I'm not waiting until January 1st to begin my resolution to write for at least one hour a day. Each Sunday night I will set up a writing schedule for the week. So here it is:
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Thursday (New Years Day) 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Friday 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Saturday 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Sunday: Meeting a writing friend for plotting.
I'll let you know how I do.
Liz Matis - USA Today Bestselling Author
Monday, December 29, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A Good Day
After being lazy around the house yesterday, I braved the mall today and scored some deals. went early so it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be.
I also shopped on-line. My husband never knows what to get me so he gave me cash which is fine with me. Here's what I got (you know...since I didn't get Peace on Earth)
David Cook's cd
Enya - Wintertime - CD
Mamma Mia - DVD
Human Dark With Sugar - poetry by Brenda Shaughnessy
2 shirts from Macys
What did you get for Christmas?
I also shopped on-line. My husband never knows what to get me so he gave me cash which is fine with me. Here's what I got (you know...since I didn't get Peace on Earth)
David Cook's cd
Enya - Wintertime - CD
Mamma Mia - DVD
Human Dark With Sugar - poetry by Brenda Shaughnessy
2 shirts from Macys
What did you get for Christmas?
Friday, December 26, 2008
Day 15 - 40 Discovering the Writer Within
I am NOT pleased. I quit this book.
Day 15 started off harmless enough. Write several leads for stories based on your journal entries. Fine. Wonderful. Then the second part of the assignment: Write leads to pieces you will probably never write. Write leads to tacky romances, lead to thrillers, leads to mysteries,... - WHAT? - back up nine words TACKY?
Maybe, they didn’t mean it that way, but that’s the way I’m took it.
While fun in parts this has been taking away from my work in progress so instead of these writing exercises I will work on my SO NOT tacky romance.
Day 15 started off harmless enough. Write several leads for stories based on your journal entries. Fine. Wonderful. Then the second part of the assignment: Write leads to pieces you will probably never write. Write leads to tacky romances, lead to thrillers, leads to mysteries,... - WHAT? - back up nine words TACKY?
Maybe, they didn’t mean it that way, but that’s the way I’m took it.
While fun in parts this has been taking away from my work in progress so instead of these writing exercises I will work on my SO NOT tacky romance.
Day 15 - 40 Discovering the Writer Within
I am NOT pleased. I quit this book.
Day 15 started off harmless enough. Write several leads for stories based on your journal entries. Fine. Wonderful. Then the second part of the assignment: Write leads to pieces you will probably never write. Write leads to tacky romances, lead to thrillers, leads to mysteries,... - WHAT? - back up nine words TACKY?
Maybe, they didn’t mean it that way, but that’s the way I’m took it.
While fun in parts this has been taking away from my work in progress so instead of these writing exercises I will work on my SO NOT tacky romance.
Day 15 started off harmless enough. Write several leads for stories based on your journal entries. Fine. Wonderful. Then the second part of the assignment: Write leads to pieces you will probably never write. Write leads to tacky romances, lead to thrillers, leads to mysteries,... - WHAT? - back up nine words TACKY?
Maybe, they didn’t mean it that way, but that’s the way I’m took it.
While fun in parts this has been taking away from my work in progress so instead of these writing exercises I will work on my SO NOT tacky romance.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Day 12 - 14 Discovering the Writer Within
Discovering the Writer Within by Ballenger & Lane. It’s a 40 day program to exercise your creativity and imagination. I’m giving a general feel for the assignment and a little bit of what I accomplished.
Day 12: Pick a dramatic experience that lasted only a few minutes or even seconds. Free write for 5 minutes describing the moment as vividly as you can.
Okay got tears in my eyes. My son told me he heard someone say "watch out" just before we were hit. He denied it soon afterward probably because I made I big deal out of it.
Day 13: Look over the work you’ve done. Pick a entry that seems to be asking you questions and answer these by free writing for ten minutes .
Day 14: Write down all the reasons why you shouldn’t write - these are your Demons of Doubt. Now to combat you demon: 1) Seek out authors who feed your desire to write. 2) Make a list of all your best writing experiences. 3) Read interviews with other writers and copy down quotes that make you want to write. Refer to these when the demon of doubt strikes.
Here is a quote I recently fell in love with. I read it in Glimmer Train Guide to Writing Fiction. Elizabeth Cox keeps this quote above her text - it’s from theologian Niebuhr:
OFFER A LIFE, NOT A TEXT
This quote inspires to me write. It reminds me to explore a character - to make him/her real to myself and to the reader.
Day 12: Pick a dramatic experience that lasted only a few minutes or even seconds. Free write for 5 minutes describing the moment as vividly as you can.
Glass shattered
but lives still intact
Turning to the backseat
a mother’s voice laced with fear
My son’s head tuck under
his hands protecting his head
A drunk driver
nearly taking what I hold dear
If not for an angel
whispering in my son's ear
but lives still intact
Turning to the backseat
a mother’s voice laced with fear
My son’s head tuck under
his hands protecting his head
A drunk driver
nearly taking what I hold dear
If not for an angel
whispering in my son's ear
Day 13: Look over the work you’ve done. Pick a entry that seems to be asking you questions and answer these by free writing for ten minutes .
Day 14: Write down all the reasons why you shouldn’t write - these are your Demons of Doubt. Now to combat you demon: 1) Seek out authors who feed your desire to write. 2) Make a list of all your best writing experiences. 3) Read interviews with other writers and copy down quotes that make you want to write. Refer to these when the demon of doubt strikes.
Here is a quote I recently fell in love with. I read it in Glimmer Train Guide to Writing Fiction. Elizabeth Cox keeps this quote above her text - it’s from theologian Niebuhr:
OFFER A LIFE, NOT A TEXT
This quote inspires to me write. It reminds me to explore a character - to make him/her real to myself and to the reader.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Day 10 and 11 - Discovering the Writer Within
Discovering the Writer Within by Ballenger & Lane. It’s a 40 day program to exercise your creativity and imagination. I’m giving a general feel for the assignment and a little bit of what I accomplished.
Day 10: A photograph is given, which makes me think of the book Grapes of Wrath. In Day 11 we learn the title is Migrant Mother by photographer Dorothea Lange from 1936. For Day 10 we take the place we wrote about yesterday and write it from the POV of the woman in the photograph.
Four whole dollars for a cup of coffee? I could feed my children for week.
Day 11: Examine the photo a make a list of details including thoughts and feelings. Compose a paragraph that would explain to someone else how you interpret Lange’s image.
The children burrrow into their mother like pups seeking comfort she is unable to provide.
Day 10: A photograph is given, which makes me think of the book Grapes of Wrath. In Day 11 we learn the title is Migrant Mother by photographer Dorothea Lange from 1936. For Day 10 we take the place we wrote about yesterday and write it from the POV of the woman in the photograph.
Four whole dollars for a cup of coffee? I could feed my children for week.
Day 11: Examine the photo a make a list of details including thoughts and feelings. Compose a paragraph that would explain to someone else how you interpret Lange’s image.
The children burrrow into their mother like pups seeking comfort she is unable to provide.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Day 8 & 9 - Discovering the Writer Within
Discovering the Writer Within by Ballenger & Lane. It’s a 40 day program to exercise your creativity and imagination. I’m giving a general feel for the assignment and a little bit of what I accomplished.
Day 8: Take the list of observations/thoughts about the rock from day 7. Circle those you think are unusual and not the obvious. According to the authors I did a good job of this. I listed such things as moon rock, fossil, stone fence, skipping stones, and the Simon and Garfunkel song Island. Also, part of Day 8 was to go outside with a camera and shoot an inanimate object from different angles. Free write for ten minutes about the experience - save the images for Day 16.
Day 9:
Part 1: Go to a public place where you go often but never really notice. Brainstorm a list of details that describe the place (using physical descriptions, thoughts, feelings, ect-use all five senses). Circle the ones that go beyond the obvious. Using one of these write a brief description.
I choose a local Border with a Seattle coffee shop inside:
The iced brew shoots up the straw, hits my tongue and goes smoothly down my throat. I sigh like a drug addict as the heroin hits her vein.
Part 2: Brainstorm for ten minutes a list of details to complete a paragraph beginning with this sentence: He/she had a strange taste in clothes:
His goal was to start a new fashion trend: Salvation Army Chic. But it never caught on.
Or
He shopped at the same stores as Johnny Depp, but pulling off the artsy, cool look, is better left to those who weigh under two hundred pounds.
That was fun. See you on Day 10.
Day 8: Take the list of observations/thoughts about the rock from day 7. Circle those you think are unusual and not the obvious. According to the authors I did a good job of this. I listed such things as moon rock, fossil, stone fence, skipping stones, and the Simon and Garfunkel song Island. Also, part of Day 8 was to go outside with a camera and shoot an inanimate object from different angles. Free write for ten minutes about the experience - save the images for Day 16.
Day 9:
Part 1: Go to a public place where you go often but never really notice. Brainstorm a list of details that describe the place (using physical descriptions, thoughts, feelings, ect-use all five senses). Circle the ones that go beyond the obvious. Using one of these write a brief description.
I choose a local Border with a Seattle coffee shop inside:
The iced brew shoots up the straw, hits my tongue and goes smoothly down my throat. I sigh like a drug addict as the heroin hits her vein.
Part 2: Brainstorm for ten minutes a list of details to complete a paragraph beginning with this sentence: He/she had a strange taste in clothes:
His goal was to start a new fashion trend: Salvation Army Chic. But it never caught on.
Or
He shopped at the same stores as Johnny Depp, but pulling off the artsy, cool look, is better left to those who weigh under two hundred pounds.
That was fun. See you on Day 10.
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