Guest Post: Dear Santa...love Dragyn (gift guide & giveaway)

One of the best things about grad school was the friends I made. One such lovely, talented lady is here on the blog today.
Welcome her with hugs and warm cookies, friends!
Miss Dana, or as the inter-webs knows her: Dragynally, has worked her dragyn tail off to put together the ultimate Holiday wish list and giveaway. She's the real deal, y'all. She works hard to review a variety of products, while giving honest, down-to-earth evaluations.
So, do you enjoy finding fun new items to fall in love with? Do you love giveaways?
Then check out her Dear Santa...Love Dragyn gift guide!

DragynAlly has been really good this year and she's sharing her wish list with the world in the "Dear Santa...Love Dragyn" holiday gift guide. Featuring over twenty giveaways from brands that are good for guys, dolls, adults and kids the Dragyn's Lair is coming at you with fun and exciting products for all ages! Products from the likes of Safari Ltd, May Designs, and Playmates Toys. Starting today you can have the chance to win books toys and personalized gifts. There's even a resort stay at the Valley Forge Hotel and Casino. A fan of more "grown-up" fare? Then you can win a gift certificate to go towards a bottle from Plagido's Winery or a cool product from Curvy Bride NJ. From now until December 11th you can enter to win these great products and even a giftcard for $100! DragynAlly wants to help you find the hottest, coolest, and sexiest gifts for the holidaze season in time to make your shopping list before Black Friday even rolls around. Now you'll know what to ask Santa for this year or have the perfect idea for a gift to make a special someone's wish come true! So come on over to the Dragyn's Lair to see all the fun!

Writer Accountability

A friend and I decided to make a yearly creative map to keep us on track this fiscal year. The maps did not have pirate marks, cartoon drawings of mountains and oceans, or treasure at the end. But, they did plan out our goals for finishing numerous projects (drafting and revisions and queries), and the like, as well as family/health/life goals.

Since I'm on a strict budget, and I needed more than a centimeter worth of writing room, I made my own planner. I started with the back-to-school clearance items at target: Five-Star poly prong folder ($2)*, Smash-Book elastic w/pen holder ($.99), box of binder clips ($.50), and star stickers ($1 - not on clearance).

*The poly folder was a 'luxury' item as I knew the paper prong folders would not last long in my chaotic world. 

After gathering supplies, I sat down and rummaged through google images for templates that tickled my stylish fancy. This is something I want to be excited and intrigued by for the next year. I needed it to be colorful.

There are tons upon tons of printables out there. If you'd like to take a look at the free ones I found they're listed at the bottom of this post. But here's a peek at what I came up with.

TaDa! Life Planner DIY. I'm in love, y'all.

Once I had my map planned out (goals marked, templates filled in) I started my journey. As for the writing accountability I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I made a daily word count goal (6 days a week) and the stars are to reward myself when completed. I've heard of many people doing this before and I finally decided to see if the system alone was enough to keep me focused.

I love it. It is gratifying, and encouraging. It also points out, with its blank squares, when I'm falling behind.

To my credit I did all of this on September 1st and jumped into the words on a brand new WIP, Monday September 2nd. So, I have two stars at the beginning of that week. Guess what happened the rest of the week? I had no idea where to take the story. I'd been trying to not over-plan this idea, but I fell short as a panster. So, I took a few days off and yesterday I fleshed out a rough outline. My excitement for the story is high and I've written yesterday and today!

I wanted to share this Life Planner DIY because it has already proved to be a wonderful creative tool for me, and a great motivator. Plus, I saw yesterday on Twitter that the hugely talented, Victoria Schwab made a youtube video all about writer-calendar rewards! How cool is that? And she even adds more stickers for different types of rewards - which I'm definitely picking up at the store the next time I'm out.

PS: We totally have the same star stickers. So, I obviously make good choices ;-)

I'm attaching Victoria's Video. And below that is links to where I found some free printables.
Happy planning and motivating and rewarding yourselves!



Printables:

Tina's Dynamic Homeschool - (Year At a Glance w/code box, Goals, Planner Cover - though I used a student planner template instead of the teacher options.)
Picklebums - (Monthly Calendar sheets)
Kyla Roma - (Weekly fill-in sheets)

These are what I used, but trust me there are seemingly endless freebies on the webs. Even planning for menus, blogs, activities, finances. It was A LOT. Kudos to everyone that is uber organized. My little planner is all I can keep up with right now, even though the other templates are sooooo tempting.

Happy writing, y'all!

Getting back into my groove

Many things happened this summer. Some good. Some not so good. Many of both were chaotic! Sorry for leaving you stranded, Interwebs. I'm back in the real world now and I'll be dropping by on the regular.

Without making this post my longest in blog-history (and if you've been around before you know I can fill up a page like nobody's business), I'll highlight the important Sessoms' Summer Happenings:

1. My writing fell apart. There was much anxiety and stress about desperately wanting out of our tiny townhouse, and some ugly financial matters. My creativity just ran away, y'all. I thought it was hanging out under the couch in our living room/bedroom (the townhouse was itsy-bitsy), but when things calmed I realized I'd been completely abandoned by the ever elusive muse.

2. We moved. WooHoo! This was the most fantastic happening. For reals.

3. My Mom Wagon started to fall apart. Almost literally; electronic window buttons popped off the door, the locks started locking themselves 32 seconds after I'd unlock it and climb in - even if the keys were in the ignition... any guess why this would be a problem? yep, my car locked me out all on its own... the AC stopped working. Oh, and my horn sounds like a biblical plague of locusts flew through the grill and nested in there.

4. After moving we realized Babygirl was no longer in the same school district. Littleman's middle school district hadn't changed, but this was her fifth grade year - the last of her elementary school days. She was devastated. There was much pre-teen angst in our house for the better half of the summer while we waited to hear if she would be allowed to transfer back to spend the last year with her friends.

5. Not only did everyone have their own bedrooms, with door knobs (read living room/bedroom situation above), but there was an extra room* for me to turn into an office. Sorry, Future Company, you'll have to check into a HoJo down the road. I spent almost three weeks going through all the writing stuff I'd saved over the years, and crap that had collected around my cluttered writing corner in the townhouse.

*lest anyone think I'm super selfish, there is an extra living area in the finished basement that is now the kids play room, which is outside of their already spacious rooms. And all Mr. Sessoms wanted was a living room separate from our bedroom that he could put a recliner in and watch football. It seems moving into a larger space made him a Man's Man. 

6.  Babygirl was granted permission to return to her home school for fifth grade! I don't know which of us was more ecstatic.

7. After much non-writing induced moping about in my new office, I pulled my ish together and started writing again.

8. I took the Mom Wagon to get inspected (croaking horn, broken AC and window buttons, and all). It passed inspection. Woot! Then, as the mechanic went to back it out of the bay, it wouldn't fire. The motor cranks and cranks and cranks, but there is no GetUpHorsey igniting in the cylinders. Went in for an inspection and left without a car. Fun times, I tell you. (it's being repaired as I post this)

9. I discovered Florida Georgia Line's whole CD and fell madly, deeply, lustfully in ear-worm love. There is not one song on that CD that doesn't hold a special spot in my heart and writer-soul. It's all small towns, summers, sunsets, party crushes, and possibilities. Every thing I write about. If anyone would like to take me to one of their concerts, or arrange a meet and greet between THubb and I, I'm game. And I'd totally bake you cookies.

10. And at the end of an exhausting summer, I'm happy to say, "I'm writing". That felt so good to type. Here, let's do it again... I am writing.

And although I love my office, sometimes I still have to kick it old school and write like a mom whose kids are dying to go play tennis:

Guess my attempt to keep it short failed. Can't win 'em all, y'all.

Here's to your summer being less obstacle filled than ours!

ONE by LeighAnn Kopans (RELEASES TOMORROW!!!)

If you've stopped by my blog, or have been on the internet lately, you know that everyone is talking about LeighAnn Kopan's debut YA novel ONE. 

(I'm also hosting a giveaway for a Kindle ebook of ONE here on the blog.)

LeighAnn and illustrator Francesca Zappia are releasing a graphic-novel style sneak-peek of ONE. And you can view the last installment today, right here on the blog!

(There is a link below to find the entire mini graphic-novel installment if you missed the beginning)

Because I've been doing the same all morning, and I know you're dying to, go ahead and click on the picture to make it larger and devour the gorgeousness.

Find a full list with links to the other installments of this series on the author’s blog: www.leighannkopans.blogspot.com

And follow LeighAnn on Twitter @LeighAnnKopans for daily updates!

About ONE (a novel by Leigh Ann Kopans:)

Release date: June 11, 2013

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.

It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves.

Add ONE to your Goodreads and learn more about the author here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17251203-one

ONE by LeighAnn Kopans

You guys! This book is one you want to know about. And pre-order. And devour in one setting. And gush over just like I am!

If you haven't heard of LeighAnn Kopans' book ONE yet, you must not have checked Twitter and Facebook and Goodreads lately, because it is all the rave. I was super lucky to read ONE as part of #TeamOne's street team. Then I had to wait until June to post a review. Ah, the torture, I tell you! Here is my review of ONE, if you'd like to read it and enter the giveaway. 

Now, for some super amazing, creatively cool promotion. LeighAnn and illustrator Francesca Zappia are releasing a graphic-novel style sneak-peek of ONE. And you can view today's installment right here!

Go ahead, click on the picture and make it larger to soak up the gorgeousness, I know you're dying to:

You can find a full list with links to the other installments of this series on the author’s blog: www.leighannkopans.blogspot.com

And follow LeighAnn on Twitter @LeighAnnKopans for daily updates!

About ONE (a novel by Leigh Ann Kopans:)

Release date: June 11, 2013

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.

It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves

Add ONE to your Goodreads and learn more about the author here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17251203-one

ONE by LeighAnn Kopans - Review and Giveaway!

@ LeighAnn Kopans

From Goodreads:

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.

It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves.

This was the perfect sci-fi book for me. It's what I'd call lite sci-fi. The slow dance of Merrin's and Elias's relationship as it grows from first sight to first flight oozes romance. The future-world twist in ONE makes the cool science mechanics of Mutants and Supers and Normals and Ones all the more interesting and relatable – I mean who hasn't wanted to be something other than themselves when they were growing up? 

Imagine that feeling multiplied to the highest degree when you realize you'll never measure up to what you want most. And it has nothing to do with how hard you work, it just... is. This is Merrin's spot in life. She is a smart, stubborn girl who has decided to not play by the rules and I love her for it - I'd follow her anywhere (even though sometimes I want to shake her for not seeing what is unfolding right before her eyes). 

I'd even follow her into the creepy Biotech Hub. It is - wait, no spoilers. Sorry. 

Back to the spoiler free version: there are superpowers. Awe-inspiring superpowers! Some fun, classic powers and others that are too cool to not dream about forever. Without giving anything away: I want a twin Super. Now. Just saying.

And as if all of that isn't enough to suck a reader in, the gorgeous Nebraska scenery through Merrin's eyes as she pines to fly – then actually flies over golden cornfields and under starlit skies – is worth every page.

ONE is an evocative character driven story with real-to-life relationships, family ties, heartbreaking moments, and a heart-pounding ending. Debut author LeighAnn Kopans will have you eager for more! 

ONE releases June 11, 2013. 

Enter the Rafflecopter below to win an e-book copy of ONE on release day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do You Instagram, Friends? - #78

I've reopened an account. Come find me and follow me, so I can follow all of you and share in creativeness. Username: sg_sessoms

Here is the latest scenery-love I've discovered driving for my day job:

Find any new hang-out spots lately?

In My Absence - #64-69

This weekend we had a sleepover for my 10 year old daughter. There were five 10 year old girls. Their volume was on HIGH from the moment I picked them up at school until they fell asleep around 11 PM.  Though, my daughter enjoyed herself and that's what matters.
The girls swam, had their nails polished professionally, shopped in the mall (SMALL treats, not big spending here), and ate out for dinner.
An epic girl's night. Lots of fun.

I needed much wine the following evening to recuperate, but it was all good.

As for writing and class, I have a confession to make. I started this blog project because I was ready to draft my latest idea. The blog commitment was going to keep me disciplined and be there to document my whole process. It is 69 days into my project and I'm chucking the current WIP.

I know, I know. How could I do this now? I'm giving up. It's failure. There's no discipline in throwing in the towel.

The problem is that the more I'm learning in class - exercises that are teaching me about myself and my process that I never knew before - the more I see I've been over-planning ideas (which is a BAD thing for me) and holding myself back creatively. Which results in a frustrated muse. Which results in less than spectacular results. Which is what I've been getting lately.

So, I'm on here again to say I'm making some changes in my writing life. But I'm realizing that's what this entire project was about. To document the process. And I'm learning my process is different from what I tried to force myself into doing in the beginning. Which means I'm still on the right track.

Anyhow, if you're still around this space, know that things are changing. I look forward to seeing how this last month of change will factor into my over all journey. That's what it's really about, right?

How's your journey lately, friends?

All the Things - #59-63

First and foremost - I am now equipped with another* iPhone. All is right with the world again, you guys. Seriously.

*Notice I didn't write NEW? Well, it wasn't new, and at first I was really upset. I mean, we pay insurance and had a $170 deductible for a replacement phone. Why wouldn't it be new? Turns out, they use B Stock phones for all insurance replacements. B Stock phones are phones that customers have tried out but didn't like, or phone lines that were opened and quickly disconnected, and the like-new phones were returned. Yeah. Fun. Only, not. But it works, and is not water-logged!

Class is going super well. I want to tell you guys EVERYTHING that I'm learning, but well, I can't. That would be illegal, y'all. It's a paid class, and it's well worth it.
What I can do though is lead you elsewhere - to see a published author gush about the class I'm taking and how much she learned from it! Go read about Holly Lisle's class offerings from published YA author, Susan Dennard.

My writing is faltering and I don't think it's just the middle this time. Yes, I'm only nearing 20k words, but I was trying this new fast drafting technique and nearing 20k is right at the end of the Second Act (so to speak) for the fast 'outline' style first draft. Yet, I'm not enjoying the scenes and I know that means my readers won't enjoy them either. So, I'm digging into my class deeper this week. I'm on to something in this week's lesson, and I want to see if it pans out in relation to my drafting process.

The new job is divine. Driving (and most importantly - BRAINSTORMING) for money was the perfect placeholder/day-job for me. Of course, I spend most of the drive ogling the landscape and the dreamy wide-open fields and the country white two story houses with wrap around porches topped with painted-green tin roofs. It's all I can do to not pull over and play hooky in the wheat grass, y'all. I'll pull over and take some pictures for the blog on the next drive. It'll be a good excuse to get lost on the side of the road.

How is everything your way, friends? Don't forget to check out Susan Dennard's post I linked above. Great advice on writing workshops!

My iPhone Drowned - #58

Without getting into the particulars of how my phone landed in water (because I'm too mad at myself and I'll pull all my hair out), just know my iPhone is currently sitting in an air tight dish with the moisture-sucking company of rice and silica gel.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, friends. Please.

Yeah, yeah, I know this is a #firstworldproblem and all, and I really do understand there are more important things going on. But right now, this is important for me because my new job is an on-call basis during my first month. My daughter is going on her first long field trip tomorrow. And I took my car into the shop today (so the mechanic had a hard time getting in touch with me) and I had to use my fiancé's old car for my courier job. Let's just say it's an 'Old Car' for a reason - the reason being why he got a 'New To Him Car' last year. It's been a doozy of a day, y'all.

So, I've got my fingers, toes, arms, and legs crossed that the rice and silica tango will resuscitate my iPhone. I'd be much obliged if you sent a little positive vibes through the universe for me. I love you all.

<HUGS>

Warmly,
(and not sad or headachy or furious with myself. Not at ALL)

Samantha

If It's Good for Neil Gaiman... - #56-57

Twitter has been the best tool for staying connected, at least for me as a writer. 

I found this new Tumblr account: YA Publishing FAQ. And within the latest posts was an entry from Neil Gaiman. He's answering a question posed about author's publishing times and what they owe their audience, if they do, but he's also talking process and how it differs for everyone. It resonated with me, so I wanted to share it with you:

The excerpt below was originally posted at Neil Gailman's Journal online.

"Some writers need a while to charge their batteries, and then write their books very rapidly. Some writers write a page or so every day, rain or shine. Some writers run out of steam, and need to do whatever it is they happen to do until they're ready to write again. Sometimes writers haven't quite got the next book in a series ready in their heads, but they have something else all ready instead, so they write the thing that's ready to go, prompting cries of outrage from people who want to know why the author could possibly write Book X while the fans were waiting for Book Y.

I remember hearing an upset comics editor telling a roomful of other editors about a comics artist who had taken a few weeks off to paint his house. The editor pointed out, repeatedly, that for the money the artist would have been paid for those weeks' work he could easily have afforded to hire someone to paint his house, and made money too. And I thought, but did not say, “But what if he wanted to paint his house?”

I blew a deadline recently. Terminally blew it. First time in 25 years I've sighed and said, “I can't do this, and you won't get your story.” It was already late, I was under a bunch of deadline pressure, my father died, and suddenly the story, too, was dead on the page. I liked the voice it was in, but it wasn't working, and eventually, rather than drive the editors and publishers mad waiting for a story that wasn't going to come, I gave up on it and apologised, worried that I could no longer write fiction.

I turned my attention to the next deadline waiting – a script. It flowed easily and delightfully, was the most fun I've had writing anything in ages, all the characters did exactly what I had hoped they would do, and the story was better than I had dared to hope.

Sometimes it happens like that. You don't choose what will work. You simply do the best you can each time. And you try to do what you can to increase the likelihood that good art will be created.

And sometimes, and it's as true of authors as it is of readers, you have a life. People in your world get sick or die. You fall in love, or out of love. You move house. Your aunt comes to stay. You agreed to give a talk half-way around the world five years ago, and suddenly you realise that that talk is due now. Your last book comes out and the critics vociferously hated it and now you simply don't feel like writing another. Your cat learns to levitate and the matter must be properly documented and investigated. There are deer in the apple orchard. A thunderstorm fries your hard disk and fries the backup drive as well...

And life is a good thing for a writer. It's where we get our raw material, for a start. We quite like to stop and watch it."

So, there you go, friends. If it's good for Neil Gaiman, it's good for me. Life happens. We can't always hold ourselves to deadlines and expectations. This specifically struck a chord with me because I'm getting to a point in my WIP that isn't exciting to talk about on the blog without giving away the story. Plus, I'm not sure if I should talk about it - instead of sharing story on here, I need to create story in Scrivener. 

That said, I'm suspending the daily word count and all things WIP related. If I want to chat about it, fine, if not I won't feel pressure (created solely from myself when I started this 365 day project) to post about the WIP. 

What I will definitely do, no matter what, is give updates on overall goals reached. For example: when the draft is done. When I'm revising it. When I draft a query.

During the rest of the 365 day project, I'll blog about the rest of the writing process - even the non-writing related variety. 

Here's to living life, you guys! Hope you're having a wonderful day.

Inspiration - #52-55

All things can inspire creative types.

Lately, I've found a little story mojo here:

@Samantha Sessoms

Open fields. Trees. Railroad tracks (that you can't see well in this pic, sorry.)

This track at Maggie Stiefvater's Tumbler account. She gives us the opportunity to listen to the original music she composed for The Raven Boys. It's haunting and adventurous and epic and lovely. 

Oh, and this upcoming film:

And this one:

Then there is the simple time of day that always beckons me - the Golden Hour:

@Samantha Sessoms

This hour speaks to my soul, and whispers about all the lifetimes of adventure hiding in the long shadows, glowing warmth, and ebb of the fading day.

Word Count: 619

What inspirational juice has your creativity been sipping lately?

Getting Back in the Zone - #51

Class is awesome.
The weather is playing my favorite spring time breeze.
And I'm inspired by my story again.

But, I don't want to talk about me today.

I want to know what inspires you guys?
I hope you are inspired lately :-)

Word Count: 293

Happy Writing!

A Look Back - #50

It's the 50th day of my 365 day project. Time has sped up on me!

I jumped back into writing and classwork today. It was a little rusty at first. Procrastination tried to dig its claws into me something fierce, but I shrugged it off after a big cup of coffee and got to work.

After getting a scene sketched out (remember, I'm trying a new first draft method with this MS. If you're new to the blog you can read about here), I glanced back at the monthly goals I set for myself around day #20. One in particular caught my eye: complete the first draft and revise by the end of May.

I don't think that will happen. There's a chance since I still have a month to do it in, but I don't want to slop something together. I've been working hard on not rushing through this MS and focusing on creating a process that works for me so I can create a stable career in the writing field.

That said, if it happens and the Word Gods are shining down on me, I'll keep working hard to keep the other goals on track. If not, there will be no beating up on myself. The past three weeks rattled my plans, but I'm back now and I'll finish this one way or the other!

On that note, I've also decided that I will not be doing word counts on the weekends anymore unless I want to set aside time to write on those days. The past two days of relaxing between my old job and jumping back into my writing schedule have taught me that recharging and taking a day off - treating writing like a job - is actually good for my creative-brain. So, I'm going to see how it goes taking the weekends off.

I'll still be posting though. Sharing links, inspiration, and asking you guys to contribute.

Word Count: 237

Happy writing!

Out of the Office - #49

Almost ready to get back to writing.

Almost.

I took one more day to catch up on some reading, jump into a new mini-class (a week long intense course in motivation - for writing and life), and I even had a couple glasses of wine with dinner.

It was glorious.

Are any of you taking time to enjoy life lately? I hope so, it's quite refreshing and I want the best for all of us!

Day of Relaxing - #48

Today I took some me time. Which included:

-social time with a bestie. It was her birthday and we hadn't had "us time" over coffee in forever. So, it was a must. And it was absolutely delightful. Like a metaphorical cup of espresso and a therapy session and the best ever shopping spree all wrapped into one.

-organized my desk area. It was nothing but pure clutter after the chaos of the last few weeks.

-took a drive and absorbed the bright sunshine, warm breeze, and creek view while I sang along (out of key) to my story's playlist.

-a little at home spa treatment. Which is just a fancy way of saying: long bath, deep face scrub, and painting of my nails: fingers and toes.

All of this is in preparation for my upcoming return to regular life post TWN (two week notice).

Now, I'm off to bake some sweets.

Hope you've had a relaxing day, peeps!

Two Week Notice COMPLETED - #47

Finally.

I am finally done with the old job.

No more construction work - constructing shelves; rigging devices to carry awkwardly shaped, heavy objects; pre-drilling* pilot holes before screwing anchor bolts into cement; and designing floor plans over and over and over and over and, you get the point.

*Though, I will admit the power tools were fun and badass. Makes me want to start my own business. You know, I'll come pre-drill for someone, but the rest of the installation is all them ;-)

That said, I'm glad I stuck it out and waited until I had another position lined up. I'm glad I was able to help my awesome, fantastic, considerate supervisor before leaving. I'm glad I learned to trust myself and stand up for what I know is right.

Back to classwork and writing and the new job soon.

Tomorrow will be a day for complete relaxation. Tuesday will mark the first day back at writing. And the new job will only be a couple days a week for now.

I don't know about you all, friends, but I'm ready for a glass of vino!
Here's to new journeys *cheers*

Happy writing!

The Countdown is Almost Over - #45 + #46

I didn't post yesterday because I was doing something very important after the second day at my new job. I repeat: something very important.

After work I came home and ate dinner and chatted with the family, and then I waited. I'd been expecting an email this week that would tell me my Very Important item was ready to be picked up.

It happened.

And now this cuteness is in our life:

@Samantha Sessoms

Oh, and today was the SECOND TO LAST day at the old job. 

That is all. 

Happy writing!

New Job - #44

New Job is awesome, you guys. 

I'm couriering for two local hospitals. It's good pay for only a few hours, low stress, and important work. 

Best of all, in a completely selfish way, the majority of the day is spent in the car going back and forth between the hospitals. Which is about a 45 minute drive each way. And during that time I get to listen to my story's playlist, brainstorm and outline, and use my phone's voice recorder to dictate any prose or dialog that takes me by storm. 

It. Is. Fabulous. 

Another bonus - if I have time, after I get caught up on my writing goals, I can listen to books from my current TBR pile and finally get to all the books I've been dying to read.

And the landscape isn't bad to gaze at, either. Take a look:

@Samantha Sessoms

*whispers, so I don't jinx it* All the peace, and spring breeze had my story-brain swirling and I took some notes on my WIP today. No word count yet, but I'm getting back to that sweet spot. 

Any exciting news in your world, friends?

Food for Thought - #43

It's getting close, you guys. My two week notice at the old job will be up after I finish work on Sunday. And I'll be working at the new job tomorrow and Friday. Which technically means that  I only have two days left at the old job. Two days!

The countdown begins now. Yes, even though it's four days early - that's how my brain rolls these days.

In other news, I want to share something with you that is not writing related. I'm always on the lookout for food tips. Lifestyle change, cooking, new foods, trivia, etc. Any awesomeness related to food. I don't usually say too much on here because, well, sometimes food theory can be a subject as touchy as religion and politics.

Anyhow, I was super appreciative when a link was shared on twitter last night, so I wanted to share it with all of you. Lately, I've been looking for more ways to incorporate real, preservative free food into our family's diet. Yes, there's the obvious - fruit and vegetables - but I've been looking for quick tips for a family on the GO. Because, you know, that's all I do lately - go, go, go.

Here is a great link that shares all that fun info with meal, snack, and school lunch suggestions (right side bar for links): 100 Days of Real Food

Do you guys have any tips for working these foods into our daily, hectic schedule?

Happy Writing!

Hanging Out to Dry - #42

I have nothing today, guys.

My two week notice will be over soon. Which is wonderful, because then my life will be back to crazy-normal instead of crazy-exhausted-clusterfudge-mindsuck, or whatever.

Anyway, I have no great links or cool inspiration today. Sorry to disappoint.

Check back tomorrow. I know I will ;-)

Happy writing!

A Writerly Auction - #41

There is a blog that's hosting a writer/reader friendly auction for those affected in West, Texas, as so many fundraisers arose for Boston. This way, hopefully, as many people as possible from last week's tragedies can be helped. 

The blog is being hosted by the lovely Angi Nicole. 

The auction does end in the morning, but I just saw it today on twitter because of my busy schedule this past week.

"Remember - when destruction and hate try to take hold, love and creation will outshine them every time." - Angi Nicole.

If you'd like to help, go check out the blog: West Texas Relief Auction.

Warmly,

Samantha

Something Fun - #40

My brain is mush today, y'all.

I've been using words out of place in my sentences all day. I tried to think about classwork while I was moving inventory around today; yet nothing came to me. Then I tried to eat my dinner - soup - with a fork.

Yep, my brain is on vacay, and I sincerely hope it comes back soon.

In the meantime here are some movies I'm excited about:









Any movies you're waiting to see? Read any great books lately?

Knowing When to Take a Break - #39

It's with a heavy heart and much guilt that I write this post, you guys.

I'm beating myself up and feeling like a failure for just thinking about doing this. But, I know that it's something I need to do for my sanity and well being.

During the next week, actually until May 1st, I will not be working on my story. There will be no more word counts until I can fully concentrate on my writing without muddling through brain fog.

As I've previously stated, I'm working out a two week notice at my former place of employment. It has been very labor intensive and mentally exhausting. I don't want to get into too much detail on the blog, or turn this into a gripe fest, but just know that everyday until May 1st, I will be working 8 to 10 hour days there, then coming home to life responsibilities and cramming in classwork when I can. Oh, and falling into the shower before bed each night. You know, as one does when they can barely stand up.

Anyway, back to business: at first I wanted to continue my classwork and writing during this strenuous time. I made the decision to do this 365 day blog and damn it, I was going to stick with it. However, since last week when I rearranged my writing/class schedule to alternating days, I've realized I'm pushing my self past acceptable limits - physically and mentally. I've found that I am in crappy shape (seriously, I could not save my family if we had a zombie apocalypse right this minute, guys!), and on top of it I'm exhausting all my creative juices trying to problem solve that which is known as: you two turn a clusterfudge into perfection, a.k.a. my old job.

Please know this was a very hard decision for me.
I wanted to succeed at this blog project. I wanted to document every day of the outlining/drafting/revising/critiquing/rewriting/querying process. But, I guess this is actually as much a part of the process as the writing and business of trying to get published.
I've noted previously that life gets in the way, and things change, only this time I'm finding that I cannot recovery a day or two later like I have in the past.
For better or worse this is how my process is going thus far, so at least I'm documenting it honestly!

I'll still post everyday and share as many interesting links and ideas as with you all as I can.

Hope you've had a wonderful Saturday!

Coming Up With Ideas - #38

This week in class we're working on generating ideas and making the good ones great.

Again, I can't get into too much detail because it's a class I'm paying to take.

Anyhow, the practice Holly Lisle is teaching us is fabulous. It immediately made me wonder if other published authors worked this way. If they all worked with their muse equally.

Here are a few fun links to published authors and their answer to the dreaded Where Do You Get Ideas question:

Neil Gaiman

Maggie Stiefvater (ideas & plot bunnies)

Stephen King (scroll down a tad)

Word Count: 0 (classwork day)

Happy Writing!

Branching Off - #37

Remember when I said this week and next were crazy busy because I was working out a two week notice at one job, and starting another. 

Yeah. That. 

At the old job I've enjoyed playing with power tools, floor-planning, and extra time with my soon to be former supervisor. Especially in the semi-empty, new store location. Even more so since we're the only ones working there right now. It reminds me of a Lifetime movie. Like we're two rebel girls that shoved all of our lifesavings into a back pack and moved to a faraway, perfect small town to start over. Where we open an eclectic book shop, hoping nothing will go wrong because our budget and nerves are so stressed from the drama we put in our rearview. 

And then he walks into our store. On opening day. 

And nothing will be the same ever again. 

Until the next movie. 

Yes, these are the corny moments that pass through my head when I'm this exhausted. Remember the power tools I mentioned? Do you know how much muscle you have to put behind those to pre-drill and bolt and sand and... My muscles hate me. They're quick to scream at me; every time I bend or stand or turn. It sucks.

Part of the reason I'm so tired is the speed with which our store relocation happened. There was only room for so much planning. Which left us busting our butts to get everything spaced out for the movers, and constantly shifting inventory. Now my supervisor has only two weeks to get the new store open and we are not on track. We still have inventory everywhere, no shelving to make a floor plan, no signage out front, and a whole other store full of stock that has to be moved into the new store. 

The quickly drawn-up plan doesn't work anymore because of the problems listed above and major hiccups between my supervisor and the owner. In the meantime, my supervisor and I have been bouncing ideas off one another, hoping one will stick. 

Ever heard the phrase, "hands tied?" Yeah. I'll let you know how that goes.

So, anyway, after another long day, I got back to writing this evening.

The outline is giving me some minor problems again. 

This time my muse didn't want to be bothered with the schedule, or brainstorming. My muse had an idea and wanted to run with it, so that's what I did. For better or worse I took a new direction. The next scene should wind back around to the outline, and if not that's okay for right now too.

My seeming nonchalance may be exhaustion from everything else, though I doubt it. I think I'm finally starting to trust myself and my muse. Planning your outline is great, but finding a new path can be even better. 

Word Count: 547

Happy writing!

New Schedule - #36

For the next two weeks I've decided to alternate class/writing times every other day. This gives me more time to pay attention to each individually, and a tiny breathing room for anything unexpected (see yesterday's post for examples).

Today, I used my allotted time to focus heavily on classwork.

Back to words and story tomorrow.

In the meantime you can check out THIS AWESOMENESS if you have an extra minute. It quite possibly represents my past two days.

Word Count: 0

Are any of you taking classes? If so, how are they going?
Feel free to leave a link in the comments to share the course love.

Life & Schedules - #35

Life completely derailed my schedule today.

My class/writing schedule was: 2 hours a day.
No matter what days I worked, or when the kids were in school.

Today was packed with work and running around and events I'd forgotten about.
See, I'm switching career fields due to a set-back in hours at my current job. Funny enough, I started working out my two week notice beginning today, and noticed I'll be clocking more hours this week and next than I've ever worked in one month there.

I'm helping set up a new store location. It's labor-intensive, busy work, but enjoyable. So it evens out, I guess. Only problem is I've literally set aside every extra hour I have for the next two weeks to help them.

I didn't factor in my usual class/writing time. I was so focused on helping them with the store while training for my new position, that I didn't think about unexpected mishaps in any given day.

It'll work itself out in a day or two, I'm sure. My writing/class time has been figured back in with enough buffer for unexpected, minor events.

This probably just sounds like whining at this point because I'm too exhausted to see straight.
But, this is a learning experience for writing too. Things come up. Life doesn't stop living. We have to accommodate and make changes, so that we can get back on track and keep ourselves disciplined to our craft (job/dream/lifestyle) whatever it may be.

Word Count: 0

Hope your day was more relaxed, friends. Happy writing!

Find Love - #34

Today just doesn't seem like a day for posts, friends.
No tales about the writing journey or word counts.

Please, find the love that is around you. Experience it, share it, get lost in it.

Remember that love is what gets us through. Not the small pieces of hate that shatter our worlds here and there.

@Samantha Sessoms

My thoughts, and whole heart, are with everyone in this time; family, friends, or any one person that was affected by today's events.

Warmly,

Samantha

The Dreaded Middle - #33

I'm getting close to that place, y'all.
You know the spot - the part of your MS that makes you scream at the walls of your office and ask the invisible muse that's obviously taken a sabbatical, "Why? Why did I ever write this piece of crap idea? It was never going anywhere. It was never The Idea. There is no way to come back from this ginormous mound of manure."

You've never felt that way?

Oh.

This is awkward.

Wait, some of you have?

Maybe it's just a personal quirk of mine, but I seem to hate my ideas when I move toward the middle of the outline. And if this is anything like my other first drafts, I know that once I get to the other side of the middle everything will be okay.

It's the getting to the other side that bothers me. Will this ever get easier? I sure hope so.

Until then, here's something funny I saw on twitter today. It'll make you smile after listening to my writing woes:

Click here.

Word Count: deleted all the words from the coffee shop today, along with 1,834 from two other scenes

(I'm slacking on my daily goals. Time to kick myself into gear and get it together!)

Hope you guys are not experiencing mopey, middle of the MS blues like I'm having.

Words, and Where I Found Them - #32

Writing has been with me since I can remember (yep, I'm one of those people). But I lost my dream somewhere along the way.

One summer, I spent a great deal of my days with my aunt while my parents worked. She wasn't the most attentive babysitter, but it wasn't too worrisome as I was about 7 and fully capable of punching a straw in a Capri Sun and smearing peanut butter and jelly on bread if my belly started talking to me. Anyhow, my aunt would give me coloring books to occupy my curiosity from All Things That Are Off Limits. The themed coloring books were boring.
So, I cut out pictures and lined them up to create scenes. Then I'd write a story along the tops and bottoms of the pages, and color the illustrations. Two staples on the left side, and Voila! I was published.
I sold my mini-books lemonade-stand style.
Well, I sold at least three.

The rest of my writing journey snaked in and out of this fashion - writing stories to occupy life's lulls - throughout middle school and high school, only I wasn't so public about selling my ideas. Or showing anyone, really.
Writing and I had a rough go after high school, especially whenever Responsibility and Wise Career Choices wanted an argument in my future.

Then I decided to attend college in 2004 (five years after I graduated high school). As an adult student with two young children. This is when I rediscovered my writing dream that I had pushed far, far down inside and filed away under "illogical".

Ordinary, paper-work heavy orientation was held in the Hollins Room:

@Samantha Sessoms

If I'd known what I was about to experience, I probably never would have walked through the door. Too insecure. Too suspicious. See, I had developed a built in BS detector, if you will, a standard to live by: if anyone said you could fulfill your dreams, no matter what they were, and make a living at it, I ran the other way. 

It had to be too good to be true. It had to be a sales pitch.

I took a seat in the front row and my whole world changed course:

@Samantha Sessoms

Women, much like myself, spoke and shared their stories of being beat down by 9-5 mundane work and were looking to do something for themselves. To find their dreams. I listened to these women tell stories of their first semester on campus. The supportive faculty. The networking opportunities. The daydreams of a new future from merely walking around the knowledge-rich campus. 

Desire to explore all the creative outlets I suppressed growing up began crawling up from those dark, dusty places inside me. I wanted to be free to feel that way again. I wanted to love writing again.

I spent the reception chatting with those women, looking through these windows into my own future:

@Samantha Sessoms

Somewhere between that room and that year's vacation, here:

@Samantha Sessoms
(The beach is, after all, my most treasured place)

I rediscovered my love of words. My love of imagining characters and stories. The need to write them down, again.

We all have a moment when we decide what to do with our lives.
I came about this moment in my journey like a snake stretching out on blistering asphalt under the bright summer sun - persistent, though a little unsure, but too damn content to care about getting my head run over because the pleasure far outweighs the risk.
And I've never felt more at home with myself; or looked back.

Word Count: 429

Where did you find your words, friends?

Finding a Writing Community to Suit You - #31

It's been a month of posting, you guys! How freaking cool is that?

I want to give you something. But what can I give you over the internet?
Cyber hugs?
Pictures of chocolate?
Recipes?
Reading recommendations?

Okay, I'll stop. I already know what I want to give you anyway: A suggestion for your writing.

This month I've offered up my own writing experience, some helpful links, even links to what inspires me. These offerings are what I find important about a great writing community: a positive environment full of like-minded (meaning of the writing variety, not opinions and such), goal oriented people.

One of the best places I've found to create your own writing community is Twitter (especially if you live in a smallish town, like me, or just can't find any other writers working in your genre/market close by).

Are you on Twitter, peeps? If not, go handle that. You'll want it for a link I'm about to share.

So, you have your Twitter account all set up and you've followed and chatted with other writers and you're ready to share in the journey.

What better way to get on board than to write with your new friends? Actually join along in writing sprints.

Without further ado, here is a link to write in 30 minute sprints from 8PM - 2AM EST every Friday. (Though, it's become so popular you can often find someone to sprint with all day on Fridays and sometimes during the rest of the week)
Check out Friday Night Writes: @FriNightWrites
You can do all the normal Twitter things like chat and cheer others on, but the wonderful hosts of Friday Night Writes also give prompts, jokes, awesomeness, and encourage word counts with celebration.

Go check it out and use the hashtag: #writeclub

Say Hello! to the fantastic admins that lead the Friday Night Writes group when you head over:
@MeganWhitmer (founder)
@Darci_Cole
@AngiNicole722
@inukeyou
@CareyTorg

Go sprint with a lovely, supportive writing community!

Word Count: 1393

Happy Writing!

Time Off - #30

I snuck away to daydream today.

There was classwork to do. Story to write. A house to clean. Jobs to interview for. Etc, etc.

But I was a rebel, you guys. I jumped in my car and took off to find a slice of quiet. Just so happens it was during my most precious time of the day. 

The Golden Hour. 

Melts my heart, y'all. For real.

Apricot hues all warm and gooey. Dark, mysterious shadows, yawning into the first hint of nightfall.

This time of day has given me chills since I was a child. It holds so many adventures and opportunities and secrets and laughs and otherworld-ness and possibilities and, and I can barely find words to fit the awe its golden-ness blankets me with every single time.
My stories live in the Golden Hour. It possesses my imagination. 

The quiet mischief I found today gave me much inspiration. Inspiration that fuels my motivation. 

Only problem was that I lost track of time. So, no word count today, but I had my trusty notebook in my bag and I have pages filled, waiting to be transferred tomorrow. Guess that could be my word count, but that feels like cheating.

Oh, and there was one other problem. I left my cell phone in the car so I wouldn't be distracted. I said I lost track of time, right? Yeah, it was dark before I thought I should take a picture for the blog. Then I glanced up from my relentless note taking to see the glow of sunlight behind the mountain ridge. Oh. Oh, is right. 

But, here, watch this trailer. Its stunning imagery and melodic tone most accurately conveys my feelings and experiences with the Golden Hour during my many years pinning over its mysterious glory. More so than I can find words for at this time, anyway, without posting scene excerpts from my book or making this blog post a novella.

Ah. Simply exquisite.

Happy Writing!

Be Active - #29

The small lesson I learned while brainstorming the past two days: there is more adventure and pleasure in writing a character in action than having everything already laid out.

Seems obvious, right?

Still, I found that this mistake was holding me back. My characters already did X, they already had Y, they already knew Z.

Well, not all of them, but you get the idea. I had nothing for my characters to do, or learn, in the scene that went barreling over the cliff into dullsville.

Until I went back and found where things slowed down. Now, I can get back on track.

For example: If your character has a quirk, don't just have other characters talk about it, or know about it, have the character show the quirk in front of others. Let us see it happen.
If you character has a crappy job, don't just show your character stressed after work, or gripping about work, show them at work in the middle of the chaos.

And this is not just a difference between showing and telling. They were being shown... just not shown doing anything. The characters were not active in their journeys. It was dreadful!

And, of course, the action or emotion that you're taking the time to show should be relevant to the story and advance the plot. Give your characters something to do. Make them active!

Okay. I get that this is all newbie 101 stuff, and is obvious to all of you super talented people out there. But, somehow between classes, writing, and life, I forgot this simple lesson for two and half scenes and it caused me great turmoil for a few days. I do not wish you the same.

Word Count: 302

Happy Writing!

Out of the Office. Have Some Coffee - #28

Major story overhaul today.

Well, outline to be more precise.

And it was only three scenes.

All right, I guess it was really only a major overhaul of a teeny section of the outline. But totally necessary. So, you know, I don't wander off into irrelevant story-land when I start drafting again tomorrow.

Since I have no great links, or wise words, or word counts to share today, you should have some of my favorite Iced Coffee.

No really, here is the most fabulous recipe for Iced Coffee. Concocted by one of my favorite chef's, Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond:

pic via @Pioneer Woman's website
(click on the picture to go to her site for the recipe)

Word Count: *brainstorming, outlining*

Happy Writing!

Brainstorming - #27

When I get stuck during drafting I have to stop and do two things:

1. Go back through the latest scenes and figure out where the story started to take a wrong turn. Delete everything after that moment.

2. Get lost in music and ask my Muse how to fix the story.

Needless to say, I listened to a lot of music today.

Some favorites:








Aren't they evocative? Don't they make you want to create?

As always, support the artist and purchase the music if you're going to listen to the tracks as much as I do.

Word Count: *brainstorm sessions*

Any music suggestions? Do you write, or brainstorm, with music?

3 Rs: Reading, Relaxing, and Rewriting - #26

Had a nice day relaxing with the kids. We went to the park and walked. Then I kept the bench comfy while they re-mulched the playground.

I even got in some good reading time.

On my Kindle, I'm almost done with:

Pic via @Jamie McGuire's website
(click on the cover for more info)

After the park, we stopped by the bookstore. I bought a YA Hardcover for when I finish Walking Disaster:

Pic via @Nina LaCour's website
(click on cover for more info)

Heard anything good about these titles? 

If it's bad - don't tell me. Okay. Thanks :-)

Though, I'm always up for reading recommendations. Feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments at any time. Share the book love!

Word Count: 453 - 453 = 0 

(I wrote a couple beginnings on a new scene. Quite a few times actually. This number was the last effort before I erased the text for the last time so I can go address my outline/draft and find where I went wrong. Back to the drawing board tomorrow!)

Things Change - #25

Today was full of changes: good and not so great.

Mr. Sessoms decided to pick up something sweet from Fresh Market this evening. I expected cannoli, as they are his dessert of choice. He picked up ice cream. Jeni's Goat Cheese with Red Cherries to be exact.
You guys.
You know how I feel about cherries, right? It was the best change in dessert EVER!

Tonight is the last night of spring break for the kiddos - the last night to do all the After Normal Bedtime activities of the past week: The last night to stay up super late building an entire new dimension on Minecraft. The last night to snack way past dinner. The last night to giggle in Dad's face while he snores on the couch.
But instead they've decided to head to bed early and read.
Greatest change of today. No, of the week. The silence is the most exotic noise I've heard in what feels like years. I said this was a great change, right?

And the Not So Good.
I was told today that my job's current location has a new official move-out date. The store had been scheduled to close and relocate later this month. Seamlessly. No interruptions in work schedule, etc. Now, the new official date is this upcoming Thursday. And with the new date and other underlining situations, there is no official word on when I'll be able to return to work.
Yep. Things change.

What do you do?
Devour the ice cream. Gobble up every delicious scoop.
Appreciate the kids. Give them extra kisses and hugs for the extra piece of quiet they've unknowingly given you.
Secure a new job interview. Make changes.

Things will change again.
Still, I'm looking at these little moments as learning tools for achieving my writing dreams. The world of writing is a business after all. There will be great moments, and there will be let downs; there will be changes for the good, and for the bad; and through it all I will find my smile.
Because there will always be more change to come.

Word Count: 275

Here's to keeping positive and going after new doors of opportunity.