Okay, okay...I'll Stop Making Promises

Every time I make an entry for this blog I always promise to keep it updated.  Well, that just isn't working so we'll see if I don't make a promise this time to update quicker then maybe I will actually update it! :)

Anyway, I have been contemplating my writing, my stories and such for the past month.  Why?  Well, of course I need to outline, edit, rewrite a whole bunch of stuff in them and really create the mood and the story.

But also with that, I have been thinking a lot about National Novel Writing Month.  It's 10 days away from beginning and usually I already have a story to go with and the idea written down with a basic outline and characters all mapped out.  This year, that isn't happening at all.

Although, this year is different.  I have decided that maybe I'll try my hand at a horror story.  Maybe also making it a Dystopian genre because that is the genre these days.  Vampires, unless already established through the Twilight age, is pretty much done.  Gone.  But with The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins just finished up and a new much awaited book to be released, Matched by Ally Condie, and also with reading the Uglies series, I think Dystopian is the way to go right now.  And with how the economy in the country right now and throughout the world is tanking, picking up, tanking again, and the flow goes forever, I believe that these books in this genre either give people a void in their emotions, a gift of hope that things will turn out okay, or even a feeling of dread that this may be the way the world turns out to be in the next ten, twenty, hundred years.

Well, now it's time for me to figure out a good plot line with interesting characters, and figure out how my society is going to work out if I am to try out this new genre that is making a huge hit.

Good luck and Ciao for now.

And I am NOT promising to update any time soon. ;)

All Fellow Writers Will Enjoy This

First off, I have to tell my friend that sent this to me, Thank you!  It made me laugh and it is all so true.

I think you will all laugh too!

Offended by Rank Objectification of Writers

Musical Inspiration

There are only two words that define my biggest musical inspiration in writing.

Josh Groban.

If you haven't heard of him, go to www.joshgroban.com and discover this musical sensation that sounds like chocolate.  Or if chocolate had a sound, it would have his name written all over it.

He released a new song today.  Brand new!  It's called, Hidden Away, and it fits pretty every story I've read and every story I'm writing.

If you're stuck on something in your story or writing, Josh Groban can cheer things up or give you a sad song to cry to.  That's how amazing he is.

To Post Story Chapters or To Not Post...

So, a new thing has come to my attention for my writing.  Apparently it would be a very good idea if I made my own website now and keep it forever.  However, that is a hard thing to do when you are a stay at home mom and make no money to do that with.  Heck, I don't even have money to do fun things with unless they are under $1!  Which, these days, can buy me something on a dollar menu, but it takes more in gas to go do that one dollar thing.

Anyway, one thing suggested was this.  To put a little tip jar on my blog that if people like my work, they can pay me tips to keep going so they can read more.  I thought that was a cool and ingenious idea, however, there are a lot of people like me.  Broke.  But, if they can't leave a tip, they could certainly leave a reviewing comment or even a critiquing comment if they so like.

Would anyone be interested in reading my chapters as I work on them?  If so, please comment about it and what you think.  You can even put up what you think is good for an amateur writer to do concerning websites and posting their work early.

In the mean time, if you do want me to post some of my work, I will.  But first, I want to know what story you'd like to read.

I have two stories.  One is being in a rewrite phase, but I do have some to read available at the moment and the other has up to five chapters plus a prologue written.  Here are the choices:

1) Flare of the Sun:  Catherine wants to become a professional dancer.  Wants to train at Julliard, but when two new people show up at her high school during her senior year, things begin to change.  One student with the sunglasses on all the time is constantly vying for her attention and to get her alone.  The other befriends her and begins to date her best friend.  Her mother is acting stranger and more strict than usual and everyone seems concerned for her well being.  As she goes on her graduation trip to Italy, things sky rocket from strange to plain old unbelievable as she learns about her bloodlines and what she must do to save herself, her best friend, and the entire world from the clutches of an ancient group of vampires that want humans to worship them as gods.

Now, Flare of the Sun, is the first of a trilogy for Catherine's adventures and story.  This is the one in its rewrite phases.

2) Lovely Dreams: Emma has a gift.  It is a gift passed down from mother to daughter, but it is dangerous when used constantly.  It killed her mother, and as Emma knows, she must be able to control it or it too may kill her.  She can speak with and interact with ghosts in her dreams.  Helping her father on ghost hunts to rid homes and other places of spirits not wanting to let go, Emma goes with him to a southern plantation in Texas to rid its' grounds of a Civil War soldier who has haunted it for years.  As she comes to see the soldier in a different light, she never expected to fall for him.  Emma also didn't expect to fall for the human farm boy from the small town nearby.  But when Emma gets sick, she knows the effects of her ability are involved and she may die.  Now she must choose who to be with forever.  The farm boy and her father, or the ghost in her dreams.

Lovely Dreams is a stand alone story with a possible option for a sequel if readers really like it.

Let me know your opinions on this!  I would love to get outside looks on these but again, I'm leery about putting my work online and asking people to tip me for it.  But, if people are willing, then I will. :)

Ciao!

Is On a Roll (With Book Contests)

I love books. Always have, always will. It's a trait that my husband and I both share. It's a trait we passed down to our daughter. There is nothing like reading a book. I love where the imagination can take you when intermingled with the right words. You take my family to the bookstore and we will most likely want more than anyone can really afford in books.


Lately, I am getting really into reading again (since school starts on Tuesday for my little one) and will now open up a bit more time for me during the day to write and to read. I plan on doing other things, but mostly I'll be hopefully writing and reading.

I, for some reason, come across a site every few days on book reviews and they will have a giveaway! I love this other review site, A Reader's Ramblings. It's an awesome site! The blogger for this site also works on the Eve's Fan Garden site that is mentioned in my last two posts. But our lovely Reader is having a contest! Go check it out! Click here for contest.

Such a great site! Also, check out The Book Bundle soon for my review of the book, Fallen by Lauren Kate.

And yes, I do have a writing update and writing post coming soon. My life is not totally consumed by winning books (although I have won a few books this past month, it's like they want me to read them!)

Ciao!

Learning A Lot About Myself and About My Writing

This week on Eve's Fan Garden, a website for reviews on books, movies, music, and lots of interviews and contests, they are having what's called the Midsummer Night's Chat.  They have tons of Author Guest Blogs--and I mean A LOT of them.  And today's featured the subject of the strong female protagonist.  Well, I have female protagonists (well, all of my stories have them but one) and still, I always felt like there was something missing from my characters.  Now that I look back at them, I can't see their strengths now--yeah, some of them have small strengths here and there, but right now, at the stages of the story they are in, they don't have that much.

Geez, my first female protagonist, Catherine "Cat", is a wuss.  The only strength I know she has is the one that saves her and her best friend at one point in the story from the villain.  Still, that's the ONLY part where she shows her strength.  She's a good dancer, yes, and that helps her physically through her training as she learns her powers, but nevertheless, where's the emotional and mental strength?  I think she gets it more on in the next couple of books when she learns where she comes from as she researches her family ties and later on in the last book where there is a big old battle with the enemy and there is a lot of death on both sides.  However, I now know I need to look back at her and her story and go, "Now, where are you hiding your strength?"

Then there is my other female protagonist, Emma.  She's incredibly shy and quiet, but if put up to the task, she can get the job done and stand up for herself and speak out.  That's rarely ever needed from her though.  I believe her strength is more along the lines of being selfless and helping her dad out for three years after her mom dies instead of going off to college.  Out of all my characters I've created, and even though she is also the most stubborn, Emma is my favorite.  I don't think I'd keep on going with my stories if she weren't in my head.

And also the authors who blogged talked about our own human selves and how these strong female protagonists help us as well in our lives.  I love to think of them as examples and as I go through my life or watch my daughter grow up, I think of situations that some of these characters go through in their stories and try to remember how they got out of it.  Yes, some of these things are outlandish because I read Young Adult Paranormal Romance (that's because that's what I am writing), but I still like to see and remember the logic and the attitudes that were held through the situations.

How about you?  What do you think makes a strong character?  Who are your favorite characters of strength?  How do you go about helping your weak characters stronger so they can move forward?  Just some food for thought.

Ciao!

Come Check Out The Book Bundle and Eve's Fan Garden

So, if you ever want to find me actually "writing" something when I'm not writing here, go to The Book Bundle and you can read my reviews for books and such.  Which is fun to do and keeps my writing abilities up there!

There's a contest going on the bundle right now!  Hurry up and get your entries in.  And you can also check out my review for Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, the sequel to Shiver (which I also reviewed).

Recently I have come across another fun site.  It's another review site, but they cover books, music, movies and have author chats and interviews and TONS of contests.

Go check it out!

Eve's Fan Garden

Right now they have a really cool contest to win a book called Stolen by Lucy Christopher that I am dying to read.

Go to the link to enter the contest yourself!  Should be tons of fun!  Good luck!  Stolen Contest by Eve's Fan Garden

Exactly My Idea of Fun

It is one month since my last post. 

How crazy is that?

Really crazy.  Want to know why?  Because I have been busy out of my gord trying to relearn how to manage my time around here.

And get back into writing.

But you know what?

I have made it my goal to finish my project that I am working on now by the end of this week and be done with it. 

Then this entire summer I am going to hold my own version of National Novel Writing Month (that is held in November).  But this will be my Snippety Summer of Writing.  I really need to get back into it and I've been asked about it a few times now.  So my solution.  Write.  I am going to take charge of my time, and begin my creative writing and get back into it.

Truly, I did stop because I did get into a rut about writing an old Civil War style love letter, but after watching and rewatching some of my favorite chick flicks (like Pride and Prejudice, 50 First Dates, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Jane Eyre, The Notebook--especially this one), I have come to the conclusion that the sound of the words being put together will be the hardest to do but that love letters never expire on their feelings.  If I can tune into those feelings (won't be hard, I'm married to my Edward, my Sam--the one from Linger, my Gale/Peeta, my Mr. Darcy) I can get it done.

I am so ready to push the restart button on my writing skills and get into gear.  I have sent my best friend in Utah my manuscript for my very first vampire story (that I plan possibly to just self publish to see how things go with it because for one, my friend is awesome at editing--and two, I want to use the makeshift cover I made for it because I believe it sets the tone for it more than I think a publisher would actually do for it.)

I want back in and my mind and the weather outside and my heart all tell me it's time to pick up the quill again and get back into gear.  I am going to read to my heart's content, study how author's choose the way their story arcs will go and adapt it to my styles.

And since it's been a while since I've posted anything, I'll post a little snippet of my vampire story I sent to my friend to edit.

“I’m ready,” I said in confidence. Of course, my hands were now starting to sweat a little and my conscience was telling me in the back of my mind that I was being stupid, but there was nothing that would change my mind.

As we drove toward my possibly impending death, I just focused my mind on the road and thought of Lisa.

I hope you like that little preview from Flare of the Sun.  Have a great beginning to your summer break and don't be afraid to let me know what you think of the little snippet.  Maybe I'll pull a Stephenie Meyer thing when I get closer to finishing and doing what I want with that story that I'll post quotes until the day it's available.  It is 1 of 3 with a prelude book ahead of it.  Maybe one day I'll post my cover idea for it.  Or we'll have a vote on titles if I decide to change it, but for now, I like it all the way it is.

Ciao!

Off Topic

But it's still a good topic! Go to www.jamieoliver.com and sign the Food Revolution petition.

I know this is WAY off topic of writing, but ever since I got my own kitchen and have been preparing a lot of food on my own, I really try to watch what I've been eating. Not just for me, but for my family.

I have been addicted to this show since it started! And to really show how it's worked on me and my family. I spend a bit more time looking through the produce at the grocery store when I go instead of the candy and cookie aisle. :) The produce is the first thing I look at in my ads I get in the mail as well. Even though it may make my groceries a bit more on the edge of my budget sheet, I'm slowly getting into the food revolution. I've had my ups and downs in it, but that's also because I love to bake and I love to bake things with chocolate in it. ;)

But go to Jamie Oliver's website and sign the petition! I have. He wants to get 1 million signatures for this to take to OUR United States Congress. A little over 570,000 people have signed it. So, obviously for this to really help us, our children, and our future generations, we all need to start little by little. Start your own food revolution by buying more fresh produce, growing your own gardens (that are pretty to look at and also some edible stuff) and start cooking more at home. I've noticed a difference with homemade meals vs. the fast food I still eat. Plus--cooking is fun whether you live on your own or you make it a family ordeal.

The Busy Life of a Mom Wannabe Writer

So so so incredibly behind on this blog!  Here's an update of what's been going on with me.

• Got one sinus infection.  Got over it without having to go to the doctor.
• Was fine and busy exercising, doing things for church, and weeding my "to-be" garden area.
• Got another sinus infection.  Darn those allergies!  Still got over it without having to go to the doctor.  Just barely though--I've been through 2 of those things in one month.  If I get another one--going to the doctor.
• Working on my little one's first year scrapbook album.  At least trying to get as much in it as possible from already printed pics then getting more printed so I can get it all finished up.
• Researching digitally printed albums in book form.  However, the cheapest place I have found is snapfish for a 12x12 album.  Hopefully I can use what I've already put together.
• Been thinking of working on my Paranormal Young Adult Romance novel. 
• Been thinking of working on some of my vampire stories.
• Also been thinking of planning some kind of other more fantasy story.
• Getting ready to go on a trip for a few days next week.
• Doing more things for church.
• Being a mom first and foremost in everything I do.

Things have been manically crazy.  I always feel like singing "Manic Monday" every day of the week.  Because for one reason or another, I'm busy even when I don't feel like I'm busy.  The life of a mom and when it gets to the "me" time stage to do whatever I want (which should be writing), it's about midnight and my pillow is calling my name.

Soon though.  Soon I will write again.

Becoming Well Rounded

So lately I've been such a BAD blogger for writing!  I've been trying to figure out what to cover for my next writing group meeting next Wednesday night, doing things for church, reading like crazy, crocheting, baking (you know, all that mommy/wifey stuff) and really really trying to get back into shape. 

So what's been taking the beating while I've been doing everything else?

My writing!

I've been reading through my stuff, but none of it seems to be "clicking" with me at the moment.  Yes, I've been lazy too, but the laziness is attributed to a sinus infection/cold that I've had for the past two weeks and am now getting over.  My energy is rebuilding.

The good news is:

When I am reading...my stories start to churn.  My mind says, "what about this?  what about that?"  So hopefully I can really get into gear and get writing again soon.

Oh, and I posted a comment in my last post on the blog award--I only had one guess, but the truth is #3.  I did learn to skate backwards and a couple little stances and turns on the ice rink with my church's youth group back when I was 14 or 15 years old.  Loved it and I always look at the ice rinks or figure skaters and still want to learn how to do that!  Maybe one year when I get back into dance and ballet that I can also take up skating. We'll see.

Oooo, An Award!

Thanks to Penelope Paige of Intent Forgotten blog for giving me this blog award.

Here are the rules of the Creative Writer Blogger Award

Nominate SEVEN “Creative Writers”

Post links to the SEVEN blogs you nominate.

Leave a comment on said SEVEN blogs to let them know they’ve been nominated.

So here are my outrageous statements! If you pick which one's the truth, you'll be my seventh nominee! Just post which answer you think it is here!

1. Loves to go snowboarding.  Especially with growing up in Utah.
2. I hate having things out of order.  I guess this means I'm a very meticulous person.

3. Learned a few figure skating tricks during a youth activity with my church at the ice rink when I was 16.
4. I love to knit.  Can't get enough of knitting fun!

5. Played on the boy's varsity soccer team my senior year of high school.
6. Took a tumbling class during one spring season just so I could do tricks off the high dive when I went swimming.

7. Has finally finished writing two full manuscripts of my stories.

Try to figure me out! Just comment on what you think the truth is and I'll make you the seventh nominee if you guess correctly first! I'll edit this post when someone gets the truth right.

Here are my blog award nominees:

1. The Mayor at Mayor of Crazytown
2. Mrs. R at The R House
3. Olivia at Living, Loving, Learning
4. Shiloh at Daydreaming Radishes and Dandelions
5. Clare C. Greenstreet at Life of a Wannabe Writer
6. Emily Cross at The Chronicles of Emily Cross
7. Guess my truth and you'll get this slot!
Watch for next time when I cover "be" #7: Be in Charge of Your Writing.

Ciao!

Back to the "Be's"! 6. Be Convicted In Your Writing

So, I know it's been a while but now I will finish up these "be's" I was talking about a while ago.

The sixth one is Be Convicted in Your Writing.  I find this helpful as to writing because if you're not convicted in it, you won't get very far in the first place.  Although this is a very hard one to handle dealing with how lives these days are moving so quick paced that we can't get everything done that we want to get done and if we aren't getting paid to write--why make more time out of your day to do it right?  Wrong.  Dead wrong.  If you want to get paid to write, such as for magazines, newspapers or getting published, you MUST be convicted in your writing.  Believe in your writing abilities and what you are writing about.

For me, I have a 4 year old who goes to school 4 hours Monday through Friday now.  Well, I've tried to setup a writing regime but get distracted by the games on Facebook or Cafemom.  Even solitaire looks more inviting on my computer than what I should be doing.  This is a bad example of not being convicted in your writing.  I really think that I should put the games away for now and get working if I am to become a published author one day.  I need to be convicted in what I'm working on, learning more of the craft of writing and sharing it as well.  This is why my new writing group is so exciting for me.  I can give my writing to people right then, we can review it, get help that I need (and this isn't all just for me it is for their writing as well) and keep on going.

You know, with the internet these days it is very easy to get distracted doing research for the story as well.  For me, I LOVE to research and create this whole huge back story of all the characters, figuring out how old they all are, who their parents were, how these characters grew up, what time period are they from, etc.  That, I believe is good research for writing a good fiction story (makes it more believable), but also can be so much and so overwhelming that I have become TOO convicted in my story itself.  I can gather so much information that will blow my own mind as I go along that I don't know what to do with it. 

So, you see, there is a way that we, as writers, need to balance the conviction we give our writing.  Yes, take a break from it once in a while.  Yes, do the research.  But don't overwhelm yourself.

The biggest way I have found (and have been trying to do lately as mentioned earlier) is setting up a writing regime while my daughter is at school those 4 hours every day.  I need to take two of those hours and do writing.  Even if I put out nothing on the page and just sit there thinking of where the story should go.  Or just working on the outline itself is good.  I have come to notice that if you have a schedule, you become more convicted in what you are doing.  If at 6 p.m. every night you sit down to scrapbook one page a night, that's 7 pages a week if you really do this every day.  If you sit down for 2 hours, 5 days a week, you can easily get ten pages written each week giving you at least forty pages a month and 480 pages a year.  But yes, life doesn't work out that way.  That is what we, in society, do to ourselves now-a-days.  Everything is rush, rush, rush.  We never take the time to really be involved in what WE want to do for ourselves.  We all need timeout each day to work our craft and keep on learning it.  We need to be convicted in what we do.  We need to love what we are learning and doing.  If we can just even try to schedule in writing for at least 2 hours every day, it will become habit, and habits are hard to break.  And this, is a good habit I fully intend on being convicted in.

Ciao!

Writing Groups

I was asked a few weeks ago to host a writing group within my church.  Of course, how could I not turn away the fact that I can attend a writing group in my area once a month with people I know can and are my friends.

But that got me to thinking lately about writing groups.  This writing group will be a mix of writing.  Blog writers, fiction writers, poetry writers, etc.  The first meeting is this next Wednesday and of course I'm so excited I'm thinking of making chocolate chip cookies for it but also at the same time, I'm very apprehensive as to what are we going to actually do for the first time around?

I've heard to just trade papers and edit and help each other with what we like about their writing and what we don't like and what they should work on.

I've also heard--oh just go with the flow of how things feel.

No.  I cannot just do either of those things!  I can't!

But I figure I can at least have a writing prompt to vomit the words on the page, possibly do a get to know you feature (but within writing parameters of course), and then a treat and possibly discussing what everyone in the group would like to see from this.  What are their goals for writing?  What are they looking for in the group itself?

I don't know about you, but being an "on the edge of the seat" kind of writer, a writing group isn't something I can just do "on the edge of my seat" kind of thing.  So, if you have suggestions on what I can incorporate for this writing group--it would be most helpful! 

Ciao!