Writing on the Wall

Father Valentine

2012-02-09T05:00:00.003-07:00

By Madelaine Wong Dear Father Valentine, You can’t imagine the guilt I feel that you lay languishing in a prison cell. I begged my father, your jailer, to deliver extra blankets and food to you. After all, it’s my fault you’re there. I was the one who asked you to secretly perform the marriage ceremony between me and my beloved, a soldier. I knew it was forbidden by our most worthy Emperor

Why(Y)

2012-02-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

Why (Y) By Sarah L. Johnson We don’t need to say it.Some things are felt deep in your chest, in that quiet space behind your heart.When you come in this time, you’re almost smiling. Maybe not for me. I smile back anyway. You look different, as always, but I know what to look for. There’s a violence about you, a disarrangement of the underneath. Why? To determine the ‘how’, of course. Doesn’t

Love Letters

2012-02-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

February is the month of love. To celebrate the season, I'm putting out another call similar to the Letters to Santa. But this is all about love. Send me your love letters or short stories with a Valentine theme. Make them gritty, gruesome, funny, sad or sentimental. Basically, anything goes. Max. 1000 words. Send to rzvaneck@gmail.com

Stars Are Aligning Just Right...

2012-01-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

We hear about rejection all the time. We're told to expect them, love them, learn from them...whatever. But no one ever really prepares you for acceptance. Sure I've had stories published before and at the time it was like, "okay, cool. I'm published." Then I got a short story published last year and it was kind of the same thing. "Great, but so what?" Now this week I have had two stories

Now on Sunday, Novel Progress: Pushy Characters

2012-01-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

I can sum up my novel progress the past couple of weeks in one word: NONEXISTENT. Many will tell you, if you're not writing that's not progress and for the most part, they are right. But at the same time, when you are wrapped up heavily in the world of your characters, constantly visualizing what they will do next, or how this scene should go here, or there, or wherever, is that progress?

Oops...I missed it!

2012-01-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

Okay. Just realized I missed my Saturday novel progress update. Sorry to all my faithful followers. In fact, there is little to report on the novel progress. The only I managed to do this week...work on a new story. Attempting to write in the 2nd person POV. It's actually pretty cool but has absolutely nothing to do with the novel. I'm behind on my book reviews too. As usual. I will say it's

Sunday Blubbering

2012-01-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

Sentiment. It's a funny thing. People say it and don't mean it, others say it and mean it too much. They say it in the heat of passion, in the beginning of a new relationship or for personal gain. But why do those kind words, those things that make the heart twinge, dwindle when you're deep into a relationship? Sometimes we say it to our friends, and of course mean it, but often it's so

Saturday, Novel Progess: Which Draft is it Anyway?

2012-01-07T10:47:00.001-07:00

Saturday is as good as any other day to talk about novel progress or the lack thereof. Lucky for me, the progress hasn't been so bad. This week itself, only found me a couple of good novel writing days. But I have added lots of new words, new chapters, and structure. What the hell is it with structure? It's so important but as hard as finding a great title. I started this novel, working title,

Into the Wild...

2012-01-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

She's a three foot and a little bit, animal. The devil's spawn if there ever was one. I want to take her out into the wild and set her free. Since, at three years old, she already thinks she knows everything and does whatever the hell she wants. No is not just a word...it's what she believes and all that she stands for. Defiance stronger than a three foot layer of ice on a lake. The morning has

I've Been Thinking...

2012-01-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

About a lot of things the last few days. Good things, of course. It's a new year and open to so many possibilities. There's the fact that it's supposed to reach 13 degrees today. In Calgary! In January! Almost felt like I could go outside in a tank top. I didn't of course, cause it's not 13 yet...but still. It's bright outside, so sunny it makes the heart sing and makes me dream of summer. And

Book Review: Wild & Wicked by Jenn Nixon

2012-01-02T05:00:00.001-07:00

A pinch of romance. A dash of suspense. A spoonful of mystery. A heap of erotica. Mix together and what do you have? The novella, Wild & Wicked by New Jersey writer, Jenn Nixon. Veronica Chance’s sister is missing. Her high profile family doesn’t give a damn so she has taken it upon herself to find the missing sibling. Veronica infiltrates the strip club, Foxxes, where she knows her sister

Why The Hell Else Do You Wear a Toque?

2012-01-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Sitting in my writing spot. Laptop open in front of me. Husband is in the kitchen. He turns to me and says," What are your doing?" I turn around slightly, "Writing." Cause why else would I be typing furiously and basically ignoring everyone and everything? "Why are you wearing that toque?" "To keep the creativity in." D'uh! (plus it looks cool and I'm cold)

Goals for 2012

2012-01-01T05:00:00.002-07:00

WELCOME TO A NEW YEAR! I don't believe in New Year resolutions. I believe in making small, attainable goals at any time during the year. But I suppose it can't hurt to have a few goals. I am only going to post one. One big goal for me and me alone. So here it is: My goal for 2012, to finish my novel by the end of the year. It's also said it helps to reach your goals if you have to be

Oh Crap...

2011-12-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Shoot. There are only two more days left in 2011. Two days. Where has the year gone? I don't feel like I've accomplished much this year. A few book reviews written and published. A few stories written and rejected. One story published this year. Barely touched my novel all year. Only in little bits and pieces. Resurrected 6 year old research for another novel and began to tackle it again,

2011-12-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

I redid my website. Check it out. Still trying to work out the redirection kinks from my domain registrar, but I am much happier with this one than any of the previous I tried to do. And it's super easy. Easy is always good. Gotta add a few more things but for the most part, it's done. Went to a bridal shower last night. I'm not usually a big fan of showers and the silly games that are played.

2011-12-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Child woke obscenely early this morning. Apparently a nightmare or something. Woke up screaming and then wouldn't go back to sleep. Too early for me. I plopped her in front of the TV and tried to grab a few more hours of sleep. To little avail. Got a few zzz's here and there but she kept needing something. So of course, it wasn't what I would have liked. My fault I suppose for staying up way too

Post Christmas Confusion/Chaos

2011-12-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Getting back into the regular and mundane is so bloody hard after the holidays. It's worse than taking a two week vacation in the Bahamas and trying to get back to work. The house is chaos. Chocolate wrappers, unwrapped Christmas gifts scattered all over the floor, still tucked under the tree. Holiday leftovers overflowing from the fridge, it won't all fit you know. A stead non-stop vibration

Old Nick to Krampus

2011-12-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

By Verna Bewick A response came in from Old Nick to Krampus. To read the initial letter from Krampus. Beware, this is not the Santa we know and love. Merry Christmas! Krampus, You were not my love, nor my first “wife,” and you should not have written that letter. Mrs. Claus is the woman who showed me the way; she’s the one who taught me that all is not lost, that redemption is always

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T05:00:00.004-07:00

Thank you for visiting Writing on the Wall. That's true dedication and I love you for it. However, it's Christmas Day so I am kinda busy, as you should be, too. We have probably already opened our gifts, the child is probably hopped up on all the chocolate she can muster, the hubby is probably sprawled on the couch, drinking beer and watching the tube, with my brother. Though the bro is quite

The Magic of the Holidays

2011-12-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

Santa's warming up his sleigh and exercising the reindeers. All in preparation for tonights extensive and speedy journey. I hear Rudolph has a bit of a cold so his nose is especially shiny tonight. So if you find dirty tissues in the morning, it wasn't Grandma leaving her snotty rags inside the chair cushions. It was just because Santa's sleigh has no room and he needed to find someplace to stash

The Night Before Christmas

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

by Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in

I, You, He/She

2011-12-22T00:57:00.001-07:00

The right point of view (POV) in a story can make or break it. Sometimes it takes awhile to play with it, try different things before you find the right fit, like searching for that perfect pair of shoes. If you don't get just the right fit your feet will hurt and you'll get blisters. But sometimes, all it takes is a little breaking in. When reading a story, personally, I am a huge fan of 1st

2011-12-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

LOST SIMILES Last seen back in October or November. Sure I used them, just can't remember where I put them. If you find them, please let me know cause I just can't survive without them. Without similes, and good ones, all I'm left with are cliches. Bad, bad, evil cliches. Dead as a doornail. Soft as a baby's bum. Quiet as a mouse. Dry as the desert. Dirty as a pig. Party like there's no tomorrow

So Close, Yet So Very Far

2011-12-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

Speaking of rejections... I've been sending out a story all year that has been rejected time and again. Twice early in the year it came close: made the short-list for a contest and another magazine, "decided" not to take it but wanted to hold onto it for a possible later issue. I didn't let them hold on to it. Pulled it a short while later and sent it off to other places where it was

Surviving Rejection

2011-12-16T05:00:00.001-07:00

I recently came across a Twitter post where the tweeter suggested there should be a workshop of sorts called, Surviving Rejection. Kind of a how-to approach to dealing with a writer's worst fear. That someone does not see the vision they worked so hard on. I've been thinking about this ever since. How do we survive rejection? Why don't we all just curl up in the fetal position and pray the