Clayton's Conference and Other Things

Heaven’s has it been that long since I did a post. What a slack butt I am. I’ve been busy with writing, editing and family. Plus RC and I ran this year’s Clayton’s Conference. That was a lot of fun we had some great workshops and chats. The feedback was positive which was a relief; it’s always hard to take on a project someone else has worked on for a number of years. So when Julie-Ann asked if I would be willing to run this years Clayton's I was a little nervous, but thought "If I don't give it a go I'd kick myself." Of course then I asked RC if she wanted to come play as well. Thank you Julie-Ann for allowing us to watch over your baby this year.

We had a ‘Novella Workshops’ by Shiloh Walker, ‘Ask the Author Anything’ with the talented Allison Rushby very interesting. It was wonderful of Allison to take time away from her family to chat with us. RC did a workshop on ‘Sensory Overload’, that had us all thinking and was a great lead into Sunday evening. Laney Cairo’s “Mechanical Sex’ was fantastic; we had a great time over all.

I’d like to take the time to thank all our sponsors for donation of their time and prizes, without these people the weekend would not have been such a great success. I hope you’ll go and visit their sites (just click on their names) and learn a little about these talented women. Allison Rushby, multi-published author of Adult and Young Adult. Anna Campbell , author of dark, sexy regency historical romance. Anne Whitfield, multi-published author of historical and contemporary romance. Annie West, Annie writes, Presents and Modern romance. Elisabeth Rose, has her second novel with Avalon due for release in October. Janet Woods, Janet’s 22nd novel will be published in 2009. Laney Cairo, is a multi-published author of erotic romance. N.J. Walters, has over 30 novels published in romance and erotic romance. Rhian Cahill, now this is an author’s name to remember, Rhian writes erotic romance and it is only a matter of time before she hits it big. Shiloh Walker, Shiloh is a multi-published author with Berkley, Ellora's Cave and Samhain Publishing.


I have some great news from the Melbourne conference. Diane Curran got a request for a partial how cool is that? Go over to Diane’s blog and have a look. There were a few girls that got ‘The Call’ or request for partial’s or full manuscripts. Congratulations to all.


My writing is coming along slowly at the moment. Had four more ideas jump into my head the other day. I’ve jotted them down and I’m trying very hard to stop them from moving into the ‘Head City Motel’ I really need to empty some rooms up there.


I also did a couple of on line workshops, they were fun. One was about time management. Let’s face it; I need to get into a route. The fact that I haven’t posted here for so long is a sure sign of that let alone my other blogs. As for Facebook, well lord only knows how many applications I’ll have over there. But now I have my trusty time manage techniques and I’ll be able to do all the things I need to do and a well organised manner. (She’s says crossing her fingers).


I have a new challenge coming up soon. ‘From Start to Published’ yep, this is a big one. Twelve months, twelve months to write edit and submit a novel. Okay I have a few I’m working on now to get ready to submit and enter a few contests. But the one for FSTP is my historical novel. The research that I’ve been doing, oh and the cool sites I’ve been playing at, I’ve had a blast. Come November 1, I’ll be ready to rock and roll with my novel, I hope.


Alright I need to go and get some housework done so I can get back into my writing. I have contests to enter, query letters to send off and manuscripts to research, start, finish or edit. The life or a writer is never done. When one motel door closes another opens.

Hugs
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.

The end is here, yes 50ks In 30 Days has come to an end. What a wonderful month with have had. We started with the month with 51 challengers and ended with 46 either completing the challenge or at least getting some great word totals. Everyone has said that they have enjoyed the month and have never written so many words in a month before.

RC, you know Rachel C/Rhian is hoping to reach 100k. I’ve decided to call her Queen of the Bionic Fingers. She has had an amazing month. The last couple of days we have seen a lot of the girls make the sprint home, a few had not been sure at the start of the month if they would make it to the 50k, but true to the Aussie sprite they continued on. Other just had the whole universe fighting against them and no matter what they did event from the real world just would not leave them alone. Yet they continued, continued writing determined to at least work towards a personal best.

So what was my final total? Well that would be 75,080. I now have three novels of 50k to edit as well as two of 15k. So July is looking at being another busy month, I’m thinking this editing may roll over into August which is fine, as long as at the end I have something that will be worthwhile submitting.

Well that’s me for another challenge. I have a few BIAW coming up, but other than that life may be a little slower. WOOHOO won’t that be nice.

Hugs
Sandie

I've Been Slack Again

I've been so slack this week, it's as if I reached my target and that's it. I really wanted to have at least one more of my WIP's finished, but my hero and heroine have gone off to places unknown. They were last noted as having sex on her kitchen table. I guess this is what happens when you leave your character doing the horizontal tango for too long. Anyway I have found a couple of other willing couples ready to play.

One is a new work altogether, yeah I know like I NEED A NEW WIP. It's like got two finished and move out (or at least into a new area of the Brain Motel) and more move in to take their place. The second one I'm working on is one I've done a little bit with and they shouted the loudest so got moved up a couple of spots. I'm hoping against hope that I may be able to make these two novellas rather than novels. I'd like to have a go at writing a 'Spice Briefs',so I'll see how I go word wise, I tend to go waaaaaaaaaay over.

I've also been trying to organize my work area, you know try and keep it in some sort of order. At least I can now sit at my computer and not have piles of folders and books falling all over me.

I'm off to write some more.

Hugs

Sandie

I Reached My Target, But Not My Goal

I reached my target today, just not my goal. Well kind of, sorta I did. I finished the novel I was working on this passed week, but I didn’t get to the 50,000 words with it. I know when I edit it I’ll get there but at the moment I just really do not want to go back and add anything yet. The biggest thing with the story is that I started it almost two years ago, my writing has changed, I think, no I believe I have grown as a writer so there will be a lot of changes. Anyway with finishing that one up and doing a bit more to a couple of other WIP’s I reached my target of 50,000 words for the month. So YAYA me. I haven’t told the girls at 50/30 yet, I’ll do that tomorrow. I really didn’t think I’d get any writing done today but just plodding along I got there. I still have a couple more WIP's to work on before the end of the month, so I might get my goal yet.


I’m hoping to be able to see my chiropractor tomorrow. I pulled something in my back or shoulder the other day when I was doing some housework, dangerous occupation housework. Anyway if I sit for too long typing it gives me curry. So on that note, I’m going to say goodnight. Yes it’s night time here in the wonderful land of Oz. Happy writing.

Hugs
Sandie

Two Weeks Down, Two To Go

We are at the end of week two for the ‘50ks In 30 Days’ challenge. I’m on 44,104 words for the challenge and almost finished the second WIP I wanted finished. I had hoped to have it finished today but with two days out with my saggy middle and my daughter and grandson staying with us tonight I didn’t quite make it.

Tomorrow I’m off to the movies with my grandson to see ‘Speed Racer’, the horse show we were supposed to go to has been cancelled due to the forecast of rain. So it is movies in the morning for me, then writing in the afternoon. Hopefully I’ll be able to get the last 5,896 words done to finish this story so I can get to work on the next one.

The next story is my erotic romance. I’m at 30,248 words for it so only have another 19,752 to go. If I can get this one finished this month as well that will give me four full MS’s to edit in July. Of course if I get my finger out and finish this one in the week, I still have another eight I can work on. This will be good practice for me and November with NaNoWriMo, I plan to write an Historical romance, they are normally 70,000 to 100,000+ words, if I can write at this speed in November I just may get my Historical finished or very close to finished.

I’ve been giving some thought to some of my current WIP’s and I may change a couple to novellas. I’ll see how I go, last time I tried writing a novella it turned into a novel. So maybe if I try for a novel it may turn into a novella. Yes I know its Irish but I know what I mean.

Anyway I’m off to bed. I happy I got to do at least a little writing tonight. I have to be up early in the morning ready for my movie adventure and if I’m very lucky I may even get an hour’s writing in before I go. I girl can only hope.

Hugs

Sandie