Tag: writing

Be Inspired!!!!

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With the coming of a new year, it’s time to set some goals, and work towards achieving them. I’m not crazy about making resolutions for New Years, but I do like to set a few goals for myself. For example:

Publish 5 new books:

If I stick to my plan, I can actually pull this one off. Jo Fuentes: Project Sleep, Rock N Role Model, The Witch of Fulton Lane: The Age of the Daughter, Rise, Resist Reform are my first four. With December 2019 marking Woolaston Entertainment’s 25th anniversary, I will definitely put a special book together. So, I at least have 5 books in the works. 

Gain New Readers:

It’s simple. I’m a writer who publishes books. I want people to read those books. I need to put some books in the hands of new readers. I’ll be focusing more on marketing this year. 

take the things you enjoy and let them inspire your writing

Use What Inspires Me and Share It:

I find inspiration through music, my guitars, TV shows and movies, and books. I’ll be sharing more of what inspires me with all of you, and I hope you’ll do the same. Plus, I intend to use more of the things that inspire me,in my writing. Right now, I’m in a musical frame of mind: I’ve been listening to songs I haven’t heard in a while, I’m currently reading Ian Winwood’s Smash! Green Day, the Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX, and the ’90s Punk Explosion. On top of that, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong is writing new music, which is very exciting to this Green Day fan! This has inspired me to work on Rock N Role Model, the next Our Lady companion book.  The Winter Solstice and a love of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures has given me some fresh ideas for The Age of the Daughter, so I’m ready to work on that book again. 

I believe you should take the things you enjoy and let them inspire your writing. They can be very useful, especially when you find yourself feeling stuck in your work. 

Be inspired, people!

Goodbye, 2018!

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This is it, folks. December 31, 2018. The last day of the year. While 2018 was a pretty good year, I’m ready to wave goodbye to it, and say hello to 2019. 

A lot of things happened this year. There were wildfires, mass shootings, and the third government shut-down under Trump’s presidency. At the same time, a spacecraft successfully landed on Mars, all of the Thai boys who were trapped inside a cave were rescued, and Congress became a bit more diverse (Native Americans and Muslims were elected).  There were high’s and low’s. 

My inner nerd has to mention, it was a great year for Marvel movies: Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. And Venom. I can’t leave that one out. 

On a personal note, I managed to do two things I sincerely wanted to do: publish 5 new books by the end of the year, and move out of New York. I figured I’d probably pull the first one off, but the second one felt like a pipe dream. But, I did it. 

With 2018 coming to a close, it’s time to reflect on what went right and what went wrong. Did you make any resolutions? If so, did you accomplish them? I certainly hope so.I hope 2018 was good to all of you, and I hope 2019 will be even better. 

Because I Just Can’t Turn My Brain Off

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December is drawing to a close, and so is the year 2018. Around this time of year, I begin to wrap things up. I finish whatever book I’m currently reading, see if I reached my Reading  Goal on Goodreads, and try to relax my mind. Well, those are my intentions. However, as most creative types will agree, it’s hard to just let your mind relax. I just can’t seem to turn my brain off.

notebook
My December 2017-December 2018 notebook

 

I keep a notebook full of notes and outlines for books with me at all times. Every year, I buy a composition notebook, create a series of tabs for it, and write. Around December, I buy a notebook for the upcoming year, but I tell myself I’m not going to touch it until January. I’m bot going to start any new books or projects until January. This is what I tell myself. Then, my brain gets to work, and before I know it, I’ve come up with two or three solid ideas for new books (two or three solid, out of about fifteen that I just put aside). 

I’ve come to accept that creativity does not run on a schedule. It just…happens. You can’t flip it on and off like a light switch. But, maybe that’s a good thing. If I could just switch my brain off for awhile, I’d probably miss out on some really great ideas. While I wasn’t planning to start any new drafts for books until January, my ideas for Rock N Role Model kept pushing their way to the surface, so I broke down and wrote four pages for the first chapter. So, I’m going to forget the break, and just keep on writing. 🙂