The hardest thing I find in writing is scheduling my time. My life is being filled with too many distractions, and I want to concentrate on doing what I know I must do. Write.
Last week very little writing was done. Corn had to be frozen and beans had to be canned. Corn is the messiest thing in the world to work with, so I had a kitchen to get cleaned up. This week started pretty good, and then yesterday our water heater died.
We have a large pantry and our water heater is in it. I had stuck stuff in there when I couldn't find a place for it, so it was full and the water heater was leaking. Now the pantry is clean, but a lot of junk is in the kitchen floor. That will have to be taken care of today.
My writing time is between nine o'clock and twelve o'clock. That is my best time to write, but again sometimes things get in the way. I can do laundry and write. No problem. I cannot cook a meal and write. That is much too hard and too much running back and forth from the office to the kitchen.
Afternoons are usually doing chores and resting. I usually don't get to write anymore until after dinner. The evenings have been good for me. More gets done in the evening, if we aren't going anyplace else. I can't very well play catch-up when I'm not home.
It's a little past nine, so I think I'd better start writing. Have a good day. Do you have any hints on finding writing time?
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Busy Last Week
Last week was a busy week. With the raccoon invasion of our corn, we had to get it in quickly. Most of the week was filled with canning green beans and freezing corn.
Writing news! My two close published friends are critiquing my book. I have sent the first three chapters to two publishers, and I'm glad these two ladies critiqued them first. We are one-third through with the book now and they are giving me wonderful ideas. These ladies are multi-published and know what they are doing. They also are very honest with what I have written and I know they are thinking, "What made her think she could write?" I don't have an answer to that and I'm beginning to think it was more stupidity than anything.
With all the critiquing, canning, and freezing, I have not been able to write much. I had set a goal of 40,000 words this month, but I'll be lucky to get 25,000 in. I wanted to complete this small contemporary novel, but I'm way behind now.
I'm getting more anxious for ACFW conference. If anyone is going, let me know and we may be able to meet up. Our Kentucky group is meeting on Wednesday night around 8:00 p.m. I'm looking forward to putting names with faces. It will be a great time for everyone.
Today, I am correcting a critique and getting another chapter ready to go out. I will be so glad when the finishing touches on done. Thanks for all the encouragement.
Writing news! My two close published friends are critiquing my book. I have sent the first three chapters to two publishers, and I'm glad these two ladies critiqued them first. We are one-third through with the book now and they are giving me wonderful ideas. These ladies are multi-published and know what they are doing. They also are very honest with what I have written and I know they are thinking, "What made her think she could write?" I don't have an answer to that and I'm beginning to think it was more stupidity than anything.
With all the critiquing, canning, and freezing, I have not been able to write much. I had set a goal of 40,000 words this month, but I'll be lucky to get 25,000 in. I wanted to complete this small contemporary novel, but I'm way behind now.
I'm getting more anxious for ACFW conference. If anyone is going, let me know and we may be able to meet up. Our Kentucky group is meeting on Wednesday night around 8:00 p.m. I'm looking forward to putting names with faces. It will be a great time for everyone.
Today, I am correcting a critique and getting another chapter ready to go out. I will be so glad when the finishing touches on done. Thanks for all the encouragement.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Writing Hiatus
It seems I have stopped writing for a few days. I forgot this blog Monday, sorry. It's not that I don't want to write, it's the fact that too much is going on.
My husband plants enough corn for us, our son's family, and our daughter's family. We have never had much trouble with varmints getting into it until this year. This year, a bunch of raccons have found our garden. Hubby went on the internet and read about putting a radio in the garden, turned up loud. Apparently country music is not their thing. They haven't returned in several days.We have been freezing corn for the rest of the family. Our freezer is full from last year. I can't eat it, and I guess I forget to fix it except when we have a covered dish at church.
This week I have been freezing corn and I have more to do today. I've also canned green beans. I love the fresh vegetables, but I wish they didn't come in at the same time. We are beginning to get ripe, or nearly ripe tomatoes. I'll make chili sauce and spaghetti sauce when they come in.
I'm anxious to get my writing going back again. I had tried to plan for this, but I don't think I did a good job. Let me give you a little hint. We have had flies and gnats around our doors all summer. Someone told my husband about spraying the ground with yellow Listerine. That's the original color. Don't know how it works, but it does. I sprayed the deck and the carport and it's working. Just one little simple trick that may make your life better.
My husband plants enough corn for us, our son's family, and our daughter's family. We have never had much trouble with varmints getting into it until this year. This year, a bunch of raccons have found our garden. Hubby went on the internet and read about putting a radio in the garden, turned up loud. Apparently country music is not their thing. They haven't returned in several days.We have been freezing corn for the rest of the family. Our freezer is full from last year. I can't eat it, and I guess I forget to fix it except when we have a covered dish at church.
This week I have been freezing corn and I have more to do today. I've also canned green beans. I love the fresh vegetables, but I wish they didn't come in at the same time. We are beginning to get ripe, or nearly ripe tomatoes. I'll make chili sauce and spaghetti sauce when they come in.
I'm anxious to get my writing going back again. I had tried to plan for this, but I don't think I did a good job. Let me give you a little hint. We have had flies and gnats around our doors all summer. Someone told my husband about spraying the ground with yellow Listerine. That's the original color. Don't know how it works, but it does. I sprayed the deck and the carport and it's working. Just one little simple trick that may make your life better.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Summer is Here
Today, I'm feeling the summer sun. It's already in the 90's, and we have beans to can. My second run of green beans is on now. Corn is almost ready, but the raccoons found it last night, so it will have to be frozen quicker than we first thought.
What does all that have to do with writing? I don't get to write as much. We will eat good this winter, though.
I remember back in BAC (Before Air Conditioning) how hot it would be to can. It had to be done and I don't remember how we accepted the heat. I would say it was with fans. My grandmother would have the canner going early in the morning, before it got hot.
Now, to writing. I sent two proposals out yesterday. These two editors had asked for them, so I went to town. I'm really impressed with one editor. She has already acknowledged receiving it. Not many people do that! So many authors who have read parts of Callie's Mountain, have encouraged me to keep on trying to publish it. I am trying to do that.
Before long, American Christian Fiction Writers will be having their conference. I am excited about that and have been working to finish another book. I would like to have three finished before conference. I'm over 1/4 through with this new one, plus correcting critiques on Callie. I've been very busy, but I work better that way. I am excited to see some of my friends that I have not seen in a while.
Have a good week-end and I'll try my best to be back Monday.
What does all that have to do with writing? I don't get to write as much. We will eat good this winter, though.
I remember back in BAC (Before Air Conditioning) how hot it would be to can. It had to be done and I don't remember how we accepted the heat. I would say it was with fans. My grandmother would have the canner going early in the morning, before it got hot.
Now, to writing. I sent two proposals out yesterday. These two editors had asked for them, so I went to town. I'm really impressed with one editor. She has already acknowledged receiving it. Not many people do that! So many authors who have read parts of Callie's Mountain, have encouraged me to keep on trying to publish it. I am trying to do that.
Before long, American Christian Fiction Writers will be having their conference. I am excited about that and have been working to finish another book. I would like to have three finished before conference. I'm over 1/4 through with this new one, plus correcting critiques on Callie. I've been very busy, but I work better that way. I am excited to see some of my friends that I have not seen in a while.
Have a good week-end and I'll try my best to be back Monday.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Steve Laube on Agents
I ran across this on Steve Laube's blog. I loved "The Ten Commandments for Working with Your Agent."
Ten Commandments
for Working with
Your Agent
By request, here are my Ten Commandments for working with your agent. Break them at your own peril. Thou shalt vent only to thine agent and never directly to thy publisher or editor.
- Thou shalt not get whipped into a frenzy by the rumor mill fomented by internet loops, groups, Facebook, or blogs.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s success. Be content with thine own contract.
- If thou hast a dispute with thine agent thou shalt talk to thy agent and seekest resolution. Jumping ship for no good reason is unprofessional…and agents talketh to each other.
- Thou shalt consider thy deadlines as sacrosanct. Thy hand signeth the contract, therefore thou art obligated. Thou shalt not expect thy agent to miraculously create extra time, at the last minute.
- Respecteth the boundaries of the communication relationship with thy agent. Do not risketh being classified as a spammer or high maintenance by thy agent.
- Thou shalt be reasonable and balanced with regard to Facebook, Twitter, blogging, or blogs. Thou art a writer….not a teenager. (Thy social networking and Internet writing shouldeth be related to marketing efforts or to increasing thy platform and readership.) Remembereth…every word written on Facebook is a word not written on thy manuscript. [This commandment was revised on 9/25/10 in response to visceral reactions both public and private. I previously stated that a writer should spend no more than an hour a week with social networking and blogs. Boy did I touch a nerve!]
- Keepeth it all in perspective. Selling only eight thousand books still meaneth 8,000 people have “bought a ticket” to read thy work. That crowd would filleth a basketball arena.
- Remember thy calling to be a writer and keep it holy. You are in the business of changing the world word by word. Everything else is secondary.
- Thou shall rise and call thy agent blessed. (and send chocolates at Christmas and cash on birthdays…)
- If thou dost not have an agent, do not passeth “Go.” Instead grabbeth one and bringeth said agent into thy camp ASAP. This industry is a labyrinth and thou shalt someday discover thou needest one, and then it shall be too late. Real life examples available upon request.
__________
Steve Laube on Agents
I ran across this on Steve Laube's blog. I loved "The Ten Commandments for Working with Your Agent."
Ten Commandments for Working with Your Agent
By request, here are my Ten Commandments for working with your agent. Break them at your own peril. Thou shalt vent only to thine agent and never directly to thy publisher or editor.
- Thou shalt not get whipped into a frenzy by the rumor mill fomented by internet loops, groups, Facebook, or blogs.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s success. Be content with thine own contract.
- If thou hast a dispute with thine agent thou shalt talk to thy agent and seekest resolution. Jumping ship for no good reason is unprofessional…and agents talketh to each other.
- Thou shalt consider thy deadlines as sacrosanct. Thy hand signeth the contract, therefore thou art obligated. Thou shalt not expect thy agent to miraculously create extra time, at the last minute.
- Respecteth the boundaries of the communication relationship with thy agent. Do not risketh being classified as a spammer or high maintenance by thy agent.
- Thou shalt be reasonable and balanced with regard to Facebook, Twitter, blogging, or blogs. Thou art a writer….not a teenager. (Thy social networking and Internet writing shouldeth be related to marketing efforts or to increasing thy platform and readership.) Remembereth…every word written on Facebook is a word not written on thy manuscript. [This commandment was revised on 9/25/10 in response to visceral reactions both public and private. I previously stated that a writer should spend no more than an hour a week with social networking and blogs. Boy did I touch a nerve!]
- Keepeth it all in perspective. Selling only eight thousand books still meaneth 8,000 people have “bought a ticket” to read thy work. That crowd would filleth a basketball arena.
- Remember thy calling to be a writer and keep it holy. You are in the business of changing the world word by word. Everything else is secondary.
- Thou shall rise and call thy agent blessed. (and send chocolates at Christmas and cash on birthdays…)
- If thou dost not have an agent, do not passeth “Go.” Instead grabbeth one and bringeth said agent into thy camp ASAP. This industry is a labyrinth and thou shalt someday discover thou needest one, and then it shall be too late. Real life examples available upon request.
__________
Monday, July 11, 2011
Janice Thompson and LFY in Groom, Texas
We're talking to Janice Hanna Thompson today. I hope you will enjoy our visit.
Please tell us three random things we might not know about you.
My dad was the president of the University of Houston Cougar Cagers Club, so my birthdays, holidays, etc. were spent at basketball games. Our family traveled to Mexico with the U of H Cougars to watch them compete, which was great fun. When I was eleven, I got to play (for fun, of course) with the Harlem Globetrotters, who came to Houston for a visit. To this day, I love a good basketball game.
I once lied to a fellow camper at church camp, telling her that my dad (Billy Hanna) was William Hanna of Hanna/Barbara (Flintstones) fame. That lie still haunts me, though, to his credit, my dad did eventually work as a movie producer on our co-authored movie, Liar’s Moon. (Yes, it’s true. I got to meet and work with Matt Dillon. Eat your heart out, girls!)
I occasionally bake wedding cakes. In 2009 I baked a lovely four-tiered white cake with strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting that toppled less than an hour before the wedding. I managed to piece together two very messy/ugly layers. Thankfully, the bride did not murder me. It made for a great scene in a later book. (Nothing ever gets wasted, not even a mashed piece of cake.)
Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Love Finds You in Groom, Texas.
Always the groomsman, never the groom… It’s 1914, and Jake O’Farrell has gained an unusual reputation among the locals: He’s played the roles of groomsman and best man in all four of his older brothers’ weddings, but he’s never been able to find the woman to capture his heart. And now with the upcoming wedding of his best friend, Jake will become the last single man in the town of Groom.
Anne Denning has made the difficult decision to move with her sisters to Texas, but a train derailment forces them to seek shelter in Groom, near Amarillo. Mrs. O’Farrell, hopeful that Anne will catch her youngest son’s eye, invites the girls to stay at her home until the train is repaired and ready to pull out. Anne has no idea of the blissful chaos that lies ahead!
Why did you decide to write this story?
My editor at Summerside approached me with the name of the town because she knows I write a lot of wedding-themed stories. She wanted something lightweight/fun, and she knew me well enough to know I would enjoy a fun story. The only real question we had in the beginning stage was: “Should this be a historical or a contemporary?” We went with historical because I felt sure the story idea was better suited to the turn of the century.
Tell us something interesting about the town of Groom:
Groom boasts a nineteen-story high cross. More than 100 welders worked together to erect it in 1995. Now you can see why I toyed with the idea of writing a contemporary novel! I wanted to include the cross. Because I went with historical, I decided to give the heroine a small cross necklace to wear, one that symbolizes her faith (and alludes to the “bigger” cross to come).
What is your favorite memory of the Texas panhandle region?
Just one? I love, love, love Palo Duro Canyon, which is not terribly far from Groom. This breathtaking canyon always surprises visitors because you don’t see it coming! Look to your right and see nothing. Then, a few yards up the road, look to your right again and you see a crevice forming. That crevice deepens, then deepens some more until. . .lo and behold! You’re looking at one of God’s most magnificent “sweeps of a fingertip.” Truly glorious. One of my favorite memories was taking my daughters to see the play “Texas” in Palo Duro Canyon when they were little. We camped overnight in the state park, ate BBQ and saw the show. Amazing!
What is it about your lead character that will make your readers care about her?
Readers will care about Anne because she’s been through so much and still chooses to move forward. They will also love her relationship with her younger sisters. She’s the only remaining parental figure and takes that position very seriously.
Where else can readers find you online?
I love to connect with my readers at the following places:
Where can I get the book?
Love Finds You in Groom, Texas can be purchased at any number of online stores, as well as my website: www.janicehannathompson.com (front page). Readers can always join my VIP bookclub and get the locked in price of $11 (no shipping) by contacting me directly at booksbyjanice@aol.com.
Thanks for spending time with me! I had a blast!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
WRITING CAN BE FRUSTRATING
Just when you think you are making progress, everything falls apart. That's what happened to me last week. I thought my book Callie's Mountain was on the way to be sent to publishers, when I found out it wasn't. I was heartsick.
Did something good come out of that? Yes! It's made me look at other things and other projects. My main project now is the first book I wrote. That was a long time ago and my writing has improved since then. The book is not bad. I'm re-writing Going Home.
Going Home started out as a book to learn from our mistakes. It still is, but it's a contemporary romance, minus the mistakes. In the original book, Paula had been a slow learner and had three children out of wedlock. Found out that won't fly in CBA, so I started back with square one.
Paula is now a workaholic and no time for anything until her father dies. (This book helped me through my grief after my own father died.) She comes back home, finds her old flame, and has to make some decisions. I'm loving it right now and hope to finish it soon.
The other book I am working on is set during the gilded age. I've loved history since childhood and this is a completely different kind of history. Afternoon teas, parties, and other fun made life interesting back then. For the rich and famous, it was a life of leisure, but for their help, it was not.
I've worked on two books at the same time before, but these are so different, and I find I am able to switch gears. My plans are to finish Going Home this month and then give my full time to the historical.
Did something good come out of that? Yes! It's made me look at other things and other projects. My main project now is the first book I wrote. That was a long time ago and my writing has improved since then. The book is not bad. I'm re-writing Going Home.
Going Home started out as a book to learn from our mistakes. It still is, but it's a contemporary romance, minus the mistakes. In the original book, Paula had been a slow learner and had three children out of wedlock. Found out that won't fly in CBA, so I started back with square one.
Paula is now a workaholic and no time for anything until her father dies. (This book helped me through my grief after my own father died.) She comes back home, finds her old flame, and has to make some decisions. I'm loving it right now and hope to finish it soon.
The other book I am working on is set during the gilded age. I've loved history since childhood and this is a completely different kind of history. Afternoon teas, parties, and other fun made life interesting back then. For the rich and famous, it was a life of leisure, but for their help, it was not.
I've worked on two books at the same time before, but these are so different, and I find I am able to switch gears. My plans are to finish Going Home this month and then give my full time to the historical.
Monday, July 4, 2011
HAPPY JULY 4th
I love July 4. It's my oldest granddaughter's birthday. She is fifteen today and getting older too fast. She has been a firecracker all of her life. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful granddaughter in our family. When she was small, she had to come to our house on her birthday because Rogersville, Tennessee has the best fireworks in the south. They are magnificent! She thought they were for her for a long time.
On Friday, we celebrate our youngest grandchild's birthday. He will be seven and he is also a firecracker. He told Granddaddy the only thing he wanted for his birthday was to go fishing on the boat. Does that really eliminate a present? Don't think so. He is a wonderful, energetic little boy.
There is so much to be thankful for on this day. We live in freedom. We are not harassed by worshiping God, or saying what we want to. I write on forchristiangirls.org and I have already been threatened by two people in foreign countries that I will be in jail soon. Well, that doesn't happen in the US. It may in the Middle East, but not here. I am so thankful for that.
Enjoy today. Eat plenty of hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, and baked beans. We're having a fish fry with cat fish from the area. Family will be here and we will have a wonderful time. Don't forget to thank God for these freedoms.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Changing Plans
Boy, did I have my week planned out, I thought. Monday afternoon, I received a call from a nurse at a gastroenterology center where my doctor had referred me for a colonoscopy. Because of my many colon surgeries, I have to have one fairly often. It was time.
This was a new doctor and I loved by old doctor in Tennessee, but I would not go that far for a colonoscopy. Anyway, the nurse said she had an opening on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Things started going through my mind like, did I have time to get the preparation, could my daughter keep us, you know the things anyone would be worried about. She managed to answer yes to all my questions, so I was on a roll.
The prescription was sent to the pharmacy on Tuesday and the fun began on Wednesday. We made it to Nashville before the party started. This was the easiest prep I have ever had. I remember the first one I had, and it was not that easy. By nine o'clock I was fine, except when I drank a coke. That's another thing, I couldn't have coke five years ago. This was much easier.
Everything went well and I loved the new doctor. She was very understanding of my prior problems and took us to a private room to talk to us. I was impressed. I will go back to her again.
Then some bad news. I thought I had an agent lined up, but his boss did not want to give me a contract. That's the way it goes in writing. I am back at square one, and I don't like it one bit. How do you make people understand that the book is about a race and not a religion?
The best part is that I have other places to go. I want to get this book published, and then like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, I can go back to the agent and say, "You do work on a commission, don't you? Bad choice."
This was a new doctor and I loved by old doctor in Tennessee, but I would not go that far for a colonoscopy. Anyway, the nurse said she had an opening on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Things started going through my mind like, did I have time to get the preparation, could my daughter keep us, you know the things anyone would be worried about. She managed to answer yes to all my questions, so I was on a roll.
The prescription was sent to the pharmacy on Tuesday and the fun began on Wednesday. We made it to Nashville before the party started. This was the easiest prep I have ever had. I remember the first one I had, and it was not that easy. By nine o'clock I was fine, except when I drank a coke. That's another thing, I couldn't have coke five years ago. This was much easier.
Everything went well and I loved the new doctor. She was very understanding of my prior problems and took us to a private room to talk to us. I was impressed. I will go back to her again.
Then some bad news. I thought I had an agent lined up, but his boss did not want to give me a contract. That's the way it goes in writing. I am back at square one, and I don't like it one bit. How do you make people understand that the book is about a race and not a religion?
The best part is that I have other places to go. I want to get this book published, and then like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, I can go back to the agent and say, "You do work on a commission, don't you? Bad choice."
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