On Tuesday, I talked about doing hard things. That was one of my takeaways from the LDStorymakers Conference last weekend. Here are a couple more, both taken from Larry Brooks. His workshop on Saturday was golden. Apparently, he took a 16-hour siminar and boiled it down to 2 hours. 2 hours wasn't long enough. I'm thinking I would love to go to the real seminar someday.
The first big a-ha for me was that we need to have at least one or two of the "six core competencies" he talks about be "off the charts original, fresh, amazing, and able to keep the agent up at night thinking about how great it was." How awesome is that? We don't have to be amazing at everything. Just good enough. And then have at least one thing that rocks the house.
He also talked about making your characters three-dimensional. I've always heard that, but I didn't know how to do it. Well, he breaks it down in a way that makes me totally understand what needs to be done, although applying it won't be so easy, obviously. Basically, the first dimension is how the character acts, what she says, does, etc. The second dimension is the internal world of the character. It's the why for the things she says/does in the first dimension. And then the third is the character arc, which is how the character steps up (or down) when it counts. When the pressure is on, does she do the right thing despite her insecurities or whatever? (Here's a hint: If she's the protag, that should be a big old YES.)
Very, very cool stuff. I honestly don't think I can be an outliner, at least not at this stage in my career / learning process. I have to write, and messily, to discover the story. But once it's all out there on the page and it's time to put it together in a cohesive way, everything I learned at Mr. Brooks's seminar is going to be invaluable.
I can do hard things
This is a subject I've been thinking about a lot recently. Honestly, doing hard things hasn't always been my thing. But when I do push myself to do something hard, what an amazing feeling of accomplishment I get when I'm done!
So, my daughter's Young Women's group is doing a hard thing this year. They've decided to follow the example of another group and train for and complete a 22-mile walk from the Draper Temple to the Salt Lake Temple. (see this link to read a cool article about it.)
Elaine S. Dalton, General Young Women President, tells the story, and in her article, she gives this amazing quote, which I love:
So, my daughter's Young Women's group is doing a hard thing this year. They've decided to follow the example of another group and train for and complete a 22-mile walk from the Draper Temple to the Salt Lake Temple. (see this link to read a cool article about it.)
Elaine S. Dalton, General Young Women President, tells the story, and in her article, she gives this amazing quote, which I love:
There is no motivation in being involved in a mediocre cause. These young women were not only told that they were great, but they were given the opportunity to BE great, to ACT great, and to DO great things.
For me, some of the hard things I've been doing lately are:
1) Organizing My House
2) Running Triathlons
3) Getting up at 4:30 in the morning to work out before my kids go to school
And here's one hard thing I used to do, but that I haven't done lately:
4) Write Novels.
This weekend, I went to the LDStorymakers conference, and I got some new motivation and encouragement to start writing again. For me, writing is even harder in some ways than getting up at 4:30 in the morning and training for a triathlon. It's harder because my creative brain has to be turned on and enthused. It's harder because of the fear of failure and rejection.
But, I can do hard things, right? It's time to step it up.
But, I can do hard things, right? It's time to step it up.
NiNoWriMo
Okay, so last November, I totally rocked NaNoWriMo, as you all know. I worked really well under those conditions.
And then December 1st rolled around . . . and then January 1st . . . and then February, March, and April 1st . . . and I still haven't finished the rough draft I started in November.
Then my very good friend ali Cross introduced me to NiNoWriMo -
Ninja Novel Writing Month!
Now, I've always secretly wanted to be a ninja. But after seeing this youtube video, I despaired of ever being one:
So when ali told me about her project, I was very excited. This was my chance to be a ninja while sitting on my couch! Yes!
If you want to find out more, head over to ali's dojo. See you there!
And then December 1st rolled around . . . and then January 1st . . . and then February, March, and April 1st . . . and I still haven't finished the rough draft I started in November.
Then my very good friend ali Cross introduced me to NiNoWriMo -
Ninja Novel Writing Month!
Now, I've always secretly wanted to be a ninja. But after seeing this youtube video, I despaired of ever being one:
So when ali told me about her project, I was very excited. This was my chance to be a ninja while sitting on my couch! Yes!
If you want to find out more, head over to ali's dojo. See you there!
How Triathlons Relate to Writing
I'm a guest blogger on Christine Bryant's "Tag! You're It! Tuesday"
Come read some answers I had to her questions about triathlons. Click here to read it, and be sure to leave a comment.
Come back tomorrow, too! I'm getting back on the blogging bandwagon, and I'll be posting about a great new thing I've gotten involved in.
Come read some answers I had to her questions about triathlons. Click here to read it, and be sure to leave a comment.
Come back tomorrow, too! I'm getting back on the blogging bandwagon, and I'll be posting about a great new thing I've gotten involved in.
Book Review - The Crazy Daze of Motherhood
Last year, I read Jane Isfeld Still's first book, Mother's Daze. I really enjoyed Still's sense of humor. So I was excited when I was asked if I wanted to read her new book, the Crazy Daze of Motherhood for review on my blog.
Like her first book, Crazy Daze is full of anecdotal stories from Still's own life as a mother. From mascara catastrophes to clogged toilets and band-aid emergencies, Still finds the humor in the situation and paints a vivid picture of her Daze as a mother. I found Crazy Daze to be lots of fun. Maybe because it's just easier to laugh at someone else's fumbles and disasters than it is your own.
If you're looking for a fun Mother's Day gift that will make your mom (or any other amazing woman in your life) smile, pick up a copy of Still's new book.
Also, there's a great contest going on right now on Still's blog. Here are the details. Make sure and check it out.
You can win a fun prize from Jane to help celebrate the release of her book. Just go to her blog at http://www.janeisfeldstill.blogspot.com and become a follower, and then leave her a comment and tell her that you're a new follower. You could win:
1. Mother's Daze basket, soap, chocolate, lotion, decorative candles, and recipe cards
2. Box of blank cards with a smattering of Canadian chocolate
3. Chocolate
Good luck!
Like her first book, Crazy Daze is full of anecdotal stories from Still's own life as a mother. From mascara catastrophes to clogged toilets and band-aid emergencies, Still finds the humor in the situation and paints a vivid picture of her Daze as a mother. I found Crazy Daze to be lots of fun. Maybe because it's just easier to laugh at someone else's fumbles and disasters than it is your own.
If you're looking for a fun Mother's Day gift that will make your mom (or any other amazing woman in your life) smile, pick up a copy of Still's new book.
Also, there's a great contest going on right now on Still's blog. Here are the details. Make sure and check it out.
You can win a fun prize from Jane to help celebrate the release of her book. Just go to her blog at http://www.janeisfeldstill.blogspot.com and become a follower, and then leave her a comment and tell her that you're a new follower. You could win:
1. Mother's Daze basket, soap, chocolate, lotion, decorative candles, and recipe cards
2. Box of blank cards with a smattering of Canadian chocolate
3. Chocolate
Good luck!
NaNoWriMo in Retrospect
2010 was my fifth year participating in NaNoWriMo. The first year, I won. The second and third years, I fell far short. The fourth year, I won again. I'm kind of superstitious, I guess, because it felt like a pattern was coming on, and I thought I was for sure not going to be able to win this year since I won last year.
This seemed especially likely given the fact that I am having some major challenges in my personal life right now.
Still, I decided to give it my best shot. I started off the month with a bang, writing 8500 words the first weekend of November at a writer's retreat in Park City. After that, though, life got intensely busy and hard, and I only wrote a few thousand the next week.
Then, when the 15th of the month rolled around and I had only written 12,000 words, I started to panic just a little bit. Now I would have to write 38,000 words in 15 days. By the 20th, I still had 30,000 to go, and by the end of the 25th, I was just barely past halfway done at 27,000 words.
I thought I was panicking before? Yeah, you don't know panic until you only have 5 days left and you have to still write 23,000 words.
I thought about giving up.
I thought about just saying, you know, I gave it a good try, and at least I've written 27,000 more words than I would have if I hadn't been doing NaNo.
In the end, though, I decided not to say any of that. I decided to say I was going to write those 23,000 words, and I was going to do it by the end of November. Come rain or sleet or blizzard or sun or piles and piles of dirty dishes, I was going to finish.
And I did it. I won. I climbed Mt. NaNo and stood at the peak and raised my arms high and shouted to the world, "I did it! I won despite incredible odds! I am Novelist, hear me roar!"
The book isn't finished to The End, and I'm going to keep pushing through December to finish the first draft. And even what is "finished" is far from being Finished. I don't even know if the story is taking the direction I wanted it to take. I don't know if any of the scenes are any good. I'm thinking of scrapping several characters' names because I've grown to hate them this past month.
Still, I did what I set out to do, and it feels amazing.
This seemed especially likely given the fact that I am having some major challenges in my personal life right now.
Still, I decided to give it my best shot. I started off the month with a bang, writing 8500 words the first weekend of November at a writer's retreat in Park City. After that, though, life got intensely busy and hard, and I only wrote a few thousand the next week.
Then, when the 15th of the month rolled around and I had only written 12,000 words, I started to panic just a little bit. Now I would have to write 38,000 words in 15 days. By the 20th, I still had 30,000 to go, and by the end of the 25th, I was just barely past halfway done at 27,000 words.
I thought I was panicking before? Yeah, you don't know panic until you only have 5 days left and you have to still write 23,000 words.
I thought about giving up.
I thought about just saying, you know, I gave it a good try, and at least I've written 27,000 more words than I would have if I hadn't been doing NaNo.
In the end, though, I decided not to say any of that. I decided to say I was going to write those 23,000 words, and I was going to do it by the end of November. Come rain or sleet or blizzard or sun or piles and piles of dirty dishes, I was going to finish.
And I did it. I won. I climbed Mt. NaNo and stood at the peak and raised my arms high and shouted to the world, "I did it! I won despite incredible odds! I am Novelist, hear me roar!"
The book isn't finished to The End, and I'm going to keep pushing through December to finish the first draft. And even what is "finished" is far from being Finished. I don't even know if the story is taking the direction I wanted it to take. I don't know if any of the scenes are any good. I'm thinking of scrapping several characters' names because I've grown to hate them this past month.
Still, I did what I set out to do, and it feels amazing.
Finding Rose - Book Review and Giveaway
Rose is a young woman who is about to be uprooted from her home and taken to Canada with her family, who have been called to go there by the prophet.
Miles is a new convert to the church, a friend of Rose's brother Sean, and a new doctor, returning soon to Montana to start his own practice.
I found both of the main characters likeable. There were moments where I didn't feel they acted in character, but I did find them sympathetic, and I rooted for both of them throughout the book
I also felt Humphreys did a good job of introducing new conflicts and keeping me guessing about what would come next, even if the ultimate outcome was predictable. Understandably so, given the genre, of course.
As much as I enjoyed the book, I was a little disappointed in the quality of the editing. The narrative felt choppy at times, and as a writer, I had to keep re-focusing on the story instead of going into critique mode. The story itself was sweet, though, and I did enjoy reading it.
Overall, I thought Finding Rose was a nice, clean romance, I loved the historical setting and details, and I would recommend it to people who enjoy the historical romance genre.
Want to win a copy? It's easy. Just leave a comment and let me know why you're excited to read Finding Rose. Remember to include your email address. If you tweet about the blog tour, or post about it on your blog or facebook, leave the link in the comments section and you'll receive an additional entry.
Check out the rest of the reviews on the blog tour for more chances to win one of THREE copies of Finding Rose.
November 22 - Tristi Pinkston
November 23 - Alison Palmer
November 24 - Taffy Lovell
November 29 - Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
November 30 - Amanda Thomson
December 1 - Sheila Staley
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