I am so excited. I start my new job tomorrow. I will be coordinating services for the disabled to help them become an independent as possible. It's the type of work I went back to school for and the organization I'm employed with is awesome.

It does mean I'm putting my writing on hold for the next two months. I want to concentrate on launching my new 9 to 5 career successfully. With caused base work where my clients and their families pay the price if I don't know my job well enough, I figure I'd better make sure to really do it right. Than at the start of the new year I'll start the clock on my one year writing plan. However, I am going to write the last two chapters I need in order to have the first draft of my novel completed during Thanks Giving. And I will be thankful that the job is through the state, so I get all the holidays!

My story “Nontact” won honorable mention in the latest Writers of the Future Contest. It’s a little bit of encouragement. Maybe this one will actually sell. I’m even trying to revise the ending of another story to submit for the next quarter’s contest. Wish me luck.

September 14, 2008

 

After a couple of weeks of having to set my writing aside in order to take care of some family stuff, I finally got back to writing again.  Yey!!!!!!  Here’s my update on my writing goals.

 

Writing:

Write or rewrite at least two chapters of my book each week.—Actually, I was so excited about rewriting a story I had critique at Potlatch, I spent all my writing time on it instead.  I’m going to my friend’s cabin in Yosemite this week to work on the novel.

Revise or rewrite one short story each even month.—I’m still tweaking the ending a bit, but over all I’m very happy with my rewrite.  I know September is an odd month but hey, sometimes you have to strike while the iron is hot. Besides this is writing not math.

 Read one science fiction book per month.—I’ve just started New voices in Science Fiction. 

 Publishing:

 Enter Writers of the Future Contest each quarter.—I’m polishing up my manuscript as we speak.

 Get involved with editing a Science Fiction related magazine.—I’ve found that I really like editing.  In fact since I am job hunting maybe I should consider looking at editing jobs.  I never knew that Random House has an office in Roseville. 

  Set aside two hours a week for researching possible markets and writing cover letters.—I keep trying to find the time for this one but it never happens.  Maybe I need to break up the tasks I need to do and squeeze them in a little here and a little there.  It’d probably be easier than trying to find two solid hours to work on writing related business stuff.

    

August 17, 2008

 

Well, my summer off has now come to an end.  As much as I hate job hunting, it’s time for me to start searching for a new day job.  I’ll continue working part time as a Teaching Assistant in an Autism Spectrum Disorder Program, until I find the right job for the long haul.  Basically, it’s time for me to be looking at starting my career.  My degree is in Management and Ethics and I want to work in the nonprofit, health and human services or educational fields.  I strongly want my vocation to also be my cause.  But unfortunately, it needs to pay enough to pay my student loans and take the load off my husband who has been working two jobs.  Our son Josh has started high school and I cannot believe how all the expenses are adding up.  

 Part of me wants to believe that I have a calling and that I just need to find what that is.  Then there’s the practical side of me that knows that the job market is tough right now.  And to be honest, though I truly believe in God, I’m not sure whether he cares where I end up working as long as it’s not something that disgraces him.  I think that Christians can honor God in just about any profession they chose just by living their beliefs instead of preaching them.  So does that mean that God won’t help me find a job?  There is the saying that God helps those that help themselves.  This doesn’t mean I won’t be doing a lot of praying.  Hopefully, I can find work that I excel at that makes a difference in the community and still allows me to be a good mother.  Would it be too much to ask that it is compatible with continuing be 365 day plan for writing? 

 Speaking of my plan, here’s the update:

 

 Writing:

Write or rewrite at least two chapters of my book each week. –Only one chapter again.  I’ve hit a section that requires a lot more research.

 Have manuscript ready to be critiqued by end of November.—I’m about at the halfway point.  But if I’m going to make this goal, I’m going to need to go hide at my friend’s cabin IN Yosemite for a weekend and just crank it out without interruptions.

Revise or rewrite one short story each even month. –I found a new SF on-line magazine on Ralan.com that might be perfect for two stories I’ve been meaning to work on after they were workshopped. I’m actually so excited about them I’m not sure which one to start with this month.

 Read one science fiction book per month.—I’m finally almost done with Iron Council.  I must admit, it’s gotten pretty interesting now that I’m at the last one third.  I’m trying to decide between ­New voices in Science Fiction or Polyphony 3, which have both been on my “to read” shelf for a very long time.  They both have authors I know personally and that I like reading. 

 

Publishing:

 

Once again my goals related to publishing just got squeezed out last week.  That’s why this week, I’m going to start with them right off.  It can be so overwhelming, because there’s so much that I should be doing.  But if I plug away at my to do list, maybe something will come of it.   

I’m sitting here at home waiting for my luggage to be delivered four days late.  Can you say totally pissed off?  I knew you could.  They had to change our flight since ours was so delayed it would not make its connection.  Well, needles to say our baggage didn’t get transferred.  So it went to Dallas while we landed in San Francisco.  They promised to deliver it to may sister’s where we were staying the night.  Only one of the two showed up.  The other one wouldn’t get there for another day, so they said they’d deliver it to our house.  For the last two days it has supposed to be delivered in about 3 hours.  I should have just driven sown to Sac and picked it up because I’m starting to think it might never show up.     

 I can’t believe it’s been nearly a month since I posted.  I’ve been visiting relatives in the Midwest.  Iowa to be more specific and none of my relatives.  Can’t say that I’ve done much related to writing but I would love to take some of the stories my grandpa has told and write them down.  It’s almost as if I didn’t know the man until I was an adult, patient enough to sit awhile and listen.  Wow!  What a wealth of experiences.  He was raised in the great depression.  He and his brothers were pretty wild.  I’d lock my son up if he tired half the stuff they did.  He served aboard an aircraft carrier during World War II.  He farmed for many years and saw his share of tornados.  Now at 92 years old he volunteers at the senior center, serving meal and acting as its handyman.  He’s a character that could liven up any story.

 This might be a bit painful for me, but I’m going to be honest and run through my goals.

 

Writing:

Write or rewrite at least two chapters of my book each week –Only wrote one chapter in three weeks.  And since I’ll be going back to work in two weeks I don’t know how I’m going to make it up.  I think I’ll just try to keep up from now on.

 Have manuscript ready to be critiqued by end of November.  –I’ll make it one way or another.

 Create new story every odd month.—I couldn’t get my head out of reality long enough to create.  Instead I wrote two non-fiction articles.  Does that count?

 Read one science fiction book per month.—Ugh!  I’m forcing myself to finish Iron Council.  I’m only halfway done.  I’ve always heard that China Mieville is an awesome writer.  Perhaps I chose his one and only stinker.  Or perhaps it will get better and the end will justify the pain of reading the first part.  Have other people read this particular book?  What did they think?  Can anyone recommend one of his other books maybe?

 

Publishing:

Enter Writers of the Future Contest each quarter.—I suppose I’ll have to start thinking about this one soon.  I entered June 30^th but I’m not holding my breath.  I’m thinking about revising the short story adaptation to my first novel which never sold.

 Submit one story to a magazine or contest each month. ­­--Oh man!  If I get it in the mail by the 5^th can it count for July?  I think better late than never.  Right?

 Get involved with editing a Science Fiction related magazine. --I did read some slush while on this trip.  What is up with stories that are fantastic for the first half and then completely let me down.  The endings of a few have really made no sense. The last half of other stories are just so poorly written compared to the beginning I have to wonder if the ending didn’t get the same time and attention.  Perhaps there a lesson here I can apply to my own writing.

  Set aside two hours a week for researching possible markets and writing cover letters.—Nope.  Just didn’t happen.  I failed.  But that only means I’ll have to make sure to take the time this coming week no matter what is going on. 

 

I’m chugging along on my plan.  Nothing exciting to report this week, so I’ve decided to have a little fun.  I saw this on Lindsey’s Live Journal and decided to give it a go. 

 

* Post 3 things you've done that you don't think anybody else on your friends list has done.
* See if anybody responds with "I've done that." If they have- add another!(2.b., 2.c., etc...)
* Encourage your friends to paste this into their own journal to see what unique things they've done.

1. Sat out in one hundred degree whether with smoke so thick I had to wear a bandana and tried to sell fruit from our trees.  Made twenty whole dollars.  Probably not the brightest idea I’ve ever had.

2.Lost a foot of my digestive track because the stupid doctor mistook Endometriosis for stress.  After eight years of telling the doctors that I felt like I was being strangled inside, they finally did exploratory surgery and found that stage 4 Endometriosis had in fact strangled the area around my appendix. 

 3.Finally got the car of my dreams only to have it catch on fire with me and my son in it.  Yes that’s right, my beautiful 1967, Laser red, Ford Mustang caught on fire on the Fourth of July.  No, it wasn’t from fire works.  The power steering hose broke and sprayed the fluid on the hot engine block, igniting it.  Luckily, we had a fire extinguisher.  Yes, I am married to a firefighter; of course my car has an extinguisher in the trunk.  Anyways, the damage was minimal and Ernie says he can have it fixed soon.

 

I’m more than a little curious some of the stuff my friends can come up with.  Let me know if you post three things you think no one’s done.

I can’t believe 28 days down.  Only 337 days left to follow through with my plan.  I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t get nearly what I wanted done this week.  To help out with our finances we have decided to turn our little place in the country into an at home business.  The tax write off’s are huge.  It sounded easy enough.  We have a bunch of fruit tree, so we’re going to start selling some of it.  We plan to go to the local farmers market a few times this summer and again in the fall.  Well, should have known better. You have to get certified by the county.  If you’ve every dealt with the county you know that means paperwork and time.  Then we have to join the Foothills Farmers Market association.  More paperwork and a $100 application fee.

 So while all this is in the works, I did a really stupid thing.  I set up a stand in our front yard.  An overgrown lemonade stand really.  An here I sit typing my journal and waiting for the next customer.  Okay before you laugh too hard, while I was just writing this a made a whopping $6.00.  And I have to admit, now that the smoke has cleared up from all the fires, it’s nice to sit out here in the shade and do my writing.  That is why we moved out to the country in the first place: to be outside more.  So I’m sitting under a canopy pounding away at my laptop?       

Now for my progress report:

 

Writing:

 
Write or rewrite at least two chapters of my book each week.—Close but no cigar.  The chapter I’m working on is taking a lot longer than I expected.  And I spent one of my writing days revising my story to have it ready for submitting to the contest.   Okay, and I wasted a whole day setting up my produce stand.

 Have manuscript ready to be critiqued by beginning of November.—Isn’t November national write a novel in a month month?  By then I’m hoping to have the entire Surviving the Fall novel I’m working on in the hands of a writer friend of mine who I really respect. I met him at Potlatch when he critiques a short story of mine and I’d really love his feedback.  That way, while my manuscript is in his hands I can take a break and work of something else for a month.  I’m thinking about pulling my Paraxous Cluster book off the shelf and making some serious revisions. 

 Revise or rewrite one short story each even month. --Done!  And thanks to Bernadette’s critique, I think the story is a hundred times better than the original draft.

 Create new story every odd month. --Well, while I’m sitting at my little fruit stand, if I get stuck on the novel I’ll work on a new story.

 Join writers’ critique group.--I'll hold off on this for a little bit.

 Read one science fiction book per month. --Done!  Whoa.  For starting so slowly The Land of Laughs sure got weird.  Now I have to pick another book from my “need to read shelf.”

 

Publishing:

 

Enter Writers of the Future Contest each quarter. --Done.  Yey!  My poor husband had to take it down to the post office yesterday, so I’d make this quarter’s deadline.  I was busy setting up my fruit stand.

Submit one story to a magazine or contest each month.--Done.  Besides Writers of the Future.  I sent out one story.  But I have no idea what I’m going to submit where for next month.

 Attend one writers’ conference.—Oh, man I’m starting to wonder how I’m going to swing this one.  I knew they were expensive, but I had no idea.  I’d better sell a lot of produce.  Did I mention that part of the deal is that I’m trying not to have my venture into trying to become a professional author cost us a whole lot of money.  I do have to admit though if I can find a way to afford it, I’m tempted by the San Francisco Writers conference in February. 

  Join a writers’ association.—Hey guess what.  There’s a branch of the California Writers Club that meets in Sacramento.  It would be a bit of a drive, but only once a month.  I think it would also qualify toward joining an association.  At least it’s a start and perhaps I’ll find other science fiction authors that live in the foothills that have or want to start a critique group.  We’ll see.  They suspend the meetings for the summer.  So I’ll have to wait until September. 

Get involved with editing a Science Fiction related magazine.—I’m waiting for my next batch of slush.  If you know any editors who are desperate to get out from under a pile of submissions, let me know.  I actually like sifting through all the manuscripts looking for keepers.  I’ll probably start asking a very modest fee.  Who know, maybe that’s how I’ll raise enough to go to a conference. 

Set aside two hours a week for researching possible markets and writing cover letters.—Well, it depends on how technical I want get about this.  I spent a lot of time on the writing related business but …

June 22, 2008

 

I faced an interesting challenge while writing this week. You see, I based one of the main characters in my novel on my mother.  I created the first rough outline and character bios to the story a couple of years ago and set it aside.  Well, my mother passed away last September.  I miss her so intensely sometimes that I can’t understand how the world keeps going on without her.  Now that I’ve resumed writing the story there’s something bittersweet about playing in my alternative universe where she’s still alive.  As the events unfold, there is no doubt how she would react and it makes me feel so close to her.  What she would do and say is so clear it’s almost as if she’s speaking to me.  Obviously, with this comes some sorrow because it reminds me over and over that she’s not here in reality. 

While I do believe in a God and I am sure that this life is not all there is, that does not alleviate all my grief.  I hold on to the hope that we are more than just physical beings and that in some afterlife we will see each other again.  Still, that does not change the fact that when there’s something neat that I’d love to share with her she is not here.  Or that when I am in tears and need someone to talk to who would listen patiently without judging, she is not here.  I want her back now and in some weird way having her in the novel brings her alive for just a little while.

Okay, so what does this have to do with my 365 day plan?  Well, here’s the kicker.  In my original rough draft the character based on my mother sacrifices herself to save the others.  And I don’t think I can do it.  It’s hard to explain the flood of emotion the thought of killing off this character causes in me.  It’s just fiction.  I even changed some things about the character so she wouldn’t be exactly like my mother.  But my mother’s death was so sudden and unexpected that I still haven’t gotten my head really wrapped around the fact that she’s gone.  And as I approach the point in the book where she gives her life to save her family, I can’t help but feel like in some Freudian way I’ll have to face my mom’s death.  Do I sound totally crazy?  Have other writers ever felt so conflicted about killing off a character based on someone they knew and loved?  I tell myself, “It’s my novel.  She can survive if I want.”  Maybe I’ll even give in to the need to keep her alive at least in my imagination.  But the truth is the heroic actions of this character would be an honest reflection of the self-sacrificing person my mom was.  I have several more chapters to write before I get to this plot point.  I’ll have to give the whole matter some serious consideration. I do know she always encouraged my writing and would be the first person to cheer me on as I try to make an author out of myself.

 Okay, time for my 365 Day Plan to Building my Writing Career

 
 Writing:

 Write or rewrite at least two chapters of my book each week.—I made it by the skin of my teeth.  I had to get up early this morning to finish the last few pages of the second chapter.

Have manuscript ready to be critiqued by November.—Only four months and one week to go.  And I’m a third of the way through this draft of the novel.  It’s going to be close.

Revise or rewrite one short story each even month.—Bernadette is going to call me to give me feedback but I’ll make it.

Create new story every odd month.—I may have to go ahead and jot down some of the ideas and see which one has jelled enough to write over the next month.

  Join writers’ critique group.—Right now I’m so into the creative stage that I just haven’t taken the time to search for a preexisting group or form a new one.  I know I really should get busy but…So much to do and for now as long as the novel is flowing I want to get this draft down on paper.

 Read one science fiction book per month.—Half way done with Land of Laughs.  It’s okay so far.  Seems like it’s going to get more interesting. A lot more weird stuff is happening.

 

Publishing:

Enter Writers of the Future Contest each quarter.—My Story will go in the mail by this Friday!  Wish me luck.

 Submit one story to a magazine or contest each month.—Today, I sent out my first fiction submission in nearly three years.  Wow, it felt good to be back in the game.

 Attend one writers’ conference.—The Southwestern Writers Conference is focusing on writing memoirs.  I don’t think that would be a good allocation of my funds.  Sacramento State College hosts a writer’s conference. It’s kind of expensive but at least I wouldn’t have to shell out for a flight or hotel.   

 Join a writers’ association.—This week I will work on this one.  For real this time.  Really.  I promise.

 Get involved with editing a Science Fiction related magazine.—Read more slush.  It made me consider my own approach to short stories.  I give these stories I read only a few pages to interest me.  I realize that a lot of the stories sitting in my file cabinet that never sold didn’t really get going until page three or four.  I would have rejected them if they had come to me.

Set aside two hours a week for researching possible markets and writing cover letters.—Usually, my writing business time is on Sundays but we’re going to visit my husband’s wonderful mother and brother today.  So I planned ahead and wrote the cover letter and did some other business stuff yesterday.  I’m very proud of myself for thinking ahead.  I’m not usually that organized. But I really wanted to be able to relax and enjoy the visit.  I didn’t want to be all stressed out about having work to do.   

June 15, 2008

 

I am so glad Lori convinced my to check out this Live Journal thing. It’s fun keeping up with all my convention buddies. However, I have had to be careful not to let it eat into my writing time.  It’s so easy to get to reading all the interesting stuff on people’s journals and the next thing I know an hour or two has just disappeared.  I know I’m a total troglodyte but up until now I really have avoided getting hooked by the internet.  I use it as needed for e-mails and research, but mostly when I am at my computer it means I’m writing.  Speaking of writing, I had the house to myself for three days while my husband, Ernie, was in Las Vegas and my son, Josh, was on a field trip to Washington D.C.  Can you say writing marathon?  I got fifty five pages done. 

 Okay, 21 days down.  Only 344 days to go. So here is my week’s progress report on my 365 Day Plan to Building My Writing Career.

 

Writing:

Write or rewrite at least two chapters of my book each week. Yeah, no problem there.  However, some of my chapters are 20 pages and some are 2.  So I think I’m going to really push myself and modify this goal to 40 pages each week.  That might be a bit hard this week.  I changed so much during this first draft that the outline for the next three chapters doesn’t really match.  I’m sure the changes are for the better but it means a lot of reworking what happens next and how the story gets to point B. 

Have manuscript ready to be critiqued by end of November. Maybe I’ll shoot for the beginning of November.  We’ll see.  I normally thrive on input from a good critique.

Revise or rewrite one short story each even month.  I need to correct some typos and get it sent to Bernadette.  She always catches things I missed.  She’s great at proofing manuscripts.  But otherwise it’s done.

Create new story every odd month.—I have several ideas floating around.

Join writers’ critique group.—Nothing yet.  I used to belong to a group that met off and on for over ten years.  It disbanded some time ago. I miss it, but I would really like to find something more local than Sacramento, which is an hour away.

Read one science fiction book per month.—I’m about a third of the way through with The Land of Laughs.  Most my reading time has been spent on Live Journal, reading slush or reading magazines that I’m thinking about submitting a story to this month.  

 

Publishing:

 Enter Writers of the Future Contest each quarter.—Boy the clock is ticking down fast on this one.  I think I’ll make it by June 30^th though.

 Submit one story to a magazine or contest each month.—I’ve got one story that I could send out.  Thank God for Ralan.com .  Oh and thanks to Ralan Conely, of course. Wow!  It’s such a great resource for writers to check out the market.

 Attend one writers’ conference.—This one is going to be harder than I thought.  The Sacramento Conference “Focus on Writers” is not happening this year.  The more I think about it, the more I’d like to go to the Donald Maass seminar.  No matter what I decide, somehow I’ll need to earn the money.  I’ve promised Ernie that my writing career won’t put a drain on the family budget.

 Join a writers’ association.—I’ll look into this one this week.  I promise.

 Get involved with editing a Science Fiction related magazine.—I liked finding the jewels in the large pile of coal.  I volunteered to read so more slush for my friend’s magazine.  Maybe this will turn into a regular gig.  Who knows?

Set aside two hours a week for researching possible markets and writing cover letters.—Okay, time to be honest.  Two hours just isn’t enough.  I’m going to have to find a third hour somewhere.  I really think someone ought to start a submission service.  I know there’s not enough money in short fiction to support an agent and money is supposed to flow toward the writer.  But I’d love to just hand off my story and have someone who knows what their doing start sending it out.  Don’t get me wrong; I totally understand that market research and submitting manuscripts are important parts of an author’s job, but it takes up time that I could be using to actually do some writing.  Oh well, as I get back into the field, I’m sure I’ll become more proficient at it.   

Well, 7 days down and only 358 to go.  Wow, do the days slip by when you’re actually counting them down.  Over all, it’s been a pretty good week.  I totaled 26 hours of productive writing time and another ten on writing related activities.  Fortunately, I have the summer off from work.  I thought that would give me so much free time, but it amazing all the stuff that conspires to keep me from my writing. I’ve had to “buy out” the time by giving up some things. Cutting back on television has actually been nice.  However, having to turn down invitations from friends of mine from church was rather painful because I am a very social creature. 

 
Making my writing a priority when there are so many urgent things requiring my attention every day has been darn hard.  After all, I am a wife and mother and there are some responsibilities that go with that.  I should mention though that my husband has been amazingly supportive.  It’s just hard to not feel guilty spending so much time on a job that might never help pay the bills.  On the other hand, we’ll never know if I don’t try. 

 
So here’s my progress report on how I did in regards to keeping to my plan for launching my writing career this year.    

 
Writing:

Write or rewrite at least two chapters of my book each week — I actually finished three chapters.  I managed to squeeze in about two hours of writing on my novel each morning before life got in the way.  I did find that my writing speed as slowed considerably.  I used to crank out about four pages an hour.  Now I was lucky if I finished five pages in two hours. I hope that it’s a matter of writing better instead of faster.  Maybe the reason my writing never took of before was that I rushed the writing too much.

 Have manuscript ready to be critiqued by end of November — We’ll see.  Too soon to tell.  I always start out all gung ho about anything a do especially when starting a new writing project. 

 Revise or rewrite one short story each even month — I just finished redrafting a story.  I’m going to send it to my best friend, Bernadette to have her proofread it.  She’s great at knowing what I meant to say and fixing my manuscript.

Create new story every odd month — Tell you how that goes next month.  It’s been over two years since I’ve written a new short story.

Join writers’ critique group — Okay, I admit I haven’t even started on this one yet. If anyone knows a good critique group in the Auburn, Ca area feel free to let me know.

 Read one science fiction book per month – I’m reading The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll.  It’s been on my “to read” shelf for nearly four years. 

 

Publishing:

 
Enter Writers of the Future Contest each quarter — I’m going to send in the story I just finished revising.  It’s a good story.  Maybe not great.  But if I waited for a story that I thought was great, I’d never send anything.

 Submit one story to a magazine or contest each month — Ouch!  This one really hurt.  I pulled out my submission notebook and found that all the info I had in it was hopelessly outdated.  I quit submitting stories when I went back to school in 2004.  There was one story that I had been sending out back then that I really like.  So I checked the submission guidelines to a potential market and sent for a sample copy of the magazine today.  I believe an author should do the editor the courtesy of reading at least one recent issue of a magazine before submitting a story.

  Attend one writers’ conference — Again. Didn’t work on this one.  I’m torn between a local writer’s conference or attending Donald Maass’s “Writing the Breakout Novel Seminar.”  I did his weekend seminar several years back.  I’d like to do his one week intensive once I have a solid first draft of my novel done.

  Join a writers’ association — Oh man.  I completely forgot about this one.  I’m not sure what all associations I should try to join. I met someone at Baycon, a Science Fiction Convention in the San Jose area, who gave me a card for the California Writers Club.  I don’t have the credits to join SFFWA, Science Fiction Writers Association, but I think there is an associate membership.

 Get involved with editing a Science Fiction related magazine — I volunteered to read slush for an editor friend of mine.  This goes to show the importance of networking at conventions.  She mentioned who she was drowning in submissions, so I offered to help. I’ve waded through six of the ten manuscripts she sent me today.  I think this will be a good growing experience for me and my writing. I have to say, they are not nearly as bad as I feared.  There was even one that I got really excited about.      

 Set aside two hours a week for researching possible markets and writing cover letters —It’s going to take a while just to update the information I have on the markets I used to submit to.  My two hours were up before I managed to accomplish very much, but something is better than nothing. 

As I am staring down middle age coming at me like a train in a tunnel, I realize that the dream I had as a teenager of becoming a science fiction author has not died.  It may have been suffering from an adult onset coma, but the dream still burns inside of me. And I know I will always regret it if I do nothing to pursue a writing career.  So like many other aspiring authors, I have a plan.  It’s my 365 day plan to breaking into the science fiction market. 

 

You’ll find this plan boldly printed below for everyone to see.  But first for those of you who do not know me, let me give you a little background.  As a child, I told “Saver Rebecca” stories to anyone who would listen. They were kind of a Bionic Woman meets Star Trek.  Being a practical sort of a person, I set aside any hopes of making a living as a writer when I grew up.  Then I married a wonderful man who encouraged me to at least pursue writing as a hobby.  I’ve taken several creative writing classes, been president of a local writers’ critique group, and edited a nationally award winning college literary magazine.  I’ve had a few short stories published in small press magazines and an article about hosting a writers’ retreat in an online trade magazine called Speculations. Oh, and along the way, I had a wonderful son and finished my bachelor’s degree in Management and Ethics and Bible and Theology.  In case you’re wondering, no, management and ethics is not an oxymoron. 

 

That’s it for now.  Each week I’ll check in and discuss how I did or did not manage to stick to this plan and how it’s working out.  Hopefully you’ll find it inspirational or at least entertaining.  I’d love to hear from other struggling writers.  Tell me what your plans are and how it’s going.   

My Goals for the Year:

Have my manuscript, The Fall,  ready for submission.

Have at least one short story professionally published.

Participate as a panelist at a Science Fiction convention.

How I’m Going to Reach These Goal’s by May 31^st 2009

Writing:

Write or rewrite at least two chapters of my book each week.

Have manuscript ready to be critiqued by end of November.

Revise or rewrite one short story each even month.

Create new story every odd month.

Join writers’ critique group.

Read one science fiction book per month.

 

Publishing:

Enter Writers of the Future Contest each quarter.

Submit one story to a magazine or contest each month.

Attend one writers’ conference.

Join a writers’ association.

Get involved with editing a Science Fiction related magazine. 

Set aside two hours a week for researching possible markets and writing cover letters.