Erin Quinn's [Un]Sexy Business of Writing Tracker

I've given several workshops on how I juggle all that I do (working full-time and writing full-time and a family).  One of the "tools" I use is a spreadsheet to help me keep track of my page and word count.  Not only does tracking give me a goal, but it also gives me a quitting time which is just as important.


As writers, we often think we should be writing every free minute we have.  That makes it very difficult to have one of those things called a life.  If you are able to set reasonable goals for yourself and stick to them, you won't have to work like a maniac when it comes to crunch time.  Tracking will help you make sure you stay on schedule.



Another wonderful thing about tracking?  It lets you know just how fast (or slow) you write.  When you get a contract and they ask, can you have the book done in six months?, it's very tempting to say "of course!"  But how will you know if you can do it, if you don't have some method of measuring how long--in the REAL world--it takes? Knowing in advance what your output is can save you untold stress down the road.



Hope this helps you as much as it helps me!

Instructions on how to use the tracker.
Tracker spreadsheet.

Enter to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dearly Beloved, 

We are gathered here today, to join two awesome things in a state of increased awesomeness.

Today, we're bringing together an author/reader mini-con, and the chance to WIN YOUR WAY IN FOR FREE!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen... you have 7 days to hop around from author to author, blogger to blogger, and enter at every stop to win one of 3 FREE REGISTRATIONS to Olde City, New Blood, the upcoming urban fantasy/paranormal romance mini-con in St. Augustine, FL next February.

You can check out the official website for the complete list of Featured Authors (I'll give you a hint... one of them is ME!!) and Featured Bloggers. There's also a main contest post with all the participating authors, bloggers, and dates for the contest. It's super easy. Visit each of the spotlight blog posts and author websites listed, fill out the Rafflecopter link on each one (one entry PER POST, not per day... and yes, they will be checking), and POOF, multiple entries to WIN!!

The prize is one of 3 FREE REGISTRATIONS to see me and about 49 other authors on the sunny beaches of St. Augustine, Florida, from Feb 8th-10, 2013. We're going to be doing panels, readings, meet & greets, and just generally having a fun weekend with our incredible fans!! Please keep in mind, if you win, you'll have to cover your own travel and hotel expenses, but your ticket into the party will be on Olde City, New Blood!!!

The contest runs from September 30th - October 6th, and the 3 winners will be announced on October 7th. Don't forget to click the Rafflecopter link above  before you hop off to check out the rest of the contest posts!! Good Luck, everyone!! I hope to see you ALL in Florida this February!!

SEVENTH ANNUAL FALL WRITERS WORKSHOPS (FREE to the Public)

Hope to see you there!

SEVENTH ANNUAL FALL WRITERS WORKSHOPS

Saturday, November 10, 2012 – 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

Open to all writers of fiction – free admission – No registration necessary

Location: SCOTTSDALE CIVIC CENTER LIBRARY - Downstairs

3839 Drinkwater Boulevard – Scottsdale, AZ 85251

9:30 am: Morning coffee and rolls – getting to know other writers

MORNING WORKSHOPS:

10 am to 10:50 am:

Silver Room: Laurie Schnebly Campbell – Building Conflict from the Head Down

Gold Room: Morgan Kearns – The Importance of Cover Art

Auditorium: Erin Quinn – Building a Career as an Author

11 am to 11:50 am:

Silver Room: Shelley Coriell – The Editing Waltz

Gold Room: Janeen O’Kerry – Show vs. Tell and why You Should Care

Auditorium: Kris Tualla – The 4 Paths to Publishing

12 noon to 1:15 – Lunch Break – lunch on your own –

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS:

1:30 pm – Auditorium – Featured speaker:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author: JENNIFER ASHLEY

2:30 pm to 3:20 pm

Silver Room: Gini Koch – From Idea to Bookshelf

Gold Room: Annette Mahon – Writing the Cozy Mystery

Auditorium: Vijaya Schartz – Handle the Social Media Circus Without Losing Your Mind

3:30 pm to 4:20 pm

Silver Room: Pamela Tracy – The Hero’s Journey

Gold Room: Calista Fox – Writing the Novella

Auditorium: Connie Flynn – Surviving Publishing in the 21^st Century

Simply Ali Salutes Erin Quinn (aka, me) Today!

Stop on over to Simply Ali where the Saturday Salute is all about the SDSU Writers Conference scholarship I've given away every year for the past seven years!  It's a great conference and not too late to enter.  For more information, go to http://www.simplyali.com/2012/09/simply-ali-saturday-salute.html.

It's Plotting Month

Over at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, we've been talking about plotting and the different approaches to it that we all have.  Stop by and listen in.  :)

Also, don't forget to enter my scholarship for the San Diego State University Writers' Conference.  I'm giving away a conference registration and 1 appointment to a lucky writer.  All you have to do is enter at www.ErinQuinnBooks.com.  The scholarship link is on the lower left hand side of the page.

Welcome Rhonda L. Print

You've heard me say it before, but I'll say it again.  I do love it when authors come to visit me on Quinn's Essentials. 

Today I have Rhonda L. Print stopping by--actually, we're getting a twofer, because one of her characters is here to tell us why she fell in love with the sexy hero of Nightwalker, one of the exciting Leah Wolfe SINS novels.  You can learn more about Rhonda and her books at http://rhondalprint.com. Make sure to leave a comment--there's a giveaway!

Without further ado.....

Why I fell in love with Ian Nightwalker... by Leah Wolfe

He wore all black. A tight black shirt highlighted his wide shoulders and was tucked into his pants at his narrow waist. The pants were of a thicker material than denim and they fit snugly over the curve of his ass, a very nice ass. The pant legs disappeared into tall leather boots that form-fitted his calves up to his knees, similar to the boots of a pirate or a musketeer. I thought his hair was short until the moonlight glinted on it. It was actually as black as his clothes, wavy and inches from the middle of his back. It was longer than mine, but his body was all masculine male. He stood over six feet tall…

He turned slowly. His front was even nicer than his back. He looked good coming and going. His face was pale in contrast to his hair and clothing. His eyes were partially hidden behind his hair and while I couldn’t tell the color, they were deep set and inquisitive through the veil of his hair. His somewhat aristocratic nose set well in his masculine features and his mouth was full and bow shaped, his lower lip jutting out slightly.

Just pouty enough to make you want to kiss it. Repeatedly.

While sex appeal is important; and Ian Nightwalker had it in spades; it doesn’t always translate to love. I’d found that out the hard way when my former fiancé Joaquin Wildhorse crawled into the bed of another woman.

I thought maybe love just wasn’t for me and told myself that was okay. As a federal agent for Supernatural Investigations of Non-Human Species, SINS for short, I had my work, my family and my friends to fill the void where love was supposed to be.

Then Ian Nightwalker came into my life and I quite literally swooned at his feet. 

Okay, so I passed out and hit my head on a rock but swooning sounds so much more romantic.

Ian seemed to love me from the start. Why, remains a mystery to me. I fought against it every step of the way.

I came with a lot of baggage. Among my plethora of gifts is the ability to feel the emotions of people around me. Empath is the official title. I also speak to the souls of the dead. Not exactly traits conducive to being good girlfriend material and exactly the things that came between Joaquin and I.

But Ian came with some baggage of his own. He was a centuries old vampire with a hidden agenda that nearly tore us apart. He is also sexy as hell.

Where Joaquin wanted to change me, mold me into his perfect little wife to fit in with his perfect little plan, Ian just wants me. He pursued me with the patience of a man who’s lived for hundreds of years. He stood by me while I fought, let me lean on him when I cried and sat silently when he knew that I needed to talk. He slipped into my life with vampire stealth and pushed me to let my battered heart love again.

The bottom line is that he loves me, just as I am. What more could I ask?

You can read more about Leah, Ian and Joaquin in NIGHTWALKER: A LEAH WOLFE SINS NOVEL, THE ORDER OF CHAOS and releasing October 1, 2012 – JUSTIFIED. Rhonda L. Print is also the author of GUARDIAN. 

Learn more about the author at www.RhondaLPrint.com. 

Rhonda is giving away the readers choice of one of her backlists titles in e-format to one lucky commenter, so please talk to us!

Coming soon to a bookstore near you.....

I've been a busy girl lately!  You might have seen my announcement on Facebook and Twitter about my new series coming from Pocket Books next year.  The first book should be on shelves in Fall 2013 and I will be sharing excerpts through my newsletter so if you're not signed up, be sure to hop on over to my website and enter a contest or just sign up for my mail list at www.erinquinnbooks.com.  I promise not to bug you with a lot of updates--I only send out newsletters when I have something to say!

Hope your summer has been wonderful.  I took my baby to college this weekend so I've got a bit of the empty-nester blues, but she's not too far away so I'll get to see her!

All my best!

Erin