Monday, June 4, 2012

Motivational Mondays: Are pantries organized in dystopian universes?

Because I’ve been so inconsistent with my blog, and because I want to put it to better use, I’ve decided to do regular posts on weekdays, and each day will have its own theme.  Today, I’m debuting my Motivational Monday theme.  It’s my hope that this post will get me geared up for a week of productive writing, as well as encourage some discussion.

What I’m working on: I’m plugging away at Creators, which is a prequel novella to Contributor, the YA dystopian novel I’m planning on publishing in July.  Creators stands alone, so it’s not required in order to understand Contributor, but it does explain the origins of the world that is portrayed in Contributor.  I’m really excited about Creators and the direction it’s taking.  I think it’s going to help make the Contributor universe even richer.

What I hope to achieve: I hope to finish Creators and begin the editing process.  I’d like to publish it sometime this month, and I’m currently working with someone on some concepts for cover art.  I can hardly wait to see what those will look like!

What are my challenges: My biggest challenge right now is finding the time for writing!  When I sit down to do it, I want to be able to focus and just pour my heart out into my writing, but that can be difficult with kids at home.  It’s almost time for summer vacation, so this is going to be even more of a challenge for me in the upcoming months.

What freaks me out: Two things:

1) Getting my first review for The Eye of the Beholder.  I want to be clear that I do want reviews because I am honestly eager for feedback from my readers—and not just the positive kind, though that is admittedly the nicest kind.  In some ways, though, the negative kind is the best because it helps me to determine what I need to do to improve, and I never want to stop trying to improve.

2) Worrying about whether I can turn my love of writing into a full-time job.  I’ve been scribbling ever since I was a kid, and being an author has always seemed like a pipe dream.  I really want to make it my reality, though, so I have been working harder at this than I’ve ever worked at anything before, and I feel so fortunate to have a wonderful support system at home, as well as to have found several places where I can network with like-minded people.  Writing is my passion, but it’s also my business, and I want to make it the best it can be.

What’s making me happy today: Seeing how much my daughter loves her new room setup.  My husband and I spent hours working on it yesterday, and all she wants to do is hang out in it!  Everybody needs a space of their own, so it’s good to know my little girl has found it in her own room!

We also put in a new pantry, and I’m really excited that it’s finally organized so that I’ll be able to find things quickly.  The pantry used to be the place half-finished bags of chips went to die, but now I’ll know they’re there!  It’ll also make it easier for me to indulge in my passion for cooking, because I won’t have to dig around to find the ingredients I need.  I know.  I never thought I’d be such a boring adult either!

Teaser for Tuesday: Tomorrow I’ll be debuting my Tidbits Tuesday feature.  This week, I’ll be featuring an excerpt from my work in progress, Creators, along with a little commentary on it.