Getting Ready

This week, hopefully, I’ll finish final proof copies for Jazzi #3 to return to Kensington.  After that, I have rewrites to do on the notes my critique partner (Thank you, Mary Lou Rigdon) gave me for Jazzi #4.  The manuscript’s not due to John Scogmaglio until June 1st, but John, Holly, and I are taking off for Florida to visit our daughter and her husband May 10-15, and  I’d like to have my deadlines out of the way before we leave.  And THEN, I’m ready to start plot points for Jazzi #5. I’m giving myself a week to do that. AND THEN I want to write Muddy River Mystery Three.

I can’t wait to start that book.  I woke up in the morning with an idea that got me REALLY excited.  (That happens a lot at the start of a book.  We’ll see how I feel when I reach the middle:)

I know I have a long to-do list.  Sounds like I’ll be keeping out of trouble for a long time, but I have my old, trusty chalkboard and I bought a new whiteboard to help me keep track of things.  And once I fill in that whiteboard with notes for Jazzi #5, I’m ready to write!

https://giphy.com/tv/search/writing-on-chalkboard

I think I told you the story of how I got the chalkboard once before, but a LONG time ago, when the movie RICH AND FAMOUS with Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen came out, there was a scene that cracked my HH up.  Candice Bergen and her movie husband are lying in bed, drifting off to sleep, and all of a sudden, she jumps up and runs to her office to scribble ideas on a chalkboard.  When she comes back to bed, her husband yawns and shakes his head.  “An idea for a new book?” he asks, already knowing the answer.  HH swears I do that to him, so he bought and installed the chalkboard the next day.

Now that I have the whiteboard, I use the chalkboard to keep track of deadlines and business stuff I need to do and can’t forget.  Unfortunately, on my own, I tend to forget more than I should.  And if I write notes on 3×5 cards, I have so many of them anymore, they get lost in the shuffle.  But I see the chalkboard every time I enter my office.  If I write something on it, I have a decent shot of getting things right.  This is my writing wall, and my desk is right across from it.

Every writer finds his/her own way to keep track of characters and story ideas.  No technique is better than the next.  You just have to find what works for you.  So whatever you’re up to, good luck with it!  And happy writing!

P.S.  If any of you have any questions, feel free to ask me.  I did my first author chat on Kensington’s Facebook page for the Between the Chapters bookclub, and I was really nervous about trying to fill an hour answering questions for anyone who showed up, but it was WONDERFUL fun.