I'm a tweeter...twitterer...I'm on Twitter!

Happy Hump Day!

I've read agent's blogs, editor's blogs and writer's blogs...

I've had friends beg and beg...

I've had complete strangers tell me...

You need to get Twitter.


So, my friends. I have made it official. I am a tweeter...twitterer...

I am on Twitter!

And so completely lost and lonely so if ya'll could offer up some advice and/or become my friends I would love you even more than I do now :) (Which is a lot... I love you all a lot :))

Yes, I do realize that 'become my friends' is a facebook term. I'm trying people, I'm trying :)

This is me: http://twitter.com/#!/KelleyLynn1

And, naturally, I need to become parts of people's possy, so feel free to leave your twitter info in the comments section below and I will jump on the band wagon!

Sweet Home...Richfield!

Last weekend I decided to spend at my parent's house and it just so happened to be the same weekend as our town's annual fair: Richfield Days. Now, I'm not sure if this is just a Wisconsin thing, but we have a TON of fairs and festivals when the weather is nice (which isn't for very long...three months maybe). I hadn't been to our town fair in well over ten years. My parents were going to see a band Friday night so I thought I would tag along with them, my aunt and my uncle.

My mom and I couldn't stop comparing it to the movie Sweet Home Alabama. I don't consider myself a country hick, but I tell ya, walking around this fair made me think twice about it. Because I LOVED it so much! It showed me that we're influenced by things we don't even realize. And I also made note that a small town fair is quite the romantic setting...might show up in a future WIP. ;)

The fair is held every year to help support our town's volunteer fire department. A number of tree carvers throughout the Midwest were there changing tree stumps into works of art.

This one was one of my favorites, with the fire hose putting out the fire in the bucket. After they were carved they put them up for auction. Everything went to the fire department.

We park in a cornfield.

The band playing that night was a country band called Chasin' Mason. They're all the rage in Wisconsin. Probably because they're really quite good and a great looking group of guys. Their harmonies are perfect and they interact with the crowd flawlessly. Everyone had a great time.

It was hilarious because when my dad asked for a beer, they asked if he wanted a single can, a six pack or a whole case. We thought that was just too funny. Obviously these guys went for the case.

You should have seen the pyramid of cans they had by the end of the night...

My dad and I left the band for a little while to watch the softball game. It was a high scorer with five guys hitting it over the fence! And these were major league sized fields! Crazy...

We reminisced since I played on this field for ten years, my dad as our coach. (I never hit one over the fence though...)

And of course I saw about twenty people I hadn't seen for ten years which was wonderful. Just makes you realize how great of an impact every decision you make and person you touch has on your life as well as there's.  It's wonderful, isn't it? :)

Using our senses

I read yesterday... I think it was yesterday...the days are just flying by so fast I really don't know. But, let's just say it was yesterday. (And I'm sorry I don't actually remember where I read it.)

I read yesterday that it is nice when the author uses each one of the five senses in any given scene in there story. So we're talking about sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.

Wow. Each scene we should use all of those at least once? I'm guessing this is more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule, but I get the writer's point. Readers want to be immersed in the world they are reading about and the way that we immerse ourselves is through our five senses.

So this got me to thinking...am I doing this in my WIPs? After an awesome critique from Theresa, one of my critique partners, I'm going back through my manuscript looking for things she pointed out, as well as how I use the five senses to describe my scenes. I most definitely am not following the suggested guideline.

 I think it's hard to use taste in every scene. We don't want our characters to come out fifty pounds heavier than they went in. :) But are there other things they could taste other than food? Sure. Blood, Sweat...I'm sure there are others but I can't think of them right now. Maybe you know of some?

For me at least, the next sense I use the least is touch. I think I used it about 50% of the time. Not using this one is an issue because we get a lot of emotion from touch. A baby's soft skin, a person's embrace, a moist tear (haha. I have to laugh at the word moist. I just sounds so funny.). This is one that I have to go back and add more of.

Smell is another I could use more. I don't know about you, but I think smell is my favorite. I love the smell of nature after a rain or during the fall season. The smell of my parent's house or cookies baking in the oven. How alert we become when we smell fire, or the way we cringe when we drive past a dead skunk. I think my strongest emotions are connected to smell so I'd like to use these often in my WIP.

Sight and Sound are the ones I use in abundance and when I read they are included the most to describe the scene. I understand because in the real world these two senses are the ones used most often. I was thinking about why that is so and I came up with a theory (now I'm starting to sound like Peggy :) Which is perfectly okay with me.).


Sight and Sound are what we can use from a distance. When we're immersed in an interaction we are able to use Taste, Touch and Smell. Even though it's more difficult, we should use the latter three as much as we can because they generate the most emotion in our reader.


Do you agree with my theory? What is your favorite sense? (Mine again is smell). When you're reading or writing which sense do you wish were included more?

Lessons from an eight-year-old

First things first: David Powers King is running a 200 subscribers contest over at his blog and you should all check it out. The prizes sound really neat. Congrats David!

From the title of this post one might assume I have an eight-year-old. I am twenty-five, so while this is possible, that is not the case. I am a Big Sister in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program to my Lil' Sis Payge. Yesterday I took her putt-putt golfing for her first time ever. It was so much fun. We've been matched for about four months now and while I'd like to think I'm teaching her a lot I find that she's teaching me as well.

1. Life is about having fun. 
Unfortunately as adults we don't always get to have fun. But there are many things that should be fun. At the start of mini golf I had out the scorecard and was keeping track of who was winning. By the end we were both laughing our heads off as we 'teed off' at the same time and ran to see who could get the ball in first. We need to remember that we can find the fun in a lot of things and when appropriate, we should.

2. Life is about negotiation and compromise.
Payge is really good at this one. She's always asking for more. When our relationship first started she used to cry or whine when she didn't get what she wanted. But now she realizes that doesn't work. :) So she's moved to negotiation and compromise and this is healthy. She knows it will only work about half the time with me, because sometimes when I say we have to go at 8:00pm, we really do have to go at 8:00pm. But sometimes we don't and we'll work out a deal so she can get 15 more minutes with me. I figure we all have to bend a little so we don't break.

3. Life is about the simple things.

Whether it's talking over a mini McFlurry at McDonald's or sitting on the bench at the mini golf place it's the simple things that tend to matter the most. All she really wants is to be with me. She doesn't care what we do. Yesterday after we mini golfed at warp speed I took her back to my place for the first time. We played with my dog, a game of Yahtzee and colored. It didn't cost anything but I could tell she was having a blast. Do you like my picture? He looks kind of creepy with those red eyes but Payge insisted that he was going to be a 'red-eyed tree frog'. Who am I to argue? :)

What have the young ones in your life taught you?


Also, if you are thinking about becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister please feel free to contact me. It's a wonderful experience for both you and the little one, I promise. 

Looks can be deceiving

Happy Monday my friends!

I had a great summer weekend. Saturday morning It volunteered at the Run/Walk for Irish Fest. I actually rained right up until the race started which made me very thankful that I was volunteering under the refreshment tent and not running in the race. Of course with the 'luck of the Irish' the rain stopped just in time and we had beautiful weather for the rest of the day.

That night my sis and I had about ten other girls over for a 'Wine and Chick Flick' night. We watched Sixteen Candles and finished six and half bottles of wine. I had never seen the movie before. Great girl's night movie. I can't believe it's rated PG though.

Then on Sunday we spent the whole day at Bradford Beach. It was a ton of fun. Most of the time we sat around and talked, soaking in the sun. We did play a few games of volleyball. If you're ever hanging out in Milwaukee you should check it out. Live music, food, volleyball. Cool stuff.

One thing you don't want to do there... swim. Even though, look at it. It looks beautiful right?

And, yes, there are a few people who brave the waters.

But when our local sewage treatment plant can't handle everything, guess where it goes... Yep.





In your favorite books or work in progress I'm sure you have locations, people, comments that are deceiving. That's what makes for good work, in my opinion. It doesn't have to be big, subtle is great too.

What are your favorite deceptions?

A little inspiration: Who says chocolate is bad for you?

We all know that having chocolate makes us feel better. Unless you eat the whole bag or in that guy's case, the whole bar. Not that I've ever done that before...I've just heard it's bad.

The other day when I was writing I needed a little pick-me-up so I went to our pantry and found a bag of Dove dark chocolate. Um, yum. The reason I say I 'found it' is because I don't do any of the grocery shopping. My sister does. She cooks I clean. It's much safer that way.

So, anyways, I found this bag of Dove chocolate. No I didn't eat the whole thing. But when I opened a little chocolate I found a note of inspiration. It was just what I needed at that moment. Over the course of eating the bag, which took us a good month or so. (Okay, maybe two weeks.) I snapped some pics of my favorites. Hopefully they give you that little pick-me-up if you're in need.

Have a great weekend!

Any words of inspiration that you find especially helpful?

On Tradition

Our characters need to feel real. While we might not mention much of there back story we need to fully understand it because it affects how they act now. If we sprinkle in a few nuggets about the life they lived before we dropped in, that only adds to the authenticity of our characters.

There are a few traditions my MC has that I mention in my MS. They are simple things. The games she used to play with her mother. The outings she took her sister on when she babysat her over the summer.

Well, this past weekend was all about traditions. (In my actual life, not the one I have created in my head.)

For the past three years one of my best friends has organized a tailgate for a Milwaukee Brewers Game. Over 60 people attend. We get to the parking lot an hour before it even opens, then tailgate for four to five hours. This year we caught the last three innings... Clearly we don't do this event to watch the game. Its all about the people. We won though... so that's something :) And we even had T-shirts this year! I wish I had thought about taking pics of the actual tailgate. If any of you come to Milwaukee you have to do the tailgate thing. I'll show you how its done if you'd like ;)

Then on Sunday we had our family picnic. Again... I wish I had taken pictures of the family golf outing, but I neglected to do so. We had 20 family members golfing ranging from age 8 to 50 something. So. Much. Fun. It was the first time golfing this year for most of us. We play to win but more importantly we play to have fun... and to heckle our Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. My team took third out of five... not too shabby.

Then we head to our Uncle's house and the competition continues. (We're a very athletic family.) We play many games of pool volleyball. You may be wondering how the ball can actually touch the water with that many people in the pool, but it can.

Then there's the buckboard tournament. I don't think I've ever won my first match in all the years we've done this. Course my sister won. Didn't hear the end of that for the whole car ride home.

We get really into competition. That's my dad. Great guy, my dad. It's his family picnic.

I realize this picture makes us look like angels, but its fierce I tell ya.






What are some traditions you have in your life? If you are a writer, do your characters have traditions that shape them?

Scars we're proud of

There's this part in my WIP where Ava explains to us how she is proud of the scars she sustained while playing her most favorite sport. Not gonna lie. This topic was totally taken from my life. I played practically every sport growing up, and still play a number of them. I have toe nails that will never look normal, discoloration on my knees and scars that will never diminish further than they already have. And I am proud of them. Because I was having the time of my life and giving everything I had when I got them.

Of course there are also a few scars that I have which aren't really something I should be proud of, but they come with funny stories so I really don't mind. (Like the time my friend tried to wipe her dirty hand on my face so I dodged it and ran right into a shelf, splitting open my eyebrow...) Hahaha...haha...ha.

How about you? Do you have any scars, bruises, abnormalities that you are proud of? How'd you get them?

You know what's great about being a writer?

I just had a realization.

I am in my sweats, my hair is a mess and I don't have on a spot of makeup.

This is some pretty sweet work attire!

There's not a whole lot of people who can go to work like this.

We're pretty dang lucky, wouldn't you say?

So as we struggle with many of the other challenges that being a writer throws at us lets raise our glasses (because, another perk is that we can drink WHATEVER we want as we work) to being able to dress as comfortably as we so choose.



What other little things make it great to be a writer?

If you're frustrated with rejection, read this article

Happy Thursday everyone!

There is a book out there that I am dying to read. It has gotten great reviews and has been made into a movie. (I'd like to read the book before I see it.)

I'm talking about The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

I was amazed when I came across this article about how it took her 60 rejections before she found an agent that would represent her. Moral of the story. Don't give up. Keep getting better. Believe in yourself.

Come critique my first 500 words

Happy 'Hump' Day Ya'll!


Hurry over and submit your first 500 words in Rachel's contest at Blackbird in my Window. You have until August 11th. 25 random entries are drawn and Lauren Ruth over at Bookends will pick one to give a partial MS review.

If you have the time it would be much appreciated if you could take a look at mine. I love constructive criticism. That's the only way we get better, right?

Book Review: Divergent by Veronia Roth

Oh. My. Gosh. This book is 'cannot put it down' amazing. Divergent flows seamlessly through dystopian Chicago as we learn about the five factions, created in order to keep peace. The heroine, at the age of sixteen, chooses to leave her faction. She will only be allowed to see her parents one day out of every year.

As she navigates initiation in her new faction she uncovers the corruption of the whole system. While her being Divergent sets her a part, it is this quality which gives her the chance to save those who are not wired to save themselves.

Ms. Roth is an amazing writer. With few words she describes so much. I think she especially excels at describing the teenage relationship.

Divergent is the first in a trilogy and I can't wait for the next one in May of 2012.

Liebster lovin'!

Well now, Mondays are usually ho hum, but today I got the most wonderful surprise. Ms. Peggy Eddleman picked me for the Liebster award! Mwa, Mwa.

Her blog is seriously the best you guys. I am very new to the blogosphere, am still learning my voice, what topics I should post and how I should make them look. Peggy is a huge inspiration to me. Her posts are so well thought out. I can't wait to read them everyday.

You might be asking, what is the Liebster award? Well, my friends, that is a great question.

It's an award that acknowledges up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. It was so sweet what she said about me on her blog and now I get to do the same for five other bloggers!

The rules of the award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!


I know you're all dying to meet some fantastic new bloggers, so here we go!


Lacie Nezbeth: One Mom's Journey to Having It All: This beautiful mother of three is wonderful. She posts twice a week about writing and life and writes with such openness and passion. Its a shame we only get to read her mind twice a week. :)


Jennifer Jackson @ Everything It & Tales: I love Jennifer. She is down to earth and her posts make you think. Her little bio explains her so well (and I think it resonates with all of us). 
I am a married writer who just happens to be disabled. I have been writing for fifteen years but feel like an amateur; I don't consider it something to be embarrassed about. Life is about learning.


DRC @ WTF's Writing Thrilling Fiction: First, the name is just awesome. And she's even better than that. I especially love her 'pic of the week'. Helps give some inspiration for future characters perhaps...


Rachel McClellan @ Blackbird in my Window: Rachel mixes the hilarity of family life with wonderful insights into a writer's mind. She also is running a contest at her blog. You might want to hurry over there and check it out! (Hopefully she doesn't pass 200 followers before I post this ;))


Katie @ What Katie Said: I thought I would throw someone in here that isn't connected with the literary world. Katie is amazing. Her focus is food, exercise and a healthy balance. She gives everything from food and book recommendations to updates on how her training is going. The recipes are very yummy and lets face it, we could all use a little advice in this department!

A conversation with my MC

Last night was...interesting.

I had a very long conversation with my MC, Ava.

Well, okay, she did most of the talking, while I rolled over and tried to fall asleep.

Usually, I have no issues sleeping. None. I go to bed, read a little, my eyes start to droop, I turn off the light, hit the pillow and I'm out. Out until I groan when the alarm goes off at 5am so I can work out.

But last night after I put my book down and turned the lights off, there was Ava, sitting next to my bed.

And she wouldn't. Shut. Up.

She told me about a few things that were going to happen to her in the second and third books of the series I am writing (lets hope there are actually a second and third book).

She shared her frustrations with the injustice in her world. I tried to tell her that her world doesn't actually exist, but she refused to listen.

Then she told me about how one of her closest friends would betray her (when is still to be decided). At this I paid a little more attention to her. She was naturally very upset.

But my sympathy quickly went away when she continued to talk. My eyes finally did that drooping thing, two hours after my head hit the pillow. I'm sure she was still talking before she realized I was conked out.

Can you tell I'm a little tired? Crabby even?

Thanks Ava. Thanks a lot.


(I got the picture from 123rf.com. Not exactly how I picture her, but fairly close.)

Have you had a conversation with your characters lately? Was it welcomed?

Contest for a chance to win a manuscript critique

If you haven't yet voted on the "Would you rather..." poll head here to do so.

Also, head over to Rachel's blog: Blackbird in my Window and enter your first 500 words for a chance to win a manuscript critique by Lauren Ruth at Bookends.

Let me know if you entered so I can read yours and make a few comments. I would also love if you'd do the same for mine!

Good luck!

Would you rather... Sacrifice

Hey all. Today I'm doing a little research for my story. I think I'll be doing my 'Would you rather' posts often for a few reasons.

1. The human mind fascinates me and often what I think is the most popular opinion is not.
2. Polls are fun! Don't you think?

Also, if you'd like to expand on the poll, please feel free to do so in the comments section. I purposely left it vague so that we could get an idea of the specific circumstances people might be willing to do one or the other.

I created this question because my first book in the series I'm working on is called Sacrifice. This poll is relevant to the plot line and I'm curious what we think.

Would you rather die sacrificing yourself for someone else after you've only lived half your life? Or would you rather live a full life and die of old age?

• Sacrifice yourself
• Die of old age

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Airport Inspiration

Did you see her?

She's right there.

That's her right? That's your MC, there in flesh and blood.


No, no its not. It looks exactly like her but she's holding herself all wrong. Your MC is weighed down by the horrors in her past, the light in her eyes nonexistent.

She wouldn't be bouncing down the hallway as she smiles at her best friend.

Your MC doesn't have any friends.

But wait! Isn't that your MC's grandpa? Sure he's slightly more bald than I pictured but he's got that smile that couldn't belong to anyone other than him.

That's him...right?

Hmmm, maybe not.

Wait, you see that little girl with the blonde pony tail sitting on top of her head? The one that looks like Cindy Lou Hoo from How the Grinch Stole Christmas...

She's over there waiting to be scanned for box cutters and razor blades.

She'll be in my next story.

Gotta love the airport. Where do you find inspiration?

Can we just agree on something?

I want to start off by saying that this post is NOT a rant. It's more like a realization which most of you have probably come to already, but I am just learning.

Let's start at the beginning. My background is in Engineering, Chemical Engineering to be exact. I took courses in Math, Statistics, Chemistry and Physics. I will say that I am NOT very good at them (my minor in Communications helped my GPA tremendously), but those are the courses I am used to.

In said courses there is a correct answer, usually only one answer, for everything. It's all very objective.

I knew from the courses that I took for my communication minor that being a writer and pushing to become an author was going to be subjective. That's what draws me to this field. I like having grey boundaries even though I'm not used to them.

But I didn't realize how grey they could actually be. Everyone has an opinion, and while the basics are pretty much all the same (work on your writing craft, find your voice, network with those in your field, edit, edit, edit) many other aspects are very subjective (what the perfect query/synopsis looks like, should a YA novel only start out with the MC POV, etc).

It's all very intriguing to me. I realize that there are lines but they are much larger and more hazy than I am used to and I'm beginning to think that the trick to writing great works is to discover this line and then try and take your work to the farthest reaches of this hazy land, without putting a toe over the line.

Is this what you have realized too? Have you drawn any dark lines that can't be crossed in an aspect of your work? Or do you find it all to be a little hazy?