The Write Connections

I'm posting my writer's journey as a pre-published author on Julie Hedlund's 12x12 blog today. Stop by to find out more about the connections I have made thus far!

Steps to Publication in the New Year

I've been enlightened!

I'm realizing I can't tackle everything at once. I either do a good job in one area, or so-so in many. I must decide. And the start of a new year is the perfect opportunity!

Below is a list of tasks or goals for the writer which takes him/her from idea to publication. Hopefully, I've listed them in chronological order:

• Finding Ideas/inspiration

• Reading in the genre you wish to write

PiBoIdMo

• Choosing what to write: PBs, early chapter books, Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction...which one is for you?

• Finding your writer's voice

• Writing the Story:

            -Mechanics of writing
            -Grammar
            -Word choices
            -Plot
            -Character development
            -Conflict

• Your schedule/organization of time and environment

12x12 in 2012




• Writer's Workshops

• Writer's Challenges

• Editing:

           -Story boarding
           -Critique groups

• Submissions:

           -Query
           -Proposal

 

Jeff Goins




• Finding the right Editor/Publications

•  Is an agent in your future?

• Platform/social media

• Promoting your book

I have made the commitment to concentrate on the mechanics of writing this year, and drop all the rest. Not completely, of course. I will still be blogging, continuing to search for the appropriate publications for my manuscripts, and so on, but that will not be my main emphasis.

Do you need to hone your focus? Are you wasting precious time? Pick one area, and make a resolution to concentrate your efforts there...

Can you add any others to my list? Leave them in the comment box below:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

A Winner! Where Do We Go From Here??

The results are in!  My hubby was kind enough to do the honors and draw a name the old-fashioned way...from a hat.  The winner of the "Making the Write Connections" survey is:  
                              Teresa Richardson

Congrats, Teresa!  Please use the link here to choose the handmade "Fresh As A Daisy" soap of your choice. When you contact me (jarm@me.com) I'll give you further instructions....

I want to thank everyone for your participation, and, in a way, you have all won.  Your responses will help me build a better blogpost...one that will benefit every writer.  If you are curious about the survey, check it out here. So, what were the results??

The majority voted for A: Mulling it over Mondays...excerpts from books on the craft of writing, for those of you who have little time to spare.

Second in the running C: Thesaurus Thursdays...a list of descriptive words and/or verbs to replace those overused "lazy" words.

A few suggested a combo of A and B(Tricks of the Trade...tips from "Elements of Style", "Writer's Inc." or other grammar guides.)

So, I will be "mulling over" my first post for Mondays.  Here's where you can help.  Which topics are you most interested in?  Where should I begin with "Mulling it Over Mondays"?  Choose one below:

A. Social Media (FaceBook, Blogging, etc)
B. Art of Writing (picture books, novels)
C. Life of a Writer (scheduling time)
D. Craft of Writing (tips and tools)
E. Market Guide info (children's book publishers, links, etc.)

Leave your choice in the comment box, and I will give you another chance to win a bar of handmade soap from "Fresh as a Daisy Soaps".  Below is my "Writer's Bookshelf of Possibilities." Choose the one you would like me to focus on first in my Monday post, and I will enter your name twice in the drawing.

My Writer's Shelf

I look forward to serving you through my blogposts.  And, I appreciate your input...thank you friends!

What's the Incessant Interest in pInterest? A to Z Blogging Challenge

I know, it's a stretch...but I couldn't fit it anywhere else!  Pinterest was a complete surprise to me.  I was interested in trying it, but didn't need another thing to occupy my time.  I heard incessant talk about it.  And then read Rachelle Gardener's post about how it could help my writing. 

That did it!  I had to Initiate my interest by signing up...I was pleasantly surprised.  This is what my investigation uncovered:

• Signing up required connection with a Facebook or Twitter account, but the process was simple.
• Some category folders were set up initially to help you store visual images, so you weren't facing a blank slate.  You can always change or add to them.
• Pinterest makes it easy to 'pin' a visual to your 'categories', and, if you desire, you can comment on the photos you like.
• There are many categories available in which to browse.  If you don't
see what you like, just use the search box.  The sky is the limit...
• You can download a 'pin' which you can use to attach any visual you find on the Internet to your 'board.'


So, what's the big idea?  Does interest in Pinterest create idle imaginations?

This is what I discovered:

• It doesn't waste my time, but, makes it more productive.
• It's perfect for visual learners
• It helps categorize ideas, photos, lists, interests and projects.  Maybe you are planning a wedding, a shower, redecorating your home, or collecting story starters, or possibly buying a new wardrobe because you have lost weight.
• If you are not sure what gift to purchase for a friend...look them up on Pinterest.  Their 'style' will shine through, and you will have plenty of choices.

If you wish to join, you do need an INVITATION from someone who has an account.  Or, you can wait a few extra days if you don't, and they will send you one.  I'll be glad to send you an invite if you leave your contact info in the comment box below.  Contact me here on Pinterest, and see my collection of Inspirational sayings.

What have you enjoyed about Pinterest?  Or, why are you afraid to join the crowd?

GOOD GARDENING: A TO Z BLOGGING CHALLENGE

It's about time to tend to our gardens...bulbs are popping their heads early this year!  Here are a few tips I've learned through the years:

Keep tags or records of plants you have purchased...comes in handy for pruning.  Plants such as Hydrangeas and Clematis are pruned differently, depending on the variety.  If you are not careful, you may not have flowers this year!  Place the information in a notebook, or online.  If possible, make a simple chart of your grounds, with line drawings of the plants for reference.

With that in mind: Prune your plants at the right time and in the correct manner.

Fill your yard with perennials in a variety of heights and colors...then add touches with annuals.  It makes for an easy care garden!

Add plants of various heights..ascending/descending order...shorter in front, taller in back.  When early spring bulbs die out, make sure you have a hosta or other perennial growing close to them so the empty space is covered.

Choose color schemes....blue/yellow...reds pinks and oranges

Fill your yard with easy care hostas, hydrangeas, and ground cover.  Clematis are perfect for empty brick walls or ugly fences.

Buy beneficial bugs, such as lacewings, ladybugs, and praying mantis, so that toxic insecticides are not necessary.

Begin a compost pile, and use the rich soil produced for your garden.

Know the planting zone, water requirements and light conditions of the plants you are about to purchase.  Do you have the proper conditions for them to grow well?

Take time to put down mulch...it will squelch weeds, and save time later!


Here are some helpful websites and products:

The Helpful Gardener

Eclectic Gardening Tips

 Help finding the right plant for your garden spot!

Good Housekeeping Gardening Tips

 Products for organic gardening 

Step by step instructions

 Clear illustrations and instruction

What makes gardening an easier task for you?  What is your favorite perennial, and why?

A to Z Blogging Challenge: Only Two Days Away!

A Potpourri of Posts: Lessons from Life, Leaders and Literature...that is my theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Twenty-six days of quotes, wisdom from the past, lessons I've learned, and slices of life from those that have been there, and done that!

We are using the Tools of our Writer's Trade...26 letters of the Alphabet...in order, for 26 days.  What is the Challenge all about?  See my post here.

Each day, not only will we post subjects in alphabetical order (one for each letter for 26 days in April) but we will be visiting at least 5 blogs a day to comment and encourage our fellow bloggers.

The A to Z team is readying us for the task ahead.  Here are some helpful hints they gave us:

Turn off the Word Verification mechanism that a visitor is required to copy in order for comment to be posted. It discourages folks from leaving a comment on your blog. I did...

Write short, concise posts, with photos and paragraphs interspersed in an easily readable way.  I plan to...

Provide a link on your website, (where it can be easily seen), to another website where you can post in case your blogger host goes south for a day or two. Check...I have a Blogger site, but began a Wordpress post for emergencies.

Plan ahead, and write some, if not all of your posts, ahead of time, and schedule them to post automatically on the appropriate day. You never know when an emergency can arise. I'm planning at least a week of automatic posts, and I have all my letters assigned, and ideas are flowing!

Sync your posts to be linked to FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn...this was my added idea.  I did, through dlvr.it.com  Wordpress had their own way of linking through the dashboard.

Then, sit back and enjoy the process, the things you will learn, and the people with whom you will connect.



Here is a sneak preview of a few of my posts:

A  Awesome Argentina!  (What IS the definition of 'awesome'?)
G  Good Gardening
H  Homeschool Harvest
I    Interest in pInterest?
K  Kodak Moments
M  Missionary Martyrs Speak
R  Repurposing your Rubbish
W Writer's Voice...Who, what, and Why?

If you like what you see, follow me...via email, google or RSS feed.
Stay tuned...Sunday morning, it all begins.  No Foolin' !

Another Challenge for the Writer's Platform

Here I am again, with yet another challenge from Rachael Harrie's FourthWriter's Platform-Building Campaign.  This time, we have a variety of options.  To begin with, we have one written prompt, and four seemingly unrelated photos (one is below), which to me, is the ultimate in challenges!

Since I am off to a Family Economics Conference this weekend, I chose to do only one of the options...another flash fiction of less than 200 words.  And  I'd like you to make a comment below.  Let me know what you liked (if anything), and how I could have done better.

If you'd like more info on the Writer's Platform Campaign Challenge check this link.  I'm #70, if you'd like to give me a thumbs up.  It would be much appreciated!  And while you are there, check out the many other creative entries...


Here goes:


Too Close For Comfort


Hyperventilating because of my near death experience, I leaned against the rusty remains of a concrete bridge, thankful to be alive.  Miraculously, I had only a cut on my leg. Becky, my best friend, had rescued me again. But this time, it wasn't from a social faux pas. And she had only wet hair to show for the feat. 

Swimming  near a tributary of the Amazon, I suddenly felt myself pulled under and spun like a whirlpool on a wooden spoon.  I panicked, and cried out to God. Thoughts of my young son on a Brazilian Estate flashed through my mind. Instantly, Becky pulled me from the undertow, and onto the bank, where national children rummaged through a garbage dump.

A brilliant web of tiny stars whirled before my still closed eyes. "Vicki, Vicki...are you okay?  Wake up...speak to me!"

Coming back to reality, I felt a gentle slap on my cheek. Becky had somehow delivered me to the crumbling bridge, leaning me against it to catch my breath.

"Looks like it's not your time to go, Vicki...the mission still needs your help!"

I smiled weakly, thanking God once more...I would see my son again.



So, what do you think?  Any constructive comments would be appreciated...thanks for stopping by!

Tag...I'm It!

Well, it finally happened...I was tagged last Wednesday, by Stephanie.  On
Thursday, I was surprised to discover that I was tagged a second time...by
Traci!


It's a game we Campaigners play to bring traffic to our sites, stretch our writer's muscles and encourage creativity.  When we are tagged, we answer the questions the tagger has given us, then, tag others, and develop another set of ten questions for the new "tagees".
What to do now?  Answer all the questions?  Only one set?  I liked the one suggestion I was given: Mix and match them.

Okay, here is a mix and match of Traci's and Stephanie's questions, and, of course, my responses:




      What color best describes your personality and why?

I used to like blue as a child, and I'm not sure why.  Maybe I felt stress in my life at that age, and blue calmed me down.  But, as an adult, I suddenly am attracted to green. Bright greens, like lime, pistachio, spring and sea foam green.  They describe how I feel in this fifth decade of life: alive, alert, fresh, growing and learning!

     Which would you rather do, go to the dentist or watch a Pauly Shore movie?

I don't mind a visit to the dentist...and I have bad teeth!  So bad, that on the average, one tooth cracks each year, so I spent quite a bit of time in the chair.  In fact, a wedge shaped piece of my molar just fell out a couple of days ago, so I'm off to my 'teeth healer' again.
I've never seen a Pauly Shore movie, but, from what I've gathered from google, I wouldn't bother!

     If you were forced to travel back in time to live out the rest of your life, when would you prefer to end up (you have to go back at least a hundred years)

That's a tough one...I love history!  Each century has its good and bad points, but in general, I'm fascinated with the Renaissance and Reformation. Even so, I would choose to live in the time of Jesus.  Imagine sitting at his feet like Mary, and hearing the Words of life in person!

     Are you a seat of the pants writer, or do you plan out every detail?

It depends.  If I am participating in a contest, and need to come up with a piece quickly, I write by the seat of my pants.  If I have time, I plan out the details.

     What, besides writing, do you love to do in your spare time?  

I love to travel, so, I'm naturally the one to plan our mega family field trips. We've travelled to every continent but Antarctica!  Did I tell you that we home educate our two teenagers?  I have a sparse amount of spare time...

     How far would you need to travel to get to the mountains? 


I'm closer to the Adirondacks than the Rockies...about a thousand miles.


     If cheap, safe space travel were possible, would you hop on a ship or stay firmly planted on Earth?

I'm afraid of heights, so, I would have my feet planted on Terra Firma!

     Why did you decide to start a blog?  

I wanted to share the amazing things we saw and learned on our family travels.  But, what began as a travel blog, is morphing into a journey through the Writer's World!


     How many books/short stories/poems/songs etc. have you written?

I have written five PBs...four based on Scripture, and one, a hedgehog.  Two
are being considered for publication at this time.

     What genre is your current wip? 

A non-fiction picture book about an incident which took place during the smallpox epidemic in the 1800's.


     Do you write what you know, or stretch your imagination, or both?  

The challenges I have participated in; PiBoIdMo, 12x12 in 2012, A to Z Blogging, and the Writer's Platform Campaign have forced me (in a good way) to stretch my imagination, especially in the area of fiction.  I have a tendency to read and write non-fiction, so the stretch is good for my literary muscles!

     Who would you like to see on a coin/money?  

I'd love to see those that were martyred for their faith, such as missionary Jim Elliott, honored in such a way.  So many people who gave their lives for their God and country deserve to be recognized...

     What’s your favorite place to write and why?  
If I can't get away by myself to a quiet, scenic outdoor location (which rarely happens), I like to settle into my comfy high-back chair in my own Victorian sitting room.

     If you could move anywhere in the world where would it be?
What a difficult decision from one who loves to travel the world!  Someplace quiet, I would say. Probably a little cottage in the Cotswolds, or tiny house in the French countryside.

     What book (craft or otherwise) have you learned the most from?
I have to honestly say "The Bible".  One can never run out of things to learn.  It's like looking in a mirror within a mirror within a mirror...endless!

Now, for my questions:

1. Did you know when you were a child, that you would be a writer?  If so, share the moment...

2. Would you order a meat dish or go vegan at a restaurant?

3. What was your favorite subject in high school?

4. When you are working on a story, which do you find most difficult: writing a beginning or ending?

5. Do you have more trouble with grammar, or finding just the right descriptive word?

6. What would you not want to leave undone before you left this world?

7. What makes you laugh?

8. Are you an introvert or extrovert?  What about your characters?

9. If you were limited to writing and publishing only one book, what would  the subject be?

10. If you wrote your autobiography, what would you entitle it?




Who will be answering the above questions on their blogs?  Who did I tag?


The winners are:   Ruth Schiffmann  and Jodi Su...Congratulations, Ladies!

On A Roll...or, Driving Myself Crazy?

As I told a fellow 12x12 in 2012 challenge member, I must be crazy for adding another thing to my proverbial plate.  In November, it was PiBoIdMo, which encouraged me to write down a picture book idea every day for 30 days...I did it!

This year, I've joined the 12x12 in 2012, which is quite a step up from the November challenge.  This contest of sorts, gives you the motivation to complete 12 picture book manuscripts in a year, using the 30 PB ideas from the PiBoIdMo contest.  I've finished my January ms...11 more to go!

Building my Writer's platform, (to ready me in the event that my picture book is published, and allowing me to promote my book to the world), has been in the forefront of my mind for at least 9 months.  So, I discovered the Writers Platform Building Campaign, which promises to help me in my quest.  This involves short spurts of energy and time on my part, during the next few weeks.  The signup ends this Wednesday, February 14th.

And last, but certainly not least, which will help me with all of the above, is the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, held during the Month of April.  Thirty days of blogging, each day, the theme of my post is to begin with a letter of the alphabet.  On the first day, the post theme or title will begin with 'A', the second day, 'B', and so on.  Wow...that will get me going!

Does anyone want to go with me?  Crazy, I mean?

Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

Rach Writes...: Fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign

Another journey into the unknown...but I'm game! Rachel has hosted three of these so far, and is doing a fourth, beginning now.

If you are interested in developing your writer's platform, so others can find you, and desire to share your journey with others, join us!

From what I have seen, participants in the past have really benefitted from this encouraging group...and learn to build their platform together with others on the same road.

Check the link above to learn more...but, beware...the signup ends Wednesday the 15th!