I would love to be one of those highly organized people who has a place for everything and has everything its place. Unfortunately, I am the type of person who has a place where things should be and lots of things where they shouldn't be. This is not ideal for a mother, wife, elementary school librarian, and writer. At any given moment, I've got twenty things going on and I usually know the general vicinity of the things I need to lay hands on in a given day, but some days it seems like I'm pulling my hair out trying to remember where I put that ink pen or what happened to that permission slip from my daughter's pre-school. Short of calling the crew from Clean House, I'm not sure what to do. In light of this, I'm designating my first ever free summer to the pursuit of getting organized.
Of course, I'll be writing and promoting during the summer to get ready for the release of Keeping the Faith on September 25th, but the bulk of my time is going to be spent trying to reduce clutter; both emotional and physical. By the end of this year, there won't be ten things standing between me and that note pad I'm always searching for when I need to write out my grocery list. I will be journalling about the process of de-cluttering over the course of the summer and hopefully, after doing lots of research and trial and error, I'll also be giving you information that will help you to de-clutter your own life. Day one will be on Saturday, June 20th. I hope you'll tune in to join me in my quest for a clutter-free life.
Oh...and, yes, there will be pictures. As much as I hate to show my weaknesses, in order to know if a true transformation has taken place, I must do the whole before and after photo thing.
Until next time...
Subscribe to Benston Blogs by Email
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Getting Organized...the project!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Keeping the Faith...
It's that time of year when I start looking at my writing goals and try to determine what to tackle next. So far, I think I've stayed on task as much as humanly possible given the year I've had. In spite of injuries and other issues, I managed to finish Keeping the Faith and begin working on a couple of new projects. This year hasn't been easy, but it has been full of wonderful new experiences and I'd like to take a moment to mention a few of these.
Although this publisher did not survive the year, I was glad to have been included in the From the Shadows Horror Anthology. I met some really nice people and was able to have my short horror story, Eleven published alongside some very talented horror writers.
I had the good fortune of being included in another anthology this year with the winning entries for the Writer's Digest Short Shorts. My short story, The End placed (although not in the top ten)and was included as one of the top twenty five entries in the contest. I was very happy to be recognized by this publication.
Another wonderful thing that has happened this year has been my Tea & Mystery Tour. I've been to several libraries in Ohio and one in New York state. These discussions have been a great way to get out and meet mystery readers and talk about the two of the things I most enjoy, reading and writing. I look forward to doing more of these discussion next year.
The most rewarding thing that has happened this year in terms of writing has been that I finally finished my first novel-length Rona Shively story. Anyone who knows me, knows that this was especially difficult for me since I have a tendency toward brevity. It's not that I don't have alot to say, it's just that I generally say it very efficiently. So, writing nearly three hundred pages was challenging to say the least. I still haven't figured out what this means to me as a writer, but it wasn't scary enough to stop me from starting my fourth Rona Shively Story shortly after finishing KTF. I'm just anxious to see where this one takes me.
In short, I have lots to be thankful for this year. As usual, things are pretty much as good as can be expected. This is my favorite time of year and I'm hoping that the next couple of months will bring more good news and lots to do for the coming year. Hopefully, the next time I blog, I'll have some news about the status of Keeping the Faith.
Until next time...
Subscribe to Benston Blogs by Email
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The light in the middle of the tunnel...
Just the other day, I finished writing the third Rona Shively book, Keeping the Faith. It will be my first full-length novel and I am very excited about this. The process was just as other authors have described; very emotionally charged and much like giving birth. Unfortunately, at 2 a.m., I had no one available with whom I could share my overwhelming enthusiasm. My husband and daughter had long been asleep and I didn't dare wake them. It was a little anti-climactic in a sense, but the important thing is; it's finished!
As I set about the task of editing this monster, I will also be working on a couple of new projects. By the end of this year, I hope to have finished a story that I have been working on in a hit-or-miss fashion over the last ten to fifteen years. It is a combination Sci-Fi/Historical Fiction piece that I am eager to get back into writing. I think you'll enjoy it! I'm also going to begin writing the next installment in the Rona Shively series, but I'm going to keep details about that one under wraps for now.
In addition, there are a number of contests and other projects I am going to be working on throughout the end of the year. My big goal, however, is to get this Rona Shively story into a new publisher's hands. I'm absolutely thrilled at the prospects here, but I know that the bulk of my work still lies ahead. So, armed with about twenty of my library's finest style manuals, publishing guides and writing books, I'm setting about the task of getting my newest book into your hands.
Keep watching for more status reports...you know how I love to update everyone...
Until next time...
Subscribe to Benston Blogs by Email
A Little Bit of Mystery: Short Mysteries to Confuse and Amuse
