C=Critique Partners

I started a new job on Monday, and have neglected by blog. So, it's time for a little catch up.

Monday's was C. I've picked critique partners. I have the ultimate group of critique sisters there ever could be. They don't butter up their comments. They tell it like it is, just the way it should be.
They have helped me grow as a writer pointing out little things I would have never noticed or giving me suggestions to improve on my stories. I truly believe we have evolved from critique partners to friends. So, for my Twinkies, I thank you for everything so far and putting up with me-even while I've been dragging butt! Love you guys. :)

So, do you all have a/some critique partner(s)?

B=Beaches

With the warm weather finally breaking here in the south, I want the beach! I love walking the shore with the sand between my toes. Not to mention the awesome workout to my legs, lol! The sunrises and sunsets are usually amazing no matter what beach you are on

My favorite beach? Why Playa del Carmen in Mexico of course! But then again, we've only been to Mexico and Jamaica ( out of the country that is). Florida's okay, but the water in Mexico is so beautiful as you can see from the picture. It was taken three years ago (our last vacation. Can I possibly be overdue for another???)

What is your favorite beach?

A=Adjectives

I'm taking the A-Z blogging challenge! For the month of April, the challenge is to blog every day, not including Sundays, using the next letter in the alphabet. Since I just discovered the challenge this morning and am one day behind, I'm blogging A today and B tomorrow. If you'd like to join, click on the link over on the right hand side of my blog.

For today's blog, I've decided on adjectives. Those wonderful descriptive words! I'm by no means an expert on adjectives, but I'm sure you can agree that overusing adjectives in your writing will over saturate your book, quite possibly yanking your reader out of the H/h's story.

But, with some sprinkling here and there, your story comes to life in the reader's mind. Instead of a blurry outline, you form a clearer picture-whether it's 'seeing' the heroine for the first time or the H/h barely getting out of a near death situation.

I've posted below a paragraph from my WIP, Secrets of Jenkins Bridge, as an example. I'm sure you may have a better descriptive passage in your own. I would love to read your favorite sentence or paragraph, whether it's from your own writing or a great book you've read. So, feel free to post yours in the comments section!

The soft butterfly kisses to her cheek stirred Katherine. Part of her was still inside the heart gripping dream and yet, it seemed so real. The coolness of the sterile hospital room impeded her warm dream surroundings of sunshine. Aidan was smack dab in front of her planting tender pecks. He stepped back and turned away. Where was he going? She gripped his forearm, but he was slipping away.

Back to Writing

There hasn't been much progress on my end of the world. I've been procrastinating for the last week with getting back on track. I guess being laid up from the gallbladder surgery made me lazy dazy!

Now, I'm beginning to find my bearings and my way back to the computer (well. truth be told, I found my way back to it a couple of weeks ago, lol.) What I mean is my writing. So, I've posted a yummy :) pic to get me motivated and to share some eye candy with y'all!



So that's the plan this week. How is everyone's writing going??

Making Time for Yourself

Everyone has thought to themselves on one occasion or another ‘There isn’t enough time in the day to finish everything I need to do.’ That was me. I was frustrated every single day because I needed 27 hours a day, at the very least. My list is extensive. First and foremost, I’m a mom to six children and a ‘meme’ to a beautiful granddaughter. Joshua, 11, is the last of the six in the house. So, they’re not babies any longer, running around our legs, getting into things, and making me want to pull my hair out at times. They are grown and on their own, BUT I still worry about them and they still have a tendency to drive me insane. They will call out of the blue with some new problem or something that only Mom can solve (Believe me, I’m not complaining. I love being a MOM!). Then, of course, I’m a wife=housekeeper=therapist. After all, isn’t that what a therapist is partially paid for is to listen while the person spills out all their frustrations so it’s not all bottled up inside? Yup, me the therapist. Next is I’m running two businesses alongside my husband. PAUSE: I don’t want you all to think this is a complaint list. It truly isn’t. Continuing on, I’m a writer, a volunteer moderator over at Savvy Authors where I also take workshops to continue growing as a writer, and I have my Twinkies-my absolute wonderful CP group CBC, who I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

My point is my life is incredibly busy. To find those tiny moments of time for myself is a challenge in itself. And, unfortunately, it took me getting very sick last week and ending up in the hospital for me to realize that I do need that time for myself: my mind, my body, and my spirit. I rush around like a chicken with my head cut off from the break of dawn until 8pm. It’s a constant go. I’ve had to reorganize my life so I can still do everything AND have my time. That time doesn’t include writing. What it does include is emptying my racing thoughts chalkboard (will explain in a moment) and just trying to find a few extra minutes of peace within myself without all the worries. And a good book to read just before going to sleep.

What I have found which seems to work for me is picturing a large school chalkboard (not the new marker ones. I’m sure some of us still remember those old black chalkboards.) with all my daily worries, activities, what ifs, etc written on it. And I simply erase it all away, leaving it blank. And then I refuse to let any thoughts whatsoever to enter back into my mind for five or ten minutes. It is a refreshing exercise.

My advice is to find that something which will work for you to give you that little reboost. And if you already have it, please feel free to share in the comments!!

Brainstorming

I decided to give myself a break from Boneknapper over the weekend and glanced through some story ideas I had come up with over the last couple of years. Most were pretty lame and were shoved back into the Idea folder. But, one held my attention for more than five minutes, and that's all it really takes for me to begin fleshing out the basic story plot.

I love how one simple word or phrase can turn into a diamond of a story. I enjoy brainstorming with the who, what, where, when, and why. It's amazing all the possibilities I come up with. Just like how a grain of sand can turn into a beautiful pearl!

I start off with the 'what if' game (I really enjoy this part). For example, with Boneknapper: What if someone stole a finger from a grave to exact revenge through Voodoo?

1) a crazed lunatic who fed off of misery? (not revenge)

2)revenge because her son was accidentally killed and no one was paying the price? Much better as it pulls out more raw emotion in the story and readers might have a tiny bit of sympathy for my villian.

(I have arrows pointing in two different directions much like a family tree.)

And it just exploded from there. Ideas flew through my brain so quick, I had a hard time keeping up to jot them all down! My simple tree became a whippoorwill.

The same thing happened over the weekend when I allowed my brain to wander (of course I had to keep reminding myself it was okay to be completely open minded and anything was possible). I think I came up with a somewhat unique paranormal story with a spirit, and boy am I excited about it! Of course it'll be a suspense because that's what I write :)

And I am continuing with another story I began to flesh out some last year for the fast tracking of Harlequin's Medical line. I've become a busy little beaver.

So, I'm curious. What is your form of brainstorming?

The Dreaded List for 2011

Happy New Year Everyone! I don't know about anyone else, but I'm glad to put the holidays behind me. I'm not a bah-humbug. It can take a lot out of you, distracting me from my goals. Again, I'm glad to have spent Christmas with a part of my family (having children scattered and unable to come home for the holidays was the only bad part). But, now it's back to work!

So, as with tradition, everyone likes to make their list for the following year in hopes of sticking to it. I was never that good at it. Although, my goal last year was to quit smoking, and I did successfully quit in March. So, maybe it is possible to keep up with my list and hold myself to a higher standard. The following is mine:

1) Stop procrastinating. This is such a bad habit to break, but one I intend to succeed at.

2) To submit my WIPs, and with a little luck and a lot of my own creative writing, get published.

3) To give my critique partners better critiques on time.

4) To involve myself more over at Savvy Authors.

5) To continue in learning and growing within my craft.

6) To read more leisurely. I've missed out on a few of my favorite authors' books and need some me time in whatever far away world they have written about.

7) Blog regularly here :)

I think I'll keep the list short. This way I know I can keep to it.

What are your goals for the new year?