New Work Released

If you have been following Pieces on Wattpad (or if you are thinking about doing it right now), there have been more pieces added to the collection. Enjoy 31-37, with more to come in the next two weeks.

And if you want exclusive content, you can always check out my Patreon page. While many of my posts are free to browse, you can get a lot of exclusive content by becoming a patron. There are still 10 spots left to get full access for just $1, but those spots will disappear before you know it!

August Has Arrived

It's August and it's scary close to being the end of the year already. How did that happen?!

As you may have already heard on one of many other platforms, I did get an acceptance for one of my pieces this week. However, when it came to checking the final manuscript for issues, I noticed that the publication left off the last line of my poem. I contacted them to correct the error. I haven't heard back. I have a hunch that it'll be fixed in time, but if it isn't... oh boy. That last line is the difference between the poem being a bit of happy-go-lucky imagery and it being a bit of social commentary, which was the original intention.

I'm also back to work nearly full time (as full time as a writer can spend on creative projects) on Pieces. You'll be seeing weekly exclusives on Patreon again as well as new posts to the project on Wattpad.

Medium has a few pieces that you can peruse, all poetry and short fiction for now, but I'm trying to talk myself into getting some creative nonfiction ready. I've published essays before, but they seem great in the moment, then I read them the next day and they are either flat and boring or skip around too many ideas that don't make it as cohesive as it could have been.

I have a choice between some essays already drafted about my personal experiences in the public education system or I could pivot and start a fresh essay on why I haven't and probably never will read the Harry Potter series. The education ones would have to be scrubbed of as many identifiers of other people as I can manage, but I lived in small communities my whole life and that just may not be entirely possible. And let's call the Harry Potter idea what it is--a bit of click bait, even if it's a solid piece of writing.

That's what is on my agenda for August. What will you be writing or reading this month?

Awkward...

The Professional Awkward

Yesterday was one of those odd days. First, I received a rejection letter for a job application. Huh?

I had already assumed that the company was not interested in me because more than two weeks had passed. That's the standard. It seems weird to get one, especially since the wording was that the job position had been closed, rather than saying it had been filled. Don't get me wrong, I'm used to rejection letters. I just didn't know that companies ever notified you when you didn't make it through the initial application process.

There was also encouragement to apply for positions at the company's other imprints -- this was for an editorial assistant position at an imprint in one of the large publishing companies. But I doubt that will get me anywhere. Though because of applying, I have been left with weekly emails for similar job listings. Maybe I'll try again, but if my resume doesn't change, I'm not too sure interest in my resume will change. I'm thinking even for an entry level job, there's going to be a who-you-know element. Time to network...

The Surprising Awkward

I've been spending what free time I have trying to finish up Here's Lucy because Hulu is going to expire it in a few days. It's been helpful in my research for my latest project, especially when it comes to fashion, but then I had to sit through this episode yesterday (awkward...)

The Not Awkward

The writing. The writing is fully grown and wildly confident--she left that awkward stage long ago. I've signed up for Medium and have started to upload some of my previously published pieces. "Second Shadow" is up right now, along with "Tuesday Morning Hangover." I'll be adding more in the coming weeks. Hopefully I will be able to get new pieces up soon.

I know I sing the Patreon song a lot, but if you are interested in getting a new poem from Pieces tomorrow, go ahead and sign up to get exclusive access.There will be a new piece up tomorrow, and more to come soon on Wattpad.

That's all for now. I'll be over here, working away and hoping the next great idea doesn't strike me just yet... I've got too much piled up for that!

News and Notes from the Writing Desk: July Edition

I'd love to say that there are tons of things to tell you all about this month, but all of the projects I'm working on are going very slow. I'm persisting with them all, but that doesn't make the frustration of it all go away. I don't know if it is the usual distractions or a lack of inspiration. Either way, I found myself rereading some of my published work--something I rarely do. I think I just needed to remind myself that I am capable of getting these things done, and I can find my way back to productivity.

Pieces

This is officially back on the agenda. New pieces should be available on Patreon next week, and once I get 23 and 24 written and edited, you'll get to see these new pieces on Wattpad.

Latest Project

The still untitled set in the 70s story is slowly chugging along. I've snapped out of the heavy research phase, but I'm still only managing about half a page a day.

Submissions

I sent out two more poetry submissions out this week. I wanted to get back to sending short stories out again, but every time I find a good place to submit, I'm finding reading fees. Unless I'm at least 75% confident that it will take my work AND that it is a paying publication, I won't pay. I will say 75% confidence in my own work standing out from the crowd is rare, but it has happened before. I have better things to do with that money, including writing contests and pro coverage for my pilot script... if I ever get back to that project.

News and Notes from the Writing Desk: May Edition

It's been a busy week on the submission front. This week brought a rejection, but it was more of a relief than a disappointment. It was one that had been held for months, so it frees up those pieces to go out again. Which is a good thing, because I don't do simultaneous subs, and I really wanted to send a specific piece out, and I forgot was still in the hands of this publication.

I would love to say that I have a new project for May like I was supposed to, but I focused on getting these subs out so I didn't start on one. I really wish I could choose a project and see it to the end, but this seems to be one of those months where I work on a different project each week. That's not a bad thing, it just means a slower rollout for any individual project. They will all get to the finish line, I promise.

So what's on the agenda for next week? Who knows! I'm trying to get myself to finish up my two public projects (Love Bites the Big Apple and Pieces), but that may take some more time because I seem to have hit a creative wall on those.

The Art of Deadlines

My Kindle Worlds titles are officially no longer available on Amazon. We all knew it was coming, but I didn't know that I would also be getting a parting ding to my author ranking to go along with it:

So with Kindle Worlds officially kaput, I've been thinking about all of my new projects in progress. My mind doesn't focus on characters or linger on plots twists, but delves into the business side of writing. The next project needs a good launch, so I have been considering giving myself a hard deadline to get it out. I always set deadlines for myself, but the thing with being a freelance writer working on your own projects is that all of your deadlines end up being soft. This is because you pick up a new client, you suddenly get swamped with one-time gigs, or you simply don't feel that your project is quite ready yet. And there's no one to hold you accountable for your deadlines--unless you announce them to the world.

I'm considering putting the next project on pre-order so that I have a hard deadline to meet. It also helps so I can work with all of the marketing options that could generate buzz, and so I know that I'm continuing to move forward with my career. The only question is: which project will it be? Right now it's a toss up between Pieces, which is being released in pieces (ha ha) on Patreon and Wattpad. Putting this project on pre-order for the ebook would give me a strong deadline to complete it, but the problem with this one is that I still don't know how long it will be. I always aim for 100 pages for a poetry project, so I still have awhile to go. And since this project was released for free, I would need to come up with some sort of additional value for grabbing the completed book other than the convenience of having it in one place.

I could also go with something totally new--maybe even something that I've never talked about before. I don't actually think I have a project I've never talked about, but you never know when inspiration will strike!

Still on the NaNo Road

It's never a good thing when you can say that you are thousands of words behind in your writing. Especially during November. But don't worry. Even though the goal is to hit 15,000 words tomorrow and I'm stuck hovering around 7000, I'll be able to get back on track. After all, Thursday night is one of my TV-free nights--not because I force myself not to watch it. There's just nothing good on. And what better way to use that time than to write, write, write. Or agonize for two hours about how I still don't have a title. Which ever one of those options strikes my fancy.

Between freelancing work (still have plenty of spots available for my Fiverr gigs), NaNo, and revising Melody's Valentine, I've probably neglected doing all of the promotional work I should be doing. Let's get that back on track: remember, all of my books are available through Amazon and most of the major book/ebook retailers worldwide. You can check out the full list of titles to see what you may be interested in. Might I suggest my Melody of Love Kindle Worlds series books #1 and #2 so you can be ready to read #3 in January? And please, if you read it and like it, don't forget to review it!

If you are looking for a little more, you can still sign up to get exclusive content at Patreon. This week I'm releasing the cover for Melody's Valentine, and next week you can get the first look at an excerpt from Pieces, my poetry collection that's debuting on Wattpad in 2018.

A Few Quick Updates

It's that time of year again -- NaNoWriMo is in full swing. Although I tried to get to that magic 1667 this morning, it didn't quite work out. A few other quick writing projects cut in line, but I'm planning on hitting the magic number before the day is done.

The other update: my Patreon page is now live! It's a new adventure for me, so I'm already expecting a few hiccups along the way. If you want to support it, I can tell you there are a few fun posts coming up. Some of the exclusive content being released to patrons in November includes a detailed update on Melody's Valentine, a cover reveal, a first look at an exclusive excerpt from Pieces (a new project for Wattpad coming in 2018) and an excerpt from this year's NaNoWriMo project.

Now I'm going to get back to that NaNo project. Happy Writing to all those participating this month!