As some of you know, I have been in a heck of a reading slump. I started a book at the end of January (2 months ago at the time of this writing) and I am not finished yet. This is pretty unusual for me but it's not the first time its happened.
I read all the time, and once every so often my desire to read wanes slightly and I find myself getting wrapped up in something else. It's usually for only a few weeks and then I'm back to devouring books as voraciously as ever before. I am currently in that state. I blame you, Hellfire!
I joined the Goodreads Reading Challenge this year, as I did last year. Last year I came out ahead of my goal which was pretty awesome. If you haven't guessed by now I am a bit of an over achiever. This year I knew I was going to be putting a lot of effort into writing so I backed down my commitment.
Thanks to this slump I'm currently 3 books behind on making my goal. This is a new state for me, I spent all of 2012 ahead of the game so I'm pretty sure Goodreads was worried. They were likely wondering if I had been kidnapped or if all my books had perished in a fire.
Well I didn't notice it until very recently but I started a different slump around the same time. I noticed that my writing was suffering as well.
I wasn't as motivated to write. When I would sit down I was distracted by Facebook and shoes and I noticed I was only getting about a page or two in a night when, before that, I was getting 5-10.
Not only did going to the Boston Author Event get me motivated to write again it got me reading again too. I wasn't worried about my desire to read coming back. I knew it would and I will still most likely end up ahead on my reading goal.
I have read countless interviews and how-to articles and books that all say if you want to be a good writer you have to be a reader.
And that really resonated with me. I did read a lot. So I didn't really give it a second thought when I started my slump. What I realized is that, for me, reading is a very important part of my writing process.
Some interviews of authors tell stories of alternating between reading books and writing. Others say that they have to read 20-30 pages of a book before each and every time they sit down to write.
I think I might be in the group that needs the latter. It really gets the creative juices flowing and gets me really excited to see how my story is going to play out on paper.
When my reading when on hiatus, so did my writing. Now that I have my motivation back to read I noticed the motivation to write is stronger and so is the caliber of my work.
So chalk this one up to lessons learned along the way!
Now I know.
What about you?
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
How I spent 2.5 hours on a cold Boston Saturday!
Thanks to a good friend I have been invited into a wonderful group of readers. This group of readers, who shall remain Anonymous, is a wonderful mix of authors, publishers, editors, and, of course, romance enthusiasts! They always seem to have their fingers on the pulse of anything book related and are always trying to get to book signings and conventions. If it weren't for this group I would not have been standing on a chilly sidewalk in Boston this past Saturday.
On Saturday March 16th the Boston Author Event was held at the Omni Parker House in, well, Boston. Thanks to my aforementioned friend, I was registered and shuttled down. I really had no idea what to expect so I was looking forward to it but I hadn't really thought much about it.
A lot of authors there were indie authors, and I have to say that I have not read a single book from any of them. I was not dissuaded by this, it didn't really matter that I hadn't read any of the authors there. I was excited that I was going to get a short afternoon away from the kids and be surrounded by other reading freaks (said with love, ladies)! I also thought it would be a great opportunity to hob knob with some people who have been where I am now and remind myself that they did it and so can I.
Amy, my friend, had registered us a while back. The event was going to be scheduled from noon to 4pm and we had an arrival time of 2pm. Amy and I have never done anything like this before. Yep, total noobs! We figured since they gave us an arrival time we should be able to get in either right at that time or pretty close to it.
Amy picked me up at 1 and off we went! We were both giddy about our upcoming adventure. We chatted happily on the way down and Amy was giving me the run down of what she planned to accomplish while she was there. She had to deliver wax (she sells Sentsy) to one author, she had a bottle of wine for another, she wanted to finally meet one of the authors she beta read for and pick up a book she had pre-ordered from yet another. This was all not counting the few other books she had with her to be signed by authors planning to attend. She was like the ever prepared boy scout heading out into the wilderness to survive on her know-how and gumption. Me, I felt like the slacker kid who shows up to the camping trip wearing all the wrong clothes and without the proper supplies.
It was ok. I just told myself, and Amy, that I was going to ride her wave and be happy for the experience.
Oh boy, did that pay off for me.
Just before 2pm I am navigating Amy toward the Omni Parker House and we lucked out and found a parking garage pretty close to where we were supposed enter reader heaven!
We pulled into the parking garage and hopped out. I hoisted my purse up onto my shoulder, Amy did the same. Then she hauled out her boy scout preparedness supplies, aka the tote bag full of stuff she brought with her. OH and did I mention that the tote bag was actually from the event itself? For our convenience there was a list of all the authors present at the event printed in a lovely teal color right under Amy's elbow!
We move into the elevator, the excitement building. We thought we were going to have to walk a few blocks to get where we needed to be. I started punching in the address in my phone to get the walking directions. We picked a door to walk out of a very opulent looking lobby. As soon as we walk out the door we can see the Omni Parker House. It was across the street! We couldn't have found better parking if we tried!
That was the good news, the bad news was, the line was stretched all the way down the block and around the corner. Amy and I looked at each other. It was going to be quite a wait. We should have come much, much earlier.
As we were walking down the line Amy spotted a few friends of hers from the group. After a quick chat we felt we had better take our place in line if we had any hope of getting in!
We quickly discovered that the line queued up next to the Beantown Pub. That's right, an Irish Pub... on Saturday... March 16th... In Boston!
At least we were thoroughly entertained by the endless amount of people walking by in green clothes, orange wigs, funny hats, headbands, glasses and any other St. Patrick's Day novelties you can think off. Most of the wearers of all this regalia were heavily intoxicated. I could probably write an entire blog entry on just what we saw and heard but I won't. If you really want to know, ask. :-)
As we stood in line and realized there was a distinct possibility that we may not get in to see anyone, we were starting to come up with a Plan B. This plan mostly consisted of joining the celebrations at one of the dozen or so Irish Pubs we passed on our way in. We started to do something that I have heard many people say happens when waiting in line for things like this. We stuck up a conversation with 2 ladies standing in line behind us.
I have read blogs of people who attend conventions of all kinds and have even heard from some of my convention going friends that the excitement and shared love of the same thing spark heartfelt discussions and quick friendships. I have never really experienced anything like this.
After some time the duo behind us was joined by a third. We found out that 2 of the ladies were budding authors. One, Mina Vaughn, has a book coming out in August. Another, Daisy Prescott, was in edit for her book and the third, Traci Olsen, works for a romance publishing company!
Here I was standing in line waiting to meet authors and other people in the book writing world and I was lucky enough to be standing right next to a few in line.
We had some wonderful conversations and even spanned topics like cosplay and videogames, though I'm sure Amy wasn't so excited about those. :-)
We shared some writing stories, I learned what a Geoduck was, we all offered to shoo event squatters away if any of the ladies were signing books at an event, and we all struggled to stay warm standing in a man made windtunnel.
The afternoon started to get late and some of the organizers of the event started walking the line asking if people were interested in seeing just one or two of the authors. Worrying that we may not be able to get in at all if we didn't take this offer I let Amy pick two authors off her tote and jumped at the next opportunity to get in.
We found out that we would be escorted in, we would see the 2 authors we picked and then we would be walked right back out again. They were having a hard time with occupancy maximums, excited attendees hanging around and organizers who were a little too nice to shoo people along. Pair all of that with a larger number of attendees than planned for and you have a recipe for long lines and long waits.
Amy was able to see almost everyone she wanted to see. She didn't meet the author she bought the wine for, but don't worry, we didn't let it go to waste! After waiting in line for 2.5 hours we were really only inside for about 10 minutes.
Please don't take anything I say the wrong way. I had a blast! I now know what people talk about when they say they spent hours sitting in line but had the best time! It really has to do with the people you end up next to in line.
We also had some lessons learned. Next time we will be earlier to get in line, we'll bring more line provisions like snacks and extra mittens, and we will be sure to strike up conversations with those around us in hopes of meeting people just as great as the ones we met in line this year.
Amy, thanks for taking me along on your adventure! I had so much fun. To the ladies I met in line, I wish you all the best of luck and I hope we continue to stay in contact. I want to read all your books or pre-read anything that you're willing to float out there!
To the organizers of the Boston Author Event. Great job getting the authors in town and letting us all know about it. I'll see you next year! And next time I'll be sure to read books from a few of the authors.
Scouts honor!
On Saturday March 16th the Boston Author Event was held at the Omni Parker House in, well, Boston. Thanks to my aforementioned friend, I was registered and shuttled down. I really had no idea what to expect so I was looking forward to it but I hadn't really thought much about it.
A lot of authors there were indie authors, and I have to say that I have not read a single book from any of them. I was not dissuaded by this, it didn't really matter that I hadn't read any of the authors there. I was excited that I was going to get a short afternoon away from the kids and be surrounded by other reading freaks (said with love, ladies)! I also thought it would be a great opportunity to hob knob with some people who have been where I am now and remind myself that they did it and so can I.
Amy, my friend, had registered us a while back. The event was going to be scheduled from noon to 4pm and we had an arrival time of 2pm. Amy and I have never done anything like this before. Yep, total noobs! We figured since they gave us an arrival time we should be able to get in either right at that time or pretty close to it.
Amy picked me up at 1 and off we went! We were both giddy about our upcoming adventure. We chatted happily on the way down and Amy was giving me the run down of what she planned to accomplish while she was there. She had to deliver wax (she sells Sentsy) to one author, she had a bottle of wine for another, she wanted to finally meet one of the authors she beta read for and pick up a book she had pre-ordered from yet another. This was all not counting the few other books she had with her to be signed by authors planning to attend. She was like the ever prepared boy scout heading out into the wilderness to survive on her know-how and gumption. Me, I felt like the slacker kid who shows up to the camping trip wearing all the wrong clothes and without the proper supplies.
It was ok. I just told myself, and Amy, that I was going to ride her wave and be happy for the experience.
Oh boy, did that pay off for me.
Just before 2pm I am navigating Amy toward the Omni Parker House and we lucked out and found a parking garage pretty close to where we were supposed enter reader heaven!
We pulled into the parking garage and hopped out. I hoisted my purse up onto my shoulder, Amy did the same. Then she hauled out her boy scout preparedness supplies, aka the tote bag full of stuff she brought with her. OH and did I mention that the tote bag was actually from the event itself? For our convenience there was a list of all the authors present at the event printed in a lovely teal color right under Amy's elbow!
We move into the elevator, the excitement building. We thought we were going to have to walk a few blocks to get where we needed to be. I started punching in the address in my phone to get the walking directions. We picked a door to walk out of a very opulent looking lobby. As soon as we walk out the door we can see the Omni Parker House. It was across the street! We couldn't have found better parking if we tried!
That was the good news, the bad news was, the line was stretched all the way down the block and around the corner. Amy and I looked at each other. It was going to be quite a wait. We should have come much, much earlier.
As we were walking down the line Amy spotted a few friends of hers from the group. After a quick chat we felt we had better take our place in line if we had any hope of getting in!
We quickly discovered that the line queued up next to the Beantown Pub. That's right, an Irish Pub... on Saturday... March 16th... In Boston!
At least we were thoroughly entertained by the endless amount of people walking by in green clothes, orange wigs, funny hats, headbands, glasses and any other St. Patrick's Day novelties you can think off. Most of the wearers of all this regalia were heavily intoxicated. I could probably write an entire blog entry on just what we saw and heard but I won't. If you really want to know, ask. :-)
As we stood in line and realized there was a distinct possibility that we may not get in to see anyone, we were starting to come up with a Plan B. This plan mostly consisted of joining the celebrations at one of the dozen or so Irish Pubs we passed on our way in. We started to do something that I have heard many people say happens when waiting in line for things like this. We stuck up a conversation with 2 ladies standing in line behind us.
I have read blogs of people who attend conventions of all kinds and have even heard from some of my convention going friends that the excitement and shared love of the same thing spark heartfelt discussions and quick friendships. I have never really experienced anything like this.
After some time the duo behind us was joined by a third. We found out that 2 of the ladies were budding authors. One, Mina Vaughn, has a book coming out in August. Another, Daisy Prescott, was in edit for her book and the third, Traci Olsen, works for a romance publishing company!
Here I was standing in line waiting to meet authors and other people in the book writing world and I was lucky enough to be standing right next to a few in line.
We had some wonderful conversations and even spanned topics like cosplay and videogames, though I'm sure Amy wasn't so excited about those. :-)
We shared some writing stories, I learned what a Geoduck was, we all offered to shoo event squatters away if any of the ladies were signing books at an event, and we all struggled to stay warm standing in a man made windtunnel.
The afternoon started to get late and some of the organizers of the event started walking the line asking if people were interested in seeing just one or two of the authors. Worrying that we may not be able to get in at all if we didn't take this offer I let Amy pick two authors off her tote and jumped at the next opportunity to get in.
We found out that we would be escorted in, we would see the 2 authors we picked and then we would be walked right back out again. They were having a hard time with occupancy maximums, excited attendees hanging around and organizers who were a little too nice to shoo people along. Pair all of that with a larger number of attendees than planned for and you have a recipe for long lines and long waits.
Amy was able to see almost everyone she wanted to see. She didn't meet the author she bought the wine for, but don't worry, we didn't let it go to waste! After waiting in line for 2.5 hours we were really only inside for about 10 minutes.
Please don't take anything I say the wrong way. I had a blast! I now know what people talk about when they say they spent hours sitting in line but had the best time! It really has to do with the people you end up next to in line.
We also had some lessons learned. Next time we will be earlier to get in line, we'll bring more line provisions like snacks and extra mittens, and we will be sure to strike up conversations with those around us in hopes of meeting people just as great as the ones we met in line this year.
Amy, thanks for taking me along on your adventure! I had so much fun. To the ladies I met in line, I wish you all the best of luck and I hope we continue to stay in contact. I want to read all your books or pre-read anything that you're willing to float out there!
To the organizers of the Boston Author Event. Great job getting the authors in town and letting us all know about it. I'll see you next year! And next time I'll be sure to read books from a few of the authors.
Scouts honor!
Monday, March 4, 2013
The Adventures of the Disillusioned Learner and his sidekick Crap Writing
Whenever we make up our mind to do something, we want to be good at it. Yes? No one sets out with the goal to be lackluster. No, we get excited about the new adventure. We dream about what it be like when we master the task and become, dare I say, proficient!
According to a leadership training seminar I was in a few years back a person in this stage is known as a Enthusiastic Beginner.
This person is all starry-eyed and full of visions of a successful venture into whatever they have chosen to do. They are excited. This is something they very much want to do. They're not thinking about all that it's going to take to accomplish their goals. They're not thinking about the challenges ahead. They are most likely aware that there will be challenges and even hard work ahead but they don't want to think in specifics. All they care about is taking that first step on the road to being successful.
It's only after they start and they hit that first bump that the road starts to look a lot longer and full of more potholes than they ever imagined. They start to realize that they are not going to be as good at this as they thought. This is going to take some real work and lot of time to become good.
This stage is known as the Disillusioned Learner. They have just enough of a taste of what the task entails and a better understanding of what it's going to take to get to the end where they are successful in whatever they set out to do.
Everyone of us has experienced this. In college I found this to be true when I decided to take up snowboarding. I went to school at the foot of the White Mountains of NH. I was 30 minutes or less from some of the best skiing in the Northeast. My friends, roommates, and even my boyfriend was doing it. I might as well give it a try.
I had visions of myself swooshing down the mountain, the wind blowing through... well, nothing I hate the cold so I was going to be bundled up pretty well. I was going to be able to engage in an activity that my friends were doing and loved and I would get to share this with them.
I think we all know where this is going... My first day out I ended up butt down in a hole off to the side of the trail. It was full of water and worse yet, my feet, both still firmly attached to the snowboard, were up over my head. Thank goodness I was 21, I spent the rest of that afternoon in the bar.
It was as my boyfriend's roommate was pulling me out of that hole (Think of a someone being stuffed in a trashcan with their feet and head sticking out of the top) I realized that it was not going to be as good at this as I thought I was going to be.
As I predicted it would, the same happened to me while I was writing.
I knew it was going to come. I think it was part of the reason why I put off writing for so long. I wasn't sure I was going to be good at it. I didn't know if I could actually do it. I hate not being good at things and I hate failing.... Seriously.
It happened two weeks ago. A moment I was looking forward to for some time had finally arrived. My two main characters, the focal point of my whole story, were going to be in the same place at the same time and actually, *gasp*, talk to each other!
I sat down knowing what I wanted to convey to the readers. I made them wait this long to get the two of them on the same page, literally. The problem was I didn't know from whose point of view I should be writing. This derailed me. I went into a bit of a tailspin. I couldn't concentrate. I ended up spending the most of my writing night on Facebook (lots of shoes to look at).
I finally picked a POV and just went with it. I think I picked the right one but I couldn't stay focused. I only ended up writing about 200 words that night when I had been averaging about 4 times that per writing night.
As I wrote my 200 words I realized something awful. This is the first time they are supposed to meet. It's supposed to be intense, its supposed to be sizzling, its supposed to be.... interesting. It was none of these things. It was reading like two people chatting at a bus stop, and this is NOT a bus stop!
After that, I was really demotivated. I found it hard to get back into writing. I even skipped my writing night last week. I know. One of the rules is even if you don't feel like writing you should just write anyway.
And to top all this off, I'm in a pretty bad reading slump so I couldn't get motivated that way either.
I found my motivation again when it occurred to me how I could fix my scene. While I was washing my hair of all places...
So I would like to introduce myself. Hi, my name is Jessica and I'm a disillusioned learning at writing.
I would add snowboarding too, but I think you actually have to be doing it to count yourself a learner.
I gave up on snowboarding. Ultimately I think it was because my heart just wasn't in it. I spent a year after that incident with the "puddle" trying to get better but I didn't get far. The very last time I ever went I was able to get off the chair lift without falling down. I figured what a way to go out!
I don't want to let writing follow down the snowboarding path. I actually care about becomimg good at this.
I keep reminding myself that I'm new at this and I should cut myself some slack. But I can't cut myself so much slack that I'm not doing it anymore either.
The only way I'm going to get better is with practice. A LOT of practice.
According to a leadership training seminar I was in a few years back a person in this stage is known as a Enthusiastic Beginner.
This person is all starry-eyed and full of visions of a successful venture into whatever they have chosen to do. They are excited. This is something they very much want to do. They're not thinking about all that it's going to take to accomplish their goals. They're not thinking about the challenges ahead. They are most likely aware that there will be challenges and even hard work ahead but they don't want to think in specifics. All they care about is taking that first step on the road to being successful.
It's only after they start and they hit that first bump that the road starts to look a lot longer and full of more potholes than they ever imagined. They start to realize that they are not going to be as good at this as they thought. This is going to take some real work and lot of time to become good.
This stage is known as the Disillusioned Learner. They have just enough of a taste of what the task entails and a better understanding of what it's going to take to get to the end where they are successful in whatever they set out to do.
Everyone of us has experienced this. In college I found this to be true when I decided to take up snowboarding. I went to school at the foot of the White Mountains of NH. I was 30 minutes or less from some of the best skiing in the Northeast. My friends, roommates, and even my boyfriend was doing it. I might as well give it a try.
I had visions of myself swooshing down the mountain, the wind blowing through... well, nothing I hate the cold so I was going to be bundled up pretty well. I was going to be able to engage in an activity that my friends were doing and loved and I would get to share this with them.
I think we all know where this is going... My first day out I ended up butt down in a hole off to the side of the trail. It was full of water and worse yet, my feet, both still firmly attached to the snowboard, were up over my head. Thank goodness I was 21, I spent the rest of that afternoon in the bar.
It was as my boyfriend's roommate was pulling me out of that hole (Think of a someone being stuffed in a trashcan with their feet and head sticking out of the top) I realized that it was not going to be as good at this as I thought I was going to be.
As I predicted it would, the same happened to me while I was writing.
I knew it was going to come. I think it was part of the reason why I put off writing for so long. I wasn't sure I was going to be good at it. I didn't know if I could actually do it. I hate not being good at things and I hate failing.... Seriously.
It happened two weeks ago. A moment I was looking forward to for some time had finally arrived. My two main characters, the focal point of my whole story, were going to be in the same place at the same time and actually, *gasp*, talk to each other!
I sat down knowing what I wanted to convey to the readers. I made them wait this long to get the two of them on the same page, literally. The problem was I didn't know from whose point of view I should be writing. This derailed me. I went into a bit of a tailspin. I couldn't concentrate. I ended up spending the most of my writing night on Facebook (lots of shoes to look at).
I finally picked a POV and just went with it. I think I picked the right one but I couldn't stay focused. I only ended up writing about 200 words that night when I had been averaging about 4 times that per writing night.
As I wrote my 200 words I realized something awful. This is the first time they are supposed to meet. It's supposed to be intense, its supposed to be sizzling, its supposed to be.... interesting. It was none of these things. It was reading like two people chatting at a bus stop, and this is NOT a bus stop!
After that, I was really demotivated. I found it hard to get back into writing. I even skipped my writing night last week. I know. One of the rules is even if you don't feel like writing you should just write anyway.
And to top all this off, I'm in a pretty bad reading slump so I couldn't get motivated that way either.
I found my motivation again when it occurred to me how I could fix my scene. While I was washing my hair of all places...
So I would like to introduce myself. Hi, my name is Jessica and I'm a disillusioned learning at writing.
I would add snowboarding too, but I think you actually have to be doing it to count yourself a learner.
I gave up on snowboarding. Ultimately I think it was because my heart just wasn't in it. I spent a year after that incident with the "puddle" trying to get better but I didn't get far. The very last time I ever went I was able to get off the chair lift without falling down. I figured what a way to go out!
I don't want to let writing follow down the snowboarding path. I actually care about becomimg good at this.
I keep reminding myself that I'm new at this and I should cut myself some slack. But I can't cut myself so much slack that I'm not doing it anymore either.
The only way I'm going to get better is with practice. A LOT of practice.
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