The Ice Storm Days
I haven’t left the house in five days. For some folks, I know that can conjure feelings of claustrophobia. Feeling stuck or trapped or hemmed in. But as I sit in my home, watching the thin snow solidify into a dangerously slick pack of ice, I’m feeling grateful for this pause. If you’ve read my more recent posts, then you know 2023 was a rather trying year for us. There were a lot ups and downs, with very high highs and the lowest of lows. And I’ll be honest – this is my first year in a LONG time where I didn’t have at least a week off at the holidays. With both Christmas and New Years falling on my normal weekend, I was feeling more than a little toasty rolling into 2024. But, this arctic storm has brought a sort of relief. Five unexpected and uninterrupted days off. I’ve…
On Querying
I figured it was time to shut up about this post and actually write it. Before we hoark down this meat and potatoes, allow me a few disclaimers/caveats: This is not your usual querying advice blog post. I’m here in the trenches with you. I have no tips and tricks for success, because I have yet to succeed in signing with an agent. That’ll be a different post someday. I’m not going to tell you how to write a query letter – there is an abundance of resources available online, all of them more legitmate than anything I might suggest. A quick google search will set you on the path. What I will tell you about is my experience querying in this odd post-pandemic, over-saturated landscape. Because it’s a different game than it was even in 2019, and a lot of the authors talking about signing and debuting got their…
You Wrote a Book… Now What?
Step 1: Celebrate that ish! You just did a thing SO. MANY. people dream about. How many times have we heard some version of, “I’d love to write a book someday”? Probably more than we can count. It takes remarkable committment and effort to work on the same project for months (maybe even years!) and actually finish it. Congratulations! Celebrate in whatever way is fulfilling for you — drinks, a special meal, a night out, or maybe just a little extra ice cream, as a treat. Now for the disclaimer: This is all merely suggestion. Try these various methods/ideas. Combine them, mix-and-match them. Experiment, until you find some variation that works for you. (This post also assumes that you’ve written a book length work with the intent to publish. If not, then just congratulate yourself and bask in the afterglow of creation, my friend.) Step 2: Put it away. No,…
On Writing Communities
When we think of writers, what do we picture? For many of us we see a cluttered desk in a home office, papers strewn every which way while a person sits staring at a computer screen with a permanent frown. The coffee on the desk has long gone cold, and this book isn’t writing itself. If you’re in my age bracket, you might actually just picture Johnny Depp from Secret Window. (Side Note: If I had a lakeside cabin with a cleaning service that I could run away to, I don’t think I’d be murdering anybody. That’s a sweet set up, mon frere.) The point is, when we think of the writing life, we picture a life of solitude, torment, and frequently alcoholism. I largely blame this on Ernest Hemingway, but I’m liable to blame just about any literary complaint on “Papa,” which is a topic for another post. Truthfully,…
2022: The Year of Yes
Huh. For the first time in a long time, I don’t know what to say at the cusp of a new year. I still feel so close to all the things that happened in 2022 – many of them still feel in-progress! It’s difficult to separate them into one year versus the other in my brain. But, that’s what this blog post is for. A space to look back, assess, and then take the first quaking steps into the future. If you’re new to my blog (in the last few months or so), then please allow me to introduce you to this phenomena of the yearly reflection. I’ve been writing up annual goals and reflecting on them online since January 2012 (you can dig through the old site if you REALLY want to read 22 year-old B.’s thoughts). Over the years the format has streamlined, honed into something familiar and…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #51
Good Monday Morning, Blogland. I hope everyone had a lovely holiday. In our house we celebrate both secular Christmas and Candlenights (which started as a joke but has become a legitimate celebration). Whether you observe the Solstice or light your Menorah, I hope you have had a peaceful and joyous season. Last Week If you’ll recall, I set no formal goals last week. I wanted to continue to enjoy my time off by playing video games and preparing for the holidays. Let me tell you, after a blur of Candlenights, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day my cup runneth over with food and family. I woke up this morning and felt that slow little trickle of interest in goals and goal setting. So let’s see how far it can take us… What’s Next? Newsletter Prep End of year prep/blog posts prep Edit and post new podcast episode So, you know. A…
Treatment – Six Months
Okay, yes. It’s been a little bit longer than six months since I started taking medication for my ADHD. But only by a couple of weeks! This month is always a hectic one, and 2022 has offered no shortage of surprises so far. So I thought it’d be nice to take a step back and look at how these past six-ish months have gone, ADHD-wise. This would be a good opportunity for you to read my initial post about my ADHD treatment journey, if you missed that from way back in April. What’s It Like? Six months in, my meds are still very effective. I don’t notice the transition in the mornings or afternoons as much anymore, I don’t notice the quiet in my brain like I did those first couple of weeks. It was so foreign to me then, a novelty that couldn’t be ignored. But now it is relief…
The Recap – October 2022
Goodbye, Spooky Season. I’m sorry I didn’t give you the attention you deserve. I promise I’ll try to do better next year… October Goals Nanowimo prep + research Submit Victoria to Neon Hemlock Read and/or Workout 30 minutes a day How’d I Do? Nanowimo prep + research Yep. A little last minute but, yes. Submit Victoria to Neon Hemlock Yes! The book is done and gone and I am so relieved about that. Read and/or Workout 30 minutes a day Yes? I didn’ workout while I had a migraine, but I did listen to an audio book. And I don’t feel like I should punish myself for something as out of my control as my migraine attacks. So, yes. Total Word Count: 4,839 Well, hot damn! That was a successful month despite work obligations and a killer migraine. I got it all done and even wrote a short story somewhere in there, which I…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #43
Remember last week, when I said I was feeling good? Prepared? *sobs* Last Week Prep Newsletter Nanowrimo Prep Record Podcast Workout/Read 30 minutes a day How’d I Do? Prep Newsletter Nope. Nanowrimo Prep No. Record Podcast No. Workout/Read 30 minutes a day Nope. Weekly Word Count: 0 If you’re looking at this and thinking, “damn B., what the hell happened?” That’s fair. i’ll tell you what happened… one of the worst migraines I’ve had in a long time. It struck Wednesday night after I got my hair done for the first time in months. I don’t know exactly what caused it, but I’m guessing a perfect storm of triggers: strong scents from the hair salon Long period of time without my glasses while getting hair colored and cut change in barometric pressure as Fall weather looms in the valley probably not enough water that day I hadn’t had a migraine…
The Recap – September 2022
I gotta say, the view from my desk does NOT look like October. Like, at all. It’s blue skies, a lovely 74 degrees, and the trees are still entirely too green. It feels like the end of summer, not the first, fledgling days of Fall. But how things look and feel ultimately have little impact here. Time trudges on, and the goals go with. So let’s get to the good stuff! September Goals Write Victoria Query Package Rough Draft Read 20 minutes/day Finish Victoria Revision #2 How’d I Do? Write Victoria Query Package Rough Draft Yep! I actually got this to a point where I think it’s closer to a final draft. I’m comfortable sending it out to an editor in the shape its in. Read 20 minutes/day Yes! More on that in a bit. Finish Victoria Revision #2 Close! I am very very close to getting this revision done (3/5 goals completed!). Total Word Count: 3,997 September…