Didn't write today...

I feel horrible about it, considering I just started, but I really don't have a creative flow going right now. A loved one of mine, someone I truely cherished...died...and I just don't have any words, any thoughts...other than I miss this person so much it hurts. I am lost without them.

Linda, if you can see me, hear me, anything...I want you to know I'm sorry.

If anyone is reading this I'll try to update you on how the writing is going within the next few days. Right now the Muse is not speaking and I am not sure when that will change. Hopefully really soon. I do love this project and would love to finish it.

And I got my words!

789 words to be precise. Which brings my total word count to 2189 words. That's pretty good for my third day of doing this, especially since I wasn't even sure I would hit 500. So far I've been getting it and then some! I'm proud of myself since I have a little one to look after. And I do mean little. He's only 7 weeks old.

Which just goes to show that if you want to be a writer you CAN make time to write, regardless of how much you work...you just have to find out where your free time is, even if its only ten minutes and go for it! I know I did! Well, it took some coaxing...but once I got started I didn't want to stop!

Seriously. In my project things are starting to get juicy. My MC has just learned of a betrayal that has left her shaken...and things are only going to get worse from here. Man, I am so glad I don't have the lives of my characters!

And this brings me to my question of the day: How many words do you try to write a day? Or do you even write everyday? Do you only write when inspiration strikes, or have you made it a habit? I'd love to hear what you guys have to say.

Let me know in the comments!

Sometimes...the internet is just evil!

Yeah, I think that title says it all. I find that whenever I sit down to write I have this horrible urge to just check a few things. You know what I am talking about. My E-mail, some really cool blogs...plus research, ect. And before I know it an hour or two has gone by and no real writing has been done!

Grr internet, oh how I loathe you. No, that's not true. It is very useful. It's just I have not learned to control myself enough to use my time to the best of my ability. Is this just me, or do others experience this too?

It must be the procrastinator in me. Seriously, I need to learn how to get over this if I want to make a career out of writing. I've been doing it yes, but not as many words as I would like.

Today I will get no less than 700 words, but I am going to try and shoot for 1000. I need to get in the habit of writing more, not just everyday...but a good amount everyday. And those of you with kids know how hard that can be.

My advice to you all and to myself: You can do anything for ten minutes...right? Well, get out that stopwatch, that egg timer and set it for ten minutes. Then sit and write your heart out. Start a scene, finish a scene, whatever. When the timer goes off do whatever you need to do. If this works then use it throughout the day when you have time. Trust me, this adds up. And you will notice you can get a lot more done this way if you are a procrastinator like I am.

Well, I'm off to hopefully get in my 700 words. I'll let you know later tonight how it goes.

I'm back!

And I've started writing a new project yesterday. I can't even begin to describe how great that feels. I took about a month off of writing after I had my son. Then my Muse wouldn't stop bugging me about a couple stories...so here I am again. And I love being back. I've only written 1500 words between today and yesterday, but considering how long I spent not writing? I think I accomplished a lot. Especially with an infant to take care of. I can say honestly I am proud of myself.

Having a couple of projects that kick ass helps writing, that's for sure.

I'm back with a vengence! I'll probably post tomorrow, and I'm crossing my fingers I get a lot done in that time. Will be working on a different scene card then I previously thought...so we'll see.

Oh, and I'm going through How To Think Sideways again with this new project. And boy is it helping out a lot!

Favorite Book Published In 2009?

This was a crazy year for me I must admit. So crazy, in fact, that I did not get to read as much as I would have liked. But read I did and I have to tell you...there were many books published this year that I completely adore. Seriously, books that made me jealous I had not come up with the idea first...now THAT'S a good book. At least I think so.

So what's my favorite book of 2009? The first one that pops into my head is Shadowlight by Lynn Viehl. She wrote the Darkyn Series if none of you are familiar with her. This particular book is a spinoff of sorts, related to the Darkyn, yet different. It's about ordinary people who are unaware they have been altered by vampire DNA. Just writing about it makes me want to read it again.

So, what is your favorite book of 2009?

Who Is Your Inspiration?

I have been thinking a lot today about this, and I still don't really know what my answer is. Seriously, this is a lot harder to answer than you might think. Because I am not talking about who other people think inspire you, or who you want to inspire you....but WHO inspires you. Who is the one that you think about every day, the one that pushes you to write? This could be someone that knows you, or a complete stranger. But I do feel that every writer who wants to be published has someone that they think about, well, that's my thought on it anyway.

For me, many people tell me to write, but there are not many that actually make me want to write. There are few people that make me not want to give up, who make me believe my writing does not suck. I would say the one that has pushed me the most, the one that has helped me the most, is my husband. He doesn't let me have the easy way out, he tells me how it is. And some days...he gives me the kick in the pants I need.

If you write and you don't have someone that inspires you....maybe this is the time to change that. It sure has helped me, and from the published writers I have heard about it really helped them too.

I STILL Have No Ending

Yup, it's pretty horrible. After Nano I just did not feel like writing. My brain is mush right now. So I spent a couple days sleeping and thinking about what should happen, talking to my husband again who didn't see me all month...and now I find that I am lost, unable to continue. Where to take my story from here? At first the ending was clear in my head, but the more I wrote the more I saw there was so many different paths my characters could take. So now my head hurts. For now I'll try and remain calm and take a couple more days away from my draft, but then, regardless of how I feel, I have to write my ending, even if it sucks.

Anyone else finding that they are so close to the end of their first draft or final draft and are having a hard time pushing themselves forward? Any advice for me? I have never gotten so far in a project before. Usually I drop them within the first thrity pages for something new because I have the habbit of getting bored. But with this novel...that is not the case. I love my characters and my story. I am just stuck and am not sure what needs to be done. Am I overthinking this? Because this is first draft should I just write whatever comes to my head?

Sorry for all the questions, but I really am worried about this. Any advice or comments at all would be appreciated. I just feel like banging my head against the wall.

I really should have outlined this story before writing it. Really.