Last week I had unexpected company for two days, one of our dear kids who always get as close to 100% of my attention as possible. As a result, I'm looking for ways to cut a few corners. Thus today's easy post.
I'm a sucker for blog posts with intriguing or funny titles and tend to read them first, so I gathered a few from my blogrolls yesterday and included the links.
Do the posts live up to their great titles? I'll let you be the judge of that.
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Well, Almost)" from Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs
"Which came first: the diabetic chicken, the obese egg or the depressed farmer?" from Peter Springberg at "Eat like the Doc does"
"Poe lived in a dump and why I suck" from E. J. Wesley at The Open Vein
"Regrettably..." from Luana Krause's fictional character Madison W. at Fixing Madison
Check out your own blogrolls. If you see a fascinating title there, feel free to include it and the link in the comments. Maybe we'll make some new friends today.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tracking My Time to Figure Out What in the World I'm Doing
This was a back door approach to better organization because I began by tracking my time for a few days (much as a Weight Watchers member is supposed to track every crumb of food and every drop of liquid consumed).
I thought if I was totally honest and wrote down every minute of work or play, I'd be able to find those free hours...or minutes...when I could be writing.
All I really learned is that I rarely focus on one task at a time and I'm easily distracted.
I open multiple tabs and hop from e-mail to my blog to Twitter to Facebook to other blogs.
If I see an interesting link in a blog post or on one of the social sites, I'm likely to click that link and head off to read something unrelated to my original task.
If the kitten meows or I hear a strange noise, I investigate.
The urge to get a cup of coffee is enough to pull me away from the computer and then I unload the dishwasher, rearrange the dust on the coffee table, and clean out the refrigerator from top to bottom.
And get another cup of coffee before I head back to the computer.
So I'm thinking tomorrow I'll try to work on one project at a time.
Today, in between tweets and updates, I need to write two blog posts, finish a short story, and complete four critiques. But first I'm heading downstairs to get another cup of coffee.
I thought if I was totally honest and wrote down every minute of work or play, I'd be able to find those free hours...or minutes...when I could be writing.
All I really learned is that I rarely focus on one task at a time and I'm easily distracted.
I open multiple tabs and hop from e-mail to my blog to Twitter to Facebook to other blogs.
If I see an interesting link in a blog post or on one of the social sites, I'm likely to click that link and head off to read something unrelated to my original task.
If the kitten meows or I hear a strange noise, I investigate.
The urge to get a cup of coffee is enough to pull me away from the computer and then I unload the dishwasher, rearrange the dust on the coffee table, and clean out the refrigerator from top to bottom.
And get another cup of coffee before I head back to the computer.
So I'm thinking tomorrow I'll try to work on one project at a time.
Today, in between tweets and updates, I need to write two blog posts, finish a short story, and complete four critiques. But first I'm heading downstairs to get another cup of coffee.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Choosing a Location and Settings by Roxe Anne Peacock, Guest Blogger
Today I am pleased to introduce Roxe Anne Peacock, whose first mystery, Leave No Trace, is now available in trade paperback and ebook from Whiskey Creek Press. It's intended audience includes teen through adult readers.
You can find Roxanne on Facebook. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Rockford Writers Guild.
-------------------------
Choosing a Location and Settings by Roxe Anne Peacock, Guest Blogger
Thank you, Patricia, for allowing me to have the pleasure of writing a guest post.
For several years, I did extensive research on rappelling caverns with the intention of writing a mystery series. Along the way, I fell in love with Carlsbad Caverns National Park. My first book of the series was to begin there.
The series changed to a stand alone when I heard a news flash about Raffi Kodikian barely alive, killing and burying his best friend, David Coughlin in Rattlesnake Canyon, Carlsbad National Park, New Mexico.
In the summer of 1999, the two best friends set off on a cross country road trip. One of the stops was at Rattlesnake Canyon where they lost their way in the desert without enough water and provisions.
The plot wouldn’t be centered around rappelling caverns. It would include The Flight of the Bats where hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats enter and exit a gigantic hole in the earth. The bat flight talks are scheduled from Memorial Day weekend through September.
I grew up with the river directly behind my house. My family fished every chance we could get with bats always looming overhead. It is my desire to include a river scene in all the books I write; hence the inclusion of the infamous Flume and Pecos River.
The Flume was once featured in Ripley’s “Believe it or Not” as the river that crosses itself. The Flume was originally completed out of wood in 1890, but was destroyed in a flood in 1902. It was then rebuilt in concrete which was the inspiration for the book cover art.
In keeping with the Kodikian and Coughlin best friend theme, my protagonist, Jessica Waters, finds herself a reluctant detective when her best friend, Sandra Adams, disappears after prom.
Jessica is an athletic, independent eighteen-year-old honor student looking forward to attending college in the fall with her best friend. She is an only child living with protective middle-class parents in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Mutual classmate, Jason Harris, had secured Jessica, Sandra and another classmate, Marcia Collins, all a summer position at Sally’s Diner where he works and Jessica needs the money to help pay college expenses.
When Sandra disappears, Jason is the last known person to have seen her and the number one suspect, but Jason isn’t the only suspect in the tight-knit community of Carlsbad. Sandra disappeared after confessing to having an affair with her teacher and cross country coach, Carl Lundstrum.
What better way for Jessica to investigate her friend’s disappearance than working at Sally’s Diner where everyone in town knows it is the best place to find out the latest gossip. Gossiping diners are something I personally know about. My father and grandfather both owned diners when I was younger, and my first job was a waitress at the age of fifteen.
With the help of Sally Cooper, owner of Sally’s Diner, and a Hispanic waitress, Rosa Martinez, Jessica musters up the courage to confront diner customers about their whereabouts when Sandra disappeared; this includes Jason and Carl. If they are indeed innocent, she hopes it doesn’t cost their friendship. If they know what happened, she hopes she isn’t the next person to disappear.
Sally’s Diner is booming with business. She might even be able to take a vacation for the first time ever with all the local gossip mongers eating at her establishment. However, when Rosa goes out back for her usual smoke and the media flashes their cameras in her face, that is the last straw. She comes back into the diner in less than a minute. Sally tells her she took the fastest break she has ever seen.
Rosa informs Sally, “There are many media out back flashing cameras in my face. I can’t see, I can’t think. Maybe I give up smoking this day.”
Jessica and Sally begin laughing. “Rosa, maybe we both can break our habit if the media stays much longer.”
“I think I quit work first. I rethink the giving up smoking. I just think your smoke alarm in the ladies room will go off soon,” Rosa said, with a Spanish accent.
Check out Leave No Trace at Whiskey Creek Press and eventually Amazon.com to find out what happens to Jessica and her best friend. While visiting Sally’s Diner, don’t forget to laugh.
-------------------------
Thanks so much, Roxe Anne, for being my guest today. I was also interested in the note on your website that you and your husband have signed with an agent to place your History Lovers Cookbook. I wish you lots of luck, and hope you'll come back to tell us all about it when it's published.
Visit Roxe Anne's website for more information about her and her novel. Roxe Anne and Tom's blog, Civil War Reenacting and Cooking, has recipes. I scrolled through and found one for bread pudding, my greatest weakness. It looks yummy.
You can find Roxanne on Facebook. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Rockford Writers Guild.
-------------------------
Choosing a Location and Settings by Roxe Anne Peacock, Guest Blogger
Thank you, Patricia, for allowing me to have the pleasure of writing a guest post.For several years, I did extensive research on rappelling caverns with the intention of writing a mystery series. Along the way, I fell in love with Carlsbad Caverns National Park. My first book of the series was to begin there.
The series changed to a stand alone when I heard a news flash about Raffi Kodikian barely alive, killing and burying his best friend, David Coughlin in Rattlesnake Canyon, Carlsbad National Park, New Mexico.
In the summer of 1999, the two best friends set off on a cross country road trip. One of the stops was at Rattlesnake Canyon where they lost their way in the desert without enough water and provisions.
The plot wouldn’t be centered around rappelling caverns. It would include The Flight of the Bats where hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats enter and exit a gigantic hole in the earth. The bat flight talks are scheduled from Memorial Day weekend through September.
I grew up with the river directly behind my house. My family fished every chance we could get with bats always looming overhead. It is my desire to include a river scene in all the books I write; hence the inclusion of the infamous Flume and Pecos River.
The Flume was once featured in Ripley’s “Believe it or Not” as the river that crosses itself. The Flume was originally completed out of wood in 1890, but was destroyed in a flood in 1902. It was then rebuilt in concrete which was the inspiration for the book cover art.
In keeping with the Kodikian and Coughlin best friend theme, my protagonist, Jessica Waters, finds herself a reluctant detective when her best friend, Sandra Adams, disappears after prom.
Jessica is an athletic, independent eighteen-year-old honor student looking forward to attending college in the fall with her best friend. She is an only child living with protective middle-class parents in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Mutual classmate, Jason Harris, had secured Jessica, Sandra and another classmate, Marcia Collins, all a summer position at Sally’s Diner where he works and Jessica needs the money to help pay college expenses.When Sandra disappears, Jason is the last known person to have seen her and the number one suspect, but Jason isn’t the only suspect in the tight-knit community of Carlsbad. Sandra disappeared after confessing to having an affair with her teacher and cross country coach, Carl Lundstrum.
What better way for Jessica to investigate her friend’s disappearance than working at Sally’s Diner where everyone in town knows it is the best place to find out the latest gossip. Gossiping diners are something I personally know about. My father and grandfather both owned diners when I was younger, and my first job was a waitress at the age of fifteen.
With the help of Sally Cooper, owner of Sally’s Diner, and a Hispanic waitress, Rosa Martinez, Jessica musters up the courage to confront diner customers about their whereabouts when Sandra disappeared; this includes Jason and Carl. If they are indeed innocent, she hopes it doesn’t cost their friendship. If they know what happened, she hopes she isn’t the next person to disappear.
Sally’s Diner is booming with business. She might even be able to take a vacation for the first time ever with all the local gossip mongers eating at her establishment. However, when Rosa goes out back for her usual smoke and the media flashes their cameras in her face, that is the last straw. She comes back into the diner in less than a minute. Sally tells her she took the fastest break she has ever seen.
Rosa informs Sally, “There are many media out back flashing cameras in my face. I can’t see, I can’t think. Maybe I give up smoking this day.”
Jessica and Sally begin laughing. “Rosa, maybe we both can break our habit if the media stays much longer.”
“I think I quit work first. I rethink the giving up smoking. I just think your smoke alarm in the ladies room will go off soon,” Rosa said, with a Spanish accent.
Check out Leave No Trace at Whiskey Creek Press and eventually Amazon.com to find out what happens to Jessica and her best friend. While visiting Sally’s Diner, don’t forget to laugh.
-------------------------
Thanks so much, Roxe Anne, for being my guest today. I was also interested in the note on your website that you and your husband have signed with an agent to place your History Lovers Cookbook. I wish you lots of luck, and hope you'll come back to tell us all about it when it's published.
Visit Roxe Anne's website for more information about her and her novel. Roxe Anne and Tom's blog, Civil War Reenacting and Cooking, has recipes. I scrolled through and found one for bread pudding, my greatest weakness. It looks yummy.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday Scramble
Northern Colorado Writers Conference Countdown (with Prizes)
You can win weekly prizes during the conference countdown, whether you're attending the two-day event or not. Check out what's happening this week at The Writing Bug.
What I'm Reading
If I can just find a little more time, I'll finish Terry Odell's most excellent When Danger Calls. I think you can still get a copy of the hardcover edition of this book from Terry, but it has now also been released as an ebook. If you like mysteries with a nice dash of romance, I recommend this one.
Next up is Lee Child's latest Jack Reacher novel, Worth Dying For. Have to read it next because the library wants it back in three weeks for the next person on the Hold list.
Favorite Blog Post of the Week
This prize once again goes to Elspeth Antonelli at It's a Mystery. Sorry, Elspeth, there's no money or chocolate attached to this prize. Elspeth's post is called 10 Signs of a Typical Writing Day, and if you're a writer (or even know a writer), you'll love it.
2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge
I know you're sick of me mentioning this blog event. I understand. So I'll just say, try it, you'll like it, you know you want to, click on the logo in my sidebar and sign up.
And Now the Katrina Katie Kitten Story I've Been Holding Back
On Friday, Feb. 11th, the kitten we adopted from the animal shelter about three weeks earlier became very ill. We've been through a very scary time with Katie, putting her through multiple visits to the vet and some tests way too tough for a cute little kitten less than six months old. It's been hard on her because she was suffering so much, and hard on us because we were so afraid we were going to lose her.
Katie is a trooper, though, and she has an astounding desire to get better and stick around to humor her humans. Since Sunday, she has been making daily improvements. It's enough of a heart breaker to almost lose a pet (and if feels as though she's been here forever instead of a mere six weeks), but to see her try so hard to get better and regain control of her people brings tears to my eyes.
I'm happy to say that Katie is improving. Our wonderful vet considers her illness a mystery and a challenge, and he even calls us to check on her and discuss what we should do next. To his credit, he has even told us the next step, if she were to get worse again, would be to pull in the well-known Colorado State University Veterinarian Hospital team to apply their diagnostic expertise to her case.
This evening, however, Katie is even better. She not only ate her own meal, she conned me out of a few bites of my baked chicken. And then she wanted to play.
So keep your fingers crossed for Katie. She's a keeper (and she seems to think we're keepers, too).
You can win weekly prizes during the conference countdown, whether you're attending the two-day event or not. Check out what's happening this week at The Writing Bug.
What I'm Reading
If I can just find a little more time, I'll finish Terry Odell's most excellent When Danger Calls. I think you can still get a copy of the hardcover edition of this book from Terry, but it has now also been released as an ebook. If you like mysteries with a nice dash of romance, I recommend this one.
Next up is Lee Child's latest Jack Reacher novel, Worth Dying For. Have to read it next because the library wants it back in three weeks for the next person on the Hold list.
Favorite Blog Post of the Week
This prize once again goes to Elspeth Antonelli at It's a Mystery. Sorry, Elspeth, there's no money or chocolate attached to this prize. Elspeth's post is called 10 Signs of a Typical Writing Day, and if you're a writer (or even know a writer), you'll love it.
2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge
I know you're sick of me mentioning this blog event. I understand. So I'll just say, try it, you'll like it, you know you want to, click on the logo in my sidebar and sign up.
And Now the Katrina Katie Kitten Story I've Been Holding Back
On Friday, Feb. 11th, the kitten we adopted from the animal shelter about three weeks earlier became very ill. We've been through a very scary time with Katie, putting her through multiple visits to the vet and some tests way too tough for a cute little kitten less than six months old. It's been hard on her because she was suffering so much, and hard on us because we were so afraid we were going to lose her.
Katie is a trooper, though, and she has an astounding desire to get better and stick around to humor her humans. Since Sunday, she has been making daily improvements. It's enough of a heart breaker to almost lose a pet (and if feels as though she's been here forever instead of a mere six weeks), but to see her try so hard to get better and regain control of her people brings tears to my eyes.
I'm happy to say that Katie is improving. Our wonderful vet considers her illness a mystery and a challenge, and he even calls us to check on her and discuss what we should do next. To his credit, he has even told us the next step, if she were to get worse again, would be to pull in the well-known Colorado State University Veterinarian Hospital team to apply their diagnostic expertise to her case.
This evening, however, Katie is even better. She not only ate her own meal, she conned me out of a few bites of my baked chicken. And then she wanted to play.
So keep your fingers crossed for Katie. She's a keeper (and she seems to think we're keepers, too).
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: The 6th Annual Northern Colorado Writers Conference
The Tuesday post at Chiseled in Rock is all about the Northern Colorado Writers Conference scheduled for March 11-12 in Fort Collins. NCW is very happy to have published authors from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers represented on the faculty.
Monday, February 21, 2011
What Does Your Email Say About You? by Kerrie Flanagan, Director of Northern Colorado Writers
Today's special guest is the hard-working and creative Kerrie Flanagan, who's currently up to her ears and eyeballs with the final planning and tasks leading up to the Northern Colorado Writers Conference March 11-12 in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Kerrie had a vision -- bring the writers and writing-related entrepreneurs from Northern Colorado together in one organization to support and encourage and educate. She's doing a wonderful job! The following post addresses one of the important details that distinguish the novice writer from the professional.
-------------------------
What Does Your Email Say About You? by Kerrie Flanagan, Director of Northern Colorado Writers
I have blogged about this topic before, but appreciate Pat giving me the opportunity to dust off my soapbox and address this issue one more time. I think it is an important topic, especially for anyone looking to get published.
Ahem...
I urge you, no I am begging you, please create an email address that actually has your name in it. It shows professionalism and it makes it easier to find.
As the director of Northern Colorado Writers I am accountable to 230 members, my presenters and around the Northern Colorado Writers Conference time, agents, editors, authors and other writers. Needless to say, I get a lot of email. I do a pretty good job keeping track of everything, but there are times when writers make my life a little challenging because when I sit down to send them an email, I can't figure out which email address is theirs. This challenge is not exclusive to my job as director. I have heard agents and editors say this is problem for them too.
Imagine sitting down to write an email to Laura Smith who you've had one email correspondence with and now you want to connect with her again. You do what we all do, start typing her name. But, if Laura doesn't have an email address with her name in it, you will type out the whole name and still not find her. So then you have to sort through the "no name" pile (just like a teacher).
crazynudist@gmail.com
iguanalover13@comcast.net
writergrandma67@gmail.com
vegansrock@aol.com
This narrows it down, but now it is time do a little detective work. You either take a guess at whether Laura is a nudist or vegan, or you don't even bother to send the email--not good if you're an agent Laura sent a query to.
So please, make life a little easier for people and use your name in your email address. It shows you are a professional and helps others identify you.
Thanks for listening,
Kerrie
-------------------------
Kerrie is @Kerrie_Flanagan on Twitter. You can also follow her (as well as my) tweets at @NCW_FortCollins. Northern Colorado Writers is also on Facebook. Kerrie invites you to visit the page often and "Like" NCW to keep up with classes, contests, and conference news.
Kerrie had a vision -- bring the writers and writing-related entrepreneurs from Northern Colorado together in one organization to support and encourage and educate. She's doing a wonderful job! The following post addresses one of the important details that distinguish the novice writer from the professional.
-------------------------
What Does Your Email Say About You? by Kerrie Flanagan, Director of Northern Colorado Writers
I have blogged about this topic before, but appreciate Pat giving me the opportunity to dust off my soapbox and address this issue one more time. I think it is an important topic, especially for anyone looking to get published.Ahem...
I urge you, no I am begging you, please create an email address that actually has your name in it. It shows professionalism and it makes it easier to find.
As the director of Northern Colorado Writers I am accountable to 230 members, my presenters and around the Northern Colorado Writers Conference time, agents, editors, authors and other writers. Needless to say, I get a lot of email. I do a pretty good job keeping track of everything, but there are times when writers make my life a little challenging because when I sit down to send them an email, I can't figure out which email address is theirs. This challenge is not exclusive to my job as director. I have heard agents and editors say this is problem for them too.
Imagine sitting down to write an email to Laura Smith who you've had one email correspondence with and now you want to connect with her again. You do what we all do, start typing her name. But, if Laura doesn't have an email address with her name in it, you will type out the whole name and still not find her. So then you have to sort through the "no name" pile (just like a teacher).
crazynudist@gmail.com
iguanalover13@comcast.net
writergrandma67@gmail.com
vegansrock@aol.com
This narrows it down, but now it is time do a little detective work. You either take a guess at whether Laura is a nudist or vegan, or you don't even bother to send the email--not good if you're an agent Laura sent a query to.
So please, make life a little easier for people and use your name in your email address. It shows you are a professional and helps others identify you.
Thanks for listening,
Kerrie
-------------------------
Kerrie is @Kerrie_Flanagan on Twitter. You can also follow her (as well as my) tweets at @NCW_FortCollins. Northern Colorado Writers is also on Facebook. Kerrie invites you to visit the page often and "Like" NCW to keep up with classes, contests, and conference news.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
A Little Weekend Scramble
Mysterious Reviews on A Gift for Murder
Remember my guest from January 27th, Five Star author Karen McCullough? Her mystery featuring amateur sleuth Heather McNeil in a mall/trade show setting has received a really nice review at Mysterious Reviews. Congratulations to Karen!
A book giveaway at Katherine Hall Page's Website
Harper Collins is celebrating the April publication of The Body in the Gazebo, the 19th mystery in Katherine's Faith Fairchild series by giving away a signed first edition of the book. The first 20 entrants will receive a signed copy of one of the previous books in the series.
Visit Katherine Hall Page's website to enter. Entries must be received by Monday, April 18th.
The 2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge Participant Count is up to 248
Arlee Bird's goal was to reach 300, but co-sponsor Alex J. Cavanaugh is thinking 500 would be better. In an effort to reach even more bloggers, the team has just added four more sponsors. Since all of these folks have great blogs, I'm listing them here. If you want to enter the challenge at Arlee Bird's blog (tossing it out), you can click on the challenge logo in my sidebar. Or visit any one of the other blogs in this list:
Arlee Bird at tossing it out
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Talli Roland
Jen Daiker at Unedited
Candace Ganger at Misadventures in Candyland
Karen Gowen at Coming Down the Mountain
Jeffrey Beesler at World of the Scribe
Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs
ARC Giveaway at Donna's Book Pub
Donna Volkennant is giving away two advance review copies this month to followers of her blog. Drop by Donna's Book Pub and enter to win The Heart is Not a Size (for teens) or Highway Robbery (for age 10 and up). Both books look like excellent reads.
Check out This New Blog
Writers on the Brink: Writers Becoming Authors includes fourteen authors who were inspired by a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers panel on social media (Ron Heimbecher, Beth Groundwater, and me) to jump on the promo and platform bandwagon before they get published--a very wise move, in my humble opinion.
And just because everyone needs a good weekend chuckle
Please drop by L. Diane Wolfe's Spunk on a Stick for her Weekend Sillies. My favorite is "Stupid Time Out" -- I'm still grinning...
Remember my guest from January 27th, Five Star author Karen McCullough? Her mystery featuring amateur sleuth Heather McNeil in a mall/trade show setting has received a really nice review at Mysterious Reviews. Congratulations to Karen!
A book giveaway at Katherine Hall Page's Website
Harper Collins is celebrating the April publication of The Body in the Gazebo, the 19th mystery in Katherine's Faith Fairchild series by giving away a signed first edition of the book. The first 20 entrants will receive a signed copy of one of the previous books in the series.
Visit Katherine Hall Page's website to enter. Entries must be received by Monday, April 18th.
The 2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge Participant Count is up to 248
Arlee Bird's goal was to reach 300, but co-sponsor Alex J. Cavanaugh is thinking 500 would be better. In an effort to reach even more bloggers, the team has just added four more sponsors. Since all of these folks have great blogs, I'm listing them here. If you want to enter the challenge at Arlee Bird's blog (tossing it out), you can click on the challenge logo in my sidebar. Or visit any one of the other blogs in this list:
Arlee Bird at tossing it out
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Talli Roland
Jen Daiker at Unedited
Candace Ganger at Misadventures in Candyland
Karen Gowen at Coming Down the Mountain
Jeffrey Beesler at World of the Scribe
Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs
ARC Giveaway at Donna's Book Pub
Donna Volkennant is giving away two advance review copies this month to followers of her blog. Drop by Donna's Book Pub and enter to win The Heart is Not a Size (for teens) or Highway Robbery (for age 10 and up). Both books look like excellent reads.
Check out This New Blog
Writers on the Brink: Writers Becoming Authors includes fourteen authors who were inspired by a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers panel on social media (Ron Heimbecher, Beth Groundwater, and me) to jump on the promo and platform bandwagon before they get published--a very wise move, in my humble opinion.
And just because everyone needs a good weekend chuckle
Please drop by L. Diane Wolfe's Spunk on a Stick for her Weekend Sillies. My favorite is "Stupid Time Out" -- I'm still grinning...
Friday, February 18, 2011
Efficient and Organized? Not me!
I subscribe to a few blog posts I was convinced would help me get organized, manage my time effectively, and bring a peaceful efficiency to my life and my routine.
These are my favorites:
Goodlife Zen: practical inspiration for a happier life
zen habits: smile, breathe and go slowly
mnmlst
Time Management Ninja
Over the last year, almost one year to the day, I've been sending those posts into folders, confident I would check the folders weekly to read and learn. I thought this was efficient and organized.
Not so. The folders are full of unread posts and articles. Out of sight, out of mind.
Visiting my favorite blogs has also fallen by the wayside as I've focused on other projects. I can't let that continue. For one thing, I value the friends I've made through blogging and don't want to lose them. Besides that, I've signed up for the 2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge (see the logo and link in my sidebar). Participating in that challenge requires a commitment to check out the blogs of other participants, to cheer them on in comments.
If you have mastered the art of doing it all in an organized and non-stressful manner, please help me out here. How do you do it?
These are my favorites:
Goodlife Zen: practical inspiration for a happier life
zen habits: smile, breathe and go slowly
mnmlst
Time Management Ninja
Over the last year, almost one year to the day, I've been sending those posts into folders, confident I would check the folders weekly to read and learn. I thought this was efficient and organized.
Not so. The folders are full of unread posts and articles. Out of sight, out of mind.
Visiting my favorite blogs has also fallen by the wayside as I've focused on other projects. I can't let that continue. For one thing, I value the friends I've made through blogging and don't want to lose them. Besides that, I've signed up for the 2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge (see the logo and link in my sidebar). Participating in that challenge requires a commitment to check out the blogs of other participants, to cheer them on in comments.
If you have mastered the art of doing it all in an organized and non-stressful manner, please help me out here. How do you do it?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Cutting My Teeth on Short Stories by Kenneth Harmon, Guest Blogger
I became acquainted with Ken Harmon through critique groups, and now I'm happy to say he's part of Raintree Writers, the group I've been part of since it was founded at the end of 2003. Now that we have two members in our group who write stories about the dark side, I'm learning to appreciate the writing skill, as well as the out-of-the-box thinking (you can read that as demented thinking, if you want), that it takes to create such tales.
Links are included for several of Ken's stories but be forewarned some of them are not for the squeamish and not appropriate for those who prefer reading about light and sunny subjects instead of the slimy stuff that crawls out from under rocks.
Ken's post, however, is safe to read and contains great advice. So read on...
-------------------------
Cutting My Teeth on Short Stories by Kenneth Harmon, Guest Blogger
When I first starting writing, I read everything I could about the craft. Many of the books suggested that writers cut their teeth on short stories. Short stories allowed a writer to learn the craft and build up publishing credits. Like many “novel” writers, I had no interest in writing short fiction. I wrote short stories after I graduated from high school, but once I finished my first novel, I saw no need to pursue the craft. I pounded out several novels. One even managed to interest a couple of agents back in 2000, but publication eluded me. I took several years off from writing. In 2007, I decided to try my hand at writing again. Of course, I plunged into a novel, after all, why waste my time with short stories?
After finishing the novel, I entered it in the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference contest. I was shocked when it made the finals. But I knew in my heart that I could do better, and so I decided not to market the book. Instead, I started working on another novel. Then something happened that made me reconsider my position on short fiction. We had a visitor to one of the local writer’s groups I belong to and as the leader of the group went around the table introducing everyone, he gave a brief history of their publishing credits. Of course, when he came to me, there was nothing to say. Self-doubt took hold. If I was any good at writing, why didn’t I have anything published? I felt challenged to get a short story accepted. My goal was to have six stories published within three years.
The first thing I did was sign up on the website Duotrope. I spent several days researching various publishers. I concentrated on publishers of horror/paranormal stories, with the idea that I would branch out into mainstream later. In January of 2010, I was still working on a novel, so I decided to make the weekends my time for writing short stories. Toward the end of January, I received my first acceptance. 69 Flavors of Paranoia wanted to publish my story, “Dark Justice,” a detective story in which the detectives are actually vampires investigating the murder of another vampire by a priest. Maybe, just maybe I told myself, I am not a bad writer after all.
To my surprise, more stories found acceptance. In June, I read about Justin Cronin’s novel, The Passage, a vampire tale set in the future. I noticed that Mr. Cronin had some success writing mainstream novels. I read an excerpt from one of these, “The Summer Guest,” which takes place on a lake. As I read the excerpt, an idea came to me for a short story about a vampire who retires at a secluded lake. That evening, I wrote the first five pages of “Mr. Howard Retires.” I finished the story the next day, and after giving it a quick once over, submitted it to three publications. The following morning, I received an email from one of the editors at Bewildering Stories. He thanked me for sending the story and said that it could take up to eighty-four days for them to make a decision. Two hours later, I received a follow up email from Bewildering Stories saying they had accepted “Mr. Howard Retires” for publication.
The rest of my year followed a similar course. I submitted a mainstream story to a literary website, Amarillo Bay. I received an email from one of the website founders saying he liked the story and had forwarded it to their fiction editor who would make the final decision. He ultimately rejected the piece. This only made me more determined to get a story accepted by Amarillo Bay. I came up with an idea for a story about a transgender cowboy who now worked as a waitress and struggled to find her place in the world. I targeted this story to Amarillo Bay and was overjoyed when they accepted “Amsterdam” for their November issue.
By years end, I had thirteen short stories accepted for publication by thirteen different publications, including three based in England. Do I recommend writing short stories for novel writers? Absolutely. My short story success has restored my confidence while giving me something to write about in that dreaded query letter.
-------------------------
If you'd like to read more of Ken's stories, try "Immortality" from the Deadman's Tome Anthology (page 7), "Death of the Rain God" from Dark Fire Fiction, and "The Shoe Thief" from Spark Bright (page 13).
So far he has been able to avoid building a website or blog, and pretends to know nothing about Twitter and Facebook, so I'll just have to tell you that he's a retired cop and a really nice guy. I think he was trying to look a bit mysterious, even sinister, in his photo, but honestly, he's a teddy bear. A teddy bear with a dark side.
Links are included for several of Ken's stories but be forewarned some of them are not for the squeamish and not appropriate for those who prefer reading about light and sunny subjects instead of the slimy stuff that crawls out from under rocks.
Ken's post, however, is safe to read and contains great advice. So read on...
-------------------------
Cutting My Teeth on Short Stories by Kenneth Harmon, Guest Blogger
When I first starting writing, I read everything I could about the craft. Many of the books suggested that writers cut their teeth on short stories. Short stories allowed a writer to learn the craft and build up publishing credits. Like many “novel” writers, I had no interest in writing short fiction. I wrote short stories after I graduated from high school, but once I finished my first novel, I saw no need to pursue the craft. I pounded out several novels. One even managed to interest a couple of agents back in 2000, but publication eluded me. I took several years off from writing. In 2007, I decided to try my hand at writing again. Of course, I plunged into a novel, after all, why waste my time with short stories?After finishing the novel, I entered it in the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference contest. I was shocked when it made the finals. But I knew in my heart that I could do better, and so I decided not to market the book. Instead, I started working on another novel. Then something happened that made me reconsider my position on short fiction. We had a visitor to one of the local writer’s groups I belong to and as the leader of the group went around the table introducing everyone, he gave a brief history of their publishing credits. Of course, when he came to me, there was nothing to say. Self-doubt took hold. If I was any good at writing, why didn’t I have anything published? I felt challenged to get a short story accepted. My goal was to have six stories published within three years.
The first thing I did was sign up on the website Duotrope. I spent several days researching various publishers. I concentrated on publishers of horror/paranormal stories, with the idea that I would branch out into mainstream later. In January of 2010, I was still working on a novel, so I decided to make the weekends my time for writing short stories. Toward the end of January, I received my first acceptance. 69 Flavors of Paranoia wanted to publish my story, “Dark Justice,” a detective story in which the detectives are actually vampires investigating the murder of another vampire by a priest. Maybe, just maybe I told myself, I am not a bad writer after all.
To my surprise, more stories found acceptance. In June, I read about Justin Cronin’s novel, The Passage, a vampire tale set in the future. I noticed that Mr. Cronin had some success writing mainstream novels. I read an excerpt from one of these, “The Summer Guest,” which takes place on a lake. As I read the excerpt, an idea came to me for a short story about a vampire who retires at a secluded lake. That evening, I wrote the first five pages of “Mr. Howard Retires.” I finished the story the next day, and after giving it a quick once over, submitted it to three publications. The following morning, I received an email from one of the editors at Bewildering Stories. He thanked me for sending the story and said that it could take up to eighty-four days for them to make a decision. Two hours later, I received a follow up email from Bewildering Stories saying they had accepted “Mr. Howard Retires” for publication.
The rest of my year followed a similar course. I submitted a mainstream story to a literary website, Amarillo Bay. I received an email from one of the website founders saying he liked the story and had forwarded it to their fiction editor who would make the final decision. He ultimately rejected the piece. This only made me more determined to get a story accepted by Amarillo Bay. I came up with an idea for a story about a transgender cowboy who now worked as a waitress and struggled to find her place in the world. I targeted this story to Amarillo Bay and was overjoyed when they accepted “Amsterdam” for their November issue.
By years end, I had thirteen short stories accepted for publication by thirteen different publications, including three based in England. Do I recommend writing short stories for novel writers? Absolutely. My short story success has restored my confidence while giving me something to write about in that dreaded query letter.
-------------------------
If you'd like to read more of Ken's stories, try "Immortality" from the Deadman's Tome Anthology (page 7), "Death of the Rain God" from Dark Fire Fiction, and "The Shoe Thief" from Spark Bright (page 13).
So far he has been able to avoid building a website or blog, and pretends to know nothing about Twitter and Facebook, so I'll just have to tell you that he's a retired cop and a really nice guy. I think he was trying to look a bit mysterious, even sinister, in his photo, but honestly, he's a teddy bear. A teddy bear with a dark side.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday Scramble
Thursday's Guest Blogger
I'm featuring Ken Harmon, soon to be published in novel-length fiction. His topic is writing and getting published with short stories, and how he's managed to place more than a dozen of his own shorts in various publications.
The 2011 A to Z April Challenge
You still have time to sign up. Arlee Bird of tossing it out blog is hoping to reach 300 participants this year. The last time I checked, he was up to 232.
What I'm Reading
I had a stack of books from the library and couldn't get into any of them, so I turned to my trusty supply from my own bookshelves. My very lucky selection was When Danger Calls by Terry Odell. It's off to a great start with interesting characters and enough action to keep me turning the pages.
This is a Short Post
...because my get up and go got up and went. Please join me tomorrow to welcome Ken.
I'm featuring Ken Harmon, soon to be published in novel-length fiction. His topic is writing and getting published with short stories, and how he's managed to place more than a dozen of his own shorts in various publications.
The 2011 A to Z April Challenge
You still have time to sign up. Arlee Bird of tossing it out blog is hoping to reach 300 participants this year. The last time I checked, he was up to 232.
What I'm Reading
I had a stack of books from the library and couldn't get into any of them, so I turned to my trusty supply from my own bookshelves. My very lucky selection was When Danger Calls by Terry Odell. It's off to a great start with interesting characters and enough action to keep me turning the pages.
This is a Short Post
...because my get up and go got up and went. Please join me tomorrow to welcome Ken.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: Opening Stories With the Weather
As usual on Tuesday, I'm over at Chiseled in Rock, once again talking about authors who open their stories with the weather.
If it's such a bad thing to do, why do some pretty famous authors do it so well? Come on over and check out these examples, then tell us what you think.
If it's such a bad thing to do, why do some pretty famous authors do it so well? Come on over and check out these examples, then tell us what you think.
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Writers' Open Mic Night
One of the regular events at the Northern Colorado Writers Studio is the monthly Open Mic Night where five or six writers get to read eight minutes worth of their work and get silent feedback from an audience.
The silent critique process takes two minutes at the end of each reading, and comments are written on file cards. At the end of the readings, cards are sorted and distributed so the readers can review the instant reactions to their presentations. We leave time at the end of the evening to chat, discuss the authors' work, and, of course, have refreshments.
I try to comment on the overall content of the piece as well as the presentation, and I strive to identify the main strength of the piece. Sometimes I will mention something that needs work, but I always try to present that "criticism" in a supportive and positive way. The idea here is to nurture and encourage writers at all levels.
So far, I've read once, and attended all but one as a listener. Friday night was especially interesting because two teen writers were brave enough to read to us. And now the Open Mic Night leaders have extended an invitation to the NCW Teen Writers Critique Group to provide us with a full slate of readers in April.
Young writers are fresh and exciting, and they are no more or less nervous to read in front of a group of strangers than the rest of us. The two young ladies who presented Friday night were so charming, and their work interesting and unique. They reminded me of the end of NaNoWriMo party I attended in 2009 where nearly half of the participants who completed their 50,000 words were teens (most of them writing fantasy).
If you've never attended an Open Mic Night for authors, consider working with your local writers' organization, public library, or a coffee shop to get one started. And when you do, don't forget to invite the teen writers in your community. You'll be so glad you did.
And Happy Valentine's Day, too. I wish you roses, chocolate, and much love.
The silent critique process takes two minutes at the end of each reading, and comments are written on file cards. At the end of the readings, cards are sorted and distributed so the readers can review the instant reactions to their presentations. We leave time at the end of the evening to chat, discuss the authors' work, and, of course, have refreshments.
I try to comment on the overall content of the piece as well as the presentation, and I strive to identify the main strength of the piece. Sometimes I will mention something that needs work, but I always try to present that "criticism" in a supportive and positive way. The idea here is to nurture and encourage writers at all levels.
So far, I've read once, and attended all but one as a listener. Friday night was especially interesting because two teen writers were brave enough to read to us. And now the Open Mic Night leaders have extended an invitation to the NCW Teen Writers Critique Group to provide us with a full slate of readers in April.
Young writers are fresh and exciting, and they are no more or less nervous to read in front of a group of strangers than the rest of us. The two young ladies who presented Friday night were so charming, and their work interesting and unique. They reminded me of the end of NaNoWriMo party I attended in 2009 where nearly half of the participants who completed their 50,000 words were teens (most of them writing fantasy).
If you've never attended an Open Mic Night for authors, consider working with your local writers' organization, public library, or a coffee shop to get one started. And when you do, don't forget to invite the teen writers in your community. You'll be so glad you did.
And Happy Valentine's Day, too. I wish you roses, chocolate, and much love.
Friday, February 11, 2011
It's Friday Again ....Yay!
Here's some good stuff and a few links you might want to check out:
The Video for the Northern Colorado Writers Conference
This may be the only place you will see mountain climber and author Jim Davidson in a feather boa, not to mention writer Tim Northburg in a tiara:
Speaking of Jim Davidson, you might want to check the "I Shouldn't Be Alive" series on Animal Planet and see if you can catch a showing of "Killer Crevasse." It's heart-stopping and almost too terrifying to watch, even though we all know Jim survives this horrifying experience.
Northern Colorado Writers on Facebook
The Friday Question of the Week has been posted. You can go here to answer.
And you might want to check out that Conference Countdown update as well, because you can actually win prizes for that. For more information, visit The Writing Bug blog Conference Countdown Week One.
Fixing Madison blog
Luana Krause has created a blog called Fixing Madison, written by fictional character Madison W. The posts are short and fun...and just a tiny bit poignant in places, especially when Madison tells us stuff she decides not to share with her therapist. I'm enjoying the concept and the posts, so maybe you will too.
...then she writes blog
Science fiction and YA writer and northern Coloradoan, Heidi Windmiller has restarted her blog ...then she writes about the writing and editing process. She had a good reason for her hiatus (but I'll let you visit her blog to find out what that was). Heidi has five WIPs listed in her sidebar, but I was most taken with the one she's pretending doesn't exist. I totally understand that.
Auntie Pat Says:
You don't have to finish every single project you start.
And that's the truth.
The Video for the Northern Colorado Writers Conference
This may be the only place you will see mountain climber and author Jim Davidson in a feather boa, not to mention writer Tim Northburg in a tiara:
Speaking of Jim Davidson, you might want to check the "I Shouldn't Be Alive" series on Animal Planet and see if you can catch a showing of "Killer Crevasse." It's heart-stopping and almost too terrifying to watch, even though we all know Jim survives this horrifying experience.
Northern Colorado Writers on Facebook
The Friday Question of the Week has been posted. You can go here to answer.
And you might want to check out that Conference Countdown update as well, because you can actually win prizes for that. For more information, visit The Writing Bug blog Conference Countdown Week One.
Fixing Madison blog
Luana Krause has created a blog called Fixing Madison, written by fictional character Madison W. The posts are short and fun...and just a tiny bit poignant in places, especially when Madison tells us stuff she decides not to share with her therapist. I'm enjoying the concept and the posts, so maybe you will too.
...then she writes blog
Science fiction and YA writer and northern Coloradoan, Heidi Windmiller has restarted her blog ...then she writes about the writing and editing process. She had a good reason for her hiatus (but I'll let you visit her blog to find out what that was). Heidi has five WIPs listed in her sidebar, but I was most taken with the one she's pretending doesn't exist. I totally understand that.
Auntie Pat Says:
You don't have to finish every single project you start.
And that's the truth.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
I'm Out and About Again--This Time to Visit Kaye Barley
Today I'm over at Meanderings and Muses, talking about how I manage to get any work done in spite of my messy office and the nosy, demanding, and fun new addition to our home, Katrina Katie Kitten. The post is called "My Office, My Pet, and Me."
But I'll be around here, too, because I have a special guest, Deborah Hardy. Please see her guest post below.
But I'll be around here, too, because I have a special guest, Deborah Hardy. Please see her guest post below.
One Step at a Time by Debbie Hardy, Guest Blogger
Northern Colorado author Deborah Hardy enjoyed many happy years of marriage with her husband Bryan before he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. During Bryan’s illness, Debbie kept friends and family up-to-date by e-mail, ending each note with a word of hope or encouragement, even in the darkest hours.
Many reported that those words caused them to make positive changes in their lives, repair relationships, accomplish goals, and improve their attitudes. She continues to offer hope and encouragement through speaking and her blogs, Stepping Through Cancer and Stepping Through Life. Debbie's first book, Stepping Through Cancer: A Guide for the Journey, a manual for cancer caregivers, is scheduled for release soon from Higher Life Publishing. It is listed as available for pre-order at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
Today, Debbie talks about the process of researching and writing.
-------------------------
One Step at a Time by Debbie Hardy, Guest Blogger
Do you know how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Sounds trite, but it’s true.
Anything that seems daunting can be cut down into bite-size pieces and dealt with one mouthful at a time. Remember how your high school English teacher told you to write your papers?
• Find a topic
• Research it
• Prepare index cards
• Organize them
• Create an outline
• Write the paper
That’s all there is to it, right? But how many of us actually followed those instructions? Many times I had either too little or too much information on those cards. Some of my friends refused to create an outline, preferring a free-form style of writing that bordered on bunny trails.
FIND A TOPIC
Sometimes this is predetermined, like when you find a contest to enter or an editor producing a compilation. These will have definite guidelines to follow. Unlike high school, if you deviate from guidelines, you won’t end up with just bunny trails or a low grade. You’ll get disqualified or rejected. Most writers have to get used to rejection, but do everything in your power to keep it from happening.
Narrow your topic to something manageable. You can’t write the entire history of the world and expect it to fit into a 400-page book. Not gonna happen! But if you select one time in history, one location on the map, and maybe one person at the time, you’ve got a topic. Same for romance or anything else you write. Zoom in on one thing and make it come alive for your reader.
RESEARCH IT
You may be able to journal thoughts and emotions without research, but just about everything else will need some background work. No matter how educated or experienced you are, you can always learn more. Adding expert quotes, facts, and figures will give credence to your writing. This is true even of fiction. You might create a mythical land where you get to name your cities and streets, but you’ll need a map so you can guide your readers.
PREPARE INDEX CARDS
Keep track of all the information you gather on paper or electronically. Don’t rely on your brain. I heard once that our brains are like computers—lots of available RAM when we’re born. As we grow, learn, and experience life, the memory starts to fill up. By middle age, our brains slow down just like a well-used computer. We have so much memory that it takes longer for our circuits to retrieve information. Unfortunately, we can’t buy a new mental memory card!
ORGANIZE
This helps in every area of life, not just writing. Why waste time looking for something when you can just put your hand on it without thinking? Putting your data into categories will help you literally gather your thoughts. Maybe all you’ll need to do is add a word here and there to string them together, forming paragraphs and chapters.
CREATE AN OUTLINE
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? An outline is a roadmap, showing you where you are, where you’ll end up, and how to get there. Believe it or not, this makes writing much easier. If you write fiction, this may be hard to do if you let your characters develop your story. But at least you’ll have an idea how you’d like them to behave. Like a road trip, you might have a map but an intentional detour can be exciting.
WRITE THE PAPER
This is the fun part! Let your fingers go. One workshop leader said to “puke it out.” Too many writers stop to edit Chapter One and never get to Chapter Two. Once you’re done writing, you can go back and edit, but don’t waste time now. Keep your ideas flowing and you’ll finish, which is more than most writers do!
Why do we write? Because we feel we have something to say. And if we tell stories that people want to read, we can become what every writer wants to be: PUBLISHED!
-------------------------
Debbie, thanks so much for being here today. You're an inspiration, and your caregiver manual will be a welcome resource for a lot of folks.
Please note that Debbie is available for speaking engagements. You may contact her through her blog. Her e-mail address is on her profile if you click the "View My Complete Profile" link.
Many reported that those words caused them to make positive changes in their lives, repair relationships, accomplish goals, and improve their attitudes. She continues to offer hope and encouragement through speaking and her blogs, Stepping Through Cancer and Stepping Through Life. Debbie's first book, Stepping Through Cancer: A Guide for the Journey, a manual for cancer caregivers, is scheduled for release soon from Higher Life Publishing. It is listed as available for pre-order at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
Today, Debbie talks about the process of researching and writing.
-------------------------
One Step at a Time by Debbie Hardy, Guest Blogger
Do you know how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Sounds trite, but it’s true.Anything that seems daunting can be cut down into bite-size pieces and dealt with one mouthful at a time. Remember how your high school English teacher told you to write your papers?
• Find a topic
• Research it
• Prepare index cards
• Organize them
• Create an outline
• Write the paper
That’s all there is to it, right? But how many of us actually followed those instructions? Many times I had either too little or too much information on those cards. Some of my friends refused to create an outline, preferring a free-form style of writing that bordered on bunny trails.
FIND A TOPIC
Sometimes this is predetermined, like when you find a contest to enter or an editor producing a compilation. These will have definite guidelines to follow. Unlike high school, if you deviate from guidelines, you won’t end up with just bunny trails or a low grade. You’ll get disqualified or rejected. Most writers have to get used to rejection, but do everything in your power to keep it from happening.
Narrow your topic to something manageable. You can’t write the entire history of the world and expect it to fit into a 400-page book. Not gonna happen! But if you select one time in history, one location on the map, and maybe one person at the time, you’ve got a topic. Same for romance or anything else you write. Zoom in on one thing and make it come alive for your reader.
RESEARCH IT
You may be able to journal thoughts and emotions without research, but just about everything else will need some background work. No matter how educated or experienced you are, you can always learn more. Adding expert quotes, facts, and figures will give credence to your writing. This is true even of fiction. You might create a mythical land where you get to name your cities and streets, but you’ll need a map so you can guide your readers.
PREPARE INDEX CARDS
Keep track of all the information you gather on paper or electronically. Don’t rely on your brain. I heard once that our brains are like computers—lots of available RAM when we’re born. As we grow, learn, and experience life, the memory starts to fill up. By middle age, our brains slow down just like a well-used computer. We have so much memory that it takes longer for our circuits to retrieve information. Unfortunately, we can’t buy a new mental memory card!
ORGANIZEThis helps in every area of life, not just writing. Why waste time looking for something when you can just put your hand on it without thinking? Putting your data into categories will help you literally gather your thoughts. Maybe all you’ll need to do is add a word here and there to string them together, forming paragraphs and chapters.
CREATE AN OUTLINE
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? An outline is a roadmap, showing you where you are, where you’ll end up, and how to get there. Believe it or not, this makes writing much easier. If you write fiction, this may be hard to do if you let your characters develop your story. But at least you’ll have an idea how you’d like them to behave. Like a road trip, you might have a map but an intentional detour can be exciting.
WRITE THE PAPER
This is the fun part! Let your fingers go. One workshop leader said to “puke it out.” Too many writers stop to edit Chapter One and never get to Chapter Two. Once you’re done writing, you can go back and edit, but don’t waste time now. Keep your ideas flowing and you’ll finish, which is more than most writers do!
Why do we write? Because we feel we have something to say. And if we tell stories that people want to read, we can become what every writer wants to be: PUBLISHED!
-------------------------
Debbie, thanks so much for being here today. You're an inspiration, and your caregiver manual will be a welcome resource for a lot of folks.
Please note that Debbie is available for speaking engagements. You may contact her through her blog. Her e-mail address is on her profile if you click the "View My Complete Profile" link.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Wednesday Scramble
Tomorrow's Guest Blogger
I'm introducing another Northern Colorado writer tomorrow. Deborah Hardy enjoyed many happy years of marriage with her husband Bryan before he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. During Bryan’s illness, Debbie kept friends and family up-to-date by e-mail, ending each note with a word of hope or encouragement, even in the darkest hours.
Many reported that those words caused them to make positive changes in their lives, repair relationships, accomplish goals, and improve their attitudes. She continues to offer hope and encouragement through speaking and her blogs, Stepping Through Cancer and Stepping Through Life. Debbie's first book, Stepping Through Cancer: A Guide for the Journey, a manual for cancer caregivers, is scheduled for release soon from Higher Life Publishing.
Debbie's post is about researching and writing, One Step at a Time.
Contest to Win Books by Julia Spencer-Fleming
If you haven't already done so, head on over to Minotaur Books, where the publisher is giving three readers a chance to win all six books in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series by Julia Spencer-Fleming plus an advanced reading copy of the seventh, One Was a Soldier, scheduled to be published this April. You have until March 1st, 2011 to enter.
Julia has a website with more information about her and her excellent mystery series.
Arlee Bird's 2011 A to Z April Challenge at tossing it out blog
As of yesterday, there were 201 bloggers signed up for the A to Z Challenge. If you haven't jumped into the pool yet, why not read more about the challenge and at least think about.
Come on. Sign up. I know you want to.
What I'm Reading
I just finished the delightful amateur sleuth mystery by Mary Kennedy, Dead Air: A Talk Radio Mystery. I enjoyed it so much I added Reel Murder and Stay Tuned for Murder to my TBR list.
For a change of pace, I'm now reading Brad Thor's latest thriller. The Athena Project. This book is heavy on woman power, which is great. I like seeing modern female warriors in fast-paced thrillers.
A Blog Post for Procrastinating Writers
I saw this post tweeted by author/blogger friend Elizabeth Spann Craig (who also writes as Riley Adams). The post is so good, I'm linking to it as well. It's called It’s Time To Finish Your Book: 9 Productivity Tips for Writers and is from write to done: unmissable articles on writing.
My Friday (Oops, I Mean Thursday) Guest Appearance at Meanderings and Muses
I'll be out and about again Thursday (even though I had written it on my calendar on Friday). Kaye Barley graciously invited me to be her guest, and I'll be chatting about my messy office, the new addition to my household (Katrina Katie Kitten), and how I manage to work under these conditions. I'll have the permalink up here tomorrow.
I hope you'll stop by and visit Kaye's blog often. She has a great list of guests on a variety of topics, and the whole 2011 lineup is available in her blog's sidebar. You won't be disappointed.
I'm introducing another Northern Colorado writer tomorrow. Deborah Hardy enjoyed many happy years of marriage with her husband Bryan before he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. During Bryan’s illness, Debbie kept friends and family up-to-date by e-mail, ending each note with a word of hope or encouragement, even in the darkest hours.
Many reported that those words caused them to make positive changes in their lives, repair relationships, accomplish goals, and improve their attitudes. She continues to offer hope and encouragement through speaking and her blogs, Stepping Through Cancer and Stepping Through Life. Debbie's first book, Stepping Through Cancer: A Guide for the Journey, a manual for cancer caregivers, is scheduled for release soon from Higher Life Publishing.
Debbie's post is about researching and writing, One Step at a Time.
Contest to Win Books by Julia Spencer-Fleming
If you haven't already done so, head on over to Minotaur Books, where the publisher is giving three readers a chance to win all six books in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series by Julia Spencer-Fleming plus an advanced reading copy of the seventh, One Was a Soldier, scheduled to be published this April. You have until March 1st, 2011 to enter.
Julia has a website with more information about her and her excellent mystery series.
Arlee Bird's 2011 A to Z April Challenge at tossing it out blog
As of yesterday, there were 201 bloggers signed up for the A to Z Challenge. If you haven't jumped into the pool yet, why not read more about the challenge and at least think about.
Come on. Sign up. I know you want to.
What I'm Reading
I just finished the delightful amateur sleuth mystery by Mary Kennedy, Dead Air: A Talk Radio Mystery. I enjoyed it so much I added Reel Murder and Stay Tuned for Murder to my TBR list.
For a change of pace, I'm now reading Brad Thor's latest thriller. The Athena Project. This book is heavy on woman power, which is great. I like seeing modern female warriors in fast-paced thrillers.
A Blog Post for Procrastinating Writers
I saw this post tweeted by author/blogger friend Elizabeth Spann Craig (who also writes as Riley Adams). The post is so good, I'm linking to it as well. It's called It’s Time To Finish Your Book: 9 Productivity Tips for Writers and is from write to done: unmissable articles on writing.
My Friday (Oops, I Mean Thursday) Guest Appearance at Meanderings and Muses
I'll be out and about again Thursday (even though I had written it on my calendar on Friday). Kaye Barley graciously invited me to be her guest, and I'll be chatting about my messy office, the new addition to my household (Katrina Katie Kitten), and how I manage to work under these conditions. I'll have the permalink up here tomorrow.
I hope you'll stop by and visit Kaye's blog often. She has a great list of guests on a variety of topics, and the whole 2011 lineup is available in her blog's sidebar. You won't be disappointed.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: What's New from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers?
Yep, I'm over at Chiseled in Rock today, talking about four more new releases from members of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. I hope you'll stop by and add a book or two to your To Be Read List.
And while you're there, you may want to read Janet Fogg's Interview with Marisa Corvisiero, Esq., Literary Agent with the L. Perkins Agency. It's well worth your time.
I'll be back here tomorrow with some goodies in my usual Wednesday Scramble.
And while you're there, you may want to read Janet Fogg's Interview with Marisa Corvisiero, Esq., Literary Agent with the L. Perkins Agency. It's well worth your time.
I'll be back here tomorrow with some goodies in my usual Wednesday Scramble.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Publication and Promotion: They Go Together by Linda L. Osmundson, Guest Blogger
Today it's my pleasure to welcome Linda L. Osmundson, another of Colorado's most excellent authors. As members of Northern Colorado Writers, we run into each other from time to time at the writers' studio, so I was anxious to have her tell us about her path to publication.
I enjoy covering children's books as well YA and middle grade novels since I frequently buy them for gifts. I already have my copy of How the West Was Drawn: Cowboy Charlie's Art and will be giving it to my grand-nephew Charlie on his birthday.
-------------------------
Publication and Promotion: They Go Together by Linda L. Osmundson, Guest Blogger
"I want to get published,” I announced to a group of ladies at the first Newcomer coffee I attended in Fort Collins. My husband’s five transfers moved us throughout the West over sixteen years before we returned home to our adopted state, Colorado, in 1996.
On February 9th, I’ll serve as guest speaker for that same coffee group as a published writer, not only of magazine and anthology articles, but as author of a children’s book.
Even though I traveled an unconventional path, I got my wish and more.
Over a period of a year and a half, I researched Charles Russell, chose art objectives from the Amon Carter Museum, and wrote How the West Was Drawn: Cowboy Charlie's Art. Actually, I’d studied Russell off and on for about 30 years.
To include a list of competition in my book proposal, I perused amazon.com. Most children’s books on Russell showed publication dates older than five years – old by publishing standards.
My format for each of thirteen art objects consisted of pictures, questions to encourage looking, a short paragraph about the art, and another about the artist.
Imagine my disappointment when I found on Amazon a February, 2010, new children’s release - Charles Russell: Tale-Telling Cowboy Artist. I ordered it. I discovered someone “beat me to the punch.” I held in my hands a book which looked much like I envisioned mine.
After a show of sympathy, my critique group reached a consensus. “Your book is different. Take out the biography parts, stick with the questions, and keep the information about the art pieces. Submit it to the same publisher. Suggest How the West Was Drawn might serve as a companion to their new release.”
In other words, “when given lemons, make lemonade.”
I followed their advice and after several months of email communications, Pelican Publishing bought it. A surprise lay in store for me – permission for picture use from the museum and costs reverted to me rather than the publisher. Permissions, a multi-media projector (I refuse to rely on unfamiliar equipment for presentations), and bookmarks devoured most of my advance. Until I get them sold, the 250 books I ordered will take care of the rest and more. However, a friend says to remember “for every free book given, the recipient shares it and probably another book is sold.”
I’d heard that publication was only half the work. It is true, now the real work begins - promotion. Today’s publishers expect the author to help. The Newcomer coffee serves as the first of my promotion events.
My blog, Writing Roads, offers these and more promotion ideas.
These ideas help you get ahead of the game. Check my website for more information on my book, events, classroom activities, and me.
Although my editor assures me they are considering the next book about Frederic Remington in the How the West Was Drawn series, I await acceptance. Perhaps in a year my second wish will come true – another new release.
-------------------------
Linda, thanks so much for being my guest today. Cowboy Charlie's Art is a visual treat, and I'll recommend it to anyone who needs a fun and educational gift book for a child.
I also highly recommend Linda's blog, Writing Roads. The posts are full of information and recommendations for book promotion.
I enjoy covering children's books as well YA and middle grade novels since I frequently buy them for gifts. I already have my copy of How the West Was Drawn: Cowboy Charlie's Art and will be giving it to my grand-nephew Charlie on his birthday.
-------------------------
Publication and Promotion: They Go Together by Linda L. Osmundson, Guest Blogger
"I want to get published,” I announced to a group of ladies at the first Newcomer coffee I attended in Fort Collins. My husband’s five transfers moved us throughout the West over sixteen years before we returned home to our adopted state, Colorado, in 1996.On February 9th, I’ll serve as guest speaker for that same coffee group as a published writer, not only of magazine and anthology articles, but as author of a children’s book.
Even though I traveled an unconventional path, I got my wish and more.
Over a period of a year and a half, I researched Charles Russell, chose art objectives from the Amon Carter Museum, and wrote How the West Was Drawn: Cowboy Charlie's Art. Actually, I’d studied Russell off and on for about 30 years.
To include a list of competition in my book proposal, I perused amazon.com. Most children’s books on Russell showed publication dates older than five years – old by publishing standards.
My format for each of thirteen art objects consisted of pictures, questions to encourage looking, a short paragraph about the art, and another about the artist.
Imagine my disappointment when I found on Amazon a February, 2010, new children’s release - Charles Russell: Tale-Telling Cowboy Artist. I ordered it. I discovered someone “beat me to the punch.” I held in my hands a book which looked much like I envisioned mine.
After a show of sympathy, my critique group reached a consensus. “Your book is different. Take out the biography parts, stick with the questions, and keep the information about the art pieces. Submit it to the same publisher. Suggest How the West Was Drawn might serve as a companion to their new release.”In other words, “when given lemons, make lemonade.”
I followed their advice and after several months of email communications, Pelican Publishing bought it. A surprise lay in store for me – permission for picture use from the museum and costs reverted to me rather than the publisher. Permissions, a multi-media projector (I refuse to rely on unfamiliar equipment for presentations), and bookmarks devoured most of my advance. Until I get them sold, the 250 books I ordered will take care of the rest and more. However, a friend says to remember “for every free book given, the recipient shares it and probably another book is sold.”
I’d heard that publication was only half the work. It is true, now the real work begins - promotion. Today’s publishers expect the author to help. The Newcomer coffee serves as the first of my promotion events.
My blog, Writing Roads, offers these and more promotion ideas.
• Research what other authors have done. I learned from Debbie Dadey. She suggested I post a teacher's guide on my website.
• Keep in close contact with the publishing house's publicist.
• Take advantage of social media networking and other blogs.
• Get free marketing advice from your local Small Business Development Center.
• Take photos of appearances and post them on your websites, blogs or social media.
• Participate in list serves.
• Contact school district media personnel. They forward your press release or information to each school media person.
• Build a platform.
• Google promotion, platform, and networking for more ideas, such as book promotion expert John Kremer.
• Check Doug Solter’s blog and the article How to Impress Booksellers.
• Log onto SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and search for marketing ideas.
• On San Francisco’s Book Review blog find the article Building Your Author Platform and the section called After the Manuscript.
These ideas help you get ahead of the game. Check my website for more information on my book, events, classroom activities, and me.
Although my editor assures me they are considering the next book about Frederic Remington in the How the West Was Drawn series, I await acceptance. Perhaps in a year my second wish will come true – another new release.
-------------------------
Linda, thanks so much for being my guest today. Cowboy Charlie's Art is a visual treat, and I'll recommend it to anyone who needs a fun and educational gift book for a child.
I also highly recommend Linda's blog, Writing Roads. The posts are full of information and recommendations for book promotion.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The Northern Colorado Writers Conference: Passport to Writing 2011
Here's the new video for the conference:
For more information, head on over to the Northern Colorado Writers website.
Hope to see you in Fort Collins, Colorado, March 11-12. I'll be there.
For more information, head on over to the Northern Colorado Writers website.
Hope to see you in Fort Collins, Colorado, March 11-12. I'll be there.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Friday, Friday...
Critique Groups
Today's post is a little short. I have a big afternoon ahead, meeting with fourteen writers at varying levels of experience, fiction and non-fiction, all eager to join a critique group. My job is to organize and train, then after a few meetings, I leave the group. At that point, the members take over and make whatever scheduling and procedural changes they choose.
With a total of fourteen interested attendees, we'll form at least two and maybe three groups. This is one of the services provided by Northern Colorado Writers and many other excellent writing organizations around the country.
If you write (or want to), I definitely recommend a good critique group to help you fine tune your skills.
Monday's Special Guest
Linda Osmundson, author of How the West Was Drawn: Cowboy Charlie's Art will be here to talk about publication and promotion. If you have any kids in your life and like to buy them books that educate as well as entertain, you'll want to know more about the How the West Was Drawn series.
Northern Colorado Writers on Facebook
Every Friday I'll be posting a new fun question of the week on the Northern Colorado Writers Facebook page. I hope you'll stop by and post your answer. And while you're there, could you "Like" us, pretty please?
The 2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge
If you didn't read Arlee Bird's guest post yesterday, check it out. This blog challenge is a lot of fun. If you're looking for ways to increase your blog followers, this is your chance.
Today's post is a little short. I have a big afternoon ahead, meeting with fourteen writers at varying levels of experience, fiction and non-fiction, all eager to join a critique group. My job is to organize and train, then after a few meetings, I leave the group. At that point, the members take over and make whatever scheduling and procedural changes they choose.
With a total of fourteen interested attendees, we'll form at least two and maybe three groups. This is one of the services provided by Northern Colorado Writers and many other excellent writing organizations around the country.
If you write (or want to), I definitely recommend a good critique group to help you fine tune your skills.
Monday's Special Guest
Linda Osmundson, author of How the West Was Drawn: Cowboy Charlie's Art will be here to talk about publication and promotion. If you have any kids in your life and like to buy them books that educate as well as entertain, you'll want to know more about the How the West Was Drawn series.
Northern Colorado Writers on Facebook
Every Friday I'll be posting a new fun question of the week on the Northern Colorado Writers Facebook page. I hope you'll stop by and post your answer. And while you're there, could you "Like" us, pretty please?
The 2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge
If you didn't read Arlee Bird's guest post yesterday, check it out. This blog challenge is a lot of fun. If you're looking for ways to increase your blog followers, this is your chance.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Building an Audience for Your Blog: The Arlee Bird "Blogging From A to Z April Challenge of 2011"
I met today's special guest when I participated in the A to Z Blog Challenge in April 2010. Arlee Bird of Tossing it Out had a great idea and ran with it. I'm still learning from his blog and his many followers. Please welcome Arlee, and pay close attention. He's giving you another great opportunity to build your blog following while making lots of new blogger friends around the world.
-------------------------
Building an Audience for Your Blog by Arlee Bird, Guest Blogger
Would you like to have more followers on your blog but haven’t figured out how to get them? Some of you may be perfectly content to have your handful of faithful followers and that’s fine if it’s okay with you. Personally, I want to have thousands of followers for my blog. I know they all won’t be reading what I post, but I think the odds increase exponentially as numbers of potential readers increase. If you are an author looking for an audience or anyone else promoting something, expanding your potential customer base is imperative to increasing your sales growth potential.
When I first started blogging in September of 2009 I had no idea what it was all about. I was determined to get followers so I set out on a quest to do so. Here’s the approach I would recommend to anyone looking for more followers:
My biggest coup in gaining followers came in 2010 when I organized the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. This was a month long blog challenge that received a lot of attention. The challenge required discipline as participants posted six days a week for the entire month of April using a letter of the alphabet for each day’s inspiration. The most active participants in this challenge gained from forty to one hundred followers during that month and built many lasting online relationships in the process.
In April of 2011 the A to Z Blog Challenge will be repeated. After last year’s success of an event that was organized in four days by me alone, this year the challenge should be huge as I am joined by some powerhouse bloggers: Alex J. Cavanaugh, Jen Daiker, and Talli Roland. The four of us will be administering the challenge as we participate with our own daily blog posts and provide encouragement to all of the participants.
If you are serious about getting more followers added to your sidebar, this is an event you should consider. Think of it as an advertising blitz if you’re promoting a book or some other aspect of what you have to offer. Or approach it as just plain fun. You will be out there for twenty-six days networking with others in your online communities. Friendships will be established and new blogs will be discovered. And you will become better in what you do. This challenge can help you improve your writing, planning, and self-discipline.
If you are interested in getting more information, you can go to Tossing It Out or click on one of the above links for the co-administrators blogs to see what they have to say. When you’ve decided to join us then add your name to the Linky list that appears on each of our blogs. We hope you’ll join us in the exciting Blogging From A to Z April Challenge of 2011.
-------------------------
Arlee, thank you so much for being here today and sharing your plans for the 2011 challenge. I'm guessing it will be bigger and better than 2010. I can't wait.
You bloggers who haven't yet tried a blog challenge should consider signing up. I had great fun last year, and made a lot of wonderful friends along the way.
Come on, sign up. You know you want to.
-------------------------
Building an Audience for Your Blog by Arlee Bird, Guest Blogger
Would you like to have more followers on your blog but haven’t figured out how to get them? Some of you may be perfectly content to have your handful of faithful followers and that’s fine if it’s okay with you. Personally, I want to have thousands of followers for my blog. I know they all won’t be reading what I post, but I think the odds increase exponentially as numbers of potential readers increase. If you are an author looking for an audience or anyone else promoting something, expanding your potential customer base is imperative to increasing your sales growth potential.When I first started blogging in September of 2009 I had no idea what it was all about. I was determined to get followers so I set out on a quest to do so. Here’s the approach I would recommend to anyone looking for more followers:
• Get advice from serious experienced bloggers. Find blogs that seem like they have a good following and that offer blogging advice. You learn by watching and listening to others. Ask questions in their comment sections, follow those blogs, and ask them to follow your blog—some of them will.
• Make sure you have a “Follow” button to click and make it visible. I’ve placed mine near the top of my sidebar. When the button is highly visible interested parties will be more apt to click it.
• Find bloggers with similar interests to your own. Fill out your blogger profile with your interests (don’t forget to put commas between each of them). When you click on each of your interests you will come up with a list of other bloggers who have indicated the same interests. Comment on their blog posts, follow them, and ask them to follow your blog. You will become a part of a blog community.
• Stay active in your blog communities. Regularly leave comments on other blogs. Acknowledge those who comment on your posts. Maintain relationships.
• Be consistent in posting quality content. Give people a reason to come to see what you have to offer. I set up a themed blogging schedule so readers would know what to expect on which day.
• Participate in blogfests and other events. It will provide you with blog content and it will put you in contact with other participants. When I have participated in events, I have always added new followers.
My biggest coup in gaining followers came in 2010 when I organized the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. This was a month long blog challenge that received a lot of attention. The challenge required discipline as participants posted six days a week for the entire month of April using a letter of the alphabet for each day’s inspiration. The most active participants in this challenge gained from forty to one hundred followers during that month and built many lasting online relationships in the process.In April of 2011 the A to Z Blog Challenge will be repeated. After last year’s success of an event that was organized in four days by me alone, this year the challenge should be huge as I am joined by some powerhouse bloggers: Alex J. Cavanaugh, Jen Daiker, and Talli Roland. The four of us will be administering the challenge as we participate with our own daily blog posts and provide encouragement to all of the participants.
If you are serious about getting more followers added to your sidebar, this is an event you should consider. Think of it as an advertising blitz if you’re promoting a book or some other aspect of what you have to offer. Or approach it as just plain fun. You will be out there for twenty-six days networking with others in your online communities. Friendships will be established and new blogs will be discovered. And you will become better in what you do. This challenge can help you improve your writing, planning, and self-discipline.
If you are interested in getting more information, you can go to Tossing It Out or click on one of the above links for the co-administrators blogs to see what they have to say. When you’ve decided to join us then add your name to the Linky list that appears on each of our blogs. We hope you’ll join us in the exciting Blogging From A to Z April Challenge of 2011.
-------------------------
Arlee, thank you so much for being here today and sharing your plans for the 2011 challenge. I'm guessing it will be bigger and better than 2010. I can't wait.
You bloggers who haven't yet tried a blog challenge should consider signing up. I had great fun last year, and made a lot of wonderful friends along the way.
Come on, sign up. You know you want to.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Wednesday Scramble
Tomorrow's Guest
I'm very excited that Arlee Bird will be here tomorrow to talk about blogging, getting more followers to your blog, and the great 2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge. Lee, who blogs at tossing it out, is a perfect example of what can happen when you think outside the box, come up with a great idea, and run with it. If you have a blog, you won't want to miss tomorrow's post.
Finalists and Honorable Mentions for the 4th Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge
Last week at Chiseled in Rock blog I mentioned Nathan Bransford's The 4th Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge, which I entered and encouraged others to do the same. I did not get an honorable mention, nor did I become a finalist.
BUT GUESS WHAT? One of my wonderful blogger friends, Ann Best who blogs at Long Journey Home, was one of 1,500+ entrants who did receive honorable mention. That's awesome! Congratulations to Ann.
The six finalists are posted, and you can read their entries and vote for your favorite until the deadline on Wednesday.
Super Duper Blog Post of the Week
April Moore, a member of our Raintree Writers critique group, is writing a nonfiction book about Folsom's 93, the ninety-three men executed by hanging at Folsom Prison between 1835 and 1937. The information she's accumulating for this book is fascinating.
She recently spent two weeks in California doing more research, which included a tour of Folsom Prison. This week she posted all about her trip (with photos) at her dedicated blog, Folsom's 93. "My Time in Prison" is a great post about the thrill of researching from original materials, why she toured the prison, and how much work she has to do now that she's back home. April has a wonderful sense of humor, so the post is not all dry and boring. I highly recommend it.
April also blogs at Epicurean Vegan where she posts yummy recipes. I don't think April ever eats anything without taking a picture of it first, which makes even her restaurant reviews a visual treat.
Arctic Freeze
The temperature yesterday when I wrote this post was zero F with a wind chill of -13 F. The overnight low was forecast at -19 F (Lord knows what the wind chill forecast was). Needless to say, my office, which is on the second floor in the northeast corner of the house, was so cold I couldn't keep my hands warm even with numerous cups of warm tea. Even Katrina Katie Kitten rejected the room and found a sunny spot on the stairs for her afternoon nap.
I eventually gave up and found a warmer place in the house. I chose the kitchen, where I heated up the oven and baked that apple custard crisp variation on apple custard pie that I fantasized about on Facebook yesterday. Then I found a spot in the sun, just like Katie Kitten, and went blog hopping and status updating and tweeting with my little laptop.
I'm not really complaining, because I know other parts of the country are experiencing ice storms and blizzards. But no matter the weather where you are, you can't go wrong with a warm blanket (or five), a cup of hot whatever (even if you have to fire up the grill on the patio to get hot water), and a good book.
Stay warm!
I'm very excited that Arlee Bird will be here tomorrow to talk about blogging, getting more followers to your blog, and the great 2011 A to Z April Blog Challenge. Lee, who blogs at tossing it out, is a perfect example of what can happen when you think outside the box, come up with a great idea, and run with it. If you have a blog, you won't want to miss tomorrow's post.
Finalists and Honorable Mentions for the 4th Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge
Last week at Chiseled in Rock blog I mentioned Nathan Bransford's The 4th Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge, which I entered and encouraged others to do the same. I did not get an honorable mention, nor did I become a finalist.
BUT GUESS WHAT? One of my wonderful blogger friends, Ann Best who blogs at Long Journey Home, was one of 1,500+ entrants who did receive honorable mention. That's awesome! Congratulations to Ann.
The six finalists are posted, and you can read their entries and vote for your favorite until the deadline on Wednesday.
Super Duper Blog Post of the Week
April Moore, a member of our Raintree Writers critique group, is writing a nonfiction book about Folsom's 93, the ninety-three men executed by hanging at Folsom Prison between 1835 and 1937. The information she's accumulating for this book is fascinating.
She recently spent two weeks in California doing more research, which included a tour of Folsom Prison. This week she posted all about her trip (with photos) at her dedicated blog, Folsom's 93. "My Time in Prison" is a great post about the thrill of researching from original materials, why she toured the prison, and how much work she has to do now that she's back home. April has a wonderful sense of humor, so the post is not all dry and boring. I highly recommend it.
April also blogs at Epicurean Vegan where she posts yummy recipes. I don't think April ever eats anything without taking a picture of it first, which makes even her restaurant reviews a visual treat.
Arctic Freeze
The temperature yesterday when I wrote this post was zero F with a wind chill of -13 F. The overnight low was forecast at -19 F (Lord knows what the wind chill forecast was). Needless to say, my office, which is on the second floor in the northeast corner of the house, was so cold I couldn't keep my hands warm even with numerous cups of warm tea. Even Katrina Katie Kitten rejected the room and found a sunny spot on the stairs for her afternoon nap.
I eventually gave up and found a warmer place in the house. I chose the kitchen, where I heated up the oven and baked that apple custard crisp variation on apple custard pie that I fantasized about on Facebook yesterday. Then I found a spot in the sun, just like Katie Kitten, and went blog hopping and status updating and tweeting with my little laptop.
I'm not really complaining, because I know other parts of the country are experiencing ice storms and blizzards. But no matter the weather where you are, you can't go wrong with a warm blanket (or five), a cup of hot whatever (even if you have to fire up the grill on the patio to get hot water), and a good book.
Stay warm!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: The Grizzly Dream
I'm over at Chiseled in Rock today talking about my grizzly dream and dreams or nightmares as the source of story ideas. There's even a grizzly video for your viewing pleasure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)