Part two: My Writing Schedule

First, before we get into my schedule I want you to ask yourself this: Why do you want to be a writer?

This is important. If it is because you love to write, then that is the right answer. You have to love the writing part more than the conferences, the book signings, the blogging, all of that. Because once you hear about my writing schedule, you might change your mind.

After the question: Where do you get your ideas, most people want to know about my writing schedule. I think we all love of the idea of the writer sitting in some really cool loft or garret somewhere banging out a bestseller.

It looks so...peaceful, so romantic, so ideal.

Well, I'm here to tell you, it isn't anything like that. The term "full-time writer” means just that. You work all the time.

I can hear my daughter and husband rolling their eyes at this (if they were here to read over my shoulder). That's because they see me doing other things besides writing 24/7. But the story is always with me -- just like the deadlines looming over me.

Sure sometimes you’re doing something other than sitting at a keyboard, but believe me, if you are in the middle of a book, you’re writing. You eat writing, sleep writing, live writing. I hate to tell you how often I have woken up in the morning and realized that I wrote all night long in my sleep -- sometimes the same sentence over and over again.

What I'm getting at is this: if you want to write full time it takes real commitment. I remember years ago having lunch with Nora Roberts in Billings, Montana. I had just sold I think my first book or two. I could already see how writing could take over my life. I informed her that I was going to write, but that I was still going to have a life. I can laugh about it now – and about her comment to me.

Needless to say, she knew what I had to learn. A writing career takes a commitment. A really big one. There is no Thank Goodness It's Friday. If you have a deadline, every day is Monday.

Also when you meet writers at conferences or book signings, it looks a lot more glamorous than it is. I love reading Allison Brennan's Facebook Page. She is a WORKING writer. And she has five young children at home. I can't imagine. But her life sounds so much like mine, I love it. Also I hate to think that other writers are having fun when I'm at my desk. :)

Okay, enough downer stuff. If you're still with me, let me tell you about my schedule.

I get up in the morning. If I'm feeling really beat, I take a shower, pull on whatever clean clothes I can find… Seriously. If you get up in the morning, shower, put on something nice, you’re going to want to leave your desk the minute you get stuck or the writing gets tough or your behind goes to sleep from sitting for so long.

The idea is to pick clothes you wouldn’t be caught dead in. This way if the writing isn’t going well, you aren't even tempted to go out for lunch, do some shopping or run over and visit a friend. I'm pretty sure that procrastination is the number one killer of bestselling authors. Those bestsellers just never get written.

My husband usually cooks me something for breakfast, then it is off to work. I go straight to my office, grab a drink (I prefer Arizona diet green tea or Coke Zero). I usually start with tea and save the Zero for when I really need it.

Mistake #1. checking your emails. I do check mine in case my editor needs something from me. Personal emails I don’t answer until later. Writing emails make you feel like you’ve been writing when you really haven't accomplished anything – not to mention the time it can eat up.

So it is straight to work. I leave myself a note from the day before to remind me where I was in the chapter and what I was thinking about doing next. I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer so there is no outline to follow. Sometimes I will reread what I wrote the day before, edit it a little, just to get myself back into the story.

Then I write. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t beautiful. The idea is to get something down. I'm going to edit it anyway, numerous times.

A trick I use is to look at the clock and tell myself that I will write as quickly as I can and as many pages as I can within a certain time limit, say an hour. The idea is to get into the book and stay there without any interruptions.

So that means during your writing time you: Don't pay bills, answer the phone, call your dentist or make out your grocery list. I try not to have anything around me that distracts me -- like my husband. This isn't always possible. But the crankier you are, the less they tend to bother you, I've discovered.

When I start a book, my goal is to write 10 pages a day. Once I have 10 done, I can take the rest of the day off. If that takes me an hour, great. If it takes me all day, too bad. Usually it doesn't take me more than a couple of hours. Not that I'm not thinking about it -- and when I hear a conversation between my characters, I have to write it down. So it is hard not to write more -- especially at the beginning when it's fun.

I break for lunch, watch my favorite soap (boy does The Bold and Beautiful need a writer. Finally after months there might be some real conflict coming), then it is back to work if I am in the middle or the end of a book. This is where the weaklings fall by the wayside. This is where the book gets hard. This is where you start thinking about how you should clean the toilet or do anything but WRITE.

This is where I have to make myself stay in my chair. Writing 6 books a year means some long days at the computer. This summer I played tennis with my husband mornings before I wrote or later in the afternoon. Breaks are essential. You just have to make sure you go back to work after them.

I strongly suggest exercise and no eating at the computer. If you make it a hard and fast rule, you will thank yourself years from now. I'm still working on the exercise -- apart from tennis.

About four p.m. I'm usually over it. I quit, stagger home hoping my husband has cooked something. Usually he has. I shower and eat. My AlphaSmart is right next to my chair. If I'm really too tired to think I might just watch TV or knit or sew or do crossword puzzles. If not, I usually get a few more pages done at night before I go to bed and start the whole process over again. Not so glamorous huh.

(I highly recommend an AlphaSmart for anyone serious about writing. If you take it everywhere with you and write every chance you get, no matter how busy you are, you will get some writing done. It's faster to use than a laptop and more convenient. I swear by my Alphie.)

Tomorrow I will write more about my progress including what I do if I get stalled, how much I edit as I go and some tricks I’ve learned to get the book done and I will write about the good stuff about being a writer. Promise.

Stay tuned if I haven't totally made you want to keep your day job….

What is it like to be a full-time novelist?

I promised I would blog about what it takes to write as many books a year as I do. Over the next few days, I will explain my writing process and what works for me.

There are definite steps to get the ball rolling, so I will start there in the process.

First comes the idea. My six books I'm writing this year are part of a series, which means I came up with an overall idea, then six separate ideas. The problem, of course, is that it takes a whole bunch of ideas to make a book. But since I sell on proposal, I just need to come up with enough to show my editor that my idea isn't awful and I should be able to come up with something even better once I write the books.

So how do you plot 6 books? Brainstorm. I start by thinking about the kind of books I like to read. What scares me? What intrigues me? What kind of stories do I want to tell? I try to mix it up. After almost 50 books I'm always trying to come up with something different. I look for plots that will be fun to write. Because ultimately after I sell on proposal, I have to write whatever I came up with.

One of the drawbacks of selling on proposal is that you need to come through once you sell the books. There is always that moment of panic when I look at the proposal and wonder what I was thinking. But I've done this long enough that I know, or at least hope, I can pull it off.

Once I get the go-ahead, I have to finish another book or two on my current series. By the time I get to the new ones I usually realize that while I had an idea or two for each book, it isn't enough to carry a whole book. So that means more brainstorming, rethinking and often times a lot of banging my head on my desk.

The one thing I have learned is that there is only one way to get a book written: TO WRITE IT. I know that sounds simple. But all the thinking in the world doesn't get a book written. Once I put my fingers on the keys, get my characters walking and talking, then a book begins to emerge.

I start brainstorming with plot which leads me to at least one character for my book. My books are set in Montana in and around a small western town. That narrows it down a little. Once I have say my hero, then I think about what kind of woman he needs. It's like matchmaking. Most of my heroes get strong, independent women who give them a run for their money. Those are the kind of women I like and my heroes seem to agree.

Back to plot. Series are a great way to sell more than one book at a time. There are all kinds of ways to string together a series. I started the Whitehorse, Montana series thinking I would write about six families or so. As the series grew, I added more families.

But even those mini-series I strung together in different ways. With Whitehorse: The Corbetts, I came up with 5 brothers and a marriage pact. I know, it's been done and done, but it works. With Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch, the 6 books that come out next April, May, June, Oct., Nov., Dec. I strung the books together with a ranch or maybe more accurately, Pepper Winchester, the elderly reclusive matriarch of the ranch.

If you are just starting out your career, you'll probably want to start with one book. The editor will probably want to see how well that book sells before you can get a series. But if you come up with a great idea for a series and the editor likes your writing, that door is always open.

So I have my proposal and six books due. Yikes. That is a book every two months. What that means is that I am going to be spending a whole lot of time writing and banging my head on my desk.

Tomorrow I will discuss my schedule. What works. What doesn't. And what to do when nothing works. Stay tuned if any of this interests you. :) Or email me at bjdaniels@mtintouch.net if you have questions so far.

It can't already be November

Where did the time go? I started working on my Christmas presents for this year right after last
Christmas. My daughter thought I was crazy. How could I even think about Christmas right after Christmas?

Simple. I knew if I didn't start early, I'd never get everything done. I had big plans not only to quilt some Christmas presents, put up some fun homemade treats and knit and crochet some other things -- and write six books for 2010. So I started my Christmas presents early.

And it's a darned good thing I did. I can't believe it is already November! I still have presents to finish and several others to make. In a blink of the eye, it will be Thanksgiving and we all know how quickly Christmas comes after that!

I really thought this year would be different. I would get everything done then just enjoy the season. Maybe I was being too overly optimistic -- and energetic. I still have to write books along with all my other projects and since I'm in the middle of writing the six-book Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch series...

I'll still get everything done because I'm determined and I live with deadlines, nothing new there. :) I know it would be easier if I'd just bought presents, but I like giving presents I make. I believe it means more -- if not to the people I give them to, then to me. :) It's my small way of putting more meaning into Christmas. If that means starting my projects right after Christmas then so be it.

I'm already thinking about what to do for next year. I have some fun ideas and I'm sure I'll think of more as the year goes on. Maybe if I start now...

Some books still available in Corbett series

I'm delighted to say that my books aren't staying long on the shelves. Unfortunately, I hear from readers who have missed one or more of the books in the series and want to know where they can get a copy.

I'm happy to say that my local bookstore here in my small Montana town still has copies of all five of Whitehorse: The Corbetts. It's a small independent bookstore that promotes Montana authors. So if you need any of those books, please contact: Danni Hill at promises@mtintouch.net or call 406-654-2380. She said she would be happy to ship them to you as long as the supply lasts. Also if you need them signed, I would be happy to trot over there and do that for you. Once you have made arrangements just let me know.

As for other books, check eHarlequin. Amazon still has a few new ones of some titles. Otherwise it is used books from one of the on-line dealers or a used bookstore.

I'm deep in Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch, the 6-book series coming out beginning in April. I send out postcards as I have books come out. If you aren't on my list, email me with your snail mail address. I can usually accommodate most everyone with a few exceptions such as those readers outside the US.

Thank you all again for your wonderful loyalty and support. It is a pleasure writing books with such terrific fans.

With the Corbetts done, what's next?

The last of the five Whitehorse: The Corbetts books, One Hot Forty-Five, came out this month. I've been getting emails asking, "Now what?"

I'm pleased to announce that there will be at least another six Whitehorse books. The mini-series Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch will run April, May, June and Oct, Nov, Dec of the coming year. I am busy writing them now. I think you all will enjoy the Winchesters. They're a unique family.

What started out as a 6-book series has now grown to 18. I love returning to Whitehorse and from my email and letters, readers are enjoying it as well. Where it ends, who knows.

I told my husband recently that the Winchesters might be it. But the other day when I was writing, one of my characters told me about another ranch family, the McCormicks, wo live north of Whitehorse. I already know one of their secrets...

So we'll see. But thank you all for coming with me to Whitehorse, Montana. I hope you're having as much fun as I am for as long as there are stories to tell there.

Only you can tell your story

I spent Saturday quilting with a group of wonderfully creative women. It didn't matter what we were sewing -- we just happened to all be making the same scrap quilt. Not that any of them looked anything alike as we built our "blocks."

I couldn't help but notice how much quilting is like writing. We all had the same pattern or formula, if you will. But none of us approached the quilt in the same way and we all came up with something different that was each of us.

When it comes to writing, everyone knows that there are no new plots under the sun. So what makes one book become a bestseller while another book about the same thing is rejected? It's the way an author tells her story.

Why? Because no one else has lived the same life she lived, had the same experiences, reacted the same way because of those experiences. No one else sees the world around us the exact way we do.

With quilting, it's a matter of putting the pieces together -- just like writing. Fabric, like scenes, comes in different colors, designs, textures and sizes. Does this piece go with that one? Or would another one work better?

We make the decisions, picking and choosing what feels right, putting our own unique stamp on it. The choices can be ugly, trust me. But that's how we learn. The next one could be a work of art.

I have often stood in a bookstore and thought there is no room for me to write a mainstream book because there are already too many books on the shelves. But I also know that even if I told another writer everything about the book I want to write, that writer couldn't write my book. If I don't do it, that book will never get written.

Like writing, when I look down at my latest "block" of fabrics I've sewn together -- not matter if the points match perfectly or if the seams are all exactly one-quarter inch -- I realize I have created something that is all me. I've expressed myself, my particular vision.

With any creative endeavor, we are putting ourselves out there. Some people may look at what we've created and say, "I would never have done it like that." No, they wouldn't have. And isn't that a wonderful thing.

I love the freedom of writing what I want to write -- and piecing together scraps of fabric any way I darn well please. That's the fun part, being myself, creating something that is all me. It's saying "this is my story, like it or not."

Which is the good news for anyone who wants to write or quilt or create something but is afraid of failing. No one can bring what you can to that endeavor because no one is exactly like you. If you don't do it, then that one-of-a-kind creation will never get made.

So take a chance, do that something you've always wanted to do. Put your unique stamp on it. If it makes you happy then it is perfect. It's you.

Notes from recent workshop

During the Emerald City Conference I gave a workshop called Where to Begin: Six Sure-Fired Ways to Start Your Book. My workshop was at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, the last day of the conference so I made 30 copies of my handouts, figuring only about 10 people would show up.

Well, I was gratified -- and embarrassed -- when loyal attendees did show up to fill the room with about 60 people! My thanks to all those wonderful writers who turned out.

So I am putting up the two handouts on my blog as well as emailing all those who didn't get copies. If you have any questions, email me at bjdaniels@mtintouch.net

So here they are:
WHERE TO BEGIN: Six Sure-fired Ways to Start Your Book
by author B.J. Daniels
http://www.bjdaniels.com/

What a good beginning does:
1) Sets the tone of the book
2) Kicks the story off
3) Hints at what kind of story this is going to be
4) Establishes the writer’s style
5) Sets the pace
6) Introduces a character or characters
7) Establishes viewpoint
8) Suggests the setting
9) Introduces the opening conflict
10) Hooks the reader and makes a promise

Where to begin. Six options:

1) Setting – Think of it as one of the characters. A sense of place gives a foundation to your story. It can also set the tone of your book and hook your reader instantly.

2) Conflict – A must. Beginning with conflict jumpstarts your book. Always a good hook.

3) Dialogue – Another great jumping-right-in way to begin. Hooks reader if the dialogue is catchy or clever.

4) Character – Introducing the characters sets the stage. Readers want to know who the story is about quickly.

5) Prologue – Only if you must and only if it is short and grabs the reader.

6) Narration – Okay, but it had better be good.



EXAMPLES:

DIALOGUE:
“You really shouldn’t have done that.”
It’s probably a bad idea to slap your husband’s lover – especially when she’d holding a gun on you, but I wasn’t letting her take Jake without a fight.
I looked into those ice-blue eyes, past the pretty, and hoped the gun was just an accessory to her expensive tailored outfit.
“You’ll have my husband over my dead body,” I said, sounding like a bad Country-Western song.
Tiffany Cross laughed as she flipped off the gun’s safety. “You read my mind.”

CHARACTER:
What do you wear to meet your husband’s mistress? I’d changed my clothes a half dozen times. Being a stay-at-home wife and mother, six clean changes were really all I had.
I settled on blue jeans and a blouse, dabbed on what makeup I could find in the bathroom drawer and wore the earrings Jake had given me on our first date.
I don’t know why I bothered to dress up. Tiffany Cross didn’t even seem to notice. She was too busy digging the pistol out of her purse.

SETTING:
It began to snow as I pulled up in front of the cabin next to a vintage Mercedes. So, my husband’s mistress was already here. The wind groaned in the tall pines and made the chimes on the weathered porch tinkle. The lake beyond the cabin was rough, the wind kicking up whitecaps. She came around the edge of the cabin. A woman wearing a bright red coat. The color of blood.

SUSPENSE/CONFLICT:
I jumped at the tap on my side car window. I’d lost track of the time waiting for her and was surprised how dark it was. All my instincts told me to run. This dark isolated spot was no place to meet my husband’s mistress.
I felt the small weapon, heavy in my jacket pocket, as I opened the door and came face to face with Tiffany Cross, the woman who thought I’d asked her here so we could discuss how she was going to steal my husband.