What I've Been Up To - Part II

Over the past couple of months, as I've been doing less writing and blogging, I've been focusing my creative energy elsewhere. One of the weird things about pregnancy (at least in my case) has been an inability to sleep enough to not be tired anytime, but an inability to be awake enough to do anything which requires a significant amount of my brain (like writing).

So, I turned my attention to crafts which require only that I focus on what I'm doing and follow instructions rather than requiring the invention of new worlds, character motivations, or plots. What came of that was 1 completely finished and one nearly completed Christmas stocking. The completed stocking is for my (as of yet, unborn) daughter. The second, nearly complete one is for my husband and should be done before Christmas. The third one, the not-yet-started one, is mine.

My original plan was to complete all three before baby is born, but due to some complications, she needs to come early. Which means that I probably won't be able to finish (or even start) the last stocking by Christmas. My first thought upon realizing this: "And so this is how it begins...my daughter and husband will always have everything, and I will have nothing."

The words sound a bit bleak though if you don't read them with a hint of sarcasm and a smile. And realize that I was actually thinking of my own Mom when I thought this. Because that's exactly how it was growing up - she made sure that my sister and I had everything, then came her husband, and when we were all taken care of, it was finally her turn. Only, there often wasn't time for her. But somehow, she never seemed to mind. She was just so happy (honestly, genuinely happy, people!) to see everyone else taken care of and happy.

This morning I'm headed to the hospital and, if I'm lucky, I'll get to meet my own daughter by the end of the day. I couldn't be more excited!!!

On that note, I'll be taking a break from the blogosphere, email, and Twitter - no internet in the hospital anyways ;) - so please excuse me if I fail to respond to any messages for awhile. But, I'll be back, probably before you know it. Happy writing everyone and I hope all you NaNoWriMo-ers out there win!!!!

Blog Make-Over

This summer, I wrote a blog post suggesting a swap of services - my critiquing/beta-reading services for a new, more personalized blog template - and Kat Brendel was one of the very first to respond :)

And now, thanks to the lovely Kat, my blog has a whole new look! Isn't it wonderful? I'd love to hear what you think about it in the comments.

Personally, I couldn't be happier with the end result - not only am I totally in love with my blog's new look, I also have this warm, fuzzy feeling which is a direct result of the amazing writing/blogging community I am lucky to be a part of. It's a rare thing to find a community where everyone is striving for the same general goal and yet gladly shares their own expertise to help each other. I can only imagine how cold and lonely the road to publication would be if writers fought other writers for publishing contracts.

Anyways, yay for collaboration! :D And thank you all for the amazingly supportive comments you left on my last post - it might sound silly, but guilt I hadn't realized I was carrying was lifted from my shoulders when I read your kind words.

What I've Been Up to - Part 1

I've been completely neglecting this blog and now it's time to finally own up to it. Over the past few months, my priorities have shifted, and blogging took a serious hit. I only wish I'd realized what was happening and let my readers know to expect a break. But I didn't. And I'm sorry!

So now that that's out of the way, I thought I'd share a bit with you about the things I have been doing :)


The biggest, most time-consuming, new addition to my activity list has been this - growing a baby girl!

Being pregnant might not seem like an "activity" or something that requires time, but it is. At least for me. It's meant a huge shift where sleeping enough and eating well are prioritized. Gone are the days of drinking a strong cup of coffee to stay up late and finish that extra chapter or blog post or throwing a frozen pizza into the oven rather than preparing something fresh for dinner in order to maximize writing time. These are the days of afternoon naps and caffeine-free tea. And then there are the doctor's appointments, pregnancy exercise classes, nursery preparation, researching and buying the perfect stroller/car seat/etc., and paperwork to do!

Obviously, writing and blogging are things which need to be prioritized, too, otherwise there would always be an excuse getting in the way, preventing them from happening. And I've seen plenty of writers keep on a regular writing/blogging/interacting on social media schedule through a pregnancy and into their baby's first year without a hitch. I'm in honest awe of these ladies!

For me though, that just hasn't been possible. We're not all built the same way, and I haven't had the energy these amazing writers seem to possess. And since I don't have that energy, it's not worth prioritizing writing or blogging just for the sake of it. At this point in my writing career, I don't have any contractual obligations or deadlines, and so I've allowed writing/blogging to step down a rung on the ladder of priorities. I'll only be pregnant with my daughter once, and I won't stress myself out with self-imposed writing/blogging deadlines just because.

P.s. The baby girl is due on November 23rd - I'm almost there!

What do you think? Is there anything you other writers have let or would let take priority over the writing time you've carved out for yourself? What about the non-writers out there? Is there any particular activity you've worked to prioritize (blogging, crafting, reading, etc.)? Could you ever imagine shifting that priority back down?

Cover Reveal: THE CRIMSON HUNT by Victoria H. Smith

You Guys!!! Today I get to share an amazing new cover with you for a NA novel coming out next month. Seriously, this cover is amazing :) Here's the info:

The Crimson Hunt (Eldaen Light Chronicles, #1) by: Victoria H. Smith

Release Date: November 12, 2012

Genre: New Adult Science Fiction Romance

Book Description:

College junior Ariel Richmond is working on year three of Project Normalcy.

Her house reeks of keggers past and her bestie is just a slight bit vulgar. But the thing is—they both aid in making life refreshingly uneventful.

So much for hard-earned mediocrity when Luca Grinaldi appears on the scene.

Luca’s sudden presence on campus is hard to ignore. Those bright eyes act like a beacon to unsuspecting females, and with features like his, he’s got to be moonlighting for GQ. Luca hopelessly captivates Ariel with his confidence and charisma, but the mysteries surrounding him make him nearly untouchable. And just when Ariel grows close enough to unlock his secrets, a tragic event sends her life in a downward spiral.

That steady life is no longer an option and allies quickly become scarce. The mysterious Luca seems to be the only one willing to help her—but with that trust comes the burden of his secrets. He has a dark mission of otherworldly proportions, and is willing to sacrifice as many lives as it takes to see it completed.

Gone are the days of simply maintaining normalcy, and if Ariel isn’t cautious with her trust, so soon may be her future.

About the Author:

Victoria H. Smith has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. She puts it to good use writing romance all day. She resides in the Midwest with her Macbook on her lap and a cornfield to her right. She often draws inspiration for her stories from her own life experiences, and the twenty-something characters she writes give her an earful about it.

In her free time, she enjoys extreme couponing, blogging, reading, and sending off a few tweets on Twitter when she can. She writes new adult fiction romance in the sub-genres of science fiction, urban fantasy, and contemporary, but really, anywhere her pen takes her she goes. 

Victoria H. Smith Links: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

Back from Summer Vacation!

I've been back for almost a week now, but I still want to share some of my vacation with you! I spent an amazing week on the Turkish coast, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea beneath a Blue Moon...

...sipping non-alcoholic cocktails at the pool, while writing and Beta reading on my laptop...

and watching evening shows put on by the resort staff (like this one where they put on these pretty awesome light suits and danced - kinda made me want to write some sci-fi)

It was a wonderful vacation :) And I am feeling wonderfully refreshed and ready to write!

Did you go on vacation this summer? Are you as ready to settle into the fall season for some good writing time as I am?

GUTGAA Meet and Greet

Yesterday was the last day of an amazing Turkish vacation and I was busy flying home so I missed the first GUTGAA blog post - yikes! So this is a day late, but better late than never, right? Here goes :)

1) Where do you write?

Everywhere - at home, that is! I have a great writing nook with a desk and a comfy chair, but just as often, I'll set up shop on my couch, in bed, on the balcony, or at the kitchen table.

2) Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

My writing desk is nestled into a corner and closed in on the left by a bookcase full of some of my favorite paperbacks :) Mostly Robert Jordan, Jacqueline Carey, and Terry Goodkind fill most of the shelves.

3) Favorite time to write?

Depends on what I'm writing. If I've already outlined a scene and know exactly what I want to do with it, then late afternoon/evening is my best time to get those words out. If I'm struggling with a scene though and am not yet sure how it's going to turn out, I need my mind to be absolutely fresh so I'll write in the morning (after a few cups of tea to make sure I'm really awake, haha).

4) Drink of choice while writing?

Tea! Earl Grey or Chai Lattes for me. Although, I'll sometimes drink a mocha for afternoon writing sessions.

5) When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

Almost always, complete silence. Sometimes though, I'll listen to specific music before I start writing to get me into the right mood for the scene. And sometimes, I'll listen to movie scores (only on super low volume though) while writing particular scenes - I find it helps with the pacing.

6) What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

There's a street nearby called "Valkyrie Street" and it got me thinking, wondering about how it got the name. My current WiP has nothing to do with the story behind how a street got its name, but the MC is a valkyrie!

7) What's your most valuable writing tip?

Janice Hardy's Blog - She has compiled the most complete set of tips/explanations/examples on writing a novel and I am forever grateful to her for doing it! There's always something new to learn or be reminded of and her timing seems to somehow perfectly match up with my own writing journey :)

That's it! But this is a blog hop, so don't forget to visit all the other amazing blogs participating and meet some new writer buddies :) Here's the List of Participants

Should Writers Blog about Writing?

In case any of you writers out there don't know about it, WriteOnCon - a free online conference for writers (focused on YA, MG, and PBs) is going on right now!! It's awesome and full of lots of great opportunities to get feedback on queries/first pages from fellow writers/authors AND from ninja agents.

Yesterday, the below vlog on using social media was posted as part of the conference.



And one piece of advice for writers was to blog (yay! doing that already), but to blog about something other than writing (oh...crap). Meredith advised writers to blog about something else they are passionate about.

This advice is something I heard a week or two ago from an agent on Twitter, too and hearing it reconfirmed made me panic a bit. And then, I started to feel a bit upset, overwhelmed even.

I mean, I understand the idea behind the advice - a blog on writing is going to speak to other writers and other writers aren't necessarily going to be a novel's/author's fan base - and I totally appreciate industry professionals actually taking the time to share their knowledge and tips with aspiring authors and writers out there.

It's just, this time, it felt personal - I suppose that's because it pokes a hot iron right into an insecurity of mine. What if I don't have what it takes to be the super writer/blogger/promoter/human being the publishing world seems to expect me to be?

Blog about one of my other passions?! Am I suppose to have time for other things that I'm as passionate about as I am about writing/reading/critiquing/Beta-ing? Because honestly, I would have to give up my day job, my family, my friends, this blog, and all the side hobbies I wouldn't blog about, but which I still enjoy (ex. reading other people's blogs, interacting on Twitter, going to the movies, watching Breaking Bad, snuggling with my cat, baking the occasional pie) to make room for another serious passion. And that is not something I am willing to do.

As soon as I finished freaking out on that level and came to terms with the idea that I am not going to quit blogging about writing, I thought about what this blog means to me and why I feel so strongly about it being a good choice for me.

Being an active part of the writing community already takes up more of my life than I had intended it to - not that I'm upset about that :) And I really can't imagine what this journey would be like without all the writing friends I've made along the way - which I probably wouldn't have been able to do without this blog. So, for me, the benefit of blogging about writing has been so HUGE, I just can't imagine advising fledgling writers to forego the experience. I've learned and grown so much as a writer through blogging about writing - I wonder  where I'd be, and how long it would take to get to where I am now, without it.

So, for me, at this point in my writing journey, I don't feel the need to stop blogging about writing and start blogging about something else. I'm comfortable with my choice, though it may go against current advice from people who know this industry better than I do. And that's because I know ME better than they do - and without all the amazing support of the writing community this blog makes me a part of, who knows if I'd still be writing with the intent to be published one day?

So what about you? What do you think about Meredith's advice? Do you have a writing blog? Or more than one blog?