Archive for ‘Tate’s Hell’

February 15th, 2012

My New Toy

by Holly Dodson

So for the last three years  I’ve been writing on a teeny tiny 10.1 inch netbook (and that’s ridiculous).  THREE YEARS and three novels on the smallest keyboard known to man.

But not any more!  I have a new best friend:

Isn’t it just lovely?!  The keyboard is so nice to type on, it’s like my fingers are in hyper drive.  Full. Of. Awesome.  It’s fast, and shiny, and FAST.

If I were a better poet, I’d write it a love poem.  But I’ll save you that experience.  ;)

My revisions are going quite smoothly on the new toy.  I’m not sure if it’s the inspiration and ease of the new computer or just that things are clicking, but either way I am a HAPPY GIRL.  (Not to mention that I have some of the most awesome beta readers ever helping the revising along!)

Funny story.  (Not really, but I like to tell stories even if they aren’t funny, so humor me.)  In 2009 I wrote my first novel…well, the first whole novel I ever wrote.  And I thought, hey, I need a laptop so I can transcribe all of these notebooks (yes, a handwritten novel) into a word doc and figure out what to do next!  So I bought a netbook and told myself that if I kept at it, one day I’d buy myself a nice laptop.

It’s pretty obvious three years later that I’m keeping at it.  In fact, I’ll never give up the joy I’ve found in writing these silly books (that aren’t silly at all, it’s just a fun word).

You tell me, have you promised yourself anything like this?  Have you followed through on that promise?

Categoryabout me, just for fun, life, revisions, Tate's Hell, Uncategorized, Writing | Comment4 Comments »

January 13th, 2012

A Fresh Perspective

by Holly Dodson

I have a lot of goals for the new year we just stepped into.  (Wait, how the heck is it already the thirteenth?!)  Here’s the thing I decided with my goals for 2012:  I’m not putting anything on that list that is out of my control.

 

 

I would venture to guess that almost any agent-less or book-deal-less writer seeking publication wants those things in the next year.  It’s a goal they’ve been working toward for many years most likely.  But the harsh (and sometimes sad) truth is that finding an agent and selling your book are not goals completely within your control.

You can work harder than anyone in the world to make the most perfect draft possible, write an astonishing query, and have an MFA all under your belt, but that still doesn’t guarantee success in this industry.  It may make your chances better, but (possibly the hardest part to swallow) publishing is very subjective, and depends a lot upon chance and timing and personal tastes.  None of which you can control.

Whew, how’s that for a cold dose of reality on a Friday morning?  This is one of those things I’ve been thinking about during my bout of hair-pulling over my revisions.  So fun, huh?  (No worries though, I’m better now and revisions are going quite well.  Nearly done even!)

That’s when I realized the key here — the key is not setting goals that I don’t have control over.  This way at the end of 2012 I’ll be facing a list of accomplishments instead of a list of wishes.

That said, here are my (writing) goals for 2012:

  1. Make TATE’S HELL query worthy
  2. Query T.H.
  3. Read more
  4. Write another first draft
  5. Live a healthier lifestyle

 

Pretty self-explanatory, right?  (Also note, each of these are things I have total control over.  I cannot control the outcome, but I can control the effort I put into it.)  And, yes, I consider getting healthy a writing goal as well as an overall life goal.  Feeling healthier and having more energy greatly impact my writing.  That’s actually something I started working on at the beginning of December, so it’s one of those life-changes that had me so befuddled for a bit trying to fit all these new things in.

With these goals, it’s not about just pushing things out to say I’ve done them.  It’s about changing me, changing my habits, working harder, and forming new ideals to help me through the rest of my life.  So, yeah.  ;)

What kind of goals do you guys have for this year?

Categorygoals, life, Tate's Hell | Comment6 Comments »

November 7th, 2011

NaNoWhatWasIThinking…Oh.

by Holly Dodson

I’m not sure where my brain was when I decided to do NaNo this year.  Obviously it wasn’t looking at my calendar, which has an event on just about every single day through November.

For example, this week Super Spawn has TWO nights of hour long lessons for violin, plus extra practice time each night, PLUS a recital on Friday.

 

What was I thinking?

Last week we went to a musical, the fair, and a birthday party.  That’s before I ever mention things like the grocery store or laundry.

And THEN super amazing beta Erinn finished critiquing TATE’S HELL yesterday.  *Happy Dance!*

So, let’s suffice it to say, I’m not going to be writing 50k this month.  :)   I’ll be writing some additional material for TH, and I’m certainly not closing the door on my NaNo project, I’m just not going to rush through it.

I will still be cheering all of you other NaNo-ers on though!  How are the word counts coming?

CategoryNaNoWriMo, Tate's Hell, Writing | Comment6 Comments »