Thursday, March 15, 2012

I've got the I-Don't-Know-What-I'm-Gonna-Blog-About Blues



Did you ever have ones of those days? Or months, if I'm being truly honest. I'm having a bit of a lull. I can't come up with anything to blog about, hence the post about nothing. I can't even think of anything to say on Facebook right now. I mean, really. All I've got to do is come up with a line or two, but even that much has eluded me.

In my defense, I've been busy. I'm finishing the first draft of a novel I call "Always a Bridesmaid" that I'm hoping to turn into a series. And since I've got a new novella (Home Fires) releasing on July 4, I'm trying to get ready for that. I'm hoping to organize a blog tour, and I'm trying to come up with a design for a new banner. I'm also trying to learn a new program to send out my newsletter. Apparently I'm not the brightest tool in the shed because this program has had a steeper learning curve than I thought it should have. A technical wizard I am not.

I've signed up to join some of my fellow Saskatchewan Romance Writer authors at a reading in Regina on April 21. I keep meaning to get some bookmarks designed and made to give out there, but I haven't managed to do it yet and it's starting to nag at me to get done.

But my most ambitious project is to revise a manuscript I wrote more than fifteen years ago. My plan is to get a cover made for it, make it into a PDF file, and give it away a bonus to anyone who buys my new novella in July. I'm hoping the promise of a freebie entices people to buy.

But it's a pretty big job. Like I said, this manuscript is more than fifteen years old, and while I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's not terrible, my writing has changed a lot in fifteen years. So there's a lot of revising to do.

The day job has been busy as well. I just finished writing an article for the association's newsletter, and I was given a new responsibility that took a lot of time and effort for the last month.

So my excuse for my lack of blogging and Facebooking is that my brain is so full of stuff that things are leaking out like an overflowing sink. Something had to go.

What do you let go of when you start feeling overwhelmed? Or are you one of those people who manages to juggle all your various projects without dropping any of them? If you are, I think I hate you.

P.S. The one thing I figured out about my new newsletter program - Click here to sign up for my newsletter!

6 comments:

  1. See, you start out with nothing, but if you let your fingers fly, you end up with a blog post (you've hit on one of my favortie strategies for blogging, Jana :)

    You are busy! Wow, I'm tired just reading all the stuff you're doing! Most important thing is you're writing - so keep it up (love to hear more about this old manuscript you're dusting off). And don't ask me about juggling (ha, Time Management is the topic on my blog today).

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  2. I wish someone could tell me how to manage my time better! I know I spend too much time watching TV - it's a real time sink. And I know I'm not organized enough. I spend too much looking for stuff because I haven't properly put them away.

    My old manuscript is called "Rescue Me" and it's about a guy who rescues a girl from a creepy guy on a city bus by acting like he's even crazier than the creep! Then they discover he's just sublet the apartment across the hall... It's a light, hopefully humerous read. Just needs some work.

    Cheers,
    Jana

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  3. Oh, my goodness - a 15 year old manuscript! I don't think I could ever take something like that on! You are a brave, brave woman. Good luck!

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  4. I'm not sure if I'm being brave or stupid, but thanks for the encouragement, Joanne.

    Jana

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  5. Great post Jana. I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes there's just too much other stuff in your head to think of something to blog about.
    When you read your 15 year old ms, did you notice your writing has changed? (For the better, of course!).
    Rhoda

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    1. Hi Rhoda,
      Thanks for dropping by!

      Yes, my writing's changed quite a bit in 15 years, hopefully for the better. I've learned more about what editors look for, and I'm more confident in my voice. I also see places where I've overused certain words and make mistakes that I still do today. However, today I recognize a lot of my mistakes and do my best to fix them, whereas back then I didn't always see them.

      Jana

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