Blog, blogging, blogged

I have had several people ask me about blogging. I am thrilled that I may have inspired someone to want to start blogging. That is awesome. Blogging is challenge that is for sure. Somedays I draw a blank on what to blog about, and other days I can think of a billion topics but don't have the time. Heres's a quick how to guide to blogging for those that are interested.

First thing is to think of a name for your blog. Mine is "THE FEATHERED QUILL" because I like quills they speak of times past and the romance of writing also they are a writer's tool. Being that I am a writer I figured that fit me and my blog pretty well. Now this name doesn't have to be profound of speak volumes, it's just a name and most blogging sites will allow you to change it later if you need to.

Second pick a site to host your blog. You can google "blogging sites" and you will get heaps of results. I chose blogger because it doesn't require me to have webmaster skills and it's fairly easy to use and set up. Plus it's free. I'm all about the free. If your unsure if you want to go with a certain site check out some of the blogs that they host and see if they are what you are looking for in a host. What does their pages look like? How are they set up? Was the site easy to find? Are the blogs easy to manuver through? Think of all of this as you check out the different hosting sites, and if you need to make a list of important aspects that you want from your host.

Third set it up. For mine I set up an e-mail address just for my blog. That was all of my blog notifcations go into a single place and I don't have to filter through my personal e-mail to check it. I highly recommend this. Then if someone hacks your blog all they get is your blog e-mail and not your personal e-mail that may have your bank statements, cell phone statements and other important e-mails will not be affected. I thought the picking of the design was the best part. Make sure that whatever design you go with is easy on the eyes and is easy to read. You don't want to use a design that is fussy with a font that nobody can read or hard to navigate through. Simple is always the best.

Fourth blog. Blog about whatever floats your boat. If your a mechanic you could have a auto care tip blog. A teacher could set up a blog about how parents could help their children obtain their children's educational goals. A knitter could start a blog about knitting. The world is your oyster! Keep in mind that people sometimes don't have heaps of time to read blogs so keep it simple and short. You don't want to overwhelm a person with minor details that consume paragraphs. If your covering a topic that requires a lot of space, like say your a teacher and your blogging about how to start teaching a child how to read which may take quite a bit of writing to accomplish, simply split that single long blog into segments and parts. That way the reader has time to enjoy the article and advice and they are not overwhelmed.

Fifth keep it up. Blogging takes time. It takes time to build a readership, for people to find your blog and for you to get the hang of it. I've been blogging for 9 months and I am still building it up. Tell your friends and family about your blog, use facebook, Myspace and twitter to spread the word about your blog. Use all of your resources that you have to promote your blog. If your a writer consider this a test drive for promoting your book.

Sixth have fun with it! I added gadets like my Best Seller tool on the bottom of the page and my flag counter. There are tons of gadets out there for blogs and heaps of stuff on the web to discover. Keep in mind if you are not thrilled with your blog then more than likely neither is your reader. Make it fun and it will not seem like a task but more like a hobby. Keep things simple and clean; meaning to check your spelling and grammer. Also a tip I have is to give your readers plenty of options for subscribing and following your blog. The easier it is for them the more they are going to read your blog.

If your thinking on starting a blog I hope this helps. If it does leave me a comment and let me know! I love hearing from people! If you already have a blog and have some more tips to share post them in a comment.

What a week!

I bet your wondering what I have been doing this week since I haven't blogged once. I have had a frustrating couple of days to tell the truth. I actually think it all started last week, and the knowledge that a few bad days from one week can run into the next is terrifying. To be truthful this past weekend didn't even feel like a weekend because my husband worked a full day on Saturday so it felt like a normal weekday and not a weekend. It's funny how that works. I feel like I'm missing a day when I'm not.
I have been working on my manuscript everyday. That means that I have read it and checked it for things that need changes and of course mistakes like typing errors. I have a bad habit of typing slower than I think which results in my work having missed words. It can make reading a chapter a pain and of course my editing a longer process. The only thing I can think of that's at fault for this habit is my fingers. If I could only type faster, but I think that would require a third hand. I doubt I am going to mutate anytime soon so I am stuck filling in missing words. The editing process can be frustrating and can leave you feeling overwhelmed, or at least I do when I see the tower of pages piled up on my clipboard.
That's the start of my week, feeling frustrated because of edits and because my weekend was messed up. Now lets team that with car frustration and frustration at my husband and you have my week summed up.


When I was driving my boys to school on Monday my car was driving poorly. It felt like my car was wobbling, no joke, my entire car wobbled while I was driving. I knew something was up so after I dropped my boys off at school I checked my tires. I was expecting a low tire or something of that nature. Nope, I had a busted belt in my rear passenger tire. Wires were sticking out like mad ( I actually pricked my fingers on them!) and I had actual rubber missing from my tire!


The first thing I did was call my husband at work to get his help. Should I drive it? Is my spare usable? Where is our car jack? If I can't drive it how will I pick the kids up from school? That's a lot of questions. His response was not what I was seeking, he said "Get over it." Huh? Get over what? This is not an emotional issue, this is an actual physical issue that has safety issues wrapped up in it. I was so mad I could of spit. Get over it my ass. A long story short I borrowed my family's spare care till I could get my tire to a shop to be replaced. Since my husband has been working some wonky hours this week my dad came over to remove my tire last night and to take it to the shop for me. Awfully sweet of him huh?
Well, usually my dad is spot on. He is one of the most brilliant people I know. If something is broke he can fix it, if you need something built he can design it and build it. He's great with numbers and complex math (he got me through algebra II in high school) and he has a way with all mechanical things most people only dream of having. So I thought that him removing a tire would be a quick process, a breeze like when we put brakes on it back in the spring. Nope. Apparently my lug nuts really liked where they were at and decided to stay on. We tried 3 different tire irons and lubricating the offending lug nut, but it all was for naught. My dad is usually a cool level headed guy, he's a fairly laid back fellow and I have only seen his temper displayed a few times. Now given those few times were scary as hell. Trust me you do not want to witness it or be the person that inspired it.
So when he marched to his truck and started digging in his tool box after 45 minutes of battling with the lug nut I knew that poor little stubborn lug nut was about to meet it's maker.
One socket, and large piece of thick steel chauffeured that lug nut to auto parts heaven. My dad placed the socket on the lug nut then whacked it 4 times with the steel and the lug nut broke. I don't mean it cracked and that was it, oh no, this lug nut splintered into pieces. I'm not sure what was more frightening the fact that my dad pretty much shattered a lug nut that was made to withstand torque or that he was completely silent while he did it. No grunting as he swung the steel, no cheer of relief when the lug nut met it's demise. Only silence until he placed the steel and socket back into his truck's tool box. Yep, he was pissed. I hate to say it but I think my bad week bled off onto my dad. Is a bad week contagious? Can it be spread like a bad cold? I think so, this incident is my proof.


One trip to the local tire place and one trip to the auto parts store later I had a tire replaced. I'm still driving the family's spare car because I don't think it's safe to drive with a missing lug nut with my bad luck running rampant this week even though my dad insists that he has drove with only 3 lug nuts before. We had to special order me a replacement lug nut because it's a special size. In order to assure that I will never have to worry about driving a lug nut short again I ordered several extras.
My dad's temper eased before he left for the tire shop. One hug was all it took and he was back to being my sweet brillant dad that I would give my kidney to if he needed it. Which is wonderful. I hate to see him in a mood and I was hoping that it would transfer my bad luck back to me.
So that leads me to today. So far my bad luck hasn't shown itself. I am hoping that it's over. Also on a good note through all of this frustration and drama I somehow managed to complete my manuscript edits. Yep, I am done with the hard part. Now all I have to do is input the changes into my laptop and print it out and read it.
There's today's lesson. Even though life will happen, and it always will, you still need to make time to work on your book. Even if it's just for 30 minutes a day that's something. If your going to be somewhere idle for a bit, like say your waiting in the car rider line at school take your manuscript with you to work on. Some work is better than no work. Life will happen and your novel still requires your time and effort. A good writer writes about life, and excellent one writes with life.

Killer Nashville

This is the third convention/workshop that I am spotlighting. This one is held in Nashville TN, Music City, on August 20-22 2010. This covention is realitvily new this will be it's 5th year. "Killer Nashville" is a convention for mystery, thriller and crime litature, but they have something for almost every genre out there.

Killer Nashville offers writers several different events to attend; These include lectures, mini-workshops, book signings, booths to sell your books at, and of course panels of writers talking about their craft and their books.

For the Fans of mystery, crime litature and thriller novels this is a great chance for you to get your favorite book autographed, to meet those writers that make your blood pump, and to purchase new books. Jeffery Deaver is the guest of honor for this event and he will be included in a Q&A for the fans.
Authors slated to attend for fans:
■J.A. Jance
■Mary Saums
■Jennie Bentley
■Chester Campbell
■Philip Cioffari
■Cathy Pic kens
■Beverle Graves Myers
■Allan Ansorge
■Elizabeth Zelvin

For information about Killer Nashville go to http://killer-nashville.com/

Donate to Help Haiti

I have been watching the news and of course that includes the tragic news from Haiti's 7.0 earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010. What strikes me as the hardest part is the children who are suffering. Children in pain, dying and of course the parents that are trying their best to comfort and provide what their babies need in the ruins. It's enough to make you feel their pain and grief across the miles that separates us from them.

I know that the people there is doing their very best to aide those in need and to locate the ones that are lost. One things is abundantly clear and that is that they need more medical aide, more money to provide medical care, to help in rescue missions, to provide basic needs to those that have none. The easiest way to donate funds to help in this tragic hour of need for the people in Haiti is through the RED CROSS.

I encourage you to simply TEXT "HAITI" to 90999 and they will charge a $10.00 donation to your cell phone bill. It's that easy, a text. If every person donated $10.00 think of the things we could do to help those in need. Antibiotics for the sick, pain medication and medical care for those in need. Rescue missions for the lost and of course blankets, food, water and shelter for those that are without. After all it's only ten dollars, it's not that much.

Fantasy Writing Workshop

I hope that everyone had a good holiday yesterday and reflected some on Martin Luther King, Jr's message that he strove so hard to make known and a part of life for everyone. I spent the day cleaning, I know it's not quite what he wanted to inspire but all the same I did manage to get my son's room clean and organized. It only took me 6 hours to do so. They are messy boys.

This is my second post about conventions/workshops. Today I am covering the Fantasy Writing Workshop hosted by Odyssey. This year the workshop will be held from June 7- July 16 2010 at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. The workshop's early bird registration deadline is JANUARY 30, 2010 and regular dead line for registration is April 8, 2010.

I know that usually workshops are held over a weekend, but this one is a six week event. Every year the people that complete the workshop are called "graduates" and college credits are available upon request. This workshop is almost like summer school because you attend "class" 5 days a week for 4 hours in the morning and the rest of the time of each day is used for writing, critique of work and the completion of "homework".

This workshop is intense. If you want to attend this workshop you need to be prepared to hear about your weaknesses as a writer and be able to write new material while there, that includes short stories and novel chapters. I'm not going to lie, but this workshop is expensive, and you may be declined depending upon your application. I would recommend you THROUGHLY read all the info on this workshop before submitting an application. For more information on this workshop their web-site is http://www.sff.net/Odyssey/

Fiction New Releases for January

January is a chilly month when I want to spend my nights snuggled up in a quilt with a good book. If you are planning on doing the same here are a few good books you may have missed!


Mr.Shivers by Robert Jackson Bennett
With his debut novel, Mr. Shivers, Southern writer Robert Jackson Bennett presents a pulpy, Great Depression horror story where a mysterious killer "trails death behind him." After his daughter is brutally murdered, a revenge-seeking Marcus Connelly leaves Memphis on a hunt across America's hobo camps and ghost towns for the grotesquely scarred, ghostly figure known as "Mr. Shivers." On his quest Connelly teams up with a scrappy band of hobos recovering from their own brushes with "the gray man," and the body count increases as they ride the rails tracking their target. Connelly's spiraling bloodlust begins to rival Shivers's, threatening to take more than just his family and friends away from him. Sprinkled with hobo folklore, Bennett's supernatural dust storm of a debut offers a killer premise and may remind readers of vintage Stephen King. --Brad Thomas Parsons
If you would like some insight on being published and the whirl of it all check out his blog at http://shufflingandmuttering.blogspot.com/ Mr.Shivers is available for purchase on Amazon.com for the price of $11.99 Hardcover and the paperback and kindle editions have yet to be released.



Bloodroot by Amy Greene
Bloodroot is that rare sort of family saga that feels intimate instead of epic. Set in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, it’s told largely in tandem voices that keep watchful eyes on Myra Lamb. She is a child of the mountain, tied to the land in ways that mystify and enchant those around her. There’s magic to Myra--perhaps because she has the remarkable blue eyes foretold by a nearly-forgotten family curse--but little fantasy to her life. Bloodroot is as much about the Lambs as it is about a place, one that becomes ever more vivid as generations form, break free, and knit back together. Its characters speak plainly but true, they are resilient and flawed and beautiful, and there's a near-instant empathy in reading their stories, which--even in their most visceral moments--are alluring and wonderful. --Anne Bartholomew
It's available on Amazon.com at the list price of $14.97 hardcopy, kindle $9.99 and it is also available on audio cd unabridged.



The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers by Thomas Mullen
Set against the bleak backdrop of Depression-era America, The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers is the story of Jason and Whit Fireson, a fictional pair of bank-robbing siblings, and their flirtation with immortality. Famous for daring heists and impossible escapes, the brothers are regarded as either scourges or saviors by followers across the country, but after narrowly surviving a botched ambush, the duo is forced to rely on larger-than-life rumors if they hope to keep themselves (and their legacy) alive. With the American way of life seemingly on the brink of extinction, the dramatic exploits of the Firefly Gang are all that anyone can truly believe in. "Facts make only so much sense on their own," explains the narrator, "when they are laid bare...with nothing to animate them." With characters that practically beg for sepia tone treatments, author Thomas Mullen provides an exciting and provocative tale about the vagaries of justice and truth. --Dave Callanan
The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers is set to be released on January 26, 2010 in hardcopy. Amazon.com has the pre-order price set at $15.60 for hardcopy.

I hope everyone has a happy Friday!

Tennessee Mountain Writers Confrence

This is my first confrence/workshop post.
The Tennessee Mountain Writers Confrence will be held on March 25-27 2010 in Oak Ridge, TN at the Double Tree Hotel. The registration deadline for the confrence is March 17, 2010. At this convention they will be hosting several contests for fiction, poetry,nonfiction, childern's litature, and inspirational. To be eligable to enter the contest one must NOT earn a living writing. That's right, this contest is for the amatuer adult writer that has a day job. They are also hosting a writing contest for students in High school. They are accepting essays, articles and short stories. The dead line for ALL contests is FEBUARY 1, 2010.

For full information on the workshops included, cost of attending, location directions, and to see who will be hosting the workshops durning the confrence go to their website at http://www.tmwi.org/Annual%20Conference/2010confpage.html

'Tis the season to prepare!

Workshop and conference time is nearly upon us. For writers this is a wonderful season to connect with and meet other writers. A workshop typically is one-two days and may concentrate one topic or cover several topics. Usually these topics are described in the flyer, or on the web site. Workshops can cover writing style, how to write a specif genre, and many other things. A convention is a large meeting of authors, agents, publishers, and booksellers. Pretty much anyone that has a job in publishing/writing can attend. Conventions can last a few days to a week. They usually have panels for speaking, mini-workshops, meet and greets and of course the chance to listen to authors speak about whatever.

Nearly all conventions and workshops require that you register in ADVANCE, and all have varying costs for registration. Read the information that is posted about the event carefully. Hotel accommodations may or may not included as well as food and always check to see if a type of transport is provided. The more you know about an event the better prepared you are and easier it is to have fun!

If you are feeling stressed relax! You will be fine. This is a chance for you to meet new people, gain some experience, and to learn some interesting things while attending your workshop or convention. If you are feeling a bit shy and are wondering if you can drag a friend along feel free to! When I attended my first workshop I was so very nervous, and so I dragged my best friend with me. I did cover her expenses because I rock, but it was an eye opener for her as well. She is a college student and the workshop also gave her some insight into writing those pesky essays and papers! If you are attending a workshop at a college make sure to check if you can get credits for it towards college or school. Many do credit hours for attending!

Before you commit yourself to a weekend long workshop hosted by an author that you are unfamiliar with read some of their works before you commit yourself to attending. I did this and I discovered a wonderful story by Susan Gregg Gilmore and I was eager to meet her. It was a lifetime experience, and it did boost me up. Not every workshop that you will attend will work out like mine did, but it was a learning experience that I will always cherish.

I will be adding some new links to my sidewalk on the left for some conferences, workshops, and other helpful places on-line. Please check these out and some of my favorites I will be highlighting next week in my posts!

You are your own research

It's been a snowy weekend here in my small corner of Tennessee. It's a rare treat for us get any amount of snow. Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed going outside and freezing my butt off while watching my boys make snow angels, having snowball fights, and of course watching the birds visit our bird feeders that we made back in the fall. I am always amazed to see a red bird or a blue bird in the freezing temperatures feeding. My favorite bird so far this season is a fat red cardinal that tries to hog all the seeds, but the other birds are smaller and faster than he is, so they always manage to nip some seeds out before he can reach them. It's like watching a mini-war over sun flower seeds.

Life sometimes seems to be moving at light speed, or at least it does to me. One day I'm relaxing at home and the next I'm all over the place. It feels like I can't get enough done. Life does fly by and sometimes we can forget the simplest of experiences. An example, the first swim of the summer. It's something that I do every year, I spend most of the summer in a pool of some sort, but that first dip is always special. It means that my birthday is getting closer and that I know I will talk myself into attempting to getting a tan then I will realize that I don't tan well and that I burn.

In time the mind forgets and the heartbreak or love we felt fades. In order to keep these experiences and sensations fresh to my mind I write it all down in journal. This helps me remember what that first plunge of the summer was like, and how I felt when the first pumpkin plant in our garden began to grow. These experiences are life. Life is moving from one moment to the next, and in a way we are our own research. Is your character running with fear their their veins? I've been there and done that, so I simply have to pull from my own experiences to make the scene real and to accurately narrate the scene.

I recommend that ALL writers have a journal to write down in detail their life experiences. It doesn't have to be major, or fancy it's just for you. Write down in your journal as needed. I do mine everyday because I am forgetful. It can be as detailed as you need it to be, but in my experience the more detail the better. Then when you need to information it's there waiting for you to tap into it. Brilliant! Plus it saves you a google and a trip to the library.

New year = New Goals

2010 is here. Yep, it's official, were are beginning a new year of life and I say make this year your year! I know that sounds crazy, but hey I'm all about being crazy. To make this year a rocking year I have a few ideas to help you and your writer friends out.



Step 1: Make goals.
It doesn't matter if you have made a resolution or not for the new year, but make goals, milestones if you will. These need to be small, but lead up to something large, like an accomplishment. An example, by the end of every month you will mark you calendar with a huge red marker that states you will have "X" amount of chapters done (edited, read, or composed). Stick to your goal, and by the end of lets say November you'll have your book ready for final touches.


Step 2: Stick to your goals. Remind yourself or your friend about your or their goals. Set up reminders on your calender, phone, or simply ask them about their progress. This helps reinforce your overall goal, and gives them support that they need.


Step 3: Congratulate yourself or them when they complete a milestone. If they written 15 chapters in a month, and that was their goal, go out and celebrate! Have a drink, go to a movie, eat an entire pint of ice cream! That's right, be naughty! You deserve to let your hair down after such a feat!


Step 4: After completing ANY milestone regroup. Check your calendar and see what's next for your goal. You have too keep on the ball, and keep things going and moving forward. Stay on target. Your goals are reachable and if you break them up into small steps the work will not be so overwhelming or frustrating.

Now that's an easy plan! What is brilliant about this plan is that it works for EVERYTHING. It can work if your potty training your 3 year old, your financial plans, if your redecorating your house or of course writing a book. They key is to have a plan of action.
If you need to break it down into weekly goals you can. It's up to you, but remember not to overwhelm yourself. If you want to have your bedroom repainted, take small steps to get there. Set a date to paint then work backwards. One week go through your clothing (remember to donate!), the next week your books, the next week start packing things up that you want to keep, them move them the next, then move furniture, then cleaning, then at last paint! Then if you need to work out a plan for moving back into your newly painted bedroom.
I am using this plan to finish my book and to get busy with my queries. I have set a goal to start sending my queries out in May. I think that is reasonable, and it will give me plenty of time of get through the season of workshops and conventions without me feeling guilty about missing a milestone. I try to remember that life will happen no matter what milestone I have marked for completion. Who knows what this year will hold for me, but I and my milestone calender will be prepared to handle it all.

I would love to hear if you my lovely readers have any resolutions for the new year or goals for yourself!

Great Children's books

There were some great books for children out in 2009. There of course are heaps of cute books that tach different lessons but I mean really who has the time to go through them all? I have composed a list of great childrens books that you may have missed.


The Book that Eats People, by John Perry. It was released on August 11, 2009 and is illstrated by Mark Fearing. This book is cute, there is no other word for it. On it's pages it gives you hints for handleing. Do not read with a cookie in your pocket, or with sticky hands, etc. It does mention death, death by ravenous book.It has outstanding art, and is humorous. It can be purchased on Amazon.com for $10.87 for the hardback edition.



The Mysterious Benedict Society Trilogy by Trenton Lee Stewart. These books are recommened for grades 5-9, but if your first grader is tearing up chapter books like there's no tomarrow this is the set for your little one! This series of books involves finding clues, solving mysteries and of course saving the world from a madman. To me these books inspire children to read and of course learn that everything is not what it seems. All three books can be purchased on Amazon.com for the price of $23.91 paperback edition. Hardcover is avaibale and also Audio CD.


Horrible Harry and the Dead Letters by Suzy Kline. The "Horrible Harry" book series has been published since 1997 and there are lots of these little books. Harry has terriable days dealing with slime, to room 2 B. I recently purchased a 3 pack of these books for my 8 year old and he adores them! The art work in them are in his level, it reminds me of some of the drawings he brings home from school. There are enough in this series to keep them reading and wondering what will Harry's next adventure be.


Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey. This is a collection of books. There are quite a few in this series, I think all togther there is 12 or 13 of these if you include the diaper baby and the fun books 1 & 2. These books have monster toliets in them, crazy lunch ladies, a Professor Poopeypants as well as a whole slew of bad guys that Captain Underpants defeats. My sister-in-law gave my son his first 1-4 collection with the singing box and he loved them. He still loves them and he has read them over and over. The art on the inside of the books is comic book style, almost like a graphic novel for young readers. I highly recommend these books for anyone who has a young reader that craves longer books but with simple easy to read words.


The last one was for boys, so here's a collection for young girl readers. Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Conner are great for young girl readers from pre-k to 3rd grade. Nancy and her best freind Bree are fancy girls. They dress to the hilt, boas and heels, and crowns make up their wardrobe. They are girly girls that get into trouble. This is a great series if your little girl is timid about reading. They will be eager to see what Nancy's next adventure will be, and you will too. These books are easy readers that will not wear you out, but will leave you laughing at Fancy Nancy's antics.

Banned words

The Lake Superior State University comes out with a list of banned words each year and has done so for 35 years in a row. To me this is a list of phrases and words that have been over-used in the past year, and then again some of the words and phrases listed I have NEVER heard anyone use in a sentence, but all the same this school has banned them. I am sure that this is all in good fun, and I seriously doubt if they have ever expelled a student for letting one of these banned words fall off of their lips. Enjoy!

1. Shovel-ready:There are several difinations for this term. One is being ready to bury. Ex. "My ipod is shovel-ready, I think I want a new one." Defintion number two is that a project is ready to go, meaning that all the permits have been obtained, workers are hired, plans have been set and you are basically ready to begin the work. The first use if the word is the banned defintion.

2.TRANSPARENT/TRANSPARENCY: This word is thought to be "hot" in the new year, but I doubt it. We all know that if something is transparent we can see through it, like a pane of glass is transparent. A second use of the word is to be free from pretense or deciet, or to be frank. This second useage is the one the are banning. I think it would be rather refreshing if things were more frank in certain areas but in reailty that will never happen.

3.CZAR: We all know this word. It has been used throughout the years to label all sorts of people in postions of power. We tend to forget that the use of the word Czar came from Russia in the form of tsar' meaning emperor or one of great power. Now days there are oil czar's, housing czars, car czars, drug czars, birth control czars, and of last year weatherization czar. I think they should come up with a different word for a person in power and retire czar, it is kind of an American Tradition to use this word. It's been in use since 1919 when they first called Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, appointed by team owners as commissioner-for-life as the "baseball czar".

4.Tweet: We all know this word. We all have used it in some form or variation of it ever since twitter came on-line. Merriam-Webster define it as a "chirping note". I'm not sure what we could replace it with, so it seems to me that those that are against this word will just have to grin and bear it until the Twitter becomes a thing of the past.

5.SEXTING: Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between mobile phones. Now this is tricky. In some states if you are under the age of 21 and are caught "sexting" that means big trouble for you. This is a teenage thing, and it was a "hot" thing to do if you were under the age of 21. Kind of their version of living dangerously. To me this speaks volumes of being skanky, yep a 1990 word. If your married that's one thing, but if your 16 and your wanting to impress your new boyfriend a pic of your naughty bits wont do it. Your pic will end up being forwarded from one jerk to another jerk and before you know it everyone has seen your naughty bits. Not cool.

6.FRIEND AS A VERB: This should state "Friending", as in one Myspace or Facebook your friended someone. I have never used this term, but them again I typically speak in full sentences.

7.TEACHABLE MOMENT: This is another way of saying "a lesson", as in "there was a teachable moment there, but they didn't absorb it." Another defintion is an oppuinunity to make a point. Example, "I had a teachable moment but I held my tounge." For me this doesn't work. There are always moments where I have clairity and realize that I just taught my 5 year old a new word that I am going to regreat come monday when he's in pre-k. As for the other useage of the term has me boggled. I have never used it nor have I heard it used in that context. Usually when someone is making a point in a conversation they say "well I have a point", or something along those lines. That is just an odd useage for the term "teachable moment" and I am being transparent on this. (Ha, ha, just kidding)

8.IN THESE ECONOMIC TIMES…. : This phrase has been used and used till it's almost like kicking a dead horse. Yes,we all are aware that we are broke and are having to be on a fixed budget. I don't need to hear it from every single news caster on the 5 PM evening news. Trust me, I can read my bankstatement to see how hard these economic times are. I am so tired of people telling me I can't be wasteful, I can't afford to miss the cupons in the Sunday paper because of the savings I could have in this hard economic time. Blah, blah, blah. I have a plan to get by, do you?

9.STIMULUS: Usually when we hear this word lately it has another word tacked on to it, package. Yep, stimulus package. We all know that certain groups of people have recieved those handy packages of money that were given under the idea that they would stimulate spending or something along those lines. To be honest the only stimualting package I care to hear about is my husband's and of course I love to read about Erik's in the Sookie Stackhouse books.

10.TOXIC ASSETS : This term means a bad loan, or debt. Toxic assets makes me think that you have a barrel of toxic waste in your basement. Yuck. This is not a great term and I am all for doing away with it.

11.TOO BIG TO FAIL: We all know what this means. Like for instance Walmart is too big to fail. It's not that it is, it's just that people rely on it overly much so it wont. Nothing is too big to fail, or too big to suck. Let me just express how shocked I was to hear how bad the lastest and greatest from Dan Brown was in real life. It was one of the top selling books of 2009 and it sucked. Yep it made tons of money in sales, but I doubt if the next book will. Who knows it may sell even more simply because people have high hopes for the series. To me this phrase makes no sense, everything can fail.

12.CHILLAXIN': I hate this word personally. I have a certain sister-in-law that used it all summer. It seemed that this word was in every sentence she spoke. I think this word is shovel ready. (See I used it!)

13.OBAMA-prefix or roots: A few examples is : Obamanomics, Obamanation, Obamafication, Obamacare, Obamalicious, Obamaland. Yuck. That's all I have to say on that. Don't use these terms, they are grody. Slang is just slang anyway you put it.


Well, folks that's the list. This coming year will give us new words that will make us cringe and there will be words that we will adore. Remember to use any slang terms with care and please leave them out of your manuscrpits!

Repost! Inspiration

Happy New Year Y'all!! This will be a great year. I can feel it! I am still on vacation so enjoy this repost!

Inspiration comes in all forms. It can be from a beautifully moving song, a movie, or a wonderful piece of art. Many things are inspiration for us writers. Some say a pay check or even fame is enough inspiration. That is true on some level. For us writers to receive a pay check and fame someone has to like our writing enough to feel inclined to PAY US, which of course means that someone appreciates our skill and VALIDATES us as a writer. All that we are striving for is to know that someone sees how hard we have worked and it has moved them in some way. This is also true for many occupations, but writers and artists are known to CRAVE that validation to outrageous points.

In order for us to make the work that someone will "Ooh", and "Awe" over we are in constant need for inspiration, some type of muse. For me life and nature provide that. I adore nature scenes where the calm is almost touchable, but then I also love the photos that dare-devil photographers take in the middle of a hurricane of palm trees bent backwards with their leaves being blown harshly by 100 mph winds and rain drops pelting the scene and the camera with a force that makes the skin sting and the water to bounce like hail off of the ground. It's a moment forever frozen in time. That is what moves me to want to try to capture the beauty and fierceness of the moment with words.

My main thing is to keep motivated. I try to see beauty everyday, and it up to me to try to describe it. If you are having a hard time narrating a scene go for a walk and look around. People find their muse in the most unexpected places. Mine is not a constant. It's not like I have a single person or item that makes me want to write. I write because what I experience in my life is overwhelming and needs to be detailed. I want to preserve the memory onto paper so that future generations can read about my life and know that we made it through some tough times, but it was only a select few bad moments that were surrounded by love and laughter.

Writing is complex. That's what people who do not write will never understand. It's not just having the dedication or the commitment to write, but being able to OPEN yourself up to different experiences and being able compose a symphony based on those feelings. I strive to write down my experiences for the day every single day and what my emotions were and how I reacted to these experiences. Then I can go back if I am stuck in a scene. I'll remember, "Oh, yeah. I went through that!" and I can read how I felt when that happened. Inspiration is great but it alone cannot get a writer through the day sometimes we need a little help.

I am offering you my readers a little help today. This week in Tennessee is rainy, wet and a bit on the chilly side. Usually this time of year we have nearly 90 degree (Fahrenheit) days, and this week we have yet to peak above 65 degrees. Yep, it's a spooky week. Fog covers the landscape, creeks are overflowing, the ground is saturated with rain and mud puddles are everywhere. It's a beautiful week. To show you how beautiful this week has been I have spent my morning driving around the area where I live to take photos. All of these were taken by me in my car. I didn't get out a single time, but I did make some U Turns and stopped quite a bit. It was fun. I recommend you try it.

Happy Friday! (to enlarge any of the photos simply click on them)