Creating Worlds & A Writer’s Procrastination

Every story you write is a new world, a new reality created for others to share. But what happens when those worlds are only imaginings of your mind and never make the move from your mind to the paper? Doesn’t this mean that entire realities will never see the light of day? Whole worlds will never be viewed by anyone but you?
What will it take to get you to sit down and do the work of writing down the stories that live inside you? Imagine, for a moment, that each of these stories is a world, or a reality, that does not, as yet, exist. All of the characters, animals, places and things that you manage to get down on paper will suddenly be given life, a life lived in the pages of your story.
Would you deny them their existence?

50 Reasons No One Wants To Publish Your First Book

50 Reasons No One Wants To Publish Your First Book

This list had me laughing! If you want to look at the funnier side of the publishing business, I recommend reading this.

Having The Confidence To Write

I found this article on copyblogger.com called "How To Write With Confidence."

This article struck a cord with me because I often neglect my writing through fear of failure. I will read some really great writing by another author and think, I could never write like that! Or I will read something I wrote earlier and think, That's awful! I'm a terrible writer! I let these thoughts of not being good enough keep me from trying, keep me from writing.

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. Back then, in those childhood days, it was a dream I knew I would someday achieve. I believed in the dream and in myself with the innocent confidence that only children seem to possess. And because of this confidence, I wrote story after story after story. I was only a child and because of this, those stories were not very good. But at least I was writing them!

Somewhere along this road I've traveled called Life, I have lost the confidence to write. I've lost confidence in myself and in my ability to tell stories. I need to remember that it's okay for a lot of my writing to not be perfect. It's normal to write a lot of so-so text before getting to greatness. Mixed in with all the sand, there will be a few pearls. And once I find the pearls, I need to build on them and let them grow. But I'll never even find the pearls if I don't start writing.

Query Fail

The Chico Writer's Group took a bunch of tweets posted by agents and editors about what makes a query fail and put them together in one blog post. The post is full of useful tips, and in places it even made me laugh out loud.

Goals & Inspiration

Feeling in a slump with you writing? Can't find the motivation to pick up your pen? I found this quote recently, and I think it helps with motivation.

There is a way to reach the goal. You just have to decide you’re going to do it.
There are challenges, to be sure. Yet you’ve overcome challenges before and you can do it again.
Decide to do it, and make the commitment. Take the necessary actions, over and over again.
If you realize your approach isn’t working, adjust it and improve it until you begin to make some progress. Then be grateful for what you’ve learned, and use it to move more quickly ahead.
Be sure to choose a goal that is truly yours. Making the goal meaningful is what makes it reachable.
Creating anything of value takes a lot of good, hard, solid work. Enjoy the journey and delight in reaching the destination.
— Ralph Marston

Just believe that you can do this! There is nothing stopping you from writing your novel, children's book or other type of story, except for YOU! Let's stop getting in our own way and get to work!

Blogging and the Writer

One thing writers need to do is write. It doesn't always matter what a writer writes so much as that they continue to write. Even just writing in a journal not meant for anyone else to see helps to keep a writer's creative juices flowing and his or her mind in the right place for serious writing.

Blogging is a terrific tool for keeping up with writing and keeping a writer's mind sharp and focused on writing. Blogging is journaling for others to read. You can blog about a variety of subjects and write about whatever sparks your fancy on any given day. Or you can choose to blog on a particular subject and choose a specific theme for your blog.

Another benefit to blogging is that, for some bloggers, a writer with a lot of followers can become noticed by publishers. Examples of this are diet bloggers Pasta Queen and Diet Girl who have both published books that came about through their blogs.

So start blogging!

National Children's Authors & Illustrators Week

This first week in February is Children's Authors & Illustrators Week in America.

I have no idea what is supposed to be done for it though, so I propose that we all go out and buy a children's book by our favorite children's book author as a way of showing our appreciation for them.

Don't have any money? Then post who your favorite children's author or illustrator is in the comments below.

My favorite children's book is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle.

Websites For Hopeful Authors

There's a new way for writers to get noticed and it's on-line and free. Random House's website Authonomy.com is a place where writers can post their writing, the whole book or just a few chapters, and as they get positive comments and constructive criticism from readers, their work can move up the list. The goal is to have your work become one of the top ten in its category. The publishing company Random House reviews the top ten each month.

This is not the only publishing company doing this. Penguin Books has set up Spinebreakers, a similar site geared towards teenagers. And the Arts Council in England has set up YouWriteOn.com.

The publishing world is opening up to wannabe authors.

Not Doing As Well

I missed my hour of novel-writing last week. I need to try and get in more than an hour this week to make up for it.

Robert is doing pretty good in keeping up with his commitment to write each week.

I also need to get to work putting my daughter Gabby's "Dreams Of Five" book together. I should have been done with it last November. Lately, she's been doing a lot of reading in her "Dreams Of Four" book. She's even choosing it for me to read to her and her younger sister Isabella before bedtime.

I Did It!

I got past my awe-inspiring ability to procrastinate and spent an hour writing last week. I only wrote two pages, but that's two pages less I have left to write. And I am determined to do the same this week as well.

Update On My Writing

Remember my post about committing to writing for at least an hour each week? Well, I have done 30 minutes this week so far and today is my last day of this first week to get the other 30 minutes done.

I don't count writing in my blogs as part of my time spent writing. If I did, I would have already surpassed my 60 minutes a week of writing.

One of my novels has taken a new twist (in my head), and I will have to write the idea I had for a new direction for it so that I don't forget.

New Year's Resolutions

My husband and I have made the commitment this year to each of us writing/working on our novels for at least one hour a week this year. We have seven children, a dog and a cat, and our time is largely taken up with caring for them. We have not been getting much writing done lately, so we have made this commitment to set aside a small amount of time every week.

Robert has already spent his hour writing this week. I have spent only thirty minutes writing and still have another thirty minutes to go.

How much time are you going to set aside for your writing endeavors this year?

Queen Of The Procrastinators!

I am the queen of all procrastinators! All bow before my amazing ability to think about writing without ever actually doing any!

Actually, I haven't been writing here as much as I intended, but I have been writing elsewhere. I've been blogging about my new healthy lifestyle and how I've lost 65 pounds so far and am almost halfway to my goal weight. (That blog is at Skinny Dreaming.) And I've been blogging about my new baby and my other children at Giggles & Kisses.

And now I am having to write up the story of how I managed to lose 65 pounds while pregnant for our local newspaper. They love these kinds of stories for the new year. My husband is having to write up his story about his weight loss too.

My husband and I have made a pact about our writing. We have vowed to each spend at least one hour a week working on our novels. His is a time travel one. Both of the novels I am working on our fantasy/supernatural stories.

Dreaming Up Stories

Ever had a dream that was so vivid and interesting that you knew you had to write it up into a story or novel? I've had two. So far, although I've written an outline for one of them and a brief synopsis for the other, I haven't really gotten started on them yet. But I know in my soul that they are meant to be written.

For other inspiration, like for my children stories, I only need to look to my children to find inspiration. What interests them? What wonderful adventure are they pretending to live today?

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Inspiring Gabby

Every year since my daughter Gabriella was three years old, I have created books using stories she has dictated to me and drawings that she has created while at each age. When she turned four, I took all the things she had "written" and many things she had drawn at the age of three and made her a book called "Dreams of Three." When she turned five, I took all the things she had "written" and many of her drawings done while she was four and made her a book called "Dreams of Four." Now that she is six, it is time for me to put together her "Dreams of Five" book.

For the first two years that I did this for her, she had dictated 12 stories each year to me. I am not sure we got that many stories this year though. We might have eight stories. I guess it just means that the book will cost me less to buy once it's created. I wish I had put in the time to have her tell me more stories this year though. She has a wonderful imagination that is growing each year. And it wouldn't even have been that much effort on my part. 12 stories is only one story a month, and her stories are usually only a paragraph or two long.

The thing that is great about creating these books is that the books inspire her to continue to think creatively. They also help her see the value in reading and writing. They also help her feel proud of her accomplishment (she loves showing them off to others), and they are a wonderful memento for the years to come. They also make great presents for her grandparents.

I publish them at Lulu.com, and Gabby offers them for sale there with color interiors and for sale in the children's art section of my Cafe Press shop Fyfe Photography & Design with black and white interiors. She's even sold some, which makes her very excited each time it happens! They are for sale at Moonduster Books. (Eventually, the children's stories that I am writing will be available there too.)

Ideas

Last year, I thought up a children's story for my daughter Gabby. She was five at the time, but I still have not finished the story, because I'm stuck on how to illustrate it. I have no artistic talent when it comes to drawing or painting.

Yesterday, I got a great idea for another children's story to write for my 3 year old daughter Bella. Again, I am faced with the problem of how to illustrate it.

I am going to try to get my husband to set aside some time to try and illustrate the children's stories, because, unlike me, he does have some talent in that area.

I just wish I could get these stories and illustrations finished in time for me to self-publish and buy them as Christmas gifts for my two girls.

The Procrastination Bug

I am supposed to be writing regularly in here, but the procrastinatin bug has bit me and I am having trouble doing even the smallest amount of writing lately.

We've all been bit by the procrastination bug from time to time. It's the curse of every writer.

So how do we get past it?

Introducing The Writer's Corner!

I am a writer. I am not published, but that does not make me any less of a writer than a published author can claim to be. I have a serious problem with procrastination though. This blog is all about getting me writing again! And maybe I can inspire you to get writing while I am at it!