No Turning Back: Cover Reveal

Kaia is an architect, married to Patrick, overwhelmed by a full-time job, her two children, and her failing marriage.  She's haunted by an accident from her past and by the man she left behind: Asher. On assignment, she is shocked to find Asher has moved to her town.  Working with him, the feelings that she pushed to the back of her mind, years ago, start to resurface.  In "No Turning Back," Kaia must make a decision between the man she married and the man she loves.  Who will she choose?

"No Turning Back" will be available on Amazon on January 31, 2015.  But you're in luck, because the cover is complete:

In the meantime, you can check out my other writing over at Wattpad.  "The Devil Within" is a dark coming of age story about William Hill, a nine year old who not only loses his mother, sister and brother, but has to contend with an abusive father who doesn't know how to face his grief.  You can read it by clicking here-->http://www.wattpad.com/story/26698809-the-devil-within.

Stay Tuned for teasers from "No Turning Back," and for other news about my writing.

Check me out on Wattpad. 

Follow @laurenegreene

That's A Wrap...Almost

So it's the last week of NaNoWriMo, and I still have a long way to go.  For those of you who don't know NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month.  I've never participated before, but having a self-imposed (or nationally imposed in this case) deadline can actually help the creative juices flow. I just guess I like to be on a really tight deadline.  One month is not enough, let's try to write 50,000 words in ten days.

The thing is, I've probably written more than 50,000 words this month, between blogging, re-writing my other novel, and then starting my new novel.  I'm at 25,000 words in the new novel, and I can't relate the topic on this site because it's R rated, or maybe even NC-17, okay, definitely NC-17.

I've also found during the writing process, I like to listen to the same song over and over again.  The song of choice depends on my mood, but for my current project about two couples who become entangled in a web of lies and deceit that song is Hurt by Nine Inch Nails.  Yes, I know a lot of you who actually know me are laughing now, because I'm so not a NIN fan, but there is just something about this song.  I love the Johnny Cash version of the song too. Plus, the words relate to what's going on in my novel.  I wonder if any other authors listen to songs on repeat, or am I just crazy?  Regardless, I can't get enough of this song right now, and I wonder if the angst of the lead singer is coming out in my novel. I sure hope so!

Enough of that. I'm releasing Chapter 4 of The Devil Within on Wattpad tonight.  If you haven't read it, then click on the link above to offer me your support.  Wattpad allows writers to publish their work in pieces for others to read free.  It's a great way to support fledgling authors, and for me I'm using it to, *hopefully*, build up an audience so when I release my e-book I at least have a few buyers.  You can sign-up for Wattpad, favorite and comment.  If you see any grammatical errors, please let me know. The Devil Within has not been edited by a professional, and I'm editing it as I go, but I don't always catch every little mistake.  Plus, it's a rough draft, so there will definitely be mistakes out there.

I feel like this week, I've really made writing a priority. I still find it a struggle to balance everything: life, kids, work, writing, and exercising.  When I'm writing I get so caught up in the world I've created that other things start to slide in level of importance, and I tend to feel guilty.  Last night, I made it a point to lay in bed with the kids and talk to them about their weekend.  I asked them what they were excited about in this upcoming week, and we had a nice chat.  I need to find the balance to be able to write every day without feeling like I need to sprint, so I have more quality time with the kids on the weekend when we're all home together.  I know this is something every author struggles with, especially at the beginning when you're having to, not only write, but market yourself and make a name for yourself so you can stand out from the millions of other aspiring artists.  I'll get there one day.

Until then...Dream Big!

Don't forget to follow me on:
Follow @laurenegreene

The Devil Within

I published my second chapter of "The Devil Within" on Wattpad last night.  You may have missed it, because I published it around 7:30 PM.  Apparently the ideal time to publish items anywhere is closer to 10 PM.  I am not awake at 10 PM--hardly ever. I need to start making more use of my "schedule" button to keep up with all this social media!

I went out to Fiverr and Kelvin Tang made me this fantastic cover. Click below, and it will take you to Wattpad to read my story.

http://www.wattpad.com/story/26698809-the-devil-within

I didn't even know Fiverr existed, until Suzie Jay told me about the site.  She's another author trying to find a following, get discovered, whatever you want to call it (her blog is in my reading list below--check it out!).  I've found out this week that there are tons of us. I've been on twitter trying to promote myself, and there are tons of struggling wannabe authors.  It's no wonder the publishing houses are overwhelmed trying to pick through the slush piles.

I debated putting "The Devil Within" out there for anyone to read.  It's a hard read, psychologically, and I don't know how many people will like it because of that. The thing is, as an author, when I have an idea it just sort of flows from me.  The thoughts come quickly, and I have to get them down on paper.  The story sticks in your mind, and I almost become part of the virtual world I've created,  like I can feel and touch your characters.  I wrote the "Devil Within" in just a few days, because every time I would leave the book I would think about William, the main character, and how much he was hurting.  I couldn't leave him in anguish in one scene for long.  I had to come back and rescue him--with the stroke of a key!

That's what writing's like for me. There's a story, and I have to write it down.  Maybe that's why I have so many half finished stories.  The ideas come more quickly than I can finish them.

Follow @laurenegreene

To Pen or Not to Pen?

I had a productive week.  I did my first beta read for another aspiring author, and I found I really enjoyed the process of reading someone else's work and sharing my input. I do worry about hurting feelings, as I've always had a hard time with criticism, but at some point you do have to move on from that, and learn how to accept constructive criticism.  Otherwise, you'll never get better as a writer or fill in the blank____________, whatever you want to achieve.

Now that I'm done beta reading, I'm turning my attention back to my work.  I received input from two betas on my work, and they both liked it! YAY!  They had suggestions, and so I'm going to work on rewriting the first couple of chapters, working on a few minor errors, and then I'm going to send it out for more beta readers.  My goal is to publish it, even if it is self publishing, by the end of 2014 or early 2015.

Speaking of that: Follow Me!  I'm on twitter: @laurenegreene, and I'm going to start actually taking advantage of my twitter account, my Google+ accounts, and my Facebook accounts and using them as a way to market my material.  Since, I'm going to self publish I will need to market myself.  I still don't get twitter.  Does anyone understand this?  I'm going to have to have my teenage nieces and nephews show me what you do, and what the hashtags are for.  Apparently, I'm not with the times, but I know you need social media to market yourself as a writer in this world.  Technology is such a huge part of life these days: there's no use fighting it!

Speaking of writing: pen name or no?  I'm debating staying with my regular name, or going to my pen name Ellie Greene.  I have a writer's page for my pen name, but my twitter account is my name. I like Ellie Greene, because it's a play on my name, but I like my name too, because...you know...it's my name!

Who would have thought there are so many details when you're trying to get published?  I have been out to Amazon and read several books on there, and there are people who have not even edited their material. I can't imagine that, because I've been working on my book for two years. I feel like I have poured so much of myself into this project. In an ideal world, one of my queries would land me a real life publishing package, and I wouldn't have to self-publish, market myself, and try to add more hours to a day that I know is only going to last 24!  In an ideal world, I'd also immediately land a movie deal and instantly be a millionaire.  One can dream, right?

But it feels good to live your dreams.  It feels good when I write.  Even if no one is going to read it, and even if it's a huge flop, it's what I love to do and that makes all the work worth it.  I would love to get to the point where my work does well.  I'd love to self-publish one book after another and make my living through the written words.  In the meantime, I'll take doing it part time.  I'll use my hour in the morning to edit my work, to blog, and to research how to become a successful writer.  I'll use my hour at night to read, so I can get better and better at the art of writing.  And maybe one day, I'll make a name for myself.  Until then, I'll be content with what I have and with the simple fact that I can write when I want to and do what I love, and no one can take that away from me.

*Follow me on twitter @laurenegreene and like my Facebook page:   https://www.facebook.com/elliegreenewrites -- Have your friends and family follow me too!!!

Writing's Role in My Life

I was a writing machine for two weeks.  I finished my second novel.  I need to re-work the ending a bit, but otherwise I think it's pretty good.  Time to send it out and have friends and family edit it for me.  The subject matter is tough, and as such it is not a commercial book.  Literary fiction is not commercial.  Chick lit, like my first novel, or women's fiction, or whatever you want to call it: that's what sells.

I was thinking about women's fiction yesterday, and I thought about how we're all just inherently hopeless romantics. We're all looking for a knight on a white horse: something that doesn't exist in real life.  We all put unrealistic expectations on the people in our lives, mostly out of our own expectations for ourselves and how we expect our life to look. 

I'm currently addicted to the Pink song featuring Nate Reuss (from Fun) called Just Give Me a Reason.  I was thinking about this song, as I listened to it over and over again, and Pink's voice is so heartbreaking.  Relationships are hard.  They make great fodder for television, music and books, because they are such a big part of our life, and because everyone can relate to a failing relationship, a wonderful relationship, and the oh so unrealistic romantic notion of the TV/movie relationship. 

My first novel touches on relationships, mostly with bits and pieces from my own real-life experiences.  I used the idea of unrequited love, because I struggled with this for years in my own life.  As an author, I use my novels to work through struggles I'm having or for concepts I can't grasp.  I use my characters as pawns to work through the problems, or the thoughts that continually go around and around in my head.  Sometimes I finish a work, like Semi-Detached, and I feel completely done with it--time to move on.  Sometimes I finish a work, like my second novel, The Devil Within, and it keeps haunting me.  I think of the unfinished business in the book--I want to go back and tie up all the pieces, make it complete and be able to walk away, but it just doesn't work out that way--very much like a failed relationship without closure. 

I had to step away from the Devil Within, because the subject matter was painful.  The idea of a nine year old being subjected to horrific abuse with a father who spouts it off as the will of God horrified me.  Even in the end, the boy grows up "unsaved."  I've struggled with religion my whole life.  I've struggled with relationships.  I'm one of those people who questions everything, and I seemingly find no answers, except through my writing, and sometimes the answer is unjust, like real life, where things are seldom fair.  I just have to keep on searching, like all the other people in this world who are thrown here together to make an impression and then move on.  That's just life.

Time

Since school started, I've commented how there is so little time in the day.  People ask me all the time where I find time to write.  How do you find time to work, to exercise, to be a Mom and to write?  Let me ask you this: how do you find time to breath?  Writing for me is almost like breathing.  I feel best when I'm writing.  Take it as a form of therapy, or a way to work through some problem I'm having, or just a way to escape from the harsh reality of the world sometimes.  When I'm writing I feel the most well adjusted.  I feel whole.

I read Stephen King's, "On Writing," and he was discussing people who only had one book published or only EVER wrote one book, and he made some flippant comment like, "What were they doing with all their time?  Knitting socks?"  When you're a writer you're driven to write.  You're motivated to do it, because it's what you like doing best.  You write because you HAVE to write. When I watch Number One on the P-bars or the rings and I see how he sometimes reluctantly leaves the floor if he hasn't perfected the skill, I understand, because that's how I feel about writing.  Determined to make it perfect.  Determined not to give up.  Determined to succeed. 

So how do I find the time?  I make the time.  I wake up super early: 5:00-5:30, depending on whether I've hit the snooze button.  I check Facebook, and I usually lose a few games of Candy Crush, the world's biggest time suck, then I pour my second cup of coffee and I edit or write.  I research ideas, or I simply put my fingers to the keyboard and type to my heart's content.  I'm usually a little miserable when the alarm on my phone goes off reminding me I have a real job and that's it time to get ready for the day.

At night, I do the same thing again.  I use all the minutes of the day to do the thing I'm most driven to do: write.  It's my passion, and I can feel the determination pouring from me, and it's a lot better use of my time than playing Candy Crush, or surfing Facebook, or watching cheesy movies and shows on Netflix or Amazon Prime.  (Although I do admit that I do those things--everyone needs a break from work every once in awhile, even if it's work you love). 

In order to succeed you have to work hard.  You have time if you look for it, even if it's twenty minutes a day to do the thing you love the best or the thing you must need to do for yourself: Just do it.  Stop making excuses, go for it and live your dreams.

Driven to Succeed

Every Friday night, like clockwork, I say this to Hubby:  Tomorrow I'm sleeping late.  You can wake up with the kids.

Every Saturday night, like clockwork, my biological clock wakes me up at 5:00 AM.  Seriously!  Can't I sleep later?

I did sleep like a log last night though.  I slept upstairs in the guest bedroom, because Darling Daughter wouldn't stay in her bed.  I had the fan going full blast in the small space, and I wrapped the blanket around my entire body as I love to do.  I fell asleep, and I didn't wake up once...until 5:00 AM.

That's okay though.  I have big plans for today, and I think it's always easier to execute your plans when you get an early start.  I'm so much more productive in the morning than any other part of the day.  By the afternoon, I'm a lazy lump on the log, and I usually have to force myself to go anywhere.  I'd rather be parked in our La-Z Boy, reading a book, or writing.

I'm going to use this extra time today to continue formatting my book.  This is actually a great practice in allowing me to fully edit the draft again.  It would have been nice to have the foresight to put chapter headings in the manuscript while I was writing, and who knows why I didn't, but I have learned from my mistake. 

Yesterday I finally created an author Facebook page.  Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/elliegreenewrites, and make sure to click the like button!  I thought this would be a great place to promote my blog, as well as my book--when it actually exist. 

I'm driving full speed towards e-publishing now, because it just seems like it's the place to go if you want to get your name out there at all.  Dead tree books, as some people like to call them, are becoming more obsolete, so online seems the way to go. 

There are some pros and cons to e-publishing.

Pro: Your name gets out into the writing world, well at least a little bit.  On my Query letters to "real agents," I can now saw I'm e-published.  I did it myself, well who cares, there's a finished product the agent can read to get a taste of whether or not she/he would like to take me on as a client.  She can also glance at the number of reviews and downloads to see how successful I've been. 

Con:  You're competing with so many other authors and also with a lot of junk.  Anyone can get e-published.  It seriously is as simple as pushing a button.  The key is making your book stand out in some way.  I'm doing this by having my talented artist of a brother do my cover.  I know he'll do a great job, and I'm hoping he will get some publicity from it too. 

Pro: Reviews.  E-Books are reviewed.  Now, I know not everyone reading my book will review it on Amazon when they download it, but hopefully most of my "friends" will.  Reviews help increase sales (if they're good).  They also show an author what he/she may be doing wrong or need to work on. 

Con: Marketing and advertising is all done by ME.  I have a full time job, a mom of 3, and I have to exercise and continue to write.  All of this before a 9:30 bedtime seems almost impossible, but it is a must if I want to be successful. 

Pro: Published is better than non-published any day.

My goal in life has been to become a published author, and I can make this happen.  So much about life is taking your inertia and pushing it towards a momentum of success.  Many people sit back and they wait for things to come to them.  They can wait all their life and nothing will happen.  In order to be successful, you must have drive, determination, and persistence.

Don't forget to like my Facebook author page at: https://www.facebook.com/elliegreenewrites

 

 

 

This File Cannot Be Found

I worked hard yesterday.  I finally started preparing to turn my first piece of completed work into an eBook.  I read about how to format the book.  I even started formatting the book.  I spent a good hour putting in headings, prettying up some language, and continuing to do some minor editing.  Then what happened?  Word crashed, and mysteriously my entire document disappeared!  YES--disappeared!!!  Thank God I have it saved in more than one place and on more than one computer plus a thumb drive, but I felt like I could vomit. I felt like yelling, but screaming at inanimate objects really does little to make you feel better: 

Formatting sucks worse than editing, and I wish I had put chapter headings into the novel when I was writing, but I didn't. Now I get to do it all over again: YIPPEE!!! I just wrote and wrote.  I have learned from this mistake, and I've been putting chapter headings in my current work. 

I just pulled up my document again, and I'm going to start formatting...AGAIN!  I looked all over, My Documents, my SkyDrive, every single place I had saved and the work I had done was nowhere, like it had never been done. POOF, vanished.  How does that even happen?  How does a computer consume your work? 

My computer gives me this cute little message when I try to pull it up from the location where I saved it: This file cannot be found.  Are you sure you didn't delete it or move it?  And of course, it's a rhetorical question, because it's not like you can answer your computer.  And if you did answer your computer, it's like it would be looking back at you and shrug, and say, "Well what am I supposed to do about it?"  So instead, you just have to click the gigantic X on the screen and then stare at the blank white screen and wonder where in the universe all your work went, and wishing you could have done something more productive in that hour of your life than formatting a piece of work that was intended to be swallowed into the great abyss of computer hell. 

 

 

Gifts

This morning, I was watching the Piano.  I started it last night, but I have a fairly strict bedtime, and I needed to get some sleep.  I finished watching, the music still hauntingly playing in my ears. 

In the Piano, the main character, Ada, has a gift for playing the piano.  The music seems to stream directly from her soul.  She plays as if all her emotions will spill out onto the keys and then flow back into her.  She uses the piano to communicate, since she is mute.  Playing is not a choicer for her: it's a drive, a necessity, a way of life.

I believe each and every one of us has a gift of some sort. My gift is writing.  Having a gift and using a gift are two different things.  I've been writing my whole life, since I was 7 years old, and yet I wasted so many years not doing it, afraid of what others would think, starting and stopping and never finishing anything.  Some people deliberately choose not to use their gift.  I don't have that choice.  When I have an idea, I have to type it out.  I have a pressing drive to do it, just like Ada, even though I fought that drive for many years. 

My eldest son is a gymnast.  He is talented.  His coach says he has a gift, but he still has to work at it and it's still a challenge.  Writing is a challenge for me, every day too.  Putting the words on paper, making the dialogue seem real, and hopefully, one day, being able to publish something that the rest of the world wants to read!  The talent I have has to be nurtured, improved upon, and most importantly not wasted. 

What talent is hidden inside of you?

 

 

 

 

Thoughts on Writing

The writing bug has hit me full force again.  It's taking over my life.  Writing, for me, ebbs and flows: just like a marriage. You can have a great idea, then delve into it, and begin to wonder why you thought it was such a great idea after all.  Then, you can go months and months without having an idea at all, and you wake up one morning chock full of ideas. 

For me, waking up with lots of ideas means I end up working on several ideas simultaneously.  Right now, I'm writing somewhat of an heartbreaking story, simultaneously with the two stories I started right after I finished my novel draft.  I was thinking last night, after having a busy day and not writing at all, that I'd left my main character in such a bad place.  I almost felt sorry for a fictional character.  I'm hoping that me feeling that way means my character will feel real, three dimensional, and alive to other people.  They will read about him and feel sorry for him, for where he is and for what he's been through.  He is a nine year old boy and life is not so easy for him at this point.  But as in all novels, there will be a climax and then there will be a point where things get better for him.  Unfortunately leaving him drifting in and out of consciousness for a whole day, made me feel somewhat guilty, but that guilt gives me the drive to write again today.  That guilt allows me to put 2,000 or 3,000 words on the screen each day, to try to give the character a little peace, to move him away from the bad times, and into the light.

This is how a parent feels for a child, something wonderful she and another person created, from themselves.  Even though my kids would love to give credit to GOD for their arrival, the truth is they were once a seed inside of me and grew for nine months, for me to push them out into this great, beautiful but scary world and help mold them into productive human beings.  Writing is much the same way.  It's a labor of love.  It's a need for me.  I need to go back today, and move William out of the bad place. I need for him to see that there's hope on the other side, and he needs for me to finish the story so he can exist as more than just a blurb on a page; so he can exist in other peoples' minds, and they can hear his story.  They can possibly relate to his situation, and see parts of themselves in the story: good and bad.  Writing ties people together with a somewhat common consciousness, a desire to be known and heard and understood.  A good writer can do that, illicit ideas and thoughts that stick in your mind for a lifetime and make you never forget.  That's what I'm striving to be. 

The World of Writing

Yesterday, I finally downloaded iTunes to my new computer.  I need the music for writing, but instead I played the Sims and blogged about the past.  I've had a problem with procrastination this week.  I attribute it to the fact, that mostly, I've been feeling under the weather.

I had an asthma attack yesterday morning.  I hadn't had one in almost five years.  I sort of knew it was coming.  I keep waking up to cough at night, and I cough almost every time I exercise.  All of these are signs of asthma.  I felt puny from it until about noon, and then I sort of rebounded and felt better. 

I think the lack of exercise is getting to me, and due to the asthma attack yesterday, I didn't ride the bike at all.  I'm feeling like I'm getting out of my routine exercise-wise, and it's driving me nuts.  I like the outlet.  And speaking of outlets: let's talk about writing for a bit...

I've been slowly submitting my first work to agents.  I am also almost constantly editing. I've added a few more aspects to my character, tried to make her real, three dimensional.  I had a lot of feedback that she seemed cold, out-of-touch, heartless in her relationship...so I changed that.  I didn't want her to come across like some heartless person.  I wanted her to come across as a person who needed to make a tough decision in her life to see where she needed to go next.  We've all been through that right? Tough decisions.

The revision process is hard.  I actually really hate it.  I hate reading through and trying to act like I have new eyes.  I hate adding and cutting, and trying to add feeling that wasn't there in the first place.  In fact, I found a great cartoon that shows exactly the way I feel when I revise, except for I do my revisions on the computer, not on paper.  Don't kill all those trees!

From: http://secondary-writing-instruction.wikispaces.com/The+Writing+Process

I received three rejections in a span of two days.  I've made a spreadsheet to catalog who I've sent out to, who has sent me rejections and who I haven't heard from.  I still have four out there I haven't heard from.  I haven't submitted at all this week, because mostly I've been working on a new piece.

I was taking a different route and working on a piece of historical fiction from the 1920's, but I haven't had time to research.  I had some inspiration from the Boston bombings recently, and I spun another story, which is surprisingly easy to write.  In fact, the words just roll out, and much less research is involved (although still some--there is always some).  I actually am feeling pretty good about this new work, and I've already written about 10,000 words.  I work on it every day, and it seems to be coming together. 

I'm reading Rust Hills, "Writing in General and The Short Story In Particular," and so far it's ok.  I tend to question how much an actual book or actual class can teach you about writing.  I'm sure I could learn something about structure, flow, plot, character sketches, but I tend to write without an outline.  The story is just drawn out of me like coal from a mine, somewhere deep inside where it's stored, and then it pours out onto the paper.  I think most natural writers have this tendency, and maybe there is something to learn from the plotters and planners, but I haven't found it yet.  I've never been a plotter.  Still, I'll gleam some hint of new information from this book and others that I read, even if it just propels me to write and to submit more, then it is useful. 

That's where I am in the world of writing.  I'm getting organized, finding out how to submit, where to submit, and what to do.  Eventually I will get published, even if it takes the rest of my life.

Let the Editing Begin

Yesterday, I started the editing process.  It is a HUGE step in the right direction.  It's also a HUGE job, and I felt slightly overwhelmed reading through my work and wondering who the heck wrote it.  That's the way I'm supposed to feel so I can make the necessary changes, right?

After this, I need to work on a query letter and let about 400 people read it so I can make sure it looks its best.  Send to agents who are soliciting new authors. Then just wait for the rejection letters to roll in...and if I'm lucky, an acceptance. 

I did a little bit of reading about query letters yesterday and about rejection slips.  I also perused some contests coming up, and I'm debating writing a short story for one or two of them.  Short stories aren't my thing: novels are, but I think short stories are a good way to get recognized and maybe if I submit enough of them I could win a contest or two to add some experience to my query letter.

Speaking of experience: I have none.  I wasn't on the newspaper in high school, not an English major, never really wrote for anyone but myself until this year.  This is all new to me, and it is still slightly overwhelming.  I'm proud of my work though, and I DO want other people to read what I wrote. 

I started the short story yesterday, about a little girl coping with Alopecia Areata for the first time.  This sounds familiar, right?  Writing about this is somewhat cathartic for me, and even though the little girl in the story is not me, I had some of the same fears and thoughts that she did when I first started losing my hair.  I struggled with accepting myself, and honestly some days I still do.  But I think the story will be good because it comes from my heart.  I have the general idea in my head and now it's just a question of how to par it down to 6,000 words.  Six thousand words is awfully small, especially when you're used to writing novels and not short stories. 

Just Write

I set a date (in my head), in order to start my revisions on my first draft.  I'm still trying to come up with an appropriate title for the work.  My original title, "What Could Be," does not really fit with the outcome of the book. 

I'm at the point where I want to pull it up and really dig into itwork on it: correcting grammar, fixing mess-ups, and just doing a total revision, but I'm holding off for a few more weeks.  I'm setting the day of the 24th, after my trip to Nashville, and when meet season is (almost) over; when I can actually concentrate on revising the way it needs to be done.

Then, I need to dig further into Writer's Market for possible agents.  Actually, my goal is to do that over the next few weeks: research agents, find agents that will accept unsolicited works, read up on query letters, and formulate a query letter.  Yes, this is like having a second job.  There simply are not enough hours in the day for me to do everything I NEED to do. 

I'm also hard at work on my next piece. I've already written 15,000 words, and I'm just getting started.  This work is different from my first finished work, and I'm going to have to dedicate some serious hours to research and reading, that I simply don't have time for this month.  Did I mention I also have my nose stuck in a 700 page book right now? Underworld by Don Delillo.  I'll probably owe the library $10 by the time I finish it, because I keep forgetting to renew it.  There's no excuse for that either, because I can renew on line: pure laziness on my part! I need to finish it so I can look into the list of history books my friend Scout provided me.  It pays to have a history professor as your friend! 

This second piece is sticking with me more than the first. Sometimes I pull up "What Could Be," and I marvel at the fact that I actually wrote it.  I remember writing it, but it almost seems I was outside of myself when I did it.  I know that it all came from me though, my subconscious, my thoughts, but it just seems so surreal that I put all that down on paper.  I don't feel the same with the second work.  I feel more connected to it.  Maybe because I finished the first work, I'm feeling more confident in the second one. 

I Must Be Crazy

I seriously must be crazy. I had committed this year to do a 5K.  Remember?  It was one of my 2013 Goals.  Well last week, my co-worker sent out an email about a 10K race that the Montgomery Junior League is Sponsoring. I thought, "Wow, there's no way I'm doing that.  I have to do my 5K first."  I mean, a 10K is TWICE as long as a 5K, and I haven't gotten close to running 6 miles yet. 

So yesterday I hit the reply button, and I told Amy that I would run the Shamrock Shuffle.  Seriously, I'm crazy.  Anyway, my goal is to run at least a 5K and then maybe walk the remaining 5K, unless I really amp up my training between now and then.  Or who knows, become Superwoman?  That would be great.  I could get a lot done in my life if I had super powers!

 

 

So if any other runners in Montgomery want to run with me, just let me know.  I can get Amy to help sign you up.  I'm excited for it, but a little bit nervous about the commitment of a 10K.  At least the run is located near where I run every day, so I'm used to the terrain. 

 

I'm typing this while sitting on the couch and drinking coffee.  I was supposed to go for a run this morning, but I woke up cold and I did not want to go out in the 34 degree weather.  I'm going to have to give that attitude up if I want to achieve my goal and run the Shamrock Shuffle!  I need to put in more and longer miles.  I know I can do it, it's just a matter of setting my mind to it.

 

Now on to another topic...

 

I've been brainstorming about finding an agent for my book and figuring out how to go about getting published.  I've received positive feedback from the few people who have read it so far.  I did a no-no last night, and I opened up the revisions that my friend Aubrey sent me.  I looked through, and I made a few adjustments.  In one point, I had changed the character's last name several times.  I love the "find and replace" feature in Word.  It makes my life so easy.  My sister said she thinks the book is totally marketable.  And I'm realizing that when people read my work it makes me happy, even excited, to see their take on it.  I hate criticism, but I WANT them to critique it and tell me what needs to be added, changed, and where the holes are.  I WANT them to tell me if the story flows and makes sense or if I need to change things around, delete, etc. 

 

I've been reading a lot on the Internet about the world of publishing, and I know the steps I need to take.  I'm steeling my heart for the rejection slips that will follow too.  You have to deal with rejection in order to get to the good stuff in life.  And most importantly, I'm still writing.  I've scribbled down approximately 10,000 words on my 2nd novel, which is whole-heartily different than my first and taking me longer because I've had to do some research on what life in Alabama was like in the 1920's.   

 

I'm achieving my goals this year, and I'm doing things I didn't even think I could do last year.  It's such an amazing feeling.