Day 3...Hail to the Chalkboard

Welcome to Day 3...

These days most schools have a smart board in the classroom.  They're connected to computers and not only present teacher's notes and other documents, but can also play videos and live stream programs as well.

When I was growing up we used chalkboards and they were filled with lesson notes, homework for the week and important announcements about upcoming events like extra help.

Suffice to say it was the focal point of the room.  The spot around where all the learning took place. Problems were worked out there, solutions were found there and new ideas were presented.

So what's the big deal about chalkboards?  Well after publishing four books in two years, my version of a chalkboard, is a working doc on my computer saved as, you guessed it "Chalkboard" and it's been a huge part of my writing routine.

How huge?  Let's just say right now on my chalkboard file I have notes for just about every scene I'm imagining for the rest of the story. At the moment none of it is perfect, but it's all workable and for me it virtual eliminates the possibility of writer's block.

It's the place where my stream of consciousness writing is captured, new scenes are documented, and dialogue is worked out.  It's my learning place as I outline, shift ideas, polish scenes and slowly wait for some magic to emerge.  When a chapter seems to be just right, then and only then do I format the paragraphs and text before cutting and pasting it into final draft.

My chalkboard is just one part of my routine...stay tuned for more ideas to get, and to keep you writing...

So things are moving along...

Today I did a final polish on my latest scene before cutting and pasting into Never Let You Go's final draft...btw here's my book stat so far...20,420 words and counting.  I usually come in around 65,000-70,000 words so I'm close to 1/3 of the way through...note to self - keep moving...

Also...finished 6 more chapters of my edit review on Deadly Shadows...

And...added a bunch more ideas to my marketing idea list.  I'll be setting it up on an excel spreadsheet tomorrow - that's the plan anyway.

Now I'm off to sleep, but not before sharing today's Take Away Lesson...

Writing is a novel is a huge undertaking.  So what's the secret to going from a single word on the page to a 65,000 word novel?  Besides great ideas, you have to have systems and routines that work for you.  

Here's to Being All In,

Maggie