Juggling

I've always one of the people who like to finish one task completely before I go on to the next. Even eating, I tend to eat one thing at a time rather than a bite of this and then a bite of that. I have always read one book cover to cover before starting the next. Being an author has changed all that for me.
I remember the first time I had to set aside the manuscript I was working on to make changes in another book for an editor. It was so stressful and difficult from me to stop thinking about one set of characters and return to the lives of people I had finished with months before. Then when I finished it was nearly as challenging to go back to my WIP.
That part of the business did not come easily to me. I still don't like working on more than one book at a time, but I can do it. I know many writers who seem to easily juggle numerous projects without breaking a sweat. I'm not sure if I'll ever have that talent.
In the meantime, I have learned to read more than one book at once. There's the one I carry in my bag for timeouts during my children's sporting events. There is the one in my bedroom, the one in my desk at school and the one beside my chair in the living room. Who knows? Maybe I'll starting mixing my foods together on my plate.
Hopefully, someday I'll have to really learn to juggle. I think I could live with that kind of stress.

Little Here, Little There

When I had my first book coming out almost a year and a half ago, I felt completely overwhelmed by the challenge or promotion. I created my own website with no idea of what I was doing. I started a blog when I was sure I had nothing of importance to say other than, 'buy my book.' I didn't know how to create links, how to draw visitors to my sight or even how to write a promo for all those yahoo groups I've joined. Now my third book is coming out next week and I've learned a few things.
First of all, I can't do everything at once. I'm still an amatuer in learning all you can do with your blog and your website. I've learned I can spend hours doing promotion online and get little to no writing done. Where is the line to maintain balance? I must write so I have new material for my readers or I will lose them. I must promote so I have readers at all.
So I'm trying in 2009 to do a little promotion each day and spend most of my available hours writing. Sometimes all I do is visit my friends' blogs, tweet once on twitter and dash over to facebook. And I figured out I don't have to write a long essay with great literary merit each time I update my own blog. Sometimes I can just get things off my mind and say hello.
Now I'm back to my writing with the soundtrack of 'Lord of the Rings' playing in the background.
The fourth book in my Solonian Chronicles Series, is calling for me. Haven't come up with the title yet, but it needs to follow the others, The Greater Good, The Lesser Evil, and A Ruthless Good.

Don't Ever Give Up

All writers have those weeks, those months, those years, and this past one was mine. I'd been waiting to hear from a certain editor about a manuscript she'd asked me to make changes in more than once. She told me numerous times how much she loved the story and let me know in December she would give me a decision after the holidays. You can see where this is going. She rejected it along with an apology and a thank you for all my patience and hard work in a losing cause. Great comfort that was.
I was disappointed for a while, and perhaps a I felt a bit of righteous anger. But I've had enough rejections over the years to know what I needed to get by this. I immediately send out a query to a publisher I've been wishing I had something to fit. They responded quickly with a request for a full manuscript after ready my query and synopsis. I'm so happy I didn't waste days crying in my cups. Okay, I had a glass of wine. But only one. And tonight I'm having one in celebration.
Now about that rejection I received from that agent today, I have a whole list ready to pick the next one from. I'm not giving up.
I'll be back tomorrow or the next day with an excerpt for my next week's release, A Ruthless Good.

Hours in the Day

I know many of us feel this at one time or another, but I could really use about four more hours every day. I don't think four is being greedy. Ten would be asking too much, but with as few as four, I could bake bread each day, cook a meal from scratch, get at that durn treadmill every day and write another thousand words. As the way my day stands now, I must make tough choices of which to do. Giving up my day job eliminate any need to deny one of my pleasures, but I probably wouldn't have the money to buy the flour for the bread, or the electricity to run the treadmill or even a computer to write my novel on. So tonight, when I should have my nose in that WIP, I made the decision to visit some blogs of friends and whine a little about my lack of time.
So I'm curious, what might you do with four hours more per day?

Keeping it Rolling

I had a great weekend. No, I didn't hit the lottery or powerball. But I did hit that part in my WIP where I couldn't type fast enough to keep up with the story. My characters were hurrying from scene to scene, their emotions soaring and sinking and the bad guys put in a great performance. And I'm only taking this short break to catch up on some facebook, twitter and check in with my blog friends. I love it. If only I didn't have to go to that day job. And I like my day job, but I still would rather write full time, all the time, any time and especially during this creative times.
So this is a short stop. I have to get back to it while everything is clear. Things are pretty tense between the hero and heroine right now.
Have fun and hope you all find the 'zone' in your work this week.

Twittering away

Like many of my fellow authors, I've been spending some time on Twitter. I find some great links to articles on there and have met so many experts on site traffic, promotion and even some nearly local independent bookstores. If you haven't set up an account on Twitter, you should consider it. I get lots of hits to my website from twitter and I hope to soon get more to this blog from my friends there. Please friend me if you're already there.
http://www.twitter.com/susankelley
I'll follow you back and have fun with the tweeting.

Plans....

Well 2009 is upon us. Looking back at the start of my writing career, I certainly dreamed of being at a different spot when this year rolled around. None of my books have been made into movies. Conference chairpersons aren't calling me to beg my lectures. They don't hire special security to handle the crowds at my booksignings. I didn't even get to quit my day job!
After my first year of rejections and the big splat as I hit the wall of reality, I reset my idea of how fast success might find me. Or rather how soon I might capture the allusive little beast as it flittered mercilessly out of reach. I brushed against it now and then and am not displeased at my successes. Better even, I still believe with each book I write it will be the one I'll see someday on the big screen when some famous director gets a hold of my book and knows it will be the next 'Lord of the Rings' blockbuster.
Along with my moderate successes and my continued optimism, I've also learned enough that I might actually be able to give one of those lectures to beginning writers. One of the things I would caution new and aspiring writers about is, there is so much you don't know yet. And the world of publishing changes and grows each year. I don't think I'd even heard of an ebook when I first starting writing. Yet I've found some degree of financial reward with my books that have been published in this 'green' form.
So in 2009 I will continue to sit at the keyboard, continue to promote my sales, continue to chase that dream and most of all, continue to learn and I hope improve my craft. I wish all my friends and writing acquaintances success and hope they find inspiration and energy to keep at it. Happy writing.