Where Ladybugs Roar

Confessions and Passions of a Compulsive Writer

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Thursday and other glorious words


I don't know why, but I've always liked Thursdays the best. I'm not kissing up to Thursday just because it's Thursday, I really mean that.


The picture above is the cover pictures for my manuscript "Re: Straint" which I used for my three Lulu review copies. (It's not in me to use their lame covers, so I make my own.) Since it's not available for you folks to see... I figured it'd be fun to post my pictures here. That's meant to be E. Coli. So, hopefully, you'll go wash your eyeballs after viewing it.

So, today, I go down to the post office and mail off my entry to the Shelley contest. (Cue nail biting.)


I also cranked out a letter of recommendation yesterday for B's teacher last year. (Go me! I hate non-fiction writing at times.)


My scary story contest entry is doing really well. (Thanks to everyone who voted for me. XOXO to you.)


Nathan Bransford's first paragraph contest ends today and, for the record, Diana had us place guesses on the number of final entries and I guessed 2, 350. We've been promised her ermine to wear around for the day if we win. (Tomorrow she'll be forced to say, "Ermine? No, Wendy, it's Eryours." Ha ha ha I slay me.)






Anyway, I'm thinking of submitting to magazines. I'm going to be checking into that over the next few weeks.


I also plan on finishing my Dystopian Sci-fi and submitting it to the Breakthrough Novel contest with Amazon in February.


Woo woo! Look how motivated I am. If only I was this motivated to clean my house.... I'm still exhausted from staying up slow late working on that partial... and it means I need to sweep through the remainder in hopes that she'll ask for the full manuscript. I only sent one agent a copy of Re: Straint, and it was sort of a whim as I was waiting for DAW to get back with me at that time. I was at a meeting last night where there were a bunch of people who'd read my review copies of Re: Straint and several of them said it was their favorite of my books. Then, the topic turned to my Honor series, and they all turned like a pack of wolves demanding when the sixth Honor would be done. It was a little scary. I've been focusing on other books, but apparently... that's not allowed. I need to focus on all the books at once... and hurry.
Wait! Wait! Happy Anniversary to me! Woo woo! I just realized. I started writing (for reals) a year ago today. (I think... it's approximate because my computer exploded.) So, in one year, I've completed... wait for it... seventeen manuscripts, and (with today's entry) competed in four contests.
Whistle whistle clap clap clap.
I find myself thinking: "That is a lot of insomnia." I've blogged over the years and I was an English major in college, so I've been "writing" for a long time, but I've never let it take over my life as it has the last year.
I guess that's a "for better or worse" type of thing, isn't it?
Anyway, this is a rambling post and I really do have laundry and cleaning. (YUCK! BOO! BOO! )




7 comments:

  1. Great job and congratulations, you have a lot of good things going on :) Clap clap woo and hoo! And happy anniversary! Did Writing get you something special? An effortless transition scene? A day without passive voice? Or did Writing even remember? I know how some Writing can be, I'm not saying yours is, but sometimes it feels like all we do is give-give-give, pouring our hearts out, one good idea after the next and Writing just doesn't appreciate us. But then again it's only the first year, you guys are still a couple a crazy kids... speaking of kids, 17! In the first year! You've been busy!!

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  2. I can't believe you've written all of that in one year. You are a writing machine. I started writing a year ago and I have 3 unfinished rough drafts. I'm not worthy to even comment on your blog.

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  3. Diana, yeah Writing and I sometimes stay up all night going at it. I've neglected laundry and dishes just to spend my hours with Writing. So far, Writing hasn't gotten me anything, but one keeps hope that a little something something will arrive via email... or just an envelope full of money. Regardless, I do love Writing.

    Mary, you might enjoy something I like to call "sleeping and having a life." I don't think my take on this is entirely healthy. It feels a little shameful... and I'm not just referring to the odd innuendo Diana and I have going. I'd suspect that your output is a lot more what you'd expect of a year. Hugs.

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  4. Oh... and I mailed it! I mailed it!

    (I noticed a few more contests that ended October 15th. I'll have to remember that for next year.)

    Okay, I've accomplished very little today, but I'm exhausted. I hate days like this.

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  5. Wendy it's awesome that you can write so much. I suspect that you have been writing most if not all your life. I haven't outside of school assignments. I never thought I wanted to write until a few years ago and then I was too chicken to write until this past year. My output is low basically because I've been taking writing classes and doing a lot of studying. I'm trying to teach myself to write. So my serious writing isn't quite happening yet. The novel I'm writing write now is probably going to be the one that teaches me how to write, but will never be published. It's too bad though because I love the whole idea of it, but I'm just not a good enough writer to make it be what I want.

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  6. You can always come back to it in a few years and try again, Mary. I've been blogging and keeping various journals since B was born, but I took as many English classes as humanly possible in both high school and college. So... up until a year ago, I'd probably never written anything longer than twenty pages, so it was a big shock when I was finished with it.

    I think one of the best things I did, though, was read my little brains out. I have difficulty reading and concentrating on writing at the same time, so I'm glad I read so much before this year.

    As I said, though, I'd be surprised if most great writers write more than three or four books a year.

    I think my OCD contributes heavily to my ability to write so quickly and my insomnia allows for longer hours spent writing. Neither is something I'd wish on anyone, so I honestly don't think my writing output is healthy.

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  7. Wendy, I've nominated you for an award over at my blog. Thanks for making me feel justified in loving that crazy thing called writing.

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