I logged in today, hoping to see some reviews of my chapters and found a wonderful gift instead. So, to whoever anonymous is, thank you so very much! I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate your kindness and generosity. I've been unable to get my upgraded account back and was just waiting until I could do so once more. I can only say thank you so much and hope that someday I can pass this on to someone else who needs help keeping their upgraded account.

:D
 

Haven't written anything in a while due to tendon surgery of my left hand. It was a success, so far!
Last week was a pretty good week for me considering I have spent the previous three weeks holed up at home and frowning as the sun began to shine more and more every day. When finally I got out of the house, my husband took me out to lunch on the "Spit". I live in Homer, Alaska, google the Spit and you'll understand why I love it here.
Anyway, while eating lunch, I spotted a whale in the bay. At first my husband thought it might have been the wake of a boat I had just watched pass, but when he saw the spouting of spray and then the hump of the whale as it dove back under water, he realized I had indeed seen a whale!
It passed out of sight, but just before we left, it returned. It rolled on its side, slapping its fin against the water. Then it spouted off before diving back down and slapping its tail repeatedly against the surface of the water. It would disappear for a moment, spout again and slap the water with its tail. Not exactly sure as to why it did this, but I will find out!
I've also started muddling my way through the last book in the "Twilight" series. The woman tells a compelling story, but damn why does it have to be so god awful boring in places? The movie (imo) was horrible. Every aspect of the book was in place. Not one change to "spice" it up a touch. I don't think I've ever wanted to leave a movie so bad because I was bored silly. I've caught a couple of errors in this last book that make me wonder if publishing through a legitimate company is even worth it sometimes. I mean, I understand the need to get the book out while sales are hot, but at the expense of not correcting errors?
Oh well. Again, just my opinion.
 

I'm working on some articles and have posted surveys for them. One is for women only, the other is for men and women. I'm hoping to generate at least 100 responses so that I might get a better idea of answers, percentage-wise at least!

The one for women is "Five things that bother women about other women" and the one for both is, "Five things you shouldn't do on a date".

Looks like it is going to be a pretty good survey. I'm writing these because, like most women who read magazines, I check out articles similar to these. What bothers me is the "fluff". By that I mean, answers that don't seem honest. Almost as if the author is afraid to make enemies, especially enemies of women! I prefer honesty. I'm a cut to the chase kind of gal, but that's just me. So, we'll see where these take me and I hope to do more in the future!

Item ID # is listed below:
1533238 - Women only
1533239 - Dating Don't's

 

Well, I finally checked on my Associated Content page and saw my first article has been published! I'm not much of an article writer, but if I want to work on this, I need to actually do it.
I've been a member of AC for some time now, but never thought of anything to write. Now I have dozens of ideas, I just need to get them down.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1364299/the_importance_of_communicating...

That is the link to the article. I hope to have more up there and can finally get in to the groove of writing something other than fantasy. I've got a lot of opinions on things, it's just a matter of not having a crowd holding torches and pitchforks outside my home. ;)
 

When I first signed up to do National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I certainly didn't think that writing every single day could help me. I've read books on other authors and their suggestions, of course. However, I never fully understood how writing something every single day would help me. Now I know.
My decision to try and blog something every day certainly has taken the rust off of the gears. While participating in NaNoWriMo, my thoughts were almost always focused on my book and working out kinks. I'd write what I could for the day, stumble upon a point where I had to stop and then spend the rest of the day/night thinking about it, working out that trouble spot. By the time I either went to bed or woke up, I had it worked out and couldn't wait to continue.
I have to admit, it was pretty draining as well. Not a bad thing, a good thing. However, when I took the time off to celebrate the holidays and to take a bit of a breather, I had to scrape the rust off once more and get back into the swing of things. I still wasn't fully used to the task of writing every day. Now, granted, even during NaNoWriMo I had to take days off. Even though I did that, it was still easier to get back on the "writing horse". Much easier than waiting for a month and then going back.
So I now have to say I'm a believer when it comes to writing something every day, no matter how minimal. Even if it is just a blog like this, I can walk away knowing I wrote something every single day. If you are still skeptical and don't write, then all I can say is give it a shot. You might surprise yourself!
 

It's a sad, sad thing to google one's name and see that the book you published is available almost everywhere. New as well as used. Now, I know you are wondering, "Why is this a SAD thing????" I'll tell you why.
Back in 2006, I published a book through Publish America. I've said it before, maybe mentioned it, but for me it was more of a let down than anything. Publish America has (had I known at the time) a very long list of why you should NOT publish with them unless you are aware of them being POD( Print on Demand). Now, POD is fine for some people and I know several authors who have made Publish America work for them. This is why it is SO important to do your research!!!!!!! I don't think I can stress that enough. However, it has taught me a very valuable lesson.
My book was never professionally edited and Publish America accepted it, told me it would go into "brick and mortar" bookstores. Not bookstore chains, just actual buildings. Which is true, I have it in several bookstores, but I bet they are kicking themselves in the rear for buying a book that won't move.
During production, PA sent me a very cheesy, computer generated cover. When I asked for changes, it became a picture of some model, an actual person. Once the book was ready and available, I discovered a complete chapter missing. I swore it had been in the file I sent off, I could be mistaken. It was such a rushed thing, I really don't remember. But even if I didn't mind the book being POD, I didn't get a chance to even enjoy the experience. Plus, I'm so embarrassed to have something out there unedited and missing a chapter, I don't talk about it. Other people who know me or know I've published always say, "She's a published author." It makes me cringe! Then to make it worse, when they find out I write fantasy, I get that, "Oh, how sad" look. Fantasy authors KNOW what I am talking about. It's that look that says, "You can't deal with real life so you make up things and spend your time all alone, don't you?" Then you are given the "sad look", the pursed lips and the "I'm so sorry" attitude as if you were at someone's funeral. Puh-lease...I'd rather tell them I published a horrible book just to avoid that look, but I don't think I could handle the other look of, "Oh, so you are a terrible writer. I get it."
At any rate, to everyone out there who has not published yet, please, please, please do your research!!! Don't fall into the same trap I and dozens of others have. Don't sign on the line, cross your t's and dot your i's until you have every last scrap of information if it is a company you've never heard of before. Don't just take their word for it. And for those who have published and are reading this, I can feel your "I told you so". *Laughs* Trust me, I HAVE learned my lesson and I remind myself of it every so often when I Google my name to see the dozens of sites with my book and "No ratings or reviews have been posted. Be the first to review this book!" Or that it is a used copy and the fact it is "Signed by Author!" doesn't even move it. *Smacks her forehead*

 

I always have "one of those days", it never fails. I'll probably be rambling in this blog, I usually do unless something creeps up on me and ticks me off! XD I feel everyone should step up onto the "soapbox" every so often. Opinions are to be heard, weighed and discussed. At any rate, I'm trying to blog more, as well as working on editing my NaNoWriMo book. I have a possible contest to enter it into. We'll see!

Trying to change habits is difficult. You get to a level of comfort and realize that while it may be comfortable for you, it's making those around you squirm. Even if you don't know it. No one wants to ever tell you the truth about something you've done at the risk of hurting your feelings. However, I'd rather have my feelings hurt, get over it and move on. I don't like offending people (unless of course they're already on my bad side). But you can't please everyone. People will always have a problem with you, no matter what you do. There is no magic fix for that either. Sometimes I think I stress myself out just trying to please people around me.

Trying to get more organized, we'll see if it works. I don't even have an organized thought in my brain, let alone anywhere else in my life. I've always been going in several different directions at once and never stopping to pick up the loose ends to finish things. What a horrible way to write, let alone live! *Gasps* The day I get organized will be the day hell freezes over I think!

Okay, that's the blog for the day. Off to editing.
 

Hehe, as I typed that title, the song popped into my head by Elton John. Whoops, SIR Elton John. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".

So 2008 is at an end and 2009 is right around the corner waiting to pounce. A lot has happened in 2008. Memories both good and bad, political milestones, whether good or bad is yet to be decided. My only hope is that 2009 will be as productive as 2008 was for me. I participated in my first NaNoWriMo, I've completed that book and have moved on to the editing processes, I've made a promise to myself to submit queries. I've also enjoyed community involvement in my new home, yet at the same time I'm still having to deal with tendonitis in my hands.

I will not give up the good fight, I will keep on writing even if I have to use voice recognition software. I just wish there was something to do to save my hands. I should be thankful I still have partial use, and I am thankful.

Now we move into the deep freeze of winter, we gain a little more daylight every day and today the sun is out and shining. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to a good year. Bring on 2009!
 

Just before the holidays, most people have the holiday spirit. This is the time of year we give, make sure family and friends don't want for anything. The rest of the year, people go about their business and sort of keep to themselves. Unless of course there is someone in a dire situation!

I'm looking through my Yahoo! News and I see this video of the Good Samaritan helping someone out. Now, I don't watch the video, mind you, because the glaring headline makes my jaw drop. "Court says Good Samaritan can be sued" makes me read it twice. I can't believe it.

First of all, most people were taught all their lives to "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". What this breaks down to: If you don't want to have your face shoved in the dirt, don't shove someone else's face in there instead. Treat people how you want to be treated. Personally, I think the world would be better, even if only slightly, if people practiced this.

So here's my issue: Someone is in a life or death situation, someone comes along to help them out and now the person saved wants to sue??????? Granted, I should go watch the video (and I will in a moment) to see what all the fuss is about. Right now, I'm still working the knots of tension out that someone has the gall to sue someone who helped them out. Unless of course, the person saving them put them in that situation. Even then, where do they get the right to sue?

The person who spilled their hot coffee in their lap in the McDonald's drive thru got to sue them because of their own stupidity? What, they don't make hot coffee at home so they assume it isn't going to be hot at McDonald's? Or the person who goes and eats at a fast food place every single day and gets fat has the right to sue because they don't feel like cooking, let alone exercise? Hey, I'm fat! I don't blame other people for it! When is the last time anyone took responsibility for their own actions?

When did it become okay to blame someone else AND take their money from them on top of it all? That's just adding insult to injury. It reminds me of elementary school where the bully comes along and beats you up, taking your lunch money in the process. I usually don't like to post rants and raves about things, but there are times when one will get under my skin. I'm not writing this to offend people, I am writing this in hopes that those of us with common sense and decency will overpower those who allow themselves to be talked into such nonsense.

So I guess if I ever see someone choking on their food in a restaurant, I should not help them out. What if I do the Heimlich and crack a rib? Are they going to sue me? Well, they can try, but they won't get anything out of me. I call myself a poor white girl for a reason. What if someone gets into a severe car accident and their vehicle is about to explode? What if they're trapped and about to die? No one else is around, I try to pull them out and in so doing this, I further their injury without realizing. Am I going to go to jail? What human being doesn't want to be saved? What if I just wanted that person to be alive another day to see their family, their friends? Why does that give them a right to sue me? They're around to take air into their lungs one more day and to say "I love you" to the people who matter!!! THAT is a GIFT in and of itself. It is not to be looked down upon and spit upon. It is something to be grateful for, cherished and told to the next generation of how someone saved your LIFE and that made it possible for them to be there on the day of their granddaughter's wedding.

Pah! I'll get down off of my soapbox now.
 

National Novel Writing Month may be over, but the editing is just beginning!!! On top of that, we have the ever busy Holiday Season upon us.
I'd like to wish my fellow WDC'ers a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Kwanza or whatever your religion may be. May it be happy, blessed and above all, something you cherish in your memory. I'm beyond being politically correct! I can't take it anymore!

I'll be bustling along doing usual family activities, but I will also be working hard to get my editing done on the novel I wrote for NaNo. What a great cause and I'm happy to say I am hooked! I very much look forward to doing this again next year.

Again, have a great holiday everyone and if I don't post before then, have an awesome New Year!!!
 

Well....Nov 1 is right around the corner and that means a month of crazy, hectic writing! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I don't know what to think nor do I know what to feel!
I'm thinking this will be the month I start on my new book for my new series. Perhaps this will become a tradition for me, or maybe I will just flop! Lol! Who knows. I just am very excited to be a part of this.
I've got plans for a new book, I finally discovered my main character that will act as a common thread to all the books, the one character that they will all have in common. He is a legend, a constant in the world I created and while he isn't the only one of his kind, he certainly has been around the longest. He knows the relatives of almost all of my current characters, has had to save their collective rears for Ages now.
He is a weapon for the Goddess of Justice in my world and she uses him to right the wrongs of the innocents who don't have the ability to do it themselves. He is her champion, her enforcer.
I won't tell you his name, though. That is for another time!
 

Well, I have just signed up to participate in NaNoWriMo! My first year ever and I'm excited. I'm a little nervous but looking forward to it. Anyone else out there going to participate? Drop me a line! I'd love to hear who else is going to be writing all next month. :)
 

I haven't posted a blog in awhile. I'm currently working on a new book and still making revisions to older stories. I'm trying to get the revisions done to my Cursed City story not only to finally have it finished but for people to read here.
As it is now October, things get a little hectic before snow flies. (Eeeewwwwwww....snow!) I actually don't mind it all that much but it does make things difficult sometimes. We still need to get wood for our stove, batten down the hatches so to speak. Work, work, work. All I want to do is write, write, write! Someday I will have things done.
It is nice to have some time to blog and relax. I need to do that more often as well.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful writing day and have a great week!
 

So I started a group here on WDC. It's fantasy, of course. I was browsing through groups the other day and have done so for the past week, looking for a group. Most of the fantasy ones I found were either full or for teenagers. I haven't passed for a teenager for quite some time now, so I don't think I could pull it off online.
The group's name is Inklettes. You can find it here in my Port. I chose Inklettes because of J. R. R. Tolkien. I read his biography and in it, he had been a part of a group called Inklings. Well, I'm no Inkling either, as I don't know everything about writing and publishing; I'm still learning. I am an Inklette, however. Just a little Inkling.
If you'd like to join my group, I have to fuss with the form again. Email if you'd like to join. If you don't want to join, no one is holding a gun to your head. ;)
Have a great week!

1468066 is the item # for the group.
 

Revising is such a slow, but necessary, process. I'm currently working on the revisions for my 'Cursed City of Stealati Ennear' and it is coming along rather nicely, if I do say so myself.

I've begun by writing it out by hand once more. Such a tedious chore, but it saves my hand with so much typing to be done. (I have a bum left hand and so I use speech recognition software. It helps the wear and tear from becoming worse.) Sometimes I like writing things out by hand, it gets me into the flow and forces me to slow down a bit and think about what I am doing. Even if I do have to go back a little further than when I began to fix mistakes and corrections.

I'm still debating about putting up more details of my world. Perhaps when I am able to keep my upgraded account, I'll be willing to add more to it. I can list my gods and goddesses among other things if nothing else.
 

I suppose blogging is a great way to get thoughts out of your head. It is also a great way to connect with your readers.

I don't usually give thought to having readers or even a fan base. Sometimes I think, what if the reader doesn't like my work? How will they express it and what will it do to my spirit as a writer? Everyone talks of how, as a writer, you must have a thick skin. Every artist out there has feelings and for some reason criticism hurts the most. It is human nature to believe the worst about yourself rather than the best.

My only thought on this is to keep positive thoughts, don't let the voices in your head tell you you're awful and shouldn't be writing. If nothing else, write for yourself. It is great to be seen, have people reading your work and fawning over you. However, you know you do it, you tense up waiting for the "But..." part of the praise, where things turn to details and critical comments. Without these comments, though, how as a writer, will you learn and grow?

Again, there's no set thought here today. I'm blogging to blog. I'm trying to develop a routine again and sometimes that is the hardest part of writing. Criticism I have learned to deal with. I have to take it in and digest the positive aspects and spit the negative out. If I let the negative get a hold of me, it breaks my personal flow with more voices telling me I suck and go get a real job. Give up writing forever. Then I have to go through the whole process of removing those voices again. It's a tedious chore. So rather than wallow in self pity and detrimental mires of negativity, I take what people tell me and think it over. I twist it to see the positive in the points mentioned and apply them. If they work, it improves my skill. If it doesn't work, I toss it aside and have the benefit of actually saying I tried it.
 

When writing, especially in the computer age, everyone has their resources bookmarked. I'm certainly hip to that, I love researching things. I think my most favorite area of research study is Medieval. I'm a Renaissance freak. I belong to the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) which is basically a medieval recreation group. My persona is a Scottish female pirate. When you create your persona you have to do the historical research not only for your character but for your personal Device/Coat of Arms. So it is much like creating a character you are writing about.

So. What do I use to research a lot of my fantasy world? Plenty! But I have favorites that I am willing to share.

First we have www.SeventhSanctum.com. I love this site as it has name generators, ship name generators, potion generators, inn and tavern name generators....the list goes on and on! It's best if you check it out for yourself, you'll see what I mean.

Next favorite would have to be my Latin translation site until I can actually learn Latin. The link to that is: http://www.translation-guide.com/free_online_translators.php?from=English&t...
This site provides several different languages. It's pretty cool. I use it quite a bit as I work and develop some of my own language. However, I'm nothing like Tolkien, I admit to cheating. I certainly don't have it all written out like he did, nor do I write my journals in my own language. But I do use it for many things.

To create my own language I combine the Latin above with other languages. One of them being a purely fantastical language. I don't want to step on anyone's toes. Tolkien's Elven language is copyrighted and I learned that after querying the Tolkien Society. So if I do ever use anything based off of his language it is very, very little. I respect the man much too much to steal his language from him. So I do use Drow.
Here's the link: http://www.grey-company.org/Maerdyn/resources/translator/

I don't use this alone either. I do, however, combine it with other languages as well.

For those of you who love Tolkien's Elven language, I have that link as well!
http://www.grey-company.org/Circle/language/com2elv.htm

Of course I also use the Merriam-Webster dictionary online as well as the Thesaurus. (www.m-w.com) Encarta is also a great resource tool to use.

For writers out there looking for paying markets, www.AbsoluteWrite.com is a great site that has news and people willing to edit, review, whatever you need! You can also go to Predators & Editors to find out who's good and who isn't. (http://www.invirtuo.cc/prededitors/pealn.htm)

So there is a short list of my favorite sites. WDC being among them as well. When I do any sort of writing group, I always include WDC on my list for writers to go.
 

I work on lots of writing projects outside of WDC. Lucky you, you get two blog posts today. This one focuses on something pretty important in the writing community.....Professionalism.

I am currently working on getting a well known horror author published. He's actually doing it as a favor to my current group. Publishing that is. Anyway details, details.... someone else has offered help with a part of our projects going on and at the same time they are giving me their credentials, they're trash talking the person helping out our group's financial situation. Now the credentials don't mean crap to me. (Pardon the language) I don't want help from this person at all anymore. I'm simply going on the fact that this person can have all the credentials in the world but when you go trash talking someone who happens to be a friend....forget it.

So here is a tip. Keep your mouth shut about people you know. You might be trash talking to the wrong person. If they have any connections to the person you don't like, the only one who is going to look like an ass is yourself. People won't take you seriously if they think that if they make one tiny mistake you will go and tell everyone how you feel. They don't want gossipy chickens, they want professional writers, editors and the like. You never know who you are going to insult.
 

Most fantasy writers know that building a culture is as demanding as character creation and plot setting. There are lots of cultures in our own world to draw off of, you just need a little imagination to make it your own. Imagination is something fantasy authors have plenty of!

I was watching a movie the other day called "The Curse of the Golden Flower" with Chow Yun Fat. It was an elaborately costumed affair, good story line, lots of twists and changes and the fighting was intense! (If a little corny, but that's a martial arts movie for you!) It was a great movie up until the end, in my opinion. However I took lots of things from it. Mainly how the assassins used hollow halves of bamboo to slide down their grappling lines, giving them the effect of flying ninjas. The other thing that caught my attention was the way the Empress took her medicine. Every hour was different. The servants chimed down the halls reciting prose and then called out, "It is the hour of the Snake!" They always used a different animal. You would think the animal would repeat if it was the same hour every day but perhaps it wasn't. Who knows. Anyway, the Empress would take the cup very elegantly, slightly cover her mouth but not completely with her sleeve so that it could be seen she was drinking. Then she took in a small mouthful of water, swished twice and covered her face with her long sleeve before spitting the water out into a bowl. How much more ritualistic could you get? She would wipe her own mouth. Pat it, really, but what if a servant had to do that for her as well?
The details were endless. There is so much you could build off of. Perhaps no one is allowed to see her face, so there is a netting over her eyes and the rest of her face is veiled? That draws in the middle eastern cultures as well.
I have several different culture types in my world of Eir du'Brusai, and still building more.

What are you ideas, tips or techniques?
 

I love getting feedback on my writing. I mean, who doesn't? I also like to hear from people who've taken the time out to read my blog.....ramblings that they are. ;)
I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has sent me comments, who have rated my stuff and if there is ever a time where I can return the favor, please by all means, drop me a line and let me know! I am currently revising my Cursed City story. It is based in the world of Eir du'Brusai, only in later years. I have gotten some wonderful critiques and will most definitely be posting the revision once it is finished. I look forward to feedback then as well.
I'll also be posting a little more about my world development, as I know for fantasy writers that can sometimes be an issue. I'm more than happy to help in any area and try to give any advice I can.
Thanks everyone and hope you have a good, productive weekend!