Travelling to SLC

Tomorrow, I leave on a business trip to Salt Lake City, Utah.  Travelling in winter time from Idaho to Utah is always a sketchy idea. If it's not snowing, raining, or fog covered here, then it is in SLC. Flights are often delayed and roads can be tricky.

Yay me.

I'd much rather stay home in my pj's and write all day... or read all day... or both. :)

But, I'll take a book with me and my laptop with me, and I can do both - - while waiting in the airport for a delayed flight. HA.

I suppose I should find my winter coat before I leave...

I'm wondering if the characters in my book like to travel. Do you like to travel? Always?

Post Thanksgiving...

So... I was absent from the blog over the holiday "weekend" (ha - mine was like a week long).

Did you have a great Thanksgiving? I did.  Here are my observations:

1. People often frowned when I told them "our immediate family of five" in response to the question, "Who all is coming over for Thanksgiving?" - - - Why do so many people assume you need 25 people at Thanksgiving dinner to do it "right?"  It's almost like a competition to see who can have the biggest Thanksgiving event. Does that mean you're more thankful than I am? We stayed in our p.j.s and enjoyed family time. We played board games. Ate yummy food. Played more games. And ate more food. It was wonderful.

2. Black Friday. What are you people thinking? Oh. My. Gosh. I haven't participated (still didn't this year) in this event in over 12 years. This year... about a week ago, my oldest son (who turns 17 this week) asked if he could do Black Friday with a friend and his family. I asked him if he understood what it was. He said he'd like to experience it just once. I said okay. Whatever. So, Thursday evening (around 7:30pm) I suggested he call his friend and ask what time they'd be picking him up for Black Friday. I assumed 3 or 4 in the morning. Right? Well, my son got off the phone and told me they'd be picking him up at 8:30 ... I stopped and looked at him. I said that's awfully late, you'll miss all the deals, won't you?  He shook his head and smiled, and then told me they were picking him up in AN HOUR!! My motherly heart fluttered with anxiety at the thought of him staying out all night long, but then I reminded myself, he is almost 17. I should chill out a little bit. So... long story short, they left at 8:30PM and returned at 5:30AM. I didn't sleep a wink. Good news: he didn't die, and he got some great deals.

What was your most memorable moment of the holiday?

Nathan Bransford Update

Great post here: http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/11/omg-did-you-hear-about-nathan.html

The post answers our questions about why Nathan left agenting. I know I was curious, and I was glad to read this additional information.

More Opinions on Debate Competition

Well... I spent twelve hours Saturday judging teenage debate competitions. Mind blowing. In so many ways.

1. Novice (usually the younger teenagers) debaters tend to think aggressive speech and body language will help them win the debate.
2. Novice debaters try to trick each other via rule violations.
3. Novice debaters tend to apologize a lot.
4. Varsity debaters (usually the older teenagers) have amazing self-confidence.
5. Varsity debaters tend to be very respectful toward one another.
6. Varsity debaters argue the issues, not the rules.
7. Both novice and varsity debaters doubt the intelligence and attention span of their judges.

I learned a few other things as well while participating in and eavesdropping on conversations in the judges lounge:

1. Adults can misinterpret teenagers' body language and attitude.
2. Adults tend to judge a loud girl differently than a loud boy.
3. Adults want to help teenagers succeed.
4. Apparently, I don't feed my dog enough food. Several judges thought I was starving him. So, I doubled his food today...

Actually, this picture is a few years old now... but I like it!!

Anyhow... I feel the need to write after this weekend's competition. I observed interesting behavior amongst the debaters: flirting, ignoring, rushing, worrying, smiling, doubting, insulting, respecting, and spewing.

Yes... SPEWING is a debate term for the policy category. OH. MY. GOSH. They speak so fast, they gasp for air. The words run together, and it felt like they were speaking a foreign language. Once I got the hang of it, I understood them better. But the "spewing" was crazy. Just crazy.

Oh... and I eavesdropped on a judge in the judge's lounge. She talked about how rude this novice girl was in a Lincoln-Douglas round. I listened to everything she said, and thought, "Oh, no." When I saw my daughter at the next break, I asked her if she said anything like what I had just heard. She asked what the judge looked like. Same judge. Thing is... my daughter's intent did not match the judge's interpretation. My daughter was pretty disappointed, because until our conversation, she thought she had won that round.

I find it interesting how this can happen not only in debate competitions but also in everyday life. We mean one thing in our head, but another person misinterprets us.  Communication is more about tone of voice and body language than it is about the words we use.

Have you ever been misunderstood in a conversation?

Teenagers...

As a YA author, I was thrilled at the idea of judging speech and debate competitions this weekend. Here's what I learned from Friday night's speech competition:

1. Teenagers are SO SMART! These people were (for the most part) well prepared, well spoken, and well behaved. I was really impressed.

2. Teenagers believe (for the most part) that adults don't understand them. One guy said during a panel competition "...there's no way a fifty-year-old balding guy can understand how we feel. He can't even remember back that far to what it was like to be a teenager..."

So, when adults attempt to write YA... sometimes they forget these two very important points.

I love teenagers (for the most part). Ha. Kidding... Kinda.

What do you remember about being a teenager?

Some Excellent Resources for Writers

There are several websites that have significantly helped me in my writer's journey. I thought I'd share a few of them today. :) Enjoy!

Writer Unboxed - This blog has a group of contributors, and so the daily posts are fresh and helpful. This particular post (linked) suggests printing your ms out on paper in a different font than you've been viewing on the computer screen. Why? Because you'll be able to see your words with new eyes, simply because it looks different! I love this idea, and I'm going to give it a try.

KidLit - Even if you don't write YA, this blog has a wealth of information on the craft of writing and the business side of writing. Mary Kole uses a straight forward no nonsense approach to answering questions and tackling topics regarding writing.

Guide to Literary Agents - Chuck Sambuchino features a great variety of posts on his blog. Some of my favorites include the posts on REAL query letters. You can read the actual query letter, and then the agent explains why that query caught his/her attention. I also enjoy all of the agent advice on his blog.

Flogging the Quill - If you want your story opening to be the best it can possibly be, first, read this blog, second, submit your beginning for critique on the blog. I've submitted the beginnings to both of my finished mss, and the feedback was SO helpful. *IF* you're open-minded to critiques...

Well, those are just a few of my favorites. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BLOGS?

Know Your Market

During the day (some days) I sell Bernina Sewing Machines. I love it. It's fun. And, that's what I did all day Friday. However, I'm constantly thinking about writing, and Friday, I couldn't help but compare first time shoppers to first time writers.

Many times, a first time shopper will come in to look at Berninas. Why? Because they are the best. (Seriously, Consumer Reports ranked the Bernina 440QE as the #1 sewing machine in 2010.) Just saying... Anyway... (I easily get sidetracked...)

So, first time shoppers come in because they want to buy a machine, but often times they will see the price tag and nearly faint right there in the store. Why? Because they had NO IDEA a sewing machine could cost $12,000. (That's right. I did not add an extra zero, but that is for the top of the line model 830.) Now, granted there are also entry-level Berninas that cost $649 (on sale right now, a real steal!) and Bernettes (I like to call them baby Berninas) that are as low as $149.  But, many people see the $12,000 price tag and walk away thinking, "Oh, man. I can never do that." They didn't research the market at all first, and left prematurely because they were caught by surprise.

How does this compare to the first time writer?

Often, first time writers will think, "I'm gonna write a book!" And, they (we, us, me) jump right into it and write the book. But, then when the writer shops it around (queries agents), they are disappointed no one wants it. And, then many times, these writers will quit shopping because they are caught by surprise and don't understand the industry.

Furthermore, many writers don't research and study the market they're writing for and/or the business of writing.

We need to research, ask questions, learn, improve, and keep shopping around until we find just the right fit for ourselves and our ms. Maybe the $12,000 machine isn't right for us, but maybe... it is. Maybe we need to save the money first (learn our craft and build our skills).

Does this make sense only in my brain?

Break the Rules Intentionally, Not Accidentally

Another worthwhile class I attended at the SCWW was taught by agent Roseanne Wells, titled "Play by the (Grammar) Rules - and When Not to."

Roseanne was wonderful. I really enjoyed her no-nonsense approach to grammar rules. Of course, as writers, we *should* know the rules. eh... right... ??

If you're not confident with your base knowledge (wow, that sounded kinda smart), Roseanne suggests these books:

* ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk and White
* The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative by Vivian Gornick

Roseanne commented that there is no shame in not knowing, but it is your responsibility to find out! :)

Here are the grammar rules that always confuse ME, that she spoke about and I took notes on...

1. Whom is an objective pronoun - the receiver of an action
2. Who is a subjective pronoun - the subject of the sentence
3. Use a dash if a person interrupts their own dialogue
4. Use less elipses (did I spell that right?) you know... those three little dots...
5. A semicolon connects two complete sentences that are so very related, they should remain connected and not separated by a period
6. Don't start sentences with BUT
7. At least four words at the beginning of a sentence in a dependant clause before you use a comma
8. Break the rules intentionally, not accidentally

Mmm. Hmm.

What is your least favorite grammar rule? Pet peeves? Share...

Blog Awards - Part 2

Someone should give me a "slow" award. :) Yesterday, I finished going through back blog posts and comments and found awards given awhile ago (sorry - I really didn't know what I was supposed to do with them!). EEEK!

First - thanks for the awards people! I've posted them on the side bar with acknowledgements and links to the award-giving-bloggers. YOU ARE THE BEST!!

Second - after spending the day yesterday blog-hopping... I have found more GREAT bloggers! YAY! So, I am passing on the awards. See the lists below, and be sure to check out their sites. I did not pick them randomly. :) I picked blogs that had worthwhile, helpful, and funny posts.

Sidenote: during my blog hopping, I read many posts from people who aren't feeling well (physically and/or emotionally) - so if you're an award winner here - I encourage you to pass the awards along. We can all use a little good cheer!

Third - Keep it up people - we're here to help each other! (Right?)

So, fourth - a drum roll please................

The "From Me To You!" Award received from Laura Kaponer, and the "rules" of this award say that you must list seven truths about yourself and pass it on to seven other people. (So, suffer through my list or skip ahead to the awesome blog post list!!)

1. I eat too much (well, not too much of the fruits and vegetables, just too much of the yummy stuff like chocolate, cake, cookies, bread, etc.)
2. I sew quilts.
3. I sell Bernina Sewing Machines.
4. I have three teenagers, two of which are sixteen-years-old, but they are not twins.
5. My dogs shed a LOT of hair, and since we have hardwood floors - we have to vacuum daily. Blech.
6. I love to read.
7. I love to write. (ha - betcha couldn't have guessed that one!)

Seven winners of this award:
1. Shallee McArthur Awesome post about writing romantic scenes!
2. Patricia Timms A post that reminds me why I will not venture out to the stores on Black Friday.
3. T.C. McKee My brother from another mother (if we were boys).
4. Chris Phillips Uh... he had me at "...I'd promptly punch you in the forehead to rattle your tiny brain back into place." Yes, that's right; I'm an advocate of violence... but only when it concerns tiny brains.
5. Elaine AM Smith Great post about whether or not to repeat. Yes, a wonderful commentary considering the benefits of reiterating a point for emphasis. :)
6. Lynda R. Young Six tips for writing YA - finding the joy of youth.
7. Regina Linton Where do you go to relieve stress?

Now... I *thought* this next award would be harder to give away, because the rules state I must give it to TWELVE bloggers, however, once I got started, I found it hard to stop at just twelve. There are so many great blogs out there. Holy Moly! I hope you have as much fun as I did visiting all of these blogs! Check them out!

The "Sunshine Award" was given to me by Chantal. And the twelve wonderful blogs I'm passing it on to are:

1. Christi Corbett
2. Elizabeth Mueller
3. Jo Schaffer
4. Ishta Mercurio
5. Jennifer Daiker
6. Pam Torres
7. Kathi Oram Peterson
8. Len Lambert
9. Misah Gericke
10. Shannon O'Donnell
11.Talei
12. Michelle Mclean

Finally, thanks for stopping by - hope to see you tomorrow!

Blog Awards...

I'm exploring the blog-o-sphere (is that a word?) and realizing I don't understand the whole "Blog Award" thing... I know... silly me. Could someone explain it to me? Please (without calling me dumb).

I *think* I get it.
1. Someone nice gives me an award on their blog.
2. I say thank you and copy the picture of the award (yes/no?).
3. I post the picture of the award on my blog (yes/no?).
4. I can give that award away to someone else (yes/no?).

Thanks for your help.

If I've got it right, then I get to give the following award away:
The Versatile Blogger

And, if I understand the award correctly, I get to give it to five people, WITH THE STIPULATION that they must list five things about themselves in the comments section (ah... tricky!).



And the winners are:

1. Alison Miller (Awesome Got Balls Post)

2. Melissa Dean (Even though she's a NaNoWriMo success story, and I'm not)

3.  Claire Dawn (Because it's simply cool that she's from Barbados and lives in Japan)

4. EJ Wesley (His blog title makes me think he's a serial killer, but his profile picture makes me think he's scholarly... wait... don't many serial killers have high I.Q.'s? Uh Oh... maybe I should delete this now?)

5. Margo Berendsen (duh... she has the same first name as me!!)

Thanks people... (please explain the award system). And, tell us five things about yourself while you're at it!

My five things:
1. Love Chocolate
2. Love Listening to Teenagers
3. Love My Husband
4. Love Writing
5. Love Solitude

Your turn...

NoCoWriMo - umm hmm

Okay... so I have a problem with conformity. Always have. Sometimes it's gotten me into trouble (okay, maybe a lot of times...), but none-the-less here I am XX years into my life and I still have trouble doing the same thing everyone else is doing.

And everyone is writing this month: NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Even the teenagers (and teachers) at my daughter's high school are writing. They've even formed a club... with t-shirts, prizes, and weekly meetings. My daughter has written more words than I have. Maybe if I had a t-shirt motivating me.. or a finger puppet... *insert head shudder here*

So, what have I accomplished in the writerly world this month... THIS of all months? Well, I have typed a lot of descriptions for eBay postings. I wrote and delivered a presentation on gratitude. I came up with several new plot ideas and even fleshed them out a bit.

But, I did not write one single word toward a new novel. Nope. I tried. Several times. But my non-conformist-bones-in-my-body screamed, "NO!"

I want to write. Don't get me wrong. Every cell of my body wants to write. I write during my dreams at night. I write in my mind while reading an awesome book. I write while taking a shower. But, everytime I sit down during NaNoWriMo... my fingers stop on the keyboard.

Bad attitude.

I will get it fixed... in about fourteen more days. Maybe sooner... if someone offers me a t-shirt.

Writers Conference: Dinners with Agents

One of the nice things about the SCWW was the opportunity to eat dinner with an agent. Each evening, the dinner tables were hosted by a "faculty" member, and you could choose where to sit.

I found this to be a study in human behavior as well as very informative. :)

One night I sat with Diana Fox. What a character. Totally loved her personality, open mindedness (is that a word?), and straight forward attitude. She shared tips on pitch sessions, body posture, and natural healing.

Another night I sat with Susan Hawk. What a pleasant person! She was so kind and engaged everyone in conversation. We talked about favorite children's books, the publishing industry, and kids.

What did I learn from these dinners?
1. Be calm
2. Be yourself
3. Be polite

My advice for you if you get this opportunity?
1. Don't dominate the conversation. There are other people at the table. :)
2. Ask questions... not just about the industry and not just about the agent
3. LISTEN! and Learn.

Oh... I also learned that maybe I need a hearing aid! Sheesh. Years ago, (at different time) both my ear drums burst. So, I KNOW I have hearing loss, but boy-oh-boy did I struggle at these dinners! There was SO MUCH background noise (all those other authors and agents talking at their tables) I really struggled to hear anything that was said. Bummer. But, hey at least I can read lips (not). ha.

What the best piece of advice you have to share regarding talking with agents?

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

WOW.  If you're a mom - I highly recommend reading this book! If you're a teenager - I highly recommend this book!


At first, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get through this book.  I had to do a major writing style switcheroo.

Laurie Halse Anderson is an amazing writer, but this book is HEAVY. No pun intended. I've never read a book written quite like this one, but once I got "into" it (the story and the writing style), I had trouble putting it down.

Wintergirls is about a teenage girl struggling with an eating disorder. It is told from her perspective, and really gets into her head. The writing was amazing.

I can hardly wait to read another book by this author.

This book had no cuss words (that I can remember). There were no sex scenes.

It was very enlightening. A great read for adults and girls of all ages.

It's sad how parents can unknowingly (I hope) put pressures on girls that make life seem impossible. It's also sad that so many girls struggle to find ways to cope with the challenges of life.

I wish as women we could help each other more efficiently.

No longer an agent: Nathan Bransford

Surprised to read Nathan Bransford is no longer going to be an agent... Hmm.

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/11/transition.html

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Oh. My. Gosh.

I couldn't put it down. I literally read it from cover to cover in one sitting... well, okay, truth be told: I took a short break to run to Sonic with my mom for a 50 cent corndog around page 20... but after that, I read non-stop!

This was not a book I wanted to read. Why? Because I'd heard that there was a lot of colorful language and a lot of sex. However, after attending a writers conference in SC and listening to everyone rave about the writing in this book, I decided I had to read it strictly for research purposes. HAHA. I want to be a published author - and to accomplish that, I need to be aware of the other books on the shelf. Right? Even if the book was written by an EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD. **color me jealous**

Oh. My. Gosh... Wait - I already said that - sorry.

This book is definitely rated R. Have no doubts about that. Lots of f-words and lots of sex.

But I'll tell you what... the writing is fantastic. I laughed. I cried. I cheered. I shook my head (which made it harder to read). But the bottom line is: I could NOT put it down.

DUFF stands for the designated ugly fat friend. And the boy who calls Bianca (the m.c.) this is a total jerk... until we get to know him better. But, as the author states on the back flap of the book, "I always felt like the ugly girl in high school - my best friends are insanely gorgeous - so when I was introduced to the word during my senior year, I knew I was the Duff. The idea of writing a book with Duff in the title started as a joke, but when I realized that my friends felt like Duffs, too, I knew I had to write this story."

And that's compelling. We all feel insecure. We all get emotional. We all have problems. The question is how we choose to deal with these things. Now, I would deal with it differently than Bianca... I would eat chocolate and pizza. Ha. But the point is the same. We need to choose how we deal with our insecurities in life.

Good Ol' NaNoWriMo

Okay - I totally snagged this video from Kathi Oram Peterson's blog: http://www.kathiswritingnook.com/2010/11/nanowrimo-fever.html

SO FUNNY!! :)

Writers Who Write

Ah... came across a great quote yesterday on another blog. I followed the link and was really impressed. I've included the link below for you to check out, but here's the quote that made me think: Ah... I wish someone had told me this SOONER!!

"...you don't get to choose whether you're a writer; your only choice is whether to be a writer who writes or a writer who doesn't. What she didn't tell me then, though I'm certain she knew, is that if you're a writer and you're not writing, you will never quite be happy" (Kathryne Young).



http://www.glimmertrain.com/ssaaug10.html

Do you have a favorite writing quote? Share! (please)

Check it out ...

Sometimes I hear voices in my head... okay... ALL THE TIME. Haha. I am a writer! This time, however, it's actually Fergie (pop/rap singer) in my head. In one of her songs she says, "Check it out..."

Okay. Maybe the typed words are not quite as exciting as the voice in my head.

Anyway, helpful post for those of us who don't know everything:
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/11/tools-of-your-trade.html

What is the most helpful tool you utilize in Word? My critique partners and I use the comment balloons all the time, but another feature I find helpful is the find/replace option. If I catch on that I'm using a word or phrase too much, I can use this feature and find out how many time I actually have used it, and replace it with something better.