B.L. Dayhoff's Blog, page 8

Time and energy

So, I decided I need to get out there more. And yeah, that takes energy (and time, both of which could be put toward writing), but it also will help me in the long run. Not just in the hard-and-fast sense of getting my name out there, but more in the way that I can build a network of friends who can help me with ideas and beta reads and just being awesome people who like the same things I do and can tell me other great stories to read.

And I hopefully can offer them great stuff in return.

If you’re on Goodreads and want to follow me (or direct me toward something awesome) you can find me here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...

Step 1: Breathe

Edits on the Cowboy are done. I finished one read-thru and immediately did another and it seemed okay. I mean, I still did a good number of edits, but I wasn’t rewriting every sentence, so that’s good, right?

Right?

Ugh.

My problem right now is finding beta readers. I have my IRL friends, who would probably do it for me, but they’re not really in the genre and I feel weird always asking them. I know I need to get out there and get into the genre and probably join forums or whatnot, but I’m not sure I have the time and energy. So much else is distracting me from writing, I don’t want to add more. But I know there is a GoodReads group that has something with getting readers, so I may need to bite the bullet and sign up.

The other option is to just send it to the publisher as it is. And I guess if they decline then maybe I need to find beta readers, stat.

I’m probably going to do the latter, just because I’m not sure if I have the energy for getting involved in something else right now, since you can see I have trouble doing the few things I already do.

Not Dead, Just Flat

I’m working on the second read of my story, which doesn’t sound as good as I remember, but hopefully editing will fix that up.

I’ve also been wasting time getting used to some major life changes and trying to adjust to working from home, having more (and different) free time, and those sorts of things. The weirdest thing is I get less done when I have more time. [Yeah, I’m one of those people.] So I’m working on that.

I have a vague kind of hope that I can submit my cowboy by the end of the month…to a beta reader at least, but maybe to a publisher. Of course, that means I need to start thinking about my next piece :)

Avoiding Burnout

There were definite benefits to dating a physical therapist. He was great with his hands, and not just when Blake’s leg ached. 

I think I’m over-saturated on writing sexy scenes right now. I have several scenes laid out that just need scene around them. But today I’m just flat lining. I’ve done plenty of writing this week, so that’s super exciting and good, so I’m not worried.

I just happen to have free time, so I want to be writing, but sometimes you have to listen to the little voice in your head that’s saying “Maybe take a break now. Yeah. Pick it up again tomorrow.”

The tough thing is when I want to write, I just don’t know what to write. I’m sort of feeling that at the moment, but when writing the complicated bits of sewing scenes together, you can’t just write willy nilly. So we’ll see what tomorrow brings!

Like Athena…

I’ve leapt from nothingness (or Zeus’s head, as it were).

Not really, but I’m shy (as the icon may have indicated) and trying to keep my personal life out of my writer life. Because my mom does not need to read about my cowboys…

:D

Speaking of which…I have several stories in the works, most are ‘finished.’

In quotes, because much like the one I just finished editing, I may have a bit more work on it than I realized. As in the ending.

Oops.

My cowboys need to have a bit more buildup (and maybe a bit  more sex, mmhmm) before they get to pull the covers up and good night! The good thing is that it shouldn’t be much more writing.

The bad thing is that there is a submission call I think this would fit under and I have 15 days.

No pressure, right :D

I’m on it!