Happy Valentine's Day!

I just spent an amazing weekend with my sister and her kids.  My heart is full.  

I hope you spend your Valentine's Day reveling in love!

(Pssst! Don't forget, Wednesday is the Bernard Pivot Blogfest!

Still time to sign up... See you there!!)

                                    

Fun Galore

Lots of great bloggy peeps and activities to pimp!  Here's what you don't want to miss:

Second Writer's Platform-Building Crusade

If you've been visiting writers' blogs in the past week or so, you've definitely noticed this photo on sidebars everywhere.  Rachael Harrie @Rach Writes is launching this event for the second time, after the huge success of the first Writer's Platform-Building Crusade.  Become a Crusader and join us as we network with authors within our genres and outside.  Event is underway and runs from February 1st to April 30th.  Full details and sign-ups HERE

Don't forget: Next Wednesday, February 16th, is the Bernard Pivot Blogfest. To date, there are 95 bloggers playing along, but since the questionnaire is only 10 questions, it'll be quick reading and so easy to hit tons of blogs that day.  You'll meet dozens of new people, hopefully gain new followers, and share about yourself.  Fun!  Still plenty of time to sign up HERE.

LOLApalooza!☆∴*★∵∶｡◦°✰•*¨*•♪♫

Lola Sharp @Sharp Pen/Dull Sword is one of the sweetest bloggy friends I know!  Her giveaway is all about paying it forward, supporting each other in our writerly and personal pursuits, and spreading the love around.  Visit her blog on any given day and you'll be met with colorful, uplifting posts that do just that.  The prizes in this particular giveaway are awesome, but it's about more than that.  It's all about the rewards you reap from being the wind beneath another's wings.  Get in on it today, click HERE.

DL's WHODUNNIT

DL Hammons over at Cruising Altitude is celebrating a fantastic following of +600!  And because he's a mystery writer, and because he's highly creative and all-around awesome, DL has crafted a murder for us to solve.  To play along, read the murder-mystery short story HERE.  Then, hunt for clues that have been posted on the sidebars of 37 fellow bloggers.  (Psst....look at MY sidebar...)  Next week, DL will post a list of those 37 clue-toting blogs to help those out who haven't found enough to break the case.  Everyone who plays along gets a chance to win a prize, but those who solve the case risk to win more!  Full details HERE.

If you're looking for contests to join, I have a couple listed on my right sidebar.  If you know of any I can get in on, leave me the 411 in a comment!

And lastly, I have created an account with DropBox.  I have a question for those of you that use it.  Do you drop your files to save/archive/protect into your DropBox, or do you put a COPY of the files in?  It seems like to copy would be to double the memory it takes on my hard drive, but to drop means I no longer have a copy on my hard drive??  Is that smart/safe??  What if the files are compromised?  Maybe I don't fully understand.  All advice and tips are welcome and appreciated!

My sister's coming from Florida for a visit, so I won't be around.  Have a great weekend!!

                                    

Accused of Being "Loose"

²~Photo Credit~²

I've got my first draft in front of me, and I'm loosening up, I swear it...

I often wish I could read a slew of first drafts from published and unpublished authors. Intellectually, I understand first drafts are raw, messy, unrefined.  I've heard other writers describe theirs.  I've read countless articles and how-to books on the subject.  But to see a couple first drafts would be to truly believe, that every great novel began as a raw, unrefined mess.  

Guess I'll just have to keep the faith and plug away at mine, to capture my own Seeing-Is-Believing experience.  

Some tips I'm using to cheer myself on during this challenging plow-through-the-fear-and-self-doubt writing stage are:

² The first draft is the time to Free Write.  It's all about creating, letting loose a high energy flow of wild imagination.

² Concentrate on the characters, tell their stories.  Only look forward --> What comes next?  Don't look back and worry about what you've written.  If something important comes to mind, add a comment in the margin for later, but move forward!

² You are a Writer now, not an Editor.  Writers tell stories, so lose yourself in that task.  Leave the spelling, grammar and punctuation to the Editor you're allowed to be later, when you are in the revision phase. 

² Don't be afraid and have fun!

What other tips do you have for plowing through and getting that first draft finished?  

                                    

Little Darth Vader

Though I'm not an avid football fan, I love the game and never miss the Super Bowl. In fact, Super Bowl Sunday has become a holiday in our house. And truth be told, it's mostly because we love to watch the commercials. Here's my pick for the best Super Bowl 2011 Commercial:





How cute is that?? I thought most of the other commercials were lackluster. I did love the Snickers add with Roseanne Barr and the iPhone add with Ozzy and Bieber.

Which Super Bowl ad topped your list?

And in unrelated news, here are a couple items of note:

My sweet sister -- who is a talented writer and poet, and who is my number one support system out here in the "real world" -- has launched a blog. She's going through what we all go through in the beginning: nervousness, searching for her "voice," wondering if anyone will want to read what she blogs, etc. I hope you'll shoot over there and help me make her feel welcome! You'll find her at Noelle Skeldon, Author.

Lastly, there's still plenty of time to sign up for the Bernard Pivot Blogfest, scheduled for February 16.  It's going to be a fun way to get to know each other better through our answers to M. Pivot's famous questionnaire -- the same one James Lipton uses at the end of Inside the Actor's Studio -- (questionnaire and blogfest instructions HERE) It'll be quick to post, fast to read everyone else's posts, and -- don't forget -- there's a giveaway involved!  Prizes will be revealed at the end of the week!  SIGN UP HERE :D


I'm going to make this a productive writing week.  What about you?  Best of luck reaching all your goals!

                                    

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

Christine Hardy @ The Writer's Hole had a fun idea for today's You've Come a Long Way, Baby Blogfest.  Since the craft of creative writing is a journey, she thought it'd be fun to share some of our earlier work, illustrating just how far we'd come since, you know, back then.  So, below is a piece of flash fiction I wrote in May of 2008.

It was for a daily contest, which asked me to produce in 24 hours a 300-word (maximum) short story, incorporating the prompt words:  Rainbow, Bicycle, and Backpack.  (psst!  This entry actually won the contest that day!)

When I read this back, I have to smile.  There are FOUR -ly adverbs in the first paragraph.  But they're hardly noticeable, forced to share a paragraph with such garish attempts at lush descriptions, calling attention to themselves.  It's as if all those fancy words and pretentious phrases had little arms, waving at me.  It screams amateur. LOL.  I'm happy to say I opt for more concise descriptions now, simple words that pack a mean punch, more bang for the buck. Okay, 'nuf said.  Here you are; enjoy :))

Safe

         A rapt spectator of uninhibited childhood bliss, Alan hovered on the porch as his young son played in the yard, tossing a rainbow colored ball high over his head. Eyes tightly shut against the dazzling sun, the boy giggled as he reached up to catch the ball. It ricocheted off miscalculating hands, and bounced down the slight incline toward the street. Alan’s smile faltered and his eyes grew steadily wider as he saw his son turn in the ball’s direction. With surging dread, his eyes followed as the boy scampered after it. Alan tried to run, but his suddenly cumbersome legs wouldn’t budge. He shouted, but no sound issued from his mouth. Rooted to the spot by unseen forces, he helplessly watched his son dash into the street as an electric blue car with tinted windows crested the hill. Never decelerating, the car barreled straight for him. Alan stretched out his arms, groping, pleading. “NNNnnooooooooo!”

         He woke with a start. His heart was racing and beads of perspiration clung to his upper lip. Sitting up on the couch, he ran a hand through his hair, impatient for the dream to dissipate. He wanted -- needed -- to be with his son. 

         Standing, he called out, “Honey? Where’s Jimmy?”

         His wife’s muffled voice answered, “Outside!”

         Nudging shoes and a discarded backpack out of the way, he pried open the front door. Jimmy was riding his bicycle along the sidewalk. “Son,” he called, “wanna shoot some hoops?”

         “Sure, Dad!” Jimmy answered, hopping off his bike and letting it topple to the ground with a crash. A moment later, as Alan draped an arm around the boy’s shoulders, the tranquil air was disrupted by the swell of a rumbling engine. Looking up, Alan’s pulse quickened as an electric blue car with tinted windows came barreling into view.

*~*~*~*

Thanks for reading!  Please visit the other participants' blogs over the weekend.  The Mr. Linky list can be found HERE on Christine's blog.

Have a fantastic weekend!

                                    

High on Plot Pot (*waves to Jessica*)

One drop at a time, I'm filling the 'plot pot' for my revitalized WiP.  Formerly known as Overcome, the story has changed on many levels.  It feels like a brand new project.  The inciting incident and the character who instigates it are virtually all that remain of the original storyline.  And that character, once the antagonist, is now the story's hero.

The new working title is Safe in Captivity, which hints at a major theme that will weave throughout the story.  I'm very excited about it, because the theme manifests itself both as physical and psychological elements that will play parts in every major character's motivations and inner conflicts.

I have twenty-five  scenes sketched so far that take me from the opening, across major turning points, to the ending.  As I ponder individual scenes, connecting points blossom in my head.  It's amazing how the process allows you to capture details, shows you more about the characters, more about the settings, more about the story.  My notebook is filling up.

Today, I'm working on a loose timeline, to organize the scenes in chronological order.  I have some online research to do, too.

Amazon Info HERE

Nothing happens by chance. I happen to be reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, and I'm completely inspired by it.  The organizational decisions Flynn makes to tell Libby Day's story are brilliant.  Her scene choices cut right the heart of the story, and her ability to weave exposition into a moment so that the pace actually increases has been, for me, an education in itself.  And the descriptive quality of her voice?  Nothing short of brilliant.  I'm still 50 pages from the end, and already I give it a five-star rating.

I'm not going to make the same mistakes with Safe in Captivity that I did with Overcome.  This plotting stage will be brief.  And while the energy is high, I'm going to write the draft.  Straight through, resisting the temptations to revise or backtrack.  I'll add notes to myself as I go, when I realize something from an earlier chapter needs an addition or subtraction.  My minimum goal is 8,000 to 10,000 words a month.  Feel free to hold me accountable :D

And don't forget to sign up for the February 16 Bernard Pivot Blogfest!

It's going to be quick to post and easy to read everyone else's posts, so join in the fun!

Full Details for the Fest and Giveaway HERE! 

Have a fantastic day,

                                    

Just Do It!

So, yesterday was a pretty crappy day.  A few loose ends had become frayed from neglect and required my full attention.  Spinning them back into resolvable strands I could tie up took all morning and most of the afternoon, leaving me exhausted and depressed.  But every terrible experience has its lessons to teach, so here's what was reinforced in my mind yesterday:

Don't put off unpleasant tasks.  Deal with them.  Or they'll seem worse over time and you'll begin to loose sleep.

Schedule time each week to deal with crap you hate to deal with.  I'm supposed to take care of unpleasant tasks on Friday mornings -- but it's been weeks since the last time I did.  Staying on top of matters, and out in front of potential problems, will make your life happier.

Organization is key.  Don't put an important piece of paper on the corner of your desk because you're "sure you'll remember that's where you put it."  At the very least, keep a file folder for papers that need dealing with.  Name it something like "Friday Folder" (or whatever day of the week you deem 'Unpleasant Task Day'), or "Deal With Me, Dammit!" and keep it in a prominent or visible place on your desk.

And the most important thing I remembered?  I'm human.  I make mistakes.  I get lazy, choosing to do the stuff I like to do over shouldering my responsibilities.  And it's okay.  I made a couple nice messes with that behavior, but I worked it all out.  I'm still healthy and alive.  The world is still spinning.  (And no, I am NOT responsible for that massive snow and ice storm some of you are dealing with today.)

 But I can do better.  And I will.  Promise.

Do you have anything hanging over your head you should have dealt with like, um, last week?  Why not take care of it today.  You'll feel better, and you may even sleep better tonight!