Hi everyone!
I know it has been a long time since I posted anything here but it's not because I haven't been writing. I finished my second manuscript and am now working on some children's stories. My exciting news is that I am moving this blog over to WordPress. The new address is https://mstaightwriter.com/

I hope you like the new format. Come on over and see what I have been up to. Follow me there. Enjoy.

And the Grind Goes On ...

Oh my! We have all survived the Holidays and now that we are in the frozen depths of January, I am trying to grind out the rest of the manuscript that I had a great start with in November. It's not that I am not writing the story, it's that I am not putting it down in writing! My head continues to write the story. My mind is constantly grabbing snippets of dialogue and prose I could use to explain each character's actions. I argue with myself how I should continue the story. I come up with all sorts of ways to advance the story to the end point - but somehow none of it gets down on the paper or the computer! I fully intend to do that, but it just doesn't seem to translate from my head, to the fingers, to the computer, or even to my trusty journal! Sigh! Even doing this Blog is like a method of putting off doing those last few chapters.

I wonder if my reluctance to commit the story to the written word is because I don't want to let go of these characters. I know that I certainly want to do justice to them. I want the best outcome I can for these sweet characters that I have dragged through trials and tribulations over the pages I have written so far. I think there is a natural fear that when I finish the story I will not have  given the reader the best and most accurate window into these souls that have occupied my mind for a long, long, time (Long before I even put pen to paper in fact). But then I think, there is always the editing to come and the Beta readers to boost me along the road to that perfect picture I want to paint for my readers. I can continue the development of the characters once I have committed to the complete story.

Writing is not just about the ideas, the composition of the story or the characters though. The art of writing is in fact the struggle to put one word past the other on paper, or computer screen. The art of writing is disciplining yourself to stop playing Solitaire on the computer and instead open up the working document and start typing one word after the other. Writing is about making those transient thoughts that explode in your brain be tamed enough to translate through your fingers down to the paper and make some sense in the interim.  I guess it's about time I did that, so for now I bid goodbye. Wish me luck in the taming of my thoughts!
Marie

And The Winner Is ...

Hello again to all!

I made it through November's grueling challenge to write 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo.  Except I didn't write just 50,000 words - I wrote over 57,000 and I am still counting, currently just over 60,000 words and I am sure I have at least two to three more chapters to go! I tried to speed up the tale but the characters were just too chatty a bunch and all were clamoring to be written about! However the end is in sight and now I am certain the manuscript will be finished.

Looking back at all the hard work and 'no play' I put in this month, I can say it was worth it. I learned a few things which helped in my writing too. First, using a timer is a good thing for me! It made me focus and keep on task. The tick...tick ... tick ... made me write because I realized my time was ticking away and I had better produce! Secondly I learned to say when I got to the end of one scene, "And then what happened?" So that I would progress the story in a coherent way. The third thing I learned was that having a daily word count goal was extremely motivating for me!

I know that in the coming months there will be revisions, cutting and editing that will need to be done, but the idea that I nearly have a whole manuscript to work with is very exciting!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and that the upcoming holidays will only bring pleasant surprises.

Marie

It's NaNo Time Again!

Hello everyone!
It seems that I can only update this site every month as I am so busy writing! But that is good, right? I have been struggling to dribble-drabble out a new novel - up to chapter three. But the fire is under my behind now! Or should I say? The seat is under my behind? NaNoWriMo is back around again. Dang, November comes fast doesn't it? Anyway, since November 1st, I have written two new chapters and close to 8,000 new words towards my goal of 50,000 words in a month. Since I have a relatively good handle on the characters, the plot is beginning to flow now. Check back with me later in the month and see if that remains true!

The truth of NaNoWriMo is that you don't really edit the story as you go along, therefore sometimes I think it is the best stuff I have ever written and at other times I wonder if this is something I will just put out of my mind and junk it as it is so bad! My very first effort at NaNo was like that, some great characters and a half way good story, but it wasn't leading anywhere. Recently I looked at it again and realized there just might be something to salvage in that story ...

Always, always chasing that elusive tale!
Type to you all later.
Happy writing to you all!
Marie

Catching Up on Tales

Oh dear I have been neglecting my dear Blog again. Honestly I turn around and time has just flown by! That doesn't mean that I have been dormant though! September 27th was the 1st Anniversary of DiscusssionStation.com . I helped to celebrate by working on some opening threads for both the Cuppa Presents and the Book Club discussions. That is for the books The Cuckoo Calling by Robert Galbraith (AKA J.K. Rowling) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling, respectively.

Of course I have also been hard at work wrestling with my newest manuscript - a story of a woman and her infant son. Unfortunately, the scenes seem to be dribbling forth instead of coming in a even stream this time. The thing is when I do sit down to write, after mulling forever where I want to go and how the characters would be reacting, the words flow rather well. Now that I am more familiar with the characters, I am seriously thinking of attempting the NaNoWriMo challenge. It begins next month. I think I would have a pretty good manuscript if I can craft another 50,000 words to what I already have. Of course one has to put just about everything on the 'back burner' when you commit to do NaNoWriMo. (Which means all my Holiday prep will either have to be done this month or very early in December - a pretty Herculean task!)

Early in October, our writing group, The Ink and Quill, was featured in the West Orange Times. I wasn't sure of the outcome from that story but, I was extremely pleased that our writing group had 9 people come to the last meeting! I knew after the publicity that we would have a few new people, but I didn't think that 5 new people would come! Yeah for us! If you are in the neighborhood come join us the first Monday of the month at the Jessie Brock Community Center in Winter Garden! Anyone is welcome! See you all soon.

Computers - Can't live with them, Can't live without them ...

Having just gone through a blight on my main computer and Wifi problems on my laptop, I can tell you that living without computer access is both a curse and a blessing. Not being 'connected' sets off  this panic within you that you won't be able to meet deadlines and expectations that surround your life. Writing for DiscussionStation.com had to be put on hold as much as I love doing that. I tried to only do essential email and the things I knew I had to do. Trying to print off a copy of my next chapter in the new book was a four hour ordeal. At the moment I don't even have a way to print. It is terribly frustrating to know you don't even have Skype access which is how I keep connected with many of my friends. Not to mention that I use my computer for research and keeping track of my accounts and bills. I kept thinking as I was reading or out and about - "Oh, I will look that up." or "I wonder if I can get that cheaper somewhere else?" But I had no way to research any of that. Having limited to no computer access really puts your life on hold.

Yes, that's right, having no computer access puts your life on hold and that turns out to be a blessing in a different way. Let me explain. Since I knew I couldn't jump online, I had to fill my time somehow. So I opted to read, or to sit in a chair and think, or even to watch a favorite TV show without the urgent feeling that I wasn't doing something productive on my computer! It was actually pleasant to sit outside and hear the birds sing and watch the flowers enjoy being watered. I could do all that without that constant feeling of guilt that I should be doing something very important on the internet. Being without the internet gave me a reprieve from all the activities that I thought I should be doing to fill my life. It was a pleasant interlude.

But in the long run - I have to confess - I think I really do enjoy being 'wired' and 'plugged  in' to the world around me! I am anxiously awaiting my new monitor so that I can get back to doing work on my desktop. Hopefully the printer problem will be solved soon. My WiFi is actually working now so I now can at least work on my laptop. Life is almost back to where I can feel I am able to work effectively again. I would love to hear from any of you that have had similar problems and how you managed to get through it! Just leave a comment below!    

The Peacock Flies!

Wow! I just looked and The Peacock's Tale is now available on Sony e-Readers, Nooks and IPads - either through Nook or Kindle apps. So basically The Peacock's Tale is now available through most any e-Reader! You can also read on your PC through those apps. (Strange, but after so long waiting - this seems to be going really fast!)

I just want to thank all of you that have taken the time to contact me with congratulations and comments on your thoughts while reading the books. It means a great deal to me that you are enjoying the book. I am hoping to soon put up some questions that can be used for Book Clubs! So stay tuned for my next post! Thanks everyone!

The Peacock has landed!

Well Marie is strutting around like a proud peacock today because The Peacock's Tale is now available on Amazon! I was so excited last night I composed an email to all my friends and then forgot to include a message! Silly me! I'm not sure which was the bigger thrill - seeing my book for sale on Amazon or having a friend call me - "the writer"! I hope that if you chose to read The Peacock's Tale that you will enjoy it!

The Proof is in the Pudding

Oh ho, all! I just got done looking at the proof of The Peacock's Tale. All those months of careful formatting was worth the effort! It looks great on the eReader. The cover looks really catching too! I can't wait for all of you to see the finished product! Stay tuned - it may still be awhile before it goes live on Amazon and longer for Nook and other readers. Be patient it will be available soon!

Peacock's Picture Perfect Cover

OK so this is the cover I decided to go with. I hope you like it! I used a great designer from fiver.com (sapizol), I am sure I got my money's worth!

The book is now at the publishers - BookBaby - and I am waiting with bated breath! Stay tuned!

Covering the Tale

I have been quiet lately because I have been very hard at work preparing The Peacock's Tale for publication as an eBook. I decide to go with the eBook format because I am not getting younger! Besides, I really think that eBooks are the new way of getting a book published! Why not be out there in front, instead of putting so much effort into trying to get an agent?  I want to progress to my next book. For me, personally to progress, I need closure on this project before I can really put my heart onto the next one. That's me and that's just how I feel now. Right or wrong ...

After many, many re-formats and several edits and lots and lots of learning about this whole process, the book is in its final countdown! Now I am at the stage of picking the cover! This too has been a learning process. I have two possibilities for the cover. I took these to the center where I hold the Writer's group each month and took a poll as to which they thought was the most intriguing - it was a tie!  Sigh. So I guess - you all will have to wait until I decide what the cover will be! Stay tuned!

    

Wordsmith's WhistleStop

DiscussionStation.com has opened their writer's forum called  Wordsmith's  WhistleStop. It is a great forum where writers can discuss their various questions as well as share their writing journey. The platform even allows published writer's to post information on their works. If you are interested in posting unpublished works for feedback there is also an area for that. Already there has been many interesting chats. Come join us when you can!

And while we are talking about DiscussionStation .com ,  the Platform Cafe has opened a reading Group on The Hobbit. Hop on over and join in!

Discussion Staion Opens!

Well I can finally reveal the project I and several  friends have been working on for a long time! A new discussion friendly web site for "Books, Films, TV shows and More"! It is called Discussion Station and can be found at Discussionstation.com ! We are opening in the discussion area with  The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling. You will also find other book talk, as well as news reports, the funny Quibbler magazine and much more. We are hoping to come the place to go to feed your need to talk about literature, films and TV shows. Please take a look and join in the fun!  Have fun posting and make sure to leave comments here about your experience!

E-Readers - The Other Side

As promised, I come today to discuss what I don't like about my e-reader - specifically my Kindle. Let's start with trying to find the book that you bought a month ago when you were in the throes of another book and didn't want to read the new book at that time. When you finally remember - somewhere back there in your mind that you bought the book - you can't remember the tittle. That makes you do the rounds of all the books on your home page and beyond. You hunt and hunt and have to bring up every book or if your savvy enough find the right button to bring up the book description. Finally you have found the right book! Then your not so sure that you want to read that book at the moment and you start again on your hunt for an appropriate book to fit your mood. Seems a whole lot easier to just run one's finger across books on a shelf, and in picking up a book, to read the blurb on the back of the cover to know what it is about.

Let's say you do finally find the book you wish to read. As I really get into the prose, I invariably want to physically turn the page! That is, I start to turn over the e-reader rather than punch the forward button! It seems to happen a lot to me and I am grateful that no one but me seems to notice! Then there is the quest for a name or fact that was seamlessly bypassed pages ago. You come across something on the page you are on and think, "Who is this character?" "Is this the city he was born in, or is this the city he is now in?" To find out the fact that you know you read somewhere back a few pages - the hunt begins. You flip the back-button several times - maybe a lot of times - and finally find the answer! Then you have to punch the  forward-button again and find where you left off. It's quite the pain as compared to easily flipping back a page or two with your fingers maintaining your place where you were with your other hand.

And don't get me started about using a book on your e-reader for a book club discussion. Goodness! Trying to keep characters straight and find your favorite passage or a fact that you want to present to the group is torture! Same thing goes if you wish to do research from an e-book. All that punching of buttons to find what you want is ridiculous. One can't even get page numbers to track where things are in the book!

Then there is the inconvenience of sharing a book. You have discovered the best book ever and after you have read it, you want to make sure your friends read it. But it is on you Kindle! In the old fashion realm of hard copy books, one just popped the book into your purse and took it to the person to read. You lent it too them. Ha! Try doing that with a book on your e-reader! It's one thing to lend a book to someone and another to lend your entire library including the current book you are now reading to a friend! You can only gush about the book and have no way to share it, on a practical basis,  with another person unless you physically give them your e-reader - Fat Chance!

Sigh! I really do enjoy my Kindle, but I certainly do have 'issues' with it that I haven't been able to resolve completely. Please feel free to share your 'issues' with e-readers. I'd love to hear from you!

The Advantages of An E-Reader

When I retired not so long ago, my cohorts, as a retirement gift, set up a money tree (actually a rose bush which is now flourishing in my garden). My friends gave generously and there was just enough on the tree for me to buy a Kindle. It was the rage at the time so I thought it would be a practical gift to myself. It languished  for awhile as I was fast friends with hard copy books. That is until I redid my floors ... Now what might you ask was the connection there? Well I have at least 10 bookcases in my house and everyone of them was heavy with books - chocked to the hilt with books, books, books! In order to put down the wood floors I had to be able to move those bookcases! So I sat about to box  up all the books and eventually I parted with 16 very stuffed boxes of books! Please don't feel sorry for me as I still had plenty left over and I got  my wood floors too!

I soon found a great use for Kindle books. It was easy to carry! I normally carry a large purse so stuffing it in there wasn't a problem. That way when I sat waiting at the doctor's office or when I was out to eat at a restaurant, I had a book handy all the time. It was certainly easier than hunting down the latest book I was reading and dragging it along every time I went out. And isn't it great that you never lose your place when you open up the e-reader! No more hunting about for a bookmark!

Another positive I found was that I could indulge in books that I wanted to read but knew I wouldn't want to keep the hard copy. So I didn't have the problem of  what to do with all those hard copies. (Not that I still don't have a zillion books in this house!) Oh and all those deals of $.99 and zero dollar books were very tempting to get me to buy fun books that I normally wouldn't explore.

Stay tuned folks as in a future post I will also talk about the disadvantages I find with an e-reader!

Have you an e-reader? What advantages have you noticed? Can't wait to hear your comments!

In My In-Box

When you declare yourself a writer and are nosing about the internet on writer's websites, you invariably end up with an onslaught of emails in your in-box from writer websites. Some of it is not so interesting but others come up with gems that help to get you over the humps. Here is one that I caught today. "Fear of failure/success equals procrastination." (Dave Trotlier) As I have been putting off doing another round of queries,  I realize this is right up my alley. I thought about this and came to the conclusion that failure or success realy wasn't in the cards as this journey has an abundance of learning all along the way. And how can this not be a win-win journey if you are learning things? So it's off to polish the query and the synopsis and try again to send off my Peacock to another group of agents to see if they will have need of such a project.

In my in-box I also found a very funny video contained in a blog by Brian Klems to share with any of you that have ever thought about writing a book. Have fun viewing this hilarious video! Psst ... be sure to leave comments if you liked it!

Seven Things To Do On A HOT Summer Day

I don't know how it is where you live but OMG has it been hot here. So I figured I would check out some things to do on a hot summer's day. I polled several people I met today - like the waitress at Red Lobster and the guy at the gas station - but I also talked to some of my online friends. So here is what I found:

#7 Pack up the family and head for the mountains. In fact while you are there check out the Scottish Games and the Bagpipers. Ah .. nothing like piper music to cool you down.

#6 Grab the kids and run over to the nearest water park. Slip, slide and whoosh! Of course around here make sure you run for cover if there is any whisper of lightening - Central Florida is known as the lightning capital of the world!

#5 Gather a bunch of retired friends and play games like Mexican Train Dominoes or card games - like Hand and Foot at the local air conditioned Senior Center. Always a great way to stay out of hot weather.

#4 If you have the opportunity - go out to your local river and rent a canoe - a relaxing way to spend a hot day. (Of course watch out for those nasty gators!)

#3 Ring your neighbor's bell and ask to play in their pool. Not only is this a great way to cool down, but an excellent way to find out who your neighbors are!

#2 Take an afternoon nap in your nice comfy chair, then when it is dark (not at dusk as the mosquitoes love that time!) sit out in the backyard and observe the stars. I adore doing this. The skies are ever changing and it feels sooo good.

So now for the Number 1 thing to do to cool down on a hot day -

#1 Pick up a friend and proceed to your nearest fast food place and order great big luscious Ice Cream Cones! There is nothing that cools you down better than licking an ice cream cone! (And nothing better than having a friend to share the experience!)

OK so now it is your turn! What do you do to cool down on a hot summer day?

The Waiting Game

Well I continue to wait and hope that some agent will think The Peacock's Tale is a viable piece that can be presented to editors for publication. The waiting is getting to me. In my head I know these poor agents receive hundreds of queries, I just can only hope my colorful peacock hits a chord with one of them.

In the meantime I am reading and reading and reading all sorts of things. I find that I do like getting new books on my Kindle and am even thinking about e-book publication which may be the route for me. But for now I am still hanging in there with more queries. I currently have 9 viable queries still out there. This weekend I may gather up some further possibilities and see about putting out some further queries. I really have nothing to lose at this point so why not?

Looking For More Agents to Query

I think I have sent out a total of ten queries and have had 5 rejections, however the  time limit for actual responses are slowly running out. Some say wait six weeks and others say 8. So I am gathering up a second round of agents to query -- some are new agents and others are ones I skipped over last time because I didn't have a long synopsis, but I have done that now, so I can go back and try another round of agents!

I certainly have plenty of options still so I will keep up the process for awhile and see what happens. Wish me luck! The Peacock still lives!

No News is Good News?

So the count now is 3 rejections and 6 queries still out there in Cyber space. I am taking the time now to catch up on reading and doing some research for a possible new idea to write about! Things are 'fermenting' about in my mind for sure!

It seems that real life certainly gets in the way a lot! Home owner activities - not only my house - but the small HOA that I work as the Secretary-Treasurer seems to take up lots of my time right now. I am hoping that we will get things on the right track soon so I will have more time for writing!

Everyone take care and drop me a line with your thoughts about this blog!