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First day of School

Pancakes on the stove. Bookbags by the front door and feet running. Thirty minutes ago the little rugrats were out the door and on their way.
It's bitter sweet.
Gone are the carefree summer days of reading and hanging out at the pool.  My daughter has gel in her hair (training her bangs out of the way) and my son was a little man with super manners. Soon they'll be home and after school mayhem will inslue. Homework, books, gossiup and such.
For me I have a timetable up and running where I'm going to fit my schedule in my day. So right now I'm to be picking up my house... blogging is more important. I can see my schedule going down the tube.  But I'll give it go. Besides this is the first day of school. I can be more relaxed.

Where does the time go?

In the mad rush of summer, realizing the time is slipping away is always a disappointment.  Here we are in mid-august, school will be starting soon and for some of us lucky the Write On Rochester! Conference is right around the corner. 
Jessica Andersen is scheduled to give two workshops for LCRW on Sept 17&18 and I'm thrilled.  The workshops are on World Building and Pumping up your writing.  As a paranormal fiction writer these topical are right up my avenue.  But this could be for any genre in any style from children's to YA to Adult to... the spectrum is broad. 
If you think it's not worth it, think again. This conference isn't about an all day workshop; it's about networking. There will be editors, writers, readers and such.  Support, information on what to do and what's going on.  At one conference I went to in the past, they were saying it's about the elevator time.  Normally you run into editors, publishers and the like at Conferences and it's the elevator time, that is important. You have 25 words to get your point across. 25 words, commercial to say what you need to say for that one person to remember your book.
Conferences are more than just the speakers, it's the experience, the knowledge you gain from going.  So if you are in the Rochester area,and are a writer come out for the weekend. Find out how Jessica Andersen went from a PHD in genetics to an award winning Author and her secrets. Find out what it's like to have elevator time, to network, to pitch your ideas. Come have an experience you'll remember always.
Check out LCRW.org for more information.

Write On Rochester!

Write On Rochester! Conference is in little over a month. Sept 17 &18 at Radiasson RIT, Rochester.  I'm so excited, not only because it's our first conference but because we have Jessica Andersen coming in to do our workshops. All her books are amazing. She is the author of the Novels of Final Prophecy.

All are amazing in their romance and conflict with the interwoven myths of Mayan Calendars makes these doomsday romance novels into thrillers.

If you're in the Rochester area come on out and see Jessica. She'll be giving two workshops: World Building and Pump up your writing. Registration info.online at LCRW.org.
To see an article on Jessica check out my examiner post.

New ideas.

First off, yes I've been writing, but slowly and sporadically.  My story has turned this way and that, but I have maintain my original idea, just my characters have become younger and younger.  Throughout this process I have found my voice, my thoughts and myself... now I must write my story.  I'm going back to what I found works through the Warrior Writer by Bob Mayer.  Starting August 2nd, I am dedicating 1000 words per day to myself.  I know I can do it, have done it. Now is retraining myself to do it.
The only person I can truly let down is myself, this time it won't happen.  Time carved out is hard when balancing family, kids and life, especially when there is no cash flow, but when it is something that your passionate about, it comes down to just doing it. So here it goes, five months into my journey of writing a successful novel has come down to six months. Six months to have it query and submission ready.  At least I know the story line, the characters, the quirks, now I must write the day to day words.  I must be a warrior writer. I have my goal, the process. It's on me to get it accomplished.

What's your orginial idea part 3

What's your original idea, can you tell it in 25 words or less? Does it have positive action words? At the conference in Syracuse Bob Mayer asked these questions and like most writers there, my mind screamed.... What? 25 words or less impossible.

I have too many components in my story to write it down to one sentence. But after my A-Team workshop I realize this is vital. As writers we need that Original Idea, that one thing that sparked out need to write the story and we need it up front and center to focus our goals on.

Over the last few weeks, I have struggled with different components of my story, questions that can't be answered. I returned back to the Original Idea, and my Conflict Box. Letting the ideas and questions marinate, I figured out what my answers. Now, I'm going to give the outlining a try and see if the story is workable as is.

What is an original idea?

• It could be about the “what if” it could be a person, setting, plot, an intent.
• It should convey certain aspects within the sentence:
      o Protagonist, What’s at stake? Antagonist and the thing that needs to be achieve.
• It must have positive action verbs. It shouldn’t have negative words.

For instance mine was: A young Sentinel Witch’s powers awaken risking her gate to the vampire prison, to restore the power she must destroy the escaped vampire who stole her family knives.

I know that is over by 4 words, but it has the protagonist,(Witch) the what’s at stake (Vampire Prison entrance) and the antagonist (Vampire) and achieve (Destroy Vamp and restore knives.)

  

This is the original reason to start working on your work. What you need to feel before you really sit down and work on it. Have your original idea in front of you as you write. Have it looking at you as you load yourself into the world of your dreams. Let it help you keep on track, ground you as your finger fly.

Find out more from Pick up Bob Mayer's Warrior Writer  and Who Dares Wins: The Green Beret Way to Conquer Fear and Succeed and The Novel Writer?s Toolkit.  These books help in understanding your writing.  If you can't make on of the numerous conferences he's speaking at, these books will help you as a writer tremendously.

Having a Goal and how to get to it. Warrior Writing Part 2

“Have a Strategy” Bob Mayer said. A Strategic Goal as a writer, from the Warrior Writing Workshop.What it is? Do you want to make this a hobby, a job, a career a passion… What is the defining moment when you know the goal has been met? Do you want to hold your book in your hands? Do you want to be on the NY Times Best Seller’s List? What is you main goal?

So setting a specific long-term goal and doing anything and everything required to achieved the goal.
Mine is to be a NY times Best Seller’s List in 5 years, so I gotta get writing and fast. In order to do that, then I need to have Tactical Book Goal, ad Tactical Business Goal and a Tactical Short Range Goal.

Tactical Book Goal:
What can you be doing be doing with your book goal to reach your long-term goal?
Mine:
Figure out if my book can be made into a Series.
Research possible alternative locations and ideas for more Sentinel Witches to the realm of underground living Vampires.
While writing at least 1,000 words a day then begin a plot for 2nd book.
Come up with ideas for the 3rd book

Tactical Business:
What can you be doing in the buisness realm to achieve the your long-term goal
Mine:
Find similar favorite books’ agents and publisher
Query Agents once book is written.
Watch the publishing world, e-publishing, traditional publishing.

Tactical Short Range Goal:
What are you going to do day to day to reach your long term goal?
Mine:
Write a min. 1,000 words a day.
Complete first draft in 10 weeks
Complete plot for 2nd book before 1st is done.
Rewrite for Content, Rewrite Synopsis, and Query
Edit the first work one hour a day.
Write a blog three times a week
Write an article for Examiner twice a week.
Get onto Twitter for writing purposes.

Having it in black and white really puts a reality to it, scary but it’s achieveable because I’m the only way standing in my way. Someone at lunch at the conference said… “I just don’t have time.”At the time I thought, I don’t have the time either, but you know what, it’s just an excuse. We all have time, it is just how do we plan to use it.

For more information check out Bob Mayer's website or get his nonfiction book becoming a published writer from writer to published author Warror Writer