Writing Life, Part Quartre

I have a lot of writing to do this week, not only for myself but for Keynotes, which is the newsletter of RWA NYC.

I have my monthly President's letter, Calendar of Events, Market News, and this month, Part One of an article on blogging. So far, I have finished the Calendar of Events, and the Market News, still working on the article and have just barely started my President's letter. Mind you this has to all be finished by March 15th. Beware the Ides of March indeed.

It's ironic that I'm writing so much for Keynotes now, when I'd never written for the newsletter before. I'd been asked to write an article on collaborating with my ex-bestfriend but we never got around to writing it. Over the years, I would think about writing an article for Keynotes, but it was just that, a thought.

Being President of a writer's organization has been harder but yet more rewarding then I thought it would be. It certainly has been alot of work. I have a great board though. Unfortunately, our past president decided that he couldn't renew his membership, which is a loss. I could get into the other reasons why but I'm not going to. Suffice it to say, it was a blow.

I can't fault him for leaving but I can fault him for the way that he did it, which was a slap in the face to the board and to the friends that have supported him.

All this plus finishing my work in progress. So far, I've been on target with the number of pages I hope to produce this week. It's Thursday, and I've written 31 pages. I hope to write 50. That's my goal. I'm near the finish line. Next week is the final stretch to wrap everything up.

I plan on taking a break before starting the second draft. I'm still planning on one last push on Nearly Famous to get it ready and then I'm going to let it go. I still have the goal of writing two more manuscripts this year.

I'm even thinking taking the radical step of having a professional writer and editor look at the book before I start submitting it to agents again. That means of course, no more Starbucks for months as I attempt to come up with the money to pay for it.

I've put on reserve, Chris Baty's book, No plot, No problem at the library before I start the final 2 books, I hope to write. I also have other books to read, Donald Maass "Writing the Breakout Novel" workbook, and "No More Rejections" by Alice Orr.

I feel really close to getting the call. I have a strong feeling that this is the year that I get an agent, and hopefully an honest to god book contract at the end of it.