The REBEL WRITER'S PLEDGE 2011

I'm a rebel at heart. Yeah, a closet rebel for most of my first XYZ years--didn't think I was going to tell you my true age now, did ya?--but none the less, a rebel.

REBEL - when used as a noun (according to Dictionary.com.)
1. a person who refuses allegiance to, resists, or rises in arms against the government or ruler of his/her country. 2. a person who resists any authority, control, or tradition.


When I see myself now, I see a person (Mom, writer, wife...) who respects authority & tradition but wants to forge her own path--her way.


Last Monday while surfing the web, I read a ton of posts declaring this year to be 'The Year'. Or lists upon lists of goals that 'I may or may not meet'. 


I've decided to approach the New Year of 2011 a little differently. Hope you'll join me.

~The REBEL Writer's Pledge~ 

I pledge: 

1~ to be ME in all that I write during this new year, to be true to myself, and write from that hidden place within me, scourging the pages with a blazing prism of light. 

2~ to write for ME and know the market will be there, my agent and book deal are there in the wings just waiting to jump on my rails and take this journey with me.

3~ to help others, reading and line editing and encouraging. ~ What is given is always repaid ten fold ~ I will be that truth.

4~ to blog earnestly and post with passion, addressing everyday aspects of writing and the publishing world. 

5~ to include all of you.

6~ lastly, to be a writer who leaves his/her mark wherever she goes, touching the lives of those who choose to read my written words. I will feel their blessing and pass it on.

YOU may be wondering why the RED DRESS? Firstly, everyone knows the little black dress is a must for any lady's wardrobe. So I have a red one. *winky-see rebel* The other three photos represent: 

- the spiral - the adversity and hurdles we'll each go through this year. 

- the glass - how we reflect ourselves and our individual lives in our writing. It's also a reminder to remain 'true to ourselves'.  

- bottles of champaign - to celebrate each of our successes for 2011!

Are you ready to take this pledge? I know you're ready. I believe in you. 

I've resized that photo for your convenience. If you want to take this pledge with me, cut and past the badge to your website, linking it to this post. (You could even post about it. That would be great.) Come December of this year. I will post a new blogfest where we'll share how we lived out our pledge. You don't have to keep track of anything. This photo is to connect us all and remind you, everyday, that you DO have what it takes no matter what road you decide to travel. 

Looking forward to hearing all of your successes this coming year!! 

Remember...I believe in you!

Blog Carnival Time

The ladies and I over on Oasis for YA have decided to do a blog carnival about the five senses. You are invited to join in.

Here are the rules of this particular carnival: You've just graduated from high school and your awesome parents have taken you and your boy/girl-friend on the trip of a lifetime to the Seychelles Islands off the coast of Africa. (Um...yeah, I wish.)  The picture above is the view from your hotel window.  You have ONE paragraph to describe the setting, and you can use only ONE of your senses. I have touch. Ready. Set. Go!


Soft and subtle, a warm breeze fanned through my hair. My fingernails dug a little deeper into the wooden molding of the doorway. Marcus was now halfway down my neck, his supple kisses moistening my skin. The lace strap of my cami tumbled off my bare shoulder, Marcus coiling it on his finger, tightening it against my chest. Beads of sweat pooled my pores. At first I thought it was the mist off the water...but it wasn't. His muscular chest pressed into my back, his inner growl funneling through me. I arched my back and cupped his baby-face chin in my palm. The lace of the sheer curtains framing the open doorway billowed around us, shielding us from any other touch.


Please take a peek at what the other Oasis ladies have written: Jessie, Nikki, JA, & AE.

I ask you to go on the honor system and visit my good girl homie, Lola, on Sharp Pen/Dull Sword and enter her Stephen King giveaway!! Don't you want good'ole Stephie and his clownhead from IT living with you?

Make sure to check out my bestie Book Butterfly Kim's signed book giveaway!! Enjoy your week next week. I'll be unplugged most of the time, but I'll still post on M-W-F. Thanks, Alleywalkers.

THE TRUE PATH OF A WRITER

A big *cheese* to all you father's out there. Happy post-Father's Day!! Hope yesterday treated you well. Could never have enough good mojo to hand out to our dads.


A special smooch goes out to my dad and of course my hubby, daddy to our offspring. You guys are my heroes. Luv.


Also a quick thank you to LM Preston who featured me as a spotlight party guest to her book release on her blog, release party site, and her website. It's my first official interview. Check it out if you have time.


On to today: I am here to motivate you. Yup, a combo: I Image Monday and Light Bulb Moment. Don't fret; it won't be too scawy.

Light Bulb Moment

THE TRUE PATH OF A WRITER

Last week, I started feeling restless. It'd been coming on for a few weeks. I knew the kids were off for the summer in less then a week, and I found myself stressing over it, trembling at the thought of their all-day presence getting in the way of my writing.


For me, there comes a time where my light bulb grows annoyed, and instead of blinking at me, it decides to smack me in the head. I can be dense and incredibly blind. 


Well, a two-by-four epiphany began to sneak through that restlessness I spoke of. I actually felt nauseous for awhile. (all good; don't worry.) I spent most of those days debating what needs to change, how to go about it, and took time to weigh my options.


I'm a goal setter by nature. I see what needs to be done; I devise a plan, and it gets done. Period. I was that way when I had set off to chase my dream of dancing professionally (which, if you're a newer Alleywalker, I veered from to stay home and care for my mom who developed MS). 


From the moment I decided to devote myself to writing seriously, I had a plan. The only element that wavered was time. I had no idea how long it would take to reach my goal of publication and a career.


I was fortunate to have one of my first stories receive H.M. (I've mentioned this before.), where others could see my short story. That was sweet but short lived. Nothing since. It didn't take me long to realize the world was much bigger than I'd imagined, even in my make believe worlds. I knew it would take lots of hard work, and I embraced the self-challenge with passion--which I have not lost; it's grown stronger.


When I began two years ago, I lent myself to every writing or publishing source I could find, wrote nonstop, and studied some aspect of writing each day. Increasing my vocabulary, grasping the elements to creating a fantastical adventure from arch to paragraph structure to dialog and voice, and discovering manuscript structures to agent desires and publishing were my main concerns.


Then I began to blog. 


And found all of you--my precious gems, who encourage me more than words.


I finally realize what has been bugging me. I feel like I'm chasing my tail, not able to give all I can because I've spread myself too thin. I not only have 2 blogs and 2 writing communities, but my studies, kids, home, hubby....All of which I ADORE. But something must give if I'm going to become all that I can be. I need more balance to afford me more focus on my manuscript, and preparing my query and synopsis.


So...drumroll please.....


Dah, dah, dah!!


I've decided to try a new schedule for the summer. If it works out well, maybe I'll keep it; maybe I won't. I'm cutting my posts to Monday-Wednesday-Friday, with an occasional post in between.


With that being said, I've come up with a tentative schedule for postings. Mondays will be for interviews and I Imagine Monday and Monday Exercises, and Fridays will be a freestyle full of surprises. Wednesdays will be special. I've decided to introduce one of my new characters to you through episodes I'll write weekly. She wants me to take her from her early beginnings before she wormed her way into my YA fantasy, paranormal romance. (not sure if all that is possible, but that's for another post.)  


So if this doesn't pan out, it's her fault. *grinning* Want to know her name? Come back next Wednesday, June 30th.

I Imagine Monday

MOTIVATING WORDS  

While I was writing my post for Oasis for YA yesterday, I realized I had a lot more to say on the subject of the sanctuary that we writers call words. I find lots of comfort--as well as frustration (shh...don't tell)--in words. There are words that move us, words that conjure images, and words that make us go yuck! Let's talk about a few.


Garble - a word used to confuse or corrupt. Maybe even to mislead.


Harbinger - an indication of the approach of something or someone. Maybe a storm or a shadow. (great word) 


Kitsch - tasteless, outlandish, often pretentious bad taste. 


Then there's some of my favorite words: descriptive words - guileless, trendy, impervious, ravishing (love this one), peevish. If you've ever read my work, you are more than away I tend to over describe everything. I'm learning to tone it down, but I just love imagery. 


One more - moxie, love this word. I almost can smell it. 


What words do you find comfort in?

MONSTER MONDAY RECAP

Most of you know I went on a beloved field trip with child number three on Friday. I survived the sticky ride on a bus with the group of overactive tweens. 


Our initial stop was to see a movie, SHRIEK 3.

Have any of you seen it? Well, here's my recap. It was funny and goofy like the two before, but not as fresh...at least to me. Don't get me wrong. It was good. I think that sometimes it's just hard to top the first one, which was so different. 


The story follows the past two films where we find Shrek in the everyday life of a husband, father, and household provider. Needless to say, he's no different than his human counterparts. He grows visually weary of it all. So weary that he makes a horrible decision and a pack with the devil (Rumpelstiltskin--which was a great character choice for the part) which sets the wheels in motion for the main conflict in the story. 


One thing I did like was how the writers altered most of the supporting characters, who we're already familiar with. Voice, attitude, and even some physical attributes were changed. It gave the story a slightly warped spin, which for me was cool. Everyone remember Puss-in-Boots? Sneak peek to his alteration:

Freaking cute, huh?

The kids couldn't get enough of oohing and awing over him. (Basically he's a wimp. Pretty humorous.)

The climax of the story comes with a surprise and a lot of inner growth from the main characters. I wasn't as moved as I was with the others, but it made sense. * scrunching my nose*  


I have a challenge for you today. Take one of your characters, preferably one you adore, and change their appearance, voice, and attitude. Try it. See what you come up with. Who knows what it could inspire. 


Write a description of the character you choose in the comments. Come back and share your results with us. It can get pretty humorous. If this goes well, maybe just maybe I'll be using this for my next contest. *hint, hint*


Three more days to enter my Psychic Contest! I'd like to get to 150 followers. So, anyone who spreads the word about the contest on any social media (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc...) and directs me a new follower will get an extra 10 entries in the contest! Just leave your info in the comments. Thanks, guys. You all RAWK! (Psst...I'll tell you about my roller blading extravaganza on Wednesday...maybe.) I've got my interview tour with Helen Ellis tomorrow, author of THE TURNING: WHAT CURIOSITY KILLS and a great book giveaway!

CHAINS

This 'I Imagine Monday' will be a little different. Just read.


While I was cruising the net yesterday afternoon, I came across this video. I'm sure most of you have heard of Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson. She posted this on her site, amazed at how her (our, yours, mine) writing can touch another person. 


If you ever doubt your desire, quest to share your stories with the world...DON'T. Just look at what this kid had to say. And watch until the end. It's wonderful.



Imagine the video or vlog you'd like to make about the story/book that most touched your heart, your soul. What would it be???


And major OOH....Don't forget to enter my FAB CONTEST!! Tons of books, signed books, critiques, and even a Skype conversation with the 'just got a book deal' Elana Johnson!! Want to tweet or blog about the contest again? Go for it...5 extra entries if you do. Just let me know in the comments or email me.

DANCING FEET AND FINGERS

MONSTER MONDAYS: Got to love'em.

So firstly I want to thank each of you for your well wishes on Friday for my daughter and me. Everything went great! I figured I'd give you an overview of our activities prior to arrival. Why save you from the pre-show gitters, glitters, and Gwaks!! of our every move? 

You're Alleywalkers: tough, determined, and bold, and you as writers know each move must be recorded, painting a vivid picture for the reading audience.

1. Wash face...clean surfaces adhere better to makeup.

2. Tell daughter 25 times, 'It's time to get ready.'

3. Take minute fragments of Kate's hair, creating an intricate weave at the crown of her head, gather rest of her hair in an updo and curl with steamy ceramic curling iron. 

3. Use cement hairspray...so you can fight like crazy getting it out after.

4. Oh...don't forget the glitter...yeah, that's a blast getting that out after, not to mention that it leaves my bathroom looking like the remains of a rock concert gone bad.

5. Do my hair...Oh, I don't give a crap what it looks like. Done.

6. Apply Kate's makeup...eyes blinking, face twitching, all while she's constantly complaining that her nose itches. ";-)

7. Frantically apply my makeup...I'm not a huge fan of cake faces so this was tough.

8. Get dressed in fancy attire just so the moment we arrive at the theater...we change.

9. Pack EVERYTHING we own into the trunk of my car. And don't forget the flowers we bought each other that we picked up at the florists, brought home, now carry to the show, just so we can bring them back home. *Shrug, shrug*

10. Race like banshees to get there, get our spot in the dressing room, pass out flowers to other sweeties preparing for the show, take a ton of crazy photos...and breath.

So, here was the end result for Saturday night.

Granted, the intricate weave on the top of her hair and the long, lanky coils running down her back don't show in this picture, but trust me they're there. And the costumes were already loaded in the car. We'd forgotten to take a few pictures so this is all I've got. 

SIDE NOTE: AND...to top it all off, while I was busy this weekend, Becki of Confessions of a Bibliophile blog gave me an AWARD! Me. 

It's *LOVELY* Becki. Thanks so much!

It's really given me motivation to get something done today even though I'm completely exhausted.

The preparation for this past weekend got me thinking about writing and all the preparations I do before I begin to write. It differs whether I'm starting a new project or editing or continuing in a manuscript I've already begun. Other factors come into play, as well. How much time do I have today? Do we have appointments in the morning or afternoon? Is someone sick at home? 

What about you? How do you prepare to write? Do you have any little quirks that help self-motivate. Do you schedule all events up to the hilt including your writing time? Do you do finger exercises? (Smile.)

Cheerio, All!! Have a wonderful day!

(I think I might cheat and take a nap. I'm pooped.)

LOGO ME THIS

MONSTER MONDAY: EPISODE #16

On a daily basis we are bombarded by LOGOS or catchy phrases attached to some product or idea. There are images representing food and water, carpenter tools to kitchen utensils, tissues, paper plates, sporting gear, fashion, and even toothpaste. 

We've got different languages, colors, font sizes. Ads target social and economic differences, age, and state of mind.

So for today's MONSTER MONDAY EXERCISE, see if you can come up with a LOGO or catchy MOTTO for your current WIP. A phrase, one sentence logline, or even a paragraph. How would you cram the best of what's best about your WIP into a marketable, promo to entice not just readers but...ahh, the snag of an agent?

Example: Disorderly Compact--hunting angels-gone-bad while wearing three-inch heels and scarlet cherry lip gloss.

Just something to make ya' think.

WARNING...DANGER

NEW TEENAGE DRIVER ON DAH' ROAD!

Yup, it's happened. My sixteen year old got his driver's license.

Granted, this photo is eight months old, taken when he got his permit & his car. Now, he's four inches taller, trying desperately to put on weight but looking as lanky as ever. Wish we all had that problem, eh?

Ever read a book and you had a predictable idea of what was coming for the character just to be sideswiped by a surprise? Of course you have. Well that's what happened to my son (the character I'm using today to jump-start Monster Monday), on his first visit to take his driver's exam.

The sideswipe to this character was subtle. There was no accident during the exam, no foolish mistake. It was the subtleness of the disturbance that made the huge impact, changing the character's course and most importantly his inner growth. 

HE NEVER GOT TO STEP FOOT IN HIS CAR TO TAKE THE ROAD TEST. THE EXAMINER FAILED HIM DURING THE EYE EXAM. 

Major Bummer, yeah I know.

The disturbance came out of left field. The character never expected it, and let me tell you he showed it. (I'm surprised the door to the building where the examination was being held is still on the hinges.) If he'd have passed or failed while driving, what would the character have learned? The subtle disturbance took this character on an inner journey, having to grow in tolerance and understanding.

The character had to search himself and grow even more in maturity when he paid a visit to the eye doctor who declared his eyes...fine. Ah-huh...fine. Needless to say, he was given an apology that the machine measuring his eyesight miscalculated. YOU THINK?? The character was then rewarded by an immediate date to take his road test which resulted in getting his license. 

Write a few lines about one of your current characters that's totally out of left field, something even you'd never expect. Give it a try. 

Or do you already have an example? Have you thought of one from a favorite book?

Writers Digest Contest

Click to enter. Great exercise even if you're not interested in entering. Try this sometimes. Try it this morning and post in the comments!! I recently had a wonderful new friend, Elizabeth, ask me about info on writing short stories, flash fiction, or shorties. (Which info has still evaded my path; need to find that for her.)

I personally love writing shorties. My former writing instructor (here in the newly blossoming Pine Tree State)--Jean Ann Pollard, awesome author with five non-fiction books and hundreds of magazine articles to her name--told me once that shorties were the hardest for writers to write. Beginning, ploting, subploting, developing, and wrapping up the story with a nice even ending is very hard under the limit of 500 words. I've done a few under 700 and then 1,000. But I found it helped me cut down my--what's that--WORDINESS! Anyone else feel my pain with that?

Hungry to try it yet? You don't have to post it all; just a couple opening sentences, or come back and post whenever you've finished. It makes you get into *what's really important* about what you have to say.

Good Luck,

S~

The Amazing Jest of a Grocery List

Yup, another Monday. "Welcome Monday," the class dully replies, as the teacher instructs them to open their books to page 154. Feeling like them? Need some livening up? Some fuel in the tank? I'd recommend eating breakfast and of course a gigantic cup of joe. Hasn't helped yet? I bet your minds are stalled in the past weekend just like those students'. Man, can I relate. But...Dah, dah, dah!! I have just the cure: A grocery list. For all you moms out there, I know doing groceries puffs. Trust me. Doing it to keep the bellies of 4 grumbling kids is exhausting, not to mention brutally expensive. But what can we do? Add some fun to our lists, that's what. 

The challenge: write a wacky grocery list to get our minds going. 

Buck Monday morning's trudge by bringing the feist of the weekend in. Think out of the box. The wackier, the funnier, the better. Good Luck. Can't wait to see what you come up with. 

(Now, where in the grocery aisle  do they keep caster oil and lug nuts?)  

Crunching Words

Vocabulary is the stock of words used or known to a particular people or group of persons, according to Dictionary.com. As writers we know the importance of a broad vocabulary. How often do you test your range? Do you have goals to learn new words, or do you fly by the seat of your pants? 


Learning new words is a wonderful exercise, but we must keep in mind that they are to be used in the proper context and in the proper time. Just because we've become a rolling scroll of wordage doesn't mean we should use them all the time. 


In awe at how didactically my language flutters from my feckless lips or have you surmised I'm in need of some good 'ole fashion admonishing? I'm not going to bore you (or myself), with going into how lame that sentence is. The point being: we need to learn and re-learn words consistently and put them into the proper practice. 


Today, learn or re-learn three new words and find an appropriate place to use them. Could be a sentence, phrase, or constitute a paragraph. Also, try and use them verbally and picture the word in your head as you do. Finding a word and seeing it isn't enough. Commit yourself to using these three words today. Write them down a few times, using them in different ways in a sentence. Then read what you've written as the day goes on. Here's a great site to get you started: http://www.vintage-vocabulary.com/wordlist.html.

We must write them, speak, them, and see them in our heads for our vocabulary buttons to latch on to them permanently. Try and do this exercise on your own a few times a week. I have and it's amazing how quickly my vocabulary has grown. And not just my word bank, but my confidence in using them. Ironically, the more words I know and feel comfortable with, the less wordy I am. Go figure.

Lets love our words... 

Don't forget to come back and share what you've learn with others, and tell us if you have another approach to broadening your scope of words. Love to hear it. 

Morning Munchies

I thought we'd start today out with something quirky. I'm full of surprises, spoken dully as I sigh.


You've heard of the eight ball, fortune telling, foreseeing the future, right? So I started thinking about when I was a kid, and how I loved to makeup alternative futures for my stuffed animals, myself, and even some of my most beloved book characters--loved Alice, in Alice in Wonderland, although I still think she should have kicked the crap out of the Queen. Just sayin'.


Come up with a few poignant Magic 8 Ball suggestions. Should be funny.


Example: If you will I will. Hell no. Can't touch. You wish. Denied. You get it, anyway.   

Monday Morning Munchies #6

Light and easy, today. I've listed ten words below. In your comment, type the first thing that comes to your mind next to the word. Let's give that creativity a jump-start. Best of luck writing!!


Coal
Leaves
Frog
Books
Picture frame
Music
Brown
Feet
Lazy
Silly
 ";-)

M3: Finale

Congrats. We're almost there. As yesterday, copy & paste your results into the top of your comment today. That's your starting point.

Step #2: swap job descriptions between characters, keeping everything else the same.

Step #3: looking at your revised list, swap gender only.

Step #4: now, swap the ages creating totally new characters.

What wacky and eclectic characters have you come up with? Thanks for partaking in this exercise. :D

M3: Part Two

Day 2: Ready?

Copy your end result from yesterday and paste it at the top of your comment. That's your starting point.

Step #1: give each character one to two lines describing their background--home life, relationships, hygiene, etc...

Step #2: dress your characters in their favorite outfit.

Step #3: label each character with an age.

That's it for today. Simple... See ya tomorrow. :)

Monday Morning Munchies #6

Morning All! Need to do a little bragging before I begin: my 2nd son's hockey team became State Champs yesterday!! Yay! They'll represent Maine in the Regionals two weeks from now in MA. Clap. Clap. Round of frozen hand applause...

Okay, back to the matter at hand--sorry for the pun. :D

In honor of such a wonderful accomplishment by a bunch of 13-15 year old boys and with so many of them being 'characters' in their own right, I decided to make this Character Week. I know I usually provide one exercise on Mondays, but this is a build upon exercise which will require only about 5 to 10 minutes each day this week. It will be fun and help us move our characters out of the rusty box of average and into a whole new stratosphere. Hope you enjoy it.

Step #1: Write a one sentence synopsis of a story. Make it brief. We're not writing a story here, just creating a setting to plunk the characters we will develop into. (Example: The girl went to the grocery store.) Simple. Concise. Direct. Just a setting.

Step #2: Chose six first names. (Don't skip ahead. There is a rhyme to my reason.)

Step #3: Now, pair up each first name with last names.

Step #4: Give each full name a job description, i.e. maid, doctor, street sweeper...

Step #5: Assign a gender label to each character.

That's it for today. What each of you have developed needs to settle and stew in your brains. Just wait until you see where you are headed tomorrow.

Happy writing & enjoy your day. It's crappy here: snow, sleet, and windy. Burrr.......

Monday Morning Munchies #5

In honor of my 2nd son's hockey team playing awesome this weekend and making it to the State game next weekend, of the USA Hockey Team's victory over Canada last night, and of the Olympics in general, I've decided to challenge us with creating a poem. Preferably sports themed, but any poem will do. Length doesn't matter. Give it a go!! I just did.

Monday Morning Munchies #4

Staying the course of yesterday's Valentine's celebrations, a short blurb about true emotions is in order. Compose an emotionally charged paragraph. It can be about romantic love, friendship, hardship...you make the call. (I've posted mine under comments.) ";-)

Monday Morning Munchies #3

Here's a quirky little exercise to stretch the mind and tempt the senses...Hhmmm, which senses would that be? Suzanne Young's book, The Naughty List, contains segments of reports--cheater reports. It's about a group of high school girls who expose the local high school scoundrels who are less than faithful in their relationships. I've post my example below. Have fun with it.

Case No. 077

Client: Ivy Craig

Subject: Justice Sly

Findings: During first period on February 8th, said subject was observed smearing frosting on the nose of a sassy brunette as he offered to help her during cooking class. Immediately, the sultry girl was tagged as Vixen Vice, daughter of the varsity hockey coach at Viking High. As the two cleaned up at the sink, Mr. Sly was seen with his hands anchored to Ms. Vice’s hips, while she picked flakes of dried frosting from his hair.

Later that night, Mr. Sly was videotaped via cell phone in his black Charger pulling up next to a white Hyundai Elantra parked by the locker rooms. As the enclosed memory stick will show, Ms. Vice exited her car and legged into the black Charger which disappeared down the dirt road behind the high school next to the tennis courts.

The two then spent the next two hours in what must have been one heck of a private cooking lesson. Sight pictures 14-16 and 19-21 which show fogging windows and both subjects fumbling into the front seats from the back seat. Pay special attention to photos 25-29 as they document Ms. Vice grabbing one of her undergarments out of Mr. Sly’s hand and rushing barefooted back to her car, obviously disgruntled. Due to the nature of said call, we chose not to videotape the findings in their entirety.

SOS is terribly sorry for your current plight and truly recommends the severing of said relationship.

Look at it this way: apparently, he’s not a good cook.

SOS

Monday Morning Munchies #2

Find three words new to you or rarely used by you, discover their origin, and use them in a sentence collectively. Be creative and have fun with it. Bet you'll remember these three words for times to come. :)