New Years Resolutions

The realization that today is the last day of 2012 hasn't quite sunk in yet, though I have started to think about all the things that I've done and want to continue on improving for 2013. New Year Resolutions always are the topic of this time of year and for me personally I feel like so many people set goals that are unattainable because either they give themselves too many goals it's impossible to reach them all, they set the few goals they have to high they can't reach or they put too much pressure on them that if they don't reach one of the goals the year is a complete failure.

Well this year I've decided that I'm going to give myself a few goals that I know I can reach as long I keep put them into my weekly routine and not use excuses to cut them out, as well as looking at all the small things that I have been able to accomplish along the way. Without recognizing accomplishments, no matter how small, I think is key to staying motivated as if it were day one. It means that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel no matter how far away it might be. You're making progress and that's an amazing accomplishment in itself, rather than having never started or giving up in the end.

So to begin in saying farewell to 2012 I want to look back all the things that I have accomplished.
- I went to my very first writers conference.
- I created a general game plan for my writing career and I'm happy with it. (Note: I have not set a timeline for myself as to when I'm going to be published. I'm going to keep creating new work while putting finished work out there and making edits on them to make them better. I don't think I will become a big famous writer overnight and I'm fine with that as long as I'm trying.)
- I've started a complete rewrite of my first novel having completed 50,000 words in a month.
- I attempted my first National Novel Writing Month (on the rewrite) and plan on making this a tradition (Not necessarily on the rewriting part)
- I've been keeping up with my personal blog, missed a few weeks but have been doing a thousand times better than I have in the past.
- I've started Novelous Ladies and have some amazing friends to have joined me in talking about the books we are reading.  (and I've only missed my weekly posting goal maybe twice. I call that a win)
- I had my first in person pitch to an agent and learned more than if I hadn't put myself out there.
- I've sent my query letter to several agents and have even had a partial request. Still haven't found the right person to be my agent yet, but I'm still positive of all the things I'm learning along the way.
- In my day job I've been given more responsibilities and we are all ready talking about my future in the company. Happy dance I'm not going to be a clerk for the rest of my life.
- I  made my very first big purchase as an adult. That's right people, I bought myself a car. One that I chose on my own and with an amazing mom to give me a loan to help me keep the APR super low I was able to reach this goal. (Thanks MOM!)
- I paid off all my credit cards. That's right people I'm starting off 2013 with no credit card dept, school loans. I only got my car loan. I think that alone deserves a happy dance.

Now with 2013 coming in less than 24 hours it's time to come up with all the things I would like to accomplish in the upcoming year.
- Put in a workout routine into my week. It doesn't have to be anything big but at least get out for a walk/jog 2-3 times a week. It's time to focus on my health just as much as I do into my writing.
- Limit the amount of junk food that I consume. Personally the word diet freaks me out. More times than not people who diet end up putting so many restrictions on themselves that they end up failing. So, what does that mean for me? Well, it's about moderation. No rushing through a meal that only turns into over eating and feeling like crap. It also means eating smaller portions and stopping when satisfied. Snacking is fine, having sweets every once and a while is fine. It's making more healthy food a staple rather then junk food. Meaning I have to cook more times than not. I'm not the best cook in the world but the food I make is a thousand times more healthy than if I did fast food. That alone will help in the desire to get healthy, ie loosing weight.
- Keep up with the weekly posts on Novelous Ladies and coming up with more ways to interact and grow it's presence on Facebook.
- Keep up with my weekly personal blog.
- Go to at least the Romance Writers of America Conference in Atlanta this year, and if possible make it out to the RT Book Lovers Conference in  Kansas City as well.
- Keep sending out query letters to literary agents the meet my personal expectations of what I want in a person who will eventually work hand in hand with me to reach all my publishing goals.
- Finish my rewrite and keep working on, potentially finishing Blue Moon.
- Do another edit of Mackenzie Falls now that I have Scrivener to help break it down.
- Take on NaNoWriMo

Yup, those sound pretty good to me and I think that they are all possible to accomplish in the next 365 days.

For those who are going out for New Years stay safe and have a good time bringing in the New Year. Good luck on all your new resolutions and see you all on the other side of the year. May your  2013 be a thousand times better than your 2012. :)

Distractions

I'm sitting here wondering what to write about until it hit me distractions and how to battle them. Or at least try to.

I still have a rewrite in process but have been about a week since I've actually done any writing in a week. With the holidays right around the question is how to battle distractions, missing muse, and yet still making some progress on your work.

Well here is what I figured out. Editing notes! With one finished novel and another in a work in progress I have figured out how I can keep working on one when I stall on the other...editing notes. As I was reading notes from other published authors as well as editors in the aftermath of National Novel Writing Month to see about getting some tips on writing and editing I came across the blog Pub(lishing) Crawl's post on revisions. (http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2012/12/07/tackling-revisions/) And it's amazing advice.

I've tried using index cards in the past but never utilized them to there potential. I've always gone right into line edits and taking things by chunks to help with fixing story issues and I'm sure I've missed more story line and character issues by not utilizing index cards.

*flops head on desk* Okay, I know I want to be the best author I can be so it's time to try to use everything possible on my own to make my book as best as it can be until I get the best editor possible who is just as passionate about my work as I am to only make it that much better.

So use your distracted brain that can't seem to focus on writing and start making your index cards to help edit your other works that are finished yet still in need of a good polishing. I highly recommend reading this article on revisions from someone who has more experience in writing than me. It's all about finding what works for you and where do you start to find that you ask? Find those you have succeeded in what you want to do and learn from them. Not everything works for everyone. It's trial and error but it will only make you the better writer.

So use those distractions of not being able to focus on your writing by getting ready for editing and starting writing notes and outlines for work that's in need to be edited or for a project that you want to work on in the future. Just cause your distracted away from one project doesn't mean that you can't still make some progress in other ways.

Fight Scenes

You would be amazed just how many fight scenes end up in Romance Novels yet not all of them are as well written as the rest of the novel. When I went to the RWA conference this past summer I had attended a self defense class to help write fight scenes and practically every woman in there cringed at the thought of watching fighting. Yet they will end up having a fight scene in one way or another in a book. Yet, how is it possible to write an accurate scene if you don't know how the attacker and the victim might feel or react.

So, here I am doing my research (and watching for fun) a UFC fight and am so amazed by these fighters. They have so much heart and determination in the ring. Other than getting in a gym to learn how to fight I know this will help my writing in my action scenes. Seeing as my WIP has a lot of action I know this will make my writing so much stronger.

Having played rugby though out college and sisters who skate Roller Derby, violent sports aren't something to be feared or disgusted by. Playing rugby was such a release and so much fun I can see why people get into these sports or become fans. Don't get me wrong I'm not a violent person but when put into a structured sport I get it. Give it a try before you turn your head in disgust. Personally I'd rather watch UFC/MMA (mixed martial arts) than boxing as I think it's the closest thing you'd see in a real life fight. When it comes to my writing I'd want it to be as real as possible and well, people don't just throw punches.

I seriously suggest trying to watch even one bout to help writing fight scenes. Even listening to some of the interview some of the fighters. Especially Rhonda Rousey the top female MMA fighter at age 26. You would be amazed at just how sweet some of these people are.

Anyways, I'm going to go focus one watching some fights. You'd be amazed just how fast some of these fights can go. These athletes amaze me.

Life after NaNoWriMo

Not sure about everyone else, but I've officially survived my first National Novel Writing Month. It was a blur of time and at times a little painful at times. While I've reached the 50,000 word mark, my work is far from completed for my comfort for a first draft. It literally was a boot-camp for good writing habits. As hard as it was working on getting that word count each day, fighting for each and every word, seeing the word count grow was satisfying. With a few moments of pure bliss of the words flowing without having to even think about it was, I had to fight for the word count this month. And let me tell you that when you step back after fighting for words to see how much you achieved is a feeling that I am most proud of. I still have a few thousand words until I have the completed story before the editing begins. And I'm so excited to see how this story has evolved.

This year's project is a complete rewrite of my very first novel I had written while in College. It's crazy to see it change over time and I'm still in love with the story and characters.

Now that NaNoWriMo is over it's time to keep up those good habits you stuck with over the last thirty days. If you can't keep up to that intense schedule then find one that works for you and stick with it. I'm going to be doing this as well. As soon as I find a calendar to update with what I've been doing on my writing on this blog, I will keep everyone up to dated on the wonders of making my way towards authorhood.

High fives to everyone who's stuck with NaNo and for those who weren't able to make the word count keep writing. Remember there is always next year to help strengthen your writing muscles for NaNoWriMo.

Now that December is here it's time to get back to work and get ready for the Holidays.

Oh, before I forget remember to check out Novelous Ladies at www.novelousladies.blogspot.com for book reviews and maybe a few book ideas for gifts. We post new articles every Weekend.

Happy Holidays everyone!