My Way of Saying...

I was in unfamiliar territory when I decided I would write a cover letter to accompany a short story I was submitting to a literary magazine. Finding little guidance after a Google search, I turned to the blogging community and asked for help. I was overwhelmed with the number of writers who came to my aid and offered their advice, experience, and support!

As a small gesture of my gratitude, I'm passing awards on to each and every person who posted a comment yesterday. If you find a name you don't recognize, please follow the link to their blog and say hello. I hope you follow them, too! :)

I want to thank Annika at A Swede Abroad for the Sweet Blog Award! Her beauty is evident in her writing, pics, and eye-catching blog background. She's saying good-bye to a loved one so please send some love her way!

The Meaning :
Sweet Blog Award is an award for blog which you think is so friendly and make you enjoy to visit it often.

So now there's two things:
1. I give this award to ten people
2. The people I give this award to need to make a post about the award(include the picture & the person that gave it to you!)

I'm passing this award to the following people who came back twice to offer their opinions on the second letter as well as the first. It meant the world to me to get hear your impressions and, in some instances, to exchange emails with you!

Valerie @ Something to Write About

Lisa K. @ Writing on Thin Ice

Lisa Gibson @ Random Thoughts to String Together

B. Miller @ B. Miller Fiction

Wendy @ On' n' On' n 'On - Because a Writer Always has Something to Say

Portia Sisco

Matthew @ The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment

Shelley @ Stories in the Ordinary

Anne @ Piedmont Writer

Thank you to Jen at Unedited for the Soulmates Award!

The rules:

1. Choose five followers/commenters that 'get' you
2. Write something fake (preferably not too mean) about them
3. Link to them, and link back to this post to comment your receipt of the award

The five of my awesome commenters from yesterday receiving the Soulmates award are:

Roland @ Writing in the Crosshairs, who went on ancestry.com and traced his family tree back to Edgar Allen Poe.

Lindsay @ Unicorn Ramblings, who once achieved so much leg-pumping momentum she got the swing to go over the top crossbar in a perfect 360 degree arc.

Shannon McMahon, who loves cheese fondu so much, she's been known to serve it for breakfast featuring chunks of Canadian bacon and her favorite, biscuits of Shredded Wheat.

Aubrie @ Flutey Words, who can burp the entire alphabet, backwards!

Sarah Jayne @ Writing in the Wilderness, who is the base guitarist in a newly formed garage band called The Bomb.

And, thank you to Ellen at Pink Tea and Paper and Amalia @ Good to Begin Well, Better to End Well for the Beautiful Blogger Award! I'm supposed to give this away to 15 fellow bloggers and list 7 things about myself, for your entertainment. I'm feeling goofy so hang on! Here goes:

1. My preferred Oreo is quadruple-stuffed: Open two double stuff Oreos, toss out the tops and sandwich the two halves with cream. Ta-DA! Quadruple-Stuff!

2. My husband proposed to me while I was sitting on the toilet (lid down, pants up!) and he was in the shower. Thus proving the old adage incorrect, that a bad proposal signals a bad marriage.

3. I'm practically ambidextrous...of course, the only thing I can't do with both my right and left hands is WRITE.

4. I make hubby and the kids hook their dirty socks together before putting them in the hamper or I refuse to wash them. (I grew up in a family of 7, and my mother's solution to pairing socks was to not do it. Instead, all clean socks went into a laundry basket in the hall closet. I'm maimed for life by nightmares of ploughing through that damn basket every day, settling on two socks that were at least the right color and thickness...)

5. I never throw away used tin foil. If it can't be wiped clean and reused, it goes in the recycle bin.

6. I put a plant on my desk yesterday because someone (*waves to Summer*) said,

"One tree neutralises the carbon dioxide emissions of your blog."

7. I never open my eyes underwater, even though I haven't worn contact lenses since my Lasik surgery seven years ago.

I'm passing along this award to more of yesterday's commenters. Thank you for the incredible support you showered me with!!

Justine Dell

Summer @ ...And This Time, Concentrate

Chrisi Goddard @ A Torch in the Tempest

Tracy @ Forever Endeavor

Sarah @ Falen Formulates Fiction

The Alliterative Allomorph

Southpaw @ Scribbles and Splashes

Jaydee Morgan

Alex J. Cavanaugh

Nicole Hadaway @ All Things Smart and Scary

Al @ Publish or Perish

Cherie @ Surrounded by Books

Lastly, and by no means leastly, a huge thank you to my sweet friend Anne at Piedmont Writer for the Awesomesauce Award! What a great title!!

This one goes to the remaining bloggers who took time out of their day to offer me the guidance I needed. Your support lifted me up!!

Kristen @ Disobedient Writer

Talli Roland

Lola @ Sharp Pen/Dull Sword

Natalie Bahm

Linsday @ Adventures in Writing

Jemi Fraser @ Just Jemi

Stina @ Seeing Creative

Susan Fields

Hannah @ Musings of a Palindrome

Medeia Sharif

DL Hammons @ Cruising Altitude

Again, my heartfelt thank you to all these talented, generous writers for helping a girl out when she asked. You all rock!!

I hope these lists help visitors meet someone new today!

Second Cry for Help of the Day

Thank you to all the wonderful commenters on today's first post (below). Taking into account your suggestions, I revised my cover letter and submitted a story to a second literary magazine: Crazyhorse.

I'm sorry for being so shamelessly self-centered today! I promise to visit all your blogs later this afternoon and evening...

But I wanted to post my second letter, and (*blush*) ask again for feedback. If this is your first visit to my blog today (Welcome!!), please scroll down so you can compare the following version with the original below. If you've returned (*hugs!*), you're an absolute BFF and I look forward to hearing your reaction to the second letter.

Here goes:

Dear Crazyhorse Editors,


Thank you for the opportunity to submit my work to your literary magazine. I have attached a PDF file of "Homage," my currently unpublished short story of 1,990 words, for your consideration. It’s the story of a young maimed soldier, home from the war in Iraq and struggling with the alienation he feels from his own country, who answers a call to heroism on domestic soil.

My work is featured in the fourth issue of The Writer's Bump E-Zine , and my short story "Mariposa" was accepted for print publication in the Writer's Bump Anthology Volume One (Copyright 2009 by Richard Lee).

I'm a former Peace Corps volunteer who, having lived on three continents, has many stories to tell.


Sincerely,

Nicole Ducleroir

Email: http://www.heftynicki@writing.com
Website: http://nicoleducleroir.blogspot.com

Looking forward to any comments/advice :)

Thanks for putting up with my cover letter mania today!

Cry For Help, From One Needing Direction

I have read excellent advice from many, many blogging authors about the fine art of query letter writing. I'm working through my first MS and not at that stage of the game, yet. I have entered a couple literary contests, each requiring only that I fill out their questionnaire and attach a file with my story. However, today I submitted a short to a literary magazine.

Paradigm magazine only accepts online submissions, so it occurred to me I should include a cover letter in my email. I wanted to put my best foot forward in introducing myself, but outside a few resources found through a quick Web search, I had no idea what I was doing.

I'm going to be brave and include a copy of my letter here. Please read through it and offer your advice on what I did right and what I should have done/done better. If you have submitted short fiction to literary magazines, I'd be especially interested to hear whether you felt your cover letter helped or hindered your success.

(For some reason, I'm more nervous about this than posting my Tuesday Teasers!)

Okay, enough stalling...here it goes:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Paradigm Editors,


Thank you for the opportunity to submit my work to your online quarterly. I have attached "Homage," my currently unpublished short story of 1,990 words, for your consideration.

My work is featured in the fourth issue of The Writer's Bump E-Zine, and my short story "Mariposa" was accepted for print publication in the Writer's Bump Anthology Volume One (Copyright 2009 by Richard Lee). In addition, I have won numerous Writing.com sponsored contests for my short stories and poetry.

I'm a college graduate and former Peace Corps volunteer. I've lived in Africa and Europe, and currently reside in Georgia, USA with my husband and two children.


Sincerely,

Nicole Ducleroir

Email: http://www.heftynicki@writing.com
Website: http://nicoleducleroir.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you think? Too dry? Not enough personal information? Too much? Ugh...! Help!

Stop Shouting at Me!!!!

I just finished judging a short story contest for teen writers on Writing.com. The project is going on hiatus until the fall, since the weeks between Spring Break and end-of-term exams are busy enough for kids and typically lead to poor turnout. I designed the contest as a platform for teens to showcase their work, and I offer in-depth critiques of every entry, in the mentoring spirit of helping young writers hone their fledgling crafts.

The payoff is I develop a deeper sense of my own craft, as I include in my reviews discussions on basic elements of storytelling and grammar.

One thing I see time and again in teen writing is the overuse of the exclamation point. This powerful little punctuation mark raises the tension of a sentence. Used too often, readers will feel like they're shouting the story. Exclamation points are a lot like Habanero sauce: A couple drops can bring out the flavor of the food, too much will overpower the diner's palette and ruin the dish.

I advise writers of these do's and don'ts of exclamation point usage:

Do use an exclamation point in dialog, when the speaker is extremely angry, shocked, frightened, or joyful. Always use it with dialog tags like "he shouted" or "she shrieked." However, if the speaker hasn't raised his or her voice, don't use an exclamation point.

Do use an exclamation point in non-question sentences that begin with "What" or "How":

What an idiot I was!

How gorgeous was that wedding!

Do use an exclamation point, if you wish, after an onomatopoeia:

The sudden screech! of the back door hinges startled me from my reverie.

Don't use an exclamation point in any other situation in formal writing. (I always qualify to my teen contest entrants that this is my own personal rule. Some writers will argue that there must be other times an exclamatory sentence pops up in formal writing. My answer is sure, you could use them, but if you aren't picky and careful to use them sparingly, you risk giving your writing a parochial, unpolished sound.)

Don't use more than one exclamation point in a row. Seriously, don't do it. Not in dialog. Not if something totally freaky and heart-stopping happens in your novel. Don't.Use.More.Than.One. Ever!

Now, anyone who's received a comment by me on their blog knows that I'm an exclamation point abuser in real life. Emails, blog comments, FaceBook and Twitter are perfect places to let loose your crazy, hilarious, fun-loving, over-the-top, exclamation point-needing voice. Show the love! Shout out loud!! Go for it and express yourself! So that, when you sit down to write your novel, you have all those compulsions for exclamation points out of your system. Your prose will sound refined and dynamic without them, because of the natural strength of your talent and through the creativity in your word choices.

What's your take on exclamation point usage? Do you agree? Have anything to add?

Wild and Free

I woke up this morning with an urgent need to write. Come on, I said to my muse, we have to keep working on the character charts. She crossed her arms high across her chest, sending bony shoulders up near her ears. Her little eyebrows furrowed and rose petal lips shot forward in a pout. I felt my resolve waiver. Well, I proposed, we could open that spreadsheet and continue plugging in the outline scenes. What do you say? My muse stomped her foot, hard. I sighed. What do you do when your muse is a petulant child who just wants to play?

I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to give in to her. What the hell? I'm not her parent, after all. Today I say, outline smoutline. Ya! shouts my muse. Spring is here. Too bad for you, Snowflake Method! Me and the writer chick are gonna have some fun. Ignore the schedule. Break some rules. See what we can get away with!

I hope you're embracing your inner petulant child today. Set your muse free! Write with wild abandon, I dare you. (Okay, Muse. That's quite enough. Save it for the book.)

Anyone else feeling wild and free today?

Photography copyrighted to Da Photo Guy

This Side Up

"[The writer] has to be the kind of [wo]man who turns the world upside down and says, lookit, it looks different, doesn't it?"

-- Morris West

For me, what separates an author from the pack of writers at the top of creativity's bell-shape curve is the ability to ignore obvious descriptors. Truly gifted and conscientious writers, instead, find a way to turn a description on its head, giving the reader a fresh vantage point from where a thing becomes dynamic and emotionally enmeshed with the narration.

For example, a writer could have her narrator complain, "I was sick to death of being constantly bombarded with sensational stories by New York City newspapers." The narrator's feelings are clear, and 'bombarded' is certainly a strong, high impact verb that carries a lot of emotional bang for its buck. But now consider how Sylvia Plath handled the same thought in the opening paragraph of "The Bell Jar":

"...and that's all there was to read about in the papers -- goggle-eyed headlines staring up at me on every street corner and at the fusty, peanut-smelling mouth of every subway."

Plath turned the idea on its side, describing the headlines and the places where the papers were sold, using modifiers that painted for the reader the emotional portrait of the narrator's feelings. In essence, her descriptions invited the reader to participate in the scene.

I love this quote by Patrick F. McManus: "Write out of the reader's imagination as well as your own. Supply the significant details and let the reader's imagination do the rest. Make the reader a co-author of the story."

Do you think about your readers as co-authors of your story? Does doing so inspire you?

You can't quit, you're FIRED!

The characters I cast in my novel aren't who I thought they were. I don't know why I'm so surprised. Anytime I meet someone for the first time, the new acquaintance smiles a lot, flatters me with complimentary politeness, chooses her words carefully. I do the same thing. It's only through subsequent meetings, time spent hanging out together, that guarded moments give way to natural reactions, and the façade begins to crumble.

In the time I've hung out with my characters this week, they have begun to shown me their authentic selves. I learned the antagonist has a lifelong fascination for electroshock weaponry. And here, I thought fire was his thing. Another character informed me I had it all wrong, that he never wanted to marry his fiancée. One character up and altogether quit the project! And an Asian dude I'd pegged from the start as a wicked man turned out to be a student and a young fellow of incredible honor. It's a shame what's going to happen to him. However, it was only when he revealed himself to me that the big climactic scene -- the one I just couldn't figure out for weeks and weeks and weeks -- finally played out in my mind. Maybe I'll make it up to him by mentioning him in the book's dedication blurb...

So, I made my first self-imposed deadline: Step Six of the Snowflake Method is complete, on time today, April 3.

The steps in this method of plotting a novel are extremely well designed. For example, in Step Five I wrote a one-page narration of each major character and a half-page narration of each minor character. The exercise was to write in first person from the POV of that character, letting him or her explain his or her role in the book (relationship to other characters, goals, motivations, etc.) Then this week, in Step Six, I expanded the one-page plot synopsis of the novel I wrote for Step Four to a four-page synopsis. Today I begin Step Seven which shifts focus back to the characters and asks me to create detailed character charts for each character. It's brilliant, because I know so much more about the characters after working through Step Six, including how wrong some of my original interpretations of the characters were. I'm excited to dive into this exercise and fully flesh these people out.

Snowflake Method author Randy Ingermanson says in Step Seven notes: "You will probably go back and revise steps (1-6) as your characters become "real" to you and begin making petulant demands on the story. This is good -- great fiction is character-driven. Take as much time as you need to do this, because you're just saving time downstream."

Blogger Jana Hutcheson @ All I'm Saying... wrote a wonderful post last Wednesday about interviewing characters as a technique for figuring out what makes them tick. She included several excellent website links with character interview questionnaires to use. Check it out by clicking HERE. [Jana is new to Blogger this year. While you're there, why not sign on as a follower? (*smile*)]

How do you get to know your characters? Have you ever interviewed them? Have your ever had a character quit your novel?

Contest Announcements!

It's a gorgeous day here in the Altanta area, and I'm spending it outside with hubby and the kids. We were up ridiculously early, for a "day off," to merged with the lighter-than-normal rush hour traffic and arrived at the French Embassy in Buckhead by 8:45 a.m. The three "Frenchies" in the family now have their updated passports for our trip to France in June. Now back home, they have zipped over to a gardening shop to buy a truckload of top soil, and I have a minute to dash off a quick blog post.

Here are some great contests you don't want to miss out on!

Tawna Fenske's @ Don't Pet Me, I'm Writing is a talented writer with THREE romantic comedies scheduled for release beginning in August 2011. Her blog posts are informative, inspirational, and often hilarious! Help her celebrate reaching 100 followers in only two months by joining her give-away. The prize is too good to pass up!! (*wink*)

The fabulous Roxy @ A Woman's Write is celebrating 200 followers with her Blogging Buddies Give-Away Contest. Way to go, Roxy!

Christine Danek at Christine's Journey has surpassed 100 followers and is having a give-away contest with fab prize. (I hope I win this one!!) Visit her today :)

Christina Farley @ Chocolate for Inspiration is giving away some AWESOME prizes, all of which are from the country setting of her WiP: Korea! Help her celebrate surpassing her 100 followers milestone by visiting her and entering the contest today!

Shannon Messenger @ Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe has an agent!! Way to go, Shannon! Living the dream, how exciting! To celebrate, she's hosting a fantastic contest and giving away SIX books, each SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR! Visit Shannon and sign up today :)

Karen Akins @ Novels During Naptime has also surpassed the 100 followers mark. Her celebratory give-away features gorgeous writing supplies and a bead bracelet that matches one she has. I want to be bracelet twins with Karen, don't you?

Noelle Nolan @ A life Rewritten is giving away an Amazon gift card as soon as she reaches 100 followers. Let's get her there quickly! Visit her today and sign up to follow. You'll be making a wonderful new friend and supporting a published author and her platform!

There you have it, some fantastic contests to enter, all of which end in the next week or two (check my sidebar for deadlines).

And, if you know of other contests I can enter and promote, leave me the blogger's URL in a comment. I'll let them know you sent me!

Happy Easter Weekend, everyone!

Alternate Version Blogfest Entry

I'm going to share my blogfest entry in a minute, but first I want to explain this photo. As usual, I was up and at my computer around 5:45 this morning. My daughter woke early, even though it's Spring Break, but I didn't realize she was up. When I came down from my office for a bathroom break, this is what I found. Sidney had transformed the hall bathroom into a crime scene. It's the first, I'm sure, of many April Fool's gags to come today.

Actually, this pic is a perfect illustration for today's post, since a crime has definitely been committed in this blog entry. The following exercise was prepared for Livia Blackburne's Alternate Version Blogfest. We were challenged to take a scene from our story and re-write it in another style.

Writing in other genres, or different styles, is hard for me! The grooves in my author's fingerprints run deep. But, in the spirit of trying something new and stretching the old writing muscles, here it goes.

This excerpt is taken from a short story called When Opposites Attract. I was already way outside my comfort zone when I wrote the story, which was penned for a contest that only accepted Speculative Fiction. Below is the original snippet, and then a new version written with the flare of drama/chick lit romance. (Although, even I don't think: (A)That's actually a real genre; and (B)that I hit my mark. :P)


Original Version

Marla caught up to him and matched his long stride. “No shit, Robb. But that’s not the point. The Federation did take over and you no longer have clearance to be here. Disobeying the Federation is an act of treason. If you’re caught…”

He spun on her, grabbing her arm in a vice-like grip. “Now why would I get caught?”

His tone was dangerous, threatening. How far before a stretched rubber band breaks? He’d already come close to the edge of reason with Marla recently, when he’d walked in on her and Steve. That day, he’d understood how people can snap, grab a weapon and take out a few well-deserving people. In the dark days that'd followed, he’d fantasized about tying Marla up, torturing her until she hurt as much as he did. He’d been pathetic, twisted by tormented emotions, but he’d gotten a grip on himself. He'd resolved to be content on hurting her in small ways every chance he got, with spiteful words and defamatory rumors, little pressure valve acts to release his emotional tension and avoid a massive explosion. But the pain was still fresh. God help her if she pushed him now.

Marla was the one to break his gaze. She looked away, hugging her files to her chest. He turned and marched on, though he was aware of her soft footfalls behind him.

Alternate Version

Marla caught up to him, the rapid-fire clacks of her stilettos echoing down the corridor. “Please, Robb! That’s not the point. You can’t be caught here; it’s too dangerous. You just can’t!”

He stopped and turned, his right eyebrow raised. “Now, why would I get caught, sweetheart?”

His voice oozed sarcasm. What did this pretty little thing know about Federation business? Not to say she wasn’t a bright woman, she was employed here, wasn’t she? His eyes drifted down from her face, settling on the rise of suntanned flesh peeking out of her low-cut blouse. Robb released a loud sigh, meeting Marla’s eyes again.

“I appreciate your concern, really I do. Hey, I have an idea,” he added brightly. “Why don’t I give you the keys to my Porche. You go on down and wait for me there, and when I’m finished here, I’ll buy you that drink we keep talking about.”

He noticed she didn’t blink her ice blue eyes. She’d turned down his advances twice already, but when you’re dealing with a goddess like Marla, it was worth another shot. His smile waned to a smirk in the vacuum of her silence. Time was wasting, but he gave her another ten seconds to decide.

Marla was the one to break his gaze. She looked away, hugging her files to her chest. He turned and marched on, though he was aware of the clickity-clack of her shoes behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you're interested in reading someone's entry who did a fantastic job with this challenge, visit Jen Brubacher @ Scribo Ergo Sum I loved reading her snippets and thought she really captured each different genre's style (she did three!)

And I hope you check out the other participants' blogs today. Find the Mr. Linky list by clicking HERE.

Have a fab day!

The Long on Short Fiction

Yesterday at Falen Formulates Fiction, I learned the short story I entered in Sarah Ahiers's 100 Followers Contest won third place! I was thrilled -- thanks, Sarah!

I encourage anyone who has never written a short story to give it a try. Writing shorts is an excellent way to experiment with your craft. We grow as writers when we challenge ourselves, step outside our writing comfort zones. However, embarking on a lengthy project with a complicated plot and large cast of characters may overwhelm an author who's writing out of her box. A short only deals with one significant moment in time, so whether you've never written from the omniscient viewpoint, or you want to attempt speculative fiction, the short story format is the perfect platform to try it out.

In the "short" category, there are a few formats to choose from:

Flash Fiction

This is the shortest of the shorts. There's no definitive definition for flash fiction, but most agree a story under 1,000 words is flash. Despite its brevity, flash fiction still must have a clear beginning, strong middle, and definite end. It should include exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Otherwise it is not flash fiction, but rather a vignette or scene.

Read this excellent article to better understand Flash Fiction.

Short Story

A short story is said to be a story you can read in one sitting. Again, the length of this format is debated and often comes down to the submission guidelines of each contest, magazine, or anthology. The most adhered to definition of a modern short story is one which has no more than 20,000 words and no less than 1,000.

This detailed article explains how to write a short story.

[Update: Thanks to Lindsay Duncan @ Unicorn Ramblings for pointing out that there is another format nestled in here between short story and novella. The Novelette is a category of short fiction said to have a word count between 7,500 and 17,499 words (according to Wikipedia) However, the same article points out that "The terms novelette and novelettish can also be derogatory, suggesting fiction which is 'trite, feeble or sentimental'."

When I checked online dictionaries, I found in Free Online Dictionary that the first definition of a novelette is "an extended narrative or short story," while the second definition is "a novel that is regarded as being slight, trivial, or sentimental." (HERE) And on YourDictionary.com the single definition for novelette is "a short novel, sometimes, specif., one regarded as inferior in quality, banal, overly commercial, etc." (HERE) Thanks, Lindsay, for your comment that led to this research!]

Novella

A novella is a renegade literary form in that it characterizes both a short story and a novel. Like a short story, a novella has a somewhat concise plot. The time frame is generally compact, and the reader often knows little about what happened before or after the time period of the story. A novella also mimics a novel because the story is organized in chapter-like segments and enjoys the freedom to explore its characters and plot in greater depth than does a short story. It typically is said to have between 17,500 words and 40,000.

Examples of famous novellas include John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.

Have you ever written a short story? What's your favorite platform for experimenting with your craft?

My Truth and an Excerpt to Prove It

Almost every lie I wrote yesterday held a grain of truth, but there was nothing false about the two that were true. Of course, I've written stories about the most harrowing of my life's adventures, so my Tuesday Teaser will follow, a snippet from that story. But first:

1. I earned my doctorate in Rhetorical Speaking from the State University of New York at Oswego. Nope. I earned a Bachelor's in Rhetorical Communications from that school.

2. We have seven pets: a Shitzu puppy named Sammy, a Himalayan Persian cat named Pumpkin, an African Gray parrot named C.J., two love birds called Happy and Mango, a Betta Fish called Mr. Odie, and a frog named Jeremiah that hatched from a tadpole we caught in the pond out back. False! We have a Betta named Mr. Odie, but the other pets ALL live with my sister.

3. A ten-foot-long shark swam right alongside me while I was looking for seashells in water up to my knees on the Florida coast. TRUE! I was beach combing on a six a.m. walk, and I thought it was a dolphin in the water. I couldn't believe I was that close to a dolphin and in my excitement, I waded further in and walked alongside it. When it didn't surface for air I became suspicious, but when it thrashed its head I was sure: it was a shark, trolling the shore for breakfast.

4. I trained for three months and won at the regional level (Southeastern U.S.) of the Fitness America Competition. No...but I did place third!

5. I was kidnapped at gunpoint by machine gun-toting rebels during an African civil war. 100% True. See excerpt below.

6. One summer, I juiced three cucumbers a day, and drinking the juice made my hair grow six inches in three and a half months. No way.

7. In 1991, I shook Madonna's hand on the red carpet when she arrived for the premier of Truth or Dare in Hollywood, CA. Untrue-ish. I was there, and Madonna stepped out of her limo fifteen feet in front of me. But I didn't shake her hand.

8. I speak four languages: English (duh), French, Spanish, and an African dialect called Sango. Nope, I only speak three languages. No hablo Espagnol.

I apologize in advance for only offering a short excerpt of the following. In the Face of Danger, which tells the story of my abduction by rebel soldiers during the 1996 mutant army uprising in the Central African Republic, is currently submitted to The New Millennium Awards contest in the category of Creative Non-Fiction. For this reason, I can't publish it on the web. And, for the same reason, this excerpt will only be up for one day.

Here's the set-up: I was a Peace Corps volunteer with only a few months of service left before finishing my two year, three month tour of duty. My husband Christian, who was then my fiancé, and I met there. At the time of this story, he was living ten kilometers away on his company's construction base. When the war broke out, the Peace Corp issued a country-wide evacuation, and we were to follow the Emergency Evacuation Plan implicitly. This included volunteers in the region locking ourselves in the predesignated "Safe House" and awaiting further instructions. We were not to leave under any circumstances. I did. Here's what happened:

Excerpt From: In the Face of Danger
by Nicole Ducleroir

[Removed]

...pants on fire!

The lovely and hilarious Talli Roland passed the Soul Mate Award to me. Talli's blog voice is upbeat and her topics always blend writing with truths and oddities from the real world. Check out this perfect example from over the weekend!

The rules:
1. Choose five followers/commenters that 'get' you.
2. Write something fake (preferably not too mean) about them.
3. Link to them, and link back to the award's originating post to comment your receipt of the award.

Today, the Soul Mate Award goes to:

Abby Annis, whose loving husband commissioned a statue in her likeness for a first wedding anniversary present that Abby proudly displays on the front lawn.

Sarah Jayne @ Writing in the Wilderness, who was kicked out of a prestigious mime school in Paris when she kept saying vroom-vroom every time she mimed driving a car.

Laurel @ Laurel's Leaves, who was once chosen from the audience to assist a hypnotist and now hiccups every time the doorbell rings.

Mary Campbell @ Writer's Butt Does Not Apply, who somehow mixed up the seed packets last spring and ended up with a row of Cosmos in the vegetable garden and unsightly stalks of sweet corn lining her front porch.

Kimberly Franklin, who holds the handstand record in the state of Texas -- she broke the record after walking around on her hands for one week, one day, and seven hours. The first thing she did after acknowledging her supporters was go to the bathroom.

Thank you to Amanda @ So Many Story Ideas for the Creative Liar Award! Amanda's a creative woman with interesting things to say, and her blog is gorgeous! I hope you visit her today :)

The rules to this fun award are to write six fabulous lies about myself and two truths. You have to guess which ones are true! I have been terrible at guessing other people's truths; let's see how hard it'll be for you to guess mine (*smile*)

1. I earned my doctorate in Rhetorical Speaking from the State University of New York at Oswego.

2. We have seven pets: a Shitzu puppy named Sammy, a Himalayan Persian cat named Pumpkin, an African Gray parrot named C.J., two love birds called Happy and Mango, a Betta Fish called Mr. Odie, and a frog named Jeremiah that hatched from a tadpole we caught in the pond out back.

3. A ten-foot-long shark swam right alongside me while I was looking for seashells in water up to my knees on the Florida coast.

4. I trained for three months and won at the regional level (Southeastern U.S.) of the Fitness America Competition.

5. I was kidnapped at gunpoint by machine gun-toting rebels during an African civil war.

6. One summer, I juiced three cucumbers a day, and drinking the juice made my hair grow six inches in three and a half months.

7. In 1991, I shook Madonna's hand on the red carpet when she arrived for the premier of Truth or Dare in Hollywood, CA.

8. I speak four languages: English (duh), French, Spanish, and an African dialect called Sango.

I'm passing this award on to bloggers I'm excited to have met this week:

Justine Dell

Samantha @ Show and Tell

Gina @ Passions on Paper

Mel @ Ever Flowing Thoughts and Other Randomness

Jaydee @ Jaydee Morgan Blogs


So can you pick out the two truths from all those lies? I'll reveal my truths tomorrow. And while you're playing along, I hope you'll visit the bloggers' sites linked here.

Have a wonderful day!

A Week Full of Awards

Over the past week I've been offered some wonderful blog awards. It's so uplifting to feel the love from you awesome people! Here's what I've received and how I'd like to share it!

Thanks to my friends Talli Roland and Anne @ Piedmont Writer for this gorgeous award! I love the inscription that comes with this award: "By definition, a Prolific Blogger 'is one who is intellectually productive...keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content.'" Cool!

I'd like to pass this award on to some of my newest blogger friends:

Tawna Fenske @ Don't Pet Me, I'm Writing -- Tawna is wildly talented, represented and published, and her blog is on my daily must-read list. Love her voice, love her humor, LOVE her!

She Writes -- Her romance-style excerpts remind me of the times love has filled my heart with joy or pain, and her writing takes my breath away.

Michael @ Mental Masturbation -- Michael's sharp and creative mind makes for interesting blog posts each day, but his intuitive style lends beauty and rhythmic flow to everything he says.

Lisa Marie Miles @ Confessions of a Writing Mama -- Lisa reminds me of myself -- she blogs about big changes in her life (she moved this month) and still dives deeper into her craft (deciding to do Script Frenzy!) Help me cheer her on!!

Laura @ Through Laura's Eyes -- This talented lady is an amazing writer and blogger. Her engaging style pulls me into her writing every time.

Christi Goddard @ A Torch in the Tempest -- Christi is an artist and a writer, my favorite combination! Her blog is eye-candy and inspirational.

Alicia Frey @ Eyes 2 Page -- I enjoy Alicia's blog posts -- this writer is going places!

The lovely Niki @ Wool'n'Nuts passed The Silver Lining Award on to me. Niki's posts are wonderful, often about her love for animals and all nature's gifts. Her writing is wonderful too!

This award goes to more of my new blogging friends:

Kelly Gibian @ Just Write -- I love Kelly's blog voice! She's upbeat, and there's great energy in everything she says, especially when she's talking about her family and running.

Amanda Johnson @ Ramblings of a Wandering Mind -- Amanda has a young, fresh voice and she's making great progress on her WiP!

Charity Bradford @ My Writing Journey -- Charity reached 50 followers and is celebrating with a fun "food-themed" blogfest!

I want to thank Michael at Mental Masturbation for this wonderful award. Michael is one of the newer voices I've discovered in the blogosphere and love to listen to.

This award goes to more of my newest blogger friends:

Lindsay Duncan @ Unicorn Ramblings -- Lindsay's talent jumps off the screen, whether she's posting or commenting. I'm enjoying getting to know her!

Aubrie @ Flutey Words -- Aubrie is a sweetheart and her talent spans the music and writing worlds. I love reading what she has to say each day.

Anne Elle Altman @ All Write With Coffee -- Some blogs have incredible energy and this one does. The brand of energy that comes through Anne's writing is effortless and infectious.

Jen @ Unedited passed this award to me. Thanks, Jen! Her blog is teeming with creativity and she's loved by so many of us at Blogger. Visit her today!

I'm giving this award to three of my blogging BFFs:

Talli Roland -- This generous blog buddy is funny, smart, and makes me want to jump on a plane and cross the pond to hang out with her in person!

Lola @ Sharp Pen/Dull Sword -- Lola's posts make me laugh, think, and pull me into her world. Love this girl!

DL Hammon @ Cruising Altitude -- DL is one of my favorite bloggers. He's so centered in his writing, and his style is absolutely my cup of tea. When he's published, I'll be the first to buy his book.

My friend, DL Hammons @ Cruising Altitude awarded me this honor -- and this one really made me feel wonderful. Commenting on each other's blogs helps us stay connected on a personal level with other writers/bloggers. It's all about supporting each other and learning from one another.

Two friends who comment regularly on my blog, always leaving me with inspirational and encouraging words, and who are most deserving of this award are:

Anne @ Piedmont Writer -- Anne's become an inspiration and a sounding-board for project ideas, and I value her friendship and suggestions more than she probably knows!

Jemi Fraser @ Just Jemi -- Jemi has been a regular visitor and commenter since I met her, and I love her encouraging insights every time I see her beautiful white rose icon on my blog.

I hope you'll visit these creative bloggers' sites today. If you don't follow them, why not sign on? It's the number one best way to show your support of their talents and efforts -- and it just feels good to spread around the love!!

It's friends like the above mentioned, and YOU, that make my blogging experience perfect! Thank you!!

Have a fab weekend!

My Contest Entry

Today, I'm entering Sarah Ahier's Falen Formulates Fiction 100 Followers Writing Contest. If you want to play along, you'll need to write a short story under 750 words, following one of Sarah's prompts. It's all explained HERE to click -- hurry! Contest deadline is 5 pm CST today!

I chose this prompt to work with: A man discovers a large sum of money in his wallet and can't remember where it came from.

Here's my story:

The Sacred Heart

Thomas’ black leather coat was as useful as a window screen at protecting him from the biting wind. He clutched the collar to his throat and strode down the littered Bronx sidewalk with his head bent against the constant gust. Halfway down the block, a pair of tattered shoes entered his limited field of vision. Thomas slowed his pace and lifted his chin. His gaze traveled from the shoes, up soiled pant legs, past where the waist bent at ninety degrees, to the torso of a disheveled and unconscious man. Thomas took a step closer, peering at the man’s chest to see if it rose and fell. That’s when he spied the frayed wallet, half- wedged under the man’s hip next to a smudged Styrofoam coffee cup.

Thomas glanced quickly up and down the street, snatched up the wallet, and opened it. It was empty.

He tossed it back on the card board bedroll and walked on. A hundred feet later, he turned and crossed a small parking lot in front of Fortworth Saloon. He reached for the door handle and paused. A drop of water ran down the inside of the sweating glass. Thomas whipped his head left and right, popping his neck. He took a deep breath and pulled open the door.

~~~

“Are you freakin’ kiddin’ me?” Stevie Romero scoffed as he threw his cards face down. A cheer went up from the onlookers surrounding the table. Thomas raked all the chips from the ante pile toward him, including the Rolex laid neatly on top. The piles of chips at his side resembled the smokestacks of Jersey’s finest factories across the Hudson. Thomas allowed a boyish grin and avoided looking at the other players.

A large man in a white suit and matching ten bucket cowboy hat peered at Thomas. “So, Tommy Heart?” he drawled. “How come we’ve never seen y’all around the circuit before today? Y’all can’t be new to the game. Ain't beginners who can bluff like you.” He eyed Thomas’ chip fortress with suspicion.

“I been playin’ in the neighborhood for years. In Brooklyn, you gotta have your game face on all the time, ya know what I’m talkin’ about?” Thomas smirked and offered a knuckle bump to the cowboy who sat still, his emotionless eyes fixed on Thomas. Thomas lowered his fist.

“Aw, come on Tex, you’re just pissed off ‘cause he got your stupid watch,” shouted Romero from the other side of the table. “Your bluff was weak, man. Even I saw through it.”

As the Texan argued with Romero, Tommy Heart excused himself from the table. His cool composure cloaked his racing heart. In the vacant hallway leading to the restrooms, he pulled out his cell phone. Glancing left and right, he pushed speed dial number one.

“Sacred Heart of Brooklyn, may I assist you?”

“Sister Cecelia Maria?” he whispered into the phone.

“Father Thomas? Is that you? Where are you, we’ve been worried sick!”

“I’m fine, Sister. But I only have a minute to talk. Listen, please call the parish council and tell them to block the Youth Center demolition. I have raised the money for the new roof, and I suspect there’ll be enough to buy new furniture and get some of those programs off the ground we talked about for the kids.”

“Praise the Lord, Father! This is a last minute miracle. How did you do it?”

Father Thomas glanced at the poster on the wall advertising the semi-pro Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament. With a scarlet blush he said, “I found a room full of willing donators.”

“God is great!” Sister Cecelia Maria exclaimed. “I’ll make the call now. Thank you, Father. Thank you so much!”

“You are welcome. And Sister? One other thing. Please call Father Fitzgerald. See if he is available on Sunday to hear my confession.”

~~~

An hour later with the wind at his back, Thomas made his way up the block. He stopped in front of the sleeping homeless man. Retrieving the wallet, Thomas slipped six twenties into the billfold. He shoved the wallet squarely into the man’s trouser pocket. Snapping his arm out straight to reveal the watch, he unstrapped the Rolex from his wrist and dropped it into the man’s stained trench coat pocket. The man stirred and Thomas walked away.

As Thomas rounded the corner, he looked back. The homeless man was sitting up, one hand cupping the top of his head as he stared into his open wallet.

(Word Count = 749, not including the title)

What Time Is It?

The chosen setting of a novel presents to the author hundreds of little description decisions that must be made throughout the plot in order to sell the authenticity of the story. A novel that takes place in 1998, for example, will be very different in many ways than one that takes place in 2008.

Take a look at developments in technology over the past ten years. Since the end of the '90s we've seen Internet usage demographics go from 'just tech-savvy urbanites' to 'everyone and her grandparents.' DVD players have all but replaced VHS. In 1999, most of my music was still on cassette tape. I didn't have time to buy all the CDs I wanted before MP3 music files became the rage. Televisions were still bulky boxes with 32-inch screens sitting atop consoles, and although the technology to stop, rewind, and digitally record live TV has been around for twenty-five years, TiVo didn't become a household word until the middle of the first decade after the Millennium.

I still haven't made a firm decision about the setting of my WIP. The original premise hinges on a random, computer-generated phone call by a telemarketer selling long distance telephone service. I could stick with that premise and set the novel in the early 2000s. If I do, then when the antagonist sets out to hunt down the protagonist with only her first and last name and an area code, I'll have to decide what devices he uses to locate her. The Internet? In 2001 and 2002, a "Google" search wouldn't pull up very much on an ordinary person in her early 20s. Even if you were Feeling Lucky. WhitePages.com? MySpace? Would my reclusive, thirty-something bad guy even have a computer at his house? And on the road, would he know how to find or use an Internet café? I'd have to figure out what other options he would have at his disposal.

Option number two is to move the setting to modern day. To do so, I'd have to tweak the premise. Do we even have telemarketers anymore? I get calls from credit card company affiliates wanting to sell me protection packages against identity theft. Maybe old Ray works for one of those? Does he have a laptop computer to take on the road with him? Does Julie have a FaceBook profile? (I tried to find a "Julie Knotts" on FaceBook, just for the fun of it. There were literally thousands of people who came up.)

At this point, the logic problems to work through seem endless. Clearly, depending on the setting I choose, I have more research ahead of me.

How does technology impact your current story? Do you have to think about it, or is it irrelevant? Do you have to create any technology of your own?

I commit...

If someone could photograph the workings of my brain, this is what it would look like. My thoughts are like the concentric paths of each ring. If I don't concentrate my efforts, force organization into my methods, the effect is the same as letting your eyes drift to the side of this image. My rings start spinning independent of the others and before I realize what's happened, I've lost two productive hours of my day.

In support of my natural and near-nonexistent left-brain talents, I'm devising a writing schedule for my WIP. I work best with looming deadlines, so here's my plan of action:

I have until I leave for France to complete and print out the Snowflake Method outline for Overcome. I leave on June 18, so:

By April 3: Step Six -- One week to expand one page story synopsis into a four-page synopsis.

By April 10: Step Seven -- One week to expand character synopsis into detailed character charts.

By May 1: Step Eight -- From four-page story synopsis, create scenes. [Plot scenes on spreadsheet and decide chapter breaks...(*right side of brain begins weeping*)]

By May 29: Step Nine -- Back to word processor, sketch each chapter by expanding each spreadsheet line into multi-paragraph description of that scene. Decide essential conflict of each chapter.

By June 5 (leaving me a week to pack): Revisions and chapter drafts. Each chapter draft/sketch will go on new page(s). I'll print them out and put them in a three-ring binder where I can resort chapter order and make revisions. This is the hardcopy I'll take to France.


There are several motivators built into this plan. For example, my in-laws don't have a computer or Internet connection. Any work I do on the project will have to be handwritten. I'll be on vacation so clearly writing won't be my first priority; however, taking into consideration the ten-hour roundtrip plane rides and la sieste -- two hour "quiet time" strictly observed in France between the noon-day meal and late afternoon -- I'll have opportunities to write.

Disclaimer: I know in my heart that I won't need this kind of strict planning for future novels. I may never sell this one. My objective is to get it written, to learn the process so next time my organizational skills can truly support my creative voice.


Do writing schedules work for you? How important are deadlines for your productivity?