Take a break from NaNoWriMo (or just take a break) and enjoy John Howell’s latest Top Ten Things Not To Do …. This time it’s all about that annoying engine light that comes on in your car at the worst times.
Ten Things Not to Do If Your Engine Light Comes On.
10 If your engine light comes on do not panic. If you do, at best you may make things worse by being rattled. At worst, you may pull off the road in a panicked state and keep rolling past the shoulder and into a culvert below.
9 If your engine light comes on, do not consult your owner’s manual until you come to a stop. If you do, at best you won’t find the section inconspicuously marked “Warning Indicator – Engine” and you’ll have to stop anyway. At worst, you will be concentrating on trying to use the index to find the subject matter and inadvertently run into the stopped care in front of you. In any case the index will be of no help.
The last time I typed words into this blog was one day before my birthday, all the way back in April.
Two days later, I ended my four and a half year relationship, and all the words disappeared.
It has taken me close to seven months to actually open up WordPress again, but here I am. About a month ago I dug out my battered original copies of The Paperbook Collective, and started again. I hadn’t actually realised how much I missed it, and how happy it made me feel. My life is now filled with work and events and committees and obligations, but I am determined to make time for The Paperbook Collective once again.
So I have been working hard, and Issue Seven is now officially a zine!
If you had ordered a copy of Issue Seven before I…
This list was created to pay homage to all of you parents who in addition to trying to be an author have the duty to take care of the little ones in your care. I’ve been there and got the shirt.
Ten Things Not to Do While Watching the Kids on an Inclement Day
10 If you are watching the kids on an inclement day, do not try to write on your novel. If you do, at best you will produce a small number of very disappointing words. At worst, you will face a task as difficult as trying to teach a pig to sing. You and the pig will end up being very frustrated.
9 If you are watching the kids on an inclement day, do not try to watch anything on TV that isn’t kid programming. If you do, at best you won’t be able to see a…
I am a dysgraphia sufferer. What about you?
And before anyone gives me grief about how I should be writing (I’m talking to you, Jill), I wrote 9,050 2019 words this morning. I don’t know if they make any sense, but I did write them :)
With NaNoWriMo or National Novel-Writing Month getting underway this weekend, writers all over the world are doubtless concerned about the prospect of facing writer’s cramp, writer’s block (dare we say it?), and the other occupational hazards that lie in wait for those who live their lives by the pen. Here are ten unusual words that sum up the writing experience, or our attitudes to writing, in one way or another…
Cacoethes scribendi. Let’s kick off with some Latin. Why not? This phrase comes from the Roman writer Juvenal and means ‘an irresistible desire to write’. Well, sort of. The term appears in Juvenal’s Satires and is borrowed from ancient Greek, where the first word meant ‘bad habit’ or ‘malignant disease’. In other words, the desire to write is a kind of compulsion, or disease – an addiction for which there is no known cure. Which brings us to…
It will be my official cup of java starting November 1. That’s TOMORROW!
Several days ago, I introduced the idea of posting part of a novel on my blog, the parts already written, while I slave away at trying to finish said novel during NaNoWriMo.
Here’s a reminder of what I plan to do. The title of the novel in progress is Clemency. The blurb:
Clemency is a story about Misty Daniels, a young girl (~18) in prison for allegedly killing her live-in boyfriend after he beat her up, causing her to miscarry. Enter Sarah Mansfield, a newly minted attorney who believes in Misty’s innocence and wants to secure her freedom. But not everyone believes that Misty is innocent. Not even Misty. And there are some people in Misty’s poor small town that want to see her stay in prison. And they will do anything to make sure that happens. Even if means someone has to die.
Only in her mid-twenties and alone in an unfamiliar southern city, Sarah finds her life on the line and with few people she can trust. Her boss and mentor, Lucas Danforth, seems to know more than he lets on and brushes off Sarah’s concern for her and Misty’s safety. Michael Daniels, Misty’s half-brother and a former Marine, is more interested in hindering Sarah’s investigations than helping her. And the people of Oyster Point, led by Sheriff Cooley, harbor more than a general mistrust of strangers. They are all hiding something, and Sarah suspects that what they are hiding is the key to Misty’s freedom.
These posts will are scheduled for 6 AM (US Eastern Time), starting November 1. I sliced up the chapters into roughly 1000 words or less to make them digestible for those on the go. But I think that makes for a choppy read, so I’ve added the Recent Posts widget to my blog (top of the sidebar) so you can wait a few days and then start reading your way through, if you prefer. I always welcome comments, but I also know that it can be harder to comment on fiction than on book reviews or posts about a person’s lousy day at work. And I know people are busy. And I know I’ll be very busy.
Don’t miss your opportunity to win a copy of Occasional Soulmates! Giveaway ends on November 5. My recommendation is that you buy this entertaining novel (which, by the way, happens to be based in my favorite city) NOW and then you don’t have to wait :)
Just a reminder that I’m running a Goodreads giveaway for Occasional Soulmates, but it ends on November 5, so now’s your chance to join the fun. If you haven’t purchased the book yet (and come on, you know you haven’t!), step up and put your name in the hat. You have a 1 in 30 shot at winning a copy.
But if you don’t win… you have to promise to buy the book when the giveaway is over.
And by the bye, if you have read the book, I’d dearly appreciate a brief review on Amazon. I’m holding at seven right now and hoping for ten before too long so it looks like more than just my family has read this puppy!
From one of the most prolific writers I’ve had the honor to read since coming back online. If you’re a lover of horror fiction, not the usual vampire and werewolf kitsch but the otherworldly, creepy, paranormal kind of horror that evokes H.P. Lovecraft, Richard Matheson, and Rod Serling, you will love the fiction of Jessica B. Bell. Read on for how you can help the “creepy f**ker” keep writing ;)
Katie Sullivan, the younger (by far) half of the D/A Dialogues is crowdfunding her new novel, Changelings: Into the Mist. Follow through and give her launch a hand. I was a beta reader for Changelings and I am really looking forward to reading it again!
There’s even a contribution on it (Thank you, Christopher – and no, this is not the official thank-you).
Through the campaign, you can PRE-ORDER your very own copy of Changelings, and even have it signed or personally inscribed by yours truely (and if you ask nice, I’ll even have D sign it!). There are also a lot of great perks to be had. I think I had the most fun looking for those!
All of this is an effort to expand the distribution for Changelings. I’ve pushed myself to become more active in my local community, and I want to be able to share this with them – with the libraries I love so dearly, with the bookstores and coffee shops – and distribution…
For those of us still toiling away in office environments in order to pay the bills. For those of you who have the pleasure of no longer being tethered to a broken office chair in a windowless room. Here is John Howell’s hilarious list of things not to do when your boss is away.
This list was inspired by observing the behaviors of my co-workers when the boss had to leave the office for business travel or vacation. To be clear, I personally never did any of these things since I was always taking notes and was a goodie two shoes. (Don’t forget I’m a fiction writer). Hope you like.
Ten Things Not to Do When Your Boss is Traveling or on Vacation
10 If the boss is out of the office, do not think your workload has been reduced for the length of time the boss is gone. If you do, at best you will get away with the slowdown. At worst, you will be asked by the boss for a status of your projects first thing in the morning of the boss’ return.
9 If the boss is out of the office, do not think you will make brownie points with your…
Marie at 1 Write Way 