14 Hours Into the New Year And I've Already Screwed Up

Yep, I thought I'd be cool and title this post "a goal unwritten is just a wish" and find out who said it, but Google and Wikiquote yielded no answers until I realized it's a proverb, not a quote, and proverbs < quotes. Alas.

Either way, the sentiment is correct, and it's especially true for writers. If you'll forgive me another overused canyon metaphor, you and story are one one side of the gulch and publication, riches, renown, and literary immortality are on the other side. Waaaaay on the other side.

So, like good metaphorical mountaineers, we lay down some ropes between the sides and start building ourselves a bridge. However, those ropes snap, and they snap a lot. Sometimes it's rejected query letters, sometimes it's a bad critique, or, like the publishing horror story Miri was telling me the other day, it's having the company who bought your manuscript go under. Canyons are dangerous and falling rock is everywhere.

This is the part of the post where I should be saying something cheesy and inspirational, but actually, after that, I've kind of forgetten what brilliant, moving point I was going to make. So I'll wrap this up.

We can't decide how many rocks fall on our heads, but we can decide how many lines we cast to the other side. That means setting goals. Building a sturdy bridge doesn't happen by accident--it requires planning.

My goals this New Year are pretty modest--fifteen minutes of writing or revision each day, and sending out fifteen query letters by next New Years' Eve--but they're goals all the same. How about you? Got any goals this year?

Holly Lisle's post on goal-setting.

A picture is worth 1k. Or 50k.

I'm tired, but I did it. I've bagged my fourth purple bar, and it feels good.

To all those who have won, congrats! To all those who have yet to win, keep going!

And join us for a Black Friday you'll never forget. Yes, I'll still be writing--my story looks like it has about twenty thousand words of life left in it, and I need to finish it before the momentum dissipates.

Or Kingdom Hearts - Re: Chain of Memories comes out.

The two coincide, really.

The Book Business

Well, we all know how the economy looks right now. We can't get away from it.

Sure, gas prices are going down (and that's cause for celebration in my book, don't get me wrong. It still makes me giggle to pass a $1.99 gas sign), but only because the demand is steadily lowering as the economy circles the drain closer and closer.

And, of course, with any major downturn, the book business suffers too.

Discouraging news.

And a lot of it.

Life without bookstores. Think about it for a second. There might be libraries, and I think there's a place for that--books that have been loved and read and preserved and, to some degree, imprinted on by those who've read them.

But I love the smell and feel of new books. I love the astounding variety and the bright colors and the understated covers (and the overstated ones, really) that catch my eye and promise me something. Escape. Adventure. Something to think about. And more than that, when I buy a book, it's mine. Mine to imprint my memories on as I read it, to take with me wherever I want. To share with other people who will love it, but always to take back. Mine.

I rely on bookstores. I love them. I never want to see them go away.

And the only way I can keep them here is to buy books from them.

You can too.

Keep buying books. Keep supporting authors. Keep the love of the written word alive before it drowns in text-messages.

That's all any of us can do. Before we were writers, we were readers, and between writing, we're still readers.

22,800 words and counting, feeling unusually pensive today.

Miri.

3rd Day of NaNoWriMo

(Hey, Americans--get out there and make your voice heard at the polls tomorrow. All the other countries are making fun of us because our voter apathy is so bad. C'mon, guys. Let's show 'em.)

Writerly Politics Fun! (yes, it exists.)

8010 words,
Sarah

And...go!

NaNoWriMo has begun.

Happy November!

2225 words and counting.

Another Update

Well, I managed to bust through the block on Friday with some good old-fashioned YouTube playlist therapy and an hour-long plotting session (which coincided with the YouTube playlist therapy). I think I've got most of the rest of the story plotted out. I'm going to try for an 8k day today and then maybe a 10k tomorrow.

Thanks for your support.

Update on the Writing Front

That is all.