It’s been a long Monday and the first Monday in a while where I felt like I dragged through most of the day. There was the tiny part where I was hoping my venti coffee would help me out but it only managed to give me a caffeine buzz and then a really big sleepy feeling. I’m trying to find time to do a little writing here and there, not to mention I’m still working on the query process. I’m hoping my new addiction to podcasts help me out. I’ve started listening to Tanis and I’m hooked again. Both Tanis and The Black Tapes have me wondering about writing a new scary project. Which is strange because I hate scary movies and anything which truly creeps me out. But at least they’ve got me thinking about writing! Have a great week, everyone!
I know I’m just catching up on my podcast listening, my list is quite lengthy. I loved listening to Serial and both seasons they’ve produced, I’ve tried a few other true crime/mystery podcasts as well. My new favorite right now is The Black Tapes. I thought I could just use it as background filler while I work, but I am totally sucked in now. I just started Season 2 and while I want to binge listen I’m already dreading the upcoming season finale!
It’s Wednesday, right? I think I might be turning into a pumpkin earlier and earlier at night, this does not bode well for my writing. What happened to my ability to stay up late and jam to music and write? Perhaps it went dormant or maybe it’s in a state of shock! I’m currently working on writing a synopsis as I work toward finding an agent. The rejection responses (or lack of responses) have started to roll in. I’m really trying to find the best agent who will appreciate my storytelling voice and the fact I’m not able to pigeonhole my manuscript to one genre. There are elements of paranormal, sci-fi, and romance in the novel. But at the end of the day, it’s about character building and layering and hooking my readers into the world I’ve created. Hopefully, that equates to a marketable audience. Does anyone else have these kinds of thoughts? Sometimes I worry I’m on the wrong track and I should have made different edits or cuts throughout the book so it would take on a different tone, but then I wouldn’t have been true to myself and the story I want to convey. <deep breath> This is only the beginning of the journey, I mustn’t weight myself down so much with worry. Time to turn into a pumpkin and work more on the synopsis tomorrow.
Time to buckle down and submit another set of queries. Since my work week is now unpredictable and busy, I think Sunday will be the day to sit down and write and query. I’m looking forward to trying to find the schedule I’ll need to be a productive writer and member of the Corporate World. Any suggestions on how you all have found the balance would be great! Also, has anyone heard or using a My Trending Stories site? I received an email inquiry from them the other day but I’m slightly skeptical.
I was searching for a good quote for today, there’s only a little time to spare before Monday is no more for me in my time zone, and my brain was vetoing all of the lovely, peppy and spritely quotes. I feel slightly unmotivated about writing and it can be hard to pep yourself up. The logical thinking side of my brain, which has been on ice since I left the corporate world, has been thawing out and creeping up to dominate over the creative side. I fear it will take me another 4 years to write a book, piece by piece, late at night with only Sara Bareilles to fuel me. And I can’t let that happen, not the Sara part, she’s always welcome, but the 4 year part. I’ve started journaling again in hopes it will jump start a little creative writing and picked up a few writing podcasts to listen to during my commute.
As I scrolled infinitely through quotes and searched for different ideas, tumblr notified me of Tyler Knott Gregson’s latest post. If you’re not following his website or Instagram or know of him, check him out. He runs an awesome Write Yourself Alive class and is an amazing writer and photographer. The post he shared really resonated and I found the motivation I was searching for all of a sudden. Balancing everything will be hard at first but I can’t lose sight of what I truly love and the goals I’ve set for myself and my journey. I need to remember to swim.
Happy Weekend! Already loaded up with coffee, now to tackle the things!
I’m getting settled with my new corporate life, again. There’s been little time for writing or fun reading as I’ve been assigned a few books to read in order to get up to speed. One new thing I’m facing is a longer commute. As I sat in traffic today (thankfully not horrendous traffic) I wished I had an audiobook to listen to while sitting and waiting. Anyone out there have any good recommendations?
Happy Labor Day! May your pens/pencils/fingers be swift today and creative spirits get to soar!
SH Burgess 