By the Wayside

I fell short of my November goal.

For the last two weeks of the month I wrote only twelve pages a week instead of the fifteen I wanted. And this week has pretty much been a writing bust. It's been crazy, but I won't bore you with the details.

But, on the bright side (there's always bright side right?), I did write 55 pages this month! That is definitely more than a typical month. So I don't really feel too bad. That's one of the great thing about goals. Even if you don't reach them, if you try, you'll get farther than you would otherwise. So, yay for me anyway!

Now December is almost upon us. I seriously love Christmas time. Really! But there is a lot of work to be done (and a lot of concerts and parties to attend--the best part!). Therefore, blogging will be falling by the wayside for a month or so. I do intend to post and to read blogs, but it's not going to be a top priority. I hope you'll all still be around come January when I'll try and get back to more regular blogging.

In the meantime, enjoy the holiday season! I might just host a little Christmas giveaway too, so watch for that...

Give Thanks

More blessings!

Thanksgiving time is upon us again. I have so much to be grateful for in every aspect of life, but this blog focuses on writing. Let me share some of my writing blessings with you.


A huge blessing this year was having Walnut Springs Press accept Defenders of the Covenant for publication. A lifelong dream come true! I can't wait to hold the book in my hands soon, and to share it with all of you.

I got to present at LTUE at BYU and at CONduit in Salt Lake this year. Both a huge thrill for me. I got to sit on panels with David Farland and other illustrious authors I've looked up to for a long time. I had a blast doing it too! And the best part is, I'll get to do it again next year.

This year, I wrote a novella, "Refuge," a short story, "Spirits Bright" (a Christmas story), and 240+ pages of a novel, "Shattered Skies." That's great output for me. I did lots of revising and critiquing too. That's the best writing blessing of all--the actual creation!

And then there is YOU. This writing community is such a blessing to me. You helped me celebrate my joys and drown my sorrows. You encouraged me in my goals and kept me going when I wanted to quit. Thank you!

What writing-related blessings are you thankful for this year?

P.S. I'm traveling for the holiday, so I won't be blogging again until next week. I hope you all have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving (those celebrating it, anyway).

Still Going!

The first week of my personal NaNo, I wrote only twelve pages, three short of my goal. I didn't feel too bad, since that's still better than an average week. But, I felt I could do better. So this past week I made up the difference, writing eighteen pages to get to page 230 in Shattered Skies, and on track with the fifteen page/week goal. Yay! It makes me happy when I accomplish hard things. I'm on pace so far this week to hit fifteen again. It's always hard to predict what will come up and get in the way. I'm sure you know how that is. Life, right?

I am approaching half-way on my novel, I think. It's hard for me to know for sure (not much of a plotter). My last book went on about 20K longer than I expected. But I've come this far in less than six months, which is exciting for me. It would be great to have the whole thing finished within a year. At any rate, I should be halfway through by the end of the month.

I've hit that point, though, where I start to get bogged down and wonder where I'm going with this thing. I have an idea of what I want to happen and where I want to end up, but the details feel elusive sometimes. I start to doubt my ability to even write a novel. It's kind of weird, this self-doubt. I mean, I've done it before right? I even sold one! I should be able to do it again.

This is where I just have to trust myself to get it all figured out and keep on going!

How are your NaNo goals coming? Can you believe we're halfway through already?

Fun Happenings on my Facebook Page

I don't know if you've checked out my Facebook page yet. I am trying to make it interactive and fun. A page that people will want to visit and like. Here's what I've got going on.

Monday is question day. I use the Facebook question feature to ask things like who is your favorite character from Lord of the Rings or your favorite line from Stars Wars or the Princess Bride. Things like that. It's fun to see how everybody answers. I love how when my kids answer, their friends all jump on to answer too. Fun to see what people think.

Wednesdays I post a fun link. This week was a link to a production video from The Hobbit. (Man, I can't wait for that to come out!) Or it might be an interesting article or cool picture. I try to make them sci-fi related.

Friday is my favorite, though. It's Fiction Friday! I post a link to a great sci-fi or fantasy short story. So far they've all been from Mindflights, since I know those stories are great. Pop over and check out today's posting. It's a wonderful tale. I'll post a new one each Friday.

So, come check it out. So far I'm pleased with the results. Last week, one of my top three favorite authors, Julie Czerneda, liked my page. That pretty much made my life! =) I am also planning a separate page for Defenders of the Covenant closer to its release. More to come on that later.

Do you have a Facebook page? Let me know and I'll go like it if I haven't already.

Got any other suggestions on how to make a Facebook page fun and successful? I'd love to hear them.

Lady in Waiting

Waiting, waiting, waiting. For a writer, it never ends, does it?

The release of my novel, Defenders of the Covenant, has been delayed until early next year It's a good decision for a variety of reasons. I agree with the publisher that waiting is the best thing for the book. But waiting is so hard! It's a lot like being pregnant. I may want to hold that baby in my arms right now, but I have to think about what is best for the baby.

It's got me thinking about all the interminable waiting I've done over the years since I became a writer. Fortunately, I have one surefire way of taking the pain out of waiting.

Work on something new! 

For me, it works every time. That's just what I'm doing. I wrote 12 pages last week on my new novel, Shattered Skies. It wasn't as good as the 15 I'd hoped for, but still better than an average writing week. That makes me happy.

I have come to realize that the only satisfaction I can count on in my writing is the satisfaction that comes from the act of creating. Sure being published, having readers, getting attention is nice. But those things are fickle and often fleeting. If I am happy to simply write, then I know I can always be happy.

So, I'm writing. I'm living. I'm waiting.

Some things are worth the wait!

Why Not Keep it Up?

I made my October goal. I finished page 200 in my novel on Saturday night, with two days still left in the month. Woohoo! I wrote 15 pages last week to make that happen. And since I believe in celebrating every little victory...

*throws confetti*

Yeah for me!

Now I'm inclined to just sit back and rest on October's laurels. In fact, I have shockingly little to show for the first two writing days of this week. But then there are all of you who are doing NaNoWriMo, turning on the juice, getting those amazing word counts, and I'm feeling a little ashamed of myself.

Now, I don't do NaNo. It doesn't work for me to put a bunch of words out there that fast. But, I figure, why not keep stretching myself this month like you NaNoers are? There's no reason why not!

So, my goal for National Novel Writing Month is to write 15 pages every week. That should put my to at least page 265 by the end of the month. Like I said, I'm already behind this week, so it's time to get crackin'! Wish me luck!