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L.J.’s Blog

Surviving Revision Hell – Editing My Novels

When I started this journey, I had no idea it would be so hard to write a book. I thought I'd sit down and the novel would just flow from my fingertips onto the page in perfect order and sequence. Actually, writing a first draft is much easier for me than editing, outlining, doing character charts, re-writing and all the other more disciplined aspects of the craft. I love attending writers...

My First 10K

Six months ago, if you'd have told me that I was going to train for and participate in a 10K race, I would have laughed it off. Today I walked my first 10K race ever. Overall, it was a great experience. Crossing that finish line was exhilarating. Looking back and knowing I did that gives me a huge feeling of accomplishment. Although it was a great experience, the race was not without its...

Pre-Race Jitters – Upcoming 10K

So my first 10K ever is coming up in just three days. On Saturday, May 11, 2013, I will be participating in the 12th Annual ALS Lou Gehrig's Disease 10K in Coconut Grove, Florida. I'm going to be walking - not running the race. But still, I need to finish within the race's time parameters. I'm a little nervous about it, but at least I don't think that participating in a 10K is Mission Impossible...

Getting a Ph.D in Writing by Reading

As you might have noticed from reading some of my posts, I am the queen of procrastination. It's okay. I admit it. I can allow myself a few flaws and work on fixing them. The latest manifestation of this affliction is my lack of writing. I have a legal thriller to re-work for better characterization and a political suspense novel I need to edit so I can send it out to agents and editors. Instead...

Time to Dig in – 10K Training

So I'm signed up to do the 12th Annual ALS Lou Gehrig's Disease 10K on Saturday, May 11, 2013 in Coconut Grove, Florida. I'm going to walk it. Running is just not in my wheelhouse right now. Since the 10K is less than two weeks away, I stepped up my training last weekend and lengthened the duration of my endurance walk. I walked 4.5 miles on Sunday. Since I was too lazy to leave the house and...

How to Walk a 5K by Mistake

So, I've been training to walk a 10K next month and I'm freaking out because it's coming up soon. May 11th to be exact.  It's the 12th Annual ALS Lou Gehrig's Disease 10K in Coconut Grove. I haven't been extremely diligent in my training, but I have been training and I have noticed some improvements in my speed and endurance. I'm hoping that what training I have done and will do in the next two...

Getting Back on the Wagon – the 5K Race

So, I lost 60 pounds a year ago and guess what happened?  I got complacent, lax with my diet, got off WeightWatchers, stopped exercising regularly, and gained a large portion of the weight back.   I was so disgusted with myself and so intimidated by the prospect of taking it all off again (and keeping it off) that, for months, I did nothing.  And I do mean nothing.  No exercise, no attempt...

2013 San Francisco Writers Conference

So last month I  hopped a five hour flight to San Francisco to attend the 2013 San Francisco Writers Conference.  It was my second time attending the conference and I must say that the experience was well worth the time and money. The conference had great seminars, inspirational speakers, fantastic networking opportunities and, for those seeking publication, lots of access to agents and...

What Writers Can Learn From Rejection

I'm baaaack!  I took a little hiatus to work on some non-writing goals, but I'm back baby and more fired up than ever. Okay, so I got kicked out of the Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Contest during the pitch stage and two of the three e-publishers that requested to see excerpts of my legal thriller have rejected it.  I could sink into a funk, throw in the towel, and stop writing, or I can...

The Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

So, as I mentioned in my last blog post, I entered my romantic legal thriller - "Just Dreams" -  in the Amazon.com Breaththrough Novel Award Contest (also known as "ABNA").  The contest officially closed to new entries in the adult fiction category on February 2, 2012.  I know this because I went to upload an edited version of my novel and I couldn't anymore.  Imagine the angst I felt...