Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 13

Writers' Tools That I Like

I receive NO compensation or benefit of any kind from any of my recommendations.

I've shared most of these tools before, but not in a comprehensive post.

I like to keep track of my timeline on a paper calendar. It doesn't matter what year it is. I just pick the month and day when the story starts and I keep going.

The Paladin League timeline spans three years now because Wicked Obsession started earlier than the bulk of the series.

I came up with this method of tracking book time at least fifteen years ago, probably longer. I was wasting so much time rereading what I'd already written, trying to figure out what day it was and how many days had passed when I needed to be writing.

This Calendar from Calendar-12.com is the one I use. I love that the boxes are nice and big, giving me plenty of room to write. (FREE RESOURCE)

I actually have two versions of the calendar. This is the working copy with lots of white outs. I also have a good copy where I color coded the pen for each book.

Another tool I really like is a Twelve Box Comic Panel from PrintablePaper.net. (FREE RESOURCE)

This site has all kinds of printable paper, so if you're looking for game score sheets, a numbered list, school notes, or some other template you can print and use, this site has lots and lots and lots of choices. 

For writing, I use the Twelve Box Comic Panel. I chose this one because it was the largest set of boxes. There's also a Nine Box version and some other versions with different size/aligned boxes. I usually write about 36 chapters to a book (sometimes more/sometimes less), so 12 boxes means I need 3 sheets per book.

This is the first page from Wicked Suspicion. It's redacted because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone. I keep track of whose Point of View I'm in, and I write a few lines about what happens in the scene/chapter. I also write down what day of the week it is, but this is not my primary timeline. It's just a quick reference.

Sometimes, when I'm writing fast, I might fall behind a number of boxes. I always end up frustrated that I didn't keep up because inevitably, I need to refer to it and my info isn't there.

Tool Number Three on the I can't live without it list is my kanban board. I don't have a link to this because I created it myself. I have a cutter and I bought the wall vinyl. I needed a big, chunky font, so while I'm not in love with this style, it's at least fun and quirky and it cut well on my machine. I usually cut stickers for my planner so this was a new adventure for me.

There's a To Do section, a In Work section, and a Finished section. (Ignore the word in gold. I choose a word of the year and that's from a few years ago. I haven't taken the time to remove it. Yet.) As you can see, Wicked Suspicion is DONE! I use Post-it Notes, one for each chapter, and move them as appropriate.

Why I like it: I can see in a glance how much more writing I need to do. It's also in my face since I put it on a wall I have to see every time I walk out of my office. Because I change the notes quarterly, I can't be full of myself and all those Post-its in the finished section for very long. It's motivating.

Tool Number Four is the only tool on this list that isn't free. It's a spreadsheet template that I purchased on Etsy for project management. (PAID RESOURCE)

I not only keep track of each chapter here, I also keep track of the cover art for the current book and the next book, editing, copy edits, paperback cover, uploading, formatting, and basically any other step that is part of putting out a book.

This is a tool that works for me because I'm good with Microsoft Excel and I was able to edit the template to fit my needs. It's workable straight from the download, but I made it author specific.

Why I like it: I'll post a picture to show why I love it so hard.

I love this overview page! It can see how I'm doing on my budget. I can see how many tasks I have left to do. Most of the 12 left for Wicked Suspicion involve edits, copy edits, formatting, promo, and the paperback cover.

I bought it while I was working on Wicked Persuasion, that's why there are fewer tasks there than on Suspicion. 

This template holds SIX projects! I have a number of books setup and ready to manage. I will confess that I use this more after the draft is done and I'm into editing and promotion. There seem to be so many steps and this helps keep me focused.

Cover Reveal: Wicked Ambition

Wicked Ambition cover reveal!!!

Subscribers to my newsletter received the big reveal in the June edition. If you'd like to become a subscriber, you can sign up here. Just scroll down a little to the form.

I don't have a link yet for this book. It'll be up for pre-order toward the end of this month, closer to when Wicked Suspicion is released.

Here's the cover copy I have for the book:

Ayla Desmond never takes risks, but when she senses her twin is in trouble, she boards a plane to Puerto Jardin—a country teetering on the edge of chaos. As a Public Relations specialist at the Paladin League, she’s used to spin, not bullets. But this mission plunges her into a deadly game where trust is scarce and danger is everywhere.
 
Special Forces Sgt. Oziah “Wizard” West is the king of one-night stands, but he hasn’t been able to forget the last woman he hooked up with, a mysterious blonde who slipped away from his hotel room. When he spots her in Puerto Jardin, he knows there’ll be trouble. Oz rushes to her side, determined to keep her safe.
 
Ayla wants nothing to do with Oz. He’s a mistake she’d rather forget, but circumstances force them together. Surrounded by mercenaries and stalked by an arms dealer who believes she holds the key to a hidden treasure, she has no choice but to rely on the enigmatic stranger who ignited her passion. As danger escalates, so do their feelings, and then a positive pregnancy test changes everything.
 
Now, Oz risks not only his heart but also his life to protect Ayla and their unborn child. Can they survive the treacherous game they’re caught in, or will their love become the ultimate casualty?

I will post a link when the pre-order is live. It should be soon.

Happy Independence Day, America!

 

It's Just the Way I Roll, For Now

Guess who injured their foot?

That's right. Me!

I stepped wrong and felt a pop. The pain was bad. Oh, so bad. I assumed it was broken. This is the same foot I broke in 2005 and ended up getting surgery to put a screw into it. Luckily, X-Rays showed no breaks.

However, the diagnosis is ligament damage. So as I write this, I have a charming little shoe that closes with three Velcro straps. It's open-toed for extra style points.

I'm currently on a strict walking restriction, but I had an appointment on a Thursday I needed to go to. I deliberately wore a bright pink sock with my charming shoe so that people would know I'm in a medical device. If I'd worn a black sock, I was afraid no one would see it and ask if I was okay.

Well, someone asked if I was okay anyway. It was sweet of the woman to worry about me, but I'm walking like a turtle because of my foot. There's nothing else wrong with me.

I have to tell you, though, the most frustrating thing in the world (for me at least) is being forced to walk slowly. There is no rushing anywhere, not anymore. I'm still trying to get used to everything taking longer.

The orthopedist says two weeks with restricted walking, and if the pain doesn't go away, then I'll end up with an MRI. Can they do an MRI on a foot with a screw in it? Hmm.

Tote Bag Overload

One of the things I discovered during the great tote bag search was the ridiculous amount of things sellers expected women to carry in their totes.

(BTW, I'm set on my tote bag now. Thanks.)

So many of the tote bags I stumbled across lauded that I could carry my laptop, my iPad, my 40 ounce water cup, and ten million other things and they'd all fit in the tote!

This is not a selling feature. I do not want to carry that much stuff ever. I have a bag with wheels for my laptop and I transport other heavy things in there like my 32 ounce coffee mug. Why? Because it's got wheels! Filling a tote bag with all the crap these sellers are highlighting is a good way to shoulder and/or back pain.

All I wanted was two pockets with a key leash like in the picture above. This bag is light and it fits the right amount of stuff. The two pockets were perfect because I could carry my keys and my wallet in the tote bag and forget about a purse.

The bag I decided does have a laptop section and a section to slip the 40 ounce water cup/bottle, but I decided I didn't need to use them if I didn't want to and the size was close to the medium size I prefer. I'm glad this search is over!

Honor the Process

It always amazes me how different writers are from each other. Sure, you can lump the plotters versus the seat of the pants writers, but even then it's a continuum, not a hard over one way or the other.

One of my friends writes out of order and pieces everything together when she's done. I can't do that. When I get a scene really strongly and write it down to use later, by the time I get to the place where the scene should go, it no longer fits.

For me, everything builds on what comes before it and the scenes I wrote, that I was sure would be spot on when I reached the right point, did not fit the characters any longer.

Another of my writing friends is very analytical. She can think about her plot and see what pieces she needs to make it work and what pieces she'll need in the future to reach the end of the book. She even can analyze enough to see how it will impact future books in her series.

Again, I stand in amazement. I'm not analytical at all. I write by instinct, which can be endlessly frustrating because I can't look at my plot and see the big picture. It's also frustrating because when I read something on the craft of writing, I start freaking out, thinking OMG, I don't do that! Only to discover that I do, indeed, do that, but I do it based on instinct, not based on craft knowledge.

I try to remind myself that every writer uses a different method. The key is to go with whichever process works. The best writing advice I ever received was that the process would change and that I shouldn't fight to write the way I always did. That I should go with what the book wants.

My friends, the process is ever changing. I'm not sure it's stayed the same for two books in a row. The only good thing is that the process shifts haven't been as dramatic lately as they were in the beginning.

Group Mailboxes, Grrr

My subdivision has multiple phases. When I first moved in, I lived in phase 1 and had a personal mailbox at the end of my driveway. The problem was my driveway was extremely steep, and when my dad moved in with me, I was scared about him walking up and down it.

We moved to a level lot in phase 2 of the subdivision. I don't know if it's a Georgia law like someone told me or not, but this is where we got a group mailbox AKA a cluster box.

There are no words for how much I hate this.

Now unless the box is huge, none of my packages that go USPS are delivered to my house. I HATE THIS SO HARD. If I had a personal box at the end of the driveway, they'd have to leave the packages on the porch.

I don't know who thought this cluster box crap was a good idea, but it's bad enough that I signed up for a paid UPS service to have all Smart Post mail delivered by them instead of USPS. When I shop online, I will weigh how much I really want/need the item versus the chances it will be sent via the post office. Sometimes I guess wrong and end up having to trek up to the boxes, but retailers who use USPS are now losing my business because I don't want to deal with having to go up to the boxes.

That's how much I hate this group box BS.

Amazon delivery drivers are literally in my neighborhood every single day. I see the truck drive past and stop at neighbors' houses. Why the hell are they using USPS?

I am supposed to have two books delivered today and I regret buying them because they were sent USPS instead of via Amazon's own delivery. And I guarantee you that the truck will stop within a house or two of mine. They could have brought my books.

Since I rarely get any mail that isn't junk, I don't go up there often, but the packages force a trip. But I've reached a point where if it's something I don't need right away, I let it sit up there until I feel like going up to the boxes.

I wonder what they would do if someone was physically unable to go to the boxes? Would they get their own box at the end of their driveway?

There is one pro to these boxes (and I alluded to it earlier). Because everything is locked, I can let the crap sit for weeks if I want. Otherwise these boxes suck. Big time.

Show Me the Medals

Those who've followed the blog for a while might be wondering why I'm not sharing pictures of my medals.

For those who are new to the blog, I sign up for virtual challenges, and when I complete the distance, the company mails a racing medal to me. My favorite company is Conqueror Challenges. (I was not compensated for my mention of them in any way.)

Am I still doing these challenges? Absolutely.

Do I have any medals to share? Sadly, no.

What happened?

You see, they have this Amazon Rainforest course. There are two options for the length--100 miles or 1000 miles. The longer course is recommended for people who cycle or marathoners, but I signed up for the longer course because The Paladin League takes place in the rainforest and I wanted to see pictures. I missed the part where it said no street view was available.

So my one reason for signing up for the longer length didn't even happen and there are only 24 postcards along the route. A postcard is basically a picture with some facts about the image written in the style of what you might write on the back of a postcard. Like a really long postcard.

I tried to change to the shorter race since the app allows you to do that, but it didn't offer me my medal even though I was over the 100 miles by this point. Well, you guys know I wanted that medal, so I switched back to the 1000 mile course.

I'm plugging away at it, but I still have more than 400 miles to go to get my medal. This one is really going to mean something considering how hard I'm working for it.

Random thoughts that aren't enough for a full blog post.I...

Random thoughts that aren't enough for a full blog post.

I have a match 3 game that I like to play while I'm waiting for appointments or on the elliptical at the gym or if I'm in line somewhere. None of these places are great for "Hard" or "Super Hard" levels and it annoys the crap out of me that this game constantly throws them at me. Especially since the regular levels are difficult enough at this point.I've really liked YouTube Premium especially since YouTube music comes along with it. It's been a game changer as far as my enjoyment of their services. I'm hooked now.So sick of popups on every site. Spin the magic wheel for your discount, sign up for the newsletter, you get a coupon! I actually took some class for authors that said visitors might find it annoying, but they'll sign up for your newsletter anyway. Is this still true? I am so flipping annoyed that unless I went specifically to sign up, there's no way I'd do it after a popup.I signed up for one of those meal delivery services. This one, the meals come already prepared and I just need to microwave them. I like the convenience, but I'd like a little more variety and they stress me out every week with the shipping. I live near Atlanta, Georgia. Their packaging is not going to keep the meals cold while UPS stores the box in their warehouse all weekend. It's supposed to be Friday delivery, not Monday. I hate having to keep on top of this.And I upgraded my Apple iCloud storage this week. The thought of having to sort through files to decide what to delete didn't sound like something I had time for, so I just did the upgrade. Not thrilled and I don't know what's hogging space.Group mailboxes. My subdivision has a group mailbox instead of mailboxes in front of our homes. I hate it. It's literally one of the most annoying things about this subdivision. (Only the barking dogs are worse.) This brilliant idea is thanks to our state government--or so I was told. If I move again, I'm insisting on a house with its own mailbox.The planner I use had their 2025 preorder go up the first week in June. That's early.I'm still tempted to try scrapbook journaling, but since I wrote that original post, the algorithm has shown me accounts from people who aren't as talented as the first round. Now I'm doubting whether or not I'd have fun since apparently it's harder than it looks to put together a cool page. I wonder if anyone has a class?I'm nose down on the book and mostly absent online. Doing the minimum in as many areas as possible to get extra writing time.

Goodbye Landline?

I have a landline at my house. I got it because my dad was living with me and I needed something he could use to talk to his friends or call for help. He also used hearing aids, and he had a phone that transcribed the conversation for him.

My dad passed away last October, but I still have the landline even though all I get on it are spam calls--mostly people wanting to buy my house for less than market value.

But I can't quite get myself to get rid of that landline and I'm not sure why.

Part of it is that I used to give out that number as a contact number in order to keep my cell phone number private. I'm honestly not sure who has this number. I have updated the obvious places to my cell phone--the bank, the credit card companies, etc.

Another part of why I still have it is for two-factor authentication on some of my dad's accounts. I'm executor of his will and I needed to be able to get on some of his medical accounts to check on bills/payments. But it's been a few months now since any bills for him have arrived and the one account I've had to access said they'd lock it out six months after his death. It's past six months.

A third part? They make you call to cancel the landline. It can't be done online and I hate making telephone calls.

But I need to suck it up and do it. There's no point spending money to be annoyed by robocalls. Now I just need to psyche myself up to call.