Category Archives: RoW80

Preparing for RoW Wednesdays.

It’s been a long time since I’ve participated in A Round of Words in 80 Days, which is a real shame, because I truly believe that the sense of community and encouragement with that group is what ultimate lead me to publish my book last year. As I’m struggling to get off on the right foot for my next book, I’ve been wanting to return to this fantastic challenge, immerse myself back into the productive RoW80 culture, and finally get some more work done!

Now, RoW80 is currently on the tail end of its current round, with the next one starting on April 1st. You can join at any time (my very first round, I hopped in right in the middle), but I’m going to spend the next few weeks really focusing on what I want to be my goals and how I intend to accomplish them. Clearly, it’s going to involve the (hopeful) completion of Serpent in a Cage. I really want to get a grip on what I can set to have this latest draft finished by the end of the round. Too ambitious? Perhaps. But this is the third first draft of this WIP, so at least I’ve had plenty of practice?

Chances are, I probably won’t be able to swing the Sunday posts, just because of my limited computer access, so I’m focusing mostly on Wednesday posts. Therefor, the next few Wednesdays are going to be “RoW-prep”, getting myself in the habit of posting about RoW on Wednesdays. Any suggestions or tricks for setting goals will be welcome; I’m going to have to give some thoughts to what will get me from 50 pages to 250 pages in just 80 days. A challenge, to be sure, but it’s got to be possible.

Oh, Here It Goes Again.

So, I’ve taken a little bit of a break from writing and from the blog to have some well-spent time with a friend, which I have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of on the weekends if this new schedule that gives me Sundays off stays consistent. From what I hear, this is typical for the position I’m going to be taking a different store, so I’m pretty stoked about that. While there’s more work and demands and probably a likelihood of having to more on any given week, a certain regularity to when I’ll need to be there will be kind of nice. I’m definitely excited for it…

…but I’m also excited that it’s Monday and I have at least the week to try to get back into the swing of writing and get some work done there, too. It’s definitely going to be an exciting week on that front; I got a letter from Amazon regarding my first royalty check coming through, which should happen any time this week, so I can officially say I’m a published, paid, professional writer. Booyah.

I’m still running my Autumn Anthology contest, though I realized that ‘anthology’ was spelled wrong in the title of that particular post, which probably doesn’t help my street cred too much. That’s okay, though; I’m embracing my laziness about actually fixing it. There’s also been an exciting change! I will be accepting all of your short stories and poetry fit for a thrills and chills Halloween-esque anthology! Honestly, as I told the Writing Poetry Group on Facebook, I’m surprised I didn’t think of poetry. I think I’d love to accept any images, too, especially for a potential cover. So, send me your stories, your poems, your artwork or photography for consideration! You have until September 30th to submit! I can’t wait to see what you come up with, and be sure to share the contest with your friends, too!

Other than that, I’ll be plugging away at Serpent in a Cage, reading a lot (as usual!), and trying to get a grasp on what I want to do for NaNoWriMo. I really want to be proactive and go out to the get-togethers they were holding last year in Naperville that I was too shy or spastic or busy to attend last year. This is definitely going to be the year I finish NaNo! I am determined. Besides, it’ll be good to have a finished draft just in case it looks like neither the anthology or SiaC are coming out by the end of 2012 (since I did that whole ‘going to publish two books this year’ plan and everything). I know there’s another round of RoW80 starting soon, so I’ll have to access my goals there, too.

I’m also looking forward to catching up with everyone and their blogs, but if I’ve missed something good and interesting over the weekend, let me know! How’s everyone getting on? I can’t wait to get to work this week.

RoW80 Check-In: More Like a Catch-Up.

“‘I smell Ssark on the wind,” Tayahyla said, her face made of stone. ‘That reek is unmistakeable, a hunting party, though a small one. Still, we’d better move quickly before they start taking to the idea of Human flesh to break their fast.’”

As you may have realized, not only did I skipp Sunday’s Round of Words in 80 Days post, but I’ve also missed a few regular days of posting in between. Sometimes, it happens. Sometimes, it happens especially because a person’s life is so busy she barely has time to do anything else except what’s going on. There’s been socialization. There’s been print copies to review. There’s been a trip to Michigan to plan. There’s been a lot of stuff at work. Oh, yeah, and there was a Labyrinth party.

Needless to say, I’ve been pretty busy. RoW80 is the writing challenge that “knows you have a life,” and that’s definitely become evident these past few weeks for me. So particular goals have gone right out the window, and I’ve been working more on vague projects instead. Here’s a look at what I’ve got going on and, once things settle a little, will have coming up:

-Serpent in a Cage: I’m plugging along at SiaC as usual. I’m just heading into a battle scene, which moves things along nicely, but shortly after this is another battle scene, and then that leads us into the BIG battle scene, and I wonder if it’s almost too much action. There’s stuff happening in between, though, so I guess I’ll see when it’s written! Since my trip requires a six hour train ride, I’m hoping to really blow through the rest of this chapter later today when there’s little else to do but watch the scenery fly by.

-Bowlful of Bunnies: The second print proof for BoB came in yesterday and it is perfect, so I’m estatic and excited and wish I had more time to sit down and actually formulate a marketing approach for it, but I’ve had no such time. I know I want to do some contests, maybe a give-away, that sort of thing, so planning that is on the agenda for my little “retreat,” too. It’s currently available at the CreateSpace store here for $5.99 USD, with eventual Amazon listing to follow in a few days. It looks phenomenal. I couldn’t be happier. And I’ll bet you’d be hard pressed to find cuter page markings than these ones, too.

-Potential Anthology: In a conversation with my roommate, the subject of a special, brief Halloween horror anthology came up briefly, and I’ve been toying with the idea of making it a contest instead of just a collection of whatever I could clomp together before October 31st. I still need to hash out a few details, but I would love to know if this would be something anyone would be interested in. You could submit whatever, there’d likely be a Kindle and print version, and there may be daily or occasional prompts for inspiration, ala the contest Morgan Dragonwillow ran not too long ago that had left me so inspired. Thoughts would be appreciated! If I decide to go for it, I’ll likely have more information available next week.

Those are the main three writerly things that have been occupying my mind in the (very) rare moments lately when I have time. Even today is jam packed with stuff (laundry! cleaning the cat box! job interview! packing! get to the train station on time!), but I’ve made myself take some time to do a little scribbling and a little reading, because I’ve missed the chance to do that and I’m so looking forward to this train ride at four so that I can do nothing but just sit and relax. Ahhhhh.

Still, I won’t complain. It’s been an awesome last few weeks, and I definitely can’t gripe about a day that includes the arrival of a perfect print proof and a phone call I’ve been waiting about for an interview for a promotion, with a brief little “mini-vacation” to follow. Life’s pretty good right now. A whirlwind, but I’m willing to let it sweep me up.

Needless to say, I haven’t been able to keep up with my fellow RoWers lately (though you can do so easily here). How is everyone else doing? Are you planning to get in some Happy Writing?

RoW80 Check-In: What Happened to the Weekend?

“     ‘We’re paying you to care about rescuing the girl,’ Estialog stated simply. ‘What happens afterwards is categorically none of your business.’
     ‘And if we have a moral concern?’
     Tayahyla snorted again, but held back comment. ‘An odd bunch of brigands,’ Estialog murmured, ‘to be concerned with morality.’
     ‘We never claimed to be typical.’”

As I was writing the title of this Wednesday’s Round of Words in 80 Days check-in, I’m thinking to myself, “But, L, it’s Wednesday. You’re halfway to the next weekend already.” And that just really highlights how busy last weekend has felt, in the fact that my brain is still back there on Sunday or something, while time rushes on through to the next weekend.

I’m used to the weekends being busy and a little crazy; it’s par for the course when you work in retail, and it’s usually the weekdays that mean relaxation, especially the earlier, mid-week days that aren’t so hot for shopping. There’s a lot of crazy, exciting things going on where I work, so everything’s in a whirlwind, things are really crazy, and I was really looking forward to spend today getting back in touch with my writing, and then a coworker asks if I can cover for her tonight. Sigh. This means working six days this week, including one day for 9 hours in an 11 hour span (I got a 2 hour break in between, half of which was driving between locations). I want to shake my fists and just yell “ARRRGGGH,” but I know that this is just the start. There’s a good chance things will get crazier, so I’m bracing myself.

And using all the wonderful writing and reading to keep myself centered and Zen. Everyone’s been noting how I really seem in control of my shit lately, and I intend to keep in control and ride through the chaos like an unfappable breeze of serenity. And I think it’s my writing and the fact that, no matter what happens with my Day Job, things are happening with my Dream Job, too, and that’s just incredible.

The print proof for Bowlful of Bunnies arrived the other day, which is such a trip. I took it to work and showed it off to everyone, too, but I think I want a much smaller size, so today I’m reformatting and resubmitting it for review. Part of my brain wanted to just go with what I have now, but then I had to remind myself that patience is a virtue. While it would be exciting to start shilling this print version now, it’s much better to make sure it’s exactly what I want it to be before I let it out in the world. CreateSpace was incredibly fast…much quicker than they had projected…so I doubt I’d have to wait too long again. Plus, the excitement gets me in a fabulous mood, and, whenever I start to get irritated, all I have to do is think about how, in a few days, I’ll have a print proof of my potential book that people without Kindles can actually buy, whaaaaaat?

I’ve been plugging along with Serpent in a Cage, too, finally getting to the point where I think the dragging middle expositionary section gets back into the action again, which should pick things up. I played around with the idea of bringing in Tayahyla as a narrator again, but I think three is enough for now. Her story can be told better in the next book. I’m also poking at Soulless, the haunted house, and the western with dragons a little bit, too, and wondering if I should skip NaNoWriMo this year or go for it. There’s still time, I must remind myself. People are already talking about it, though, which gets me flailing slightly. I have trouble refusing a challenge when it’s presented, yet maybe I should force myself to show some restraint. We shall have to see.

I’ve still got those book reviews to do (I’ve realized that I’ve been putting them off because I don’t particularly like doing negative reviews, and these ones are not glowing, no), but, other than that, all my attention has been mostly on BoB and SiaC and this craziness that is my life lately. Next week, I might be taking what I’m going to call a brief “writer’s retreat” for a few days, and that should definitely help me anchor my center through the chaos…and allow me some uninterrupted, undistracted chunks of time for writing!

How everyone else doing? Did you get a chance to check out any other RoWers today? (If not, you can find them here!) I’m off to do more formatting and reading and scribbling.

Happy writing!

RoW80 Check-In: The Waiting Game.

“Locke grunted, trying to hold down his irritation. ‘Men lie, Majani,’ he said, ‘and quite often, and that’s why I ask. You didn’t honestly believe us to just blindly follow anyone with enough gold into caves and secret dungeons, do you?’”

I wasn’t sure if I was going to pull off a check-in post today, but, thanks to an agreement that has me working all day tomorrow, I was released from work early today and could have enough time to pen this after all. It’s not going to be much of an update, a little quick and dirty, but things have been going really, really well. Not so much with my Round of Words in 80 Days goals, but with life in general. And I’ve strayed a bit from the goals, but other accomplishments have surfaced, which makes me feel a little better about it. Especially since the whole point of RoW80 is the flexibility.

I’ve been doing really, really well with a-page-a-day on Serpent in a Cage, although I feel this chapter is kind of a hot mess. I’m just going to keep plugging along. This is the boring travel chapter, where I have to rely on character interactions to carry it, and I don’t think I’m doing as well as I could be with that. However, that’s what edits are for, right?

I started transcribing what I have for SiaC‘s sequel, too, and, oh man, is it bad! It’s almost kind of funny. It was last year’s NaNo, so, when I was writing it, it was all about word count. SiaC is still my main focus between the two, obviously, but I’m really going to have to roll up my sleeves when I get to cracking down on this one.

But the real catch in my recent progress is that pesky song of the Muse. Sometimes, I feel like I have practically no attention span at all, but my Muse makes me feel like I’ve got the focus of a GOD. Lately, two of my previous WIPs (Soulless with the zombie dystopian world and the one with the super haunted house) have been calling to me, and, not wanting to ignore them, I’ve embraced them with a little bit of scribbling here and there, too. Now, I know I’ve talked a lot about how I was going to push back the fear of finishing Serpent in a Cage, but a part of me still feels, “Maybe not yet…” So if either of these WIPs continue to demand my attention, I might switch my focus again, but we shall see.

I’ve also got two book reviews that I’ve been lazy about writing, and another one to come up shortly, too, so the reading’s going well, too.

And the most exciting news of all?

The print proof for Bowlful of Bunnies should arrive sometime this week. Wait. Did I say print proof? I do believe I did! I’ve finally hopped on over to CreateSpace to give their program a try, and so far, I am incredibly impressed…as well as completely flabbergasted by how incredibly easy it was! Granted, I haven’t gotten the print yet, so I don’t yet know how it’s going to work out, but if it does….having a print version of BoB is going to open a lot of doors. I have a lot of exciting things planned, and I can’t wait to get them started. Definitely stay tuned!

And, in the meantime, why don’t you hop on over here and visit my fellow RoWers? You’ll be glad you did.

Happy writing!

RoW80 Check-In: Microsoft Word Hates Me.

“Thankfully, Taluin had enough compassion and empathy to know what he meant without him having to say. ‘Oh, Locke,’ she said, her voice catching, breaking in her throat. ‘You were her world.’”

So, some of you may have been reading about my recent awesomeness revolution lately; some of you may not. In a nutshell, life is awesome right now, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into some epic progress on my Round of Words in 80 Days goals, and that’s okay. I’ve been making some steady page-a-day progress on Serpent in a Cage, and that has been most of my writing focus lately.

I’ve attempted to work on some short stories and typing up some of the first part of SiaC, but my computer has been acting a little…strange whenever I use Microsoft Word. I’ll get maybe half a page or so into typing, and some virus or some glitch in my computer is causing the Save As screen to pop up. I save frequently, so, at first, I thought I was just clicking it, but this is not the case. And then I go to save, and the window prompt keeps showing up, until I have to shut the program down entirely. It’s odd, it’s strange, it’s possibly something potentially harmful, but it’s an old, battered laptop, and that’s bound to happen eventually. Right now, I don’t want to deal with it, so I just do what I can and then call it a day when it pops up.

Nothing too exciting, then. I’m in the phase where it’s mostly just write, write, write, so I’m trying to use my time not at the notebook getting back into the blogging community and picking at a few short stories so I can start submitting to magazines again.

I would like to throw out a question, though: Anyone know of any good contests going on right now? Even if it’s just something to help prompt me…I know the contest Morgan Dragonwillow ran ages ago inspired a lot of really great new work from me. I’m looking for something like that to spark my creativity again, so if you can think of anything, please pass it along! I’d love to get back into something like that, but my focus is all skewed and I might need a little help.

How is everyone else doing? Have you had a chance to check in with any other RoWers (it’s real easy, you can just go here!). I’ve got the next three days off, so I’m really looking forward to a lot of Happy Writing!

Before I go, though, I’ve got a new follower to welcome to the blog. Hi, f-Stop fun! Thanks so much for subscribing!

RoW80 Check-In: It’s Sunday Already?

“‘Locke!’ Taluin’s voice was suddenly a whip, sharp and commanding…and stinging, too. ‘Don’t ever say something like that again! They were your parents; it’s your history. You should ask! Ask everything; you have a right ot know, and no one can blame you for your curiosity. Ask. Especially since I have answers. Please, ask, but one question at a time!’”

This week was certainly a whirlwind for me! It’s hard to believe that it’s already Sunday and time for another Round of Words in 80 Days check-in; it feels like I was just whipping one of these Sunday check-ins the other day. I think that’s a good thing, over all. I think it’s nicer to have a week fly by than to have one that just seems to drag on and on, even if I feel I haven’t been as productive as I could have been. I haven’t been a complete loss, though, like last weekend.

Nothing too thrilling has been happening as far as my goals are concerned. I’m getting the first part of Serpent in a Cage typed up to sort of get a head start on typing it all up when it’s finished. I’m thinking of running the same sort of contest I ran with Battarack Girls: encourage a little spike in Bowlful of Bunnies‘s sales which lead to a reveal of the prologue. I’m also scribbling away in the main text, on one of my favorite chapters where Locke learns about his mother from Taluin, and it’s all heart-tugging and you just want to give him a great big old hug.

I’ve been working a little bit on some short stories, too. Not much, and my classic dilemma of being able to start things without finishing them is ringing true. So, I have a lot of stories started, but not a whole lot of them finished. One needs to be polished and sent out, though, so there’s something. I’m hoping to poke at them a little bit more on my upcoming days off, but most of my energy on days when I work has been channeled into SiaC.

I’ve been trying to be better about visiting my fellow RoWers lately, too (you can find them all here!), as well as doing plenty of reading and what have you. Quite a few good things have been happening in life in general, balanced out with some not so good things, so right now I’m feeling a pretty decent zen about everything. I’m not sure I really feel about delving into the depths of my brain with everything going on, but I do know that I can say there might be some really, really interesting things coming my way. Of course, usually when I say that, things tend to plod on as usual, but maybe this time I’ll actually be right.

How are things going for you? Have you ever had something going on in your life that you wanted to tell people about, but knew it was more prudent to just wait and see? I hate waiting, but at least the zen helps me keep my patience in check.

RoW80 Check-In: Back in Black.

In all honesty, I’m not wearing black right now; I merely wanted to get AC/DC stuck in your head. You’re welcome.

“      Suddenly, he cut himself off. He wanted to say more. He wanted to express how little he thought of destiny if this was the life destiny had chosen for him. He wanted to firmly deny the existence of anything that barred him from being in charge of his own fate. But he didn’t. He firmly set his mouth shut against the complaints, staring fiercely forward as he tried to sort through his thoughts.
      Realizing he had nothing more to say, Taluin lightly shook her head. ‘You truly are like your father,’ she mused, her voice marveling and soft.”

Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for a Round of Words in 80 Days check-in, as well as an attempt to get back into gear after an unexpected little…we’ll say holiday from the writing world. It’s been an interesting, eventful few days, to be sure, which makes me feel a little bit better about the fact that it was so rubbish for writing. There are some possibilities opening up at work, and my social life took a dive on one facet while a reconnection with an old friend brought it skyrocketing up again. Life works in so many mysterious ways, it truly does, and I love when it happens with a bang. But it’s also nice to get back to something a little more regular and paced.

I’m still making some steady progress on Serpent in a Cage, but I’ve decided this morning that I want to turn my attention on getting some more short stories written and submitted to magazines. I usually go through a cycle where I feel motivated to write and submit, and then I quickly fall out of it and it falls to the wayside as I focus on novels more. So I don’t know how long this bout will last, but we shall see. I whipped up a little tale that’s been in the back of my mind yesterday, and today I’m trying a hand at whipping up something new. It’d be nice to aim for a new tale every day, but I’ve tried that before and I know how lofty a goal it is, so we shall see. The fact that I get two enjoy two consecutive days away from work has made me feel ambitious and optimistic.

I also want to turn my attention back to getting Bowlful of Bunnies on other platforms, including a potential print version. I keep intending to do this, but other projects and life events keep distracting me. Every so often, another sale comes in and tickles me pink, but I really feel like I just threw it out there in the wind and let it do its own thing. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I feel a little guilty that I should be cultivating it or guiding it a bit more.

I’ve got a few Aryneth-themed posts in the works, and a few more book reviews coming, and hopefully no more big gaps in posts like these last few days. But, hey. Sometimes, you’ve just got to take those breaks.

So, not much of an update, just a typical L.S. Engler note of getting back in the saddle again and ready to ride. Yee-haw! If you get a chance, check out my fellow RoW-ers here!

I’ve also got some new followers to welcome and thank. So thanks for following the blog, Armand Rosamilia, Ellis Nelson, and Zac Egs! So cool to have you guys here!

RoW80 Update: Rowing Along.

“     ‘You deceptive little minx,’ he said, grinning as he leaned into her, not for the illusion of their secrecy, but merely to be closer.
     ‘I know,’ she whispered back, her dark eyes lingering on him for a moment before they set themselves steadily forward. ‘I’m already fitting in.’”

It’s Wednesday, which means I get a sneak peek at what my paycheck will be, there’s a new episode of Top Chef Masters tonight, and it’s time for a Round of Words in 80 Days update! Not that there’s much to update, but that’s typical for a Wednesday, too.

Though I’ve been picking at it a little bit, I haven’t been keeping up with a page-a-day on Serpent in a Cage, but that’s okay. It’s still moving along nicely at a steady pace, and I’ve dug up the notebook that holds the first half so I can get a little bit of a jump on typing it up. I’ve also dug up the draft of SiaC‘s (currently untitled) sequel that I worked on for NaNo last year, so that I can start picking at that a little bit, too. One of the pieces of writing advice I’ve taken to heart is that you should have your next three books finished and ready to be prepped before publishing your current book. Clearly, I didn’t do that when I published Bowlful of Bunnies, but I definitely have a hefty draft on my hands with SiaC. I’d like to be that way with the next book when SiaC arrives, too, so it isn’t too long between books.

And that’s about it. I’ve got a line of books finished awaiting review, I’ve been feeling a little ill lately, but I know that will pass in a few days, ahem (oh, isn’t it wonderful being a woman sometimes??), and I’m trying not to focus too much on a little gaffe in my social life, but it’s been a little invasive. I hate that. No matter how much you remind yourself that you want to focus on other things at this point in your life, there it is, nagging at the back of your brain like some terrible little demon that you can’t shake off.

Luckily, I scribbled out my feelings about it and might get a pretty interesting short story out of the deal!

Either way, I’ve been working, but not as much as I’d like, and I feel this week is going to be a little iffy, anyway, between healthy and that sonuvabitch Life. Not the most exciting update here, I know, so be sure to check out my fellow RoWers here and see how they might be doing.

And, as always, Happy Writing!

RoW80 Check-In: On with the Adventure!

“‘You met crass fools in that Kassirian shop yesterday,’ Locke said, ‘but you hired professionals. Whatever happened there has passed. When you talked to Jaxson, I assume you talked to him about hiring capable hands for your cause. Well, you’ve got something better than that. You’ve hired Battaracks.’”

Making the decision to finish Serpent in a Cage (again) and publish it (once and for all) has been one of the most liberating decisions I have made for my writing. Granted, I understand that I may still be in the honeymoon stage of this idea. It’s still so new and fresh and exciting, but I wrote almost 10 pages of it on Friday, and I have spent the last few days at work wistfully waiting to get home to pick at it a little bit more. It’s wonderful, and the writing feels fairly solid, too (although editing will show how right I am in that). I chatted a little with a friend about cover design and helping me craft the Aryneth logo for the series, and I’m just feeling an outpouring of love and inspiration for the book. It’s really quite phenomenal, and I’m incredibly focused. Once I have a project on the right foot, my multitasking OCD slips away and I’m actually fairly driven on one thing. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s amazing.

Clearly, I’m excited. And I want to get others excited, too, and I know there’s a little thread of that out there for people who have been following the blog and know just how bloody important SiaC is to me. And a lot of my readers are authors themselves, so they understand how the excitement for a project just gets under your skin and bubbles in your blood down to your fingers, which can’t seem to stay still for the excitement of the story. So I was thinking: what can I do on the blog to get people interested in SiaC? I was thinking it could be fun to do some features on the characters, and open it up to dialogue and “interview questions” from the readers, but, on the same token, a line I read in another blog on how “no one knows these characters and so no one really cares, don’t bore them with your babbling by writing as or tweeting as your characters” keeps sticking out in my brain. Would anyone be interested in some SiaC-theme ‘character’ posts? The idea is still vague, and kind of pointless without participation, so I figured I’d just see what you guys thought.

So, I’m sticking with my goal of at least a page of Serpent in a Cage a day as my ultimate RoW80 goal right now. Eyes on the prize!

I’ll also, of course, be keeping up with my reading, and I actually have two books waiting in the wings to be reviewed, as well as two more books that are just about finished, so things are looking good for that goal, even if I’m still really far behind for the year. I just need to kick it up a little, and it’s never that difficult for me to find time to do more reading!

I’m also picking a little bit at my Western With Dragons piece (since a lot of people have expressed an interest in that one), and a short story for the next The First Line. And how are your goals going for you so far?

Be sure to check out my fellow RoWers here if you get the chance, and, above all, happy writing!