Friday, August 28, 2009

Are You a REAL Writer?


"But seriously, folks: the basic test of whether someone is a real writer or not is if they really write. There's no magic to it. Either you write or you don't. It's that simple."


I don't know the origin of the quote but it's absolutely true. You may not be a published writer, or a bestselling writer, but if you write, you are a writer. Being a writer doesn't mean you are selling your books or that your books are with a particular kind of publishing company.


It boils down to the physical act of putting pen to paper, hands to keyboard, whatever you do to get words on paper. Do you really write? Do you just think about it, plot the book in your head, do research but never put words together to make sentences and scenes. Plotting and research are part of writing, but to be a writer you have to be actively producing work, not just talking about "Some day when I have time." or "When I retire." and "I have great material for a book, you should write about it."


Plain and simple, no magic, if you write you are a writer.

Monday, August 24, 2009

School Daze

I read a blog today about school supplies and realized that I really want some too. New notebooks, new paper, pens, sticky notes, spirals, all that bright shiny new stuff you get when school starts. It smells good and feels like new beginnings.Mind you, I'm not going to school, don't need a bunch of new stuff, but that's beside the point, I'd love to have it.

I write on the computer, so new tablets aren't really what I need the most right now. Yup, I'm a dork, what can I say. There is just something about it that makes me feel good. Could be left over from the childhood feeling of a new adventure when school starts every year.

Anyone else feel that way? Anyone sneak new post-its for themselves in the bag of supplies they bought for their own kids or a lavender tablet?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Putting it Out There

I've entered a short story contest. Not just any contest, but one with Good Housekeeping. The story doesn't have any ghosts, vampires, were wolves or demons. Can you imagine? That's even more scary, nothing to hide behind except my own writing. Will it win? Who knows? Or even place? Your guess is good as mine, but it's out there for the world to see, or at least the judge.

I'll be disappointed if it doesn't at least place, but I'll survive and maybe stop hiding behind extraordinary events in my stories all the time. Does that mean I'll stop writing the weird stuff? Not on your life, I love it, read it watch it. But it won't hurt to branch out, begin to stray into the more emotional or romantic story once in a while. I might even like it.

How about you. What have you done out of your comfort zone lately? Come on, I know you want to share. Post a comment, win a copy of Museums are Murder.

We have a winner for the "Fairy Dust" contest so JUDY, send me your address and full name to cshenold@cox.net and I will send you a copy of "Fairy Dust." If you would rather receive it electronically, be sure and let me know.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Announcements


First, if I haven't been blogging like I should, I have been writing 800 words a day. Sounds puny, I know, but for me, with work and writing, it's a lot and I'm so pleased that I've gotten at least 9000 words written on my WIP since the end of July. I'm almost to 19,000, a quarter of the way done.

Next, I'm having a new website designed and it should go live, with contests this month, so stay tuned. Also in the works is a re-design of my blog, myspace, facebook etc.

Maybe I can ramp up blogging again too. Will work on that.

Now, if you haven't been watching True Blood, and you like paranormal, vampires, weres, rent the first season and get to watching. And the second season is even better. (Screen it before you let anyone under sixteen watch it.)

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Book to Read

If you are looking for a fast, funny, touching love story, read "The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society." It was laugh outloud, totally unexpectedly fun story that strangely enough takes place on the channel island of Guernsey durning and just after WWII. You may realize the Germans occupied the channel islands, I missed the fact that they occupied British soil.

On a totally different front, I have an interview up at Manic readers.
http://manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=authorInterviews&iid=86

I also have a guest post up here.
http://kaydenmcleodparanormal.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Heat!!!


I really hate the heat and boy is it back, with a vengeance. Guess what? While I was in Colorado, we had a cool front. It actually started before I left and lasted until now. So 106 before I left for Cooler temps, and now we're back to triple digits in Oklahoma. Joy of joys.


Mind you, I don't like to be cold, but I can put on more clothes. You can only take off so much in the heat before you are arrested for indecent exposure, or at least for looking to bad to be on the streets. So much depends on what you get used to and age hasn't helped. When I was a teen, I would lay out in the July-in-Texas heat, slather myself with baby oil and iodine (no, I actually haven't had skin cancer-yet.) I had a wonderful tan. When my kids were little we'd spend weekends at the lake, in a camper, lay out in the heat and all that good stuff.


Something happened about menopause time and the headache and nausea that accompanied the heat made tanning much less fun. So now I stay cool. A lot of things change with age, not just tolerance for heat, but tolerance of other things. I'm less tolerant of adults who act like children or who fail to control their own children. I'm less tolerant of politicians who can't keep it zipped, either their mouth or their pants. I'm less tolerant of writers who just don't have time to write or they are "blocked."


If you are a writer, you make time to write, even if it is at 5am before you go to work or at 10:30 pm after the news. I've written in ER waiting rooms, at my son's karate class, in a clogging studio. Put the butt in a chair and write, you don't wait for inspiration or just the right quiet place, if your life is like mine, there is no such thing, especially if you have a family and work full time. Am I the perfect, self-disciplined writer? No, just ask my friends. I whine and complain just like everyone else. At the same time, in the past couple or three years I've finished two books and two novellas, not as much as some, more than a lot. As they say, whoever they are-JUST DO IT.


What do you do when you need to motivate yourself to get the writing done?