I wrote a review of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? for a contest on www.helium.com.
Here's the link: http://www.helium.com/items/1390782-review-of-brown-bear-brown-bear-what-do-you-see
Check it out!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
This blog...
is now re-launched.
Note the lovely new colors.
Love the beautiful icons at the end of each post, which enable readers to share my posts on social networking sites.
Behold the fact that my posts each have their own unique URL that you can link to from your own blog, your Facebook, your Twitter or whatever else.
In the future, posts will begin with a quick update on my progress in my writing career. I will often include links to articles I write, as this is a good way to increase my page rank for both my articles and my blog.
Next will be some kind of writing exercise. It could be a quick character study, a description of a conflict, a plot device.. or whatever. The point of these, and the gimmick here, is that these will be things I use in my current book.
My current novel is a YA fantasy novel about a kid named Roger Hollacher. The day he gets a job, he is attacked by young men from his high school. Problem: the young men seem to transform back and forth from humans to evil-looking, hairy, toothy creatures with glowing red eyes.
Roger doesn't know it yet, but he holds power over the earth because of his connection to creation.
Tingles yet?
He will have to learn to wield his power fast to save his parents and to stop the big baddy from gaining almost total power.
And that's all for now. Come back lots! Share my posts. We can trade blog URLs so we can increase each other's rank and traffic.
Let's use this Internet thing.
Note the lovely new colors.
Love the beautiful icons at the end of each post, which enable readers to share my posts on social networking sites.
Behold the fact that my posts each have their own unique URL that you can link to from your own blog, your Facebook, your Twitter or whatever else.
In the future, posts will begin with a quick update on my progress in my writing career. I will often include links to articles I write, as this is a good way to increase my page rank for both my articles and my blog.
Next will be some kind of writing exercise. It could be a quick character study, a description of a conflict, a plot device.. or whatever. The point of these, and the gimmick here, is that these will be things I use in my current book.
My current novel is a YA fantasy novel about a kid named Roger Hollacher. The day he gets a job, he is attacked by young men from his high school. Problem: the young men seem to transform back and forth from humans to evil-looking, hairy, toothy creatures with glowing red eyes.
Roger doesn't know it yet, but he holds power over the earth because of his connection to creation.
Tingles yet?
He will have to learn to wield his power fast to save his parents and to stop the big baddy from gaining almost total power.
And that's all for now. Come back lots! Share my posts. We can trade blog URLs so we can increase each other's rank and traffic.
Let's use this Internet thing.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Stopping by...
Okay, I've actually been busy and productive.
No creative writing for about a week now, mainly because I have too many other actual paying and very soon to be paying projects I'm working on.
I wrote over 5000 words today, as part of 4 expository passages and 3 articles for www.helium.com.
Here are the links to those articles on www.helium.com, along with a link to another I adjusted and re-submitted. You should check them out, because they're all actually pretty flipping awesome!
http://www.helium.com/items/1387563-how-to-deal-with-inappropriate-advances-from-your-boss
http://www.helium.com/items/1387626-how-to-develop-compassion-in-yourself-and-your-children
http://www.helium.com/items/1387775-how-to-avoid-road-rage
http://www.helium.com/items/1388115-how-to-organic-garden
Also, if you love these articles, or even if you don't, please don't forget to share them. Use Digg, Delicious, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and even Technorati.
Now, as for what I'm doing tomorrow. Big changes a'comin'.
This blog will be re-launched tomorrow. I am not sure if it will be re-named, although I doubt it. If you want to know what will be different, come back tomorrow!
I will also be re-launching my newest blog: http://powersderived.blogspot.com which is a political commentary blog. The format and overall content of the posts will be adjusted to become more readable.
That's not all! I will be launching yet another blog! This one's address: http://personalfinancegym.blogspot.com/
As part of all of these changes, I am going to be learning how I can help you, my lovely readers, share the posts that I do. This might require some kind of technical training, but I believe there is a way to put tools to Digg, Delicious, Reddit and the other article sharing sites at the end of each of my posts.
If anyone has any advice on that issue, that would be appreciated.
So that's all.
Oh wait. You might ask why all of these changes?
Because I have been learning how to use the Internet to build a brand, gain readership and actually make a little bit of (little!) residual income.
That's why.
carpe somnium!
No creative writing for about a week now, mainly because I have too many other actual paying and very soon to be paying projects I'm working on.
I wrote over 5000 words today, as part of 4 expository passages and 3 articles for www.helium.com.
Here are the links to those articles on www.helium.com, along with a link to another I adjusted and re-submitted. You should check them out, because they're all actually pretty flipping awesome!
http://www.helium.com/items/1387563-how-to-deal-with-inappropriate-advances-from-your-boss
http://www.helium.com/items/1387626-how-to-develop-compassion-in-yourself-and-your-children
http://www.helium.com/items/1387775-how-to-avoid-road-rage
http://www.helium.com/items/1388115-how-to-organic-garden
Also, if you love these articles, or even if you don't, please don't forget to share them. Use Digg, Delicious, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and even Technorati.
Now, as for what I'm doing tomorrow. Big changes a'comin'.
This blog will be re-launched tomorrow. I am not sure if it will be re-named, although I doubt it. If you want to know what will be different, come back tomorrow!
I will also be re-launching my newest blog: http://powersderived.blogspot.com which is a political commentary blog. The format and overall content of the posts will be adjusted to become more readable.
That's not all! I will be launching yet another blog! This one's address: http://personalfinancegym.blogspot.com/
As part of all of these changes, I am going to be learning how I can help you, my lovely readers, share the posts that I do. This might require some kind of technical training, but I believe there is a way to put tools to Digg, Delicious, Reddit and the other article sharing sites at the end of each of my posts.
If anyone has any advice on that issue, that would be appreciated.
So that's all.
Oh wait. You might ask why all of these changes?
Because I have been learning how to use the Internet to build a brand, gain readership and actually make a little bit of (little!) residual income.
That's why.
carpe somnium!
Monday, March 16, 2009
A quick report while I get my act in gear...
Okay, to start this momentous post, I'm going to do a word association. Maybe next time I'll do a setting exercise.
Exercise. Fat. Gut. Hanging over. Drunk. Migraine. Bad. Pain.
Uh.. that's not the word I planned on starting with.
With. Together with us. Japan. Engrish. Teach. Lame. Poor. Happy. Love. Sigh...
I wasn't planning on using that one either. Please, if you are a psychoanalyst, a therapist, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud or Ernesto Wosklowskiskin, don't read anything into those previous misfires.
Okay. Now the REAL word association.
Association. Group. Meeting. Long. Sleep... arg..
Now for the real one. This is like a Pinter play so far, eh?
America. United States. Free. Land of the free. Home of the brave. Brave. Courage. Undaunted. Hope. Fear. Firm. Fight. Battle. Free. Truth. God. Love. Humility. Free. The United States of America. Republic. Barack Obama. George W. Bush. Backlash. Both. Four and out. Stimulus. Socialism. Socialist. Lenin. Lennon. Beatles. Blech. Pepper. Lonely. Free. Old. Real. Happy.
Okay.. stopping now. I warrant, on pain of a lashing with a wet noodle or a spell in the comfy chair (the comfy chair? the comfy chair! the comfy chair? the comfy chair...), that the previous word association is authentic and untouched by design or plan or guidance.
It also makes very little sense.
So if you follow my Twitter updates, you know I've changed my morning schedule. Due to that and the adjustments needed to make it work, as well as due to my having a new writing project that ACTUALLY PAYS, the novel will go on hold for a bit while I get things ironed out and regular.
That is my report. Oh, and I was just accepted into BYU's MA program for IP&T. If you want to know what that is, you'll just have to comment on this post and ask.
HA!
carpe somnium
Exercise. Fat. Gut. Hanging over. Drunk. Migraine. Bad. Pain.
Uh.. that's not the word I planned on starting with.
With. Together with us. Japan. Engrish. Teach. Lame. Poor. Happy. Love. Sigh...
I wasn't planning on using that one either. Please, if you are a psychoanalyst, a therapist, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud or Ernesto Wosklowskiskin, don't read anything into those previous misfires.
Okay. Now the REAL word association.
Association. Group. Meeting. Long. Sleep... arg..
Now for the real one. This is like a Pinter play so far, eh?
America. United States. Free. Land of the free. Home of the brave. Brave. Courage. Undaunted. Hope. Fear. Firm. Fight. Battle. Free. Truth. God. Love. Humility. Free. The United States of America. Republic. Barack Obama. George W. Bush. Backlash. Both. Four and out. Stimulus. Socialism. Socialist. Lenin. Lennon. Beatles. Blech. Pepper. Lonely. Free. Old. Real. Happy.
Okay.. stopping now. I warrant, on pain of a lashing with a wet noodle or a spell in the comfy chair (the comfy chair? the comfy chair! the comfy chair? the comfy chair...), that the previous word association is authentic and untouched by design or plan or guidance.
It also makes very little sense.
So if you follow my Twitter updates, you know I've changed my morning schedule. Due to that and the adjustments needed to make it work, as well as due to my having a new writing project that ACTUALLY PAYS, the novel will go on hold for a bit while I get things ironed out and regular.
That is my report. Oh, and I was just accepted into BYU's MA program for IP&T. If you want to know what that is, you'll just have to comment on this post and ask.
HA!
carpe somnium
Thursday, March 12, 2009
You put your left leg in...
you put your left leg out. You put your left leg in and you shake it all about.
You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!
Why, you might ask, am I transcribing the song to what may be the single most embarassing party game on the planet, with the distinct exception of musical chairs?
Good question. I think that only time will tell. Or maybe I just like to do the hokey pokey.
Or maybe I like to turn myself around.
See.. that's a good lead in. I am turning myself around. I'm finally settling into this routine and I didn't spend most of my writing time updating networking sites. Nope, I spent ten minutes (after getting up ten minutes late) updating them and checking e-mail. Now I've written on my book for thirty minutes and here's how it went:
635 words written today. 5805 total in the book now.
And it's moving along. The story is unfolding nicely. I'm really doing my best to build a family that loves each other and that is not dysfunctional. It's fun to do.
Now I must go to Gold's and do exercise-y things.
You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!
Why, you might ask, am I transcribing the song to what may be the single most embarassing party game on the planet, with the distinct exception of musical chairs?
Good question. I think that only time will tell. Or maybe I just like to do the hokey pokey.
Or maybe I like to turn myself around.
See.. that's a good lead in. I am turning myself around. I'm finally settling into this routine and I didn't spend most of my writing time updating networking sites. Nope, I spent ten minutes (after getting up ten minutes late) updating them and checking e-mail. Now I've written on my book for thirty minutes and here's how it went:
635 words written today. 5805 total in the book now.
And it's moving along. The story is unfolding nicely. I'm really doing my best to build a family that loves each other and that is not dysfunctional. It's fun to do.
Now I must go to Gold's and do exercise-y things.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Reporting on my morning's work
Well, I spent far too long checking e-mail and updating my various networking sites, but I finally settled in and did some writing.
About 800 words this morning (some of it actually just a rewrite of something I'd already done), bringing the grand total to 5150 words.
Hey, 51/50 is the name of a Van Halen album.
I need to get right to writing when I get up so that I still have time to hit the gym immediately after and then get back home in time for breakfast. All this because I usually try to be in the office around 9AM.
Today, however, is different, although I should have been able to get to the gym anyway. We WeXL folks are participating in a business and technology expo today and tomorrow, and we are getting there by 8:30AM for a networking breakfast type thing.
In any case, as I wrote this morning, I made a decision. I'd been writing in first person, but was struggling with that. I mean, it seems like a lot of YA stuff is in first person, although not all of it is. However, I just feel like I can tell this story better in third person, so I decided to go for it.
Hey, Melinda and Kristi's work is in 3rd person... I think.. and it's good stuff.
Anyway, I have to go get ready for my day job.
So far so good. I invite any readers to follow me on Twitter, check out my political blog: http://powersderived.blogspot.com and to take a look at my online portfolio: www.helium.com/users/45690
May the Farce be with you.
carpe somnium
About 800 words this morning (some of it actually just a rewrite of something I'd already done), bringing the grand total to 5150 words.
Hey, 51/50 is the name of a Van Halen album.
I need to get right to writing when I get up so that I still have time to hit the gym immediately after and then get back home in time for breakfast. All this because I usually try to be in the office around 9AM.
Today, however, is different, although I should have been able to get to the gym anyway. We WeXL folks are participating in a business and technology expo today and tomorrow, and we are getting there by 8:30AM for a networking breakfast type thing.
In any case, as I wrote this morning, I made a decision. I'd been writing in first person, but was struggling with that. I mean, it seems like a lot of YA stuff is in first person, although not all of it is. However, I just feel like I can tell this story better in third person, so I decided to go for it.
Hey, Melinda and Kristi's work is in 3rd person... I think.. and it's good stuff.
Anyway, I have to go get ready for my day job.
So far so good. I invite any readers to follow me on Twitter, check out my political blog: http://powersderived.blogspot.com and to take a look at my online portfolio: www.helium.com/users/45690
May the Farce be with you.
carpe somnium
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
A report on my first day following the program
Program? Certainly, I'm on Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, the Atkins and the C Food diets. So I'm following lots of programs.
You know, I'm lying. I am on a lifestyle change though. I'm eating far less sugar, not having snacks every night (only 6 out of 7 nights.. okay.. maybe more like 2 out of 7) and am exercising enthusiastically.
I'm down nearly ten pounds this year. Annemarie, with whom I am competing in a home-based Biggest Loser, is beating me, of course. She's down fifteen on the year.
How did I get into this discussion? Uh...
Oh yeah. Program.
So the program I really meant was the getting up early and doing some creative writing every morning. I got up early yesterday, but only just in time to make it to the gym to meet a friend and repeatedly lift iron. This morning I got up at 5AM and got right to it.
Okay, I'm lying again. Or just pulling somebody's leg. Or maybe I'm just a git.
I got up at 5 to write, but also because we needed bread to be available for breakfast and lunches. So I had some wheat flour soaking overnight and then whipped it into dough and loaves and ended up with 5 nice loaves of bread. The house smells great.
Interspersed with kneading and forming loaves and such, I did some writing on a book I started in December. This was the book I wanted to do entirely for my own ImGoToWrANoMo project, which didn't work out due to the need to make $$$. So today I wrote about 760 words in about 30 minutes of writing, but I also took time to go through the outline and what I already had. The book is now at 4387 words (about 11 pages).
So it was a good thing. Feels good to be working on it again, albeit I also felt like it was rough going for a little bit there too.
I have to get in to the office so I can make calls. I'll be back later.
carpe somnium
You know, I'm lying. I am on a lifestyle change though. I'm eating far less sugar, not having snacks every night (only 6 out of 7 nights.. okay.. maybe more like 2 out of 7) and am exercising enthusiastically.
I'm down nearly ten pounds this year. Annemarie, with whom I am competing in a home-based Biggest Loser, is beating me, of course. She's down fifteen on the year.
How did I get into this discussion? Uh...
Oh yeah. Program.
So the program I really meant was the getting up early and doing some creative writing every morning. I got up early yesterday, but only just in time to make it to the gym to meet a friend and repeatedly lift iron. This morning I got up at 5AM and got right to it.
Okay, I'm lying again. Or just pulling somebody's leg. Or maybe I'm just a git.
I got up at 5 to write, but also because we needed bread to be available for breakfast and lunches. So I had some wheat flour soaking overnight and then whipped it into dough and loaves and ended up with 5 nice loaves of bread. The house smells great.
Interspersed with kneading and forming loaves and such, I did some writing on a book I started in December. This was the book I wanted to do entirely for my own ImGoToWrANoMo project, which didn't work out due to the need to make $$$. So today I wrote about 760 words in about 30 minutes of writing, but I also took time to go through the outline and what I already had. The book is now at 4387 words (about 11 pages).
So it was a good thing. Feels good to be working on it again, albeit I also felt like it was rough going for a little bit there too.
I have to get in to the office so I can make calls. I'll be back later.
carpe somnium
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The plan.. sort of
Okay, here're the preliminaries. I do this so I can be accountable. They say that written goals are achievable goals. (Yes, the 'i' goes before the 'e' in that word)
Gonna get up no later than 5:15AM every week morning. I will write for 30 minutes. It will be fiction. For now, it will be a book that I will finish by June 1st. That is about 76 days of writing. If I can do 500 words every writing morning, I will have 38,000 words. That's not bad, right?
If I can't finish by June 1st, it will be done by July 1st at the latest.
So that's creative writing planned. Will it be hard to get up?
Funny you should ask. Because yes!
I'd like to be putting about 3 hours into www.helium.com every week. I have to figure out when to do this. Maybe in the evenings.
I also need to get stuff written for Maximum Yield and Demand Studios.
Plus, I have side projects to get done.
And I got squat-all done this week. Sometimes it's hard to feel good about yourself.. has anybody else noticed that?
I just have one more thing to say:
Lily's eyes, the size of her life
lived large and loud and loved
lull me, capture me.
Her squeeze, tight and tiny
but large and loud and loving
melts me, breaks me.
Gonna get up no later than 5:15AM every week morning. I will write for 30 minutes. It will be fiction. For now, it will be a book that I will finish by June 1st. That is about 76 days of writing. If I can do 500 words every writing morning, I will have 38,000 words. That's not bad, right?
If I can't finish by June 1st, it will be done by July 1st at the latest.
So that's creative writing planned. Will it be hard to get up?
Funny you should ask. Because yes!
I'd like to be putting about 3 hours into www.helium.com every week. I have to figure out when to do this. Maybe in the evenings.
I also need to get stuff written for Maximum Yield and Demand Studios.
Plus, I have side projects to get done.
And I got squat-all done this week. Sometimes it's hard to feel good about yourself.. has anybody else noticed that?
I just have one more thing to say:
Lily's eyes, the size of her life
lived large and loud and loved
lull me, capture me.
Her squeeze, tight and tiny
but large and loud and loving
melts me, breaks me.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Okay, decision made
Thanks to those who chimed in on my last post.
John, no need to start up a collection.
I've decided to not go to BYU's WIFYR (Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers) conference this year. While I'd like to have something ready in time for it, I would need to register now and that costs money I haven't got. What's more, I'm not sure I could have something ready...
Which leads to my next issue.
I do need to be writing fiction regularly in order to get good at it, but it needs to not take away from my day jobs. So I am going to find a time to write every day, for about a half hour.
My first effort will be a chapter book probably, to see if I can do it.
And that is all for now. Off to bed.
Carpe somnium!
John, no need to start up a collection.
I've decided to not go to BYU's WIFYR (Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers) conference this year. While I'd like to have something ready in time for it, I would need to register now and that costs money I haven't got. What's more, I'm not sure I could have something ready...
Which leads to my next issue.
I do need to be writing fiction regularly in order to get good at it, but it needs to not take away from my day jobs. So I am going to find a time to write every day, for about a half hour.
My first effort will be a chapter book probably, to see if I can do it.
And that is all for now. Off to bed.
Carpe somnium!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Now I'm really messed up
I have pretty much shelved my fiction writing for now. I don't have the time to learn to do it right, really. And I don't have the time to apply what I already know.
I still have countless stories I want to tell; images and climaxes reel crazily through my head most of the day. But I really just have to support my family right now.
I received my notice about BYU's Conference for Writers and Illustrators today. The conference is in June and I had no (again.. NO) intention of going. Tracy and Laura Hickman will be there, doing the SciFi/Fantasy workshop.
Good heavens what do I do now? If I go I will have to pay the huge fee, but then I get to worship at Tracy Hickman's feet. And three editors will be there. And I do have a book I want to publish, and I think it's good and I just need to make it better.
Argh.
What do I do? No, seriously. I really need help with this.
What do I do?
I have to decide fast if I'm going to be able to sign up for the workshop I want.
HELP!
I still have countless stories I want to tell; images and climaxes reel crazily through my head most of the day. But I really just have to support my family right now.
I received my notice about BYU's Conference for Writers and Illustrators today. The conference is in June and I had no (again.. NO) intention of going. Tracy and Laura Hickman will be there, doing the SciFi/Fantasy workshop.
Good heavens what do I do now? If I go I will have to pay the huge fee, but then I get to worship at Tracy Hickman's feet. And three editors will be there. And I do have a book I want to publish, and I think it's good and I just need to make it better.
Argh.
What do I do? No, seriously. I really need help with this.
What do I do?
I have to decide fast if I'm going to be able to sign up for the workshop I want.
HELP!
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