END!

Kindle | Nook | Other ereaders | Paperback

END was released today! I'm proud to have a short story included in this anthology; all proceeds benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, and everyone - from editor SM Reine to all the very talented authors - donated their time to this project. Great stories for a great cause: who can ask for more?

END: An Apocalyptic Anthology's available in pretty much any format you can think of, from the major ereaders to a paperback version. Give it a read and let me know what you think!

A bit about END.

The astute - or anyone who visits my various online presences, really - might've noticed a link on my Twitter profile. Or this graphic lurking at the side of my main blog page. Or maybe you're a fan of one of the other writers involved. Either way, even though I haven't super officially announced it before, it's likely you know I'm contributing a short story to END, an anthology edited by the excellent SM Reine.

I have to say, this is a great way to try my hand at indie publishing. One short story's pretty simple, right? (Yeah. Cough.) Mostly, I love that the proceeds go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - it's definitely a worthy cause. I'll make sure to bring it up again, but END's scheduled to come out in December.

In other news, I switched to the new Blogger layout. It's very...bright. But I hate site changes whenever they happen, so I'll give myself an adjustment period before I really start hating it. (Okay, it's not that bad. At least it's still functional in every necessary way. I'm looking at you, Delicious.)

Writing limbo.

If writing's going really well, I'm online a lot because I'm happy and bouncy and everyone needs to know. If writing's not happening, I'm online a lot because it's better than beating my head against a brick wall. (I lived in a brick house a couple years back. Now, I have to use the more Internet-acceptable desk.) If I'm in the weird midway point where things happen every now and then, but not consistently? I turn off the wireless on my laptop and force things to go well. (Ahem.)

I'm firmly stuck in limbo at the moment, so there isn't much to talk about. Until I have something new, here's a couple extra places to check out:

1. I update my Twitter once or twice a day minimum (and if I continue to be in a weird place like I am now, I'm sure that number will go up).

2. I'm also on Goodreads. I'm saving a free day to add books as a yay-I'm-getting-things-done award, but I'll take friend requests any time.

3. This is probably my favorite thing right now: my Delicious. I'm a sucker for organization and making sure I have all the links I want handy. The most recent links I've bookmarked are in the sidebar, but I also have tags and summaries on the actual page.

I'll be expanding my online presence in the months to come. For now, I'm taking it slow in favor of writing. (In theory.)

An elephant what?: The land of dead drafts.

Having the world keep me accountable for my work is going well so far:

3476 / 80000 words. 4% done!

In the past, I've written my rough drafts during November. I'm far from the only one, thanks to the writing challenge that's taken place every November for the past decade or so: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Unfortunately, the NaNo folder on my computer reminds me more of the elephant graveyard from The Lion King than a land of opportunity. It's better than the alternative - having no folder of half-written drafts at all - but it's hard for me to even click in the folder, much less bring one of the skeletons back from the dead.

Sometimes, you just need a fresh start. And that's what May You Write Your Novel is.

How about you, readers? Have you tried a writing challenge in the past? Do you wake up with the ghosts of old stories rattling their chains in your bedroom? (Maybe that's just me.)

The Word Count Bar of Doom.

Thanks to all my new followers! I'm excited to talk with everybody and discover new blogs, so feel free to leave me links in the comments at any time, if you're so inclined.

I said in my last post that I'd start working toward having a novel published by the end of the year on May 1st. It's not just a random date on the calendar: May You Write Your Novel began yesterday. Of course, I didn't begin yesterday - I've been overwhelmed with Real Life happenings in the recent past, so I took a much needed day off - but I managed 1300 words today.

Actually. Let's make this more official, shall we?

1312 / 80000 words. 2% done!

In the next couple of days, I'll go into why I'm participating in this challenge, and talk challenges in general. For now, I needed a little reminder. Yes, I am doing this, and yes, I've already started.

Wow.

A strict challenge. (Or: why this blog exists.)

"Should". It's a loaded word, isn't it? I should be writing instead of watching cat videos. I should be writing my deadline project instead of the new short story idea I had in the shower. I should edit instead of cleaning my house.

(Okay, maybe that last one should be reversed.)

(Heh. Should.)

In an ideal world, I would say to myself, "Self, you have an idea for a novel. You'll write the rough draft in a month, you'll edit in two months, and you'll release another month after that." I know people who work on a timeline of that nature, if not quite that strict. But me? I'm lucky if I can make it to a completed rough draft, much less a readable final draft.

That's where this blog comes in.

I'm making a bet with myself. Well, "bet" isn't the right term; it implies a wager and consequences, depending on the outcome. But "goal" seems too flexible. Maybe "challenge"? Yes. I'm challenging myself to have one novel-length work indie published by the end of the year. I'm shooting for late summer/early fall for that extra what-am-I-doing-argh motivation because, after all, what good would a challenge be if the deadline was comfortable?

The best part? I'm sharing this challenge with the world to keep me honest. In return, the world gets to see when I succeed, when I fail, and everything in-between.

I'll be starting in some capacity on May 1st. Join me!