Category: Writing

Books, personal growth, Success, Writer, Writing

Excitement and Fun

katjorgensen

I’ve been diligently writing this year and I have a lot to show for it. The prequel to my River City Mysteries, Your Jig is Up came out just this week. Here’s the cover.

buy here

The story is a stand alone mystery, but it also explains how Becca, the main character in my series, ends up living with her Granddad and his cranky tuxedo cat Higgins. And how she ends up working for the psychiatric group of Daley & Palmer here in Richmond, VA. But she also gets involved with a murder. Here’s a little blurb about the story.

Join Becca Reynolds in Your Jig is Up as she starts her life over after a nasty divorce and inadvertently launches her career as an amateur detective in this prequel to the River City Mystery series. 

A new life.  A first job.  And an unexpected death at that job.  Is it an accident or is it murder?  When things don’t add up and a seemingly innocent person is charged with the death, Becca appoints herself the unofficial investigator.  Can she unmask a killer before he or she strikes again?

Find out in the novella that started the series. Join Becca, Granddad and Higgins in a new humorous cozy mystery.

After writing the book, I decided to give it away to newsletter subscribers as my way to say thank you for supporting my writing endeavors. If you’d like your FREE copy, simply sign up for the newsletter here at katjorgensenauthor.com. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This week I will be releasing the third book in the series, Your Lights are Out. Just waiting for official approval from the retailers. Here’s the cover for that book.

And a little about what the book is about.

Hohoho!  It’s Becca Reynolds’ first Christmas at the psychiatric firm of Daley & Palmer.  To cheer up the clients, as well as herself, she has decorated the office for the season complete with a fully festive tree.

But when she discovers one of the doctors dead under the tree with a string of holiday mini-lights tightly encircling the unlucky therapist’s neck and the other end peacefully resting between her Granddad’s cranky cat’s paws, she knows it’s up to her to investigate yet another murder tied to the hapless firm.

Surely Higgins isn’t responsible for the death?  But who is?

Can Becca solve the case and bring the killer to justice?

Or will it be a blue, blue Christmas in River City?

I have to say that I am making very good use of my pandemic days. I am so very thankful that I was able to return to my writing before all of this started. My days are busier than ever. And I’m happy with my writing.

Hope you are finding ways to express yourself creatively and that you are growing and learning during these very challenging times. Let me know what you are doing. Add a comment. I always enjoy hearing from you.

Kat

Life, Motivation, personal growth, Positivity, Success, Writer, writer's block, Writer's LIfe, Writing

Writer’s Block

katjorgensen

How many of us have sat in front of a blank sheet of paper? How many of us can identify with crumpled up pieces of paper? How many of us have suffered from writer’s block?

I have. I went through years of writer’s block. I tried and tried to get words down on the page. For the most part unsuccessfully. It was brutal. Ideas were in my head. Characters were talking to me. But there was a huge disconnect going on from my brain to the keyboard. Can any of you identify with that? I hope not, but I suspect I’m not alone in what I went through. Sad to say, but it happens to most writers at one time or another.

But I continued to try to write. There was a lot more crumpled and discarded paper going on.

Oh, I’d have brief moments of success where I’d start a new project and get maybe 50 or 75 pages into it before doubting myself and my abilities and putting it aside. The inability to write was painful. And frustrating.

It’s heartbreaking to have a passion for something and you just cannot sustain it. I had gotten to the point where I had almost resigned myself to the fact that I’d never write again.

Almost.

But before giving up, I decided to confront my demons once more. Could I beat this thing?

I’m happy to say I have.

So how did I do it?

First, I searched for a writing coach/mentor. Someone who would hold me accountable. Someone I’d pay for the service. I’d tried to do the whole accountability thing with friends, but I had no penalty factor in play. With a paid coach, if I wimped out, I’d lose money.

Second, I set goals. I know I harp on goal setting a lot. But if you set realistic goals for whatever you’re trying to accomplish and steps to reach those goals, it really does work.

Third, I paired with a dear writing friend and asked her for help and accountability too. And this time this did work for me. We do daily check-ins on what we actually get accomplished. We also review our monthly goals with a FaceTime meeting and assess how we did for the past month. And declare our goals for the coming month. This helps to keep me pushing forward.

Because my writer’s block was so strong and of such a lengthy duration, my final step was to work with a therapist to get to the root of my problem. My issue stemmed from the loss of my husband. Things are sometimes connected in ways we’d never think they could be.

And all of my efforts have paid off. I now write every day without fail. I’ve completed two full length mystery novels already this year. I have plotted out two more. And I have concrete ideas for several more books and series. My goal is by year end to have five books for sale. I’m well on my way.

My latest novel is the second book in The River City Mysteries, set in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Your Time is Up. It gives me great joy to see readers buying it and to hear from many who take the time to write to tell me how much they are enjoying it.

The first book in the series, Your Eight O’clock is Dead, is enjoying a new cover and new life as readers discover the story and the series all over again.

What’s stopping you today from pursuing your dreams? I suggest you sit with that for a bit and see if you can write down anything that comes to mind – no matter how far-fetched it might be. I know I discounted a lot of things that really were connected if I’d only taken the time to figure them out.

Do you set goals for yourself? Do you have someone with who you are accountable? Do you review your goals and revise them as needed to get where you want to go? Are your goals realistic? Unrealistic goals will sideline you quicker than anything. Are you prepared to do the hard work? Perseverance can take you far in writing and in life. Giving up or giving in gets you no where.

The key to your success is waiting for you. Pick it up. Figure things out. Get a plan. Implement your plan with concrete actions. Reach for your dreams each and every day. And never give up.

I wish each of you success and happiness in whatever you do.

Kat

Life, Motivation, personal growth, Positivity, Writing, Your Best Life

Stay Busy and Carry On

katjorgensen

Most of us are staying in place and practicing social distancing, washing our hands and not touching our faces. Working from home. Practicing new daily routines. But what else are you doing?

In times such as these it’s easy to let yourself be a target for fear and anxiety. None of us knows how long the pandemic will last, not even the experts. So what can you do to keep yourself positive?

First, I think this is an excellent opportunity to use our time wisely. Is there something you’d like to study or do that you simply haven’t had time to do before now? Or do you have a hobby you’ve been neglecting or one you’d like to take up? Go for it.

Or maybe you’d just love to have time to kick back and relax. Read more books. Garden. It’s spring in the Western Hemisphere and everything is starting to bloom. Now is a great time to get outside and work in your flower garden. Or maybe plant a food garden. Or take a walk. Spend quality time with your family if you are fortunate enough to be quarantined with them.

If you live alone, make sure you are staying in touch with others daily via social media, emails, and video chats. Loneliness can lead to depression and that’s something none of us needs to deal with on top of all of our other challenges right now.

As for me, I’m using this time to write. I’ve finished my second book in The River City Mysteries and have moved on to writing the third book in the series. I hope to have all of the books for sale sometime this summer.

I would really love to have you subscribe to both my blog and my writing newsletter. Newsletter signup can be found on this website’s home page. Right now, you have to go out of the website and sign back into katjorgenseauthor.com for the subscribe button to appear. I’m working on that. I will never share your email and you will hear from me about writing related things – new releases, contests, giveaways and inside scoops.

The Mona Lisa and I are both wearing our masks for the times when we do have to be out and about. I encourage you to do the same. Stay well, Stay safe. Be kind to one another. Think about a donation to a food bank to ensure those less fortunate have food. Or find other ways to donate to our first responders, healthcare workers, and those on the front line. We are all in this together.

Writing

Listen

katjorgensen

All month long I have been fighting my writing.  In my heart, I knew something wasn’t right with this latest book, but I could not figure out what it was.  I hate that.  After all, I had carefully plotted the book and was happy with both the plot and the characters.  Or was I?

By asking myself some questions, I got a glimmer of what was bothering me.

I didn’t want to kill off my intended victim.  I’d grown to like her.  And because I didn’t want to bump her off, my scenes were suffering and my pacing was off.  I was going to the computer each morning practically kicking and screaming.  And procrastinating about murdering her on the page.  Of course, I didn’t know that that was what I was doing.

But once I figured out that I didn’t want to kill her, I had to figure out what to do.

Was this just a whim on my part, or did she really have a place in the story other than as the murder victim?

When I’m in a dilemma like this, I don’t do anything rash.  I turn it over to the characters.  So I posed the question to them and asked them to come up with reasons for her to stay among the living.

And they came through.

I woke up the next morning and the answer was clear.  She gets to live.  And the characters (or my subconscious) came up with all of the answers.  I knew why she had to live.  I knew who had to die in her place.  And I knew what plot complications I could make based on letting her live.  I was delighted.  The story was going to be better than ever.

What if I’d ignored that nagging feeling?  I would have continued to write.  That’s a given.  But I would not have enjoyed the process.  The book would have been completed, but I have a feeling it would have been flat.  I wouldn’t have been happy with it.  And ultimately the reader wouldn’t have been either.

I’ve learned to pay attention to those “something isn’t right here” feelings – whether they’re with my writing or with other aspects of my life.

We are amazing creatures.  We know more than we think we know.  But we need to train ourselves to tune into the things that we know but routinely don’t listen to or ignore.

Inner feelings are there for a reason.  Sometimes they steer us wrong.  But frequently they have merit.  Be still and listen to what your body is telling you about your writing, your hobby, your health, your relationship, your whatever.

We’re always so busy doing that often we forget to just sit and be.  The answers are always there.  We just need to listen.

Are you listening to your inner voice today?

Writing

Write Without Fear. Edit Without Mercy

katjorgensen

The first draft of any novel I write is written without fear. I sit at the computer with a loosely plotted story idea, and as I work I allow my creative side to go where it wants to. Often times I find I’ve lost all sense of time and space. This is called writing in flow and is simply a magical time for any writer.

As the words come I frequently find that my characters have taken over, and I’m no longer in control of my story. Often it seems like I am only along for the ride. The characters have decided on the story direction. Sometimes it is in direct opposition to what I’ve plotted. Most of the time they are right, and I adjust my outline to include their ideas.

Years ago I used to fight them. Over time I’ve learned to trust them. And to give thanks for whatever part of my writer’s brain that is accessed. I have come to realize it’s a gift. I can’t control it, much as I’d like to at times. I simply now accept it for what it is.

If we can turn our internal critic off and allow our creativity the freedom it needs the results might just surprise and delight us.

I see writing as a right brain, creative process, and editing as a left brain logical function. When I edit I try hard not to have any mercy. I divorce myself from phrases, characters and anything else creative I’ve come up with during the writing stage of the book. I am ruthless. It takes an entirely different skill set to edit. I’d much rather write than edit. But both are necessary to produce quality work.

So let yourself be free during the creative process. Then when you edit, take charge of your work and edit fearlessly.

Writing

Writing

katjorgensen

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others; read a lot and write a lot.

Stephen King

If you haven’t read Stephen King’s excellent book “On Writing” I urge you to check it out. Originally published in 2010, it’s now out as a 10th anniversary edition. I’ve just ordered it and plan to reread it.

It doesn’t matter in what genre you’re writing, his book has a lot of good information in it for writers of all levels. But it’s especially beneficial if you are a new or aspiring writer, or someone like me, taking up the craft once again.

Years ago, a friend of mine, who is a New York Times Bestselling writer, encouraged me to read widely. And not just in my genre. I’m a firm believer in this and have done it for probably the last twenty years or so. You learn a lot from stepping out of your genre and your writing will benefit from it.

Primarily, I write mysteries and a bit of non-fiction. But I read romance, science fiction, historical, biographies, all sorts of non-fiction, women’s fiction, the classics. Whatever I happen to find interesting at the moment. It not only gives me the chance to study other writers that I would not ordinarily be exposed to, but it keeps me fresh and abreast of what’s being written by other writers. I also read current events and try to stay up on news stories. Being current is important even if you’re writing historicals. As writers we learn from everything we read.

What are you currently reading?

Life, Motivation, Writing, Your Best Life

Time For Change

katjorgensen

It’s a new month. Are you making important changes to your life yet in this new decade?

Or are you complacent? Content with your lot in life. I hope not.

Change can be scary. People like their routines. They are familiar. And comfortable. But we need to constantly push ourselves in new directions to be our best selves and to live fully.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

This year I’m resurrecting my writing career. I put it on hold seven years ago when I lost my husband after a very brief illness. Life descended on me. Suddenly I was in charge of keeping everything going. Talk about pushing me out of my comfort zone. But I did what I needed to do, and I learned a lot. However, there was no time to write. Only to do. To stay afloat.

But now I’m ready to stretch myself again with my writing. Yes, it’s scary. I’m rusty. Really rusty. Technology has moved forward in those seven years and things which were once fairly familiar to me have changed drastically. It’s a learning curve to get back up to speed. New writing packages. New ways of reaching readers. New resources which weren’t available years ago. It can seem daunting at times. But it’s also exciting.

Don’t let your fears sideline you. You are capable of achieving your dreams and desires. But you have to be willing to try.

If these last seven years have taught me one thing it is the fact that none of us are guaranteed the next moment. Life changes in the blink of an eye, the sigh of a breath. Why live a life of less than you deserve or want? Decide what will push you out of the familiar and into uncharted waters. Take that first step. Then push yourself further. It all starts with a dream. And idea. A goal. You can do it.

I challenge you today to make a commitment to yourself to try something new or to pick up something you put aside and give it another go. Don’t be satisfied with where you are in life. Reach for your dreams.

Life, Writing

New Year, New You . . . and Me.

katjorgensen

I love a new year. Yes, I know January 1st is just the day after December 31st and people can argue that it is just another day. But for me, and I think a lot of people, it signifies a fresh start. New hope and new possibilities. Time to reassess our lives and figure out what we want in the new year.

Have you given thought to what you want to accomplish in 2020? If not, the year is still young. List those things that would bring joy into your life. Perhaps a new hobby or a new job. Maybe travel. Or taking better care of yourself. We’ve got a whole new decade ahead of us. But our time is finite. Why put off those things you really want to add, delete or change with your life? Start an action plan today. Making a list is a good start. Then rank which things are most important to you. I suggest starting with your top three to five things. Then do a separate list for each one. Decide the small steps you will need to take to implement your changes. Every change starts with those first steps.

As for me, I’m getting back into writing. I’ve already got the second book in my River City Mystery series ready to edit and revise. I’ve started work on an exciting new non-fiction project. Plotting on book three in the mystery series is happening. And I’m back to blogging here on the website.

Additionally, I’m revamping this website. It’s got a new look and is very much a work in progress.

So lots of exciting things happening in my corner of the world. Look for updates here as things progress along. It’s a NEW YEAR.