Goals, Goals, and More Goals

I failed miserably at the 10k in one week. The excitement of selling my second manuscript did it. Now I need to finish the first.

Goals for this week:

Sacrifice: 10K ~ Must finish. I refuse to move on to something else until the first draft of this is done.

My hubby is out of town I need to get it done. That's 2k a day. Totally doable. I can do it. I know I can. Just need to get but in seat and get words flowing.

Leila

THE DIAMOND HEARTSTONE SOLD!!!

Yep. I submitted it on the 26th around 3:00pm and on the 27th around 3:00pm I got the email and contracts. They liked it. They really liked it.

They liked it so much they want to publish it in November...of this year. I am dancing the happy dance and quaking in my boots. I have just over a month to come up with a promo plan for it, and get the word out. Not to mention I have other books to write.

I'm no one hit wonder. I'm here to stay. Watch out Stephen King. I'm gunning for your career.

Leila

I want my 5.99 back

Okay, I just spent 5.99 on a book on tape to listen to at work. The back of the box held the promise of a good book. But it is so not delivering.

I feel jipped. I want my money back.

The Diamond Heartstone

The Diamond Heartstone has been submitted. Hopefully it will be accepted, but I can't worry about that now. I must write more books.

Everyone who's read it only has good things to say but come on who really tells you the truth when they hate it? :D

No, but seriously. I need to finish Sacrifice and then I will work on the second Heartstone book.

But I am doing the happy booty shaking dance right now on finishing the edits and submitting. Come join me!


Leila

Time on Top

How much time do you get on top. Top of your publisher's home page, that is.

I don't know from experience, but it seems only logical that this is prime real estate. Your book cover pops up the second someone clicks on your publisher's home page. Hopefully the cover will induce the reader to click through to your blurb where your words will make the sell. But what happens if they never see your awesome cover? How many days do you get 7? 4? 2? 1?

So what happens if you don't get a lot of time at the top? How does it affect your sales? Is this a major button with authors?

Leila

1 week - 10K words

I am on a mission. Next week I plan to write 10K words. Starting Monday and ending the next Monday. I wonder if I will be able to do it. I will definitely try.

Come and check on me here during the week. I will be sure to post my progress.


Leila Brown
www.leilabrown.com

Sacrifice ~ Coming soon from CobbleStone Press

Question of the Day

When is enough enough?

I am editing a short story just under 20K. It has 2 full sex scenes. There is one other place that a sex-ish scene could go. But does it need to be there? So my question of the day is when is enough enough? Or when do you know there is too much sex in the book?


Leila

Edits begin today.

I begin editing Heartstone: Diamond today. I have resigned myself to the fact that it will not fit the required lenght for the EC Jewel of the Nile series. I am going to cut and cut and cut and try to make sure with edits that it doesn't hit 20K. I need it to be short to go ahead with my current marketing plan.

My plan is to edit and type in changes on at least 20 pages today. More if I can swing it. I also would like to get 1K in on Sacrifice. Check in tomorrow and see how I do.


Okay. Enough for now. I hope you enjoy your day

HeartStone Diamond is Done.

Or at least the first draft is. I finished it today. It is 17,312 words or roughly 70 pages. That gives me 2700 words of room in edits.

I need to lengthen and tighten the last sex scene. The first one is 1550 words and the second is 800. The second should be hotter than the first so yeah it needs some more words. But the backbone is there. Also the resolution scene is done. I think it ties everything up nicely but will have to edit and see where everything falls. T

he important thing is the first draft is done!

Leila

Writing Last Night

Well, I managed to clean my kitchen and write about 1800 words last night. Less than I wanted but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I have one huge sex scene to go and the resolution with promises of another story in the series. I printed out the first 63 pages. I only need about 15-20 more to tie this thing up and then I am off to edit land on this one and off to the races on Sacrifice.

This weekend might prove my most busiest weekend yet.

HeartStone: Diamond

I am going to have to bump up the final word count to finish HSD. I think that 15 is too short. If I did that I would have to rush the ending. As is I will probably push 20K.

Oh well. Things could be worse. It could be too short.

Okay...goal for tonight is 2.5K Can I do it?

About 3k for weekend.

Well. I got about 3K this weekend. Way less than I wanted but since hubby had golf tournament Saturday and his grandmother had a 70th birthday party that night. He also got invited to the Rams game.

I took care of the rugrat. Even though Sunday was suppose to be my writing day. I hope to finish this story this week. Before the weekend in the very least.


Leila

Slacker -- but needed.

I needed to go to the salon. Plus I just backed a snicker half vanilla and half chocolate cheesecake and a regular cheesecake for my husbands grandmother. I am so sleepy but need to wait thirty more minutes before I put them in the fridge.

I at lunch with the guys at work so I missed my normal lunch time writing. I wrote 750 words at the salon on the HeartStone books. I am super tired and doubt anything I write will be good for Sacrifice. So I will be doing some real writing this weekend

I am trying to decide where to submit the HeartStone series to. Big decision there. Oh well gotta finish and edit it first.

Leila

HeartStone Diamond

Word Count: 2950 moving ahead nicely.

About 945 words at lunch. Will have to challenge hard tonight at Romance Diva's to eek out my word count for the day.

Leila

Sacrifice word count

I am up to 3628.

Tomorrow I should break the 5K mark. I will be one fourth of the way done with the first draft.


Whooo Hoooo

Leila

HeartStone: Diamond

More words:

New total: 2005 words.

Leila

HeartStone: Diamond

I've been a busy beaver tonight.
Yep got 1015 words on this story tonight also.

Yippe!

Making progress

I am over ten percent done with Sacrifice.

Whoo-Hoo!

Leila

The Vampire Oracle Trailer!!!

Okay Check this out






What did you think?

Keeping Count

Okay, I am adding word count checkers to the sidebar for the two works that I need to have finished this month.

Leila

Why am I watching CSI

I am suppose to be writing. But I am sitting here blogging and watching CSI. I am such a slacker.

Leila

I am sick

Ok. I am sick. I think I have Strep Throat or something. The doctors called in some antibiotics but I missed out on two writing days because of it. I need to get back on track but can't really swallow and my stomach is messed up. I am on 5 different medicines for the next week.

I am determined to get some writing done. At least 2K done today. I am hoping it will be more like 3K today. I might get, I might not.


Leila