5 Reasons to sign up for National Novel Writing Month (and giveaway announcement!)

Wow, okay so an update: This summer was insane in all the right ways. Lots of editing on my fantasy trilogy novels, and roping a few new (fantastic!) critique partners. I also helped put together a local writers conference in September, and did my first official speaking engagement related to writing. It was "A Self-Starters Guide to Freelancing: How to Get Started." All those nerves slipped away as I hit all my speaking points and people had some great questions. I might have to do that again some day.

I'm also proud to say that my Freelance Editing Services got a tremendous boost this summer. I'm so thankful to all my clients, old and new, for making this dream a reality. Not to mention, it helps with life's expenses, not dis-cluding the tuition for my girl's school this year.

I've been reading  researching for my fantasy trilogy, and sliding a few new shiny ideas in a drawer to focus on my current monstrous project. Did you know that the always debated pantser versus plotter theory has actually been debunked? I've in fact found out that I am actually a plotser or something like that, meaning I actually do some plotting just on a minor scale and usually in my head. Go figure!

Also, I've discovered Amazon Unlimited. To my husband's exasperation, poor guy.

GUESS WHAT? A short story that I submitted and was paid for over a year ago is finally going to be printed in 2017! I got the official word this week via email, so keep your eyes on my social media for when it releases. It's for the story "Wearing Teresa's Boots" that I mentioned months and months ago!

Okay onto my favorite writing topic this time of year.....

NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH IS UPON US!!!

I can easily confirm that #NANO has singularly made my writing career possible. I've won for three years in a row and intend to keep up the tradition. This year will complete the draft of my fantasy trilogy. I'm throwing out about 15k words from last year to rewrite now the first two novels are in better shape.

WHY should you join the world-wide wackiness that is NaNoWriMo? Here are five good reasons!

1. International Event: You won't be alone! We're talking thousands of people committing to the same insane goal of 50 thousand words in 30 days. 
2. TONS of support: Forums to post in, blog and vlogs, virtual write-ins, local write-ins... if there is a will there is a way, so just do it.
3. Cool swag before, during, and after, plus winner discounts and freebies...... example A below: 
   
4. What you really get out of it: Writing habit, creativity flow, networking, word counting convenience, and just plain writing the words down. No pressure, right?
5. IF you need one more reason: #thequeryhelper be giving away three (3) query letter critiques at the end of the month for anyone that wins NANO! So be sure to follow my blog, network with me, and come on back on December 1st once you've crossed that finish line!

Are you participating in NANO this year? What's your favorite part of NANO or what are you most looking forward to?

Keeping Freelance Work Untangled

One of my regular freelance clients emailed me this week. Her first sentence was: "I am jealous of how organized you are. Not to mention the time management!" I scoffed, and my husband lifted an eyebrow when I read her note out loud.

Why'd we respond this way? Organization is not my strong suit. This is something I've always been aware of. My college room mates used to gawk at how I managed to pass my classes, as my studying routine usually consisted of cramming before tests and cranking out essays the night before they were due.

I'm happy to report that life has taught me the dangers of this type of procrastination since then. This is especially true in my freelancing career. However, I still don't keep a calendar, spread sheet, or pocket book full of notes. Just as my younger self didn't organize like a traditional student, my working self has a different approach to keeping my jobs and deadlines straight.

I've found the best way to keep my freelancing project's timelines untangled is simply in trusting my mind to keep things in order. I know a few of my readers just gasped or shook their heads. Believe it or not, this works for me! Hear me out; I broke it down below.

Firstly, I like to take life, and work, one week at a time. Doing so focuses my attention on my current workload and offers me an easier breakdown for time management.

Secondly, whenever I take on a new project, especially ones with strict deadlines, I calculate how many hours I expect it to take and add an extra hour. Giving myself this bumper hour covers my butt in case life throws a wrench into my time commitments. Also, if I know that this project will take longer then a week, I break it up so I know how many hours of commitment I need to make for it in each week and for how many weeks. Then I "time stamp" it in my mind.

Thirdly, and most important, is Monday. I actually look forward to Monday. Monday is the day I square away the week. I used communication to not only touch base with my regular clients, but also to update my progress on larger projects. Communication is key for any work people do, but it's especially important for freelancers, as our bosses are often off-site and putting a lot of faith in someone they've never met. This also gives my clients an opportunity to give feedback or make changes to the direction the project is going.

Once I've finished sending out my Monday messages (and getting any responses), I can mentally plan out my week. It's a loose plan consisting of a breakdown of time division per project and my personal deadlines to complete projects so I have editing time before submitting them. If I feel like the word load is especially heavy with research or requires some serious concentration, I contact my go-to babysitter and schedule a couple afternoons nix the kiddos.

Not that kind of mental breakdown!

I also use Monday's mental breakdown to check out my writing community and see if their are any contests or critique round robins I want to participate in. My critique partners and weekly blog posts get mental time slots as well. If my week seems lighter, I consider offering Query Helper critiques at this time. Often, I find myself spending a few minutes weighing in whether I need to sacrifice an hour of sleep here or some T.V. time there to get everything completed.

My way isn't ideal for everyone, but it works for me. I've tried the traditional methods such as a to-do list, calendar with scheduled times, and even phone reminders. They don't work for me because I find myself losing my mind when things deviate from plans. But with my own method, I allow myself the space to be flexible without stressing out over the unexpected.

Go ahead and call me crazy in the comments below, or tell me how you manage your freelancing or writing goal time instead.