And the good news just continues.....

As my writing partner and I sat talking yesterday, going over good things happening to her, good things and yet overwhelming things happening to me, I ended up with more good news via email.

Let me just say that when things fall into place -- THEY FALL INTO PLACE!  As I'm looking forward to 2015 and all the exciting things happening, and I know you are looking for what those things are.  So just a glimpse as to what is going on:

First, you will see a release from me in April.  I'm excited about this release as it is titled SECOND CHANCES and I feel that this book is just that for me.  There will be upcoming news in my newsletter regarding this release.

Also in my newsletter will be upcoming news about an exciting project I am involved in that will be fully revealed in the next month!  There will be new contest coming forth strictly for newsletter subscribers.  So if you haven't subscribed yet to my newsletter, do so here so you don't miss out on these exciting opportunities.

I'm also in the process of putting together the preliminary stages of starting a street team.  Anyone who may be interested in being a part of this, please contact me.

Oh, The Excitement!

As writers we all have days that knock us down. Days where we are filled with self-doubt about our writing, our ability to walk this career path and how will we find the time to do everything that needs to be done.  I was having one of those days today.  I was overwhelmed by the amount of writer things I needed to accomplish today.

When this happens, it sets me upon procrastination mode.  So instead of digging in and just writing, I started looking over release schedules and what had to be done for marketing.  And, yes, this is all writing stuff, but it's finishing A FINE LINE.  In the meantime, I received an email giving me some fabulous news on my writing, which has turned my "my writing sucks" day around into "good things are coming from me in 2015".

It's amazing to me how quickly things can turn for a writer and their mindset.  So now I have good news and anticipate very good things coming just this spring.  So look forward to the details that will follow shortly and if you haven't signed up for my newsletter, please do so here.

Writing Schedules

How important is it for a writer to have a schedule?  In my opinion, extremely.  If you plan to make writing your career and want to write full time, you need to treat it as a full time job.  You need to work set hours and put in the effort and time into what you plan for your career.  I don't know how many times I heard my grandmother say "You get what you put into it".  How true that is especially with writing.

If you follow my blog, you will know that I have a very set career path of writing full time within the next year or so.  In that vein, I need to set my writing work hours and treat my writing as if it was a job that I had to answer to someone else for.  I set how much time I spend a day writing, and although I love the flexibility of changing the hours if I need to day to day depending on what is going on in my life, I have to remain rigid in the fact that I need to have at least three to four hours set aside each day for writing.

As I progress further into my writing career, I need to also set time for marketing and updating social media.  And let's face it -- social media is a necessary evil for writers.  It helps us connect with our readers, other writers and gives us the opportunity for networking, however it can be a huge time sucker from your day if you get caught up in it.  I have found that I need to allow myself so much time in the day for social media and I use it in small chunks.  Morning with my coffee -- check social media.  After a writing chunk and I need a break -- I allow myself another social media check in and then again in the evening when my day is winding down.

What kind of writing schedule do you have and do you struggle with sticking to it?

Looking Forward

I sit here this morning watching more snow fall down.  Winters in New England are long and tedious, and each winter I sit here and wonder why do I live in this area of the country when I hate winter so much.

This is the year for that to change for me. Plans are in motion for downsizing and moving to a warmer climate as my kids leave the nest.  Two out of three are already gone and one more remains. He will be graduating in June and then on to bigger and better things for him.  It's bittersweet for me to look at my children who have been my life for the past 24 years and see them as adults.  I am so enjoying having adult children, but when my youngest turned 18 last week, it struck me that they are all grown up. Two things hit me with that realization.  One, I really do love having adult children even if I do miss the age of snuggling and wanting to spend time with me and two, I'm at a phase in my life where I can be a little selfish and do what I want, go where I want and for the first time in my adult life, not be responsible for anyone but myself.  It's a strange feeling.

I can spend more time holed away writing and with that course, schedule at least two releases a year for my books. So I plan out my writing schedules and my release dates and with that comes another realization that I am about to make my dreams come true and be a full time writer.  Wow--honestly I wasn't sure that day would ever come, but here it is basically and within the next year I will be able to write full time.

So what's new for Emma Leigh Reed, author?  SECOND CHANCES is scheduled to be released in April 2015 and A TIME TO HEAL scheduled for late summer/early fall.  In 2016, you can look for A FINE LINE and COMING HOME.  There will also be some new projects started that I can't talk about yet, but be sure to look for news regarding those.  As always, you can find me on Facebook or sign up for my newsletter to stay better informed and for some special surprises that come to only my newsletter subscribers.

Here is to a bright and busy 2015!

Another Step Towards the Future

Two Fridays ago I went to a writers conference hosted by one of my writing groups, MCRW in Nashville, Tennessee. It was on plotting and Cherry Adair was there leading away with her color coding in her writing and plots.  It was very good, however the one thing it reiterated for me -- I am NOT a plotter and will never be one. Plotting a book for me is a huge source of stress. I much prefer to sit down, open a blank document and just start typing. When I sit down, I do have character sketches and a general idea of what needs to happen with my book, but I allow the characters drive the story. To me this is much more enjoyable.

Although I don't plot the story, I have new ideas (with character sketches) planned out for another three books to write.

However, one thing that did become very clear to me. The plan I have set in motion for my future is a good one, financially and career wise. So I look forward to changes coming, excited about a career in which I will be able to write full time, and anticipate an exciting move to a new city, new state and be surrounded with writers that get the craziness of this business. Once I made the decision and put together a plan, the stress I had been feeling just lifted.  Sometimes half the battle is just making a decision.

Adventure Time

As I write this blog on Thursday night, I’m so excited to head out tomorrow for Nashville, TN for a writers conference. This conference will be a bit different than others I have been to. The fabulous Cherry Adair will be there presenting on plotting and I have acquired one of the spots that was available for a one-on-one plot session with her for my next book.  This next book that I will be plotting out is near and dear to my heart. I can’t give out any details of it just yet as it will probably be a book that will be slated for release in early 2016.

Not only am I excited for this conference, but I will be able to catch up with some dear writer friends from the Nashville area.  I look forward to brainstorming new book ideas, marketing ideas and just catching up on life.  These women have become very dear friends of mine since I joined the MCRW group in Fall of 2011. I took my first journey down to their writer’s retreat in February of 2012 and quickly felt like I had found my home among like minds.  Well, that’s kind of a scary thought…

So I am packing, and double checking that everything is done while I am gone on any deadline fronts.  I am always excited to start a new book (even if I have 2 to finish before being able to start this one) and am excited for this leg of this journey I am on.  I will give updates next week on how the conference was.

Where Do I Go?

What a week it has been.  I have spent the past week recovering from a fall.  Not sure what happened, but I just fell last week landing hard on my elbow and hip.  I do have to say out of the experience, my son’s face when he saw me go down was absolutely priceless.  But the bruising on my elbow and open wound made it difficult to type therefore not much writing really got done.  Being a writer, as with anything else, if you take a few days off it can be difficult to get back into the groove of doing it daily again.

Though a week after the fall, with some slight discoloration still, the wound is healed and my arm is finally pain free. Now it’s time to get back into the writing and finish up this book I’m in the process of. I did get out a newsletter this week, which I’m sorry to say it was way overdue. If you would like to be a part of my newsletter, sign up here.

Further my journey, while I wasn’t typing much this week, I was researching different areas in which I am looking to possibly move to next summer. I want to be somewhere warmer with no snowstorms every other day as New England receives.  I’m getting more and more excited at the prospect of moving and starting a new journey in a new place. 

I love the Tennessee area, Nashville especially, but I’m also torn because I absolutely love to be near the ocean.  So I will continue to research along with my busy, busy writing schedule the next few months.

 

 

Where are your favorite places to live?  Why?