I wrote more than 9000 words this week. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were all 3000 word days. Thursday was a bust for writing - only about 600 words. Friday is too busy for writing, but hopefully I can accomplish some on Sat or Sun.

The main characters are coming to a point of resolution, but something is going to come along to cause a little problem for them.

I am at 84K right now total for the book, but I am guessing another 10-12K is going to be needed. No worries though. In editing, I am sure a lot of dead weight will be excised.

I plan to finish writing it this week, read through it once and make obvious changes, spell check it, and then get it printed out so I can do some serious editing before passing it on to the beta readers. (Wanna be a beta?)

This is the music I listen to while I am writing Forget-Me-Not. (TJ and Jody’s story)  Several of the songs figure into the story significantly.

1. Feels Like the First Time - Foreigner (03:52)

2. Lights - Journey (03:11)
3. Babe - Styx (04:26)
4. Don’t Stop Believin’ - Journey (04:11)
5. Celebration - Kool & the Gang (03:45)
6. You Really Got Me (Remastered Album Version) - Van Halen (02:39)
7. Every Little Thing She Does - The Police (04:24)
8. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (05:55)
9. Kiss on my List - Hall & Oates (03:56)
10. Cold as Ice - Foreigner (03:21)
11. Dancing in the Streets - Van Halen (03:48)
12. Sail Away - Styx (06:05)
13. Jamie’s Cryin’ (Remastered Album Version) - Van Halen (03:31)

14. Open Arms - Journey (03:19)
15. We Are the Champions - Queen (03:03)
16. Dance the Night Away - Van Halen (03:08)
17. Rosanna - Toto (04:05)
18. He’s So Shy - The Pointer Sisters (03:40)
19. All Out of Love - Air Supply (04:05)
20. Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner (04:36)
21. Jessie’s Girl - Rick Springfield (03:16)
22. The One That You Love - Air Supply (04:15)
23. Kiss on My List - Hall & Oates (03:51)
24. Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton (03:30)
25. Harden My Heart - Quarterflash (03:38)

Forget-Me-Not, the title of the novel and an important theme throughout the plot....

So the writing progresses.

Last week, I wrote only 600 words. My husband was injured a week ago and last week was filled with caring for him and doing the things he usually does.

I was determined to make THIS week count.  Monday I wrote 2000 words. Yesterday I was gone all day and wrote nothing. Today, however, I made up for it by writing 3000 words! I’m on a roll! I know where the story is going and the words are just flowing.

As I have posted before, I am writing a continuation of my 2007 NaNoNovel which is 51,000 words long. So far I’ve written more than 20,000 words on the continuation, which puts my novel at a total of more than 71,000 words! Now, my 2008 NaNoNovel was 75,000 words long, so this isn’t the longest I’ve written. However, I am nowhere near done telling my story! So, this should be long enough, when complete, to be considered a full-length novel, making it more marketable.

My main characters are at a crisis point right now, which is heart-rending yet exciting to write! I am having fun, and it almost seems mean to be having fun writing their star-crossed story.

This is the car that TJ drives.

Writing is going well this week. Last week I had writer’s block since I had written myself into a corner. As I posted, a short discussion with my story consultant unplugged that stopped-up writing and now the words are flowing freely. My only problem right now is finding enough time. (Well, that and procrastination!)

After the slow start last week, the goal for this week remained the same - 2000 words a day, 6 days this week. So far, I have written slightly more than that for Monday and Tuesday both.

I am adding to a novel I had considered completed, making the story broader in scope. The novel was 50,000 words and I think I’ll likely add 40-50,000 more words to it. Right now I have almost 9000 words written and still doing backstory.

It’s an exciting story to me - about missed opportunities and second chances - and I am looking forward to seeing how it all plays out!

Now that the holidays are over, I’ve started writing again in earnest.  I decided to continue the story I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2007, which is entitled Forget-Me-Not. That story is a romance set in 1981-82 and is 50,000 words long. 50,000 words is a lot, but not when it comes to books.  I am going to add more to the story, to bring the teenage romance to fruition in the contemporary world. It will make it more than a simple romance, but there is more to the story to be told.

My goal is to write 2000 words a day, 6 days a week. Today I wrote 2173 words, so I got a good start. I do know how the story will end, but I’m not quite sure of all the twists and turns it will take to get there. OK, I only know ONE of the twists it will take.  But I’m sure the story will unfold for me, and eventually for you.

I woke up this AM from a very vivid dream.

Thought to myself, “Wow, this will be a great story! I better get up now and write it down.”

(I have a tendency to forget my dreams. Sometimes I try to tell them to people and then realize I’ve forgotten all but a nonsensical fragment.)

So, I leaped from my cozy bed, emerging into the chilly house. Rummaged on the desk for a notebook and scribbled 3 pages.  (From now on, I need to keep a notebook by the bed.)

But I’m not telling what it’s about - not yet. Although I think it’s a very marketable idea lately.

And this dream comes on the heels of a rejection and reading this post.  For the record, I love Ancient Egypt (in case you couldn’t tell). My Twilight-obsessed friend Jennifer often tells me about the things Stephenie Meyer did, so as to encourage me. This post was very encouraging to me, but I have never felt like I was writing something that I just couldn’t hold in.  I even said to Jennifer, “I dont HAVE a story banging on my skull trying to get out.”

Maybe now I do.

My last post described my submission to Harlequin for their e-book line Historical UNDONE.  Today, I received an email telling me that my story isn’t right for their line.

“For Historical Undone, we’re looking for a high level of sensuality that flows naturally out of the plotline. The characters should be fully fleshed out and should be the main focus of the story. The history should be well researched in order to give an authentic sense of period without taking over the romance. Though your story contains some of these elements, it lacks others.”

I will admit to being discouraged at this. I truly think my story is well-done and fits the description on the Harlequin website. However, at the time I wrote it, no stories had been released in that line, so I had no comparison.

I suppose my next step is to buy a couple of those e-stories and see how the published stories compare to mine. I suspect that the “high level of sensuality” is where my writing doesn’t match with their expectations. Do I aspire to write a “high level of sensuality”? That’s something I need to decide.

In happier news, I’ve been writing for NaNoWriMo and completed a 75,000 word historical romance novel that I plan to submit to a Christian romance line. Editing for that story will happen in January.

Right now I plan to move on to writing part 2 of last year’s NaNoNovel. Back into the world of TJ and Jody!

I think I’ll also try submitting my Egyptian story in a couple other places. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Today I submitted my first story to eHarlequin.com for consideration in their Historical UNDONE line of ebooks - a new line of historical short story romances.

Here is a short synopsis:

Twenty-year-old Kitane is forced into an arranged marriage with the aged king of Egypt. When the king dies before their relationship is consummated, Kitane is given in marriage to his virile son, the new king. She falls in love with him, but will she be the only woman to capture his heart? When Kitane is framed in a murder plot with the king as the target, their love is tested.

This historical romance offers a glimpse back into the 12^th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, a time of wealth and passion when kings were viewed as gods and danger could lurk in unexpected places.

This story is nearly 15,000 words long and I began writing it on September 10th. So from conception to submission, this story took me one month to write and edit.

I want to thank my friend Jen who encouraged me and was my beta reader. Jen, I don’t think I would have finished the story without your encouragement!

I finished editing the Egypt story tonight. A dear friend read it and gave me some feedback. I made a few more changes and am just about ready to send it off. I need a title and have to write a cover letter.

The final word count - 14,320. Awesome! Still under 15,000!

Oops, it’s 3:00 AM. Dang.

Don’t think tomorrow (whoops, that would be today!) is going to be an early-start day! ROFL

Off to bed now. Perchance to dream. About pharaohs?

I printed all 43 (double-spaced) pages of the story to edit during a class my children are taking. However, I was only able to get through 13 pages. I also wrote a new scene  - scribbled it on the backs of the typed pages.