Kickstart a New Anthology!

A few months ago, my husband began explaining to me a new trend in the video game world.  Kickstarter.  He said individuals who wanted to create a game would take to the internets and raise money for their project.  The movement seemed to be gaining steam even to the point that one of his favorite game creators was doing his own Kickstarter project.  I found the phenomenon to be fascinating.

I learned about a week ago that I am way behind the times and that this phenomenon was not new, nor just limited to video games.  I opened up my email and was pleased to find a much coveted acceptance in my inbox from Gothic City Press.  The acceptance is for an upcoming anthology titled, "Con(viction) -- Anthology of the Con."  "Con(viction) -- Anthology of the Con" is a Kickstarter project and I am very excited to be apart of it.

So click on the link below and check it out.  Give $1.  Give $100.  Or, just read what the anthology is all about and get really excited for its release.  My story, "Decisions, Decisions," will be included along with the stories of a number of talented authors.

 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gothiccitypress/conviction-anthology-of-the-con-0

Toasted Cake Podcast

Just wanted to provide the link to my next story.  It's my first podcast! Thank you to Tina Connolly at Toasted Cake for doing an awesome job.  It sounds just the same as it did in my head when I was writing it.

Anyway, click on over and check it out.  It's easy, it's short and, best of all it's free!

http://toastedcake.com/2012/11/toasted-cake-47-super-psych-by-j-m-vogel.html

Short Story Writing vs. Novel Editing -- The Eternal Battle

And the final consensus was(drum roll please)...not to NaNo.  A week long vacation and a large number of submission responses combined with a backlog of editing culminated in the final decision of skipping NaNoWriMo this year.  I'll miss doing it but with all that's going on, I'd never be able to maintain a healthy word count.  But good luck to all those who are NaNo'ing!

So now that my November has opened up, I have a decision to make -- write more short stories or edit?  My vacation to the the gulf has given me a ton of fodder for new short stories.  An interesting ride on a nighttime trolley with inebriated party goers, an airport with a futuristic tram that transports you from the terminal to the baggage claim and many, many interesting people are keeping my brain a-buzzing with story potential.  All of that combined with an unprecedented number of acceptances this week (4 in 1 week!  It's a record!) have left my short story bank a little anemic and in need of new tales to submit.  But what of the novels?

If I submerge myself in short story writing, the novels that need editing and the one in my head begging me to write it will be left in the dust -- again.  As I've discussed before, I again find myself in the throws of Writers' Attention Deficit Disorder.  If I were more organized, less of a procrastinator and didn't have other responsibilities, I could do it all.  But, I am not organized and I am a procrastinator and do have a plethora of other responsibilities, so a decision must be made.  Problem being, I still don't know what that decision should be.  Perhaps it's time to break out the old Excel and create a schedule/spreadsheet breaking it all down.  I do love a good spreadsheet.

***Want to see where to find my newly accepted stories?  Check out my Published Works tab.  More information (including publishing dates) to follow!

To NaNo or Not to NaNo...

November is just around the corner.  The mention of November generally conjures up images of Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas shopping, hot apple cider and pumpkin pie.  While writers of course love these things too, the mention of November means something a little different to us -- NaNoWriMo!

While the word sounds strange and imaginary, it actually stands for "National Novel Writers' Month."  The thirty days of November act as a ticker, each day causing you to race against the clock to churn out a 50,000 word story by the time the calendar strikes December 1st.  Stressful, masochistic, yet strangely exhilarating, NaNo gives writers a chance to put their inner editor to rest and write their hearts out.  It is all about the process, leaving the characters, plot and pacing to be addressed by the aforementioned inner-editor during the second draft.  It is such a rush to upload that story for the final word count on November 30th.  The sense of accomplishment you feel is second only to actually being published.  I've participated twice in the festivities and have thoroughly enjoyed (while of course hating it) each time.  NaNoWriMo causes you to confront your inner control freak who wants to re-start the story every time you read through and dislike what you've written.  With NaNo, there is no time to re-read and re-write.  It's the beauty of the whole process!

So, the question is, should I participate this year?

I keep going back and forth on that very question.  The fact is, I love the process.  I am never as productive as I am during those thirty days, staying up late, getting up early and stealing every spare second I have to meet my daily word count.  NaNoWriMo is the sole reason that I have two novels waiting to be edited (again, having edited each of them at least twice each already).  But there in lies the problem -- do I want a third novel to edit when I'm not even done with the first two?

Part of me says, "Sure!"  After all, I have an outline ready to go and a story I've been mulling over for the better part of three months.  I'm excited to write it, and without the deadline, I'm not sure when I'll finish.  A procrastinator from way back, I always find something else to that requires my attention.  This story could sit in my head indefinitely as I complete my daily mother-wife-self tasks.  And then there are the short stories that pop in my head which offer a much quicker satisfaction than the long, grueling novel process.  Why wouldn't I knock this novel out and then keep it on the shelf until I can get to editing it?

The sane part of me asks, "Are you crazy?"  NaNo takes a lot out of you.  It's almost like the rest of your life comes to a stop while you type and type and type, hoping to hit at least 1700 words each day.  While you're characters are running amok on the page, your children are doing the same in your house and your spouse is counting down the days until December.   

What's a girl to do?

Even as I'm writing this, I've changed my mind twice.  NaNoWriMo is not for the faint of heart, but can be a very fulfilling endeavor should you see your challenge through to the end.  I guess I'll know my answer on November 1st.  Good luck to all those participating!  Maybe I'll see you at the finish line?

And...We're Back

After a year long hiatus, I'm back to finally updating my blog. It has been a crazy year filled with growing children, job quitting, a lot of writing and a little bit of being published. Yes, I've finally had a few short stories published and I couldn't be happier about it. How's that for a not-so-subtle plug?

So, a year later, what am I up to now? You guessed it -- writing. You'd think that not having a full time job would allow me more time to accomplish this, but the fact is, it's still a struggle. I'm learning that although I am not paid for 40 hours/week, I still have a full time job. I have two beautiful, growing children, a husband and a house to look after and they all require most of my time. Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way. The kids and my husband are what make life worth living. I thank God every day for them.

Being a writer, however, doesn't really allow you the choice to focus on one aspect of your life. As the characters in my head demand, their stories must be told. If I don't write, all of these strange conversations and character revelations bounce around my head until I put them to paper. Writing is the only way to get a moment's peace! So I continue to struggle with making my writing a priority. Enter the mother of all writing committments -- NaNoWriMo.

For those not familiar with NaNoWriMo, let me explain. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writer's Month. Every November, writers from all over the world set out on a quest to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Insanity is not a strong enough word for it. But while those of sound mind would never attempt it, writers (who are definitely not of sound mind) wait all year for their chance at NaNoWriMo glory. I am one of these crazy writers. Of the two years I've competed, I've only finished once and that was two years ago. In my defense, November of last year brought 4 weeks with 12 hours of mandatory overtime each week with it. No way all of that extra work time would allow a 50K word novel to materialize. This year, I have no excuse.

So, in the 30 days leading up to it, I am outlining the novel that I intend to write during the month of November. I'm about half way done and insanely excited to write it. I am also, however, dreading it. That, in a nutshell, sums up NaNoWriMo -- the thing you look forward to hating.

So, I'll outline and try to submit a few more short stories before I enter the craziness that is November. While others are planning Thanksgiving dinner or beginning their Christmas shopping, I will be sitting here, trying to figure out what Andi is going to do about her werewolf's legal dilemma. It will be awesome!

Havisham Corners -- Home of the Weird, Creepy and Insanely Creative

Welcome to Havisham Corners -- it is where I have spent a large amount of time over the last few months and promises to be my home away from home over the next two months. No, I'm not relocating or taking an extended vacation and I am not going to some weird Charles Dickens fantasy camp (which would be quite the fantasy camp. Fantasy camp for the seriously depressed maybe???). Havisham Corners is the town my writing group will be exploring and creating for our third annual anthology. The reason I will be spending so much time there is that I am the editor of said anthology as well as a contributing author.

Before I get into the anthology itself, let me first talk about my fellow residents -- the contributing authors and co-creators of the town. I am not exaggerating when I say that they are insanely creative. I approached the group with my idea a few months back for a shared world in which we could all write. I came up with the basics -- town name, location, story behind the town and a mostly blank map. I gave my presentation, my palms slightly sweaty, and sat back, waiting for the reactions. To say that they were excited is an understatement. Within a few weeks, the group had effectively made this small, eccentric town come to life with stories and myths and an eagerness to put this town on the map -- and I mean that as literally as I can given that it is indeed a fictitious town...a fictitious town with its own website that is. All I can say is that my cohorts in the Creative Minds Collective rock! I am so eager to read all of the finished works and put this anthology together!

So, on to Havisham Corners! Havisham Corners is a small, ocean side town in New England. Brimming with history, the town is a tourist mecca for all those interested in salty sea air, antiques and rustic old town charm. So stop by, peruse the shops, and soak in the rich atmosphere, but be sure to leave by sundown. As the stories in the book will tell you, life after sundown in Havisham Corners is not for the faint of heart and definitely not for the tourists. Anything that can go bump in the night can and does in this haven for the eerie.

So...are you intrigued? Want to read more? Be sure to catch the 3rd volume of the Creative Mind's Collective anthology, available in mid-October on Amazon. More details to follow!

WADD -- Writers' Attention Deficit Disorder

When I started writing over a year ago, I never thought I'd be able to come up with anything to write. I always wanted to be a writer, I could just never come up with anything substantial. My issue was never the characters as I've never had an issue coming up with people to write about (I attribute this to a steady diet of soap operas from a very young age). The problem has always been coming up with something for the characters to do. Thanks to my incredibly creative writing group, writing prompts, and my love of reading, the ideas are a little easier to come by. The problem now? I am pretty sure that I am developing ADD.

Currently in the writing queue are two novels (which I started a year ago), a short story, and my flash fiction story. Other projects requiring attention are my NaNoWriMo novel which needs editing, and short story for the anthology I am editing this summer which still needs developed. This may sound like a lot, but the number of projects isn't the issue. The issue at hand is that I cannot focus long enough to finish any one task.

Surely one reason for this is the lack of time that I have to devote to my new-found obsession. If I am lucky, I have maybe 1 to 1.5 hours daily to write. I am seldom that lucky. After getting up at the crack of dawn with my early bird son, running around like a maniac all day, and working all afternoon and into the night, sitting down at ten o'clock is not the easiest thing to accomplish. In fact, there are many times that I actually fall asleep as soon as I set the old laptop on my lap. Luckily, there have not been any laptop fatalities from this action. So, exhaustion is definitely one reason why I seem to be accumulating more projects and finishing none.

Another reason for this inability to focus is that I have too many ideas. The plight of most writers is writer's block. Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to write but not being able to come up with any ideas. I am fortunate in that this is not my issue. But, probably because I'm new at the whole writing thing, ideas flow fast and furious. Despite my attempts to push them off, they demand be written. You may think I am joking, but once an idea for a story takes up residence in your mind, you have no choice but to, if nothing else, jot down at least some of the idea. If you don't the concept kicks around inside of your head and drives you nuts. So, you just add another story to the queue and lament that it also is partial and nowhere close to complete. What can I say? It is a vicious cycle.

So, the question is, how do I remedy this issue? I wish I knew. A few techniques in particular have proven to be somewhat helpful. Outlining has been key. The only way that I was able to finish my NaNo novel was that I thought about it ahead of time, created an outline of events and stuck it for the thirty days of NaNoWriMo. I have tried this tactic with the two novels and have had less success as I keep deviating from the outline and moving the stories into new directions. But the frame of the outline has helped.

Also, I have been paying as little attention to the new ideas as possible. I try to write down the idea, perhaps also in outline form, and then put it aside for a later date. The ideas still ping around in my head, but the fact that I at least have something written down seems to help. If nothing else, I won't forget the idea when I finally have time to address it.

And, last, I am trying to write more. This, of course, is the hardest part. There has been a lot more coffee and a little less sleep the last few weeks as I attempt to do this, but it is still a struggle. But, to appropriate a phrase I have heard many many times (and believe wholeheartedly), nothing worth having comes easy.