I can't tell you HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS.
MSFV Success Story Author JM Frey has organized A WONDERFUL BLOG TOUR of authors who attribute a portion of their success to this blog.
DON'T MISS THIS!!
Miss Snark's First Victim
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
A New Hat For Authoress?
It's funny how the red hat has become my trademark. I never intended it to; I didn't plan to have a "trademark" at all.
When I did the photo shoot for my avatar, I was trying to create an elegant sort of mystique. You know, the gal in the sparkly black dress and big, red hat, whose face we cannot see. Ah, but we know she's a writer because look at the fat manuscript in her arm! And the telltale quill.
The truth is, despite its very adorable backstory (which I won't get into), I hate the hat. I wouldn't be caught dead in public in feathers, and I don't wear red well at all. The hat is fun and flamboyant, but it isn't "me".
I don't want to get rid of it altogether, but I definitely want to update myself. And this is the hat I bought at the shore; a hat I actually wear and love:
So, what do you think? Should I, at the very least, have a Seasonal Authoress Who Wears This Hat During the Summer? (Disclaimer: I am well aware that this is a horrible picture. I took it myself while holding the camera in front of a mirror so I could see the reflection of the view screen. Moving things left in order to make them move right is not my forte.)
Not that any of this is a big deal. I'm just heartily tired of seeing myself in the red hat every time I pop onto the blog. Though, truly, Josh looks much cuter in it than I do.
Not that any of this is a big deal. I'm just heartily tired of seeing myself in the red hat every time I pop onto the blog. Though, truly, Josh looks much cuter in it than I do.
So humor me. What are your thoughts on The New Hat? (Because, naturally, I need another distraction whilst slogging through these revisions. Right?)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Web Form Submissions: Important New Feature!
If you are planning on submitting to the July Secret Agent Contest, here's some good news:
The submissions form will now be available 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE OPENING OF EACH SUBMISSION WINDOW!
This means, of course, that you will have up to 30 minutes to enter, PROOFREAD and FIX FORMATTING on your entry BEFORE it's time to hit the submit button.
Isn't this amazing?! Once again, huge thanks to the wondrous Michael.
PLEASE avail yourselves of this new feature. I am dearly hoping that this will greatly reduce the amount of format fixing I will need to do. (Yes, I kind of do a lot of it.)
Spread the word!
The submissions form will now be available 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE OPENING OF EACH SUBMISSION WINDOW!
This means, of course, that you will have up to 30 minutes to enter, PROOFREAD and FIX FORMATTING on your entry BEFORE it's time to hit the submit button.
Isn't this amazing?! Once again, huge thanks to the wondrous Michael.
PLEASE avail yourselves of this new feature. I am dearly hoping that this will greatly reduce the amount of format fixing I will need to do. (Yes, I kind of do a lot of it.)
Spread the word!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Friday Fricassee
Today is the last day of my 10-day fruit and vegetable detox. (Those of you who follow me on Twitter have listened to my intermittent whining.) I'm already a whole foods nut, so it's not like I had to purge my body of fast food or Twinkies. But it's amazing how much starch and sugar you're eating without really noticing.
Here's the amazing thing: During the past ten days, I have not felt drowsy/fuzzy-headed/lethargic in the afternoons like I often do. I already knew that sugar can do that to you (and your body thinks white flour is the same as sugar, so it has the same effect), so it's not like I was shocked.
But wow! The productivity! I've been working on revisions, and as I sat down on Monday to begin this week's work, I was prepared for a lot of hair-pulling and teeth-grinding. Guess what! It didn't happen. I have been literally breezing through the revisions this week.
I'm not saying that everything I do is suddenly drop-dead astounding. It's certainly not flawless. But my ability to think clearly and make quick decisions is unparalleled. I could definitely live like this and be happy.
Nevertheless, I am absolutely eating a burger tomorrow. Yes, I am. I haven't missed the starch and sugar. I haven't even missed my evening glass of wine. But oh, baby, I have missed my grassfed beef!
There's something to be said about purging things, whether it's food or entertainment or simply the "extras" that tend to clutter our lives and minds without our realizing it. When we take them away for a while, we realize what their negative impact has been. Then it's up to us to decide what stays and what goes.
As writers, we find a plethora of things online to keep us informed and amused and challenged and busy. There's a lot of good out there, and there's a lot of bad out there. Obviously the bad needs to go, but there's often a lot of good that needs to go, too, because WE NEED TIME TO WRITE!
I'll be pondering what needs to stay and what needs to go in my diet, and I'll also be pondering what needs to stay and what needs to go in my online life. I love the productive, alert writer I've been for the last 10 days, and I don't want to lose this.
What will you purge from your life in order to increase your writerly productivity? Share your ideas! We are one heck of a thinktank here.
And think of me tomorrow, smiling through bites of burger. It's the small things, yes?
Here's the amazing thing: During the past ten days, I have not felt drowsy/fuzzy-headed/lethargic in the afternoons like I often do. I already knew that sugar can do that to you (and your body thinks white flour is the same as sugar, so it has the same effect), so it's not like I was shocked.
But wow! The productivity! I've been working on revisions, and as I sat down on Monday to begin this week's work, I was prepared for a lot of hair-pulling and teeth-grinding. Guess what! It didn't happen. I have been literally breezing through the revisions this week.
I'm not saying that everything I do is suddenly drop-dead astounding. It's certainly not flawless. But my ability to think clearly and make quick decisions is unparalleled. I could definitely live like this and be happy.
Nevertheless, I am absolutely eating a burger tomorrow. Yes, I am. I haven't missed the starch and sugar. I haven't even missed my evening glass of wine. But oh, baby, I have missed my grassfed beef!
There's something to be said about purging things, whether it's food or entertainment or simply the "extras" that tend to clutter our lives and minds without our realizing it. When we take them away for a while, we realize what their negative impact has been. Then it's up to us to decide what stays and what goes.
As writers, we find a plethora of things online to keep us informed and amused and challenged and busy. There's a lot of good out there, and there's a lot of bad out there. Obviously the bad needs to go, but there's often a lot of good that needs to go, too, because WE NEED TIME TO WRITE!
I'll be pondering what needs to stay and what needs to go in my diet, and I'll also be pondering what needs to stay and what needs to go in my online life. I love the productive, alert writer I've been for the last 10 days, and I don't want to lose this.
What will you purge from your life in order to increase your writerly productivity? Share your ideas! We are one heck of a thinktank here.
And think of me tomorrow, smiling through bites of burger. It's the small things, yes?
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Few, The Mighty
I'm feeling like it's about time to sing the praises of the small but consistent cadre of people who give their time over and over in the form of critiques.
No, I'm not mentioning names. It's interesting, because these things go in cycles. I'll see familiar names over and over again, and then things will shift and I'll see new familiar names. It's as though, as time goes by, this blog is continually supported by a gradually-changing-yet-always-constant group of writers who are truly the lifeblood around here.
So. THANK YOU.
Thank you for giving and giving and giving. Thank you for critiquing others when your own work is not up here. Thank you for offering help to aspiring authors when you, yourself, are already published. Thank you for helping aspiring authors when you, yourself, are not published. Thank you for coming back again and again, giving your time and expertise. Thank you for not being afraid of saying the wrong thing. Thank you for making this community a priority, for whatever reason.
Yes, I do notice you. I do see your screen name in my inbox. And others notice, too.
You know who you are.
This is a large, growing community. The number of daily visitors, particularly during contests and critique sessions, far surpasses the number of actual participants. While this ratio is no big deal on a regular blog post (like this one), since it's normal for more people to read than to comment, it is a big deal when it comes to critiques and contests.
Not so much with the reading-vs.-critiquing. I know there are a lot of you out there you are uber-beginners, and this blog is a learning tool for you. I WANT YOU TO BE HERE. It's okay if you're quiet; it's okay if you haven't taken the critique plunge yet. One day, when you're ready, you will.
What makes me say "hmm" is the contests and critique sessions in which there are 100 or more entries, yet the comments that the winning entries receive don't reflect this number. And I'm thinking...if you're willing to enter a contest, are you willing to critique even if your entry doesn't make it in?
Food for thought. Because, if you're far enough along to be seeking critique, then you're probably far enough along to be giving it. I do request that all entrants in contests critique a minimum of 5 other entries, which I feel is fair. Critiquing is time-consuming, and expecting folks to critique 49 excerpts simply because theirs is the 50th would be...inhumane. And would probably ignite mutiny.
But if you enter and don't get picked? Please consider offering your critique, anyway. (And, hey. Many of you already do this. I'm just trying to peel the wallflowers from the wall.)
I believe you all have something valuable to share here. You're writers, yes? And writers are a wonderful breed. (Not that I'm biased.)
This blog will continue to thrive in the strength of the few and the mighty. But imagine what we could become if everyone stepped up.
(Oh, how I love this community!)
No, I'm not mentioning names. It's interesting, because these things go in cycles. I'll see familiar names over and over again, and then things will shift and I'll see new familiar names. It's as though, as time goes by, this blog is continually supported by a gradually-changing-yet-always-constant group of writers who are truly the lifeblood around here.
So. THANK YOU.
Thank you for giving and giving and giving. Thank you for critiquing others when your own work is not up here. Thank you for offering help to aspiring authors when you, yourself, are already published. Thank you for helping aspiring authors when you, yourself, are not published. Thank you for coming back again and again, giving your time and expertise. Thank you for not being afraid of saying the wrong thing. Thank you for making this community a priority, for whatever reason.
Yes, I do notice you. I do see your screen name in my inbox. And others notice, too.
You know who you are.
This is a large, growing community. The number of daily visitors, particularly during contests and critique sessions, far surpasses the number of actual participants. While this ratio is no big deal on a regular blog post (like this one), since it's normal for more people to read than to comment, it is a big deal when it comes to critiques and contests.
Not so much with the reading-vs.-critiquing. I know there are a lot of you out there you are uber-beginners, and this blog is a learning tool for you. I WANT YOU TO BE HERE. It's okay if you're quiet; it's okay if you haven't taken the critique plunge yet. One day, when you're ready, you will.
What makes me say "hmm" is the contests and critique sessions in which there are 100 or more entries, yet the comments that the winning entries receive don't reflect this number. And I'm thinking...if you're willing to enter a contest, are you willing to critique even if your entry doesn't make it in?
Food for thought. Because, if you're far enough along to be seeking critique, then you're probably far enough along to be giving it. I do request that all entrants in contests critique a minimum of 5 other entries, which I feel is fair. Critiquing is time-consuming, and expecting folks to critique 49 excerpts simply because theirs is the 50th would be...inhumane. And would probably ignite mutiny.
But if you enter and don't get picked? Please consider offering your critique, anyway. (And, hey. Many of you already do this. I'm just trying to peel the wallflowers from the wall.)
I believe you all have something valuable to share here. You're writers, yes? And writers are a wonderful breed. (Not that I'm biased.)
This blog will continue to thrive in the strength of the few and the mighty. But imagine what we could become if everyone stepped up.
(Oh, how I love this community!)
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