California Education

Last Thursday I had the honor of flying to California to be a bridesmaid in my good friends Diem & Andy's wedding. It was a beautiful event and I couldn't be happier for the couple. My friend Diem is drop dead gorgeous, look right for proof. My friend Rashi, a fellow bridesmaid, used the phrase "A star among stars." I wouldn't call myself a star, but I was honored to be in the company of such lovely ladies (see below).

While I was away in California, I learned a lot of nifty pieces of information:

• Soy beans are grown in circular crop formations
• To drive in the carpool lane in California you only need two passengers in the vehicle. It amazed me how many vehicles on the 405 had only 1 person in them.
• When you hear that voice in your head that says: This is a bad idea. You shouldn't swing like a monkey from a series of 6 feet high rings because you might fall and hurt your knee. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS LISTEN TO THAT VOICE. No major damage was done, but still I should have listened.
• Of the many cities that Southwest flies to, 19 of those cities are state capitals.

I probably won't post again for the week because I have a ton of weddings to edit and I have to prepare the first five hundred words of my manuscript for Agent Mary's webinar tomorrow over at Writer's Digest. Agent Kristen Nelson is also having a webinar on How to Write and Sell Fantasy and Science Fiction on September 30th. Check it out. See everyone next week.

Peace Out.

Mt. Climax

You know that point in a plot where the main character reaches a point of no return? He or she can't go back to the good ole' life they had. They can't undo whatever decisions they made that got them into the mess they're in now. Granted, it's not all the main character's fault because there are always external forces at play, things that are completely outside of the main character's control. But the main character is irrevocably changed none the less, and as they reach that final push and look down from the pinnacle of Mt. Climax, the world is spread before them, miniaturized. The pieces of their past, the foreshadowing, the supporting characters, the chain of minor and major conflicts spread out like a criss-crossing trans-continental rail road track- it's all mapped out so clear.

Yup, that's where I'm at right now in real life. I know that once I make it past the last turning point and am comfortably settled in the after math, I should be able to look back and say, "Man, that's some good writing material."

A Tale of Two Kitties

 The following story is based on true events:

Cottonball looked over at her furry feline boyfriend, Orange-and-White-Kitty. "Did you see what happened at the Saxena house the other night."
"No. What?" Orange-and-White-Kitty said as he stretched his paws in front of him and yawned.
Cottonball sauntered closer and gave Orange-and-White-Kitty a lick on the forehead. He had a piece of fur out of place and she couldn't stand it, what with her OCD and all.
"Well, you know that bird that always squawks at us whenever we get close to the Saxena house?"
"Yeah. She's so annoying." Orange-and-White-Kitty said and rolled his eyes. He flipped onto his back, letting the sun warm the fur on his under side.
"She died last night," Cottonball said then coughed. She then erupted into a spasm of wheezes.

Ignoring his girl's respiratory troubles, Orange-and-White-Kitty could only think of the news Cottonball had delivered.
Died.
The word brought back a flood of memories from a past that Orange-and-White-Kitty didn't want to remember. He usually kept the memory of the loved ones he had lost locked up tight in the recesses of his mind, but he couldn't push away the pain. He felt empathy for the Saxena family. They seemed like nice people, and even though that bird was freakin' annoying, he felt their sorrow.
"Perhaps we should pay the Saxena's a visit," Orange-and-White-Kitty suggested.
Cottonball agreed. The two of them stood and they made the block or so trek to the Saxena home and then settled themselves on the shady front porch. The cold cement felt good against Cottonball's flushed skin and it helped calm her wheezing that had intensified from the walk.

Not long after, the Saxena's arrived home. Mr. Saxena carried a bag of groceries and Mrs. Saxena stopped at the porch to admire her new fluffy visitors. She put out a bowl of water and after a quick repeat run to the grocery store, put out a bowl of a Nine Lives Crunchy Cat Food- Orange-and-White-Kitty's absolute favorite.

Had Orange-and-White-Kitty and Cottonball found a potential new home? Will Cottonball's respiratory illness progress?

Stay tuned next week for the next episode of a Tale of Two Kitties.

A Shout Out

I am an avid follower of the blog Kiersten Writes. Over the past year or so, I've had the opportunity to get to know her via her witty and often laugh out loud blog posts. Not only does she share her wisdom about writing but she also writes hilarious ancedotes about yettis and conversations with her laptop.

On August 31 Kiersten White debuted her first novel Paranormalcy. I'm in the middle of reading it and have fallen in love with the main character Evie and her side kick, a pink taser named Tasey. Since her debut at the end of August, Kiersten has sold movie rights to Paranormalcy and landed herself on the New York Times Best Sellers List.

She is such a short, sweet, funny person and an undeniable inspiration to all of us aspiring writers out there that I just had to give a shout out to Kiersten White and all her recent success.
P.S. If you've picked up a copy of Paranormalcy (and if you haven't you should go do so right now), check out the contest that Kiersten is holding.

A Week of Ideas and Inspirations for Writing from the Pocket Muse PART FIVE

My favorite excerpt #5 from Monica Wood's The Pocket Muse:

Nobody has to see that first draft but you. You can eat it when you're done. You can make it into origami animals and decorate a table. You can dunk it in hot water, stir it up, mash it back into pulp. You can build a fire, line a birdcage, stuff a pillow.

You can't do any of this, however, until your write the thing.

I hope everyone has enjoyed this week of tid bits from Monica Wood's The Pocket Muse. Not only does this book have valuable information, but Ms. Wood suggests plenty of exercises to help stimulate the writer brain.

Stay tuned next week where I may post my first ever VLOG and share a secret fear. Have a great weekend!

A Week of Ideas and Inspirations for Writing from the Pocket Muse PART FOUR

My favorite excerpt #4 from Monica Wood's The Pocket Muse:

MOST GOOD STORIES ARE ABOUT TROUBLE

Trouble getting from point A to point B

Trouble being understood

Trouble understanding

Trouble doing something

Trouble having something done to you

Trouble talking

Trouble listening

Trouble within

Trouble without

Trouble being human

The list is endless, of course. When your own work befuddles you, ask yourself: What is the nature of the trouble I am trying to explore?

A Week of Ideas and Inspirations for Writing from the Pocket Muse Part Three....

My favorite excerpt #3 from Monica Wood's The Pocket Muse:

A Tip for Revision 


I call this exercise "color coding." First identify the area you wish to address:


Plot?
Theme?
Language/ Style?
Ratio of analysis to incident?
Dialogue vs. narrative?
Reflection vs. action?


Next apply highlighters in different colors to diagnose possible problems.

Ms Wood then proceeds to show how to analyze samples of a personal essay, short fiction, and poem. If you want to learn more, get the book =)