Writing: The Challenges

This is my post for Day 13 of the Author Blog Challenge.




What has been the most challenging part of your book process: writing, building the book, printing, distributing, marketing, etc.? What do you wish you’d known before you began?

My books are not at the printing and distributing stages yet, so I cannot accurately discuss how difficult or easy those stages might be. However, I can discuss other aspects of the book process.


Writing the book is not the most difficult part. I can say this even though I have not finished any of my books yet, because I love the writing part of the process. I enjoy creating something from nothing. I enjoy letting my imagination run free and creating people, creatures and entire worlds that have never before existed yet come to life as I write them.


"Building the book" is a process I associate more with non-fiction books. With my nonfiction book, I feel more like I am buiulding it and putting it together than imagining it into being. And I am finding it very difficult. But maybe, in the context of the question for the writing prompt above, building the book has more to do with having it bound and creating the Kindle and epub versions of it. I admit that I have not yet created a Kindle file and don't know anything about the process yet.


This post is a bit rambling, but I am not finding any of the processes mentioned in the question difficult, not really. I think the hardest thing about writing a book is believing in yourself enough to know that you can do it.


P.S. Yes, I already know that the above picture has nothing to do with this post topic, but it's cute, isn't it?

 
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Writing: Book Covers

This is my post for Day 12 of the Author Blog Challenge.

Describe your process for choosing and designing your book cover. Who created your cover? How did you find him/her? What do you love about your cover? What might you do differently next time?

This doesn't really apply to me as I don't have a cover for any of my books yet. Just for fun though, I took a photo from one of my husband's Fairy Magic photo manipulations and gave it the title of one of my short stories. (No, I do not intend to create my own book covers, but my books aren't finished yet, so it doesn't hurt for me to play.)

I do not know yet who I will have creating my book cover and, to be honest, I haven't even started looking for someone yet. My main goal right now is to get my books finished, edited and ready. Organizing a book cover for each of them will come later.

(P.S. The fairy above is one of my daughters, Angelica.)


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Steal

This is my post for Day 6 of the 15 Habits of Great Writers challenge.



  

"The challenge

Find a quote or a painting or some form of inspiration — and steal it. Make it your own. Attribute it — give credit where it’s due — but don’t be afraid to use it. Let someone else’s work springboard you into your own.


Give up on your pursuit of originality and genius and just find something that inspires you. Borrow from your friends and heroes and mash it all up into something that looks, feels, and sounds like you.


So let’s hear from you: What’s something you’ve stolen recently? Where did you find the inspiration?"

I don't know if this is what is intended by today's challenge, but I often use art to inspire the stories I write. For example, a beautiful drawing of a sad mermaid inspired me to write a sad mermaid story to match the picture (picture not shown).  And a sculpture of a wood sprite inspired a story about one.

I also read a lot of vampire, fairy and werewolf fiction which is why vampires, fairies and werewolves (along with other mythical and paranormal creatures) turn up so frequently in my writing. I'm sure that I draw on knowledge gleaned while reading these stories in order to write my own. It's impossible not to.

It was only after I wrote most of a YA novel of mine about a girl who can see through dimensions and has to fight creatures that come through to her dimension that I started to notice the similarities in the story to the show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." In no way is it the same story; however, my main character is a girl who fights all sorts of creatures and demons, she has a group of friends who help her and she frequently has to save the world, even though she is just a youthful teenager. (That's pretty much where the similarities end though.)

I think it is virtually impossible to not have the things we read and watch on tv or at the movies influence our imaginaton when we write. And that isn't a bad thing. As long as our stories are still our own and are written in our own voices, as long as we don't take too much from what we read and watch, then we can let our imaginations play with the inspiration we gather from it all.


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Writing: The Editing Process

This is my post for Day 11 of the Author Blog Challenge.

Describe your editing process. Who edited your book? What was your relationship with your editor like? What could each of you have done to improve it? What might you do differently in the future?


This is going to be a short post by me. I don't have an editor. I have a critique group, but no actual editor. I would love ot have an editor to work on my books. A good editor is worth more than gold!

But, since I don't have an editor, I write a chapter or two of one of my novels and send it off to my local critique group. We then meet once a month and we all give each other our advice and notes that we took while critiquing each others' work.  Some of it is helpful. Some of it might not be helpful, but I usually am able to take something of use away from each meeting.

Then I go back to my novel, keeping the suggestions in mind, and start working on revising.

I've joined some on-line critique groups too. Even if I find an editor for my writing, I will probably go to my critique groups first.


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Prepare

This is my post for Day 5 of the 15 Habits of Great Writers challenge.

"The challenge

See #1. Ship it. Put something out there, anything. Don’t wait; move something forward.


You don’t need to know everything, just the next step. If it’s a big project, you don’t have to finish the whole thing; just finish part of it. But for crying out loud, do something.


Then tell us about it."

This is something I have been working on for most of the year. My novels are not finished yet, but I have started the process of getting what is written so far critiqued and revised.  I've done my best to start entering my short stories into competitions and challenges to see if anything will come of it and to improve on my writing through the practice.

My newest project is the non-fiction one that is really still in the idea stage right now. It will be written as something to complement my weight loss, fitness and healthy living blog Skinny Dreaming. I will happily take any suggestions anyone would like to leave me on how I should format the thing and on what types of content I should cover. My blog includes my weight loss story, inspirational stories about others' weight losses, informative articles on recent research into health and fitness, tips to aid with weight loss and healthy recipes.  Many people have suggested that I write this book, but writing a non-fiction book is a new experience for me, so I think I have been stuck in the planning stage for it for a little too long. And, as this is all about preparing and letting people know about what will be forthcoming from us, I will post about this project over on my Skinny Dreaming blog too.

The fiction book that is closest to completion is my children's chapter book, "The Magic Necklace." I wrote the book, realized it needed more story to it, so am adding in the finishing touches to the story before it goes into final edits. So, to move this forward, I will have the complete story, with the added in parts, done by the end of the weekend.


How are your writing projects coming along?


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Writing: Critique Groups

This is my post for Day 10 of the Author Blog Challenge.



NaNoWriMo 2011 group meet-up

Have you participated in a critique groups? If so, how did it work out for you? If not, why have you avoided them to this point?

It is only recently that I started seeking out critique groups. I've participated in NaNoWriMo for three years now and been a municiple liaison for my region for the last two of those years. In November of 2011, our meet-ups progressed into forming a critique group called Swindon Free Writers which meets up the first Saturday of every month. It has actually been very helpful for me in showing me where my weaknesses are in my writing and where my strengths are.

I also joined the 12 x 12 in 2012 picture book writing challenge this year, and through the Facebook group, joined a critique group of about 6 people. It has helped me immensely as it showed me just how little I knew about writing picture books and has really helped me to step up my game when it comes to writing picture books. I have learned so much through the challenge and the critique group.

Also, in the Chapter Book Challenge, a lot of us got together in the Facebook group and started sending our stories to one another for critique, ideas and general support. I'm happy to say that one of our members has signed her book series up with an agent now, and, having read her story, I know it is good and I have every belief that we will be seeing her book available to buy on the shelves very soon!

I do believe that, with all of the writing that I am trying to get done, I sometimes take too long to get to the critiques I owe the members of my critique groups. It takes time to give a decent critique of someone's writing. And you need to know enough on the genre they are writing in to be of any help with your critique.

You also need a thick skin. Some of the critiques you get back from people will not be what you want to hear. Most of the time though, I find that my critique partners tell me the things I expect to hear, things that I am already aware I need to work on in the story, so they help me to confirm my own writer-instincts.

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Practice

This is my post for Day 4 of the 15 Habits of Great Writers challenge.

"The challenge

Find a way to practice in public. Here are a few ideas:

• Pitch a magazine you want to write for. Follow some of the templates in You Are a Writer. This article might help, too.
• Ask a friend (or stranger) to guest post on his/her blog. Here’s another useful post.
• Publish something on your blog you’ve never shared with anyone. Take a risk (we’ll be doing more of this soon).
• Submit that book proposal. Don’t “work on it.” Finish it. Send it off. And say a little prayer."

These suggestions aren't things I can do overnight. But here is the plan.


I haven't really been considering writing for magazines much lately. I already write for a monthly publication, but as that is only monthly, it wouldn't hurt for me to research which magazines would be a good fit for my writing style and pitch to them. I already have some ideas for topics.


Anyone want me to guest post on their blog? Give me a topic and I'll come up with something! (that would fulfill idea number 2 above, and I must admit, I like to guest post on others' blogs as it opens my writing style up to the scrutiny of a different segment of people.


I can not think of what I could share here that I have never shared with anyone. Those of you who know me on Twitter and Facebook may have noticed that I talk a lot. I am not really a very private person and have no problem sharing pretty much everything about my life. The only thing I really never talk about is my first marriage. (It was a disaster and feels like a different life now.)

My novels are not complete. I am writing daily in order to complete them, but they still have a long way to go. Only one of them was finished, and after sneding it off for edits, I have found that it needs a lot more writing done on it. I have researched a place that will let me submit the first five pages of my unfinished manuscript though and will be doing this as soon as I have completed the edits on those pages. (They have to be as good as I am capable of making them!)


And since this part of the challenge is supposed to be about practicing in public, I have decided to link to some older posts of mine that I believe are worth reading, even though many of them are from different blogs of mine.

Teaching Our Children to Have the Courage to Dream

Ten Ways to Inspire Your Child to Write

The Courage to Dream

Finding Magic In Everyday Life

Kick Self-Doubt to the Curb

Ten Things Children Can Teach Us About Staying Active

Number One Tip for Making Your Dreams Come True

How to Keep Fairy Magic Alive for Your Children

We Need to Be Healthy for our Kids

You Are Beautiful NOW!

Making Choices

Dads, How Are You Raising Your Princesses?

Prince Charming?

You've Lost Your Muchness

See the World Through Fairy Eyes

Why We Need to Believe In a Bit of Fairy Magic

Feel free to read one or all of the posts. They are posts found on my author blog, my health and fitness blog, my princess blog and my fairy blog. If you decide to read any of the posts, please leave me a comment!

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Writing: Alternate Realities and Fiction Verses Non-Fiction

This is my post for Day 9 of the Author Blog Challenge.



   If your book is fiction, how could you change it to make it a nonfiction book? If your book is nonfiction, what could you do to turn it into a story? Hollywood has done it (What to expect When You’re Expecting; He’s Just Not That Into You), so how could you do the same thing?

Several of the books I am writing are fiction. I really don't see how any of them could become nonfiction, unless we lived in an alternate reality where vampires, werewolves, fairies and other mythical creatures existed. I fn this were the case, I suppose I would be writing non-fiction book swith titles such as "How to avoid being eaten by vampires or turning into one" or "How to date a werewolf" or "How to begin living a magical life in the world of the fae."  But we don't live in that alternate reality, so my stories will continue to be fiction.

My non-fiction book about living a healthy lifestyle, titled Skinny Dreaming (after my blog of that name) could become a fiction story if it was based around a woman trying to lose weight and change her life, but I'd probably have to throw some humorous encounters and a romance in there somewhere to make it more interesting as a fiction piece. (And the character would have to be very different from me as I am not very funny.)

But the truth is, neither my fiction stories or my non-fiction book are meant to be anythign other than what they are. And that's how I like them.

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Initiative

This is my post for Day 3 of the 15 Habits of Great Writers challenge.



  The challenge: Choose yourself. Then, I want you to start something you’re scared of.

I am already doing this. Joining a critique group was scary. Letting others read my stories (in the critique group and here on the blog) was scary.  Submitting my stories to competitions was scary. Letting my family read my stories was scary. (I have a lot of writers in my immediate family.) Letting my friends read my stories was scary.

I promised myself that I would spend this year writing, improving my writing and sharing my writing.  Until this year, I never shared my writing with anyone, with the exception of my blog posts. I was too afraid that my writing wasn't worthwhile and that people would think less of me because I wasn't good enough.  I still struggle with self-doubt. I still think, when someone makes a nice comment about something I wrote, that they might just be trying to be kind.

I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to my writing. I want my novels published and out there already, but I know they aren't ready yet. That's why I have started writing short stories. Some of my short stories are better than others, but I am sharing them and finding out what people think, and, hopefully, learning something about my writing in the process.


And the best part about all of this writing and sharing of my writing is that I am starting to find my voice.

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Writing: Research Verses Imagination

This is my post for Day 8 of the Author Blog Challenge.


   Describe the research process for your book. Did you interview people? Travel? How prominent a role did the Internet play? If you didn’t do new research, how did you learn what you needed to know to write your book?

My books are fiction, and they are not set in the real world, although they are meant to seem as if they are, indeed, a part of the real world. They all have elements of the paranormal and magical in them, so instead of research, I have to rely very heavily on imagination. I do research fantasy creatures and myths, depending on the story I am writing. If I am writing a story with wiccans in it, I will research ingredients for spells and the different properties in those ingredients. If I am writing a story with a character who is a strict Catholic, I will research the religion in order to get my portrayal of the character right. If I am writing a story about vampires, I will research the folklore regarding vampires. But after the research is done, imagination takes over; otherwise my creatures would be just like everyone else's.

I do read a lot of novels in the genre I write. It helps to generate ideas. It helps me to see current trends in the genre. It helps me to see what works in the genre and what doesn't work. I don't think anyone should write in a genre that they rarely or never read. You have to have love for a subject to be able to write really passionately about it, and if your novel doesn't have passion, your readers won't feel moved by it.

In contrast, in the non-fiction book I am writing on health and weight loss, I am conducting a lot of research on the topic, along with interviewing others who, like me, have managed to lose a large amount of weight and keep it off. I am reading research papers and medical journals on the topic as well. If I want this book to be helpful and informative, then I need to make sure I know as much about the topic as I possibly can. I have lived a healthy lifestyle, lost over 145 lbs of excess fat and maintained the weight loss through a healthy diet and exercise regime, which accounts for part of my research - research through living it - but I owe it to my readers to keep them as informed as possible on not just my own knowledge of the subject, but on the current knowledge from the experts.

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Lise & Nat: The Sun & the Night - a flash fiction story for the Forbidden Love Blog Hop

This is written for the Forbidden Love Blog Hop. This flash fiction challenge is stated as:

The phrase 'star-crossed lovers' was coined in the prologue of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet:

"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life"

We're leaving the term open to interpretation.

You can put your own spin on a classic story

Create a modern retelling

Craft your very own modern star-crossed lovers.

Plus, you can close your story with any ending you like. Give your lovers a set of matching tombstones or a running chance at Happily Ever After. Their fate is in your hands!

It has to be 300 words or less.

Lyse & Nat:
A Story of a Forbidden Love Between a Fairy of the Sun & a Creature of the Night

300 words

Lise was a child of the Sun.  Its warmth and radiance favored her species of fairy, and she reveled in its light. One day, she was so engrossed in dancing and playing that the night fell upon her before she even realized it was getting late. Startled by the darkness creeping up and weakened from the lack of the Sun’s rays, she turned for home but found her way blocked.

A tall figure stood before her. His skin was pale and his eyes were dark. He wore all black, shrouding himself in a cloak of shadows. He smiled at her and she stared at the fangs peeking out from his smile.

She knew about vampires. Just as her fae kind could enchant and ensnare humans, these blood-drinking dark counterparts could also capture human minds through enchantment. Lise tried to move past the vampire, but tripped on a stone and stumbled.

His strong arms caught her, keeping her from falling. She lifted her gaze to his. Instantly, they were both ensnared in each other’s enchanted gazes. They kissed and sat speaking for hours. Lise learned that the vampire’s name was Nat. Nat learned that Lise loved to dance. They soon fell in love.

Before long, the Sun began to rise and Lise realized that her  beloved Nat was suffering. He could not live in her sun-filled world and she, a creature of the Sun, could not live in his eternal night. She cried out to her beloved Sun to help her but the Sun refused.

The spirit of the Forest heard her pleas and took pity on her. The Forest transformed Lise and Nat into oak trees, with their roots and branches forever entwined.  They would be together forever as trees, nourished by the sunlight yet never harmed by the night.

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Believing

This is my post for Day 2 of the 15 Habits of Great Writers challenge.

 

The Day 2 challenge for the 15 Habits of Great Writers (Day 2) is to get up 2 hours earlier so I can spend the extra time writing. That's completely impractical for me, because I get up when my children do, which tends to be around 5:00am, but ion the rare occasions that I wake up before the children, the very instant they hear me up and about, they get up too. In fact, it doesn't matter how quiet I am as I step out of my room, my youngest seems to have a built-in sensor that alerts him the moment my eyes have opened.

 

So I've decided on a compromise. I rarely get time away from the children to write, and the whole point of getting up 2 hours earlier than normal would be to give me uninterrupted writing time. So, with that in mind, I am taking my eldest daughter's offer and letting her take me out to Starbuck's for coffee and a marathoin writing session. (She's participating in Camp NaNoWriMo right now.)


I'm sure I will be able to carve out two hours of quiet and concentrated writing time from this.


The thing is, I already believe in myself as a writer. Yes, I have moments of weakness and self-doubt, but even when I doubt myself, I know that, as long as I keep at it, I will eventually achieve my writing goals. So I have been regularly carving time out from each day to spend writing.


Sometimes, my children interrupt me. Sometimes my husband starts to feel left out because I spend my free time writing. Usually, my housework doesn't get completed. But I have a goal and I know, from the experience of losing over 145 pounds of excess fat, that as long as I keep working at my goal and keep it as a priority, I will succeed.


So yes, I believe.


Do you?

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A Siren's Tears - a flash fiction story for the Forbidden Love blog hop

This is written for the Forbidden Love Blog Hop. This flash fiction challenge is stated as:

The phrase 'star-crossed lovers' was coined in the prologue of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet:

"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life"

We're leaving the term open to interpretation.

You can put your own spin on a classic story

Create a modern retelling

Craft your very own modern star-crossed lovers.

Plus, you can close your story with any ending you like. Give your lovers a set of matching tombstones or a running chance at Happily Ever After. Their fate is in your hands!

It has to be 300 words or less.

The Siren’s Tears

295 words

Princess Lenora often ventured near the ocean’s surface, rescuing sea creatures from fishing nets. One day fate intervened by placing him in her path. She had been tearing a fishing net apart, freeing the fish that were caught, when the net started rising to the surface.

She followed, completing her rescue just as she crested the surface of the ocean and that’s when she saw him.  He was one of the fishermen. His skin was bronzed from the sun and he had dark hair that fell loosely across his face, framing his warm brown eyes.

He didn’t move or call to the others, though, by the way he was staring, it was clear he could see her. She felt a strange warmth enter her heart and felt almost as if her heart would burst with the sudden feelings that filled it for this man before her.

She knew they were meant to be together, and, before she could even think about what she was doing, she began to sing. It was one of the old songs, one that had never been taught to her but had come to her now instinctually.

Unable to resist her charmed singing, her beautiful man climbed overboard, leaping from his tiny fishing vessel and into the water. She took him in her arms and, grabbing his hand, she led him below the surface. After a short while, she felt his grip in her hand go slack. She stopped swimming and turned to him.

His eyes stared unseeing into the distance. His breath had stopped moments ago and his heart had stopped beating along with it. Princess Lenora wept in sorrow at the loss of her love, and as her heart broke into pieces, she joined him in his watery death.

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Writing: Outlining & Organization

This is my post for Day 7 of the Author Blog Challenge.



 

Describe your outline process for your book. What do you do to stay organized?


*huge pause while I laugh my rear end off*  Oh, wait! You're serious with this question? *sits and ponders how to answer*


My name and the word "organized" are pretty much opposites. In fact, if you look up "disorganized" in the dictionary, you will probably see my name.  The first time I even got close to finishing a novel I was writing was during NaNoWriMo in 2009. I started that novel with a firm idea of who and what and nothing more. Then I write all of it by the seat of my pants.

It's not the most effective method of writing a novel. That novel is still sitting at around 60,000 words with no ending in sight. Without an outline, it's easy to get stuck. This is a bit of a problem for me, because sometimes the way I start a novel is by sitting down to write with no idea what I am going to write until my hands start typing up a story.


I used to think an outline would be too restrictive. But I am now learning that an outline can be loose and flexible and still help me get to where I need to be with my writing - a finished novel.

An outline would probably also help with continuity issues. In that first novel, I had a character who was introduced as having gone a little bit crazy due to all of her years being treated as though she already was, but as the novel continued, I realized that I had normalized her too much; she didn't act the way that she had been described in the beginning. Notations made in an outline would have helped with that as I wrote the story so that I would not have needed to go back and change several scenes in the novel involving her.

My answer to the above question is that I am not organized and I do not have an outline process for my book, but I am working on it. (If anyone reading this has an outlining process that works particularly well for them, I would love to hear about it in the comments.)



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Writing: The Journey of Inspiration

This is my post for Day 6 of the Author blog Challenge.




Where were you when the idea for your book was initially ignited? Who was the first person you told? How did they respond?

The answer for these questions really depends entirely on which book is being asked about. I am currently writing three paranormal romances that were inspired by very vivid, movie-like dreams. I started writing one of them during National Novel Writing Month in 2009, the second one during NaNoWriMo in 2010 and the third one during NaNoWriMo in 2011. I told my husband about the stories, and we often discussed my stories during our late night walks when we took our dog out. He helped me brainstorm whenever I struggled with parts of the stories.

I am also currently writing three paranormal YA novels. These were inspired, in part, by the first three novels mentioned above. They were also inspired by the fact that I have teenage daughters, which gives me a constant look into the lives of teenage thinking. All of my teenage daughters want to read the books.


I am also currently working on three chapter books for children. Like the other novels I am writing, these too have a paranormal twist. I wanted to write something that my 9 year old daughter would enjoy reading. She is very excited about the idea of these books and can't wait to read them.

I am also writing more than four children's picture books. I cannot draw at all, so someone else will have to illustrate them when I finish them. The first one was inspired by my children and the fact that I have a large family. It has a subtle message for children of large families.  The second one came to me when I lost a lot of weight and started living a healthier lifestyle. It has a not-so-subtle message about the importance of living a life that helps you to be healthy and strong. The third one came to me when I was looking at a fairy figurine that my daughter had just been given. It has a subtle message about being happy in the life you have now. There is a fourth one that came to me while writing one of my blogs about believing in yourself and being capable of transforming yourself or your life.

I'm beginning a blog-to-book idea that has to do with health and weight loss. It is an idea that came to me through a suggestion, the same suggestion being suggested to me by three different people. I am still working out the kinks of the idea for this one though, so it is in very early stages. My husband was one fo the people that gave me the suggestion.

I always talk to my husband about my stories. He is wonderfully supportive most of the time and he just hopes I finish my stories soon.



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I am a writer

This is my post for Day 1 of the 15 Habits of Great Writers challenge.



  
I am participating in Jeff Goins' 15 Habits of Great Writers, and the first challenge is to declare that I am a writer. I do not find this challenge all that difficult. I already see myself as a writer. I write on my blogs frequently. I write health articles for a monthly magazine. I am writing children's stories and Young Adult novels and even a self-help book.

My novels and my self-help book aren't finished and have not been published yet, but that doesn't make me any less a writer. If I stopped writing, then I would no longer be able to call myself a writer. If I stopped believing in my abilities as a writer, stopped learning and improving and gave up my pen (metaphorically speaking), then I would have no right to the title of "writer."

But I am never going to do that, so here I am, a writer still striving to write something great, still hoping to share what I have written and maybe entertain someone or help them in some way.

I have too many stories in my head that want me to write them to ever give up writing.

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Writing: Seeing Ourselves in Fictional Characters

This is my post for #Day 5 of the Author Blog Challenge.




Who is your favorite literary character? With which literary character do you most relate?

Oh no! Not another "what is your favorite" question! I am terrible at these types of questions as I don't really have a favorite; I like too many characters to ever choose.

Now, if I had to say the one that comes to mind who is the most like me, I would have to say Molly Weasley from J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The similarity is mostly superficial though. I am a redhead. I have seven children, and I would do anything, including put my own life at risk, to keep my children safe and happy. I also have a tendency to mother my children's friends.

Now if only I shared her ability to perform magic! Maybe, just maybe I'd then be able to keep my house clean. That is one area that she and I differ on even more than the ability to perform magic: domesticity. I am a mother who would do anything for her children, and I'd like to think that I am doing a good job in raising my children, BUT I detest housecleaning. My house is cluttered and messy and probably dusty as that's another thing I don't like spending time on. I do laundry because it has to be done. I vacuum and clean the dishes because those things have to be done. I even pick up toys frequently, because there are so many in my house that, if I didn't tidy them up often, I'd be tripping over them most of the time.

But I am not "house proud." People don't admire how pristine my home is or how well decorated it looks. My bookshelves are cluttered with books, knick-knacks and paper. My counters are cluttered with more paper and probably books too. The one word that would best describe my house is "cluttered."

I do cook, but I'd rather spend my time writing, playing with my children, taking walks and living life than worry about having the perfect home.

Do I wish I had better habits when it comes it keeping my home spotless and presentable. Sometimes. But this is me.

Too bad I can't just magic it clean!

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Writing: To Read or Not to Read in the Genre You Write

This is for Day 4 of the Author Blog Challenge.





How do the things you read impact your writing? What do you love to read? What do you avoid reading at all costs? How would your writing change if you read more of the things you typically avoid?


I'd like to think that the things I read help to broaden my vocabulary and my knowledge of different places, vernacular, customs, history and more. Finding things I love to read helps me to find different styles of writing and different voices that I enjoy.


I read everything, from how-to books to romances to paranormal to science fiction to horror to historical to fantasy to literary fiction to...well, you get the idea. I read it all. But I will readily admit that, lately, I gravitate more toward paranormal and YA. This is probably because whenever I sit down to write, these are the genres that come out of me. I read them more frequently now with my own stories always in the back of my mind as I read. It helps to see what works in the stories I am reading and what doesn't.


I have never limited myself as to what style or genre I read, so I don't think there would be much change to my writing by reading other genres. In fact, I have never avoided reading anything specific. I suppose, as in most cases, the more variety a person reads, the broader their knowledge base is when they sit down to write.

If you were to ask me why I am drawn to stories in the paranormal genre, I would have to say that maybe it is because I like to escape. Reading about fantastical worlds and powerful beings is so far from the reality of day to day life that it provides a fascinating and fun escape. And because the paranormal has so many different aspects to work with, there are no limits to what I can write about within the paranormal world.

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Writing: Mentors

This is for Day 3 of the Author Blog Challenge.

Who are the writers you most admire? Who are your writing mentors?

This has always been a difficult question for me to answer. I don't read any particular writer exclusively and I don't find any one specific writer someone I want to aspire to become. I read all different genres of writing and  all different styles and voices. There are so many wonderful writers out there that it is impossible to choose even just a few as influences on me or as specific writers that I admire.

I guess, lately, I am most impressed with my indie writing friends who are getting their stories out there, marketing them all by themselves and being successful. I read their novels and am impressed that they have managed to produce such fabulous writing without the aid of publishing houses or marketing money, and I am most impressed with the fact that they believe in themselves and their writing enough to find a way to put it out there for public consumption.

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Writing: The Path of Learning

This is in response the Author Blog Challenge #2 writing prompt.





What kinds of classes, programs, or workshops have you taken to hone your skill as a writer? What sorts of exercises did/do you use to improve your craft? Have you ever taught a writing class or workshop?

Other than always being fascinated with writing stories and poems ever since I was a child, the only actual training I had for writing was during my university education when I studied English for my BA. Although I have always wanted to take workshops to help hone my craft, I have always been short on one thing that was necessary for taking the courses, and that one thing was money to pay for them.


I have joined a writing group here in my area where we are helping each other with monthly critiques. And I have started writing short stories to help me get the practice I need while I am simultaneously writing my lengthier novels. I also read advice on writing in magazines and blogs regularly.

I have never taught a writing class or workshop, but, as a mom who actively works with her children to make sure that they practice writing and learn to love the craft, I used to run weekly "clubs" in my own home for my children and their friends. They would write short stories or poems, based on prompts I would give them. Then the stories or poems would be read aloud by me, kept completely anonymous during the reading, and everyone would vote on their favorite story or poem (not being allowed to vote for their own). The winner of the evenings writing usually won a chocolate or similar treat.

Surprisingly, my children and their friends really loved coming to our writing clubs. And I think it did have some benefit as I have one daughter who has already finished her first novel and is beginning her second one, one daughter who has written over 600 poems this year alone, and another daughter who is writing several short stories. (I am still working with my younger children although we don't hold the writing club anymore. I am considering starting it up again for them and their friends though.)

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Writing: My Beginning Through Now

This is in response to the first writing prompt from the Author Blog Challenge.




Describe your earliest memory of writing? How did your writing habit/process/career develop?


I remember very clearly writing stories as a child. I would sit at my desk and write page after page of whatever story I felt like putting to the page. When I was about 10 years old, my best friend and I started writing stories to share with one another, taking turns writing a story each week. (She still has some of those saved after all of these years!)

My dad and my grandpa often told me they thought I should become a writer and that they were very proud of my writing ability, and I think they helped to spark the idea of becoming a writer way back when I was very young.


Looking back at a piece of writing I did after our family pet (a cat named Bibsy) died, I had written a story about a little girl who kept finding animals to take home and keep as her pets, but the animals would each die before she would find another one. I guess that, even as a child, writing helped me to work through the sadness of losing my pet.

In junior high, when I was around 11 years old, a teacher of mine sent in a poem I had written to a competition. There were no financial prizes for it, but my poem was one of 100 to be selected for publication in the poetry anthology. I remember being very proud of that achievement.

My love of writing is the reason I majored in English and eventually got my BA in English. But the studies for getting my degree seemed to take some of the joy out of reading and writing from me. Writing critical analysis of the classics and delving into the methodology of the different eras became boring to me after a while. It lacked the creative spark that I needed to keep me interested. I did well in my classes, but I needed something more.

So many little things sparked my desire to be a writer, but it took many, many years before I started trying in earnest to write. I think the reason it took me so long is that a part of me really didn't have the confidence to believe in myself and in my ability to succeed. I didn't believe I was good enough.

That all changed when I decided it was time to take control of my health and lost over 145 pounds of excess fat. It was an achievement that I had once thought was impossible. The fact that I set my sights on such an insurmountable goal and then achieved it helped to confirm in my mind that I am capable of achieving anything that I strive toward.

I started blogging about my weight loss along the way and it re-sparked my love for writing. So once I reached a healthy BMI and got to my goal weight, I decided to focus on making another dream of mine come true, my dream of becoming a writer. I was approached by a magazine to write articles for them for parents wanting to help their children live healthy lifestyles and became a regular writer for the magazine in 2010.

I joined National Novel Writing Month for the first time in November of 2009. I managed to complete a little bit over the 50,000 word count that was required for "winning" the challenge, and it thrilled me that I had been able to do so much writing in such a short amount of time. I joined NaNoWriMo again in 2010, "winning" again while also becoming a municiple liaison for my region and then I joined again in 2011. In 2011, I managed to write 50,000 words in just 2 weeks, and completed over 75,000 words during the month of November.

All of this helped me to believe in myself more, and in 2012, I joined the 12 x 12 in 2012 picture book writing challenge, started and hosted the first Chapter Book Challenge and have now joined the Author Blog Challenge. I've made a list of competitions and story submission deadlines to attempt each month of the year during 2012 and I have written more short stories than in any previous year. I completed my chapter book for the Chapter Book Challenge, but I am still revising it before I will be ready start to send it off to publishers. I am even attempting to write a non-fiction book this year. I have one short story that will be published soon in an anthology of unusual fairytales called "Once Upon a Time."

I can not be certain that I will be published much this year or even that my goals will succeed in 2012, but I can be certain that I am working towards my goals and that the more I focus on my goals and take strides in the right direction, the closer those goals are coming to being realized.


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