Okay, let’s do this one last time (props if you can identify that quote):
Whoa. Has it really been a year since I was here last? Time we fixed that, don’t you think?
I thought so. The last year has been spent mostly working, dealing with (possible) depression and procrastination issues, and writing a book longhand so I wouldn’t get distracted by all the shiny objects on the Intranetz. That book, by the way, wasn’t one of the ones I had planned for that paranormal romance series I’ve been talking about since, oh, around the dawn of time. After I started three different books in the same series and found myself blocked on all three, I switched gears, picked up a pen and notebook and wrote something completely off the wall in an entirely different genre. I figured I needed a break.
Jump ahead to the past weekend. The side project is wrapping up, and even though it’s got a ton of work to go before it’s market-ready, I’m damn proud of it. I started dipping my toes in the series water again, this time going back to Book #1. (I’d already completed Book #3 about two years ago. Books #1, 2, 4 and 7 got started but petered out on me.) With one project wrapping up, I’ve got a decision to make: take another stab at the series, or go on to something else? Or both? Or neither?
Or finally quit the futzing around, knock off the procrastination BS, and commit to being a writer. It’s been my dream, I’ve got the time, I’ve got the income, I’ve got ideas, and it’s not like I’m getting any younger.
And so was born my own personal challenge: over the next year, from September 20, 2022 to September 20, 2023, I’m going to kick the excuses to the curb and actually sit down and write, with publication as my endgame. The main goal will be the completion of the paranormal romance series, all eight volumes of it. With an average book length of 35K-40K words, eight books in twelve months is doable. And expected, if you want to make it in e-book publishing. I picked the series because I know it has a home waiting, so I don’t have to stress about queries and agents and stuff. Those issues I’ll save for the side project, which will be entering the market cold, possibly under a brand-new pen name. I also have a couple other possible side projects waiting in the wings, aimed at the YA market. Just in case I need a break to keep me fresh and productive.
This blog will be my journal of this year-long attempt at writing success, providing an ongoing kick in the pants to make sure I stay on target. This is how I’m going to hold myself accountable. Writing is hard, and the world is not supportive. The world doesn’t care what you do. You have to make the world care, by caring about your dreams and goals and not giving up for anything. That means planting the butt at the keyboard and committing stories to screen instead of playing Spider Solitaire all afternoon. If you want your dreams to become your reality, sacrifices must be made.
I also want to talk about the side project: its origins, its evolution, how it surprised me and re-energized me and helped me to stretch and grow as a writer. (I think I can identify themes now. Yay!) I’m going to need frequent reminders that there will be bad days, sleepless nights, highs balanced out by lows (and vice versa), ups and downs and monotonous flatlands, writer’s blocks and manic stretches, and plenty of darkness before the light of dawn. Any and all positive solutions I find to the negatives, I’ll record here. If someone else can learn from my ignorant stumbles, so much the better.
I can’t promise how often I’ll post. I’m aiming for weekly. We’ll play it by ear. I’ll try to keep topics writing-related, but any subject is fair game. Who knows? Some off-the-wall topic could spark an idea for a story. That’s how the side project happened. Maybe I’ll talk about that next. See you soon, and happy writing!
