The Road Less Traveled

I have two day planners. One was given to me, and the other I bought. I love them both, and herein lay my dilemma. I wanted to use them both. Both have great features unique to each - the dates even extend to the end of 2012.

I spent a good couple hours of this weekend ripping both planners apart and shuffling things around (and this was no easy feat, mind you--the pages are completely different with the holes in varying places). I then put the whole thing back together to my liking.

The result?

The PERFECT planner. MY perfect planner.

Sure, it would have been easier to just go with one, and suck it up, or even just buy a new one. But I'm very particular - I know what I want - and I found it in both.

And it got me thinking. This is the same approach we take with our writing.

We hear it time and time again: the easy way isn't always the best way. By taking the easy way, you may end up cheating yourself out of what you deserve.

You deserve the best. But it will be hard work. You may have to rip those pages out and put them back together time and time again. Then do it all over from the beginning. Until you have the perfect work of art. YOUR perfect work of art.

Yes, it will take longer, but it will be worth it. It's always worth it in the end.

And just remember, you should never, ever have to settle. Reach high and reach far. Use what you've got and turn it into gold. And never give up.

So tell me, how many times have you reconstructed your MS until it was perfect to you? Did you ever take the difficult road with something when the easy road was right in front of you?

"Hogwarts Will Always Be There To Welcome You Home"

Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I was late to the Harry Potter game.

So to recap...

While I'd watched the movies over the years, I only got around to reading the books last summer. I even had it in my head that the movies must be better than the books because they were THAT good.. How could anything top them?

For the other three people who don't know, I was wrong my friends... If you think the movies are good, the books are a trillion times better. I read all 7 books over the course of two months.

I couldn't put them down. I just COULD NOT PUT THEM DOWN.

I read every spare second I got. I summoned every last ounce of will power that I had to not sneak peeks at them during work hours. My day was spent thinking about when next I'd be able to re-escape back into the world of Hogwarts.

But this is the feeling you get from reading an incredible book with an equally incredible story. And while you will almost never find me without a book in my hands, it had been a long time since a story moved me that way.

I only saw the final movie four weeks ago, on the very last day it was playing. Because I just didn't want it to end.

But in truth, it never really ends, does it?

The stories that touch your heart stay with you forever. They become a part of you, and like the best kept of promises, re-enter your life from time to time... to bring a smile to your face... to remind you.

What books have you read recently (or in the past) that had a profound impact on you? Which ones did you have a hard time putting down?

Finding Your Passion

If someone had told me ten years ago that I'd be trying to make a career out of writing, I would have risen one very disbelieving eyebrow.

I mean... I love to write. But come on, a writer?

Everyone knows there's no money to be made in writing. Writing is something you do in your spare time (on the premise that you actually have any). A silly side hobby for the dabblers.

It's just for FUN.

I mean... isn't that what they always say?

And how can you possibly write a whole novel? Isn't that, like, 400 pages?

My life has taken a lot of unexpected twists, yet through all the ups and downs, the one thing that remained constant was writing.

Without even realizing it, it became my truth. It resurfaced as my drive. It thrived as my passion. The more I wrote, the more I wanted it. The more I STILL want it.

And you know what?

I finished that novel. I wrote the 400 pages. I found the time. Because when it's something you truly love--you always find the time. Even when the only opportunity appears at 2:00 a.m. after a sixteen hour work day, and you've finally gotten the baby to fall asleep.

Because passion like that comes from deep within. It's what keeps you moving forward, moving towards your dreams. It's what makes you dedicated. And as long as you hold on to it, anything is possible.

Is there money to be made in writing? I don't know. It isn't the most clear cut profession.

Is it rewarding? Being able to touch someone with your story? The feeling you get watching the words fill the page?

Definitely.

And I guess that's what makes it all worth it, isn't it?

And just for the record, we shouldn't always listen to what "they" say. ;)

So tell me, what made you realize you wanted to be a writer? When do you find time to write?

WiP Update

Wow. I can't believe how much time has passed. We're almost at the end of another year.

As you know, summer just sort of took over my life during the last little while. Between work, writing, numerous family get together's, writing, work, writing, work... did I mention writing and work--blogging fell to the wayside.

I've been visiting over the last week, and quite a few people have taken temporary hiatuses as well.

But alas, September is here, and it's time to get back into the grind.

So. To get things started, I wanted to give you a quick WiP update.

Where things stand now:

I'm just about at the end of a major revision/rewrite which I hope to fully complete by the end of this week. After that, I will be doing another minor revision round of things I've highlighted, and then print the whole baby out for final edits.

What about you guys? How are things going with your WiP's? What has everyone been up to? Any interesting summer stories?

Still Alive and Rach's Third Writers' Platform Building Campaign

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that I am still alive and plan to be back to regular posting within the next couple of weeks. I apologize for my absence - I was bitten by SUMMER and all that comes with it - you know what I mean.

I hope you are all doing well--I miss you guys and can't wait to catch up! :)

I've been truly missing blogging and visiting you guys. I feel very disconnected and out of sorts. But everyone knows the best way to get out of this type of slump is to not only reconnect with old friends, but make some new ones.

And honestly, there's no better way to do this than Rachael Harrie's awesome Platform Building Campaign. For those of you who don't know Rach or haven't heard of her Campaigns, you need to click on the link below and zoom on over there because she is absolutely amazing.

I just signed up and as today is the last day to join, I wanted to let all of you know so you can as well.

For more details, click on the following link:

Third writers' platform building campaign

It's going to be great!

Alrighty everyone - I'll be back in about a week. "See" you soon!

You Know You've Got It Bad When...

...you choose not to watch the American Idol finale, even though you've lamented for 3 three years about missing it because you were on vacation.

...you forgo reserving tickets for the musical that was just extended, even though just three months ago, you were upset that you waited that long in the first place and lost the opportunity.

...you nearly miss your cousin's wedding (this one needs no further explanation, it's just plain bad).

...your friends start to wonder if you don't like them anymore because they haven't seen you in months.

But you're writing. Writing. Maybe you're in the thick of revisions, and you've almost gotten that scene just the way it's supposed to be. Perhaps you're so close, you can almost taste it...

Yes, my friends, this is the stage I'm at right about now.

It's all I think about. I don't want to do anything else. It's like I'm possessed. At work, I have to force myself to stop dreaming about this book, and the next chapter I get to rewrite, that last little bit of detail I left out, the amazing, better ending...

Sure, it's great... it's wonderful to feel this passionately about something again. It's been a while since I felt that zest (another story for another day), but at the same time, it's pretty amazing and strange how it can change your life. How both things that used to seem so important, and things that are still very important start to mesh... and the only time you feel any clarity is when you're working on this darn MS.

But I didn't miss my cousin's wedding, and I am going to call my friends back. I know my priorities, but it does seem like this book is determined to remain in the spotlight.

Do you guys ever experience this? Do you ever give anything up in order to write? Have you noticed that your priorities have changed since you started writing?

Dream the Day Away

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night" - Edgar Allan Poe

We're all dreamers... I doubt any of us would be in this business if we weren't. Dreams fuel our ideas, provide energy for our imaginations, and lay the foundation for our creativity.

Some of our most memorable dreams happen while we sleep... those dreams create their own stories... we're just lucky enough to witness them. But the dreams that take place during the day, while we're awake and fully conscious, are the ones that we control.

I find some of my best ideas occur on the train ride to work. Usually I'm reading, but some days, I do nothing but stare out the window and watch the sun glitter across the lake until the train curves around the bend... and the scene changes to trees and houses whizzing by like meteorites... but amidst the gentle rocking and hum of conversation and newspaper pages turning, it happens.

The ideas start to flow.

It's hard to give into your daydreams when you're supposed to be concentrating on your day job, or feeding the baby, or mowing the lawn, or figuring out how you're going to make your next mortgage payment, but in those quiet moments.. the ones that are yours and yours alone, that's when you can let your imagination run wild... and before you know it, that jungle finds its way onto the pages.

Just this past week I was struggling with a chapter that needed to be changed. It wasn't one I could just delete; it needed a whole new direction. And on Wednesday morning, as the rain pelted against the grimy window, the sun nowhere to be seen, it came to me. And not only that, but it just might be a very important factor in the rest of the series.

So let your dreams run rampant, day or night... let them get a firm hold on you and lift you to the sky... you don't need a train ride, but it sure helps ;)

Are you a daydreamer? A night dreamer? When do your ideas flow the most freely? Anybody have to take the train everyday?

Looking Back

Do you ever look back at your old blog posts?

I somehow ended up browsing through mine today while trying to determine my next post, and it hit me that I've been blogging since July 2009. Almost two years...

This was my very first post.

And I realized, while not much has really changed since then, everything has changed.

Things are still the same in some ways, but unrecognizable in others.

I've actually written a whole novel since that rainy summer. All I had back then was a dream churning in my heart and a couple of pages tap dancing on my computer. I didn't know where they might lead--I still don't--all I knew was that for the first time in a long time, I was finally looking at something that felt real, that made me feel real again, if that makes sense. I was holding my life in bits and pieces in both hands, trying to salvage what I could still carry, to not let anything else slip through my fingers.

I've been rebuilding since then, and looking back over these posts, I can see just how far I've come.

I'd like to think I've matured, grown, and learned, and hopefully will continue do so, because there is still so much more to go. We never really stop, do we?

And my sister is still the only person who knows what my secret passion is, just how much it means to me, why I keep at it day after day, night after night, why as soon as one work day ends, another begins, why I can't stop...

But you know what?

Now you guys know too. You guys share it. You guys live it. We've all come such a far way... and this is just the beginning.

So tell me, do you ever re-read your old posts? What have you learned about yourself? When did you first start blogging?

How the Godfather Helped Me With Revisions

So, it's been a crazy couple of months. I've been molding and shaping this book to my satisfaction, then going back, and doing it all over again.

I'm still not finished. I'm really beginning to wonder if I'll ever be.

So far, I'm likening revisions to two things:

1. Pulling teeth with no Novocaine

This is painful, the realization of what the heck have I gotten myself into, why did I agree to this, how can I get out of it? There is no way I can get through this alive.

2. The Godfather - Part 2 (yes, I'm totally stealing this from the movie Serendipity)

Part 1 (the first draft) gave me something to work with, Part 2 gave me something to appreciate. Not only do I now understand how it all began, but I'm starting to see where it's going. I couldn't have gotten here without Part 1 though. The first draft that started it all...

I guess it's true though... you usually can't get to the good parts without going through some pain, right?

But for the most part, I'm actually really liking revisions. It's hard work, but it's like breathing life into my monster. And it's a beautiful thing.

I'm not going to lie. There have been times in these past few weeks when I've literally just stopped myself from pulling my hair out. I've wondered exactly where I came up with that line... what the heck was I thinking when I added in that phrase... I've lamented over how I was going to fix this train-wreck of a manuscript...

I've wanted to shelve it and start anew. It would be much easier.

But easier doesn't mean better... it's just means easier. It's just putting off the inevitable.

So the moral of today's story?

See it through. Regardless of how bad you think it might be, how far you want to throw it into the next century, don't.

I mean, once you start something, you've got to finish it right? How else are we going to get to the finale? And it might just be one you don't want to miss.

How about you guys? Which side of the fence are you on when it comes to revisions? Do you love them or hate them? Have you seen The Godfather trilogy?

p.s. And for the record... I actually have seen all three Godfather movies ;)

I'mmmmm Baacccck!

Hi Everyone!

I'm back... erm... yes... it's...uh... been a WHILE.

I'm so sorry for just disappearing like that... I actually didn't mean to, but edits, work, edits, work... did I mention edits--sort of just took over and monopolized all my time. I'll spare you the details for now--I'm still not quite finished with revisions as yet, but I decided it was time for me to come out of the cave... it was getting lonely in there :)

I'll have updates on my progress for you this week though.

I've been trying to make my rounds this past week, so if I haven't come by as yet, I will be there soon!

I've missed you guys :)

I hope everyone is doing well, and I can't wait to catch up.

So tell me...how are you guys? What's new and exciting... not new or exciting... anything... what's been going on???