Today, I need your input on which flash fiction post so far you have enjoyed the most. Your participation in this poll is greatly appreciated.
You can find the flash fiction posts here:
Which Flash Fiction Do You Like The Most
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Vote For Flash Fiction Post You Like Most
Today, I need your input on which flash fiction post so far you have enjoyed the most. Your participation in this poll is greatly appreciated.
You can find the flash fiction posts here:
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Teaser Tueday
1. Post 2 sentences from the current book you're reading. You can either
a) open the book and share 2 sentences from anywhere on that page or
b) share your favorite 2 senetnces from the book (they have to be in a row)
2. List the page #
*PLEASE DO NOT POST ANYTHING THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS A SPOILER!
3. List the name of the book and the author
"My sweet sister, you are but sixteen. Ah, you look wonderfully worldly wise, but you are not yet grown up. You are very like the little girl who sat in the window seats at Blickling, and dreamed of knightly deeds. Life is not romantic, Anne, and men are not frequently honorable knights. Life is a battle or a game which each of us fights or plays with all the skill at his command."
p. 35
Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy
Share your teasers in the comments or give a link to your blog if you're running a Teaser Tuesday.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Researching For Writing
Research can be defined as the search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, with an open mind, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories (*Wikipedia).
Any writer knows that research is an important, if not integral, part of working on a story. Doing research helps the writer to include details that will add to the credibility and the depth of the piece. Details are often what makes the world come alive in fiction, and what lets the reader to relate and connect to that world. The other aspect of including the correct information is the fact that your readers may be experts in various topics. When they read a story that contains errant information on those topics, they pick out those details out and this can, possibly, turn them away or at least bring a measure of negativity into the reading. A writer needs their audience to believe that they know what they're talking about.
Research can be tedious and time-consuming. It can also be fun and amazingly informative. Do not think of doing research for your story as a chore, something that you want to be done and over with. Instead, think of it as constant learning and enriching your mind with new information. There's so much out there to learn and explore. Personally, I know that when I'm doing research, I find out new information that leads me to look into yet other fascinating information.
Research today has been made much easier through the use of the Internet. Be careful however. Internet has as much bad and unreliable information out there as it has good and true information. Make sure you look at a few different sites on a particular topic. Another great source of acquiring reliable information - interviewing experts. You may have people in your own family who are experts in a particular topic. Otherwise, ask friends, neighbors, doctors you go, professors who teach your children, etc.. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Most people love to talk about what they love to do - whether their work or hobby - and would be glad to provide your with information for your story.
Make research a fun part of your writing process and you will enjoy doing it as much as writing!
Do you like doing research for you writing? What are your favorite research methods?
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research
Friday, January 27, 2012
Friday Art & History Feature - Mount Olympus
Today, on my niece Rebecca's request, I will talk about Mount Olympus.
Mount Olympus is a real mountain in Greece, about 100 miles from the city Thessaloniki. It is the highest mountain in Greece and contains 52 peaks.
The fame of Mount Olympus comes from the Greek mythology, in which the Mount was considered the residence of the 12 major gods. According to mythology it was created after the titans were defeated by gods in the great Titan War. The following gods made it their home:
Zeus (the main "father" god, god of sky and thunder), Hera (Zeus wife, goddess of women, home and marriage), Demeter (goddess of grains and fertility of the earth), Athena (goddess of wisdom, courage, warfare and law and justice, as well as art), Poseidon (god of and earthquakes), Hestia (virgin goddess of hearth, family and architecture), Apollo (sun god of light, truth and prophecy, healing, music and poetry), Artemis (virgin moon goddess of hunt and wild animals and childbirth, as well as patroness of young girls), Ares (god of war), Aphrodite (goddess of love, beauty and procreation), Hephaestus (god of blacksmiths, sculptors, metal workers and fire) and Hermes (god of messengers, literature and writers, orators and thieves).
The food and drink on Mount Olympus was called Nectar and Ambrosia - the food of gods. Nectar was a sweet drink made from fermented honey.
Zeus ruled Mount Olympus, calling the gods who did not reside on the Mount Olympus to attend his court when summoned. Goddesses named Seasons kept the gate of clouds that would permit the divine beings to enter and exit Olympus.
 |
| Highest peak of Mount Olympus in Greece |
Mount Olympus is a real mountain in Greece, about 100 miles from the city Thessaloniki. It is the highest mountain in Greece and contains 52 peaks.
The fame of Mount Olympus comes from the Greek mythology, in which the Mount was considered the residence of the 12 major gods. According to mythology it was created after the titans were defeated by gods in the great Titan War. The following gods made it their home:
 |
| Gods of Mount Olympus |
 |
| Zeus |
The food and drink on Mount Olympus was called Nectar and Ambrosia - the food of gods. Nectar was a sweet drink made from fermented honey.
 |
| Goddess Artemis, goddess of moon, hunt and wild animals - Versailles |
Zeus ruled Mount Olympus, calling the gods who did not reside on the Mount Olympus to attend his court when summoned. Goddesses named Seasons kept the gate of clouds that would permit the divine beings to enter and exit Olympus.
Lines from the "Odyssey" describe Mount Olympus
:
:
"So saying, Minerva, goddess azure-eyed,
Rose to Olympus, the reputed seat
Eternal of the gods, which never storms
Disturb, rains drench, or snow invades, but calm
The expanse and cloudless shines with purest day.
There the inhabitants divine rejoice
For ever." (Thomas Bulfinch)
Rose to Olympus, the reputed seat
Eternal of the gods, which never storms
Disturb, rains drench, or snow invades, but calm
The expanse and cloudless shines with purest day.
There the inhabitants divine rejoice
For ever." (Thomas Bulfinch)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
More Pictures That Inspire Me
Unfortunately, I have to suspend my Writer Wednesday Flash Fiction feature for today. My hubby was in a hospital for a couple of days with chest pressure. He is ok, his heart checked out completely ok but he's still not feeling well, so now we have to figure out why. So my head has not been in writing the last few days.
Instead, I would like to post more pictures that inspire me - and maybe they will give you inspiration as well.
Flash Fiction will return next week as scheduled.
Instead, I would like to post more pictures that inspire me - and maybe they will give you inspiration as well.
Flash Fiction will return next week as scheduled.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Teaser Tuesday
1. Post 2 sentences from the current book you're reading. You can either
a) open the book and share 2 sentences from anywhere on that page or
b) share your favorite 2 senetnces from the book (they have to be in a row)
2. List the page #
*PLEASE DO NOT POST ANYTHING THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS A SPOILER!
3. List the name of the book and the author
"Between me and the king, there will never be a choice. She is in love with him, just as every other doe-eyed girl at this court. Just as your own wife once was."
p. 185
The Queen's Rival by Diane Haeger
Share your teasers in the comments or give a link to your blog if you're running a Teaser Tuesday.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Rebel Writer's Pledge 2012
Even though I posted my goals (writng and non-writing) for 2012 last month, today I'm posting them again due to joining an amazing group of writers in the Rebel Writer's Pledge 2012!
As every year, 2011had its ups and downs. The highlights, as far as my writing is concerned, was signing with the awesome Jennifer Mishler and Frances Black of Literary Counsel. My writing partner Tina Moss and I couldn't be happier about that.
Tina and I also started on the sequel, book 2 in the Keys Series.
I also started an individual project (as has Tina) but more about that in the new year's goals.
So what's ahead?
My writing goals for 2012 are quiet ambitious, and I'm going to start the year with the sense of optimism that all of these goals can be reached successfully. So here's the list of the goals and how I plan to achieve them.
1. I pledge to finish my WIP. It is very important to me to finish my novel within 6 months. It will be a challenge but a welcomed one. In order to do this, I will change my method of writing a bit. 1) I will start making brief outlines of each chapter to have an idea of what I want to include in the chapter and the general direction it will take. This has proved to be very helpful when I work with Tina (my writing partner) on our Keys Series. When working on my individual project, I tend to just sit down and write, but that is not always an optimal way of doing it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Making an outline of chapters assures that I can always sit down and know what to write (even if it's in more general terms).
I pledge to be more diligent about keeping the smaller goals of a certain amount of time spent writing a day/a week and/or a certain amount of words written a day/a week, etc.. Hopefully, there will be a very visible rise in both the time spent writing and the words written in the beginning of the year vs. the end. For the beginning, my goal is 250 words a day or 1500 a week (hopefully going up to 1000 words a day towards the end of the year). To accomplish this, I will experiment with a few different methodologies and see what works the best for me. I'll be tracking this experimentation and the results in blog posts throughout the year.
2. I pledge to finish book #2 in the Keys Series with Tina Moss. I love the process we've established while working on book 1. We put our heads together - and sometimes bump them - and we divide up chapters and hash them out. Then we write them and come back together to read over them, then edit each others chapters. Lots of good ideas and good times ensues.
3. I pledge to keep up with the blog post schedule and expanding and developing the blog further. I would like to do another months or two of NaBloPoMo challenge. During the rest of the months, I will be happy posting 3-4 posts a week. I would like to have my features written in advance and be ready to posted when the time comes. These features are Writer Wednesday Flash Fiction and Friday Art & History Feature. I also plan to have a collection of articles on writing that I can use whenever I need to have a post up but don't have time to write it that day. This will allow me to always keep a reserve of articles and keep up with the blog posts even when I'm focusing on other work and cannot devote a lot of time to the blog. It is my intention for my blog posts to inspire and motivate other writers.
4. I pledge to read at least 50 books (various genres, the majority urban fantasy/paranormal romance and historical fiction, as well as YA). Also I pledge to read at least 1 book on writing craft a month.
These are the major writing goals I'm setting for myself in the new year. On top of the writing goals, here are a couple of non-writing goals:
1) I pledge to start to train for my second black belt degree and am hoping to test sometime during the next year.
2) During the next year, I pledge to start a couple of campaigns to raise money for the organizations that work for preservation of big cats and of wolves. Stop by the blog in the next few weeks for more information on this projects.
Share your writing (or non-writing) goals and how you plan to reach them. How do you motivate yourself and what advice do you have for motivating other writers?
Tina and I also started on the sequel, book 2 in the Keys Series.
I also started an individual project (as has Tina) but more about that in the new year's goals.
So what's ahead?
My writing goals for 2012 are quiet ambitious, and I'm going to start the year with the sense of optimism that all of these goals can be reached successfully. So here's the list of the goals and how I plan to achieve them.
1. I pledge to finish my WIP. It is very important to me to finish my novel within 6 months. It will be a challenge but a welcomed one. In order to do this, I will change my method of writing a bit. 1) I will start making brief outlines of each chapter to have an idea of what I want to include in the chapter and the general direction it will take. This has proved to be very helpful when I work with Tina (my writing partner) on our Keys Series. When working on my individual project, I tend to just sit down and write, but that is not always an optimal way of doing it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Making an outline of chapters assures that I can always sit down and know what to write (even if it's in more general terms).
I pledge to be more diligent about keeping the smaller goals of a certain amount of time spent writing a day/a week and/or a certain amount of words written a day/a week, etc.. Hopefully, there will be a very visible rise in both the time spent writing and the words written in the beginning of the year vs. the end. For the beginning, my goal is 250 words a day or 1500 a week (hopefully going up to 1000 words a day towards the end of the year). To accomplish this, I will experiment with a few different methodologies and see what works the best for me. I'll be tracking this experimentation and the results in blog posts throughout the year.
2. I pledge to finish book #2 in the Keys Series with Tina Moss. I love the process we've established while working on book 1. We put our heads together - and sometimes bump them - and we divide up chapters and hash them out. Then we write them and come back together to read over them, then edit each others chapters. Lots of good ideas and good times ensues.
3. I pledge to keep up with the blog post schedule and expanding and developing the blog further. I would like to do another months or two of NaBloPoMo challenge. During the rest of the months, I will be happy posting 3-4 posts a week. I would like to have my features written in advance and be ready to posted when the time comes. These features are Writer Wednesday Flash Fiction and Friday Art & History Feature. I also plan to have a collection of articles on writing that I can use whenever I need to have a post up but don't have time to write it that day. This will allow me to always keep a reserve of articles and keep up with the blog posts even when I'm focusing on other work and cannot devote a lot of time to the blog. It is my intention for my blog posts to inspire and motivate other writers.
4. I pledge to read at least 50 books (various genres, the majority urban fantasy/paranormal romance and historical fiction, as well as YA). Also I pledge to read at least 1 book on writing craft a month.
These are the major writing goals I'm setting for myself in the new year. On top of the writing goals, here are a couple of non-writing goals:
1) I pledge to start to train for my second black belt degree and am hoping to test sometime during the next year.
2) During the next year, I pledge to start a couple of campaigns to raise money for the organizations that work for preservation of big cats and of wolves. Stop by the blog in the next few weeks for more information on this projects.
Share your writing (or non-writing) goals and how you plan to reach them. How do you motivate yourself and what advice do you have for motivating other writers?
Don't forget to check out Rebel Writer's Pledge 2012!
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