what I'm working on
For the curious--these days, I'm working on the synopsis and three sample chapters for my second contracted book with Egmont USA. Once I've finished work on those, I'll send them off to my agent. Hopefully she'll love them. After we've had a chance to talk and I've made any necessary changes, I'll shuttle my new baby off to my editor. Hopefully she, in turn, will love them--and then I'll be drafting book 2 like crazy.
In the new year, I've tried something new for setting aside writing time: making a weekly schedule. On Sunday nights, I draw a simple grid that lists the hours I'll be writing each day (such as 6-7 AM and 9-10 PM). I commit to a minimum of 10 hours per week (although once I start steaming along, I tend to spend more time than that). Then I post the schedule on my study door. My husband knows when to expect me around--and not. And I also can see that I've still got some time for vegging in front of the TV, vacuuming (or coming up with reasons not to), and sleeping!
I'm also trying to set aside some time each week to work on marketing/promo things for CANDOR. The great thing is that easy, free opportunities are out there to promote my book. But many of them take some initial effort--filling out questionnaires, etc. So I just chip away as best I can.
Finally I'm working on my goal of being more involved in the writing community: joining local organizations like the WNBA (no, not the basketball league!), being a more frequent participant in the my listservs and online communities, and heading to conferences (can't wait for NY SCBWI!).
In the new year, I've tried something new for setting aside writing time: making a weekly schedule. On Sunday nights, I draw a simple grid that lists the hours I'll be writing each day (such as 6-7 AM and 9-10 PM). I commit to a minimum of 10 hours per week (although once I start steaming along, I tend to spend more time than that). Then I post the schedule on my study door. My husband knows when to expect me around--and not. And I also can see that I've still got some time for vegging in front of the TV, vacuuming (or coming up with reasons not to), and sleeping!
I'm also trying to set aside some time each week to work on marketing/promo things for CANDOR. The great thing is that easy, free opportunities are out there to promote my book. But many of them take some initial effort--filling out questionnaires, etc. So I just chip away as best I can.
Finally I'm working on my goal of being more involved in the writing community: joining local organizations like the WNBA (no, not the basketball league!), being a more frequent participant in the my listservs and online communities, and heading to conferences (can't wait for NY SCBWI!).