Today I want to share one of the inspirations behind my fantasy novel I loving call "Teacup." Teacup is short for the longer title of "On the Other Side of the Teacup." It's the first book in a series- right now I'm thinking two or three books- and it's centered around a young twenty something who ends up being transported to another world through a potion given to her while she was at the Renaissance Festival.

I first started writing this book about five years ago when I worked 3rd shift (9pm-5am) as a proofreader for a financial printing company. It was grueling and isolating. My only solace was in co-workers who shared the turmoil and my writing.

I've been writing this book off and on for a while. I finally finished the first draft during the Nanowrimo Storm of '13. Since then, I've dusted it off, edited it for a bit, and then put it back. Even though I had finally finished my first book, I got scared and couldn't complete it. The task of editing seemed so overwhelming especially when I knew how flawed it was. The pressure I put on myself to make it perfect and to be perfect made me afraid to touch it.

In fact, I was contemplating just throwing it away and working on something else. The thought of deleting all that work, truly ending the lives of characters I had created kept me from doing that. So instead I put it away and tried to work on other ideas and stories. Only, that didn't really work. 

Every time I would start something new or pick up something I had set aside, little things kept reminding me of Teacup. I tried to brush it off and keep going but I couldn't. It wasn't until I went back to the basics of storytelling and reading books on crafting novels that I decided to work on Teacup again.

So here I am today. I've pulled out the story and dusted it off. To make sure that I really complete it this time, I've created a task time table in excel. I'm devoting thirty minutes a day to rewrites and edits. As I finish a chapter, I'm going to submit it to Critique Circle for feedback.

Until then, I wanted to put a few things up to help me get back into my Teacup writing mood.

Spandex, Turkey legs, and swords! Oh my!

Bocci Ball is for Lords only

Hmm... AZ can be green

Magic Potion Administrator!

Sunrise in the desert

Woohoo! Another post!

I think the title says it all. My goal this year is to make at least 10 posts and beat out last year's record of probably about 5. LOL :D

Not a lot has happened since I dropped my last blog. The house is up for sale and has been for about a week and a half. J started his new job in California last Tuesday. The baby is super squirmy and has crazy hours as babies tend to do. Oh and we found out that "it" or "the thing" as I affectionately called "it" is a girl. We are super excited about that. I want to call her the "infant inconvenience" but that is an Alexia Tarabotti thing and I don't live in Victorian England.

As for the writing, it moves slowly. I thought with J being in another state that my major distraction would be gone and I could let my muse run wild. Turns out he was an excuse that my procrastinating side used to not write. Now that he's not here, I'm still not writing! :(

I need to kick my lazy side to the curb and restart some kind of writing habit.

So to coincide with the start of the new month, I am starting a new word goal challenge for the month of March. Even though I don't follow college basketball, I too this month will be participating in my own version of March Madness.

My goal this month is to write 30,000 words and to finish my novel "On the Other Side of the Teacup." It's half way finished and I think only needs about that many words to complete this story. I need to get Rigby, my main character, and my muse off of my back so that I can focus on my new snowflake for the Consortium series that JakJak, Smokey, and I are writing.

My novel kicks off the series and the mystery that happens in the Consortium. I need to nail down the world and get this thing written!

If all goes according to plan, I will have one novel written and another one plotted out and (extreme optimism prompts me to say this) and half written if not all the way written by the time that the baby is born. Which if it's my kid gives me time past the July 22nd due date or if it's Jason will probably arrive on time or even a bit early. Either way, time is a ticking and I need to scratch off "writing a novel" on my Before Kids (BK) list.

What do you guys do stay motivated to complete a project?