Lip Gloss & Lies needs work, a lot of work...

I was so proud of myself this weekend for actually sitting down and devoting my afternoon to writing. If felt so good and familiar to have laptop on, well my lap, kitty on my side, and doggie by my feet. With notes open, I got to work. And boy, do I have work to do.

This past March I finished my outline for the sequel and I was surprised by how much I had planned and already written. I had honestly forgotten that Lip Gloss & Lies was my NanoWriMo goal last year and I had written 15k in those first two weeks before realizing forging ahead without an outline wouldn't work for me.

But that's where the good warm fuzzy feeling ended.

You see, I really don't like my story outline. So much so that I'm thinking about changing the murder victim and murderess. Just the basics, you know? :) I managed to take the entire 38-page outline and summarize it down to three remaining plot points. And to be honest, they're minor plot points. The big guys are still yet to be determined--and I couldn't be happier. In writing this sequel I'm reminded of a couple of points I've learned along the way:

#1 Sequel or not, each novel should stand on its own.

#2 It's far easier to change an outline than to rewrite an entire novel. Even changing one scene screws up the rest (as it should. If you can delete/change an entire scene and it doesn't effect your story, you have a problem).

#3 Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I remember reading a part in "First Draft in 30 Days" (Karen Weisner) that you should set aside your outline for a month if not longer and then come back to it with fresh eyes. While I followed her other tips while writing Beauty Secrets, this was one I ignored. After having this experience with Lip Gloss & Lies, however, I've changed my mind. I've always been in too big of a rush to wait, you know? But I will follow her advice this time!

One things for sure, this publishing (and pregnancy) is going to teach me patience one way or another (or at least test it a time or two!). Happy writing.

Jumping on the writing train

I have the whole morning, actually most of the day, to myself. It is the perfect time to start writing. My only dilemma is what to write? Yes, it has been THAT long. I have two WIPs that I haven't touched in 6 months, plus two ideas I've roughly outlined, oh wait, make that three ideas.

What to do, what to do.

Well, as I've said before, my first love is cozies. I still have that sequel to Beauty Secrets to hash out--Lip Gloss & Lies--and I know what some believe about writing a sequel when the first hasn't sold, but if you remember, I'm done right now caring about being published. I'm writing for me.

Plus, figuring out a mystery is a guaranteed way to keep my mind busy from obsessing about this baby and bedrest (have you read about preterm labor statistics? Don't.)

So, looks like I've made up my mind. Off to Lip Gloss and Lies! Thanks for your help (you always know what to say, hehehe).

I miss you!

I started visiting some of my favorite blogs today (and if you're a follower of mine, I mean YOU!) and I realized how much I miss all of you.

You're so smart--do you know that? And witty and charming and you make me smile. Who couldn't use more smiling in their life? It's so good to know that when I disappear off the grid for a while you great people are still out there blogging away.

You're awesome.

So Thank You! No matter how much life tries to squish the writer out of me, she's still down in there banging to get out. Let's see if I can break her free!

The Joys of Bedrest

Hey fellow Bloggers,

As you can tell from the title, I'm chilling out the next few weeks on bedrest. Last Wednesday I experienced a slight tear in my placenta, and saving you the gory details, it has since been suggested that I hang low and get plenty of rest. Luckily for me, I started a new job 2 weeks ago and they're very cool and supportive with me working from home. What's even cooler is that my job is in the technical publishing field and I'm up to my eyebrows in B2B social media plans.

So, I guess my point is that I've decided to make lemonade (you know, when life gives you lemons...) and I still consider myself blessed. While my writing has suffered the past 4 months, it doesn't take away from all that I accomplished in the previous year. I'm still a writer with great stories waiting to be told. I have landed an amazing job and I have a beautiful baby girl on the way (hoping she doesn't arrive too soon. I'm only 24 weeks!) Oh, and now I can completely avoid the holiday shopping rush and order everyone's presents online. See? It's all good. There really are some joys associated with bedrest :)