tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16645989725764861742024-03-12T18:43:00.833-07:00E.L. WattsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-62330750108392845482014-02-20T10:53:00.001-08:002014-02-20T10:53:20.864-08:00Watching The Fish SwimWhen I was in high school my mother had a peculiar pastime. She would sit in a chair in front of one of the three big fish tanks we had in the house and watch the fish swim. Something about the way they would glide through the water, their leisurely swim, mesmerized my mother. She would sit in a rocking chair with a cup of coffee and stare at those fish for what seemed like hours.<br />
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I remember seeing her in those moments and thinking to myself, please don't let me end up an old lady who spends her days watching the fish swim! (Remember, this is my idiotic high school self talking.)<br />
At the time I could think of nothing more wasteful than to sit and watch soft bodied water creatures move within a glass tank. And now that I'm older, I feel terrible about myself if I "waste" even a small part of my day. And by "wasting" I mean things like sitting down to eat my lunch, or meeting friends for coffee, or reading a book.<br />
That feeling has intensified as my kids have gotten older and many of my friends have gone back to work.<br />
In my mind, if I'm a stay at home mom, and my kids are in school for the majority of the day, I should be getting three times as much done as everyone else.<br />
If I'm not cleaning, or running errands, or shopping, or cooking, or helping the kids with this or that I should be doing SOMETHING. What is that something? Well, as it happens, that something is writing.<br />
I feel like if I have a spare minute I should be writing. And when I don't use those spare minutes for writing I feel guilty. And although there may be no greater waste of time than making yourself feel bad about yourself, that's what I continue to do. <br />
I thought my mother was crazy for spending her free time watching the world within a glass tank, but the truth is she was lucky. She found a way to relax. She found a way to bring her mind to a peaceful place. What a gift that would be.<br />
In this world of go, go, go, sometimes we need to be able to stop and take a break. Whether it's meditating, gardening, yoga, or simply watching the fish swim, go do something relaxing today! You've earned it! Trust me. You have!<br />
And I have too. So, today, instead of agonizing about word count, I'm going shopping. I'm heading to Ulta and I'm going to waste money on one more beauty product I don't really know how to use. Why? Just because it's fun, and no other reason than that. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-88695182428571102172014-02-17T12:36:00.000-08:002014-02-17T12:36:21.670-08:00Weekly Word Count<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another crazy week for me. By Friday I'd only written 6,436 words. I don't usually write at all on the weekends, but with last weeks total of only 841 words I thought I'd better give it a shot.<br />
Of course, the kids were home and I didn't want to abandon my husband with both of them so I brought my daughter with me to the library. She's kind of a bookworm, and we were heading to "the big library" so I thought we'd check her out a few books and she'd settle in for a long read. How could I have been so wrong?<br />
After we got her books and sat down she wanted to get a drink. Then another drink. She'd tap me on the shoulder telling me to, "Look at that cute baby." or say, "Mom, feel this. I think it's gum.".<br />
Then she wanted to ride the elevator upstairs. "Come on Mom, just ONE time!"<br />
Okay, I thought, we'll ride the elevator up to the top floor and I'll rent one of those study rooms. We could go in there together. <br />
It would be like a tiny jail cell for her. No water fountain, nobody walking by, no elevator, no distractions. I could finally get some work done!<br />
I was wrong. There was a key! The fact that she could lock and unlock the door proved to be too much for her to resist. She suddenly needed to go to the bathroom, "I'll be right back." she'd say as she walked out the door with the key and a new air of sophistication. Or, "I have to get another drink of water." or "There's this book I want to check out." In and out. In and out, until finally I'd had enough.<br />
Needless to say I didn't get much done. I left after writing only 1,557 words, giving me a total of 7,993 for the week.<br />
When we got home she told my husband how much fun we'd had and how she couldn't wait to go again. <br />
Oh well, lesson learned.<br />
How many words did you write last week?<br />
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P.S It's two o'clock on Monday, February 17th. So far my word count for the day is zero, and I've almost finished an entire box of Girl Scout cookies! I'm not off to a great start!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-21465029098373026642014-02-13T08:03:00.001-08:002014-02-13T08:03:52.941-08:00Midpoint Mirror<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay, here are just a few tidbits on what to do at the midpoint of your story. The midpoint is sometimes referred to as a reversal, or a big reveal, but whatever you call it, it should have two things.<br />
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First, an action or incident from which there is no going back. This is not one of those moments in the story where you can be wishy washy. As the author, you have to make a decision and make it stick.<br />
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Second, your protagonist should do some serious self evaluation. He (or she) has to ask some hard questions. What do I really want? What is at stake? Who am I? Can I win?<br />
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To help you out let's look at a few simple midpoint examples.<br />
In our pretend story your protagonist works hard throughout the first half of the book to get the man of her dreams. In the middle of our story, when she finally nabs the dude:<br />
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A. She spends the night with him (we're talking sex here, not just a sleepover), but when she wakes up in the morning she has second thoughts. He calls out to her from the bedroom, he wants her to make him breakfast. It reminds her of her parent's relationship, a relationship that was all wrong for both her mother and her father. She asks herself; Am I like my mother? Do I really want this man?<br />
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B. She spends the night with him (S-E-X). He asks her to make him breakfast and it reminds her of how her mother used to cook breakfast for her father.<br />
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C. She takes him to her place and cooks for him. He seems demanding. He reminds her of her father, the way he used to boss around her mother. She asks herself; Am I like my mother? Do I really want this man?<br />
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Now, obviously, example A is your midpoint and it's not just because there is more writing up there.<br />
It's because an action has occurred that she cannot undo (I'm pretty sure you can't UNsleep with people. You can say "nothing happened", but we all know it did:), and then she asks herself some questions. In essence, she holds a mirror (hello midpoint mirror) up to herself to ask what she really wants.<br />
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In example B, she spends the night with him, and is reminded of her mother and father's relationship, but she doesn't ask herself any hard questions. It's the questions, or more precisely, the answers to those questions that gives us the reversal we need at the midpoint.<br />
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In example C, you have the protagonist's realization that he is demanding like her father, and she asks herself the important questions, but there is no event that can't be undone. She is just dating him at this point and she can easily say, "Oops, my bad.". <br />
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Do you see how examples B and C could really make your midpoint drag? A reader might be saying to themselves, "Nothing's happening in this story." You don't want that anywhere in your novel, but especially not at the midpoint (or at your two major plot points). <br />
Use your midpoint for your big scenes. Kill off characters, reveal secrets, blow shit up, but make sure that whatever happens it cannot be undone (You can't <i>almost</i> reveal the secret! Or reveal it and then take it back!), and it has to give the protagonist a reason to stop and re-evaluate what's been happening since page one.<br />
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Event that cannot be undone - Protagonist self evaluation - A change in the action of the story. That is your midpoint!!<br />
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Yes, there are a million different ways to do this. You don't need to have your protagonist sitting with her head in her hands thinking about feelings for two pages. You can set it up from the beginning of the story so that the reader knows that if our main character's mother dies she will be...homeless, helpless, charged with murder...whatever. When, at the midpoint, the mother does die we already know how our main character is going to feel about this. We already know it will change the direction of the story. <br />
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If you're muddling through the middle and you're stuck, try writing out a scene with the midpoint mirror in mind. If nothing else it will give you a better handle on who your main character is and what she wants.<br />
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If you wanna know about more than just midpoint, check out my post on <a href="http://elwattswrites.blogspot.com/2013/09/three-act-structure.html" target="_blank">Three Act Structure.</a><br />
Also, for a look at my writing resources check out <a href="http://elwattswrites.blogspot.com/2013/07/books-on-writing.html" target="_blank">Books on Writing</a>.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-52446900767741688512014-02-10T09:34:00.002-08:002014-02-10T09:34:28.650-08:00Weekly Word Count <br />
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Don't laugh, but I only wrote 841 words last week. That's a lot of zeros up there!!<br />
I'd like to say that I feel bad about not writing much last week, but the truth is I don't. I watched TV, hung out with the family, made costumes for a mother daughter rollerskating day, ran errands, helped kids with homework, and generally just enjoyed the role of stay at home mom.<br />
Will I get back into the swing of things this week? I'm not sure, but I'm going to try. I must admit, it felt rather nice to just chill out a little:)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8Kf3WRArY769rbjAs4pmHbJa6l8XDCdSk1a7gCUAJr0OENBPSWFUnt4sIyBc2iF3BCrqRwzpgFFK_U5nWvdeQMMqHyEIPfb-UduB9cYj81jESMEa8m_RgArfB5T8wTDIz6Rs2V-S_8H4/s1600/word+count-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8Kf3WRArY769rbjAs4pmHbJa6l8XDCdSk1a7gCUAJr0OENBPSWFUnt4sIyBc2iF3BCrqRwzpgFFK_U5nWvdeQMMqHyEIPfb-UduB9cYj81jESMEa8m_RgArfB5T8wTDIz6Rs2V-S_8H4/s1600/word+count-3.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>A quick update on my <a href="http://elwattswrites.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-new-writing-gimmick.html" target="_blank">new writing gimmick.</a> I have 30,000 words left to go. That means thirty of those note cards are left hanging on my bathroom mirror until my novel is done. Hopefully this week I'll be able to pull some more of those numbers off!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-1386015509049484572014-02-02T08:49:00.000-08:002014-02-02T08:49:48.431-08:00Weekly Word Count<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My total word count for the month of January, in case you're interested, is 40,325. Not quite up to NaNo standards, but still not bad.<br />
On Monday the muse was with me and I wrote 5, 572 words. I had to count twice to make sure I was right. The rest of the week I did add some word count, but I was meandering through the plot a little. I need to spend the weekend to figure out exactly where I'm going.<br />
I did end the week with a total of 10,992 words, my best week yet.<br />
If you read my post about <a href="http://elwattswrites.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-new-writing-gimmick.html" target="_blank">my new writing gimmick </a>you'll be happy to know I've already taken down 20 of those little note cards. Not only am I writing faster, so that I can pull all those cards down, but I'm also just writing more. More scenes, more nonsense, more everything.<br />
I tend to be a very lean writer, thinking about the story structure in each scene. This is a good thing for the most part, but it can also be very limiting. By pushing myself on word count instead of just finishing the book I think I'm getting a little more depth to my characters and my story.<br />
All in all, I'm feeling pretty good about January's totals. <br />
Here's hoping next month will be even better.<br />
Cheers!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-54180475995805809532014-01-29T11:12:00.000-08:002014-01-29T11:12:17.567-08:00My New Writing GimmickI am constantly looking for ways to cut corners, wait scratch that. Let's call it what it is. I'm constantly looking for ways to procrastinate when it comes to actually writing my novel.<br />
( For proof check out my <a href="http://elwattswrites.blogspot.com/2013_06_01_archive.html" target="_blank">first post.</a> ) I've written countless "to do" lists, made up schedules and marked up calendars. I've read books on writing and taken classes on writing mostly in an effort to avoid the actual writing. Once I spent hours writing out random word count assignments. Then I sealed them in separate envelopes, and wrote out every day in March on the front of each one. "Word count assignment for March 1st, Word count assignment for March 2nd...ect" I was supposed to open a different one each day and write the assigned number of words. Guess how many envelopes I opened? TWO!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFC-EaQByxB96LHkwu-F68-f6UTV85dfYXdtJsFEUPKccRgegR_Ge8WCgE1tW7BMpq7moIpNm6YpwqwAKoII3Bf9ZchHrso1EPRSOhOmDnUAL4zKL1I-XfjHrpssr3sQmzd5HffEMLBU98/s1600/IMG_7424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFC-EaQByxB96LHkwu-F68-f6UTV85dfYXdtJsFEUPKccRgegR_Ge8WCgE1tW7BMpq7moIpNm6YpwqwAKoII3Bf9ZchHrso1EPRSOhOmDnUAL4zKL1I-XfjHrpssr3sQmzd5HffEMLBU98/s1600/IMG_7424.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a>I still maintain that it was a good idea, even though my follow through wasn't the best.<br />
Well, over the weekend I had a brand new idea for getting the writer in me to step back in line. Or maybe it was a brand new idea for how to procrastinate further...I guess we'll see.<br />
First, let me present the problem. I've been getting my word count in pretty consistently, but I'm bouncing all over the place. I'll write on one story one day and switch to something new the next day. The entire point of this adventure is to finish a novel.<br />
So what's the answer? Why my new writing gimmick of course.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEdl82_1vLHjSy_VgC3Hn4Be4AvRQ9qQEGp4hL-L4_sAd9pkfX7S3ZVcEPsX0wdsY-86gM_xuuKgVI1JVOGsV75IUJnBTbaw4o2-LozKKb3DyBYnBXt8K6vuLxr5mKHlSHzbLmkuK9CAQ/s1600/IMG_7420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEdl82_1vLHjSy_VgC3Hn4Be4AvRQ9qQEGp4hL-L4_sAd9pkfX7S3ZVcEPsX0wdsY-86gM_xuuKgVI1JVOGsV75IUJnBTbaw4o2-LozKKb3DyBYnBXt8K6vuLxr5mKHlSHzbLmkuK9CAQ/s1600/IMG_7420.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a>On Monday, (January 20th) I took out 50 small note cards and wrote the number 1,000 on each one of them for a total of 50,000. You're getting it now, right? 50,000 is roughly the length of a completed novel.<br />
I then took these bad boys and taped them onto my bathroom mirror in neat rows. (I can't wait to see what my husband thinks of this when he gets back into town.)<br />
After I've written 1,000 words I get to take one of those little note cards off the mirror. It's a visual representation of how far I have to go, and how far I've come.<br />
The trick is, it's all got to be on ONE NOVEL. That means my word counts for the day can total up as high as I want, but if I'm not writing on this one particular novel then those note cards stay put.<br />
Gimmick? Or great idea? Waste of time and space or brilliant plan? <br />
Let me know what you think.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-49829407243688994422014-01-25T12:42:00.001-08:002014-01-25T12:47:25.492-08:00Weekly Word Count<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My weekly word count total for the week of January 19th to the 25th is 10,052. That's the highest one so far, and it came about totally by mistake. Well, sort of...<br />
On Tuesday I actually wrote 2,081 words, but because I was trying to multitask while writing down the total (something my brain is really not equipped for) I accidentally wrote the number 3,801.<br />
Now, I know you can't tell it by my handwriting, but I have a need for things to stay tidy. The thought of crossing out that number and replacing it with the correct number was too much for me to bear. I couldn't mess up my entire calendar to put the right number in. Instead, I did the only thing I could do. I wrote the extra thousand or so words to get to 3,801.<br />
I tried it again the next day. I wrote 3,211 down on the calendar before I had even written one word on my novel. True to form I couldn't cross it out when I wanted to quit at about 2,000 words. I also couldn't bring myself to lie to you guys and say I'd written that much when I hadn't. So...off to the laptop I went and I wrote until I got to my goal of 3,211 words.<br />
As you can probably tell by the low word count on Thursday and Friday, I did NOT write down a total word count first. The fact is, to get those higher word counts on Tuesday and Wednesday my days were pretty hectic. I didn't watch any TV because of all that writing. I LOVE my TV time so I was unwilling to give it up on Thursday and Friday:)<br />
I will say that just knowing I have to publish my word count each week has been very motivating for me. I bet it would be for you too. So go on, jot down your word count online. Put it on Facebook, or Twitter or on your blog. Or put it in the comment line below. It just might be the motivation you need to finish that novel!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-17411523270144084622014-01-22T11:09:00.002-08:002014-01-22T11:09:28.571-08:00Word Wars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you're not familiar with word wars, sometimes called word sprints, it's a challenge to see how many words you can write in a certain amount of time.<br />
I've been "meeting" with a group on a website called Tiny Chat. Someone will set a timer for fifteen minutes and then type "Go". Everyone starts writing and we don't stop until the timer goes off. After fifteen minutes (or ten or whatever) of fast and furious writing we all get back on Tiny Chat and share our word count. Whoever wrote the most, wins.<br />
What do they win? Nothing. Or maybe a shot of confidence, but mostly we all win because we've all got at least a few hundred words to add to the daily word count.<br />
We'll do at least two challenges, sometimes three, and then call it a day. I can get anywhere from 800 to 1200 words in those short bursts of writing, but more than that I find it freeing somehow.<br />
There's no time to judge what you've written or think too hard about word choice, you've just got to write. And for someone who's been struggling to get the entire story onto paper this is exactly what I need.<br />
There is even a Twitter account that does word wars during the month of November. You can find it <complete id="goog_1907031168">@NaNoWordSprints.</complete><br />
<complete id="goog_1907031168">And if you want to get a little more technical you can use Write or Die. This website will give you rewards, and punishments, for your writing. For example, there is something called Kamikaze mode that will un-write your words for you if you stop typing for a certain amount of time. Yikes! </complete><br />
<complete id="goog_1907031168">You're probably thinking that all of those words written in a frenzy are pretty much crap. For the most part, you're probably right. But with each word war I'm moving the story further to the end. </complete><br />
<complete id="goog_1907031168">Once I'm at the end I'll go into editing mode. To see what that entails, check out <a href="http://elwattswrites.blogspot.com/2013/08/editing-your-first-draft.html" target="_blank">Editing Your First Draft.</a></complete><complete id="goog_1907031168"> In the mean time, gather some writer friends and try having a few word wars of your own. You're sure to be pleased with the results! </complete><br />
<complete id="goog_1907031168">Ready. Set. Go! </complete><br />
<complete id="goog_1907031168"><br /></complete>
<complete id="goog_1907031168"><br /></complete>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-25151765589193691512014-01-19T17:00:00.002-08:002014-01-19T17:00:40.519-08:00Weekly Word Count<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0tBBRwTkjV4rO3v778Lq-ScHyZhuMU8L9aurwRIdPpHgN9ZQkgGfoH231D8c7PmaBM6Jo8HtDaN8yxuRcG1ONCGx3ivbb0jARXGWX_AjB_shjFkaLrWtHdJvQRRVfb-zkCP2YR7_JKdL/s1600/IMG_7414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0tBBRwTkjV4rO3v778Lq-ScHyZhuMU8L9aurwRIdPpHgN9ZQkgGfoH231D8c7PmaBM6Jo8HtDaN8yxuRcG1ONCGx3ivbb0jARXGWX_AjB_shjFkaLrWtHdJvQRRVfb-zkCP2YR7_JKdL/s1600/IMG_7414.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
I'm late. I know. I went out of town this weekend and I was partying too hard to think about writing or blogging:)<br />
Here are my word count totals for last week. <br />
I wrote a total of 7, 535 words.<br />
I'm not too disappointed in the word count for the week, but the really frustrating thing is that it's not all on one novel.<br />
On Tuesday I wrote my characters into a corner. On Wednesday, I thought about how to get them out of it. Obviously, since my word count was zero on Wednesday I didn't find a way out.<br />
Instead of just skipping on Friday I started ANOTHER story, but at least I got a few words on paper.<br />
I'm still not back on track, but I'm (literally) plotting my way out. Hopefully, by tomorrow I'll be able to get back to my main story.<br />
Wish me luck.<br />
What were your word count totals for the week?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-77787055815651726332014-01-11T10:27:00.001-08:002014-01-11T10:27:12.674-08:00Weekly Word CountAs I mentioned in <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1664598972576486174#editor/target=post;postID=7846446310624864120;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=4;src=postname" target="_blank">Ten Thousand Words A Day</a> I am going to start publishing my weekly word count on my blog. This is nothing fancy or detailed, I will simply update you on my word count.<br />
I will resist the urge to make excuses about how busy my week was or this and that and just get down to the numbers.<br />
The holidays were crazy (wait, I thought I said no excuses....maybe just one) and I missed the first week in January so you'll get two updates for this one.<br />
From January 1st to the 3rd I wrote a total of 3,131 words.<br />
From January 4th to the 10th I wrote a total of 8,615.<br />
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What are your word count totals this week? Any word count above zero is pretty fantastic in my opinion!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-55790713904959432642014-01-07T12:27:00.000-08:002014-01-07T12:27:27.951-08:00Rubbernecking In Fiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzqcjNYQBGKh2OxK-6730E1kNTKhvoBAZuOfGh_QN_HAGjN9ierN5nM5qjXXEnoLi9OMK9pPu4hi63xr3jU4lS4E7ko1_IcSK2ok3SzPGtB0a4ZbNlM9LoN_I6vFYAhQfeFbZszCncaFv/s1600/800px-Stort_ba%CC%8Al_sankthans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzqcjNYQBGKh2OxK-6730E1kNTKhvoBAZuOfGh_QN_HAGjN9ierN5nM5qjXXEnoLi9OMK9pPu4hi63xr3jU4lS4E7ko1_IcSK2ok3SzPGtB0a4ZbNlM9LoN_I6vFYAhQfeFbZszCncaFv/s1600/800px-Stort_ba%CC%8Al_sankthans.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
So you've never heard of rubbernecking in fiction? Ha, that's no surprise to me because I completely made it up. Now hold on a minute or two because I think this is information you're going to want to hear.<br />
Usually when a person hears the term rubbernecking they do not think about fiction. What comes to mind is a car accident. Maybe you're thinking police on the side of the road, cars smashed up, and an ambulance at the scene? There is that definition, but there is another way to use the term.<br />
Wikipedia says, "The word <i>rubbernecking</i> has also come to be used more generally to describe voyeuristic interest in someone else's business or difficulties."<br />
So how can you use this in your novel to set you apart? Simple. Just make sure you add in those things that people can't seem to turn away from. It's like adding a bit of gossip to spice up your novel.<br />
Have you ever started a story with, "Oh, man I just heard the most disturbing thing on the news."?<br />
Or, "The strangest thing happened the other day." People love the interesting, sometimes sick, things that they hear that are not your everyday gossip.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdNM-B6IjrvUHHE3wOSIZLxsddRS17I9-kfdBI-Ph6y6ut1Ri0kTbvld0VRtTJHQRFY_507qkOWhsT1AqoG3_YNuhi1DIkgeR_S6DXVnHZoPxriGno9b9fdTCDuZgewGwFxk63wqpBgLm/s1600/Weather-related_multi-car_crash_(5495544216).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdNM-B6IjrvUHHE3wOSIZLxsddRS17I9-kfdBI-Ph6y6ut1Ri0kTbvld0VRtTJHQRFY_507qkOWhsT1AqoG3_YNuhi1DIkgeR_S6DXVnHZoPxriGno9b9fdTCDuZgewGwFxk63wqpBgLm/s1600/Weather-related_multi-car_crash_(5495544216).jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a>And it's not just gross things either. It's amazing love stories, stories about psychic moments, or miraculous rescues. People love to hear things that are different from the norm.<br />
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that your story <b>is</b> out of the norm, but that's not what rubbernecking is. Rubbernecking is all the strange stuff you see or hear on your way <i>through</i> your story. Your story should be fantastic and interesting in it's own right, but give the readers a little something extra. <br />
Make the reader slow down in places because you've just given them something to gawk at. There are all sorts of opportunities for minor characters to have a big impact. Maybe your main character see's the neighbor taking out the trash and she wonders how she's doing now that she's out of jail for killing her newborn. Or maybe it's a supporting character that has half of his body scarred from burns.<br />
On a lighter note it could just be a few racy sex scene's (depending on what you're writing of course).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91_8u7bxLaniOmjPwbrt02OkB2rYOiPxuBWPzoygvq5GQjhm_NZOrILkRuZgR7CuDhkgtp7WzUV3AvXPapr8vVYXxWYK_eh47lbebBW-jg0E3_U1WRYfxp4hWy8xXRz-JJOEDnNWXrXhK/s1600/A_U.S._Soldier,_left,_with_the_147th_Finance_Company,_347th_Regional_Support_Group_prepares_to_leave_Roseville,_Minn.,_Sept_120905-A-TH293-676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91_8u7bxLaniOmjPwbrt02OkB2rYOiPxuBWPzoygvq5GQjhm_NZOrILkRuZgR7CuDhkgtp7WzUV3AvXPapr8vVYXxWYK_eh47lbebBW-jg0E3_U1WRYfxp4hWy8xXRz-JJOEDnNWXrXhK/s1600/A_U.S._Soldier,_left,_with_the_147th_Finance_Company,_347th_Regional_Support_Group_prepares_to_leave_Roseville,_Minn.,_Sept_120905-A-TH293-676.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a>These things shouldn't take away from the story, they should add to it. If you're main character has hidden pain from the past (and most of them do) maybe the short description of the man with scars all over his body is a metaphor for your main character's inner pain.<br />
It should be subtle of course, and short. Rubbernecking is not a subplot or worse, an entirely different story. It's just a little extra kick to the details of your book.<br />
The reason for doing this is, of course, to make your novel more interesting. Why not just say use every opportunity to make your novel more interesting to your reader? Well, you could say that, but I like "give your readers an opportunity for rubbernecking" better!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-23855048292153234412013-12-31T16:17:00.001-08:002014-01-11T09:28:29.922-08:00What Does 2014 Feel Like?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm done making resolutions. I have been blogging and yapping about writing since July and it hasn't done me much good. I still don't have a completed novel, and what's worse, I don't even have a story that I want to write.<br />
With that sad fact I'm not making big plans or goals for 2014. My New Year's Resolutions will not be to lose weight, exercise more, eat better, or write more. Instead I'm going to focus on feelings.<br />
What do I want 2014 to FEEL like?<br />
Yes, it would be wonderful if next year brought me the small victory of a finished novel (even a terrible one) but finishing a novel will not be the main goal.<br />
What is the main goal?<br />
In 2014 I want to feel the sun on my face and the wind in my hair. I want to feel like I could run up a hill without getting winded and run down without limping. <br />
I want the feeling of freedom and skill that I had when I rode a bike with no hands.<br />
I want the proud exhaustion that comes from a hard days work. I want to feel my hands around a warm mug on a cold morning. I want to feel my heart pounding as I hike up a mountain, and feel my breath catch in my chest as I take in a beautiful view.<br />
Those are the feelings I'll be chasing in 2014.<br />
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How does a person chase a feeling? That is the key, isn't it. I think it is to live in the moment. When you're in the middle of your day, stop and ask yourself how you feel. What does it feel like to be you at that moment? If it doesn't feel fantastic, if you're stressed or disappointed in yourself, if you're making yourself crazy with your to do list, then STOP. Run at full speed (if it feels right) and chase a new feeling, a new way of being you.<br />
For me, maybe that means writing 2,000 words a day or maybe that means writing 2,000 words a week, but 2014 feels like success any way you slice it.<br />
How about you? What does 2014 feel like for you? Leave a comment, or write it on a piece of notebook paper, but this year make a commitment to feeling fantastic. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-78464463106248641202013-12-25T07:25:00.000-08:002013-12-25T07:25:42.065-08:00Ten Thousand Words A Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Monday, December 16th, I was feeling feisty and I decided to write 10,000 words a day for a week. Well, feisty isn't really the right word, mostly I was feeling like a loser because I hadn't been writing nearly as much as I thought I should.<br />
Monday morning I worked out, then ran some errands and did some Christmas shopping. I had lunch with a friend and then came home to clean. By the time my son got home, at three, I still hadn't done any writing. I helped him study for his midterms, made dinner. (Actually I probably hit the drive-thru.)<br />
Now keep in mind I still thought I could pull this off. I had a coke at around 5:30pm, told the kids it was going to be a late night for me and asked them to set their alarms for the next day. You know, in case I wasn't able to get up in the morning on account of all my hard work:)<br />
I put the kids to bed at 8:30 and finally sat down to write. My husband was out of town so it was very quiet in the house. I didn't really like it. I started a movie, just for some ambient noise.<br />
It was actually a really good movie, I decided to watch it until 9:00pm and then I would turn it off.<br />
At nine I turned the movie off, made myself some (caffeinated) hot tea and sat down for a long night of writing. I felt like I was in college again, pulling an all nighter. Cool!<br />
Wait. No! All nighter's were so NOT cool. I would be completely exhausted the next day, I wouldn't get anything done! I decided it would be much more practical to write 20,000 words on Tuesday than it would be to write so late at night! (Yes, I really did think this made perfect sense!)<br />
I closed the computer, watched the rest of Catch and Release and ended the day with zero word count.<br />
What's the moral of the story? <br />
You've got to just DO it!<br />
I did write on Tuesday, but not ten thousand words. I did write on Wednesday, and Thursday too. Friday I went car shopping from dawn to dusk and Saturday was the same, but my total word count for last week was 7,409 words.<br />
WHAT? I know, right. Where did that even come from? It's far from 10,000 words a day, but it's still pretty good.<br />
Here's what I learned.<br />
When trying to write ten thousand words a day...<br />
-You can't separate your work into chapters or scenes or anything, just write one huge, long story.<br />
-Don't look back to see what color your character's eyes are, or what their names are. You can fix all of that later, just keep writing.<br />
-Don't Google anything. You wanna know how tall the Eiffel Tower is? Who cares! Check it later, just keep writing.<br />
-And last, but not least, if writing is the last thing on your "To Do" list, it will not get done. Put it up there at the top off you list. Or better yet, don't make a list at all, just DO it!<br />
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P.S<br />
For the new year my resolution (of sorts) is to put my daily word count into a calendar (photo above). I'm going to try, scratch that, I AM going to take a picture of the book and keep my blog updated with my progress. Hopefully 2014 brings lots of words...and maybe at least a few of them can form an actual novel.<br />
Happy Christmas to you all! May 2014 bring you peace, good health, and joy...and maybe a best selling novel:) <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-34873789774250730262013-12-18T17:01:00.000-08:002013-12-18T17:01:30.650-08:00Trick Thyself<br />
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I've been having a little trouble getting motivated to write these days. In fact, just the other day I was staring at my computer for almost a full ten minutes with nothing but white space looking back at me.<br />
<br />
I work on Scrivener (If you haven't tried it, you should!) and I usually section out my work into individual scenes. I'll title them so that I can make sense of it all in the editing process. I'll use things like, "meet antagonist" or "Bobby finds the knife". Not overly creative, but it gets the job done.<br />
But the other day I couldn't even come up with a scene idea, let alone a title.<br />
I finally just typed in the first thing that came into my head. Nelson Mandela. It happened to be the day he died, and to be honest I didn't even realize it was on my mind. I hit return and started typing out a scene.<br />
<br />
Now I don't know very much about Nelson Mandela. I hope you don't think I'm hopelessly ignorant, but the words I think of when I hear that name are; committed, prisoner, rebel, speaker, apartheid.<br />
Now the section of my book I was working on had absolutely nothing to do with apartheid or Nelson Mandela, but the feelings that name evoked in me showed up in my writing.<br />
<br />
I found my main character seemed a little more in control. Her motivations seemed just a little bit clearer and only because I had Nelson Mandela in mind when I was writing. <br />
I've started to use this trick with every scene. I use titles like Charles Manson. Harrison Ford. Bill Clinton. Jennifer Lopez. Actually, I haven't used J Lo yet, but I am curious what feelings that would bring out in my writing.<br />
<br />
I do this indiscriminately. I don't think about what I'm writing and pick a character with similar values. No, just the opposite, I pick a random person, for example Paul Newman, and see what characteristics of his I can add to the character I'm writing about. How can I make my protagonist (or any other character) deeper by adding attributes of Paul Newman? It's a way of surprising yourself in your own writing. Also, whatever feelings you have about Paul Newman will show up in your work.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qe5NiLRwPPOpQBFykWrhaAQkjEUy9T0qBfbl9CfFE7gdWxUfAQ5lTs21-PX8-EZNiwltVpJCBC2xEoy42vhnomxY4cPRkJ8lizFW9X3oi-CHEzJZKkM-Y4Itvcej0q5mPVenyV93Poo7/s1600/Nelsonmadela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qe5NiLRwPPOpQBFykWrhaAQkjEUy9T0qBfbl9CfFE7gdWxUfAQ5lTs21-PX8-EZNiwltVpJCBC2xEoy42vhnomxY4cPRkJ8lizFW9X3oi-CHEzJZKkM-Y4Itvcej0q5mPVenyV93Poo7/s1600/Nelsonmadela.jpg" height="71" width="200" /></a>Let's face it, books are about feelings. We read because a book makes us feel a certain way; happy, sad, scared, frustrated, ect. So if you're having trouble getting enough feeling into your books, maybe try my little trick. It certainly can't hurt!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-14589445469508154272013-12-09T15:47:00.002-08:002013-12-09T15:47:48.966-08:00NaNo Wrap Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Guess what..I quit on my latest novel. I'm sure you're not surprised by this. To make a quick count, since I started this blog in July I have started and quit about four different novels. If you count just plotting books and not the actual writing, I think it's more like six.<br />
This isn't really a surprise to me. As a stay at home mom wanting to make some money I have had any number of schemes that I've started and never finished.<br />
I was going to be a jewelry maker. Then I worried about my necklaces breaking and children choking on the beads. Of course I had to quit. It would be irresponsible not to.<br />
Then there was the card making business, but man printer ink is expensive. The photography business, I was really never any good. And then, there was the writing business. To be fair I was always writing, but only recently did I commit to really trying to get a book published.<br />
I'm not ready to quit writing entirely, but I do (somehow) keep quitting on my novels.<br />
If you read my last post, or maybe it was the one before, I was SO excited about my new novel. But then I had to take a break and get ready for a Disney vacation for Thanksgiving and by the time I got home I was over the story. All of the sudden, it just didn't seem like it was any good at all (sound familiar?).<br />
So, the lesson from NaNo this time is: word count, nerd count, it's all about writing every day. Keep your head in the story even if you can only write 200 words a day.<br />
But that leaves me with a question. <br />
Will I only get published if I finish an entire story and then another entire story and another? OR will all of this writing and practicing naturally lead to a finished (and published) novel?<br />
Am I just being a quitter by leaving so many books unfinished? Or is it like finding a husband? All those other failed books are just the natural course to finding "the one". The one novel that I was meant to write, and everything before it just wasn't meant to be?<br />
Or is that just quitter talk?<br />
Let me know what you think! <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-33739072183625842912013-11-20T09:20:00.000-08:002013-11-20T09:20:54.902-08:00NaNoWriMo UpdateWhen it came to writing a novel in a month I did everything right this time. I plotted the entire novel just before November 1st. I super cleaned the house and warned the family of my tendency to day dream during this busy time. I stocked the freezer with easy meals and taught the kids how to cook them. (No judgement people!) I was ready.<br />
My book was about roach people taking over a town. Yes, it turned out to be as stupid as it sounds, but by day eight I tucked myself into bed with almost 15,000 words already finished. Yay me!<br />
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On day nine I didn't feel like writing. Day ten was the same, and by day eleven something had to give. I knew it was breaking the rules, but I started writing something different.<br />
The roach people were getting boring, just chasing each other around the laboratory, so I sat at my desk and typed the following words,<br />
"It was a nasty business cleaning up after the dead."<br />
Not a perfect sentence. I'm not in love with the "was" in there and it doesn't paint much of a picture. Even after this first sentence I ramble on quite a bit about cleaning up body parts. It started to get a little bit twisted, and I considered going back to see how those roach people were doing.<br />
In the end I decided to stick with the "cleaning up after the dead" business just to see where it would take me. And guess what? I really like it.<br />
I'm 12, 758 words into it and not bored at all, and I have NaNo to thank for it.<br />
If I hadn't been writing and creating so well for so many days in a row, I would not have been in the zone (cliche). I would not have been able to come up with anything new. My mind would be stuck on roaches, roaches, roaches, and I would have kept on with that book even though I knew it wasn't turning out that well.<br />
It was Maya Angelou who said, "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."<br />
That statement is more true to me today than it was when I Tweeted it a few months ago:)<br />
I have been writing regularly since Camp NaNoWriMo in July and the more I do it, the easier it gets.<br />
So, not to beat a dead horse (cliche), but just keep on writing!<br />
It does get easier if you stick with it.<br />
Now, the big question. Will the books I'm writing get better? Only time will tell.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-57739019258932445432013-11-12T08:42:00.002-08:002013-11-12T08:43:17.475-08:00What Are We Doing Wrong?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I'm NaNo crazy right now, but I'd like to take a break from my dismal word count to give you a sort of pep talk. At the end of the month of October I met up with some fellow NaNo-ers for a plotting session. It was a fantastic group of writers from all sorts of different backgrounds. (The writing exercise was great and I think I'll do it from now on. You can find it <a href="http://www.yorkwriters.com/2009/02/sketch-novel-in-hour-exercise.html" target="_blank">here</a>, at WWW.YorkWriters.com.)<br />
As we went around the table introducing ourselves everyone got to say how many times they've done NaNoWriMo in the past, and how many times they've won.<br />
For myself, I had a go of it in about 2009 (maybe) and then did Camp NaNoWriMo in July, and of course I'm doing it again now.<br />
What struck me about this group of people was that we were all writing. We were all NaNo-ing, we were all winning, but out of the group of us only one had actually published a book. (Btw the one person was my sister!)<br />
What did that tell me? It told me that we were all doing something very wrong! I went home and was just sick with the feeling that we must just all be making some grave mistake. How could so many NaNo people still be floundering in the unpublished category?<br />
Let's look at the statistics. According to Wikipedia, in 1999, for the first Nano, there were 21 participants, yes, 21. In 2010 there were over 200,000 participants with a combined total of 2.8 billion words. These numbers don't even take into account those writers that aren't signed up for NaNo, but are still trying for the word count.<br />
There are, of course, some success stories:) Erin Morgenstern and her beautiful book, "The Night Circus", Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants", and there are over 100 traditionally published books that started out as NaNo books.<br />
But if the vast majority of us are just pissing into the wind, so to speak, what are we doing wrong?<br />
And the answer, which I realized late into the night (after three beers and no less than 100 gummy bears) is nothing at all. We're not doing anything wrong.<br />
We're writing! And that's what a writer is supposed to do. Sure we may be guilty of not spending the right amount of time on it, we may still need to read that book on plotting, or join a critique group, but if we are signing up for NaNo and trying like Hell to hit that 50,000 word mark then we're doing exactly what we should be doing.<br />
What's that saying? Something about it taking one million words before you really find your voice as a writer. So that would be twenty completed NaNoWriMo's. I'd say with three under my belt I'm off to an okay start!<br />
As long as we're writing, and learning, and trying, we are not doing anything wrong. We're doing just what we're supposed to do. We're writing.<br />
Some will gain success faster than others, but unless we quit, we'll all get there eventually.<br />
So keep on writing, keep on Nano-ing, and even if you're on your fourth, fifth or sixth NaNo, and still not published, don't give up. <br />
And if you need even more proof that writer's write...A LOT. Check out Amanda Hocking's post, specifically the info on how many books she's written vs how many she's published.<br />
<a href="http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/2011/02/bit-of-reality-check.html" target="_blank">Amanda Hocking.</a><br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-47148563156661117832013-11-06T15:37:00.001-08:002013-11-07T07:12:47.931-08:00Don't Reinvent the Wheel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I spun my wheels for a long time trying to write something that no one had ever read before. The stories never quite worked out how I wanted them to, and then I realized I was on the wrong path anyway!! The thing is, readers are creatures of habit. This is good news for the writer because it means we can use those habits to our benefit.<br />
How do we do this? Simple really. <br />
First, we write within an established genre.<br />
As artists I think we want to write whatever strikes our fancy, and we can, but we'll pay a price if it's "too unique". Writing is a business, after all, and if the publisher can't find a place to market your book it will be difficult to sell. So you can write that chick lit-zombie-space epic, and it might be wonderful. But if your publisher can't find a niche to sell it in, you're not going to make much money on it. Or, you'll be working so hard at the marketing that you won't find time to write that next book.<br />
Next, we should tell our reader's what's going to happen in the novel.<br />
No, really. You want to lead your readers into the story with a certain expectation. Our protagonist is either going to:<br />
a. find the love of her life. Or<br />
b. end the book alone, feeding kibble to a dead cat<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdpmlz90lj6w1dlHip-3IWl4qKtHcSVrT4E9VIsUD1N2vglorqeS2Zpug_7f5T4H_PpOZkxtgn5k8rfico_4CpWI9gKTZhR90s3wtNKjhzgNQE8hOA9yByK9Kge93lxEAQvfBmazVQOB9/s1600/408px-A_Plunge_Into_Space_spherical_space_craft.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdpmlz90lj6w1dlHip-3IWl4qKtHcSVrT4E9VIsUD1N2vglorqeS2Zpug_7f5T4H_PpOZkxtgn5k8rfico_4CpWI9gKTZhR90s3wtNKjhzgNQE8hOA9yByK9Kge93lxEAQvfBmazVQOB9/s1600/408px-A_Plunge_Into_Space_spherical_space_craft.png" height="320" width="217" /></a>You, as the writer, should let your reader's know that these two things could happen and then give them the ending that they want the most.<br />
No, it shouldn't be obvious (your reader loves a tease), but in the end they want the boy to win his fair maiden, or good to win over evil.<br />
(Obviously, the reverse would be true for a tragedy, but even in a tragedy the reader should know things might end badly, even expect it.) <br />
Give the readers what they want, and maybe save the chick lit-zombie-space epic for <b>after</b> you hit the best seller list.<br />
And finally, use the <a href="http://elwattswrites.blogspot.com/2013/09/three-act-structure.html" target="_blank">three act structure</a>.<br />
I know, I know, some of you would like to just wing it, and maybe you're a better writer than I am, but the three act structure is a map. It is a tried and true method of story telling. It's been used everywhere from plays, to movies, to books. It works, and it's easy to use. Some people feel like this structure can stifle creativity, but when you're just starting out it's the safest route to a complete story. <br />
Writing is difficult enough. Don't make yourself crazy trying to invent a new story structure. Use the tricks and tools that have worked for other people in the past. Once you've got your readership you can go any which way you want, but in the beginning, use the "tricks of the trade". Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-55482588206555986512013-10-30T06:16:00.002-07:002013-11-07T07:13:56.373-08:00Lessons From a Quitter <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
If optimism is a disease, then reality is the cure. And the reality is...my work in progress sucks rocks!<br />
I don't like admitting this. I'd much rather blog about things I feel good about, but I guess you should hear the good AND the bad.<br />
So here goes. I'm putting my current novel in a drawer in the study and I'm going to start focusing on my new novel...Hello NaNoWriMo.<br />
I may revisit Reaper Eternal sometime in the future, but for now I'm quitting on it. I promised myself I would NOT give up on this novel. I would work, fight, and force it into a good novel, but I just can't do it!<br />
It feels down right wrong to give up on it, but on the plus side...I did learn a few things.<br />
First, I learned that I need to work on my characters! The fact is, my book lacks an entertaining voice.<br />
How. On. Earth. could I have missed this? I honestly don't have an answer for that one. I read it, not once, not twice, but three times. It wasn't until I posted the first chapter on Wattpad that I realized it was kind of a dud.<br />
My main character has no charisma, and that's the kiss of death in fiction. (Especially for YA!) <br />
My second lesson is that I need to plot out the story before hand. I loved it when I read Stephen King's, On Writing, and he said not to plot, but the truth is, (and get ready, it's a shocker) I am no Stephen King!! I need to plot out the story. The editing is just too terrible without a good plot in place at the start.<br />
And third, and finally, I learned not to take things so seriously! I've learned so much valuable information from book after book on writing, but I forgot that my main focus is simply to entertain the reader. Have fun. Make mistakes. Be ridiculous. I don't always have to make it "pretty".<br />
So, with these lessons learned, Reaper Eternal is packed up in a drawer and I'm about to take a peek at Book In A Month to get ready for NaNo.<br />
Wish me luck! I'm going to need it!<br />
If you're interested in my other novel, feel free to check out the first two pages on <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/27983716-reaper-eternal" target="_blank">Wattpad</a>. You'll see what I mean about the lack of voice.<br />
Oh well, if at first you don't succeed...<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-71810942236353700722013-10-25T06:29:00.000-07:002013-11-07T07:15:12.527-08:00Write It Now or Regret It Later<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
For years my sister and I have had a common goal. We wanted to be writers. We both believed that if we really put our minds to it, if we really worked hard, we would succeed.<br />
We would meet at the library or a coffee shop with our laptops and get to work, but then something strange would happen. The coffee shops were too loud. The library was too cold. We realized we needed to go shoe shopping or we were suddenly starving and had to go to lunch. With all of these "issues", we didn't get much work done.<br />
While at lunch we would talk about how difficult it was to be a writer. Oh, it was so much work and there was really no guarantee that we would ever succeed. We had the kids to take care of, volunteering to do at the school, and blah, blah, blah.<br />
It went on like this for a while. We'd write a little, complain A LOT, and then go have lunch together and complain some more. It was really a lot of fun!<br />
Then, slowly, things began to change. My sister quit meeting me to "write" and started writing on her own! How RUDE!<br />
I'll admit it. I was trash talking a bit, "It's not right for her to abandon me!" "Who does she think she is?", but while I was trash talking, she was writing. And a few months later she finished her novel.<br />
Now of course, I wish her all the success in the world, you can find her book, The Corpse Goddess, on Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Corpse-Goddess-ebook/dp/B008EZXJ7E/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381376114&sr=1-1&keywords=the+corpse+goddess" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
But I was J-E-A-L-O-U-S! Jealous! Why was I so jealous? Even I didn't really get it. She deserved it, she did the work. Plus, there were hundreds of people who had published novels before her. I wasn't jealous of them!<br />
Now you may think you don't care about my sister and her book. You
don't care that the doctor next door to you is a doctor, or that the girl
you knew from high school is a movie star, but the reason you don't
care is because you don't want to be a writer, or a doctor, or a movie
star.<br />
But I'd be willing to bet there is something that you
really want to be. Whether it's an artist, or an entrepreneur, or a size
six in your skinny jeans.<br />
Whatever it is it won't bother you so much if some stranger succeeds. But when a friend or a family member succeeds, someone you know is
so similar to you. They don't have the time either, they don't have the
guarantee of success either, and somehow they did it anyway.<br />
When they make it work, and someday they will, you're going to be happy for them, but more than anything you'll be asking yourself, "Why didn't I do the work?"<br />
That's what I was thinking when my sister got published! "Why haven't I been writing?"<br />
I promise you, all your excuses, the entire "poor me" act is going to seem pretty pathetic! <br />
You will feel guilty for not doing what you really, truly wanted to be doing. You will deeply regret wasting time. You will regret letting yourself give in to the excuses. I know I did.<br />
So, lace up those running shoes, start that business, write that book because the very worst thing you can say at the end of the day, or the month. The worst thing you can say at the end of the year or at the end of your life is, "I regret not doing..."<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-6729892443476230182013-10-20T17:48:00.000-07:002013-10-20T17:48:51.088-07:00Aspiring Writer's Challenge<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggScVSlS3mGuVbmil6H3lOFPH_6T-KJr0XW8wVG9IrfAftiiHRzlMKAihNon_-9HzQ8xngaWesmuYMEDlRjtuaVjDtusDzQzut_FIodvOlYwI4zbnuISgtilEkd_727r8vtd70c0T9ITMo/s1600/book+in+a+month.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggScVSlS3mGuVbmil6H3lOFPH_6T-KJr0XW8wVG9IrfAftiiHRzlMKAihNon_-9HzQ8xngaWesmuYMEDlRjtuaVjDtusDzQzut_FIodvOlYwI4zbnuISgtilEkd_727r8vtd70c0T9ITMo/s1600/book+in+a+month.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
Let's do it together, shall we? Do what? Why sign up for NaNoWriMo, of course! In case you don't know what it is, it's a book in a month baby! All you have to do is write 50,000 words in the month of November.<br />
If you're lucky it will be in story form, but hey, 50,000 meandering words is better than no words at all!<br />
I'm signed up! If you read my blog you know my manuscript is no where near done. You know I've been procrastinating while at the same time talking about how I'm going to finish it. (can you say blind optimism?)<br />
Yes, I'm STILL planning on finishing it, but let's pile on the work shall we!? What's another 50,000 words?<br />
You may also know that I have a very difficult time plotting my stories. That is the reason it's taking me so long to get my current manuscript into working order. I didn't plot to begin with and now I'm paying for it in the editing process.<br />
But this time, I have a plan.<br />
I recently purchased a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Month-Fool-Proof-System-Writing/dp/1582974861" target="_blank">Book in a Month</a>. Guess what it's about:)<br />
For the aspiring writers out there I'm going to suggest that you do the following:<br />
1. Buy Book in a Month. <br />
2. Sign up for NaNoWriMo......<a href="https://nanowrimo.org/sign_up" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
3. Think about the story you want to write.<br />
And there is a fourth thing I want you to do, but not ALL of you. If you have the tendency to get super excited about new things, I mean really gung ho, and then ten days later you quit (I fall into this category), then DO NOT do step four.<br />
If, on the other hand, you're one of those over achievers, then proceed to step four nerds!(You're not really nerds, but my ego can't take your super awesomeness!)<br />
Step 4. Read the introduction to Book in a Month <u>as soon as you get. </u><br />
For you go getter's you'll read the intro and be able to maintain your excitement until November. I'm not even going to peek at the intro until a few days before Halloween. For those of you who have a hard time sticking to things, I suggest you wait until then too!<br />
I'm sure, with the help of this book and NaNoWriMo in November we're going to produce some amazing works of fiction!<br />
If you're already a great plotter then skip the book, but DO sign up for NaNo!! <br />
<br />
Good luck! And let me know if you sign up!! If you do, I'll be right there with you, every step of the way.<br />
P.S I have never used Book in a Month and have no stake in it's success or failure, but I've perused the pages and it looks like a pretty thorough plan.<br />
Like I've said before, I'll try anything when it comes to writing!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-91304015350885989252013-10-15T16:13:00.001-07:002013-10-15T16:13:41.065-07:00Camping Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25zgQ2oyN_15NGuQFxU5a3HcEZDQQ9V_3rC4CeGcy2cdiKoPxWLLUZ0AQ0l_hWcewjWfshQ8kfOWh9UpDLxh0lEavSNjJddZpAMZOA85BrY6-HzcSe2g2jQkojxIItNgA_RUbdI5f0GV7/s1600/IMG_5583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25zgQ2oyN_15NGuQFxU5a3HcEZDQQ9V_3rC4CeGcy2cdiKoPxWLLUZ0AQ0l_hWcewjWfshQ8kfOWh9UpDLxh0lEavSNjJddZpAMZOA85BrY6-HzcSe2g2jQkojxIItNgA_RUbdI5f0GV7/s1600/IMG_5583.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Jack and my brother, Joe</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNJWYvQvkkvKlyqk35IUwUoBoLw8BrnbGkwea0M40rLB5fJuLdr-gAr4od8Q_QBOQqRqrFuspcnJjkyEj_GSeNbgpRvCIXM9pPeoOknFcC8P-CMuSitq6lpfo-97VpvNs__D2QbNyji7O/s1600/IMG_5587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNJWYvQvkkvKlyqk35IUwUoBoLw8BrnbGkwea0M40rLB5fJuLdr-gAr4od8Q_QBOQqRqrFuspcnJjkyEj_GSeNbgpRvCIXM9pPeoOknFcC8P-CMuSitq6lpfo-97VpvNs__D2QbNyji7O/s1600/IMG_5587.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a>I'm back from my camping trip and man, did I need the break. There's just something about nature that puts everything back in line again.<br />
We stayed at Lost Maples in Vanderpool, Texas. It was a beautiful area and despite the rain we got in some good hiking time.<br />
It's been a long time since I've been on a hiking trail, Houston isn't exactly mountainous, but it was amazing!<br />
On my way up the hill I wasn't thinking about how long it was going to take. I wasn't wondering how fast I should be walking or if someone would beat me to the top. I was just enjoying the time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6hUA2N9-OYyCRZ5LHv3yuqvivA1Gl7hvJAiTMRAkbZDmtLFxuNwKfSgZwUAIe1AfQClNB6VDoX9lqHP8g-LVd0uMKs5SW9urbbDLXiCq5ENG-ycaqd5_wkinQQCHR4vyLNQ-0hrs3kW4/s1600/IMG_5664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6hUA2N9-OYyCRZ5LHv3yuqvivA1Gl7hvJAiTMRAkbZDmtLFxuNwKfSgZwUAIe1AfQClNB6VDoX9lqHP8g-LVd0uMKs5SW9urbbDLXiCq5ENG-ycaqd5_wkinQQCHR4vyLNQ-0hrs3kW4/s1600/IMG_5664.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey Rock</td></tr>
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I was completely focused on the task at hand and loving every minute of it. It was the sort of peace that can only come from living in the moment.<br />
Even when I got to the top, and the view was amazing, I was disappointed that the trip up had ended. The joy, for me, came from the hard work. The water breaks taken in a shady spot, sharing trail mix with the people I was with, or just walking on my own in the quiet. The joy was in the crunching of the rocks beneath my tennis shoes, and the sounds of the leaves rustling in the wind.<br />
The top was just the end. Or the beginning of the end anyway, we still had to hike all the way down!<br />
Nature has a funny way of reminding me to slow down and enjoy the little things.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maya and Brian</td></tr>
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With that in mind I intend to slow down a little in my life and in my writing. You're probably laughing if you have any idea how many self imposed writing deadlines I have missed, but what I mean is to slow down and enjoy the moments.<br />
I'm going to try not to feel like I should be writing when I'm sitting with my daughter and she's telling me the names of every single stuffed animal she owns, "This one is Pixie Gouda Charlotte Earthaven, and this one is.."<br />
I'm going to try and remember that these times will pass all too quickly and they won't come back again. I'm going to remember that slowing down to really feel the life I'm living is more important than getting my kids to bed at exactly 8:30, or getting my book finished by October 31st.<br />
I'm going to remember how much I enjoyed that hike, and I'm going to remember that even when I got to the glorious view at the top I still felt that pang of disappointment for it being over. I'm going to slow down and enjoy the climb.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack and Brian</td></tr>
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Oh, my God! Miley Cyrus was right, "It's the Climb"!! <br />
What about you? What are some things that remind you to slow down and enjoy the little things? I'd love to hear from you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvo8hUjLku0K9syxU4hjaUI9TawCNjwDTiwp-k_vb9Q0PkTm2WYAxzdS4M4RGaguvgcbm5H4PqXPBHYctjrwJ8_1w7tnw7UX5xFvDtY7iHI1kyOItetK3Lr1zXHWVoYyyfbRA-znOaoc5h/s1600/IMG_5478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvo8hUjLku0K9syxU4hjaUI9TawCNjwDTiwp-k_vb9Q0PkTm2WYAxzdS4M4RGaguvgcbm5H4PqXPBHYctjrwJ8_1w7tnw7UX5xFvDtY7iHI1kyOItetK3Lr1zXHWVoYyyfbRA-znOaoc5h/s1600/IMG_5478.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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After a little bit of research I've decided that, if I ever finish this book, I'm going to self publish it. Now if you've read my blog before (or you know anything about self publishing) you know that this means I'll need someone to design the cover of my book.<br />
A good cover design can run you a couple hundred bucks (at least!). So, in the spirit of saving money (and because I'll use any excuse to take a writing break) I thought I'd look into making my own book cover.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRo56CfkUtFUnfoRw5NG6SdXtFGqIhX5h1J1eBG2bkOuxChYUHcM3WbIUjH60rt_8WoTLqkYklLotBS1Xuswim0w3uSAP4TbCCcn4Vh5KzJul3Wgcrk2VxIunrxrmJyb4OHS14pUd47ddb/s1600/IMG_5522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRo56CfkUtFUnfoRw5NG6SdXtFGqIhX5h1J1eBG2bkOuxChYUHcM3WbIUjH60rt_8WoTLqkYklLotBS1Xuswim0w3uSAP4TbCCcn4Vh5KzJul3Wgcrk2VxIunrxrmJyb4OHS14pUd47ddb/s1600/IMG_5522.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>First, I spray painted an old bracelet to look like the "reaper bands" I describe in my book. Next I hired a lovely teenager from down the street to come over to model for me.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50ZpffiBMkPrRu8HTM04Jk-eRlwr5uDcOU59GfycW6iINfYEolvig2Rrz5CL7h6kk-fC0X8YQcIF7Bh60zIJX7RB-U1fpJ9Dr38OJgQkbzWowb5Y8xXdCywGKIHCO8d8IxRcqk5Tqrdri/s1600/IMG_5546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50ZpffiBMkPrRu8HTM04Jk-eRlwr5uDcOU59GfycW6iINfYEolvig2Rrz5CL7h6kk-fC0X8YQcIF7Bh60zIJX7RB-U1fpJ9Dr38OJgQkbzWowb5Y8xXdCywGKIHCO8d8IxRcqk5Tqrdri/s1600/IMG_5546.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>I even had my daughter hold up a fan in a few shots so we could get that wind blown look (This didn't really work. The fan we used couldn't blow the petals off a dandelion!).<br />
Because I asked my model to wear a black cloak and slink around my yard looking "mean", I paid her twenty bucks. Because my daughter talked her ears off the entire time she was here, I forced her to take the money even when she refused.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4a4y3Htu25WxylDJtyuAXmVFPsUt4EkImlTfYII1jDcijqGam2Qsw0RvkM9gdvAHjTPHMxzRvyy5_a4zqJDJKautfLSTSN-CVdhnYIeaXdSLIobprnals3nfxdipm-xJumwHFHT5EgxC/s1600/IMG_5480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4a4y3Htu25WxylDJtyuAXmVFPsUt4EkImlTfYII1jDcijqGam2Qsw0RvkM9gdvAHjTPHMxzRvyy5_a4zqJDJKautfLSTSN-CVdhnYIeaXdSLIobprnals3nfxdipm-xJumwHFHT5EgxC/s1600/IMG_5480.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>Anyway, after about half an hour I thought we had plenty to work with so I loaded the pictures into Lightroom. I took a little bit of time and played around with a few sliders (exposure, contrast, whites, blacks, a few brushes) and VIOLA.<br />
Now it wasn't a complete success. I tried to get the eyes to look orange (the protagonist in my book has orange eyes), but my Lightroom skills weren't quite up to snuff. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_N1c0sfi2I5IGuqhYMNipRLfaIOT-2Z6q74Pw4ettpcSclXqejKye9QYMWhf9CeHCgg5TSBgcOvSqibYTqtx2-DVkFCV7_2RJ_L-6miDsxPf0GDYMnQH4KDMt5byTcytxUIZv8n2wq9n/s1600/IMG_5459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_N1c0sfi2I5IGuqhYMNipRLfaIOT-2Z6q74Pw4ettpcSclXqejKye9QYMWhf9CeHCgg5TSBgcOvSqibYTqtx2-DVkFCV7_2RJ_L-6miDsxPf0GDYMnQH4KDMt5byTcytxUIZv8n2wq9n/s1600/IMG_5459.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>I still need to add the title, my name, the back cover, and the spine. Plus, a few of the pictures need a background change, and then there's the formatting. The formatting alone might cause me severe chest pains, but it's worth a try!<br />
Worst case scenario is that I won't be able to get it done and I'll still have to hire a professional.<br />
But for 20 bucks, an old bracelet, and a few hours tinkering around on the computer, I'm happy with the results.<br />
Let me know what you think! And if you have an inkling that I'm getting in over my head, let me know that too!! <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-39886908814963818352013-10-01T11:45:00.000-07:002013-10-01T11:45:57.969-07:00Write Like You Don't Know You Can FailHave you ever had someone you know, all of the sudden, decide to do something completely stupid? Recently someone I know decided that she was going to be a photographer. The kicker is, she was really terrible at photography. Her pictures were lousy and she didn't even know how to use Photoshop. Or even Lightroom. Her camera wasn't all that fancy or expensive, and I'm pretty sure she only had one lens! What?!<br />
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She simply announced on Facebook that she would charge $100 for a sitting fee and the disc of photos she took was yours to keep. Bam! She was completely inexperienced and she was advertising herself as a photographer. What a nut!<br />
I would have done things so much differently. I would have researched photography, practiced all day and night. I would have read everything I could get my hands on. I would have bought the best camera money could buy (and a couple of fancy lenses) and then learned to use Lightroom AND Photoshop. (All the best photographers know both!)<br />
I would probably take pictures for free for about a year or two and then, and only then, would I start charging people. Actually, I probably wouldn't EVER start charging people because I would never have felt like I was worthy enough to charge for my services.<br />
What happened to my friend the photographer you ask? The girl who did EVERYTHING WRONG? I bet you can guess what happened! She succeeded. <br />
She is currently a working photographer. Not just working, but successful. She's making money and her pictures are looking great!<br />
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There's a reason why I didn't use writing as an example, (it hits too close to home) but I easily could have. If you're a wanna be writer you can probably relate.<br />
So what's the lesson in this? Now listen close, you might have heard this before.<br />
Nobody's perfect!<br />
There it is. We have to quiet the perfectionist in our minds.<br />
We have to decide that we're good enough to put our work out there for the world to see. We are good enough to call ourselves writers.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXyd5rK_cE9VY9fALsvgkaba31FMhaT9a7eAA48EkGi3MXVmjTPd-kg6wa93JTC5dC1ip46aqUaMy4uyY1mQwOpK5bxhhC9imfGlI9XFr1V4AdhWjzOVWYCUwPzcM5EqZSyIAGdM75WpH/s1600/IMG_2580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXyd5rK_cE9VY9fALsvgkaba31FMhaT9a7eAA48EkGi3MXVmjTPd-kg6wa93JTC5dC1ip46aqUaMy4uyY1mQwOpK5bxhhC9imfGlI9XFr1V4AdhWjzOVWYCUwPzcM5EqZSyIAGdM75WpH/s1600/IMG_2580.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a>We have to find the confidence, that same confidence that lead a mediocre (at best) photographer to start her own business. People do it all the time and it can be you.<br />
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If failure is not an option for you then eventually you're going to have to finish that novel and put it out there for the world to see. Eventually you're going to have to call yourself a writer, or a photographer or whatever it is you've been dreaming of being. And if you work hard enough, and long enough, and pretend like you have no idea that you could fail at whatever it is you're working on, you'll have no choice, but to succeed! <br />
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"Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, "It might have been."-Kurt Vonnegut<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08381845288492702912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664598972576486174.post-56351180209563613052013-09-27T15:26:00.002-07:002013-10-01T11:47:26.014-07:00Liebster Award<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hurray! I have been nominated for an award! I haven't won anything since I was nine and I guessed how many marbles were in a fish tank. It was something like 10,000 and because I guessed closest I got to keep all the marbles. My mother must have been so happy:)<br />
Thanks to <a href="http://argyledollhaus.blogspot.com/2013/09/liebster-award.html" target="_blank">Argyle Doll</a> and <a href="http://andreareadsandreviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/liebster-nomination.html" target="_blank">Andrea Reads and Reviews</a> for nominating me!<br />
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Because two people nominated me I'm putting in a hard days work and answering all 20 questions. Try not to be too impressed.<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">1. <b>What are you favorite alpha male characters?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Actually I dig the heroines mostly. I love any female protagonist who is not a whining pansy. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">2. <b>What good books have you read lately?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">It's not fiction, but I just finished Crazy Sexy Diet. I'm not vegan...yet. And I'm not eating raw, but I needed a good dose of nutritional information to help reign in my appetite for junk food. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">3. <b>Digital or Print?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Print. All the way! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">4. <b>What section of the book store are you magnetically drawn too? </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Books on how to write books.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">5. <b>What authors do you look up to?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Love Joe Hill. To have the guts to write when your father is already so famous for writing! Admirable.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">6. <b>Have you ever gotten so mad that you literally threw a book across the room?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">You don't even want to know! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">7. <b>Books that you dislike and why?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">That's a tough one. If I read a bad book, I still love it because I think, "Surely I can do better than THAT!" </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">8. <b>If you could meet one character who would it be?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> I guess I would have to say Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula. He's so in love, but such a sicko. Curious combo.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">9. <b>Do you take shame in reading erotica in public? Especially if people know what you are reading?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Uh..yeah. I do not want to have to explain certain things to my nine year old daughter:)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">10. <b>What is it about reading that keeps you going back to purchasing more books?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Books make me feel like a smarty pants and I like that! </span></span></div>
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Next ten questions...</div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What is
your favorite font?</span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Absolutely no idea:) </span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What is
the first book you remember reading?</span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Dr. Seuss, Red Fish Blue Fish. At the same time my twin sister was reading </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> The Hobbit! </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> So irritating! </span></span>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What is
the first book you fell in love with and never wanted to end?</span></span></b><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">James and the Giant Peach. Love me some Roald Dahl.</span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">How much
time do you spend on the computer a day for work?</span></span></b><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Not enough. I'm supposed to write for four hours a day, but lunch calls after around two hours of work. </span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">How much
time do you spend on the computer a day for other reasons?</span></span></b><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Not much. I usually try to get out of the house. There's no food at my house! </span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Do you
have an animal companion? What type of animal and name?</span></span></b><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I have four wonderful pups, yes four:) Texas, Georgia, Rocky, and Tobie. </span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What is
the motto of your life?</span></span></b><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Be nice to yourself and others. It's really that simple!! </span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What do
you want for Christmas?</span></span></b><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Beauty products! Anything from Sephora or Ulta will do. I may never use it, but I want it. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Do you
like cheese? (</b>Really, I just wanted to ask something silly).</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I DO like cheese. My husband is vegan and the book I just read, Crazy Sexy Diet, says cheese is BAD!! But how can ya not love pizza!! With cheese!! </span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Name one
person you admire.</span></span></b><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My husband. He works so hard to take care of his family. I'm not sure what I'd do without him...probably eat more CHEESE:)</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Did anybody read all that!? Anyway, if I nominated you then here are the rules:</span></span><br />
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</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Link back to the blogger that tagged you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Nominate 10 other and answer the questions of
the one who tagged you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ask 10 questions for the bloggers you nominate.</span></div>
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</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Let your nominees know of their award.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">My questions..hmm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">1. If you had an extra $10,000, what charity would you want to give it to?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">2. Cat person or dog person?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">3. Regular soda or diet...or (gasp) water?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">4. Best vacation destination?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">5. All time favorite movie? Favorite book?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">6. Do you eat enough vegetables?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">7. Do you believe in love at first sight?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">8. If you're house went up in flames and you could only take three things, what would you take?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">9. What's your best feature?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">10. What is the most peaceful spot on earth?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And the nominees for the Liebster Award are..drum roll please...</span><br />
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<a href="http://myainbookblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/spellbinding-and-riveting-fair-and.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Reading the Ages</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://adriennereiter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Adrienne Reiter's Blog</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://claireyquitecontrary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Quite Contrary</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://booksreviewedbydeb.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Book Reviews by Deb</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://authorkristijones.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Kristi M. Jones</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://lebookaffair.blogspot.pt/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Book Affair</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://stephaniegreenhalgh.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-fault-in-our-stars.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A Writer's Perspective</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://lilliansummers1111.blogspot.com/2013/09/peace-in-time-book-blitz-blog-hop-meet.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Follow the White Pebbles</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://readandlovebooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-power-within-chapter-i-i-sat-in.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Read and Love Books</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://the-reader-and-the-book-reviews.weebly.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Reader and the Book </span></a><br />
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