Wednesdays Words Of Wisdom. Nora Roberts.

Do your homework. If you are lacking in any of the nuts and bolts skills, structure, punctuation or grammar—study up. Also, write what you read. You can't write well what you don't read for pleasure. If it doesn't entertain you it's not going to entertain anyone else. Join Romance Writers of America. And don't say, 'I'm going to write when I find the time'—that's the most irritating thing I ever hear. Nobody finds time, you have to make it.

Nora Roberts Interview 

My New Office Space!

After some furniture rearranging I have now moved my work desk from the kitchen to my bedroom. I know it is not that interesting but I am excited. Trying to work in the kitchen was frustrating. My children would play with any papers on my desk and pens would just disappear. I also could not leave any writing notes on display because I felt self- conscious when people visited incase they would peek a look.
Finally I have quiet and privacy. But best of all I have shelves!!! Yipppeeeeee!!!! 
No excuse not to get some work done now.

Mondays Muse

The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award Win !

 

Thank you Lia Davis  at  Seductive & Magical Paranormal Romance  for choosing me for this award!!! Its just nice to to know people actually take the time to look at my blog. But I am thrilled you have thought it was worth an award. Thank you again!

Now here goes the rules

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
2. Share seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 5 deserving blogging buddies.
4. Contact those buddies to congratulate them.

7 facts about me, ummmmmm.............it is quite hard to think of anything interesting . 

*1. I have a black gothic cross tattoo on my arm that I now regret. I was 18yrs old when I had it done and was going through a wearing black phase.


*2. My husband phoned me after meeting at a club but neither of us could remember what the other looked like because we were too drunk.


*3. I really, really hated high school and found every minute of it torture.

*4. My daughter starts school this September and my son starts September 2012, FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


*5. I use to wear thick glasses until I had my eyes lasered three years ago. It was worth every penny.


*6. My grandparents are from a village near Dublin.


*7. I hate driving at night.




The 5 bloggers I would like to pass the award on to are

Clarissa Draper. Listening to the voices.... 

Keri Lake 

Melisse Aires. Romance with Infinite Possibilities 

Bill The Scribe. I`m Not Evil. 

Jess Witkins' Happiness Project 

Congratulations to all new winners!!!

Novel Planning Worksheets

Have you ever read a novel where there are description or continuity mistakes? I have read many novels where the spelling of the characters name changes or the hair colour changes. Yes these mistakes should be picked up in the editing process but sometimes a few do sneak their way through. Errors even happen in the novels of Stephen King

BOOK ERRORS 

When writing fiction you need to keep track of your character description and development,plot, any subplots, time line, and to make sure any clues or important events are placed exactly where necessary.

To keep myself on track I like to use worksheets. Not every writer likes to use them but I find that this method works for me.

Here are a few examples that I hope you may find helpful

The Novel Notebook 

Blank Novel Diagram 

Novel Diagram Filled In As Example 


Scene On Call Worksheet 

Ten Point Plot Template 



These are also interesting and helpful


Left Behind and Loving It Virtual Workshops 2007  


Left Behind and Loving It Virtual Workshop 2008

Left Behind and Loving It Virtual Workshop 2009 



If you scroll down I have another list of useful Worksheets below Writing Tools.

Wednesdays Words Of Wisdom. Sherrilyn Kenyon

Never give up, never surrender. Fight for your dream and never take rejections personally.
Remember, only you hear those voices in your heart and head, and you owe it to your
characters to fight for them. Please don’t give up. If you do, no one else will ever hear those
people who live inside you. For their sakes, keep going even after you’re ready to quit.


Sherrilyn Kenyon Interview

Mondays Muse

Writing Tips To Make You Smile

Like the virgin prairie for the explorer, metaphors are pregnant with possibility, but don't mix them.
It behooves the writer to avoid archaic expressions.
One should not shift from the third person to the second person when you write.
I once read that splitting modifiers was wrong in the library.
It is generally recommended that the use of the passive be minimized.
Write assertively, I think.
A sentence containing a parenthetical phrase (must be a complete sentence) without that phrase.
Avoid the use of vulgarisms that might piss off the reader.
Avoid rephrasing, which is, in other words, paraphrasing or rewording of a statement, sort of like repeating it.
I've told you a million times not to exaggerate.
Ambiguity is more or less undesirable.
Hyperbole is the worst mistake you can possibly make.
You will die horribly if you are overdramatic!
Boise, Idaho's 7327 English teachers agree that all statistics should be verified.
Don't verbify nouns.
I have traveled all over the world, known many important people, received many degrees, and have learned that it is in bad taste to use yourself as an expert example even though I am one.
djust the margins before print
opy of the completed docume
When choosing among two, make the best choice. Between three or more, pick the better one.
Avoid overuse of rhetorical questions. Know what I mean?
I could care less about expressions that mean the opposite of what they say.
Vary sentence length. Conformity is boring.
Be sure to use the correct word accept in certain cases.
Don't use no double negatives.
Avoid clichés like the plague.
Each pronoun should match their subject.
Never use a preposition to end a sentence with.
Try to not split infinitives.
Don't be repetitively redundant or repetitious.

My Top 5 Super Sexy Vampires

I need cheering up today so have decided to post my top 5 super sexy vampires....*sigh*........


1) My very first Vampire crush when I was at school

2) My second Vampire Crush when I was at school

3) Just yummy

4) Ummmmm.........I would not say no....*sigh*

Oh got to have another one......

Yep...that last one worked in cheering me up. Where can I find a sexy Vampire Like that? Life is not fair.



5) Finally another school girl crush.......the lovely Angel and Spike. Yes I know I am cheating by putting 2!

Wednesdays Words Of Wisdom. Stephen King

Writing advice from the Godfather of all authors

Mondays Muse. Millais - Ophelia

 

I really like this picture and think it is very beautiful, even though it is actually a painting of a drowned girl. I can remember once watching a film where a girl ( I think it was at the start) recreated this image with herself laying down in a river surrounded by floating flowers. The character then took a picture of herself with a camera. But I can not remember which film it was . Does anyone have any ideas? Not sure if it was labyrinth?

Here is an interesting recent article about who was the real drowned girl surrounded by flowers. 

Please take a look

Tudor coroners' records give clue to 'real Ophelia' for Shakespeare

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13682993

Bella Swan, Sookie Stackhouse. Crafting Your Characters Name

A characters name can either make or brake a book. A warrior hero called Fred or Cyril would definitely lose your readers interest. Or maybe even stop them picking up your book. A characters name can reveal not only their gender but also his or hers nationality,ethnicity, social status and sometimes religion.

An example of a name revealing a characters social status is that of Fitzwilliam Darcy in Jane Austins Pride and Prejudice. Here is a pic to sigh over

You could not imagine a male with that name working down the coal mines in eighteenth century England. The name projects an image of high status, education and wealth.

Names an also be used to conjure a picture of their appearance and personality in the readers mind. In Louisa May Alcotts novel Little women the character Josephine March goes by the nickname Jo. This masculine name emphasize her tomboy nature.

The writer Charles Dickens was a genius at creating names for his heroes, heroines and villains. Take a look at this list of his fictional characters.

http://uk.ask.com/wiki/List_of_Dickensian_characters 

If you are having trouble thinking of a suitable surname just pick up your nearest phonebook!

In today's modern world author J R Ward uses dark, dangerous sounding monikers for her heroes in her Black Dagger Brothers series. The names she uses suggests the characters personalities and even the direction of the story. For example the character Rhage battles his emotions and when angered turns into an attacking beast. The character of Vishous? Well, lets just say he is an S & M fan.

The author Stephenie Meyer`s choice of “Bella Swan” for the name of her awkward, plain, depressive heroin reminds of the children's story of The Ugly Duckling. In the tale the sad ugly duckling who is an outcast in his world grows into a beautiful swan. A clever play on words.

Think very carefully when choosing your characters names. Avoid androgynous names as they would just confuse the reader. Avoid weird or cute spellings as they would just irritate.Avoid names that are too popular or belong to a famous person as again it would just irritate and distract from the story. Make sure the name reflects the time period. But most importantly remember that names can reflect the character and make or break a story.

Here are some websites that I hope are helpful

List of Jane Austin Characters 

List of Stephen King Characters 

List of Kresley Cole Characters 

List of J R Ward Characters 

List of Sherrilyn Kenyon Characters 

Fun Character Name Generator !! 

Behind The Name. Names And Their Meanings 

Baby Names And Tips For Writers 

Name That Character! Article For Further Reading 

Every time you masturbate... God kills a kitten

What?????? Just found this on the internet.Don`t really know how . I was not looking up masturbation I promise!!!! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_time_you_masturbate..._God_kills_a_kitten 




Poor kittens of the world

 SAVE THE KITTENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesdays Words Of Wisdom. J R Ward

"Write every day! That's the big one for me. Writing is like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get at it. The other thing would be to read as much as you can – to develop your own internal editor. By focusing on what works and doesn't work in books, you can teach yourself a lot about craft. Finally, I would suggest joining the Romance Writers of America because of the fabulous resources and networking opportunities that RWA brings to its members.
Oh! And one last one: follow your passion – write the kind of books YOU want to read. Your fascination will come through in your writing!"

 Author J R Ward

* vampire romance books interview 

Mondays Muse

My Future Is Written In The Stars

 

In January 2011 I was determined that this year would be MY year. I wrote down a set of goals I was going to achieve. 


1* Finishing the novel AWAKEN that I started last year
2*Start my idea for a second novel about sibling witches
3*Start a blog and to post interesting informative posts about writing every Friday
4*Study the art of writing fiction by reading books, blogs and other material  
 


Well, come February all that went out of the window with my Nan`s accident and now illness. Today she is still very ill as she has given up on life. It is only a matter of time before we will lose her. This year has been just one family drama after another.
One good news is that my baby niece was taken out of intensive care on Saturday and went home this morning. Now her two big sisters are fighting over who gets to cuddle her. She will be spoilt rotten.
Over the weekend I decided that I must get back on track with my writing whatever life decides to throw at me. I feel frustrated, depressed and annoyed with myself when I am not writing. I need to write. Even if I am never successful I have this restless need in my blood to WRITE.
I decided that starting today I WILL write for two hours every day no matter what disaster lurkes around the corner.
Today I read my horoscope (Capricorn) in the newspaper.  A sentence that jumped out at me said "Start today and your creative skills could soon be at the centre of your working world".
Wow what a great boost it was reading that. It put a great big smile on my face and a spring in my step. It must be a good omen. Here I come writing world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Little Prayer For My Neice Please

Little Kacey-Jo is having a few problems and is now in intensive care. I went to see her today and she is gorgous but looks like my brother poor thing. Fingers crossed.