tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28707871702369603432024-03-05T02:22:59.711-06:00Inside the PodA glimpse inside a working writers' critique group.Jeannie Holmeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15423592013782149314noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-80027024049841896432014-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:002014-01-20T06:00:08.105-06:00::CRICKETS::<style>
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Hello? Pea friends and followers... are you there? It’s okay
if you aren’t. It’s been a long while. We understand. </div>
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Needless to say, the construct of the Pod is undergoing
some… changes. J and A are pursuing their visual arts. I’ve been floundering,
bumping into walls, and trying to figure out what my creative and writing goals
are. All in all… it has been a Pod in flux. That’s okay. Sometimes ideas run
their course and what follows paves the way for new and exciting ventures. That
is how we view it around the Pod. All support. Always Pea Love.</div>
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No doubt… A, J, and M will find their way back together in a
new form one day—possibly even here. After all, we still have Pea sleepovers and
frequent Pea dinners where we share our creative endeavors and support each other
passionately. That will never change. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>But I want to let the few of you that are
still listening, still hoping to see posts, that we’re taking an indefinite
break. And until that comeback tour, which has no pending date, J and A are doing their things and I’m reconstructing my online presence in
an M only format.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoJKDYnAzIoa8DGfZvjIZt5OI3DRdlcJf0XTvKPAZjku_QJYrDXC6Z4Vw9I8Gy1W1HII1iOL9Tfvlj9GmBU2RQMoNUc1dV3bb3P7N72vIzwJl0bv_c9jd3If0zQ9_GJJ8c6Xezqs6-rQ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoJKDYnAzIoa8DGfZvjIZt5OI3DRdlcJf0XTvKPAZjku_QJYrDXC6Z4Vw9I8Gy1W1HII1iOL9Tfvlj9GmBU2RQMoNUc1dV3bb3P7N72vIzwJl0bv_c9jd3If0zQ9_GJJ8c6Xezqs6-rQ/s1600/photo.JPG" height="230" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gone Fishing- the Ninja Peas</td></tr>
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I’ll be posting a few last posts in conjunction with the
launch of new endeavors. I’ll be stealing some oldies but goodies from the Pod,
revisiting them, and reinventing them in a new space. And I’ll be hashing out
my own tributaries of interest about writing, life, and anything else which
strikes my fancy. Of course, A can be found on her book blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. J
is around, doing her thing via Facebook <i>et al</i> also. I’m sure new ventures for all of us will
continue to sprout. Stay tuned into those other channels and you'll be sure to hear of them. And I will be reporting them in my news space... because that's what Peas do. Support each other. </div>
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So for now… Adieu. </div>
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I’m tacking up an official <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gone Fishing</i> sign and we’ll hope you
find us in our other venues. </div>
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Pea Love and All Best, </div>
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M, J, and A<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thaishapedhead.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">thaishapedhead.blogspot.com</a><br />
<a href="http://alexislampley.blogspot.com/">alexislampley.blogspot.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jeannieholmes.com/">www.jeannieholmes.com</a><br />
You can also find us on Facebook by our respective names</div>
Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-67532518060297085502014-01-17T06:00:00.000-06:002014-01-17T06:00:03.274-06:00The 4 W's of author Jodi Vaughn<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<i>Author Jodi Vaughn gives the Peas the a run down of her book VEILED SECRETS!</i></div>
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<i> </i><b> </b></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i>W</i></b>HO is Celeste Hart?<br /><br />Celeste
is a misfit that is desperately trying to find her place in the world.
She has always felt invisible and never fit in. She values family, and
honor, and kindness above all else. She has a quiet strength and steel
resolve that accentuate her true beauty. When she discovers her Fae
blood, she must hone her power to fight the evil that is coming.</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<b><i>W</i></b>HAT can a reader expect from VEILED SECRETS?<br /><br />Loveable characters, dark paranormal plot and sexy romance that will keep
the reader turning the page.</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqqwHduExumr78VceWmmT5ngOeuxLZAtJZ9BI91YRp-bf1xRxljRPdBHUbEFj7GVnMW69f3k6iTzr-RXHU85F8x8cOZF4J_lXzkMba0IXEUJuc7QNfgK4CS1y8ghS7eMRHtFt8vPYXJM/s1600/Jodi_Final+Headshot+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqqwHduExumr78VceWmmT5ngOeuxLZAtJZ9BI91YRp-bf1xRxljRPdBHUbEFj7GVnMW69f3k6iTzr-RXHU85F8x8cOZF4J_lXzkMba0IXEUJuc7QNfgK4CS1y8ghS7eMRHtFt8vPYXJM/s1600/Jodi_Final+Headshot+copy.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author Jodi Vaughn</td></tr>
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<b><i>W</i></b>HERE will the readers find the book?</div>
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<br />
<i>VEILED SECRETS</i> is available at: </div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Veiled-Secrets-Jodi-Vaughn-ebook/dp/B00FL8VM26/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389464153&sr=1-2&keywords=Veiled+Secrets" target="_blank">Amazon</a> </div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/veiled-secrets-jodi-vaughn/1117049197?ean=9780982537084" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
<br />
HO<b><i>W</i></b><i> </i>can we find Jodi Vaughn?<br /><br />Check out her <a href="http://jodivaughn.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>! </div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
Follow her on Twitter: @JodiVaughn1</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: HelveticaNeue,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,Lucida Grande,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
And <a href="https://www.facebook.com/www.jodivaughn?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a></div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/www.jodivaughn?ref=hl" target="_blank"></a>Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-4650123692594475012013-08-09T06:00:00.000-05:002013-08-09T06:00:05.396-05:00Reading WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UMXpGTqMlrH0YL23N58YCXGt6D553SVcB_VuJG1yUCWXtsKhGY9stWA5HYQj7QNtnImv2Hz0ajc5u8nNjKKn5AdzsJSljf_Hm24Tu33FMIg7iO51ffqGy28AHeJsF8mTFaGAgDP_tRE/s1600/M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UMXpGTqMlrH0YL23N58YCXGt6D553SVcB_VuJG1yUCWXtsKhGY9stWA5HYQj7QNtnImv2Hz0ajc5u8nNjKKn5AdzsJSljf_Hm24Tu33FMIg7iO51ffqGy28AHeJsF8mTFaGAgDP_tRE/s1600/M.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>No formula can predict the sudden plot twist that leaps from an author's unconscious mind to his fingertips to the computer screen, causing him to whistle and exclaim, "Where did that come from?" Is that true magic? In a way. But it is dangerous to hope that random flashes of lightning will make one's fortune as a writer. ~Donald Maass</i></span></b><br />
<br />
Unless, of course, those shining gems emerge from steady hard work and focus on learning craft. But then that's not exactly a flash of lightning, is it? <br />
<br />
I have been in a manuscript rewriting crisis for more than a year. I'm embarrassed to admit it. Yet the offending project is one I can't seem to move on from. It's a project that, though it has promising elements, falls into fiasco by the midpoint and only gets more confused from there. Great characters, interesting premise, surprising plot twists ... BUT. <br />
<br />
I have yet to feel passionate about any editing attempt to date. Needless to say, I've been spinning my wheels, banging my head, wishing for divine intervention to lead me to the right course of action. Where the f*ck is my <i>Muse</i>? Well, she can't be expected to do all the heavy lifting, can she?<br />
<br />
In the interim, I've read craft books, taken workshops, gone to conferences, all searching for that gem that might help me break free from the blockades around making this book the one I hoped it would be. Through all of that research and attention to craft, I have yet to learn how to excavate the gems and repair the shards with an end result of a fully intact working skeleton.<br />
<br />
So I've been revisiting conference notes, scouring craft blogs, and rereading writing books.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OVvnsLxNHZYLTp9a9hz9wJ-1V6KzW0-DhIvLSBPH3N6jP0P77Ma2Kna6_Gwdre1bXOh5LxGIZxiOmld3KALBIf1m0SEN9GujANZHULm2NgBfwQnfLhmT5EKcRasqmzncMntVWDqc_Ks/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OVvnsLxNHZYLTp9a9hz9wJ-1V6KzW0-DhIvLSBPH3N6jP0P77Ma2Kna6_Gwdre1bXOh5LxGIZxiOmld3KALBIf1m0SEN9GujANZHULm2NgBfwQnfLhmT5EKcRasqmzncMntVWDqc_Ks/s320/photo.JPG" width="305" /></a></div>
Last night I revisited <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/151532.Writing_the_Breakout_Novel" target="_blank">WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/DonMaass" target="_blank">Donald Maass</a>.<br />
<br />
I have been fortunate enough to attend a couple of his workshops at conferences and I've always found him on the mark, inspiring, motivating, and in turn find myself excited about every morsel he shares. But I think, as with everything, the assimilation of knowledge and information into true understand has a time and place. I was open to what his approach could teach me before, but I wasn't in the place to process or utilize it effectively. And I think that is one reason immersing yourself in the writing culture is so important if you want to grow as a writer. You never know when that shimmering nugget will be the one you need. And you can't always know when that explosion of glittering inspiration will break through.<br />
<br />
I read WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL last night in one sitting. All 260 pages. And though I have read it before, maybe now is my time. Because, for some reason, though I know it to be false, I feel like I'd never read it before now. I was astonished and inspired.<br />
<br />
Donald Maass does an expert job of balancing the concerns of craft, art, and business in his approach to writing with reason and expertise. It's a great book for any writer wanting a readership. <br />
<br />
A lot of people in my life are writers--aspiring, struggling, disheartened, tired.<br />
Revisit the knowledge you know.<br />
Then learn something new. Rinse. Repeat.<br />
<br />
Read WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL. And if you have, but haven't in a while, pick it back up. You might be surprised, like me, by what you find in it's pages. <br />
<br />
Pea <3 <br />
MMichelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-75846160765282460772013-07-17T12:00:00.000-05:002013-07-17T12:00:10.872-05:00Crazy Summer Fun? Yes!
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It has been a crazy summer for me to say the least. The
World Horror and Horror Writers Association conference in New Orleans, then a jaunt to Neuchatel,
Switzerland with my husband for his work, followed by ITW conference in NYC and
the International RWA Conference in Atlanta. Before RWA gets really rolling and I
jet home to leave yet again for my family summer cruise, I best quickly recap my
adventures and let you know what is in the works for the fall. I don't want you to think I've forgotten you. <i>*grin* </i></div>
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This summer has been about connections.</div>
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<a href="http://www.stokers2013.org/" target="_blank">HWA</a>… I met the amazing and talented Alma Katsu in New
Orleans. I was a big fan and serendipitously ended up at a cocktail table with
J and her. If you have yet to pick up her epic dark romantic tale, <a href="http://www.almakatsu.com/" target="_blank">The Taker</a>
you are in for a real treat—the third in the trilogy is out soon. My fan-girl
moment with <a href="http://www.jonathanmaberry.com/" target="_blank">Jonathan Maberry</a> was by far a highlight and got me excited about rumors for a Rot and Ruin film in the works. There were so many other moments I touched on
in a previous blog, so check that out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I posted plenty of photos on my Facebook page. I also got to spend time with
mentor <a href="http://www.carolynhaines.com/" target="_blank">Carolyn Haines</a>—always a blast.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.thrillerfest.com/" target="_blank">ITW</a>…. This event was a journey and a joy. It was my 3<sup>rd</sup>
visit to ITW in NYC. And it didn't disappoint. Although I didn’t pitch this time around, I made
a lot of connections that I'm really excited about and feel I have some places
and people to query when my manuscript is polished. I caught up with friend and talent
<a href="http://joshuacorin.com/" target="_blank">Joshua Corin</a> thriller author. I met a slew of up and coming writers that I will
be on the look out for as well met a few authors I really admire. Plus, with Anne Rice as a spotlight guest interviewed by <a href="http://www.christopherricebooks.com/" target="_blank">Christopher Rice</a> the weekend was bound to be memorable. I learned so much at this con and really felt
like I came away with ideas to combat trouble issues in my writing and my
career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also got to sneak away for
Moroccan food and bowling in Williamsburg, manages a trip to the Met, and shopped
on 5<sup>th</sup> Avenue. I can’t complain. I have been blessed to adventure my way to new experiences by pursuing this weird, at time unsteady and
daunting, and certainly bizarre career path I have chosen. </div>
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More on all this when I open my
new blog.</div>
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<br /></div>
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RWA… Reconnecting with pal <a href="http://kdwoodauthor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">K. D. Wood</a> is always a blast. RWA
proves to be a very different experience this time around versus the last time in Orlando. I
was excited to already reconnect and talk shop with the wonderful <a href="http://jenniebentley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jenna Bennett</a>, chameleon
and fantastic talent, who also goes by Jennie Bentley. We’ve got three more days
of the conference. So I’m sure much fun and many more moments will be had. I'm be sure to update you. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I will save my adventures in Switzerland for later. <i>*sneaky smile*</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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My writing well is full and overflowing. And I can’t wait to
put all this knowledge and inspiration to use.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In other news, I plan to relaunch my own blog and redesign
my website. This is going to be a work in progress for the next few months. I hope
to stumble upon a place singularly me that I can explore ideas, topics, and
share with you all (maybe I will use the moniker Thai Shaped Head...well see). I will do my best to keep Pod readers updated
and connected, but as I begin to dip into some personal and specific blog
themes—I’m going to try rethink how I blog as a whole and venture out alone
from the security of the Pod. <i>*trembles*</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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That’s all I have for you today. Stay tuned in the Pod and keep an eye out for new spaces.</div>
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Peas and love. M</div>
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</div>
Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-42568003341463212572013-07-02T07:00:00.000-05:002013-07-02T07:00:02.126-05:00Guest Pod: K. D. Wood on Critique Partners and Groups <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1KBohT2-kaEusGl1aWeuDxnWimnZ7TNe_INDKwiuSlnaKjl_jEKTi-oL4ODE_XqQOhNJoG-6BbfUkENeD4nCAD0WbPYUPTDVTURAMp5V0hrgYHSXX1LweCYo-GhtMPuT1JEn3bkTzA0/s1600/gAi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1KBohT2-kaEusGl1aWeuDxnWimnZ7TNe_INDKwiuSlnaKjl_jEKTi-oL4ODE_XqQOhNJoG-6BbfUkENeD4nCAD0WbPYUPTDVTURAMp5V0hrgYHSXX1LweCYo-GhtMPuT1JEn3bkTzA0/s1600/gAi.jpg" /></a>
Today we have a special guest here Inside the Pod. M sat down with author K. D. Wood and asked her a few probing questions. Here is what K. D. had to say...<br />
<br />
The day I finished my first manuscript was one of the most
amazing, terrifying, exhilarating and confusing days of my life. It is also a
moment that is forever burned into my brain because I remember staring at the
screen and thinking, now what?<br />
<br />
Unfortunately back then, I wasn’t pals with many writers. I
just wrote for the pure thrill of putting that first story on the page and
giving it life. Confused by my research and desperate to know where my story
stood, I decided to start the submission process after only two revisions. <br />
<br />
Nineteen rejection letters later, it was glaringly obvious I
needed a new approach to my manuscript. I started reaching out and connecting
with other writers. This led me to understand just how important finding great
critique partners can be for a work in progress.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJXdFJN6aqv0AFLGwNHh2tuwwzhBsG-gcK4lROgpCDg-fH9E5MKaWHTZikxOnWyGe97w7NmZnDM85YnCN4gtr5yB4NY-5TIBWFYggsyptP3QjMqcWK2TU_oZ0GoQzQ9Z6_EUjTuYwhx8/s1600/kdwood3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJXdFJN6aqv0AFLGwNHh2tuwwzhBsG-gcK4lROgpCDg-fH9E5MKaWHTZikxOnWyGe97w7NmZnDM85YnCN4gtr5yB4NY-5TIBWFYggsyptP3QjMqcWK2TU_oZ0GoQzQ9Z6_EUjTuYwhx8/s200/kdwood3.jpg" width="200" /></a>
</div>
After actually finishing the manuscript, finding a critique
partner or critique group is the life’s blood of all your future revisions.<br />
<br />
Why? <br />
<br />
Because just letting your mama/best friend/spouse read your
manuscript won’t help move your manuscript or your writing forward. Your family
loves you. They want you to be happy. This means unless your family/friend
reader works in the publishing industry they are going to tell you that your
book is AMAZING. That the story is the best thing they have ever read.<br />
<br />
They are going to tell you what they think you want to hear because
that’s what people who love you do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
Now that I’ve ripped that band aid off. <br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I. How do you go
about finding a critique partner or group?</b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-slWms5HyL9a6d9rk5LJ0euNY7LdvmTbrxN3Kj9qpYiDkc7KKviOCuOC_sVbMIZoYqTN1vzfb9z7q_4fLDnp1Fwi-zcxY5fY8oDutIfyRvKiVA9k-MZYwD2uOEr-2HXq7X5NnOQp0ss/s1600/kdwood2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-slWms5HyL9a6d9rk5LJ0euNY7LdvmTbrxN3Kj9qpYiDkc7KKviOCuOC_sVbMIZoYqTN1vzfb9z7q_4fLDnp1Fwi-zcxY5fY8oDutIfyRvKiVA9k-MZYwD2uOEr-2HXq7X5NnOQp0ss/s200/kdwood2.jpg" width="163" /></a>
There are many, many
different options for finding other writers. But first, you have to decide
which platform will work better for your personality. Face to face interactions
or online. If you want to mingle with
other writers in person, start locally. Look for writers groups for your
particular genre. My own group <a href="http://www.rivercityromancewriters.org/">River
City Romance Writers</a> I discovered while partaking in another resource. I
heard about RCRW while attending <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MidSouthCon">MidsouthCon</a> in Memphis, TN.
Writer’s retreats, conventions, library groups, book clubs, coffee shops and
book signings are all great places to meet other writers. <br />
<br />
Recently, I got to know a few writers who have a hard time
in social situations due to Aspergers. Though working hard on their novels,
they struggle with interacting in social settings. If that’s a hurdle you also
face, there are online communities for writers too, and one in particular is <a href="http://bookcountry.com/">Bookcountry</a>. Facebook is packed with
writers. I’ve made some amazing writers pals participating in #WordWar on
twitter too. <br />
<br />
And let’s say after you take this crucial first step, you
hit writer’s gold and meet someone or a group of people you want to hang out
and talk writing with. There are several very important questions you need to
consider.<br />
<br />
<b>II. What do you want
to accomplish as a member of a critique group or with your new critique
partner? </b><br />
<br />
If you and your new potential writing pals are not on the
same page about goals, conflicts will arise very fast. So you need to ask the
questions that are most important to your writing goals. Communication,
communication, communication.<br />
<br />
<b>III. Are you writing
as a hobby or on the road to publication?
</b><br />
<br />
These two things are very different and can make or break a
potential relationship. If you’re pounding away on your novel, preparing for
submissions, churning out those word counts every day, you need to make sure
your future critique partners are in it to win it also. Otherwise, you’ll just
end up frustrated because your goals are so different. <br />
<br />
One of the best ways to make sure you don’t run into this
issue is to ask this question of yourself.<br />
<br />
<b>IV. Are you setting
realistic critique goals for your group or partnership? </b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0V6RCUO7jJ_yzgDdd4UhkKuYYN1N6e5z63aRN8zxaYVG_xoS6mh4WLLL0fZgwKkShlOPWgmt3ndsEHe48SMHX5A3Rqbp1lujPLo-XtOK4YePdDfZTHuf_7vLEpINfJ1HuKk_ymL_wEkk/s1600/kdwood1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0V6RCUO7jJ_yzgDdd4UhkKuYYN1N6e5z63aRN8zxaYVG_xoS6mh4WLLL0fZgwKkShlOPWgmt3ndsEHe48SMHX5A3Rqbp1lujPLo-XtOK4YePdDfZTHuf_7vLEpINfJ1HuKk_ymL_wEkk/s1600/kdwood1.jpg" /></a>
Let’s face it. Life is extremely busy. We all have stuff to
do whether it’s jobs, family, kids or laundry. There are a million things to be
done every day. When you have these initial conversations with your potential
critique partner or partner it’s a question you need to address. If you’re a
full time writer, pounding out those words eight hours a day but your potential
partner has a twelve hour shift at the hospital, there will have to be some
extreme specifics in time management ironed out for both sides to be happy with
the partnership. And even with a situation like this, if your personalities and
writing style are so in sync, anything is possible if you work hard enough to
find a middle ground.<br />
<br />
Now for those more uncomfortable questions. <br />
<br />
<b>V. Will your
potential critique partners be willing to call you out on accountability when
you start being a big old whiner-pants?</b><br />
<br />
This is the part of finding critique partners that involves
making sure you’re compatible as friends first. As a critique partner you need
someone who is able to tell you to pull your head out of your ass without
crushing your spirit but who also won’t let you get away with whining and when
you don’t have your pages for the week completed. Someone who is bleeding on
the keyboard the same way you are, who can understand when you break down and
want to shred your latest revision and just how crappy that feels.
Finally, there is one VERY important step to helping you
move forward in your writing and finding a critique partnership.<br />
<br />
<b>IF YOU’R BOOK ISN’T
FINISHED, MAKE FINISHING YOUR MANUSCRIPT A PRIORITY</b> – Everyone’s time is
valuable. Joining a critique group and not having your pages complete for
meetings or delivering a stinging critique to someone who is working on their
11<sup>th</sup> draft when you haven’t even reached the first END on your own
is disrespectful to your friends and the time they are investing in your work. Everyone
in your new group needs to be pulling his or her weight, so don’t you be the
straggling zombie shambling behind everyone else. Write the very best book you
can. That way, you will be open to all the hard work that comes with diving
into a new revision with lots of great ideas from your new critique partners.
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>K.D. Wood lives in
north Mississippi with her husband, two boys and one very bad puppy. She writes
Young Adult and New Adult Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. Visit her on
Facebook (K.D. Wood) and follow her on twitter @KDWoodauthor
</b></i>Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-9720446900150946172013-06-20T03:50:00.003-05:002013-06-20T03:50:57.121-05:00HWA Con 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UMXpGTqMlrH0YL23N58YCXGt6D553SVcB_VuJG1yUCWXtsKhGY9stWA5HYQj7QNtnImv2Hz0ajc5u8nNjKKn5AdzsJSljf_Hm24Tu33FMIg7iO51ffqGy28AHeJsF8mTFaGAgDP_tRE/s1600/M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UMXpGTqMlrH0YL23N58YCXGt6D553SVcB_VuJG1yUCWXtsKhGY9stWA5HYQj7QNtnImv2Hz0ajc5u8nNjKKn5AdzsJSljf_Hm24Tu33FMIg7iO51ffqGy28AHeJsF8mTFaGAgDP_tRE/s1600/M.jpg" /></a></div>
I'm blogging from Switzerland! I know. Crazy, huh? I had such a great time at my last Con--even the town of Neuchatel will have to wait until I post this.<br />
<br />
June 13th through 16th was the <a href="http://www.horror.org/blog/" target="_blank">Horror Writer's Association Conference and World Horror Convention</a>. Both J and I attended this year and we had a great time. It has been awhile since more than one Pea attended a conference together and we were quickly reminded why we enjoyed it so well. Lots of laughs, lots of inspiration. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwOftcptIiTprUsqhy3eg5Jo1Ym7ld5bD-IkVQM5VwSRogxNb_MYMRYtnAzMfzlP6hdifv_8R3fbcvV1Bq-gpc6FHqwRibVXa8b-N4MXWTDsQ5vcGBQs_rMQv2-e7pAjMEq6P50V6Y5E/s1600/HWA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwOftcptIiTprUsqhy3eg5Jo1Ym7ld5bD-IkVQM5VwSRogxNb_MYMRYtnAzMfzlP6hdifv_8R3fbcvV1Bq-gpc6FHqwRibVXa8b-N4MXWTDsQ5vcGBQs_rMQv2-e7pAjMEq6P50V6Y5E/s320/HWA.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Genre-bending Panel (I left my Con notes in the states.)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The panels we attended were terrific and we got to meet and rub elbows with some idols. There was a terrific Mash-up/Genre Bending panel that kicked things off just right for me. I was introduced to some amazing authors--which is one of the joys of these sorts of things. We get to meet writers we may not know or may not have read and find reasons to pick up there books, learn craft from them, and have out horizons broadened. Meeting both <a href="http://www.almakatsu.com/" target="_blank">Alma Katsu</a> (<i>The Reckoning </i>and<i> The Taker</i>) and the amazing one-and-only <a href="http://www.jonathanmaberry.com/" target="_blank">Jonathan Maberry</a> (<i>Rot and Ruin & Joe Ledger Series'</i>) were highlights of my weekend--both were gracious and patient with with this here fan girl.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9f2zwua5lBJ4WF11zEFdOQ_k51TJT3lcT4yRwtD789oSLh4empBsjZpGHHnDjUcsHWnIxxLaWJDQrTn7SAxh03zy4EV6ym09UVjBwNgGa0eO7-VRjsS5mEvJ7AQdBwKF4IWcGOYYm7Q/s1600/Deanandme.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9f2zwua5lBJ4WF11zEFdOQ_k51TJT3lcT4yRwtD789oSLh4empBsjZpGHHnDjUcsHWnIxxLaWJDQrTn7SAxh03zy4EV6ym09UVjBwNgGa0eO7-VRjsS5mEvJ7AQdBwKF4IWcGOYYm7Q/s200/Deanandme.JPG" width="139" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dean Harrison and me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We also ran into some friends. <a href="http://deanmharrison.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Dean Harrison</a> was in attendance promoting his book <i>These Unquiet Bones</i> and our very own <a href="http://www.carolynhaines.com/Home.aspx" target="_blank">Carolyn Haines</a> was getting in touch with her dark side promoting <i>The Darkling</i>. Overall, it was a terrific weekend and con I will attend again. The organizers and attendees were a great bunch.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5d6iDKCzLEgG-iSWy9nRrQAtC4va4Cz7Zd-BsqpF0TQm-37oaweDUmMlPgIxbrjvKLs8Nu740v9JRZ0W78n2B5zvpPCOZwZnQhPdpDYoB_AYCMQYFUi1iA6_Tw_Pz1dKhXhI4lHvzDQ/s1600/CHand+me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5d6iDKCzLEgG-iSWy9nRrQAtC4va4Cz7Zd-BsqpF0TQm-37oaweDUmMlPgIxbrjvKLs8Nu740v9JRZ0W78n2B5zvpPCOZwZnQhPdpDYoB_AYCMQYFUi1iA6_Tw_Pz1dKhXhI4lHvzDQ/s200/CHand+me.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carolyn Haines as R.B. Chesterton.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Can you believe J and I never got a photo together this con? Blaspheme. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4BV3h1QrxqvOFTlBaemmPrfjRpwz0jBI_kFcdfnpcQZ8q7pWnBSJ6swsz9BoNm2aqPyf3a4QfgWaOSKBoWGMYppHybyUDQiBew8tCa9AT2hbr7nHoUNQnM1hnHYJEA8woend_DcS4J4/s1600/Alma.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4BV3h1QrxqvOFTlBaemmPrfjRpwz0jBI_kFcdfnpcQZ8q7pWnBSJ6swsz9BoNm2aqPyf3a4QfgWaOSKBoWGMYppHybyUDQiBew8tCa9AT2hbr7nHoUNQnM1hnHYJEA8woend_DcS4J4/s200/Alma.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We sat at Alma Katsu's table.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWn3-VkJ03L6l4nm0lc4wpD3B_1RrAOpnd-Ox9xOuilS-2Zmdm-Uq3jpOomT_u063lS1SLj4YUuAXoukhKA-rc3_npcH7sqVadOcAnU3wKDzhKO-3b4NzH3ojyqWiV_fhwzhE0-YDsUM/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWn3-VkJ03L6l4nm0lc4wpD3B_1RrAOpnd-Ox9xOuilS-2Zmdm-Uq3jpOomT_u063lS1SLj4YUuAXoukhKA-rc3_npcH7sqVadOcAnU3wKDzhKO-3b4NzH3ojyqWiV_fhwzhE0-YDsUM/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squee! Fan girl moment... It's Jonathan Maberry and me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Next week, we'll have a guest blog from K. D. Wood. Yay!<br />
Peas and love to you all.Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-513702917364011642013-05-30T14:29:00.000-05:002013-05-30T14:29:43.517-05:00Game Pod Challenge: 4 PhrasesToday's Game Pod challenge rules?<br />
Simple.<br />
<br />
<b>Write a 300 to 500 word count flash fiction or scene that used the following four phrases as dialog, text, theme, metaphor, action, etc. in the work. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>A windmill full of corpses</i></b><br />
<b><i>Passive-Aggressive Post-it notes</i></b><br />
<b><i>Getting drunk on mouthwash</i></b><br />
<b><i>Licking things to claim them</i></b><br />
<br />
First up, G...<b><i> </i></b><br />
<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Scavengers</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> by J. G. Walker</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Three
men entered the hotel dining room. As the door shut behind them, Tom--the middle-manager,
the one with the most seniority, and the man in charge--spotted a book on a
table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He
pointed. “There!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">No
sooner had Tom uttered this than his teammates, Pete and Stig, scrambled away in
a blur of khaki and denim. Pete, benefitting from longer legs and an elbow deployed
to Stig’s chest, reached the table first. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">While
Stig sulked, wheezing, Pete picked up the hardbound book, and Tom stepped
closer to look at it: An aged, bedraggled knight wielded an enormous sword, leaning
back against the door of a rustic windmill. Around the door’s edges, various
bloody arms protruded, some with hands, some without. A few hung limp, but
others still appeared intent on strangling the knight. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
title: <i>Don Quixote: Zombie Exterminator<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</span></i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pete sat
on the table, dropped the duffle he’d been carrying, and began to scan the book.
He eventually stopped, unpeeling a purple sticky note from one of the pages,
reading aloud: “Are <i>you</i> doing your <i>best</i> for the company? Answer:
You can always do <i>better</i>. Spread the word.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He
smiled at Tom. “Mark the dining room off the list.” He folded the note and
shoved it into his shirt pocket with the other gems of company propaganda they’d
collected. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Then he
lifted the book to his face and ran his tongue across its dusty cover. Twice.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Stig
recoiled. Tom was too stunned to move. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Why’d
you do that?” he said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pete
held the book out to Stig. “Do you want it?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“No,”
Stig said, clearly horrified. “Not with all your slobber on it.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pete looked
at Tom again, grinning. “That’s why.” He placed the book on the table and reached
into his jacket, producing a bottle, a blue one with a familiar label.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Is
that what I think it is?” Tom said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pete unscrewed
the lid. “Probably.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Stig
shook his head. Apparently, he knew something Tom didn’t.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Here’s
to me,” Pete said. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tom watched,
amazed, as Pete upended the bottle of Listerine. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">All
things considered, mouthwash was probably a good idea for Pete. Even on a good
day, he could stand it, but especially after licking that book. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He <u>did</u>
seem to be drinking a lot of it, though. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Finally,
Pete finished, but instead of spitting the mouthwash, he swallowed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Gah!”
Tom said. “That stuff’ll kill you.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Common
misconception.” Pete smacked his lips. “Gives quite the buzz, actually. And
kills germs.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You’re
crazy,” Stig said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Actually,
Tom realized, considering Pete’s daily office behavior, the Listerine explained
a lot. An question occurred to him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Have
you licked everything we’ve found this morning?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yup,”
Pete replied, then belched. “Which room’s next?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tom passed
the list to Stig, who consulted it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Scullery.”
Stig pointed. “That way.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tom
sighed. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Team
building exercises, he thought. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A
scavenger hunt. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">With
these two idiots.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ten
more items.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Bloody terrific.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Next up, M....<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">MINE</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By Michelle Ladner</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nick knew instantly the post-break-up agreement had
been broken. He stood at the door of the apartment he’d shared with Kay and
stared at the bright yellow square stuck to the faded green paint. On the note,
a scrawl of purple marker read:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">TOOK WHAT I FELT WAS MINE. HOPE
YOU DON’T MIND. JACK HELPED MOVE ME OUT. BE BACK TONIGHT FOR THE REST.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Let’s keep things civi</i></span><i><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">l</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">,
Kay had said to him. <i>There’s no need to get your family involved. You
know how your dad can be</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nick teeth ground together. Jack sure had moved her out,
hadn’t he? He plucked the note off the door and crumpled it, stuffing it deep
in his pocket.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He turned the key in the knob and flung the door wide. All
the furniture he’d charged to his credit card last year with her urging was gone.
Worse than that, the artwork his gran painted him last Christmas was gone too. A
few odds and ends were still scattered about the studio apartment. He saw more
yellow squares with ridiculous purple script stuck to what Kay deemed <i>her</i>
remaining things.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The space smelled mustier than he remembered. He paced
around, cataloging all the things she’d already taken, their things. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the middle of the kitchen counter sat a cardboard box.
Stuck to the front of it, another angry yellow square with purple script stared
back. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">YOUR STUFF</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He shook his head and rifled through the heaped box, chewing
on his bottom lip. He realized these weren’t <i>his</i> things, but instead an
odd collection of trash and random incidentals retrieved from under the
bathroom sink.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Heat rose to his forehead. He decided to grab a beer from
the fridge. She didn’t drink beer. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All his beer was gone. As well as the milk he’d just bought
on Monday. Only half a wrapped sandwich stared back. On it, another Post-it…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">DONT EAT THIS. IT’S JACKS. COMING BACK FOR THE REST OF MY
STUFF TONIGHT AT 6.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nick slammed the fridge door.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He plucked a full bottle of mouthwash from the heart-gouging
box of <i>his stuff</i>. Imagining her skinny, slutty body pinned to a windmill
full of corpses. He wrenched off the top and gulped down half the blue minty liquid.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After a moment, staring at the mouthwash bottle on the kitchen
counter and experiencing a strangely fresh and warm feeling overcoming him,
Nick opened the fridge. He unwrapped Jack’s sandwich, peeled it apart, and
licked both halves. Carefully, he placed the halves back together, rewrapped
the sandwich, and laid it back on the fridge shelf.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He packed everything in the apartment with a Post-it on it
into his car. Sitting on the curb, sipping on the mouthwash, he dialed his father’s
office.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Markham and Markham and Whitley,” the secretary answered.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Hi, Carol. This is Nick. Can you ask Dad to meet me at the
apartment at six tonight after all?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Sure thing, Nick.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nick smiled, hanging up the phone, and downing the rest of
his mouthwash.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
Hope you all enjoyed our Game Pod! Let's do it again!!! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-87806113342106772372013-05-28T09:47:00.002-05:002013-05-28T09:47:28.124-05:00Guest Pod: The Appeal of Horror by Dean Harrison<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Today in the Pod, my long time friend and colleague, Dean Harrison agreed to share a post about the appeal of horror. With the my upcoming attendance to the Horror Writer's Association annual conference this June, it only seemed fitting. -M </i><br />
<br />
<br />
The Appeal of Horror by Dean Harrison<br />
<br />
“Why do you write scary stuff? Why not write something the whole family can read? Why can’t you write something nice and happy? Why don’t you write a children’s book?”<br />
<br />
Those are a sample of questions about my fiction that I have fielded from relatives over the years and is not surprising.<br />
<br />
Many in the mainstream don’t understand the appeal of horror as a genre. They turn their noses up at it and label it as nothing more than garbage lacking in value, and void of any insight into the human condition. They believe it offers nothing but cheap thrills, blood, gore and sex, and that it teaches no moral lessons beneficial to society.<br />
<br />
But if they look beyond the onslaught of splatter-punk and Stephenie Meyer novels, they might find their negative perception of the genre to be wrong. From William Shakespeare to Stephen King, storytellers for centuries have used their talent to shine a light on the darkness within us all, a darkness which some in the mainstream are too afraid to face.<br />
<br />
In horror, a character is put in a situation where they must confront their worst fear or else suffer a terrible fate, such as death. Those kinds of stories reflect the good and the bad of human nature, and expose what human beings are capable of when thrust into extreme situations, and the heroic acts they perform when pushed to the brink. I strive to illustrate this in my fiction, and so do the countless others who write within the genre.<br />
<br />
Horror evokes a visceral, emotional response and an intense and prolonged feeling of fear. It is one of the oldest forms of storytelling, according to Michael West, author of The Wide Game.<br />
<br />
What makes [horror] relevant today, West said in a Facebook interview, is its ability to help us “deal with our own fears, to explore the human condition, real world problems, and injustices through allegory, and to continue to provide a safe outlet for our emotions.”<br />
<br />
Horror stories, in essence, are character studies. Just look at such writers as Jack Ketchum (The Girl Next Door), Brian Keene (The Rising), and J.F. Gonzalez (Survivor). You will find stories of human beings forced to rise up and confront evil, to fight for the survival of those they love and the things they care about. Even classics written by the likes of William Faulkner (Sanctuary), Robert Louis Stevenson (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray) have something to say about the dark side of human nature.<br />
<br />
Some people say we as humans are inherently good, but we all have a bad side. According to Ty Schwamberger, editor of Fell Beasts, it is that bad side that comes out when we watch the news “or almost marvel at the destruction that some madman caused on the highway.”<br />
<br />
Michael Knost, editor of Legends of the Mountain State: Ghostly Tales from the State of West Virginia, has a slightly different view of horror, and why it holds such appeal. He says it’s actually beneficial to our mental health.<br />
<br />
“Horror is the only literary genre that focuses on the excitements of fear, fright, terror, apprehension and dread,” Knost said. “It is a genre that takes on the goal of making its reader actually feel one of the variants of this emotion.”<br />
<br />
And because of the emotional elements involved, Knost said we shouldn’t surprise ourselves with the “mass appeal for these particular styles of literature and cinematic experiences.”<br />
<br />
“After all,” Knost continued, “the majority of our emotions are processed by our brain's limbic system. When endorphins reach the opioid receptors of the highly emotional limbic system, we experience pleasure and a sense of satisfaction.”<br />
<br />
According to Knost, that means horror emotions are created by endorphins, which give us pleasure, much like those from breathing, sexual satisfaction and hunger.<br />
<br />
“Taking all this into consideration,” Knost concluded, “the horror genre is very important to our mental well being, keeping us emotionally stable and as far from depression as possible.”<br />
<br />
Elizabeth Massie, author of Wire Mesh Mothers, believes horror is “dread to the nth degree, a state of being that in the first moment of its emergence replaces everything else in the human heart and mind.”<br />
<br />
“And in this brutal moment,” Massie said, “some of the most powerful stories of human strength, weakness, compassion, cruelty, courage, and love can be born.”<br />
<br />
According to Massie, good horror fiction deals with the most basic of human emotions. Stripping away the fluff of the ordinary day-to-day, it gets “down, dirty, dangerous and gritty to see how characters will either face up to or run from their circumstance.”<br />
<br />
When done well, Massie concluded, horror can offer “insight into who we are, why we act as we do, and the quite beautiful desire humans often have to come together and unite with each other against the direst of situations.”<br />
<br />
Horror can also have a mix of other genres such as romance, comedy and action all in the same story, said Thomas A. Erb, editor of Death Be Not Proud. <br />
<br />
“It is not all about the blood splatter,” Erb said. “It is about fear--internal and external.” He added that everyone loves to be scared.<br />
<br />
“I believe it is in the human condition to wonder about the unknown and to love to fear it,” he continued. “If we can’t explain it, we will let our devious little imaginations create far greater and vile things that truly exist at the bottom of the lake or dank basement of our house.”<br />
<br />
Erb also believes that we as a race need to have fear. “Fear of anything. It is through fear that we truly live.”<br />
<br />
“When we read or watch a truly terrifying book or film, we live vicariously through those characters,” Erb concluded.<br />
<br />
And it’s when we feel the panic and horror of losing what we have in our lives that we find value in it.<br />
<br />
<i>***You can find more on Dean Harrison at his <a href="http://deanmharrison.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.</i><br />
<i>He's also done some previous posts with us: <a href="http://ninjapeas.blogspot.com/2013/01/these-unquiet-bones.html" target="_blank">THESE UNQUIET BONES</a> and an <a href="http://ninjapeas.blogspot.com/2012/06/guest-reader-interview-twelve-questions_15.html" target="_blank">interview</a>. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Next time, a Game Pod with me and G. Fun times will be had!</i><br />
<br />Alexis Lampleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18136075917473155090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-85810653719985640862013-05-15T07:00:00.000-05:002013-05-15T07:00:05.183-05:00Recap: Daddy's Girls' Weekend 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another year... another <a href="http://www.daddysgirlsweekend.com/" target="_blank">Daddy's Girl Weekend</a>. For those unfamiliar with the antics of the Peas' university writing mentor, known troublemaker <a href="http://www.carolynhaines.com/" target="_blank">Carolyn Haines</a>, and her esteemed cohort, <a href="http://www.sarahbewley.com/" target="_blank">Sarah Bewley</a>, each year (for the last three) these ladies have hosted a writer and reader conference in or near the Mobile, AL area. DGWE always proves to be great craft and business advice paired with an unforgettable time. This year was no exception.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.chrisgrabenstein.com/" target="_blank">Chris Grabenstien</a> author of <i>iFunny</i>, Dean James AKA Miranda James author of <i><a href="http://www.catinthestacks.com/" target="_blank">The Cat in the Stack Series</a></i>, <a href="http://www.benjaminleroy.com/" target="_blank">Ben LeRoy</a> of <a href="http://www.tyrusbooks.com/" target="_blank">Tyrus Books</a>, Scholastic Editor Mallory Kass, Muse Literary Agent Debbie Carter, friend <a href="http://rbogorman.com/Pops_website__%29/Home.html" target="_blank">Ron O'Gorman</a> (whose book <i>Fatal Rythmn </i>with be available from <a href="http://www.tuscanypress.com/" target="_blank">Tuscany Press</a>, Marilyn Johnston, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kimberlysdaniels" target="_blank">Kimberly Daniels</a>, Robert Warren, Alice Jackson, John Hafner, and Dewitt Lebrano were all in attendance as faculty and panelists this year, offering a wide array of perspectives of craft and business.<br />
<br />
This is always a fun event and I've yet to miss a year. Plus, it's always good to get back to your roots. In many ways, Carolyn's classes is what really started this crazy endeavor anyway. <br />
<br />
Follow the Con via Facebook at: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001720183583&fref=ts" target="_blank">D. g. Weekend </a><br />
<br />
They are already gearing up for registration and accommodations for 2014. You won't want to miss it (even if just to watch the antics of Carolyn's posse. ;-)<br />
<br />
~M<br />
<br />Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-30928107670529615082013-05-14T06:00:00.000-05:002013-05-14T06:00:05.631-05:00Olde City New Blood: February Recap... Eesh!This is so, so late...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://oldecitynewblood.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Olde City New Blood </a><br />
<br />
A recap on a conference that happened months ago seems...<br />
Well, I just should've done one sooner.<br />
<br />
But it was such an amazing group of organizers, authors, bloggers, and readers--I feel like the Peas owed all of them a little shout out.<br />
<br />
Holla! You were terrific!<br />
<br />
This was one of the most fun cons for me. Not only did all in attendance have their fingers in some facet of the genre/sub-genres/categories I love, but the attendees and faculty were so accessible. I got to hang with one of my heros (<a href="http://www.janicehardy.com/" target="_blank">Janice Hardy</a>) and meet a slew of other authors and new faces that were just amazingly generous with their time and willingness to share: <a href="http://www.ahugheswriter.com/" target="_blank">Alex Hughes</a>, <a href="http://jamesrtuck.com/" target="_blank">James R. Tuck</a>, <a href="http://www.jennabennett.com/" target="_blank">Jenna Bennet</a>t AKA Jenny Bentley, <a href="http://karinacooper.com/" target="_blank">Karina Cooper</a>, <a href="http://delilahpaints.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Delilah S. Dawson</a>, <a href="http://www.lexigeorge.com/" target="_blank">Lexi George</a>, <a href="http://www.leanolan.com/" target="_blank">Lea Nolan</a>, <a href="http://www.cjellisson.com/" target="_blank">C J Ellison</a>, just to name a few that were particularly awesome to me and gave me great advice. Since, I have read a lot of their books since, I am even more glad I got to be in the company of their talented selves. (So if you are looking for a summer reading list and some new authors to explore, start with the links above).<br />
<br />
I also met an incredibly talented lady forging her way through this jungle of the publishing world, <a href="http://catyork.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Cat York</a>. A talented illustrator and writer. And now a friend and comrade for the future.<br />
<br />
For news on the next incarnation of this conference... check out <a href="http://coastalmagicconvention.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Coastal Magic</a><br />
This is a Con worth following. Give them some love--great things are happening here.<br />
<br />
~M Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-68632660230619597392013-05-13T07:00:00.000-05:002013-05-13T07:00:13.877-05:00Today's Lost Chance to Hollywood It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today marks a day of professional growth disappointment. The screenwriting workshop I had signed up for at the local university did not make and therefore was cancelled. I had high hopes of learning the secrets of screenwriting in a two-week long course that would, per chance, enable me to channel Joss Whedon as I approach my next story concept. What's more, to have an affordable way to explore the craft of movie and television writing, right here in my own backyard. Well, to even have the opportunity is a rarity. Imagine my excitement paired with my disappointment as the course was squelched (for reasonable reasons, I'm sure).<br />
<br />
Alas, that dream has faded. Today is just another Monday.<br />
<br />
Not that I fancy myself a reborn (new born?) screenwriter. I enjoy the wordy exposition of the book format too much. I understand how different the formats of screenwriting versus novel writing are, but that's not to say I don't recognize the similarities as well. After all, a good story is a good story.<br />
<br />
I'm a bit of a cinematic writer anyway. I tend to view the scenes in my head that I write much like I'm viewing them through a camera lens. This isn't a method exclusive to me. A lot of writers do it. We (meaning writer folk of the last several decades) have grown up in a society where television and film saturate our perspectives. But there is something innately comfortable with this method of storytelling--lenses, scenes, etc.--probably explained away in some philosophical psychology of the observer in relation the observed that dates back prior to the birth of moving pictures. However, the chicken-or-the-egg argument is not what I mean to highlight. What I mean to highlight is, as novelists, writers of any kind, ie: storytellers, we can learn a lot from experiencing the screenwriting process (I imagine, I had hoped, I still hope). I also think we can do the same by taking time to closely examine films that convey really good story.<br />
<br />
This isn't anything new. It's not rocket science either. It's just something I'm pondering today--directly related to the mourning of my lost opportunity.<br />
<br />
One thought brambling about up there...<br />
Our film market is inundated (and always has been) with book to film adaptations. What is interesting to me is what works in both, what works exclusively with the confines of each format, and why we are so quick to judge these formats against one another (I loved the book but hated the movie, we often say).<br />
<br />
I imagine this inevitable relation is as simple as: they are both ways to tell a story.<br />
<br />
As a struggle through finishing my books and then making them really good stories (which I think the finishing is one thing and the latter comes with rewriting and editing) I look onward in awe at those filmmakers and screenwriters that tell really good stories. Until the next screenwriting opportunity shows itself, I'll satisfy myself with rereading Syd Feild's <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/screenwriters-workbook-syd-field/1100618519" target="_blank"><i>The Screenwriter's Workbook</i></a> and keep replaying and scrutinizing Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams series' and films'.<br />
Maybe I can teach myself to Hollywood It? But I'm open to suggestions.<br />
<br />
~M Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-45318507675591811622013-05-10T09:46:00.000-05:002013-05-10T11:36:37.301-05:00Cumberbatching My Way Back to the Job<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I spend an awful lot of time lately lamenting how much or how little
time I spend honing my craft and producing pages versus being human and
remembering to eat, sleep, and clean out litter boxes so my feline
companions and my husband don't walk out on me. I think every writer
trying to find their feet does this at various stages, whether they are
considered a success (whatever that means) or not. Especially those writers with careers,
families, and responsibilities not centered around their creative endeavors. It's part and parcel to the game (I think). Some handle it better than others. I, however, find it all very anxiety-ridden.<br />
<br />
I have a lot of idols, writers and
other creative types (artists, actors, directors, etc.), that I look up to and I
think, "Wow, you've got it so together. What the f*@k is wrong with me?"
It's in those moments that I begin to think about all the things I
should be doing, but don't do well. Things that are supposed to help
bolster my career as a writer (whatever that means): the Twitter, the
Facebook, the Blogging, my website upkeep, networking, pitching,
querying, and the list goes on. You know the list, it's the one you start to compile when you go to writers' conferences and workshops and every writer
tells you what they do, every editor and agent tells you what they want, and you just start to assimilate all of it rather
than picking and choosing what actually might work best for you (because you don't have any sense at all. Well, YOU might have sense, but I don't). And it's in those moments that I begin my desent. My downward spiral. It's then that the doubt and
the fear and the disillusionment begins. Call it insecurity, call it the
artist's lament, either way, if I allow it to get a hold of me, it can
take quite a long time for me to dig myself out of it.<br />
<br />
So,
last night, I was doing what I often do when I'm not writing and
worrying about how I'm not writing whilst realizing that the
worrying about not writing is just not writing and I'd be better off
writing but I don't write because I'm a hot mess and I decide to wallow
in my writer's lament...<br />
<br />
I googled <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1212722/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Benedict Cumberbatch</a>.<br />
(I don't always google Benedict, sometimes it's Joss Whedon, sometimes it's J.J. Abrams or James Hance or J.K Rowling or someone else on that long list of creative people I idolize.)<br />
Last night it was Benedict Cumberbatch. <br />
<br />
Anyway, I adore The Cumberbatch. He's one of those amazing creative types (a British actor, if you are unaware) who, I think, will be considered The Actor
of my generation. And I mean that quite literally. His birthday is only
three months before mine. Why is this important? Well, it goes back to
what I said before--Benedict is one of those creative types I idolize
and I often think, "Wow! You've got it together. What the sh*t is my problem?" 36-years-old, like me, Ben's part of the successful,
well-loved BBC Series <i>Sherlock</i>, and in the last few years he's been a part of some amazing projects: <i>Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy</i>, <i>War Horse</i>, <i>Atonement</i>, <i>The Hobbit</i>, and <i>Star Trek</i> (just to name a few). Not only is his career exploding, but I believe he genuinely deserves the attention. He's an amazing actor and he's intelligent, charismatic, and possesses unearthly cheekbones.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, in this moment of the downward spiral, thinking of Benedict Cumberbatch makes me feel crappy about myself and my lack of success (again... whatever that word means). We're the same age, he and I, and I look at him and I think (because I have engaged in that desent), "I am a waste of air and space. What the sh*t have I been doing the last 36 years?"<br />
<br />
I know, I know. I know what you are going to say. "It's not Ben's fault!"<br />
Of course it's not Benedict's fault. I know that! I'm not totally unaware of my accountability in all this. I'm also very aware that the comparison is ridiculous. For one, I'm not British. Secondly, I'm not an actor. I'm definitely not a dude. And even if I lost 60 lbs, I am <i>never</i> going to have cheekbones like his. Ever.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, thinking of him in this way makes me feel totally inadequate as I stare at the mess of a manuscript in my lap and the six other (once promising) novel projects that haven't quite made it off the ground. It's an anxiety-ridden despair that makes me wonder, why the hell am I doing any of this anyway?<br />
<br />
But, keep in mind, I've been googling Benedict Cumberbatch throughout this whole desent process.<br />
<br />
This is what I stumble upon:<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMV6FhMjISbVEgRb61FZvX7R8xZPSJEKFpHqujodiOJZQFtjZRPyHeLY3DSY58XUkkbb7kkJvzmgfAAMjZxtSJSWZ6hcz1R75xrUxezNAW_zQAqp-fYLU_TebH3vVzCP_wTm84IbH_wQ/s1600/BenCQuote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMV6FhMjISbVEgRb61FZvX7R8xZPSJEKFpHqujodiOJZQFtjZRPyHeLY3DSY58XUkkbb7kkJvzmgfAAMjZxtSJSWZ6hcz1R75xrUxezNAW_zQAqp-fYLU_TebH3vVzCP_wTm84IbH_wQ/s320/BenCQuote.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot from a USA Today Article by Brian Truitt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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God love you Benedict and your f*ck!ng amazing cheekbones.<br />
<br />
In the last several years of trying so hard to write a publishable manuscript and pave a way to break into the market, I had forgotten this simple fact: I love writing. I cannot imagine an existence without me doing it. And when I'm in it, doing it with passion and without distraction, I really enjoy my job.<br />
<br />
Do I want an audience? Absolutely. But not at the detriment of my love for the job which I so enjoy doing. It's so easy to get caught up in all the extraneous things that have to do with writing for an audience, but that doesn't preclude that the first and foremost focus should ever stop being the writing. Without the writing, the rest of it is for naught. That I do know and I often forget that the work is the work.<br />
<br />
~M <br />
<br />
<br />Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-67195794508570655142013-04-10T11:59:00.000-05:002013-04-10T11:59:40.663-05:00Books are like Bananas? Where is this post going? Srsly.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPSoBPAk0E6m3KNlTQB6a23uuoRkhRvseJiaQibRkGwi24HoIP_LsBHb2VSi30D7VbkDXYETFva5K-AxyMQuvFkh2nTXO-_hFlNpQXsOqlLrkNxMxDau_CnjXmoZ1qw2Bc1EDeJKNRXM/s1600/A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPSoBPAk0E6m3KNlTQB6a23uuoRkhRvseJiaQibRkGwi24HoIP_LsBHb2VSi30D7VbkDXYETFva5K-AxyMQuvFkh2nTXO-_hFlNpQXsOqlLrkNxMxDau_CnjXmoZ1qw2Bc1EDeJKNRXM/s1600/A.jpg" /></a></div>
*pokes head around corner* Um, hi. Alexis here. It's been a while. *grins sheepishly* Sorry 'bout that.<br />
<br />
Life has been... well... life. Which has kept me from writing. Which in turn has kept me from posting because, hey, what could I say? "Oh, hey guys! Still not writing. Too busy trying to round up the marbles of my life which I've dropped all over the hardwood floor. Sorry I'm not inspiring! See y'all later!" Not really gonna cut it. <br />
<br />
But just because I haven't written lately doesn't mean I haven't been creative. So I guess that's a stupid excuse. In fact, I've amped up my creativity quite a lot, especially in the last few months.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlpAFIahALwkFSPq4sE8RLpEdUAgHxYs3jxp9lkFdQHwRFm0A_NxTjQGmJII1wt4tURAtBX5OwaK96VRGLVUafVptwpAX4PL6bWJ55q90LPHSgi1LdLAb1jJB2YJgOZQYMNbc1ZU5XF4/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-10+at+11.19.05+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlpAFIahALwkFSPq4sE8RLpEdUAgHxYs3jxp9lkFdQHwRFm0A_NxTjQGmJII1wt4tURAtBX5OwaK96VRGLVUafVptwpAX4PL6bWJ55q90LPHSgi1LdLAb1jJB2YJgOZQYMNbc1ZU5XF4/s200/Screen+shot+2013-04-10+at+11.19.05+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tucker being ridiculously adorable.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'm still doing my book "reviews" over at <a href="http://alexislampley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Witty Title Here</a>. {With the new year came a new photo look and process, but of course I still get my feathery helpers to join in when they can}. [RIGHT]<br />
<span id="goog_1161018393"></span><br />
But you may not know that I've also started an <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/ATYPeICAL" target="_blank">Etsy store</a>
with my latest endeavor: hand-lettered typography. Most days, I spend
my lunch hours sketching, and my evenings inking the sketches onto nice
paper. [BELOW]<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8o9Q_gA4td6-1aryqPxKRwGekJC54mMhZQPvrSm0VBybEEhLkvkbtI9Td_HMbszc4mFSr3vER98e4ZOVZfJCq6_dZGJveToIYNKw7Nn6Y83kOT-FQdFtPvsAUCVAYsXB8h90x2XZ2b8/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-10+at+10.57.13+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8o9Q_gA4td6-1aryqPxKRwGekJC54mMhZQPvrSm0VBybEEhLkvkbtI9Td_HMbszc4mFSr3vER98e4ZOVZfJCq6_dZGJveToIYNKw7Nn6Y83kOT-FQdFtPvsAUCVAYsXB8h90x2XZ2b8/s320/Screen+shot+2013-04-10+at+10.57.13+AM.png" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*FOR MORE INFO SEE BOTTOM OF POST</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lately, my evenings have been given over to finally, <u>finally</u> decorating and organizing my house and to refinishing the desk I <b>finally</b> bought for my office. Srsly y'all, you have no idea how long I've suffered without a desk and just how much chaos it has created in my home. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVJNMmvsHUDSbR8VtRVX0rOPt1JaaWMZPZDAyoIyRd7j5eUkNsGt5w0hxRQAQlyxJoWrHzaP9rZVeBWxDrUFXjV_cNMRRHrDGPGlTRnsUiyzwVOV1B2CBKqk647PzhBJwN8YyhCq8m7E/s1600/photo+1%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVJNMmvsHUDSbR8VtRVX0rOPt1JaaWMZPZDAyoIyRd7j5eUkNsGt5w0hxRQAQlyxJoWrHzaP9rZVeBWxDrUFXjV_cNMRRHrDGPGlTRnsUiyzwVOV1B2CBKqk647PzhBJwN8YyhCq8m7E/s200/photo+1%25281%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "cleanest" part of my office.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In my office alone, none of the art is hung. [RIGHT] Boxes flood the floor {because I have <u>no</u> storage}, all my art
supplies and gadgets and computer and monitor are littering other parts
of my house where I can use them since my office is pretty much just a
storage shed/library. My books are only so organized on my shelves because they are sharing
space with random objects and picture frames that have nowhere else to
sit. It's driving me insane.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_L93aSFHcpOjO9gBoTXAOWiHo5bI0F8OLqGdnhYpet3kCfLX7OKv70FnuA4VQ6cFs6843-G-ajHqTiEqaWGFXKVA7wP9OuQ_GsmD6us-6kW3PUIsAphSH1dnfShCOL_tWSzpyVCgq5c/s1600/photo+2%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_L93aSFHcpOjO9gBoTXAOWiHo5bI0F8OLqGdnhYpet3kCfLX7OKv70FnuA4VQ6cFs6843-G-ajHqTiEqaWGFXKVA7wP9OuQ_GsmD6us-6kW3PUIsAphSH1dnfShCOL_tWSzpyVCgq5c/s320/photo+2%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a> So, right now, my priorities have shifted to finishing the desk, getting it out of the garage -- where my husband can then move all <u>his</u> shit that clutters the house {it's a vicious cycle}-- and the house can maybe not be such a source of clutter in my mind. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-suTRICLEDNcFh-rv2Iyq5t4M8MhHyU6U9W2498ziBBR-PMOBCqxiM15X1caBshc-vLs8pF_C3P14R6k1JOj17siC7wN7rQG79B7tn_43gCWfiViDljXHd0KmnhI2hfXn6Uvj8UYi4jM/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-suTRICLEDNcFh-rv2Iyq5t4M8MhHyU6U9W2498ziBBR-PMOBCqxiM15X1caBshc-vLs8pF_C3P14R6k1JOj17siC7wN7rQG79B7tn_43gCWfiViDljXHd0KmnhI2hfXn6Uvj8UYi4jM/s200/photo+3.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Which is an exciting prospect. Because when my surroundings are in chaos, my mind is, too. {Spent an entire Sat. sanding all of this, btw}.<br />
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Needless to say, with all that going on, I haven't really been focused on the writing aspect of my life. I haven't forgotten or abandoned it... just... haven't focused my energies there. I think it was much needed. In truth, things had been a little depressing for me in the fall/winter. I stopped sending out queries/synopses/etc in August, but got a continuous trickle of rejections through about November.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEaObqT70UDMTTMR__D2cVL7PL5sRiiBfB2qRbtzQ8bcQppqwWp06lJ3XHSbjASw9EmZd4eXbFdZILE6kkOCJS_3tXgtzeHvRoSRjS7QO1SDWabszfnrHUXzUUPc2po4EGIajDOFdPb4/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-10+at+10.23.02+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEaObqT70UDMTTMR__D2cVL7PL5sRiiBfB2qRbtzQ8bcQppqwWp06lJ3XHSbjASw9EmZd4eXbFdZILE6kkOCJS_3tXgtzeHvRoSRjS7QO1SDWabszfnrHUXzUUPc2po4EGIajDOFdPb4/s320/Screen+shot+2013-04-10+at+10.23.02+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
To be fair, there were many positive rejections. {One in particular, which came out of the blue a couple months after I'd stopped expecting to get any more responses, actually ended up meaning a lot to me because I was having a really rough week when I got it. And even though it was a rejection, it made me feel a little better}. [RIGHT]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But when something you truly believe in continues to give you almost nothing of real encouragement/positivity in return for years of devotion and effort, no matter how hard you try to change things, the veil of hope begins to wear thin. Especially when so many agents found it promising but, ultimately, not fresh enough. I'm convinced that this is the worst possible feedback you can get on a manuscript. How? How do you fix that? Srsly. It's very disheartening.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
...And yet, I'm just the most stubborn person ever, usually clinging to optimism against my better judgement. {But that often pays off, so of course, it reinforces my desire to do so}. So even when I don't work on it for months, or give it really any shelf space in my daily thoughts, I continue to think of ways to fix it. Most are written off before they've completely formed. Other ideas swirl in my head for weeks before I voice them, and then realize how unhelpful they are. Yet I carry on. Why? Because my greatest flaw is my stubborn refusal to give up hope. Yes. Flaw. This flaw has got me in any number of situations where I suffer far more than I ought, and where most people would just give up. But oh, no. Not me. No, I'd rather spend seven years on the same book because I know it's worth not giving up on. And it's not like I'm being unreasonable. It's not a bad book. It's actually really good. People love the characters, they love the world, they enjoy the writing and the story... it's just not... Well, okay, it's like this:<br />
<br />
You've got a bunch of bananas. They're ripe and bright and yellow and delightful. They are the best things you've ever tasted. But by the end of the week they aren't quite as bright. A little brown is creeping in. They're the same bananas you wanted on Monday, but by Friday, you've gotten used to the taste. You know these will be just as good, but it's not like you haven't had several like it before. Like, all week. You can actually taste them by memory without opening one up, and you decide to pass. You want a fresher one. So, at this point. my manuscript is sortof, to agents, like the bananas on Friday. Is it just the newest freshest plot ever? No. Is it still satisfying? I'd like to think so. But here's where my stubborn determination to not give up kicks in:<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSm7hFlxFdXs-e2oDQrTdF1JUFQktiSCyBJR4Y7TjnJR90mAkbAD-jcgqm0-0kvQ08znIgGOszSSGemJ3_rAs3c8UZ3aGyo5kZtbp5jUwSD9tnTgXHFBoUGybRddeDZ1HgUiXcGysbj0s/s1600/banana-bread-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSm7hFlxFdXs-e2oDQrTdF1JUFQktiSCyBJR4Y7TjnJR90mAkbAD-jcgqm0-0kvQ08znIgGOszSSGemJ3_rAs3c8UZ3aGyo5kZtbp5jUwSD9tnTgXHFBoUGybRddeDZ1HgUiXcGysbj0s/s320/banana-bread-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my photo. Totally grabbed this off the internet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Wait another week and those bananas have finally reached the perfect ripeness for just the most fantastic banana bread ever. Yes, the bananas are mushy. No, they don't seem like something you wanna snatch off the shelf and devour. But add a few ingredients and give it some time... and you've got something devourable after all.<br />
<br />
<br />
So I guess what I'm saying is: to me, my manuscript isn't bananas on Friday. My manuscript is banana bread. I just have to find the right ingredients and then give it some time. It will be fresh when the time is right. Maybe not in the same way as a ripe banana, but still devourable... still leaving you wanting more.<br />
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Anyway, that's the short version of where I've been and what I've been up to. I hope, if nothing else, you were entertained, and that maybe your life will seem easier and calmer in comparison to mine ;)<br />
<br />
<i>*Profits from ATYPeICAL are used to pay for the desk, art supplies, writing supplies, and books. Basically, if you buy my stuff, you're helping to sustain my creativity... and my sanity. So... please decorate your home and keep me sane!</i>Alexis Lampleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18136075917473155090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-30149328103795364052013-03-25T06:00:00.000-05:002013-03-25T06:00:14.058-05:00Doing Nothing is Untrue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UMXpGTqMlrH0YL23N58YCXGt6D553SVcB_VuJG1yUCWXtsKhGY9stWA5HYQj7QNtnImv2Hz0ajc5u8nNjKKn5AdzsJSljf_Hm24Tu33FMIg7iO51ffqGy28AHeJsF8mTFaGAgDP_tRE/s1600/M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UMXpGTqMlrH0YL23N58YCXGt6D553SVcB_VuJG1yUCWXtsKhGY9stWA5HYQj7QNtnImv2Hz0ajc5u8nNjKKn5AdzsJSljf_Hm24Tu33FMIg7iO51ffqGy28AHeJsF8mTFaGAgDP_tRE/s1600/M.jpg" /></a></div>
Is has been three months since my last lead on.<br />
<br />
That's right. I'm fully aware that as a Pea, as a blogger, and as a speaker to our imaginary friends, I have been leading you on for months. I'd say it's because I've been doing nothing writerly since before Christmas 2012, but that'd be untrue.<br />
<br />
It's an out and out lie actually. <br />
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Just since 2013's arrival, I registered for the national RWA Con (among others), I went to the Olde City New Blood Con in St. Augustine, I joined a local critique group, I met another amazing critique partner (who lives in Tennessee), I wrote my first worth-a-damn synopsis since I started this charade of being a writer, and I attended an event with Fairhope author Sonny Brewer (just this past weekend). Sha! It's true. I been doing stuffs! I even have another writer's conference scheduled for
the first week of April. Why the hell didn't/haven't/wouldn't/willn't I blog about any of that?<br />
Cause I have peas for brains!<br />
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(Clearly, I'm still in the anger/manic phase of this multi-staged return to pea blogging...)<br />
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And don't think the Peas haven't met semi-regularly either. Cause we have! J and I even concocted a slightly stalkery, INCREDIBLY fantastic, Princess/Sherlock/Benedict Cumberbatch themed birthday party for A (which was kind of for all of us really--let's face it). We even rallied together to get me through that worth-a-damn synopsis which scared me as much as a vat full of slugs and snails--which is a lot! (It seems my turret's word for this blog is: which.)<br />
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Heck! the group-text-dream-journal-entries the Peas trade daily... especially the one where Ziva from NCIS and I jump away from an erupting volcano, swim to Genoa, Italy, and sell all my parents belongings in a yard sale from a tent... those dream texts are proof positive that these peas have not lost the will to create. Our sub-consciousnesses demand it!<br />
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So if you're thinking that blue-masked Pea never blogs like she promised she would because she ain't been doing nothing...<br />
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Doing nothing is untrue. <br />
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I'm going to spend the next few blog posts groveling and getting you all caught up. (Yep... UP). First, the Olde City New Blood Con. It was awesome! You'll love it. See you back here soon for the skinny on the DL. (I have no idea what I'm typing. We'll just chalk it up to being out of practice.) <br />
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Peas and love.<br />
M<br />
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<br />Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-20769602527909508992013-03-22T23:59:00.003-05:002013-03-23T01:53:45.924-05:00Something Clever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UMXpGTqMlrH0YL23N58YCXGt6D553SVcB_VuJG1yUCWXtsKhGY9stWA5HYQj7QNtnImv2Hz0ajc5u8nNjKKn5AdzsJSljf_Hm24Tu33FMIg7iO51ffqGy28AHeJsF8mTFaGAgDP_tRE/s1600/M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UMXpGTqMlrH0YL23N58YCXGt6D553SVcB_VuJG1yUCWXtsKhGY9stWA5HYQj7QNtnImv2Hz0ajc5u8nNjKKn5AdzsJSljf_Hm24Tu33FMIg7iO51ffqGy28AHeJsF8mTFaGAgDP_tRE/s1600/M.jpg" /></a></div>
I've wanted so badly to write something clever. <br />
<br />
I read so many great blogs and I always wonder how do those writers keep it fresh, keep it going? How do YOU amazing bloggers keep all the contributors engaged and productive? Most impressively, how dost thou keep a single contributor going, going, going... especially when that individual is wholly aware that one's readers are imaginary friends?<br />
<br />
It's no secret the luster and excitement behind the Inside the Pod posts has waned, dulled, dare I say... come to a screaming halt. I accept responsibility. I'm at least one third culpable. By that measure, I should at the very least post once every three weeks, right? I just haven't had any idea what to write. I wanted to make my fellow peas proud of the work I would do in their absence. And it's not very fun doing Game Pods alone. It just makes me sad that no one can come out to play. <br />
<br />
Then I was struck with a five part heart-squeezing realization...<br />
A) My twenty year high school reunion is next year... which means time is passing at an alarming rate<br />
B) A waiter told me I had a Thai-shaped head on my 16th wedding anniversary<br />
C) I had a mind-blowing dream revelation that what my broken WIP needs is DRUGS as a plot line<br />
D) I was mistaken for a man at the grocery store and will have a long conversation with my therapist Monday morning.<br />
...Then Finally<br />
E) I have logged text message conversations with A and J this week that include discussions of both French Toast Warfare and Tuna High Fevers.<br />
<br />
No blog posts? No excuses. <br />
<br />
When those three silly and ambitious writer girls set out to begin the Ninja Pea Blog, they never for a minute took themselves seriously. The whole point was random writerly related posts. The pod is information sharing, having fun with our writer friends and supporting them, and having a silly time. If someone got a laugh or a morsel or two of useful information...lagniappe. To quote THE Joker... Why so serious?<br />
<br />
Somehow as the Peas got busy and I had this notion to continue alone, I felt I had to hone and forge amazing and clever words with eternal meaning.<br />
<br />
What the hell was I thinking?<br />
<br />
For goodness sake! There are three anthropomorphized peas in ninja masks on the banner of this blog. I've been taking myself way too seriously. <br />
<br />
So that's where I am today. I'm inspired to get back in touch with the random-slightly-writerly-mostly-silly-and-misdirected-author-supportive-everything-we-love-blog that Inside the Pod was meant to be. And maybe... just maybe... if I can keep this thing on life support, the Peas will unsprout and return. Bare with me. This might get bumpy. But I hope I can lure a few readers back. I might even think of something clever.<br />
<br />
Peas, Love, and Randomness <br />
M <br />
<br />
<br />Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-22127138297302436712013-01-16T09:00:00.000-06:002013-01-16T09:00:11.452-06:00These Unquiet Bones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Kicking off 2013 Inside the Pod I have dear friend and respected fellow writer, Dean Harrison, here to talk a little bit about his debut novel. I asked him to answer a few basic questions to introduce all of you, our imaginary readers, to him and THESE UNQUIET BONES. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Make him feel at home.</i><br />
<i>(Horror and Southern Gothic fans, on the dark side, this is just up your alley.)</i><br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Release Date: January 28, 2013</td></tr>
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M: You have your debut novel book coming out January 28th, 2013. THESE UNQUIET BONES. Tell readers a little about it.<br />
<br />
Dean: It is about a teenage girl named Amy Snow. Trying to get behind the truth of her mother's death, she unleashes the skeletons lurking in the dark of her father's closet and learns a terrible and twisted truth about her family tree. Meanwhile, a man named Adam is on a mission to restore Paradise to its former glory. To accomplish this, he must find "The Lost One," a girl he calls Eve, and sacrifice her to the god she betrayed the day a talking serpent slithered into the Garden of Eden.<br />
<br />
I like to think of it as a Southern Gothic and not just horror. It contains all sorts of elements: supernatural and psychological horror, suspense, mystery, romance, and drama. <br />
<br />
M: What inspired this project and how did it come to fruition?<br />
<br />
Dean: Inspiration came from a constant nagging desire to write a novel that I wanted to read. The themes and characters have been with me since I started writing fiction in high school but I never reached a stable storyline or plot until three years ago, which was when I decided it was time to finally get serious about my dreams. <br />
<br />
However, the story and plot went through many changes before I made to the final draft. Minor characters became major characters and vise versa. Plot points were taken out and replaced by new and better ones. Some settings were different, some scenes were taken out and I went through three different titles. <br />
<br />
The first title was THE CAPTURED GODDESS but I decided that sounded too much like dark fantasy. The second title was SUFFERING OVERDUE but I quickly decided it wouldn’t fit the story because it sounded too much like splatter-punk, which wasn’t what I was writing. THESE UNQUIET BONES was the third and final title, and the one that fit the story best. I hope others agree.<br />
<br />
M: What kinds of readers will respond to this story?<br />
<br />
Dean: Adults—and
even young adults, since the protagonist and other key characters are
teenagers—who enjoy drama, suspense, and supernatural horror in fiction;
and who don’t mind being a little disturbed because there is dark and
disturbing subject matter within THESE UNQUIET BONES.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dean Harrison</td></tr>
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M: Who are some of the writers that inspire you and what do you like to read when you aren't writing? <br />
<br />
Dean: Douglas
Clegg, Robert R. McCammon and Dean Koontz were my earliest influences.
This was followed by Peter Straub, Thomas Harris and Thomas Hardy—I
mostly read horror, suspense thrillers, and classic literature.<br />
<br />
John
Farris, Tom Piccirilli, Stephen King and William Faulkner were major
influences for me while I was working on THESE UNQUIET BONES. T.M.
Wright and H.P. Lovecraft also have a big influence on my writing,
especially my current work.<br />
<br />
Right now I'm reading a novel by
Charles L. Grant, one of the masters of quiet horror. I’ve also been
delving into the work of Graham Masterton and Arthur Machen, and plan to
introduce myself to the writings of Dan Simmons, Richard Matheson, F.
Paul Wilson and others.<br />
<br />
M: Who is publishing the book? Where can we find it?<br />
<br />
Dean: Odium Media
is publishing THESE UNQUIET BONES. You will be able to find it on the
publisher’s website, <a href="http://odiumedia.com/">odiumedia.com</a>, or on such sites as
Amazon.com.<br />
<br />
M: What is next for you?<br />
<br />
Dean: I'm currently working on a new novella inspired by Celtic mythology and the writings of horror masters T.M. Wright and Arthur Machen. I also have another novella, inspired by Lovecraft and alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins, on the backburner. And though I am not a big fan of short stories, I have a ton of short story ideas set aside for a rainy day. <br />
<br />
M: For the writers out here, what's the best writing advice you've ever been given?<br />
<br />
Dean: Just write and don’t worry about getting it perfect in the first sitting. As Hemingway once said, the first draft of anything is always shit.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Dean Harrison is a longtime fan of horror fiction. Though he has spent some time out in the “real world” working as a shoe salesman, a security guard, an investigator, a loss prevention detective, and a journalist, he has consistently returned to what he loves doing most–writing horror stories. His published work can be found in the horror anthologies FEM-FANGS, FELL BEASTS, TWISTED TALES FROM THE TORCHLIGHT INN, RELICS & REMAINS, and CHRISTMAS IN HELL. More is to come. Dean lives with his family in his hometown of Mobile, AL; a city rich in ghost stories. </i></b><br />
<br />
<i>You can learn more about Dean Harrison and THESE UNQUIET BONES, which drops January 28th, by visiting his website: <a href="http://deanmharrison.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">deanmharrison.wordpress.com </a></i><br />
<i>Like him on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dean.harrison.33?group_id=0" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and drop him a line.</i>Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-43713329041410518582013-01-16T00:28:00.000-06:002013-01-16T00:34:04.223-06:00What's In Store?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello, lovely imaginary readers. It's 2013! Did you notice a whole new year is upon us? I can't believe it's been a month since we saw each other last. Santa came. The ball dropped. It's been a whirlwind of a 2012 wrap-up, which barreled right into 2013. Where did the time go? It's already mid-month. Somewhere during all that, we lost touch. <b>Apologies.</b> We'll try not to lose you again. No fear... we're back! And we're going to get back on track. Pinky promise. For reals this time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the midst of all the New Year planning, there'll be an Instagram revamping. </td></tr>
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As is the nature of the pod, we've got a lot of random planned. But I want to fill you in on what's up with the Peas since we last chatted.<br />
<br />
A is book blogging at <a href="http://alexislampley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Witty Title Here </a>and you must check out her typography, photos, and graphic design forays on <a href="http://pinterest.com/alexislampley/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and Instagram. She's pretty easy to find everywhere, doodling quotes and creating art to her hearts content. She's easily distracted (ooh, shiny) but she'll never neglect the pod.<br />
<br />
J shared <a href="http://www.jeannieholmes.com/index.php/2013/01/08/the-end/" target="_blank">sad news</a> about her Alex Sabian books. Since she has been playing with new creative ideas and <a href="http://southernfriedtofu.blogspot.com/2013/01/day-2-feed-me-seymour.html" target="_blank">vegetables</a>. It's quite exciting -- the creative vegetable things. There's other super secret stuff she's doing (cause J is sneaky that way) and some not so super secret stuff. So... really... not much has changed. Yay for normalcy!<br />
<br />
Me? Dr. Buttons has a big year ahead of her. A new rewrite of the same manuscript. And a new draft of a new project. Plus... I have <a href="http://maladner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">7,930 Days</a> of books to read and the pile is growing. Lots of conferences--six total (Sha! I know! What am I thinking?) A few trips (Vegas, a Cruise, a super secret spring something). But I endeavor not to lose track of you, even when I'm out of town. I will learn to use the laptop effectively. This is part of my New Year's resolution... so... yeah, I gotta. It's in writing.<br />
<br />
Heads up! This week I have writer pal, Dean Harrison, dropping by the pod to talk about his debut horror novel, <a href="http://deanmharrison.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">These Unquiet Bones</a>. After that, I have some mad ramblings planned until J and A ease back into the pod as their schedules settle. Hope you are ready for 2013! The Peas certainly are.<br />
<br />
Much love and peas, always. <br />
<br />
Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-25728564942118696852012-12-12T08:25:00.003-06:002012-12-12T08:28:32.520-06:00Blog Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm participating in a blog hop. Sort of a fun way to link authors and readers.<br />
First off... check out these Next Big Thing writer pals.<br />
<a href="http://wpadmirer.livejournal.com/949266.html" target="_blank">Sarah Bewley</a><br />
<a href="http://deanmharrison.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/the-next-big-thing-these-unquiet-bones/" target="_blank">Dean Harrison</a><br />
<br />
<br />
How did I answer the Next Big Thing Blog Hop questions? See below:<br />
<br />
What is the working title of your book?<br />
The Resurrection -- but I've been told by industry-types more than once the title will have to change because it's too common. So... I'm not married to it. <br />
<br />
Where did the idea come from for the book?<br />
I had a pretty graphic dream about being tortured. I guess you would call it a nightmare. A scene I wrote came from that dream, but it's evolved well past that. Most of my book idea come from an image or scene that I begin to ask a lot of questions about. This started like that. <br />
<br />
What genre does your book fall under?<br />
Definitely closer to an Urban Fantasy then anything else. <br />
<br />
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?<br />
I hate casting in my head, because the actors that look most like the characters may not be the right age and kind of actor for the part. But if Taylor Kitsch could pull off a pretty great Americanized Dublin accent and would wear the face makeup required, he'd be my Callum Gallagher.<br />
<br />
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?<br />
Jane wakes after a violent procedure with no memory and must figure out why a government sanctioned agency and an enigmatic man known as Raven is trying to capture her. <br />
<br />
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?<br />
I'm still seeking representation. Maybe by next year, I'll have a better idea on the answer to this question. Keep checking back... or drop by my website: <a href="http://www.michelleladner.com/#/day-light" target="_blank">www.michelleladner.com </a><br />
<br />
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? One year. But it's being redrafted and has been for a few months. <br />
<br />
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I've pitched it as a female Jason Bourne meets Xmen--so it's sort of like that. <br />
<br />
Who or What inspired you to write this book? This question answers like the second one above. So I'll refer you to that. <br />
<br />
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I'm told by readers that it's dark and very character driven. Not for the reader that wants a quick light read. There's a lot of characters and all of them have a story, so if you like authors who build a world of various people that you'll want to know more about with some action thrown it, it'll probably be the book for you. Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-56763342459769480862012-12-04T11:16:00.000-06:002013-03-23T00:04:45.656-05:00New Blog Launch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I've finally launched my new reading blog... the first post is up here:<br />
<a href="http://maladner.blogspot.com/">http://maladner.blogspot.com</a><br />
<br />
Things have been busy and disorienting for the Peas. We're trying to come up with some new ideas to keep things from stagnating around here -- unfortunately in that "thinking", we've failed to post regularly. Look for posts in the New Year. Meanwhile, check out my new reading blog... fashioned closely after A's fantastic <a href="http://alexislampley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Witty Title Here. </a><br />
<br />
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<br />
***This hasn't actually gone so well--and I was advised against keeping a Book Blog as a writer. Since I'm not doing it well anyway... I may take that advice. <br />
<br />
Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-35723789941695659812012-11-02T20:03:00.001-05:002012-11-02T20:04:47.631-05:00VacationI'm currently in Delaware with limited internet. J and A are doing their things. I've got a couple of great blog posts for you all--but I may not get them edited and posted via my iPhone. We'll see how this goes. :-) <br />
<br />
Peas to you and thanks for your patience. <br />
<br />
M <div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yw8Fccc8bM1zh9WL6yXgHyIOToEgMoL8Gl79N1NyRZoKuVWvfZq3u630vmgFv-2TGkM1558byNT1yLUFGvegETbDUmg8p1PLs1DjX6QT0J3eIRdC_lIqnje0BiuKDtQXIPDyWmY1sDA/s640/blogger-image--1611210064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yw8Fccc8bM1zh9WL6yXgHyIOToEgMoL8Gl79N1NyRZoKuVWvfZq3u630vmgFv-2TGkM1558byNT1yLUFGvegETbDUmg8p1PLs1DjX6QT0J3eIRdC_lIqnje0BiuKDtQXIPDyWmY1sDA/s640/blogger-image--1611210064.jpg" /></a></div>Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-41728442421011387622012-10-25T09:17:00.001-05:002012-10-25T09:47:22.813-05:00Lessons from Baby Writers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I want to ramble a little about inspiration and, perhaps, motivation in the context of something that might seem a little surprising. Earlier this month I had the privilege of sitting down with three young writers. My niece's fourteenth birthday party was upon me and two of her best friends had come to stay with her <br />
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"Aunt Michelle," my niece asked. "Would you mind if I walk my friends down to your house so they can meet you? They are writers and so are you... so *dot, dot dot*"<br />
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At first I was confused albeit flattered by the request. I'm nothing special -- what could I possibly have to say to a gaggle of aspiring teen writers? I'm not even the published pea. I have no secrets of the trade. Nor do I have a history of vetted publications to hold up as a guidepost that says, "this is how you become a successful writer." I realized that I suddenly felt under-qualified. But, of course, I obliged. I call myself a writer after all, and my niece is family. These are the things one does for loved ones. We endure a certain amount of embarrassment and pander to how we think those in our lives see us. In the end, what I'd envisioned as a potentially awkward experience -- where crickets chirped in the background and finally I was exposed for the fraud I knew I was -- well, the experience ended up being one of the most rewarding of my young writing life.<br />
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I don't know if you've ever sat down to tea and cookies on a Saturday evening with three teenaged girls, but it's an experience no writer (or self-aware human, for that matter) should ever turn down. The incessant chattering, dramatic flourishes, awkward mannerisms, statements of certainty based on limits that often make no sense...<br />
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In a word, it was awe-inspiring.<br />
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One can learn a lot if one just watches and really listens. Observational skills are the mark of a good writer, after all. What I found is emotion and internal dialogue ooze from a teen girl's pores, stinking up the room with raw unfiltered truths. It is a thing of true beauty. <br />
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You see... what I experienced with these three young ladies was a bit like staring into a mirror. A mirror that revealed the inner workings of my own mind. Young writers, all of us, wear our insecurities -- about ourselves and our writing ability -- on our sleeves. Some fake it -- and hide it -- better than others. But I've been to conferences where even the most incredible New York Times writers divulge that, yes, even they are still worried about failure, about readers not responding, about finishing the project. They worry about all the same things that new writers worry over, although in a slightly different context, because those are the worries of the writer.<br />
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What I saw during that precious moment with these three young ladies was a manifestation of what every writer feels. Insecurity, doubt, trepidation, and even the impulse to toss about a couple 'Hail Marys'! Curiously, each girl had a role in the conversation. On the surface, there was the supportive cynic, the overly-excited chatterer, and the nearly mute self-doubter. I recognized them all. Because we writers -- definitely this writer -- are all those things and many shades in between. A writer of any age can identify with the teen girl writer because we feel all those things too. <br />
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For four hours, I became immersed in their world. I got to see firsthand what it meant to them to be writers. I found it not so different from what is means to me. They worry about characters being genuine and believable. The exalt the books they love and criticize the books that they don't think work. They worry about not knowing what their story is about. They worry about grammar issues and spelling errors. They worry about the amount of work being done on a collaboration. They worry about, "are the funny parts really funny?" and "are the scary parts really scary?" They worry about finishing. Mostly, they worried about what readers think...<br />
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Girl 1: "Didn't you think it was great when my character did 'x'?"<br />
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Girl 2: "I love that part!"<br />
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Girl 3: *nods and smiles* <br />
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Girl 1: *beams* "That's my favorite part." (translation: I spent a lot of time on that bit.)<br />
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At the end of the day, we all want validation that our labor of love is worth it. We want readers that see what we see in the stories and characters that move us. We want to know that our creation is worth the time, the energy, and the blood, sweat and tears.<br />
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What do I think? <br />
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Of course it's worth it. Everything else aside, it's worth doing because we love it! Because it's our passion. And because we can't envision ourselves ever giving it up. <br />
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This particular evening I got to talk to three passionate girls about the thing I love most. Crafting story. We shared insights about our projects. We asked each other questions. We laughed, joked, and snickered about the pitfalls of crafting a story.<br />
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At the end of the evening one of them said, "I got so much out of this. Thank you."<br />
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I replied, "I'm glad."<br />
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In retrospect, I should have said, "So did I. Thank you!" Because as writers, we are always learning. And it isn't necessarily from our mentors and idols that we learn the greatest lessons. These young ladies reopened my eyes to the love of writing and why I choose a writing life. They taught me about myself, about my writing, and about what it means to be a writer. The writing life should be about hope, creation, and the love and excitement of the craft. Success in terms of the end game (publication, sales, the coveted movie deal) should never be what it's about. It's arbitrary. But the passion and need to hone craft is not. It's passion and craft that attracts readers. So it's there that the real rewards lie.<br />
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If I could have a do over. A moment to tell those girls what I know now -- what I know because they retaught it to me -- I would say, "Keep writing. Trust your stories. Trust yourself. This is the writer's life. You're living it! So embrace it, grow, and have faith."<br />
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<br />Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-26567962116931176262012-10-24T13:47:00.002-05:002012-10-24T13:47:33.593-05:00Scheduling ChangeFor the remainder of 2012, new posts from M will go up on Thursday. Due to my schedule, I can't manage the Tuesday post for now. We'll get back on track. :) Pea promise. *fist bump*Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-79880656221205414832012-10-15T15:28:00.002-05:002012-10-15T15:32:36.485-05:00Awkward...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you hadn't noticed... the Peas have been on a month long blog break. If you had noticed... so sorry! Especially about the ball drop (ie. the lack of notification). <i>Mea Culpa!</i> I was put on that task and somehow it slipped out of my mind (somehow... *snicker* right...we know there's nothing by voices up there, certainly no real sense of organization or leadership). We peas have been busy, busy girls and I failed to pull together a guest blog agenda to keep things going while we were all on hiatus. Things are getting back to normal, at least for this pea. We'll do better from here on out. Promise.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forgive us... our slackage. Pretty, pretty please...</td></tr>
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Stay tuned for prompts and updates in the coming weeks. I'll be organizing some ramblings, prompts, and randomness to finish out the year before we figure out what 2013 will have in store for the Inside the Pod. <br />
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Peas and love. We've missed you.<br />
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<b>Our apology face</b> <b>---------------------------></b> Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-7184985219048099622012-09-04T13:13:00.001-05:002012-09-04T13:13:52.909-05:00Meandering Thoughts on POV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Late summer leading into autumn has been busy and chaotic for all Peas here Inside the Pod. But as the Pea that spent the summer galavanting around the country, I feel I owe it to my Peas to pick up the slack for a bit. So... apologies. You guys are stuck with me and whatever random ramblings that flutter into my mind.<br />
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Today I wanted to talk a little about the impact of point of view on a story and character. This is something I have been thinking a great deal about as I continue to bite my nails pitifully and whimper while I stand over my manuscript, wondering how I'm going to fix it. The point of view you choose can do a lot to change the tone and voice of a story. Yes. Yes. I know every writer has a voice. But I think, so does every character. I don't know all the logistics. Far better writers have spoken about the subject. I am no authority. That said, figuring out the best way to highlight the strength of both the writer and the character in a story is a finely crafted magical thing I stand in awe of each time I read a great book.</div>
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Here's an excerpt of something new I've been working on. </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Thain Mora entered the cantina hoping for a reprieve from the brutal climate. The hot red-stained wind swirled indoors in his wake. He brushed the dust from his umber cloak onto the clay floor as the door clapped shut. Peeling the leather glove from his autothetic hand without a second thought, he raked back his hood. The Venture would begin in one hour and he wanted no part of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The crowded cantina grew quiet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">He didn’t have to look to know they stared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Even here on Nacol, a multi-race port world at the edge of the system, the Vok were feared. But Thain knew it wasn’t the exposed clan markings on his neck, or even his mechanical limb that attracted fearful recognition. His peculiar white hair and ghostly blue eyes were enough to unsettle most beings in the thirteen systems. Including his own clansmen.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">Third limited POV can offer up some great information. For one, you get to know the name of your character in the first line. But it comes with challenges when you can't keep the POV tight enough and it can feel like you are being told a story. Here's the same passage reworked.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I entered the cantina, hoping for a reprieve. The hot re-stained wind swirled indoors. I brushed the dust from my umber cloak onto the clay floor as the door clapped shut. I peeled the leather glove from my autothetic hand and raked back my hood. The Venture would begin in one hour and I wanted no part of it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The crowded cantina grew quiet.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">I didn't have to look to know they stared. </span></div>
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Even here in Nacol, a multi-race port at the edge of the system, Vok were feared. But I knew it wasn't the exposed clan markings on my neck, or even my mechanical limb that attracted fearful recognition. My peculiar white hair and ghostly blue eyes were enough to unsettle most beings in the thirteen systems. Including my own clansmen.</div>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">First person closes the POV down. It feels more intimate. Dare I say, Thain seems more likable more quickly? Yet, you lose a little bit of information.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">It's a tough call. And one every writer has to make. How are you going to tell your story? Who will tell the story? Whose story is it? Point of view addresses these questions and more. One of the best, most fun things for me as a writer is reworking the POV in the early stages and discovering the answers to these questions. But what happens when you are a full manuscript into a story and you realize it's not working as well as it could? That's the tough part. Reworking point of view and character voice once you are 450 pages invested can be daunting. That's sort of what I'm facing now.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">All we can do as writers is push forward and try to tell the best story we can. Understanding the craft and how it can help and hurt your story is the biggest part of this. As readers or writers, becoming aware of how and who is telling a story can be an eye opening experience. I challenge you to really listen to voice and point of view the the next book you read and consider the many, many options that author had open to them to tell that story. It's mind boggling to think how many ways a story could be told and the reasons why one way makes it to the page.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">Until next week, when we'll have more of the same random writing and reading related whatevers. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">Peas be with you.</span></div>
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Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2870787170236960343.post-44082907170476570692012-08-28T13:41:00.002-05:002012-08-28T13:41:21.498-05:00Rewriting the Rewrite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Apologies to our few, steadfast and dear imaginary readers for the late Tuesday post. If you haven't heard, we're having a hurricane! It's official. Hurricane Isaac is on the way... and Mississippi and Louisiana are in his way. Needless to say, the Peas have been a little distracted with storm preparation and giggling at the repercussions of The Weather Channel's reference to our state as a land mass. Ah... the entertainments provided by the clash between social media and the national media. It's endless. But enough on that. Let's get to my actual blog topic today. Rewriting.<br />
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Every writer knows writing means rewriting.<br />
(At least any writer worth their salt.)<br />
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And every rewriter knows that there's always a chance of another rewrite. Often times multiple rewrites. In some cases, years of rewrites. That is where I'm at right now with my own manuscript. Rewriting the rewrite. For me, its a daunting frustrating experience. Even when I fully understand and accept the necessity of it.<br />
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To catch ya'll up...<br />
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I've been on the cusp of completing a manuscript for about a year. I've long since written the last page. I've pitched it at ITW's Agentfest with great response. I've queried it with no response. I've had full manuscript requests for it from agents and even an editor. But I've never finished it and sent it out in earnest. Because I know it's not ready. Not ready enough to stand on it's own two feet and exist as a thing of true publishing potential.<br />
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It's my first finished book.<br />
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I'm not that good a writer yet.<br />
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This summer I let out my little creation to some non-biased readers. An old mentor, a friend who happens to be an agent, several renown instructors at a writing conference, and even a beta reader or two of known published authors. The feedback was staggering. And quite confusing. I've gotten everything from "send this to my office immediately" to "I'm sorry, you don't have any business sending this out."<br />
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What's an insecure upstart writer to do?<br />
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Rewrite.<br />
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It's all I can do.<br />
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At least if I want to ensure that I've written the very best book I possibly can. And why wouldn't I? With so much competition in a rapidly changing publishing landscape, I have to write the very best book I can if I want to have a hope of publishing success. Which, for me, means picking my book up off a bookstore shelf and knowing it's reaching as many people as it can. Why else would you write a book and publish it?<br />
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That said, I have to stay true to the story I'm trying to tell. And let me tell you...<br />
Everyone has an opinion on how you should write your book, how you should change it, what will make it better, more sellable, more likable, just.... more.<br />
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As a writer you have to learn to filter through all that. Which is the hard part. Anyone can sit down and rewrite a book -- transfer changes to the page and hit save. But it takes a real writer to make the right choices which actually enables that book to take flight.<br />
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That's where I'm at.<br />
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Daunted, overwhelmed, and terrified I will make the wrong choices and may nudge my manuscript off kilter and send it careening off course where it it crashes and becomes a fiery pile of horse manure, ending my nonexistent writing career before it starts. So what do I have to do to save it?<br />
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Cut the cast of characters in half.<br />
Make the protagonist likable.<br />
Show the reader who to root for.<br />
Create a more commercial conflict.<br />
Narrow the focus.<br />
Widen the social/cultural conflict and commentary.<br />
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And...well... there's a laundry list of suggestions from a multitude of critics I have to consider. Now whether I consider and toss away or consider and apply...that's the real test isn't it? Will I make the right choices to attract the largest audience I can? No one knows -- least of all me. All I can do is rewrite the best rewrite I can and put it out into the world again until either someone else or myself decides... yup, it's ready.<br />
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In the end, I'm the only person who can decide when it's done because it will never be finished. I know I can write a better book and I will try my damnedest to do so. Then when I'm happy enough to close the laptop on this bugger, I'll send it out and move on. Until then, I'll be right here, rewriting.<br />
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Because writing is rewriting. Every author worth their salt will tell you so.<br />
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Stay safe world in the path of Isaac. The winds are picking up here and the rain is starting. I'm going to shut this down and post before the storm lands. Peas be with you, always.<br />
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<br />Michelle Ladnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083287295086903507noreply@blogger.com0