🖋 Finding My Way to Writing Once Again...
IN THIS ISSUE: Personal Recap, Newsletter Revamp (with Freebies!), and Dragonlings Remap!
Newsletter Send Date: Friday, September 1, 2023
It’s been a bit, hasn’t it dragonlings?
I know. I know. I’m really good at this: saying I’ll be back and then disappearing for a while. Don’t worry. I’m getting help with it, but I won’t make promises I’m not certain I can’t keep.
In no particular order, here’s what’s been happening:
- Left Activities position for EVS position (better pay + less stress = happy Skye)
- Continued free and paid courses for data analytics
- Gained certificate in two data analytics courses
- Started paid courses in bookkeeping
- Wrote, edit, and submitted a story for an anthology I wish I’d never taken part in (YouTube video about that experience coming soon)
- Had website re-designed from ground up
- Got old newsletters (except for subscriber exclusives) added as blog posts to site
- Got someone to help me with newsletters and scheduling plan
- Both girls participated in 4H and submitted projects successfully
- Both girls participated at the fair and helped with the food booth
- Both girls joined the swim team (they made it to Divisionals and the youngest made it to state)
- Got (borrowed) truck’s transmission fixed and paid off
- replaced water pump (again)
- Replaced car’s oil pan
- Replaced car’s breaks, rotors, and wheel bearings (this was an absolute BITCH to do!)
- Fixed water trailer only to have something else break (same problem; opposite side)
- I finally admitted (at least to myself) that I was in the middle of burnout
- I celebrated when I broke through the burnout and came out the other side burned and scarred but with a plan moving forward
- I started making more time for hobbies I enjoy and will make time for more…
Let this be a reminder that You are not a machine.
You are capable of great things, but not if you are constantly running at 100% and never give yourself a break, never let yourself enjoy the things you want to enjoy outside of work.
We had to schedule fun to make sure it happens. Monday evenings are family nights in my household. The only exception is events and priorities through school, extracurriculars and meetings (which don’t happen often honestly).
That being said, I’m ready to take on writing again, so I’ve been researching live for puritans in the seventeenth century for the Shifters & Mages series, so I can re-write a prequel novella as a full-length novel, and I’m going to be doing another writing challenge.
Which brings us to my latest Writing Challenge!
Yes, ladies, gents and other folks, I’m going to be tackling the 7-Day Book Challenge.
I’ve done it a couple of times in the past, working on Dear Satan (book one of the Fire and Brimstone series), Demon Rider (book two of the Fire and Brimstone series), and Warlock for Consult (originally an anthology submission).
The idea is to write a book, novella or novel, in seven days. You choose your project and your word count and try to have a complete story (first draft, not final—we’re not masochists) by the end of a week.
This time, we’re doing the challenge from September 18-24, 2023. I’m participating with fellow Indie Author and friend Carrow Brown and several others, and if you’re interested in trying it yourself there’s a sign-up sheet where you can add a bit about your own project and what your goal is.
If you’ve been a subscriber for a bit, you know I’ve tried this various different ways, and this time, I’m going to let you choose the story I work on. Below are three titles in my bank (all short novels or novellas) that I could work on for the 7-Day Book Challenge. I’d love your opinion. Which of the three stories should I work on this time?
NOTE: This poll is now closed.
Curious?
Which would you have chosen?
If you’d like a chance to vote in future polls, subscribe today!
BONUS ROUND: This new story will become a regular installment in my newsletters!!!
The plan is to offer one chapter per newsletter starting in October to give my Fantasy readers a little somethin’ somethin’. These chapters will ONLY be available in the newsletters’ emails and will not be converted onto my website like the rest of the newsletters content.
Reader Exclusives for the Dragonlings!
So take the Poll, and pick your poison…
NOTE: This poll is now closed.
Curiouser?
Input from fans and friends is always fun, and S.D. Hegyes talks to her newsletter dragonlings first! Sign Up today!
Learning your craft as a writer takes time, and a loooot of advice.
I have made my way through a TON of resources over the years, and I have found that some stand out above the book stacks. I’m no authority of writing craft, but I do have about 20 years experience with learning my own craft.
In my writing reprieve (aka burnout spiral) I realized that one way I connect with fellow authors – and hopefully readers who want to be come authors- is by resource sharing. You never know what’s going to stick and do the trick for you, so “here ya’ go take all the resources!” Something along those lines.
This inspired me to start something new with my newsletter and website–
Welcome to the Dragonling Archives !!!!
I am going to begin creating an archive of things I have found to be useful over the years, everything from book reviews to shared templates (I’m getting pretty good with Notion!), and instructables!
Which brings me to my first entry into the Dragonling Archives! I have created a PDF to go with my 7-Day Book Challenge!
In my experience there are 2 main approaches to almost any writing challenge: Worldbuilding versus Word Counts. So I created a FREE PDF with the 7 main areas of each for reference when taking on this 7-Day Book Challenge.
And I plan on making this a regular thing! Each month I will be giving away a free PDF to my subscribers with advice that I have experienced first hand to help authors reflect on some advice and see if what was true for me, is true for them too! Each month will have a different theme, and all the instructibles will live long term in the Dragonling Archives for all my fellow authors and subscribers to access freely as we all grow in the writer community!
Follow S.D. Hegyes on Social Media
S.D. Hegyes Newsletter
A monthly newsletter with Day-In-The-life commentary, author resources, cool new writing tools and tips, as well as a little writing humor thrown in. An all around good read from a good friend.
SERIES: Self-Publishing Success, Book 1
BLURB: My first published novel took me five YEARS to write. The second took months. Now? I draft each of my novels in about a week.
We live in a fast-paced world, and not everyone has the time to spend months or even years working on a novel. This book is a comprehensive guide over how I get a book from concept to fully-edited in the course of about a week. (It can take less or more depending on the length of the novel or my time constraints). This process can work for any genre of fiction, as I have used it for every novel I’ve written after the first.
BLURB: “Have you ever wanted to double your daily word counts? Do you sometimes feel like you’re crawling through your story? Do you want to write more every day without increasing the time you spend writing or sacrificing quality? It’s not impossible, it’s not even that hard. This is the book explaining how, with a few simple changes, I boosted my daily writing from 2000 words to over 10k a day, and how you can too.”
Expanding on her highly successful process for doubling daily word counts, this book, a combination of reworked blog posts and new material, offers practical writing advice for anyone who’s ever longed to increase their daily writing output. In addition to updated information for Rachel’s popular 2k to 10k writing efficiency process, 5 step plotting method, and easy editing tips, this new book includes chapters on creating characters that write their own stories, practical plot structure, and learning to love your daily writing. Full of easy to follow, practical advice from a commercial author who doesn’t eat if she doesn’t produce good books on a regular basis, 2k to 10k focuses not just on writing faster, but writing better, and having more fun while you do it.
Well Dragonlings, it's getting late - I mean lengthy.
I look forward to this next chapter with You!
Dragonling Archives
Read past issues of S.D. Hegyes Newsletter for a glimpse into her writing past and future, along with her plans and dreams. Follow along the Indie Path and experience the fun and frustration of being an Indie Author!
Authordom
The musings of an Indie Author learning Writing Craft in pursuit of plot bunnies and more.
Resources
Tips, Tricks, and Tools-of-the-Trade both new and used by S.D. Hegyes.
Extras
Short Stories, Vlogs, and Freebies! New Subscriber Exclusives each month!