Translation for your convience

Monday, February 25, 2013

My first published article as a freelance author

How to raise kids who keep the rules is up and running. If you like it, please fb share and like, twitter, google and pin from the site. It's important this is done from the site for the authors involved. This is the first of many articles that I expect to be published. Thank you for supporting me as an author.

My books are coming in and I'm busy reading through them to decide if this character will be a great alien for my short story. I'm also reading short stories by John Geddes. I love the way his short stories as so tight and hope to learn from reading his. 

Doing the end zone dance with my first published article.

Happy reading, writing, submitting, researching and getting published.

Friday, February 22, 2013

'Let's Write a Short Story'

I know I  said we'd check in weekly, but Sundays are not necessarily a good day for that so I'm going to check in now and try to keep the check ins on Fridays or Saturdays.

Let's Write a Short Story! by Joe Bunting has placed a challenge before us and I'm going to take it. Here's what I've done so far:
  • I've set up the parts
    •  Character has a problem
    • Character tries to solve the problem several times
    • Character has success or failure
I have two main and one secondary character. The story will take place in the Florida Everglades and involves a crashed space pod. Within the pod is the prince of the planet (not yet named) who is saved and hidden by a recluse who lives off the land in the glades. This alien is a familiar part of folklore, so I've checked out several books at the library to update myself on what we know. Hopefully next week I'll feel confident enough that this will work as my alien and I'll let you know who the alien is.

What's your story about? Do you have your characters and storyline thought out? If not, it's not too late. I'll update again next week with the progress of the character development and storyline progress.

I received my teachers response to my hurricane story. She has some really great ideas. I'm going to set it aside for now since I'm busy getting my feet wet with the freelance position. My next assignment (number 7) is due the end of March. She okayed my revising my story, The Power and the Glory. I've been allotted a few more words, so I think I'm going to attempt Creative Nonfiction again. I'll pull out the book, Writing Creative Nonfiction by Carolyn Forche and Philip Gerard and refresh my memory.

Looks like I'm going to be pretty busy these next few weeks.

My first assignment for the freelance job is done and waiting for publication. The second is still in editing and I'm waiting for approval of the third and working on submitting a query for numbers four and five. I'll let you know as soon as it's up at the FamilyShare.com website.

In the meantime, happy reading, researching, writing, revising, and submitting.


Sunday, February 17, 2013

What's slowing down your writing career?

Right now it's my chihuahua, Meiko, demanding his twenty-minute double handed massage.


Here we are on one of his adventures as Inspector Meiko Luv.

When I became interested in writing, I read a book, Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir by Mary Higgins Clark. Basically she stated her writing needed a proper education and experience. So for the past six years I've been gaining an education, not all formal, and looking back at my life's experiences and gaining more. As you read my previous posts you can see that I've managed to publish a few stories and articles. Am I done learning? Not yet. I'm about half-way through my writing course with Long Ridge Writers Group and intend to continue some sort of formal writing until I feel comfortable. Which, as you may find in the website, Make a Living Writing, this may not ever come to fruition.

As recommended, I'm reading a couple of elemental books that remind me of elementary and high school. The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White and Essentials of English: A practical handbook covering all the rules of English grammar by Vincent F. Hopper, Cedric Gale, Ronald C. Foote and revised by Benjamin W. Griffith.

I'm also looking through blogs and reading other author's experiences. Hopefully, the same as you are doing now. I've come across a website that intrigues me. Make a Living Writing. Together we can glean important hints and writing necessities to further our writing careers.

I think it's time for a challenge. I've read the book, Let's Write a Short Story! by Joe Bunting. I'm ready to take his challenge. Are you? The first thing we need to do is choose the story and/or title. I'm writing down ideas, creating the character(s) and direction I'd like the story to take. Of course, it'll, in the end, be the responsibility of the character(s) to tell me the direction, but if I have an idea the character(s) will follow or push hard for their story to be told correctly. So, in a week, I'll post the story information as I see it and hopefully you will too, either on this site or on your own, it doesn't matter. What matters is that we're going to write a short story. We'll continue to update progress reports weekly until the story is published.

Recap. Live slows down your career. Most often we write at home and forget to schedule writing time. Yes, you can write at home, but you mustn't allow home-life to get in the way. Have a place that is exclusively for writing and a time or amount of words you want to write per day. Start small and work up to your desired amount. If it seems too much, be willing to adjust it or allow more time for writing. If you want to make enough money to not have to work outside the home, then your home office needs to have regular hours for writing. If your schedule doesn't permit, make sure you're finding the time to write the amount of words you want per day, but don't bite too deep into your sleeping time. Your writing will suffer. Consider part-time at first if you find other things getting in the way. Be careful not to over schedule your self with outside activities. Remember, your writing is priority after your spouse and family.

Education. Few are born able to write perfectly. You need to know the basics and then gain experience. Read, read and read some more. This will help your writing style. Follow other authors at their websites, blogs, Facebook and other sites. Glean from them writing essentials so that your writing improves. Take an online or local course. Many local writing groups offer courses as well. Never stop learning. I strengthen my understanding of subjects I'm writing about by reading books, short stories, webpages and blogs.

Fear of rejection. In a previous blog post, May 2012, I wrote about using contests to increase ones chances of getting out of the slush pile. Submissions, even when the answer is 'not interested, get's you toward your 'I'd like to publish this story.' Authors must submit and get the nos to earn the yes'. So submit and don't forget the value of contests. And if they offer critiques, pay the extra to learn what they think of your piece and learn from the experts.

Write, read, revise and submit. It's important. Take the challenge and write a short story with me.

Happy reading, writing, revising, submitting and waiting.




Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Have you submitted your second article?

I've been sick for a few days, so I decided not go to the Lamplighters. I submitted the second article and finished the first draft of a third. I think this submission went better than the last. I forgot to do a few things that I didn't forget on this one.

My first submission is now with an editor and I'm waiting for their response. They have a score system and I'm waiting for my score. The first submission, when I put it in the readability test page said it was at an average grade level of 7 with a Flesch Kincaid Grade Level of 5. Our articles are supposed to be about 7th grade. When I submitted their form said it was grade Level 4.58. The second submission was at an average grade level of 6 with a Flesch Kincaid Grade Level of 3.8. Whereas the FamilyShare.com site said it was grade level 4.05. No sure if I'm writing too low or if my readability site is correct with it's average grade level. Will have to wait until I get my results from the editor.

I managed to finish two books today.

A Good Dog by Jon Katz

This was a really interesting story about how far should one go to ensure they've done everything for their troubled dog. To the world who didn't know Orson, he was a bad dog with many problems and I'm sure if he was in the hands of a shelter or rescue group, would have not been adopted out but euthanized.


To the world that loved him. He could do no wrong. Or could he?

The story is about how Orson became Jon Katz's 'lifetime dog.' I don't know if I've had one, but I sure miss my past dogs. Orson came to the suburbs of New Jersey and Mr. Katz through a border collie breeder in Texas.He was uncontrollable and frightening. He tried to herd everything and anything he could find. School buses, cars, children on skateboards, etc.

Mr. Katz spent a long time working on his training with a trainer in Pennsylvania. He was even able to win a ribbon with Oson. But, Mr. Katz felt Orson wasn't happy in New Jersey and decided to purchase a farm in upstate New York. Here he continued to work with Orson and did see a mild improvement until he started biting people he knew and didn't know well.

This book had me crying, laughing and wondering as well as Mr. Katz as to when was enough, enough. I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you like books about dogs. This was a wonderful read about a dog that saved a man's life and in the end couldn't save his own.

I also finished A Familiar Rain by John Geddes

This book was full of emotion. I didn't want to put it down, but had too often as it's not in paper form, but is an ebook. I had to read it on my computer and reading time is limited for this manner. Since I've been sick for the past couple of days, I've been able to spend me time reading in bed with my laptop on my...lap.

This is a story of love, loss and crushes. Alex, a university professor, is working on a memory drug and mapping the brain's memory centers between his lectures. He falls in love with is soul-mate, marries and as most do, he continues his work to the detriment of his marriage. Something often happens when two people marry, they take each other, or at least one of them takes the other for granted. This happened here and Alex spent a great deal of time, telling his wife, Laura, as soon as he finishes this project, they'll do...

Unfortunately, Laura dies after only two years of marriage and Alex can't reconcile with himself how he'd left her behind. He misses her dearly and decides to keep her memory alive with his project. After five years of pushing aside feelings and emotions for another, Laura's best friend, Abbey, Alex realizes the importance and roll of memory. His last couple of experiments were done with the thoughts that he was going too far.

I enjoyed the pace of this book. I laughed and cried with the characters. I wanted to say to Alex and Abbey what others wanted to say--get together will you. You're meant for each other. I avidly believe what the priest told them, man is not meant to be alone. When one loses their spouse, especially early in life, one should mourn and not attempt to forget or push aside the former, but embrace the new chance with another love. Alex finally realized this at the end of the book.

There were many story lines interwoven with Alex and Abbey's that made this book interesting and worth the read. The possibilities of the uses of his research were well covered and Alex's take was interesting. The university politics wasn't too heavy and added an element of mystery through-out.

I recommend adding this ebook to your reader and reading it on a rainy day. (or a sick one as I did)

Happy writing, revising, submitting and reading.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Second article is written and ready for revision

Despite everything this day tried to do to prevent me from accomplishing my goal of a first draft, I did it. My second article for FamilyShare.com is ready for revision and meeting the Lamplighters later this week.

I've signed up for a couple more and I think I'll get the third one ready as well. If they don't want it, I'll submit it somewhere else. It's an article that will fit many places.

I spent a wonderful evening with friends last night. Our good friend, Richard Button, wrote a song, Cadillac, and directed a video. Several of our friends participated as musicians and dancers and behind the scenes. It's a fun video and one worth watching. Hope you clicked on Cadillac above and are on the floor laughing; especially after you read the disclaimer at the end.

Patiently waiting for assignment 6 to come back. This one took a really long time due to the closing of the bookstore and the research needed, so I hope I did well with the story. Only six more assignments and I'll be finished with this course.

It's getting late and I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is another busy day.

Happy reading, writing, revising and submitting.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Drafts of Assignment are ready for review

I have finished one assignment for FamilyShare.com and presented it to the Lamplighters. I polished it using their suggestions and submitted it.Our son's Eagle Scout Project was today, February, 9, 2013, so I've had little time to continue other assignments. Will get back to them next week.

I finished reading Flory: A Miraculous Story of Survival by Flory Van Beek. This autobiography caught my eye because it was about the Holocaust and the first autobiography I'd read about someone in hiding and not in the camps. I have read few books, Night, The Sunflower, Sarah's Key and now Flory.

I enjoyed learning about the Holland Jews and felt for Flory and her family. I had difficultly with the constant repetition, but continued reading because I was interested in learning more about those that were able to hide.

This is a sad story of great family and friend loss as well as the triumph of surviving. Such a sad history for mankind that needs to be told and read to remind us not to go there ever again. (although we haven't seemed to learn and still go there).

I also finished reading Ride the River by Louis L'Amour. This story reminded me of True Grit by Charles Portis. My grandfather loved Louis L'Amour and this is the first time I've picked up one of his books. I love Echo Sackett and her strong female character who was not too tough to realize a good man when she found him.

Echo Sackett learns of an inheritance and must travel from her home in the hills of Tennessee to Philadelphia. Her skills as a mountain girl help her as she outsmarts thieves and ruffians interested in stealing her money. They catch up with her before she makes it home and claim the money as their own.

Through her travels she meets handsome Dorian Chantry who was sent to make sure she and the money make it home. Along the way he awakens her hormones and this spitfire of a girl may find herself settling down sooner than she expected.

I'm still reading A Familiar Rain by John Geddes. Some books are more transportable and this book, although really good is an ebook and will take me longer to finish.

Happy reading, writing, revising and just plain spending time with your family. (even if it's staying up late finishing posters you've been bugging all week for your scout to finish.)

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Listing, Revising, Writing and, Finally, Relaxation

I finished emptying my storage unit of the left over books from our closed bookstore. I've spent most of the day listing them at my amazon.com storefront. I didn't get as many done as I had hoped since I spent most of the day waiting and watching the pages spin. I settled on comcast because they are supposed to be fast, but I seem to spend a lot of time waiting.

I've been working on my assignments for FamilyShare.com. Looks like I'll have a couple done by the end of next week. Then I can turn them in early and pick a couple more.

If you're interested in my weight-loss and healthier eating habits, please check out my NutriBullet blog. You don't need a NutriBullet to make the drinks and I've placed some recipes for slow cooking as well as regular recipes that we really enjoy.

Learning moment:

I remember from school that a noun is a person, place or thing (object). I now know it is also an idea or emotion. I also remembered that a noun can follow the following words: a, as, my, the and this. I must have forgotten that they can also follow prepositions and that when the word ends in 'ity', 'ness' and 'tion' the word is a noun. I was reading Essentials of English: A Practical handbook covering all the rules of English grammar and writing style. I learned many other things about the noun, it's purpose and proper use in writing.

Time to relax. My husband is out of town and I'm going to watch Doctor #9 from Doctor Who. (2/3/2013 internet went down as I was posting this. Didn't even know it posted until this morning. This was the third try. Ended up in a lonely, sleepless bed)

Happy revising, writing, listing, learning and relaxing.