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1. My crit partner is a freakin' genius. Check out Wastepaper Prose for a new series where more than thirty authors answer a series of always interesting/sometimes provocative questions. But don't go over there before you comment on this blog if you want to win stuff!
Okay, actually that wasn't the No. 1 thing I learned this week because I already knew that. So.
1-B. Don't sign up for four workshops at once because you might get sick from the ginormous clouds of pollen in the air and not feel like keeping up.
2. Writing a short, one-paragraph summary of your novel-in-progress does help keep it focused.
3. It's really hard to write a killer first sentence. Actually, I already knew that, but I got a reminder this week.
4. Nice guys can be really boring. With apologies to my character Galen, who's gonna have to go darker.
5. My day job, Auburn Magazine won a "gold" medal for magazine publishing improvement from the national trade org, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education in Washington, DC. Just found out today. Woo-hoo!
Now, what did YOU learn this week?
The number one thing I've learned this week is to accept that stress kills the writing muse.
ReplyDeleteI haven't written anything in a month mainly because I'm stressed about kids, school, money, taxes, spring break, hubby leaving town for a week (work related), spring sports meaning everyone's schedules change which is huge in our house because my youngest is autistic and change is more difficult for him.
I look forward to next week where nothing should interfere with my writing. I hope so at least. I need to work on that wip.
I learned that I have a lot of reading/buying to catch up on. Some of my favorite authors (Briggs, Butcher, Ann Aguire) have put out books this month and alas I haven't been on top my my game.
ReplyDeleteI learned tha choosing to write my contemporaries under a pen name and my Scottish historicals under my real name was okay...but how do I manage 2 websites, 2 blogs, 2 yahoo accounts, 2 g-mail accounts and keep my identities straight? Eek! I have covered my office wall with copied pages and urls and passwords and more. Who needs wallpaper? I'll sign my real name today.
ReplyDeleteEek, Nancy--my head spins! I barely can keep up with one "self."
ReplyDeleteBookie, know what you mean--I have Briggs and Butcher in my TBR, plus JR Ward's out in a couple of weeks, then Charlaine Harris. Haven't read Ann Aguirre, but I need to....
ReplyDeleteBeth, sounds like you have so much going on! I juggle a job, an octogenarian parent, and a couple of dogs, but it's all pretty stable right now (knock on wood). Hope you can carve out some writing time next week!
ReplyDelete