In 2009 I started work on my fourth novel. (I’ve written three, published two…) In April of 2010, I finished it and began revisions. In August of 2010 I finished my first set of revisions. I started another round of revisions, and then in May of 2011 decided to scrap most of what I’d written and start over.

Completely over. I had a little over 95,000 words, and it took me two years to get there. Yet, I was starting over. I decided to listen to the advice I’d heard for so many years—that when you think you’re book is good enough it isn’t. Not even close.

I used to need another pair of eyes to tell me this. My novel, while good, was just not good enough. The action didn’t start until page 100, it had way too much backstory, and didn’t have enough character development to make anyone care how the story ended. I can say that now, (without crying) because it’s the truth. Of course, I whined and complained about the time I’d spent, anyone who writes knows 95,000 words doesn’t come easy—even if it’s horrible. I tried to patch it together, but it showed and ultimately I believed in the story enough to do it justice. And that meant starting over.

I wouldn’t have been able to do this years ago. I would have looked at the time I invested in the book and made the decision that my time was more important. That the time I spent writing the book warranted me to get the book published. Now.

How wrong I was. It’s not the time you invest in your book—it’s the quality of material that comes from that time spent. That applies to anything in life—losing weight, working in a garden, cooking a meal—it’s not the time spent that’s the important part, it’s the quality of that time spent that results in a better outcome. Drive through a neighborhood and see a beautiful yard, you don’t see the hours spent planting and pruning. You see the flowers, the green grass—you see the results.

I learned that it didn’t matter how much time it took me to write this book. But what did matter was the book—the result of my time spent.

It takes a while to get there, to realize sadly that your book is not ready. That it needs more time. But when I slowed down, stopped rushing and just kept writing, it improved. My book got better. I knew it, and I’m not so nervous to give it to my beta readers as it nears completion. And of course they’ll be edits and revisions. But I’m going in with my best work. And that is advice well taken.

I’m a big fan of her blog too. She drops pearls of writing wisdom throughout, and one pearl I picked up on is the fact that she uses a kitchen timer to help with her writing.

Yes, a plain old-fashioned kitchen timer.

She sets it for thirty minutes, about the time it takes her to write a page, and she doesn’t move her butt out of her chair until the timer goes off. She does this continually during her writing, setting the timer again and again until she hits a place where she feels comfortable to stop.

So of course I had to try it, right? I have a timer sitting on my window seat in my bedroom, next to my rocking chair, (my favorite place to write) and I set it for 30 minutes while I write. I must admit I wasn’t industrious as her, some days I didn’t set it again, but I felt better that I got thirty solid minutes of writing done. No picking up the phone, no emails, no checking text messages, all I do is write.

It’s heaven. Today I plan on getting ninety minutes under my belt. It’s cool to know just how much time I spend writing, if it’s too pitiful to say out loud then chances are I need to up my writing time. I’m working up to at least four hours a day, split in two shifts, (morning and after 8 pm when my daughter is sleep). That’s the ultimate goal. But right now, baby steps. Set at thirty minute intervals.

My current WIP, is going great I just want to be finished! And not for the usual reasons—tired of the characters, fatigued by the plot, or just plain tired of writing the same story different ways for years—no, I want to be finished because I have another story that’s in the background screaming for attention.

And I love the storyline, you have to if you plan on sticking with something for so long. And these new characters want their turn, in fact if I don’t give them their due, then they’ll start leaking out in my current WIP, and I can’t have that.

So I’m doing what any good writer would do—beat the mess out of those new characters until they shut up.

Ha.

But seriously, what to do when your next book doesn’t want to wait it’s turn?

Well, this may be contrary to what most writers do, but I think writing two books at the same time is a big DON’T. (This does not mean that you can’t edit, and write new material. I’ve done it, and most authors do work on two projects simultaneously. But to actually write two books at once? A NO-NO in my opinion.) But what I do believe that needs to be done is to start taking notes on the next project, maybe not a full outline, but definitely jot down when one of your new character’s says something memorable.

But be careful! Starting new books, even outlining too soon, can make you procrastinate on your current novel. Pretty soon, you’ll have a bunch of inspiring half-finished novels hiding in a file on your laptop.

So while it’s great to have new ideas percolating, I can’t let it distract me from my current WIP. These characters want their story told too. So I’m off to finish their story…

Now, this desk worked fine for the first couple of weeks, but then I realized that I needed more space. But we didn’t have the money to invest in a new desk, and soon my lovely study was turned into a nursery. I never thought I would be able to write and take care of a newborn, but I did it. Somehow I prevailed. That desk lasted for a couple of years and got moved twice—once into a bigger apartment and then finally to the house we’re in now. This desk couldn’t have been more than $40, so it didn’t like being taken apart and being put back together again. The drawer fell apart, and my sad little desk could barely hold the weight of my computer anymore. So about two years ago, I bought a new desk. I was sure that I wanted something with a hutch, and didn’t feel that I needed drawers anymore, (considering I could never use the drawer that I had…) so I bought a new desk, that was a bit bigger, but had a hutch for storage on top.

A day of writing on this desk and I knew I made a mistake. I hate this desk. It’s pretty, but definitely not functional, and didn’t have any of the space that I really needed. The hutch takes up all the space! I don’t even use it for storage anymore, I’ve turned the hutch around and use the back of it for my handy Post-It notes. After the major fail of the new desk, Hubby and I went furniture shopping, and there I saw it. A huge L-shaped monstrosity of a desk, the likes of only seen in most banks. This is what I need, I thought. An L-shaped desk meant business. It meant writer.

Well…I’m still waiting on that L-shaped desk. And yet, here I am with another book under my belt and I don’t even see another desk in my future. Now guess where I do most of my writing now? In my bedroom.

Yep, I don’t even use the desk for my writing at all, now I’ve moved an old rocking chair I used for my daughter into a cozy corner in my bedroom and there I sit, rocking away, notebooks and supplies piled up on my window seat, while I rock my characters into submission. (Okay, well some of you would actually call my chair a glider, but I’m old-fashioned. I’m calling it a rocking chair. Mine looks extremely similar to the one in the picture. Okay, well minus the vomit stains…)

This is really working for me right now, because I haven’t been feeling the best lately, and sitting in a comfortable chair really helps me to stay on routine with my writing. Moving to my desk feels like…work. And sitting in the rocking chair, makes the writing more enjoyable—at least for now.

Things change, maybe next month I’ll be back at my desk, or in my kitchen, or out of the house completely and sitting in a Starbucks somewhere. The point is, a true writer can write just about anywhere. I’ve written in the car line waiting to pick up my daughter for school, at the library, in a hospital (visiting and as a patient), in a hair salon (my own and as a client), in a hotel lobby and in a hotel room—I can go on and on here. I’ve written in lots of different places, and even though the location changes, one thing remains the same. Writers write. Even in rocking chairs…

Okay first off, writing and acting have so many similarities. You have to deal with rejection ALL THE TIME. It’s part of the job in a major way. And sometimes dealing with the anxiety of having to face rejection all the time can drive you crazy.

Lately, when I write, I’ve been anxious about my work. I’ve been rejected so many times I can’t even count. And I’ve been working so hard on this novel—really hard to make it my best work yet. And I’m afraid because what if I fail? What if this book gets rejected?

I know by now that, yes I will go on to write my next novel. That no matter what, I will continue to write, no matter what format my book is in. But how can I continue with the fear of rejection looming over my head?

I have to finally realize that rejection is just part of my job. It’s something that I will continue to deal with on my writing journey. I have to hammer that fact in my head, that readers, agents, editors—so many people out there—have opportunities to reject my work. It will happen, and it’s something out of my control. But what I can control is my writing. I can do the best I can to make sure that even though I may get rejected, those readers or editors or agents, are getting the best representation of me and my work as possible. That I’m giving it my all, no matter the outcome.

Who knew I could draw so much inspiration from a reality show? If you like to laugh, (and cry, the twins do A LOT of crying on their show) then make sure to tune in to watch Tia and Tamera on Monday nights!

After reading this post at the Girlfriends Book Club by Carleen Brice, I got to thinking about my novel’s beat sheet. And I was surprised to learn that yes, I had one already in place—definitely not as organized as Carleen’s I’m afraid, (the Hubby would love it if I used Excel more for my writing. He uses an Excel spreadsheet just to go grocery shopping. And no, I’m not kidding…)

I use the trusty Post-It note system. I have notes scattered all over my desk about what should happen and when. My notes usually consist of phrases like this:

Don’t forget to have Sam’s best friend fired in chapter five!

You left out part about Rebecca’s mom in chapter 13. Imperative to growth of character!

Beard or no-beard on Jonathan?

Dog must die in chapter seventeen. Mean, but necessary. Car or bus? Or even better—poisoned?????

I also keep a notepad with more pertinent details, like which sub-plot is weak, or if I’ve dropped a sub-plot altogether, (which I have, sadly, more than once.) The Post-It’s are my daily reminders, but my notepad goes into detail on how I can make those reminders happen.

Now it might not be as technical, but it works for me. But after reading that post, it made me think, why don’t I try a hand at setting up an Excel spreadsheet for my characters and my sub-plots? Or at least use the beat sheet link that they provided?

I know of a sub-plot that’s weak in my book, why am I waiting for my critique partner to point it out? I need to take the time to fix it now. I’ve always been the type to get the hard stuff out of the way first, so I’ll just get it done now, instead of whining about it later. Either way, it needs to be fixed, and there’s no time like the present.

I’m glad I was made aware that I already have my version of a beat sheet in place. And now to improve on my Post-It method. Excel anyone? (I can just hear the Woo-Hoo! from the Hubby. Oy…)