Imagine! Create! Write!

Moving On From Rejection

2012-01-15T03:01:00.000-08:00

I recently submitted a short story for an anthology and got the e-mail today letting me know that it was not selected. I'll admit, it stings a little. Although I have had a regular article published in a monthly magazine on the subject of health, the writing I would like to see published is my fiction writing. In my first attempt at getting my fiction published, I was rejected. It would have been helpful if a reason had been stated in order to help me to hone my craft, but I wasn't expecting one anyway.

So what am I going to do about it? Am I going to wallow in defeat and decide that my writing isn't worthy enough? Am I going to take it as a sign that I should never even be attempting to write fiction and that I'll never make it as a fiction writer?

Of course not! I will take another look at the short story I wrote and think of ways I can improve it, and then I will move on to the next project in my list of writing projects.

Some points that I think all writers need to learn from rejection are this:

1. All writers receive rejections. Even some of your favorite authors have had their work rejected. That didn't stop them from getting published later.

"No one is asking, let alone demanding, that you write. The world is not waiting with bated breath for your article or book. Whether or not you get a single word on paper, the sun will rise, the earth will spin, the universe will expand. Writing is forever and always a choice - your choice." ~Beth Mende Conny

2. A rejection doesn't mean you are not a good writer. It just means that your writing was not what they were looking for at the time. It might mean you need to improve your writing, but it doesn't mean that your writing has no value.

"If you don't allow yourself the possibility of writing something very, very bad, it would be hard to write something very good." ~Steven Galloway

3. A rejection does not mean that you will never be published. Again, every writer has had their writing rejected at some time. It happens even to the best of writers.

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." ~Confucius

4. You can learn from failure and grow from it. Take another look at the story you wrote and see if you can figure out where it could have been improved.

"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning." ~Benjamin Franklin

5. You have only truly failed if you give up. Your writing career is never over until you stop writing, so don't give up!

"Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as writer." ~Ray Bradbury

A Writing Project Every Month in 2012

2012-01-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

In order to keep up with my goal of sumbitting a short story every month to publishers and contests, I have been trying to make a list of projects that are available for me this year, one for each month. I will continue to come back and edit this list to add more competitions and publishing submission openings as I find them. I want to be able to choose which ones I write for each month, and I prefer ones that don't cost to enter.

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January

CHOC LIT SHORT STORY COMPETITION
ENTRY FEE £3
Looking for short stories of up to 1,500 words in
which the central theme is chocolate - eating it, drinking
it, cooking with it, or anything else. Your entry must be
a maximum of 1,500 words. Deadline January 31, 2012. 1st
prize £200, publication here and Choc Lit's authors' corner
blog and a box of chocolates from Plush Chocolates. A Runner
Up will receive £50 and a box of chocolates from Plush
Chocolates.

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. has both competition entries available (at a cost of $15 per entry) and standard submissions available (free and up to 3 entries allowed). For the competition entries, for very short stories, the stories are not to exceed 3,000 words. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of the book, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is January 31st. Results will be posted March 31st. For the standard submissions, the payment for being chosen is $700 and 10 free copies of the book. Stories must not exceed 12,000 words (but less than 500 words would be much to short). Closing date is January 31st. Results will be posted by April 30th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

February

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Short Story Award for New Writers available (at a cost of $15 per entry) to writers whose fiction has not been presented in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. Most submissions to this category run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but should not exceed 12,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is February 29th. Results will be posted April 30th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

March

In the Chicken Soup For The Souls series of books, they are looking for short stories on the topic of new friends. Short stories should be around 1,200 words. Heart warming short stories or poems are being looked for and if your story or poem is accepted for publication, you will be paid $200 plus 10 free copies of the book. Closing date is March 31st.

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Fiction Open available (at a cost of $18 per entry. Submissions to this category should run 2,000 to 20,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $2,000, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $1,000 and 3rd place - $600. Closing date is March 31st. Results will be posted May 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

April

MAN ON THE TRAIN WRITING COMPETITION
ENTRY FEE £3
Deadline April 7, 2012. 1st Prize: £150, 2nd Prize: £100, 3rd Prize: £75, 4th Prize: 3 months Creative Competitor Premier1 membership
Using the photo for inspiration, create a story that depicts
a man on a journey by train, but a journey to where? What
happens to him en-route? Who does he meet? What happens when
he reaches his destination? We welcome creative
interpretations of the theme. Limit 2,000 words.

WRITER ADVICE FLASH PROSE CONTEST
$12 ENTRY FEE
WriterAdvice is searching for flash fiction, memoir, and creative non-fiction that grabs, surprises, and mesmerizes readers in 750 words or less. If you have a story or memoir with a strong theme, sharp images, a solid structure, and an unexpected discovery, please submit. Deadline April 18, 2012. First Place earns $200; Second Place earns $100; Third Place earns $50; Honorable Mentions will also be published.

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. has both Family Matters competition available (at a cost of $15 per entry) and standard submissions available (free and up to 3 entries allowed). For the Family Matters competition entries, stories--about family--are specifically invited. Submissions to this category typically run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but can go up to 12,000 words. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of the book, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is April 30th. Results will be posted June 30th. For the standard submissions, the payment for being chosen is $700, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 10 free copies of the book. Stories must not exceed 12,000 words (but less than 500 words would be much to short). Closing date is April 30th. Results will be posted by July 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

May

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Short Story Award for New Writers available (at a cost of $15 per entry) to writers whose fiction has not been presented in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. Most submissions to this category run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but should not exceed 12,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is May 31st. Results will be posted July 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

June

Kayelle Press is taking submissions for its Tomorrow Anthology. Submissions must be 3,000 to 6,000 words long. “Tomorrow” will be a short fiction post-apocalyptic anthology featuring speculative fiction stories written by established and upcoming writers from around the world. Payment is $20 AUD. Submissions start being accepted as of June 1st. Closing date is September 30th.

In the Chicken Soup For The Souls series of books, they are looking for short stories on the topic of parenthood. Short stories should be around 1,200 words. Heart warming short stories or poems are being looked for and if your story or poem is accepted for publication, you will be paid $200 plus 10 free copies of the book. Closing date is June 30th.

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Fiction Open available (at a cost of $18 per entry. Submissions to this category should run 2,000 to 20,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $2,000, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $1,000 and 3rd place - $600. Closing date is June 30th. Results will be posted August 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

July

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. has Very Short Fiction competition available (at a cost of $15 per entry). For Very Short Fiction, the stories are not to exceed 3,000 words. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of the book, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is July 31st. Results will be posted September 30th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

SCARE THE DICKENS OUT OF US CONTEST. Entry fee is $20 for an adulkt and $5 for a junior. First prize is $1,000 and a trophy. Second prize is $500 and a ribbon. Third prize is $250 and a ribbon. Junior contest prize is $250 and a trophy. The Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story contest and the Junior Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story contest share identical rules except the entry fees and the following: Junior contest writers must be age 12-18. Winners will have to provide proof of age. The contest is open to published and unpublished writers alike. All publication rights remain with the author. The ghost story must be 5,000 words or less, in English, and typed double-spaced. Entries accepted beginning July 1, 2012. Deadline October 1, 2012.

August

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Short Story Award for New Writers available (at a cost of $15 per entry) to writers whose fiction has not been presented in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. Most submissions to this category run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but should not exceed 12,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is August 31st. Results will be posted October 30th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

September

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Fiction Open available (at a cost of $18 per entry. Submissions to this category should run 2,000 to 20,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $2,000, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $1,000 and 3rd place - $600. Closing date is September 30th. Results will be posted November 30th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

October

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. has both Family Matters competition available (at a cost of $15 per entry) and standard submissions available (free and up to 3 entries allowed). For the Family Matters competition entries, stories--about family--are specifically invited. Submissions to this category typically run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but can go up to 12,000 words. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of the book, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is October 31st. Results will be posted December 31st. For the standard submissions, the payment for being chosen is $700, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 10 free copies of the book. Stories must not exceed 12,000 words (but less than 500 words would be much to short). Closing date is October 31st. Results will be posted by January 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

November

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Short Story Award for New Writers available (at a cost of $15 per entry) to writers whose fiction has not been presented in a print publication with a circulation over 5,000. Most submissions to this category run 1,500 to 6,000 words, but should not exceed 12,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $1,500, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $500 and 3rd place - $300. Closing date is November 30th. Results will be posted January 31st.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

December

Glimmertrain Press, Inc. is taking submissions for the Fiction Open available (at a cost of $18 per entry. Submissions to this category should run 2,000 to 20,000 words. Enter as many times as you like. Prizes are, for 1st place - $2,000, publication in Glimmer Train Stories and 20 free copies of that issue, 2nd place - $1,000 and 3rd place - $600. Closing date is December 31st. Results will be posted February 28th.

Crossed Genres magazine is currently accepting submissions of short stories, poetry, articles, audio/podcasts and artwork. Submissions are to be in the science fiction and fantasy genres, along with the current genre of choice for the month. Short stories are to be up to 10,000 words. Poetry is to be any style up to 5,000 words. Audio/podcasts can be up to 15 minutes long. Articles can be up to 5,000 words. Artwork should be science fiction or fantasy and photo manipulation is now accepted. Crossed Genres takes Exclusive World Online, ebook and print rights for one year. Fiction, poetry, articles, podcasts and inside art that are accepted for publication will receive a flat payment of $10 USD. Contributors will also receive a free ebook of the quarterly publication in which their contribution appears.

SKIRT!
Submissions read year-round. The submission deadline for each issue is the 1st of the month for the following month (Nov. 1st for the December issue, and so on), but we prefer to work two months in advance. Skirt!® magazine publishes 5-6 personal essays every month on topics relating to women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that emphasizes a personal, subjective view. All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and be between 800 and 1,100 words. Essays must fit one of our monthly 2012 print themes. Does not accept fiction or poetry. Negotiates payment. Estimate $100-$200.

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If you know of any contests, anthologies or magazines that I can include to this list, please e-mail me with the details and I will happily add them to the list.

12 Picture Books in 12 Months in 2012

2012-01-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

I am joining a new challenge that I think will fit perfectly with my goals regarding the children's stories I am writing. It is called 12x12 in 2012. The goal is to write 12 picture books in 12 months (one picture book a month) in 2012.

I first heard about it through Facebook friend and author Jo Hart. She joined the challenge and posted about it in her blog.

There will be monthly prizes for participants and guest posts from others in the picture book industry. What's not to like?

If you want to join too, just go here and follow the instructions.

My Goals For 2012

2012-01-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

I recently submitted a short story to Kayelle Press for their Night Terrors anthology. It is part of my new determination to start sending my work out into the world. Until now, I've been keeping my writing private, not sharing much of it with others. I've been letting that nasty, deceiving voice in my head whisper into my mind and tell me that I might not be good enough. That voice has made me afraid to really try, afraid to let my work be exposed in a way that will tell me one way or another whether or not my writing is good enough.

But I know that voice is a liar. That same voice used to tell me, when I was morbidly obese, that I would never be able to lose all of that extra weight. And then I did. I lost over 145 lbs. and reached a tiny and healthy weight, despite that voice telling me that I couldn't do it. So I know that voice lies.

So I am going to be taking risks with my writing now, letting my writing be sent out there into the world and into the publishing industry and we will see what happens. The worst that can happen is that my writing isn't good enough yet, and that just means I will have to continue improving it. It doesn't mean I will give up, because I never will.

So I am setting myself some goals for 2012, goals that will keep me writing.

1 - I am going to submit and average of one short story a month to publishers or competitions.

2 - I am going to finish writing and editing at least one of the four novels I have started writing.

3 - I am going to share some new writing here on this blog, maybe one new piece a month (more if I can swing it).

4 - I am going to be publishing a little bit on my own. I have three cookbooks in mind that I intend to complete for Kindle and ebook formats.

5 - I am going to make writing a priority and write a minimum of 500 words a day.

6 - I am going to start sending my children's stories (I have written four) out to agents and/or publishers.

Dream Big

2011-12-31T11:43:00.000-08:00

A new year is upon us and people all over the globe are making new year's resolutions, deciding what they want out of the year that stretches ahead of them. People everywhere look at the new year as a new beginning, a chance to make themselves into something new and change their lives.

There are also some people who say that it's a ridiculous practice, that anything you want to achieve, you should already be planning for and working towards, and that waiting for a new year to begin is just silly. But who is to say what is the right time for you to begin a new goal? And why can't you use the beginning of a new calendar year as a starting point?

Some people will also say that you shouldn't make resolutions, or goals if you'd rather call them that, that overreach. You should make practical goals that are easily attainable through a bit of hard work and effort.

Again, I ask why? Why do your goals, your dreams, your new year's resolutions, have to be small? Why do they have to be things that you already know it is possible for you to achieve? Why can't you think bigger, dream bigger? There's a saying that goes something like, "Reach for the moon because even if you miss, you'll still land amongst the stars." Why shouldn't you reach for the moon?

Maybe, if you dream big, you risk not achieving your dreams. But maybe, if you dream big, you will find yourself accomplishing things you never thought possible before, whether or not you actually make that one dream come true.

And maybe, if you dream big, the journey you make while reaching for it is worth more than the dream itself.

Just some things to think about.

Last Minute Gift Ideas for Writers

2011-12-24T02:52:00.000-08:00

Have a writer friend who you forgot to buy a Christmas gift for or just couldn't figure out what to buy? There are some simple last-minute gifts you can do for them, and many of them don't cost anything but your time.

1. Comment on their blogs.

2. Share their blog posts on Facebook and Twitter.

3. Stumble their blog posts.

4. Write about their blogs on your blog, or review their books on your blog.

5. Leave reviews of their books on Amazon and wherever else they sell their books on-line.

6. Offer to beta-read their current writing project.

7. Buy them some Facebook advertising or Adsense advertising.

8. Write them a poem. (No one appreciates the effort and beauty involved in writing a poem more than another writer.)

The Craziness Of The Holidays

2011-12-20T00:16:00.000-08:00

Is craziness even a word? If not, that's too bad because I'm leaving it in the title. It fits!

December has been busy, busy, busy for this mom of seven. There have been school Christmas plays to attend (and costumes to buy for them), treats to buy for school Christmas parties, a Christmas tree to put up and decorate, baking to do for the neighbors' Christmas gifts, Christmas gifts to buy for seven children and a son-in-law, Christmas gifts to buy for my husband, Christmas cards to sign and mail, Christmas decorations to put up around the house and Christmas lights to hang in the windows, presents to wrap and then more presents to wrap, and the list goes on.

I still need to take my younger four chidlren to go and see Santa. And I am praying that they dont ask him for anything difficut to find. (I've already taught them not to ask for anything expensive. I told them that if Santa brings them something expensive, then some other child won't get a good present because Santa only has a certain budget to spend on each child. I know, I'm evil, right?)

Where, you might ask, am I finding the time to write during all of this Christmas madness? The answer is, shamefully, I am not. I haven't even finished my paranormal short story for a competition that I was hoping to enter. And it's due soon. I could blame the fact that several of my children have taken ill at various times, my husband has been ill a couple of times this month so far and illness has struck even me during this cold month. But it would still just be another excuse.

The truth is that if I really want to, I can find the time to write. I've just been lazy and I've been procrastinating. I keep putting it off in favor of other things. And while tending a sick child is more important than getting my writing for the day done, there are a thousand tiny things that I spend time doing during my day that I could easily set aside to spend time writing instead.

SO no more excuses. I am back to my writing as of today.

Free ebook through the 18th!

2011-12-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Christmas, my friend Barbara Mack has made her historical romance ebook, Chasing the Sunset, free through the 18th of December. It's available on kindle through a free download, so go and get your copy today! Check out her other books while you're at it.

Wiltshire NaNoWriMo 2011 - The Third Meet-Up

2011-11-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

We had a third NaNoWriMo Swindon meet-up, with even more Wiltshire participants joining us this time. We saw again (in no particular order) Andrew, Sophie, Rob, Nick, Jamie, Scott, Briony, and Victoria, and this time we were joined by (Irene (not pictured) and Tesni.

I showed up late and was sat on the wrong side of the group to get to chat much with Irene and find out about her book, but I hope I get the chance to talk with her next time.

I love getting the chance to meet-up with so many talented writers, and we all had a great time chatting and laughing. Some of us (not me) even did some writing on our stories.

How To Write 50,000 Words In 14 Days

2011-11-14T22:53:00.000-08:00

This is my third year participating in NaNoWriMo. In the two previous years, I have managed to finish having completed my 50,000 words and "winning" based on my word count, which both times was two or three thousand over 50,000 words.

This year, I thought I would try somethign different. I wanted to challenge myself even more, so I set a goal of writing 10,000 words every three days until I reached 50,000 words. I actually beat that goal and reached a word count of 50,020 words within the first two weeks of National Novel Writing Month.

You might be asking how I did it? To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I did it, but I will share with you some of the strategies I used while writing my novel for NaNoWriMo.

1. Split your focus between different parts of the story-line. I decided this time that, instead of writing a one-story-line novel, I was going to write a novel of short stories. Because of this, whenever I felt stuck on what I was writing or just needed a break from it, I was able to switch to a different story to write about. This can work when writing a one-story novel as well. When you get stuck on a certain part of the story or just need a break from what you are writing, start on a different scene within the story. You can always go back to finish the one you started with and when you do, you will feel refreshed and full of new ideas.

2. Set aside as much time as you can spare for writing. You may find, as I did, that you can sneak more writing time into your day than you originally thought was possible. I wrote when my kids were at school, when my youngest napped, and again when all of the children went to bed. Sometimes I had to stay up late, but it was worth it.

3. Get rid of distractions during your writing time. Many things constitute distractions. My kids are very distracting, so I wrote when they were in bed or at school. The tv is distracting, so I made sure it was off when I was writing. Facebook and Twitter are distracting, so I told myself that I would reach a specific word count before allowing myself time on either site.

4. Challenge yourself. Try and beat your best record for word count in a day. Or look at how your friends are doing and try to beat their word count. Think of a daily word count that seems slightly out of reach for you and then challenge yourself to find a way to reach it that day.

5. Believe in yourself. No matter what obstacles seem to be in the way of you reaching your word count goal, believe that you will overcome them. Because you can.

6. Make writing a priority. There may be a lot of things that have to be priorities in your life, but if you are reading this, then there is at least a part of you that wants to make writing a priority too. So do it. Make writing something you will not allow yourself to set aside.

7. Get rid of your internal editor. Just write without looking back. When you finish your novel, you can go back and edit what you have written, but just let it go while you are in the middle of writing.

8. When you are not writing your novel, talk about it with others. I used to talk to my husband about my story while we walked the dog every evening. Not only was he helpful in coming up with new ideas or ways for me to think about my plot, but also, just the act of talking about it helped me come up with new ideas on my own.

9. And the one thing I think it the most important is to have fun with your story! Enjoy every second of the world you are creating!

Wiltshire NaNoWriMo 2011 - The Second Meet Up

2011-11-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

Today's meet-up of the Wiltshire NaNoWriMoers was a lot of fun! Pictured above, in no particular order are Sophie, Briony, Jamie, Scott, Nick, Rob, Robert, Becky (me), Victoria and Josh.

It was great meeting more writers from my area, and it was fun to hear how we are all doing with our novel writing. I hope to see everyone again at the next meet-up (and hopefully even more will show).

One Week Into NaNoWriMo 2011!

2011-11-07T16:07:00.001-08:00

We are now one week into the 2011 National Novel Writing Month. It's been crazy and fun and sometimes difficult so far.

One day, I was really sleepy in the evening. I kept dozing off while writing. I'd wake a few seconds later and keep typing. Once I caught myself waking with my hand on the "a" button. I had typed several rows of aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa - You get the idea. Later during that same typing session, I found myself in and out of dozing off and typing up absolute nonsense, the kind of nonsensical stuff I say in my sleep when people try and talk to me while I'm asleep. (My daughter remembers when she was a teenager and asked me, while I was asleep, what she should have for dinner and my sleep-talking answer was "Eat the liquid stuff on the chair!")

So yah, it's not been easy sailing. But my word count is the highest it has ever been this far into NaNowriMo! I have written 25,534 words so far! I'm very excited about this! (And yes, I deleted the sleep-posts and rewrote them when I was more awake.)

I've learned that writing while I am suffering from fatigue is not my best plan ever, and that if I keep at it, I can write more than I dreamed possible. I just have to continue to make writing a priority. I have also learned that I struggle when it comes time to conclude a story or a subplot of a story.

But best of all, I am LOVING my story so far!

So how is everyone else doing? What have you learned so far while participating in National Novel Writing Month? What have you struggled with? Is this your first go? Your second? Let me know in the comments!

Wiltshire NaNoWriMo Kick Off Party!

2011-10-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today, we had our Wiltshire NaNoWriMo Kick-Off Party! It was a lot of fun and it was great meeting some of the other writers who live in our area.

Joining us were my co-ML Sophie, Andrew, Tim, Victoria, Josh, Kayla and Gabriella. Victoria, Kayla and Gabriella are my daughters and Josh is my son-in-law, but they are all participating in NaNowriMo this year. (Gabby joined the NaNoWriMo Young Writer's Program.)

There were stickers handed out, writing plans discussed and really bitter coffee that was had. Well worth the time! So if you are a Wiltshire NaNoWriMo participant, make sure you get yourself to the next meet-up!

National Day On Writing

2011-10-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Today is the National Day on Writing. How are you celebrating?

I am writing this blog post, have written a poem and am writing some more of one of my recipe books. I am also working on one of the children's stories I have in mind.

It never feels like I have enough time to fit writing into my daily schedule. I know I have to make time for writing. I know I have to make writing a priority. Yet, I still find it a challenge.

But whatever else happens during the week, today, I am writing.

I write because I have stories to tell and it's no fun keeping them to myself!

Fundraising for National Novel Writing Month

2011-10-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

I am fundraising for the Office of Letters & Light. They run National Novel Writing Month, the Young Writer's Program, Script Frenzy and several other programs to inspire and ignite the imagination of writers everywhere.

Here's a little video that the Office Of Letters & Light created to explain what your donation will help with.

Interview With Children's Author Giles Paley-Phillips

2011-10-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

I met Giles Paley-Phillips on Facebook. He is a 33 year old children's author and he was kind enough to let me interview him for this blog. He also sent me a copy of his book "The Fearsome Beastie," and my children loved it. You can watch their video review of it over on Children Review.

Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Giles Paley-Phillips. I'm a children's author and work part-time in a book shop. I was born in 1977, and I live and work in East Sussex with my wife, Michelle and two sons, Elijah and Sonny. I currently write picture book stories and play in a rock band called Burnthouse. I am also Patron for FSW Family Support Work Charity and I'm represented by Annette Green Agency. I can also be found on Twitter and through my blog.

What are some of your writing accomplishments?
I have two books out: The Fearsome Beastie is a picture book and There's a Lion in My Bathroom is a book of nonsense poetry.

What type of writing do you do? What genre do you write in the most?
I'm a picture book author, but I do also writing nonsense poetry!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? What was it about writing that drew you to it?
I started writing for children when my first son was born, I wanted to write something specifically for him, and I couldn't quite work it out, then I stumbled upon a book of nonsense poetry by Shel Silverstein, and it was my eureka moment.

Where do you get your ideas for your writing?
I get ideas from lots of places really, things the children do, things they are interested in, could be something in the news, or just something that I've heard people talking about.

What books/authors have influenced your writing?
Shel Silverstein's work got me first hooked in, but I've always loved children's books, especially writers such as Roald Dahl and the work of Tim Burton; things that are macabre always draw me in.

What are your current writing projects?
I'm working on another dark picture book for Maverick Books and a humerous book about dinosaurs for Gullane.

Do you ever experience writer’s block? How do you get through it?
You just have to leave your work alone and do something else, and come back to it later.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I'm terrible at editing.

What do you love most about writing?
When an idea comes, it's so exciting when you start figuring it out.

Is there anything that you have learned about yourself through writing/pursuing your career as a writer?
I've learned that I'm tenacious; I think you have to be and thick skinned too!

If you could become one of your characters for a day, would you? (and who/why?):
I'm not sure I've written a character I'd like to be yet, my protagnists tend to be a bit horrid!

Do you have any advice for other writers?
If you are trying to get published, then just stick to your guns, it only takes one person to like your work to make it happen.

Giles was kind enough to send me a copy of his book The Fearsome Beastie, and my children loved it. I loved that the heroine of the story was a grandma, and I even enjoyed the fact that it had some slightly gruesome aspects to the story. My little princess Isabella was less impressed with the gruesome bits, but the rest of my children loved that aspect of the story and over-all, each of them were entertained by the story. My son Connor had me read it to him several times on the day it first arrived.

Are You Ready for NaNoWriMo 2011?

2011-10-07T03:27:00.000-07:00

It is almost November and now, with just a little over 3 weeks left until November, it's time to start thinking about joining National Novel Writing Month for 2011! I have participated in NaNoWriMo for two years now and have achieved and surpassed the 50,000 wordcount goal in both years. I am definitely going to be participating again this year! Will you? Here's a little bit of advice for those of you who will be participating this year. (This is from an e-mail I sent out as one of two municipal liaisons for my region.)

Before we all start writing in all of our free time, I thought I'd ask you all what your plans are. Do you have a plan for how you are going to get 50,000 words written? Have you outlined your novel already? Are you just planning on winging the whole thing?

I'll let you know a little bit about my experience with doing this for the past two years. In the first year, I mostly winged it, but I had a very clear idea in my head for the story I was going to write. I didn't have an outline or all of the mini sub-plot details all worked out ahead of time, but I had an idea of who my main characters were, what they would be facing and where I wanted the story to end. I managed to write over 50,000 words that year (2009), and I really enjoyed writing it.

In my second year of doing NaNoWriMo (2010), I completely winged it. I knew what my story was called and who the main character would be, but I hadn't really fleshed her out in my mind. I knew that she had a certain ability emerging and that the story would be based around that, but I hadn't even figured out my supporting characters or what the conflict in the plot would be. I still managed to complete the 50,000 words, but I struggled through it more, and although I enjoyed the writing, I did not enjoy it as much as I had the previous year.

Looking back through my 2010 NaNoWriMo manuscript, there is very little that is usable from that writing, while the manuscript of my novel written for the 2009 NaNoWriMo is one that I will be completing, editing and sending out to publishers. The writing on it is better than the writing on the 2010 NaNoWriMo story and I believe that is because I had a bit more planning and thought behind the story before I began writing.

Of course, you will take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in whatever way works best for you, but if you're not sure what way that is, I suggest that you brainstorm a bit about what you want for your story before you begin. The more ideas you have and the more you flesh out what your goal in this writing is, the smoother things will go for you and the better your writing will be. You won't have to stick to any rigid plot ideas, but thinking about it in advance will give you a starting point and a direction. The rest can be played around with as you write.

And let me just add that I hope you all have a smooth and easy time writing your 50,000 words and make it to your goal for the 2011 NaNoWriMo!

Interview With Author Malcolm McDonough

2011-10-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

Malcolm McDonough is a a friend of mine and we keep in touch over Facebook. He is a 45 year old dad and author living in Australia. He has a very creative personality and a terrific sense of humor!

About: I live in Melbourne with my partner and five children. I was born in Melbourne, but have also lived in London and Glasgow. I love travelling and have visited over 60 countries. You can learn a little about me from my new Google+ profile.

Writing accomplishments? I started writing professionally in an ad agency when I was 17. In the following 20+ years I wrote everything from four-word billboards to brochures, websites and TV commercials. My work won a few local awards and I was a finalist in some national and international awards too. Once, a campaign I wrote was chosen from a national competition to promote an Australian tour by His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet. I’m not Buddhist, but it was still an honour to meet him at his Melbourne appearance.

What type of writing do you do? What genre do you write in? I now write full-time for my local government. My title in my day job is ‘Writer’ but it involves informative writing mostly, rather than creative writing. I have to write as clearly and concisely as possible, which I think is a good practice for most kinds of writing. My personal writing is mainly t-shirt slogans, with a focus on pregnancy and families. Just recently, my daughter and I co-wrote two tongue-in-cheek books. I would classify them as ‘ridiculous’ if that’s a genre. If it isn’t, I guess we just invented it.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? What was it about writing that drew you to it? When I was a kid I often wrote silly poems or songs for my friends. One friend said I should get a job writing jingles and I immediately thought, “Yes, that’s what I’ll do.” Since writing was something I enjoyed doing, it seemed like an ideal career.

Where do you get your ideas for your writing? You know how sometimes a conversation moves so fast that later you think “I wish I had said…”? Rather than waste those thoughts, I make a note of them to turn into a t-shirt slogan or a headline.

What books/authors have influenced your writing? I love the way Bill Bryson makes even the most technical subjects engaging. Now that my kids are reading a lot, I’m also rediscovering Enid Blyton, J.K. Rowling and Tolkien.

What are your current writing projects? Apart from my day job, I continually write slogans, product descriptions and tweets for my pregnancy announcement websites:
• Pregnant By Design
• Materni-Tee
• PregnancyNews

I also write posts for two Facebook pages to promote the books I recently co-wrote with my daughter:
• Totally Funny
• Terrifying

Do you ever experience writer’s block? How do you get through it? Once my daughter and I had the idea for our books, the words came very easy. So writer’s block was never an issue. But then, they are very silly books ;-)

With serious projects I am happy to write then revise. So even if I’m feeling less than 100% motivated, I just start writing.

What do you love most about writing? There’s no enforced down-time when you’re a writer. I love being able to write, or at least create and clarify my ideas, any time, anywhere.

If you could become one of your characters for a day, would you? (and who/why?) I’m sure it would inspire a lot of pregnancy slogans if I was actually pregnant for a day! But to be honest, I’m not sure I’m cut out for it. Luckily I’ve been able to share five pregnancies with my inspirational partner.

Do you have any advice for other writers? Don’t be shy. It’s so easy to blog, tweet or self-publish these days. There’s no reason not to share your writing with the world. Plus, you’ll get to know so many wonderful and creative people in the process (Yes, I’m looking at you Rebecca).

Interview With Author Linda Bond

2011-08-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

I have decided to share interviews with a variety of authors and aspiring authors here on the Imagine! Create! Write! blog, because I have so many friends who are writers. Linda is a friend of mine through Facebook, and, like me, she writes children's stories, so I am very happy to be sharing her interview here as one of my first author interviews.

Name: Linda Bond

About: Born in London (UK), and an avid reader at an early age. I loved the adventure stories of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis and fairy tales. Even as an adult now I will choose a fantasy or adventure novel over a romance!

Writing accomplishments: I am the author of four books about Retishella Mermaid and her adventures. You can read the opening chapters on my webpage.

Retishella and the Dolphins

Retishella and the Pocket Shell

Seeley and the Grantuff

Retishella and Pirate Cool

I am currently working on the fifth story Retishella and the Junkball. I have two audio stories on the Shortbread Stories. One of my stories "Holiday Butterflies" was recently chosen as the Friday story and received some touching and encouraging reviews.

I am a member of the Writers In Somerset group, and we have published an anthology of short stories about the West Somerset Railway.
In my day job as a primary school teacher I organise and judge regular short story competitions. I am almost ashamed to say I also ‘test out’ my latest stories on my present long-suffering class of 7 and 8 year olds, although they have not complained yet!

What types of writing do you do? What varieties of genres do you write in? My short stories are very varied. Some, like Holiday Butterflies are based on my own experiences, others, like Pearls of Wisdom and The Inspector are inspired by fairy tales.

My Retishella stories are unabashed adventure stories, where I can let my imagination run riot, inventing new places, objects and characters. I love writing these stories, as there is no limit to my creativity in Retishella land.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? What was it about writing that drew you to it? I have always dabbled in writing. When I was younger and living in Sweden, I helped pay the bills by writing for a local newspaper. Later on when I was back in the UK, I worked writing copy for advertisers in a local newspaper.

Where do you get your ideas for your writing? The main inspiration for my first book Retishella and the Dolphins came from a walk along the beach close to where I live. The water there is an uninviting murky brown and as I walked along I saw a fisherman pull a fish from this muddy soup. As he was only a couple of metres off shore it struck me that we could neither of us see the marine life in the water, but it was obviously there nonetheless. I wondered what else could live there – mermaids maybe? Retishella and her world were born.

What is one of your favorite hobbies? I love reading. One of my ideas of heaven is to sit under the parasol at the bottom of my garden, on a hot sunny day, with a cold drink and a good book. If the book is good enough and I can’t put it down, a whole day can go past!

What are your current writing projects?
I am currently working on the fifth book in the Retishella series, Retishella and the Junkball. As with the other books it begins with an unusual situation that develops into a fight against evil. As always, things are not quite as they seem.

I am also working on a rewriting of the Cinderella story from the fairy godmother’s point of view. I have some notions about how all the characters in that story may be connected.

Do you ever experience writer’s block? How do you get through it?
In me writer’s block manifests itself as procrastination and displacement activity. I find no end of other things to do, and running a home with three teenage children as well as working as a teacher gives me a rich source of other things to do!

I know that if I force myself to sit at the computer and make a start, something will happen. It may not be what I want, but a story of some description will start to form.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? Checking up on facts and researching things. No matter how much I check up on, for example, the life cycle of a particular marine creature I am never completely convinced that I have enough facts. I’m always worried that I’ve missed something important.

What do you love most about writing? It is one of the most complete forms of escapism I have ever experienced. Even when a story is stuck and you go for a walk to try and work it out, you are in another place. It sometimes scares you, but mostly pleasantly surprises you with its twists and turns.

Every time I have carefully plotted a story, I find the story taking on a life of its own. I know that is a writer’s cliché, but it is a useful way to describe what happens when you start to write. I have a particular ending in mind for Retishella and the Junkball but I can’t say for certain that it will end that way until I get there!

Is there anything that you have learned about yourself through writing/pursuing your career as a writer? Writing itself can be therapeutic, helping you get your thoughts into some semblance of order or firing your imagination . But publishing your writing can make you feel very vulnerable. You know some people will love your stories, and others won’t. When people are not constructive in their criticisms it is easy to take it personally. It’s taken me a while to develop a thick skin against such criticisms.

If you could become one of your characters for a day, would you? (and who/why?) I would love to be Mersia, the wise mermaid in her purple bower, polishing her crystals , helping others with her charms and spells.

Do you have any advice for other writers? Since publishing Retishella and the Dolphins back in 2006 I have met a lot of people who begin a conversation with me along the lines of ‘I’ve started writing a book…’ and then give you loads of reasons why they can’t finish it. My main advice for writers is to go for it!

Also, get your writing finished and then spend a great deal of time editing, getting friends to read and iron out any problems with plot or spelling etc.

"Chasing The Sunset" by Barbara Mack - review

2011-07-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

This was a terrific historical romance! Having read the "Dreaming Of You" novelette by the same author, I was pleased to find the main characters from that story involved as supporting characters in this novel. It was fun to see their romance from another character's perspective, but the main characters in this novel are the real story in this. The moments when they are together are full of sizzle and spark and you can't help but feel empathy for the pasts that they are both having to reconcile themselves to as they find a way to allow themselves to trust again.

If you are in the UK, you can get the book here:

Sharing A Scene from "Through the Veil"

2011-07-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, and because I have always been too shy to share the writing I have done on my novels, I thought I would share the opening scene (a very short one) from the novel I wrote during my first time doing NaNoWriMo (in 2009). It's from the novel called "Through the Veil." I am working on being braver with my writing by being able to share bits of it from time to time and get feedback.

How did she get into this? Bella didn’t know how she had ended up in this predicament. Just last week, she was a normal 15 year old girl with a normal life. She talked about boys with her friends and worried about her grades and what to wear to the Spring Dance.

How had things come to this?

“Are you ready?” The voice sounded soft but assured. Bella looked up at the girl who had spoken to her. Gabby was petite. She had died her brown hair jet black and had dark eyeliner outlining her eyes. Her very dark purple lipstick accentuated her lips and matched the purple streak in the front portion of her hair. Her expression was serious.

“Yah. Let’s do it,” Bella was as ready as she was ever going to be.

This was the night they were going to escape.

Before anyone thinks to bring it up, yes, I used some of my kids names for the characters. What can I say? I like the names, and I was having trouble naming my characters, so I went with names I knew, even if the characters do not at all resemble their namesakes.

Let me know what you think in the comments, and please be gentle; my ego is a fragile thing. Maybe I will work up the confidence to share a bigger piece of the novel someday.

The Notebook

2011-06-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was going through some old papers when I came across a notebook of mine. In it, I had ideas for stories written down and about 30 pages written of a paranormal romance novel. It was all just handwritten, and I barely remember writing it as it was written so long ago.

But here's the really interesting part about finding it; as I read through what I had written, I not only enjoyed it and thought the writing was pretty good, but I could see where I was going with it. Sometimes, I'll re-read something I've written, and I'll think the writing is awful and start questioning my ability to write a novel worth publishing. Finding that this writing was good was a definite confidence booster for me.

Am I going to start writing the rest of the novel? Not right now. I have other novels I am already working on which are much further along,and , although I'm tempted to go off in this new (old?) direction, I feel I should finish what I am already working on before starting something else. I will, however, take the time to type what is already written of it onto my computer so I can come back to it at a later date.

Do you have any old notebooks that you used to use for notes and writing ideas? Maybe you should go take another look at them. You might be surprised by what you find.

"Dreaming Of You" by Barbara Mack (review)

2011-05-11T05:04:00.000-07:00

Barbara Mack is not just a good friend of mine and she's not just my youngest son's godmother; she is also a very talented and gifted writer. I recently got the chance to read her new novelette Dreaming of You and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I don't often read historical romances anymore but I have read many in the past, so I can say that Barbara writes like a professional. Her heroine Kathleen is feisty, intelligent and proud, and the supporting characters are fully developed. You, as the reader, feel for Kathleen and for the handsome doctor Duncan who lusts after her.

If you like historical romances, I am happy to recommend Dreaming of You by Barbara Mack.

Winner of "A Tale Of Two Goblins" by H.P. Mallory

2011-05-01T23:45:00.000-07:00

I went to Random.org to choose the winner of the e-book or Kindle book that I am personally awarding to a random commenter on the post, and the winner is C.G. Powell! Please get in contact with me to claim your prize!

"A Tale Of Two Goblins" by H.P. Mallory Book Tour

2011-04-19T02:41:00.000-07:00

I have been given the opportunity to review the book "a tale of two Goblins" by H.P. Mallory. I was thrilled with this opportunity for two reasons. One was that I had just been given a Kindle for my birthday in late February and loved the chance to add another book to it. The other reason is that I had just finished reading the first book in the series about Dulcie O'Neil and was eager to continue reading the series.

These books were part of the Dulcie O'Neil Series, book one and book two, and I thoroughly enjoyed both! If you like books with a bit of romance, a lot of adventure and some supernatural abilities thrown in, then you'll love these books too.

Here's a bit from the author:

Hi, I'm HP Mallory and I've written two series, the first about a fairy in law enforcement (To Kill A Warlock and A Tale of Two Goblins) and the second about a witch who can bring back the dead (Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble and Toil and Trouble).

I'm a mongo fan of anything that goes bump in the night and Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! (Quick tangent--the best costume I've ever worn was last year when I went as the Headless Horseman and my baby was my Jack-O-Lantern head!) I've always loved the Twilight Zone Marathons and if I ever saw a ghost, I think I'd wet myself.

I grew up in California although I've lived abroad in the UK (England and Scotland--woo hoo, gotta love those kilts!)

I'd categorize my writing as a blend of suspense, humor, light horror, and romance with a sprinkle of fantasy to tie everything together! If you are all about fairies and witches and vampires (oh my!), you love a good alpha warlock and you like men who get a little hairy during a full moon, I got the goods.

And, just to give you a taste of what you'll find in the book, here's an excerpt:

I knew I was sleeping but my dreams had never been quite so lucid, images so vibrant and crisp, I felt as if I could reach out and touch them. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, finding the velvet blackness of night was still in full effect. There was something I needed to do, something that was on the brink of happening. Something bad. It was one of those gut feelings.

I stood up and was seized by a pain reverberating through my head. It felt as if my brain was being torn apart, all my memories and thoughts being dissected by a sharp blade. I fell to my knees and grabbed my throbbing head, willing the pain to go away.

And, just like that, it did. I was suddenly free of pain but I was somewhere I couldn’t comprehend—somewhere unknown to me. It was like I’d been plucked from my bedroom and deposited on a street I didn’t recognize. A cold wind whipped around my shoulders, and I glanced down at my white lace singlet and baby blue pajama shorts. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ward off the cold and glanced up at the front of a townhouse—a modern structure that glared down at me in an array of hard angles and bleak whiteness. The numbers 3467 delineated the corner of the door, and somehow I knew those numbers were important, that I had to remember them.

Before I had the chance to think, something flashed by me. I couldn’t see it but I could feel the death imprint it carried—something powerful, something evil. In an amorphous blur of darkness, it vaporized into the door before me, and I had no choice but to follow. It wanted me to follow—I could feel the distinct urge to continue after it, as if it were beckoning me. I reached for the doorknob, and my hand went through it. Shrugging, I took a hesitant step forward and found myself merging with the door, entering the room beyond it.

The sounds of crashing and fighting snapped me out of my initial trepidation and I forced myself forward, following the noises down a dark hallway and into a bedroom where my eyes settled on the shadows of two men. One was in a huge bed that dominated the room and the other was atop him, pummeling him with fists full of hatred. The man in the bed didn’t resist his attacker. He merely lay there in quiet repose while the entity pounded him repeatedly. I had the sudden desire, the sheer need to protect the man in the bed.

I started forward and suddenly came up against an invisible barrier, something stopping me from reaching the bed. I shook my hand, waiting for the telltale sign of fairy dust to emerge in my palm so I could blow the dust toward the barrier and simply eliminate it but my fairy dust never materialized.

The man in the bed continued to lie there, immobile, amidst his blood-stained sheets. The thing atop him shifted to the side, pulling itself away from the bed and allowed me to gaze at the man. My heart about stopped.

“Knight!” I screamed and beat my ineffectual palms against the invisible wall. My voice just bounced off the unseen barrier and died in the air.

Knight’s attacker was no longer an amorphous shadow. He’d taken an outline of a man and was now facing me. I couldn’t make out his features, I couldn’t even see his face. He was just etched in darkness, outlined by night. But I didn’t have to see his face to realize what and who he was. I knew it deep down in my gut because he wanted me to know it. The Dreamstalker. I felt a smile radiating outward from him. A smile coming from that dark shade of his face.

He leaned over Knight while I held my breath.

I woke with a start, my heart pounding.

I couldn’t shake the nightmare from my mind. And the main reason was that I was convinced it hadn’t been a nightmare at all but an omen from my own subconscious. It had been a warning. A warning from the Dreamstalker.

I leapt out of my bed and glanced at the clock. It was two a.m. Reaching for the phone on my side table, I speed dialed Knight. It just rang.

I dialed again. It just rang.

I dialed again.

It just rang.

I was told I had a giveaway to do too, but, as I have recently moved to a new house and temporarily lost my Internet access (I am using my local library now), I was unable to follow up to that and see if there are any conditions and just exactly what the giveaway was supposed to be. So I decided that everyone who commented below will get entered into a random drawing to win the Kindle version or e-book version of the novel, awarded by me from my own pocket.

The drawing will be closed at noon PST on May 1st.

However, I found out through following it up that the giveaway was supposed to be quite different, so there is another giveaway you can enter which is detailed below.

Both books can be bought for the Kindle.

Do You Call Yourself A Writer?

2011-03-27T03:03:00.000-07:00

What constitutes being able to call oneself a writer? Everyone seems to have a different opinion of this. Some say you have to be published in order to consider yourself a writer. Some say you have to have published a book in order to call yourself a writer. Others say you only need to be currently writing, whether published or not, in order to call yourself a writer.

The Merriam-Webster Free Dictionary defines a writer as "one who writes." Many of us write. Some of us are good at writing, and some of us only write rubbish that few would be willing to read. But according to this dictionary definition, both types are writers. One only needs to write in order to be a writer.

Wikipedia states that "A writer is a person who produces literary content, including but not limited to stories, poetry, music and other literary art, advertising, procedures, and books." It goes on to say that "The word is almost synonymous with author." This would suggest that a writer is someone who is published, whose writing is read by others.

What about bloggers? Our writing is published on the Internet. We don't get paid for our writing (unless we are writing a review for pay), so does that negate the fact that we are writers? Do we need to be paid for our writing in order to qualify officially as writers?

Personally, I believe that, while not everyone who writes is a writer, you don't have to be published to be a writer either. Some people write with no intention of ever having their writing read by others. Some people write without ever paying any attention to their prose, ignoring the need for their writing to have any sort of quality whatsoever. Those are not writers. They are dabblers. Just as artists sometimes doodle, writers sometimes dabble in mindless writing. But a person who only writes mindlessly and never writes with thought to content is not a writer. (We should have a word for this mindless writing, just as artists have the word doodle for mindless drawing. Any suggestions?)

Some people strive to write something that will appeal to others. They pay attention to their content and to their form, and they work hard at creating something worthwhile through their writing. Regardless of whether or not these efforts ever get published, these people deserve to be called writers, because writing means something to them.

And maybe that should be the distinguishing concept on whether or not someone can call themselves a writer or not; what they write has to mean something to them. Anyone who puts something down in writing in order to express something, to share something or to create something is a writer.

What do you think?

Picture Book Marathon

2011-02-25T05:36:00.000-08:00

February is Picture Book Marathon Month. I love the idea of a picture book writing marathon!

Alas, I am unable to join in as I did not learn about this picture book marathon month until it was almost over. Instead I will honor the month by writing a new picture book this month and drawing three preliminary sketches for it. (Yes, I am still struggling along with my attempts at teaching myself to draw.)

Have you joined the marathon? If not, do you think you'd like to join in next year?

Writing for Real

2011-02-16T13:08:00.000-08:00

I feel as though most of my writing up until now has been hobby writing, and I feel this way because I haven't actually done much with the stories, articles and poems I have written. I haven't shared them here. I haven't completed either of my novels or started editing them. I still have my three children's stories and they aren't illustrated yet.

What I have done that is not just hobby writing is I have become a regular writer for a magazine. I write monthly on the topic of raising healthy kids for Beverly Hills Child Magazine. This is great, but it's only a start.

I have career goals for my writing and those goals are achievable. I just need to keep working towards them. To this end, I have decided to set up a list of tasks for myself to do in which, with each of the tasks that I achieve, I will be getting closer to reaching my goals.

Watch this space, because I will be published this year and in more than one venue!

What would you include in a list of tasks if you were making the list of tasks for yourself?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Some of you I see every day,
And some of you live far away.
But I consider you friends, one and all,
With hearts so big, and typing so small.
I love learning of you through this electric highway,
And I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Tips For Sticking To Your New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope 2011 is going to be a wonderful year for us all.

It is that time of year again when everyone starts to think about what they have achieved over the past year and what they hope to achieve in the new one. A lot of people will make new year's resolutions now. And most of those people will not stick with them any longer than next month.

Just how are you supposed to go about making resolutions and then making sure you achieve them?

Here are some quick tips, just from the top of my head.

1. Make realistic resolutions. Don't over-reach your abilities. Yes, you might be able to get your book published this year, but if you haven't even started it, then aiming to have it published by March is unrealistic. However, deciding that you want to have three short stories entered into competitions by March is a more realisitic goal.

2. Resolve to WORK towards your goals. You will never reach any of your resolutions if you are not willing to put in the effort and take the steps needed to attain them.

3. Believe in yourself. It is very important that you believe in your ability to reach your goals. Without that belief and confidence, you run the risk of sabatoging your own efforts.

4. Surround yourself with people who support you and believe in your goals. There is nothing more helpful than supportive friends and family who believe in you. The last thing you need if you are trying to become a published author is to have the people around you acting like you spend too much time writing or telling you that you are wasting your time.

5. Reward yourself for every step closer you get to achieving you goals. It is easy, on a long journey, to lose sight of how far you have come and to instead keep dwelling on how far you have left to go. Try to focus on what you have already achieved and how it brings you closer to your ultimate goal.

6. Write it down. Don't just write down your resolutions, but write down each step you need to take to get there. Reference this note whenever you feel tempted to slack in your efforts. Writing your ideas down has an effect on your subconscious. Also, keep a journal of your thoughts during this time. Sometimes fresh ideas can be sparked through journal writing.

NaNoWriMo 2010 WINNER!!!!

2010-11-27T16:00:00.000-08:00

I did it! For the second year in a row, I have completed NaNoWriMo, and ahead of schedule! I will still see how much more writing I can complete between now and the 30th, but it feels great to have already reached the 50,000 word count requirement to win!

As of today, I am officially at 50,030 words written of my novel. I wrote more today than during any other day this month. Today, I wrote 6,316 words!

Even though I won this last year too, I found this year that there was still more to learn from this process.

The bnovel I was writing last year, Through the Veil, was set aside after National Novel Writing Month ended, and I haven't written any more of it or edited it since then. I started a new novel for this year's efforts. I struggled more with this one. Don't get me wrong; I still managed to get the word count. But I feel as though last year's novel flowed more easily from me, and I enjoyed writing it more.

I think, when I go back to edit, there will be a lot about last year's novel that I will keep, and the editing I do will be more the type to keep it consistent with how the characters behave according to their natures and filling in some blanks. There were things I foreshadowed or left clues about that never came to be later in the novel, so I will need to go back and take a look at all of that.

There will be very little, except for the story idea, the characters and the plot, that I keep from this year's novel, Dream Walker. The writing will mostly have to be completely rewritten. But that's okay. Before I started this one, I didn't have a plot. I didn't have any characters but the main one, and even she didn't have name. So writing this novel for this year's NaNoWriMo has given me the outline and the bones of a story to work on later. It's much more than I began with. (The irony is that this one is actually intended to be the second in a series.)

I hope all of my friends who are participating in NaNoWriMo this month, whether they are reaching 50,000 words or not, are learning something from it, either about the process and their capabilities, or about the novels themselves.

NaNoWriMo Swindon Meet-up

2010-11-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

Amelia, Wendy and Victoria showed up at the NaNoWriMo Swindon meet-up and it was great to meet them! Wendy had her adorable grandson with her and he was very well-behaved.

It was fun chatting with others who are attempting to write 50,000 words this month. We found that we are all going through a lot of the same problems and processes as we try and keep our writing going. Wendy is much more organized than me and has the general plot for her story already worked out, while I am working it out as I go along.

I will enjoy keeping in touch with them and finding out how they are doing as the rest of the month progresses.

Week 2 NaNoWriMo Stats - Starting To Fall Behind

2010-11-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

On the 12th of November, my word count was at ‎24,021 words. I had made every attempt to be ahead of schedule due to a very busy weekedn over the 13th and 14th.

On the 14th, I was still at the same word count.

And now I am falling behind. I am behind by a few thousand words. I will try and get closer to being on schedule today, a bit closer to schedule tomorrow, and then, hopefully, I will catch up completely over the weekend.

It's hard because I feel as though I am running out of steam. I did not encounter this feeling back when I write for NaNoWriMo in 2009. But I am determined, and I will write my way out of this.

One Week In - NaNoWriMo Stats!

2010-11-07T16:18:00.001-08:00

Here we are now, reaching our first week of NaNoWriMo writing. How is everyone doing? Are you reaching the goals you had hoped to reach by today? Are you learning anything new about yourself and your writing through this process of writing for quantity instead of quality?

I have written 14,018 words so far. I was hoping to reach 15,003 words by now, but I'm not quite there. I need to be at least two days of writing ahead because I will be at Slimming World's Woman Of The Year 2010 Ball during this coming weekend, which means that I won't be getting much writing done on Saturday or Sunday.

Mondays are difficult for me to get much writing done as well, but I will have to see what I can do tomorrow.

How are you doing?

Six Weeks & Counting!

2010-09-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

National Novel Writing Month is just a little over six weeks away. I managed to succeed at writing my 50,000 words last November, which was my first year joining in with the NanoWriMo fun.

I must admit though that I have not finished the novel I started back then. I've reached about 60,000 words on it, but I need about 30,000 more before it is complete, and then I will have the grueling task of editing it.

I would at least like to have the first stage of writing complete on it before starting a new novel for NaNoWriMo. I know which of my novel ideas I am going to write this time, but I hate the idea of starting a new one while the old one stands incomplete.

This, of course, means I have my work cut out for me over the next six weeks. I suppose, since I managed to write 50,000+ words in one month last November, I should be able to write 30,000 words in six weeks now.

Some people write a story for NaNoWriMo that they have no intention of ever publishing. I am not one of those people. I am using National Novel Writing Month as a sort of motivator to get me off of my procrastinating bottom and get me writing. My finished work may not be publishable at the end of writing it, but that's what rewrites are for. I fully intend to edit what I have written and make it shine.

When I write, the characters go in directions I don't start out seeing for them and my plot takes on more form than the one it begins with. I start with just a summary of what I want for the story, ideas and a vague plot structure. But as I write, the plot takes shape, the characters gain voice and it all starts to come together.

So I need NaNoWriMo because it forces me to write. I hope someday to have less distractions in my life and to be able to sit and write without the push of something behind the urge such as NaNoWriMo, but for now, it serves a much-needed purpose for me.

Use It Or Lose It

2010-08-20T02:23:00.000-07:00

I am a blogging addict. I admit it. I have upwards of 18 blogs. Some of them I write for more often than others, but it's still a lot of blogs to maintain.

I don't write here as frequently as I like, but it doesn't mean I am not writing. I am either writing for my other blogs or I am writing on other projects, such as my novel. I also write as the Fitness Walking Writer for the Examiner and I have an article on family fitness that will be published at Beverly Hills Child Magazine in September.

I don't make a lot of money for writing for these places, so why do I take the time to do it? The answer is easy; I do it because it's practice. Even though my novels and my children's stories are fiction, so a different type of writing than the writing I do for my blogs and other places, I still get a ghreat deal of practice in my writing by writing for these different subjects.

Before starting my blogs, I went for many years without writing much of anything. And when I finally started writing again, I found it incredibly difficult to get started again. I had gone too long without practice, without using my creative mind to do what it is meant to do - CREATE!

Writing for my blogs keeps my mind on writing. It keeps me thinking up ideas. I need to come up with fresh content to write about and I have to do it regularly in order to satisfy my readers. And because of this, the ideas just flow from me. I'm thinking up new writing content ideas while walking the dog. New ideas come to me while I'm making lunch for the kids. Ideas come to me while I sleep or when I'm in the middle of a conversation with my three year old. (Three year olds are GREAT for inspiration.) Ideas come to me at random times and more often than they did when I wasn't writing and had let my writing voice atrophy from disuse.

It's similar to physical exercise. If you haven't done any physical exercise in a long time and then decide you need to get in shape, at first your muscles are stiff and unwieldy. They don't move gracefully and easily in the exercise movements, and when you are done with the exercise, your muscles are sore and achey. It takes a while for your body and your muscles to loosen up and to take to the exercise more easily and with less suffering. And then, eventually as you continue to exercise, your body becomes so used to it that you start having to challenge yourself with different and more challenging exercises in order to get the same results.

By using my creative thought processes and my imagination regularly, I keep my mind in good shape for when I really need it for writing my novels. By using my mind, I keep it sharp. By writing often, I keep my ability to do so fresh. Practice makes perfect, but I'm not even looking for perfection. I'm just making sure that I've found my voice and and am keeping it ready for when I need it.

Is it sometimes a chore to have to crank out an article for one of my blogs or for another project when I feel less than inspired? You bet! But is it worth the trouble? Definitely!

The Summer Funk

2010-08-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

My kids are home from school for the Summer. I love my children. They are beautiful and creative. They are full of energy and exhuberance for life. They are sweet, funny and loving. They are also noisy, demanding and distracting.

I am finding it difficult to concentrate on any of my writing, whether for my blogs or for my children's stories or for my novels. And I miss writing. The thought that it will be another 4 weeks before the kids are back in school and I can find the time to write again is not a pleasant one.

So I have decided on a plan. That plan involves me fighting past any and every procrastination technique I ever use in order to get as much writing done in the evenings as I possibly can. That plan involves me making sure that my daily chores are done before my children go to bed at night so that I have that time to write in relative peace and quiet. That plan involves me deliberately setting aside a specific amount of time and time of the evening just to write.

I will get out of this Summer writing funk.

Drawing - First Attempt - Fairy

2010-06-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to try and teach myself how to draw, so that I can illustrate the children's stories that I have written. I also said that I would be sharing my drawings here as I attempted them.

Today's attempt:

My 7 year old daughter draws better than this! I have no concept of how to shade the drawing, so I didn't even attempt that yet. I'm not sure I succeeded in making the fairy look as though she is sitting with her knees pulled up in front of her. She is much more simplified than I intended her to be (as is the tiny dragon in the picture). I made her smaller on the toadstool than I meant to, so I didn't have a lot of room to really draw her face properly. I did not get the proportions correct. The list of my failures in this attempt at drawing could go on and on, but at least you can tell my fairy is a fairy.

And I will improve.

Illustrations

2010-05-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

Three of the stories I have written are for very young children. Those stories need illustrations. At first, I thought I would be able to get my husband to illustrate the stories for me, as he is very gifted at drawing and at creating computer graphics. However, having him illustrate the stories for me has not worked out.

Now I have two choices. I can either pay someone else to illustrate my children's stories, or I can illustrate them myself. I may, in the end, have to resort to having an artist illustrate my stories for me, but first, I am going to try and illustrate them myself.

There is one problem with this plan. I am not very good at drawing. In fact, I am so terribly awful at drawing that it would be fair to say that my drawing resembles what it's meant to be as much as a bee resembles a dog, which is to say, not at all.

So what am I to do? Should I just give up? Maybe. But not without trying first. Children's illustrations do not need to be complicated. Simple but cute drawings can sometimes be just as enchanting to a child's eyes as more complicated and elaborate artwork. I just need to do a little learning (I hope).

I am going to spend a little bit of time each week attempting to draw. And I will share those drawings here. Hopefully, each drawing will be an improvement over the last. And hopefully, those of you reading this will give me honest (but not cruel) opinions on my progress.

I recently read an article that stated that, because drawing uses a different part of our brain than writing, even if we are not very good at it, the act of drawing helps to stimulate our creativity. Maybe doing a little drawing will help inspire me to write a bit more of my novel, as well as hopefully giving me some illustrations to use for my children's stories.

It's never a bad thing to learn new skills. And, no matter what happens with these attempts, it's never a bad thing to try something new.

Back To Writing

2010-05-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

My story's characters are getting to be really annoying. They keep nagging me to get back to writing about them. You see, I've taken a little bit of time off from writing my story in order to work on some other projects, and now all I seem to be able to think about is my story and how much I need to write the next chapter.

New ideas keep coming to me for the storyline, and my characters are getting antsy to live out the rest of their story. So they are nagging me. They are calling to me. I take my dog for a walk in the park and he starts barking at what appears to be nothing, and I immediately (in my head) start placing a similar situation in my story to introduce one of the new villains. I watch my daughter playing with another young kid who starts getting a little rough with her, and, as I watch her put him in his place with skill and confidence, I picture one of my characters behaving in a like manner. No matter how hard I try to set aside my story, the characters in it won't let me leave it. They're even invading my dreams at night!

So enough time has passed now, and I know I need to get back to the story. My other projects can be set aside for a bit and now my story will get my attention again (even though it never lost my attention, just my actual writing of it).

So what makes you keep writing your book? What is it that keeps you from setting it aside and getting on with the rest of life?

Having The Courage To Dream

2010-05-06T04:29:00.000-07:00

(also posted at Skinny Dreaming because the content is relevant to all types of dreams)

Empowerment

What does the word mean to you? I’m not asking about anything related to electricity or turning your washing machine on. In regards to you as a person, what does the word empowerment mean to you? Do you feel empowered? Or do you feel weak and helpless?

The reason I am asking this is because so many of my friends seem to be embracing the idea of being powerless about making changes in their lives. They have dreams, but they feel as though everything is against them achieving those dreams and that they have no say in whether or not they can make those dreams a reality.

I hear from them, over and over again, phrases such as, “I wish...”, “I can’t...”, and “If only...” I never hear positive phrases such as “I will...”, “I can...”, and “I am...” But in speaking in the negative tones that they speak in, they are, in fact, ignoring any power they have over their own situation. In not even considering the chance that they can do something to change things, they are making themselves helpless. But they don’t have to be helpless, and neither do you.

What is it you want from life? Is it to lose weight and get fit and healthy? Is it to write the next blockbuster novel? Are you unhappy in your current career and want to change it? Do you want to earn a better income or take a trip across the world? Nothing is out of your reach! What do you dream about doing? Tell yourself that you are going to do it!
Wouldn’t it be great to empower yourself? Wouldn’t it be great to feel strong and capable and in control of where your life is heading? Wouldn’t it be great not just to have the courage to dream but to have the courage to grab for those dreams too? The only things that stand in the way of your dreams becoming a reality are the limits you place on yourself. And you can remove those limits with nothing more than a thought!

The first step is to have the courage to dream. Make a list of the things that you really want in life. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Write it down! Have you always wanted to take a vacation in Ireland or Hawaii? Have you always wanted to own your own house? Do you want to lose weight or build up muscle? Are you a banker but always dreamed of being a teacher? Write it down!

The second step is to believe that you are capable of achieving that dream. Sounds simple, right? The good news is that it really is that simple. Believe in yourself. Believe in your abilities. Tell yourself you are strong, capable and even fearless if the need arises. You can do this. You will do this. You will make your dreams come true. Get rid of that negative little voice in your head that whispers to you that you can’t do it, you’re not strong enough, it’s too hard and all of the other negative words. Just ignore it. You know, deep down, that you can achieve your dreams, so follow that deeper inner voice and believe in yourself.

The third and final step is to decide what steps you need to do to achieve your dreams and then take those steps. If you’re dreaming of becoming a novelist, then you need to start writing. You need to set aside time every day to write. Maybe you need to fine tune some of your writing skills so taking a class would help. If you’re dreaming of being a teacher, then you need to get the requisite training and degrees, even if it means taking classes after work while you continue your current job. If you dream of taking a trip to Europe, then you need to find out what it will cost you and start setting aside money from each paycheck. If you dream of owning your own house, then you need to clear your debts, clean up your credit history and save up the deposit. If you want to lose weight, then you need to find out what diet and exercise plan will work for you and you need to start doing it. Fit in exercise every day. Eat less junk and more healthy food. For whatever your dream is, you need to start working in the direction of making that dream a reality. Stop defeating yourself with negative thoughts and empower yourself, not just with positive thinking but with your actions.

You might be asking yourself why I care whether or not you reach for your dreams. I care because I used to feel powerless. I used to feel like all of my dreams were just out of my reach and that there was nothing I could do about it. I used to feel as though I wasn’t strong enough or good enough or capable enough to make my dreams a reality. But all along, I was deceiving myself into inaction. And I don't want anyone else to go through that, to live through feeling helpless when there is no need for them to feel that way.

When I finally started to take charge of my own inner voices, when I started to tell myself that I could achieve my dreams and when I started taking the steps that were necessary to get to my goals, I began to empower myself. And one of those dreams has already come true as a result. And now that I know that anything is possible, that I am capable of making my dreams come true, look out World!

Do You Journal?

2010-02-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Do you keep a journal? I used to, but I haven't written in any sort of personal journal in a really long time, unless you count my many blogs, but my blogs are public and others can read them, so I cannot be as open in them as I used to be in my private journal.

It was really carthartic for me, whenever something was troubling me, to write in my journal. In my journal, which was for my eyes only, I could vent at people who made me angry, think through problems that needed to be addressed, brainstorm ideas (no matter how silly), make to-do lists and write about the things that made me happy.

If you journal, do you find it helps you? Does it make you a better writer in other ways? Does getting all of your random thoughts and feelings written down in your journal free you up to write more eloquently with your more creative endeavors?

10 Ways To Inspire Your Child To Write

2010-02-07T07:39:00.000-08:00

1. Read to your child or make sure he or she spends time reading every day. Not only does reading help her get used to using her imagination, but it also improves her vocabulary by introducing her to new words.

2. Tell your child made-up stories. Seeing you using your imagination to come up with interesting stories for him helps inspire him to do the same.

3. Play story-telling games with your child. Start by saying one line of a story, and have the next person continue the story by coming up with the second line, and the third person has to come up with the third line. If this proves too difficult, each person can come up with a paragraph instead of a line each. This is a great way to stimulate your child’s creativity and get her thinking about the things that make up a good story.

4. Have your child and some of his or her friends write poems and make it a contest. Make sure they don’t put their names on the poems, and then collect the poems into a pile. Read the poems out loud, one by one, and tell them all they can vote for one poem, other than their own, that they thought was the best one. Then tabulate the votes and the winner gets a treat, like a candy bar, a sticker or a new notebook (depending on what you can afford to give and how old your child is). Do this once a week, at the same time each week, because knowing that it is coming up will have them all thinking about their poem throughout the week.

5. Get your child a library card. As in the first point above, reading is important for your child if she is going to develop the ability to write. Reading a variety of stories and books, as a library card will allow, will help her to become familiar with different writing voices and styles.

6. Self-publish his stories and drawings so that he can hold a physical book of his own creation in his hands. This can be done through places like Amazon’s CreateSpace, Lulu.com and Blurb, Inc. Or you can create the book by hand using your printer and the right materials. If you are completely lost on how to create the book, use a service such as Your Kids’ Creations. Having a physical book of his own words and drawings that he can hold, read and share with others inspires a confidence in his own writing that is hard to capture in other ways. This confidence will inspire him to write more.

7. Do some writing yourself. Seeing a parent take writing seriously and spend time writing emphasizes the importance of writing in a child’s mind. It’s a case of leading by example.

8. Have your child write and illustrate a poem. This helps show your child the connection between the beauty in words and the beauty in the world around her. It helps to make the connection that you are painting a picture with words when writing. As an extra step, you can even put her masterpiece on a mug, poster or magnet at Zazzle.com for her to keep as a physical reminder that she can create beauty with her writing, or just to show her how proud you are of her work.

9. Help your child create a newsletter. Let him take pictures of his friends or other things with a digital camera, or provide him with pictures if a digital camera is not available, and he can write stories about sports he loves, games he plays with his friends, or just interesting news about his friends and family that he’d like to share. Help him put it all together in a newsletter format. Print up several copies and he can hand them out to his friends and family members. He can even let his friends participate in the newsletter by contributing stories to it.

10. Let your child have his or her own blog or use other social media outlets. With the proper supervision, writing for her own blog or keeping in touch with her friends through other social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook can really help inspire your child to reach for even greater creativity. Using a blog source such as Blogger.com makes it easy for her to choose a template and set up her own blog (though, depending on her age, she might need your help), and you can set it to not allow comments or to only allow comments after they’ve been moderated by you. She can share her writing of stories and poetry as well as her drawings and even simple journal entries in her blog. The blog can be set to private or public and you can monitor it to the extent that you think is necessary. Facebook and Twitter accounts can also be set to private and you can only allow them to authorize friends you know, but this frees them to chat freely and be creative with their friends.

There are many ways to inspire creativity and a love for writing in your child. Even as simple a thing as writing a letter to his or her grandparents can help bring out the creative writer in your child. It’s up to you to encourage your children and to lead by example in their lives. If you put importance on writing in your life, your child will see it as important too.

Struggling To Keep The Dream Alive

2010-01-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

I am determined to finish my novel this year. But despite my determination, I have not continued to write since NaNowriMo back in November. Even my writing in this blog has fallen by the wayside.

I've let other concerns take precedence. I've let my family's needs take over, and, as many of my children are still small, this has to happen for now. But I've also let other things get in my way. My dedication to taking the steps towards my writing goals has waned.

Maybe what I need is to make a schedule. Then I can care for my family and spend time with them, get the housework done, fit in my daily exercise, and still spend time writing.

Whatever it is I need to do to start writing again, I need to just get on with it. One of the designs in my shop states, "Just Write," and I need to listen to that advice. I need to just get on with it.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated and working towards your dreams?

Happy Once-In-A-Blue-Moon New Year!

2010-01-02T15:58:00.000-08:00

This New Year's Eve had a blue moon. A blue moon only happens once every 2.75 years, but a blue moon falling on a New Year's Eve only happens once every 19 years. Even more unique, a blue moon only falls on a New Year's Eve at the turn of a decade once ever 410 years or so! So last night's blue moon was a once in a lifetime event!

I'd like to think that it means we are all going to have a wonderful year in 2010!

This year is the year to believe in your dreams and to work towards making them a reality. Don't just write down your goals for the year; write down the steps you need to take to reach those goals and then take them!

Have an "impossible" dream? This Blue Moon Year is the year to go for it!

What Have You Done Since NaNoWriMo?

2009-12-17T03:26:00.000-08:00

Have you finished your NaNoWriMo novel yet? Have you started editing its content yet? Have you done any writing on other projects?

Or have you, like me, started working on other, non-writing, projects that were neglected while you feverishly wrote during NaNoWriMo?

I have had the best intentions. Although I surpassed the National Novel Writing Month challenge of 50,000 words, my novel was far from finished. I was so thrilled with how the story was going and so involved with the characters that I just knew I would keep writing, if less than the 1,667 words a day required for National Novel Writing Month.

But I was wrong. I had so many othe projects that I had set on the backburner while I wrote for National Novel Writing Month that I still haven't caught up with them, and as a result, my novel writing has fallen way behind where I would have liked to have been with it by now.

I am still thinking about my novel, and I am still excited about it. And I will definitely start writing again after the Christmas craziness has subsided.

NaNoWriMo FINISH!

2009-12-01T04:57:00.000-08:00

Okay everyone! The totals are in! How did you do for NaNoWriMo?

Here is the status update for the finish of NaNoWriMo.

moonduster: 51,822/50,000
MrsEvilGenius: 51,718/50,000
BodogSivana: 50,020/50,000
lyricalb: 31,254/50,000
Ghostlove: 0/50,000
tangledeutopia: 0/50,000
Kryptique: 0/50,000
wheezeybouncer: 0/50,000

These are some pretty good totals! NaNoWriMo is reporting that they have made a 19% win rate this year, which is a record for them. We managed a 37.5% win rate all by ourselves! And we almost had a 50% win rate! With three people making it to 50,000 and one person making it more than half-way there, I think we all did brilliantly!!!!

Congratulations to NaNoWriMo winners and everyone who participated!

Yes, some of you will have some small prizes sent to you, but not until January because I'm broke right now. Oh, and I need you to e-mail me your mailing address if I don't already have it. As long as you participated (i.e. had some sort of word count total uploaded to NaNoWriMo and joined us on this blog), you will get something in the mail.

We even had some NaNoWriMo Young Writer's Program winners!

AmericanWriterGirl: 11,752/10,000
WritingSpider: 3,605/3,000 words
gabbykitten: 610/1,000 words
tinkerbella: 293/1,000 words

Please take a moment to tell these kids in the comments section what a great achievement they have managed to accomplish! AmericanWriterGirl is 15 years old, WritingSpider is 7 years old, gabbykitten is 7 years old, and tinkerbella is 4 years old.

Anyone want to share something they've learned from participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Hit us up in the comments!

NaNoWriMo Status Update - Week 4

2009-11-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

This is week four of National Novel Writing Month.

How do you think you're doing for National Novel Writing Month?

Here is the status update for our fourth week of NaNoWriMo.

moonduster: 50,011/50,000
MrsEvilGenius: 47,663/50,000
BodogSivana: 43,338/50,000
lyricalb: 31,254/50,000
Ghostlove: 0/50,000
tangledeutopia: 0/50,000
Kryptique: 0/50,000
wheezeybouncer: 0/50,000

I know some of you are writing but haven't uploaded your word counts yet. If you get them in quickly enough, I'll come in and edit your numbers here.

TWO DAYS LEFT! Hurry up and get that writing done!

I'm so excited! This is my first year doing NaNoWriMo, and I've won! I already reached 50,000 words TWO DAYS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE!!!! WOOHOO!!!

I am so happy that I committed myself to doing this and I did it! Some days, I really didn't feel like writing, especially because the only time I could find to write was after the kids were in bed, and by then I was tired and just wanted to sit on the computer and play or watch tv. I really didn't want to have to think.

But I've really enjoyed this! My story has taken me in directions I never expected to go, and my characters have grown and changed over the course of writing this novel.

50,011 words is not my complete novel by a long shot. There is still a lot that needs to happen in my characters' lives before my novel is complete. And it's going to take me quite some time to edit my novel and make it presentable. But I have come so much further with it than I ever have before! It's really a great feeling!

Been Writing

2009-11-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted much here this month. I've been busy writing my novel for NaNoWriMo. Monday is the final day to get the 50,000 words verified, and I am now at 45,083 words. Almost there!

NaNoWriMo Status Update - Week 3

2009-11-21T15:12:00.000-08:00

This is week three of National Novel Writing Month.

How do you think you're doing for National Novel Writing Month?

Here is the status update for our third week of NaNoWriMo.

moonduster: 38,011/50,000
MrsEvilGenius: 31,827/50,000
lyricalb: 31,254/50,000
BodogSivana: 18,713/50,000
Ghostlove: 0/50,000
tangledeutopia: 0/50,000
Kryptique: 0/50,000
wheezeybouncer: 0/50,000

I know some of you are writing but haven't uploaded your word counts yet. If you get them in quickly enough, I'll come in and edit your numbers here.

I'm so excited! This is my first year doing NaNoWriMo, and I'm actually heading into the fourth and final week ahead of schedule! I might actually succeed at this!

NaNoWriMo Status Update - Week 2

2009-11-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

This is week two of National Novel Writing Month. I meant to update our word count numbers yesterday, but I'm a day late.

How do you think you're doing for National Novel Writing Month?

Here is the status update for our second week of NaNoWriMo.

moonduster: 27,013/50,000
MrsEvilGenius: 21,279/50,000
lyricalb: 20,070/50,000
BodogSivana: 17,993/50,000
Ghostlove: 0/50,000
tangledeutopia: 0/50,000
Kryptique: 0/50,000
wheezeybouncer: 0/50,000

I know some of you are writing but haven't uploaded your word counts yet. If you get them in quickly enough, I'll come in and edit your numbers here.

NaNoWriMo - Week 1 - What I've Learned So Far

2009-11-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

This is my first year joining NaNoWriMo. In just the first week, I've already learned quite a few things!

1 - I can write more than I thought. I didn't think I would be able to manage the time necessary to write 1,667 words a day, but on most days so far, I've written even more than that.

2 - If I want to do something, I have to make it a priority in my life. After years of "wanting" to write but saying that I couldn't find the time, I am finally writing! All it took was for me to decide that I was going to spend a certain amount of time writing every day and then sticking to it.

3 - I can write well. I often lack confidence in my writing, and I have let that lack of confidence hold me back for a long time now. But in reading over what I've written so far, I can see that I do have a bit of a gift. Don't get me wrong; most of what I've written is rubbish. But there are enough gems of writing there to make the story workable if I decide to go back and edit it later. And the story itself is interesting and captivating.

4 - If I stop making excuses, I get more done. Before NaNoWriMo,I was always making excuses for not writing. The thing about NaNoWriMo is that there are no excuses. Either I finish it or I don't. And without the excuses, I'm getting a lot of writing done.

5 - Competition is a great motivator. This is true even if the competition is only with myself. But it's even better when I'm competing against others. I have a buddy list at NaNoWriMo, and while I want everyone on my list to succeed and I am ever-so-happy when they achieve their targeted word counts, I find myself checking their total word counts to see how I am faring against them. If they are ahead, it gives me a little push to write more.

So let's hear it. What have you learned from National Novel Writing Month so far?

NaNoWriMo Status Update - Week 1

2009-11-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

Well, the first week of NaNoWriMo has come and gone. Those of us who are participating have probably learned a bit and expanded our story ideas since beginning this writing journey. (I know I have!)

How do you think you're doing for National Novel Writing Month?

Here is the status update for our first week of NaNoWriMo.

moonduster: 13,141/50,000
MrsEvilGenius: 11,010/50,000
BodogSivana: 6,200/50,000
lyricalb: 0/50,000
Ghostlove: 0/50,000
tangledeutopia: 0/50,000
Kryptique: 0/50,000
wheezeybouncer: 0/50,000

Now, I happen to know that some of those above who are tallied at zero words so far have actually been writing, so I'm assuming they just haven't updated their word count at NaNoWriMo yet. I will update their numbers here when they do (and I'll re-tally these numbers later tonight anyway), and next week we will have a new tally to see how we are all doing for the second week.

If you'd like to join us for next week's progress report, just comment below with your NaNoWriMo user name. I'll add you to my buddy list there.

If my finances allow, there may even be prizes awarded to some after the final tally on December 1st!

First Day of NaNoWriMo!

2009-11-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

50,000 words in 30 days means I have to write about 1,667 words a day. I have accomplished 1,788 words today! Yay me!

I honestly wasn't sure I could do it, but I am so pleased that I did! And it's shown me that I CAN do this! Yes, what I've written so far is probably rubbish. But it's written.

And it's more writing than I've done on my novels in a long time.

How are you doing on Day 1?

National Novel Writing Month Begins!

2009-11-01T02:17:00.000-08:00

NaNoWriMo starts today!

I have eight of you added as "My Buddy's" at NaNoWriMo so far.
tangledeutopia
skeeterfish
lyricalb
Ghostlove
wheezeybouncer
Kryptique
MrsEvilGenius
BodogSivana

As we go along, I will post a weekly tally of our efforts at writing our novels.

Goodluck everyone!

Ready For NaNowriMo?

2009-10-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

National Novel Writing Month begins the day after tomorrow. Are you ready for NaNoWriMo? Have you signed up to join me in my quest to complete it?

This will be my first year joining NaNoWriMo, and I'm excited about it! I have no idea if I'll be able to complete that much writing in 30 days, but I'm looking forward to trying!

What about you? Are you ready to give it your best shot?

Finding Time To Write

2009-09-25T02:57:00.000-07:00

Quit looking for time to write. Just pick up your laptop (or notebook) or sit at your desk and START!

Here's what happened when my husband Robert tried to plan time to write. Our 3 year old daughter wanted to play in the bath. He got the bath ready for her and then brought the laptop with him to type whle she bathed and still be able to keep an eye on her safety.

Our 6 year old daughter realized a bath was being had and quickly joined her sister. Fighting, playing and splashing ensued. Robert got no actual writing done and instead had to cut their bath short and get them ready for bed.

He read them their bedtime story and then opened up the laptop again. He made a crucial mistake; he was on the bed when he opened the laptop. A while later, when I brought a coffee up to him, I found him fast asleep. No writing had been done during the two hours he'd spent upstairs.

I know that finding time to write when you have family and other obligations can be really difficult. But don't we all owe it to ourselves to try? (At least Robert TRIED!)

National Novel Writing Month

2009-09-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo begins on November 1st. In the spirit of my new theme for this year, and my more recent post about getting rid of the chains I place on myself, I have decided to sign up for it.

NaNoWriMo is about writing. There is no real prize at the end of it other than your own sense of accomplishment. You are supposed to start writing on the 1st of November, and by the end of the month, hopefully in time to submit your pages, you will have 175 pages written. You don't need to edit your pages. You don't even need to make sure your writing is GOOD. You just have to write. It's about the quantity of your writing, not the quality of your writing.

I think this is ideal for me because I never seem to finish any of my novels. Not one. I'm always so worried that my writing will be rubbish that I don't even start, let alone finish. But NaNoWriMo takes that fear away. My writing will be rubbish. And that's okay. I just have to get the writing done.

With 30 days in November, I will need to write about 6 pages a day (5.8 pages) for each day in the month of November.

So who is brave enough to sign up to do this with me? Just go here and sign up. Then post a comment below and let me know what your user name is at NaNoWriMo. In November, I will post a weekly tally of everyone's progress.

So, who's brave enough to take the NaNoWriMo challenge?

Unbound

2009-09-15T02:40:00.000-07:00

I posted this in my weight loss blog, but it is also appropriate to writing so I decided to post it here to.
------------------------------------

Lyn over at Escape From Obesity recently wrote these words,

"It is in our power to conceive and generate the life we want."

What an amazing quote! It is so true and it speaks to the heart of so many things, including but not limited to weight loss and fitness.

Recently, I've heard so many people complain about wanting to lose weight but not being able to find the motivation. I just want to say to them, "The only thing getting in your way is you!" but I hold my tongue lest I offend. Why does everyone think they have to wait for this elusive motivation?

When I started this weight loss journey, it was because I knew I was not living the life I wanted. I was unhealthy and unhappy with my weight, and I knew that it was in my power to change it. So I did. Seriously. We all have the power to live our dreams. All we have to do is start stepping towards them.

Lyn also wrote,

"I am not chained to THIS life. You are not chained to yours."

Again, this is so true and such a simple concept that people seem to often forget. We have CHOICES, and it is our choices that lead us either in the direction we want or further away from what we want.

And this is true in every area of our lives. For instance, I keep making up excuses for not writing my stories. Sometimes, I blame my fear of failure. (What if my writing isn't good enough?) Sometimes, I blame my family. (It's never quiet enough to write,and the kids need my attention too much.) Sometimes I just blame my state of mind. (I'm too tired to write.) And sometimes I even blame my own personality.(I've always had a problem with procrastination. It's just who I am.)

But the truth is that I am not happy with this state of affairs. I have always wanted to be a writer, to work towards publication, to take the stories I have in my head and get them out there for the world to read. The only shackles keeping me from doing this are of my own making. The phrase I want to say to others who complain about lack of motivation also applies to me. The only person getting in my way is me!

So no more chains. The chains keeping me from living my dreams are completely of my own making, so it is up to me to remove the chains. And I'm going to, even if I have to do it one link at a time.

The one thing I have learned from losing over 100 pounds is that I am capable of achieving anything and everything.

I can make my dreams a reality, and I will. What about you?

Creating Worlds & A Writer’s Procrastination

2009-08-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

Every story you write is a new world, a new reality created for others to share. But what happens when those worlds are only imaginings of your mind and never make the move from your mind to the paper? Doesn’t this mean that entire realities will never see the light of day? Whole worlds will never be viewed by anyone but you?
What will it take to get you to sit down and do the work of writing down the stories that live inside you? Imagine, for a moment, that each of these stories is a world, or a reality, that does not, as yet, exist. All of the characters, animals, places and things that you manage to get down on paper will suddenly be given life, a life lived in the pages of your story.
Would you deny them their existence?

50 Reasons No One Wants To Publish Your First Book

2009-03-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

50 Reasons No One Wants To Publish Your First Book

This list had me laughing! If you want to look at the funnier side of the publishing business, I recommend reading this.

Having The Confidence To Write

2009-03-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

I found this article on copyblogger.com called "How To Write With Confidence."

This article struck a cord with me because I often neglect my writing through fear of failure. I will read some really great writing by another author and think, I could never write like that! Or I will read something I wrote earlier and think, That's awful! I'm a terrible writer! I let these thoughts of not being good enough keep me from trying, keep me from writing.

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. Back then, in those childhood days, it was a dream I knew I would someday achieve. I believed in the dream and in myself with the innocent confidence that only children seem to possess. And because of this confidence, I wrote story after story after story. I was only a child and because of this, those stories were not very good. But at least I was writing them!

Somewhere along this road I've traveled called Life, I have lost the confidence to write. I've lost confidence in myself and in my ability to tell stories. I need to remember that it's okay for a lot of my writing to not be perfect. It's normal to write a lot of so-so text before getting to greatness. Mixed in with all the sand, there will be a few pearls. And once I find the pearls, I need to build on them and let them grow. But I'll never even find the pearls if I don't start writing.

Query Fail

2009-03-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Chico Writer's Group took a bunch of tweets posted by agents and editors about what makes a query fail and put them together in one blog post. The post is full of useful tips, and in places it even made me laugh out loud.

Goals & Inspiration

2009-02-28T23:25:00.000-08:00

Feeling in a slump with you writing? Can't find the motivation to pick up your pen? I found this quote recently, and I think it helps with motivation.

There is a way to reach the goal. You just have to decide you’re going to do it.
There are challenges, to be sure. Yet you’ve overcome challenges before and you can do it again.
Decide to do it, and make the commitment. Take the necessary actions, over and over again.
If you realize your approach isn’t working, adjust it and improve it until you begin to make some progress. Then be grateful for what you’ve learned, and use it to move more quickly ahead.
Be sure to choose a goal that is truly yours. Making the goal meaningful is what makes it reachable.
Creating anything of value takes a lot of good, hard, solid work. Enjoy the journey and delight in reaching the destination.
— Ralph Marston

Just believe that you can do this! There is nothing stopping you from writing your novel, children's book or other type of story, except for YOU! Let's stop getting in our own way and get to work!

Blogging and the Writer

2009-02-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

One thing writers need to do is write. It doesn't always matter what a writer writes so much as that they continue to write. Even just writing in a journal not meant for anyone else to see helps to keep a writer's creative juices flowing and his or her mind in the right place for serious writing.

Blogging is a terrific tool for keeping up with writing and keeping a writer's mind sharp and focused on writing. Blogging is journaling for others to read. You can blog about a variety of subjects and write about whatever sparks your fancy on any given day. Or you can choose to blog on a particular subject and choose a specific theme for your blog.

Another benefit to blogging is that, for some bloggers, a writer with a lot of followers can become noticed by publishers. Examples of this are diet bloggers Pasta Queen and Diet Girl who have both published books that came about through their blogs.

So start blogging!

National Children's Authors & Illustrators Week

2009-02-02T23:29:00.000-08:00

This first week in February is Children's Authors & Illustrators Week in America.

I have no idea what is supposed to be done for it though, so I propose that we all go out and buy a children's book by our favorite children's book author as a way of showing our appreciation for them.

Don't have any money? Then post who your favorite children's author or illustrator is in the comments below.

My favorite children's book is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle.

Websites For Hopeful Authors

2009-01-24T23:07:00.000-08:00

There's a new way for writers to get noticed and it's on-line and free. Random House's website Authonomy.com is a place where writers can post their writing, the whole book or just a few chapters, and as they get positive comments and constructive criticism from readers, their work can move up the list. The goal is to have your work become one of the top ten in its category. The publishing company Random House reviews the top ten each month.

This is not the only publishing company doing this. Penguin Books has set up Spinebreakers, a similar site geared towards teenagers. And the Arts Council in England has set up YouWriteOn.com.

The publishing world is opening up to wannabe authors.

Re: Twilight and Venting

2009-01-22T02:33:00.000-08:00

If you become successful enough as an author that your book gets made into a movie, and you decide to make a deal with a Print On Demand company so that fans can make Twilight Designs, and you set out guidelines for those designs, DO NOT CHANGE THE GUIDELINES LATER!

First off, those fans and designers have spent their time, effort and creativity on their designs and you have wasted their time by telling them they can't use apples in their designs AFTER they have already created images using apples and added them to their products and in their shops.

Second, these fans and designers have benefitted you by advertising your books and movies for you through THEIR EFFORTS and you are probably profitting from each of their sales as well, so when you hurt their businesses, you only hurt your own.

Third, you create good will amongst fans and designers by allowing them to design products using the subject of your books and movies. But you destroy that good will and good feeling by CHANGING THE RULES AFTER THE FACT and then going on later to CHANGE THEM AGAIN, each time taking more and more away from the same people who have been helping to advertise your stuff.

Twilight/Stephenie Meyers vent over.

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When my book is published (and it will be), if it ever becomes as popular as Twilight or Harry Potter, I will allow shopkeepers at print-on-demand companies such as Zazzle, Cafe Press and Printfection to design and sell stuff related to it, because it would be a win-win situation for them and for me. And once I set the guidelines for doing so, I absolutely will not change them later.

My Twilight designs
Note that the journals and calendars are being removed shortly by Cafe Press, because the guidelines have been changed, first to disallow our selling of journals and later to take away calendars too. Those weren't big sellers for me anyway, but I am annoyed about the sudden decision not to let us use apples in our images.

Not Doing As Well

2009-01-18T03:33:00.000-08:00

I missed my hour of novel-writing last week. I need to try and get in more than an hour this week to make up for it.

Robert is doing pretty good in keeping up with his commitment to write each week.

I also need to get to work putting my daughter Gabby's "Dreams Of Five" book together. I should have been done with it last November. Lately, she's been doing a lot of reading in her "Dreams Of Four" book. She's even choosing it for me to read to her and her younger sister Isabella before bedtime.

I Did It!

2009-01-13T03:54:00.000-08:00

I got past my awe-inspiring ability to procrastinate and spent an hour writing last week. I only wrote two pages, but that's two pages less I have left to write. And I am determined to do the same this week as well.

Update On My Writing

2009-01-07T02:09:00.000-08:00

Remember my post about committing to writing for at least an hour each week? Well, I have done 30 minutes this week so far and today is my last day of this first week to get the other 30 minutes done.

I don't count writing in my blogs as part of my time spent writing. If I did, I would have already surpassed my 60 minutes a week of writing.

One of my novels has taken a new twist (in my head), and I will have to write the idea I had for a new direction for it so that I don't forget.

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have made the commitment this year to each of us writing/working on our novels for at least one hour a week this year. We have seven children, a dog and a cat, and our time is largely taken up with caring for them. We have not been getting much writing done lately, so we have made this commitment to set aside a small amount of time every week.

Robert has already spent his hour writing this week. I have spent only thirty minutes writing and still have another thirty minutes to go.

How much time are you going to set aside for your writing endeavors this year?

Queen Of The Procrastinators!

2008-12-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

I am the queen of all procrastinators! All bow before my amazing ability to think about writing without ever actually doing any!

Actually, I haven't been writing here as much as I intended, but I have been writing elsewhere. I've been blogging about my new healthy lifestyle and how I've lost 65 pounds so far and am almost halfway to my goal weight. (That blog is at Skinny Dreaming.) And I've been blogging about my new baby and my other children at Giggles & Kisses.

And now I am having to write up the story of how I managed to lose 65 pounds while pregnant for our local newspaper. They love these kinds of stories for the new year. My husband is having to write up his story about his weight loss too.

My husband and I have made a pact about our writing. We have vowed to each spend at least one hour a week working on our novels. His is a time travel one. Both of the novels I am working on our fantasy/supernatural stories.

Dreaming Up Stories

2008-11-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

Ever had a dream that was so vivid and interesting that you knew you had to write it up into a story or novel? I've had two. So far, although I've written an outline for one of them and a brief synopsis for the other, I haven't really gotten started on them yet. But I know in my soul that they are meant to be written.

For other inspiration, like for my children stories, I only need to look to my children to find inspiration. What interests them? What wonderful adventure are they pretending to live today?

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Inspiring Gabby

2008-11-02T02:01:00.000-08:00

Every year since my daughter Gabriella was three years old, I have created books using stories she has dictated to me and drawings that she has created while at each age. When she turned four, I took all the things she had "written" and many things she had drawn at the age of three and made her a book called "Dreams of Three." When she turned five, I took all the things she had "written" and many of her drawings done while she was four and made her a book called "Dreams of Four." Now that she is six, it is time for me to put together her "Dreams of Five" book.

For the first two years that I did this for her, she had dictated 12 stories each year to me. I am not sure we got that many stories this year though. We might have eight stories. I guess it just means that the book will cost me less to buy once it's created. I wish I had put in the time to have her tell me more stories this year though. She has a wonderful imagination that is growing each year. And it wouldn't even have been that much effort on my part. 12 stories is only one story a month, and her stories are usually only a paragraph or two long.

The thing that is great about creating these books is that the books inspire her to continue to think creatively. They also help her see the value in reading and writing. They also help her feel proud of her accomplishment (she loves showing them off to others), and they are a wonderful memento for the years to come. They also make great presents for her grandparents.

I publish them at Lulu.com, and Gabby offers them for sale there with color interiors and for sale in the children's art section of my Cafe Press shop Fyfe Photography & Design with black and white interiors. She's even sold some, which makes her very excited each time it happens! They are for sale at Moonduster Books. (Eventually, the children's stories that I am writing will be available there too.)

Ideas

2008-10-31T08:40:00.000-07:00

Last year, I thought up a children's story for my daughter Gabby. She was five at the time, but I still have not finished the story, because I'm stuck on how to illustrate it. I have no artistic talent when it comes to drawing or painting.

Yesterday, I got a great idea for another children's story to write for my 3 year old daughter Bella. Again, I am faced with the problem of how to illustrate it.

I am going to try to get my husband to set aside some time to try and illustrate the children's stories, because, unlike me, he does have some talent in that area.

I just wish I could get these stories and illustrations finished in time for me to self-publish and buy them as Christmas gifts for my two girls.

The Procrastination Bug

2008-10-06T02:14:00.000-07:00

I am supposed to be writing regularly in here, but the procrastinatin bug has bit me and I am having trouble doing even the smallest amount of writing lately.

We've all been bit by the procrastination bug from time to time. It's the curse of every writer.

So how do we get past it?

Introducing The Writer's Corner!

2008-09-24T02:43:00.000-07:00

I am a writer. I am not published, but that does not make me any less of a writer than a published author can claim to be. I have a serious problem with procrastination though. This blog is all about getting me writing again! And maybe I can inspire you to get writing while I am at it!