Comments:

I am always thrilled to get comments and I wouldn't normally delete them unless they are really mean, nasty, random, or generally unable to decipher. But lately I've been getting ones that are in a completely different language. I speak english, everything on my blog is in english so unfortunately since I can't read in any other language I will be deleting any comments that fall under the following description:

Comments with swear words, that are mean, nasty, crude, random (with no explanation), generally unable to decipher, or are in any language other than English (with no translation) will be deleted.

I want this blog to be appropriate for any reader at any age and have a general uplifting nature. Sometimes this means that you've got to put your foot down.

Notice how I didn't say you couldn't promote your own blog here. I'm cool with that, only if it doesn't contain anything offensive on it. Like I said, I want any one from any age to be able to come to my blog and not have to worry that they are going to run into a swear word or some crude comment. This also means if you promote yourself here I hope you can understand if I feel uncomfortable about what is on your link I'll ask you to not promote here.

G rating! Thanks!

Working...

I have had a few projects on my plate this month. I'm getting more readers and I wanted to post something quickly so I don't let any of you down who are looking for inspiration or just want to something encouraging to read.

ANWA... I made a new logo for American Night Writers Association. I've been working on it for a little while. But finished it and shared it with the rest of the Executive Board and they put their stamp on it. It will be featured in the newsletter for January 2010. So stay tuned!

Writing Goals... Remember NaNoWriMo last month? I only wrote 12,000 words during the whole month which is the most I've ever written in any one month in 2009. Well, I beat it this month. I hit 12,000 words half way through December and I'm not done yet. Again another stay tuned to see how many words I get to. (I'm practicing to see just how many words I can write in one month. Without killing myself or wanting to kill myself. eheheh)

Okay, so that's it. Those are the two big ones I've been so focused on when I'm not running around the house putting out fires and keeping the kids from injuring themselves or each other. I have been contemplating on what I will continue to write about in this blog... hopefully something that gets everyone excited to write more in 2010!

Confessions of a Amateur Writer #2: You gotta love it forever!

I've been writing on my current WIP (Work In Progress) since June 2009. It seems like forever! But I'm still insanely focused on it. Which is good. There are days when I think "Am I done yet???!"

I confess there have been times when the only accomplishing thing I did to add to my word count was to open all my files and run a word count on everything I've written so far to check how far I am. Making absolutely sure I hadn't missed something somewhere. Am I indeed at the word count I confess to be at?

I thought I was more than half way through by now, but alas I am not. I'm starting to think this obsession is going to be a life long thing. Will it ever end?

I happened to talk to one of my writer friends the other day. I'm reading her story and I haven't finished it yet. This is the second version I've been reading. She had a confession to tell me when I told her how far I was into her novel. She's rewriting it again. This makes it her third rewrite. We both laughed sheepishly.

The reality of what she said hit me afterwards. I'm in this for life. There won't be a day that goes by I don't think about what I'm writing about. And the first draft is just the first of many rewrites to come. When I finally do get picked up by someone to publish it, I'll be rewriting it yet again.

Insanity just doesn't cover this level of strange. I think you just gotta love it forever. Just like you love your kids even though they drive you crazy sometimes too. Hey, I've heard novels compared to kids. Maybe that is the reason why. You will never be free of your kids, just like you'll never be free of your story.

So the moral of this post is... If you're gonna write it you better love it forever. Because chances are you will write it once and then rewrite it until your eyes are bleeding and you want to stab it to death. Or you want to stab yourself to death? There will be days when it is purely delightful to be in the pages of your novel writing, discovering, plowing through, making the magic happen. And then there will be days when you are ready to rip all the pages to shreds, kill all your characters, and burn every word you've ever written.

Caution to the wise... before you light a match, remember to make the commitment before you start writing to love your story no matter what. It's like a marriage commitment.

HEY, did I just do that... compare writing to marriage and family? It's the story of my life!