Any suggestions?
I am off for 10 days away from home, though only about twenty minutes away. Promises to be a good time - no city sirens or fighting, a huge backyards and patio so my daughter can play while I write (or edit, as I "should" be doing), and all-around relaxation. Even better: I only have to work four of these days, so there should be tons complete by the time I go home. Hoping to release Fate's Exchange on August 15, 2014, and then get working on editing Fate's Return for September 30, 2014. Finally down to a checklist of things left to do before saying "complete", and then I get to learn about marketing :)
Any suggestions?
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Do you ever find it hard to make time to write? Or is it the opposite? Do you find it hard to go and live - or in some cases get the energy to get up and work - because you spend all your free time trying to write? I do. Unless you're fortunate enough to be paid the big bucks for writing or have someone willing to pay your bills for you (how lucky!), this will be a problem. I've been searching for a way to schedule this, which is never going to be one-hundred-percent possible. I mean, when you have to write, you have to write. The ideas aren't going to wait on you. However, there are things you can schedule to make life feel a little bit more controllable.
It's Easter weekend and I have been so engrossed in Fate's Revenge (now 3/4 complete) that I didn't realize the month was halfway over with! So much for the updates :) Unfortunately, my computer decided to be temperamental and I bought a new one. Now I can write, blog, tweet, review... (really, the list is endless) without having to wait ten minutes to get on each site! It's happy time, though I haven't been able to install GIMP, but thankfully one of the old systems works enough for that. I have to go back an forth between computers when I want to access the internet or GIMP - fun, fun. Hopefully this weekend will be productive.
Happy Easter :) Well, here we are. Finally, the first weekend off studying (for a while). Unfortunately, my exam is postponed until July 2, 2014; however, I've done the studying already, so a weekend of rereading prior to test day should suffice :0) I'd have rather had it over and done with but those are the breaks, right? So what's in store this weekend? Well . . . tonight is RELAXING! Tomorrow, perhaps some cleaning (so needed), and maybe catch up on all my reading that's gone on the back-burner. Then, in the evening and Sunday? WRITING! If you don't say it, I will . . . FINALLY! (Too much?) I'm happy to get back to Twisted Fate with Book 4: Fate's Revenge.
In case anyone is wondering where I am, it's with my nose in an insurance textbook and study guide for my upcoming examination on April 2, 2014. I haven't forgotten my site, and I very much wish there were more hours in a day. However, I have spent most of March finishing Fate's Demand, editing all but the last two chapters of Forsaken, and studying my tushy off. :)
The next couple of months are going to get busy, busy for writing. I have decided to take a term off of education, so I will be able to devote more time to my writing. It's time, I think. When I have to keep a notebook beside my texts because I have things running through my head regarding the series I am working on, I know that studying is coming in a very far and distant fourth or fifth in my list of priorities. Thank you everyone for the kind words and birthday wishes! I had the best day, and I can't believe that in just one more year, I will be turning thirty! I honestly don't know what happened to my twenties . . . Still, heading out to the lake with my daughter to visit with my sister and nephew made it a day to remember. We took a thousand pictures during the two hour trip there, and another thousand during the two hours back. We stopped on the way out, and I bought myself a Nikon, though I don't think Calli is ever going to let mommy use it. Will post images from our adventure soon (probably next weekend).
On another note, all of the quiet being away from the city (with exception to the howling . . . whatever was howling) allowed me to complete 'some' of my intended editing for Forsaken. Of course, it could have been much faster if I hadn't retyped the first three chapters prior to realizing a way to fix my blunders with formatting. Insane, I know. But Forsaken was the first thing I had ever written, and really, it started out as 'fun' - a way to pass the time and push the stories from my dreams out of my head. I used two spaces at the start of every sentence, tab to begin every paragraph, and oh, the adverbs and purple prose!! Instead of going through and retyping each chapter, I turned on the paragraph marks in MS Word, and removed all the extras chapter-by-chapter. It took FOREVER. . . . or at least an entire evening, after which I was finally able to start at chapter one again and edit. I hit the halfway mark a few hours ago and I'm excited to finish soon. After spending so much time with my heads in the clouds in Twisted Fate, editing Forsaken has reminded me how much I loved this story. If you read and like what you've read, go to Authonomy.com and check out my friend's story, Memories (Mystic Journey, Book One). Without the lady who wrote this tale, I never would have been encouraged to share my worlds at this level. When I first put pen to paper (in my case literally) last year, this isn't what I imagined, but it's so much better than I had ever hoped for. For now, it's time for bed so I am well-rested for the job that pays my bills :) Stay tuned. I've more to update, and big things are coming soon! Sincerely, Sasha Glistening snow, frozen waters, and no showers. Sound boring? Pshaw! More like Heaven!
Heading out to the lake for some quality family time during a winter break is the PERFECT way to relax, not to mention the most perfect birthday present ever (except for the free babysitting my mum always gives me for my birthday:)). My daughter and I will be heading out for a couple of days, away from the blaring sirens and bright lights of the city, to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. Of course, this will include satellite television and kitchen appliances, but we won't have shower capabilities (the well froze) or the internet. I still have my spiral notebooks and ink-filled pens. So long as I can plug in the laptop, who cares, right? Maybe I will get the editing I've been promising myself I will complete done without the excuse of finding another novel to indulge myself in from the vast array of talented, yet-to-be-discovered authors I have had the pleasure of meeting. Hopefully by the time we're back, there will be many new updates to share. I can't wait until 'The End' is pronounced on Forsaken so that I can share with you all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGVIDsRtKUU
If anyone uses GIMP and wants flaming text, check out this tutorial. It was VERY informative. I don't think I've mastered it yet, though I am getting there (probably should have done one letter at a time, huh?). Anyway, I will be working on it, and this is roughly how Forsaken's title may look. I've been searching for stock photos for an image for Twisted Fate covers, but only found ones for Forsaken, so I give up - for now. I guess that's what I'm meant to do right now :) Hope this helps someone - look at the Unbound Series if you would like to see the final project doing one at a time :) Okay, seriously? Who sneezed?
I got to work . . . wasn't so bad, yet definitely cold. Duh, right? IT'S SASKATCHEWAN!! Well, okay, so I'm silly for living here. I went out for coffee just after lunch and had to warm the car up for twenty minutes - not unusual during winter. But having to scrape the windows after hitting a Timmie's drive-thru? Brrr. Left work an hour later to pick up my daughter from school and had to warm the car up AGAIN - totally unusual. Then, the windows needed to be scraped. Three almost-accidents later - one of which was me turning right and the car deciding it was staying straight on the ice - and I made it to school. Safe (though my knuckles are perma-white now). It took FIVE MINUTES to pick her up, yet again, I had to scrape the windows. The snow falling had covered them completely and the ice was stuck to the wipers. Again when we got gas. An hour from the time we left school (which usually takes ten minutes), we plugged the car in. We'll see if we can get out of the driveway for work tomorrow . . . Welcome!
I've never had a blog before (unless Tumblr counts), but I love to read, write, and RANT!! This site is for my novels, most especially Twisted Fate and Unbound series. I will, however, be chatting about all kinds of things, be it weather to babysitting . . . My website is brand new, so please be patient. I will complete uploads/updates on a regular basis. Watch for links to new books, the first book in each series (links already up), and exclusive short stories related to the worlds I've created in each series. I look forward to sharing all of this soon! Thank you for visiting. Sasha Leigh |
Sasha Leigh
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