So I entered the text of my story into I Write Like the other day. Evidently I write like Charles Dickens. I find that flattering, because Dickens was a genius, but I really don’t think I write like him. Then again, I do love the classics… 🙂
(c) 2012. All rights reserved.
My book list, to be updated regularly (I hope):
Books I’m currently reading:
Books I’ve finished:
Easy reading is damn hard writing. -Nathaniel Hawthorn
I hadn’t really intended to post three times today – heck, I hadn’t really intended to post twice today! – but then I read a post by S.Z. Wordsmith and I just had to share it. She talks about her difficulty coming up with things to say in conversation, while she has no problem writing awesomely witty things. That’s what I took away from it, anyway, and it reminded me so much of myself that it was a bit scary. I can’t tell a story to save my soul, but I can write them like nobody’s business (or at least I like to think I can :)). Anyway, I hope you’ll pop on over and give the post a read. Show some blog love, guys!
Happy Friday! 🙂
(c) 2012. All rights reserved.
Once again, America’s overly-litigious nature has reared its ugly head. The target this time is a small pub in Southampton called The Hobbit.
Lawyers representing the filmmakers in charge of the movie The Hobbit are suing a pub in Southampton that has been known as The Hobbit for the last two decades. Evidently they’re concerned that said pub will infringe on their rights or something. I think it’s ridiculous that they’re trying to force the pub to change its name. For the full story, check out the pub’s Facebook page, Save the Hobbit, Southampton, and show your support of the pub by liking the page.
In other news, my good friend Lisa Wiedmeier wrote a guest post over at Aaron Patterson’s blog about the recent Amazon success of her novel, Cheyenne. It’s a great article and one I highly recommend checking out if you’re interested in self-publishing. Her next book, Promises, is due out in May and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.
And finally, if you’re looking for a bit of fun on this lovely Friday afternoon, head on over to Rachelle Gardner’s blog and check out her St. Patrick’s Day haiku contest. You can find my entry in her comments section.
That’s all for me today! Time to call it quits and enjoy the afternoon. 🙂
(c) 2012. All rights reserved.
Yes, you read that right: Friends don’t let friends eat literary puffer butt. I’ve been reading Kristen Lamb’s lovely blog the last couple of days and have found quite a few useful tidbits there, not to mention a couple of laughs that nearly caused me to snort my milk. I had planned this awesome, thought-provoking post about things from her blog that I agreed with, as well as things I disagreed with, but this stupid cold I have is kicking the crap out of me. I feel like I’m stuck in a never-ending cage match with…um…well, anyone who’s in better shape than me, to be honest. The Rock. Yeah, he’ll do. He could probably beat the crap out of me with his pinky. I mean, naturally I hope he doesn’t hit women, but my brain isn’t functioning so well right now, so just take whatever I say with a grain of salt. Except for that first sentence. And the second one. And the next paragraph. It should be funny. Seriously, just keep reading, okay? Okay.
I also enjoy reading Chuck “Writing is when I make the words. Editing is when I make them not shitty.” Wendig’s blog, especially his “25 Things…” series and his “Transmissions from Baby-Town” series. The latest transmission from Baby-Town was seriously funny. Parts of it reminded me of my own kids. Go. Check it out. Unless you are vehemently opposed to creative combinations of profane words, you will probably find it laugh-out-loud funny (yes, I’m old-school like that).
Okay, I should probably get back to editing now. I’ve been throwing myself upon the Word altar and begging the gods of Microsoft to save my work with obsessive abandon over the last couple of weeks as I try to finish my massive revision project by the end of the month. I’d love to be done by the end of the week, but I’m not holding my breath. Anyway, why the rush when I’ve been trying to edit the beast for the last year? (God, I can’t believe I’ve been editing (or rather, not editing but procrastinating) for a year already.) Because entries for the Dundee International Book Prize close March 1 and I’ve decided to enter. Apparently it was just the thing I needed to get my lazy butt motivated because I’ve gotten 24 of my 30 chapters edited since the first of the month. Now if only I can get the last few chapters done by the weekend, I think I’ll be all set. I’m not holding my breath on winning, but I’ll never know if I don’t try, and I’m determined to prove the hubby wrong (he who believes I can make a career of writing but probably won’t because I fear failure). I’m a stubborn one, after all.
So, to recap: Must find more caffeine. Must edit. Y’all must read. Go. Read. Report back here. Or don’t. Actually, don’t. Then I won’t be tempted to further procrastinate my editing. Or do. Yes, do report back here. Be my enablers. Who needs sleep, anyway? I can edit after the kids are asleep, right? Right? Zzzzz…
(c) 2012. All rights reserved.
Since it’s been, oh, let’s just say a week or so since I posted last, I thought it was high time for something new. Sorry, there’s no sugar in this post. I ate it all yesterday in the form of a wonderful cupcake from Scratch, courtesy of Seymour (“Feed me, Seymour!”) the Wonder Husband.
Thanks to the wonders of social media (sorry I can’t be more specific – I’m fighting a head cold and losing the battle), I ran across an interesting article on titles and professional attitudes this morning. I liked it so much that I just had to share. And if you’re not following me on Twitter, then you may have missed this! It’s a post from my good friend Sophie Tallis that was featured on The Bedlam Daily. Sophie’s post is the third in a series chronicling her inspiration for her debut novel, White Mountain, which is due out from Safkhet Publishing in September 2012. Safkhet are the same wonderful folks who brought you The Banned Underground by the delightful Will Macmillan Jones.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time I settled down in our conference room for a nice little siesta. Then I’ll be able to whip this cold into submission and leave it lying prostrate on the floor before me, begging for mercy as I drive the cold hard stake of good health through its quivering, bloody remains. Wow, that was kinda graphic, wasn’t it? Guess that’s what happens when I’m tired and sick – I start dreaming of quivering globs of bodily fluids that are better left to the imagination. Wait, that doesn’t sound right…Okay, time to hit up the cold medicine!
Note: I must apologize for that last paragraph. The brain cells responsible for its content have been sacked and replaced with trout. If I seem preoccupied with bubbles in the future, it must be noted that the fish are responsible for said preoccupation, not me. So long, and thanks for all the fish!
(c) 2012. All rights reserved.
So I saw this on LiveJournal and decided to steal it because I was bored.
1. What was the last movie you watched in a theater?
I wanna say it was the last Harry Potter movie, but I’m sure I’ve seen something in a theater since then. I just can’t remember what it was.
2. What was the first movie you ever remember watching in a theater?
The Little Mermaid, though it could also have been Pippi Longstocking. If memory serves, I saw both of them when I was five, so it could have been either one. More exciting movie Q&A this-a-way!
Every week on authonomy, there is a Flash Fiction Friday challenge. I took up that challenge about a month ago and have really enjoyed it. The only criterion is that each entry must be under 1,000 words and I’ve managed it every week but one (and that was only because I was away from my computer during the entry period) since I started. For the month of October, it was decided to have a horror theme in honor of Halloween (hence the darker feel to my last several posts here, as they were all FFF entries) and for the week of October 14, the entries were limited to 416 words as a nod to HarperCollins’ flash fiction contest (authonomy is run by HarperCollins).
The Great Puppetmaster (aka Splinker, in charge of the FFF threads) has collected all the entries for the 416-word FFF challenge and published them on Smashwords as 416. If you need a good spooky story to get you in the holiday spirit, then head on over and check it out! It’s a free download, so why not? It’s even available in a variety of formats to suit your e-reading needs. So go on, check it out and curl up with a flashlight and a bowl of popcorn. These tales are guaranteed to leave your spine tingling!
(c) 2011. All rights reserved.
I stole this from Miss Mezz’s LJ because I was bored and it looked like fun.
1. Make a list of five things you can see without getting up.
I can see some plants, a fireplace, several boxes of files, fishies, and my super-cool secretary coffee mug.
2. Name one weird quirk about yourself.
Let’s see…I love to eat chunky peanut butter straight from the jar, but I hate peanut butter sandwiches (even if there’s jelly) and peanut butter cookies and pretty much anything else containing peanut butter (except for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – yum). Sorry, that’s the weirdest thing I can come up with right now. More random stuff this way!
I got this email from my hubby last night. He got it from someone and made me read it, so I made him forward it to me and then I sent it to all my friends because it’s funny. It’s also true.
Cold is a relative thing. At 65° above zero, people in Florida turn on the heat. People in Iowa plant gardens.
At 60° above zero, people in California shiver uncontrollably. People in Iowa sunbathe.
At 50° above zero, Italian and English cars won’t start. People in Iowa drive with the windows down.
At 40° above zero, people in Georgia don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, and wool hats. People in Iowa throw on a flannel shirt.
At 35° above zero, New York landlords finally turn up the heat. People in Iowa have the last cookout before it gets cold.
At 20° above zero, people in Miami all die. People in Iowa close the windows.
At 0°, people in Arizona fly away to Mexico. People in Iowa get out their winter coats.
At 10° below zero, Hollywood disintegrates. Girl Scouts in Iowa are selling cookies door to door.
At 20° below zero, Washington, D.C. runs out of hot air. People in Iowa let the dogs sleep indoors.
At 30° below zero, Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. Iowans get upset because they can’t start the snowmobile.
At 40° below zero, Hell freezes over. Iowa public schools will be open two hours late.
I’ve seen something similar regarding Minnesota, but this is funnier because I live in Iowa, not Minnesota. This morning it was -9° when I left for work. By the time I got to work, the temperature had dropped to -12°. I found this little gem especially appropriate this morning.
Suddenly they all died. The end. 