Still slow

Things are still slow, but I've managed to recapture two of the lost chapters this week. Since conditions changed from the original draft, I should just said that I wrote them. But that seems like admitting I never finished the book and it urks me that the accident happened and I lost those 16 chapters... as if I never wrote them.

Well, so be it - from now on, I'm just saying how many chapters I wrote during the time period. I'm working on multiple projects, so it's probably just as well anyway.

I think I would have had more done with a more reliable internet. I know I don't need it to write, but it does serve to motivate me. The good thing is that after this next week, I might get more done. At least now I have the internet settled at the office.

I was a writer, window shopping at this place across from the grocery store. There's space on the end of a brick building for rent. Perfect size for a small writer's nook... So there I was dreaming again. I'm almost certain that if I start up a business, it'll be a writer's nook. I've already came up with a hundred different names for it.

I hope to get another chapter out this week. Not sure about that though. I have webbuilding to get done and my parents are out for most of the week, so I may not get much writing time in.

Plugging along through the sludge of life

There have been a lot of things disheartening my fiction writing. My best writing buddy is down with medical problems, and worry kept me from performing as good as I should. Then there's the overload of real life work and real life stress bogging me down. And to get my inspiration through these times I read other writers' blogs - but the internet has been acting up, not letting me stay on long enough to catch up with everyone.

Then to top it off, the one group I've been with since its formation is closing. I'm a little miffed at that. There's been some fall out and I have my opinions on it, but I'm keeping them to myself. I'm supposed to be one of the admins for it, but obviously have no say in anything that goes on there, so it's probably for the best that it's closed. I truly like the manager and even if we obviously don't agree on the business end of writing groups, she's one of my best writing buddies too - and a close friend. And that's more valuable than anything.

So, I've joined a group I've been thinking of for a long time - Holly Lisle's Forward Motion Writers' Community. Not sure yet what or how much I'm going to do there long term - gotta feel my way around first. I am going to participate in the July/August word count marathon - and maybe one of the poetry ones, depending on what else is going on in July.

Goals… gotta get my goals down on paper. I'm in the chapters that entail more concentration, but after I get through these next two the rest should go fast. I'm also putting my copywriting business into action.

I didn't want a regular business brochure, so I decided to use a writer's newsletter to sell myself with. I think it will work. This way I get to advertise my fiction and non fiction writing without overwhelming or boring the reader. At least I hope I don't! I have a book review, flash piece, and poem in there for my fiction writing. And two places for advertising - one for my artwork and another for my copywriting. I was going to put a non-fiction article in there, but when I resized the newsletter for better mailing, I had to cut that area out. I just have to learn how to size it for on the webpage now. As it sits, it's very big and I don't like that.

Setting up the Writing Life

Life has decided to tell me I need to dive into the writer's life full force now. I've procrastinated enough and let opportunities pass me by for one excuse or another.

I've been studying up on getting the career kick started. I want to work on copywriting and fiction and non-fiction writing. And I need to start working it soon. I'm getting the promotional materials designed and worked out for the copywriting. My family will help get the materials to business owners, I've got a few people here who will pass them around, and I have a mailing program in mind.

If I think I can do it, I might set up a convention either September or October. There's one in Canada I definitely want to go to in October, but that's a big expense. If I can't do that much there's a few closer for much less expense.