Hey all, I don’t usually do this sort of thing, but this is my local bookstore and I love the place, so help me help them! Follow the link and vote for them, please!!!
Monthly Archives: January 2014
Leibster Award
Thanks so much to A Journal of Impossible Things for the nomination! When I stumbled across his blog I knew instantly that it was one I just had to read! If you have not taken the time to head his way be sure that you do! I am sure that you will find it as interesting as I do!
Now for the award stuffs…
1. Each nominee must link back the person who nominated them.
2. Answer the 10 questions which are given to you by the nominator.
3. Nominate 10 other bloggers for this award who have less than 200 followers.
4. Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.
As my readers know I live for breaking the “rules” *grins* so we will see what all I manage to get done on this list shall we? Let’s see, I already put in the link back… now for the 10 questions I suppose
Questions:
01. How lit the fire for your writing? When did your passion for the written word start?
I have always had a passion for reading, and my uncle was a writer, and in high school he got me interested in poetry. When I had an incredible English teacher who I to this day believe was the turning point in getting me interested in writing, ironically when he had us translating Shakespeare… I have a talent for Olde English.
02. Do you listen to music when you write? If you do, do you play a playlist or just one song on repeat?
For the most part I do not listen to music when I am writing, mostly because I find it too distracting. For instance, when there is words, I end up singing along. That said, I do however create playlists for my books. They are playlists that inspire, remind me of the characters, of the tone of the book, of the ideas in the book, all sorts of little things that can get or even keep me in the headspace for the story. I have gotten to the point where I can play the playlist very quietly while writing, but I have to be really in the right headspace for that to work.
03. What’s your favorite place in the world? That magical place that you always feel at home in and dream about when you haven’t visited in years?
My favorite place in the world would have to be Stonehenge, and I have only been there once. To this day, without the pictures, and even with them I can’t believe that I have actually been there!
04. If you could only watch 5 movies for the rest of your life, what movies would they be? Care, not favorites. What movies do you think you could watch forever?
I am really not a big movie fan. I watch a lot more of them now, mostly because it is fun to do so with my partner. I would say that if I could only watch certain ones, Avatar would have to be in that list… 10th Kingdom would be another. Dinotopia I think would make the list… not really sure if there would be any others, but to me those are all must see movies that I have and do tend to watch a bit more frequently. I love the stories they have to tell and share.
05. Name a moment in your life that was out of a Hollywood movie. Action moment, romantic.
I think I would have to say my movie is totally more like a Soap Opera… I have said that Twilight reminds me of my life by far way too much *grins* but those who know me well totally laugh as they know exactly what I am saying…
06. What was the last dream you remember?
I remember many of my dreams and in fact use them most often in my writing. The last one was strange *smiles* who knows, it might be making its way into my writing very soon…
07. What fictional character would you like to pick the brain of, if you could meet them?
Oh man alive… that is prolly the most difficult question. There are so many I would love to have a chat with for so many different reasons. I don’t think I could ever just pick one! That is like trying to pick a favorite author, it just isn’t possible!
08. What book are you most looking forward to reading in the next year?
I actually just read the one I had been waiting for longest! It was Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan. I loved it and I hated it. *grins* usually true for the books we have the highest expectations of.
09. What’s something you really love doing and occasionally think you could have made it a living but realized if you did, you’d hate it forever?
Anything of a crafting nature. I know that I could sell almost everything I make, buuut… then it becomes a job and it is no longer fun.
10. What animal would you love to keep as a pet, no matter if it’s extinct or not really a pet type of creature?
Probably one of the big cats, Lynx, Jaguar, Siberian Tiger… any of those would be top of my list as amazing animals to have. I also would really love a Puffin! They are just the coolest looking bird!
Well, there I answered my questions… now for nominations and their questions… Let the fun begin! *grins*
Nominees:
1. Writing Pieces of Me ~ I enjoy the beautiful words found on her blog, along with the honesty that shines through in her writing! 2. The Writer Backblogger ~ She has a fun and inspiring blog with a fun outlook on writing and herself that to me makes her incredibly fun to read! 3. Butterflies and Dragons ~ She has a wonderful outlook and looks at the world in a way similar to me, I love reading the ideas she shares! 4. fallingdownthecreativewell ~ She shares thoughts with a humor that makes me laugh all the time! Who doesn’t want to read a blog of humor and fun?!? 5. Raven Pierce ~ I love reading her blog, sharing in her journey, is like being on the path with someone who totally understands where I am coming from in my own! 6. Writer Block ~ Great posts about writerly topics that I often find myself looking into. Inspiring and well written, encouraging in its own light!There you have the six blogs that come to the front of my mind at the moment. I am sure there are many more that I love and are more than deserving of this award! Because of the nature of these awards, if you are here reading this post, then you too are nominated if you so desire the nomination! I feel that it is through these silly and yet fun awards that we find other bloggers and writers and places that we belong. It is how we form bigger communities!
Questions:
1) What got you interested in blogging?
2) Who is your favorite author or book series?
3) What is your most prized possession? Why?
4) What is your favorite quote?
5) What is the best blog post you have ever written?
6) What is the best blog post you have ever read? Why?
7) If you could meet anyone, who would it be? (This can be real or fictional, dead or alive)
8) What single quality do you most appreciate in others?
9)Describe yourself in three words:
a)
b)
c)
And there you have it everyone! Please, as always share your thoughts… do you like the blogs I have nominated? Did you choose the nomination for yourself, to join in the fun? Would you have picked someone I didn’t add? Please share links here! I love to hear from you!
300 Follows!!!
Well, I can’t believe it! I have hit 300 followers as of this last weekend! I can’t thank you all enough, the encouragement it gives me, to have you all as readers. The wonderful thoughts and ideas that have come up in the comments. The sharing of lives has been a marvelous experience!
Here is to keeping up with a marvelous bunch of people! Thanks for being on the journey with me!
The Power in Words
Yesterdays thoughts lead me to something we don’t always think about, and yet when we do we are always astounded all over again, and that is this:
I think that as writers we really need to remember this simple, and yet profoundly complex idea! It gives us a power. When people read our words and they have strong reactions, in any way, it just goes to prove that power all over again.
Along with that I believe there comes a certain responsibility. We have this great ability to create a reaction, a feeling, a thought, in others and we should use that. That is where the responsibility comes in. How we provoke people, the emotions we stir, I think that matters. As a reader, I know that when my emotions have been evoked, I want something out of it by the end of the book, article, ect that I am reading.
I think along with all of this is where some of that “writing for the audience” comes into play. While I don’t believe that anyone should just write for the audience, I think their thoughts and feelings should be kept in mind.
What do you think? Please, share your thoughts and feelings on this subject! Do you think there is truly a power in words? Do you think we, as writers have a responsibility to use that power? If we should use it, how should we use it?
The Only Way
Today, when I sat down at my computer to write I was looking for some kind, any kind, of inspiration to hit and my desktop just happened to have this quote up:
Of course I no sooner thought, what a perfect thought to write on when it disappeared while I was opening my writing program. So I pulled it up and stumbled upon this thought as well:
So anyway, it really hit home. No matter how big my dreams are, no matter what my goals in life are, unless I am doing that simple little thing, unless I am writing, nothing will ever come of it! It doesn’t have to be what I see in my mind, it doesn’t even have to be perfect, it just has to happen. How ever that works for me! Not how it works for all the other writers I read about on the interwebs, not how it works for my bestie, not even how it works for the best sellers! I just have to take some chances, believe in my ability, trust that if I actually do it, anything is possible! Anything can come of it.
What thoughts do these quotes inspire in you? Please share your thoughts, on the quotes, what I have said, whatever inspires you as you read and view!
~Pics are courtesy of the interwebs~
Personal Goals for Me
With all that I posted about in yesterday’s post I wanted to follow up with a glimpse at those goals I was talking about. I am not real big on resolutions, as I said. I really feel that people have great intentions, but they don’t choose to make life changes to fulfill those resolutions.
Reflection, 2014 My Year!
It is the beginning of a new year, and I think it is common for people to look back and reflect. On the past year, their life and then to look forward, where this year is heading and where we want our lives to go. I will warn you, I might just get a little personal in this one *smiles* but it is all to looking forward. This is the beginning of what I am planning for a two day posting, just because I wanted to break things up a little.
To set you off, I have to of course look back. This time last year I thought that 2013 was going to be my year. My wife had recently died and I was free. Of the responsibilities of a 24/7 caregiver to a cancer patient, my relationship (not that it was bad mind you, but 5 years caring for another individual when you are in your mid twenties was not what I was planning for my life), of everything.
It was a fresh start so to speak. What I didn’t take into consideration, and I really should have, was how long it would take me to recover. Burnout is a serious thing for caregivers, especially for ones who have been doing it as long as I had. Not to mention, I lost my partner, my best friend. I had been mourning that loss before she died, and I was ready for it, that does not mean it just goes away. I didn’t think of any of these things.
All of that said, last year was not what I had planned. Not to say it didn’t have it’s moments, because it truly did. Last year I wrote one of the best pieces of my life! That story is well on its way to becoming my first novel, and I am still working on that! Not to mention, and this took some hard soul searching on my part, meeting a new partner.
I of course had turmoil over that as well. I was only six months from the loss of my wife, I knew I was still grieving. In my mind it wasn’t fair of me to pull someone else through that with me. Yeah, I know, not my decision to make, and of course I obviously saw the light as we are together now *grins*.
That all leads to now. My house, which in so many ways to me reflected my life, full of chaos, I am working on pulling together. A new year, a new relationship, working towards a fully clean house, overall a fresh start! Something I have needed for a long time. What all this means is I am looking at a new approach. I don’t make resolutions, I think they are silly. No one sticks to them, they fall to the wayside, but I like to make life goals and that is what I am doing. In my life, in my blog, creating and drafting a new me so to speak. This year, 2014, this year will be my year!
What about you? Do you take the new year to look at your life? Take stock in where you are and where you have been? Make goals or resolutions? Sharing is what helps us all stick to our goals, and I would love to hear yours!
Current Projects
So much has been going on, it seems I never have time to fit everything in! NaNo of course finished smoothly, and after that it was a rush on finishing my homemade Yuletide gifts. Which I thankfully finished on time! They were ALL a hit! Loved and used, the best kind of gifts! After that, it was almost like I had too much time on my hands, just because I had been hurrying too fast. With the New Year upon us, well, I decided that I needed to make some changes in my life (more on that in upcoming posts) and started two rather drastic projects.
The first project I started is a total cleansing of my home. I don’t mean just cleaning it, but I mean a detailed, go through every item type cleansing. I have already gotten through one full room and three closets. It is slow going, but I am loving the progress thus far! Not only have I been going through everything, and culling like a crazy person, but I have also been washing floors, walls, windows and anything else I can think of. It is an all around fresh start!
The other project is one that I am very excited about! It is a special Blog Planner, tailored to me! I set it up so that I can get back to my daily blogging, and have added everything I could think of so far. With a bit of use we will see how well it works, but I rather like it!
Well folks, that about sums up the craziness of my life lately, I am looking to be back! Life can get crazy from time to time, but I will find a way to conquer!!! What about you? Any big projects for the new year? How is 2014 treating you?
Random Acts of Writing 