Well Lookey Here...

Apparently Squarespace has a Blog app, so here I am typing out a test blog from my phone. Whee!

EDIT: Unfortunately, it won't let me post to my Twitter when I do. What a conundrum. 

The Importance of a Writing Group

Very.

The end, thanks for stopping by.

No, but, seriously. Joining a writing group is one of the best things you can do for your writing. Sure, everyone says to be well-read in your genre (and out of it), to be disciplined, to read this book or that book. And yes, joining a writing group isn't some secret no one ever shares.

Still. Joining my writing group was one of the most productive and active movements I've made towards being a better writer.

You are surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals who not only put pressure on you to hit your word counts by their very existence, but support you in all your writer lifestyle ups and downs. They get what you're going through. Like, really get it. Maybe better than you do.

Or maybe I've just been blessed with a particularly good one.

In any case, get yourself a writing group. Even if it's just a handful of people. Writers may be introverts but we love being introverts in little groups.

Get at it.

Untitled Manuscript

Jesus lord, my brain huts.

I've spent the evening trying to come up with a title for my WIP, to no avail. I've watched vlogs, read articles, made lists, brainstormed, and now I feel like my gray matter is leaking out my ears and nostrils.

What's worse, I'm no closer to having a title than when I started.

Sure, I know what the name of the "series" is. The name of the umbrella that contains the trilogy I have planned, the standalone novels, and the other potential series occurring in the multiverse I've created. No, I'm not going to tell you. I'm superstitious, after all.

Book 1, though, remains Untitled.

Untitled.

I had a title for it before.

Ascension: Blood

I almost drowned in the Young Adult-ness of it. I suppose I'll keep-- well, of course I'll keep working at it because I can't have a finished manuscript without a title. What I mean is, I think I'm going to give it a break for tonight, for the sake of my throbbing cranium.

Throbbing Cranium, the name of my punk rock band.

That's my cue! Until next time!

Saturday Night's for Fighting...

But Sunday night's for writing!

I'm taking a break from putting word to paper to write this out, just so I can shift gears a little. So far, it's been a very productive day. I met up with my writer's group at a bar and we cranked out some word counts together, chatted, and shared some drinks. Apart from the usual headache I get from day drinking, I was pretty happy about the results.

Once home, I took some time to wrestle with the idea of napping, ate dinner, and watched some bad TV before getting back down to writing. Now I've settled in a little, have my writing playlist going, and am getting ready for another writing sprint. Gotta get ready for NaNo, right??

Speaking of NaNo, I haven't even started to think about what I'm doing for the month of November. I've got my one, main piece I'm working on, but should I attempt something else, just for fun? Or to give myself a break? I'm not wild about spending time on something that isn't my main manuscript until its ready for beta readers... Maybe that should be my goal?

Damn, that reminds me of the Halloween short story I need to write for my writing group spookfest. 1500-2000 words is no big deal, but I don't have anything planned for that yet either.

NaNoWriMo, spookfest, draft 2 of ADNB1, keeping up with reading, completing my quarterly goals... god damn it, why am I even still typing this blog post out?

I need more coffee.

Goals and Managing Expectations

Just got back from another great writing group session. It's one thing to get together and critique each other's work, but it's another to get together and peer pressure each other into putting words on a paper. I was raised Roman Catholic so there's no greater motivator than guilt!

Anyway, we were having a discussion about writing (SHOCKER) and making a living as one. I mean... that is RARE. Even Brandon Sanderson has a day job. 

I had already come to the realization a while ago, however, that this was okay. I'm writing because I love it, because I think I'm decent at it, and because I want to share my stories with the world. I figure I'll always have to have a day job. It would be sweet to someday not, but I doubt it. 

Wouldn't that be fucking wonderful though? Waking up with the sun, making coffee, and then sitting down to write? No distractions, no boss, no phone calls, no emails... Just the sun, some caffeine, and getting my work down on paper. The closest I've gotten to that was last Christmas when I decided to have a stay-cation. Took a week off work, holed up at my house, and just wrote. It was amazing. Nothing else mattered. I would love that feeling again, someday, for a whole lot longer. 

That's what I'm going to keep striving for. Maybe someday I will be able to just write. Maybe someday I will be able to quit my day job. 

Quizas, quizas, quizas...