2013 Bucket List Challenge Blog Hop

What will you cross off your Bucket List in 2013? 

First off, thank you to Dana Sitar for hosting this blog hop. Check out her book, A Writer's Bucket List, available starting today.

This Blog Hop Challenge is to make a list of my goals for the year. Now they'll be out here for all see. Bring on the guilt monkeys. 

Part of my focus on me resolution involves making more time for writing and not frying my creative brain at work so I have nothing left when I sit down to write. I don't need writing disaster like NaNo Novel 2012. No sir, I really don't. That was depressing.

So how about something more uplifting? Like some things I'd like to accomplish this year?

1. Keep Trust bouncing around in queryland. No more downtime for that one. It's had it's years of rewrites and edits. It needs to move out now. It is currently out and I have a whole list of places to send it so no excuses for this one. Unless it finds a home. I suppose I should somewhat rephrase this goal rather than be utterly pessimistic....keep it bouncing around until it finds a home or I decide to make a home for it.

2. Get A Broken Race out in queryland. I've put off getting submission materials put together for that one for a good six months now for lack of time and motivation. Apparently this finished novel and the list of presses I'd like to send it to aren't going to magically connect on their own.

3. Get at least two more short stories published. I've got two out in submissions right now. If they both find a home, I can cross that off my list and focus on #4 and #5.

4. Revise at least two short stories that have been languishing on my hard drive so they can join the others in submissions. I've already started on one, but that start consists of opening the file, staring at the cursor and getting frozen on the thought that I might screw it up worse if I start messing with it. Time take deep breaths and get on with it. There's always the back up file if I manage to suck all the magic out of the words.

5. And last on my list: Revise and FINISH one of the darn novels that's just sitting there doing nothing but glare at me for years. I've got Camp NaNo in April or November NaNo to conquer this if I don't manage to find the time elsewhere.

These are all attainable goals. I can do this. Deep breaths.

What's on your bucket list for 2013?

Reading: January Summary

Part of my resolution this year was to make more time for me to do what I enjoy. One of those things is reading. Another is critiquing for my writing buddies. When I can put these together, relaxing things happen and relaxing is very good.



 

I had the privilege to critique a novel for one of those aforementioned writing buddies. Making it through a whole novel with chapter by chapter crits usually takes much longer than a few weeks, but I'm fresh off a new resolution here so I made record time through Niko and the Shadows. It turned out to be an enjoyable YA Fantasy read with enough darkness to keep my interest. I hope to see it in print someday.

The angel angle was good, something different from what I've read before as far as angel romance goes. However, there are only so many times the MCs can blindly misunderstand each other for the sake of the plot that I can handle.

A collection of short strories that spans touching, quirky, and funny. My favorite was a story about a the death of a mother which was very easy to sympathize with and touching, yet laced with humor.

Getting Crafty: Writer's Blocks

We all fall victim to the dreaded writer's block now and then.

I've seen many different ways to solve this problem, but why buy one of those cute little block or sets of dice when you can make one? As a bonus, you get to pick the words. And yeah, I like to throw in some fun words to get the wheels turning again. As another bonus, you can choose words that best fit your genre or let the blocks fall where they may.

All you need is a bag of wooden blocks from the craft store.

I used 3/4 inch.

A bottle of craft paint. I like black.

Words. I used an old dictionary that I'd be saving for crafty purposes.

A small bottle of Mod Podge

A brush for paint and one for the Mod Podge

It's all downhill from here. The gathering of supplies always seems to take the longest for me. That could have something to do with the amount of supplies I have to sort through... I'm overcoming my craft supply hoarding problem. I swear.

1. Paint your blocks

2. While the paint dries, find your words. You might have to choose words that fit on your blocks or adjust your font size so they do.

3. Use the Mod Podge to affix your words onto the blocks. Working one face at a time across however many blocks you're doing allows for some dry time. Be sure to keep a dry side down as you work or your pretty word will stick to your work surface and the block. It's not a good thing. Trust me.

4. If you like an aged look...you know to show that you combat writer's block a lot...or maybe just like to challenge yourself frequently. Yeah, that sounds better. Rub the corners and/or edges across a sheet of sandpaper.

5. Let everything dry.

6. Sort into sets. Six is a nice number. I used one bulk bag of blocks and made four sets of six. Yes, for those of your doing NaNoWriMo locally next year, you'll be seeing these.

7. Get writing!

 

Wondering how to use these things?

1. Consider writing a story or your next chapter.

2. Look at blinking cursor until your eyes dry out.

3. Remember you have help and toss the blocks on the table.

4. Use the words to construct your scene/chapter/plot.

 

Apparently my story is about a husband who is a lush hanging out too long in a restaurant in another town. This causes some sort of commotion (probably because he drunkenly tumbled into someone from this other town...the wrong someone), and now he's launched a year long battle. Way to go mystery guy. Way to go.

In the case of a scene or chapter, there's a distinct possibility that using all the words isn't going to happen, but the idea is to get your creative juices flowing again. Take inspiration where you can and get those fingers moving!

 

 



Considering going Indie?

Indie Publishing: I've been told to take the leap. I know several sucessful authors who've done it and love it. For various reasons, I'm just not ready to join them quite yet. But that doesn't mean I don't want to learn the ins and outs for future reference.

That's where this link to the upcoming IndieReCon comes in. Sign up now for this free, three day extravagaza of Indie Publishing information. What to see what's on the agenda? Here's the link. While the online conference happens Febuary 19-21, you can sign up now for reminders and giveaways.

I'm all signed up. How about you?

Slowly catching up with the world

In my quest for a me focused year, I've managed to find time to watch a few tv shows I've been meaning to watch, scarily, for a decade in one case. Since December Netflix has indulged my desire to watch:

Capricia, which I never got to watch on tv because I was mourning the end of BSG. Why do they force these related series on us faithful viewers so soon after the end of our favorite show? Give us a little time to want it again, people. I didn't need more of this (am not joining the angry throng still upset about it only lasting one season), but I did enjoy seeing how the cylons began and getting hints, that I'm more than happy to fill in myself thank you very much, as to how these events played into the series that we knew and loved.

I finally manged to wrap up my spotty year of attempting to get to the entire series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I also totally snubbed at the time of it's original airing, though for no particular reason other than it just wasn't my thing at the time. Not that it was my thing now either, but carrying a show over that many seasons and keeping the main characters still interesting and evolving is certainly something to appreciate.

Firefly is also on my watch list. Never watched that at the time either, despite the rabid fans telling me that I should. So far the most amusing thing is seeing actors that have been in so many other shows since now in this role. Haven't become a rabid fan as of yet.

I also tried to give Lost Girl a chance because it sounded interesting, but after a couple episodes I don't have much good to say so I'll leave it at that.

Thanks to the doctor informing me that I have bronchitis, I haven't been overly active, I've spent a good deal of my evenings wiped out and in bed coughing long before actual bedtime. Since my laptop has some loose wiring in the monitor that makes it go blank every time I cough when it's on my lap, I've started watching Eureka - yet another show I meant to watch but didn't make time for. So far, this is my favorite of my tv show quest.

And with this updated, I'm off to edit some short stories, juggle a submission, and get some work done before my my medicine puts me into a nice cough-free sleep.