Thank You Holly Lisle!

I was feeling pretty good about writing this evening. I've been on a writing high lately. Then I went and did the worst thing (in my opinion) that a writer can do. I starting think about which publisher I wanted to send this novel to once it's done.

I started visiting websites of publishers and BLAM! They shot my writer's heart with the shotgun of rejection. How? By having hard to find writer's guidelines that essential say, "Don't send us anything. We wouldn't publish YOU anyway, so don't waste our time or yours."

Not only that, but all the books on their site were from well established authors who write NOTHING like the things I write. I could already hear them saying, "Your story is not for us. You are not for us. Go away now."

Feeling really bummed out, I surfed over to Holly Lisle's website. Reading her articles has helped in the past. This time it took three articles, two about writer's block and one about writer's passion, to break the evil spell the publisher's websites had cast on me. Thanks to Holly, I feel up to sitting in front of a blank computer screen and weave a little word-magic of my own.

Thank you Holly!

Chapter 16 done!

Yeah! This was a fast chapter to write. The cool action scenes always are. The next one should be good, too.

So far I've got 88 pages and 18,832 words. Moving right along.

Head start on Chapter 16

I started Chapter 16 this morning. I hadn't expected to. I was thinking about the next scene and a few lines of dialogue popped in my head. I wrote that and the couple of paragraphs leading up to it, and then the story just kept coming. I wrote 2 pages and would have done more but I had to get back to work.

I plan to work more on Chapter 16 tonight.

Chapter 15 done!

With 17,334 words done so far, I'm only 166 words shy of the 1/4th mark. Close enough to celebrate. YEAH!

This one wasn't so hard to write, but it was difficult to get me to sit down in front of the computer because I thought it would be hard. The next scene is a biggie. It's one of my 'candybar' scenes. :-) I can't wait to get to it. First, however, I must sit and visualize it. I want a clear picture to write from.

698 words and taking the rest of the night off

I'm falling asleep at the keyboard, so I'm stopping for now. Chapter 15 is well under way and coming out pretty good.

516 words in Chapter 15

Not a bad start. It took me a few days to think about this next chapter. I wasn't sure how the scene should unfold. I think I've got it now.

Reviewed the outline

I was starting to feel like the story might be getting off track, so I read over the outline. I hadn't looked more than a few chapters ahead in a while, and it was good to plunge back into the whole story. I really like this one, too. I hope it sells well and becomes a series. This novel is very plot extensive and pretty exciting stuff, if I do say so myself. :-)

Chapter 14 completed

It ran shorter on words than I expected it to. It was a little harder to find the words, but I got through it. Only 1450 words to go to the 1/4th mark. Yeah!

In scenes like this last one I sometimes find it hard not to give away too much. I don't want to defuse the conflict to come!

502 words in Chapter 14 so far...

and it is going well so far. I have not hit a wall in the last several chapter which surprises me, but believe me I'm not complaining! Usually I get a chapter or two then lose momentum, and then wait days or months to get motivated to write again.

I think that Holly Lisle's advice in one of her articles has helped with this problem a lot. She said if you have trouble finishing novels that you should create 'candybar' scenes, one that you are dying to write, and use them as the carot to get you to write the chapters leading up to them. As someone addicted to chocolate, I know I can't wait even one chapter to get at least a taste of the good stuff, so I put a little bit of 'candybar' writing in each chapter. And suddenly...they are all fun to write!