As a beautiful sunny day dawns on Central Florida, I'm too excited to sleep. Just two days 'til NaNoWriMo begins. For hours now I've been sitting at my desk, listening to the voices inside my head.
Long Journey Home begins on Monday! I have a great support team. The MyBookTherapy Ponderers...my dear friends. We laugh together, plot together, gently prot each other to keep moving forward... We laugh alot, pray without ceasing. The editor in the group pounted out to me that "All Y'all' isn't a plural pronoun. Who knew?!
Is there a story in you just itching to get out? To grace the world with it's message? Then WRITE IT! Have a dream to walk into your favorite local bookstore and see your novel sitting center isle? Good.
Now Hear This!!!!! Your dream is too important to remain unlived. Join groups to support you in your quest. Write. Daily. No matter how blocked your writer mind is. Even when the voices in your head are telling you to put your pencil down.
Sign up for NaNoWriMo at http://www.nanowrimo.org/
Hey, it's only writing 50,000 in 30 day. Piece of cake, right?
Want more fun and support? Join Susan May Warren's MyBookTherapy Voices Forum. We're having a NaNoWriMo Celebration!!! Join now! http://www.mybooktherapy.com/
Want to follow my progress on NaNoWriMo? I'm docrjhoffman.
Follow my blog for regular updates on Long Journey Home!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
THE BIG "C" WORD: IT'S BACK!
COMMITMENT! To writing. To sitting down at the computer every day and pounding the keys to form some meaningful story. I committed to all the citizens of Cyberkingdom that I was going to write 50,00+ words in 30 days. Piece of cake, right?
My computer screen taunts me...ummm... mainly because it's blank. My brain kicks off random thoughts that don't make sense. I put on brown shoes this morning instead of black. Ok, the last one is expected since I'm colorblind but you get my drift.
Then, out of nowhere a story comes. It builds in my spirit. Characters jump right out of my mind and into the room. They tell me about themselves. The good, the bad and the unbelievable. They spill out from the depths of their souls to an audience of one.
I suddenly realize hours have passed without notice. It's dark outside. Sunday football games have come and gone on TV and I don't even know who won. Did I eat dinner?
NaNoWriMo. The month of the novel. It's definitely going to be a wild ride! Follow me as I create Long Journey Home.
My computer screen taunts me...ummm... mainly because it's blank. My brain kicks off random thoughts that don't make sense. I put on brown shoes this morning instead of black. Ok, the last one is expected since I'm colorblind but you get my drift.
Then, out of nowhere a story comes. It builds in my spirit. Characters jump right out of my mind and into the room. They tell me about themselves. The good, the bad and the unbelievable. They spill out from the depths of their souls to an audience of one.
I suddenly realize hours have passed without notice. It's dark outside. Sunday football games have come and gone on TV and I don't even know who won. Did I eat dinner?
NaNoWriMo. The month of the novel. It's definitely going to be a wild ride! Follow me as I create Long Journey Home.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
LONG JOURNEY HOME
Today I start developing a new book. A new journey. The Long Journey Home. Dr. Autumn Hunter is the attending ER physician at the county hospital of a seaside town in Florida. She's loved by the community, her patients and coworkers. But tragedy strikes Grady Memorial Hospital. Autumn is shot in the parking garage by gangbangers. Her fiance is killed.
The events that follow chase Autumn away from the hospital she loves in a quest to find where she truly belongs: in the Appalachians among the mountain people. This will be Autumn's journey...her Long Journey Home!
Follow me during November as I write this book for NaNoWriMo!
The events that follow chase Autumn away from the hospital she loves in a quest to find where she truly belongs: in the Appalachians among the mountain people. This will be Autumn's journey...her Long Journey Home!
Follow me during November as I write this book for NaNoWriMo!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
MENACING CLOUDS OF DOUBT
Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.
William Shakespeare
I live in Florida. You know, the umm... Sunshine State. Whoever named it was never here during the summer. The bright sunshine that greets the morning also stokes the fires in the atmosphere. You can actually watch as the storm clouds brew until, right on cue in mid-afternoon, Floridians (and all those poor, unsuspecting tourists) fall prey to a monsoon gully washer!
Experienced Floridians have learned to divide their daily plans into three parts: BS, DS and AS... before, during or after the daily storm. It's the most productive way to get through the day. I laugh on Labor Day when the local weatherman warns, "plan do your outdoor grilling at 9am". No fooling!
When I'm sitting in my car being caught out in the torrential downpour, I'm reminded of my writing journey. When I least expect it, storm clouds of doubt pop out of nowhere during my writing day and rain on my parade. They dump a deluge of negative thoughts right onto my manuscript. My confidence is soaked to the bone. The writer in me becomes a wrinkled old prune from prolonged exposure to the storm of doubt.
It won't take a person long to realize that as quickly as Florida summer storms hit and blast a hole in the sunny day, the menacing clouds gallop over the horizon and disappear. They're just... gone! Such is it with the storms of doubt. They are strong when they come. Just like tourists driving on the interstates in Florida, sometimes you have to find a place to pull over and park until it passes.
It will pass. It always does. Ride out the storm of doubt and then get back about writing your prose. It's what we do. We're writers. Storms and all...
Experienced Floridians have learned to divide their daily plans into three parts: BS, DS and AS... before, during or after the daily storm. It's the most productive way to get through the day. I laugh on Labor Day when the local weatherman warns, "plan do your outdoor grilling at 9am". No fooling!
When I'm sitting in my car being caught out in the torrential downpour, I'm reminded of my writing journey. When I least expect it, storm clouds of doubt pop out of nowhere during my writing day and rain on my parade. They dump a deluge of negative thoughts right onto my manuscript. My confidence is soaked to the bone. The writer in me becomes a wrinkled old prune from prolonged exposure to the storm of doubt.
It won't take a person long to realize that as quickly as Florida summer storms hit and blast a hole in the sunny day, the menacing clouds gallop over the horizon and disappear. They're just... gone! Such is it with the storms of doubt. They are strong when they come. Just like tourists driving on the interstates in Florida, sometimes you have to find a place to pull over and park until it passes.
It will pass. It always does. Ride out the storm of doubt and then get back about writing your prose. It's what we do. We're writers. Storms and all...
Sunday, October 17, 2010
A FUNNY TWIST OF FATE
Ok, I'll admit it. I was a late bloomer when it comes to taking advantage of all the social media. Nothing but hype, I say! Coming from Texas, I'd rather clog than blog. Tweet is something birds do. Facebook is the mugshot on the book cover and My Space is...well... my PRIVATE space where I retreat and don't invite others into. Yes, I rebelled. Refused. Rebutted. What happened to the good ole days when once a month we all got together in the town square to swap howdies and exciting stories?!
Finally I made the leap, albeit kicking and screaming, into the twenty-first century of social connecting media. It dawned on me (yeah, I know... I'm a little slow) that I can encourage an endless number of people throughout the world to live their dreams and follow their hearts! You mean the very thing that I tried desperately to escape is the vehicle that enables me to do what I was created to do? Really? Uhh... didn't see that coming!
I was born to encourage and write. Thanks for being there to listen, to take my encouragement. Just like me, you have to live your dream. And you also will have to try new things that are unnatural to you. Go ahead. Give it a whirl. You never know what exciting places it will take you to.
Until next time, remember your dream is too important to remain unlived!
Finally I made the leap, albeit kicking and screaming, into the twenty-first century of social connecting media. It dawned on me (yeah, I know... I'm a little slow) that I can encourage an endless number of people throughout the world to live their dreams and follow their hearts! You mean the very thing that I tried desperately to escape is the vehicle that enables me to do what I was created to do? Really? Uhh... didn't see that coming!
I was born to encourage and write. Thanks for being there to listen, to take my encouragement. Just like me, you have to live your dream. And you also will have to try new things that are unnatural to you. Go ahead. Give it a whirl. You never know what exciting places it will take you to.
Until next time, remember your dream is too important to remain unlived!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)