Taffy's Writings

Foto Friday

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Wow!
The inside of a wave.
Can a person with magical water powers make this and walk through without getting wet? Or make this like Moses and escape?
Very cool...

http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/laba_q/imgs/f/c/fc2b5680.jpg

Too many pretty words?

2012-01-25T05:00:00.001-08:00

Going off this post from the other day (about not thinning seedlings/words) I thought of CHIME by Franny Billingsley. (My brain is odd, I know). Why would I compare CHIME with foliage?

By the end of the summer my garden was overrun with so many ginormous leaves I couldn't find the tomatoes or squash or pumpkins or cucumbers. Ironically, the leaves feed the plants and protect them from the sun but hid them from me.
Toward the end of the season it was easy for me to get lazy and leave the veggies. Then I remembered I didn't want wayward seeds taking over my garden again!
CHIME was amazing. I read the pages slowly, soaking in the ambiance of the story. If only I could write like Ms. Billingsley!
Only, it wasn't her story that moved me. It was the way the author put words and sentences together that moved me.

Here's a couple of examples:
"Another few minutes won't hurt, " said Father in his sermon voice, which is his favorite voice, the one he starches and irons every morning (p. 5)."
"The kitchen door groaned. It was arthritic and cranky from the flood, and it took advantage of every opportunity to complain (p. 13)."
(Amazing, right??)

After I read the last page and put a day behind me, I realized I couldn't remember the story. The love interest was strong and funny, there was a Dad and sister and voices and a swamp. The plot eluded me.
Don't get me wrong! I loved CHIME and am not dissing on it. I would be overjoyed to have so many awesome reviews.
While I want my words to move readers I also want them to remember the story.
So once again dear readers, we need to watch our wordage. Too many beautiful words can cover up your beautiful story.

Have you read CHIME? What did you think?

PS If you want to read my review you can find it here.

"Seymour! Feed Me!"

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Utah weather is strange this year. We still haven't had a good snowfall and it's the middle of January. The weather was soooo nice last Saturday I decided to rake the leaves clustered around my front steps. My daughter and I raked and swept two garbage cans full of leaves. I dumped them in the garden.

While in the garden I had to laugh a little at myself. I remember a couple of years ago we dumped our moldy, gross pumpkins in the garden as well as squash we didn't get around to eating. I was thinking about how good those little gourds would be for the soil, not the consequences of hundreds of seeds scattered around as well.

When the ground warmed up, little green sprouts came up EVERYWHERE! I was giddy with the relief of not planting much that spring. Clusters of green appeared all over and I couldn't bear to thin them.

I hate to throw away a living plant that's doing good (I have no problem killing off all the Morning Glory!). We had at least 1500 plants coming up. I'm not kidding. If I exaggerated I would say we had 2000 plants. Only a handful produced something to eat or carve. And those were small. Soon I had a jungle in my backyard and I was a tad bit scared to forage! I had no idea what was hiding under all those prickly leaves.
My weakness taught me a lesson: I need the courage to thin the good stuff to produce the best.

This applies to editing, don't you think? We need the courage to thin our words to show readers the best. Too much wordage distracts us from the plot, distances us from the characters and draws us out of the story.
Too many adverbs or tags or adjectives or purple prose or...you understand, distracts from a good story.
Be brave, dear gardeners of words. Those beautiful words you love so much will suffocate your work. You must edit. For your story, you must thin out the good stuff to produce the best.

Do you have trouble with too many words? How's your word count?

Foto Friday

2012-01-20T05:00:00.001-08:00

This pic makes me think of tons of magic being released...

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1109/C404-5244-6082AuroraTakasaka.jpg

Sometimes planning is just stalling

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

"You were made to create something. Something important. And sometimes, planning is just stalling. So get on with it."

Jeff Goins

I read a post last week that I've been mulling over and want to share with you.

Something you need to know about me first: I'm a thrower-awayer. I LOVE garbage day when all the refuse leaves my house and for a few precious moments the trash clutter is gone.

I like drawers and doors shut.

I like even numbers ($220 instead of $227).

If a shampoo bottle is almost empty I either dump the rest into another bottle or throw it away. It's not worth my time to shakeshakeshake it until the last drop slithers out. (Honestly, I don't think the one penny I'm saving by using the last drop is worth my time either.)

So goals work for me. Nice, clean words on lined paper are a road marker to point me in the direction I need or want to go. When I've completed the task, I can cross it off my list! Aw! Sweetness!

Sometimes I get anxious when a goal is on my list too long. I have to do it now! Get 'er done!

*Blushes* And sometimes I cheat. I make simple goals so they're easier to check off. Somehow I feel cheated.

Last week I read Jeff's post: On Scheming: Planning, Decisions, and Accidental Accomplishments
I had a personal epiphany. An uncomfortable epiphany for someone who likes straight edges, check lists and rounded numbers.

Here is the post in a nutshell (from one of Jeff's friends): "It's far more difficult to resist the fear to plan instead of act."

Read it again. I'll wait.

That. Is. Me.

I have the plans, the goals, the drive. But am I putting them into action?

Writing is not a one time goal. The goal to write so many words a day can get in the way of my writing. I stress about checking it off. Then my creativity is at a minimum. Oh! How my life would be complete if I could write a book in one day!

What happens if every day I decide to write? And the next day I decide to write? And the next? Soon I have a complete manuscript and writing becomes a HABIT.

A habit.

Think about the difference between a habit and a goal. To me, a habit is something I do without thinking about it. A goal is something always on my mind, almost dictating the course of my day.

Here's another quote of Jeff's I liked:

"What I did yesterday doesn't carry over to tomorrow. I have to start all over again. I can't rest in the security of goals; I have to embrace the present. Otherwise, I miss my chance to do what needs to be done today. So I try to keep showing up. And without realizing it, I'm further along in the process than I thought I'd be. This is the beauty of a goal-less life: if you focus on habits, you may end up doing more than you thought was possible. Not because of a plan. Because of passion and decision."

It's almost freeing to me to make a habit instead of stressing about breaking my New Year's Resolutions. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying goals are bad. For me I've come to realize my goals are not the same as my check off list.
Maybe I'll finally learn to enjoy the journey. That's the point, isn't it?

Life is about how you get there, not the finish line. (Seriously, would you want your gondolier to race to the end of your ride or would you enjoy the journey?)

What about you? What are your thoughts?

P.S.

One last quote to send you off on an awesome week:

"If you're already struggling with meeting your goals for the new year, try this: start something. And keep starting. Every day. Follow your passion. Be decisive. Create new habits. Maybe you'll get to where you want to be faster than you expected."

Get there my friends.

Foto Friday

2012-01-13T05:00:00.001-08:00

Quirkiness & Superstitions

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

I've always heard that athletes have superstitions. Watch almost any sports movie or ask any sports dude and dudette and you'll find out they have superstitions too. Go ahead and ask someone. I'll keep typing this post until you come back.

In the meantime, here are a few superstars who boast of superstitions:

Tiger Woods has a habit of always wearing red on Sundays of tournaments.
Michael Jordan wore a pair of his UNC shorts underneath his Bulls’ shorts to channel his success in college.
On the night before a game, Jason Terry (a Maverick) wears a pair of his future opponent’s shorts to bed.

Sports people aren't the only ones with quirks. Here is a list of a few author rituals:

Each manuscript must have it's own writing spot.
No chapter can have thirteen pages.
No eating sweets while writing about the villain because sweetness might rub off on him/her.
Wiggling fingers while a query or manuscript email takes off through cyberspace helps the email fly straight to the agents "gotta have" pile.
Some writers use only pens for the rough draft.
Unusual attire while writing.
Totems, dolls or other mythical muses sit nearby the author.
A few writers authors every single day. Even if it's only one sentence.

My latest WIP requires me to listen to The Cure. For some reason my main character is willing to tell me her story while that group, or similar ones like Echo & The Bunnymen and New Order, are blasting in the background.

Have you talk to someone about their superstitions? What did they say?
Do you have certain rituals you perform while writing?

How many books can a reader read if a reader can chuck books?

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry. The title got away from me.

I wanted to know:

How many books you read this year?
What's your favorite genre?
Is there ONE book you would recommend every read?
Did you set a reading goal this year?
And are we friends on Goodreads? What? Why not?
Here's my link so we can be buddies: Taffy Lovell

My goal was to read 75 books this year. I made it by 133%. Yup. I'm an overachiever reader.
I find I thoroughly enjoy Young Adult books. I think it matches my maturity level :0
I LOVED The Girl of Fire and Thorns. And Forgotten. Oops. That's two. Sorry.
My reading goal this year is to read one non-YA book a month.

Confessional Story:
I did chuck a book once.
I had no idea Hunger Games was a trilogy. I read the last page and stopped cold. The words read something like: End of Book One. I threw the book across the room. (It was a library book so please don't tell the librarians.) I couldn't believe the audacity of the author to end on such a literary precipices! And I had to wait for the next one?!

Foto Friday

2012-01-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/236036284_pHb4bh1f_b.jpg

Julie Bellon's First Page Fridays

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Need help on your first page? Julie Bellon has an awesome post she does every Friday, First Page Friday. Check it out!

Here is the jist of what she does:

First Page Friday---What It Is & How It Works

Since we have been getting some questions about what exactly First Page Friday is, I thought I would take a few minutes today to explain it.

I was at a conference in April where there was a panel of national agents and editors. They all said the same thing---that if a manuscript hasn't caught their attention by the first page they reject it. They wanted to see fresh and original writing that drew them in, and of course, one free of typos and grammar errors.

As I talked to my writer friends and my editor friends, we all came to the same conclusion---everyone wanted a clean first page. (Of course it goes without saying that we all want a clean manuscript, but for this purpose, first pages fit.)

So, I asked my national editor friend if she could critique first pages that were submitted to my blog. With her job schedule being so tight, she could only do Fridays and First Page Friday was born. We affectionately named her Ms. Shreditor because she is a tough but fair editor and I knew she would do great.

Along the way, we had some wonderful experiences and we felt like we were really helping writers on their journey, but Ms. Shreditor's job schedule got even tighter and so I asked my former editor, Angela Eschler, if she could come on board. She was more than happy to take the last Friday of every month.

I have been so blessed to have both of these women critique for First Page Friday. They both have different styles and approaches, but I know them both to be incredible editors and very good at their jobs. Ms. Shreditor is known for her talent in the publishing industry and really does love her job. Angela Eschler is well-known for her editing services and now has her own editing business called Eschler Editing.

First Page Friday is about helping writers and we have two of the best editors around to do that. If you want to submit your work to be critiqued by some of the best in the business, all you have to do is submit your double-spaced, 12 pt. font, first page to juliecoulterbellon@gmail.com with First Page Friday in the subject line. I do it on a first come first served basis, and right now we are booked out to mid-February. But don't let that discourage you. I think the critiques are well worth the wait.

First Page Fridays have taught me so much. Even as a published writer I am always learning and both of our editors have given me a lot to think about as I've read their critiques each Friday. I hope it has been the same for you.

I want to thank everyone who submits because it's a hard thing to put yourself out there and have your work critiqued. I want to thank everyone who reads the submission and makes comments for being respectful. And I want to thank our amazing editors for giving of their time to help us writers be the best we can be.

So what are you waiting for? Get your submission in today!

Happy New Year! May all your dreams come true!

2012-01-02T07:43:00.000-08:00

http://mcenter.slideshowpro.com/albums/027/935/album-292231/cache/123111_NewYear_60.sJPG_900_540_0_95_1_50_50.sJPG?1325506911

Funny Foto Friday

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

This makes me snort~
Don't you love her expression??

"It's a doggy, mommy, and he's taller than me. And he just peed all over that little car!"

http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/211442326_cayRZvLU_b.jpg

Awesomesauce Friends

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Dear awesomesauce readers/friends/writers/authors/buddies:

Taffy here
<-------

Thank you for visiting my blog throughout 2011! I appreciate your visits and comments more than you'll know. You have given me an amazing gift of friendships memories that I hope will last years if not a life time.

I've met many of you through writing conferences, blogs and author signings. It's been a fantastic ride and I've enjoyed my adventures this past year. All thanks to you, dearest readers.
And a huge shout out to my critique group, the Sharks & Pebbles! You. Are. The. Best.

Being in the reminiscing mode I glanced through my posts from the past. I found a few I'd forgotten about and I'd like to share them with you. This is one way I can show you my thanks, by giving back those posts many of you read and enjoyed:

(Thankyouthankyouthankyou.)

Do you know the rules of a diamante poem? Me either. Until I wrote one. Diamante Poem
I try and post on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On a rare occasion I post on another day. This post about what to expect after getting rejected, showed up on Saturday: What? A Saturday Post?
In The Abominable Snowman Way I compare writing to making a cake an Abominable Snowman cake. :)

I hope all your wildest dreams come true in 2011!

Quote

2011-12-26T14:46:00.000-08:00

'It is perfectly okay to write garbage--

as long as you edit brilliantly.'

~C J Cherryh

A Gift to the World~Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

Foto Friday

2011-12-23T06:40:00.000-08:00

Favorite Books of 2011

2011-12-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

I'm copying Elana Johnson's post today. Pop over and say hi to her than come on back.
Reading her list made me wonder what my favorite books were this year so here it is, all nine (I'm saving the tenth spot just in case I read a favorite over Christmas break...).

FORGOTTEN by Cat Patrick
Every morning the main characters memories resets at 4:33. She leaves notes for herself every night so she doesn't wear the same outfit or needs to study for a test. Loved the unique story.

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson
Loved. This. Book. Full of what? Opposites? A fat princess, scared prince and an assassinating nurse maid. Everywhere Rae Carson sent the princess I FELT like I was there. In the hot desert or lush forest, I pictured everything without realizing I was there.

FALLEN GRACE by Mary Hooper
I was tense from the very first page of this page and didn't relax until the very end.

GEEK GIRL by Cindy Bennett
Great, sweet, clean teen read.

THE IRON KNIGHT by Julie Kagawa
Another favorite read this year. I want to reread this whole series now that Iron Knight is out.

ENTWINED by Heather Dixon
Another retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale. Loved it.

THE HEALING SPELL by Kimberly Little
Beautiful story of faith, family and forgiveness. Set in the Bayou, I often wondered of an alligator was going to get me. :)

LOVE TWELVE MILES LONG by Glenda Armand
Beautiful picture book about Fredrick Douglas and his mother

CARVING ANGELS by Diane Tolley
Sweet Christmas story.

(I reviewed all of these books on The Book Addict if you're interested. I have a search box so it's easier to find the review.)

Christmas Break=No Writing

2011-12-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas break which I LOVE because:
my kids are home
we make lots of treats
we watch tons of Christmas movies
the routine is relaxed
neighbors visit
Christmas music plays all the time

The one draw back (other than gaining weight) is I won't have as much time on the computer. My writing time will be limited which stinks. I'm finding my groove with this YA Horror but it's still kicking my backside. I can't pantser this one like I have all the others. The story seriously will not let me just write and write and write. I have to be slow and methodical.
After reading through a little bit of one of my older stories, I had an epiphany why this latest story is so hard to write:

I think I'm getting better as a writer.

There it is.

I don't mean I'm the next NY Times Bestseller. I mean I'm understanding this craft better. Which is gratifying and hard. It's was kinda nice being obviously to my atrocious mistakes. Now that I know what they are, writing takes me longer.
I hope to get some writing done while the kids sleep in. That usually gives me a few hours (if I'm not sleeping in!). I'm not stressed though. Sometimes a break from writing recharges the old brain. I do plan on reading a ton though! Thus, my need for sleeping in. :)

What are your writing plans this holiday break?

HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS!

Funny Foto Friday

2011-12-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/211487239_z9gEKWit_b.jpg

CARVING ANGELS by Diane Tolley

2011-12-09T05:00:00.001-08:00

Papa Adam, the North Pole's oldest elf and Santa's former chief carver, has given up. Blind, frail, and feeling useless, he counts the minutes in every day as he waits to die -- until his youngest granddaughter challenges him to carve again. Together they prove that the most beautiful creations can come from the most unlikely sources and with the right love and encouragement, anything is possible.

First line:
"The old elf sat on the porch of his cozy little cabin and gazed sightlessly out at the world, feeling at once worn out and useless."

Sweet, heartwarming and uplifting Christmas story. One I recommend buying for your Christmas book collection.
A story of love, family ties, elves and a little bit of Christmas magic.
Papa Adam has given up on himself until his little granddaughter visits, asking for a wood carving like her cousins received from him. At first he refuses but soon his love for carving is rekindled and a sweet relationship between grandpa and granddaughter is forged.
Papa Adam finds he is still needed, not only by his granddaughter but also by Santa Claus.

Loved:
Papa Adam
Amy
Symbolism
Dasher

I would LOVE to see this as a picture book somehow.

Rated: G

25% test (p. 29):

"Sometime later, the little girl set her carving down and began to scrape up her shavings.
Her grandfather turned toward her. “Getting ready to go, angel?” he asked.
“Yeah. The day-end whistle went,” she told him.
“Huh. I didn’t even hear it,” Grandpa said wonderingly.
“And I promised Mama I’d be home for supper.”
Advance
“Better scoot!”
She giggled. “Grandpa, you say the funniest
things!” She threw her arms around him. “Mmmm, you smell nice,”she said,“like fresh wood and peppermint.”
He laughed. “That's what grandpas are made of," he said, hugging her back. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Oh, yes, Grandpa! I want to finish this bird for
Mama for Christmas!”
“But Christmas is still months away!” “That’s okay!” “Well, all right then.” Another hug. “I love you, Grandpa!” “I love you, too, dear . . . so much!” And she was gone.
Grandpa carefully tidied up the room and threw a cloth over the tools set in regimental order on the..."

Foto Friday~HP

2011-12-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

LOVE this pic!

http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/187158240_5iOf2UKK_b.jpg

Wordage & Editing & Seriously?

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

See anything wrong with this sign?

If you saw this sign, wouldn't you take it down? Or maybe someone left it up wondering how many people would notice. Like my hubby who didn't notice.

Our brain knows what the word is suppose to be without the missing "h." My brain stopped thinking and conjured the image after I passed and I laughed and thought about pulling over to take a picture. I didn't. I was on a time schedule.

On the way home the sign faced me again so I did stop.

This is one good reason to have a second set of eyes on your story. We can edit and edit and think our story is awesome. But another person reading it will catch a missing "h."

Seen any good signs or quotes lately? Do Share!

Foto Friday

2011-12-02T05:00:00.001-08:00

Where does this go?

http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/236015497_BdtHcMgo_b.jpg

Foto Friday~Quote

2011-12-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

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I have to wait until March 2012??

2011-11-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hunger Games Movie~March 23 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

2011-11-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

"Besides, the world isn't split up into good people and death eaters. We've all got both light, and dark inside of us. What matters, is the part we choose to act on."

Foto Friday

2011-11-18T05:00:00.001-08:00

RhinoWriMo

2011-11-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

How's your writing going this month? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo?
Good luck! I know you can do it!
About halfway through November, it's easy to get bogged down in your writing and quit. You need some motivation to carry on. I totally understand.

Well, I'm introducing, RhinoWriMo to you. Just let me know that you're experiencing writers cramp/block and these two rhinos will be coming at ya full tilt.

So sit your backside back down in that chair before you end up hurt.

Waddya say to that? Call RhinoWriMo today.

(They both have unlimited charge cards.) (I had to say it, sorry!)

Author Guest Spot with Cindy Bennett

2011-11-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

I LOVED Geek Girl by Cindy Bennett! A good, clean book I can recommend to any teenager. Today I'm honored to have her as a guest here!

Which is More Effective: Writing a Query, or Hitting Your Head Against a Wall?

by Cindy C Bennett

I have yet to meet an author who actually enjoys writing a query letter. There’s something not quite right about taking an 80,000 word manuscript that you’ve labored over for months, and then trying to condense that into about 300 words. Not only that, in those 300 words, you have to make your strongest sales point within the first 100 words. To give you an idea of how long that is, you are now reading the 78^th word. If this were my query, I’d only have this one last sentence to make an impression good enough to keep you reading.

So how do you go about writing a query? Well, the first thing you have to do is research. There are many, many sites out there with great advice about writing a query. Read as many of them as you can. They are all a little different, with different opinions or “rules” for a good query letter. There isn’t any one that is the absolute right way, and that’s because it all depends on who you’re sending the query to.

That means the second thing you want to do is search out the agents or publishers that you are going to submit to. They all have different guidelines, and depending on those will depend on how you format it. You’ll want to make sure you’re submitting to the right agent. If an agent states they represent children’s books, your query for your adult thriller is going to hit the circular file beneath their desk, or the virtual one on their desktop (read: recycle bin).

Almost always you want to begin with a hook, something that peaks the interest of the recipient. You can read samples galore on the internet. You just have to figure out how to make your letter sound interesting in one sentence. And you thought 300 words was ridiculously few. Somewhere in there you need to get in the title, genre, and word count—all very important pieces of information.

Next you’ll want to give a very brief synopsis of the book. This is not the same as a blurb. Cliff hanger type sentences don’t work here: “Will she give the baby up, or decide to raise him herself?” Instead say what does happen: “She decides to keep the baby, and then must deal with the consequences of that decision, including trying to keep the baby’s father involved.”

Finally, you have to toot your own horn. This is where I struggle most. Why should this agent/editor believe that I’m the best person to have written this particular book? If you’re writing non-fiction, this is much easier. With fiction, it can get a little sketchy, unless you’re writing about something you’ve specifically had experience with.

Another option is to take an online class with help on how to write a query. I did this after so many rejections came in I was beginning to fear both my mailbox and my email inbox. And then, ironically, I never sent any of those out since I decided to self-pub. But it came in handy when I did decide to submit once again, and it was a positive experience since I received a “yes” from Cedar Fort.

Whatever, and however, you choose to write the query, just be professional, clear and concise, and make sure your grammar, punctuation, and spelling are absolutely perfect. One mistake there and they will likely not give it a second glance. If all else fails, go ahead and hit your head against the wall a few times. It’s about equal in the painful department. (Just kidding! Please don’t hit your head against the wall.)

For an interview with Cindy and a review of her book GEEK GIRL, head over to my book review blog Book Addict.

Foto Friday

2011-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Who is she?
Is she waiting for someone to return?
Or watching them leave?

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