We decided to go live over at Falling for Fiction a day early, because a number of people were asking about it. We'd love it if you would pop over there and give us a look and a follow. Check out what we're about. The five of us are SUPER excited about the blog.
And after the month of April (when the A to Z Challenge is over), we'll be moving to our 'normal' schedule which will include critiques and spotlights about YOU. So feel free to submit your work or contact us about being featured.
Seriously you guys, thank you SO MUCH for all your hilarious comments about my 'Snapple' post. Traveling up and down the east coast, in and out of airports, car rentals and hotels (not to mention the customer meetings), I really needed all of that.
What better way to start the weekend then to WIN SOMETHING! Check out Jen Morris and my Double Trouble Giveaway which closes on April 1st (which amazingly enough is Sunday. Where has the time gone??). We are running separate giveaways. So if you've entered mine, you're not entered to win hers and vice versa. Go here for my giveaway and herefor Jen's. Books people. You can win books! :)
And, since its Friday and I've been diving head first into my WIP (over 30,000 words done in about two weeks!) and been traveling for that other job, I didn't really think about what to post. Luckily I was tagged by the lovely Rachel Frost over at Story of Her Life. So I will answer some questions that hopefully will be remotely interesting.
Do you like cats or dogs better? Why? Dogs. The main reason is both my sister and mother are deathly allergic to cats and I don't want them to die so I could never have a cat. The other reason is because I have a dog. This little cutie pictured here. Her name is Sasha and she is somewhere between seven and nine years old. (I adopted her about a year and a half ago and they didn't know.)
What kind of books do you usually read? I don't really have a 'usually'. I guess I tend to gravitate to YA (any genre) but as I say this I realize I have two books started and neither are YA.
About how long do you spend on the computer per week? Oh my. For my nine to five job I spend a lot of time on my computer. Over my lunch hour I write. Before work I try and read a number of friends' blogs and after work I finish reading blogs, post my own and find time to write. So...too much, probably :)
If you could turn into an animal, what animal would you be and why? Probably a falcon. That way I wouldn't be hunted but I could still fly.
If you could visit any place, real or fictitious, where would it be? Hogwarts, post Voldermort's demise. ;)
Do you play any video games? What are some of your favorites? Oh man. Not since PlayStation Uno was brand new. But when I did play, I was GOOD. Super Mario Cart on Super Nintendo. No one could beat me. :) And Final Fantasy, any Final Fantasy, I was pretty good at those too.
What is your favorite color? Terracotta. Otherwise known as Burnt Orange.
How do you feel about the current state of the world where you live? Wow. This one's deep. I guess I think about it how I think about myself, I can always be better. So can the world. I think the world has become a place of entitlement. I work hard, I do this, I do that, so what are you going to give me for it. That's not how we should think. We need to work for what we get and get back to the time when we lent a neighbor a helping hand because we wanted to and because we knew that if we ever got in a bind, that neighbor would be the first to help us.
I love sugar! Yes or YES!? What's your favorite treat? YES! Sugar! Well, I just ate a whole BIG bag of Reese' Pieces on the plane ride home. Now I'm kinda sick. So a few hours ago they would have been high on my list. ;) (They'll be there again, no worries.)
Who's your favorite author and why? I don't really do the favorite thing. Don't have a favorite musician, artist, book, movie, etc.
So, thanks again for the tag Rachel! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! And don't forget to check out Falling for Fiction which launches on April 1st. A blog designed to lend support for writers. Hosted by myself and four other amazing talents: Hope Roberson, Cassie Mae, Jen Morris and Jade Hart.
I am somewhere between Philly and Greenville, NC on business. Crazy week.
But we all know about those, don't we? ;)
So, first things first: Have you entered to win a book of your choice? NO!?! Well then go here and make sure you enter!!
And that's really all I have for today.
So I leave you with random facts. Perhaps you'll be hard pressed for a conversation starter and you can use one of these...
From Snapple tops:
1. On average, a human being will spend two weeks kissing in his/her lifetime 2. Mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas 3. A snail breathes through its foot 5. Strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges 6. Licking a stamp burns ten calories 7. All porcupines float in water 8. The average person makes about 1,140 telephone calls each year 9. There are more than 30,000 diets on public record 10. The bullfrog is the only animal that never sleeps 11. Beavers can hold their breath for 45 minutes 12. 11% of the people in the world are left-handed 13. The longest one syllable word is screeched 14. Camel’s milk does not curdle 15. Alaska has the highest percentage of people that walk to work 16. You would weigh less on top of a mountain then at sea level 17. The state of Maine has 62 lighthouses 18. If you keep a goldfish in a darkroom, it will eventually turn white 19. Smelling bananas and or apples can help you lose weight 20. A ball of glass will bounce higher than a ball of rubber 21. A bee has five eyes 22. In a year, the average person walks four miles making his or her bed (Pretty sure this isn't me...I don't make my bed.) 23. You will burn about 7% more calories walking on hard dirt than on pavement 24. The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters 25. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day (There are many days I contribute to this statistic.) 26. A ten-gallon hat holds less than a gallon of liquid 27. Cats can hear ultrasound 28. You burn 20 calories per hour chewing gum 29. A goldfish’s attention span is three seconds 30. Frogs can’t swallow with their eyes open 31. The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows 32. A cat’s lower jaw cannot move sideways 33. No word in the English language rhymes with month 34. The average person spends two weeks over his/her lifetime waiting for a traffic light to change (whoa! Let's just blow through them then! Why wait!?! haha) 35. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds 36. Fish cough 37. About 18% of animal owners share their beds with their pet (This is me.) 38. A sneeze travels out of your mouth at over 100 miles an hour 39. There are 119 grooves on the edge of a quarter 40. Broccoli is the only vegetable that is a flower 41. Alaska has more caribou than people 42. The life span of a taste bud is ten days 43. Pigs can sunburn 44. Fish have eyelids 45. The average person uses 150 gallons of water a day for personal use 46. The tongue is the fastest healing part of the human body 47. The San Francisco cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments 48. The average human produces 10,000 gallons of saliva in a lifetime 49. Lizards communicate by doing push-ups 50. The average smell weighs 760 nanograms
Welcome to the Double Trouble Giveaway Party, I am one of your hosts and this party is because of you and for you.
We're having this party because I have somehow managed to convince over 200 of you to follow me. I think we have some good times, learn some good things and have wonderful discussions about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Oh wait...maybe not discussions around that. More just about writing.
But in any case, I am so, SO thankful for each and every one of you. Though we have never met I consider you and this community a very important part of my life, not just for my writing, but for my sanity in general.
So, THANK YOU for being here. Hopefully I've given you at least half of what you've given me.
The other host of the Double Trouble Giveaway Party is Jenny Morris over at Jenny's Imaginary World. She is way cooler than me and I'm pretty sure she hasn't had to trick people into following her. *giggles* If you don't already, pop on over and join her group of loyal friends. I promise you, you'll love it. :)
Jenny and I both went in on the party supplies. Since everyone has gotten a glass of champagne, a party hat and a blowy thingy (you've all gotten those right? I hope we got enough...) it is now time to move onto the door prizes!!
Not only are Jenny and I hosting this party together because we hit the big two-O-O at the same time, but we're also part of an elite group of five writers that will be launching a blog focused solely on supporting writers in their journey, whatever their journey might entail.
(Okay, every part of that statement was true except I might have stretched the truth on the elite part. These four other women writers are elite...me? The jury's still out :))
But in all seriousness, five of us writers will be launching a group blog on April 1st called Falling for Fiction. (http://falling4fiction.blogspot.com)
The idea behind the blog is to give support. To teach, to share what we've learned and have you share with us what you've learned. We want to lift you up through the rejections, cheer you on through the process and celebrate your accomplishments big and small. There will be query critique sessions, shout outs for our follower's work. The options are endless because it will be what you need us to give you for your journey.
The blog will launch on April 1st, April Fool's Day which is kinda fitting since we're all just a bit nuts. But the good kind of nuts...there is a good kind right?
So, in light of the upcoming Falling for Fiction blog launch, and this awesome party we're having, Jenny and I have created a simple contest to choose the door prize winners. Since we don't like to make things super complicated all you really have to do to be entered is to comment below. BUT if you'd like to help us spread the word on our Falling for Fiction launch, you can be entered a few more times.
What are the prizes?? GREAT question.
On my blog, you have your chance to win any book of your choice (under $10). There are two of these prizes, because after all, this is the Double Trouble Giveaway Party.
On Jenny's blog you have your chance of winning one of three books: The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler or Best Friends by Martha Moody.
To enter my door prizes just fill out the Rafflecopter below!
Thanks again so much for being here. Hope to see you around these parts for the foreseeable future and hopefully we'll see you over at Falling for Fiction on April 1st!
We made it another week. Can I get a Whoot! Whoot!
Wow...okay. Note to self. Don't write blog posts at midnight right after a crazy hard soccer game.
First...look to the left. 200 followers! Wow! That just kinda crept up on me and I am so, SO thankful for each and every one of you. Jen Morris over at Jenny's Imaginary Worldand I will be tag teaming our 200 followers party on Monday, so make sure you come on back around then. Because, yes, there will be prizes. :)
Now on to today's topic:
I like to think happy thoughts on Fridays. It seems to come easier, it being the start of the weekend and all.
I realized this week that I often focus on things I struggle with, things I'm not as good at when comparing myself to others. I think this is good, as long as we keep it in perspective and look at these areas as places we can improve.
But sometimes (often, I would argue) we need to sit back and think about all the things we're good at and remember that our strengths are most likely other's weaknesses. It's kinda cool how the world balances itself out like that.
This thought came to me after getting a number of compliments on my ability to write query letters from my CPs. (I know, right? Query letters. Who would have thunk?) And I must admit, I actually do like writing them *gasp*. I know. I think its the challenge that really gets me. The idea of having to put enough of your full manuscript into three paragraphs that will make an agent say 'Yes, I need more.'
Kinda fun, no?
Okay, probably not for most.
I've also been told I'm good at action scenes. And in the non writing world I'm pretty good at anything that includes chasing a ball around as well as singing.
The funny thing is, as I write this I'm very tempted to put the 'but' in there. I'm good at writing query letters but horrible at a writing synopsis. Its hard to come out and say you're good at something, because it feels like you're bragging.
But you know what, sometimes its good to brag. Especially when I'm asking you too.
Last week Emily R. King wrote a post entitled, High School: Heaven or Hell? You can read it here if you're interested.
It received an incredible response, most sharing that they didn't particularly enjoy those high school years. I found this hard to believe because I loved high school.
Emily was kind enough to respond to my comment and we got into a long email chain about high school. Why she didn't care for it so much and why I did. Then she said, "I wish us bloggers could share prom or homecoming pictures. Can you imagine how fun that would be?"
Yes. Yes it would be fun. (Though...ironically, the high school dances were my least favorite part of high school. I guess I'm really backwards...:))
So the Oh Those High School Dances Blog Hop was born!
It's going to be super fun and yes, there will be prizes. Six prizes to be exact.
Here are the rules for participation:
1. Post pictures of your high school dances. (Make sure you tell us which one you are if they're group pictures.)
2. Share with us your funniest high school dance story.
3. That's it!
There are three categories to win prizes and Emily and I will both be picking a winner.
The three categories are:
1. Best Dressed
2. Funniest Dance Story
3. Cutest Couple
What can you win? A choice between a three chapter critique or whatever book you desire ($10 or less).
So dig through your photo albums and scan in your pictures. This is going to be a crazy fun blog hop!
If you missed my picture journey of this last summer's trip to Ireland no worries. Just click hereto see a number of breathtaking landscape pictures along with pictures that reveal the goof I am.
The title of this post is one of my greatest fears as a writer. I never dream, so this is more of a day-nightmare, really.
I'm all excited. Have a brand new idea for where I'm going to take my manuscript. Of course it came to me in the shower, or while I was trying to sleep or while I was slaving away on the 100th test at work. I rush home, turn on the computer...
And it's gone! My computer ate it. The cosmos swallowed it. No matter what the reasons, it isn't there.
Chances are it probably has something to do with me as I'm horrible with computers, but the reason doesn't matter.
All that work is gone.
This post was inspired by the fact that not more than five minutes ago I got out my trusty external hard drive and backed up everything. All my work. My CP's work. My thoughts and ideas for my blog. All backed up.
And when was the last time I did this?
Who knows.
My question to all of you is:
How do you make sure the unthinkable doesn't happen?
Happy St. Partick's Day everyone! I've been so excited for this blog hop. Please go check out Mark's blog here. He's the amazing Irishman living in Haiwaii running this super fun hop.
This past summer I went to the Emerald Isle with two friends. Such a wonderful vacation. I thought, since I'm only given 333 words for this post, that I would show you my experience through pictures. :) Totally cheating. Haha.
We went to the Irish House Party in Dublin. SO much fun. Highly recommend. I'm between the old man
and my friend Katie. I think I look a little worried as they teach us how to Irish Dance in front of everyone.
At the top of the Guinness Tower. The city of Dublin is behind us. I don't like beer, hence why I'm holding the
map and not a beer.
But I do like hard cider. Bulmers was my friend this whole trip.
We did LOTS of hiking.
Cathedral in Dublin.
We're at the most Western point of Ireland right now. I'm lookin' out at the good ol' US of A.
Walking through St. Stephen's Green park just
after a Summer rain.
We ate at many of these cute, small restaurants.
We like to call this our 'Album cover' picture.
Of course we can't act our age.
Ever. :)
We went seakyaking in Dingle. It is a must do.
Kayaked through some caves.
Yup. We can't just wait on the bus. Must act like fools. :)
Here we are hiking in Connemara National Park. Climbed the highest peak. Hard, but totally awesome.
To get the timer right on Katie's camera to take this picture was super hard. Haha.
Utilizing the 'Hop on, Hop off' Bus in Dublin. Definitely recommend
this too. (Notice my incredibly large eyes...this tends to happen in pictures.)
Of course it rained exactly at the time we decided to walk back to our
Dublin hotel. But it was fun nevertheless.
Yes, you are correct. We most definitely went beyond this point. But The Cliffs of Moher are really awesome
looking at them from behind this sign. ;)
We rode bikes bikes around the Aran Islands. Does anybody else get
the witch theme song in their head from the Wizard of Oz when
they see someone on a bike?
It was an amazing trip. I'd gladly go back. Of course I only get so much vacation time and there are many other
places I would like to see as well. But someday I'll go back.
I've sung the National Anthem at my fair share of sporting events. I've got a decent voice, one I'm not embarrassed to share with the public. (If you're at all interested in some of my work, feel free to pop over to the 'Music' tab up there.)
But this post isn't about me singing the National Anthem. It's about what we, as writers, can learn from those who do. (I am completely aware that I have many followers not from the US. I believe all these points should ring true for you as well, even though as a self centered American I'd be hard pressed to recall any other Nation's National Anthem. Accept my apology?)
Keep it simple
Perhaps this is just personal preference, but for me, the more simple the National Anthem is sung, the more beautiful it is. The words are amazing. The original notes are so poignantly written. There doesn't need to be any embellishments to make The National Anthem special. It just is. If sung the way it is written, you're almost guaranteed to give the audience goosebumps every time. Because the words are that powerful. Sure, the singer can take a few liberties, add their own 'voice' if you will. But let the words do the talking.
I think this is important to remember when we write. To remember that keeping it simple is oftentimes the most powerful way to get our message across. Using an incredibly large vocabulary and bombarding the reader with extra words, when only a few will do, is a sure way to muddy your message. I understand that all writers have their own voice and some might have a voice which tends to be 'more wordy' or 'more descriptive' (I do fall more in this category) but we must remember that these things should never get in the way of the message, no matter how beautiful we think all the embellishments might sound.
Practice your craft. Give it your all.
Show of hands. How many have watched a nationally televised sporting event and the uber popular singer forgets the words? Yes, I thought so. It happens way too often. And there is no excuse for it. These singers can hit every note, every word on their records, but they can't practice enough to memorize a two minute song. If they can't perform it to the best of their ability, they shouldn't be contracted to do it.
The same goes for our writing. We must practice and write. Rewrite and revise. Attend conferences, receive feedback. Do it over and over again until we know that it is our best work. That we can show it to the world and be proud of what we have done.
We want to hear the song. Not the singer.
You can be a fantastic singer, hit every note in tune, remember all the words, yet still perform a horrible version of The National Anthem. I think the majority of the time this happens because the singer is focusing on showcasing their voice, not the song. The singer should be merely the tool used to get the emotions of the song across, to express those wonderful words.
The same holds true for our writing. Yes, there will inevitably be something in our writing that is us. The voice that makes our work unmistakably ours. But when the reader is enjoying our work we don't want them to think about sentence structure and that one beautiful word. This one fantastic quote or this really well written part. We don't want them to think, the author has an elaborate vocabulary. The author has a great imagination. The author expresses these emotions well.
We want them to be completely immersed in the world we've written, believing that it is 100% real. That no one created it. It exists. And they're living in it.
When they're done reading and they close the cover, see our name underneath the title, then we want them to say, 'What an amazing story. That author is brilliant.'
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Our weather in good ol' Wisconsin has already decided its Spring.
Which is A-MAZ-ING!
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I didn't get to enjoy it.
I spent my weekend revising and rewriting!! Yay!
Yay!
*Looks around*
Yay... (Why is no one else cheering?? :))
No, it is a 'Yay!'. With a big exclamation mark. (That one's for you Leigh. ;))
I actually enjoy revising and rewriting. Thanks to some well thought out suggestions, FRACTION OF STONE, after this weekend is:
1. Absent of plot holes
2. More tense
3. LOTS more internalization
AND... 4. Has 7,000 wore words!!
I know, right? The word count has gone from 65,000 to 72,000. And those words aren't filler, they're emotion and action packed in a way that I believe drives the story forward even better.
So THANK YOU CPs! (This time around its Angie Cothran and Jen Morris.) It has taken seven of you to get FRACTION ready to rock and roll.
Where are you with your WIP? Do you like Rewrites and Revisions? What areas do you find need improvement in your work when you go through and edit?
First, we need to set the mood. This song, actually Evanescence' whole album, was my inspiration for my story FRACTION OF STONE. The song Lost in Paradise is the soundtrack for the climax scene. They are marching up a mountain which is literally crumbling under there feet, to save the world. But neither are certain whether the world is actually worth saving.
Akara: 'I've been believing in something so distant, As if I was human'
Rydan: 'And I've been denying this feeling of hopelessness, In me, in me'
'All the promises I made, Just to let you down'
Akara: 'You believed in me, but I'm broken'
'As much as I'd like the past not to exist, It still does'
Rydan: 'And as much as I'd like to feel like I belong here, I'm just as scared as you'
So who would I force to portray these two characters on this treacherous journey? I've actually never thought about this. I know what they look like but I haven't thought about who to cast. But, after some deliberation I think I'd have to go with:
Akara: Natalie Portman. She's played her share of completely broken women. I believe she could nail Akara's character. Not to mention, the look is very similar to how I picture Akara.
Rydan was a little harder to choose. He looks like this so my CPs tell me. Mr. Flynn Rider from the movie Tangled.
Because of this, I decided to go with Zachery Levi who lent his voice to Mr. Rider. And actually, if he were a little younger and had a bit more hair, he'd be perfect. And he's pretty darn good in the TV show Chuck. So yeah, I think this would work.
This was SO much fun and I can't wait to hop around and see everyone else's entries. Thanks Kyra and Rachel!
Due to my incredibly long Monday post, I will keep this short and sweet.
I finished the March Issue of Self Magazine at the gym yesterday. First time at the gym in a little less than two weeks. But...lets not reflect on my lackluster gym attendance...
Instead, lets focus on this quote which I reached just as my stairmaster session ended:
Find Your Beauty: We allow ourselves to appreciate the beauty of nature - flowers, whatever the length of their stem or the shape of their petals; clouds in the sky, however wispy or puffy - so why don't we treat ourselves with the same admiration? Just like every bloom, blade of grass or ray of sun, we are beautiful. Sometimes, you have to slow down long enough to let that sink in.
So today, take a moment to reflect on how beautiful you are. How special. And tell us...
What is one thing that you appreciate about yourself today?
1. On average, a human being will spend two weeks kissing in his/her lifetime
Time to throw a party!!!
The other host of the Double Trouble Giveaway Party is Jenny Morris over at Jenny's Imaginary World. She is way cooler than me and I'm pretty sure she hasn't had to trick people into following her. *giggles* If you don't already, pop on over and join her group of loyal friends. I promise you, you'll love it. :)
Happy Friday!!!
I've sung the National Anthem at my fair share of sporting events. I've got a decent voice, one I'm not embarrassed to share with the public. (If you're at all interested in some of my work, feel free to pop over to the 'Music' tab up there.)
Akara: Natalie Portman. She's played her share of completely broken women. I believe she could nail Akara's character. Not to mention, the look is very similar to how I picture Akara.
Find Your Beauty:
