It’s time for another Row80 check in! This week’s gone by so quickly, and tomorrow’s Halloween. Our stomachs will soon be stuffed with Thanksgiving feasts and then it will be mass hysteria as the holiday shopping season commences. I can hardly wait. Or not.
Time’s ticking away on 2011, and I’m vowing to push hard on my goals for the next few weeks. I really want to begin the query process, but I want to be completely organized before I do it. I’m working on it, but still have a ways to go.
This week has been pretty productive. Wednesdays list was a big one. I did get through INTO THE DARK. I hadn’t read it in a few weeks and was surprised to see how much I really enjoy it. It’s a good book, and I’m proud of it. I also managed to cut out another 3K or so, getting rid of unneeded clauses and extra language.
I also got some more research done on e-publishers and agents, but not as much as I wanted to.
I haven’t worked on THE PROPHET yet. My mind has been focused on INTO THE DARK. I’m just not great at going back and forth.
Thriller Thursday went well, but it still doesn’t get the traffic I’d like it to. I think one of the issues is that the posts are long, so I’m going to work on cutting them down to about 1500 words.
I did get my crit partner’s pages read. Catie Rhodes has a very good book on her hands:)
All in all, a productive several days. Lists do work!
Here are my goals for the next check in:
1) Make final changes on first three chapters of INTO THE DARK.
2) Finalize list of e-publishers. Continue to work on agents.
3) Write a minimum of 500 words on THE PROPHET.
4) Get back into yoga. I’ve been utterly fail since we got back from Indy. I’m tired and lazy, and I know yoga will help. I just have to do it:)
How’s your week been? Are you all ready for Halloween?
Kelly Hashway
Good job getting through revisions. Isn’t it great when you go back to revise and like what you read? I love that part.
Stacy Green
Thanks, Kelly! And yes, it is. Wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did:)
jean Henry Mead
I agree with Kelly, Revisions are my favorite part of writing. All the hard work and angst are left behind and what’s left for me is pure pleasure. . . Best of luck getting back on the Yoga trail, Stacy. 🙂
Stacy Green
Thanks, Jean. I’ve really be enjoying them. And lol, thanks for the yoga luck. I’m going to need it!
Katy Bennett
Congrats on your goals, and yoga definitely helps, just try to do a basic 15 minute routine to begin with. There seems to be a nano and yoga epidemic sweeping through row80. Best of luck with the querying.
Stacy Green
Thanks. I’ve got a great dvd (two, actually) that I work out to, but I might try the wake-up one to start. Need to stop feeling so sluggish. 🙂
Cynthia Robertson
I love the picture of the cat gazing at the bird high in the tree. Feel Like I need to print and frame that for my office, ha ha!
I have totally slogged off on my yoga lately too, Stacy. And I really feel the difference (and it’s NOT good). Just gotta get back to it!!
I feel like my writing life has been slipping sideways just lately…so much dayjob work to do and only so much energy to go around. This too shall pass, though.
Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone 🙂
Stacy Green
LOL, me too, Cynthia. It’s amazing how much slogging off for just a few days undoes all your hard work and makes a person feel like crap.
I’m lucky my day job is child car in my home so it’s fairly easy to work around. Motivation is always my key. You’re not alone, and good luck. Just stick with it.
Thanks!
Annie
You are so clever to make those lists and stick to them. That is why you will succeed and have both of those books in print! This week I hope to launch my new website. Yes, Atoll Annie is going to have a facelift and I will soon become Annie Off Leash. I think that might free up my voice more (shutter!) Curious for your opinion Stacy. I think you did a great job of redirecting your past followers and friends to your new site. Was it difficult? Did you think it went well?
Stacy Green
Thanks, Annie. I finally took Catie’s advice, lol. Aw, thanks for the encouragement. I’m hoping they will be one day. Annie Off Leash? I love that. Freeing up your voice? There’s more? I can’t wait to hear it:)
Thank you! I panicked about it. I’m still not sure all my old followers have followed (lol). I got my Twitter friends to RT the new link and then I still have the blogger site up. On Mondays and Thursdays, I still post those links. I’ll probably stop that soon. The biggest key was Twitter and FB friends spreading the word. Let me know when you’re moving, and I’ll pass it along:)
Annie
Thank you Stacy. There is a part of me that hates to start over, but I think it’s time. A facelift only hurts for awhile and then there are benefits, right? At least that’s what I’ve been told!
Stacy Green
You’re welcome. I was the same way, but WP is so much easier. I think you’ll be happier in the long run!
Patricia
I’m not a fan of thrillers, but your advice about procrastination is good for writers of any genre.
Stacy Green
Thanks so much! I hope it helps:)
Nicole Basaraba
hmmm we had the same idea for the cartoon this week. 🙂 But we haven’t been procrastinating which is the good part. Too much chocolate consumption in light of or should I say in dark of Halloween on my end is the bad part.
Stacy Green
LOL. No, I didn’t procrastinate this week, which is nearly a miracle. I’m the queen of it. Oh, the chocolate issue. I understand, trust me. I dread tomorrow night. Grace will be bring a bag full of temptation into the house.
Thanks!
Nicole Basaraba
P.S. In terms of Thriller Thursdays, maybe you could tweet about them in a different way. I’ve seen sooooo many commenters, including myself who say they’re not into the Thriller genre and that’s just because we THINK we’re not into it. You’re posts are a great length and they are so dang interesting. 🙂
Stacy Green
Hmmm … that’s an idea. You think just leave the Thriller Thursday tag off in some of them? Thanks:)
Nicole Basaraba
Yeah I think try it without the Thriller Thursday tag on twitter and maybe you’ll get a few more clicks. I think the theme makes sense and people just gotta read it to see they like it.
I tried to DM you on Twitter, I’m my computer is having a little internet meltdown. Could you send me your email? I have an idea.
Jenny Hansen
Stacy,
Your ROW80 updates always make me happy. You’re doing a great job and I like your habit of listing a short list of weekly goals to get you to the next check in.
p.s. That InkyGirl cartoon is MAGIC. 🙂
Stacy Green
Thanks, Jenny! I loved it too. I think the short weekly goal list is really going to help me. Hopefully, lol.
Julie Glover
I love your Thriller Thursday posts. They always give me the chills.
Good progress on your goals. It’s so nice to look back and see how far you’ve come. I’m not great at switching back and forth between WIPs either. I get too excited about whatever I’m into at the moment. Keep up the great work, Stacy!
Stacy Green
Thanks, girl. I’m sorry I’m behind on your blog. I think the updates come a day late, and then I get behind and/or confused. It doesn’t take much, lol.
Thanks for the encouragement, and good luck with your WIP:)
Lena Corazon
Oh god, I love InkyGirl’s comments, and that procrastination one is SO true. You’re doing a fantastic job, and I think your decision to take your time to research e-publishers and agents is a solid one. Have a wonderful Halloween, and enjoy the week!
Stacy Green
LOL, they are hilarious. And yes, the procrastination one is spot on. I have to fight that daily. Thank you for the encouragement. There’s a big part of me that wants to just jump in and get the querying started, but I know being organized the way to do. Thanks for stopping by, and have a good week as well:)
Brenda
Yes, congrats on catching up with your life. I’m sure it feels good, even if it’s overwhelming at first, but after a while we do find our groove.
Stacy Green
It does feel great, thanks. Hopefully I can stay in this groove. Thanks for stopping by!
albertarlberta ross
well done – not sure I ‘get’ yoga but understand the miss of exercise – all the best for this week
Stacy Green
Thank you. I didn’t think I’d like yoga either, but it’s very energizing AND relaxing. Crazy, but true:)
Hartford
Woot woot – congrats on the progress and getting through the revisions and being PUMPED. That totally rocks!!
Hmmm…I LOVE your Thriller Thursday posts. I think it just takes time for people to get into them. Perhaps finding a way to build super catchy titles to draw people in – because I have no doubt once they start reading, they’ll be HOOKED! I know I am! And once I start reading, I don’t notice them to be too long at all….stick with it – they’ll pick up momentum! 🙂
Stacy Green
Thanks Natalie. I’m amazed I like the book as well as I do. Hopefully that will make the rejections easier to take, lol. Thanks for the nice thoughts on Thriller Thursday. Titles are something I work on but I’m not great at. Good suggestion.
Thanks!
Liz
The Thriller Thursday posts are awesome. Hang in there. They will start drawing traffic. Are you deep linking within your blog? I just started doing that a couple weeks ago and already it’s making a big difference on the traffic from Google.
Stacy Green
Thank you. They get about 100 hits, but I’d love to see more. And deep linking? No, I’ve never heard of that…