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 |  Useful information I think you will like to know, inspirations, comments, and more! |
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Welcome to my blog! I'm planning to use it for logging:  bits and pieces of stories: writing exercises that turned out well, story ideas, ... links to other items I recommend reading on writing.com, and why I like them short articles, notes, and information about specific topics results of polls and surveys I created my goals for the year more about who I am, my values, my interests links to authors I like and why I like them anecdotes anything else that I think may interest other authors, my family, and my friendsFeel free to give me your comments! I want this blog to be interactive as much as possible. Come visit often! |
| One more thing to add to my list of serendipities... Every month, I participate in the book-in-a-week challenge. The first week of each month, each participant (about 50 people) makes a goal of how many pages they want to write during the week. At the end of the week, one name is randomly picked to win a book. I'm the winner this month! I will be receiving 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt.  Here is a link, if you want to check out this challenge: http://www.book-in-a-week.com/moodle/ |
| I’m trying to make sense of what happened to me in the last thirty days or so: 1) I was one of the featured authors for the "Invalid Item"  ’s dunk tank review event. I received five encouraging reviews from 🌕 HuntersMoon   .2) I became the featured author for the "Invalid Item" forum. I received many reviews from different authors, most of them detailed and encouraging. All together and mainly due to this forum, I received about 45 reviews in the last 30 days, and they are still coming in.3) One of my stories was featured in the drama newsletter. 4) I’ve been chosen to be one of the moderators for the "Invalid Item" , hand picked by Anastasia. V. Pergakis  to be her assistant. Harley was my teacher when I attended classes at the Writer’s Academy on this site.5) I learned a lot about reviewing during the "Invalid Item" . I sent a message to Brooklyn  to thank her for giving me confidence in my reviewing skills. My e-mail apparently hit a spot – she temporarily changed her handle name to “Brooke – TY dutchhillgirl” in appreciation, and her handle showed a smiley face.6) While reviewing, I stumbled upon Hyperiongate  ’s novel. Even though I don’t usually read sci-fi, I started reading the novel and found six coincidences:• Two dates are mentioned in the prologue – the first one is the day my writing.com membership expires; the second, my husband’s birthday. • One of the characters has my middle name; another has my first name. • The character with my first name is reading the same book I had started reading the previous week. • The novel starts with the exact same sentence as my novel-in-progress. Intriguing, isn’t it? Not only did I find myself reading a genre I don’t usually read, but I also gave a thorough review of each of the first eight chapters. The author gave me a merit badge in appreciation. 7) I reviewed several of 🌕 HuntersMoon ’s items recently. He also gave me a merit badge in appreciation. When I thanked him for the badge, he replied with a single sentence: “Just thought you ought to know that you're appreciated.”This last e-mail summarized all that has been happened recently and blew my mind. I am usually very cheerful and positive, but I recently went through a difficult period in my life when I didn’t feel appreciated. How in the world did all these people know exactly what I needed, at the exact period in my life when I needed it most? I received more gift points, merit badges, reviews, and thank you e-mails in the last thirty days or so than ever before. Up to a few weeks ago, nobody had ever personally given me a merit badge in appreciation for my reviews. The only explanation I can find is that God works mysterious ways... That doesn't quite explain anything, but it's good enough for me.  |
| I recently reviewed many stories, and I came across a few gems. I thought I'd highlight them here, so that more people can enjoy them. Not only are these stories beautifully written, but they also have a touch of spirituality I always like to see in stories I read. For a moment, they made me forget that the dishes need to be done and that I could use a bigger income, and I found myself reflecting on deeper values, on what really matters.
I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I did. |
| A story with a moral appended is like the bill of a mosquito. It bores you, and then injects a stinging drop to irritate your conscience. This is the first sentence of O. Henry's story, "The Gold That Glittered." Great story, by the way. I love the dialogue. The protagonist is a Colombian visiting New York City for the first time. Here is an excerpt: "It is a great country, your Nueva York," he said. "Truly the cars in the streets devastate one, and the engine that cooks the nuts terribly makes a squeak in the ear. But, ah, Senor Kelley - the senoras with hair of much goldness, and admirable fatness - they are magnificas! Muy magnificas!" Haha! Isn't he great?  I wish I could write dialogue as vivid and hilarious as he does. Maybe if I keep reading his stories, some of his skills will sink in, at some point.If you want to read the whole story online, here is a link: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/GoldGlit.shtml |
| I started writing because the desire to write became so strong I could no longer ignore it. I didn’t have publication in mind then; I just wanted to write stories for my kids and to find out if I had any ability in writing fiction. While practicing my beginnings, I started a story that didn’t want to stop after a few paragraphs, so I kept writing. It turned out to become a 2,000-word short story, which I later developed into a chapter book of 7,000 words. I loved my new characters, and I thought kids would love them too. I decided to give publishing a try. I researched possible publishers, polished my story the best I could, and sent it out. Meanwhile, I kept writing short stories to continue developing my writing skills. I joined writing.com and book-in-a-week.com. I was hooked on writing! It became part of my life – part of my goals – part of who I am. I now have over forty stories in my portfolio. At first, I submitted my chapter book just for the experience. I wanted to go through the whole process at least once. Although my manuscript came back rejected, I enjoyed the hope and excitement it gave me, thinking of the possibility of being a published writer. I enjoy every aspect of writing – developing a new idea, writing a first draft, revising, getting feedback, networking with other writers, researching possible publishers, submitting, and receiving a response. Publishing has now become my #1 goal, and here is why. 1) Personal Satisfaction I won’t really know if I’m a good writer unless I get the thumbs-up from an experienced publisher. I received a lot of positive comments on my stories, but I don’t know if people are just being polite and only saying nice things, or if I really have what it takes. I would feel more confident about my skills if I published something – either a book or a short story in a magazine. 2) Status as a Writer There is a difference between a wanna-be writer and a published writer. Anyone can claim to be a writer. Being published shows a writer is serious about writing, and has reached a certain level of skills. Of course, there are some mediocre published writers, and excellent wanna-be writers, but still. I would love to enter the “published writers’ club!” I believe any good writer, if persistent enough, eventually gets published. 3) Extra Income and Possibilities Having a second source of income is always nice. I could use the extra cash! I would love to attend writers’ conferences and workshops, but I can’t justify the expense right now. I believe in my potential as a writer, but I’m not sure if my husband does. Being published would do two things: show him what I’m capable of, and generate the funds to attend events for writers I long for, without breaking the bank. 4) Contribution to the World / Legacy I want to leave something behind when I leave this world. I want my children’s children’s children to know who I was, through my stories. Written words are powerful and can contribute to building a world of peace, reinforce positive values, and inspire readers to develop a good character. Some stories I read as a child still resonate in my mind – The Little Prince and Jonathan Livingston Seagull, among others. I remember being at the library with my kids, choosing picture books, and thinking, I bet I can write a story better than this one, or Wouldn’t it be nice if people could find my stories on one of these shelves? I have a lot to offer – positive, uplifting, refreshing stories. I Just Love the Writers’ World I’m Discovering! My life has become so much more exciting since I started writing! Every person I meet – online or in person – brings me closer to being published. It’s only a matter of time for me to meet the right person at the right time. How it will happen, I don’t know, but I know it will, eventually. With that mindset, I started networking and promoting myself, which is not so easy for me, being on the shy side. But I now have 130 followers on Twitter, 50 friends on Facebook, and a few fans on Squidoo. The people I “met” and the things I’ve learned through networking are invaluable. My goal of being a published writer pushed me to go beyond my comfort level and make connections I wouldn’t have made otherwise. I see all these writers out there, promoting their published books, and it gives me something to hope for, something to look forward to. I also discovered many wonderful writers while reading books from potential publishers. I always read several books from a publisher before sending my manuscript, to see if my story would be a good match. I stumbled upon Mary Jane Auch (The One Handed Catch), Vivian Vande Velde (Wizard at Work), and other amazing writers that way. The research helped me become a better writer, by being exposed to so many different writing styles. I met other writers online that are worth mentioning:  Candie Moonshower (The Legend of Zoe) Debbie Ridpath Ohi (http://www.willwriteforchocolate.com) Mitali Perkins (The Rickshaw Girl) |
| I just discovered http://www.dailylit.com/ - I signed up to read a classic novel by daily e-mailed sections that can be read in five minutes, for free! I am impressed by how many books we can choose from. Some of them have a fee (mainly more recent books, seems like), but most don't. If you like reading but can't seem to find the time for a whole novel, this may be for you. You can customize the section length you want to receive in each installment, on what days of the week, and at what time. I think it's a great concept. |
| Today, I became a member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.) I think it's another step toward becoming a published writer! |
The kids are out of school, and so am I!
I learned a lot during the last six months, studying the lessons, writing a new story every week for my assignments, and receiving reviews from the different professors I had throughout my session with the Writer's Academy. The school has developed a lot since I first started in January. I was one of the first students to sign up for classes. Professor Harley, dean of the Academy, has been a great help and support. If it wasn't of this class, I wouldn't have written as many stories. Thank you, Professor Harley! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| Evil is like a shadow - it has no real substance of its own, it is simply a lack of light. You cannot cause a shadow to disappear by trying to fight it, stamp on it, by railing against it, or any other form of emotional or physical resistance. In order to cause a shadow to disappear, you must shine light on it. -Shakti Gawain, teacher and author (b. 1948) This quote came to me by e-mail this morning, with Anu Garg's word of the day (http://wordsmith.org). I get an e-mail every weekday with a word of the day based on the week's theme, an example (from a newspaper article extract usually), along with the word's definition, etymology, and pronunciation. At the end of the e-mail, there is an inspirational quote, which is usually what I read first. He has a way to find quotes that are very deep and meaningful, like the one above. |
| Okay, I got over my writer's block. Let me write some more. Today is my father's birthday. Still very much energetic and young, I'm proud to say. He just finished re-doing the roof on their house.  I always tell him that Father's Day was established in his honor. A few days off target this time, but still close enough. There's no better dad than my dad. But of course, every child thinks the same about their dad. Still, I think Daddy is the best daddy in the whole wide world! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY! I LOVE YOU!  |
| I haven't blogged, twittered, or "facebooked" in a while. Am I getting Twitter's cramp? Every update I think of posting seems uninteresting. Well, I forced myself and at least updated this blog! Maybe I'm getting stage fright (or "tweet" fright, rather) from having over 100 followers on Twitter. Does anyone else feel the same way? It's one thing to post something your friends and family will read, but 100 people? I guess I'd better get used to it, if I ever want to become a published author. I'll get over it, just give me some time.  |
| I recently read some posts on Twitter and Facebook that really made me laugh. I thought I'd share them with you. "A closed mouth gathers no feet." (Anonymous) Haikus are easy But sometimes they don't make sense Refrigerator "Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair." Sam Ewing Happy Friday! |
| Do you know about my turtle mystery? If not, read my post from April 14th. I finally found out what the Korean sign taped on its back said: Mega Million Dollar Jack Pot original place!!! Kim Kwang Soon April 12th Huh? Does that mean the guy won the jack pot and celebrated by releasing a turtle? Or is he hoping to win by doing a good deed and releasing a turtle?? |
| I once did a writing exercise about humor from Josip Novakovich's book, Fiction Writer's Workshop,one of my favorite books about writing: Take a list of proverbs, cliches and truisms, and insert the opposites for each subject. Here is a sample of what I came up with: 1. Sheep in wolf’s clothings 2. With a grain of pepper 3. Tug of peace 4. Teach a new dog old tricks 5. Spread oneself too thick 6. The flesh is willing but the spirit is weak 7. Pay Peter to rob Paul 8. All else being unequal 9. Moment of lie 10. Make a molehill out of a mountain 11. Leap before you look 12. Big pitchers have little ears 13. Life is too long The exercise was a lot of fun. I used a book I have about idioms, and I came up with a total of 46 reverse sayings. Some of them were not so funny, but I kept them anyway, in case I ever have a protagonist that is constantly using mixed up quotes. Hey, that's an idea! |
| I sent my middle grade novel to Henry Holt & Co. yesterday, via Snail Mail. I also sent a short story to Spider magazine. This morning, I received a newletter for authors. The theme is: rejection letters. How coincidental! According to the newsletter, Madeleine L'Engle went through 26 rejections before finally publishing A Wrinkle in Time, which is now considered a classic. I'm sending my manuscript for the third time. I know, times are tough, even for publishers, and very few authors eventually get published, but I'm positive in nature. I like the process of submitting, hoping, dreaming, trying. Isn't it what life is all about? |
| I made a new Squidoo lens that contains five of my flash fiction stories: http://www.squidoo.com/flashfictionforeveryone Stories always look more interesting with pictures. I'm starting to really like Squidoo. |
| Yesterday, my sister and her friend came from Quebec to visit New York City for the first time. They "kidnapped" me for the day, and we tried to see as much of New York as we could, in one single day. We arrived by train at Penn Station, passed by the Empire State Building, walked up 5th Avenue to Times Square, and came back via Broadway. Then we stopped at Macy's and visited all nine floors. After eating a pretzel (which was a disappointment - tasteless except for the salt), we entered a souvenir shop for a quick look. I bought a few trinkets for the kids, and my sister and her friend purchased 20 postcards for $1. We visited a few more shops, looked at some more window displays, and passed by a few more great buildings and statues. It would be too tedious to make a detailed list of all the interesting things we passed by. After eating a bag of sugar-coated peanuts (which had a lot more taste than the pretzel), we took the bus to Central Park, walked around for a while, ate a hot dog, and took the bus down to Greenwich Village. From there, we strolled through SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown. My legs were starting to hurt, but we kept walking until we reached the Brooklyn Bridge. We made a little detour to see Ground Zero. From there, we took the subway to Battery Park and had a look at the Statue of Liberty. Then we went back by subway to Penn Station, bought our ticket, and had a quick bite before heading back to N.J. We took the wrong train and ended up in Hoboken! It was a good thing. NYC looks beautiful from Hoboken's waterfront! It was getting dark, and the City slowly lit up, reflecting in the river like a million stars. We had time to sit for a brownie with ice cream and hot fudge, and came back on time to take the train - the right one, this time! Today, I walked like a penguin all day, but I have good memories and wonderful pictures. And best of all, I had a chance to spend the day with my sister from Quebec, which I hadn't seen for two years. I felt like I had known her friend for a long time, although we met for the first time on Saturday, when they came over for dinner. Other than that, my weekend was pretty quiet. |
| I recently made a new lens (web page) on Squidoo: O. Henry Story of the Month: http://www.squidoo.com/ohenrystories I'm planning to highlight a different O. Henry story every month. Bookmark it! |
 HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! My family took me out to dinner. No dishes, no cooking, works for me! I'm still tired from the fishing tournament yesterday. Out of 70 participants, only four caught a striped bass... and I wasn't one of them. Catfish are so ugly - fat, slimy, with "whiskers" on the side of their head. They make that weird noise my son calls purring. I caught two of them, and threw them back in the river. That's all I caught all day, besides a couple baby striped bass... Oh, well! At least, it didn't rain like last week. I got a suntan, although it was cloudy most of the day. |
| I went fishing on the Hudson River on Sunday. It was a cold, rainy day, and I went just to make my husband happy. I would have rather stayed home and do things around the house... Our ten-year-old son, Matthew, came with us. By lunchtime, we were soaking wet. We didn't catch anything besides a few perches and a baby striped bass. We went back to the dock to warm up and dry ourselves. I was secretly hoping he would call it a day and we would all drive home. After a good lunch and a warm coffee, my husband was ready to go back and fish some more. I wasn't, but I went anyway. It had stopped raining, and two other boats had joined us. Soon after we started fishing, I landed a 25" striped bass! At least the day wasn't a total waste. I put my line back in the water. I could feel perches nibbling on my bait. Suddenly, I felt a big tug, and my fishing rod bent. My husband helped me reel it in. It was a 35" striped bass! I smiled all the way back home. All my husband caught was a catfish. Hah! |
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