Where am I going now?

Ok, so what is the new month going to bring and where am I going to be at the end of it? And why did I say I would do NaNoWriMo when I have all this stuff to do on my book before it is published the end of the year? Because I am CRAZY!

Ok, so what have I done so far this week? I posted twice on my other blog, worked on my book for three hours and added to my social networks once.

Ok, so what do I have left to do this week? Finish the edits on my book, get permission from Carson to use his poem in my book, get permission from the Newsboys to use lyrics from one of their songs in my book, let my publisher know exactly what I want to do for a pre-sales promo of my book. Ummm, what else? Oh, drag out my novel and start to finish writing it. I am on chapter 20, so that is a reasonable start, but I haven't worked on it for months, so it will take a couple days to bring myself up to speed. Oh, and I have to bake a pan of bars for a funeral luncheon on Friday. And Saturday night I am going to a retirement party for one of the doctors I used to work with many years ago. It will be great getting together with all my past co-workers. I cannot wait. And as you can guess from the kind of schedule I keep, I don't get out much.

Gotta go.

Am I ready for next week?

Since last Sunday I have accomplished 14 out of 21 writing goals. I posted to my other blog three times (3 points), I commented on other people's blogs three times (1 points), twice I added to my social networks (2 points), I worked on things for my book for at least three hours (3 points), I researched markets for shorter pieces I have written (1 point), and at 3:30 this morning when I couldn't sleep I came down on the computer and submitted a short non-fiction piece to one of the on-line magazines I had researched (I get 4 points for that because submitting stuff is kind of a big deal for me right now).

I had signed up to do NaNoWriMo which starts in just a few short days. Then I got the edits on my book back this morning. I am hoping that I can get it together enough to review my manuscript and make all the necessary changes by Wednesday night. Then I can drag out my novel Thursday night and start throwing down a thousand words at a sitting (in between the new edits which my editor will be sending me along with more stuff from my publisher) (and you know that I work full-time in a medical center, right?).

I am lucky to have a husband who supports me fully and children who don't live with me. And a dog who walks himself.

 And my garden will be dormant now for six months so that helps too. 

(I just still want to give you a picture to look at.)

Do you recognize this flower?

Does this guy look familiar? 

Yes, he and his brothers are my opening blog picture. This blog is just so boring without posting a picture each time. And these flowers are too perky to ignore. And it has only been the last bad frost that finally killed them off out in their planter.

Anyway, what have I done so far this week? As far as my book goes, I revised my pictures and submitted them to my publisher, I wrote and submitted the acknowledgements page and I wrote and submitted a page regarding donations. I worked with so many charitable organizations on this missions trip, but I narrowed it down to two, HEART and CSI Ministries, which I will donate to from proceeds of the book. I also contacted two more people asking them to write endorsements for the book.

For my regular weekly goals, I score an 8 out of 16 so far this week. I worked on the book for three hours, posted to my other blog two times, twice I added to my social networks and I commented three times on other people's blogs.

Home stretch for the week is coming up. Will you meet all of your goals or let a killer frost stop you in your planter?

How do 57 post-it notes become a book?

How do 57 post-it notes become a book? Good question. And even though I apparently pulled this off, I don't quite know how it happened. It had to do a lot with the grace of God.

So have I accomplished everything this week that I needed to? 

1) signed, dated and e-mailed the proposal

2) signed, dated and snail-mailed the publishing agreement. 

3) signed and e-mailed the Editing and Proofing Cover Sheet 

4) composed and submitted my ideas for the front cover and back cover, along with picture for the cover

5) submitted a short bio for the back cover and a longer bio for inside

6) submitted 17 pictures to be used one for each of the 17 chapters. Then realized I messed something up and have to redo them and re-e-mail them the first of the week.

7) submitted my facebook and blog information for marketing

8) submitted the versions of the Bible I used

9) researched the whole copyright process for some song lyrics I want to use. I still have to figure this one out. Something for next week. 

11) contacted six people asking if they would write an endorsement for the book.

10) agreed on the price for the book. $14.95 for paperback and $4.85 for e-book

 Is that all? So, what about the weekly goals. I tallied 7 hours for all of the above mentioned work (I didn't count all the time spent laying awake in bed or reading e-mails from my publisher during my lunch hour). I posted only twice to my other blog (what a slacker). I invited people to join my LinkedIn network and I commented on three other blogs. Which is 11 out of 17 possible points. I can't really imagine having done much more. 

  

there are 26 hours in a day, right?

For the next few weeks - or months - this blog may take a different spin, as I travel down the road to publication. Monday afternoon an e-mail arrived from my publisher, with six different attachments. It was very overwhelming. There was the contract, the publishing options agreement, the editing and proofreading cover sheet, the book cover design questionnaire, the book cover work sheet, and the tax exemption form. In addition to going over all of these and filling them out as best I can, I need to organization my photos, label them and e-mail them. I also have to write my bio and pick out a picture of myself for the back cover. Was that all?

And once that whole ball gets rolling, I am sure I will be hearing from the editor and the proofreader and all these other people. And I will have to make a lot of decisions. I knew all along, I guess, that writing the book really wasn't going to be the hardest part. The writing was the fun part, where I had all of the control, now it is like my baby has gone off to college already and my guidance is only going to go so far. Sigh. But it will be worth it in the end to get the book out there and to have it look it's best.

Oh, and I need to come up with a title. Apparently, my working title has been used several times, so I must come up with something more original.

With all that said, my goals are hanging on by a thread, but I will still tell you what I have accomplished.

So far this week, believe it or not, I have managed to post to my other blog on Sunday and Monday. (I got so excited about the publishing stuff that I wrote up a story and posted it without realizing what day it was.) I worked for five hours on all the stuff from the publisher. And because I totally enjoy pain and suffering, I added a new goal to my already hanging by a thread list of goals. I would like to comment on other people's blogs three times per week.

There are 26 hours in a day, aren't there?

Is this exciting or not?

All in all, despite a migraine late in the week, I have remained productive. I scored a 14 out of 20 points.
I posted three times this week on my other blog (3 points), I worked on my social networks twice (2 points), I recorded five hours of work on my book (5 points, but I still truly think I worked on it more than that. I need to check my clock in my office more often or remember to set a timer).

And of course, you already know if you read Wednesday's post, I sent a revision of my memoir to my publisher. (Everyone seems to agree that garners me an additional four points even though I had submitted it once already.) I heard back from him yesterday and he would like me to give him a call so we can set up an appointment to finalize some things. Yes! That is so exciting, albeit, scary. I know that there is still a lot of work to be done on it. I do what the book to come out the best that it possibly can so I rather not rush things at this stage. We will have to see how it all turns out.

I will keep you posted.

Have I rambled yet for you?

Ok, so let's start with how I did with my goals.

I achieved eleven out of 20 so far this week. That is amazing since most weeks, for the whole week, I barely ranked an eight. In the last four days I have posted on my other blog twice (2 points), invited people to join one of my social networks (1 point), worked on my book for four hours (four points) and re-submitted my revised manuscript to my publisher (4 points). Maybe some would say that submitting the same thing to the same place for a second time shouldn't count, but trust me, I am going to take all the points I can (kind of like when the substitute refs were running the show during the Packers/Seahawks game a few weeks ago).

I guess I have a lot on my mind right now with my book - not just any book, but my memoir, where I bare my soul to the world, or to the three people who will read it - so close to actually being published.

A guy I know here in my hometown just had his memoir published. I am so happy for him. It has been a life-long work for him, or so it seems. I hope his book does well, but it kind of makes me feel like I missed the boat, you know? He beat me to it. Granted he has been writing his book longer than I have, and it's not like he doesn't deserve this as much as anyone. Or that the same tiny Midwestern town can't have a whole bunch of people with books out there.

See, from the start I thought that maybe this blog would be a place for me to ramble and vent. There's another goal I seem to have finally achieved. Please go check out Mark's book and Larry's, too. I'll try to nip the rambling in the bud.

Is it really a new month already?

So here we are another month and another ROW80.

Here is how I did on my goal-a-meter for the week:

1) Write for nine hours - Ok, I did 3
2) Add to social networks twice - Give myself 2 points
3) Do research for a book or other project - A big fat zip
4) Research agents, markets, etc - I'll squeak out a 1
5) Post on the Dino Chronicles three times - this is usually the easy one, but somehow I missed Tuesday, so I only score a 2

Grand total for the week is an 8. Not too shabby since I got off to a slow start this week, and then the laptop took a dump last night, so that brought me to a screeching halt. If the laptop cooperates later today, I hope to work on my final edits of my memoir. My goal is to send it off to the publisher by Tuesday. I still cannot believe that it might actually get published, that sometime in the next three months or so, I might hold MY book in my hands! That the entire world may have access to my written words. Yikes, that's kind of scary.