?
I am having an absolute REVOLUTION around when I write. It is ridiculously, painfully obvious. Only, you know, I’ve never thought of it before.
But before I tell you what it is, a tiny bit of backstory.
Before I had kids, I got up, I made a perfect latte in [...]

could this be writer’s block? Naaa…

Posted on June 18, 2009 - Filed Under writing | Leave a Comment

Ack. I really ought to write a blog post, but I got nothing. Across the board, I mean, I’ve got nothing in the writing department. My novel, the new one, the one I have characters, plot, setting, and outline for, will not be written. And I don’t mean I’m procrastinating. Writing is a mental health [...]

reading romance, writing funny, idea nets

Posted on May 11, 2009 - Filed Under writing | 3 Comments

I am reading the second romance novel I have ever read. The first romance novel happened like this. I was having one of my publishing-process-snits and standing in the grocery store, glaring at the rack of books that have sold bazillions, many of which were emblazoned with heaving man-titty, and I thought, fuck. I could [...]