The long weekend

So I had high hopes to do some good writing/reading this weekend.  I did get some good reading, finished 2 books.  I've also started another, and should finish it tonight.  (2 house of night books and another of a different series)

So what are you reading?  How long does it normally take you to read a book?  Back in 2007 I could read a book in under 12 hours, now I'm at a couple days unless I have nothing else to do.

On the writing I didn't get allot done but the goal was met.  I figured I've over shot the goal everyday so far, a couple days of just the goal should be OK too! 

I also watched a couple movies!!  2 yesterday (contagion and raise of the planet of apes) and 2 today (fright night and Final destination 5). 

As some of you know I'm having a baby, so I also did some online window shopping, planning and even looked at some names.  So far we have a couple favorites for both a boy and a girl!!!  We still do not know what we are having so we have to wait till late February to find out.  We are happy with a boy or girl, but with this being my Vikings first child we are over excited!

So tell me about your weekend!!

What are you doing?

Do you ever sit back and wonder what you are doing when you set a goal.  Life happens and I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, but my goals are long term. 

So what do you do?  You set short term goals to get to the long term one!!!! That's what I do.  I set out to write 500 new words a day, along with edit what I have already done to touch it up.  Now you may be saying 500 words is not alot, right.  Well it is more than one word a day! 
I think of it this way:

**500 words TIMES 365 days a year = 182,500 words written a year. 

Now the normal romance book is between 80,000 and 120,000.  So in my world I aim to have a a book about 100,000.  So with my math I should be able to write a FULL new manuscript that is ready to show off and an 80,000 word rough draft. 

OK, so that does sound like a big, big goal!  I do not think I am going to get this done, but my goal is also to just have one manuscript, polished and ready to submit around!  That's right, I feel that it has to be ready to be submitted for it to count as my goal, not just written. 

See, I've written a manuscript.  I have Sapphire written, yet I will need to polish it.  I wrote Sapphire in under 60days from 0-100,000 words.  I have never had someone read it, I've never worked on it since 2007 when I wrote it!  Yes you see that right I wrote this book 5 years ago and it's been sitting there.

**Any way, what book am I working on?  I've picked up Paranormal Daycare and a manuscript idea that was started with Ash and I.  I feel these are both new ideas and that they could be the ones that can grow into something NEW to the world!

So I am still looking for someone to read my work, someone who will be honest, open and ready to jump in head first....are you them???  If so let me know!

So how goes it?

They say most people give up on their Resolutions with in one week of setting them.  So here it is day five of the year and I want to know how you are doing!!!

Writing is good, today I wrote 1000 words before lunch!  So I may finish the first chapter before the end of the week. 

So what is it that we do next with this???  You get someone to read it?!  I'm still working on finding someone to read my work, edit it, or just be honest about their opinions.  So do you know someone who is like this?  Are you like this?  LET ME KNOW!

So tell me how you are doing and what you think will help you keep going!

Happy New Year!

That's right people it's 2012!  What will this year hold?  I'm not sure what it will hold, but I know what I'm trying to do about it and that just means more of the same.

I know it's been some time since the last post and my life has changed.  I've gotten married, I'm expecting a child and well Christmas! 

The end of the year doesn't always mean something coming to an end but to something new starting.  Starting that is what I'm doing.  I've picked up an outline I wrote in 2009 and worked out profiles, an arc for this book and the next two to make it a trio.

What else are you doing, do we dare say what are your resolutions?  I've chosen to try harder and set my mind to things better and to be more organized!  All of these go hand and hand so it should be easy. 

So let me know what your New Year Resolutions are!

So what is next?

What do you do once you say you are going to be a writer?  Well before you do that you need to hear what Ben Franklin had to say about it:
"Either you write something worth reading or do something worth writing about."

I agree with this and the idea that if you can't breath with out writing, than write, but if you can don't and run, run far and fast. (said to my at my first CON by BEV HALE)

So where does this leave me because I've been writing since 2007 and I'm not published.  Well, Alexis Morgan told me that she wrote for 20 years before she got going.  Others like Caitlin Kittredge get published with three books in under two years.  Even though I went to my first CON in Feb of2008 and I had high hopes of having my first book on the shelves by 2010, life had other plans.  Some of those plans have been great. (like the Viking!) and others a little bit harder.

So where does that leave me?  Writing.  That's right, I may not have moved far into the world, but I will be published!  Like I said I was working with a group and I'm going to post some about that.  The first book comes out soon and I'll have links for you to follow and I think it will be great!!!!!!  I may not of had words in the first two sections of the books, but I will in the one that comes out in December!! That is right 2011, Paige Maddison will become published Author!


Stay tuned!

So what is missing?

For  those that have been with me for sometime now notice somethings are missing.  That's right I removed my blog, and now I've removed post.

I have some good news I've been asked (several months ago) to join in on a project.  I am very excited about it and look forward to being published.  That's right I'm going to be published!!!!!

Right now I am on the sidelines working on blogs and such for them and one day soon I will be able to have a point of view and will become published!

I can't give details but that it is Young Adult and that the first volume will be out in a couple weeks!

**Personal life**
The wedding is in a couple weeks also, but let's just say it's a headache, worth it!

Inspiration....or Motivation

Do you find yourself struggling to find the inspiration?  Maybe you have the inspiration but no motivation?  I have had some of the same struggles here lately. 


So how do I fix it?  That's what I wondered.  So far I've tried scheduling time to do it, that just made me feel like it was forced to do it at that time and only that time.  I found myself being inspired at different times of day and when I had set aside time at one time I wasn't ready or had forgotten what I wanted to do.  So to fix that I had my note books everywhere.  That didn't mean my inspiration was easily captured.  I found that I wanted to write when it was there, but I only had a quick moment to jot down the notes.


So how do you have all day to write when you don't.  I mean I have a full time job, two kids who depend on me to have time for them separate and then a fiance who wants time.  Oh, let's not forget the planning of a wedding, T-Ball for the boy, Girl Scouts for the girl and I like to read.  Nope, there is not a time to put writing in there all day every day.  So I tried doing my weekends when the kids are with their Father to writing.  But I was struggling with that too!  I needed to have that time for myself.  I had to do things I can't normally do with the kids here; like SLEEP IN!


So I started to do it at work too, taking time on my breaks, between calls, my lunch to write, or jot down things.  I still had my note books everywhere! (I'm not joking, I even had one in the bathroom, two in the car, one in my purse, one at work on my desk, one with my laptop, another beside the bed.)  They all have pens attached so I couldn't use that as an excuse.  Once every so often I would gather them all up transfer the information and put them back.  This just made it hard!  Most of them had the same information in them just worded differently.


So I went to recording myself when I was driving when I felt like writing, or had a good idea (this included songs that inspired me).  This was GREAT!  But I kinda killed my cell phone battery or ran out of storage space!  (my phone sucked anyway and I'm getting a new one tomorrow!)


So what does this mean?  When the mood strikes you can't force it down, and when it's not there you can't force it to be there.  So take the time when you have it and just breath and go for it.  I mean it.  It is just that simple. 

I did make some motivation cards to kinda just make sure I knew that I could do this!  So I've attached a picture for you to see, this was at work shhh...