The Konmari method for writers

Happy New Year, everyone! Holy hell, it's 2020. A decade ago, I was anxiously awaiting the birth of my first kid. Now I'm planning his tenth birthday party. Time seriously flies and it makes me hella stressed. No one wants to blink and they're seventy, y'know?

Anyway, I saw a ton of tweets from writers bulleting their decade-long accomplishments and rather than rehash that or discuss writer resolutions or goal-setting, I thought I would talk to you today about what I am affectionately calling, decluttering for authors. Very new decade. Very Marie Kondo. And like Marie Kondo, we're going to ask ourselves if something brings us joy. And if it doesn't, we're chucking it. Because a cluttered space is a cluttered mind. And we writers need clear heads. So let's begin with my stuff.

Hey there, Alphasmart Neo. You little internet-less keyboard that I purchased on Ebay to write without distractions. I discovered you via a KBoards thread and I thought you would be the answer to my procrastination problems. Alas, you've been sitting on this shelf for years. You're much better off in the hands of someone else who might actually use you. Thank you and goodbye. 

Hello giant binders with my old manuscripts. The books have been edited and published and I'm no Hemingway. I don't need to hold onto three hundred sheets of paper and red pen notes because it belongs in a museum. Thanks for being there, but it's time to hit the recycling pail.

Oh hey, computer file folder with old drafts of short stories that bear no resemblance to the final product. And how are you FinalDraft1, FinalDraftVersion 2, and FinalFinalDraft3 files that are definitely not the final versions of anything? I think it's time you all go to the Trash. Thanks. It's been real.

And to you fancy pens, highlighters, post-it notes and notecards. I'm not sure why I thought overspending at Staples was going to help me write better or faster. I'm going to pass you along to my kids for their school projects.

And lastly, to you cheap ShopRite notebooks that I bought for ten cents a piece in late August. You, with the scribblings of a mad woman with so many ideas, you get to stay. You are chock full of notes and plot threads and characters that I intend to flesh out one day. You bring me joy. Also you are the most consistent part of my process. I can't let you go.

I've always believed that writers work best when their space is clear. Be it headspace or working space, just get rid of the stuff you don't need anymore. Condense your computer files. Delete duplicates. Chuck old manuscripts into the recycling bin unless you absolutely need to revisit your process.

Get rid of the old. And welcome new ideas and enthusiasm. And write. Butt in chair.

It's 2019: set your expectations optimistically low

Happy New Year, folks!

How are you feeling? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Ready for your bunker?

2018 was rough. So was 2017, and 2016 (that end bit there). But I'm cautiously optimistic about 2019. I'm turning 4-0 this year. That's right. True middle age. My favorite genre of music is now considered classic alternative rock. When I was a teen, it was just called alternative. Anyway, I can't say I'm going to turn 40 with dignity and grace, more like with margaritas and self-loathing, but it will be fun. I never feel my age until I talk to a 23-year-old and realize I sound just like my parents.

Anyhoo, I've started off this new year feeling mentally strong (thank science for anti-anxiety meds). I've been able to focus. My brain doesn't feel like the television is constantly on in the background, and my memory is sharper than it was before kids. Now that's something to toast.

Also, I'm putting the finishing revisions on a brand new adult hardboiled suspense that I plan to....yup, query in 2019.

I hate querying. In my defense, I don't think any writer likes it. It's a form of masochism. You write and write and write. Your brain is swarming with characters and plot and theme and tension. Is this book tense? Is it boring? You bleed on that laptop. You make others read your mess. You try to make it better. After 90,000 words, you then struggle to write a one-page query letter and synopsis. You freak out. What the hell is my book about?! Then you send it to a bunch of agents, hoping one of them will want to read it. Then you wait, refresh your email every ten seconds. Maybe you get some full requests. You definitely get a ton of rejections. You send it off. You wait and wait some more. It just sucks.

This isn't my first rodeo. I queried Grunge Gods and Graveyards in 2012 and 2013. It got picked up by a small press. In 2016, I queried School Lies. It was agented, went on a brief submission until that partnership fizzled. In the meantime, I've self-published. That typically alleviates the querying blues.

With each book, I become less naive. And more realistic. Just like with hitting a milestone birthday, one becomes more seasoned. With querying and rejection, comes wisdom.

Whenever I query a novel, I am hopeful because I believe in my work. I know I am a strong writer.  However this business is hard, and there are variables I cannot control. An agent's taste. The trends. The economy. So while I try to remain optimistic, I also try to keep my expectations real low.

When sitting on the ground, one can only go up.

Anyway, wish me luck.

What's on your agenda for 2019?

May the new year be....well, anything's better than this

Last year around this time, I was all ready to say good-freaking-bye to 2016. Man, was that a tough year. Okay, maybe the last two months sucked big time. Other than that, I was feeling good. I had a book published in March and I was just finishing up the last edits on a YA novel I was particularly pleased about -- a mystery I planned to query, and hopefully sell. I saw hope, professionally if not globally.

Fast forward a year and I am in no better a place. Someone tweeted (and I'm paraphrasing) that if were you able to write anything in 2017, you did good. Well, it was tough. My writing, creative energy, and motivation were spent on political news and developments. Writing scathing letters-to-the-editor of our local paper, trying to rally folks on Facebook (Ha! Like that's a thing you can do), trolling my politicians on Twitter (I guess it was kinda cathartic) and, not to mention, watching a lot of escapism on Netflix. It's amazing anything got done. Actually, little got done. I queried my beloved YA book, secured an agent, fired an agent, and the book is trunked. I'm still in the midst of finishing edits on a sequel to Dead and Breakfast that I've been working on for year! 

Life can be paralyzing. And because I'm not at the point where an editor is pressing on me to finish a project, my work ethic is what I make it -- weak and unfocused. But 2018 will be better. It has to be better. For one thing, I'm the only one pushing me. And I have a lot of great project ideas that I want to see bloom. Only I can do that.

Every January, the majority of Americans pledge to eat healthier, exercise, and spend less money. Well, I already do two out of those three things, so I'm promising to get my ass in gear. To work for the betterment of my mental health and to force change where I can -- with my art.

And to celebrate the new year, here's the cover art for my next mystery. Set to be published in early 2018.

Let's resolve that 2017 is a much better year

Oooh, boy. 2016 kinda sucked from a global perspective, didn't it?
Brexit. Aleppo. Bowie. Trump. And that's just a millimeter off the top of the iceberg, am I right?

Anyway, we at Across the Board decided to share our 2017 writer resolutions -- what we vow to do smart this upcoming year. In no particular order...

Brenda: Fewer distractions. More words.

Stephen: Finally write that haunted house novel.  Or voodoo zombie.  Whichever one is going to turn out to be the hot new craze I'm about to start.

Jonathan: Finish my book and query it to at least three agents by April 1st.

Mary: Just keep writing, just keep writing, just keep writing, writing, writing, writing... What do we do? We write, write, write!

Carrie: Focus on writing more frequently.

Kimberly: Query my YA novel. Get off the freaking internet. Seriously, Mama's got to disconnect.

Happy New Year, everyone! May it be a good year for you.

New year, new deadlines

Happy 2015, y’all! It's KGG and I am typing this from my dining room. Right now, I'm sitting at a table made up of two Costco folding tables covered with Christmas-motif table cloths. One day, we'll get nice dining room furniture and then my husband will ban me from working in here. But for now, I'm sprawled out with my laptop, revision binders, highlighters, a beehive drink dispenser, and a glass vase of multi-colored ornaments. I can't wait to de-holiday my house. 

Holy, moly. Anyone feeling anxious? Like writerly anxious? Like, it’s the first day of the new year and I-have-all-these-things-to-write anxious?  

I guarantee a common thread on writer forums is something about goals and resolutions. In addition to wanting to lose a few pounds, writers resolve to get their butts in the chair to work faster, increase their daily word count, and get off the friggin’ internet (Okay, so these might be my goals).

My goals for 2015 are modest. I intend to finish my novella, a spin-off to Grunge Gods, and submit that to my publisher. I’d also like to finish the first book in a new YA paranormal mystery series. Maybe even write the second one as well. We’ll see how that goes. Even as I write this blog post, I’m being constantly interrupted by two adorable little boys. (Good thing my kids are cute but Mama has to work.) I know I can achieve these goals, but lately, I’ve been feeling like there just isn’t enough days in a year to do everything I want to do.

This year is also going to be the year I forge ahead with self-publishing. I’m very excited, albeit nervous, about these plans. For the last year, I had been considering various projects, tossing ideas in the air, wondering which one was attractive enough to land me a traditional publishing contract. Then I met the awesome indie authors on KBoards and after reading up on self-publishing, I decided I wanted to try this route. Because I want to write what I want to write. It's not going to be easy, but I'm determined to try. 

Also on my 2015 list -- maybe getting a proper writing space where no one will bug me. That space might just be the library.

Okay, that's enough about me. What about you? What are you plans for 2015? What are you writing and/or publishing this year?

Happy New Year!