Camp NaNoWriMo Fail. Or maybe not...

Yes, I know it's May 14. Yes, I know the blog has been very quiet about the whole Camp NaNoWriMo experience. I've been trying to figure out how to explain what happened.

Complete Failure? Not exactly. I did add a lot of new words to my WIP. But if you are looking at it strictly from a word count perspective…then maybe. I admit, here and now, that I did NOT meet my obnoxious word count goal.

Camp NaNoWriMo Recap:

Back in March, I got myself ready. I stepped back into the world of a stagnant WIP. I refreshed myself with my research. I even tackled projects around my house…projects that had been staring me in the face for months. A friend of mine called it "nesting" and said it was like I was getting ready for a baby. She was exactly right, I was nesting.

April 1st arrived and I was ready, images of fingers flying across the keyboard danced through my head. But the Universe had an April Fool's joke ready for me. That was also the day I got my first big freelance editorial project. "Bring it," I told the Universe.

The weekend arrived with my first Ghost Stories, Inc. event. While paranormal investigations are a huge source of inspiration, I quickly learned that it's not always easy to write actual words during a ghost hunting weekend. I attacked my word count the following week, catching up just a bit. (Ahem, this is also the part where I must confess that I "adjusted" my obnoxious word count goal. In a downward direction.)

I wrote words like crazy during week two. I was motivated. I found a balance between tackling my word count goal and finding time for my freelance project. I thrived in this balance. When my brain hurt and I couldn't write any more words, I flipped to my editor brain and worked on the project that was actually going to bring an immediate paycheck. This continued for about the next ten days. And it was a beautiful balance. But then, something happened.

It wasn't unexpected. I knew it was coming. My WIP started to fall apart. Not a lot, just a little. I knew my plot was beginning to unravel just a bit. I knew there were things I needed to go back and fix. I got stuck. I knew that if I were a true blue NaNoWriMo participant, I should just push through. Keep going to the end! Because, yikes! That word count goal was staring me in the face! And I was so close, but I couldn't…quite…catch…it. I also started to feel torn, like I should be spending more time on the project that actually had a guaranteed paycheck attached to it.

Here's the thing. I made a lot of mistakes in my very first manuscript. My second one was so much better and I spent a lot of time analyzing why. That first manuscript was about finding my process. Once I found it, I vowed to stay true to it. And one of my writing mantras, is that when I get stuck, I figure it out before I just plow forward. I don't mean that I go back and fix everything, I just thoroughly think through where I want things to go before I try to just keep pushing through. It's kind of like the forest and the trees…when I get stuck, I make myself find the path. It might not be the right one, but, for me, it's better than wandering in a circle.

I've also learned over the years, that my best chance at grabbing that sometimes illusive muse, is to trust my motivation. I was motivated to finish my editing project so I did. It's a good thing, too, because another one was waiting in the wings right behind it, and then another. So I gave myself permission to…just…stop. Stop chasing that lofty word count goal. But I'm not going to call it giving up.

I am grateful that I stepped outside my comfort zone to jump into NaNoWriMo. It taught me that if faced with a creative deadline, I, 100% without a doubt, know that I will meet it. Especially if there is money involved. (Don't judge, I've been writing and editing for free for a REALLY LONG time.) It's nice to be at a place in my career that I'm getting paid for something I know I'm good at. I also proved to myself (again) that I do my best work when I am balanced and busy.

Therefore, I will keep myself busy. But balanced. I can't let my freelance projects take away from my WIP and vice-versa. Because that seems to be a magic combination for me, and it took Camp NaNoWriMo for me to figure that out.    

Gulp. Camp NaNoWriMo.

I've watched the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenges from afar, in awe. Like an eager spectator, I scroll through the Twitter feed, cheering participants on with favorites and hopefully helpful comments. But always with admiration for those participating, and the thought, "That is SO not for me."

I just don't work that way. My first manuscript, I made a lot of mistakes. But I learned a lot too, about the process. MY process, and what works best for me. My process doesn't allow for the under-pressure-writing style that comes with a NaNo project. My second manuscript grew organically, fed by careful thought and a promise not to make the same mistakes twice. It was a much better book for it. It was also the book that landed me my agent. Logic states that my "process"now appears to be tried and true. So why mess with it?

Ahem. I've come up with two reasons. The first, is that, as writers, we don't always have the luxury of working at the leisure of our muse. With a book contract, comes deadlines. And while I'm not there yet, (knock on wood three times, spin around, throw salt over my shoulder), I hope to be soon. I intend to be ready.

Also, I aspire to be a great writer. I believe, that to be really great at something, it is necessary to keep pushing the boundary limits of our comfort levels. Because in that space beyond our comfort levels, that's where I always seem to find the ways to grow.

So when a good author friend of mine said, "Hey! We saved a spot for you in our NaNo cabin for April!" I decided to take a chance. I decided to succumb, willingly and gratefully, to peer pressure.

Tomorrow, I will begin a challenge that terrifies me to the core. Tomorrow, April 1, I will embark on a month of NaNoWriMo camp…with a very lofty word count goal. (What can I say? I was raised to value the concept, "go big or go home.") I'm sure I will make some mistakes. Who knows? I might even trip and fall. But if that happens, I will do it with style and flourish, and I will try to keep a smile on my face. Because there are lessons to be learned and maybe it will even make a good story. And who knows? At the end of it all, what if I get to say, "I can write a book in a month."

Gulp. Here goes nothing, with the potential to be something.

Want to join me? Sign up here! Camp NaNoWriMo

Need help with your query or manuscript?

I have a hangover. It’s a happy hangover from last week’s new and improved #AdPit. I LOVED helping people with their queries. I’ve been thinking about hanging out a shingle for awhile, but #AdPit sealed the deal.

It’s official. I am open for business as a freelance editor.

Need help with your query? I will review your query and offer my opinion and advice for $25. For a limited time, I will even include feedback on up to five Twitter pitches.

Want a critique of your first chapter? Also $25. (A first chapter or the first 1000 words, whichever gives you more.)  

I will also look at your ENTIRE manuscript! If you like the feedback from your first chapter, and want me to look at your full manuscript, I will apply your $25 to a full manuscript review. Full manuscript reviews start at $150 and go up from there. Contact me for availability and an exact quote. Payment plans are available. Because, more than anything, I just want to help and I know that I can.

Here are my strengths:

I write mysteries. And I believe there is an art to weaving a good mystery. If I get to the end of your book and I still don’t know who the bad guy is, you know you’ve got an excellent mystery plot on your hands. (But don’t worry, I will still be able to give you clues on how to make it better.)

I used to be a lawyer. I can help make sure your courtroom scenes and legal jargon shines with authenticity!

I also especially like helping to make sure your characters stay consistent throughout, your pacing is solid and your plot flows in the right direction.

If you think I can help, contact me.  I can’t wait to hear about your project.

Do you need a ghost writer? I can do that too. I am especially good at writing web content for your small business or law firm. I will even ghost write your nonfiction book for you. Especially if it’s about ghosts.  For more information, contact me.

It wasn't just an #AdPit day, it was a whole #AdPit week!

Today is the Twitter pitch party #AdPit! (Of which I am especially fond, because I found my agent during an #AdPit Twitter pitch party.) This round of Heidi Norrod's #AdPit was even more exciting because #AdPit has evolved to be more than just a Twitter pitch party. Earlier this week, #AdPit included a pre-party, where entrants were invited to submit their queries for a chance to win a query critique, and a few agents even stopped by the inbox to take a peek and make requests.

And I got to be one of the slush readers! When I told Heidi (@HRNorrod) I would help, I don't think I realized what I was getting myself into. I was at the Love is Murder mystery writer's conference last weekend. I didn't realize that the submission window would close at the exact same time as my flight home would board. I also wasn't expecting how exciting this part would be. As slush readers, we weren't allowed to touch (or maybe it was more that I was afraid to touch) anything in the inbox until submissions closed. But wow!

Looking at all of those queries was an honor and a privilege. One of my favorite parts, was seeing the queries that were nearly perfect - the ones where we all marked "YES" to a great concept, a great pitch and a great query. Those queries deserved to be read by more than just us. So it was good news that a few agents agreed to stop by the inbox to take a peek. I enjoyed the flurry of emails and the teasing Tweets between myself, @HRNorrod, @mtelschelwilliams and @sidneytblake (all friends from Twitter, none of whom I knew very well before this). Another favorite part was finding a query that had been marked by someone else as a "NO" and while I loved the pitch and concept, I also saw something in it that I knew I could fix. Those are the queries that ended up in my pick pile.

Also new this round was the #AdPitCrit - a special hashtag where participants-to-be could stop by and practice their Twitter pitches. There is an art to a Twitter pitch, 140 characters to summarize an entire manuscript is not a lot. So providing a place where writers could practice their pitches and critique each other was a great idea. Watching other writers help each other out, and seeing the pitches get better and better over the course of the week was a lot of fun.

So if you are thinking about trying a Twitter pitch event, in the words of the Nike commercial: Just Do It. There are so many reasons. You make Twitter friends and writer connections. I never made it to any of the final rounds of the contests I chose (#SunvsSnow and I think #AgentTrickorTreat) but that didn't matter. I still found my agent anyway and I made friends and connections along the way. 

Participating in the contests made me a better writer. You practice summarizing your entire manuscript into a ridiculously small word count. When my agent asked me for summaries of various lengths, I already had them and/or could write them quickly, because I'd already done a ton of them for the Twitter pitch parties. My writing became tighter. One of the contests had a first chapter word limit. When I ran my revisions by my CP's (who were forever telling me I needed to tighten my writing) they said "Yes! This!" And it was all because I was just trying to fit as much as I could into the darn word limit on the submission guidelines.

So @HRNorrod and other Twitter party organizers, thanks again for hosting #AdPit and #AgentMatch and #SunvsSnow and all the others. They added one giant step on this writer's path that made it all just a little easier.   

Do ALL the things.

I wrote a book. Two of them actually. It didn't take me long to realize, that was the easy part.

But I've made a promise to myself. On this difficult path that I've chosen, I promised myself that I would push myself beyond the limits of my comfort levels in order to see this dream through. Because at the end of wherever this path is leading me, I have to be able to say that I tried my very best or else I know I will regret it. (I know myself pretty well.) 

Joining Twitter was all the way outside of my comfort zone. But I pushed myself and it brought me my agent. It led me to writing clubs. I've connected with other authors. And don't even get me started on all of the paranormal groups to be found on Twitter. I'm a Twitter convert. 

Going to a writer's conference is also outside the comfort zone of my introverted self. Especially because I still occasionally have nightmare-flashbacks to the emotional trauma I experienced from the live pitch sessions at Crimefest 2012. (Read about that: Here.)

But Thursday night, I kissed my little ones good-bye. I got on a plane by myself and flew to Chicago. Friday morning, I walked through the hotel lobby, and into the conference room, again all by myself, for the Love is Murder mystery writer's conference. When I walked through those doors, I didn't know anyone. But I took a deep breath, put a big smile on my face and just started talking to people. Yes, this was way outside of my comfort zone. My comfort zone was back up in my hotel room next to my laptop, waiting for me to come back and write the words.

The day went on and got easier as it did. I gave my support to anyone I saw with that nervous rock, the one you do right before you walk into a pitch session. I bumbled my way through a self-introduction to one of the headliners. But had an amazing conversation about St. Paul gangster history with Robert Goldsborough. I told everyone about how Twitter helped me find my agent. I made new friends and connections. I was surprised by how few writers use it as the valuable resource it can be.

So do ALL the things. For my introverted Twitter friends, push yourself to sign up for that writer's conference you've always thought about going to. Or even start small by finding a local networking group of writers. SCBWI or maybe Sisters In Crime. For my new conference friends, join Twitter and connect with other writers, even though you've never met them in person. Do ALL the things, even if they require you to step outside of a self-declared safety zone. Because then, at the end of the day, you'll know you tried everything.

Coming up next: Why Twitter pitch contests, like #AdPit, should be on your list of ALL the things.

My Story Ideas.

Yes, going on ghost hunts is a new way I've found inspiration for my stories. But my ideas come from all over the place. I am the first to admit that there is a lot going on in my head and not long ago, there was an incident that made me laugh so I thought I'd share.

We have a Half Price Books in our neighborhood, and being a history/research nerd, I love to browse. I love my kindle, but I use it for books that I want to read cover-to-cover. Half Price Books is my favorite place to find additions for my reference shelves. I'm all about finding a bargain.

My personal bookshelves are filled with ghost stories and nonfiction books about ghosts. The ghost books help if I need my ghost character to do something and I get stuck. I also have history books that relate to whatever I'm working on. For example, I have biographies on all of the major gangsters like Al Capone and John Dillinger. These help me solidify and add depth to certain characters in my stories. I also have books on true crime, because honestly, sometimes fact really is stranger than fiction.

So when I find myself in the vicinity of a used bookstore, with an extra $20 in my pocket AND a few minutes to spare (which isn't very often for either of the later -- I have three kids), I enjoy a browse. On this particular day, one of the first books that caught my attention was a small, yellowed paperback book that was waiting to be shelved. (Or probably, more likely, waiting to get cleared out because nobody bought it.) It was an extremely dated horror anthology entitled: Haunting Women: Chilling Stories of Horror by Women Writers (edited by Alan Ryan).  Excited to learn what women of decades past wrote within the horror genre, it went into my purchase pile.

I've been puzzling through a new series idea and I was specifically looking for some background on secret societies. So I wandered to my favorite corner next. It's the corner that has Paranormal, Secret Societies, Mystical Creatures and the Occult all in one place. Yes, there really are books about all of those things. And a lot of them eventually end up at Half Price Books in the same corner which works out well for me.

It was there that I found one of the best reference books I've ever found. Seriously, what mystery writer wouldn't want to add The Elemental Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols (by Adele Nozedar) to their personal stacks?

And finally, I always check out the Clearance Room in the basement. There I found yet another collection of ghost stories, aptly named, Paranormal Obsession: America's Obsession with Ghosts & Hauntings, Spooks & Spirits (by Deonna Kelli Sayed). For 99 cents, it seemed an appropriate addition to my library.

I was ready to leave and I handed my books to the clerk. In my head I was trying to figure out if I'd have enough change for a fancy coffee, and time to stop anywhere else before I had to pick up the kids from school. So when she stopped and stared at me, I don't think I even noticed at first. When I did, she said, "These are really scary." And after that, she wouldn't look me in the eye. I was instantly thankful I'd opted not to buy the history book I'd found on insane and sadistic European royalty. But I realized what I must look like to her: a housewife looking for a fun book to read in her free time, or maybe even something for the kids.

I just smiled at her and said, "I'm a writer." I've always enjoyed when I have the opportunity to take someone's expectations or judgments and shake them up a little for the better.

And in case you were wondering, I did go back and buy the book about insane royal family members the next time I was there. Because, really, all of us need a jumping off point for our bad guys. Especially those of us writers that look like normal housewives.

How I Accidentally Became a Ghost Hunter.

It has been a busy couple of months. And in the last few weeks, I've heard the question: "You're doing what?!" more than once, especially from family members.

Since my last post, I have some news that I am very excited about. I got to go on a ghost hunt! A good writer friend of mine, Jessica Freeburg, founded a group called Ghost Stories, Inc. It is a group of children's writers and illustrators that turn to the paranormal to find inspiration. (Translation, the group goes on ghost hunts.) When Jessica asked me to come along on a night of filming for their documentary, I was all in.

It doesn't take much for me to get wrapped up in history. But take an afternoon of historical research, combine that with an overactive imagination and then put me in the dark basement of the place I just researched and I'll probably be writing ghost stories about it for the next year.

And now that I've gone with them, I can attest: No matter what your beliefs about the afterlife, when you sit in a building that has history oozing from the walls, it's inspirational. With a good dose of adrenaline thrown in for good measure. I was hooked.

But wait, it gets even better.

They asked me to join the group! I get to go again...and again! I am one lucky paranormal writer. I guess that also means I get to add "Ghost Hunter" to my ever-growing eclectic resume. And I can't wait to see what happens next.