New Year, New Goals and a Brand New Logo

NaNo2018 was an epic failure on my part. Sort of, not really, but yes a failure. I did write more in November 2018 than I did in the rest of 2018 put together - so win! - but still, I fell ridiculously short of meeting the 50k goal. 

So what happens now? 

It's a New Year -- 2019!!! -- and after a lot of thought, and I mean a LOT, I'm going to change things up a little bit. I'm going to goal set differently, more specifically but perhaps also in a way that won't constantly make me feel like I'm falling behind and failing. Here's where I start...

Goal #1 -- Write Every Single Day (on a WIP)

I know, God do I know, that not every day is going to be a good writing day. One day I may get in 2500 words. Another day I may add 5. And that's okay so long as I write. Eventually I'll finish what I've started and I'll have what I need to take the next step. 

Goal #2 -- Write a Blog Post Each Month 

Sort of like an accountability check-in. I've seen other writers do this - both the indies just getting into the industry, as well as well established traditionally published authors that I've read/loved/followed for years. But more than simply holding myself accountable to my craft, I've missed writing blog posts, missed this avenue of interaction with other bloggers and writers. Now, January didn't get a blog post but you'll see a little bit further down what I was busy with last month. Going forward though I'm going to write (at least) one blog post here each month - and at least one blog post for each of my other blogs too.

Goal #3 -- Finish Something 

Here's the thing: right now I have 4 projects on the go. One of them is and always has been intended as a stand alone novel/novella. Two of them could be the launch points for a series or other multi book/story set, I can see other possible storylines that could come from them, or they could just end up as stand alone novels too. The fourth project is absolutely the beginning of a series - I know pretty much everything that will happen in the first three books/stories, how much further the series goes after that is still up in the air. 

So the goal is to evaluate them, pick one, focus on that and FINISH it. 

But which, which, which one will it be? 

Goal #4 -- Set Periodic, Quantifiable Deadlines  

This is one that could be tricky. Or it could be super easy. These would be goals like: finish one chapter this week, or write 5000 words by the end of the month. Which, like I said could be simple or could be hard. I hope that over the course of time, having those quantifiable deadlines will increase my productivity. 

I'm also hoping that with time those quantifiable goals will become more lofty - 10k words in a month, then 5k words per week, etc, etc, etc. Eventually, assuming this works the way I want, I'd be able to set goals more along the line of This Novel done by March and That Novel written by August; you know deadline deadlines. 

(I'd cross my fingers in hope but that may make it more difficult for me to type. Cross 'em for me??) 

Goal #5 -- Become a Better Writer

One step to attaining this goal, one that will help tremendously all on its own is simply to write. To write and keep writing, and then write some more. Another part of this will be to read, of course; I've always felt that to be a good writer and to continually better yourself, you must read. (In general, the reading thing has never been a real problem for me. 😉 ) A third thing I'm going to try to do is find some online writing courses - creative writing, or novel writing, or maybe even an editing course. I've actually discovered a few through my local library that look promising, so I've got somewhere to start. 

I'm sure there's more that I can do and if, and when, I discover those things I'll let you know. 

via GIPHY

Now remember earlier in this post when I alluded to what I'd been busy doing this past January? Number one on that list was to completely redesign and launch a new website for my mother's massage therapy business - at which I'm more or less in charge of all marketing and advertising these days. The redesign is done, the site is launched and now, except for weekly/month maintenance to keep the site dynamic and up-to-date, I'm able to direct my creative energies elsewhere. 

Number 2 on the list of things I did last month came about in the middle of doing the website redesign. And it was the development of new logos for each of my blogs, and another logo which incorporates aspects of the other three to use as a social media profile photo. The logo for Inside My Mind is simple, clean, and while it may not be my forever logo, for now I really love it. 

What do you think? 

Interested in seeing the other logos? Pop over to my Facebook Page where three of the four have now been launched! The fourth will be coming in the next little bit.

The Another Year of Books Celebration GRAND PRIZE CONTEST is begun!

Hey there!

The ANOTHER YEAR OF BOOKS GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY Contest is now under way.

As more donations toward the grand prize are gathered additional prize entry options may be added. 

Please Enter. Please Share. Join the Event Page on Facebook. 

And join us on event days for tons of fun, many chances to win during daily Fast Giveaways, meeting new authors and bloggers, and discovering tons of new books to read!

As Always - Happy Reading!

LD Ferris ~ aka Writer Mom

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Coming Back

When I started this particular blog I was writing a lot. Not always every day, but taking time a couple of days a week to put words to paper.

Then I really got into things and did start writing every day. Sometimes for several hours, sometimes only for a few minutes here and there, but every single day. That time was wonderful and honestly was one of the best writing periods of my life. 

And then I let life absorb me and I was hardly writing anything more than a grocery list for months and months on end. I barely read a book, I definitely didn't work on my novels or any other writing, and I gradually became more unhappy.  In time, some aspects of life turned around and though I became happier, I still wasn't writing.

As often happens, life changed again. And I was destroyed.

I became not just unhappy but miserable. I wasn't writing because I simply couldn't find the words. I was reading, some, but nothing new and everything was very dark, very depressing.  I holed up in my house, only leaving when necessary and stopped talking to all except a select few.

Weeks, and then months went by and I knew that I something had to give.  Nothing was going to change if I made no attempt to change it; if I gave no effort towards making a change.

So I focused on my kids, my family, and I made every effort to spend time with them. Took the extra steps to make that time special. I cleaned my house - going through boxes and bags that had been put into storage, getting rid of things we no longer needed and making sure to preserve special items.

I purposely sought out "happy" books to read, or maybe happier is a better description. And though my own words still wouldn't come, I signed up for and diligently worked to help promote the works of other authors.  I kept myself busy reading, reviewing, blogging and doing promo's for others, so that I didn't leave myself a lot of time to think about all that I'd lost.

Then one day I sat down at the computer and opened a new Word document, and the words just started pouring out.  Maybe the story idea had been percolating in my mind for awhile without me really even knowing, but suddenly the words were simply there.

A couple hours later I looked and I'd written over three thousand words.

It's been a few months since then and I've been writing my own words in fits and starts, and whenever I can. Sometimes it's a blog post, sometimes it's fan-fiction, and other times, the really good times, I work on my own stories.  Not always the same one but I'm writing again, and it's a beautiful feeling.  A wonderful feeling.  It's a feeling that I've missed for a long time.

That idea that came to me out of nowhere and slammed three thousand words onto the page, now sits at just under 20,000 words. The whole story has been planned out and my main objective over the next couple months is to finish it, and then to do whatever necessary to get it published.

This time, I'm not going to let anything get in my way. 

This time I won't give it up.

So Busy =)

LOL - So as the title of this post suggests, I've been so busy lately that I honestly haven't had time to do much of anything, especially not for writing.  In light of that for this week's post I'm merely going to share the links of some of my past posts here.  I know this is a lazy way of doing a post, and I promise that next week I'll have something new to say, but I just don't have the time right now to do more...


These posts span back over the last 3-4 months, so you may have seen them before but for those of you who are seeing them for the first time, and even if you're not, I hope you enjoy them!

So This is What I'm Doing

The "Where's" of My Writing

My Writing Soundtracks... Er, Playlists

Taking the Paranormal In To the Everyday

Making Time in a Busy Life

Working Through The Tough Spots

Thus Sprang Inspiration

I hope that from this list there is something that draws your interest, your eye, your opinion, and maybe even your imagination!  


Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you again next week!

#WW or #WWBH

Hello friends and writers!

I’m writing this brief note as a reminder to everyone that it’s again Wednesday and so the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop will be going on once again.  Take a trip over to The World of My Imagination to link up at some point this Wednesday (and over the days to follow) and you may just meet some new people, new writers, and new friends.

And if you’re on Twitter please use the #WW or #WWBH hashtags and spread the word to your followers!

You can follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/apalusa_light.

See you around!

Lacey

And don't forget that you can grab the WWBH button that is on the right-side of this page or the dancing Santa that Nicole has on her blog.

Working Through the Tough Spots

You’ve been working on a story for weeks, months, or even years.  It’s going great and though you began with a pretty clear-cut plan, you’ve been relatively happy to allow your characters and their story a bit of leeway to make some interesting plot turns.  Now you’ve hit that point in the story where you, as the writer, stumble.

Even though you know where you’re headed and the general path you intend to take, the words just aren’t coming.  You write, and write, and write, but when you review you’re nearly disgusted with what you read.  We’ve all been there.  We’ll all be there again sometime – maybe soon.

So how do you get through it?

I wish I could say that there was some simple method, an easy way to get over the hump.  The honest truth is that you just have to find something that will work for you and use it.  And you need to understand that what works one time, or for one person, may not work for another.

Generally that means that you just keep writing.  Good or bad, you need to get the words on the page; you can and will go back and edit, delete, revise, and even rewrite later.  The important thing here is just getting the words out.

Sometimes, and for some people, forcing the words out just doesn’t work.  In this case you may benefit most as a writer by going back to the beginning and (re)reading and editing the work you’ve already done.  As I said, you know exactly where you’re headed, taking the time to review where you’ve been won’t hurt.  And may in fact get those creative juices pumping again.

It could be that reviewing your own work may only make you feel more frustrated.  Then you’ve got a few other choices.  If you write a blog, work on a new post.  Tired of trying to write?  Try reading.  Whether it’s doing a critique read for a friend, picking up a new release at the bookstore or the library, or reacquainting yourself with an old favorite; reading someone else’s stories might just be that metaphorical nudge that helps to clear your mind and allows the words to start flowing anew.

The truth of the matter is that everybody is different, which is a pretty basic fact of life, so it makes sense that no two writers use exactly the same process when writing, none of us use the same methods when working through the tough spots.  So as I said at the start: find a method that works for you.  You’ll need to adjust and adapt as necessary, and always remember that just as your stories evolve from the initial idea that got the ball rolling, to the finished product you share with the world, your writing process is an ever-evolving thing as well.  You merely need to accept that things will never remain precisely the same each time through.

Sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it?

Making Time in a Busy Life

We all have busy lives and hectic schedules.  Maybe you work 40+ hours a week as a nurse, an accountant, a lawyer, or a teacher.  Or you may be a student with a full course load and a part-time job.  You could be a mom or a dad busy with bath-times, temper tantrums, school schedules, extra-curriculars, lunches, dinners, breakfasts and snacks.  You may even (most likely) be some combination of all of the above. 

Image by jjpacres via FlickrSo what does that mean for the time you’ve got to write?

Usually, if you’re human and not some mutant-type being that requires no food, rest or free-time, it means that if you truly want to write, you have to make the time to do so. 

It could mean that you’re writing during your lunch time. 

You may have to write in 15-minute stretches between classes or during study breaks.

Or maybe you have to take advantage of nap-times to sit down at the computer and write.  You could be that parent who is sitting with a notebook on your lap and scribbling ideas down as they come to you, while you’re watching the kids in gymnastics/skating/swimming lessons/etc.

The bottom line, no matter what you do or who you are, is that you’ve got to use the time that you can, take advantage of every moment that you can grasp and write.

I have three kids – 7-, 5-, and 3-years old.  The oldest is at school all day and the middle one is in doing half-days, while I (mostly) stay at home with the youngest.  They each do gymnastics, putting us at the club 3 days a week for their lessons.  The two younger ones also do skating lessons twice a week and the oldest started piano lessons this fall too.  On top of this I’m working part-time as well.  And that is just what we’ve got to do outside of the home – there are still of course all the regular chores, errands and tasks involved in caring for and taking care of a home and three kids.

So when do I write?

Honestly, whenever I can.  I keep a notebook in my purse with a pencil so that I can jot down ideas when I’m waiting for the kids at school or watching lessons.  I spend an hour or two in the morning on the computer checking e-mails, working on my blogs, ‘playing’ on Facebook and Twitter, and doing revisions and edits on my work.  And I spend an hour or so after I put the kids to bed most nights writing and working on my stories. 

Does this happen every single day? No.  Does this ‘schedule’ work every single time I use it? No.  Does it work more often than not? Absolutely.

We’re all busy people and we have to take that into account.  Very few of us, especially when we’re starting out, have the time or freedom to spend 8 hours each day writing and working on the computer.  But we all wish we could.  We all work toward the dream of being able to do just that.  Until then, all we can do is write when we can, and carve out as much time as we can manage.

So find the time that works for you, be happy writing and keep up the good work.

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And don't forget that it's Wednesday so we've got the Writer Wednesday Blog Hop going on!  To link up and hop click on the button to the right, and we'll see you around!

It's WWBH Time Again!

This post is just a quick update, and it’s going across the board to all my blogs…

It’s that time of the week again!

I’d have more to say but I’m super short on time this morning and I’m already crunched with writing and work.  So this is really just super quick-

Hello and Welcome to all Writer’s Wednesday Blog Hoppers!

And if you’re not part of the WWBH and would like to join us – you can enter your information on either Nicole’s page or Diane’s page, this week they are co-hosting so a special thanks goes to them!

See you around the hop!!

When It Rains...

Yesterday I was happy to discover that I'd been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.  It was one of those moments when have you blink a few times, just to check that what you're seeing is actually there.

So imagine my surprise when I stop by my blog for a quick check on things (I've become really weird about checking to see if people comment, so that I can respond if needed, and that type of thing) and discover that not only is there a new comment, but I've also been bestowed the marvelous honor of another blogger award.  

This time coming from Cassie Mae at Reading, Writing, and Lovin' It! I've been given the Liebster Award.

I can't say how grateful I am to receive these awards - as any blogger knows having something worth writing about is hardly half the battle, having someone to tell it to... that's the real challenge.  It's things like the Liebster and Versatile Blogger awards (and other awards of their ilk), blog hops and multimedia marketing (with Twitter, Facebook, and etc.) that help you gain the audience you need to make yourself heard.  Or read, I guess.  It is gratifying and humbling to know, to actually receive confirmation, that what you're writing is reaching someone else out there in the vast space of the blogosphere.  And honestly? Like any kind of commentation that writers/authors/bloggers receive - getting these awards only makes me want to write more.

So thank you Cassie Mae for paying forward the award (to see who I decide to pass the honor of the Liebster Award to, go to the Awards page - it'll be updated ASAP) and thank you for giving me another nudge on the shoulder, a pat on the back and a good word all in one.

It Has Begun

NaNoWriMo has officially begun…

As of 12:01am this morning, writers all over North America (and across the globe) heard the starters pistol, okay not really but stretch your imaginations with me here, and began the marathon-like trek to 50,000 words and November 30^th.  As I mentioned last week, I am participating in the event once again this year and once I’ve got my blog posts updated today I will be starting to work on my own writings.

I just want to send wishes of good luck to all this year’s participants and I hope that your ideas and stories will become all that you imagine.

Happy NaNo Writers!!

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And don’t forget tomorrow is again Wednesday, which once again gives us the Writer’s Wednesday Blog Hop.  Created by and originally hosted by Nicole from The World of My Imagination, the WWBH is a great opportunity for writers and bloggers to meet and interact with others just like them!  I’ll be around in a limited capacity this week (between NaNo and an extra work shift) but I will be participating as much as I can.  See you around the hop!

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And can I say a great big WOW? Just learned that Nicole awarded me with the Versatile Blogger Award... So thanks Nicole - you're awesome and I love you and your blog!!  You can all check out my newly created Awards page to find out just what I have to do for 'the prize!'

It's Wednesday Again... Did We Forget?

We didn't.

LOL!

So, since it's Wednesday, and since we didn't forget that means we've got some hopping to do!!

Do you want to join in on the Writer's Wednesday Blog Hop?  Would you like to meet some other writers and authors, both new and established, and find out what they're busy with, thinking about, writing about and blogging about right now? 

Then it's simple.  Really.

Go to The World of My Imagination and add your link to the blog hop roll.  It's fun and totally worth it if you're looking to network your talents, your work, your blog and if you're interested in finding other people who are looking for the same thing.

And before I even get going I want to thank Nicole (The World of My Imagination) for coming up with the idea, hosting and getting the ball rolling again this week.

You're Going to Want to Read This!

Please bare with me while I shamelessly plug my own work...
 

This here is just a little cross promotion of my writing that is posted on Becoming Dawn, the other writing blog that I run where I am Dawn McGlenn and writing fiction that is “here and now,” with none of the paranormal, fantasy or science-fiction bents that I live for when writing as LD Ferris.  (If you’re new and have no idea what I’m talking about then check out this post, where I discussed the stories that I’m currently working on as LDF or this post where I try to explain the Dawn vs. LD split personality.)

Image via WikipediaFor Halloween this year I wanted to write a themed story but when I finally managed to come up with an idea, it wasn’t a paranormal!  It was just a nice, if not slightly funny story about a group of teenagers excited about celebrating their last Halloween together before they 1) graduate high school, 2) go to college or university, and 3) have to grow up.  They’ve been friends since they were toddlers, and over the years Halloween has become the one ‘holiday’ that they’ve always spent together, no matter what.  So what happens when one of them, the ‘leader of the pack’ actually, makes plans to go away with her boyfriend and leave the rest of the group to their own devices, thus breaking tradition?  Is it a sign of what’s to come as their lives change after high school, or is it all…

Actually that might just give away something of the plot.  But I promise, even it’s not the most amazing, unique, and wonderfully written story that I ever publish, it’s still worth a read.  So… Check it out.

A Teen Halloween (part 1)

On an unrelated but also important issue, I want to thank Nicole from The World of My Imagination for starting the WritersWednesday Blog Hop.  As I mentioned last time, I participated this week (I wish I could say that I will do it each week, but life has a way of intruding sometimes…) and I really enjoyed checking out all the other blogs and sites that were part of the Hop.  It was a lot of fun and I started following a bunch of blogs that are witty, well written, informational and creative.  To everyone that I “met” during this weeks WWBH, this is just another shout out to you all – “You’re awesome!” – and to everyone from the Hop that stopped by here and figured that I was interesting enough to persuade you to follow me… I can only say this:

“Thank you.  I hope you’ll keep stopping by to see what I’m doing.  And I hope that I don’t bore you silly.”

And that’s it for today.  Now I’m going to go do some thing else…

Following the Hop!

I'm blog hopping today!  

The new "Writer Wednesday Blog Hop" is being hosted by Nicole on The World of My Imagination.  If you're a writer with a blog and would like to join in, or just someone who wants to check out what new, aspiring and established writers are blogging about, jump on over to Nicole's blog (just click that link), register your blog (if you've got one) and start hopping!  She's got all of the "rules" you'll need to know, right there.  Go Now... I know you want to!

Have an awesome Wednesday and I'll see you on the Hop!!

Taking the Paranormal in to the Everyday

           You wake up in the morning and it feels like you have balls of cotton shoved in your ears – you can hear, some sounds even seem amplified, but everything has that muffled quality that you’d hear through a door or wall.  When you pry your eyelids open the light is blinding to you, even as the gritt in your eyes rubs like sandpaper on the sensitive tissue.  You swallow and the burn is like a shot of potent alcohol.  You gasp, hoping to cool the burn but the cool air only cuts at your throat like a thousand tiny blades.  Realization hits you…

            You’re sick.

Image by Ivars Krutainis via Flickr

            Of course you are, but therein lies the amazing possibilities and wonderous range of what could be the cause of your pain and discomfort when (or if) you factor in a fantasy or paranormal angle to your story.  Maybe you’re waking up after being attacked by vampires.  Maybe you’re a witch who is experiencing the effects of a “magic hangover” after an overuse of power.  Or maybe you were the unfortunate victim of a Fright Demon (you know one of those terror inducing demons who literally live on the power of your fear, and particularly enjoy the sounds of your screams…)

            You add paranormal twists or a fantasy bent to your story and you create a world for yourself that literally (no pun intended) holds unending, limitless, fluidly imaginative possibilities.  You can go anywhere, be (or become) anyone, do nearly anything, and all because you’ve taken your character out of the ‘real’ world and placed them into a world of your own making.

            So where would you go, if you could go anywhere?  And where would you go, if you could go there in the blink of an eye?  Who would you be, or become, if you could take any identity you wanted with merely a wish?  If you could do anything, what would it be?  And through it all, would be acting for the good of your self, for the good of all, or to destroy everything in good in the world?  Would you be good or evil?

Getting Back In To Things

Surprise! Amazing I know, but yes… I’m back again with an update.  It’s probably going to be short but it’s an update. 

I’m trying to put all my blog updates onto a schedule this fall so that I don’t end up with one blog having updates all the time, while my other blogs stand lonely and, more or less, dead. If, and I really stress that if, things go according to what I’ve worked out for myself, then you should see at least one update a week here on Inside My Mind.  Actually you should see about an update a week on my reviews blog and my other writing blog too. 

[Me? I’m keeping my fingers crossed…]

About that other writing blog I mentioned… Becoming Dawn is a new blog that I’ve started that is going to showcase the contemporary writing that I plan to do – it may be romance, mystery, suspense or just plain old fiction (which, let’s be honest, includes all of the aforementioned aspects).  Because that writing will contrast somewhat sharply with what I generally write I’ve decided to write it (and publish) using a penname.  To see more on this, or to find out what I’ve got going in that direction please feel free to visit Becoming Dawn anytime.

For the writing that I talk about here and whatever I may showcase or spotlight here on Inside My Mind, I will continue to use Lacey Ferris, or LD Ferris.  It’s just easier for me to separate that which I write as fantastical from that which I write as reality if I ‘separate’ the authors’ identity.  Even if I and everyone else know that they are actually the same person.

So what did Lacey write this week?  Hhmm… She wrote this blog.  Which granted isn’t much but I’ve had kids going back to school, extra-curricular’s to organize and schedule, and started on a cleaning sweep through the house.  Exciting, huh?  LOL – I was sort of a boring but busy woman this last week, and everything that I was doing seemed to revolve around someone else.  This next week is mine though… right?

I am diving back in to The Gifted soon though.  So, realistically I should have another one or two character profiles that I could put up soon. (Click here to see the first of the character profiles for The Gifted.)  And I’ve been thinking of trying to scour through celeb pictures online to try and find faces that come close to what I’m seeing in my mind.  I haven’t decided whether I want to do that yet though because I’m always scared that I’ll slack at describing them because I’m thinking to myself ‘it’s the girl/guy in the picture.’

I’m still working on the edits for The Chosen too.  That story is by far the most done and closest to being complete.  It still has a ways to go but with a good 60,000 words I have it at that point where it’s comfortably uncomfortably waiting for me.  I’m going to have to turn my focus back to it soon though, I think, because I actually had another dream about my characters there and what they’re telling me now is something slightly different from how we began.  I’ll manage to straighten it out though, I always do.

And Immortals is merely waiting for me.  Once I get some more out of Gifted and Chosen though it’ll be full bore ahead on this one, especially since it was only meant to be novella length in the first place.  And yes, my immortals are growing as impatient with me as my witches and shape-shifters are. 

Can’t you hear them yelling?

“Hurry up and tell the bloody story Lacey!”

I guess I better listen.

Talk to you again soon… (next week if all goes according to my plan!)  

Tootles! Lacey :-)