Celebrate the Small Things - Words With Friends edition

I have to say, it's been a pretty good week.  My summer school session started on Tuesday, and I think I have a good group of students, which is always a pleasure.  Still, it is summer so I'm kinda-sorta counting the weeks until the end of the summer session (for those of you keeping track at home, 1 down, 5 to go!).

Today, I'm celebrating the fact that I get to hang out with my dear friend, Angi Morgan.  I haven't seen her in a couple of months, and we're camped out in her house, catching up and getting some writing done. Of course, no visit to Angi is complete without paying some special attention to her fur babies, Roxie and Texas!  I suspect my kitties will be less than thrilled when I come home smelling like dog, but they'll get over it :)

How was your week?  What are you celebrating today?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week.  This is a blog hop hosted by VikLit, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Early Bird or Night Owl?

There are a lot of books out there, full of advice and tips on how to fit writing into your daily routine.  One of the most popular suggestions is to get up extra early and write a little bit before you start your day.  On the face of it, this is good advice: first thing in the morning is a fresh slate, before the distractions of the day conspire to steal away your time.

Except... I am not a morning person.  I am the exact polar opposite of a morning person.  Even if I am forced to get up early, I will still stay up late at night because that's just how my circadian rhythm works.

I'm told I come by this naturally.  My mother assures me that even when I was in utero, I would stay up late and sleep in, so it's no surprise I still do. Weekends are my favorite part of the week, not because I'm off work, but because I can follow my preferred sleep schedule.  For me, the best writing time is at night, after I'm done with my day.  It's almost like a reward for getting through the other stuff that pulls at my time.  Plus, I spend the whole day mulling over the story, picking out words and phrases and getting them in order for when I sit down to commit them to paper.

My brain doesn't work very well in the morning, so I think if I were to try to write at that time, I'd wind up frustrated and exhausted.  I envy the people who can jump out of bed early and flip on that creative switch.

In the end, I think it's all about figuring out which time works best for you, and sticking with it.  So that's my question for you, dear readers. Are you a night owl like me, or do you work best in the early morning?

images from www.123rf.com

Photo Friday - Stylin'

Welcome to Photo Friday, a new weekly post I'm starting on the blog. As the name implies, every Friday I'll post a picture that has something to do with books, writing, reading, or a combination thereof.  If anyone is interested in joining me, let me know in the comments and maybe we can turn it into a blog hop.

For my first post, I thought I'd share my writing attire for the past few days:

Quite stylish, wouldn't you agree?

Now, I'm not saying that wearing pajama pants emblazoned with love letters makes me a better romance writer.  It probably doesn't hurt, though...

What's your favorite writing or reading attire?

IWSG - January edition

Happy 2013 everyone!  I joined IWSG late last year, and I'm excited to start a new year off with the group. One of my resolutions is to participate in all 12 IWSG posts this year.  Haven't heard of IWSG? Get thee to Alex Cavanaugh's blog and check it out!

www.123rf.com

We're starting a fresh new calendar year, a blank slate on which to write our goals.  With that in mind, I thought I'd share my 2013 writing resolutions with you all.

1)  Write every day.  I know this is standard advice, but it's not something I've been very good about doing in the past.  My goal is to write at least 2013 words per week.  Kind of an intimidating number, if attempted in one sitting. However, it translates into ~ 290 words per day, which is completely doable.  This should help keep me on track and keep the WIP's fresh so it's not so difficult to dive back into the stories when I sit down to write. Plus, a little bit adds up, and I think I'll be pleasantly surprised by how much I get done if I write every day.

I'm a bit visual when it comes to tracking my progress, so I printed off a Don't Break the Chain calendar.  The nerdy, office supply loving side of me is really excited to X-off days as I get writing done.

2) Blog more.  I've been a bit lax in keeping up with the blog.  I need to step up my efforts to connect with others and share my thoughts, so to that end, I'm kicking around ideas for some weekly posts.  The goal is to continue to build my online author platform, and at the same time tap into the wonderful community of support that writers of all stripes have built.  I'm looking forward to cheering others on as they work to achieve their goals this year!

3) Get published.  To a certain extent, this goal is out of my control. However, I'm not going to stop working to put out the best story I can, which I think will translate into publication (pause for your cynical laughter here).  I know that sounds kind of naive, but I'm still working to pursue traditional publication this year, and I will definitely keep you all updated as I gather rejections (and hopefully good news sprinkled in as well).

So those are my Big 3 goals for this new year.  What are your writing resolutions?  How is this year going to be the best yet for you?

Onward and upward...

I'm a member of the Books and Writers Community, which is an awesome place for writers (and readers) of all stripes to hang out and discuss books, writing, research, and anything else that pops up.  One of the things I like best about The Forum is the willingness of members to help each other out, especially in terms of critiques.  You can post a snippet of your writing and get feedback from dozens of people, all pointing out ways to make your work stronger, better, faster... (well, you get the idea)

www.123rf.com

While I love posting my work, I am usually reluctant to do so.  I'm not afraid of soliciting feedback--indeed, I'm something of a feedback junkie--but I feel like my critiquing skills are not up to par.  It's not fair for me to ask these people to put in the time and effort of critting my work, when I feel my suggestions to them are so superficial as to be laughable.

I know the only way to get better at this is to practice, so that's what I've been doing.  I'm speaking up more and more when people ask for feedback, building up some karmic points so that at some point, I can post without feeling like I'm taking advantage of this great community of readers and authors.

Do you feel like your critiquing skills are lacking, or is it just me?  How have you improved your skills?  Was there anything in particular that helped you out, or is experience the best teacher?  Please share your experiences in the comments!

Mea culpa

Sorry I've been so scarce lately.  It's not that I don't want to post, but life keeps getting in the way.

I just started a new job on Monday <yay!>.  So far, I love it.  The only downside is that I don't have much time to write anymore, and that's been tough.  I really miss Thomas and Claire, and I have a lot of ideas floating around that could use my attention.

www.123rf.com

I expect that things will settle down in the next few weeks, and I can sneak in the time to write once I adjust to my new schedule.  In the meantime, I will have to make due with writing on the weekend.  Good thing we've got a three-day weekend coming up!

I know I'm not the only one with a crazy schedule.  How do you guys find time to write?