Hey all!
So, I started writing an update back in March, then got bogged down with work, sickness, more depression issues, so that I never ended up updating, and now it's almost June! WTF?!
I'm going to try to be more regular with my blogging from now on, so fingers crossed on that front.
Let's see what's been going on since my last update.
I'm going to try to be more regular with my blogging from now on, so fingers crossed on that front.
Let's see what's been going on since my last update.
(Read more under the cut)
Work
Work has been a little crazy, as I tried new things, and continued to struggle with health issues.
I'm taking care of the social media/readers' group for the Snowy Wings Publishing Imprints Caleo Press and Animus Ferrum. As I mentioned previously, All It Takes has moved to Caleo, and I will consider submitting Choosing Sides to Animus Ferrum when it's complete (more on that later). It's great fun, and it made me realise I still love social media it's just that - like a lot of things last year - the situation with CQ sucked the life out of me.
I was also proofreading for Immortal Works and that led to a position on their marketing team. At first, I was ecstatic. I was excited to be part of a team again and get back to helping authors with their books. Sadly, by mid-May I realised it wasn't the right thing for me right now. I'm still struggling with various health issues (check out the full update on my website if you want details), and being back in an environment where I was having to deal with authors increased my stress-levels. I don't know if it's fall-out from last year, or if I'm still not 100% in the right mind-frame, but it was causing me stress, and I could see it leading to the same sort of burn-out I experienced in December/ January. Thankfully the managers are former CQ authors I've known for years, so they were all very understanding. I hope IW continues to do well, we need more reliable indie-presses, and who knows, maybe in the future I can reapply to them.
In March I took on a project ghost-writing a romantic suspense novel for a publishing start up. How freaking cool is that? I got paid to write a book! I don't even care I can't *claim* it. I can use it professionally, on references, job applications and when I query my own work and if the publisher takes off I may be able to publish my own work with them. Ghost-writing was a new challenge for me (made harder by getting sick twice in April) and there were times when I struggled and wondered it it was the right thing for me to be doing. But I learned a lot, about myself, about how I write, and how I need more discipline in my working life. The book was published in May, and the publisher recently contacted me asking if I'd like to work on book four in a different series. They've just sent over the material (chapter plan, series bible etc.) for me to take a look at, and it all seems promising, so I plan on having a proper look over the next few days, and making a final decision then, but it's more than likely I'll take it.
So, all-in-all I'm so happy with work right now, and can finally see leaving CQ was a blessing. I'm still getting back on track in terms of health and motivation, but I feel like I've had enough time being a potato now. I want to push myself again, and start achieving.
Writing
Due to being busy with work-related things, and health issues, I haven't had much time for my own writing. I did write another chapter of mine and Kyra's co-written wrestling novel, but then both of us got busy again, so progress stalled. Hopefully when it's my time to write another chapter, I can fit it in.
I signed up to do NaNowriMo/ The A-Z Challenge in April, with the plan on re-writing and serializing Choosing Sides. But then I got sick (twice) and between being ill and the ghost-writing project, didn't have time for it.
Since then, I've had many ideas swirling around in my head.
I want to re-write Choosing Sides with a new plan. The second draft is a lot closer to the story I want to tell than the first draft was, but it still isn't quite right, and right now, I'm not sure that's what I want to be working on...
In fact, I've continued struggling to find inspiration to write. Once I completed the ghost-write, I promised myself I'd devote May to my own projects, but never did, and now I have another ghost-writing project, so I might not have time for both.
Right now, my plans is to do my ghost-writing work in the mornings, and then in the afternoon, see if I fancy working on my own stuff, or if I'd rather not and relax/ play games instead. If I do work on my own projects, it won't be Choosing Sides, as I need a break from it again, but I have some other ideas in mind.
T.T.F.N
Work has been a little crazy, as I tried new things, and continued to struggle with health issues.
I'm taking care of the social media/readers' group for the Snowy Wings Publishing Imprints Caleo Press and Animus Ferrum. As I mentioned previously, All It Takes has moved to Caleo, and I will consider submitting Choosing Sides to Animus Ferrum when it's complete (more on that later). It's great fun, and it made me realise I still love social media it's just that - like a lot of things last year - the situation with CQ sucked the life out of me.
I was also proofreading for Immortal Works and that led to a position on their marketing team. At first, I was ecstatic. I was excited to be part of a team again and get back to helping authors with their books. Sadly, by mid-May I realised it wasn't the right thing for me right now. I'm still struggling with various health issues (check out the full update on my website if you want details), and being back in an environment where I was having to deal with authors increased my stress-levels. I don't know if it's fall-out from last year, or if I'm still not 100% in the right mind-frame, but it was causing me stress, and I could see it leading to the same sort of burn-out I experienced in December/ January. Thankfully the managers are former CQ authors I've known for years, so they were all very understanding. I hope IW continues to do well, we need more reliable indie-presses, and who knows, maybe in the future I can reapply to them.
In March I took on a project ghost-writing a romantic suspense novel for a publishing start up. How freaking cool is that? I got paid to write a book! I don't even care I can't *claim* it. I can use it professionally, on references, job applications and when I query my own work and if the publisher takes off I may be able to publish my own work with them. Ghost-writing was a new challenge for me (made harder by getting sick twice in April) and there were times when I struggled and wondered it it was the right thing for me to be doing. But I learned a lot, about myself, about how I write, and how I need more discipline in my working life. The book was published in May, and the publisher recently contacted me asking if I'd like to work on book four in a different series. They've just sent over the material (chapter plan, series bible etc.) for me to take a look at, and it all seems promising, so I plan on having a proper look over the next few days, and making a final decision then, but it's more than likely I'll take it.
So, all-in-all I'm so happy with work right now, and can finally see leaving CQ was a blessing. I'm still getting back on track in terms of health and motivation, but I feel like I've had enough time being a potato now. I want to push myself again, and start achieving.
Writing
Due to being busy with work-related things, and health issues, I haven't had much time for my own writing. I did write another chapter of mine and Kyra's co-written wrestling novel, but then both of us got busy again, so progress stalled. Hopefully when it's my time to write another chapter, I can fit it in.
I signed up to do NaNowriMo/ The A-Z Challenge in April, with the plan on re-writing and serializing Choosing Sides. But then I got sick (twice) and between being ill and the ghost-writing project, didn't have time for it.
Since then, I've had many ideas swirling around in my head.
I want to re-write Choosing Sides with a new plan. The second draft is a lot closer to the story I want to tell than the first draft was, but it still isn't quite right, and right now, I'm not sure that's what I want to be working on...
In fact, I've continued struggling to find inspiration to write. Once I completed the ghost-write, I promised myself I'd devote May to my own projects, but never did, and now I have another ghost-writing project, so I might not have time for both.
Right now, my plans is to do my ghost-writing work in the mornings, and then in the afternoon, see if I fancy working on my own stuff, or if I'd rather not and relax/ play games instead. If I do work on my own projects, it won't be Choosing Sides, as I need a break from it again, but I have some other ideas in mind.
T.T.F.N
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