As I  said yesterday in my post, I have been getting contest entries ready.  So I had to rethink the title for one of my MS's "Sutherland Family Curse" as that was a working title only and I didn't want to enter it into a contest with that name.  Usually, I don't have trouble when it comes to naming my stories, but this one...I don't know nothing great or fitting would come to me.  I threw a bunch of names out at my CP and she helped me to narrow it down to two.  I asked my daughter and she was no help whatsoever.  So I wrote them both on a piece of paper, tossed them in a bowl, closed my eyes and picked one.  The "Sutherland Family Curse" is now "The Viscount's Potion".  I'm still not the happiest with this name, but it does fit the story a little better.  If your working titles are not appropriate for your stories.  If they're not catchy enough, or you just need some direction with your titles check out this article by B. W. Clough entitled the "Theory of and Practice of Titles":  http://www.sfwa.org/bulletin/articles/clough.htm

How do you turn a deaf ear to family, home and other responsibilities, in order to get those words on paper?  Because writing a novel takes time.  Hundreds of hours.  At least it in my case hundreds and hundreds of hours.  And many more dedicated to editing and submitting…

 

A great deal of people dream of writing a novel one day.  In reality, a trifling few of those actually begin, and considerably less of them get to "the end".  I wondered at times if I would ever achieve the Happily Ever After with my first novel.  I am happy to be able to count myself among the lucky few to have accomplished this goal.

 

So, what keeps you plucking away at the keyboard day in and day out?  What gives you the push to keep to one's course when doubts set in?  Me?  Even if there was no one other than myself to read my stories (which pretty much at this point there isn't) I think I would still scribble away...perhaps not with the same dedication to editing.

How many author interviews have you read where the interviewer asks the interviewee, "What one piece of advice do you have for a new writer?" And the one asked usually always gives some form of the same answer--never give up. Be persistent. Work consistently. Because, honestly, how many ways can this question be answered? For a different view, take a look at this article: My Best Writing Advice

This fun research link is to the Irish blessing page on Island Ireland web site. However, this web site has a wealth of information regarding the emerald isle.
Island Ireland: Irish Blessing & Prayers

"The more you read, the more you become aware of the techniques that are special to every genre, and the more you begin to see ways to meld the strengths of the genres into a whole that is, one hopes, more than the sum of its parts." --Dean Koontz

So how long do you think you have to write to come up with genius quotes like these?

I didn't do so great with my writing goals yesterday. I got a little bit of new writing done. Nothing to write home about. Disappointed.