One Last Petal

Well, folks, this will be my last post of the year. I've certainly not been as consistent as I would have liked, but it has been a year full of ups and downs so I think I did okay overall. I know this has been a tough year for a lot of people, and the world is still reeling from the many deaths of famous people whose talents we have enjoyed. I experienced this on a more personal level as well with the loss of my grandmother early on in the year. More than that though, I'd like to think I've learned a lot about myself this year. I've learned to be a better friend. (I hope.) I had a falling out with a friend early in the year. In my younger days, I would have responded in anger, and let that anger destroy our friendship completely. Instead, we still talk, albeit not as frequently as before, and I still care deeply for her and try my best to help her when I can. I still mourn the fact that a case of miscommunication led to the disagreement at all, but I'd like to th...

Lest We Forget What do we forget when we remember What are the stories left untold What do we think each November As we march down that glory road As we march down that gory road One hundred million Don’t come home from war Another eight hundred million Who lived to bear its scar Who lived to bear its scar Lest we forget What they were dying for Lest we forget What they were killing for Lest we forget What the hell it was for   What do we forget when we remember… Owen Griffiths The War to End All Wars. The Great War. The War of the Nations. World War One. It's been known by many names over the years, but mostly by the last one. World War One. Signifying that it wasn't the "war to end all wars" after all. Another came after it. And mor...

Good morning all! NaNoWriMo started on Tuesday and I've been doing pretty well so far. I wrote double my word count goal on the first day to get myself a running start, as it were, and I've managed to make word goal everyday so far. And I'm rather impressed with the way I've worked in some Firefly references, and I even have a character named "Simon". That being said, I'm not really feeling the story. It almost seems like there's a discontent to my writing at the moment. Maybe it's just because I haven't written in so long and once I get going, it will settle into a better rhythm. Things just seem choppy and unnatural at the moment. However, I won't let it discourage me. After all, this is merely a rough draft to get the story down and we can work on more poetical writing in the revision months.  Here's a short excerpt from what I've written so far: What happened next about the little transport ship is probably best left to ...

Let's talk about scheduling. I know, I know, it sounds terrifying. But remember that massive goal of 50,000 words you set yourself? You're going to need help. If you don't have a job or school, then awesome, maybe you will have time to sit and write all day, but a lot of us don't. And are you being efficient, sitting there all day? How much time are you wasting on social media and "research"? Let's face it - having a schedule is going to help. Trust me. Set yourself a specific time to do nothing but write. No chores, no phone calls, no Facebook, no research. Just write. Every time you think of something else that needs doing, make a note of it and do those after. Make lovely big notes to yourself in your writing about things you want to edit or research later. But keep writing. Your time is precious, make it count. Why? Because we all know how easy it is to put things off. "Oh, I just need to do one more load of laundry before I write." ...

October basically serves one purpose - preparation for NaNoWriMo . There are a lot of different theories out there for what needs to be done before one delves body, mind, and soul into November. Planners, those who like to have detailed outlines at hand before they start writing, spend October working on those. Pansters, writers who fly by the seat of their pants, allowing their plot to be tossed about by every wind of virtue, spend October catching up on sleep and TV shows. Plantsers, those like myself who are a mix of both, do some pre-planning, but allow for the story to wend where it will. Whatever category you are in, it's always good to take care of a few things before November strikes and you have no time for anything else. Here are a few things I like to do: Tell family and friends that I'm doing NaNo . This has a two-fold purpose: Accountability, and they already expect it when I say "no" to the countless invites as the holidays approach. Speaking of...

Lately I've been trying to find more books in my genre, the genre I hope to someday be published in. I have a tendency to read historical, classics, even the occasional fantasy book. None of which are overly helpful in showing me what sort of elements are key components in mystery/action books. I've read a few recently that I've enjoyed - The first Jack Reacher novel, which is no surprise, as well as a spin-off novel by Diane Capri. However, today, I'm going to talk about things I've learned from a book I didn't  enjoy as much: The Bricklayer by Noah Boyd. This was set up with lots of promise: Noah Boyd was once an FBI agent, so he had working knowledge of what he was writing about, the jacket blurb sounded really interesting, and Lee Child wrote a commendation for the cover. I enjoyed the story: ex-FBI agent brought in to work behind the scenes to help catch a group of murderers/extortionist. It was fast paced, had moments of humor, and the right number of...

Hello all!  First of all, I'd like to apologize for my unannounced hiatus. Life suddenly got very busy, and instead of trying to fit in a few scattered posts, I opted to just take the summer off and enjoy the adventures. (Hint: they involved princes, fancy dresses, friends, cuddly things, and even a trip across an ocean!) I'll fill you in more about that all later, but for now, we need to address that most important events that is already breathing down our necks: NaNoWriMo.  If you don't know what that is, go check it out  here . Basically, it's a world-wide challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November. It's all about getting your  story out, without fear or inhibitions. I encourage you to try. Even if you only get 5000 words or 5, it's still a start. And I believe in you.  This year's theme is Space, and as soon as I saw that I got a brilliant idea: Why not write a space-themed story? I've been playing around with my usual cast of cha...