Patience is a Virtue!

24938724510_67a17cb9e4

Patience… What exactly does ‘Patience’ mean? Well, according to Google, it means the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. Umm, wow, do writers need patience? Yes!

I’ve always been a mostly patient person on the outside, but on the inside, I’m a nervous wreck. Like today, my brain is a ball of mush because the #ManuscriptMatch with Harlequin is over at 1pm tomorrow, so I have to wait. But, I need to be patient, because as my grandmother used to say, ‘a watch pot never boils’.

As a writer, we have to have patience and here is a couple of reasons why:

Of course, we have to be patient as we write the manuscript. That can be a hard one. The story goes through most writer’s mind faster than our fingers can type, but we have to be patient that the story will be finished when it’s finished.
Waiting on the edits, that can be hard. You’ve worked hard to get that manuscript done, now it’s time to wait.
If it’s on preorder, then you have to wait for the final release day. This one can be hard for me. I get excited when it’s all polished and pretty, just sitting there, staring at me as the clock slows to a snail pace.
And contest, yep, that’s the mode I’m in now. You enter, then you wait, if you win a phase, then you supply the next part, and you wait, then wait some more. At least this newest contest is only a couple of hours away. It can really make you a wreck.
Here’s a good one and one I’ve heard from fellow authors, you turn your work into a publisher and have to wait for a response. That wait can be grueling. I have two submitted to Avon and I’ve been curious, but trying to hold on.

So, are you a patient person or writer. What do you do to keep from gnawing your nails to the bone or eating everything around you?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Just a little additional mention, my newest book ‘Seaside Beginnings’ is taking off. The response has been humbling, to say the least. I’ve received some of the sweetest emails about it. Ladies are flocking in to ask for more of the over forty books. I’m excited to say that by the end of 2016 there will be another one, but I have several coming out before it. So thanks to all the wonderful response, it makes this writer smile with joy.

Seaside ad

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/85608594@N00/24938724510″>Melody Beattie Believing that things happen too slowly or too quickly is an illusion. Timing is perfect</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/”>(license)</a>

Reading in bed…

Literature Onboard

It’s finally Friday folks! I can tell you this, thank goodness it’s Friday, but of course, I’ll be working all weekend. At least, it’s a more laid back work situation on the weekend.

How many of you grew up reading in bed? For me, when I was younger, I’d sit in bed and read every night. After my parents told me to turn out the light, I’d pull the covers over my head, with my trusty flashlight, then continue the story that had me spellbound.

I read many different genres back then. Some weeks I’d be hooked on suspense-filled mysteries. Yes, I was a Hardy Boy and Nancy Drew kind of girl. I’d devour them with such a thirst that soon I would be rereading until I could get to the store. It wasn’t like today, I couldn’t just scan and buy on Kindle.

Of course, as I grew older, my nightly reading turned to paranormal, fantasy type books. I’d read books about witches and ghosts. Then I moved to romance, which changed my young life. I would get lost in the romance of the story, the faraway places that the book took me to, it was great.

Everyone gave me books for Christmas, Birthdays, every occasion. I carried a book with me all the time, reading at lunch during school, on the bus, just about everywhere I could. I still have many of the books from my teen years, especially the ones that pulled me in. But they’re yellowing, packed in boxes, ready to be visited again. Often I pull out some of my favorites and read them again, enjoying the thrill of the story and remembering the first time I read it. My collection of Harlequin romances is extensive to say the least.

I still read at night, usually sitting in a warm bath, trying to lose myself for a little while. Some nights when I can’t sleep, I’ll go to the den and curl up in a blanket, then get lost in another story.

The cool thing about my love for books, it fueled the fire to write. I’ve penned books since I was a young teenager and all of this came from reading in my bed at night, usually with a flashlight as the rest of the house slept. Who needed sleep when the heroine was falling in love with the knight in shining armor and needed rescuing?

So, did you read in bed, or maybe you still do…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Tuesday Shoutout

Southern_Writers_button

Hope your Tuesday morning is wonderful! Mine has been blessed so far. For one, I got up this morning, for another I received my March Issue of Southern Writer’s Magazine. What’s important about that? Well, let me fill you in…

This month I’m featured on Page 5 in the Magnolia Corner section. Check it out:

Magnolia Corner SPH temp

Pretty cool to be included in such a wonderful magazine that supports writers at every turn. When Gary sent me an email about wanting to include me in the Gallery of Stars I was so humbled, but then he asked me to write something for the Magnolia Corner. If you haven’t subscribed to Southern Writer’s Magazine, then I suggest doing so. As a writer, the subscription is 100% tax deductible, but it goes way past that. This magazine will open new doors for you.

So, go over to http://www.southernwritersmagazine.com/ and check out all the things they offer, like Mic Nite and the Suite T blog. I’m telling you now, it’s a must for writer’s.

Go by and check out my page in the Gallery of Stars at http://authors.southernwritersmagazine.com/stephanie-payne-hurt.html

Visit Me in SW Gallery

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Time? Who has Time?

medium_2908092283

Time… it flies by without stopping… never ceasing. So how do we fit it all in? I’m often asked how I fit writing into my busy schedule with running my accounting office, being a wife and mom, being a children’s minister, life, reading, researching, among other things that fill my days. Well, some days it’s not easy.

How do I keep up with my word count and publish on time? I have a schedule of word counts, but that doesn’t mean that I make that count every day. Some days I don’t even type a word, but guess what, that just builds it up to the next day and so on… My daily word counts during tax season are low, but they add up quickly when I don’t meet my daily count.

So, how do you stretch your time? How do you fit it all in? I have some advice on that very subject. This is advice that I ignored years ago, but now I take it very seriously. Make a schedule and a list of what needs to be done daily. That seems easy, huh, but it’s not on most days. So what do I mean?

Here’s how I schedule my week. Sit down on Sunday afternoon and look at the week ahead. Look at meetings on the calendar, work that needs to be completed, deadlines, and anything else that comes into the week. Then prioritize the items that don’t have a specific set time, like meetings.

With tax returns and accounting, I look at deadlines for the week first, don’t forget to look ahead to the deadlines for the next week too. Then I sit down at my desk and make a list for each day. I number each task, start with the most important daily task, then work my way down. I know how many tax returns I can do a day, then I separate them and bind together each day’s work. That way I accomplish what I need to accomplish and meet my deadlines. But remember, if it’s not important to finish this week, don’t waste valuable time trying to fit it in. Put it on the next week’s schedule. That way you’re only accomplishing this week’s needs.

What about writing? This is where it gets tricky. If my day is filled with appointments and I have to work later than usual, well, my writing time suffers. I use the time after my hubby and son leave for work and school. I sit down with my coffee and write. If I’m behind on my count, well no blog that day and I don’t check social media until I’ve caught up on the count. That’s hard to do. A couple of days this week, I wrote when I came in for lunch. That helped too. (But now I need to clean the crumbs from my keyboard!) Also, I make my Saturday word count higher than my weekday, but only when I’m behind.

I know, you’re sitting back going, wow, she’s so organized, but don’t get the wrong idea. My life is always disorganized in one way or another. Like last night, I wanted to write at least 1000 words, but my brain just wouldn’t cooperate, so I read for an hour, which helped my brain to calm a little, but then it was time to go to bed, so I have an extra 1000 words to add to today. By the way, I need to get back to the writing.

How do you stretch your time? Don’t forget to schedule in some ‘me time’. It’s important to your sanity…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

A little note, Ridge is finally free on Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/Ridge-Five-Oaks-Ranch-Book-ebook/dp/B00TFOPOFI

Celebrating 22 years of Romance!

Today is our 22nd wedding anniversary! It’s hard to believe it. I talk about romance a lot in my posts, of course, I’m a romance author, but also I live it daily.

As I’ve always said, one of the tips to a great marriage is to keep the romance alive. We strive to do that in our marriage, daily. Whether it’s the quick kiss as we pass by one another or the hugs over the stove as I cook dinner, we’ve always showed our love, never embarrassed to express it in public. Of course, our son tells us to behave, which we don’t usually listen.

I’ve heard many people say that as the years pass by, the romance goes away. With us, it just grows each and every day. As the years go by, we begin to read each other’s mind, which can be a little scary.

So, with that said, how long have you been with your significant other? What do you do to keep the romance alive?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Coming out of the fog!

This has been one of those weeks where you want to go back, hit rewind and have a do over! Unfortunately, I caught the cold crud that’s been going around and have been in a fog since. Finally last night I was able to get more than a couple hours of sleep, which gave me a better morning.

When you’re a writer and in a brain fog, no words come out. It’s like they’re lost in the fog and no matter how hard you try, nothing comes out. Of course this hurt my daily word count, but believe me, if I would’ve written anything, especially in the last two days, it would have been unreadable.

Hopefully today will be a more productive day and I’ll soon be back to normal. Feeling a little more energy today, but the extra sleep helped.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Don’t forget to get your copy of “Seaside Beginnings” on pre-order! It’s officially releasing on February 17th…

Setting of your book…

Good morning peeps! It’s finally Friday, yea! Hope all is well with you and yours…

Ok, so you’re beginning a new storyline and you have the main characters, the emotional pulls ready, the cover, but what about the setting, the background? Where is your book set? Is it in a small southern town, a wintery northern suburb, or maybe a foreign city?

Good question, huh? When I started writing Tuscany, well, it was a no-brainer. But some of my other books it wasn’t as easy. Here are some things I took into consideration before selecting where the book would be set.

First and foremost, I had to sit down and figure out my main character’s occupation. If they were a stock broker, well, I’d probably set it near a big, metropolitan city. What if they were a cowboy, then it would need to be a country setting, for the most part. Then of course, if it was a snow ski instructor, well, you get the picture.

A couple of my books don’t really tell where they are and there’s not a lot of detail about the surrounding area, only details regarding their immediate surroundings. As with Tuscany, since I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting, I had to delve into posts upon posts upon posts about the region, the food, and everything Tuscany. It was wonderful, like a mini vacation in my head. Hey, I’m a writer, I can take a vacation in my head and I don’t even need sunscreen 😉

So, do you know where your book is set? Is it an important part of the writing process? I think so, for the most part.

As always, Great writing and May God Bless You…

Just another reminder, my over 40 romance will be released on February 17th, but it’s available on pre-order now at these links:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/605289

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seaside-beginnings-stephanie-payne-hurt/1123226112?ean=2940152555912

Word Counts…

words

Word count, the eternal question for a writer… I’ve been asked this question so many times that I’ve lost count. How do you know how many words your manuscript should be? How do you forecast it?

Words form themselves in a manuscript and if you’re a writer, you totally understand that statement. Now with preorders available on many book sites, the first thing they ask is what will be your word count, you have to ask yourself that very question. Do you know? Any round about figures?

Here’s how I figure the word count or where it should be by the time I type The End.

Well, as most of you know, I do an outline for almost all of my books. As I do the outline, each part of the outline is a chapter and each chapter should have an average of as little as 1200 words and as many as 2000 words. (That’s my figuring, not a science 😉 )

Then of course, when I finish the outline, I go back and figure up the chapters times the average chapter length. My outline helps me to make sure the story can go the length of the book. If I can only get to number 10, then it will be a fairly short novella, but if it can go the distance to around 20 or more, well, I have a good size book on my hands.

You may be asking how I know it will go the length I’ve figured, well, in outlining, each section should have a good position. Meaning you should be able to make at least a chapter out of that one section. If not, then it will be shorter than expected. When I do my outline, I think deeply over each section and make sure the story can carry enough gusto to finish the chapter.

So, how do you figure your word count? Ever figure too short or too long? It happens, but if it’s not published yet, don’t sweat it…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Don’t forget to go by and preorder “Seaside Blessings” at many ebook retailers. It’s available at several sites…

Romancing the New Year…

Good Tuesday morning peeps! How’s your new year so far? Mine has been busy. Of course tax season starts this month, not to mention the end of the year reports, income statements, W-2’s and 1099’s are all due out. Oh, and did I mention my newest book is set to release February 17th.

Whew, yeah, it’s a little busy, but those that have been reading my blog for a while, you know this is when I’m in my element. My new book is coming along great and in line with the deadline. Let’s hope it stays that way. I just need a couple of more hours in the day, but don’t we all?

Have you added any romance into the new year yet? If you haven’t, then go to any of the book sites and you’ll find something in the romance genre you like. Just cuddle up with a blanket and get lost. Hopefully I’ll have a little time in the next couple of days to do that, but for now, I’m cuddled up in a blanket, by the fire, sipping coffee and writing. Then it’s off to the office for a day filled with cleaning, organizing and setting up appointments.

Hope you’re day is going well.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Just a little reminder, “Seaside Beginnings” is on preorder at Amazon and Smashwords. Go by and get your copy preordered so it will be delivered on the release date…

By the way, tomorrow I’ll be talking taxes and the author! So come back for a little tax advice…