Zena Wynn's Blog, page 7
August 24, 2011
Finding Balance
In today's world of multi-tasking, I am a queen. The problem with being the queen of multi-tasking is that I tend to take on more than I can feasibly do. For example, in addition to being a writer, I edit for two publishing houses. In no way do I edit for the money. (snort) I do it because I enjoy helping other authors get their work published and making their work shine. In addition, editing helps sharpen my own writing skills.
I'm told I'm a good editor. I'm definitely dedicated, and tend to be a bit of a workaholic. Sounds like a good thing, right? We're encouraged in today's society to stay busy, be productive. But too much of anything isn't good. I, as I stated earlier, tend to have a problem saying no. This means at times I get backlogged. I spend all my time working and stressing myself out.
I know it's bad when I wake in the morning thinking of what I need to accomplish during the day, and go to bed and night lamenting what I didn't get done. Writing? Who has time? Exercising, taking time to smell the roses? Ditto. It's ridiculous.
But I plan to do something about it. One, with the help of God I'm going to stop stressing myself out. I'm one person and can only do so much a day. I'll work steadily, but when I need a break, I'll take one. If I want to read a book instead of writing or editing, I'll read one. If I want to spend time with my family on Saturday instead of spending the whole day editing and running errands, I will. Without guilt and without berating myself for all I could have accomplished had I worked instead.
Life is short. I want to enjoy my life. Yes, I enjoy editing and writing, but not the pressure I was putting upon myself to produce. So, I'll rest when I need to. Make time to exercise and eat right. Get a good night's sleep, and as soon as I knock some of these editing jobs out of the way, I'll slow down.
Maybe. LOL!
I'm told I'm a good editor. I'm definitely dedicated, and tend to be a bit of a workaholic. Sounds like a good thing, right? We're encouraged in today's society to stay busy, be productive. But too much of anything isn't good. I, as I stated earlier, tend to have a problem saying no. This means at times I get backlogged. I spend all my time working and stressing myself out.
I know it's bad when I wake in the morning thinking of what I need to accomplish during the day, and go to bed and night lamenting what I didn't get done. Writing? Who has time? Exercising, taking time to smell the roses? Ditto. It's ridiculous.
But I plan to do something about it. One, with the help of God I'm going to stop stressing myself out. I'm one person and can only do so much a day. I'll work steadily, but when I need a break, I'll take one. If I want to read a book instead of writing or editing, I'll read one. If I want to spend time with my family on Saturday instead of spending the whole day editing and running errands, I will. Without guilt and without berating myself for all I could have accomplished had I worked instead.
Life is short. I want to enjoy my life. Yes, I enjoy editing and writing, but not the pressure I was putting upon myself to produce. So, I'll rest when I need to. Make time to exercise and eat right. Get a good night's sleep, and as soon as I knock some of these editing jobs out of the way, I'll slow down.
Maybe. LOL!
July 2, 2011
Claiming Shayla Update
So, I've finally gotten into a groove with this story. Right now I'm on page 134 (1" margins, 1.5 spacing) and a little under 57k in word count. The story begins with Shay gone, her return for Kiesha's wedding, and then the somewhat rocky start of her and Rory's life together. I just finished the scene where she's introduced to Rory's pack. Now that I have the couple firmly together, there's the barest hint of suspense that I'm working out. I figure another three to four chapters (at 13 pages each) and I'll be ready to wind down to the ending.
As to why it's taking me so long, please remember that both of these characters have very intense, very strong personalities. Also, I had to create a whole new pack, new support characters, and new settings. All of that takes time. When I'm finished with the rough draft, I'll let it sit for a bit and work on something new. Or maybe it will be time to do edits for Seduced by a Wolf. When enough time has passed, I'll come back to CS with fresh eyes and see if I can add another layer of depth to the story.
Once CS is ready to go, I'll start on Rome's story. I already have it plotted out in my mind. Just have to get it on paper. Then there's NeeCee and Bull, and another story that CS sparked within the Sparrowhawk pack. How many True Mates will there be? As many as my imagination allows me to write. Do, however, expect the TM books to start releasing further apart.
I have other projects, other commitments that I need to keep and/or finish as well. Like my book, Seduced by a Wolf. It's book one of a new four book Lycan series, releasing from Phaze. Then there's my Fantasy Island Series from Red Rose Publishing. It's time for another release in that series. I also committed to writing another book for Red Rose as part of a multi-author series project which I'm spearheading. Not to mention the many unfinished projects that I'd like to complete.
So as you can see, I have more than enough to keep me writing for the next several years.
As to why it's taking me so long, please remember that both of these characters have very intense, very strong personalities. Also, I had to create a whole new pack, new support characters, and new settings. All of that takes time. When I'm finished with the rough draft, I'll let it sit for a bit and work on something new. Or maybe it will be time to do edits for Seduced by a Wolf. When enough time has passed, I'll come back to CS with fresh eyes and see if I can add another layer of depth to the story.
Once CS is ready to go, I'll start on Rome's story. I already have it plotted out in my mind. Just have to get it on paper. Then there's NeeCee and Bull, and another story that CS sparked within the Sparrowhawk pack. How many True Mates will there be? As many as my imagination allows me to write. Do, however, expect the TM books to start releasing further apart.
I have other projects, other commitments that I need to keep and/or finish as well. Like my book, Seduced by a Wolf. It's book one of a new four book Lycan series, releasing from Phaze. Then there's my Fantasy Island Series from Red Rose Publishing. It's time for another release in that series. I also committed to writing another book for Red Rose as part of a multi-author series project which I'm spearheading. Not to mention the many unfinished projects that I'd like to complete.
So as you can see, I have more than enough to keep me writing for the next several years.
July 1, 2011
My view on Spammers
As a person, I have difficulty understanding why others get such delight in spamming people's websites, email accounts, etc. Do they really just have so much time on their hand? So little personal business to tend to?
Usually, I'm live and let live but when I spend more time deleting spam than interacting with readers, something has to give. In this case, it was me. They are many and I am one. I deleted my guestbook page on my zenawynn.com website. I enjoyed the comments and I believed readers enjoyed being able to leave them but when you have people who don't understand the meaning of respect, you do what you have to do. I refuse to leave the spam there, and I refuse to spend all of my time deleting it. If this was a war, then I guess they won. But did they really? I still retain my integrity and respect for others. They, well, I have to wonder if they know the meaning of those words.
Usually, I'm live and let live but when I spend more time deleting spam than interacting with readers, something has to give. In this case, it was me. They are many and I am one. I deleted my guestbook page on my zenawynn.com website. I enjoyed the comments and I believed readers enjoyed being able to leave them but when you have people who don't understand the meaning of respect, you do what you have to do. I refuse to leave the spam there, and I refuse to spend all of my time deleting it. If this was a war, then I guess they won. But did they really? I still retain my integrity and respect for others. They, well, I have to wonder if they know the meaning of those words.
