specific writing goals for 2009

REVISED January 2, 2009

Writing Goals for 2008

1) Complete first single title novel (100,000 words) – Tentative Title: COT by November 30, 2008 and submit to an agent.

a) Finish first draft by October 15, 2008 (1000 words per day) Finished first draft

2) Complete one category romance (50,000 words) by December 31, 2008 and submit to publisher or agent.

a) Characters done by August 31, 2008.
b) Plot done by September 10, 2008.
c) Outline done by September 15, 2008.
d) First draft done by November 15, 2008 (800 words per day) Finished first draft

3) Begin character and plot for second single title novel in series (100,000 words) - Tentative Title: TRT before end of the year. Did not complete this

a) Prepare synopsis.

Writing Goals for 2009

1) Complete COT by February 28, 2009.

a) Revise first draft by February 1, 2009.
b) Prepare synopsis and synopsis of other two novels in series for agents.

2) Complete TRT by April 31, 2009.

a) Finish first draft by March 31, 2009.

3) Complete first category romance (50,000 words) by February 28, 2009.

4) Complete third single title novel in series (100,000 words) – Tentative Title: WAED by June 31, 2009.

a) Prepare synopsis after character and plot work.

5) Complete second category romance (50,000 words) by April 30, 2009.

6) Complete fourth single title novel (100,000 words; new series or stand alone) by August 30, 2009.

7) Complete third category romance (50,000 words) by October 31, 2009.

8) Complete fifth single title novel (100,000 words) by November 30, 2009.

9) Complete fourth category romance (50,000 words) by December 31, 2009.

NINE BOOKS BY 2010!!! WOOHOO!!!

Quote of the Day: Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don't start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
~William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing"

dreaming big part II

Now where were we. I left off on Resolution #13...

13) Get a tattoo.
-This was one of my resolutions from 2007 that never came to fruition. I planned on getting a tattoo when I turned 30. I am 31, going on 32 and I NEED one. I have a couple ideas for what I want and where, but the big issue is that I'm a huge chicken when it comes to pain. I've probably mentioned this before. Isn't it ironic that the sexiest places to get a tattoo are also the most sensitive? Anyhoo, I've got a couple recommendations for artists and one day when I'm feeling brave I'll go for it.

14) Get finances in order.
-One problem with finding yourself by going to a variety of expensive schools is the extensive debt you accumulate from loans. These loans, if paid according to their schedule, will haunt me until 2027. I really don't want that. I want to pay off my credit card debt and tackle these loans with a more aggressive payment. To do this, I need to set up a budget and maximize what comes in and where it goes. I also need to start putting aside some money for the move to New England in the spring, which is a goal further down the list.

15) Take more photographs.
-I hate pictures of myself for the most part. But time is a passing, and I always think back to that Baz Luhrmann song, Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen, "in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked…" So just in case, I want to take more pictures - of me, of my friends, of my adventures - and if I could scrapbook them, even better.

16) Move to New England in the spring.
-Some of you probably know of my intention to move to Rhode Island. I visited my best friend, Ariana, who lives in Newport, last summer and realized how much I like it there and how much I miss her. I'm sick of Las Vegas and need someplace new to call home, if at least for a while. Newport's beautiful coast and small town feel really made me think how much I'd like to live there. The hard part is saving up some money for the move, and the hardest part will be finding a new job in this recession. I'm currently exploring my options. If I want it bad enough, I can make it happen. :-)

17) Travel
-This probably won't be happening this year with the move and all, but once settled back East, my mission is to get to Europe. Hopefully, I'll come back once I get there.

So those are my resolutions.

As for the updates on my writing: I'm reading two writing books and taking notes, while summarizing my novel chapter by chapter, to analyze my plot for holes and such. Once that's done, I may show the plot to a few people to get their opinion about the flow and intensity level, then I'll dig in to the specific revisions.

Oh and I made an appointment with Shae's dentist! Thank you, Shae, for recommending her. I have my initial exam and x-rays on January 22. Wish me luck! Now, to conquer the doctor.

Quote of the Day: For me, a page of good prose is where one hears the rain [and] the noise of battle. ~John Cheever

dreaming big....

It's 2009 and when I set out to do something, I do it up right. I dream big. Sure, I don't always complete every one of my goals / resolutions, but the dream is still there.

I posted my resolutions on a website called 43 Things. (Yes, another social networking site to add to my never-ending list.) I added them down below on the right side, but I'll elaborate on them here.

1) Publish at least 3 novels this year.
-Technically, I'm behind from the original goal plan I set out for this, but I'm not disappointed with what I have accomplished so far. I revised the plan which I'll post next for your review. I'm still moving forward and that's what matters most to me right now. This resolution ties in with my ultimate goal of writing fiction for a living.

2) Go to the doctor.
- I'm ashamed to say I haven't been to see a doctor in a while. Before, the excuse was that I didn't have insurance. Now, (for the last two years) I've had insurance, and the excuse is that I'm just a big, lazy chicken. It needs to be done and I should be exploiting my insurance while I still can. No more excuses. I'm making an appointment this week.

3) Go to the dentist.
- I can't even say the word "dentist" without a grimace. I haven't been to the.....dentist, for years. Again, with the lack of insurance, but also because my teeth are just genetically hella bad. And not visually bad (like I'm missing five, and three are black). I have always had problems with waning enamel and exposed nerves. Combined with receding gums, every visit to the dentist, no matter how gentle they are, results in excruciating pain. Luckily, I rarely had cavities when I was younger. I did have braces, but that's a whole other painful animal. Also, I know that it will cost me tons, even with my insurance, because there's a lot to be done in there AND I NEED to be sedated the entire time, which means more mula. I guess I have to bite the bullet, so to speak, and get crackin'. This week an appointment will be made.

4) Learn one language a year.
-This goal was made hoping to hit two birds, or three, with one stone.
One, it will broaden my horizons.
Two, it will help me indirectly with English (considering the comparisons you automatically make regarding grammar and vocabulary.)
Three, it's research for my novels -heh, heh ;-)

The language I'm choosing for this year is Welsh. Mostly because I already have the book and the CDs and have dabbled in it. My next trilogy I am writing is a time-travel spanning from 1000 AD to today set in Wales. So it would help me greatly, even if I'm not fluent by the end of the year. Knowing the basics - hearty vocab, a couple neat sayings, and a few fun curse words - would be nice.

5) Get rid of things I don't need.
- My friend and fellow blogger, Maura, turned me on to this. "31 in 31" or getting rid of one item per day for the 31 days on January, and heck, maybe longer if need be. So far, I have gotten rid of 3 pairs of panties, 2 pairs of jeans, one pair of shoes, and 4 books. I'm definitely ahead of the game. Woohoo! This will help me declutter and prepare myself for moving in the Spring.

6) Follow an exercise program.
-I bought yet another exercise program. Yeah, motivation for me to get in shape comes in spending gratuitous amounts of money. But this one is simple and hip and includes some extra tips for keeping the feminine look as you slim and tone, rather than bulking up and losing all that luscious female form. It's a fitness and bikini model's routine and program. I like it and it inspires me. I WILL succeed! Will be posting my hideous "before" photo soon......maybe...if I have the courage to show myself in skimpy clothing....ugh.

One day I'll look like Jennifer Nicole Lee....but much paler. ;-)

7) Eat better.
-Continuing with the health resolutions, I plan to ditch the junk food, but indulge in cravings every so often. Eat smaller portions every 2-3 hours and only have soda once a week. Those portions will include protein, fiber, and something green.

8) Drink more water.

9) Drink more wine.
-OK, not to get drunk. Red wine is good with its antioxidants AND it's a passion I've let fall by the wayside. Did you know I went to culinary school for six months and excelled in the wine tasting classes as well as food pairing? They say I have a good palette. For a while I thought about becoming a sommelier and passed the first stage of testing to become just that. I then realized that a sommelier is just a glorified cocktail waitress. (I'm cringing, knowing I'm ruining my chances getting friendly with any of them. Oh well..) I love wine and I the history and science involved with wine. I plan to buy one bottle a week and write down tasting notes in my wine journal. Who knows? Maybe some freelance writing work will come of it.

10) Take care of my skin.
- The other day I looked in the mirror and grimaced. No, not at my pale, frumpy body, but at my face! My eyes seemed sunken, small, and puffy, and my skin was oily, caking my make-up and emphasizing my huge pores! I never had to worry much about my skin, even with my birthmark (I'll go into this later). I mean, I had to stay out of the sun due to my genetically pale and prone to cancer skin. And regardless of the numerous scars from doctors attempts to keep me cancer-free, my skin stayed soft and clear. I guess 31 hit me finally and instead of washing with regular soap and never moisturizing, I need to bring on the maintenance. I bought Carmindy's book, Get Positively Beautiful and I love it. Carmindy is the make-over queen from What Not To Wear, and I really dig her simple beauty regimine. So I'm following some of her techniques, which also tie into my next resolution.
11) Learn to use make-up to my advantage.
- Until this year, make-up and I have had a practical relationship. I hate it, but its a necessity to cover my birthmark. I have a port winestain (meaning strawberry colored) birthmark that covers my chin and a portion of my left cheek. I've managed to get through a difficult childhood and deal with it, even after failed laser surgery attempts and...a lot of make-up. I have to wear foundation and powder every day. I won't go outside without it. But it's routine now. I never used anything else - except a little lipstick to give my pale face a little color. So this aging thing sucks in more ways than one. And I've been experimenting with make-up to help enhance my beauty rather than cover it up. Carmindy's less is more style and tips are great, especially the ones that let me get out the door after five minutes of application and still look like a million bucks.

12) Save up for laser hair removal.
-Another perk of growing old...MORE HAIR! They've come a long way with these lasers and I want to get it done. It costs a pretty penny, so I'm hoping to get it done by the end of the year.

I'm going to end here for now. I have about 8 more to go, but this is already becoming a book. Speaking of....I think I'll go read.

Quote of the Day: It seems to me that the problem with diaries, and the reason that most of them are so boring, is that every day we vacillate between examining our hangnails and speculating on cosmic order. ~Ann Beattie, Picturing Will, 1989

closet optimist

First, Merry Freakin' Christmas everyone!

It's been a strange year. For those of you who know my current situation - complete with the two extra roommates and the nearly three year relationship slowly coming to its inevitable end - I'm sure you understand why I'm a little blue this Christmas.

I've stayed much longer in Las Vegas than I initially planned, but life happens and priorities change. There are things I wanted to be, to do, to have done by this time in my 31 (sigh) years. But....I hate to complain. Especially when I see all the homeless on the streets and the people who can't afford gifts for their children during the holiday season. I have a job, a roof over my head, clothes to wear, and the ability to pay my bills. Thems' the basics. And I'm glad about all that.

I'm also the proud writer of two novels (sorry, its still hard to believe myself).

Most people see me as a realist with pessimistic tendencies. But those people don't really know me. I portray that image to help me deal with the crap in the world. Because if you expect the worst you are pleasantly surprised when you get the opposite! Ta Da! It makes it easier to take all the heartache, grief, and pain that life can dish out.

I guess I think I'm special...in some strange way. As a kid, I didn't mind sleeping near the door or window at a sleepover when my friends were afraid of the boogeyman getting them. Because when that crazy killer would come in ready to murder me, he'd take one look at my young self and fall in love and whisk me away to his castle. (You see he was actually a prince under a nasty spell and I broke it with my aura). And you all wonder why I decided to write romance????? ;-)

I always believed I had something different, something unique. Alas, I grew up and realized the truth, but there is still a hint of that belief that refuses to be squashed by real life. That special something defines me as a closet optimist. Behind everything that goes awry in my life, there is hope. Hope that things will take a turn for the best rather than the worse.

Still, I have a soft spot for the worse. I mean, it builds character, it gives you comedic material, and it makes for a much better story. The writer in me just can't be denied.

So the next time things look shitty, know the book of your life needed some conflict, and in the end its going to fly off the shelves the more drama it entails. I firmly disagree with saving the drama for your mama. Share it with your readers. They'll thank you for it! Just keep your fingers crossed for a happy ending.

Quote of the day: Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it. ~Hannah Arendt

the morning after

Beautiful, isn't it? The morning after our big snow day (ok big for us at 8" in the southern parts of Las Vegas) you would think we lived in the mountains or something. The day was altogether eerie with sludge piles of snow in the streets and in peoples' yards and the sun illuminating the mountains and hills surrounding us, showing off their thick shiny new coats of bright white snow.

This is what my house looked like in the morning.....

I know, nothing major, but an unusual sight for me.

My boyfriend covered the West side on his way to work and I took a couple of pics on my way down south into Henderson. Then I snapped a few from Sunset Station's garage out into the valley.

Here is what I came up with. Enjoy!

The Day After the Big Snow in Las Vegas 2008

Quote of the Day: I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top. ~English Professor (Name Unknown), Ohio University

the city of sin has frozen over....

I've finally had a couple days to get over it, but it still is amazing. It snowed in Vegas. And I don't mean some measely little flakes (although that's what it began as). I'm talking blizzard, baby!

Las Vegans don't really take snow too seriously. Because when we hear that it's a possibility we think a few chunks of ice and rain for an hour max and that's it. But no, that's not what we got on Wednesday.

Let me break down my day.

Wednesday morning: Butt cold, but I layered up and wore a nice scarf and gloves.

Wednesday afternoon 1pm: Snow begins to fall. People at work are freaking out. But there really isn't much snow sticking to the ground just yet. I'm not worried.

2pm: The snow continues to fall and starts to get thicker. I hear it's supposed to stop by 4pm when I leave, so I'm still not worried.

3pm: The snow is coming down hard and fast and blanketing the ground. For some reason, I'm still not worried, just amazed. I take this picture outside the employee entrance with my phone.

4pm: The snow has covered most of Sunset Station and it's already dark. I get in my VW bug and realize I have to get gas before I make the 26 mile drive home. Doh!

4:15pm: Upon leaving Sunset Station's garage the streets are covered in snow and slush. I'm driving super slow and head to the gas station across the street. At one point I press the brakes and they lock. Freaking out begins.

4:30pm: I wonder if the snow has made me super sensitive and maybe it was a one time deal and that the brakes are adjusting. I decide to get gas regardless and take it easy.

4:45pm: Find out the gas station's satellite has gone out and it is cash only. After sludging my way to the register it's a Christmas miracle that I have ten dollars on me in this electronic day and age. I snap more pictures for those who don't believe that I am truly trapped in a Thomas Kinkade painting.
4:46pm: Try to leave the parking lot and press the brakes. They lock and I slide. I commence with more freaking out and decide to park at Best Buy and go in to get warm, and possibly buy a DVD. Ya never know.

5pm: Call the boyfriend and act scared and helpless so that he'll come pick me up. It works and I wait, secretly hoping my car might be busted and I won't have to go to work tomorrow.

6pm: Boyfriend arrives and plays around with my car, seeming to have more fun skidding around a snowy parking lot with limited brakes that I would. I don't understand men. He can't figure out what's wrong but says he'll be able to drive it home in the slow lane and I'll follow in his car. I'm worried, but take some pictures to calm me down.
7pm: We arrive home after driving through three sections of greater Las Vegas. Each one has different inclement weather. South-blizzard, West/Downtown-rainstorm, North-snowstorm... My back is in knots, but I'm home and relieved. Our neighborhood looks like we should have horse-drawn sleighs and snowball wars, rather than cars and errant teenagers. I take a couple pics of our front and back yard (which reminds me of some lost land).
That was the bulk of my day. Henderson (where I work) received 8" of snow and the rest received 2". They declared a snow day for schools the following day and I took more pictures in the morning, but here is the Luxor. Who ever thought we'd see the pyramids covered in snow? I know I probably sound like I'm overreacting, especially considering many of my friends live back East and laugh at me for freaking out, but hey, this is Vegas, the last time we got this much snow was in 1974!
I'll post the day after pictures tomorrow.

Anyway, I'm off to recoup. I think the weather made me sick. Ugh.

Quote of the Day: A writer and nothing else: a man alone in a room with the English language, trying to get human feelings right. ~John K. Hutchens, New York Herald Tribune, 10 September 1961

the wrap up

Christmas isn't quite here yet, but on the horizon of a new year I thought I would get a head start on wrapping up 2008.

October - finished the first draft of my FIRST (yes, I said FIRST) novel and did a dance of joy, survived layoffs at the casino I work for, had my boyfriend's ex wife and daughter move in with us, had dinner with an ex-boyfriend who told me I was one of the smartest women he ever went out with (you know it!), spent Halloween preparing for NaNoWriMo.

November - began writing my SECOND novel for NaNoWriMo, continued to write like fiend, went to visit my family in Southern CA for Thanksgiving (got fat), survived more layoffs at the casino I work for, finished my SECOND novel for NaNoWriMo with 8,000 words on the last day.

December - went back to revising my FIRST novel and getting prepared for Christmas.

I won't be going home for Christmas Eve or Day, but we'll be heading to Southern CA the weekend after.

Let me take a minute though to talk about my experience with NaNoWriMo. I didn't think I'd be able to do it. I mean, it took me over three months to write just over 80,000 on the first novel, but then I didn't really give myself a deadline and I knew I would take my sweet time. I've finally decided to call myself a writer and you know what? We procrastinate. It's inevitable. Armed with that information, NaNoWriMo got me to understand that giving yourself an end all deadline would kick that procrastination in the butt, at least for a few days. It also showed that if need be, I can write 8000 words in a day. I don't recommend that and it's not fun by any means, but it's doable. My comfort zone seemed to be 1000 to 2000 a day. But what helped was the support from others in the same boat. Fellow Nanoers, Maura, Shae, and Noreen, helped push me onward. Being able to see what they were doing gave me the necessary shove to get my words up and if any of them were behind, I made sure to let them know they were doing great and to keep it up. I was proud of them all and I was so happy we all could make it there together.

I can now say I have officially written TWO novels in the year of 2008. My biggest accomplishment yet. OK, maybe second to my four year degree in History, but damn close.

I'll save my New Years Resolutions for a later post, but you'll be sure to find more writing on the top of it.

Quote of the Day: To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music the words make. ~Truman Capote, McCall's, November 1967