M.A. Dunham's Blog, page 2

Eliminating Distractions: Bribing Your Way to Writing

Although there have been many fine articles on the art of getting a writing schedule down, my favourite is this current article by Kris Rusch because it plays into my own thoughts of treating my writing like another long-term goal we can build up to.

Kris talks at length about the carrot and the stick method, which is something I’ve found to be incredibly useful. But there are times when I have to take it a bit further. When I’m lapsing back into old patterns or simply have reached a point where I don’t want to write. Sometimes the idea of a reward isn’t enough for me.

At that point, I go into another mode, and I ground myself as if I were a sulky teenager. The key underlying thought is this: If I don’t do the work, then I don’t get the free time.

Basically, I ground myself from any fun distractions I may have until the work is done. And what I mean is this: Facebook is turned off. Twitter is signed out. And I don’t have Youtube up, either. I change the things I take for granted, such as Lolcats, and turn them into a reward for a job well done.

You’d be amazed how quickly a thousand words can come out if you ground yourself from those beloved time suckers and make them treats rather than an excuse.

This is for those hard weeks when I have the time but I am having difficulty motivating myself. So to top it off, I give myself a weekly reward for doing all of my work. That’s where my carrot comes in. A little something for everything I did that week, and a big something after each of my projects is complete.

Now, this can also work for internal distractions, but sometimes the brain requires trickier navigation. Some internal distractions require some time to figure out the root of the problem. Example: If you’re always too tired to write by the time you get to it, then how about getting up a half hour earlier in the morning? Or doing ten minute sprints throughout the day? Not all writing has to be in a solitary block.

Sometimes environment can need a shift. At my house, it’s almost impossible to set up a private work station for writing time, so I take my laptop off to a quiet corner someplace, order coffee, and work for a few hours. I also have the bonus of knowing that this time is work only time, and with no internet access, I can’t possibly get distracted by Facebook.

What struggles have you faced in your writing habits? I’d love to hear from you.

 

This article is part of a two part series on Writing Habits. The other half, “Developing the Habit”, can be found at Cassandra Webb, Writer and Artist.

The Dropbear Resistance Continues

We’ve fought valiantly these past few months against the dropbears. After their last siege upon the South Coast and the seizure of Ulladulla, we lost internet access for nearly a month. Many fine soldiers were lost, but the city is ours once again.

You’ll not win, dropbears! *shakes fist*

~Diary of an American in Australia’s Dropbear War

 

Seriously, I don’t have a specific reason as to why this post is so late. I know I tend to write once or twice a month, but we’ve been so busy with getting real life sorted – yay! – that my writer’s blog has been neglected. So sorry.

 

On the plus side, we’re done car shopping, getting the flu, spring cleaning, are current on major wedding decisions, and I should have this next novel out before the end of the year. God willing. *crosses fingers* Yay!

Written in Stone Gets Reviewed, and Other News

Written in Stone was recently reviewed by an independent book reviewer. I was so excited to see what she had to say. You can check it out here.

This week in Australia, I’ve been working on transitioning my driver’s license over. Even though I’ve been a resident for over three months, I’ve been so busy shifting other paperwork over that I haven’t had a chance to do my license yet.

Like every piece of government paperwork, this one is also a unique pain in the ass. Australia requires an official DMV letter on letterhead stating when my license was issued, or else I have to get a p-plate (restricted license, can only go so fast, etc). Since I’ve had a full license for 10 years, I’m obviously not keen on going back to training wheels.

So this week has found me entering passwords to encrypted websites that allowed me to send encrypted emails to the DMV where I last lived, all so I can fill out a standardized form.

I’ve been too amused to be annoyed. It’s like being a spy!

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Why We Write

Last month, I joined a local writer’s group as a way to meet other people in my area. As a rather boring and quiet nerd, I don’t have a lot of options when it comes to socializing, and since moving to another country, going out and doing things has been rather limited.

It’s been a lot of fun getting to know more people and more of the local color in our part of the South Coast, and gives me a sense of roots here I didn’t have before. My accent will always out me as an outsider, but it’s nice to feel included in something local.

Although I’ve been published, and hope to continue this career for the rest of my life, not everyone in my writer’s group wants to be published. Many don’t have any goals past sharing a few stories, or maybe even socializing.

And you know what? That’s okay. Sometimes writers working towards getting published have their eyes so hard on that shiny contract or on the money at the end of the road that they forget there’s another, bigger reason most writers get into writing – to share stories.

To tell something that only they can tell. To create, and express.

I’m not planning on slacking with my writing endeavors at all – there’s going to be a few more goodies coming out this year – but neither do my goals as a professional author detract from my ability to sit and enjoy what other people, many with vastly different life experiences than I, share.

Their stories. Their perspectives.

And what a load of fun it is.

Authors I’ve Discovered (Thank you, internet!)

There is little more exciting than discovering a new author and their treasure trove of published works. Having struggled for the past two years to find authors with original, keen storytelling and a sense of deliciousness that hooks me in (anything from their sense of humor, to their powerful visual description, or any number of things), it’s incredible how many new authors I’ve discovered since starting my work at Indie Books R Us.

With so many places snobbishly turning their noses up at independently published books, I’d struggled finding a good, reliable review source to check out upcoming novels, and having now found Indies (and Goodreads has flowered, along with a few other independent review sites), and I wanted to share some of my favorite authors I’ve discovered:

Tracey Sinclair: Creator of the Cassandra Bicks Chronicles, Tracey breathed some life into a genre that is sadly flooded with shoddy imitations of stories. Filled with witty, pop culture humor, some searing sexual tension, and a healthy dose of common sense, the first two books couldn’t have been more awesome. I can’t wait for the third one to come out. Dark Dates and Wolf Night are the names of the first two.

Richard Wright: I’ve only read his book Thy Fearful Symmetry, but I absolutely adore this half apocalyptic, half thriller sort of story. The multiple points of view are all equally engaging and filled with drama, and it was with much regret I put this down.

Med Whitlock: Meg wrote The Dark Man’s Son, and reintroduced me to a long-forgotten love: third person omniscient POV. She handles it with great skill, and really gives the story a fun turn with her storytelling style.

Allison Pang: Although I ultimately am not a fan of the protagonist, reading her Abby Sinclair trilogy was a delight in story-building and other fun details/characters. Including a pervy unicorn, enchanted iPod, succubi and Dreaming, and magical paintings, as well as Faerie in a somewhat traditional sense, I greatly enjoyed her take on how a world like this would develop. The main character unfortunately evolved into the too bitchy/sad sack of sarcasm that too many UF heroines slide into, but other than that, I enjoyed the books. I can’t wait to read other stuff she produces.

Kristen Callihan: Author of Firelight, this Victorian paranormal romance is fresh and interesting. I love how she combines fantasy and the time period, with her own take. Her world and her characters keep the stories flowing, and while I’m not a huge romance reader, it’s the fact that these are stories in spite of the romance that keeps this author on my awesome list.

As I discover more authors, I’ll keep adding to the list, but I think that’s enough for today. Take care and keep reading, fellow book junkies!

 

Now Out: Written in Stone

After an extra month of work, my latest novella finally came out! Funny how we plan everything, only to end up with a story that changes our expectations and surpasses our original ideas. Here’s the blurb from it:

When Felicia dies, she doesn’t expect to wake up alive, and minus the multiple stab wounds she remembers receiving from her attacker before her death. With her other memories gone, she’ll have to rely on her rescuer, Pax, while she figures out what happened that fateful night. But why does he seem to know more than he’s letting on, and who is the mysterious Ariel?

It’s mere weeks until the angels’ plan of spreading healing and prophecy begins, and Pax is ready to lead them to victory. That is, until he rescues Felicia. He’s already at fault for her death, and now he’s responsible for her life. It’s simple—make sure she’s okay, and then she leaves. And yet, her very presence brings questions with no easy answers, and challenges his presumed life.

Written in Stone is available at Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

Monthly Round-Up: Reading, Writing and – Ok, Not Arithmetic.

And what a busy month it’s been.

I don’t usually delve too much into the personal, but February’s been a month filled with it. Discovering my residency visa has been horribly delayed (and threatening my day job in the process),  illness, starting new projects and redesigning current ones has left the shortest month even shorter than usual.

To whoever took the last week of February: I want it back.

On the plus side, there’s been plenty to report.

Reading:

I’m now 19 out of 60 books for my reading challenge and still going strong. Current new favorite authors include Kristen Callihan and Tracey Sinclair, and I’m so excited to finally find some urban fantasies with some life. I’m still on the fence about The Mercy Thompson series. I got the first three books at a big book sale, so I’m going to decide after I read the third one if I’ll continue or not.

Reading and reviewing for Indie Books R Us has been fun and educational. I’ve learned so much about books from the other end, and the women I work with are fabulous.

 

Writing:

Steady progress on my current novel continues. I’m hoping to get the first draft finished this month, if the crazy storm keeps down low. Looking forward to my editor working her blue pen magic.

Almost finished is the second in the Entwined Chronicles, which, barring further giant leaps in wordage, will be out March 15th. It’s quite a bit longer than Fugue, and it’s turned out longer than I originally anticipated. Series fans won’t be disappointed in the story’s continuation.

 

Random Fun Bits:

We adopted a kitten in December as our gift to ourselves. Since then, Fagin has grown from a tiny little furball into a monster kitten. Weighing over three kilos, he’s the biggest five month old kitten I’ve seen.

As a comparison, here’s him when we got him:

 

And here he is two weeks ago:

 

He may be part-lion.

Two New Shorts Out

I’ve been busy this past month, but I thought I’d drop a quick note here to let people know that two of my latest stories have been released, Fugue and Death Rites.

Fugue

Death Rites

They can also be purchased at Smashwords and Barnes and Noble.

2012 Reading Challenge

New Years always makes me review my reading challenge list for the year. Although I have many writing and personal goals, I always do those on my birthday. Starting two years ago, however, I started tracking my reads on Goodreads. And this year, I surpassed my goal with flying colors.

That’s right – I really read 58 books.

 If you want to see the full list of what I read, click the picture or this link here.

 

The mix is similar to what I expected–mostly fantasy, with some romance, mystery, and non-fiction thrown in. I’m a little disappointed in myself for not reading more non-fiction, so that’s my goal for this year–to add in several more non-fiction books.

This year, I put my initial challenge at 60 books. I’m already 6 books in, which is a good sign, and I may need to really stretch myself this year and try for even more. How nice would that be.

Do you have any reading goals? What are they? Feel free to friend me on Goodreads so we can encourage one another and discover new books. That’s what I love about the reading challenges.

Man, Where Has the Time Gone?

Oh yeah, in travel! I’ve finally returned to Australia, after quite a few weeks back at home with my family. It’s been great, but I’m afraid I’ve been remiss updating this blog.

Updates will continue on a regular schedule again. Oh, and before I forget, I gave some advice on standards in relationships. For the people who give and never want to take in a relationship, this is for you.