The Block on My Head...

This past week, I think I may have written thirteen words.

I despise the term "writer's block". I am stubborn and will usually push my way through. I have tricks I use (prompts, challenges, writing scenes out of order) that usually work.

Not this week. I've tried working on "Drive Me Crazy" (the sequel to Kitchen Matches), "A Jewel for Geoff" and "Queen and Assassin". No matter how much love I have for them (and I have MUCH), I just can't seem to write.

I am beyond frustrated.

Still, I'm going to keep beating my head against it and eventually I will break through.

You?

Check in time!

Consider yourself nagged.

Can you hear my feet dragging?

Oh, I hate to have to write this post. My check-in for this week is so much less than I'd planned on.

Ugh. Just ugh.

I wrote 3,400 words, which is fine but not nearly enough to pull me closer to the month's total. I am beginning to fear I won't make my goal, and that bugs the heck out of me.

There aren't enough hours in the day. That ever happen to you? I rise before the sun, and fall face-first into bed well after dark, and am busy every minute in between. Still, the hours are flying and the days are passing and my word count is stalled and I'm...frustrated. Yes, I'll admit it. I'm frustrated by the reality of not writing as much as I'd like.

Maybe when the gardens are tilled, the flower beds raked out and the trees planted I'll be able to put my hands on the keyboard. Until then, I'm tied to a rake and a shovel. But on this front, I've got a confession as well. I'm jazzed about being outside--without the snow blower! I love feeling the sun on my head, listening to the birds and plowing my fingers into the dark, rich soil.

This is one of those time/season points in life. I'm focusing on one joy but another is being sacrificed...for now. When it rains, I'll catch up on the word count. I'm pretty sure I won't make my goal, but that's all right. It's got to be, doesn't it?

A big fat 0

Another week with no progress. Well, I did do a little, but never got the hand written words typed that I scribbled on Wednesday typed in so I didn't count them. Not good since the proposal is due in two weeks. I must plant my butt in the chair and write. And write and write.

checking in

Last week had its challenges. All of my produced words weren't gold--by any means--but I kept my butt in the chair, didn't get sidetracked by new work-writing possibilities, or that next new, bright and shiny (or old, dim and dull) novel idea, and kept writing. End result? About 8000 words--I say 'about' because some of this draft was handwritten and I haven't typed everything up yet. I didn't make my 1500 words every single day, but I did make it more than half the time. So, I'm ready to plow into the new week.

Checking in... finally

I'm in the same category as many - not enough produced, and spring break STARTS for me this week. It's not going to be much of a distraction, though, as we're not going anywhere and I'm just still helping my mom, etc.

The good news is that I got *some* writing in - about 400 words. It's a start. It's 400 more than I did past the first week of March.

Secondly, I "de-chaosed" today and my work area is, well, workable again, so that will also help.

I just need to get through Easter dinner today and then I think I'm good to start producing again.

Dashing in...

to let you know I'm finally on my way! It took a bit of time this month for me to settle into working on just one project but I'm on the right track now. As of yesterday I have nearly 9,000 words on a romance set in Rome. The characters are amuse me, and they're so hot for each other it's not always easy to concentrate (*G*), but I'm zipping right along. I guess I just needed to figure out where I wanted to spend this month. Apparently, I'm in the mood for love, Italian-style!

Also working on a rough (very rough!) chapter outline for a Regency mystery. I don't want to dither around in May, do I? If I've got an idea of where I'm supposed to be going, I'll be able to get right down to business. That's the hope, anyhow!

I hope everyone is enjoying a good writing month.

No Really... I'm Writing

So, here I am checking in a day late. Except, I realized I never checked in last week. WHOOPS!

It kind of feels like a case of "If It's Not One Thing It's Another" lately. Some days are better than others, but this last week has sucked monkey butt. Health wise, it's just been same old same old, but stress wise... My stress has been through the roof this last week. The reason? Spring Break!

Some of y'all know, but for those who don't know: I have FOUR boys under the age of 10. They're my miracles and I love them to pieces, but they have a never-ending well of energy that I wish I could tap into. How come the youngsters get all the energy when it's the old fogies who need it? How fair is that? LOL

So, chaos was the word of the day in my house... every day. It's hard to even think, much less find time to sit and write. Add to that a cranky hubby who has started up a new class in his Masters program and writing wasn't the first priority. Yup, my muse is pouting, she swears I'm ignoring her... and well, I am. My word count for right now is a big fat ZERO. Okay, maybe not a complete wash, I did get a bit of editing done last night and the night before, but then I got sidetracked by my sticky laptop keys. I'm a bit anal about that, drives me nuts if I can't type fast and have to keep going back and fixing stuff when the keys stick.

Okay, okay.. I'll admit it, it was a bit of procrastination. And, you should have seen the look of horror on my hubby's face when he came into the kitchen to find all the keys of my laptop on the table. *snicker* I was sitting there with a can of compressed air and electronic wipes surrounded by little black keys as he stood there blinking at me. And not just a couple... every... single... key.... hee hee. But, hey, it works so much better now. So now that I've rambled on about my nonexistent word count I'm off to finish posting today's hottie. Yup, I'm behind on everything. Maybe I'll get caught up within the next year. Maybe not. But, hey, there's lots of joy even when it's insane. I'll just have to keep on writing! :-D

Sluggish week

I think I'm getting bored with my current wip. I'm getting preoccupied with other writing projects, especially doing prompts over at another blog. Today I spent hours looking over my files and I think I'm going to go back to another wip I was working on in January.

I also have been contemplating a finished manuscript that needs TLC.

But I shouldn't complain. My weekly word count is 5575 words. Probably more if I take into consideration all the prompts I did. But I won't count those.

Oh, and I found out that the editor I sent a partial to over at Kensington back in January jumped ship in February!! I emailed them asking if maybe my submission was handed off to someone else, but from what I've heard, this editor may have tossed everything. Waah! I'll probably have to resubmit it and wait ANOTHER THREE MONTHS!

Oh, the life of a writer.

Walloped by Spring Break

For the first three days of April, I met my goals. I think. Then the weekend came... then spring break. And all this time that I foolishly envisioned I could structure for my writing goals was eaten up by mostly fun and exciting things (shopping for/trying to sell a horse) that meant we spent a lot of time in the car/truck/barn. And lots of state highways.

I fell off all wagons. Writing wagon. Exercise wagon. Eating right wagon. Even the laundry wagon.

But this wasn't a failure unless I stop here. A detour, possibly. Maybe even a trip into the ditch on the side of the road. But not a failure.

Come Monday, spring break is over. Then you'll find my behind in the chair. (Or my feet on the treadmill, working at my desk there.) And I'm going to keep showing up every day until I actually have changed my habits. Which means I'll keep showing up every day from then on.

Hallelujah amen.

Time To Check In

Consider yourself nagged.

Uh Oh

Nothing much to report here. Really.

I'm really going to have to stop procrastinating and put my tush in the chair. Otherwise April's going to be a very short month.

I hope everyone else is just buzzing along!

April's Auspicious Beginning

It wasn't a very productive writing week for me. Only 867 words, a far cry from my goal of 5000 words. But it was our spring break and we spent four days skiing and the other days having a lot of fun. Two of my writing sessions were spent reworking a troubled scene. I love the way it came out even if it took forever to whip those four pages into shape!

The good news is my revised synopsis was accepted, and I'm waiting to hear when my proposal will be due. It'll be sometime this month so I need to get back on track this week.

Hope everyone's writing is flowing!

New month, new gameplan

It's a new month! Hurray for April and spring and newness and all that wonderful Easter candy that has made me leave behind all my weightloss intentions until after the holiday! Hurray!

With the new month comes a new gameplan, especially since all of my family stresses seem to be finally resolving themselves. Life is good and a high word count is excellent!

So, to report my progress. Didn't get to write much on the 1st (had to still take care of one of those last family things), but I did get more than 500 good words written despite the day's running. And made my goal for the 2nd and 4th, with the 3rd coming in at more than double. So, for the first week of April...drumroll, please... a tiny bit more than 6700 words!

Still working on today's, but that, of course, goes into next week's word count total hopper.

Good luck to all!

April Participants so far - updated

Here's who I've heard from about doing JaNo in April:

Anne
Jen
Sarita
Melissa
Keri
Ceri
... and, yes, Jen... ME.

LOL...

I may have forgotten someone... I'm dopey from my cold... but feel free to leave a comment here or email me if you want to participate. I'm updating the goals on the sidebar this weekend.

Week Word Count

It's still early and I have plans on writing more today, but I wanted to get my word count in. We're off to do some work at my mother's so I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to post again.

Another fairly good week. My total is 6668 words this week. I had a lightbulb moment yesterday afternoon with a manuscript that I adore but is too bland. I've put it aside until I can figure out how to make it exciting. Ideas come to me slowly but surely and I had one yesterday. It won't be the story's saving grace, but it'll help it out immensely, I think, even though it (along with another idea I had) means doing a complete re-write to implement the changes. I'm not ready to go there yet, not until I know exactly what the real saving grace will be.

But the story got a real good prologue this morning and I'm happy with that.

Hope everyone had an awesome week. Enjoy your weekend and happy writing to all!

The In Between Stage

Happy April, Everyone!! Yay, Spring!! 

I'm off for a weekend filled with softball, a final proof, and a Sweet 16 party. Lately, I'm hesitate to dive into something new, since I should hear from my editor at some point this month to confirm my next SCREWBALL project. But, like Marianne would say, that's just a good excuse, so here are my April goals.. (Love ya, Marianne!) 

1. Finish brainstorming my new upper YA novel.  

2. Write 10,000 words of my new upper YA novel. 

3. Write 20,000 words of my next SCREWBALL novel. I should find out next week if the editor accepted the first three chapters of the prequel or if she wants the first three chapters of SCREWBALL 3. :) 

What's on tap for everyone this weekend? 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

Hope everyone has a great start to April!

So, my self-imposed exile is over. It's been a MONTH. It's good to be back.

I'm really, really looking forward to writing again.

I won't get caught up, but I will start commenting.

I hope everyone had a productive March!

Bring it on!

Bye, bye March!

Now that I've been to the post office and back, I'm ready to tackle April.

I'm thinking that I'd like to up the month's ante to 50,000 words. I've got a project underway, and I think that if I work my keister off I should be able to make another postal run come May 1st. Yeah, I'm optimistic but why not reach for the moon? Even if I don't get a chance to swing on it this month, I'll have a blast reaching so I'm going for it.

What about you? You in?

Heading into April

Okay folks... at least a few of us want to keep on going. If you'll send me your goals, I'll make sure the right ones are listed on the sidebar. If I don't hear from you by the end of the week, I'll assume you DON'T want to keep on keeping on, and will take you off the list of participating bloggers.

And, I'll continue nagging... at least now and then so you don't feel lonely and unloved.

*G*