"Marketing takes a day to learn. Unfortunately it takes a lifetime to master."
~Philip Kotler
Did you guess what the P word is?
Well, for this fledgling writer, it’s the dirty little secret no one in the publishing biz tells you about until someone offers you a contract:
Promotion.
Ah, yes. We aspiring writers slave away at our keyboards, waiting to be discovered as the next brilliant author, the next best-seller, only to find that we should probably be spending some of that precious time building a name for ourselves.
I know that the big New York houses do it all, in terms of promotion, for their authors--and that’s terrific. But for the rest of us, we’re suddenly thrust into this big sea to flail about and find our fins before the waves drag us and our brand new novel straight down to the bottom without it ever seeing the light.
I never realized how much was involved in getting one’s name out there, and it’s daunting, to say the least. I’m supposed to create a “brand,” a slogan that captures the essence of my writing in a witty phrase that can be splashed onto every business card and bookmark I make.
I’m supposed to find time to join chat groups, post on forums, send out newsletters and sponsor contests, all in the name of letting a few more people know who I am.
It’s exhausting.
And honestly, I’m finding that I simply don’t have the time to do half that stuff. I know I need to promote myself, and I’ll do my best. In fact, I even ordered my first shipment of business cards, from Vista Print. (I’ll let you know how I like them.) And there’s a few sites I’ve found that offer helpful advice without becoming overwhelming: Promo-Ho is one of them.
But rather than spend hours posting to a chat group or fishing through responses on a forum, I’ll spend my time updating this blog and working on my latest novel.
Because honestly, what good is all that promotion if you don’t have the time to write a book for the faithful fans you’ve created?
Monday, April 23, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Can It Really Be? Is Spring Finally Here??
"April comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers."
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
Looks like, for the second year in a row, late winter gave way to a roaring pre-summer, with spring getting the shaft from Mother Nature. While some areas around here are still cleaning out from last week’s flooding, most of us are enjoying temperatures up near the 70’s.
Yesterday I actually sat outside on the deck and read until I got too hot and had to go back inside. The flowers are loving it, as are the local critters, though as I walk around the yard, I see how much needs doing in the way of landscaping and planting. This will be our second summer in this house, and last year was, well, experimental. This year I’m ordering “deer resistant” flowers for just about everywhere I want to plant, though I suspect there really is no such thing.
Anyone know of anything that deer really won’t eat? I’ve had success with marigolds, and one friend said they’ll stay away from geraniums. Any other suggestions?
I’ll admit that I don’t have much of a green thumb (that’s my sister) and to be honest, I’d much rather spend my free time reading or writing than digging in the dirt. Still, I’ll give it a go. Maybe if I’m at all successful, I’ll post some pictures later this summer.
My latest WIP is coming along slowly but surely, with the height of the conflict happening in the most recent chapters. I just have to keep reminding myself that amid all the physical conflict, I have to work on the emotional conflict as well. Darn it. Writing’s hard.
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
Looks like, for the second year in a row, late winter gave way to a roaring pre-summer, with spring getting the shaft from Mother Nature. While some areas around here are still cleaning out from last week’s flooding, most of us are enjoying temperatures up near the 70’s.
Yesterday I actually sat outside on the deck and read until I got too hot and had to go back inside. The flowers are loving it, as are the local critters, though as I walk around the yard, I see how much needs doing in the way of landscaping and planting. This will be our second summer in this house, and last year was, well, experimental. This year I’m ordering “deer resistant” flowers for just about everywhere I want to plant, though I suspect there really is no such thing.
Anyone know of anything that deer really won’t eat? I’ve had success with marigolds, and one friend said they’ll stay away from geraniums. Any other suggestions?
I’ll admit that I don’t have much of a green thumb (that’s my sister) and to be honest, I’d much rather spend my free time reading or writing than digging in the dirt. Still, I’ll give it a go. Maybe if I’m at all successful, I’ll post some pictures later this summer.
My latest WIP is coming along slowly but surely, with the height of the conflict happening in the most recent chapters. I just have to keep reminding myself that amid all the physical conflict, I have to work on the emotional conflict as well. Darn it. Writing’s hard.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
The Spring Reading Thing
Here’s something fun for you:
The Spring Reading Thing!
Challenge yourself to read those books you’ve been meaning to get to but keep putting off…
I’m a little late to the party, since it’s running from March 21 - June 21, but I figure there’s still time to jump in and play. So here’s my list:
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus - A friend just loaned me this book, and since the movie’s coming out soon, I figure I’ll check out the appeal. Update: A quick, entertaining read. I finished it in a weekend! Reminded me of Bridget Jones, with the requisite chick lit 1st person slightly tormented, slightly neurotic, very single-and-struggling-to-find-a-meaningful-job heroine. Still, the 2 authors are spot-on in their satire of Manhattan nanny life. Unfortunately, I know mothers like Mrs. X. You'll like this one--give it a try!
Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult - She’s my latest favorite author. I was going to put down 19 Minutes, her latest release, but it’s about a school shooting, and I’m not sure I’m up for that. This novel’s about a couple torn apart by the assault of their young son and the lengths they go to manipulate the justice system and seek revenge. Still not too promising for a light read, but she tackles tough issues, and I like her for that.
Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield - Believe it or not, my students have been raving about this memoir all year. Guess it’s time I see what’s so terrific about it. Plus, what child of the 80s doesn’t remember the decade of mix tapes? Update: This was a terrific memoir of a writer for Rolling Stone who lost his wife after 5 years of marriage, when they were both only 31. Poignant, well-written, and even humorous in places, it chronicles the couple's courtship through the classic icon of the mix tape. A fast read and one I'd recommend to anyone.
The Spring Reading Thing!
Challenge yourself to read those books you’ve been meaning to get to but keep putting off…
I’m a little late to the party, since it’s running from March 21 - June 21, but I figure there’s still time to jump in and play. So here’s my list:
Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult - She’s my latest favorite author. I was going to put down 19 Minutes, her latest release, but it’s about a school shooting, and I’m not sure I’m up for that. This novel’s about a couple torn apart by the assault of their young son and the lengths they go to manipulate the justice system and seek revenge. Still not too promising for a light read, but she tackles tough issues, and I like her for that.
Never the Same by Diane Craver - This one’s an inspirational romance, an e-book that I won from a fellow Samhain author. I promised her a review on my blog, so I need to get going!
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama - With the Presidential campaigns gearing up, I’d like to finish this nonfiction work and find out more about the newcomer from Illinois.
That’s probably about all I can manage, with the crunch time of school’s end fast approaching. But I hope there’s a Summer Reading Challenge as well, because I always have a list of books for those hazy days of July and August.
C’mon, join me! What books will be on your spring reading list?
Friday, April 20, 2007
Friday's Feast
"There aren't enough days in the weekend."
~Rob Schmidt
As it has been a long week, today's post is the Friday Feast and nothing more. Want to play along? Leave me your link in a comment!
Appetizer : What is your favorite kind of bread?
My local grocery store has a rosemary olive oil that's to die for!
Soup: When was the last time you bought a new pillow?
Decorative or functional? Probably 2 months for the former and 12 months for the latter.
Salad: Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net?
Does "surfing" imply just looking around at various links, killing time 'cause it's better than cleaning the house, or having a purpose while you're there and looking for specific information? Hmm...I'll say somewhere from 10 minutes to a couple of hours a day and leave it at that.
Main Course : What’s the highest you remember your temperature being?
Can't say I recall...probably sometime when I was a kid it was up around 101. Nothing too scary, that I can remember.
Dessert: Fill in the blanks: When I ____________, I _____________.
When I am stressed, I eat more chocolate than I should.
Happy Friday!
~Rob Schmidt
As it has been a long week, today's post is the Friday Feast and nothing more. Want to play along? Leave me your link in a comment!
Appetizer : What is your favorite kind of bread?
My local grocery store has a rosemary olive oil that's to die for!
Soup: When was the last time you bought a new pillow?
Decorative or functional? Probably 2 months for the former and 12 months for the latter.
Salad: Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net?
Does "surfing" imply just looking around at various links, killing time 'cause it's better than cleaning the house, or having a purpose while you're there and looking for specific information? Hmm...I'll say somewhere from 10 minutes to a couple of hours a day and leave it at that.
Main Course : What’s the highest you remember your temperature being?
Can't say I recall...probably sometime when I was a kid it was up around 101. Nothing too scary, that I can remember.
Dessert: Fill in the blanks: When I ____________, I _____________.
When I am stressed, I eat more chocolate than I should.
Happy Friday!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Why I Harbor Hope
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
~Dale Carnegie
Congratulations to Marianne, the winner of yesterday’s drawing for an Amazon gift certificate!
And thank to everyone who stopped by this blog and/or the one over at TWRP (if you didn’t read that one, you can still swing by there when you get a chance).
Today, I wanted to share something that reminds me why I teach, why I write happy endings, and why there is still great hope for people in the world despite the sadness of the last few days.
I keep in touch with many of my former students, and one young woman who’s now a senior in college stopped by to visit about a month ago with the exciting news that she had made her decision about graduate school. She wants to pursue Higher Education Administration, and she plans on going to Virginia Tech.
Yes, Virginia Tech.
So, after the news broke earlier this week, I dropped her an email:
Are you OK?? Virginia Tech is where you'd decided to go to graduate school, right? Imagine you're pretty shell-shocked with the news right now. Hope you're doing all right.
Her response?
I'm okay. But it's really scary to hear about it. And there is nothing I can really do at this time about it. It's a time of mourning for the campus, and it will affect the lives of all of us in the years to come. It will be very prevalent in my time there because I will be there in a year for the anniversary of it.
What this event really makes me do is want to make sure it doesn't happen somewhere else. I'm going to Tech for a reason. And I'm going to get a degree in the field of Higher Education. Part of my job in the future is to make sure this doesn't happen again. It's a tragedy that's also a wake up call to administrators and personnel. The real tragedy will be if this is allowed to happen again. We can't change what happened, but through education we can try to ensure it doesn't happen again.
As scary as it is, it could really happen anywhere. I'm just blessed that I wasn't there when it did. And from my experiences at the campus, I would have never imagined it to happen there. It's such a warm and welcoming community that this event is very atypical. And even in this time of horror, I still feel Tech is where I'm supposed to be. I think this event may play a huge role in my education and possibly shape my career.
Some people say the answers are metal detectors and stricter gun laws, but I don't think that's it. People react this way because of how they are treated. And they also show warning signs before they actually commit the act. The friends or co-workers of these people need to be given the confidence to stand up and talk to law enforcement or talk to the person and say "this is wrong." Students need to be educated on the warning signs and given mentors or adults that they can turn to when things seem amiss. The answer is education. And that is my future.
Thank you for your concern. I really appreciate it. But I am continuing my apartment search and still planning to attend there. I am going to email one of the professors in my program and see if there is anything in our program about violence on a collegiate level. And if there is nothing about it, then I want to know how can we integrate it into the curriculum.
Talk to you soon…
God bless the idealistic 21-year olds in the world who can remind us of the power of believing in the future, hmm?
OK, I’m off to write! Making good progress on One Night in Memphis, thankfully. And I just heard from my Wild Rose Press editor that she'll be starting the edits on Lost in Paradise next week. Exciting!
How has your week been, anyway?
~Dale Carnegie
Congratulations to Marianne, the winner of yesterday’s drawing for an Amazon gift certificate!
And thank to everyone who stopped by this blog and/or the one over at TWRP (if you didn’t read that one, you can still swing by there when you get a chance).
Today, I wanted to share something that reminds me why I teach, why I write happy endings, and why there is still great hope for people in the world despite the sadness of the last few days.
I keep in touch with many of my former students, and one young woman who’s now a senior in college stopped by to visit about a month ago with the exciting news that she had made her decision about graduate school. She wants to pursue Higher Education Administration, and she plans on going to Virginia Tech.
Yes, Virginia Tech.
So, after the news broke earlier this week, I dropped her an email:
Are you OK?? Virginia Tech is where you'd decided to go to graduate school, right? Imagine you're pretty shell-shocked with the news right now. Hope you're doing all right.
Her response?
I'm okay. But it's really scary to hear about it. And there is nothing I can really do at this time about it. It's a time of mourning for the campus, and it will affect the lives of all of us in the years to come. It will be very prevalent in my time there because I will be there in a year for the anniversary of it.
What this event really makes me do is want to make sure it doesn't happen somewhere else. I'm going to Tech for a reason. And I'm going to get a degree in the field of Higher Education. Part of my job in the future is to make sure this doesn't happen again. It's a tragedy that's also a wake up call to administrators and personnel. The real tragedy will be if this is allowed to happen again. We can't change what happened, but through education we can try to ensure it doesn't happen again.
As scary as it is, it could really happen anywhere. I'm just blessed that I wasn't there when it did. And from my experiences at the campus, I would have never imagined it to happen there. It's such a warm and welcoming community that this event is very atypical. And even in this time of horror, I still feel Tech is where I'm supposed to be. I think this event may play a huge role in my education and possibly shape my career.
Some people say the answers are metal detectors and stricter gun laws, but I don't think that's it. People react this way because of how they are treated. And they also show warning signs before they actually commit the act. The friends or co-workers of these people need to be given the confidence to stand up and talk to law enforcement or talk to the person and say "this is wrong." Students need to be educated on the warning signs and given mentors or adults that they can turn to when things seem amiss. The answer is education. And that is my future.
Thank you for your concern. I really appreciate it. But I am continuing my apartment search and still planning to attend there. I am going to email one of the professors in my program and see if there is anything in our program about violence on a collegiate level. And if there is nothing about it, then I want to know how can we integrate it into the curriculum.
Talk to you soon…
God bless the idealistic 21-year olds in the world who can remind us of the power of believing in the future, hmm?
OK, I’m off to write! Making good progress on One Night in Memphis, thankfully. And I just heard from my Wild Rose Press editor that she'll be starting the edits on Lost in Paradise next week. Exciting!
How has your week been, anyway?
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Writers' Wednesday: How To Stay Motivated
“I have not failed [at inventing the light bulb] 700 times. I have proven 700 ways it will not work.”
~Thomas Edison
Welcome to another Writers' Wednesday! Remember, if you leave a comment on today's post, you'll be entered into a random drawing to win a $5 Amazon gift certificate. Thanks for stopping by!
###
Sometimes it seems as though the effort of writing just isn’t worth it. You want to find an agent, and all you get are “Thanks but not right for us” letters. Or you desperately want to get published but can’t convince a publisher to request anything more than a partial. Or you really wish you could finish a darn story, but you can’t find the time or the words just won’t come.
It’s easy to give up on days like these. It’s easier to find other things to do, to just say, “Well, it isn’t meant to be."
But here, in no particular order, are 10 reasons you shouldn’t:
#1. Einstein was 4 years old before he could speak and 7 years old before he could read.
#2. A newspaper editor once fired Walt Disney because “he had no good ideas.”
#3. Beethoven’s music teacher once said of him, “As a composer, he is hopeless.”
#4. As a boy, Thomas Edison was told by his schoolteachers he was too stupid to learn anything.
#5. Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college.
#6. Winston Churchill failed 6th grade.
#7. Abraham was defeated for Congress 4 times before being elected President of the United States.
#8. Louis Pasteur was rated “mediocre” in chemistry at Royal College.
#9. Louisa May Alcott was told by an editor she could never write anything that had popular appeal.
#10. Stephen King was told, of his first horror novel Carrie, “We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.”
Print out this page and tape it up somewhere (or heck, stick it in a drawer. I won’t care ;) ). And whenever you’re feeling discouraged, read it over. Everyone has faced challenges and disappointment and a certain level of failure in their pursuits. The truly successful don’t let it kill their spirit.
Write on!
~Thomas Edison
Welcome to another Writers' Wednesday! Remember, if you leave a comment on today's post, you'll be entered into a random drawing to win a $5 Amazon gift certificate. Thanks for stopping by!
###
Sometimes it seems as though the effort of writing just isn’t worth it. You want to find an agent, and all you get are “Thanks but not right for us” letters. Or you desperately want to get published but can’t convince a publisher to request anything more than a partial. Or you really wish you could finish a darn story, but you can’t find the time or the words just won’t come.
It’s easy to give up on days like these. It’s easier to find other things to do, to just say, “Well, it isn’t meant to be."
But here, in no particular order, are 10 reasons you shouldn’t:
#1. Einstein was 4 years old before he could speak and 7 years old before he could read.
#2. A newspaper editor once fired Walt Disney because “he had no good ideas.”
#3. Beethoven’s music teacher once said of him, “As a composer, he is hopeless.”
#4. As a boy, Thomas Edison was told by his schoolteachers he was too stupid to learn anything.
#5. Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college.
#6. Winston Churchill failed 6th grade.
#7. Abraham was defeated for Congress 4 times before being elected President of the United States.
#8. Louis Pasteur was rated “mediocre” in chemistry at Royal College.
#9. Louisa May Alcott was told by an editor she could never write anything that had popular appeal.
#10. Stephen King was told, of his first horror novel Carrie, “We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.”
Print out this page and tape it up somewhere (or heck, stick it in a drawer. I won’t care ;) ). And whenever you’re feeling discouraged, read it over. Everyone has faced challenges and disappointment and a certain level of failure in their pursuits. The truly successful don’t let it kill their spirit.
Write on!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Take a Moment
Today, I was going to blog about my writing progress (decent) and my pleasure with the first stages of working with The Wild Rose Press (good), but in light of the terrible shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday, anything about me seems pretty insignificant.
If I start to write, I’ll go on and on about how such a horrific act reflects on our society, or how so many children don't know how to manage their anger, since they’re surrounded with images of violence from the time they’re born, or how we do our best to instill values in young adults and send them off to universities only to have something devastating end all that potential.
So I’ll only ask that maybe sometime today, you’ll say a prayer or observe a moment of silence or ask the universe to send strength and comfort to all those people who are trying to put together the pieces of their life today.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down
"A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning."
~James Dickey
Well, we’re weathering the storm here OK, though we’re seeing lots of local flooding. Could be worse, I suppose. Oh yes, it could be snow! That’s right. I’ll be thankful for small favors.
A member of my local RWA chapter loaned me The Book from last year’s RWA National Conference in Atlanta, and I had a chance to go through it over the weekend. Lots and lots of interesting-looking workshops; I don’t know how I would ever choose which ones to attend! I loved reading the workshop titles, alone. Here are some of my favorites:
50 Ways to (Nearly) Kill Your Lover
A Sagging Middle and What to Do About It
The Care and Feeding of Big Black Moments
Make It Last or Come Too Soon - How To Write Sexual Tension
Real Women Kick Ass
What Are You Feeling and Why Should I Care?
Finally, I received a really funny email clip from a friend over the weekend, which I’ll share with you all:
~James Dickey
Well, we’re weathering the storm here OK, though we’re seeing lots of local flooding. Could be worse, I suppose. Oh yes, it could be snow! That’s right. I’ll be thankful for small favors.
A member of my local RWA chapter loaned me The Book from last year’s RWA National Conference in Atlanta, and I had a chance to go through it over the weekend. Lots and lots of interesting-looking workshops; I don’t know how I would ever choose which ones to attend! I loved reading the workshop titles, alone. Here are some of my favorites:
50 Ways to (Nearly) Kill Your Lover
A Sagging Middle and What to Do About It
The Care and Feeding of Big Black Moments
Make It Last or Come Too Soon - How To Write Sexual Tension
Real Women Kick Ass
What Are You Feeling and Why Should I Care?
Finally, I received a really funny email clip from a friend over the weekend, which I’ll share with you all:
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Lovin' the 80s
"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
~from "When Harry Met Sally"
So one of my favorite radio stations always has a "classic 80s" weekend, when all they play is music from that decade.
And I love it, of course, because I'm a child of the 80s so I can sing along with every lyric, in-between remembering dances in the high school gym and adolescent heartbreak (which happened about every other month, right??)
Anyway, the music got me to thinking about all the great artists out of the 80s, all the great fashions (OK, maybe not :) and all the great movies.
"When Harry Met Sally" remains on my all-time list of Top 5 Movie Favorites, and I'm not sure why except that it's funny and romantic and stars two great actors. Plus there are so many lines that are downright hilarious.
So here, for your lazy Sunday entertainment, are a few quotes and a couple of clips from that classic (including THE restaurant scene). Enjoy the walk down Memory Lane (and for God's sake, if you haven't seen this movie, run out today and rent it. Seriously).
Sally: Well, if you must know, it was because he was very jealous, and I had these days of the week underpants.
Harry: Ehhhh. I'm sorry. I need the judges ruling on this. "Days of the weeks underpants"?
Sally: They had the days of the week on them, and I thought they were sort of funny. And then one day Sheldon says to me, "You never wear Sunday." It was all suspicious. Where was Sunday? And I told him, and he didn't believe me.
Harry: What?
Sally: They don't make Sunday.
Harry: Why not?
Sally: Because of God.
###
Harry: There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.
Sally: Which one am I?
Harry: You're the worst kind. You're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance.
###
Harry: You know how a year to a person is like seven years to a dog?
Sally: Is one of us supposed to be a DOG in this scenario?
Harry: Yes.
Sally: Who is the dog?
Harry: You are.
Sally: I am? I am the dog? I am the dog?
###
Harry: You realize of course that we could never be friends.
Sally: Why not?
Harry: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.
Sally: That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved.
Harry: No you don't.
Sally: Yes I do.
Harry: No you don't.
Sally: Yes I do.
Harry: You only think you do.
Sally: You say I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge?
Harry: No, what I'm saying is they all WANT to have sex with you.
Sally: They do not.
Harry: Do too.
Sally: They do not.
Harry: Do too.
Sally: How do you know?
Harry: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her.
Sally: So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?
Harry: No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too.
Sally: What if THEY don't want to have sex with YOU?
Harry: Doesn't matter because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story.
Sally: Well, I guess we're not going to be friends then.
Harry: I guess not.
Sally: That's too bad. You were the only person I knew in New York
###
By the way, what's your favorite movie? Can you name it? Quote from it? And how many times have you seen it?
~from "When Harry Met Sally"
So one of my favorite radio stations always has a "classic 80s" weekend, when all they play is music from that decade.
And I love it, of course, because I'm a child of the 80s so I can sing along with every lyric, in-between remembering dances in the high school gym and adolescent heartbreak (which happened about every other month, right??)
Anyway, the music got me to thinking about all the great artists out of the 80s, all the great fashions (OK, maybe not :) and all the great movies.
"When Harry Met Sally" remains on my all-time list of Top 5 Movie Favorites, and I'm not sure why except that it's funny and romantic and stars two great actors. Plus there are so many lines that are downright hilarious.
So here, for your lazy Sunday entertainment, are a few quotes and a couple of clips from that classic (including THE restaurant scene). Enjoy the walk down Memory Lane (and for God's sake, if you haven't seen this movie, run out today and rent it. Seriously).
Sally: Well, if you must know, it was because he was very jealous, and I had these days of the week underpants.
Harry: Ehhhh. I'm sorry. I need the judges ruling on this. "Days of the weeks underpants"?
Sally: They had the days of the week on them, and I thought they were sort of funny. And then one day Sheldon says to me, "You never wear Sunday." It was all suspicious. Where was Sunday? And I told him, and he didn't believe me.
Harry: What?
Sally: They don't make Sunday.
Harry: Why not?
Sally: Because of God.
###
Harry: There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.
Sally: Which one am I?
Harry: You're the worst kind. You're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance.
###
Harry: You know how a year to a person is like seven years to a dog?
Sally: Is one of us supposed to be a DOG in this scenario?
Harry: Yes.
Sally: Who is the dog?
Harry: You are.
Sally: I am? I am the dog? I am the dog?
###
Harry: You realize of course that we could never be friends.
Sally: Why not?
Harry: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.
Sally: That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved.
Harry: No you don't.
Sally: Yes I do.
Harry: No you don't.
Sally: Yes I do.
Harry: You only think you do.
Sally: You say I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge?
Harry: No, what I'm saying is they all WANT to have sex with you.
Sally: They do not.
Harry: Do too.
Sally: They do not.
Harry: Do too.
Sally: How do you know?
Harry: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her.
Sally: So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?
Harry: No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too.
Sally: What if THEY don't want to have sex with YOU?
Harry: Doesn't matter because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story.
Sally: Well, I guess we're not going to be friends then.
Harry: I guess not.
Sally: That's too bad. You were the only person I knew in New York
###
By the way, what's your favorite movie? Can you name it? Quote from it? And how many times have you seen it?
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Saturday Ramblings
"We wanted to see how far we could go..."
~from Salem Falls
So we're supposed to get hit with a nor'easter this weekend, Sunday into Monday. And maybe lasting until Tuesday. What?? In mid-April? I know, I know, it isn't unheard of, but still. I've had my fill of snow and sleet and temps that chill you so you never really get warm.
###
Anyone looking for a good read should check out Jodi Picoult's novel Salem Falls. I'm a fan of her writing, though the last couple novels didn't blow me away. But SF is a great modern twist on the Salem Witch Trials...the story of what happens when a group of teenage girls decide to see how much they can get away with in accusing a newcomer to their town of rape. Suspenseful, great character development, and enough twists en route to the end that will keep you guessing!
###
There's a discussion going around on the Samhain Author Loop about Myspace. Many, many authors have pages to promote themselves, I know. They connect with "friends," display their covers, blog about their writing. And many people believe it's the #1 way to promote yourself these days.
I, however, do not have a Myspace page and really never plan to. My reason? All my high school students do, and from the start I believed that it was more a place for the younger crowd to socialize than anything else.
I haven't heard authors say that Myspace necessarily translates to more sales, just a wider base of people who know you. I suppose that's the purpose of promotion, anyway. Still, I can't bring myself to give in. Any site where my students hang out on off hours isn't really a place I want to be. Sort of like the mall arcade, or one of their basements.
But does anyone feel differently? Am I really "missing the opportunity of a lifetime" (one of the Samhain author's claims) if I don't have a Myspace page??
~from Salem Falls
So we're supposed to get hit with a nor'easter this weekend, Sunday into Monday. And maybe lasting until Tuesday. What?? In mid-April? I know, I know, it isn't unheard of, but still. I've had my fill of snow and sleet and temps that chill you so you never really get warm.
###
Anyone looking for a good read should check out Jodi Picoult's novel Salem Falls. I'm a fan of her writing, though the last couple novels didn't blow me away. But SF is a great modern twist on the Salem Witch Trials...the story of what happens when a group of teenage girls decide to see how much they can get away with in accusing a newcomer to their town of rape. Suspenseful, great character development, and enough twists en route to the end that will keep you guessing!
###
There's a discussion going around on the Samhain Author Loop about Myspace. Many, many authors have pages to promote themselves, I know. They connect with "friends," display their covers, blog about their writing. And many people believe it's the #1 way to promote yourself these days.
I, however, do not have a Myspace page and really never plan to. My reason? All my high school students do, and from the start I believed that it was more a place for the younger crowd to socialize than anything else.
I haven't heard authors say that Myspace necessarily translates to more sales, just a wider base of people who know you. I suppose that's the purpose of promotion, anyway. Still, I can't bring myself to give in. Any site where my students hang out on off hours isn't really a place I want to be. Sort of like the mall arcade, or one of their basements.
But does anyone feel differently? Am I really "missing the opportunity of a lifetime" (one of the Samhain author's claims) if I don't have a Myspace page??
Friday, April 13, 2007
Friday's Feast
"Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us."
~Paul Theroux
Anyone care to join me and play along?
Appetizer
When you were a child, which crayon color was your favorite? Cornflower blue…and I have no idea why I remember this. I think I liked the name as much as the color!
Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how likely would you be to change jobs if it required you to move? Well, I like to travel, like to live in different places and have done just that for a job, so I guess it would depend on the job and the location. If it were Maui, I think I might wash dishes just for the opportunity to see those sunsets on a regular basis!
Salad
Salad
Take all the numbers in your birthday and your phone number and add them up, one by one. What’s the total? Are you kidding? Math, this early in the morning?
Main Course
Have you ever “re-gifted” anything? If so, what was it and who did you pass it on to? Actually, no. I hate the idea…and I hate magazine articles that talk about “what to do with the worst gift you ever received.” Gifts aren’t material items; they’re gestures. I try always to appreciate the gesture, not the form it comes in.
Dessert
Name something you need from the store. I don’t think there’s anything I actually need, unless it’s more fruit. I love fruit. Never have enough of it. In fact, sometimes on vacation if we're eating out a lot, I'll have to find the local grocery store and buy some apples or bananas or grapes just to have in the hotel room so I don't go through withdrawal. Is that weird?
Thursday, April 12, 2007
And the Award Goes To...
Congrats to NJ Walters, who was the winner of yesterday’s Writers’ Wednesday drawing for the Amazon gift certificate!!
I’ve been slightly remiss this week, for on Tuesday Marianne nominated me for a lovely award:
I’ve been slightly remiss this week, for on Tuesday Marianne nominated me for a lovely award:
The rules:
1. If, and only if you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display your "Thinking Blogger Award."
So I’m supposed to tag 5 other people whose blogs make me think. Can I tag people who’ve already received the award? Well, I’m claiming latitude (or ignorance) and saying yes when I tag Marianne right back. Here are my other 4, in no particular order:
Annie
Bunnygirl
Fred Charles
Irish Scribbler (make sure to scroll down and see the YouTube video she linked to on April 10)
And speaking of food for thought, here’s a link you must visit: Brenda Novak’s online auction to benefit diabetes research. There are well over 100 items up for auction, some awfully tempting for writers (books, goodie baskets, agent reads, editor critiques of your ms., etc).
Check it out!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Writers' Wednesday: How To Make the Most of Writing Contests
Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Remember, to be entered into a drawing for a $5 Amazon gift certificate, all you have to do is post a comment!
###
Have you ever entered a writing contest? Have you ever placed in the top 3? Or won the whole contest outright? Maybe you’ve thought about entering a contests but been too afraid to try. Or maybe you didn’t know where to start looking.
Well, writing contests can be a valuable tool for aspiring writers. They can be a great way to get feedback on your writing from external readers /judges /editors /agents. And they can be an equally great way to start building a writing resume, to begin promoting one’s name as a published author.
But where to start? How to choose the right contest for you? How to prepare the perfect entry?
Here are a few things to keep in mind, both before you enter a contest and after you receive the judges’ final decision.
1. Choose contests based upon their end results. Consider what you’re hoping to get out of entering a contest. Is it prize money? Is it publication? Is it the chance to get your work in front of an editor or agent? Or is it simply the chance to have an external reader review your work? Think about your end goal, and choose your contests appropriately. The Writing Show First Chapter Contest awards 750 words of feedback from industry professionals. The FirstGlance Films Screenplay Competition sends its top 3 winners to be read by Hollywood producers. The 2007 Marjorie Wilson Best Poem Contest awards $2500.00 to its top winner. You get the idea.
2. Choose contests for which your work qualifies. This seems like a no-brainer, but you might be surprised. Don’t enter a 10K word short story into a flash fiction contest. Don’t enter a novel into a screenplay writing contest. Don’t enter your paranormal erotica opening into a contest run by Avalon (a “sweet” publisher) just because you see the word “romance” in their guidelines.
3. Choose contests for which the odds are in your favor. This one’s a little harder to figure out, but if you do a little digging, you can uncover contests for which either the number of entries is limited, improving your odds, or the number of prizes given includes more than the top 3. The Short Story Award for New Writers, for example, is a contest open only to writers whose fiction has never appeared in a publication with a circulation over 5,000. The WOW-Women on Writing Quarterly Contest names 3 top winners, 7 runners-up, and 25 honorable mentions…and every one of those writers receives a prize and a mention on the WOW website.
Once you’ve chosen a contest to enter, how do you increase your chances of winning or placing?
1. Follow all the rules. Carefully. If they want 3 copies of your opening chapters, make sure to include 3. If they ask you to secure the pages using a binder clip, don’t use a rubber band. Make sure you’ve put the information they want into the header or footer of each page. If they ask for a SASE, make sure to include enough postage to cover the costs of returning your entries. Also, check their rules for deadlines: most will say the entry must be postmarked by a certain date, but others will say the entry must be received by a certain date. There’s a difference!
2. Revise, revise, revise. Before submitting your entry, make sure it’s your best work. Read over as many times as it takes. Share with your writers’ groups or critique partners to get objective feedback. Don’t let careless errors undermine your chances of winning.
3. Read prior winning entries. Many organizations will include the top winners on their websites. A winning entry in one short story contest might look very different from a winning entry in another.
A few last thoughts on writing contests:
Consider the judges’ feedback carefully. If you can expect comments from the contest judges, be careful how you read those comments. Don’t just take the positive ones that praise your brilliance as a writer and disregard the rest. Sometimes the negative/constructive criticism can be just as helpful in revealing areas of our writing that need work. However, if 3 or 4 judges from a couple different contests tell you that your dialogue is fresh and realistic, and 1 judge tells you that your dialogue is stilted and untrue, you may want to take that single comment with a grain of salt. Most of all, don’t let contest feedback get you down. Remember that these judges are people, with their own values and biases and opinions, just like you. And speaking of that…
Sign up to judge a contest. Really! Many local writers’ groups run contests, with their members doing first-reads on entries. You do not necessarily need to be a published author, or past winner, to judge. All you have to do is read with a careful eye and open mind. By judging, you get a glimpse of the other side. You learn about how other writers put entries together. You discover how difficult it is to put a number on certain elements of a creative endeavor. And ultimately, you become a better writer yourself for the experience.
Don’t let contests keep you from finishing your work. Many novel-writing contests, especially in the romance genre, ask for the first 3 chapters. As a result, it becomes easy to polish those first 3 chapters over and over again, until you have a near-perfect entry. But what happens to the rest of the novel? What if you win a contest, and the final judge, your dream agent, requests the full manuscript for review? What if all you have are the first 3 chapters? Unfortunately, I know a few authors who have turned into “contest junkies.” They become obsessed with the idea of entering as many contests as they can, and they often final or win because they’ve put so much time into their entry. However, they have no complete works to speak of. Ideally, writing contests are a means to an end, a way to motivate you to keep writing while giving you some feedback along the way.
Good luck, and if you know of any writing contests you‘d like to praise or recommend, leave a comment and let me know!
###
Have you ever entered a writing contest? Have you ever placed in the top 3? Or won the whole contest outright? Maybe you’ve thought about entering a contests but been too afraid to try. Or maybe you didn’t know where to start looking.
Well, writing contests can be a valuable tool for aspiring writers. They can be a great way to get feedback on your writing from external readers /judges /editors /agents. And they can be an equally great way to start building a writing resume, to begin promoting one’s name as a published author.
But where to start? How to choose the right contest for you? How to prepare the perfect entry?
Here are a few things to keep in mind, both before you enter a contest and after you receive the judges’ final decision.
1. Choose contests based upon their end results. Consider what you’re hoping to get out of entering a contest. Is it prize money? Is it publication? Is it the chance to get your work in front of an editor or agent? Or is it simply the chance to have an external reader review your work? Think about your end goal, and choose your contests appropriately. The Writing Show First Chapter Contest awards 750 words of feedback from industry professionals. The FirstGlance Films Screenplay Competition sends its top 3 winners to be read by Hollywood producers. The 2007 Marjorie Wilson Best Poem Contest awards $2500.00 to its top winner. You get the idea.
2. Choose contests for which your work qualifies. This seems like a no-brainer, but you might be surprised. Don’t enter a 10K word short story into a flash fiction contest. Don’t enter a novel into a screenplay writing contest. Don’t enter your paranormal erotica opening into a contest run by Avalon (a “sweet” publisher) just because you see the word “romance” in their guidelines.
3. Choose contests for which the odds are in your favor. This one’s a little harder to figure out, but if you do a little digging, you can uncover contests for which either the number of entries is limited, improving your odds, or the number of prizes given includes more than the top 3. The Short Story Award for New Writers, for example, is a contest open only to writers whose fiction has never appeared in a publication with a circulation over 5,000. The WOW-Women on Writing Quarterly Contest names 3 top winners, 7 runners-up, and 25 honorable mentions…and every one of those writers receives a prize and a mention on the WOW website.
Once you’ve chosen a contest to enter, how do you increase your chances of winning or placing?
1. Follow all the rules. Carefully. If they want 3 copies of your opening chapters, make sure to include 3. If they ask you to secure the pages using a binder clip, don’t use a rubber band. Make sure you’ve put the information they want into the header or footer of each page. If they ask for a SASE, make sure to include enough postage to cover the costs of returning your entries. Also, check their rules for deadlines: most will say the entry must be postmarked by a certain date, but others will say the entry must be received by a certain date. There’s a difference!
2. Revise, revise, revise. Before submitting your entry, make sure it’s your best work. Read over as many times as it takes. Share with your writers’ groups or critique partners to get objective feedback. Don’t let careless errors undermine your chances of winning.
3. Read prior winning entries. Many organizations will include the top winners on their websites. A winning entry in one short story contest might look very different from a winning entry in another.
A few last thoughts on writing contests:
Consider the judges’ feedback carefully. If you can expect comments from the contest judges, be careful how you read those comments. Don’t just take the positive ones that praise your brilliance as a writer and disregard the rest. Sometimes the negative/constructive criticism can be just as helpful in revealing areas of our writing that need work. However, if 3 or 4 judges from a couple different contests tell you that your dialogue is fresh and realistic, and 1 judge tells you that your dialogue is stilted and untrue, you may want to take that single comment with a grain of salt. Most of all, don’t let contest feedback get you down. Remember that these judges are people, with their own values and biases and opinions, just like you. And speaking of that…
Sign up to judge a contest. Really! Many local writers’ groups run contests, with their members doing first-reads on entries. You do not necessarily need to be a published author, or past winner, to judge. All you have to do is read with a careful eye and open mind. By judging, you get a glimpse of the other side. You learn about how other writers put entries together. You discover how difficult it is to put a number on certain elements of a creative endeavor. And ultimately, you become a better writer yourself for the experience.
Don’t let contests keep you from finishing your work. Many novel-writing contests, especially in the romance genre, ask for the first 3 chapters. As a result, it becomes easy to polish those first 3 chapters over and over again, until you have a near-perfect entry. But what happens to the rest of the novel? What if you win a contest, and the final judge, your dream agent, requests the full manuscript for review? What if all you have are the first 3 chapters? Unfortunately, I know a few authors who have turned into “contest junkies.” They become obsessed with the idea of entering as many contests as they can, and they often final or win because they’ve put so much time into their entry. However, they have no complete works to speak of. Ideally, writing contests are a means to an end, a way to motivate you to keep writing while giving you some feedback along the way.
Good luck, and if you know of any writing contests you‘d like to praise or recommend, leave a comment and let me know!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Adventures in Arkansas
If you live north of the Mason-Dixon Line or west of the Mississippi, there’s a good chance you might not know much about Hot Springs, Arkansas. You may not ever have heard of the place, despite its claim to fame as the boyhood home of Bill Clinton or the site of some of the most healing waters in the country.
But when hubby and I decided to explore someplace different over spring break, that’s where we headed. Turns out that Hot Springs, located 60 miles from Little Rock, 200 miles from Memphis, 300 miles from Oklahoma City, and a stone’s throw from the Texas border, is a pretty neat place to visit.
First of all, it’s the oldest and smallest park in the National Park Service and home to 47 hot springs. Although most of the bathhouses originally established on the famous Bathhouse Row are now closed, visitors can still enjoy a traditional bath at Buckstaff Bathhouse. There, you’ll be treated to a whirlpool bath in the mineral-rich waters, a stay in the steam room, a needle shower, and if you’d like, a massage to finish it off. Decadent!
Then horse racing enthusiasts can head over to the Oaklawn Racetrack (we didn’t), or tourists can take in any number of sights on Central Avenue, downtown. The first Friday of every month features a “Gallery Walk,” too, which we were lucky enough to enjoy. Arkansas has some great local talent, that’s for sure! And with crystal and diamond mines nearby, you can find some terrific jewelry made of native stones and minerals.
Speaking of the diamond mines, since its featured appearance on the Travel Channel, Crater of Diamonds State Park in nearby Murfreesboro has seen an upswing in visitors, all hoping to find the next big sparkler and head to early retirement. We followed the crowd, purchasing our tickets to dig and renting shovels and screens to sift through the dirt along with the rest of them. Beautiful day - but no diamonds for us! The soil is pretty sticky and clay-like, tough to sift and challenging to work through. Still, we had fun and found a lot of cool rocks. You can take home whatever you find.
Finally, since Little Rock is only an hour away, and since we flew in and out of that airport anyway, our trip wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to the Clinton Presidential Library. Established in 2004, it’s a beautiful, environmentally friendly building with a huge collection of artifacts, documents, and video clips about the Clinton Presidency. Whatever your political beliefs, it’s still great to see a slice of history, up close. The Library is situated right on the Arkansas River and the Riverwalk area, too, with a wide variety of restaurants within walking distance.
If only the weather had cooperated more (it was the middle of that cold front that swept the country over Easter weekend) - or if only we’d packed more long-sleeved shirts and fewer pairs of shorts. Still, it was neat to visit a state we’d never been to before. We enjoyed our 4 days in Hot Springs thoroughly!
But when hubby and I decided to explore someplace different over spring break, that’s where we headed. Turns out that Hot Springs, located 60 miles from Little Rock, 200 miles from Memphis, 300 miles from Oklahoma City, and a stone’s throw from the Texas border, is a pretty neat place to visit.
First of all, it’s the oldest and smallest park in the National Park Service and home to 47 hot springs. Although most of the bathhouses originally established on the famous Bathhouse Row are now closed, visitors can still enjoy a traditional bath at Buckstaff Bathhouse. There, you’ll be treated to a whirlpool bath in the mineral-rich waters, a stay in the steam room, a needle shower, and if you’d like, a massage to finish it off. Decadent!
Then horse racing enthusiasts can head over to the Oaklawn Racetrack (we didn’t), or tourists can take in any number of sights on Central Avenue, downtown. The first Friday of every month features a “Gallery Walk,” too, which we were lucky enough to enjoy. Arkansas has some great local talent, that’s for sure! And with crystal and diamond mines nearby, you can find some terrific jewelry made of native stones and minerals.
Speaking of the diamond mines, since its featured appearance on the Travel Channel, Crater of Diamonds State Park in nearby Murfreesboro has seen an upswing in visitors, all hoping to find the next big sparkler and head to early retirement. We followed the crowd, purchasing our tickets to dig and renting shovels and screens to sift through the dirt along with the rest of them. Beautiful day - but no diamonds for us! The soil is pretty sticky and clay-like, tough to sift and challenging to work through. Still, we had fun and found a lot of cool rocks. You can take home whatever you find.
Finally, since Little Rock is only an hour away, and since we flew in and out of that airport anyway, our trip wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to the Clinton Presidential Library. Established in 2004, it’s a beautiful, environmentally friendly building with a huge collection of artifacts, documents, and video clips about the Clinton Presidency. Whatever your political beliefs, it’s still great to see a slice of history, up close. The Library is situated right on the Arkansas River and the Riverwalk area, too, with a wide variety of restaurants within walking distance.
If only the weather had cooperated more (it was the middle of that cold front that swept the country over Easter weekend) - or if only we’d packed more long-sleeved shirts and fewer pairs of shorts. Still, it was neat to visit a state we’d never been to before. We enjoyed our 4 days in Hot Springs thoroughly!
Monday, April 09, 2007
Unplugged and Loving It
“I want young people to see not only what I did with my life, but what they can do with their lives.”
~Bill Clinton
First my good news: I opened up my email inbox Easter Sunday to find a contract offer from The Wild Rose Press to publish Lost in Paradise in their Champagne Rose line! Very, very exciting news, especially since this was the novel I pulled from Virtual Tales a few months ago because I wanted to find a different home for it. It’s always nice when you take a gamble and it pays off.
TWRP publishes everything longer than 55K words in print, so this one should be available from Amazon sometime in 2008, I’m guessing. Stay tuned for the details!
###
Well, as those of you who visit my blog regularly know, I was away for a few days last week. I was away in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to be specific, for a Spring Break getaway with hubby.
Why Hot Springs? Well, I’m not one to pass up the opportunity to bathe in 100-degree mineral water, en route to a steam bath and killer massage, in the tradition of men and women from centuries past. And hubby wasn’t about to let the chance to go diamond mining pass us by. After all, if it’s featured on the Travel Channel, it must be an adventure worth pursuing, right? And the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock is an impressive collection, well worth seeing if you're ever down that way.
I have pictures that I'll post, hopefully tomorrow, because today Blogger doesn't seem to be cooperating.
Overall, it was an enjoyable trip. But here’s the interesting thing: I didn’t check email or voicemail the entire time. Nope, not once. First of all, I didn’t have any Internet access. There was one cafe in downtown Hot Springs where you could buy time online for $.10/minute, but I decided to spend my money on a latte instead. So for 4 days, I didn’t read blogs. I didn’t check my inbox. I didn’t follow the Samhain Yahoo group discussions. And I forgot the charger to my cell phone, so the battery died the first day and I couldn’t have checked my telephone messages anyway.
The first 24 hours were a little weird, I’ll be honest. I’m online just about every day. So to go 4 days without any electronic contact felt a little strange, at first. But by the last day? I didn’t miss it. In fact, I was home for almost 24 hours before I turned on the computer at all. And it made me wonder just how dependent we are on our electronic connections, after all.
[The best unintended effect of my unplugged 4 days? I got an idea for a brand new 24-hour novel. Love the concept. Love the characters. Love the complexities that kept popping into my head as the day went on. Only thing I did not love? Trying to scribble down the idea on my 2x3” notepad while a flight attendant spilled ginger ale on my lap.]
So anyway, how plugged in are you? C’mon, be honest. How much time do you spend on the computer each day or week? And how long would you be able to go without?
~Bill Clinton
First my good news: I opened up my email inbox Easter Sunday to find a contract offer from The Wild Rose Press to publish Lost in Paradise in their Champagne Rose line! Very, very exciting news, especially since this was the novel I pulled from Virtual Tales a few months ago because I wanted to find a different home for it. It’s always nice when you take a gamble and it pays off.
TWRP publishes everything longer than 55K words in print, so this one should be available from Amazon sometime in 2008, I’m guessing. Stay tuned for the details!
###
Well, as those of you who visit my blog regularly know, I was away for a few days last week. I was away in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to be specific, for a Spring Break getaway with hubby.
Why Hot Springs? Well, I’m not one to pass up the opportunity to bathe in 100-degree mineral water, en route to a steam bath and killer massage, in the tradition of men and women from centuries past. And hubby wasn’t about to let the chance to go diamond mining pass us by. After all, if it’s featured on the Travel Channel, it must be an adventure worth pursuing, right? And the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock is an impressive collection, well worth seeing if you're ever down that way.
I have pictures that I'll post, hopefully tomorrow, because today Blogger doesn't seem to be cooperating.
Overall, it was an enjoyable trip. But here’s the interesting thing: I didn’t check email or voicemail the entire time. Nope, not once. First of all, I didn’t have any Internet access. There was one cafe in downtown Hot Springs where you could buy time online for $.10/minute, but I decided to spend my money on a latte instead. So for 4 days, I didn’t read blogs. I didn’t check my inbox. I didn’t follow the Samhain Yahoo group discussions. And I forgot the charger to my cell phone, so the battery died the first day and I couldn’t have checked my telephone messages anyway.
The first 24 hours were a little weird, I’ll be honest. I’m online just about every day. So to go 4 days without any electronic contact felt a little strange, at first. But by the last day? I didn’t miss it. In fact, I was home for almost 24 hours before I turned on the computer at all. And it made me wonder just how dependent we are on our electronic connections, after all.
[The best unintended effect of my unplugged 4 days? I got an idea for a brand new 24-hour novel. Love the concept. Love the characters. Love the complexities that kept popping into my head as the day went on. Only thing I did not love? Trying to scribble down the idea on my 2x3” notepad while a flight attendant spilled ginger ale on my lap.]
So anyway, how plugged in are you? C’mon, be honest. How much time do you spend on the computer each day or week? And how long would you be able to go without?
Sunday, April 08, 2007
I'm Back!
"Easter is the demonstration...that life is essentially spiritual and timeless."
~Anonymous
Here's wishing everyone a peaceful and wonderful holiday season (even if you are looking at snow this Easter morning, as we are).
I'm back from a brief getaway to Hot Springs, Arkansas, and have news and pictures to share, though I'm saving that for tomorrow or the next day as we are off to celebrate Easter with friends today.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by for Writers' Wednesday, especially those who commented and ESPECIALLY those who played along by revising the sentences (check out Charity's revision, who turned one sentence into an entire scene).
Finally, congratulations to Jess, who is the winner of the $5 Amazon gift certificate! Make sure to stop by this coming Wednesday and post a comment, for another chance to win!
~Anonymous
Here's wishing everyone a peaceful and wonderful holiday season (even if you are looking at snow this Easter morning, as we are).
I'm back from a brief getaway to Hot Springs, Arkansas, and have news and pictures to share, though I'm saving that for tomorrow or the next day as we are off to celebrate Easter with friends today.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by for Writers' Wednesday, especially those who commented and ESPECIALLY those who played along by revising the sentences (check out Charity's revision, who turned one sentence into an entire scene).
Finally, congratulations to Jess, who is the winner of the $5 Amazon gift certificate! Make sure to stop by this coming Wednesday and post a comment, for another chance to win!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Writers' Wednesday: Showing vs. Telling
Welcome to Writers’ Wednesday!
I’ll be away for a few days, so you’ll have some extra time to post your comments. Remember: anyone who leaves me a comment will be entered into a drawing for a $5 Amazon gift certificate!
The winning name will be drawn and announced on Easter Sunday, April 8.
By the way, I’m always looking for guest bloggers, so if you have an idea for a Writers’ Wednesday post you’d like to write, email and let me know!
###
We hear it time and time again, in all the writing advice books and columns: Show, don’t tell.
But sometimes that’s easier said than done, especially for new writers. So how do we identify the difference in our writing, and how can we spice up scenes to “show” the reader what we mean, rather than “tell” the reader? Let’s look at some examples…
Mary was spoiled rotten.
This is pure telling. How do we know she is spoiled? Why should we believe you?
Mary stomped her feet and screwed up her face as she wailed, “But I want the pony! You told me I could have whatever I wanted for my eighth birthday!”
Okay, much better. Here, we see Mary’s age, her behavior, and her demanding tone of voice. The author doesn’t need to tell us that Mary is spoiled. In fact, the author doesn’t use the word “spoiled” at all, yet we can figure it out easily enough through the child’s words and actions.
I was miserable after Edgar left me. All I thought about was him. All I dreamt about was him. I missed him so much that I thought I’d never be happy again.
Well, we get the general idea here that the narrator is sad. But all four sentences really say the same thing, and all four sentences tell much more than they show.
For a solid week after Edgar left, I didn’t get out of bed except to find more tissues to blow my nose and wipe away my tears. When I managed to sleep, I found myself in dreams with him, revisiting days long-gone when we ate dinner by candlelight and made love by moonlight. When I awoke alone, the agony that twisted my stomach inside out almost choked me. The telephone rang, and I ignored it. My mother stopped by with soup, and I told her to go away. The sun came up and went down again, and all I wanted to do was grab it by the throat and tell it to stop. If I couldn’t be happy, then time might as well stop altogether.
Notice that in the above revision, there is no one sentence that tells us the narrator is miserable. Rather, through her thoughts and actions, we deduce her feelings of despair. Trust that your reader is intelligent enough to figure this out.
Some Tips to Keep in Mind:
1. Use details that appeal to the five senses. Make the reader feel as if he or she is actually in the scene. Is your hero nervous because he’s just proposed to the heroine? Don’t tell us that. Instead, show us the weather outside, the wail of the wind that echoes the doubt inside his mind. Show us the food in the restaurant where they‘re eating - maybe it tastes like sawdust because nerves have dulled his tongue. Show us the rough fabric of the suit he bought to wear for the occasion, that brushes against his knee as he taps one anxious foot on the floor. Show us the quick pulse in his wrist as he waits for the heroine to make her decision.
2. Use dialogue. I’ve found this to be one of the best ways to get away from telling. When your characters speak for themselves, they naturally show us their temperament, opinion, even vocabulary level and method of communicating.
3. Use actions to show us the characters’ personalities. Have a neighbor who’s a busybody? Don’t tell us. Show us the ways in which she peers through her blinds, goes through her neighbors’ garbage, listens in on telephone conversations. The more active, interesting examples you can sprinkle through your plot, the better. Here’s a challenge for you: write down a list of the 3 adjectives that you think describe your protagonist or antagonist. Then go back through the scenes you’ve written and make sure those words never appear. Find other ways to reveal those character traits. Now you’re showing!
4. Trust your reader. When you create a scene, don’t give in to the urge to tell us how the characters are feeling. Show us instead, through their words and thoughts and actions.
5. Finally, consider using animals/pets to reveal something about your characters’ personalities. I won’t go into it on this post, but I wrote an article on this technique that you can access here. I’ve found that using animals in my storylines, no matter how briefly, can do wonders to show us something about the characters and move away from the boring habit of telling.
Sometimes it’s tough to get used to showing rather than telling in your writing, but once you get the hang of it, your work will come to life. And just for fun, here are 2 sentences you can use to practice. Can you change these both from telling to showing? Leave me your revisions in your comment, or link to your blog.
Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!
#1. Sherry was sick and tired of her boss’s advances, and she told him as much one night after work.
#2. Kendra and Bill took the path that led away from the house. They agreed that although it might be dangerous, they needed to investigate the child’s disappearance without the police following them.
I’ll be away for a few days, so you’ll have some extra time to post your comments. Remember: anyone who leaves me a comment will be entered into a drawing for a $5 Amazon gift certificate!
The winning name will be drawn and announced on Easter Sunday, April 8.
By the way, I’m always looking for guest bloggers, so if you have an idea for a Writers’ Wednesday post you’d like to write, email and let me know!
###
We hear it time and time again, in all the writing advice books and columns: Show, don’t tell.
But sometimes that’s easier said than done, especially for new writers. So how do we identify the difference in our writing, and how can we spice up scenes to “show” the reader what we mean, rather than “tell” the reader? Let’s look at some examples…
Mary was spoiled rotten.
This is pure telling. How do we know she is spoiled? Why should we believe you?
Mary stomped her feet and screwed up her face as she wailed, “But I want the pony! You told me I could have whatever I wanted for my eighth birthday!”
Okay, much better. Here, we see Mary’s age, her behavior, and her demanding tone of voice. The author doesn’t need to tell us that Mary is spoiled. In fact, the author doesn’t use the word “spoiled” at all, yet we can figure it out easily enough through the child’s words and actions.
I was miserable after Edgar left me. All I thought about was him. All I dreamt about was him. I missed him so much that I thought I’d never be happy again.
Well, we get the general idea here that the narrator is sad. But all four sentences really say the same thing, and all four sentences tell much more than they show.
For a solid week after Edgar left, I didn’t get out of bed except to find more tissues to blow my nose and wipe away my tears. When I managed to sleep, I found myself in dreams with him, revisiting days long-gone when we ate dinner by candlelight and made love by moonlight. When I awoke alone, the agony that twisted my stomach inside out almost choked me. The telephone rang, and I ignored it. My mother stopped by with soup, and I told her to go away. The sun came up and went down again, and all I wanted to do was grab it by the throat and tell it to stop. If I couldn’t be happy, then time might as well stop altogether.
Notice that in the above revision, there is no one sentence that tells us the narrator is miserable. Rather, through her thoughts and actions, we deduce her feelings of despair. Trust that your reader is intelligent enough to figure this out.
Some Tips to Keep in Mind:
1. Use details that appeal to the five senses. Make the reader feel as if he or she is actually in the scene. Is your hero nervous because he’s just proposed to the heroine? Don’t tell us that. Instead, show us the weather outside, the wail of the wind that echoes the doubt inside his mind. Show us the food in the restaurant where they‘re eating - maybe it tastes like sawdust because nerves have dulled his tongue. Show us the rough fabric of the suit he bought to wear for the occasion, that brushes against his knee as he taps one anxious foot on the floor. Show us the quick pulse in his wrist as he waits for the heroine to make her decision.
2. Use dialogue. I’ve found this to be one of the best ways to get away from telling. When your characters speak for themselves, they naturally show us their temperament, opinion, even vocabulary level and method of communicating.
3. Use actions to show us the characters’ personalities. Have a neighbor who’s a busybody? Don’t tell us. Show us the ways in which she peers through her blinds, goes through her neighbors’ garbage, listens in on telephone conversations. The more active, interesting examples you can sprinkle through your plot, the better. Here’s a challenge for you: write down a list of the 3 adjectives that you think describe your protagonist or antagonist. Then go back through the scenes you’ve written and make sure those words never appear. Find other ways to reveal those character traits. Now you’re showing!
4. Trust your reader. When you create a scene, don’t give in to the urge to tell us how the characters are feeling. Show us instead, through their words and thoughts and actions.
5. Finally, consider using animals/pets to reveal something about your characters’ personalities. I won’t go into it on this post, but I wrote an article on this technique that you can access here. I’ve found that using animals in my storylines, no matter how briefly, can do wonders to show us something about the characters and move away from the boring habit of telling.
Sometimes it’s tough to get used to showing rather than telling in your writing, but once you get the hang of it, your work will come to life. And just for fun, here are 2 sentences you can use to practice. Can you change these both from telling to showing? Leave me your revisions in your comment, or link to your blog.
Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!
#1. Sherry was sick and tired of her boss’s advances, and she told him as much one night after work.
#2. Kendra and Bill took the path that led away from the house. They agreed that although it might be dangerous, they needed to investigate the child’s disappearance without the police following them.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Frustrations
"I work continuously within the shadow of failure. For every novel that makes it to my publisher's desk, there are at least five or six that died on the way."
~Gail Godwin
So yesterday I was working on my latest WIP, One Night in Memphis, and I had a realization.
My heroine is boring.
Really. She’s fairly one-dimensional. Predictable in behavior. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn’t know what her growth is supposed to be in the story. From the start, this novel was much more about the hero’s growth than the heroine’s. But that doesn’t really make for a great romance, so I had to rethink. A lot.
First I got frustrated. I thought about abandoning the project and starting something brand new. Still, I’m 37,000 words in, and I’d hate to throw it all away.
So I sat down and tried to work through who she is, where she’s going, what motivates her, and how I want her to change by the end. I finally got some decent ideas, though I have to admit that I’m still not crazy about her.
I went back through a lot of the earlier chapters and added some stuff, deleted other stuff, until it feels a little stronger. I’m still not sure. I don’t know if I’ll like this story or think it’s marketable when I finish it. I’d hate to think I spent well over a year on it, only to have it turn out a project that’s better shelved than living in the light of day.
Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever given up on a story halfway through, or tried to resurrect it only to find you couldn’t? Do you have manuscripts hidden away that will probably never make it into a query letter? Or do you have tips for performing major surgery on a story to save it from that fate?
I suppose it’s a learning process. But it’s still frustrating. Sigh.
###
In other, much better news, the Cleveland Indians won their season opener! Those of you who are observant will notice that, yes, I do live roughly an hour from Yankee Stadium. And no, I do not cheer for the Yankees. I didn't discover pro baseball until I was in graduate school and living in Cleveland, and so for better or for worse, I'm an Indians fan for life.
Thank goodness for brand new seasons!
~Gail Godwin
So yesterday I was working on my latest WIP, One Night in Memphis, and I had a realization.
My heroine is boring.
Really. She’s fairly one-dimensional. Predictable in behavior. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn’t know what her growth is supposed to be in the story. From the start, this novel was much more about the hero’s growth than the heroine’s. But that doesn’t really make for a great romance, so I had to rethink. A lot.
First I got frustrated. I thought about abandoning the project and starting something brand new. Still, I’m 37,000 words in, and I’d hate to throw it all away.
So I sat down and tried to work through who she is, where she’s going, what motivates her, and how I want her to change by the end. I finally got some decent ideas, though I have to admit that I’m still not crazy about her.
I went back through a lot of the earlier chapters and added some stuff, deleted other stuff, until it feels a little stronger. I’m still not sure. I don’t know if I’ll like this story or think it’s marketable when I finish it. I’d hate to think I spent well over a year on it, only to have it turn out a project that’s better shelved than living in the light of day.
Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever given up on a story halfway through, or tried to resurrect it only to find you couldn’t? Do you have manuscripts hidden away that will probably never make it into a query letter? Or do you have tips for performing major surgery on a story to save it from that fate?
I suppose it’s a learning process. But it’s still frustrating. Sigh.
###
In other, much better news, the Cleveland Indians won their season opener! Those of you who are observant will notice that, yes, I do live roughly an hour from Yankee Stadium. And no, I do not cheer for the Yankees. I didn't discover pro baseball until I was in graduate school and living in Cleveland, and so for better or for worse, I'm an Indians fan for life.
Thank goodness for brand new seasons!
Monday, April 02, 2007
Finding Ideas
"If you wrote from experience, you'd get maybe one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy."
~Nikki Giovanni
It’s BAFAB Week!
Go out and buy a friend a book…for no good reason other than to share the love and the power of the written word. And if you have any favorites you plan on buying, let me know! I’m always up for a new recommendation.
Speaking of books, it’s always amazed me that some people have no trouble at all thinking of plotlines. They churn out short stories and/or novels with fresh, interesting characters and conflict on a regular basis.
Me? Well, it’s a little harder for me. When I first began writing, I figured I had about 2-3 good ideas. After that, I was stumped.
Well, not anymore. I don’t know if it became easier as I wrote, or I honed my senses for sniffing out good ideas in the world, but now there seems to be no shortage of ideas running through my head.
Some come to me in dreams. Some in the shower. Some while I’m running. Others still come straight from the headlines, like these (all from the last 7 days):
Husband Kills Wife's Lover; Wife Charged
Leave Me Be, 98-Year Old Woman Tells Young Admirer
Hired Killer Warns, 'Your Husband Wants You Dead'
Shower Reveals Inmate is Really a Woman
Truth is stranger than fiction, indeed.
What about you? Where do your ideas come from?
~Nikki Giovanni
It’s BAFAB Week!
Go out and buy a friend a book…for no good reason other than to share the love and the power of the written word. And if you have any favorites you plan on buying, let me know! I’m always up for a new recommendation.
Speaking of books, it’s always amazed me that some people have no trouble at all thinking of plotlines. They churn out short stories and/or novels with fresh, interesting characters and conflict on a regular basis.
Me? Well, it’s a little harder for me. When I first began writing, I figured I had about 2-3 good ideas. After that, I was stumped.
Well, not anymore. I don’t know if it became easier as I wrote, or I honed my senses for sniffing out good ideas in the world, but now there seems to be no shortage of ideas running through my head.
Some come to me in dreams. Some in the shower. Some while I’m running. Others still come straight from the headlines, like these (all from the last 7 days):
Husband Kills Wife's Lover; Wife Charged
Leave Me Be, 98-Year Old Woman Tells Young Admirer
Hired Killer Warns, 'Your Husband Wants You Dead'
Shower Reveals Inmate is Really a Woman
Truth is stranger than fiction, indeed.
What about you? Where do your ideas come from?
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Happy April Fool's Day!
Well, I was never a big one for "celebrating" this day - I'm not really a prankster by nature, and I can't remember a time when someone really got me.
Still, in honor of this day, you might be interested in reading the History of April Fool's Day.
If you're feeling smart, take this April Fool's Day Quiz.
And here's an interesting site to peruse: The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time.
Finally, here's a good April Fool's gag on Hollywood Squares host Tom Bergeron:
Still, in honor of this day, you might be interested in reading the History of April Fool's Day.
If you're feeling smart, take this April Fool's Day Quiz.
And here's an interesting site to peruse: The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time.
Finally, here's a good April Fool's gag on Hollywood Squares host Tom Bergeron:
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