Thought for the Day

"You can't say, I won't write today because that excuse will extend into several days, then several months, then...you are not a writer anymore, just someone who dreams about being a writer."  Dorothy C. Fontana

If we try hard enough, we will always be able to come up with excuses of why shouldn't do this or do that.  But the more excuses we make, the farther away our success becomes.  There comes a point when one must say that enough is enough.  Stop pushing your dreams farther out of reach and do something to fulfill them!  Pick up the pen (or open up a Word document) and just start writing.  No more excuses, no more procrastinating, it is time to write.

Megg

Goal: June

Okay, enough with the goals about word counts and having to write so many words every day, because that's just not working for me.  So, I'm setting a deadline goal and my manuscript has to be done by then and that's that.  And that goal is June.

I told this to one of my friends and his response was, "Great!  Oh wait...do you mean June 1st or June 30th?"  So I made a compromise.  My deadline is June 15th and I fully intend to stick to it.

It doesn't matter if I write 150 words a night or 3000, either way I just have to have 60,000ish words by the middle of June.  And I promise to try to post my progress along the way.

Megg

Thought for the Day

"Wear the old coat and buy the new book."  Austin Phelps

This one speaks for itself...but in case you're needing some help on which new book to pick up, try The Blackmailed Bride by Mandy Goff.

Getting a new book is almost magical.  Whatever genre you choose to delve into, there's always something interesting and surprising that you can find by reading the pages.  Every book you read, while some may be similar in plot or setting or writing style, each one will find a way to bring you to something new...whether it's a new character, a new place, a new legend (or a twist on an old one).  There's always something to take away from a book, and there's always another one to read!

Megg

It's a New Year!!!

So we're ten days into 2011!

And I haven't updated in almost a month and a half...

But that's ok, because things are finally getting back to normal around here (except for the ten inches of snow outside...because that's not really normal for around here...but I'm not complaining because it's snow), and I finally feel as if I have time to breathe.

Working retail during Christmas is tough, not to mention everything else you have to do during the Christmas season, and this year, it just seemed as if I didn't have time for it all.  I barely had time to sleep with all the hours I was putting in at work.  It's finally over though, and I'm settling back into my normal routine of finding ways (some new, some tried and true) to procrastinate from working on my manuscript.

I actually did quite well before work became so hectic--not with keeping up with the blog, but with writing--and then a few days ago, I sat down and read over what I had written...and I scrapped most of it (to save everyone some tears, I won't tell you exactly how much I scrapped...), so in doing that, it set me back...waaaaay back.  But it was better to do it now, then to keep building on that particular plot twist and then have to throw out even more later on.  So, this is progress.

So for tonight, I've decided (after posting this, of course) that I'm not going to procrastinate (this is partly due to my cable being out thanks to the snow), and I'm going to get some much needed writing done.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Megg

Technical Difficulties

I feel the need to apologize for my lack of posts lately.  But I also need to say that it hasn't been my fault...for the most part anyway.  The internet at my home had decided that it just didn't want to work anymore.  Sometimes I could get one--maybe two--sites to load, but anything more and it just wouldn't cooperate.

Now, this should have been a good thing...no internet means less procrastinating.  It's awfully hard to get distracted by Facebook and YouTube and everything else if the pages won't load...but I will admit that I've been lazy and haven't been working as I should have.  

But that is about to change.  As soon as this posts, I am closing every window except for Word and am going to spend the next few hours doing nothing but writing (that's my intention anyway).  So at some point tomorrow, I will post my progress (since my internet is back...after having our service checked and buying a new router) and let you know how many words I was able to shell out.

Megg

Thought for the Day

"Inspiration is wonderful when it happens, but the writer must develop an approach for the rest of the time...the wait is simply too long."  Leonard Bernstein

Just like in my last Thought for the Day, this one again touches on Inspiration.  Mainly because I'm still using the excuse that I'm not writing because I'm waiting for inspiration to hit...but there comes a time where you have to realize, that it is okay to write even if you don't feel inspired...at least you're writing and getting something down on paper (or in Word).

Writing is writing, even if it's not inspired writing.

Megg

Thought for the Day

"We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration.  Inspiration seldom generates action."  Frank Tibolt

I've regularly gotten into the habit of saying, "Well, I'm just waiting for inspiration to strike.  And when it does, I know I'll write up a storm" or something to that effect.  But rarely is it ever that easy.  Very rarely can I go about my daily life and then at the most opportunistic moment, expect inspiration to strike, and then sit down and write away.

There are other times though, when I know that I have to write...even if I can only get a few words typed up on the computer or written down in my notebook.  And it's times like those when I normally end up writing full scenes and chapters.  Getting in the mindset and willing yourself to write, can create the inspiration that you're so desperately trying to create out of nothing.  It's much easier for inspiration to strike when you're in the midst of your work.

At least, that's what I'm telling myself now as I sit down to work on this scene...

More inspiration quotes to come...I know I'm not the only needing motivation to write.

Megg