And yes, I am still writing

I just had to get the legal fuss off my mind before I could write about writing.

Yep, I am writing. I am finishing one book, have edits to do on another, have sold another one, and re-written another. Sounds like I've been busy and I have: conference appearances, workshops, and, well, life.

It's hard to juggle it all, but it can be done. I've found a marvelous way to get a lot of writing done:

I take my ancient laptop with no WiFi and I go to another room (right now it's the porch because the weather is fabulous) and I sit and I write. No distractions. Just writing.

Sometimes the best way to think outside the box is to get outside the box, get outside your comfort zone. You might be surprised what you find there when you do.

Thoughts on the Florida legal crap

I'm thoroughly peeved by the whole Martin/Zimmerman hullabaloo, and you know why?

We do not have the facts. No matter what you read in the paper, the way the law works, the FACTS are what is presented in court. It's not what you read on Huff-Po or heard on Fox. It's not what you read in the New York Times. All of those media outlets have a slant no matter how they try to make it look like they don't have one.

The facts are what is presented in court, and the facts are what the jurors take and use to make their decision. I wasn't there and I didn't listen to testimony. I didn't hear what was presented to them. So I have no idea what they heard that made them come to the decision they did.

But they did their jobs. They were handed a case, they followed the rules of the court (at least I assume they did. If they didn't, then the court should have reprimanded them and handled it). And they came in with a Not Guilty verdict.

It doesn't matter what you think -- the jurors did what they were charged with doing. Was it a travesty of justice? Maybe, but our courts don't care about justice. They care about the law.

Okay. Enough soapbox for now. I'm just getting tired of all the pontificating about injustice. This wasn't injustice. This was the American legal system at work.

Live with it.

Writing in between... the weather, other interests, and life

What a difference a year makes!

Last year was drought, this year it's flood. Last year was heat, this year it's chilly. Feast or famine, I guess you could say.

I'm also writing in between a lull in my writing life. I am working on a story, but I'm taking my time with it. yes, I'll still finish it in 3 months or so, but I'm starting to see the end of the road with writing. I'll still do a book now and again, probably one or two a year. But other things are taking up more of my time. I'm starting to think about retirement from my Day Job, and what I want to do with my time.

Perfect, you say? A great chance to write more?

Maybe. But also a chance to do things, like animal rescue, or cooking, or volunteering or .... I'm making a list!

So stay tuned for what's next. I'll still be writing, but there will be less "writing in between" and more "writing when I feel like it."

Maybe that's the best kind after all!

Life without writing

In the last few months, I've let my writing slip. I suppose you'd say it was about time. I used to write in every available free moment, but in the last year, I've let those free moments become, well, free.

I still enjoy writing, but I think it's not as important as it used to be. I've accomplished what I wanted: I have 27 books out since 2007. That's very productive, you know? In many years I had 3 or 4 books release. One year I had 6.

I don't do much promo anymore, but my books still sell. Not great guns, no, but they sell. And how much they sell and the reviews just aren't that important to me any more.

I don't know if this represents a new phase of my life, but it seems like every decade or so, I find something new that I try to excel at. In the 1970s, I studied and received 2 college degrees. Likewise the 80s: 2 more college degrees. In the 90s I got one college degree in a totally new field (horticulture) and I excelled at needlepoint and other handiwork, as well as garden design.

In 2002 I decided to pursue a lifelong dream of being published. I joined RWA in 2003 and in 2004 I joined my local (then) RWA chapter. In 2006 I had my first contract.

It's been 10 years pursuing the dream, and I wonder if I am starting to wind it down. I still have stories to tell, but I don't feel as compelled to write them down.

What will the next 10 years bring? What will be the Next Big Thing for me? Will it continue to be writing, or will I move on to something else?

40 years ago I wouldn't have thought I would be where I am, so who knows what will happen?

::Chagrin::

Well, the "catchy goals" weren't catchy enough.

I'm doing fine on "Eat right". In fact, I'm doing the Clean Program and am in week 2. It's been fine so far. Oh, I admit I'm a bit tired from no caffeine, but surprisingly enough I don't miss the booze all that much, and I don't miss much else except bread and chocolate. So I'm cheating a tad by having some cacao chips after my meals, which is a substitute for a Peanut Butter Cup (no, it really isn't a substitute, but it'll do). I'm doing fine and figure I can continue this easily for 2 more weeks.

Write daily: not so much. I'm having a hard time getting into the writing habit again. I really need to work on my Dream series, but have not been able to get in to the characters' heads. I am doing some writing-related stuff every day. I'm getting Righter prepped for release, and I'm prepping items for conferences, but writing? I don't know. I'm just not motivated.

And daily promo? Pfft! No, I managed that for about a month then it slipped off the radar. I just hate talking about my books and constantly touting them. So that quietly got lost in the crowd.

In my defense, I've been crazy busy with Paycheck Work and Legal Bullshit, but that is all subsiding. So I really have no reason not to dig in and focus. Which I will ...

... tomorrow.

Catchy goals

I think most goals are too laborious ("lose 25 pounds by Joannie's wedding") and are focused on fixing what is negative, rather than focus on what might be positive.

So I spun it up a bit this year and now here are my goals:

• Eat right. If I eat right, I'll lose weight, get healthy, and stay healthy. I like to exercise so I don't need to add that in. I will exercise. Now I just have hum loudly while I walk by Dairy Queen.
• Write daily. I need to get back into the habit of writing, of working on my writing. I lost the habit when I had to focus on unpleasant things (lawsuit, etc.) Time to get back to writing.
• Daily promo. I hate promotion, so if I do a bit every day, I'll be done with it. I don't need it to interfere with my writing or my life. Just do one bit a day and done.

 So far, so good. 20 days into the month, and I've kept my resolutions.

Now for the other 345 days....