If you’re a frequent visitor to this blog, you’ll notice that the Personal Writing Challenge page is gone. Why is that? Well, I’ve decided to keep my writing journey separate from this website. Blogging about my writing keeps me honest, but not everyone is interested in reading about my writing woes. LOL. Due to this back injury I may become a full time writer far quicker than I’d intended so this means a higher focus than before.

So if you want to follow along I’ll be at http://dawnmontgomerywrites.wordpress.com/. Holly Lisle has a wonderful continuous word challenge going on and I’ll be updating on her blog as well as the writing one. This blog will be all about characters, releases, the history of this book or that world I’d built, etc.

There will be a few more changes coming over the holiday. More to come on that later.

It is T minus 20 days in the Montgomery household for the “Big Move” also known as the SNAFU or CF. Let’s just say, my family and I will be very happy to get settled in and have this move be over.

While it’s not the move itself that is driving my normally calm husband over the edge, it is a huge contributing factor. What is it about a move that makes all the people in your-soon-to-be-previous-job suddenly remember a thousand things they wanted you to do before you leave?

Or who knew coordinating with a moving company would be this difficult? To be honest, the only smooth part of this move has been the airlines.

There are few things about a move that’s easy and heading off to a new job is exciting and terrifying at the same time.

On the writing front, I’m still working my tail off in deadlines (personal ones). I’ve got a new release in July and one in August or September. Internet will be intermittent for a bit. I’ve already gone no mail on all the yahoo groups I frequent. I’ll miss you all. So if you email me during the next few months, I’ll try and answer. If you want to know how everything’s going, check out my twitter.

*Note: Image came from The Luxury Travel Collection which is full of things I wish I could use on my trip. LOL. They have a gorgeous website and I think I’m going to have a character use their services in a future book.

2nd Quarter PWC Word Count:

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll notice I’m a goal-oriented kind of gal. When I don’t have a word count to move toward, I tend to panic a bit and flounder. I won’t say I work best under pressure, but I’ll work until my fingers bleed., if need be. So, to prevent burn out this year, I’ve decided to make my goals shorter-term and achievable. I’ve got a 100K quarterly goal.

So, being the hobby number cruncher that I am, I decided to see how I stacked up to my goal 9 days into the second quarter’s challenge. Already at 9%! Woohooo! Good stuff!

Today I posted at Aspen Mountain Press on setting writing goals for the new year. I’ve decided to set up my new Personal Writing Challenge for quarterly goals and results. It keeps me honest and forces me to be accountable more often so I’ll be less likely to procrastinate.

My writing goals: 1200-1400 words a day, submit to one publisher a month (novellas, of course), and complete one novel next year.  *WEG* What about you guys? Any goals for 2009?

Whiskey Straight Update from me to you! This week was intense! 70 days of sweat started and we hit the halfway point for NaNoWriMo. Are you meeting your goals for the week?

My word count walking into the weekend was looking rough but I toughed it out. Saturday morning had me up well before dawn when all other rational/sane people were sleeping in…I know, I’m crazy.

This week started with a bang: Acceptance of Burn Out in Liquid Silver Books’ Romantic Suspense antho Worth Every Risk. Yesterday was another ground breaker since I’ve had another book accepted under a different pen name (a contemporary romantic suspense novel). I’ve also had two short stories accepted for Changeling Press and my cowboy contemporary is at 11.5K. Winter Break is due to my editor tomorrow and it’s ALMOST DONE!!! YES! Nothing like waiting til the last minute. *sigh*

And with all of us sick and work being *intense* this past week, I’m looking forward to some down time after Winter Break is in.

And now it’s off to bed for me. Yes, technically I should update tonight (Sunday night) but I’m so ready to *start a new week* I’m focusing on the goals ahead and leaving this insane week behind me.

G’night/G’day all.

Current NaNo Standings

November 16, 2008 Word Count:

Happy NaNoWriMo! I hope everyone’s doing well. This past week was fraught with challenges and I persevered! BURN OUT was submitted to Liquid Silver Books for their Romantic Suspense anthology. The announcement said no word would be released until the 17th of the month so we’ll see by next week. I also completed edits on the Mardi Gras fox free read and completed several miscellaneous projects.

I know it’s getting boring around here with all the writing updates! November is always like this. LOL. Remember, the 70 days of sweat start tomorrow!

NaNo Count:

Not bad considering how much I’d completed on non-NaNo stuff this week!

November 9, 2008 Word Count:

This week pushed me hard! Now let’s keep up that pace. *WEG*

1. Burn Out ~ almost complete! (Will be done tonight!)
2. Spaceport: Paradise Run ~ Plotted and ready to rock and roll!
3. Del Fantasma: Winter Break ~ Almost done. Planned for weekend finish.
4. Blood Harvest ~ Plotted, 5500 words into it, have to rework some stuff later.
5. Cowboy Contemporary ~ Plotted, ready to go, just need to get my claws into it.

Nice and boring.

Tomorrow I have a review for an awesome book I’ve read. I can’t WAIT to tell you all about it!!

On my PWC update Sunday, I had two word counts. One for NaNoWriMo and the other for my overall challenge. I am following the NaNo rules strictly. All new content, a brand new wip, first word written on November 1st. In order to reach my goal for that book (in NaNo-I want 75K) by November 30th, I have to write 2,500 words a day.

But there are other, Non-NaNo projects on my shelf that have to be finished. So how do I do that?

I write 2,500 words for NaNo and then I shift to another project. The only count toward my NaNo goal comes from Blood Harvest.

So Blood Harvest/NaNo count is 5,007 words (cumulative total of November 1 and 2).

Total words on NaNo written yesterday: 2,292

Total words written yesterday, including non-NaNo projects: 4,791, not counting editing and rewriting I had to do for Burn Out.

It’s not something I recommend for everyone, but it works for me.

Have a good day, all!

NaNo Day 2 Word Count:

5,007 on Blood Harvest! Whoohooo!

November 2, 2008 Word Count for the PWC:

I’ve got a lot of words written. Edits and additional words on Non-NaNo projects. *shrugs shoulders* If I tell myself I have to get through NaNo and then work on other stuff, the words flow easier. My husband would call me a work-aholic. After this weekend, I might agree. For now it’s time to hang with my husband and pretend the phone and the internet don’t exist for a while.

Good evening, crazy NaNo-ers!

Day one’s down and I completed 2715!

Today’s complete total was 4,824. (2,109 was on a non-Nano project). I’m turning in for the night!

Good night everyone!