I'm still here, fellow bloggers. I haven't blogged because I haven't had much to say, and because I've been working on (aka thinking about) getting a personal website together. I bought the domain a couple weeks ago (meghanschuessler.com, of course) but that's about the only thing I've done with it. I've been taking a basic HTML class from savvy authors which has been helpful. I need to practice more, though, before I actually put anything out there on the web. I really know nothing about how to build a website or HTML or CSS or any of that! I debated hiring someone to build my site for me but (a) I'm broke & unemployed and (b) I'd like to learn how to do this stuff for myself for future reference and in case I need to change/fix anything, ya know?
I've also been looking into freelance writing, but again looking is the key word. All the sites I've checked out want to read a writing sample, and I've never done freelancing before so I don't have a sample! Most sites say they want to see a how-to article or something like that, they're not really interested in reading your fiction. So I'll have to whip something up eventually, or else start looking for another dreaded desk job (*shudders*). Unemployment helps me pay the bills, but it's not enough to pay more than the minimum on my credit cards and there's certainly none left over after paying bills to put in a savings account!
On the novel writing front, I am officially one of the three members of the Beta (aka online) group of Warrior Writers Bootcamp, run by Kristen Lamb. We've been working on character profiles so far and I've been really challenged to go deeper than I'm used to. Also since I decided to write a sci-fi romance, I get to do an extra profile for my story. I get to do world-building yaaaaaaaaaay! (Please hold your applause LOL). So I bought a book from amazon and rented a few more from the library because the fiction I can handle, but the science part is way over my head. I know almost nothing about planets and space travel and possible alien life forms. I just happen to be a fan of "Roswell" and "V" and "Battlestar Galactica"! ;-)
I guess that's about it for me for now. If anyone has any advice on the website building, please let me know. I'm thinking about using Joomla! but I don't know much about them except what I've read on their site. I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of August and a great Labor Day! I'll be back soon, once I've figured out the website thing probably. TTFN! :)
Wednesday, August 25
Thursday, August 5
Blog Overhaul!
I've been gone for a while, and I see I haven't been missed very much lol ;-)
While I was away, some interesting (*cough*not really) things happened - I got let go from my job, managed to get strep throat, went to RWA Nationals (while still getting over strep), and most recently came down with a bad summer cold! Needless to say, the last few weeks haven't been so great for me.
Moving on though, I have decided to give in and really work on this blogging/twitter/platformnonsense experience. I'm reading a fabulous ebook about social marketing by Kristen Lamb called We Are Not Alone. It's extremely helpful and easy to understand, I highly advise checking it out (& for $7.99 how can you not!). I'm also going to be participating in the Book Bloggers and Authors Online Conference this weekend. Basically it deals with online promotion and how to make it work for you. (You'll get a better explanation of it by clicking on the link lol.)
I will be working on fixing up my blog - as well as possibly setting up an actual website - in the days and weeks to come. I look forward to seeing what you'll think once it's finished. If you're also in a platform predicament, definitely check out my links above. See ya'll soon! :)
While I was away, some interesting (*cough*not really) things happened - I got let go from my job, managed to get strep throat, went to RWA Nationals (while still getting over strep), and most recently came down with a bad summer cold! Needless to say, the last few weeks haven't been so great for me.
Moving on though, I have decided to give in and really work on this blogging/twitter/platform
I will be working on fixing up my blog - as well as possibly setting up an actual website - in the days and weeks to come. I look forward to seeing what you'll think once it's finished. If you're also in a platform predicament, definitely check out my links above. See ya'll soon! :)
Sunday, July 11
Sorry I've been MIA lately
To be honest, I really haven't had much to blog about as of late. I've made a little progress on my story - not word count wise, but GMC wise. I realized that my FMC wasn't much of a MC after all. She was kinda just there, along for the ride but not having much to lose. So I was able to think up a way for her to have something to lose, and in the end of course she'll have much to gain too. Unfortunately this means rewriting half of what I've already written. Meaning I won't be moving past the 30k mark for a while, until everything's changed to make the story make sense.
The hard part about that is explaining to people when they ask how many words/pages you've written. It seems that most non-writers judge our progress by numbers. It's difficult to explain why I have to go back and change things. Tho for the most part it is my own fault, since I didn't flesh out my premise or plot enough before starting to write. But it is my first serious attempt at a complete novel, so I knew I was bound to make mistakes (and I will certainly make more in the future too).
I'm working out the kinks right now with the help of a great workshop I'm taking called "Laws of Motion - Plotting a Compelling Story". The instructor, Laura Baker, is wonderful. She takes her time to really read and understand what you send her so she can give you the best possible advice. And it's a big class, so it's certainly not easy for her! If you ever get a chance to take a workshop with Laura, DO IT! I promise it will be one of the best workshops you've ever taken. (And no, this was not a paid endorsement. Considering I only have 25 followers, I doubt anyone would pay me to endorse anything LOL!)
That's about it for me. I have to admit I'm losing my enthusiasm for blogging. There are many reasons, one of the biggest ones being not having much to say. We're all going through similar things as writers, we all know the drill. I don't have anything to tell you that'll make you say "oh sh*t that's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?!?" So if my blog posting frequency decreases for a while, don't be too surprised. I'm really starting to think this whole blogging thing (in the sense of "platform building" to get people to buy your books) is overrated. But I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that a time or two before ;-)
Until next time...!
The hard part about that is explaining to people when they ask how many words/pages you've written. It seems that most non-writers judge our progress by numbers. It's difficult to explain why I have to go back and change things. Tho for the most part it is my own fault, since I didn't flesh out my premise or plot enough before starting to write. But it is my first serious attempt at a complete novel, so I knew I was bound to make mistakes (and I will certainly make more in the future too).
I'm working out the kinks right now with the help of a great workshop I'm taking called "Laws of Motion - Plotting a Compelling Story". The instructor, Laura Baker, is wonderful. She takes her time to really read and understand what you send her so she can give you the best possible advice. And it's a big class, so it's certainly not easy for her! If you ever get a chance to take a workshop with Laura, DO IT! I promise it will be one of the best workshops you've ever taken. (And no, this was not a paid endorsement. Considering I only have 25 followers, I doubt anyone would pay me to endorse anything LOL!)
That's about it for me. I have to admit I'm losing my enthusiasm for blogging. There are many reasons, one of the biggest ones being not having much to say. We're all going through similar things as writers, we all know the drill. I don't have anything to tell you that'll make you say "oh sh*t that's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?!?" So if my blog posting frequency decreases for a while, don't be too surprised. I'm really starting to think this whole blogging thing (in the sense of "platform building" to get people to buy your books) is overrated. But I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that a time or two before ;-)
Until next time...!
Wednesday, June 30
Depression and Writing – are they related?
Not to say that every writer out there suffers from depression. But I do believe depression is common, for a number of reasons. I read a great quote this morning which is actually the inspiration for this post: “depression is anger turned inwards”. That explains so much for me. I have always had anger issues and depression, stemming from childhood. (I’d like to say “I have a dysfunctional family”, but that phrase doesn’t carry nearly the same amount of weight that it once did. Now everyone says (or thinks) their family is dysfunctional.)
I’ve suffered from depression for as long as I can remember. My classmates in eighth grade signed my yearbook with messages like “cheer up, it’ll get better” and “don’t kill yourself”. I’ve gone to shrinks, I’ve tried a ton of different medications. I’m at the point where my depression has become “manageable”. But I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will most likely suffer from it for the rest of my life.
I’ve also always loved to read and write, since I was very young. Reading has always been an escape for me. If the story is good, I get sucked right into it. I can forget about what’s going on IRL (in real life) for a little while. I block the whole world out when I read, and if the world minds I tell it to bite me.
Writing is a bit different for me. I need to concentrate on the words I’m typing. It’s a lot more difficult than reading. So while I do enjoy it, it seems a lot more like work than reading is. That itself may stem from my depression, though. My feeling of not being good enough. Everything I write is crap. How many times have I said to myself “this story sucks, I should just chuck it and start a new one”? More times than I can count. Depression makes me think my ideas suck, and thinking my ideas suck makes me depressed. It’s a lose-lose.
What about you, readers? Do you struggle with depression as well? Do you think the fact that you choose to write has anything to do with it? Or are you a happy-go-lucky writer who doesn’t see how depression and writing could ever be related? Share!
I’ve suffered from depression for as long as I can remember. My classmates in eighth grade signed my yearbook with messages like “cheer up, it’ll get better” and “don’t kill yourself”. I’ve gone to shrinks, I’ve tried a ton of different medications. I’m at the point where my depression has become “manageable”. But I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will most likely suffer from it for the rest of my life.
I’ve also always loved to read and write, since I was very young. Reading has always been an escape for me. If the story is good, I get sucked right into it. I can forget about what’s going on IRL (in real life) for a little while. I block the whole world out when I read, and if the world minds I tell it to bite me.
Writing is a bit different for me. I need to concentrate on the words I’m typing. It’s a lot more difficult than reading. So while I do enjoy it, it seems a lot more like work than reading is. That itself may stem from my depression, though. My feeling of not being good enough. Everything I write is crap. How many times have I said to myself “this story sucks, I should just chuck it and start a new one”? More times than I can count. Depression makes me think my ideas suck, and thinking my ideas suck makes me depressed. It’s a lose-lose.
What about you, readers? Do you struggle with depression as well? Do you think the fact that you choose to write has anything to do with it? Or are you a happy-go-lucky writer who doesn’t see how depression and writing could ever be related? Share!
Monday, June 28
Why writers make excuses: What if it’s not fear? What if it’s just laziness / lack of motivation?
In my second-to-last post, I pondered the possibility of getting more writing done without my laptop. As you know if you read my previous post, I got some writing done – but at work, not at home. Last Monday & Tuesday I got around 200 words (total) written, some at work and the rest using my alphasmart. Then my laptop returned on Wednesday, which was earlier than I’d expected.
I haven’t done any writing (just a little revising) since it’s return. I did a little on Thursday at work, but nothing on Friday or over the whole weekend.
Here’s the kicker – I even bought a new desk on Friday so I’d have my own little writing area instead of being stuck either on the couch or at the dining room table. It didn’t work. The unbearable heat this weekend probably played a factor in my complete lack of motivation, but I still feel crappy about it. I didn’t even look at my WIP until 6:30ish last night, and I only spent about an hour editing it before I gave up.
I can’t understand why I continue to self-sabotage myself. When I’m at my day job I can squeeze in some time to write. But when the weekend comes and I have a ton of free time, I can’t get anything accomplished! At first I thought it was fear; fear of success, fear of failure, fear of change. Now I’m thinking there’s more to it than that. When I really want to do something, I find a way to do it. I am good at organizing things, and I’m good at using my brain to figure things out (at work for example). So why do I keep NOT doing everything I need to do in order to finish this book???
It’s so much easier to just sit down and read a book than it is to try to write one. I’ve always loved reading and it comes naturally. Writing – although I have done some over the past 20+ years – does not come naturally at all. Because it’s harder? Because I’m lazy and don’t like to have to put forth a lot of effort if I don’t have to? What is it?!?
Maybe I should talk to a shrink, but I really can’t afford that at the moment (even with health insurance, the co-pays are outta control). All I can do at the moment is try to figure it out on my own. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just have to push myself to write, despite the nagging voice inside my head that tells me I should just pick a book out of my TBR pile instead of opening that word document. I only wish I could shut that annoying voice up for good, and keep on writing.
“Nobody said it was easy, but no one ever said it would be this hard” - Coldplay
I haven’t done any writing (just a little revising) since it’s return. I did a little on Thursday at work, but nothing on Friday or over the whole weekend.
Here’s the kicker – I even bought a new desk on Friday so I’d have my own little writing area instead of being stuck either on the couch or at the dining room table. It didn’t work. The unbearable heat this weekend probably played a factor in my complete lack of motivation, but I still feel crappy about it. I didn’t even look at my WIP until 6:30ish last night, and I only spent about an hour editing it before I gave up.
I can’t understand why I continue to self-sabotage myself. When I’m at my day job I can squeeze in some time to write. But when the weekend comes and I have a ton of free time, I can’t get anything accomplished! At first I thought it was fear; fear of success, fear of failure, fear of change. Now I’m thinking there’s more to it than that. When I really want to do something, I find a way to do it. I am good at organizing things, and I’m good at using my brain to figure things out (at work for example). So why do I keep NOT doing everything I need to do in order to finish this book???
It’s so much easier to just sit down and read a book than it is to try to write one. I’ve always loved reading and it comes naturally. Writing – although I have done some over the past 20+ years – does not come naturally at all. Because it’s harder? Because I’m lazy and don’t like to have to put forth a lot of effort if I don’t have to? What is it?!?
Maybe I should talk to a shrink, but I really can’t afford that at the moment (even with health insurance, the co-pays are outta control). All I can do at the moment is try to figure it out on my own. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just have to push myself to write, despite the nagging voice inside my head that tells me I should just pick a book out of my TBR pile instead of opening that word document. I only wish I could shut that annoying voice up for good, and keep on writing.
“Nobody said it was easy, but no one ever said it would be this hard” - Coldplay
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