Planning to Write

I d

on’t actually get writers block. I’m not bragging, I just have so many different stories swirling in my brain that if I get stuck on one, I just switch to another. This means that I am generally writing two to three novels at one time. Oh, and I’m editing one, or maybe two, during that same time. So keeping all of this straight is a challenge. For driving a novel, just getting the words on a page, I use a Nanowrimo type philosophy. For a month, I try to get fifty thousand words written. This is the goal for the National Novel Writing Month that comes around every November. I now use this every few months to get down some significant storylines for a rough draft. If I don’t reach the total word count, that’s fine because I still got a lot written. The following month is rereading the story, adding and editing, and usually writing the last few chapters.

              All this amounts to getting the book written and edited. Then it’s on to my beta readers, my editor, designing covers, and getting ready for release. Then it’s social media, this little blog that keeps slipping my mind, and tweeting and posting. That’s a lot to keep going. This is where my planner is helping. I have chosen this year to use a completely separate planner to write out my goals for each day of the week. I have plans for posting, for writing, for editing, and am also adding to my ever growing list of plot ideas. I bought a Mini Happy Planner that I am decorating with stickers, book print outs, and encouraging statements. A little cuteness is always helpful for the creative mind. Now, I just have to concentrate on not taking more time to plan than I am writing!

              The overlap will happen with events. I hope record all the events in both my writing planner and my regular family planner. That way, I can keep track of all our appointments and how they might overlap with the kids’ activities. I also plan to take the writing planner to my events. I can keep up with my titles, the ones that I sell, the people that have them signed, and add names to my email list for news and updates.

              I have already noticed that my planner is making me much more deliberate about my writing. I am thinking of ways to organize my day and use my time in a more efficient way. Only time will tell how my productivity is impacted by my new planning, but I have high hopes!

              If you are interested in any more information, about Nanowrimo, about writing a novel, about my books, or getting on my email list, let me know!!

Dropped off the face of the earth!

It seems that just when I settle in for the cozy holiday season, the world takes a quick spin and suddenly I am so busy I'm catching sight of my own behind as I rush out the door. Sigh. I have great intentions of what I plan to do while I have those precious two weeks off school for Christmas Break, but the time sneaks away, and I'm left holding a list full of unchecked intentions.
So now I'm back!
I'm going to pretend that I was never overtaken by the rush of the holidays and give you a peek into what I'm doing to get back on track.
Planners!
Yes, again!
This time, I have an assortment of fancy fabulous planners that I hope to hang my dreams on. There's the Big Happy Planner, which should be spelled in all caps, it's so big. It holds all of my memories, the bits that I have printed off on my zink printer, the greeting cards, movie tickets, and business cards that spark my memory of a day well spent.
Then there is the regular sized Happy Planner, a gift from my bestie, Angela. It holds my plans for the week, the appointments, work hours, band practice, archery practice, and all the detritis that goes along with motherhood and family life.
Finally, there's my mini happy planner, small and sweet, that holds my plans for my writing. That's the one that the blog will emerge from.
So you can thank Me and My Big Ideas for my next few posts. I may even add a photo or two!!

Fall is here!

Finally!
The air is cooling, the leaves slowly turning and falling in fluttering waves, and the days are getting shorter. All this means some of my favorite Holidays to look forward to. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then Christmas are all around the corner.
But in the meantime, I'm trying something different, and I'll let you know about my adventure. This coming weekend, the 8th and 9th of October, I'm going to the Nashville Exotic Pet Expo in Tennessee. I've never been to one of these, and I can't wait! I love all kinds of animals, and I'm fascinated by some, even if I wouldn't want to meet them face to face (ie snakes and biting/stinging insects). My daughter insists that there is charm in the odd serpent, there is personality in the amphibian. So for this adventure, I'm going to take her word for it!
So if you plan on attending, stop by and visit me! I'll be the one with the books!

Planners Gotta Plan

This summer, my sister introduced me to something new (at least new to me). My first venture into the planner phrase was The Happy Planner by MAMBI (Me and My Big Ideas). I had decided that I wanted something that I could use daily to keep up with my schedule, both at school where I work as a Speech Language Pathologist, and at home. I also needed somewhere to keep up with my side career as an author, to help track deadlines, signings, and events.
At first sight, I loved the planner. The pages were sturdy and could take pens, pencils, and markers. They had nice rich colors, attractive designs and patterns, and sayings. There was a summary page at the beginning of each month that outlined things like birthdays, special events, and goals for the month. Each month was laid out on the next two pages before the weekly pages started. And best of all, it was designed on the disk system. This system, like other ARC planners, is comprised of removable pages that hang on disks, sandwiched between interchangeable covers.
You could also buy others packs to go in the planner which included a household piece for daily cleaning chores, a meal planner, and a budget planner. Extended pages, spare pockets, additional tabbed dividers, post it notes, and stickers were all available. I quickly snatched up most of the extra items as well. And the planner is simply awesome for the day to day planning and, better yet, memory book. I was able to add tickets and bookmarks, business cards and receipts. The system allows for popping holes in almost anything and adding it to the planner. Eventually, I had to give up and buy the hole punch as well from the ARC system. (They have since released a hole punch for the Happy Planner specifically, which is cuter and less expensive than the ARC one!)
And when the planner got too thick, I simply used some of the additional covers that I had purchased, bought another set of rings for a couple bucks, and separated out the parts of the planner that I had completed. July through September went in their own book, where I would eventually add more months as my main book filled out. (The planner came with 18 months, so plenty of time to spread out between the two books.)
After some amount of time, with the addition of cute washi tape, stickers, some scrapbook paper, I was thrilled with the look of my planner. My only problem with this particular planner is that I didn't have enough space for work information.
So that began my search for a daily planner for more practical day to day life.
My Happy Planner continues to grow. It holds all the pictures, spare papers, newsletters, cards, and other memorabilia that I love so well.
So how do you plan, and how do you remember? Do you use different books for different things? The planner plot continues!

My favorite Mondays, and I start with my favorite mystery character

Several years ago I stumbled upon a novel by Preston and Child, Relic. I had actually read the book once before, but I had noticed at the bookstore that there were several in the series. I decided that I was going to reread the first book so that I could go on to read others of the series. And I was very glad that I did. Relic is followed by Reliquary, and next is The Cabinet of Curiosities, which is my current favorite from these talented authors.. At the moment, I am reading Blue Labyrinth, the 14th in the series.
But here is the truth. The reason that I really love this series is the characters, a mixture of very different personalities centered around the genius, sophisticated, and mysterious Pendergast. Pendergast is an agent with the FBI, but is only loosely affiliated with the government in most stories. He seems to successfully work alone, skirting the law, but always successfully getting his man, er, monster.
I love the cool Pendergast. He has the ageless feeling of  Sherlock Holmes, with the quick and accurate observations and thought processes that seem to race far ahead of everyone else that he encounters.
The rest of the characters are delightfully well rounded. We see a little of their inner thoughts, and their motivations make sense with the context of the story. They also bring in a nice range of backgrounds, personalities, and viewpoints. It has made me realize that the reason that I enjoy these books, while I like the spooky topics, complicated plots, and action scenes, is really because I like the people in the novels. I care about them. I want to find out what happens to them. And most of all, I will continue to read these intricate mysteries to see what happens next.
So I eagerly await the next few novels to see what adventures Pendergast will take me to, and how he will eventually save the day!

Organizing? An attempt at blog organization

Better late than never, I figure, so I'm trying out a New Year's Resolution, um, a month late. I am not terribly organized. I work at it, enjoy planners, calendars, organization apps, and making lists. But I still struggle to get everything done in a timely manner.
So my blog reflects that. I post sporadically and my ideas are all over the place, skimming over my interests in no particular order.
No More!
My plan looks a little like this:
My Favs Monday: a chance to discuss my favorite books, movies, etc with hopes that I get a few suggestions from readers as well!
We Plan Wednesday: a quick review of what I am trying to use, what I'd like to try, what I've researched and find interesting, and hopefully some opinions from other planners!
Tech Thursdays: a discussion of some of my tech, some things that are cool, up and coming, and may just be a must buy for you all!

So my newest post will come out tomorrow, hopefully with a little more organization, and perhaps some new information and suggestions for you all!

The Cockatoo Called has finally landed!

Check out this item in my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/listing/266790502/the-cockatoo-called-author-signed-and