Reprioritizing Writing Projects

A photo posted by rlroberson (@rlroberson) on Feb 19, 2016 at 4:44pm PST

Do you have dream writing projects? I've talked before about how I have three unpublished/in the process of revision/manuscripts sitting on my hard drive. I even took one to a writer's conference a few years ago and got very positive feedback on the first ten pages from a fellow YA author. Did I hustle to get the project finished after that? No.

"Well, why not?" you ask. I have plenty of excuses why I don't put forth the effort on my creative writing projects. Here are just a few:

• I have paying clients I need to complete projects for first .

• I need to help promote "insert author name" here and his/her novel first.

• There's a blog post due for someone else due.

• I promised to go on my child's field trip today, because I feel guilty for working so much the past few months.

• I'm tired after a long day of working and just want to zone out in front of the TV for a bit.

I could go on and on. A few weeks ago I blogged about another dream project I have over at WOW! Women on Writing. I'm obsessed with true crime and missing person cases. I want to one day use my writing skills to create a stunning, compelling, longform piece of investigative journalism, like the articles you find in Vanity Fair.

But I use the excuses above to keep me from doing so. I'm trying to convince myself that with a little time management, and reprioritizing, I can work on the projects close to my heart and still be a good spouse/parent/contractor. I see other writers do it every day, and I know I can, too. I've got a BIG birthday coming up so I'm giving myself the gift of creative expression.

Won't you join me?

It's Time! Gearing Up to Revise My Contemporary YA/Suspense Novel

A few years ago (yes, I'm cringing as I write this) I completed a draft of a YA novel during National Novel Writing Month. The characters and storyline have stayed with me, nagging me when I'm in the shower or out for a walk--you know, the usual. Last month I decided to come up with an action plan and laid out the steps I would need to complete the revisions before passing on the manuscript to beta readers. I wrote about this plan over at WOW! Women on Writing, and it's been making the rounds on Twitter in the past few weeks. I broke the project down to eight weeks, and mixed in fun exercises that would help me dig deeper to the character and plot development and make the project a little more fun. For Week One, one of my exercises was to create a playlist to go along with the novel. I like doing this so I can listen to the songs while I'm writing for inspiration.

Because sometimes, you just need two screens. #freelance

A photo posted by rlroberson (@rlroberson) on Mar 8, 2016 at 6:47am PST

Synopsis of the Novel: Cassidy has never forgiven herself for breaking up with her first love, Luke. She's tried everything in her power to get him back, but he's not budging. When the hottest guy in her class starts paying attention to her and asks her to the Homecoming dance, her vulnerability causes her to accept the invitation. But on the night of the dance she realizes Dylan is not who he appears to be, and her rejection leads him to focus on making her life a living hell by stalking her day and night and turning all her friends against her at the same time. She reaches out once again to Luke--who is also Dylan's former best friend-- --but will he be able to help her in time when he has a secret of his own he's trying to keep?

Playlist 
 Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
I Don't Wanna Break - Christina Perri
Stolen - Dashboard Confessional
Kiss You - One Direction T
rouble Me - 10,000 Maniacs
Make it Without You - Andrew Belle
Tear in Your Hand - Tori Amos
Every Breath You Take - Sting
Ain't Gonna Lose You - Brett Dennen
 Can't Stop - OneRepublic
Wherever You Will Go - Charlene Soraia
Fun and Games - The Connells
Birthday Wish - Greg Laswell
Don't Panic - Coldplay
Look After You - The Fray
This is War - Ingrid Michaelson
Lost and Found - Katie Herzig
Breathe in Breathe Out - Matt Kearney
This Love - Taylor Swift

Greatest Hits from 2014

My 8-year-old son summed it up the other day when he was reminiscing about the New Year's Eve party we attended with family friends last year.

"Wow," he said. "2014 really flew by, didn't it, Mom?"

Exactly. I know I say that every year, but this year truly did fly by, and not without its up and downs. Our family faced its share of adversity, from the back windshield of our SUV shattering right before we had to drive home after a week's vacation at the beach to a pretty devastating job loss. I won't get into it all here, as I covered it pretty well in this post at WOW! Women on Writing, but on the eve of New Year's Eve 2014 I can't say I have too much to complain about as far as my writing career. Here are a few of my "greatest hits" from this year. (For a glimpse of me a year ago, see this post.)

Non-Fiction Writing
I continue to work as editor of Little Ones Magazine (recently celebrated three years!) and write regularly for Lake Norman Currents and Today's Charlotte Woman. I've come so far since working on the very first issue, but I know I still have a lot to improve upon.

Fiction Writing
This is probably where I've made the most strides. I'm almost done with the latest round of revisions on the YA novel I've been working on for the past few years. I took it to the SCBWI Carolinas Conference this past September and got some wonderful feedback on the first 10 pages from a YA novelist and literary agent, which really boosted my confidence. I hope to begin putting together an agent wish list in the next two months and start the submission process. I still need to work on revisions for my MG novel, and those are going to be pretty massive, so that's been put on the back burner for now. I participated in NaNoWRiMo 2014 and completed 50,000 words of a NEW contemporary YA novel. I'm super excited about this latest one and can't wait to get back to work on it.

Blog Tours
I continue to work as a Blog Tour Manager for WOW! Women on Writing, and a spectacular job it is. I've met so many authors I probably never would have met and formed some great relationships and professional connections, not to mention had opportunities to review and promote some fantastic books!

Blog Posts
I contribute to The Muffin, the blog for WOW! Women on Writing, and had the chance to get nice and creative this year. Here are a few of my favorite posts.

ADWD (Attention Deficit Writers Disorder)
Why I Love My Job as a Blog Tour Manager
Preparing Your Author Platform
Literary Heroes

Honestly, I can't wait to see what lies ahead in 2015!

NaNoWriMo 2014

© Ijansempoi | Dreamstime Stock Photos

I completed a 50,000-word rewrite of a YA novel last November, so when this year's challenge rolled around, I signed right on up. Never mind that I have clients that need my attention for work booked well into February of next year, or the fact that the magazine I edit went into production on November 7. I've had an idea for a new contemporary suspense/thriller YA in my head for about a year now, and I thought National Novel Writing Month would be the perfect time to work on it. Did I mention I went into this thing without even so much as an outline? Probably not my best decision.

I'll be honest. It's been a tough go of it. I had forgotten how tired I get when daylight savings time hits and how I'm worn out from writing magazine copy during the day. And also how much shuttling around I have to do with my kids to their various activities. Though I started out pretty strong, last week I wavered, going several days without writing anything for the book because I had a more pressing deadline.

But I'm determined not to give up. The fact is, when I sit down to work on this novel, the words do come out, even if it's a slow start sometimes. This is a story that needs to be told and so far it is unfolding pretty organically. The main character in the book, a teenager named Cassidy, ends up being stalked by a male classmate who is initially very charismatic and charming. I personally was a victim of stalking two different times in my life, both while in college. I recognized the stalking for what it was when a classmate in my department major began doing it, but it took me years to realize the behavior of an older ex-boyfriend could also fall under that category. When it happened to me, I was too young and scared to seek out help, so I wanted to channel that fear into the main story line of this book. I hope I'm doing it justice--and it's also been therapeutic as well.

The stats as of Nov. 19, 2014:
22,011 words written
27,989 words to write by Nov. 30
I need to write around 2,600 words per day to finish on time.

Can I do this? Yes! I wholeheartedly intend to. Here's a post I wrote recently at WOW! Women on Writing about holding myself accountable for my writing projects (hint: this blog post is part of that).

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? If so, how's it going?

Own Your Accomplishments

© Freds | Dreamstime Stock Photos

I'm back from a full weekend at the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Conference, where I learned some great tips for enhancing and improving my writing and got some great feedback on the first 10 pages of my contemporary YA novel with paranormal elements from both a YA novelist and a literary agent. In fact, I was so pumped I already worked on revisions yesterday. My goal is to be ready to start submitting to agents in the next two months, just in time to dive into National Novel Writing Month in November with a new contemporary YA idea.

I came away from the conference after an awe-inspiring closing keynote speech by New York Times bestselling YA novelist, Carrie Ryan. The thing that hit me hardest was when she told the audience,
"Own the things you've accomplished, not the things you haven't."

That was so what I needed to hear after a pretty rough past week. I often belittle myself when talking to other people about what I do by saying things like "I'm a writer and editor but I don't make enough money to support my family. The money I make basically pays for our groceries, and that's only on a month where we don't eat a lot!"

Why do I say things like that? Why do I put myself down? Why don't I mention that I've published hundreds of articles in both print and online publications, including the Walt Disney Internet Group, and that I've won awards for both non-fiction and flash fiction?

Why do I say I'm an "aspiring" children's book writer and not that I have MG and YA manuscripts that are almost ready for submission?

I walked away from Ryan's speech telling myself that I'm done putting myself down. Every word I've written, every piece I've had published, every blog post that's been retweeted on Twitter or repinned on Pinterest and every messy rough draft I've waded through are all going to help me build the platform I need when I do publish a book.

When I do publish a book, not if I publish a book. There's a big difference.

What accomplishments are you going to "own" today? Share in the comments! 

Product Review for Fireflies: A Writer's Notebook

As the editor of a regional parenting magazine, I am inundated with requests for book and product reviews. But very rarely does something grab my attention as much as the press release for Fireflies: A Writer's Notebook.

Inspirational writer and teacher Coleen Murtagh Paratore wants to encourage writers of all ages, whether they are students, teachers or parents. With her latest release, Fireflies: A Writer’s Notebook (Little Pickle Press), she helps prove that if you can dream it, you can write about it. In the introduction to the notebook, Paratore reminisces about chasing fireflies in the dark during her childhood summers, and says that . . . “ideas are just like fireflies. You never know when they will flicker. That’s what makes writing so fascinating. Ideas surprise us the same way fireflies spark and we must catch them, fast as we can, before they fly away.”

I often get caught up in the cycle of either writing and editing fiction or writing magazine copy, and it can leave me feeling like both my energy and creativity are zapped when I'm under a tight deadline. I can honestly tell you my fingers are itching to pick this journal off my pile of typewritten article notes and have a little fun with these prompts.

Fireflies is full of colorful design, writing prompts and inspirational quotes from other writers such as Kate DiCamillo. There are sections where you can record emotions, dreams, curiosities, top ten lists of your favorite things, traditions, birth and deaths, hellos and goodbyes, and so much more. It makes a great gift for writers both young and old.

Fireflies: A Writer’s Notebook is available at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and everywhere books are sold.

Immerse Yourself in Inspiration

I am getting more excited as each day passes because I recently completed the latest draft of my contemporary YA novel, and after several years of fits and starts, I feel like I finally may have found my main character's voice. If you're a writer, you know that hearing someone talk about "voice" can make you want to rip your hair out. It's difficult to describe what a great voice in literature would sound like--you just sort of know it when you read it (or hear it).

While writing this latest draft of my book I immersed myself in images and music to help create my story. I have a board on Pinterest that I use when I want to visualize what a character or place might look like. Here's an example of what I have on that board. I also created a playlist in my iTunes Library that I turned on every time I sat down to work on the story.

Renee's Writing Playlist:
The Story by Brandi Carlile
Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson
Comes and Goes (In Waves) by Greg Laswell
Losing My Religion by R.E.M.
Satellite Call by Sara Bareilles
Baker Baker by Tori Amos
Goodbye by Patty Griffin
Pendulum by Pearl Jam
Fear by OneRepublic
Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead

How do you create a writing environment that helps you set the mood for your fiction? Is there specific music you listen to or a certain place you have to go to write?

Are You Invested in Your Writing Career?

If someone had asked me this about four years ago, I would have said "Of course I am!" But I really would have been lying with that response. Yes, I was invested to some extent, in my writing career. I was pitching articles frequently, networking with other writers and taking on contract jobs that helped me gain more experience. And I was taking the leap and beginning to write fiction.

You know that old saying "you have to spend money to make money?" There is a lot of truth to it, especially if you are trying to make money as a writer. The conundrum is that most writers starting out don't have a whole lot of money to invest--often they've left salaried positions to pursue their writing dreams and have a hard time justifying any outside expenses. I used to be the same way.

You have to find a happy medium, though. This time last year I considered investing in a pricey online MFA program because I thought it might help my career in the future. Eventually, I decided that option wasn't right for me and researched other ways I could learn and grow as a writer without breaking the bank. In the past year, I paid the membership dues and joined a professional organization I've been eyeing for a few years, signed up for two writing conferences and took an online children's writing course so I could get feedback on a young adult novel I've been working on. I just sent another manuscript I've been working on to a professional editor so I can get a better idea of where I need to expand the book.

Do I have a lot of extra money to do this? No, not really. I have contract work that helps me pay the bills but I'm still stretched tight. I've been using money from one of my side writing/public relations gigs to help me pay for these extra expenses and I consider that money well spent. I no longer feel like I'm writing in a vacuum and am becoming more comfortable in sharing my work with others. I've also met so many great colleagues along the way! I'm confident that these are necessary steps to take on my path to becoming a published novelist.

I'm curious to know how you've invested in your career and if it has paid off yet. Please share!

Photo credit: Rohan Travellin via Flickr.com

Try Something New

It's funny to look back and see how my writing career has evolved in the past several years. I've heard writers talk about how their career "grew along with their kids" and for me, that statement couldn't be more true. I started out freelancing for magazines and websites, and most of the queries at that time related to pregnancy, babies, toddlers and early childhood. Now my kids are getting older. They are both in elementary school (when exactly did that happen)? Over time, I've developed a specialty in writing human-interest stories and profiles, as well as dabbling in fiction. I was having a conversation with my 9-year-old daughter one day, and out of the blue, it hit me that there is an entire market targeted to her age group that I haven't tapped into.
I think many parents who are also writers consider writing children's picture books, especially when we are immersed in the popular stories loved by our children. But children my daughter's age are also voracious readers, and I began thinking back over my own childhood experiences and trying to figure out what I could use for inspiration. I began checking out a few of my beloved middle-grade fiction books from the library and studying them. I started trying to reason with myself. I've written an 80,000-word novel that I'm still revising, but wouldn't it stand to reason that if I set my mind to it, I could probably come up with a 20,000-word middle-grade fiction book?
I am happy to say that along with my regular writing and editing assignments, I've started writing short stories for children and submitting them to some of the more popular children's magazines, and I'm a few chapters into a middle-grade fiction book targeted to girls my daughter's age. This is the most fun I've had writing in a long time.
My advice to any writers who are stuck in a rut is to try something new. It might be hard at first, and it may take awhile to find a different writing groove, but I promise you, it will be worth it.