An interesting adventure ....

I spent the weekend pretending I wasn't a writer.

I did writing-related things: promo scheduling and cleaning up my files and organizing things. But I didn't write. I deliberately did NOT consider one of the projects I want to tackle next. I acted like just another regular person on vacation.

Boy, was it BORING! TV is such a wasteland, I read a bit and enjoyed that (but not enough to spend the whole day on it), and movies ... okay, briefly entertaining.

Nope. I NEED writing. I need that creative buzz to occupy my brain.

Good thing I tried this. Now the next time I get discouraged and think I'll quit writing, I'll come back and look at this blog and remind myself ... "Yep, there's a reason you do that".

Vacations... aren't they wonderful?

Free time ... ain't it grand?

I am feeling at loose ends because ... I'm caught up!

Well, not really, of course. There's always something to do, some task to undertake. But I've gotten so much done during this time off it's amazing. All those little chores I had on my 'To Do' list have vanished. I've started a new "to do" with things I'd been postponing because I didn't have time. Well, now I do!

I may even sit down and write a bit. And I do plan to do some reading, something I haven't done since I don't know when.

Ain't free time grand?

I"m taking a break ...

I've been busily setting up a MySpace page and I'm taking a break from it (and from work) to blog.

Here's my MySpace in case you want to 'friend' me:

http://www.myspace.com/jayellwilson

Now compare that to my LiveSpace page:

http://jlwilsonauthor.spaces.live.com

It took me about 2 hours to set up the LiveSpace one and 6 hours to do the MySpace one (and I need to change it, really. I'd like a better background. I've come to the conclusion that MySpace is for those who love to hack code, LiveSpace is for those who like to drag&drop their content on the screen. I'm in the latter category.

But whatever ... I have a 'Myspace Presence" such as it is. Let the friending begin!

For those in the States, have a good holiday and I hope you travel safely if you hit the roads. Otherwise, relax, sit back, and enjoy the holiday, the parades, and the football on TV ... oh, and the shopping (if you're into that). I personally won't set foot in any stores until Saturday, but hey, that's just me.

Enjoy!

Vacations I have known

On one of my other blogs, we were talking about vacations -- what would be the perfect vacation? I blogged on Wednesday about an all-expense paid trip around the world with someone else making all the travel arrangements and seeing to it that I got ferried from Point A to Point B as needed.

Well, next week is a different kind of vacation, and I'm looking forward to it just as much. I was trying to articulate why I enjoy 'at home vacations' so much and I came to this conclusion: when I have time at home I have ... time. I don't have to be focused, I don't have to be on a schedule, I don't have to accomplish X amount in Y time. I have the freedom to think and allow my mind to wander. Usually I have to be so focused in order to get all I do accomplished. But a Home Vacation means no worries for a few days.

I am SO needing that!

Time warp

I looked at the calendar and next week is Thanksgiving!

What is it about November and December -- they always seem to fly past and suddenly I'm looking around and it's February. Which might be a good thing, because January can be a dragging kind of month here in Minnesota.

I have a theory ... of course. Time flies when you're busy (well, duh, you say). And that explains why it feels like this year of publication has raced past. It seems like just yesterday I was signing my first contract and doing some research about promotion.

Here I am, a year later, and while I don't know EVERYTHING to know about publishing, I feel like I've learned one heck of a lot. I think I know what works for me, what doesn't, and what to focus on next year.

Next year. Almost time to turn the calendar. Yikes! Have I met my goals for this year? Let's see, where'd I put those goals ...

Where am I going ....

... and what am I doing in this handbasket?

I need to stop setting artificial milestones for myself. Lordie, isn't it enough that I'm published? Hell, I'm multi-published? I can't compare myself to other people, and I keep doing that and then wishing I was doing this, that or the other thing.

Damn it! Be happy!

Seriously, what is it about human nature that makes us strive for something more than what we have? By any measure, I've achieved some success but I keep thinking I should do more, should do better, should sell more or write more or achieve more. At some point, I've got to sit back and say, "Okay, you done good."

Not yet, though.

To that end, I have come up with A Plan. And I'm letting you in on the fun at the outset. Mark your calendars or whatever.

I've got 2 books that have a writer as the protagonist. One will be out next spring. That author, Bea Emerson, writes as Raphael Emerson (stay with me, this gets good). Rafael writes sexy mysteries. No, I'm not going to write as Raphael (not yet at least). But if I sell my paranormal series, that's going to be written by Bea Emerson. Bea has always had a hankering to branch out, so I'll put a mention in her book next year that she just sold her paranormal series and ...

Voila. New identity created.

Now the other book hasn't sold yet (but it will. I'm sure of it). That book has Jane Renard who has the pen name of Phire Fox because Jane is a college professor and she writes erotica.

Yep. I'm going to write some erotica under the name Phire Fox.

What a hoot! Can't wait to (1) get these books sold and (2) start my new, secret identity.

It might get really, really interesting. Especially if I throw Rafael Emerson into the mix and write some dark, sexy mysteries. Can I juggle four identities?

Stay tuned and find out.

Yep, a dollar short

Actually, $25 short.

But that's not bad given I gambled for three days.

I didn't really find that one perfect slot machine that I felt a good bond with, but I did find a couple that treated me okay. Take it from me, "Underground Money", "Reel 'Em In", and "Babooska" have potential.

The odd thing is, the penny slots are more fun than most of the other ones. They have bells and whistles and interactive games to play when you hit the big 'feature' screen. So I stuck with the penny slots and won and lost and won some more. And a good time was had by all.

I also got my next book plotted, but it has to wait until I finish the rewrite I'm embroiled in. This one is a lot of fun but it's challenging because I have scenes from 1974 intermixed with scenes from the current day. So it's testing my craft, so to speak.

But it's always good to have a challenge, isn't it?

A day early and probably a dollar short

I'm posting a day earlier because I am off to the casino for a weekend of brainstorming and gambling, in that order (hence the 'dollar short' in my title). My friends and I go to a nearby casino and hang out, plot books and hit the slots for relaxation. It is a BLAST.

This brings me to my topic for the day: the importance of finding like-minded individuals to hang out with. It doesn't matter if you're 18 or 80, it's great to have friends who share your interests and who understand your issues/needs. I've got several different groups of friends, some of which are involved in writing, some who aren't. I feel sometimes like a Venn diagram, in which parts of my life overlap with others (sort of like my illustration). Whenever I re-acquaint myself with different groups, I slip into that 'skin' that I use with that group.

It's almost like having a vacation from myself. And boy, I need a vacation!

Later ....