It's a Monday

Not that you didn't know that already. And actually as Mondays go, today wasn't too bad. I just didn't have a lot of motivation, which would be why this post is going out so late in the day. Still I did get some things done around the house and I did remember I was supposed to do some blogging today, so not a complete waste of a day.

I've started getting responses back from the agents I've queried; all politely worded nos so far. The first one stung, but after that it got easier. I was rather surprised I got responses back this fast. Most of the agents I queried had two weeks as a minimum response time, but I got a few back the day I sent them. And even though they were nos, it was a pleasant surprise to hear back so quickly. I still have a bunch of queries out there and a bunch more to send when I finish my synopsis, so I'm not worried, yet.

As for my synopsis, I did start it, but it's slow going. I'm hoping to get it done by the end of the week. And the review I've been working on? Haven't gone back to it yet, but I want to write it up either tomorrow or Wednesday.

That's it for now. Happy Writing! :)

Fine Art Photograph by NomadicNotebook

Wonders Never Cease

Isn't this amazing? I'm posting twice in one week! Actually, the reason I'm updating is because I feel guilty. The last time I posted, which was Tuesday, I told you that I had two things to do and I was going to get them done. Bets on whether that happened or not? Come on give it a guess.

Well, for those of you who that guessed I shirked my duties, you are correct. I got lots of other things done around my house like cleaning, dishes, laundry, feeding the children, but every time I sat down to do anything that required a creative touch, my brain would just wander off. To be fair I was up at 6am every day this week because my children are evil, but since I set a goal and missed it I felt obligated to "fess up" as it were.

I did start working on the review, but it was coming out terrible and I don't want to write a half-assed review of a book I really liked. I didn't even start thinking about the synopsis. Okay that's not true. I did start thinking about it, but it kept glowering back at me like a giant pair of eyes inside a dark closet, so I would get scared and quickly move onto something else.

Then last night I decided that avoiding this stuff was just silly and I sat down to work. However, instead of working on the synopsis, I decided to ease into things a bit and send out another batch of queries and organize my list of agents so I wouldn't double send or accidently query two agents from the same agency. I also tweaked my query and did some other housekeeping stuff on my new computer (Windows Updates take forever!).

Now I feel much more accomplished and with that small boost of confidence, I think I can finally make an attempt at kicking the synopsis monster's butt. Any tips or advice? I asked my writing buddies on Fantasy-Faction who were kind enough to offer their advice, but more advice is always welcome. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Monster Painting by daisypaint

I Hate Change...Most of the Time

Last week my computer died. It would crash randomly and then every time I had to restart or turn it off it would blue screen. So, Friday for the first time in seven years I got a new computer in the mail!

It's so shiny! It also came with Office 2007 and Windows 7. I'm not entirely pleased with this. While I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually, right now it's driving me crazy! Nothing works the way I think it should and I have to relearn everything again. I am, however, tickled pink by how fast it is! My last computer was made of three 5+ year old computers and had barely enough ram to load Facebook. This one makes the net fly!

In writing news, I know in one of the last posts I said I was going to start working on my synopsis, but do to computer explosions, hurricanes, and being sick all this weekend, I still haven't started yet. But today is the day!

My plan for today includes writing up my review for Sam Sykes's Tome of the Undergates (which was a lot of fun to read) and writing my synopsis. Two things, that's it. I think I can handle that.

Happy Writing!

Pillows by diffractionfiber

The Querying Game

Did I mention that I started sending out queries to agents? Well, I started sending out queries to agents. The first time I had to push the send button was nerve wrecking! But every time after that it got easier. I would have finished by now, but a couple of them wanted synopsises with the query and I don't have one yet. So, tonight's job is to write one. I did this once before but I looked at it today and I don't like it all, so I think I'm going to start over. With any luck writing a synopsis will not be nearly as hard as writing a query. Wish me luck!

Happy Writing! :)

Hand Embroidery Hoop by Moxiedoll

Long Week

Last week my father-in-law died of a heart attack. It was sudden and shocking. He was only 61. The event shook up my entire family and made us all completely reevaluate what was really important. It also showed how awesome a support system I really have. Between my 'real life' friends and family and my online friends and family I felt like there was someone there the whole time keep me and my husband afloat. And I'd like to say right now, that even the short notes on twitter and the virtual hugs meant a lot to us and gave me something to smile about each time I came online. So thank you. :)

Last night was the first time in a week that I thought about writing. It was kind of scary during the week, when we were still trying to organize the funeral and come to terms with what happened, that I didn't want to write. It's not that I didn't feel like it, it was more like the story had completely vanished from my head and I couldn't care less that it had. Considering how important my writing has been to me, it kind of freaked me out. I was afraid I'd lost it all and would have to stop completely. But then last night my characters seemed to reawaken and start nudging me again. I didn't write last night, but I plan on doing it tonight, even if it's just a few hundred words. Even if it's just a sentence.

Suffering a loss can affect people in different ways. It made me numb. It took away everything that inspired me, or at least hid my inspiration where I couldn’t get at it. Now that my family and I have started the healing process, my inspiration is coming back slowly. I’ll always miss my father-in-law, he was a great man, a loving father (and father-in-law), and a fantastic grandfather. But, thanks to all the people that love and support us, I know we will get through this together. Thank you all again.

~hugs~

Original Watercolor on Paper by MazzyBlueStudios