Tag Archives: learning

#ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In 2013/09/18

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WRITING:

Doc says the thumb shouldn’t bother me–in about six months! Grr. Could’ve been worse. Healed fracture is better than a broken digit. Silver lining?

That said, my writing has suffered since my last report. I’ve been doing more reading (of my writing) and minor edits than full-on revisions and that makes me sad.

I know it’s a temporary setback. I’d just rather it be over already.

Despite the physical issues, I edited my novella and am at a better stage of revisions than I was a month ago. My current WIP has stalled slightly due to life’s continuous snafus, but I shall chug ahead. Even though the path of the WIP and trajectory of it’s completion has changed, I think these changes are for the betterment of the story and for myself as a growing writer.

On deck: More revisions for my Spec Fic Thriller Imprint and more work on my YA Fantasy Aaralyn’s Song.

READING:

Lots of reading in lieu of writing. Critiques, beta reads, and reviews… oh my. Whatever problems are in my way, I’m still getting some work done, but seriously. Ugh much?

So much to read and I haven’t taken that speed reading course yet! I need to reassess my work-life balance. (See ‘On deck’ below.)

On deck: read through lessons for various workshops. One, oddly enough, is about balancing the chaos and overwhelming nature of multitasking.

NETWORKING:

Speaking of, I need to get cracking on my FRIDAY FORAGE blog post research. I’d hoped to have a few advanced posts tucked away but life had other plans. No worries. It’ll get done.

These check-ins have been super helpful so I can keep track of my ups and downs. Despite the endless list of tasks on my to-do list, my TBR list, and everything else, I think adding more responsibility to my plate, including modding for the WFWA Forums and SavvyAuthors, is forcing me into focus. That’s a good thing.

On deck: I have a chat to moderate tonight over at Savvy Authors. It’s called The Two Strings Technique: Adding Contrast and Interest to Our Writing and will be conducted by L. Jagi Lamplighter. Should be fun. Wednesday nights have become a staple of good fun.

LEARNING:

I’m on Level 9 in Spanish and Level 6 in French on Duolingo. Keeping busy rather than moping about fractured thumbs and whatnot.

I’m supposed to increase mobility and will look into physio. Maybe I should just play more ukelele. 🙂

Languages abound. I plan on adding another language to my learning repertoire in October. More on that soon.

On deck: lingo and lyrics, conjugations and chords. Fun times.

 

How’s your September treating you?

Week in Review – 2013/09/09 – 2013/09/14

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WRITING:

So, I’ve had this pain in my left thumb for about six weeks now. Probably should have gotten it checked out sooner than I did (almost a month after the first day of pain). Got the results of the x-rays a couple days ago and it turns out that I fractured my thumb. Better yet, by the looks of the x-rays, it is a healed fracture. They don’t know when the fracture first occurred, so I’m not sure that the day I woke up to the pain was the day it fractured or if it was already on the road to recovery.

Six weeks later, the pain is still as annoying as it was on probably Day Five. That’s not good, but since it’s already ‘healed’, there’s little else the docs can do but tell me to keep moving it. It’s slow going but it’s hard to function. My left hand is probably 30% functional.

Not fun.

That said, I managed to edit 132 pages for Revision Hell. Those were easy to accomplish because it was mostly reading and minor typing. I haven’t been able to get far in terms of revisions, though. Extensive typing burns me out even though I’m not really using my thumb. It’s like someone’s poking hot needles into my joints.

Wish I could say dictation software helps. It’s fine for drafting, but when I need to take chunks of existing words, reorder, restructure, and rephrase them, it just turns into a hot mess.

Fingers crossed for my thumb, I hope to get back to full speed soon.

READING:

When it rains–you get really wet. Nice to have everything happen at the same time. Fractured thumb, compromised vision from allergy issues. I suppose I really like to put the challenge in ‘Writing/Reading Challenge’. The work I have to beta read, critique, and review this month is slow going but is getting done.

NETWORKING:

A flurry of activity on the WFWA Forums. Good stuff there. It’s nice to be a member of such a nurturing community.

Speaking of, this coming Wednesday I’ll be co-modding an author chat over at SavvyAuthors. My other home away from home.

I find that getting more active within these communities has helped me. It’s good practice for future networking opportunities. Oddly enough, as chaotic as schedules are and the number of posts to deal with, it keeps me sane because I know the countless of writers out there who feel the same way I do on any given day. Writers unite!

LEARNING:

I’m still on Level 9 in Spanish and Level 5 in French on Duolingo. I am making progress though. I try and do at least two lessons each per day. It’s nice to take a break from other writerly duties and activate different parts of my brain.

I haven’t jammed for the last few days because my thumb’s being extra finicky–and that was before I got the results back from the doc. I’ll take it easy and work my thumb on the Uke because it’s just too painful to maneuver through chords on the guitar. Soon, though.

Dare I jinx it and say the weather is finally at a climate I can enjoy?

Have a great writing week, everyone!

#ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In 2013/09/11

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WRITING:

Over at SavvyAuthors I’m in the midst of Revision Hell. Workshop name aside, I’m actually having fun reading my Spec Fic Thriller Imprint again after all this time. So far, I’ve done surface edits for 95 pages. That means, I’ve fixed typos and minor structural issues.

Per the RH rules, there is a difference between edits and revisions. Revisions are more detailed, such as rewriting entire passages, writing POV shifts, that sort of thing. I revised seven pages.

They also have a thing called BICHOK which means But in Chair, Hands on Keyboard. I did three hours in the morning and three and a half hours at night.

We’re in teams so all these numbers are totalled up and we compete to see who can get through RH with the most points. It’s a fun way to keep accountable and motivate other writers. Everything I’m learning in these classes is works wonders for my other projects, including my YA Fantasy Aaralyn’s Song.

READING:

I’m beta reading, critiquing, and reviewing this month. Those take priority over my personal TBR list. But it’s all good stuff. I’ve paused Daniel Tammet’s Born on a Blue Day but will get back to it as soon as I’ve done the reading that has a deadline.

NETWORKING:

I’m a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. What I like about this group is that it’s a community of writers that write about a woman’s emotional journey regardless of genre, so it’s not confined to romance. I’ve nothing against romance. In fact, I’m trying to write stories with romantic elements, but I appreciate how the group’s definition of Women’s Fiction has expanded to accommodate other writing styles.

On Monday, the WFWA launched its shiny new website and we’re hoping to have a great line-up of workshops. I’m a forum moderator for the Aspiring Author, Debut Author, Craft, Marketing, and Business of Writing boards. Lots of activity since we launched. So much fun.

LEARNING:

Duolingo!! I’m on Level 9 in Spanish and Level 5 in French. The higher the level the more lessons there are. I was hoping to crack Level 10 by this update, but I’ll get there soon. 🙂

And my beloved Bilbo has returned safe and strung. While dealing with my allergy shot regimen and how it’s messing with my vision, I can close my eyes and jam. Which is what I did with the Sisterhood over the weekend. I like to squeeze in at least twenty minutes a day and it helps me unwind from everything else.

Hope everyone’s in a creative buzz (despite how hot the weather’s been lately. At least in these parts!) and enjoy the rest of the week!

Week in Review – 2013/09/02 – 2013/09/08

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WRITING:

WIPs and workshops for my YA Fantasy Aaralyn’s Song, my Spec Fic Thriller Imprint and possibly my Urban Fantasy short story Lady in the Lake. Redrafts, revisions, and critiques. Busy, busy. Along with the workshop assignments to get my brain chugging along, I haven’t had much time for brainstorming new story ideas. That’s okay. I’ve got a full plate.

READING:

Still behind on my reading Daniel Tammet’s Born on a Blue Day. I’d like to say it’s primarily to do with all the stuff mentioned above, however, the allergy-shot regimen I’m currently enduring is making the eyes less functional. Well, that’s not entirely true. The eyes are fine. It’s just all the skin around them, including the eyelids that like to seal up nice and tight as I build a tolerance to the allergen. Fortunately, I also have Tammet’s book in audio form. I should give that a whirl again.

NETWORKING:

I think the first FRIDAY FORAGE post went well. I’m already planning several ideas at the same time but need to narrow it down. I like the number five, but I might do three at a time if the posts get too long. The number of finds isn’t as important as what I want to share. We’ll see how it goes.

LEARNING:

First off, I’m glad to report that Bilbo is back safe and fully-strung. So happy to be playing the Uke again. Good thing, too. My calluses were starting to soften. Can’t have that!

Duolingo is great. I’m on Level 9 in Spanish and Level 4 in French. I tend to put in some time right before bed. Perhaps I’ll start having multilingual dreams or dreams with subtitles. 🙂 I think, if all goes well, I’ll start another language in October. Why not, right?

Don’t mean to bring up mundane topics such as the weather but it’s been wonky in my neck of the woods. It’s as though Summer’s fighting to stay but Autumn is taking a stand and giving her the ole heave-ho. Hope everyone’s doing well in their writerly worlds.

FRIDAY FORAGE – 2013/09/06

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5 GREAT WRITING SITES: A CORNUCOPIA OF RESOURCES

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Happy September, everyone. Today we officially kick off the FRIDAY FORAGE Series with five of my go-to writing sites for a plethora of information and inspiration. These are five of many but these sites and the people who run them are simply aces!

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1) Helping Writers Become Authors

I’m a huge fan of K.M. Weiland. Both her writing reference books and fiction are great reads. Her site has an excellent collection of articles and podcasts on the craft and business of writing. She’s active in social media, as well. I’ve enjoyed and participated in her Writing Question of the Day threads on Twitter. #WQOTD gets the community talking about things like POV, voice, protagonists strengths and weaknesses. It’s a nice way to see what other writers are up to in 140 characters or less.

Her latest reference book Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story is an excellent follow-up and complementary offering to Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC for the book and a review is forthcoming–my first book review for FRIDAY FORAGE. I’m just slightly under the weather at the moment dealing with a new allergy-shot regimen that leaves my eyes looking flirtatious to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man or more accurately, what’s left of the losing contender in an MMA match.

K.M. Weiland is a great teacher and listener. I love authors that forge relationships with their readers. It’s something I hope to do someday soon. Excellent site and info.

2) Jordan McCollum

Jordan McCollum is another author that gives back to the writing community and she does it in a big way. She has several blog series covering different aspects of writing and also gives away free writing guides. Now, we all love free goodies, right? But this is so much better because it’s chock full of useful nuggets of writing wisdom that we can put into practice straight away. Doesn’t that just scream Double Rainbow?

She’s also great on Twitter and connecting with other writers. She shares more than just her writing life (and her recently published first novel, I, Spy. Congrats again!). It’s nice to know that writers are people, too. <<Gasp!>> I find it inspiring when I learn what other writers struggle with and celebrate on a daily basis.

3) Moody Writing

What have I called info that’s entertaining? Yes. Infotainment. When you head over to Moody Writing, you’ll understand why it was a winner for 2012 Top Ten Blogs for Writers. This site was definitely in good company. In fact, I’ve visited all of those sites at one point or another.

I know I’m not the only person who will look up a topic such as, say, character motivation, and look up at least five different sources on the topic. That is, different opinions, approaches, perspectives on the staples of storytelling. Hands-down, Moody Writing is always on that list.

4) The Other Side of the Story

Janice Hardy provides the world with a comprehensive treasure trove of writing tips and articles that run the gamut of the writing process, from conception to publication. Everything is organized for easy reference. There’s an endless supply of info, you’ll be clicking for days.

Don’t be intimidated by the amount of information. It might seem daunting at first, but once you get your bearings, it’s like having a complete writer’s manual at your clickable fingertips.

5) Savvy Authors

It’s no secret that Savvy is my virtual home away from home. I’ve shared my love for this writing community since I first began this blog back at the end of March. Workshops? Check. Articles? Check. Blog posts? Check. Forums? Check. The support and camaraderie at Savvy Authors makes it a mainstay in my writing life. I can’t say enough good things about them.

I don’t think there’s been a week that I haven’t had an ongoing workshop since I dove in back in late November last year. I’m going to wear out an old saying but seriously, my writing? Leaps and bounds. Leaps and countless bounds of improvement. One thing I can say is the writing journey never ends and you’re constantly learning. There are great people here that will help nurture your craft and help you grow as a writer.

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There you have it. Just five of my favorite writing finds. It’s a nice way to start off what I hope to be a great blog series.

If you haven’t already, I hope you take a look at each site and maybe stay awhile. Then put all that awesome knowledge back into your WIPs. You’re writing will thank you for it.

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