The Write Journey

Inspiration

2013-03-19T11:03:00.002-07:00

Let's see... inspiration. Anyone have some? Ha!

Well I know it's been quite some time since I last posted anything. Let's just say things have been hectic and I haven't even been able to write much. Not good at all, no sir indeed.

Well I do have some good news, I'm expecting baby #3 due to arrive this fall!! We are so excited here on the home-front, although this lil' one will add to our chaos. But I'm ok with that. :)

So until summer when my schedule (and life) opens up, it'll probably still be a little quiet on here.

So until then my friends!

An Otherworldly Blog Chain

2012-10-24T08:45:00.001-07:00

This post is part of the October 2012 AW Blog Chain at Absolute Write. This month's challenge is "Otherworldly."

The rules are to write about ghouls, ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Old Hallow's Eve, Dia de los Muertos and Halloween. They can be scary, funny, or anything in between.

Each post should be less than 1000 words if possible.

Here are the participants for this month. Please be sure to check out their Otherworldly stories as well!

(Source)

Ralph Pines
randi.lee
Aranenvo
pyrosama
hilaryjacques
meowzbark
slcboston
areteus
dolores haze
SuzanneSeese
Orion mk3
Linda Adams
Alynza
BBBurke
SRHowen
Damina Rucci
CJMichaels
wonderactivist
Lady Cat
xcomplex
debranneelliot
bearilou
bmadsen

******

Otherworldly

They fear my amber eyes that glow beneath the moon,
They fear my sharp claws that scrape and squeal of an ear shattering tune.

Perhaps it's the ancient folk tales from my past,
Or it could be the blood dripping from my teeth of the vermin that wasn't so fast.

I've seen them all startle and shriek as I pass on by,
Darting the other way and telling themselves one big lie.

They refuse to come near me and cringe when I pass through,
I hiss through my fangs and wish I could change my repulsive hue.

You see my dears, my coat of dark fur is sleek as midnight,
Glistening like black pearls beneath the waning moonlight.

On nights like Halloween I prowl and haunt the streets,
Especially when the children are begging for their tooth-rotting treats.

They are quite the easy prey those tiny little ones,
Clutching their treat bags with their sweaty little palms.

But what is this? Does one dare actually approach me?
A child dressed with my hideous fur, how could this be?

I hiss at her with a deep growl and prepare for a fight,
Why would she even step near me on this dreadful night?

But then her voice whispers as cautiously as can be,
And I hear her softly call to me, "Here kitty kitty."

******

Haha! I totally feel like I cheated on this one. :) We've been passing around the flu in my house which in itself has been "Otherworldly!"

Thanks for reading!

©Alynza Smith 2012

DearEditor.com free EDIT Giveaway!!

2012-08-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

So who in their right mind doesn't like a really good giveaway now and then? I know I definitely love them. Especially when the prize is a good one.

DearEditor.com is giving away a "free *substantive edit of one fiction or non-fiction manuscript." It's totally free to enter the giveaway! Seriously, you don't have to do anything except make a few clicks here and there.

According to DearEditor.com, here are the rules that you must follow:

Your manuscript can be of ANY GENRE or CATEGORY (for adults or children, fiction or non-fiction), including picture books.
Your manuscript must be COMPLETE.
Your manuscript SHALL NOT EXCEED 80,000 WORDS.
Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements will be disqualified.
Deadline: MIDNIGHT, August 28, 2012, PST.
Winner will be randomly selected using Randomizer.org and announced on August 29, 2012, on DearEditor.com and on the DearEditor.com Facebook page, and the winner will be notified directly via email.

There are a couple of additional ways to enter more than once if you qualify. To get the details and enter into this awesomeness, please click HERE and follow the directions. Good luck to all! (Although secretly I hope you all lose! But only because I want to win...hehe, otherwise my vote would totally go for you.) :-)

Let the mad dash of manuscript editing begin!

Salt of the Earth / 2nd Campaigner Challenge

2012-03-05T18:32:00.003-08:00

All I can say is WOW. This new challenge of Rachael's has definitely been the most difficult. I gave a bash at it but didn't do all of them. I chose #2, the 200 word short story/flash fiction based on all the prompts and #4, a poem using five sentences based on the prompts. To view the rules and prompts, they are at the bottom of this post.

My entries are:

# 2. (200 word flash fiction piece using all the prompts)

*****

Salt of the Earth

They have our son.

Those words echoed over and over as my soul shattered piece by piece. I held my breath as Jacob and I searched up and down the beach, flipping over trash and debris. Maybe he was just hiding. I noticed children scavenging through garbage. Was he with them?

Jacob motioned before lunging into the water and splashed around like a madman. He caught Isaac’s red coat. It was drenched with sand and poisonous salt, but still, no Isaac. I couldn’t go anywhere near it, if the salt were to contaminate the deep gash on my leg, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

My throat tightened. The ball Isaac found should have been my first clue. If only I had said no to the rare toy. They must have used it to lure him away. The Salt Spinners always took the healthy children.

Sobs erupted from my throat as I sat beneath the rusted bridge. Jacob returned, his wet hair full of salt and his eyes bursting with rage.

“I still have the Salt Spinner’s Pear, I can get to Isaac.” With a single toxic bite, Jacob burst into golden molecules.

Before I could stop him, he was gone.

*****

#4. (Poem in five sentences, each based on the prompts)

They sit beneath the bridge in complete despair,
pondering the game of life and how it’s so unfair.

They watch their only child run with such glee,
for even he can’t understand such deep misery.

Even the pears were once fresh with life,
but are now so toxic and kill quicker than a knife.

Even the other children live on the lethal shore
with nothing to eat and no one to love them at all anymore.

But if one were to actually eat a Salt Spinner’s Pear,
would it really kill him or send him from here to there?

If you liked it enough to vote, please "like" me by clicking HERE. (this is a direct link, only click once because this page will stay the same)

To go to the Linky List page and view all of the votes and entries, please go HERE. (I'm #36)

The rules are:

1. Write a pitch / logline for a book based on the prompts (less than 100 words)
I am sooo not good at these. I attempted, but scratched it. I'll have to do without. :)

2. Write a short story / flash fiction piece of less than 200 words based on the prompts
Check!

3. Write a poem with a twist using the prompts as inspiration (in less than 200 words)
Haha! I'm only good for about one poem per challenge.

4. Write a story / poem in five sentences, each sentences based on one of the prompts
Check! (or at least my puny attempt at a poem)

5. Write a poem / flash fiction piece (in less than 200 words) about the water pear *without* using the words "pear", "spoon", or "droplet"
Umm, nope, couldn't get this one right either.

For added difficulty / challenge:

1. Complete at least three of the above activities and tie them all together with a common theme
I tried but no luck :( Although my two have a common theme. Bonus points?

2. Write in a genre that is not your own
Dystopian feel is definitely not my cup of tea. I like reading it, just not good at writing it.

3. Ask Challenge Entrants to critique your writing.
Okey dokey. Have at it my fellow campaigners! Just remember, it's choppy due to the word count limit.
Otherwise, have at it!

The prompts are:

Prompt 1: Two people are sitting together under the remains of a concrete bridge. Their backs are against a rusted bridge support. One person's leg is cut. The other person has wet hair.

Prompt 2
(Source)

Prompt 3
(Source)

Prompt 4
(Source)

Prompt 5
(Source)

©Alynza Smith 2012

War of Shadows / 1st Campaigner Challenge 2012

2012-02-20T08:53:00.001-08:00

Today is the First Campaigner Challenge of Rachael Harrie’s Fourth Platform Building Campaign!

The challenge is to write a short story / flash fiction in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count.

For an additional (optional) challenge:

· End the story with the words: “everything faded.” (also included in word count)

· Include the word “orange” in the story

· Write in the same genre you normally write

· Make your story 200 words exactly!

So here is my 200 word count short story. Enjoy!

*****

(Source)

War of Shadows

Shadows crept across the wall of the forest leaving only darkness. I glanced over my shoulder as I ran, but didn’t dare look for long, otherwise I would be lost in the horrid beauty of it. Blackness so complete, absorbed every stream of light in its wake. There was nothing to do but run.

With a voracious appetite, it swallowed the vivid green of the leaves and the swirling colors of the wild flowers. Even the heels of my feet chilled as the shadows played with the bare soles of my feet.

Running was useless, but if the orange glow above the canopy of trees refused to give in, then I refused as well. The blazing sun was oblivious that its end was near, that the shadows had won.

I ran even faster and jumped over fallen limbs and moss covered rocks willing myself to make the last few steps to the forest’s edge. But the chills danced up my spine and took hold, refusing to play anymore. I fell to the ground with my eyes on the distant glow and watched as the blazing red tendrils of the sun gave in. Within seconds it was over and everything faded.

*****

©Alynza Smith 2011

Software for writing

2012-02-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

Do you use any type of writing software? I've recently been playing around with a few of them and I would like to let you know what I have found so far. Of course, this is all based on my very unprofessional opinion after all. :)

I tried four different writing software programs and three different writing processors.

So let's get on with it shall we!

Writing Software:
yWriter5
Scrivener
Celtx
Text Block Writer

Word Processors:
Microsoft Office - Word
OpenOffice.org - Writer
Libre Office - Writer

1. yWriter5

(Source)

Platform: Windows & Linux (although, they do have an updated Windows version available in Beta)

Price: Free!

Version tried: Windows Free version

Formatting: There's a learning curve because of so many features, but once I got a good grip by reading the yWriter5 Wiki page, I was able to format the manuscript with double spacing and indents! A must-have for me. :) From here on out, everything else is pretty easy.

Review: For being a free software, I say it's just about as good as Scrivener! It even has some features that I never found in Scrivener like all the input tabs for scene descriptions, context, characters, locations, items, goals, conflicts & outcomes. It also has a really cool tracking feature that tracks how many scenes the characters are in. If you've read any of my previous posts, you know that I like the "Big Picture" when writing and this definitely is a plus in my book. I can also re-arrange the chapters because they are individually listed as files in the left column as well as keep track of my word count chapter by chapter or as a whole text. LOVE that feature. It was very easy to upload my file and converted nicely. :)

Yay or Nay: YAY! I really, really, really love this software. Extra bonus points were earned for being free. :)

2. Scrivener

(Source)

Platform: Windows, Mac, (& possibly a beta version for Linux soon!)

Price: $40.00

Version tried: I actually tried the free trial beta version for Windows (which only lasted about 30 days and beta testing for it has ended).

Formatting: Formatting is really easy because Scrivener has most of the standard manuscript formatting tools... I've been finding that this isn't the case with many other software programs. For example, some programs don't allow the use of "Tabs" or double spacing, which are essential for paragraphs in manuscripts!!

Review: I have to admit, Scrivener is pretty awesome. If you are an unorganized or chaotic writer (like yours truly), this program is excellent at putting it all together. My favorite feature is the binder. This awesome feature gives you the ability to separate the chapters into individual "clickable" files in a list on the left side. Comes in very handy when you need to click & drag chapters around or figure out the word count for each chapter. It also has a whole slew of cool features that will allow you to organize, research, track, take notes, and construct your manuscript piece by piece or as one big whole project. If you are like me, I have tons (TONS I say) of research stored on my computer in various files. With Scrivener, you can upload it all along with any pictures and have it easily accessible at your fingertips in one spot. Pretty cool.

Yay or Nay: Definite YAY!

3. Celtx

(Source)

Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux

Price: Free Desktop Version (open source) or $9.99 for the Pro Version.

Version tried: I downloaded the free version for Windows.

Formatting: Let's see, how can I say this delicately? How about crap-tastic? I uploaded a partial of my manuscript and it only split the first four chapters. It also would not allow me to use tabs, or double spacing, or pretty much anything else it was supposed to.

Review: By default this is a program geared more toward screenwriting and media pre-production (which it is totally awesome at!) but does have a novel writing template. This program does seem to have a fairly large learning curve. I've read that it has a plotting feature along with character templates and pre-loaded forms in the "Master Catalog" for characters, plots, locations, scenes, and a wide range of other features in the CeltxWiki, but I just wasn't able to get passed the initial upload screw-ups of my manuscript. It has so many different things that frustrated me and honestly I quit using it after a week of reading through online manuals and tutorials. It just didn't have what I was looking for in regards to organization and functionality. Although, it could have been just total user error...or failure on my part, however you want to see it.

Yay or Nay: NAY...just wasn't for me.

4. Text Block Writer

(Source)

Platform: Windows

Price: Free!

Version tried: Windows Free version

Formatting: Less than desirable for manuscript writing. It's mostly a way to organize your index cards that are full of info.

Review: Mainly, this software seems appropriate for those who have tons of notes about a story and need to organize them. I wouldn't be a fan of writing a whole manuscript with this program even if I could.

Yay or Nay: Nay, not enough tools for manuscript writing.

Now if you really don't care for all the actual writing software programs, and trust me, there are tons out there ranging from FREE to HUNDREDS of dollars, there are other options. I can't imagine spending a ton of money on a program when there are perfectly good free ones out there. But if none of them are for you, Microsoft Word, OpenOffice or LibreOffice are easy to use. I should mention that LibreOffice has the look and feel of a Mac program which is pretty cool.

The very best thing that I absolutely love about OpenOffice and LibreOffice are that they are open-sourced programs that are free! If you don't have Microsoft Office, download one of the above and they work just as well as the very expensive Microsoft Software. The free stuff comes with a whole suite of processors to fit your needs.

So tell me dear readers of mine, what do you use to hammer out your manuscripts? Is there a writing software out there that you absolutely love? Tell me about it. :)

©Alynza Smith 2011

Writer's Campaign!!!

2012-02-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

I've signed up for the Fourth Writer's Platform-Building Campaign. It's a cool way to get both new and experienced bloggers together while building a platform. The Campaign signup is running from February 6, 2012 - March 17, 2012 at Rach Writes. So if any of you would like to join in the fun, now is the time!

This Fourth Campaign will be a mini-campaign and there will be two Campaigner Challenges to be held on February 20th & March 5th. I'm going to try my best at participating in the upcoming challenges so feel free to cheer me on and I'll return the favor!

9 Steps to Plotting Outlines

2012-01-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

Is your manuscript full of fluff? Do you have scenes or even chapters that need to be deleted but you just can't bring yourself to do it? Trust me, I've been there. What helps is to cut out the stuff that doesn't belong and just save it into a separate file if you are afraid of deleting it forever. I have quite a rather large "fluff" file that I'm keeping for future reference. (alright, honestly I just can't bring myself to trash 39,000 words!!) But at least the junk is out of my manuscript and who knows, maybe at some point, my fluff file will come in handy.

You all should know by now that I'm an advocate of seeing the "Bigger Picture" and will try various techniques in order to do so. Well here is a really cool way to help you keep your plotting under control and on target. I know I especially need to stay on track because I find myself getting sidetracked on details that do not do anything to further the plot. Ugghh, I hate those darn time wasters!

So anyways, I found the below Plotting Outline table and really thought it worked well for keeping my manuscript in line. I've been trying to find who actually created the original table, but haven't had any luck. I found it featured on QueryTracker.net and it was also first mentioned on the Verla Kay Message Boards. So whoever actually developed the outline, kuddos to you! Awesome info. If anyone knows, please tell me!

Now you can set this up a couple of different ways. You can use index cards (which most likely are not large enough) or use separate pages in a word document and number them 1 thru 9 with the appropriate box title.

Follow each box and type (or hand-write if you must) the answers to the questions in each box. Print the nine pages out and lay them all in order just like the outline below. (And you know, see the bigger picture *wink wink*)

Basically there are 9 steps to plot out your manuscript. As the table says, there is a reason the boxes are touching one another, they interrelate to each other and have corresponding effects.

Pure Brilliance! So what do you think, gonna give it a try? Let me know how it works for you. :)

©Alynza Smith 2011

Winter Nightmare

2012-01-20T13:29:00.000-08:00

This post is part of the January 2012 Blog Chain at Absolute Write. This month's challenge is "Winter Nightmare."

The rules are to write about a winter nightmare and go wherever the prompt takes you. It can be fiction or non-fiction, the nightmare can be Cthulhu or just a struggle with a troublesome New Year's resolution (or anything in between).

Each post should be less than 1000 words if possible.

Here are the participants for this month. Please be sure to check out their Winter Nightmare's as well.

orion_mk3
MamaStrong
pyrosama
Turndog-Millionaire
Alpha Echo
LilGreenBookworm
Domoviye
writingismypassion
kimberlycreates
Suzanne Seese
Diana Rajchel
Ralph Pines
Alynza - You are here :)
Literateparakeet
in_one
Tomspy77
Inkstrokes
kiwiviktor81
areteus
Abielle Rose

*****

Winter Nightmare

It was on a Tuesday that I found out I would finally get to be a mommy. By Friday, I was in the Emergency Room being told there was nothing they could do, shattering a beautiful dream and sucking the air from my lungs. The part of my body that was specifically designed to protect the baby was flawed and in fact was trying to destroy my precious cargo. My womb was aborting what it considered to be a foreign object in my tummy. I couldn't believe my own body was in the process of betraying me, trying to rid itself of the baby that had taken us two very long years to conceive.

I was mortified, enraged, confused and ultimately devastated. I was sent home to "wait it out" and to call when I had passed "it". I cried myself numb and the medical staff refused to call "it" a baby... my baby...the baby I had already fallen in love with just three days ago.

The first day passed, then the next and the telltale signs of miscarriage were temporarily halted. By Monday I was in the doctor's office for an ultrasound to check on the progress of my soon to be miscarriage. Instead of finding horrible silence, there on the screen was our little "bean" with a heartbeat full of determination. The doctor shook her head, amazed and intrigued that the little one seemed to be taking it all in stride. The heart was steady and strong and the baby seemed healthy for the time being.

I was put on bed rest and told to wait. To wait for the bleeding to begin again, to wait for the horrible cramping, to wait for "it" to pass. My little bean wasn't in the clear yet and I was told to prepare myself for what would happen and not get attached. But it was already way too late for that. From the moment I knew of her, I had fallen off the cliff of no return. She was mine and I was determined to keep her.

Hours grew into days, days into weeks and weeks into months...still she stayed steady through the tumultuous ride my womb was giving her. After weekly appointments and countless tests of sitting in a chair with monitors on my growing belly, I eventually grew accustomed to the feeling of my body contracting, trying to revolt and start something that it wasn't quite ready for. I knew my little bean could feel it to. If felt like she was fighting alongside me, refusing to go quietly.

By the time March rolled around, my little bean had endured nine months of hell through a difficult pregnancy filled with bed rest, countless doctors, tests, wires, needles, tubes and Emergency Room visits. The odds seemed stacked against us the whole time, never allowing us to let down our guard. So it didn't surprise me when two weeks before my due date, watching the evening news, a blizzard was on the forecast and headed straight for us. And when blizzards hit in the North, it's common for all roads to close and the electricity to go out. At nine months pregnant and knowing the hospital was an hour away, I was suffocated with panic. If I went into labor, I wouldn't make it to the hospital and I was already on track for a high risk delivery.

The next morning and before the hellish storm was supposed to begin that afternoon, my husband and I decided to drive to the city where the hospital was and to stay at my sister's house...just in case. Even though I technically still had two weeks to go, my contractions had become quite regular. My sister was in Florida on vacation so we would have the empty house to ourselves for a couple days before they were due to return. The plan was to stay warm, snuggle and relax and wait for them. We would be safe and near the hospital if I were to go into labor.

We only made it half way before it started to snow; it came earlier than expected. The big fat heavy flakes swirled down with a voracious appetite and quickly swallowed the highway we were driving on. By the time we arrived at my sister's house, the roads were treacherous. While relieved we had finally made it, we realized there was hardly any food in the refrigerator or basic necessities. At least not nearly enough to last a whole week or so. They hadn't stocked up on anything since they were planning on a two week vacation and had no idea of the upcoming blizzard. We were looking at being cooped up for at least a week if not more. There wasn't a choice, we had to go stock up before anymore snow fell.

The grocery store was right down the road and my husband refused to leave me at the house alone, afraid that he might not make it back through the thickening snow if something were to happen. It probably wasn't the smartest idea to go with him, but neither was being stranded in a house alone with no one to help if I went into labor. So I waited in the house for him to shovel the car out of the driveway. It had taken only twelve minutes for the snow to pack around it. But after pulling out of the drive, the car got stuck in the middle of the road. I moved over in the driver's seat while he shoveled and pushed the car out.

After getting the basic necessities and the grocery store closing to allow their employees to leave, we headed back to the house. By this time a level three winter advisory was in place and only emergency crews were legally allowed to be out on the roads. Somehow we made it back but again got stuck, this time in the entrance of the driveway. Once more my husband shoveled and pushed the car and made it only few feet into the drive. After that we gave up, it was snowing and blowing too much to see where the actual driveway was.

The wind whipped around us and lashed at our faces as if trying to rip the flesh from our bones. As I clung to my husband for support he half carried me to the house. The snow was up to our knees and I was over-exerting myself trying to step through it. Not good when I was supposed to be on bed rest.

My bones ached, my skin was on fire, and I was exhausted. A few hours later the furnace froze. As the wind howled and the coldness seeped in, the power was next to go. We lit candles and huddled under blankets and waited as darkness fell, the whole while my contractions growing stronger little by little.

Could we deliver the baby ourselves if need be? We didn't want to talk about it, we were both too scared to think we had come this far only to go into labor and not be able to save the baby. I tried calling my doctor to see if I should just go to the hospital but the lines were down. My cell phone wouldn't go through either.

So we waited, and waited for what seemed like an eternity for the sun to come up and the wind to stop howling.

Thankfully the next day, the power came back on and my cell phone worked. I called my sister about the furnace and she had to call an emergency HAV/AC company. They agreed to venture out in the deep snow to fix it. He made it with a snowplow on his truck and had to dig his way to us. My contractions had become less regular which eased some of the panic. I continued to rest as much as a nine month pregnant woman could when completely stressed and worried over the life of her unborn child.

A couple of days later when the main roads were somewhat cleared, my sister and her family finally made it home. Two days after that with a trip to the hospital and a complicated delivery, I was finally able to meet the wonderfully stubborn little girl who refused to give up. And I'm proud to be her mommy. My winter nightmare turned into a winter miracle.

Almost eight years later, my little girl is still just as stubborn. J And now she has a little sister who came into this world just as stubborn and determined as she was. But I'll save that story for another time.

*****

©Alynza Smith 2011

December 2011 AW Blog Chain

2011-11-30T18:23:00.001-08:00

This post is part of the December 2011 AW Blog Chain at Absolute Write. This month's challenge is "Home for the Holidays."

The rules are to write about a holiday memory. It can be fiction or non-fiction, and the choice of holiday is yours (fictional holidays are okay too). Perhaps you can invent an annoying relative. Maybe you knew someone who actually got a lump of coal in their stocking. Or there's always the tale of Nilatir, Sword-Hero Evinrude, and the feast of Sam'X.

Each post should be less than 1000 words if possible.

Here are the participants for this month. Please be sure to check out their Holiday Memories as well.

orion_mk3

Ralph Pines
pyrosama
AbielleRose
writingismypassion
Domoviye
Areteus
Alynza - you are here :)
SuzanneSeese
Robeiae
SinisterCola
MamaStrong
kimberlycreates
Cath
AuburnAssassin
Diana Rajchel

*****

Memories of Christmas

Christmas is my favorite holiday and not just because of the presents. It's the time of the year to celebrate the birth of Jesus with family and friends.

What I remember most is putting our tree up together as a family. I always picked out our Snow White ornament to put on the tree. Somehow, I had proclaimed it was mine along with a few other oddball ornaments. Both of my older sisters and I would carefully place the glass balls on the limbs and throw silvery shreds of that hanging “icicle” stuff while the usual Christmas music played in the background. After the tree was up with all four strands of lights and decorations, my dad would lift up one of us girls to put the star on top. It was a big job back then and all three of us would fight over whose turn it was.

After it was all said and done, my favorite spot was beneath the tree. There wasn’t much room, but as a kid, I could squeeze all the way under there and look up through the fake branches. I always thought it was one of the most beautiful things I would ever see. It was somehow soothing and I took plenty of naps under the Christmas tree through the years. To this day, I still get the urge to crawl under the tree and look up to watch the lights twinkle across the ornaments.

And who could forget the smells of Christmas! The smell of snow that’s on the verge of falling, or the pine needles outside bristling with the wind. On Christmas morning there were plenty of smells of honey ham baking in the oven, pancakes and bacon on the stove, strong coffee brewing, and the delicious pies. My mom usually went overboard with the pies! We would have chocolate silk, vanilla custard, cookies & cream, apple crisp, strawberry cream cheese and apricot cream cheese pies. Oh and I can’t forget my dad’s famous homemade fudge, buckeyes and hard tack candy! We all helped bake cookies and then swapped cookies, candy and pies with relatives.

Did I mention I love Christmas? (and pie) :)

*****

©Alynza Smith 2011

November 2011 AW Blog Chain

2011-11-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

This post is part of the November 2011 Blog Chain at Absolute Write. This month's challenge is "NaBloPoMo" - National Blog Posting Month (not affiliated with the real NaBloPoMo).

The rules are to write up a back cover blurb for a book you have written or would like to write. It should be short, sweet, yet give a sense of people and events without totally spoiling the ending. NaNoWriMo participation is not required, and the blurb may be fiction or non-fiction as you see fit.

Each post should be less than 500 words if possible.

Here are the participants for this month. Please be sure to check out their blurbs too.

orion_mk3

Ralph Pines
MysteryRiter
AuburnAssassin
Jarrah Dale
SinisterCola
dolores haze
pyrosama
Alynza - you are here
writingismypassion
Cath
Inkstrokes
egoodlett
LadyDae
SuzanneSeese

******

When sixteen year old Alix learns her purpose in life, to destroy the King of the First Realm, she can hardly believe her own visions; and neither does anyone else as Desert Ridge Mental Facilities. Why would they when she doesn't have any solid memories of her life at all.

After unraveling disgraceful secrets of the past, Alix watches as Greek myths come alive and intertwine with beliefs held since the beginning of man. She discovers that she is the key to opening a doorway; the doorway to the throne of the Third Realm; and the King will stop at nothing to walk through it.

In order to stop the King from triggering the Final Battle and obliterating humankind, Alix knows that she may be forfeiting her own life in return.

But first, she has to escape her own personal hell, the mental ward.

******

Alright, so there you go. I'm not happy at all with it. Feel free to sink your claws in and have at it. :)

©Alynza Smith 2011

Too Much Research?

2011-11-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

I know I've not been posting on a regular basis...something I really hope to change. Let me tell you, it has been so hectic here. I feel like a taxi running both girls back and forth to school & preschool, dance class, girl scouts, helping with book reports, homework, and helping my second grader study for tests. It's absolutely nuts!

How in the world do people keep organized, house cleaned, laundry done, research & write a novel?

I'm writing today as part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. If you haven't already checked it out, Alex J. Cavanaugh has created a blog to help writers share and encourage each other throughout their insecurities. I'm supposed to post on the 1st Wednesday every month, so as you can see, I'm a little late on this. (Hopefully they won't kick me out :)

So where have I had time to squeeze in writing you might ask? Well, it's been tough, especially since I am now considering another rewrite. I've been spending quite a bit of time lately (more than I'd like to) on research for my book. The more I dig, the more I change the arc, characters, setting, etc.

Is it ever a bad thing to have too much research? I've been writing and researching this book for just a smidge over two years now. Is it supposed to take this long?

I'm also struggling with which direction I want to take the book. I've been writing an YA allegorical novel. For those of you who aren't familiar with allegory, here's a quick definition:

Allegory
-n, pl -ries
1. a poem, play, story, picture, etc, in which the apparent meaning of the characters and events is used to symbolize a deeper moral, religious, or spiritual meaning.
2. the technique or genre that this represents.
3. use of such symbolism to illustrate truth or a moral.
4. anything used as a symbol or emblem to tell a story.

I find myself wondering why in the world did I get myself into this subject. I'm totally not even close to being qualified to write an allegorical novel, but something (I'm sure pure craziness) in my head keeps pushing me to do so. So I have come up with a story that I am absolutely in love with (except for those days where I feel like chucking it out the window). I've even thought about putting the whole thing to the side and try to work on something else, but this one just calls to me. Call it an addiction I guess. The subjects that I am researching with this book are quite heavy and I am no where near being a theologian or master of Greek literature. Try merging the two and you've got yourself on course for one heck of a roaring migraine.

Is there anything about writing or researching that gives you a headache? Please tell me I'm not alone on this one. :)

If you'd like to join the blog hop or visit those who already have, check them out below. :)

©Alynza Smith 2011

Third Campaigner Challenge

2011-10-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

Today is the third Challenge of Rachel Harrie’s Platform Building Campaign!

The rules are to write a blog post in 300 words or less, excluding the title. The post can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should show:

that it’s morning,

that a man or a woman (or both) is at the beach

that the MC (main character) is bored

that something stinks behind where he/she is sitting

that something surprising happens.

Just for fun, see if you can involve all five senses AND include these random words: "synbatec," "wastopaneer," and "tacise." (NB. these words are completely made up and are not intended to have any meaning other than the one you give them).

Here is my 300 word count entry. Enjoy!

******

The Tacise Project

(Source)

Golden rays shimmered through the sheer aqua green curtains of the tiki hut I was sitting beneath. I had been awake for quite a while as the sun rose over the watery horizon. The rays slowly danced across the sand towards the tips of my toes and I couldn’t help but exhale and wonder at what point the waiters would begin their shifts. I was in need of a mimosa or two. Perhaps that would spark the day.

I lowered my sunglasses and glanced over my shoulder. A faint smell of rottenness wafted on the breeze and fluttered wisps of my hair. The higher the sun rose, I knew the stronger the scent would get. I settled back in the lounge chair and shrugged.

“Perdón, is there anything I can get for you señorita?” The sudden deep voice caused my throat to clench as my voice faltered.

“Mimosa please.” I held up two fingers, his smile broadened.

Within a few minutes, he carried both glasses over from the bar and winked. I didn’t feel obliged to give him a tip because it wouldn’t matter anyway. I’d be gone before he could tabulate a bill.

I drank the first glass before making my way over and stepping onto the awaiting sailboat with the second drink in hand. My wastopaneer partner quickly pulled the anchor and pushed off the dock.

As we left shore, I lifted the sparkling glass in salute and let the sweet concoction flow over my tongue as I savored the tangy flavor. Synbatec, the research company I was contracted through, would be pleased at how well the project was going. The air was bursting with stench meaning it would only be a matter of minutes before the deadly Tacise Pathogen was released and the island was in chaos.

******

If you liked it enough to vote, please "like" me by clicking HERE. (this is a direct link, only click once)

To go to the Linky List page and view all of the votes and entries, please go HERE. (I'm #28)

Thank you for reading! :)

©Alynza Smith 2011

October 2011 AW Blog Chain

2011-10-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

This post is part of the October 2011 Blog Chain at Absolute Write. This month's challenge is "Some Things Dark and Dangerous."

Choose a Word from this list of Lovecraftian words or this list of Obscure words (or one from both if you're feeling ambitious). Use your chosen word(s) to craft your post. It doesn't have to be Lovecraftian or even horror, but should be dark, unsettling, scary or Halloweenish in general. Each post should be less than 1000 words if possible.

Please be sure to click on the following participating blogs to read their stories.

Alynza (you are here)
pyrosama
dolores haze
leahzero
AbielleRose
pezie
MysteryRiter
Inkstrokes
AuburnAssassin
Proach
spacejock2
Madelein.Eirwen
slcboston
lufftocraft

robieae
JSSchley
Alpha Echo

******

As decaying brown leaves swirled around my boots, I pulled my scarf closer around my ears. My fingers were half numb and my nose was already red. It was colder than usual this year.

“Come on, just a little further.” James motioned me with his hand, growing more impatient by the second.

“It’s getting late, maybe we should go back.”

“Oh come on already.” He rolled his eyes and then stepped into the forest. My heart quickened as I followed his footsteps.

My brother was already way ahead of me when I caught sight of him, his form barely lit beneath the moon. At least most of the leaves had already fallen, allowing light to cast down on our path in the shadows of the trees.

He said he had a surprise for me, in the old family cemetery. Two years ago I had sworn I would never go back to the stones where our ancestors were buried. Not since Amaya’s death anyways. The three of us used to come here each year on Samhain, to say a few cheesy chants and scare the begeezus out of each other while hoping to see some ghosts.

But this was also the place of her death, and I didn’t want any part of it anymore.

“Not much farther Analla. Come on.” James had stopped and waited for me with his hand outstretched, offering to help me over the large fallen tree trunk. “Where are your gloves?” He frowned when he pulled me over. I shrugged and shoved my hands in my pockets.

“What’s this all about James?” My voice quivered and I was trying very hard to stop my teeth from chattering, but I just couldn’t get warm. The coldness easily swept aside any of his heat when he put his arm around me.

“You’ll see Analla. You might not believe it, but you’ll see.” His eyes were full of so much intensity, I hesitated to follow. I had never seen him like this before.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me alongside him, catching me each time that I tripped over bare branches and roots. But then not far up ahead, the forest cleared and a circle of light came into view. Moonlight flooded the ancient monolith stones that were standing in a large circle right in the middle of the graves.

My chest tightened as I looked at the place of Amaya's death and remembered how she had climbed on one and then slipped. My breath gasped out in white puffs and I took a step backwards shaking my head. Any closer and I was afraid I would stop breathing.

“Analla, trust me.” James tugged my arm and led me to the center of the stones, to where the moonlight was directly overhead. He stopped just short of actually walking into the soft glow. “Stick your hand in the moonlight.”

None of this was making any sense and I thought he had gone mad. “James…” I shook my head and thought maybe this was his way of dealing with Amaya’s death. Maybe if I just played along, the sooner we could get out of here. I took a deep breath and stuck my hand in the light streaming down and wiggled my stiff fingers.

Nothing.

I glanced back up at James and was about to leave, but then I felt coldness wrap around my hand. My eyes snapped back to the center just as I jerked my hand away. I was completely freaked out.

“I don’t want to play your games anymore James, let’s go.” As I turned, James not once moved from his spot, his eyes still glued to the shaft of moonlight.

And then I heard her calling my name. “Analla…” It was so soft I barely heard it but when I turned around, there she was, standing in the middle of the stones. My twin sister Amaya, holding out her hand, just like James had done earlier.

My throat closed and I couldn’t speak. Tears welled in my eyes and instantly I hated James. What kind of trick was this?

“Analla…” She was pleading with her eyes; I had to step closer. James was so still, he could have been a statue himself.

Disbelieving that this could be anything but a cruel joke, I stared at the mirror image of myself as she smiled in return. Part of me had died along with her that day. I never thought to find it again, but there she was standing there waiting for me to take her hand. I couldn’t help it, she looked so real I couldn’t stop from reaching out to her.

Beneath the moonlight, Amaya’s skin was iridescent. As she flexed her fingers and grasped my hand, she smiled even bigger. “Come with me Analla.” Her voice whispered on the breeze and the dead leaves brushed against my boots.

My skin crawled where she was touching me and felt so horribly cold. I looked at our conjoined hands and my skin that was bared in the moonlight had already turned translucent. My first instincts were to pull away, but Amaya held my hand tight, not letting go. But it didn't feel quite right. Her face seemed a little elongated and her body leaned towards me as if trying to hold itself together.

“We can be together again Analla. Come with me.” Could we be whole again if I stepped into the light? Was it as simple as that? Was this my Amaya?

I looked at James and he was shaking his head no, his eyes wide.

It felt like I was being pulled in as I glanced at Amaya's angry face. Her eyes were full of rotting madness as I tried to yank my hand free. Her grip tightened and when I pulled her hand with me out of the light, the flesh was hideous and draped from her bones.

And then I knew this wasn't my Amaya at all but was the vaporous darkness of Samhain and the last thing I should have done was opened my mouth and screamed.

******

©Alynza Smith 2011

Second Campaigner Challenge

2011-09-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

Today is the second Challenge of Rachel Harrie’s Platform Building Campaign!

The rules are to write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should include:

Imago – Last state of development of an insect.

Miasma – A noxious form of “bad air”.

Lacuna – Is a gap, ditch, hole.

Oscitate – To gape.

Synchronicity – Is the experience of two or more events that are observed to occur together in a meaningful manner.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional and included in the word count), make reference to a mirror in your post.

For those who want an even greater challenge (optional), make your post 200 words EXACTLY!

Here is my 200 word count entry. Enjoy :)

******

The Imago Serum

(Source)

After rappelling down, I swiped away the sweat stinging my eyes; the miasma heat of the tropical forest was deadly itself, let alone rappelling down the side of a waterfall during the worst of it.

The lacuna behind the falls is where they lived, the venomous coralflies, fresh from their imago stage. The suffocating heat helps them fully mature and secrete chemicals from their glands. If Jake can extract some, he can make the serum and save Lilly’s life.

The waterfall was like a mirror, showering me with my reflection as I reached through it, but couldn’t feel any insects.

Without hesitation, I took off my glove and reached back in.

Slimy and wet from their recent molting, I grabbed a few and shoved them in my bag before attempting to climb back up the slick rocks. When Jake noticed the bite marks all over my arm his mouth began to oscitate.

Which each pull on the rope, my eyes watered as the venom pulsed and raged through my body and was in synchronicity with each beat of my heart.

Jake pulled me over the ledge and my last thoughts were of my Lilly and her new chance at life.

******

So there you have it. Feel free to let me know what you thought of it. If you liked it enough to vote, please look for me here and click the "like" button. I'm #11. :)

Character Mapping

2011-09-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Have you done a Character Map yet? The picture over to the left is a map of my own characters I've been playing with over the last couple of days. While editing, I found some major flaws with plots and characters and realized that I should perhaps stop procrastinating and do one.

I am so very glad I did!

This was the first attempt at character mapping and let me tell you, it's great being able to see your lovelies all at the same time while pinpointing just who exactly they are and what/who they are to each other. I've had to yank apart family members, throw in some brand new ones and kill off some others. If you remember one of my past posts about shrinking your manuscript to get the "Big" picture, this had the same effect for me.

I honestly don't know why I waited until I wrote the book to do this! Would have saved me quite a few headaches for sure (and characters). The map helped me see which relationships I need to work on building as well as who needs more development throughout the story.

If you haven't done a character map yet, I highly recommend doing one. You can scribble it out with pen and paper or create your own from scratch like I did with the one above. There are tons of free character mapping templates on the internet if you prefer to have one semi-mapped out for you.

My next step, plot mapping... (maybe I should have done this too before the whole manuscript was written. :)

So tell me, do you have a character map?

September 2011 AW Blog Chain

2011-09-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

This post is part of the September 2011 Blog Chain at Absolute Write. This month's Challenge is "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words."

Option 1: Respond to the default picture. Write a brief response to this picture Nighthawks (1942) by Edward Hopper. Each post should be less than 1000 words if possible.

Option 2: Respond to your own picture. Choose your own picture! You must inlcude a link to the picture in your post. Please no overly violent, sexual, or otherwise NSFW pictures. Let's keep this PG-13/15 certificate, okay?

To read all of the stories (some are continuations of each other), please click on each of the following blogs for the entries. Enjoy!

Nighthawks (1942) by Edward Hopper

Alynza (you are here)

********

Of all the days the kid could find me, why did it have to be today? Damn it. Allison clutched the book to her chest as she pressed her body against the brick wall of the diner. She pulled her black coat tighter around her red dress and breathed slowly trying to calm her nerves. If she was lucky, she just might escape the two chain smoking scavengers in the diner. She knew what they wanted; it’s the same thing that the Seafarer wanted. But she’d die before she’d let them have it.

The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, by Aristide Torchia. It was an original and if the book fell into the wrong hands, nothing good was going to happen. She had to get it to Eddie, he would know what to do. The quicker it was out of her hands the better because with each minute that she held onto it, it felt like it was eating her soul alive piece by piece.

As she made her way towards the front of the ally, she stepped over rain puddles but kept out of the dim amber light from the streetlamps above. She couldn’t chance being seen.

Throaty chuckles came from around the corner, towards the front of the diner and Allison stopped short. Her heart began to pound and the blood rushed in her ears. It was one of the scavengers. She couldn’t go down the other way of the ally because it was a dead end. She was stuck.

She crept forward, clutching the book like a life line, and peeked around the corner. One of them had a gun to the back of Ellie’s head while the other opened the door of a black sedan and shoved her in.

Shit. Why did she have to find me today? It wasn't supposed to happen yet. This wasn’t in the plan.

The emerald ring on Allison’s finger felt like it was burning through her skin, as if feeding from her anger. She pulled out the red gloves from her coat pocket and slipped them on. Out of a sense of familial duty, she reached back into her pocket and clenched a small pearl handled pistol.

Enraged and bolstered by the emerald, she ignored the flashing lights and sirens coming towards them. As Charlie walked out of the glass front doors of the diner, his eyes locked with hers. Without missing a beat, she walked straight up to the black sedan and pulled the trigger. Twice.

********

If you happen to be confused, this story is part of a continuing story of some of those blogs listed above. Actually, if you read last month's blog chain in my archives, then you'll recognize some characters. :)

Let me know what you think.

Award Time Again!

2011-09-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

The absolutely awesome Jennifer Groepl picked me for some cool awards! Thanks Jennifer!

By accepting this awesomeness, I agree to:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated me
2. Share 7 random facts about myself
3. Pass the award to 5 blogger friends
4. Contact and congratulate the nominated blogs

Here are the seven facts of randomness about me:

1. I could eat pizza everyday. (Can someone please create a healthy pizza that tastes just as good?)

2. I grew up in a small rural town in Ohio where everyone knew everyone's business. Everything! (I still think my neighbors knew I was pregnant before I did.) *eyes darting back and forth*

3. I hate snow.

4. I'm allergic to Ohio. (Ok, not really definite on that one, but my allergies go berserk every time I go back there.)

5. I once dyed my hair purple. (Don't ask)

6. I despise my hubby's recent obsession with Irish Punk Rock. (Any Red Sox fans? You'll know what this is.)

7. If I could have lunch with anyone famous, it would be with Dr. Michio Kaku.

So there are the seven random facts about me. I will pass these onto my five picks of other awesome bloggers:

- Shelly Brown Because she was the first person brave enough to "like" my facebook page.
- Ruth Schiffmann Because she is a chocolate freak and coca cola devotee just like me. :)
- Dawn Malone Because of Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies! Check it out!
- T.B. McKenzie Because he likes dragons and has a book coming out this Christmas!
- Julie Fedderson Because I adore her blog and can't wait to read more from her.

Insecurities

2011-09-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm just going to come out and say it.

I am TOTALLY insecure about my writing. I'm in a love - hate relationship with it and I don't even know if I just used an en dash, em dash or a hyphen between the words love - hate.

I've re-read (there I go again with the dash thingy) my manuscript over and over and each time it gets changed. There are times that I'm tempted to just trash it and start on something completely different and then there are times that I'm completely surprised by how much I love my manuscript.

But I don't know how to stop reading it and analyzing every little thing! Please tell me I'm not the only one who is going through this mind boggling self torment.

Can you guess how I feel about anyone else reading it? Yeah, makes me want to puke just thinking about it. I've heard over and over "Don't take critiques personal, it's not you it's the writing," blah blah blah, but come on. How can I not take it personally when I've invested so much into writing this thing? It scares the crap out of me and I'm scared to even have a real beta reader. I'd love one, but I'm so insecure, I can't hit the send button.

Today I stumbled across an Insecure Writer's Support Group. Author Alex J. Cavanaugh has created a blog to help writers share and encourage each other throughout their insecurities. Sounds like a good plan so I signed up. Hopefully I can bolster enough courage one of these days to actually send my manuscript to some willing ~~victims~~ betas.

So the rules are, every 1st Wednesday of the month is Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. I will have to share some struggles and triumphs and along the way hopefully work through my insecurities.

I'm a bit late for the Wednesday post since today is Friday, but I just found out about it and wanted to let the rest of you know about it too.

So, are you just as insecure as I am? Join the Blog Hop and encourage other aspiring authors with me.

Campaigner Challenge #1

2011-09-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today is the first challenge of Rachel Harrie's Platform Building Campaign!

The rules are to write a short story / flash fiction in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, "The door swung open". These four words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words, "the door swung shut". (also included in the word count)

For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!

Alright, you got all that? Well here is my 200 word count entry. Enjoy!

***

Out of the Coldness

The door swung open. Bitter wind fluttered the papers on my desk while it filled the room with the stench of saltwater and death. It swirled around the wick of my oil lamp and assaulted the flickering flame.

Dread grazed my spine as the room flushed with darkness. The coldness was coming.

Shivering, I quickly slammed the door, needing to shut it out before it could get in. I didn’t want it anywhere near me.

I double checked the latch. I always kept it locked, especially up here in the lighthouse.

With each passing circle of the huge bulb above, it showered the room with the much needed protection of light; then just as quickly doused everything in blackness. It was the only warning beacon here on the Cape.

My hands shook while trying to re-light the lantern but the flame refused. It wasn’t safe to be left in the dark too long, the coldness would easily find its way in.

Shivering, I opened the door not willing to wait for the safety of the morning sun. But before I could step out I knew that I was already too late. The coldness whirled in and the door swung shut.

***

So there you have it. Feel free to let me know what you thought of it. If you liked it enough to vote, please look for me here and click the "like" button. I'm #107. :)

Award Time!

2011-08-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

Wow my very first award! The amazing T.B. McKenzie thoughtfully nominated me for this outstanding achievement. Oh...huh? What? Wait a minute...where did all my followers go? *knocking on computer screen* Anyone out there? Hello?

Alright alright, I guess I should admit I received this awesomeness because I still have under 200 followers. Honestly, I'm grateful that I've somehow managed to convince ~~victims~~ other bloggers to follow me.

Seriously, thank you and I can't wait to get to know more of you, especially my fellow campaigners!

On with business. Here are THE RULES for the Liebster Blog Love:

1. Show your appreciation to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the camaraderie of the most supportive people on the internet—other writers.
5. And best of all—have bloggity fun and spread the love.

Here are the five awesome bloggers with under 200 followers who I think also deserve an award.

1. Michelle Chaston Because she is a writing Ninja.
2. Chemist Ken Because I'm a sucker for castles.
3. Holly L'oiseau Because she is fashionably organized.
4. Avery Marsh Because she was brave enough to share her work at a WriteOnCon conference.
5. Shelley Koon Because she writes some pretty cool posts. :)

Please go meet the recipients. Pay it forward by becoming a follower on their blog, look them up on twitter and follow them there as well.

Have fun!

Tag: You're it!

2011-08-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, time for a break from writing and have a little fun.

I've been tagged by Avery Marsh, a fellow Campaigner. The rules are that I have to tell you 10 random facts about myself and then tag four other bloggers. Muhuhahaha (my attempt at an evil laugh).

Ok, if you're still reading, here goes:

1. Every time I see a tree I have to scope out the best way to climb it. (Don't worry, I don't actually climb trees... mostly)

2. My dream place to visit is Ireland...or Greece.

3. I'd rather scrub toilets (or anything else) than do laundry.

4. I HATE the sound of a fork being scraped against a plate...or skillet. Sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me.

5. I've never broken a bone in my body (surprisingly with all the times I fell out of a tree as a kid)

6. I love everything to do with quantum physics. (I'm a closet nerd, shhh don't tell anyone)

7. I don't trust flying in a tin can, strapped to a chair, while being thousands of feet in the air. (see #6)

8. I like to go grocery shopping after 11pm, otherwise I tend to get shopping cart road rage.

9. Eating peas make me gag.

10. I'm a descendant of the Salem Witches. I LOVE genealogy and have a huge stockpile of research on different royal lines in my family.

Alright, so there you go. Now, the next four tagged (if they choose to participate) are:

Kate Swenson
Jennifer Groepl
Crystal Cheverie
Lauren Orbison

Tag! You're it!

If anyone else would like to participate, tell me one or two random facts about yourself below. :)

The Amazing "Shrunken Manuscript"

2011-08-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

So... here is a picture of my full manuscript. Yes that's correct, look again. All 21 chapters of it. Did I mention that I managed to squeeze 80,000 words on 29 pages? Of course I can only read it if I squint my eyes or look through a magnifying glass.

So the reason I did this, I wanted to get a feel for the flow of my book as well as how lengthy the chapters are compared to each other. I read the excellent idea from a Wow! Women on Writing article.

Each page is one chapter, 5pt and single spaced. As you can see, there are a couple of really long chapters and I haven't quite decided what to do yet. Do I lengthen the shorter ones or shorten the lengthy ones? I've already chopped out over 14,500 words over the last couple of weeks. (and trust me, that completely freaked me out)

Printing the book this way also gave me the "Big Picture" view of my book and the flow. I've marked where the action parts are so I can check the pace and structure. Other things I'm planning on marking are:

- Dialog
- Action
- Interactions between the main characters
- Settings

Shrinking the whole book and printing it this way gave me such gratification to see all of my words at once. Looking at it this way doesn't seem like it really has 80,000 words, but it's still cool to see it. I highly recommend it!

Warning: Do not leave pages on the floor overnight due to a four year old who may use this as an opportunity for a dry slip & slide. (Good thing I had taken the photo beforehand!)

So tell me, do you think this sounds like something you'll try or have you actually done it before? Did it help?

Simplify with Dropbox

2011-08-26T13:39:00.001-07:00

Where is your manuscript saved? On just one computer? Two computers? How about two computers, back up disks, SD cards and a smart phone full of quickly written ideas and short scripts while grocery shopping?

Ok well that last one is me.

I have my full manuscript, draft scripts, notes, research, photos, book covers, references, outlines, query stuff and a slew of other book paraphernalia, scattered between my home computer, my netbook, SD cards and my smartphone (only because I didn't have paper and pen handy, I was grocery shopping remember?).

This was all turning into MADNESS! How many times can one person email stuff back and forth before it gets completely jumbled and useless? Quite a lot in my experience. I mainly work on the manuscript on my netbook because I can pop it in my purse and take it everywhere with me (I'm not addicted or anything, I promise!). I use my home computer for more of the research and design stuff because, well, honestly my netbook's screen gives me a headache if I'm viewing anything other than a word processor.

Well the other day I was telling myself there just has to be a better way to stay organized...and then my hubby's irritated voice softly echoed in the back of my head. "Have you installed Dropbox yet?" Umm...no.

I've been procrastinating and dragging my feet about installing it. Why? I don't know, guess I was having a major brain fart over the last couple of months. Well I installed it the other day and I LOVE it! Everything is so nicely organized and I can find all of my stuff now. I'm not even confused anymore on which draft is the current project on which machine either. Amazing stuff, I know. Well now hubby gets to say "I told you so".

So what exactly is Dropbox? It's a program that allows you to access your files on various machines. It creates a folder that you move your files into. After installing it on all of your computers, it will auto-magically sync whatever files are in that folder with the folder on the other machines. It's pretty cool and works wonderfully. The best part is that it's free, military grade secure, and an awesome way to have a backup of your manuscript online in case your computer pukes on you.

So my point, if you work across various platforms or whatever, Dropbox is awesome.

Writer's Campaign

2011-08-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

So in order to keep a promise to myself (which is to write more posts), I've signed up for the Third Writer's Platform-Building Campaign. It's a cool way to get both new and experienced bloggers together while building a platform. The Campaign signup is running from August 22, 2011 - August 31, 2011 at Rach Writes. So if any of you would like to join in the fun, now is the time!

There will be three Campaigner Challenges to be held on Sept. 5, Sept. 23, & October 17. I'm going to try my best at participating in the upcoming challenges so feel free to cheer me on and I'll return the favor!