The first couple of days this week have been okay. I’ve managed to keep ahead on my word count. I’ve written the last two days, although this book is HARD to write (see my previous post). I just have to hang in there and see what happens when I’m finished. It may be good, it may be crap. I exercised Monday, but not last night. I had to help a friend with something and I didn’t get home until late. I had just enough time to write my 500+ words. So that also means I got no housework done, nor did I get any proofing done on my print book. But I have the rest of the week to make up for that. And helping a friend was worth it.
On a very pleasant note…my free story on Smashwords, The Beast in the Mirror, is getting lots of downloads. I got a 5 star review almost immediately after publishing. I now have another 5 star and a 4 star review there. I’m pleased with that because that story is dear to my heart. It’s still .99 on Amazon. I told them it was free on Smashwords, but it may take awhile for them to make it free on Amazon. And people are actually buying it for .99 and haven’t yet complained that it’s a short story. Of course, it states clearly in the description how short it is.
How are the rest of you doing so far this week?
lauralynnelliott.com 
Good job, Lauralynn! 🙂
People often times trump other tasks we have. Sounds like you made the right call.
Thanks, Darlene! My writing is important to me, but family and friends come first, especially if it’s something important. The writing will always be there when I get back. 🙂
Yay on getting so many downloads of your free story. That’s great word of mouth. And congrats on plowing through the writing even if the book is tough. That’s something to be proud of:)
Thanks Stacy. I’m really happy about The Beast story. I wrote it in sort of a frenzy, the words coming fast, the story flowing. I’ve never had a story come to me so easily, so I’m glad people are liking it. My whole point was to give readers a free gift. 🙂
Oh, this book I’m writing now is so hard because it’s out of my normal writing genre. I just hope I can make it through it without chucking the whole thing. I hate for anything to get the best of me, so I’ll probably keep plodding along.
Helping a friend is always a good choice. Especially if they have a knife, gun, or properly equipped voodoo doll. Just sayin’.
Grats on the DL’s :-).
Matt, you always crack me up.
Congrats on the downloads. That’s got to feel good. Keep up the good work. 🙂
Thanks, Ryan! It does feel good. 🙂
Fabulous news on your short!! I love hearing great things 🙂 It’s a great feeling when people enjoy your work and if the story is close to your heart, then it’s reflected in your writing (hence all the kudos!).
Thank you, Claudia. I had been wanting to write the story for a long time, and suddenly it just started coming out. LOL
Congrats! That’s exciting news! I should go read it. I know I bought a book of yours before and liked it. Short stories aren’t my thing usually, but I should try to spread the love to a short story every now and again.
Good luck on a more productive rest of the week.
Thanks, Heather! I’m glad you liked my book. You know, short stories aren’t usually my thing either. Many times I feel like there’s no ending, or the ending is weird. I ended this one with a little twist, so I think the readers are satisfied when it’s over. 🙂
Fabulous news about things going well. I hope you continue to do so with all the hard work I’m sure you’ll be putting in. Isn’t this writing lark fun? XD
Kelly.
http://www.blog.co.uk/user/koldham/
Thank you, Kelly. This writing lark is definitely fun! 🙂
It is such a fun story, I’m glad people are taking you up on the freebie! Keep plugging along and your work in progress…there are always more stories on the other side. 🙂
Hi J.R. I’m glad people are liking the freebie. It was SO much easier to write than what I’m doing now. LOL I know there are some more stories because some of them are already calling to me. 🙂
I’ll have to check out your short story! As for housework…I tackled my mess here yesterday. Today will be much easier…haha. Although, I still have to take down my Christmas tree…yikes! My husband asked me if I was waiting for Serbian Christmas…ha. It’s so pretty that I hate taking it down, but my husband says that only confirms that somewhere in my lineage, redneck lurks. Ha.
Have a great day.
I hope you’ll like my story. 🙂
Ah, housework…how I hate it. My husband can’t stand the Christmas tree being up past New Year’s. That Monday after New Year’s that I was off work, I was busy on the computer, and he just starts taking off ornaments. So, of course I felt guilty not helping, so I stopped what I was doing. My husband is the house cleaning Nazi! LOL
Hi Lauralynn! So glad to hear you are doing well! That’s great about your short story, and that you managed to balance writing, home, and friend on what sounds like a hectic day. Balance is something I’m working on this year.
Thanks, Vicki. Balance is important, but oh so hard to achieve! I really want to meet all goals this year, not just writing goals. I find that when I’m in control in other areas, the writing is easier.
Congrats on all the downloads and the progress with the word count.
Important things and people get in the way of my writing, as they should, but I eventually catch up.
Thanks, Medeia. Yes, people come first. The writing eventually gets done.