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Symbolims of place in literature
2009-09-04 21:31:00
Symbolism of Place : The Hidden Context of CommunicationSymbolism.Org: Symbolism of PlaceTalks about the symbolism of place in literature. Very interesting - news you can use.
More About: Literature

On avoiding writing...
2009-07-22 17:23:00
"Usually, writers will do anything to avoid writing. For instance, the previous sentence was written at one o'clock this afternoon. It is now a quarter to four. I have spent the past two hours and forty-five minutes sorting my neckties by width, looking up the word 'paisley' in three dictionaries, attempting to find the town of that name on 'The New York Times Atlas of the World' map of Scotland, sorting my reference books by width, trying to get the bookcase to stop wobbling by stuffing a matchbook cover under its corner, dialing the telephone number on the matchbook cover to see if I should take computer courses at night, looking at the computer ads in the newspaper and deciding to buy a computer because writing seems to be so difficult on my old Remington, reading an interesting article on sorghum farming in Uruguay that was in the newspaper next to the computer ads, cutting that and other interesting articles out of the newspaper, sorting -- by width -- all the interesting ...
More About: Writing

Good-bye Cody
2009-07-09 20:45:00
I'm so sad. My brother's family just lost their loving Collie, Cody (see picture).Laurel L. Russwurm, my sister-in-law and a writer, wrote a moving memorial to him called "Ode To A Fifth-Hand Dog. You can read it here.
More About: Good

Write with Holly Lisle!
2009-07-06 23:17:00
I'm writing with Holly Lisle! Click here to find out how you can join us.The script is coming along, albeit slowly. Last night I couldn't sleep because the movie started rolling in my head - including camera angles and shots! Why is it that these scenes start right when I need to go to sleep?Paperback Write r said she composed in her head before she begins writing, now I know what she means!Sandy Sullivan says, "I will play music sometimes when I'm writing, but if I start getting into an intense scene, I'll turn it off so I can just sit and picture it in my mind. It makes it much easier to write it, if I can see it." Click here to read the full interview over on Absolute XPress Blog.Diane Peterfreund says, "When planning out series, I often find myself imagining scenes years and years in advance of the moment I actually get to write them. I wrote the ... "sandbar scene" in summer of 2007. I first imagined it in summer of 2005. I recently wrote a scene into KU2 that I'd been imag...

Still working...
2009-06-26 22:37:00
Still working on my script. Slowly but surely.Saddened at Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson's deaths.More later.
More About: Working

Script Frenzy - I'm in!
2009-04-06 20:01:00
Click here to visit my Script Frenzy page.
More About: Writing , Contests , Motivation

Off to a great start
2009-03-12 16:10:00
Today I have a guest post by Holly McCarthy.Tips for Getting Your Fiction Writing off to a Great Start Writing fiction can be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences that you do as a writer. You are able to create your own worlds, characters, settings, situations, and thematic elements. Sometimes, however, just getting started can be the hardest part. Here are a few tips for getting you fiction writing off to a great start. Character Studies What kind of characters do you want your story to have? Will they be funny, realistic, or fantastic? Taking some time to create character profiles is a wonderful way to ensure that your characters are fully developed. It?s good to know what your characters? likes and dislikes are, what they look like, what kind of emotional problems they may have, and any number of other details. Getting in-depth with your characters will help to make them interact realistically with on another as well. Goal Setting Whether you have already s...

Cold morning, windy day
2009-01-15 23:22:00
This picture I took on my walk this morning. The temperature is -18 C (0 F) and, although it's hard to make out, the steam rising from the water was mesmerizing. The lake is Lake Ontario. Here's another picture I took from roughly the same location a few weeks ago during a wind storm. We seldom see whitecaps on this lake, so it's quite exciting to see waves. The storm had winds up to 129km (75mph), which is worthy of a Category One hurricane. The winds took out a 40' tree on our neighbouring property. Missed our house by 1 foot but killed the fence.
More About: Personal , Motivation , Cold , Morning , Windy

Distractions... (aka ways to enable procrastination)
2009-01-13 22:55:00
Create your own kaleidoscopePac-Xon (pacmanish game)HangmanCrossword and word search puzzlesDevolop an interactive story onlineNow get back to writing!
More About: Distractions , Procrastination

Editor Kitteh has spoken...
2009-01-08 19:21:00
more animals
More About: Editor , Spoken

Season's Greeting!
2008-12-23 22:19:00
Season's Greeting s to all my friends in cyberspace!I hope your holiday is filled with love, peace and happiness.
More About: Personal

I am so sad...
2008-12-18 01:30:00
150 cats, 3 dogs and many small animals perished during a fire at our local animal shelter.It has been suggested that lack of funds may have contributed to proper upkeep of the building.Please take a moment to make a donation to your local humane society - or if you can afford it, to the Durham Region Humane Society.
More About: Personal

Character Evolution and Christmas Tree Program
2008-12-16 18:43:00
Aravis Girl has an interesting post about The Evolution of a Story.In her post, she describes how her her characters evolve as she writes. Sometimes, it is in the interest of the story, but other times it's because she gets to know the characters better.I've had the same thing happen--to the point where I end up changing the entire story because the character is leading me.And, sometimes, my protag evolves into an entire new character.Does this happen to you?One of the things I enjoy doing before and during writing a story, is to continually develop my characters. I fill out a character questionnaire or two and watch the world for interesting quirks, hobbies, habits, obsessions, mannerisms, etc. to apply to my characters to help develop them. When I'm in the middle of writing story, even when I'm not actually writing, my mind is always acutely aware of my story and its characters. So, when I notice something in a person in real life or on television, for example, I will directly...
More About: Christmas , Writing , Character , Tree

NaNoWriMo?
2008-12-09 04:21:00
NaNoWriMo?FAIL!!I must say, I enjoyed following others and I also very much enjoyed the guest star "pep talks."Funniest thing? Now I'm itching to work on my story.How'd you do?
More About: Motivation

Only a few hours to go!
2008-10-31 15:11:00
Uploaded my book cover to my NaNoWriMo page today. My story will be new age fiction with a hint of mystery. Title: Lost & Found.I don't have a set outline or my plotting done yet, but I have many ideas floating around in my head. I met with my friend Melly last evening and we went over some ideas. We plan on getting together a few times throughout the month (both virtually and physically).A couple of NaNo articles / posts of interest:How do you write 50,000 words in 30 days?Some helpful links to writing tools.2007 NaNoWriMo Pep TalksRoutines for Writers - lots of great articles and tips for Nanoers.The 13-Step Method to reach 50,000 wordsMore great Nano articlesOne writer's journey through NaNoWriMo 2008Another writer's NaNo journeyGood luck all! And don't forget to friend me!
More About: Hours

It ain't easy to be original...
2008-10-20 23:47:00
I've decided I'm writing a fantasy story for my NaNo project. I haven't written fantasy before, but I enjoy reading it.My hope is that a fantasy world will give me more room to be creative so I won't feel "stuck" as often. My goal for NaNo this year is to just get 50,000 words down in a somewhat understandable format. More specifically, learn how to apply myself to the act of writing.I have a loose plot outline floating around in my mind but I haven't committed anything to paper (or computer) yet, other than some ideas.I did come across this, tho. I realize I need to do a little soul searching not to be cliche. With a new genre, come new rules.Here is The Fantasy Novelist's Exam by David J. Parker. It seems it's not easy to be original. I will take this exam tonight and see where I'm at with my floaters.The Exam Does nothing happen in the first fifty pages?Is your main character a young farmhand with mysterious parentage?Is your main character the heir to the throne but doe...
More About: Original , Easy

Writerz Blox
2008-10-10 19:59:00
I don't has it, but thought this was cute:This kitty needs THIS kitty.

Literary Abandon
2008-10-08 16:38:00
Okay. I've decided. I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this year. And I'm gonna succeed.Anyone else taking the plunge?My info page is here - friend me if you're partaking!
More About: Literary , Abandon

Writing is about experimenting
2008-08-30 17:59:00
I enjoy experimenting with motivations, consequences, reactions and choices. It helps me to understand life, mankind's role in life and, best of all, myself.
More About: Personal , Writing , Motivation

Writing funnies...
2008-08-13 17:13:00
A visitor to a certain college paused to admire the new Hemingway Hall that had been built on campus."It's a pleasure to see a building named for Ernest Hemingway," he said."Actually," said his guide, "it's named for Joshua Hemingway. No relation."The visitor was astonished. "Was Joshua Hemingway a writer, also?""Yes, indeed," said his guide. "He wrote a check." _________________________________________ _______________________ A linguistics professor was lecturing to his English class one day. "In English," he said, "a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative." A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right." A writer died and was given the option of going to heaven or hell. She decided to check out each place first. As the writer descended into the fiery pits, she saw row upon row of writers chained...
More About: Writing , Funnies

Funniest Analogies...
2008-08-05 17:56:00
This is from an email I received. I thought it was too cute not to share. The e-mail says they are taken from actual high school essays and collected by English teachers across the country for their own amusement. Some of these kids may have bright futures as humor writers. What do you think? 1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a ThighMaster. 2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free. 3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it. 4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. 5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound ...
More About: Analogies

The Only General Writing Advice You Will Ever Need
2008-07-29 01:33:00
* Writing and Editing are two separate, and different processes. * Writing and Editing are two separate, and different processes. It is that important. * Write first. Edit later. * Write first. Edit later. It is that important. * Outline only if it works for you. * Write every day. * Write what you want to read, not what you think someone else will. * Keep a ritual. * Stick to it. * When you are not writing, read. * Read a lot. * Read everything: comics, newspapers, novels, magazines, screenplays, poetry, billboards, tattoos, mustard wrappers, everything. * Read your own writing. Out loud. * Read other people?s writing. Out loud. * Don?t read to comprehend. This is about writing. * Read to write. Notice the context, flow, and tone. * Listen to people speak. * Don?t listen to comprehend. This is about writing. * Notice the context, flow, and tone. * Write with different tools: keyboard, pencil, ink pen, crayo...
More About: Advice , General , Motivation

Another cure for writers' block
2008-05-07 21:12:00
see more crazy cat pics
More About: Writers , Block , Cure

Happy Holidays!
2007-12-28 19:37:00
Just thought I'd pop in and wish everyone who still might happen by this blog a happy, healthy, and properous new year!
More About: Personal , Holidays , Happy Holidays , Happy

On haitus
2007-09-08 18:25:00
Changed jobs. Now I'm the office manager of my husband's heating and hydronics business. He's working me to the bone. ;) I'll still be visiting my usual haunts...Please enjoy life, keep well, and keep writing!
More About: Personal

Word Meanings
2007-08-21 17:09:00
The Washington Post published a contest in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for various words. Here are the winners:1. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.2. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.3. Bustard (n.), a rude bus driver.4. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.5. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.6. Dopeler effect (n.), The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.7. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.8. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are runover by a steamroller.10. Foreploy (n.), Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose ofobtaining sex.11. Frisbatarianism (n.), The belief that, when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck there.12. Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavoured mouthwash.13. Giraffiti: Van...
More About: Word , Meanings

Advice for writers...
2007-08-20 20:04:00
"Writing is like skiing - you will fall when you hesitate.""Do not reduce your story to outlines and sketches, notes and 3x5 cards. You will make your story finite this way and it will suffer because it cannot grow beyond your outline.""Let some stuff that you think is interesting drop away."These quotes are from Advice for Writers by David L. Robbins."You Are Enough""Work With What You're Given""Writing Begets Writing"These quotes are from The Three Cosmic Rules of Writing by Dennis Palumbo.
More About: Tips , Motivation

Free books and a contest!
2007-08-17 17:55:00
S. William Shaw is having a free ebook give-away of his titles: The Santa Mysteries and Sherman Oak and the Magic Potato. He?s also having a contest. Anyone linking to his give-away/contest entry can have their name thrown into a hat for a drawing to win a paperback copy of one of his books.So what are you waiting for? FREE eBOOKs HERE.
More About: Contest , Books , Contests , Free

Isolated and schizophrenic...
2007-08-16 17:22:00
You're The Poisonwood Bible!by Barbara KingsolverDeeply rooted in a religious background, you have since become bothisolated and schizophrenic. You were naively sure that your actions would help people,but of course they were resistant to your message and ultimately disaster ensued. Sinceyou can see so many sides of the same issue, you are both wise beyond your years andtied to worthless perspectives. If you were a type of waffle, it would beBelgian.Take the Book Quizat the Blue Pyramid.Thanks to Michelle Rowen for the link.
More About: Schizo , Isolate

Cat amp offers advice
2007-08-16 14:45:00
Hobbled by amputation, Henry inspires othersThrough his rescuer, a disabled cat dispenses advice to humans in pain.
More About: Advice , Offers , Offer