Saturday, December 31, 2005

Happy New Year

2006 is mere hours away. How'd that happen? Where did 2005 evaporate to? It seems like only yesterday I was facing the beginning of 2005, setting aspirations, goals, wants/desires. As I looked over my list I made on last New Year's Eve, I have to say, I'm impressed with all I've accomplished on that list--all the blessings I've enjoyed over the past 365 days. I've been blessed with so many family members and friends, writing opportunities, and spiritual blessings which only come from God. 2005 was, indeed, a good year for me. I'm praying 2006 will be just as blessed.

And for you, my faithful blogging buddies, I pray for blessings to rain down upon each of you...may you be blessed in 2006, and may your dreams, writing and otherwise, all come true!

Thursday, December 29, 2005

What I Hope to Achieve in 2006

Okay, okay...it's not exactly GOALS, because to be honest, much of what I hope to achieve in the upcoming year isn't totally in my control. Like, landing an agent...getting a contract....getting a MULTI-BOOK contract! While those things are certainly what I'd LIKE to happen, ultimately, these things are out of my control. But what I CAN do is list what I hope to achieve and some solid, concrete steps to forge ahead to help myself gain those achievements. So, without further ado, here we go....

What I Hope to Achieve in 2006
1. Acquire the perfect agent for me
A. Steps I can take to help myself
-research agents I'm interested in
-query/submit
-attend conferences so I can meet those agents I'm interested in, face-to-face

2. Hone my writing skills
A. Steps I can take to help myself
-read writing books
-take online courses
-attend conferences and go to the workshops

3. Complete 3 wips
A. Steps I can take to help myself
-actually use my writing time for writing
-write daily, even if it's only a word
-try to PLOT before I start writing (hard one for me!)

4. Celebrate writing successes....mine, my cps, and just about anyone I even hear of (I do so love the celebrations! :) )

5. To set daily word count goals for myself and adhere to them

6. To hold my cps accountable (are you guys paying attention????)

7. And God willing, if I get that perfect agent for me or contract, NOT to explode with pure joy all over the place!

May 2006 be filled with blessings for you all!

Oh, and writing related....did you guys see the progress on my rewrites? LOL

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Post Holiday Stress

I hope everyone had the merriest of Christmases....I did. But now that the holiday is officially over, I'm experiencing some stress I hadn't planned on. The first of the year rejections. SIGH. I know that 2006 will garner more rejections for me as I've sent more things out the end of the year. Still, it's with an expectant heart that I check my email in box....fear and excitement mingle, along with anticipation and yes, dread. Am I the only one?

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

SOME progress

Well, amid the life interruptous, I managed to squeak out 7753 words on my revisions. Sent those 20-something pages to my crit buddies tonight. Who knows...maybe they'll be worth keeping. The pages, that is! :) How are the rest of you doing???

Poll

Since life seems bent on interrupting my writing, thought I'd post a poll for y'alls opinion! After you vote, post a comment as to why you voted as you did.







Which would you rather have first, an agent or an editor?
An Agent
An Editor


  

Free polls from Pollhost.com

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Life Interrupts

Well, you know, I HAD the good intentions to work this week. Really, I did. However, life has interrupted. Kids are home from school...family obligations...not to mention getting ready for Christmas day (and dinner) around here. So, I've given myself permission to take the week off and work only if I have time and am so motivated. How about YOU? Are you working, or has life interrupted with your plans as well?

Friday, December 16, 2005

Awesome New Book Club

CHRISTIAN WRITERS REACH OUT TO READERS

American Christian Fiction Writers Launches Book Club



From airport newsstands to Newsweek, Christian fiction continues to grow in popularity, resonating with readers looking for both faith and fiction. The growth of the genre has birthed many new writers, as evidenced by American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), an organization started in 2000. Now boasting almost 1000 members, ACFW reaches out to readers as well as writers with their new ACFW Book Club. Beginning January 2006, the Book Club will offer fans of Christian fiction the opportunity to chat with ACFW authors and discuss monthly reading selections. Readers will also be eligible for monthly free book drawings.



The titles chosen to kick off the club include:



Ø Black Sands by Colleen Coble. Trouble in paradise. A Hawaiian romantic suspense.

Ø Leave it to Claire by Tracey Bateman. Single mom tries to fix her family. Chick lit fun!

Ø Outriders by Kathryn Mackel. A new ark. An ancient enemy. Fantasy adventure.

Ø Pink by Marilynn Griffith. Four fashion designers collaborate on a million dollar wedding dress. Will they find God in the seams? Multicultural tale.



Information on the Book Club will be posted on the ACFW Website, and on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/acfwbookclub, a book discussion e-mail group designed to keep members informed and allow them to discuss the books throughout the month. Book Club chats will be held on the ACFW Website in the chat room at 7:00 p.m. CST on the first Monday of the month following the month the book is read. Membership is free and open to the public. To join the announcement and discussion e-mail group, send a blank e-mail to acfwbookclub-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.



For more information about the ACFW Book Club, please visit: http://www.AmericanChristianFictionWriters.com



***From Robin here: I'm really excited about the book club, and hope many of you join. As you've read above, the "launch" book is BLACK SANDS by Colleen Coble. I've written a personal review of this book and can't wait to discuss it! Come join the club...we're gonna have a blast! Here's the review:

If you've never read a Colleen Coble novel, do soIMMEDIATELY. If you love suspense with clever twists and turns, a romance that will warm your heart, and a storyline that leaves you filled with hope and promise, you won't be disappointed!

Black Sands, the second book in the Aloha series, blew me away! While in a series, Black Sands is easily a stand-alone novel. Set in Hawaii, Coble weaves the island culture and scenery into the story so masterfully that you can almost feel the ocean breeze kissing your face! With a strong heroine and an even stronger hero, you can't help but fall in love with these characters--become emotionally involved in the drama they face--and root them on to not only find the heroine's missing sister, rediscover the love they are destined to share, but also to be refilled with their faith.

This book is one of the best I've read in a long time! Get it. Read it. Devour the pages. It's a must-read!

Good News....I think

Hello all! It must be that time of year. Well, for members of ACFW who pitched at conference and submitted requests in September anyway. Rejections/requests for fulls seem to be coming in almost on a daily basis. I've had a few rejections--funny how a couple of years ago that might have really upset me. Now that I'm learning my books are NOT me, but are a product I'm trying to sell, I don't take them personally. I do, however, nitpick them apart to try and gleam some understanding and feedback to make my story better. But, back to my subject.

Yesterday I received an email from an editor. A really, really nice editor (no Ron, I mean it! LOL--sorry, inside joke) who said he was interested in my submission, but asked for a major rewrite. If willing to do so, I could then resubmit the entire ms to him upon revision completion. At first, I was elated...excited. Then, the negativity crept up my spine. Was I reading more into this email than what was really there? What's an unpublished writer to think? What should I do? Lucky for me, I've been blessed with an AWESOME MENTOR (waving wildly at Colleen) who I quickly emailed and asked. Well, when she came back excited for me, my excitement surged again.

Long story short....I won't be making much progress on my current wip nor on the revisions I've been working on. I'll be undergoing a major revision on an 80K manuscript. I'll add up the chart today of that progress. OH....and the editor also requested I come up with some suggestions for alternate titles. YIKES...one of my major weaknesses....then again, isn't that what I have crit partners for??? LOL

So, what are YOU working on and how's YOUR progress????????

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Progress

Well, today I critted 3 chapters, 2 for the Critique Boutique and one for a partner. In my writing, here's what I accomplished:

Revisions to Denied Justice--
2254 words added to the revision total word count!

WIP Prowl of the Enemy--
1520 words written
Completed scene 48 out of a projected 75

Now....more crits landing in my box so tomorrow morning, I think I'll start with catching up on all those before I begin "my" writing time!

How are the rest of you coming along???????

Monday, December 12, 2005

Today's Progress

Amid a horrendous ear ache that I've endured all weekend, here's my writing progress for the day:

Revisions on Denied Justice:
3831 more words revised!

Prowl of the Enemy:
2871 words written today
completed scene #46 out of a projected 75

WOO HOO! And I completed some more chapters in critiquing for the Critique Boutique, as well as catching up with all my crit partners' chapters! WHEW! Long day, but I feel like it was worth it!

How about YOU?

Friday, December 09, 2005

Blessed, Blown Away, and Humbled

Let me start out by telling those of you who don't know me well that I'm not an emotional person. I don't cry at movies, I don't get misty over sweet-nothings, and I don't sob over Hallmark commercials. But today, I was moved beyond tears. I bawled like a baby--quite literally. Why? Because a special group of people did something for me out of love that blew me away.

As you've read here, my computer died this past Monday. Sadly and tragically, it had to go into the hospital. I screamed, ranted, and basically threw a hissy-fit (that's southern, but trust me, it ain't a pretty sight). Unbeknownst to me, a friend prayed Sunday evening for God to provide a way for me to get a laptop. I'd personally been praying and praying for a means for a laptop, and this was almost the final straw. Yes, I'll admit it, I'm a computer addict. No getting around the the facts--there it is, the truth of the matter--I live via my computer. Monday was miserable for me. Tuesday rolled around and I soon realized that I felt like a part of me had gone to the pc hospital with my 'puter. I was in hell, I tell you. The computer got fixed, quickly by the grace of God, and I was elated to be back among the "living". But I still wanted that laptop...my life is on this computer and I knew I needed another system.

Today, the UPS man rolled down my driveway to deliver a package. A Dell laptop! I called my husband, bless his heart, who'd been in on the "secret". After putting me through hoops (he's gonna be paying for that one for a while), he told me to call one of my dear crit partners and ask her about it. I don't think I even said goodbye before I hung up and dialed her number. As she relayed who had banded together to get me this laptop for Christmas, the tears came. No holding them back, and I found I didn't want to. I was utterly speechless (not great for a writer to admit, I know), but there were no mere words to express my gratitude and emotional overload. These wonderfully special people have touched my heart more than I can ever express. These are God's special people, right here on earth, who have taught me how to be humbled and blown away, and truly blessed. So, my heartfelt thanks and love to: Ronie, Dineen, Ron, Heather, Colleen, Kristin, Camy, Pam H.. Pammer, Eileen, and Lisa (sister-in-law extraordinare). You guys are awesome and I'm so BLESSED to call you my friends! :)

Stats: Beginning of Today

Current wip:
Same as yesterday....I know, I didn't even write a scene yesterday! UGH But this one is more impressive:

Revising of Denied Justice:
23470 words revised out of 100K

Obviously I worked on the revisions yesterday. Today, I hope to do a little on both! That, and do some more crits for my buddies, as well as the ones for the Critique Boutique


How are the rest of you coming along with YOUR work?

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Beginning Stats for the Day

Okay, although it's my first day back to actual work (and playing on the 'net), I thought I'd better post my beginning stats on what I'm doing. My current wip, Prowl of the Enemy:
40588 written out of a projected 90K
44 scenes completed out of a projected 75

The revision of a completed ms: Denied Justice:
15475 edited words out of 100K
Edited through chapter 4
(okay, so I have a long way to go to finish this one, but actually, editing/revising is MUCH easier if it's already written!)
This ms is one I completed last December and I've been letting "rest"....now I'm revisiting! :)

My goal is to have the draft of Prowl of the Enemy completed by January 31st and the complete revision of Denied Justice finished by January 15th. I'm being brave and posting those goals up here, so feel free to gently "nudge" me! :)

I'm BBAAACCCCKKKKKKKK!

I got my pc back last night! Doing the snoopy dance to the treetops over here! WOO HOO. Just wanted to thank everyone for leaving me comments. I honestly didn't know how much longer I could stand being pc-less. Trust me, after day 3, I was ready to climb a wall! Sorry I don't have anything more profound to blog about.....I'll try to come up with something later! Right now, I'm just too excited to have my 'puter back! And I'm still on the journey for the perfect agent! :)

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Death of My PC

Well, it's happened...my pc is in the hospital. Don't EVEN get me started on the aggrivations of this issue. Needless to say, it'll be about 3-4 weeks before I'll be able to have it repaired and back home. So, I'm sorry, but I'll not be posting or anything else for the next several weeks. Hope you all have a very merry Christmas...as for me, I'm going to go insane without my pc. Can't work, can't chat...can't blog....oh my, I'M GOING CRAZY! (Esp since hubby says I can't run up to his office every day and check my email! UGH) For those of you who have my #, feel free to call me just so I have some human contact with the writing world. UGH. Catch you all later!

Friday, December 02, 2005

The Hunt for the Perfect Agent

Not every agent is the perfect agent. At least not for me.

As pre-pubbed writers, we hear all the adages and advice from the writers who've gone this journey before us. You know what I'm talking about..."no agent is better than a bad agent" and so forth. The warnings are true, I know for fact, but it's all such a daunting task for a writer. How do we avoid these nefarious "bad agents" and dig down to find the great ones? So many are "not taking new clients" or not considering unpublished writers. What's a writer to do? How do we step up and get noticed by a really brilliant agent? To begin with, IMHO, we write the best story we can. No, it won't be perfect. But if it's a good story, well written, and has a unique feel to it, the rest can be fixed. So, you've got the best story you can write...now what? Research. Yes, we the unpublished and learning and growing writers, research the agent/agency we'd like to represent us. How? Several websites have recommendations. Reliable organizations. Writing memberships. So you've got all the goods and the agent/agency has a solid reputation as far as the general public is concerned...now what? You find their client list and email these authors and ASK. Ask if they would recommend their agent--ask how the agent interacts with them as the client. Ask if they're satisfied with their writer/agent relationship. Most authors who really love their agents can't wait to sing their praises. So now you have a complete ms, researched and the agent is stellar....you have to decide if they're right for YOU. How? Read their submission guidelines...do they represent the genre you write for? Are they selling to houses you have targeted? (check out Publisher's Lunch) Everything good? Great. Then go a step further. If you have contacts with editors, ask THEM what agents they like to get submissions from. You'd be amazed at how much you can learn this way. It's a scary process, but hey, this is all just IMHO anyway. LOL Now, you've got all the info and you're raring to go. Now what? Find a confence that agent is attending and make plans to attend...and if at all possible, get an appointment with that agent. Why not just send it in? Well, for the freaky people like myself, personal contact is vital. You can get a great "feel" for an agency and their vision for the publishing future by just talking...not just about your wip, but about the agency. Ask questions. See if you and the agency representative are on the same "page", so to speak. (Yes, pun intended) Do you feel a "click"...a "connection"...an overall experience of this could be a perfect fit for you? A writer/agency is a TEAM EFFORT. It's not just for you to hand over your ms and expect to be called when the advance check clears. LOL That might be nice, but I don't think it's realistic. So you find what you believe to be a perfect team and you're ready. They request your ms! (Woo hoo, great so far!) You whisper a prayer, bite your nails with your crit buddies, and send it in. The waiting begins. Sure, we'd all like an instant answer. I am probably the most "p" word deficient person in the world, but I know it takes time. As if they were just waiting on MY work to come in so they could bring all their business to a screeching halt and devour each word I wrote? Yeah. Sure. Right. Keep on dreamin', baby! LOL So we wait. We get rejections from ones we were really hopeful about...and it stings and it's a bummer. But you pick yourself up and start the whole process again. Or, we get "the call" that the agent wants to represent us...or an email, or whatever. WOO HOO....now the work can begin! It's all a cycle, a big circle, just like life. It's a wild ride, people....but oh the adrenaline rush we get! LOL

From Robin...who's still on her hunt for the perfect agent, but enjoying the journey!

Tagged Again

This time, I've been tagged by Kristin Billerbeck on Girls Write Out Blog. Here are the questions:

Seven Things to Do Before I Die (Lord willing):
1. See my family/friends who aren't saved, accept salvation!
2. See my children graduate COLLEGE! (Pushing it since my youngest is 3)
3. See a book of mine published!
4. Travel
5. Become more blessed so I can bless others.....ABUNDANTLY!
6. Learn to sing
7. Enjoy my family/friends

Seven Things I Cannot Do:
1. Become passive in my spiritual walk
2. Sing...see number 6 above!
3. Read a historical, for pleasure
4. Shut up....especially when it's smarter that I did
5. Not be honest/sincere
6. Stay in a confined area
7. Not stand up for things I believe in

Seven Things that Attract Me to My Spouse [romantic interest, best friend, whomever](not necessarily in this order!):

1. His eyes
2. The way he loves God
3. His intelligence
4. His honesty
5. Our chemistry -- wow!
6. His support
7. His love for our family.

Seven Things I Say (or write!) Most Often:
1. LOL (waving at Ron)
2. BM
3. Sheesh
4. Okay
5. Alrighty then.
6. I wish
7. As if

Seven Books (or series) I Love:
1. Bible
2. The Stand (anything by Steven King)
3. Anything by Edgar Allen Poe
4. Shakespeare (I know, I know...but I do)
5. Left Behind
6. Colleen Coble's series--all of 'em
7. Dee Henderson's O'Malley series

Seven Movies I Would Watch Over and Over Again:
1. Gone with the Wind
2. Somewhere in Time
3. Gladiator
4. Dirty Dancing
5. Pretty Woman
6. Cutting Edge
7. Braveheart

Seven People I Want to Join in: (be tagged)
1. Colleen
2. Dineen
3. Ron
4. Ronie
5. Camy Tang
6. Jason
7. Allen

There...okay people listed above, get to list-compiling!

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Prowl of the Enemy Progress

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
40,588 / 90,000
(45.1%)



Update:
Today's word count total--2588
Completed scene #44 out of a projected 75

That's it for my writing today. I DO have to clean the house! UGH~

I've Been Tagged....

Tagged by Allen from Writers Domain for a Book Meme. You list 15 facts and personal preferences about books. So a 15 book things (quirks, prefs, whatever) list...Here goes....

1. Hello, my name is Robin and I hate historicals.

2. I love Steven King books....my favorite? THE STAND. He's my hero! I also love Colleen Coble books....my favorite? There're two at the moment....ALASKA TWILIGHT and BLACK SANDS....oh wait...there's three.....DANGEROUS DEPTHS, too! :)

3. I hurl books. Literally. If the author hasn't done their job and it shows in poor writing or unbelievable plots, I chunk the book across the room. Yep, I really do.

4. I love everything about books. The smell of them, the touch, the feel...I collect them (don't EVEN ask) and give them as gifts and love getting them. :) Except, I hate historicals.

5. I ALWAYS read prologues.....ALWAYS.

6. I NEVER skip to the end of a book and read the ending first.

7. I can read 3 books at a time, and keep everything straight in each story. Unless it's a historical, then I don't bother.

8. In my reference books, I highlight and make notes. Yep, even do this in my Bible. Hey, it's my textbook for life and I figure I'd better take all the notes I can! LOL

9. My favorite genre is suspense, thriller, mystery and *gasp* horror. (another secret revealed--I LOVE horror movies, too. Even the bad ones! LOL) But I will read futuristics if they're well written (waving to Randy I. and Ronie), women's fiction (if they pull me--waving to Denise Hunter and Michelle), the lits if they amuse me (waving to Kristin Billerbeck and Diann Hunt) and even romance if I believe in the emotion. I only read historicals when I'm critting one.

10. I believe book art is VITAL. I'm very opinionated about this issue. (Ducking from Colleen's pop upside my head)

11. Did I mention I hate historicals?

12. I not only love books, I love writers. All of them. Even the historical writers!

13. I love critiques! Okay, this isn't about BOOKS so much as writing, but hey, it's related and it's MY list, so I can do what I want. Right? Doing it anyway! LOL I love getting lots and lots of suggestions and comments. Why do I adore abuse? Because I want to be the best writer I can be. Hard comments help me do that.

14. I love deadlines. Again, more about writing than books, per se, but again, I can do what I want. LOL I love imposing them on myself. I write better under pressure, I think. Or, as my bud tells me, when I'm really annoyed. (Hey Ron! LOL)

15. Did I mention I hate historicals?

Okay guys, that's enough delving into my mental status for today. Let's see....whom shall I tag? Hmmm.....
.....
.....
.....
I tag...
...
...
...
Jeff, from the Write Thing
and
Dana, from Diary of an Aspiring Romance Writer
and
Mel, from Mel-O-Drama
and
Heather, so she'll HAVE to post! LOL