Happy Friday and happy New Year to everyone as well! This is our last Friday Five for 2016 and I thought it would be nice to share my writing resolutions for 2017. These are half resolutions and half goals because I've been starting to think of my resolutions as my goals. They are things that I want to do and succeed at and not just be aimless on.
So, without further ado, let's get into my five writing resolutions / goals for 2017.
1. Stop dragging my feet on editing. I am a person who loves being able to write and I am not a fan of editing. However, I know that I won't be taken seriously unless I edit. I have to find a new way to look at editing for it to be fun but I haven't found it yet. Other than paying someone else to do it for me.
2. Let's get published this year and not worry about the fact that vampires are going out of fashion. My book is strong on it's own and has good characters. I don't need to be a trend setter or rest on a trend. It's going to be awesome and I need to get out of my way and go for it. Also, this means learning how to comfortably talk about my book with complete strangers while it's sometimes difficult to even let my own family / close friends know. So, yeah, big goal here.
3. No more lazy writing! No more white room syndrome or blank character syndrome - when a character goes into something or meets someone, there's a description. No leaving a note to come back and do it, no going <room description> or anything else. Commit, write it out, clean it up in editing to make a complete scene.
4. Read more, especially not in my genre. As you can see from my Goodreads tracker, so I failed last year with trying to read. I think, for 2017, I'm going to set it to 20 and get there. Then up it by five and see how far I get. That might mean that book reviews might come back and it might not. I know, as I read more, I get more ideas or I find ways to be more creative in my own writing. So, yes, that needs to happen.
5. Keep up with the blog more than I have been. I'm going to try and be better in 2017 than I was this year. It might mean that I'm only posting once or twice a week but it'll be consistent. It won't just be the Friday Five and I'm not sure if I'll be continuing them either. I do appreciate everyone who is reading my posts and I thank you for coming.
Well, that's my five for 2017. I need to figure out how I'm going to track them, but I think I'll be able to figure it out. Until next time, keep on writing and have a safe and happy New Year!
Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Blogmas 2016 Recap
Well... yes, I did kind of fail. Going to fully admit that I did because anything else would be a big stinking lie. It was just the insanity of the season, with having to get the house ready for company, and nothing got done. Literally nothing. No editing, no writing, there was just cleaning and getting ready. After that was done, then family was here and it was family time. So, yeah, probably not going to do that next year. It was a fun experiment and it died a horrible flaming death.
Okay, maybe not horrible, but flaming death works. I will say that one of my New Year resolutions is to keep up with the blog, on a schedule, but if you guys have been reading for any length of time, you know how that goes. We'll see though.
I hope everyone had a happy holidays and I'll see you tomorrow with the WriYe Blog Circle post about New Years resolutions!
Okay, maybe not horrible, but flaming death works. I will say that one of my New Year resolutions is to keep up with the blog, on a schedule, but if you guys have been reading for any length of time, you know how that goes. We'll see though.
I hope everyone had a happy holidays and I'll see you tomorrow with the WriYe Blog Circle post about New Years resolutions!
Friday, December 16, 2016
Friday Five: My Favorite TV Christmas Episodes
Happy Friday! Celebrate the end of the week guys and let's get into some of my favorite holiday / Christmas episodes. These aren't ranked but just the five that has the most impact on me. By the way, there will be spoilers but these are all shows that have been out for a while. So, caution while reading.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Writing and Christmas Prep
This is going to sound like a lot of advice that I gave when I was talking about writing and Thanksgiving. There are a few new ideas, but yes, the idea is still the same. We're trying to shape writing around the real life responsibilities that you have. It's never easy and even more so during the holiday season because there's a lot more oomph to what needs to get done. You need to make sure that everything is clean for visitors, make sure that everything is festive enough, and all while trying not to stress out too much about it.
Yeah, I'm getting tense just thinking about it. You're not alone in that.
So, what are we going to do? Well, for one, there are going to be times when you need to sit. You'll have done a hour or two of work and feel like you need a break. Make sure that you have an open word document or whatever you use to write and try to write 100 words. If you can't make anything come, then just try to free write for 100 words to see if something comes. If, when you hit 100 words, you feel that you should get up to do something else, then you should. However, if you hit 100 words but want to continue, then you continue. The idea here is to write until you feel that you need to get up. So, if that's just 100 words, then that's great. If you go beyond 100 words, see how you feel when you hit 200. Then maybe 300. And so on. However, the hard stop time when you need to get up and go back to what needs to get done is when you're at the end of your chapter. Then you open a new document and go back to what you're doing until you need to sit again.
Another idea is to take the stress out of writing. Yes, you've written for x amount of days in a row and you want to keep that up. Lower what your target is, just for a few weeks, so you're still writing but it's not stressing you out. If you start writing and want to go to your original target? That's great and you should do so. But if you're starting to worry about things to get done, then hit the lower target and then go get the things done. You've still got words, even if they're smaller than you want, and you can always come back. Either at the end of the day or the next to continue what you're doing. Then you feel less like a lump and more that you're more productive.
The last is the most drastic and I actually don't fully recommend it but I'm putting it down here anyways. Give up something that you're doing for fun and write instead. Instead of binge watching a program, write for that time instead. Again, I don't recommend this because we all need to destress. Writing, for all the good things it does, sometimes doesn't feel that way. It feels like it ramps our bodies up and then we want to do a million things at once. So, if you feel like the only way you're going to get your writing in for the day is to cut something out, then you should. However, I would ask you to think long and hard about it. Are you going to start resenting your writing for having to give up what you like to do or watch? If the answer is yes or if you start to feel that way, then you should pick up whatever you gave up for your writing time. It does seem odd, that I'm recommending / not recommending this, but I feel like all the advice should be given and you decide what's best for you.
So, yes, those are my three ways to write during the holiday season when you're supposed to be prepping the house. What are your ways? Feel free to leave a comment below or poke me on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, keep on writing!
Yeah, I'm getting tense just thinking about it. You're not alone in that.
So, what are we going to do? Well, for one, there are going to be times when you need to sit. You'll have done a hour or two of work and feel like you need a break. Make sure that you have an open word document or whatever you use to write and try to write 100 words. If you can't make anything come, then just try to free write for 100 words to see if something comes. If, when you hit 100 words, you feel that you should get up to do something else, then you should. However, if you hit 100 words but want to continue, then you continue. The idea here is to write until you feel that you need to get up. So, if that's just 100 words, then that's great. If you go beyond 100 words, see how you feel when you hit 200. Then maybe 300. And so on. However, the hard stop time when you need to get up and go back to what needs to get done is when you're at the end of your chapter. Then you open a new document and go back to what you're doing until you need to sit again.
Another idea is to take the stress out of writing. Yes, you've written for x amount of days in a row and you want to keep that up. Lower what your target is, just for a few weeks, so you're still writing but it's not stressing you out. If you start writing and want to go to your original target? That's great and you should do so. But if you're starting to worry about things to get done, then hit the lower target and then go get the things done. You've still got words, even if they're smaller than you want, and you can always come back. Either at the end of the day or the next to continue what you're doing. Then you feel less like a lump and more that you're more productive.
The last is the most drastic and I actually don't fully recommend it but I'm putting it down here anyways. Give up something that you're doing for fun and write instead. Instead of binge watching a program, write for that time instead. Again, I don't recommend this because we all need to destress. Writing, for all the good things it does, sometimes doesn't feel that way. It feels like it ramps our bodies up and then we want to do a million things at once. So, if you feel like the only way you're going to get your writing in for the day is to cut something out, then you should. However, I would ask you to think long and hard about it. Are you going to start resenting your writing for having to give up what you like to do or watch? If the answer is yes or if you start to feel that way, then you should pick up whatever you gave up for your writing time. It does seem odd, that I'm recommending / not recommending this, but I feel like all the advice should be given and you decide what's best for you.
So, yes, those are my three ways to write during the holiday season when you're supposed to be prepping the house. What are your ways? Feel free to leave a comment below or poke me on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, keep on writing!
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Setting Novels During the Holiday Season
Going to be honest here... I have never written a novel that is set during the holiday season. In Mystery of the Dark, it touches on the Samhain holiday but it's not really the main focus on the novel. What I'm talking about with setting a novel during the holiday season is taking the season and making it be more than just seeming like a random event that your characters are around during. You're going to want to make sure that the season is shown in more ways than one. There's a few ways to do that.
One of the best ways to do that is to make sure, when you're giving details of the location, to include holiday decorations. For example, say that a detective shows up to a crime scene and there's a bit of added sadness because there's now blood splattered on the decorated tree. Or the wrapped presents that were under the tree. That's showing the reader that, yes, it is the season and you have a bit of attachment to the victim in wondering who he or she left behind. It's an easy way to work in the holiday season but then you need to continue it. Does the place where your detective work have holiday decorations up? Or is it bare save for a desk here or there? It's one of the smaller ways to have the holiday there but yet not being a overwhelming presence.
Another way is to make the novel all about the holiday. When you're setting up your plot for the novel, have it be that the main character is heading home and you can easily write a family drama around the holiday. Honestly, this is a way that you could plot out a novel around any sort of tradition. It could even be a funeral or a wedding and things go from there. This brings the holiday or whatever you're putting the plot around have center stage. It is the main reason for why the characters are getting together because, any other time, they wouldn't really be talking to each other. Or meet at all in some cases. That is a bigger way to have the holidays be in your novel and it is a very successful way too. If you want proof, turn on the Hallmark channel and see what they're showing wall to wall.
So those are the two big ways that I know of to have the holiday season in your novels. How would you go about having the holidays in yours? Feel free to leave a comment below or poke me on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, keep on writing!
One of the best ways to do that is to make sure, when you're giving details of the location, to include holiday decorations. For example, say that a detective shows up to a crime scene and there's a bit of added sadness because there's now blood splattered on the decorated tree. Or the wrapped presents that were under the tree. That's showing the reader that, yes, it is the season and you have a bit of attachment to the victim in wondering who he or she left behind. It's an easy way to work in the holiday season but then you need to continue it. Does the place where your detective work have holiday decorations up? Or is it bare save for a desk here or there? It's one of the smaller ways to have the holiday there but yet not being a overwhelming presence.
Another way is to make the novel all about the holiday. When you're setting up your plot for the novel, have it be that the main character is heading home and you can easily write a family drama around the holiday. Honestly, this is a way that you could plot out a novel around any sort of tradition. It could even be a funeral or a wedding and things go from there. This brings the holiday or whatever you're putting the plot around have center stage. It is the main reason for why the characters are getting together because, any other time, they wouldn't really be talking to each other. Or meet at all in some cases. That is a bigger way to have the holidays be in your novel and it is a very successful way too. If you want proof, turn on the Hallmark channel and see what they're showing wall to wall.
So those are the two big ways that I know of to have the holiday season in your novels. How would you go about having the holidays in yours? Feel free to leave a comment below or poke me on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, keep on writing!
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
How to Deal with Holiday Stress
Write! Okay, only slightly joking, but people should know better than to annoy writers. Especially mystery writers where they need victims and murder suspects. So, yes, one way to deal with holiday stress is to take whatever is stressing you out and think of a funny way to deal with it. Or a bloody way to deal with it, if that's how you write things. Do you and all that.
Another way to deal with holiday stress is to just unplug for a bit. Not all day, but maybe for a half hour to a hour. All you do is go chill out somewhere quiet or somewhere people can't reach you - library or coffee shop - and just read. Or do a crossword. Or whatever would make you calm down and realize that you don't have to do everything all at once. It's not Christmas Eve. Present wrapping will wait a moment. So will shopping. Also, you're more likely to get sick during the holidays while dealing with stress, so another good reason to go try out an eggnog latte at Starbucks (they're delicious).
The last way to deal with holiday stress is because I do it a lot is to play a video game. Sometimes bashing pixels of bad guys heads is the best way to make it feel like you're going to get through it. It doesn't have to be a video game like Warcraft. It could easily be a game on your phone like Candy Crush. The added bonus of it being a game on your phone or one that you can easy take with you on a DS or similar thing is that you can play while at the coffee shop. Or library if you have headphones. So it's a win-win really.
What's your best way to deal with stress around the holidays? Feel free to leave a comment below or poke me on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, happy holidays!
Another way to deal with holiday stress is to just unplug for a bit. Not all day, but maybe for a half hour to a hour. All you do is go chill out somewhere quiet or somewhere people can't reach you - library or coffee shop - and just read. Or do a crossword. Or whatever would make you calm down and realize that you don't have to do everything all at once. It's not Christmas Eve. Present wrapping will wait a moment. So will shopping. Also, you're more likely to get sick during the holidays while dealing with stress, so another good reason to go try out an eggnog latte at Starbucks (they're delicious).
The last way to deal with holiday stress is because I do it a lot is to play a video game. Sometimes bashing pixels of bad guys heads is the best way to make it feel like you're going to get through it. It doesn't have to be a video game like Warcraft. It could easily be a game on your phone like Candy Crush. The added bonus of it being a game on your phone or one that you can easy take with you on a DS or similar thing is that you can play while at the coffee shop. Or library if you have headphones. So it's a win-win really.
What's your best way to deal with stress around the holidays? Feel free to leave a comment below or poke me on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, happy holidays!
Monday, December 12, 2016
Editing and Where to Start
Yes, we're back to talking about editing. If you're a writer, then you're going to have to make time in your life for editing. I know I've touched on this before but I felt like it should be talked about again. So here we are.
Last week, I talked about putting the novel in a drawer and I fully believe in that. You should clear your head and give yourself a small bit of space before sitting down again. There's burn out and just not seeing your mistakes and so on. However, that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here about where to start. Yes, the where is just as important as the when. While it is going to be at the beginning, that's not what I mean.
The where is what you want to focus on while you're editing. Do you want to make sure that you don't have any plot holes? Then you should read the entire thing through and keep a notebook where you feel the plot jumps. Do you want to focus on typos and other tiny mistakes? Then you should print out your novel in five chapter bits and go through with a red pen to mark where you need to change things. Maybe you want to do both, which you can do, but it is also helpful to sometimes just focus on one thing at a time. Also, there's nothing saying that you can't fix the smaller things while looking for plot holes or vice versa. Or whatever you want to focus on.
The idea here is to not make the editing process feel like a climb up Everest. You can break it down into smaller pieces and then put everything together to make a whole. Otherwise you'll have a ton of novels done but go nowhere with them.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions or want to continue the conversation, feel free to leave a comment below or poke me on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, keep on writing or editing!
Last week, I talked about putting the novel in a drawer and I fully believe in that. You should clear your head and give yourself a small bit of space before sitting down again. There's burn out and just not seeing your mistakes and so on. However, that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here about where to start. Yes, the where is just as important as the when. While it is going to be at the beginning, that's not what I mean.
The where is what you want to focus on while you're editing. Do you want to make sure that you don't have any plot holes? Then you should read the entire thing through and keep a notebook where you feel the plot jumps. Do you want to focus on typos and other tiny mistakes? Then you should print out your novel in five chapter bits and go through with a red pen to mark where you need to change things. Maybe you want to do both, which you can do, but it is also helpful to sometimes just focus on one thing at a time. Also, there's nothing saying that you can't fix the smaller things while looking for plot holes or vice versa. Or whatever you want to focus on.
The idea here is to not make the editing process feel like a climb up Everest. You can break it down into smaller pieces and then put everything together to make a whole. Otherwise you'll have a ton of novels done but go nowhere with them.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions or want to continue the conversation, feel free to leave a comment below or poke me on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, keep on writing or editing!
Saturday, December 10, 2016
My Favorite Drink: Eggnog
Okay, show of hands, who doesn't like a good eggnog? It doesn't have to be boozy or it does, because it tastes really good that way too, with some whipped cream and nutmeg on top. Or even some cinnamon, if you're being daring, but it's a really good drink.
Here's my recipe for it - go to your nearest store, buy a carton with a good date, some whipped cream, and head on home. Optional - head to the liquor part of the store and pick up brandy if you need it. At home, if you're putting brandy in, that goes in first. Then pour in eggnog and add some nutmeg. Stir, taste, add a splash more eggnog and stir again. Put whipped cream on top and, after giving some whipped cream to the dog, more nutmeg. Ta-da, a drink.
If you want to make your own, I recommend Alton Brown's Eggnog Recipe which does call for 3 ounces of bourbon, so there you go. I never made an eggnog recipe in my life, but it sounds good. Time consuming, but good.
Well, until next time, raise a glass for me and happy holidays!
Here's my recipe for it - go to your nearest store, buy a carton with a good date, some whipped cream, and head on home. Optional - head to the liquor part of the store and pick up brandy if you need it. At home, if you're putting brandy in, that goes in first. Then pour in eggnog and add some nutmeg. Stir, taste, add a splash more eggnog and stir again. Put whipped cream on top and, after giving some whipped cream to the dog, more nutmeg. Ta-da, a drink.
If you want to make your own, I recommend Alton Brown's Eggnog Recipe which does call for 3 ounces of bourbon, so there you go. I never made an eggnog recipe in my life, but it sounds good. Time consuming, but good.
Well, until next time, raise a glass for me and happy holidays!
Friday, December 9, 2016
Friday Five: Favorite Christmas Songs / Carols
Happy Friday everyone! Let's get a-going with this short but fun list about Christmas carols. Or not so Christmas carols but we'll get into it.
1. Carol of the Bells - This is, hands down, my favorite carol of all time. I love nearly every variation of it, from traditional to modern, and I feel like it's one of the unsong heros of the holiday season. You don't really hear it played over and over again like others that feel like nails on chalkboard. This is just nice and easy to listen to, especially when you have a full choir doing the melody.
2. Ding Dong Merrily on High - This is my randomly start singing song when I have nothing on because I forget all of the words but the long drawn out Gloria. Everything else gets hummed but that little part is the one that I remember. I'm not sure what that says about me or the song, but it's another one of those nice little tunes that doesn't get played enough during the holidays. Probably due to the entire religious thing but eh. I still like it and I'm really not all that religious.
3. We Wish You a Merry Christmas - One of the songs of the season but yet it doesn't irrate me that I'd hear it about a million times a day. As long as it's not by the same singer and we're good. What people don't really know is the second verse, which is about figgy pudding, doesn't really get sung all that much. It also usually gets tied up with other songs.
4. Felix Navidad - It's not Christmas time until I hear this song at least once on the radio. You might be wondering how it has it's own number but it's completely different from the one above. For one, a good part of it is in Spanish and two... I like it more. A lot more. I dare you to not dance when you're listening to it, even while sitting down.
5. Mary Did You Know? - So, I only first heard of this song a few years ago when Pentatonix did a cover of it. What I didn't realize is that it was first written in 1991 by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene. In 1996, it started to become more popular and people started to cover it. Another thing that I didn't know is that it also became a musical, which is interesting, but you should go and find Pentatonix's version.
So, that's my top five. Did I miss one or do you agree with the list? Feel free to leave a comment below or poke me over on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, happy holidays!
1. Carol of the Bells - This is, hands down, my favorite carol of all time. I love nearly every variation of it, from traditional to modern, and I feel like it's one of the unsong heros of the holiday season. You don't really hear it played over and over again like others that feel like nails on chalkboard. This is just nice and easy to listen to, especially when you have a full choir doing the melody.
2. Ding Dong Merrily on High - This is my randomly start singing song when I have nothing on because I forget all of the words but the long drawn out Gloria. Everything else gets hummed but that little part is the one that I remember. I'm not sure what that says about me or the song, but it's another one of those nice little tunes that doesn't get played enough during the holidays. Probably due to the entire religious thing but eh. I still like it and I'm really not all that religious.
3. We Wish You a Merry Christmas - One of the songs of the season but yet it doesn't irrate me that I'd hear it about a million times a day. As long as it's not by the same singer and we're good. What people don't really know is the second verse, which is about figgy pudding, doesn't really get sung all that much. It also usually gets tied up with other songs.
4. Felix Navidad - It's not Christmas time until I hear this song at least once on the radio. You might be wondering how it has it's own number but it's completely different from the one above. For one, a good part of it is in Spanish and two... I like it more. A lot more. I dare you to not dance when you're listening to it, even while sitting down.
5. Mary Did You Know? - So, I only first heard of this song a few years ago when Pentatonix did a cover of it. What I didn't realize is that it was first written in 1991 by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene. In 1996, it started to become more popular and people started to cover it. Another thing that I didn't know is that it also became a musical, which is interesting, but you should go and find Pentatonix's version.
So, that's my top five. Did I miss one or do you agree with the list? Feel free to leave a comment below or poke me over on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, happy holidays!
Thursday, December 8, 2016
My Favorite Christmas Things
I have a lot of them, some of which I posted before when I talked about the decorations, but I thought I'd dive more into them today. Christmas trees and lights, as long as I don't have to put them up or take them down, but they give a nice warm fuzzy feeling. Especially when there's a bit of snow or the feeling of snow in the air. I don't mind a light dusting before Christmas or on Christmas Eve but I am against an outright blizzard. Blizzards are for January and February, at least in Chicagoland, as that's when we usually get them.
Another thing I love about this time of year is getting together with family to celebrate. Either with family traditions that happen every year or things that come up new and then get folded in. It's about getting together over good food and warm drinks - literal or figurative (woo spiked eggnog) - and catching up on what's happened throughout the year. Talking about favorite movies and what we've seen or not seen throughout the year. How jobs are going and who decided to take retirement. What's really happening in their lives. Sure, we could get together during the year but there's something about Christmas that makes it easier than trying to do it during the summer. It might have something to do with the weather being cold and forcing us into our homes but it's nicer to think of it as family tradition.
The last thing that I'm going to mention of my favorite things, as I could continue for longer, is presents. Not just the getting of presents but the giving them as well. Squirreling away ideas all year, sometimes as gag gifts and sometimes that special something that they'd forgot they wanted, is just a lot of fun. After I was told the truth about Santa, a part of me figured that, sure, he was myth but still lived in a lot of us. We see it every time we brighten someone's face with a gift that they don't just like but love. We see it when they're surprised that one of the bigger boxes under the tree is for them. I know it sounds sappy but I like to think that way, especially now.
Until next time, happy holidays.
Another thing I love about this time of year is getting together with family to celebrate. Either with family traditions that happen every year or things that come up new and then get folded in. It's about getting together over good food and warm drinks - literal or figurative (woo spiked eggnog) - and catching up on what's happened throughout the year. Talking about favorite movies and what we've seen or not seen throughout the year. How jobs are going and who decided to take retirement. What's really happening in their lives. Sure, we could get together during the year but there's something about Christmas that makes it easier than trying to do it during the summer. It might have something to do with the weather being cold and forcing us into our homes but it's nicer to think of it as family tradition.
The last thing that I'm going to mention of my favorite things, as I could continue for longer, is presents. Not just the getting of presents but the giving them as well. Squirreling away ideas all year, sometimes as gag gifts and sometimes that special something that they'd forgot they wanted, is just a lot of fun. After I was told the truth about Santa, a part of me figured that, sure, he was myth but still lived in a lot of us. We see it every time we brighten someone's face with a gift that they don't just like but love. We see it when they're surprised that one of the bigger boxes under the tree is for them. I know it sounds sappy but I like to think that way, especially now.
Until next time, happy holidays.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Keeping a Planner
That, for everyone interested, is my personal planner. I decided to take a picture of it because I really liked the way it turned out and instagram account. It's a mix of planner stuff and Cookie, so feel free to follow away. But I'm not here to just talk about decorating your planner.
Keeping a planner is two fold for me. It holds what I want to get done but it also shows my progress. For example, I'm dragging my feet on MoD 2 because I'm in the middle of the book before the second climax. It also shows, if you go a few months back, that I was dragging my feet on editing too. I'm going to try not to drag my feet in 2017 but we'll see how well that goes down.
I highly recommend keeping a planner for the same reasons that I said above. It doesn't have to be fancy - you could pick something up at the Target Dollar Spot - but you should keep something that shows your progress. So you can go back at the end of the year, which does come up in a couple weeks, and assess where you are. You can see where you could make changes and figure out what might be best for the year ahead. So it's something you might want to gift yourself for Christmas and you can get the Erin Condrens at a Staples near you if you want the fancy planner.
Until next time, keep on writing and try your hand at planning.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Decorating
This is going to feel like a throw away post but decorating isn't a big part of how I celebrate the holidays. I like looking at what other people do, with their lights, but I'm not putting up much this year. I've got two of the things that make the house feel like Christmas but otherwise, there's no tree at my house this year.
We're in the process of doing a lot of things in the house, so that's one of the reasons. The other is... as much as I like the idea of Christmas trees, I don't like the idea of putting them up and putting them down. If I could get something like you see in the Grinch where the tree just folds up like an umbrella and I could stick it in a box fully decorated, I'd do it. So, yeah, not so much for me with the decorating.
However, I'd love to hear what you guys think about decorating. Do you go all out or do you do minimalistic? Do you have outside lights or is everything indoors? Tell me below in the comments or hit me up on either Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, happy holidays!
We're in the process of doing a lot of things in the house, so that's one of the reasons. The other is... as much as I like the idea of Christmas trees, I don't like the idea of putting them up and putting them down. If I could get something like you see in the Grinch where the tree just folds up like an umbrella and I could stick it in a box fully decorated, I'd do it. So, yeah, not so much for me with the decorating.
However, I'd love to hear what you guys think about decorating. Do you go all out or do you do minimalistic? Do you have outside lights or is everything indoors? Tell me below in the comments or hit me up on either Facebook or Twitter. Until next time, happy holidays!
Monday, December 5, 2016
Putting Your Novel in a Drawer and Pulling It Back Out
Coming off of the heels of NaNoWriMo, you might have a completed novel in your hands. Or a completed project or on the verge of finishing what you started in November. This is to talk about the next step that you could or could not take, depending on if you feel that it's right for you or not. Like I've been saying all along, this has to be something that you want to do. If it doesn't feel right, then don't do it. I feel like that should be the subtitle for my blog considering how many times it makes it into the posts.
So, putting your novel in a drawer. This goes to the idea that you can get burn out on a project that you're working on. You've pushed it to the forefront of your mind for the last however many days you're working on it and you're fatigued. Worse, you might miss dummy mistakes like she for he and other things. So you put it away for x amount of time. Some recommend a month, some a week, but at least it is out of sight out of mind. You can reboot your mind and come back fresh to the project in order to see the tiny typos.
So, after an amount of time, I recommend at least two weeks but no longer than a month, you dig it back out of the drawer. It is time to figure out how you want to edit the novel. Some like to do so on the computer but my favorite method is to print out the entire thing and go through it in a smaller binder. That smaller binder could hold up to five to seven chapters at a time. You should also read what you've written out loud and make sure that all the lines work. One should also remember, something I'm a bit horrible on, is that your reader doesn't live inside your mind. What you think sounds good and descriptive to you could be that your mind is filling in the gaps. Whenever you have a page that has no editing marks on it, go back and read it a second time. If you still have no marks, bookmark it and go back to it when you're done with the chapter. This will make sure that you really are sure that the novel completely makes sense.
When you're all done with editing and putting in the edits, that's when you stick it in a drawer again. However, it needs to be 1 month this time, as a max and a minimum. Any shorter and you won't see things that you missed. Any longer and you forget about it. This is where you give it one more read and then send it out to either friends who expressed interest reading it or an editor you hired. Or, if you're feeling ambitious, you send it out to be published.
Yes, it is going to take a while. No, there are no shortcuts. You can make it shorter, in the beginning, but you really need to give a complete break with the second drawer. Any shorter and you'll only see the brightness of your idea and not the fingermarks dirtying it. As always, I hope this helps and gives you the kick in the pants you need to start editing. Until next time, keep on writing (and editing if you're there).
So, putting your novel in a drawer. This goes to the idea that you can get burn out on a project that you're working on. You've pushed it to the forefront of your mind for the last however many days you're working on it and you're fatigued. Worse, you might miss dummy mistakes like she for he and other things. So you put it away for x amount of time. Some recommend a month, some a week, but at least it is out of sight out of mind. You can reboot your mind and come back fresh to the project in order to see the tiny typos.
So, after an amount of time, I recommend at least two weeks but no longer than a month, you dig it back out of the drawer. It is time to figure out how you want to edit the novel. Some like to do so on the computer but my favorite method is to print out the entire thing and go through it in a smaller binder. That smaller binder could hold up to five to seven chapters at a time. You should also read what you've written out loud and make sure that all the lines work. One should also remember, something I'm a bit horrible on, is that your reader doesn't live inside your mind. What you think sounds good and descriptive to you could be that your mind is filling in the gaps. Whenever you have a page that has no editing marks on it, go back and read it a second time. If you still have no marks, bookmark it and go back to it when you're done with the chapter. This will make sure that you really are sure that the novel completely makes sense.
When you're all done with editing and putting in the edits, that's when you stick it in a drawer again. However, it needs to be 1 month this time, as a max and a minimum. Any shorter and you won't see things that you missed. Any longer and you forget about it. This is where you give it one more read and then send it out to either friends who expressed interest reading it or an editor you hired. Or, if you're feeling ambitious, you send it out to be published.
Yes, it is going to take a while. No, there are no shortcuts. You can make it shorter, in the beginning, but you really need to give a complete break with the second drawer. Any shorter and you'll only see the brightness of your idea and not the fingermarks dirtying it. As always, I hope this helps and gives you the kick in the pants you need to start editing. Until next time, keep on writing (and editing if you're there).
Sunday, December 4, 2016
A Festive Playlist / Groups to Listen to
Pentatonix Carol of the Bells
It's the Christmas season, so it is more than time to break out the Christmas music. I have a ton of groups that I listen to, but one of my favorite groups is Pentatonix. I love their Mary Did You Know but it's a bit too on the nose to be simply holiday. Another good group is the Transiberian Orchestra or TSO who did their own Carol of the Bells / God Rest You Merry Gentleman combo called Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24. Harry Connick Jr is another wonderful voice to listen to during the holiday season but he works for all year round too.
I do like listening to the classics too. They include Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Vince Guaraldi Trio (they did the Peanuts music), Burl Ives, and many others. There is a lot of classical Christmas music - meaning the guys that have been gone for years now but we still keep listening to them - that it would take nearly the entire holiday season to listen to them. They make a very good mix with the ones in the paragraph above, which is how you get a holiday radio channel.
So I hope that adds some fun to your holiday music for the year and years to come. Until next time, happy holidays!
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Christmas in Chicago
Image from dnainfo
Christmas in Chicago is a fun time. The image above is of the current windows in Macy's, which used to be the Marshall Fields, down on the Magnificent Mile. This window has the Cubs celebration because, you know, 108 years since we won the World Series and all. This really should be the first stop, especially if you're going for holiday shopping or just shopping in general. There are a great many stores and just going in for the decor is half of the fun.
Another part of the city to spend some fun time is in the Lincoln Park Zoo. They do an event called ZooLights, where they have free family-fun activities and light up the zoo with Christmas light displays. The dates for ZooLights are December 2-4, 9-23, 26-31, and the 1st of January. It's a very nice and fun thing to go to and just spend time with family. It will be cold, so do bundle up, but you'll have a lot of fun. Don't expect to really see any animals - if you want that, go during the day - but the lights make up for it.
The last big stop to make is at the Christkindlemarket - the Christmas Market - at Daley Plaza. It is another free event, mostly because you will probably spend more than you think you will there, and there's a lot to take in. The idea was taken from one in Germany in 1545 and has a lot of German influences throughout the market. I highly recommend going on an empty or near empty stomach so you can also eat some of the excellent German food that is sold there. Just don't drink any of the wine until you've gotten something to eat. They've still got the boot shaped mugs around and you should pick up some for a nice Christmas present.
There is a ton more going around Chicago during Christmas, like ice skating, but these are the top three that I enjoy. They're things that you can do with family or alone without feeling alone and I hope you enjoy them as well. Until next time, happy holidays.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Friday Five: Favorite Christmas / Holiday Movies
Welcome to day 2 of Blogmas and a Friday Five! Today's list is my all time, watch them a zillion times during the holidays, and I feel that you should too. Some of these are no brainers and some of them might not be movies that you've seen before. I'll put the year they were produced as well as the bigger name stars. You should be able to find them via a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon or your favorite way to rent videos.
So, let's go!
1. Love Actually (2003) - Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, and a lot of your favorite British actors including Martin Freeman - This movie kicks off my holiday movie watching spree. It'll get put on Thanksgiving night, unless we decided to do something different like watch the parade because we missed it or something dire happens. This is one of the few ensamble cast movies that are successful due to the threads being all connected even without you realizing it. Of course, there's the big ones, like Hugh Grant's character being the brother of Emma Thompson's character, but there's a lot of little ones too. It's just a great feel good fuzzy sort of way to kick off the season.
2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Maureen O'Hara, John Payne: If you don't know this movie, I don't know what you've been doing with your life. Okay, maybe you don't like the classics, but this is the movie that, until very recently, was on after Macy's Thanksgiving Parade because the movie starts the day of the parade. Basically, the plot is about the impact that a guy who is the department store Santa who claims to be the real one. If you haven't seen this movie, stop reading this, sip your coffee as you find a streaming service that has it, and watch it. It's a classic for a very good reason, that being the acting and the plot works so well, and... yeah. Go watch.
3. Children's Classics - The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (1966 by Chuck Jones), A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), Frosty the Snowman (1969), Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964): Okay, I really could do a Friday Five just in these four movies, but I'm going to spare that of you. These are all of the movies that, when I was a kid, it was timed around when they would be. I would make sure that I saw them or at least recorded them. Now that I'm in my 30s, I still watch them because they have the nostalgia feeling going on. When I have kids, they'll be parked down in front of the TV to watch them as well because I want to pass on how special they are. I want to pass on how well done they were and were morals, in a way, without being overly preachy. They were the best of their time and continue to be, which is why you'll find them on TV.
4. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan: This movie involves a writer for a popular food column in a magazine lying to her boss, using the home of a friend who is in love with her and tries to get her to marry him throughout the time at the house, and a war hero who was lost at sea and, while recouping in the hospital, reads her articles and is fond of her. It becomes a comedy of errors, centered around a Christmas meal, and has a happy ending. It is a ball of sap but it is really good sap. I watch it every year as it started with watching it with family as we made cookies. So, yeah, good memories are attached to the movie.
5. The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) - Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolly: A radio personality, who is a rude egotistical jackass played by Monty Woolly, comes to Ohio and slips on icy steps to make a nusiance of himself with his host family. It's set during the weeks leading up to Christmas and is another one of those comedies that's got a bit of family history. We watch it at least once a year, again due to family memories, but I like the story too. The rude guy stays rude at the end of the movie, which works with the overall story, but does enough things to make up for it.
So there's my top five (okay, more than five with one of them) but I hope this gives you some ideas of what to watch this holiday season. Until next time, keep on writing!
So, let's go!
1. Love Actually (2003) - Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, and a lot of your favorite British actors including Martin Freeman - This movie kicks off my holiday movie watching spree. It'll get put on Thanksgiving night, unless we decided to do something different like watch the parade because we missed it or something dire happens. This is one of the few ensamble cast movies that are successful due to the threads being all connected even without you realizing it. Of course, there's the big ones, like Hugh Grant's character being the brother of Emma Thompson's character, but there's a lot of little ones too. It's just a great feel good fuzzy sort of way to kick off the season.
2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Maureen O'Hara, John Payne: If you don't know this movie, I don't know what you've been doing with your life. Okay, maybe you don't like the classics, but this is the movie that, until very recently, was on after Macy's Thanksgiving Parade because the movie starts the day of the parade. Basically, the plot is about the impact that a guy who is the department store Santa who claims to be the real one. If you haven't seen this movie, stop reading this, sip your coffee as you find a streaming service that has it, and watch it. It's a classic for a very good reason, that being the acting and the plot works so well, and... yeah. Go watch.
3. Children's Classics - The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (1966 by Chuck Jones), A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), Frosty the Snowman (1969), Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964): Okay, I really could do a Friday Five just in these four movies, but I'm going to spare that of you. These are all of the movies that, when I was a kid, it was timed around when they would be. I would make sure that I saw them or at least recorded them. Now that I'm in my 30s, I still watch them because they have the nostalgia feeling going on. When I have kids, they'll be parked down in front of the TV to watch them as well because I want to pass on how special they are. I want to pass on how well done they were and were morals, in a way, without being overly preachy. They were the best of their time and continue to be, which is why you'll find them on TV.
4. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan: This movie involves a writer for a popular food column in a magazine lying to her boss, using the home of a friend who is in love with her and tries to get her to marry him throughout the time at the house, and a war hero who was lost at sea and, while recouping in the hospital, reads her articles and is fond of her. It becomes a comedy of errors, centered around a Christmas meal, and has a happy ending. It is a ball of sap but it is really good sap. I watch it every year as it started with watching it with family as we made cookies. So, yeah, good memories are attached to the movie.
5. The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) - Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolly: A radio personality, who is a rude egotistical jackass played by Monty Woolly, comes to Ohio and slips on icy steps to make a nusiance of himself with his host family. It's set during the weeks leading up to Christmas and is another one of those comedies that's got a bit of family history. We watch it at least once a year, again due to family memories, but I like the story too. The rude guy stays rude at the end of the movie, which works with the overall story, but does enough things to make up for it.
So there's my top five (okay, more than five with one of them) but I hope this gives you some ideas of what to watch this holiday season. Until next time, keep on writing!
Thursday, December 1, 2016
The December Blog Project: Blogmas
Yes, blogmas. Blogmas is where a blogger writes and posts a Christmas themed post everyday up until Christmas. While this is my plan and I will probably succeed, there will still be the talking about writing posts. It's taking the idea of blogmas and turning it over on it's head.
Why, do you ask? Well, because, if you're reading this (thank you, by the way!), then you know this is a blog about writing and books. Sure, it's been more about the writing than the reading (even though I am reading, it's just at the molasses stage), but that's what this blog is at the core. So we're going to be doing a compromise and this will also help you, dear reader, in case you don't want to read any sort of Christmas posts. That's your right and you are more than free to ignore the rest that goes on.
Monday and Wednesday will be when I will post / talk about writing. It's following what will be my normal schedule come 2017 with possibly another post thrown in randomly. I do want to get into this idea of posting what I'm working on / word count in a project on Sundays but I'm not 100% sure about if I will or not. So, basically, Mondays and Wednesdays will become the dedicated "Yes, there is a post here!" days of the blog.
For December, until Christmas Day, all the rest of the days will have Christmas in them somehow. It might be just a little speck to the entire post being about the holiday. I will try to make it more general happy holidays but I can't promise anything because I celebrate Christmas. I also celebrate the winter solstice / Yule but that's to a lesser degree than the other holiday. I just sort of celebrate it and be merry.
So, that's the plan for the month. We'll get into blogmas post 2 tomorrow and go from there. Until then, keep on writing!
Why, do you ask? Well, because, if you're reading this (thank you, by the way!), then you know this is a blog about writing and books. Sure, it's been more about the writing than the reading (even though I am reading, it's just at the molasses stage), but that's what this blog is at the core. So we're going to be doing a compromise and this will also help you, dear reader, in case you don't want to read any sort of Christmas posts. That's your right and you are more than free to ignore the rest that goes on.
Monday and Wednesday will be when I will post / talk about writing. It's following what will be my normal schedule come 2017 with possibly another post thrown in randomly. I do want to get into this idea of posting what I'm working on / word count in a project on Sundays but I'm not 100% sure about if I will or not. So, basically, Mondays and Wednesdays will become the dedicated "Yes, there is a post here!" days of the blog.
For December, until Christmas Day, all the rest of the days will have Christmas in them somehow. It might be just a little speck to the entire post being about the holiday. I will try to make it more general happy holidays but I can't promise anything because I celebrate Christmas. I also celebrate the winter solstice / Yule but that's to a lesser degree than the other holiday. I just sort of celebrate it and be merry.
So, that's the plan for the month. We'll get into blogmas post 2 tomorrow and go from there. Until then, keep on writing!
Recap: NaNoWriMo
Well, November is over and December begins. NaNo, for me, went extremely well. I'm 20 chapters into a new project and I have plans for it to be finished before the new year. I also have my first editing project of 2017, so there's that too.
I don't know. I don't have a lot of pros vs cons on how it went. I got the word count I wanted for the month. I tried to get a completed novel done but I'm not beating myself up too badly for failing that personal goal. What I do need to work on, which I realized even before I started NaNo, is that I need to stop beating myself up for only writing a few words. You know why? The mantra - those few words are more than you had before you started. So, yeah, I need to remember to be less hard on myself.
I hope that everyone else's NaNoWriMo went well. Even if you didn't win, you still have more words than you did at the start of the month. For me, I'm going to have another post up today explaining what will be happening in December and it kicks off the blog project for the month. So, I will see everyone in a little bit. Until then, have a great day!
I don't know. I don't have a lot of pros vs cons on how it went. I got the word count I wanted for the month. I tried to get a completed novel done but I'm not beating myself up too badly for failing that personal goal. What I do need to work on, which I realized even before I started NaNo, is that I need to stop beating myself up for only writing a few words. You know why? The mantra - those few words are more than you had before you started. So, yeah, I need to remember to be less hard on myself.
I hope that everyone else's NaNoWriMo went well. Even if you didn't win, you still have more words than you did at the start of the month. For me, I'm going to have another post up today explaining what will be happening in December and it kicks off the blog project for the month. So, I will see everyone in a little bit. Until then, have a great day!
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