The CSB’s Weekly Writing Prompt is live. This one is “choose your favorite childhood memory” and write about it. Step up and submit! If you’re doing the NaNo, make the prompt part of your novel :)
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Two bits of exciting news here! (Yup, I will take time out from NaNo to reblog exciting stuff.) Dean of Dean’z Doodlez has a NEW blog which you absolutely must check out (just follow the links, my good readers). AND he has a new book available on Amazon and Goodreads! Links are included in his blog post so go there NOW! (Just pretend I’m Ionia from http://readfulthingsblog.com/ and do what I say. Just because I don’t look anything like her and am way too old to be her … oh, never mind, just go to Dean’z Worldz!)
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Katie Sullivan is an amazing blogger and this post is full of links to other great reads. If you have time for only one blog to read, then read this one :)
On the first day of NaNo, my true muse gave to me. . .
A family that’s dear to me.
It came to me, yesterday, how I could blog and NaNo at the same time (because NaNo is a verb, now). The reviled and/or beloved holiday song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, was to become The Thirty Days of NaNo.
That was, until I had an unfortunate flash of prescience. Or perhaps it was foreshadowing. That, or it was simple, dumb luck (to be said with Dame Maggie Smith’s accent and intonation when she admonishes Harry and Ron in Harry Potter).
The circumstances around the prescience are mundane. Needless to say, never should I utter the words, even in type, ‘barring catastrophe.’ It is like saying ‘bring it’ to the Universe.
Three days later, and my family has made two trips to the Emergency Room. My father…
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I will be drinking lots of caffeine.
Although I may need more than just caffeine to meet my daily nutritional requirements.
Wish me luck :)
Related posts:
Pretty much several posts from Kristen Lamb’s blog. Start with this one: http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/how-to-make-sure-your-nano-project-isnt-a-hot-mess/
At least two from Victoria Grefer: http://crimsonleague.com/2013/10/13/authors-and-national-novel-writing-month-4-good-reasons-not-to-nanowrimo/ (hey, it’s not for everyone!) and http://crimsonleague.com/2013/10/15/4-fantastic-reasons-to-sign-up-for-national-novel-writing-month/
Definitely this post from Lauren Sapala on how NaNoWriMo can change your life … for the better: http://laurensapala.com/?p=1177
And last but not least, Charmaine Clancy‘s guide to writing a novel in 30 days: http://charmaineclancy.com/nanowrimo2013/
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From the Rome Construction Crew website, here’s a long-overdue update on goals I had set way back when:
Is it November yet? OMG, it’s almost November! Yes, I’ve been lolling in the luxury of not having to meet a WORD COUNT for the past few months but November (meaning NaNoWriMo) is so close I can taste it (whatever November might taste like). So as long as I’ve been without that albatross around my neck, I’ve also been a little less active on my blog. Of course, some of my friends (that is, the nonblogging friends) think I am very active, until I explain reblogging to them. Then they’re like, “Oh.” In anticipation of another month of insane writing (but what other kind is there, really), I decided to revisit my RCC goals. Yes, I know the last time I did this was … ahem … August. Well, tickle me with a feather. Better late than never. And so it goes …
My Goals
(1) Get off my own back. I am definitely much better at this now. Ironically, it’s because of my day job that I’ve loosened up a bit. You see, recently I received a promotion. I’m very happy about this because I know I earned it (why do I say this? long story for another time). I work with a great group of people who simply bring out the best in me. As I said to my supervisor once, my duties include “anything you tell me to do.” I think that’s when she decided to promote me. But my work also makes me very tired, and I’ve learned (since with a promotion comes more responsibilities) that I simply have to “get off my own back” if I want to get anything done. Same with my writing. Berating myself only slows me down, so enough of that already.
(2) Set up a schedule of posting that gives me time to write, but doesn’t make followers think I’ve fallen off the face of the earth. I might not be doing as well with this goal as I would like. I haven’t contributed to CSB of late, and aside from my Mondays with John Howell, my blogging is spotty. But I’m getting there. I’ve started scheduling posts to publish while I’m otherwise engaged (like this one
). So, I’m getting closer to this goal, too.(3) Get organized. Dream on.
(4) Just keep writing. That’s what I’m doing! Every word I type or write down is just that … writing. Just because it doesn’t fit into a neat little poem or riveting short story doesn’t mean it isn’t still writing. It. All. Counts.
So how is everyone else doing with their goals? Remember, it’s the journey that’s important. And if you like the idea of consorting with like-minded folk who support each other regardless of whether they even have goals, consider joining the Rome Construction Crew. Details at http://www.romeconstructioncrew.com/about/
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Perfect for Halloween !
Your daily reminder to pick up a copy of Catalysts for Halloween! This new horror novella is a gripping scare for 99 cents. Be sure to search by the book title and author name, so more people will learn about it. This is how books end up on the ‘Also Bought’ and ‘Also Viewed’ lists that you see on product pages.
Don’t forget to search Amazon for more of my books such as the Legends of Windemere fantasy series and Bestiary of Blatherhorn Vale, each one for 99 cents.
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Free book!!! I got mine. Now, go get your free copy!
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As many of you know, I am a knitter. I’ve knitting for roughly the same number of years as I’ve been writing, and my writing marathons often alternate with knitting marathons. My first memory of knitting was when I was 9 when I was given a kit for a pink knitted minidress. The kit came with acrylic pink yarn, huge wooden needles (comparable to a US size 17) and instructions. What I managed to knit was not a minidress, but some kind of tangled mess.
And yet, I was hooked (so to speak) from that day forward.
Over the next ten years, I knitted with whatever I could find (we were a family of few means), even some spools of synthetic yarn that a high school friend discovered in her basement. If people gave me yarn, I would knit them something. While that sounds awfully generous of me, keep in mind that I was still learning to knit (I am self-taught) and so I’m not sure that my “gifts” were always appreciated or desired.
I’ve have several peaks and valleys with my knitting (just like with my writing) over the past 40-odd years. One Christmas, when I was still a teenager, I went crazy and knitted, crocheted, or needlepointed a Christmas gift for every one in my immediate family. Ahhh, the good old days when I was a mere college student and had time enough to knit, read, and write.
During a brief sojourn at a private college, I took a spinning and weaving class. So then I had to add spinning and weaving to my hobbies. The best education I got out of that particular college was learning to spin and weave. Rather than return for another quarter, I left college and bought a 36-inch floor loom with what would have been my tuition money. But these were mere detours along my knitting path. I enjoyed weaving immensely but in spite of even bringing the loom with me all the way from upstate NY to Oakland, CA, I could never embrace it as I did my knitting. With knitting, all you really need is yarn and a needle (I say a needle because I work almost exclusively with circular needles). Weaving requires much more preparation before you even start weaving. By contrast, spinning is also “simpler” if you buy your wool already carded and you’re happy to sit and spin with a small spindle. Eventually the loom and the spinning wheel were sold to a friend, while I continued to buy every possible length and size of knitting needle.
Fast forward to where I live now. Still knitting by choice, but my knitting has changed quite a bit. I don’t like sewing up the pieces of a sweater: easing the top of the sleeve into the armhole; trying to sew the sides together; and then finding holes in the seams. I’ve knitted cardigans, the bane of my existence because not only do they require piecing together but they also have (shudder) buttonholes to contend with. It’s not that I can’t knit well enough; I just find finishing to be annoying. When I’m done knitting, I want my knitting to be done and immediately wearable. So now I knit socks, shawls, scarves. Occasionally I’ll see a pattern that looks intriguing enough that I’ll give piecing another go. As with this shrug:
The pattern (Kimono Shrug) was quite easy, but the yarn (Noro Silk Garden) was actually a bit difficult to work with. It’s a blend of wool and silk and silk isn’t elastic like wool; that is, it doesn’t yield as nicely to being pulled and looped. Sometimes I felt like I was trying to knit with rope. But the effect of the yarn, the colors and the pattern, are worth the effort.
I’m sending this shrug to a friend who lives in California. She’s an artist (mixed-media). I’ve knitted for her before. In the distant past, we even bartered a few times, my knitting in exchange for her illustrating some patterns that I wrote and tried to sell. In all honesty, I didn’t set out to make this shrug for her, but, once it was completed, I just kept thinking of how much Jennifer might like it. How it might keep her warm when she’s working in her warehouse studio. How it might flatter her (and me) if she wore it to one of her openings. So I wore it twice to confirm that, yes, it does drape nicely and is warm without being too warm. But it’s off to Jennifer, and I hope she likes it.
So what hobbies do you have? What else do you look forward to doing, besides reading and writing? Do you like to restore antique cars? Brew your own beer? Cross-stitch? Sew? Let me know in the comment section ;)
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Here is the Seventeenth installment of Ten Top Lists of What Not to Do by Marie Ann Bailey of 1WriteWay at http://1writeway.com and John W. Howell of Fiction Favorites at http://johnwhowell.com. These lists are simu-published on our blogs each Monday. We hope you enjoy. This list is in recognition of Halloween which will be celebrated this week.
10. If you decide to dress up for Halloween, do not take this opportunity to show the world parts of your body that should be kept completely private. At best the parts that are visible will only lead the viewer to believe you are older, more out of shape, or hairier than you really are. At worst you end up trying to explain to a judge why you don’t need psychological care.9. If you decide to take your kids trick or treating, try to refrain from going through the treat bag for the sole purpose of pulling out all the full size Twix and Snickers bars. Oh sure, you can pretend to inspect the candy for safety, just don’t get caught with that Hershey bar in your back pocket.
8. While trick or treating with the kids, try to refrain from making comments about the treats being handed out. When you least expect it, the spouse of the person handing out the treats will be behind you trick or treating at their own house. At best you may not know they are there. At worst you’ll find yourself groveling in front of your own children.
7. While handing out treats at your own house, refrain from asking the bigger kids about how old they are. It could be one of them is a parent accompanying a child or, worse, a disturbed teen just looking for an excuse to let the air out of your tires.
6. If you are invited to a Halloween party and the invitation clearly says “please come in costume,” refrain from ignoring that part of the invitation. Showing up and explaining that you are dressed for work won’t go over well with the hosts. Of course, the only exception to this would be if you are unemployed.
5. When dressing up for Halloween, refrain from wearing a costume that could interfere with the triage process at an emergency room. You never know what may happen but you certainly want the emergency room personnel to believe you are human and not a piece of food.
4. If you should run out of treats on Halloween, do not try to pass off leftovers, boxes of cereal, or fruit of any kind as your offering for trick or treat. If you try, at best you will look like a cheapskate. At worst you may need a power washer to get all the soap off your windows,
3. If you decide to set up an elaborate scheme to haunt little kiddies as they come to your house to trick or treat, try to understand that a child’s digestive system will take only so much surprise. After this amount is exceeded, the natural tendency is for the body to lighten its load to prepare for the flight response. Just dropping bags of candy will probably not be the sole items of evacuation.
2. When you decide to carve your pumpkin for Halloween, refrain from carving words that you would not be proud to carry into next Sunday’s church service. Although it is pretty fun to invent new things to say on a pumpkin carving, little minds may have way too many questions for their parents about what you have written and the parents may come to you for answers.
1. When helping the children trick or treat, refrain from drinking every drink that is offered to you by friendly neighbors. Time does get away from us while having fun and more than an ounce of alcohol per hour tends to impair certain judgment factors such as: when to go home and where to sleep. At best you may spend time stumbling around. At worst you may forget where you live and have to ask your kids for directions.
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Great interview with S.K. Nicholls, author of Red Clay and Roses.
Tonight please give a warm welcome to the lovely S.K. Nicholls!!
Do you write under any other names? Not yet.
What are you currently working on? A crime novel/murder mystery that is turning into a bit of a psycho thriller and a sort of autobiography.
How many (if any) books do you have published and what are their titles? Only the one, “Red Clay and Roses”.
What inspired you to write your first book? Finding the ledger in 1992 was the impetus. Having a racially mixed granddaughter and being concerned about the society that she will grow up in and the history of her culture was another. I am also very much interested in promoting civil and women’s rights, and women’s reproductive rights and responsibilities.
Do you have a specific writing style or one that you prefer? I write stream of consciousness style, and though I have worked on developing…
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Marie at 1 Write Way 