Clayton's Conference & Other Things

I know it may seem like I've been AWOL but I can assure you I've been busy. Busy working on getting things organized for the RWAustralia Clayton's Conference. It is shaping up to be a big one this year. We have writing challenges organised and we're going to have an awards night on the Saturday to coincided with the National Awards night. Rhian Cahill is helping out again plus we have our other partner in crime Diane Curran, how lucky am I?

Now I do have other news, my short story 'Robin and His Merry Maids' will be released in the Kiwi Writers Challenge Collection shortly. Very excited about that one.

I'm still editing, think I'll be doing that for a few months. Not sure if I'll be finished the editing in time to start a new story for NaNoWriMo this year, but I'm thinking if I want to get into the submitting thing, I'd better get the editing sorted.

What do you think of my new header? Yes I've had a do over with my blogs and Website I like this one, it's simple.

Right now, I'm off to bed, seeing it is 1 am. Catch ya next time.
Sandie

Frantic Friday

Now where the hell did this last week go? And the month for that matter. Is it just me or is time going faster now I'm older? I am quite pleased with myself today, I had another good day on the writing front, 4,752 words for the day so far, and I have reached my target goal of 20k for the month. (See my new challenge winners logo way cool hey). So YAY me. 'The Godmother's Wish' total 20,111 words.

I'm not sure if I'll get much more done today but I really would like to have 'The Godmother's Wish' finished by tomorrow. That way I can go back to working on my editing. Let's face it I have more than enough of that to do. i am even going to convince some other person that bugs me from time to time to do some editing. (Wish me luck with that one).

I'm going to be doing a Writer's Bootcamp with two writing buddies of mine Monique Wood and Anita/Ellanora Joy (we are going to have heaps of fun and of course learn even more) anyway we are doing this in February over two Saturdays.

For now I think I'll try to do a bit more writing and see how I go until hubby comes in for dinner. Fish with crab and prawns sauce is on the menu tonight, he should enjoy that as a meal.

See ya tomorrow with my Sexy Saturday inspiration.

Sandie

I've Been Busy, Honest

Now I don’t want you thinking I haven’t been busy. I have, I’ve been very busy writing, editing, doing a few critiques and that has all been in the last two days. Yes, up until two days ago I’d been plodding along, coasting in a world of my own. Just doing a little writing here, a little editing there, but nothing solid, nothing in the volume that I needed to doing. Yesterday I did some word sprints with a few girls for the US and I have to say it was just the kick in the pants that I needed. I wrote over 3,000 words on one novel and edited a few pages of another.

Today I’ve edited a full chapter of one novel, critiqued two chapters for other people and written 1,500 words. I’m hoping to add to that later tonight.

Last weekend I went to a horse show with my hubby. It wasn’t a bad weekend; the horses settled in okay to their stables, ate and drank well which is always a bonus when you go away from home. Hubby won a couple of events and placed in others, so over all he was happy. The only down side was that I’d signed on to do a challenge to write 2,000 words in a genre I don’t normally write. Thinking I’d have heaps of time while hubby was off riding or chatting I was sure I’d shoe it in. Wrong, time got away from me; because, of course I had to go and watch him ride, take a few photos and video a couple of events. So instead of writing 2,000 words I came home with 100 and something. I decided I’d write in first person, an interesting exercise. This also caught me up a bit. But never the less Sunday night I sat down and wrote the rest of my story finishing at 10.45pm. I was quite pleased with myself. Sure that my slump had passed and I would be once again on a roll, I woke Monday morning feeling like I’d been tackled by a forward pack. Every bone in my body ached, I had headaches, earaches you name it I had it. But that is now all behind me. I’m back in my groove, ready to take on the world. Write up a storm. Blaze my way to publication.

What else have I been up to of late? Oh RC and I are running this year’s Clayton’s Conference for RWAustraila. That should be interesting. They have no idea what they have let themselves in for, Hehehe. We also have our own group at yahoo Romance In All Its Flavors here’s the link;
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Romance_In_All_Its_Flavors/
It’s a jointly owned group between Rhian Cahill, Diane Curran, Rachel Charlton, Mari Carr and me. We are just in our early stages at the moment. RC is flat out in edit mode and you already know what I’ve been up to. Diane is off at Byron Bay this weekend; she has just finished her novel she was working on during the 50/30. Mari has a few excerpts of her writing up on the site, if you’re interested in having a read.

Okay I need to go if I am going to get some writing done. I’ll catch up with you all later. I really need to do an interview with a couple of my heroes and post on my Hero Blog, or find some more yummy pictures. LOL. May be I’ll do both. So I couldn't wait, he is yummy, isn't he.

See ya

Sandie

Hit A Brick Wall

Here I was writing away, enjoying my stories, jumping from one to another everyone doing what they were suppose to do. Well everyone except their pair on the kitchen table (but that story really belongs to Sandra Carrington). So I’m writing, getting the words on paper or computer or both when WHAM BAM I hit the wall, SPLAT I hit the ground, and that is where I have been for the last couple of days. Yesterday I read over some of my work and decided I hated it all. So I shut the file down and ignored the urge to re-open it and write something, anything. No that would be a mistake.

So I’m taking a week off, well five days really. It’s school holidays here in NSW, I have my grandson for a few days again this week so I think I’ll spend the time with him, painting, walking and cooking. We can make a lot of mess cooking and painting for that matter. Then come the weekend I’ll write again, I’ve entered another challenge over at Kiwi Writers, this is 2,000 in two or three days and you have to write about something you don’t normally write about. If I can get over, through or around this brick wall, I’m going to write my opening to a book I want to write about my Mum and Auntie Mary.

They are writing down their memories about their childhood. It was an exercise I set my Mum to keep her thinking and give her something to do with her time other than just watch the television. I told her if she wrote down all she could remember about her childhood I’d write a book about it. I love listening to the pair of them talking about their lives, the hardship they went through, yet they had a great family life. They were close, and still are today. Two grey haired old ladies who are thankful they have each other still and can share so much. I’ll keep you posted on my story about them.