New Year — New Dreams

Every year I say I'm going to do better, be better, feel better but somehow I always feel like I've missed the goal. I've never really been able to keep a single New Year's resolution past the first three months of the year either. So why do we make goals in the first place? Why do we dream of things going our way when they usually don't?

Because without a dream or a goal in our lives, we merely exist with nothing to look forward to. Why go out of our way to do something if it doesn't mean anything? Even animals have goals. I don't know if they have dreams like humans, but they strive to find the best food, the safest place to have their young and the strongest male to breed their young.

Humans go beyond that now. Most of us have the necessities like a roof over our heads and food on the table. So now we look for new things to strive for, new goals to reach. The common ones are to lose weight, get healthier, organize our lives better, stop smoking or drinking.

Maybe those of us who are goal-challenged in life should make easier goals that we can achieve so we feel better about the accomplishment. Then we can set a slightly higher goal and one day, we'll meet the big one we had wanted all along. Constantly failing day after day and year after year only creates a rut that we can't get out of. We feel bad about ourselves and begin to believe that we can never do better at all. I think it would be better to make no goals than to set ourselves up to constantly fail.

What are some easier goals that would help us to feel better about ourselves?
     Donate a book to a library.
     Read the paper or a short story to a shut in
     Put the garbage can back from the street for the elderly
     Buy a few five dollar Starbuck's cards and give them to random
     people you meet.
     Give someone a flower you don't know.

Funny how doing things for others makes me feel good about myself. I really enjoy seeing the surprised smile. It warms my heart and takes away a little of the disappointment I feel in myself.

Do yourself and someone else a good deed and pass on a smile in this 2015 New Year. I'm going to ask you about it when the year is almost over. Don't disappointment me.  I'm watching you!





Marla Monroe

www.marlamonroe.com

 

I'm getting a lot of people asking me for the next Protector's book. I am writing on it, but it's slow. I miss those guys. They are so naughty!! LOL But good, hard, Alpha men! What do you all think? Should I dedicate one entire day of my four writing days until I get it written?
http://www.bookstrand.com/long-lonely-nights

The Importance of Feeding Your Human

Sometimes we get all caught up with research, plotting, and writing to the point that we forget that the human side of us needs a break sometimes. No matter how much we eat, live, and breathe writing, there comes a time that we all need something different for a change. For some of us, we naturally take periodic breaks to relax, read something fun, watch a fun movie, or take a family vacation without the computer. Yeah, right. Not happening here either.

My poor human side gets very little time away from writing. The time I do take usually still has something to do with writing in some form or fashion. For example, I’m going on a long weekend out of town where I will meet up with my writers group that I’m a member of and discuss writing as well as catch up on how everyone is doing. I’ll also take some time to visit a couple of friends that don’t write but always in the back of my mind is that part of me that is cataloguing everything in case I can use it later in a book.

 

Even after I’ve visited with my friends, I’ll be going back to my hotel room to write. I’d never get any sleep if I didn’t write some before going to bed. It’s a habit so engrained in me now that if I try to break it, I fear I’d go insane. What will happen when I’m too old to see well enough to write or have such bad arthritis that I can’t hold a pen or use a keyboard? My mind will slowly implode. Then again, maybe I’ll just go happily into that amazing world inside my brain and live out the remainder of my days there.

The point is that if I didn’t do something to relieve some of the constant pressure to write, write, write, I would go stale and my writing would ultimately suffer. Just feeding my muse all the new things I find for it isn’t enough. The human side of us has to be, well, human at times. Remember, we might drive the obsessions, the passions, and the finance side of things, but our human is only human and if he or she gets sick, we all suffer.

 

So remember to feed your human different ideas, experiences, and other human interaction. Becoming a monk or, in my case, a hermit at times, isn’t a good thing. As much as I would love to bury myself in a little cabin in the woods with damn good satellite Internet but not much else, just so I could write uninterrupted, it would eventually lead to my demise as an author and ultimately as a human.

Find something that gets you out of your little hidey-hole at least two or three times a year and take advantage of it. Keep your muse looking and smelling fresh so that your writing remains exciting and unique to you.

Marla Monroe

www.marlamonroe.com

http://bit.ly/1fGPpzR

http://bit.ly/MzcA6I

@MarlaMonroe1

 

 

Decisions, Decisions

How do you choose where you will go each year? There are so many conventions, conferences, and workshops out there to choose from. I’m totally overwhelmed! I want to go to them all. If I went to even half of them, I’d get nothing written though.

How do you decide where to go? Here is what I do.

·       I put them all on one calendar with where they are located

·       I put the cost of the convention on it

·       I put the general cost of travel/hotel on it.

·       I cross out anything that is just too expensive for me to handle.

·       I highlight all of the ones I’ve gone to in the past that seemed to show me a good return on my investment. (# of books sold during that week and the week after, number of hits and friends on my website and Facebook during that week and the week after, and compare it to the cost to see what my ratio of cost to potential sells is.)

·       I highlight in another color those that I’ve been to where I didn’t see quite the same results.

·       I put an * by those I’ve never, ever been to that are in a place I’ve never been, like, say Seattle, Washington or Idaho.

·       I choose the three main ones that I plan to go to based on if I can be a featured author and/or give a workshop/sit on a panel.

·       Then I cross off all the others in that month. I can’t go to more than one in a month. Tried that and have the nervous breakdown report to prove it.

·       Next, I check with all the rest to see if I can present or give a workshop or panel and go from there. If I can, I pick out those in areas I’ve not been to for a new experience and chance at reaching new readers. I cross out all of the rest in that month.

·       I don’t go to workshops or conventions in November or December unless they are one day affairs near me.

·       If I get a personal request from a reader, I try to accommodate them since they rock! And they took the time to contact me. If it is possible, I will come. If not for the entire thing, then maybe for a day to visit with that reader.

·       If I get a request from a convention/workshop coordinator to be a featured author or workshop presenter, I will try to work those in as well. That is always an honor to be asked out of thousands and thousands of other authors out there.

So, I now have about five maybe six workshops/conventions I’m planning to attend. That’s six weeks out of every year that I get very little writing down which means I have to double up the rest of the year! Yikes!  How do I do that?

Well, I cut out things that a lot of people do without even thinking about it most every day.

·       I don’t watch TV—at all! End of story. I plow through the news on my computer for top stories that I need to know about. I listen to other people talk about news when I’m commuting, eating, or otherwise occupied but hear them chattering.

·       I buy/rent/stream movies and TV series that are of interest to me for writing such as Sons of Anarchy and Dexter and Gigolos and True Blood to watch short takes when I’m writing that particular genre for inspiration, to get in the mindset, and for entertainment. But only short bits, like one episode at a time.

·       I listen to books on tape in my genres whenever I’m in my car when I’m alone or exercising, using my MP3 player.

·       I read at doctor’s offices, waiting on appointments, on planes, at railroad tracks, red lights, stop signs…well you understand. I don’t normally take a few hours every day to read. I need to write. Sometimes I will have an excellent weekend of writing and reward myself with half a day of reading. Those days are rare and very, very special!

·       I shop on line and have everything except perishables delivered to the house so I don’t waste time browsing at the store for things I don’t need and can’t afford anyway only to waste even more time waiting in long annoying checkout lines.

·       I make the most out of any non-writing time I take. For example, if I’m going to have to get up to go to the bathroom, I also get a refill on my water, drop off dirty clothes, and pick up any mail, and folded clothes to be put away.  If I have to leave to go somewhere, I plan my trip so that I don’t waste time doubling back for other errands, like going to the bank, post office, pharmacy, etc.

·       I have a unique work schedule since I work at the EDJ Monday through Wednesday from 6:30am till 6:30pm. Then I’m off Thursday through Sunday’s to write. I do edits, promo, and the business side of things after work on Mondays thru Wednesdays until 10pm. Then I’m off to bed. On Thursday’s through Sundays, I write, write, write. Yes, things interrupt me that have to be handled, but everyone has that. Plus, it keeps me from getting stiff sitting in my chair for 12 hours a day non-stop!

So, that’s how I make up for going to conventions and workshops five or six times a year. I do one other thing that helps make up my word counts. I schedule a week’s “vacation” where I go to my writing retreat where there’s nothing to interrupt me (for the most part) and I’m alone and can write non-stop. I also schedule one or two long weekends at my writing retreat for the same thing.

Is this the best way to do it? I highly doubt it. No two authors are the same. All of us are unique, which is why we have so many different writing styles and ideas. What works for me won’t work for someone else. What works for them, wouldn’t work for me.

Some of you are going to read this and think one of two things.

1) I don’t really do this. I’m just making it up. Many of my colleagues will tell you, that yes, I really do live like this. I’m different from others. I don’t have children. (I do have my parents living with me) I don’t have a big social live, but I do have writer friends who I talk with and visit occasionally. It’s not for everyone or even a few others. If I’m not writing, I feel guilty and get nervous and the voices in my head start talking about ways to torture me. Believe me. You don’t want my voices discussing the merits of one technique of torture over another!

2) You’re going to say I’m crazy and probably an introvert. Well, you’re right. I am crazy and an introverted hermit except when I’m at conventions and workshops. Then I will talk your ear off because I haven’t had anyone to talk to for about the last forty-five weeks!!!

Okay, I got off on a tangent. Choosing what conventions and workshops to attend isn’t easy and more than likely, something will come up to throw you off just when you thought you had it all worked out. That’s okay. Another opportunity will come up.  I’m posting my planned 2014 schedule on my website www.marlamonroe.com and here. Just be for-warned.

Sh*t Happens!

For a complete list of all Conventions/Conferences/ Workshops that I’ve got information on, check back later and I’ll post a link to my spreadsheet.

For all of you wonderful readers out there, have a great week and hope to hear from you sometime. Maybe I will even meet you at a con.

For all of you busy writers, don’t change your process if it works. If you see something you like that someone else does, try tweaking your process and if it doesn’t work, go back to your original method. You don’t lose anything by trying something new, but you might miss out on something if you don’t.

 

 

 March 21-22, 2014

MidSouth Con

Memphis, TN at Hilton Memphis

939 Ridgelake Blvd. Memphis, TN  38120

http://www.midsouthcon.org/

April 9-13, 2014

Las Vegas, Nevada

Details Coming Soon

 

June 19-22, 2014

RomCon Denver, CO

Crowne Plaza, Denver Airport

http://www.romcon.com/index.html

 

July 23-26, 2014

Romance Writers of American Convention

34^th Annual Conference

San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter & Marriott Riverwalk

In San Antonio, TX

http://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=538

 

August 21-26, 2014

BDSM Writers Conference

New York, NY Manhattan

Hotel TBA Later

http://bdsmwriterscon.com/

Check out my BDSM Author Page

 

September 18-21, 2014

RAW

Lora Leigh’s Reader Appreciation Weekend

Hagerstown, Maryland

Website to follow soon

 

October 9-12, 2014

Destiny Blaine’s Writing Workshop & Reader Rally

LaQuinta Inn and Suites

10150 Airport Parkway

Kingsport, TN  37663

http://destinyblaineworkshop.blogspot.com/

 

Time of Year to Plan

Hi everyone. I'm settling down to write and realized that I needed to start planning for 2014. What do I want to write next year, where do I want to go to meet with readers and what do I want to accomplish during the year? There are a lot of different choices and options out there and trying to narrow them down to just a few is a daunting task.

How do you all plan for the new year? Do you plan at all? Do you set goals or just go with the flow? I don't make New Years Resolutions because I never meet them, but planning my writing career is a must.

Do any of you have requests? I'm working on the fourth book in The Protector's series. It's slow going with my contracts pulling on me. I'm also working on a sequel to Nina's Neighbor with Freak's story.

I have a bear shifter storyline I have in my head along with a paranormal world storyline jumping up and down to be let out, but the bottom line is that I want to write what you want to read. Yes, the characters will drive me crazy till I write them, but I get them out some as I go along so that I can write what is due at the time.

Here are a few of my favorite books over the years that I've written.

Long Lonely Nights was a favorite of mine also. I just forgot where I put that cover. :-)

Books I've read that I loved, I have to say the New Species series by Laurann Dohner are among my most favorite along with The Breed series by Lora Leigh.

Don't forget that A Taste of Cyn is out  http://www.bookstrand.com/a-taste-of-cyn and the next book out will be The Wrangler's New Chef, a new series on Montana. It will be out Friday January 3rd. I hope to hear from all of you out there.

If I miss saying it, have a very Merry and Safe Christmas!

Marla Monroe