Consumer or Connoisseur?

Have you ever enjoyed a book and then had someone else act like a know-it-all and list a gazillion reasons why it was poorly written and poorly plotted? Or reversely, have you read a book and been irritated by all of the grammatical errors, typos, predictability, and continuity problems ... only to learn the book has been on the best-seller list for months?

Does that make you a CONSUMER or a CONNOISSEUR of books?

According to www.merriam-webster.com:

Definition of CONSUMER: one that consumes 

... <<< Don't you hate it when a word is defined like that? ha. >>> ...

Definition of CONSUME:

...

3a: to eat or drink especially in great quantity <consumed several bags of pretzels>   

b: to enjoy avidly : devour consumes for fun — E. R. Lipson>

4: to engage fully : engross <consumed with curiosity>

5: to utilize as a customer <consume goods and services>

Definition of CONNOISSEUR:

1: expert; especially: one who understands the details, technique, or principles of an art and is competent to act as a critical judge

2: one who enjoys with discrimination and appreciation of subtleties

 

... so ...

 

Which one are you? Does it matter?

Men and Their Poop

What is it with men and poop?

Seriously.

Why do they like to talk about it so much?

Our family was watching the t.v. show "Out of the Wild" on Netflix (great show, btw), and the guys started discussing their poops. My daughter and I grimaced while my son busted out laughing.

Sometimes my boys will make random announcements like:

"If you need me, I'll be on the pudding cup."
"I'm going to go cut some logs."

... GROSS! ...

I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THAT!

My husband said to me this morning, "I'd really like to tell you a story but I don't think you'll appreciate it."

I asked, "Does it deal with bodily functions and the bathroom?"

"Yes."

"I don't want to know."

"But I'd really like to tell you, and Jacob thought it was funny, and my coworkers thought it was funny."

"NO!"

... He told me anyhow. ...

YUCK!

Do the men in your life talk about their bodily functions? Or if you are a man: WHY?

And ... don't ask me to pull your finger. It's dumb and GROSS!

Asking for a Favor!

Dear Wonderful Blogging Buddies,

One week from today, Monday 4/2/12, I will launch my BOOK DRIVE for Columbia High School.

I know a lot of you are participating in the April AtoZ Challenge. If you haven't already written your post for the "B" day - please title it "Book Drive" and send your followers over to my blog.

If you are not participating in the AtoZ Challenge, please consider also writing a post about the book drive and send your followers over here.

If you'd like me to send the content of the post early (so you can simply repost it on your site), I'd be happy to. I'm also in the process of designing a "badge" for the event. Let me know if you'd like it beforehand.

Your help is greatly appreciated. My goal is to donate at least 500 books. All of the details will be up by 2am PST, Monday the 2nd. Feel free to copy and paste any or all of it onto your blog that day. If you'd like a sneak peek at the content, email me, and I will send it to you.

Thanks for all of your support.

Sincerely,


Margo Kelly

A Quote for Fun

Everything in the world exists in order to end up as a book.

- Stéphane Mallarmé

Ignore Grammar Rules?

You know, some people are like the grammar police and cringe everytime a tiny mistake is made in writing. Other people say that you can only break the grammar rules once you've mastered them and know what you're doing. And some others think they can simply pretend to have mastered the rules so that they can break them without knowledge or intention.

Haha.

I recently read in WRITER'S DIGEST magazine: "Go ahead: End a sentence with a preposition. Liberate yourself from 10 needless nagging worries. When you return to your writing, you may just find your creativity has increased--tenfold!" (WD Magazine, September 2011, p.5).

While I agree that during the drafting process you shouldn't worry about grammar ... just be free and write ... I also think that during revisions you need to buckle down and make sure you've got it correct in the places that matter most. And when you break the rules, do it intentionally and with purpose.

Do you worry about grammar while writing your first draft?

Dogs & Reading

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

Groucho Marx

Tag ... You're It!

Okay ... so sometimes (a lot) I'm a little SLOW. As a result, I've been tagged by several people and I'm just now getting to it!

I've recently been tagged by the following wonderful bloggers:
C. Lee McKenzie
Leslie Rose
Dawn Allen
Brenna Braaten
Doreen McGettigan

Official rules of this tag:

1. Post the rules
2. Answer the questions and then create 11 new questions to ask the people you've tagged. (see below)
3. Tag 11 people and link to them. (see below)
4. Let them know you've tagged them.

Leslie's and Lee'sTag Q and A:

1. What's the best part of reading a book you love? Suspense and the need to turn the page.

2. What book(s) have stayed in your head? WINTERGIRLS, DUFF, THE HUSBAND, STILL ALICE ... just to name a few
3. If you could write one book only, what would the main character be like? Strong female
4. What book(s) do you love to read to your kids? I dont' read books to my kids anymore. They are 15, 17, and 18 years-old. :)
5. Do you ever read books aloud to others? We read the scriptures aloud every morning as a family.
6. Do you like discussing books with others? LOVE discussing books with others!!
7. If you hate a book, do you keep reading anyway or put it away? It depends upon why I hate it. If the writing is terrible, I will probably put it down. Why waste my time? We have limited hours in the day and SO MANY great books to read. One great author (can't remember who) said he didn't care if people liked his book; he just wanted them to finish reading it.

8. What kind of books do you like best? Sci-fi, Realistic, Historical Fiction, Biography, other. Horror

9. Are you transitioning into the digital age with a Kindle or a Nook or a I-Pad? Or are you sticking with those hard copies? Do you mix it up? I'm still a hard copy girl, but I am beginning to see some of the benefits of the Kindle.
10. How much do covers influence your buying a book? I am a sucker for a great cover.
11. Any new books you'd recommend? Top of my list for recommendations right now is STILL ALICE, but it's been around for a few years. 

Dawn's  questions:

1. Wine or beer? Neither
2. Mountains or the beach? Oh! Don't make me choose! ... Mountains in the summer (Idaho) and beach in the winter (Hawaii)!! haha.
3. What is your ideal writing spot? In front of the computer in my home office.
4. What intrigues you more developing character or developing plot? Plot.
5. Who is your favorite “beach read” author? Janet Evanovich
6. What is your favorite animal? Dog
7. Do you like music when you write or silence or something else? Depends upon the plot and the characters.
8. What genres do you write? YA, Suspense, Sci-Fi
9. Do you cross genres in your writing? Yes
10. If the dream agent walked in one day with the dream deal on your latest novel, how would you react? *sigh* a LONG sigh
11. You’ve got your book deal, what’s your personal marketing plan? uh ... one step at a time. Let's get the deal first! :)

Brenna's questions:
1. Coffee or tea? Neither
2. What was the first story you can remember writing? Roller Skates in elementary school
3. What TV show, video game, movie would you recommend to other writers? LOST
4. What time of day are you most productive? Morning
5. Green or black olives? Black
6. What was your first car? Renault Encore
7. What is your guilty pleasure? Chocolate and reading
8. Are you a fan of footie pajamas? No
9. What's something you didn't think you'd like that you did/do? Hmm. Interesting question. Maybe: GARDENING
10. Favorite salad dressing? Ceasar
11. What is your most embarrassing nickname? (Or, just any nickname. You don't have to give an embarrassing one.) Mergo the Magnificent. :) from elementary school

Doreen's questions:

1) Do you prefer camping or hotels? camping in the summer Idaho mountains ... five star hotels in the Idaho winters. :)

2) Airplane or car and why? First class airplane (yes, I'm dreaming)

3) Who is your least favorite political figure and why..using only policy related answers..nothing personal. My least favorite political figure is the citizen who complains but refuses to vote.

4) What was the last movie you saw in the theatre and who where you with? BIG MIRACLE ... with my family

5) What are you reading now? BOURNE SANCTION

6) Big dogs, little dogs or no dogs? I have a BIG dog and a SMALL dog.

7) Have you been invited to pinterest and have you pinned? Nope

8) Baseball fan? If so who is your team? Only a fan when my son played.

9) Is there a character from a horror film that scared you..still scares you when you think about them? Not really

10) Are you a Facebook commenter or Stalker? Haven't had time lately

11) Are you a morning person or night person? Night by choice, morning by necessity

...
And, finally, I was tagged by the awesome Kerri Cuevas back in September (I was distracted that month) and totally failed to acknowledge her. SORRY!! Here's the cute icon for her tag:

Now, the "Tag You're It!" comes with responsibilities:
1. List 10 things about yourself (see my answers above! ha!)
2. Tag 10 other bloggers (see list below)

...
So, for these awesome bloggers, please choose either of the tag icons, and then on your blog, simply tell us ten interesting things about yourself. Thanks!

http://diannesalerni.blogspot.com/
http://bardsandprophets.blogspot.com/
http://writer-in-transit.co.za/
http://cluelesseve.blogspot.com/
http://cheriereich.blogspot.com/
http://tashaseegmiller.blogspot.com/
http://sivmaria.blogspot.com/
http://jessicasalyer.blogspot.com/
http://excusemewhileinotethatdown.blogspot.com/
http://michelle-pickett.blogspot.com/

...

Oh, and one more interesting thing about me? Today is my birthday! Happy birthday to me! :)

Quotes for Inspiration

I've been working on cleaning out unnecessary "things" from my house, and came across lots of interesting notes from various business meetings I've attended over the years.

One sheet had a great list of quotes. I thought you might enjoy some of them. :)

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." -- William Feather

"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So ... get on your way." -- Dr. Seuss

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." -- Henry David Thoreau

"The reward of a thing well done is to have done it." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

What inspires you?

IWSG: Conquer Your Fears

The first Wednesday of the month means it's time for a posting for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. What? You're not insecure? Well ... good for you!! But if you are even just a teeny tiny bit insecure, this is a great support group. The people and postings are wonderful. So check it out and join in the fun.

According to the posting guidelines: "Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered."

The first thing that came to mind when I read that line was the simple fact that I have NOT QUIT. I remember a long time ago (maybe 15 years) I sat in a business meeting and the speaker (sorry can't remember WHO it was) said, "People who fail are the people who quit too soon. You never know what is just around the corner."

I've stuck with this strategy since deciding to pursue my writing goals. It took me nearly three years from the decision point to the day I signed a contract with an agent. But I didn't quit. Of course I doubted it would ever happen, and I feared my writing wasn't good enough, but I kept working to improve my writing skills, and I kept sending out query letters.

Keep at your goals. And don't quit too soon!

Often times people (non-writerly people) will ask, "Can't anybody just publish their own writing nowadays?"

Yes. They can.

However, I've chosen to pursue the traditional publishing route. It may take longer, but it's the path I've chosen, and I'm not going to quit.

What goal have you set that you are determined to achieve?

Book Review: GREAT LEADERS GROW

Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life by Ken Blanchard


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At first I was skeptical about this book. I thought it might be a gimmick based book to snag the interest of business travelers stuck in an airport in need of reading material. It’s a short book that can be easily read during an airplane flight and is written by leaders in the field.

However, even though the writing wasn’t excellent (ie. “fitted” instead of “fit” used in a sentence), the content won me over little by little.

It’s a great book whether you are a business leader, civic leader, church leader, or merely an individual looking for a way to grow personally. The concepts and tools presented can be immediately applied to your situation. And, even if you already know all of the material presented, the content and exercises prove to be a great refresher.

I highly recommend it - - one for yourself and several as gift books.

View all my reviews

I'm back from Hawaii!! And, I'll resume regular posting on Wednesday!! It's about time we tackle some great writing topics. :-)

Are there any writing topics you are currently struggling with or researching more?