First of all I have to admit I'm not a huge football fan but last November my family went over to my a friend's house to watch the Canadian version of the Super Bowl. It's called the Grey Cup. Don't laugh, we did have Justin Beiber and Carly Rae Jepsen perform the half time show.
Anyway we got there expecting the game to be on, but instead our friend was PVRing it, so we could fast forward through the commercials. We don't have great commercials for the Grey Cup, so I thought okay, that's not a bad idea, but then we started watching the game. He'd fast forward the commercials, all the commentary, then eventually everything except the actually plays. So if you think about it, we watched the game in about twenty minutes. We went home and decided we didn't really like watching the game that way.
I don't like the commercials, but I like the commentary, I like the set up, the anticipation of the play. That's part of the game.
I have to admit I have skimmed a few books in my day. It's usually badly written books where I'm in a hurry to reach the end. But I've also skimmed popular books, because I'm so anxious to get to the end. I did this with the last Harry Potter book. Big mistake. I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. I've learned my lesson. If the book is good, I read every word, enjoy the build up, the anticipation. I've stopped reading my books, like I'm watching a show I've PVR'd.
How about you? Are you guilty of being a skimmer? Did you ever regret it?
Monday, September 16, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Gone Gone Gone - I've been gone so long
Love that Chilliwack song. Although if you're not Canadian you might not know what I'm talking about.
Hey there fellow bloggers, it's been a long time. I've been away living in a Tiebetan hut with no access to the internet for four months.
I've learned a lot in that time. The locals here are crazy friendly. Their momos are to die for and although tasty, the yak is a bit dry.
Actually, I've had no such adventure and have been sitting at home cooking, cleaning, working, dealing with kids, but that's not the reason I stopped blogging.
I wasn't writing. I wasn't reading. My whole literary life had stalled. I felt like I had nothing to say. So I took the break and decided to find my authentic self. (More on that in a different post.) It's an ongoing process, but I do feel like I made some progress.
First, I hate high heels. I've tried to like them, but they hurt my ankles every time I put them on. I can deal once in a while with a kitten heel or a wedge, but I will never be the girl who wears the three inch heels with the leopard print. I'm a flats girl and I've accepted that. (There are a few other things I've accepted but more on that later.)
Also I took the last four months and edited my first book one more time after reading a great editing book. (I'll save that for another post as well - can't give away everything at once). I am also close to putting the finishing touches on my second book and have been reading a great book to help me prepare for my third.
Starting this month I'm going to be working my actual paying job four days a week, so I'm only going to blog once a week - Mondays, because I'm also trying to learn that I can only do what I can do.
So that's part of what I did this summer, I'm sure I'll share more later. What did you do this summer.
Hey there fellow bloggers, it's been a long time. I've been away living in a Tiebetan hut with no access to the internet for four months.
I've learned a lot in that time. The locals here are crazy friendly. Their momos are to die for and although tasty, the yak is a bit dry.
Actually, I've had no such adventure and have been sitting at home cooking, cleaning, working, dealing with kids, but that's not the reason I stopped blogging.
I wasn't writing. I wasn't reading. My whole literary life had stalled. I felt like I had nothing to say. So I took the break and decided to find my authentic self. (More on that in a different post.) It's an ongoing process, but I do feel like I made some progress.
First, I hate high heels. I've tried to like them, but they hurt my ankles every time I put them on. I can deal once in a while with a kitten heel or a wedge, but I will never be the girl who wears the three inch heels with the leopard print. I'm a flats girl and I've accepted that. (There are a few other things I've accepted but more on that later.)
Also I took the last four months and edited my first book one more time after reading a great editing book. (I'll save that for another post as well - can't give away everything at once). I am also close to putting the finishing touches on my second book and have been reading a great book to help me prepare for my third.
Starting this month I'm going to be working my actual paying job four days a week, so I'm only going to blog once a week - Mondays, because I'm also trying to learn that I can only do what I can do.
So that's part of what I did this summer, I'm sure I'll share more later. What did you do this summer.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Another POV
I was a boy crazy fiend as a teenager and I have many journals to prove it. I won’t embarrass myself by revealing any of the content here, although I shudder just thinking about what a total psycho I was when it came to boys. I constantly tried to figure out what they were thinking. Does he like me or not? I over analyzed the way a boy looked at me or his tone of voice when he said hi. As I look back at my relationships over my teenage and young adult years, clearly, I did not have a handle on how boys think.
Now that my son is fifteen it’s been quite interesting to watch the other side of the gender. Last week he caught a girl writing his name in hearts. He told me it totally creeped him out. All I could think of was, I wrote guys names in hearts, did I creep guys out?
After reading through my journals, I probably did.
Most YA books are told from the girl’s perspective. What I wonder is do I have an accurate account of how the guy would act in a relationship. I just read through my journal when I started dating my husband and there were many ups and downs. The whole time I kept wondering what he was thinking. Sometimes I still wonder that. I’m hoping that by having a son whose entering those teenage years, I can get a glimpse that will give me a heads up on my male characters, which will come in handy as my next book is told from a male’s POV.
Is your MC male or female and if male what are you doing to make sure you create an accurate depiction of the male psyche?
Now that my son is fifteen it’s been quite interesting to watch the other side of the gender. Last week he caught a girl writing his name in hearts. He told me it totally creeped him out. All I could think of was, I wrote guys names in hearts, did I creep guys out?
After reading through my journals, I probably did.
Most YA books are told from the girl’s perspective. What I wonder is do I have an accurate account of how the guy would act in a relationship. I just read through my journal when I started dating my husband and there were many ups and downs. The whole time I kept wondering what he was thinking. Sometimes I still wonder that. I’m hoping that by having a son whose entering those teenage years, I can get a glimpse that will give me a heads up on my male characters, which will come in handy as my next book is told from a male’s POV.
Is your MC male or female and if male what are you doing to make sure you create an accurate depiction of the male psyche?
Monday, April 22, 2013
Dieting
Hey there, remember me.
I know it's been a while, but I've been doing kind of an experiment. I've been on a diet of sorts. A diet from social media. I haven't done any blogs or very many facebook updates to see if I can be a more productive person.
And the results of my experiment. Utter failure.
I may not have blogged or facebooked, but I found other things to occupy my time. TV shows, sports, entertainment websites, netflix. It seems to me that I did everything and anything except social media and write.
So I've come to the conclusion that my problem is not social media like I had originally thought, but procrastination. That dastardly foe. The thorn in my side. My complete undoing.
I know it's procrastination, because as soon as I had a deadline, I finished editing my chapter.
So, I'm back to posting twice a week.
How about you? Do you suffer from procrastination and how do you defeat it?
PS
While I was gone a few exciting things happened:
Kasie West's book came out.
Christina Lee got a book deal.
Jessie Humphries got a book deal.
Melissa Hurst got an agent
Any other news I missed??
I know it's been a while, but I've been doing kind of an experiment. I've been on a diet of sorts. A diet from social media. I haven't done any blogs or very many facebook updates to see if I can be a more productive person.
And the results of my experiment. Utter failure.
I may not have blogged or facebooked, but I found other things to occupy my time. TV shows, sports, entertainment websites, netflix. It seems to me that I did everything and anything except social media and write.
So I've come to the conclusion that my problem is not social media like I had originally thought, but procrastination. That dastardly foe. The thorn in my side. My complete undoing.
I know it's procrastination, because as soon as I had a deadline, I finished editing my chapter.
So, I'm back to posting twice a week.
How about you? Do you suffer from procrastination and how do you defeat it?
PS
While I was gone a few exciting things happened:
Kasie West's book came out.
Christina Lee got a book deal.
Jessie Humphries got a book deal.
Melissa Hurst got an agent
Any other news I missed??
Monday, March 11, 2013
I am not a size 8
Sorry I've been MIA lately, we are in the grips of basketball playoffs and with two boys in the mix, it's kind of crazy. Things should slow down in April
Anyway, back to the title of my post....
Here's my confession. I am not a size 8. A few years I was, but that was only for a day when I didn't eat very much.
The thing is I've gained weight back since then, but in some stores I'm still a size 8. Although this makes me feel good, it does nothing to motivate me to exercise and eat less, because on the tag of my jeans it says I'm a size 8.
I feel this way with critiques. I remember my first real critique. It was a writer in residence at our local library. I went for our appointed time and before I saw him, I could see him looking at my pages through the window. They were loaded with red ink. I had to take a deep breath and prepare myself, but I did it. I learned to take the constructive feedback and i think I've become a better writer because of it. Sometimes, it's not easy receiving a critique, especially if you have a lot to learn like I did and still do, but they are necessary.
So I'm grateful to all the people who have offered feedback on my writing and not making me feel like I can fit into a size 8.
Anyway, back to the title of my post....
Here's my confession. I am not a size 8. A few years I was, but that was only for a day when I didn't eat very much.
The thing is I've gained weight back since then, but in some stores I'm still a size 8. Although this makes me feel good, it does nothing to motivate me to exercise and eat less, because on the tag of my jeans it says I'm a size 8.
I feel this way with critiques. I remember my first real critique. It was a writer in residence at our local library. I went for our appointed time and before I saw him, I could see him looking at my pages through the window. They were loaded with red ink. I had to take a deep breath and prepare myself, but I did it. I learned to take the constructive feedback and i think I've become a better writer because of it. Sometimes, it's not easy receiving a critique, especially if you have a lot to learn like I did and still do, but they are necessary.
So I'm grateful to all the people who have offered feedback on my writing and not making me feel like I can fit into a size 8.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Brain Time
There's not enough time in the day. I don't have any time. Time goes by so fast.
These are all sayings that most of us say everyday, but I'd like to offer a new one: I don't have any brain time left.
What does that mean?
Well, I have to say that I'm not as busy as I might like to think I am. Yes, I have the usual dishes, laundry, three kids to feed and clean up after. I work three days a week, and I am now in the throes of basketball playoffs. Even though I'm busy, there is still time to sit down at the computer and do a bit of editing. There's time to take a notebook with me to practice and jot a few notes while I try to remember which kid I'm watching play. I could sneak in a half hour here or there to write something new.
These are all sayings that most of us say everyday, but I'd like to offer a new one: I don't have any brain time left.
What does that mean?
Well, I have to say that I'm not as busy as I might like to think I am. Yes, I have the usual dishes, laundry, three kids to feed and clean up after. I work three days a week, and I am now in the throes of basketball playoffs. Even though I'm busy, there is still time to sit down at the computer and do a bit of editing. There's time to take a notebook with me to practice and jot a few notes while I try to remember which kid I'm watching play. I could sneak in a half hour here or there to write something new.
The thing is, by the time I get to these moments, my brain is done. I can't think anymore. I can't decide where the proper place to put a comma is. I miss spelling mistakes, and character development gets the shaft. Thus my new saying: I don't have any brain time left.
Am I crazy or does anyone else feel this way? Do you try to push through or give up for the day?
Am I crazy or does anyone else feel this way? Do you try to push through or give up for the day?
Monday, February 11, 2013
Realistic Goals
It's been beautiful up here in the Great White North. 5-10 ºC or 40-50 ºF, so I decided to take advantage and go for a walk. I've always loved going for walks because that's when I think, plan, and set goals then hope that I remember it all for when I get home and can write it down.
What I need to do is follow my friend Stina's advice and take a pen and piece of paper with me.
In the past I've made very ambitious goals. I'm going to edit a chapter every three days then do a major revision in a week and have it ready to be sent out in a month. Totally unrealistic, at least for me. I like my sleep too much.
On Friday, I went to get some Vitamin D and the whole time I thought about my book and what would be a realistic goal to get it query ready.
And here's what I came up with.
I've got ten chapters left to revise (some are small edits, lots are total rewrites).
So if my math is correct, and lots of times its not. If I do two chapters a month (including this month), I should finish by June. I'll spend the summer editing, revising, making everything as good as it can be before I send it to betas in September. Hopefully I get it back in a month, make final edits, and have it ready to query in November.
Sorry, you probably weren't interested in all that, but I'm hoping by making it public, I might have a better shot at completing it. At the end of every month, I'll update my progress.
So how about you? Made any realistic goals lately?
What I need to do is follow my friend Stina's advice and take a pen and piece of paper with me.
In the past I've made very ambitious goals. I'm going to edit a chapter every three days then do a major revision in a week and have it ready to be sent out in a month. Totally unrealistic, at least for me. I like my sleep too much.
On Friday, I went to get some Vitamin D and the whole time I thought about my book and what would be a realistic goal to get it query ready.
And here's what I came up with.
I've got ten chapters left to revise (some are small edits, lots are total rewrites).
So if my math is correct, and lots of times its not. If I do two chapters a month (including this month), I should finish by June. I'll spend the summer editing, revising, making everything as good as it can be before I send it to betas in September. Hopefully I get it back in a month, make final edits, and have it ready to query in November.
Sorry, you probably weren't interested in all that, but I'm hoping by making it public, I might have a better shot at completing it. At the end of every month, I'll update my progress.
So how about you? Made any realistic goals lately?
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