Word Count

For those of you who are (or who have hung around) a writer at any point in time, you've probably heard the terms "word count."

We are always striving for that elusive number. Be it a daily goal or the completion of a manuscript, we wordsmiths sure do seem to place a lot of importance on numbers.

And a lot of writers will admit that they hate numbers. Many of them hate math in general. So what is it with this obsession we have with numbers?

After much pondering (not really), I've decided to share my thoughts (or lack thereof) on this subject.

1. We need numbers. Life, and thus our stories, would be boring without numbers. (Who would be interested if the reader doesn't know how old our characters are, what year they live in, or how many half-decaf-caramel-lattes they drink each day?)
2. Numbers help you exaggerate in order to make your point more meaningful. (She rewrote the scene for the 5-trillionth time.)
3. Numbers help us with deadlines and parameters. (You'll never have a publisher ask you to deliver a manuscript of unlimited word count whenever you feel like it.)

So now that I have shared my abundance of wisdom on this matter of numbers, I must get back to my own word count after teaching my kids that "yes, you still have to do math even if you want to be a writer."

From Kayla's Perspective #4 - REVISION RAMBLINGS

UGH!! Revisions, schoolwork, swimming, crit group chapters. Where has the day gone?

As we travel down this amazing-ly busy, terrib-ly funny, tiring-ly draining, and genuine-ly crazy path, (since this is a blog I can use all the “LY” adverbs I want, LOL) I realize what “not enough time in the day” really means. (“Sleep? What is this sleep you talk about?”)

Also, now Mom and I have a new challenge, a puzzle: Taking apart and then putting back together our story. (Duhn, duhn, duhn, duh!) Otherwise known as, REVISIONS.

“Let me splain… No, too much, let me sum up…” (Come on, you’ve gotta love The Princess Bride) we’re each making a separate document for our character's scenes so that we can re-tweak them, finding out where to add new scenes, which then means going back and labeling all the old ones. Whew.

Confused? Don’t worry, so am I! But I’m just going along with it, Mom knows what to do, so I’ll just follow her. Again, LOL. (It's a good time to only be 12+1 years old. I don't have to have all the answers.)

Being a writer is hard work, which is why I always keep my stash of M&Ms close by. FYI-M&Ms work magic when writing! And sweet tea, sweet tea’s great too. You’ve gotta be prepared when going onto the battle field, right? (Just go along with it.)

Then again, every once in a while it’s nice to sit back and relax, ya know? Most of the time that means watching a movie (like Bolt, Up, or The Ultimate Gift) or reading a book (like one of The Dragon Keeper Chronicles or The Chronicles of Narnia).

But no matter how relaxing that is, it’s still a job to do revisions! (Revisions themselves aren’t the bad part, the bad part is when you over-do your editing and destroy your scene. How do I know? Just trust me, I know.)

But, it’s always fun when Mom comes into the room (In that moment it’s like angels start singing the Hallelujah chorus) and she starts making me laugh.
(Just a little piece of valuable info here, Mom and I are both very silly and love to laugh at each other’s mistakes, for instance as I was writing “Most of the time that means watching a movie or reading a book” above, I put “watching a book or reading a movie”.) Hey, you’ve gotta at least chuckle!! Come on, chuckle… you can do it… come on…

I guess that’s just how life is though, full of surprises, trials, laughs… and confuzzling sentence skeletons (Ick). But, at least I know that I’ve got God, so what am I worried about? I may do horrible in my worst subject, (English, are you surprised?) but I guess that’s what perseverance is for, right? (Nod your head so I know you’re paying attention.)

Little voice inside head also known as Holy Spirit: BE THANKFUL!
Me: Yes, sir.

Oh! I think I hear lunch calling me, it’s saying “Kayla… eat me…” echo, echo, echo. (Have I succeeded in making you smile yet?)

I guess I’ll go eat lunch and then get to my Revisions, Math, and English (woop-a-dee-doo… hint, hint).

Have a wonderful day and God bless!
-Kayla
Remember: Bad things aren’t the only things that happen in life so thank God for your blessings (yes, English included), even when you’re down in the dumps.

Ah, the Joys of Writing... and Taxes

It's that time of year. Tax season.

Tomorrow morning, I have an appointment with my amazing accountant for all my business related (writing/author)"stuff." He's been handling all this for several years, and as the business has grown, I've had to learn A LOT. Last year, he told me that it was a good idea to purchase QuickBooks Pro for my "stuff."

This is what has happened since:

I went straight to Costco and purchased said program.

Six months later, I realized I better figure it out to input the mountain of receipts/deposits/inventory... i.e. "stuff."

Looked at it.

Decided it was complicated.

Went and brainstormed a new book instead.

Looked again at pile of receipts.

Felt guilty.

Called a QuickBooks expert trainer to come teach me. (Thankfully this person still likes me after that craziness.)

Was so proud of myself after getting everything into the amazing program.

Then... I went on a six-week book tour.

Returned mid-November to face unpacking, laundry, the holidays, homeschool, and several more speaking/appearances.

Avoided the monstrous pile awaiting entrance into QuickBooks.

Moved my office, re-organized, scrapbooked, wrote, blogged, wrote some more, i.e. - avoided my "stuff."

Today, there was no avoiding it. And after my amazing assistant and I discovered that I had input over 200 duplicate receipts, I spent hours deleting all the doubled-up entries.

I whined and complained. Dented my desk from banging my head on it. And then moved my purple "complaint free world" bracelet several times for my behavior.

Daughter Kayla - and my writing partner on our suspense series set in Alaska - came in smiling with a hug for me and said, "Mom, I wish I was old enough to help you, you're working too hard."

What an encourager. Sigh.

Wait a second... I'm imagining a new and complex math project for the kids for school...

No. That would be cruel and unusual punishment.

***
for more information on the "complaint free" bracelet check out
A Complaint Free World

A New Year, A New Adventure, A New Blog...

Well folks, I can hardly believe that it is Jan. 1, 2010. Anyone else feeling old?
As we start this new year, I'm inviting you to join us on a new journey...

Most of you know that Kayla and I will be writing a three-book series for B&H Publishers. The first one is set to release in 2011. Now - we are going to be sharing with you our 'travels' on this publishing road. All the craziness, all the laughter, all the tears, all the deadlines, goals, research, plotting, brainstorming, and celebrations. (Well, we're not giving away secrets of the books - you'll have to read them - but we are welcoming you in to this little corner of our lives.) Ever wondered what it was like to write a novel? Ever thought about how it would be to write as mother and daughter? What about the fact that we homeschool, the kids have swim-team six days a week... when and where do we fit in writing? All this and more I'm sure will be chatted about here. :) We welcome your questions and comments, encouragement and prayers.

For those of you who have been reading on http://kimberleywoodhouse.com - my blog will still continue with these posts from Kayla and me on Tues. and Thurs. - but this is a new blog http://kimberleyandkayla.blogspot.com that will also be on our new website http://kimberleyandkaylawoodhouse.com so there are lots of ways to find us! We look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy the ride.
With abundant joy,
Kim

Howdy! My name is Kayla R. Woodhouse, if you’ve read my mom’s blog, you’ve probably heard ALL about me. LOL

Mom and I are writing a series together set in Alaska. The "peoples" say that I will be the youngest-published-full-length-novelist ever. (Don’t worry, I freaked out too.) By the way, did I mention that I'm 12?

Now, I'm joining her in the wonderful fun of blogging. Just to warn you, I am a HUGE goof ball (it runs in the family, corniness runs deep through our veins!) If you don’t like humor, you don’t have to read my blog. :) In all seriousness, I hope you are touched by what we share here.

As you may know, about three years ago I had to have brain surgery. That was when I really started to read A LOT. Ever since then, I have loved books, and that love of books grew into a love for writing.

My brother and I were always coming up with stories and had already made 78 “episodes” of stuffed animal stories. I was always jotting down ideas and making up characters in my head, but I'd never really thought of becoming an author until my mom was offered a book contract for Welcome Home: Our Families Journey to Extreme Joy. She'd been writing since before I was born, so writing had always been part of out lives. But it was when we took a trip to the Grand Canyon that I came up with what I thought was my first 'slightly' good story. (Mom will tell you that I wrote lots of good stuff before this, but this is where I felt it all started.) I was surprised when my mom was amazed at my writing, and from then on - I wanted to get better and learn more. Mrs. Karen Ball, (a super-cool person who encouraged me to write when I was 10) offered to look at my stuff. Again I was amazed when she said she liked it and eventually, my mom and I were offered a three book deal, (while I was having Swim Team practice at the Olympic Training Center of all places!)

I hope that you will have fun reading my “oh so wonderful” blogging as my mom and I write and share our stories with you.
God Bless!-Kayla