Tag: motivation

Motivation Monday

The One With The Coffee Mug Motivation…

Elodie

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I love mugs. If you ask The Chemical Engineer, he might tell you we have too many mugs. I would disagree. We have mugs that are full of memories that make me smile. We have mugs that have sayings on them that make me smile.

I actually got the mug below for him. 😉 I do use it as well.

It’s official. You’re awesome.

I took the following picture sometime last week, and I thought I’d share it in case anyone else needs that reminder or needs a smile or loves mugs as much as I do. 😉

I shared it on Instagram this morning.

Oh, in case you’re wondering where I got it. It was at Target. They don’t seem to ship it anymore, but some stores may still have it. They do curbside contactless pick-up. 🙂

I have a lot of things on my to-do list for today and for this week, including:

  • Finish revising/drafting my first adult rom-com.
  • Getting the German/Italian version of ONE DREAM ONLY ready for publication. That means: work on the ebook cover, the paperback cover, upload it on different platforms.
  • Getting the Italian version of ONE DREAM ONLY ready for re-publication, as I’m getting the rights back this week. That includes: work on an updated ebook cover, an updated paperback cover, upload it on different platforms.

Do you have mugs that bring a smile to your face as soon as you see them? What do you have on your to-do list for today? Or for this week?

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revising, rom-com, writing

The One With The Love List…

Elodie

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What is a love list? Honestly, you could do a love list for a whole lot of different things, but this one is about my manuscript. 🙂

Once upon a time, YA Highway (remember, YA Highway?)’s prompt for Road Trip Wednesday was: “What’s on your Work-in-Progress Love List?”

It was a summer day, forever ago (on August 22nd, 2012), when writers around the globe shared their love lists for their own manuscript. I did, too. Even if I did apparently forget.

Full disclosure: I actually remembered Katy Upperman’s love lists (for KISSING MAX HOLDEN which was then called CROSS MY HEART and another book which is full of hearbreak and emotions), which is how I found my way back to Googling YA Highway RTW Love List, re-read Dahlia Adler’s Love List for her manuscript which popped up in my Google search, and then re-found my own from August 2012.

That YA Highway Road Trip Wednesday prompt was based on a guest post by contemporary young adult author  Stephanie Perkins’ for author Natalie Whipple’s blog.

Whenever I begin a new project, I also begin a list called “What I Love About This Story.” I start by writing down those first ideas that sparked the fires of my mind, and then I add more ideas as I discover them during my push through early drafts. I use this list as a touchstone to remind myself during the hard times why my story is worthwhile. It’s easy to forget the GOOD STUFF when I’m wading through the muck, and the end is still months away, and it feels pointless and hopeless to continue. This list becomes a crucial reminder: Yes! This is a story worth telling! 

And as I’m about to go back into finishing drafting/revising my current work-in-progress, I feel like writing down this manuscript’s love list (in addition to my Pinterest board) will be helpful.

This is my first adult rom-com and I’ve only been sharing snippets of it with my critique partners.

So, here we go.

💕Love List 💕

Second chance romance.
Bucket Lists.
Lace. And tule. And wedding dresses.
Vintage clothing.
Old Bay.
Swans’ Cove.
Maryland Eastern Shore Little Town.
Holiday season.
Laughter.
Animal shelter.
Hockey.
Therapy.
Ice rink.
Self-confidence.
Therapy.
Friendships.
Giggles.
The sweet smell of cinammon apple pie baking in the oven.
The flavor of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon.
The sound of the waves.
Family dinners.
Support.
Chemistry.
Scenes full of sexy moments…including sizzling sexy moments and laughing sexy moments and full-of-emotions sexy moments.
and so much more ;-)…

Do you have a love list for your manuscript? Or maybe for your job? Or your day? Don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments. 🙂

Oh, and if you’d like to help me raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and #LightTheNight, please check out this link.

Do you want to receive my blog posts directly in your inbox? You can…by just signing up below.

If you’d like to receive updates about my books and get exclusive access to bonus content, don’t hesitate to susbscribe to my newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/elodienowodazkij/website .

Motivation Monday

A picture to make you smile on Monday…or a little bit of Monday motivation.

Elodie

Pictures of Plato the Dog always make me smile. He’s silly and cuddly and stubborn and loving and so sweet.

I took this picture last week. He had taken a long nap during the afternoon and was just waking up, stretching, clearly not entirely ready to get up.

Kind of me like me some mornings…

Hope this picture makes you smile too and that your Monday is going well!

a to z challenge

Self-Publishing: R is for Reviews

Elodie

RReviews are so important for authors, being on Twitter, on Goodreads, on blogs and especially on online retailers for many reasons – here are just a few:

  • Before a release, it amps the anticipation, might bring a buzz.
  • it really helps the visibility of books on online retailers. There are algorithms that are used on Amazon for example which could make your book show up in their ‘also recommended’.
  • Reviews can drive sales (and not only good reviews…)
  • Readers might be more inclined to read a book if they know people have already read it.
  • Certain advertising  or reviewing sites are only considering books with a certain number of reviews.

Thank you, thank you so much for everyone who’s taken the time to review my books. THANK YOU ❤

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Join me tomorrow for S…

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a to z challenge

Self-Publishing: Q is for Quote (motivational quote)

Elodie

QQ is for…Quote (motivational quote) or in this case quotes…:) I just finished drafting and revising my NA thriller YOU ARE MINE and it is both exhilarating and super scary. That also means I need to go back to other projects, including an overhaul of another thriller and finish drafting a companion novel.

That’s where the quote from Stephen King comes in…

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And then, there’s this one because I think sometimes we don’t necessarily see the amount of work people with lots of success or lots of luck or both have put in or are putting in. We get distracted by the “what ifs” or the “why not me” and this quote captures how I feel about this.

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Join me tomorrow for R…

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What´s Up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday?

Elodie

WUW7

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin. It´s a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what’s up. Should you wish to join, make sure to leave a link to your What’s Up Wednesday post in the widget on Jaime´s blog or Erin‘s blog.

What I’m reading

I am diving into RED QUEEN — will try to finish it on time for YA Book Club.
And I’m also reading/critiquing another amazing manuscript this week.
Lucky, lucky me.

What else I´ve been up to

Preparing for the A to Z challenge, I’ve announced my theme on Monday  (it’s going to be all about self-publishing ) I don’t think I’m THE expert on the matter but I thought sharing some of my experience and lessons learned could be helpful for others.

What works for me

 I usually try to put a few quotes in my Erin Condren planner. Quotes that I use as inspiration or reminder…

Here’s the one I had for Monday. 🙂

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I can’t wait to check all your posts and see what you’ve been up to 🙂

WriterRecharge

Thank you #WriterRecharge!

Elodie

Writer Recharge

It´s the last post for #WriterRecharge this year and wow, time really does fly!  Don´t forget to post your update on Sara´s blog.

How did I do?

This past week, I did pretty well (except in the exercising part) but I used the bonus weekend to revise and edit ONE, TWO, THREE…I spent about 10 hours on it and I still have quite a bit to do, but I AM SO EXCITED about the changes I´m currently making. There´s still a lot to do afterwards: sending it back to my editor, and then to my copy editor for another read before the final proofread.

I was able to do a lot this weekend thanks to my wonderful and patient husband.

This was our conversation on Saturday morning

What did I want to achieve?

  • Follow a writing schedule (I need to write 5 days a week)
  • Revise 8 chapters of my YA thriller DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL (two chapters a week)
  • Write 10 000 of a new YA contemporary romance (companion of ONE TWO THREE) called ALWAYS SECOND BEST (I need to update my projects’ page very soon).
  • I need to work out at least twice a week. How is this writing related you may ask? Well…my word for 2014 is balance and making sure I get some exercise in will help me with my balance and thus, with my writing. :-)

And?

  • I did follow a writing schedule (4 to 5 days a week)
  • I revised  4 chapters of my YA thriller
  • I wrote about 6000 words of ALWAYS SECOND BEST
  • Worked out at least twice a week (almost managed, yay!)
  • AND….I revised + edited 11 chapters of ONE, TWO, THREE…

February has been really productive! Thank you so much Sara for including me in this, thank you so much to the other wonderful co-hosts ( Katy Upperman, Alison Miller, Liz Parker)  and to everyone who joined us! (yes this sounds like an Oscar speech :-))

Let´s make March even greater (whichever way we feel is right for us!)

WriterRecharge

Brainstorming, drafting and working out…#WriterRecharge Update Three!

Elodie

Writer Recharge

If you want to learn more about #WriterRecharge, just click here. The short story: brainchild of Sara Biren, it´s a way to keep motivated during the month of February.  Your hosts and cheerleaders: Katy Upperman, Alison Miller, Liz Parker,  Sara Biren and me. Every Monday in February, update your progress via your blog or twitter. Link your blog posts at Sara’s Monday posts. And throughout the month, don´t forget to use the hashtag to connect with other writers, have writing parties, and cheer one another on!

How did I do?

Hmmm I had a wonderful weekend in France but the trip there took a bit longer than planned…so no writing time for me. But I enjoyed the time with my family and ate a lot of yummy food. The rest of the week was productive and even the drive to France included brainstorming with my husband…

  • Did a lot of plotting this week…
  • Wrote 2000 words in my new YA contemporary: ALWAYS SECOND BEST (yay! new words!)
  • Worked out two times (I had planned two so :-))
  • Wrote or revised 4 days during the week (yay!)

What are my goals for this week?

  • I will need to edit, edit, edit and edit this week. My wonderful editor is sending me back my manuscript with I’m sure very helpful notes.
  • Write 2000  words in my YA contemporary
  • Work out 3 times this week (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday)
  • Write or revise 5 days this week

Can’t wait to cheer you on! 🙂

WriterRecharge

#WriterRecharge Update Two!: Drafting, revising and jogging..

Elodie

Writer Recharge

If you want to learn more about #WriterRecharge, just click here. The short story: brainchild of Sara Biren, it´s a way to keep motivated during the month of February.  Your hosts and cheerleaders: Katy Upperman, Alison Miller, Liz Parker,  Sara Biren and me. Every Monday in February, update your progress via your blog or twitter. Link your blog posts at Sara’s Monday posts. And throughout the month, don´t forget to use the hashtag to connect with other writers, have writing parties, and cheer one another on!

How did I do during my second week?

I´m still amazed by the on-going support: THANK YOU! I haven´t done as much as I wished this week. As most of you know, I announced my self-publishing adventure…I I took a bit of time to work on my Facebook page and made sure to reply to all amazing comments on my little blog, on Facebook, on Twitter or per email. Really, I´m so grateful!

So, here´s what I did:

  • Revised 1 a chapter of my YA thriller: DADDY´S LITTLE GIRL (a bit less than planned but progress nonetheless)
  • Wrote 1000 words in my new YA contemporary: ALWAYS SECOND BEST (not as many as what I wanted. But I did do some planning which will help.)
  • Worked out two times (I had planned three. Doh!)
  • Wrote or revised 4 days during the week (yay!)

Here´s an excerpt of ALWAYS SECOND BEST. It´s in drafting mode, i.e. not yet edited. It´s the companion novel from ONE, TWO, THREE…and will come out in October 2014.

“I´m so happy you´re here! I´m trying something new and you need to taste it!”

I shrug off my coat and she eyes me up and down. “Actually, I´ll give you two, you look too skinny.”

I shake my head. While I pay attention to what I eat, that´s another thing playing against me: I don´t have the typical ballerina body. I´m slim but not that thin and I´ve got boobs. “One will be fine, Nonna.”

“Two.” She frowns. “I saw a movie on Lifetime the other day about a ballerina who was throwing up everything she ate. You don´t do that, right?” She takes my face between her hands. “Because you are beautiful. Bellissima.”

It´s hard to articulate, when she holds my face like this, so I mumble. “I don´t.”

My Nonna´s addicted to Lifetime movies. My Nonno used to say he came fourth in her heart. “First, the bambini. Then, the movies from that channel she loves, third the restaurant and forth…me.”

I believe he always came first.

“Come.” She pulls me into the kitchen and my mouth gapes open. There´s a guy there. In my kingdom. Sunday morning´s my time with Nonna.

“You need to meet Lorenzo. His cannelloni are to die for.” Nonna winks at me. She´s either matchmaking me to yet another Italian American or he really is a good cook. Nonna only winks for love or for food.

What are my goals for this week?

  • Revise one chapter of my YA thriller
  • Write 3000  words in my YA contemporary ALWAYS SECOND BEST
  • Work out 3 times  (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday)
  • Write or revise 4 days this week

Can’t wait to cheer you on! 🙂

WriterRecharge

Drafting, revising and working out…#WriterRecharge Update One!

Elodie

Writer Recharge

If you want to learn more about #WriterRecharge, just click here. The short story: brainchild of Sara Biren, it´s a way to keep motivated during the month of February.  Your hosts and cheerleaders: Katy Upperman, Alison Miller, Liz Parker,  Sara Biren and me. Every Monday in February, update your progress via your blog or twitter. Link your blog posts at Sara’s Monday posts. And throughout the month, don´t forget to use the hashtag to connect with other writers, have writing parties, and cheer one another on!

How did I do during my first week?

Honestly, WriterRecharge kept me motivated. Waking up to tweets of people encouraging one another is pretty awesome and did push me. So, THANK YOU!

  • Revised 1 and 1/2 chapters of my YA thriller: DADDY´S LITTLE GIRL (a bit less than planned but progress nonetheless)
  • Wrote 1500 words in my new YA contemporary: ALWAYS SECOND BEST (yay! new words!)
  • Worked out three times (I had planned two so :-))
  • Wrote or revised 5 days during the week (yay!)

What are my goals for this week?

  • Revise two chapter of my YA thriller
  • Write 2000  words in my YA contemporary
  • Work out 3 times this week (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday)
  • Write or revise 4 days this week

Can’t wait to cheer you on! 🙂