Hi! My name is Margaret and I'm officially 'middle-aged'.
I just had a birthday this last weekend and if I live to be ninety-six then I've hit the median of my years. Hey, it could happen! My mom is still alive and kicking at eighty-eight. And though my dad died at eighty-four (complications due to diabetes) the rest of his sibs lived to be pretty darn old!
Well, I've been technically middle-aged for a few years now, but I don't feel like it. Okay, I'll the be the first to admit that joints in the knees and ankles creak and crack as I walk down the stairs. And sometimes I'll get those mysterious hip pains or groan when I roll out of bed. *There ain't no sitting up and then exiting the bed anymore--I roll.* Uhm, it's easier, plus it doesn't disturb the hubster too much.
And what makes a good birthday has changed over the years, too. I'm the youngest of nine so we didn't get much as a kid. We got one present and we chose what we wanted to eat for our birthday meal and Mom made a cake. I used to always choose hamburgers, until I turned twelve and got smart--I asked for steak. And yes, as poor as we were Mom always managed to find a reasonably priced tenderloin that we sliced and grilled on the barbecue.
One year, I was in Innsbruck, Austria--probably the most depressing birthday of all. I was backpacking alone after attending my brother's wedding in Chaumont, France. Now, THAT was a party! It was at the end of my travels and I think I was a little homesick by that time, but it didn't help that I was hit on by two, yes TWO, old men. When you turn twenty-seven, any dude over thirty is old!
In the recent past, we've traveled to Silver Dollar City and rode rollercoasters, but this year we had a lot of yard work to finish up so we stayed home.
On Friday night, our kiddo was asked to go to a Wizard's of Waverly Place advance viewing, so hubster and I went to Michael Fusco's Riverside Grill. My one request--steak. And what a lovely meal! A bottle of wine and a steak that was actually cooked correctly--medium rare. It moo'd as I chew'd. Mmmm. And I finished off the meal with a Molten Lava chocolate cake. Hubster had a chocolate mousse gateau. *sigh*
On Saturday, my actual birthday, we went shopping. Our first stop was Lowe's, and guess what is close to Lowe's? Yes! Krispy Kreme donuts! Woohoo! We visited Lowe's got some grass seed, but also looked at plants. Best Buy to return the Wii that fried for the second time--got a new Wii (under extended warranty) and also picked up the new Wii Resort games. PetsMart for all sorts of stuff, plus a new beta. Our old beta finally died after two agonizing weeks. The new beta is called Blinky. Can anyone guess where we got the name?? Then home to drop everything off, lunch at Wendy's and out to Sander's Nursery. And I mean out...of town about ten miles from our house. This place is HUGE, like five football fields huge. Bought plants. Went home dropped them off, then back to Lowe's --they had a nicer butterfly bush (Naho Blue) than at Sanders--and to Southwood nursery. Southwood had a crepe myrtle that we needed, Raspberry Sundae. When the blooms open they look like popcorn as the deep pink has white edges. I made chicken fajitas and margaritas for dinner, played Wii resorts and had a Turtle Cake from Merritt's bakery. *sinful*
What more can I say? It was the perfect birthday for me. Oh, and I WATCHED my hubster plant the $600-700 worth of plants on Sunday. Watching is so much better than doing. :-) Of course, I was called away from doing laundry to consult with the plant locations. I had him move an evergreen shrub to a better place and this cause some shuffling of plantage.
I feel rejuvenated enough to get seriously down to writing again.
Oh, and I started daily walks again. Last Friday, I solved two story issues that I had on FF. So after I walk the kiddo to school and finish a nice 45 minute walk, I'll . . .
Write on!
8/28/09
What's the Diff . . .
Between critique partners (CP's) and beta readers (BR's)?
This is a continuation (sort of) from Wednesday's post about judges and what you can learn from them.
The rest of this blog is just my opinion based on my experience. I know other writers have different opinions and experiences, but as long as you keep writing and keep improving your craft, no one is a loser.
Critique partners don't work for me. Sorry, they don't. And it's not you, it's me.
Don't get me wrong--I love critiquing, right along with judging contests, but they don't work for me because I am easily influenced and want to please everyone. When a writer goes down the people pleaser path it waters down your story. You can't please everyone, so don't even try. I know many, many writers who have successful critique partnerships. I envy them, but like I said, they don't work for me.
Since I don't belong to a crit group, this is just a compilation of tidbits of knowledge that I have garnered by looking through the window of how many crit groups work. If you are in a successful group and run thing differently, chime in! I want to hear you.
(Yes, Edie, that means you--I know you love your CP's!) :-)
--many CP groups (in-person or online) want a steady amount of product to crit with certain weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly time constraints. I totally hose up with that kind of pressure, plus I tend to let other life stuff to get in the way of writing. Hey, I'm being honest here. Contests do the same thing to me--I stop writing the story when I enter a contest--I have four partially written RS's that I stopped writing because I entered a contest and never got back to writing them. But if I'm finished with the story and have entered a contest (MOGG), I don't care about the entry since I've already moved onto something else.
Definitely a mental problem on my part.
--Honesty is needed with your CP's. This works both ways. You need to be honest with what you want out of the critiques. Do you want a in-depth line edit? Or do you have a feeling something isn't working and need help sorting out the bigger picture? If it's bigger picture issues (characterization, plot, etc), a line edit isn't going to help you because you'll have to rewrite just to fix the underlying problem.
It's up to you to be honest with your CP's with your needs. And they should respect your wishes just like you need to respect theirs. CP's should give you their input about your story. Don't say it's wonderful just because you don't want to hurt someone's feelings--the writer doesn't grow when all they hear is praise. (though it is nice to hear once in awhile!)
--It's up to you to be confident enough (my personal failing--I'm not) to know when to take a CP's advice or when to nod your head and ignore it. Remember, it's your story. Write it the way it needs to be written
--CP's are great for bouncing ideas off of
--CP's are wonderful to brainstorm with
--CP's help you through the angst of story problems and stuckage.
--CP's are supportive all the way through your journey, the good and the bad.
CP's can be awesome, but they aren't for me.
When I started writing my middle grade story, MOGG, I made a decision that I wouldn't let anyone read it until I finished it and worked through the first rough draft. But I needed a complete second draft to be finished because of some serious issues I created in the middle of the first draft: changed POV character, which resulted in total rewrite of scenes. It originally was a mother's POV then I changed to the child's POV. Children DO NOT think like adults. And then I switched from third person POV to first person POV. These are big changes.
Once through the second draft I thought I had a good story, but I needed someone to read it for the big issues, characterization, continuity, pacing, etc. I decided on beta readers. AND I told them what I wanted from the read. I don't want nit-picky stuff because I tend to edit my sentences as I go through fixing the bigger issues. So most of the nit-picky comments would be taken care of in the next draft anyway. I wanted to know about pacing, characterization (Big problem here), and stupid stuff (the television in MOGG had rabbit ears--uh, the digital converter boxes took care of that problem earlier this year and I forgot about it in my story because I have cable). OOPSIE!
I got what I asked for, for the most part. When beta readers are writers they have a tough time distancing themselves enough for the big picture issues. Non-writers are primo. They know something is wrong and point it out. Now, sometimes it is an issue that stemmed from something the writer did on page 12, but it doesn't show up until page 56. The writer has to figure out what caused the reader reaction.
I want to know when they put the book down. When they rolled their eyes. When they yelled at the characters. These are clues for me that I had problems to fix.
--In MOGG, my character acted too old for her age. I had numerous beta readers point it out. Houston, I have a problem.
So I toned down some of the comments/words used by my character and I strengthened her backstory so she helped her mother research her non-fiction stories that she freelanced.
Did it work? I don't know. The jury's still out in the form of queries and partials.
When I started book two in this series, I thought I'd breeze through the beginning. I wrote about it here. I needed a beta reader who hadn't read the first book to let me know if I provided enough information without giving anything away. I had and I could move forward.
Beta readers gotta love 'em!
I know I do!
Write on!
This is a continuation (sort of) from Wednesday's post about judges and what you can learn from them.
The rest of this blog is just my opinion based on my experience. I know other writers have different opinions and experiences, but as long as you keep writing and keep improving your craft, no one is a loser.
Critique partners don't work for me. Sorry, they don't. And it's not you, it's me.
Don't get me wrong--I love critiquing, right along with judging contests, but they don't work for me because I am easily influenced and want to please everyone. When a writer goes down the people pleaser path it waters down your story. You can't please everyone, so don't even try. I know many, many writers who have successful critique partnerships. I envy them, but like I said, they don't work for me.
Since I don't belong to a crit group, this is just a compilation of tidbits of knowledge that I have garnered by looking through the window of how many crit groups work. If you are in a successful group and run thing differently, chime in! I want to hear you.
(Yes, Edie, that means you--I know you love your CP's!) :-)
--many CP groups (in-person or online) want a steady amount of product to crit with certain weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly time constraints. I totally hose up with that kind of pressure, plus I tend to let other life stuff to get in the way of writing. Hey, I'm being honest here. Contests do the same thing to me--I stop writing the story when I enter a contest--I have four partially written RS's that I stopped writing because I entered a contest and never got back to writing them. But if I'm finished with the story and have entered a contest (MOGG), I don't care about the entry since I've already moved onto something else.
Definitely a mental problem on my part.
--Honesty is needed with your CP's. This works both ways. You need to be honest with what you want out of the critiques. Do you want a in-depth line edit? Or do you have a feeling something isn't working and need help sorting out the bigger picture? If it's bigger picture issues (characterization, plot, etc), a line edit isn't going to help you because you'll have to rewrite just to fix the underlying problem.
It's up to you to be honest with your CP's with your needs. And they should respect your wishes just like you need to respect theirs. CP's should give you their input about your story. Don't say it's wonderful just because you don't want to hurt someone's feelings--the writer doesn't grow when all they hear is praise. (though it is nice to hear once in awhile!)
--It's up to you to be confident enough (my personal failing--I'm not) to know when to take a CP's advice or when to nod your head and ignore it. Remember, it's your story. Write it the way it needs to be written
--CP's are great for bouncing ideas off of
--CP's are wonderful to brainstorm with
--CP's help you through the angst of story problems and stuckage.
--CP's are supportive all the way through your journey, the good and the bad.
CP's can be awesome, but they aren't for me.
When I started writing my middle grade story, MOGG, I made a decision that I wouldn't let anyone read it until I finished it and worked through the first rough draft. But I needed a complete second draft to be finished because of some serious issues I created in the middle of the first draft: changed POV character, which resulted in total rewrite of scenes. It originally was a mother's POV then I changed to the child's POV. Children DO NOT think like adults. And then I switched from third person POV to first person POV. These are big changes.
Once through the second draft I thought I had a good story, but I needed someone to read it for the big issues, characterization, continuity, pacing, etc. I decided on beta readers. AND I told them what I wanted from the read. I don't want nit-picky stuff because I tend to edit my sentences as I go through fixing the bigger issues. So most of the nit-picky comments would be taken care of in the next draft anyway. I wanted to know about pacing, characterization (Big problem here), and stupid stuff (the television in MOGG had rabbit ears--uh, the digital converter boxes took care of that problem earlier this year and I forgot about it in my story because I have cable). OOPSIE!
I got what I asked for, for the most part. When beta readers are writers they have a tough time distancing themselves enough for the big picture issues. Non-writers are primo. They know something is wrong and point it out. Now, sometimes it is an issue that stemmed from something the writer did on page 12, but it doesn't show up until page 56. The writer has to figure out what caused the reader reaction.
I want to know when they put the book down. When they rolled their eyes. When they yelled at the characters. These are clues for me that I had problems to fix.
--In MOGG, my character acted too old for her age. I had numerous beta readers point it out. Houston, I have a problem.
So I toned down some of the comments/words used by my character and I strengthened her backstory so she helped her mother research her non-fiction stories that she freelanced.
Did it work? I don't know. The jury's still out in the form of queries and partials.
When I started book two in this series, I thought I'd breeze through the beginning. I wrote about it here. I needed a beta reader who hadn't read the first book to let me know if I provided enough information without giving anything away. I had and I could move forward.
Beta readers gotta love 'em!
I know I do!
Write on!
8/26/09
Fresh Eyes Needed
*high horse alert*
Last week I was trolling through the numerous loops that I'm a member. I'm on a daily digest for most of the loops and simply verify the topic before I delete the whole thing. Sorry, but my time is becoming more and more precious to me. I don't need to waste it reading stuff that doesn't interest me . . . uh, ditto for books.
Anyway, on one of the numerous contest loops that I belong to I was reading a slightly vitriolic comment by a contest entrant. Her manuscript had been in a contest YEARS ago, but she still got sick to her stomach when she saw the judge's name. Lady, you need to get over yourself and move on with your life and a new manuscript.
When I first started judging contests in 2002, I used to sign all the entries that I judged and I wouldn't be surprised if I was that judge and my comments made her ill. Trust me, I fully expected to get a face full of spit every time I wore my name badge at RWA National.
Over the years, I reserve my signature and email to the entries that blew my socks off. In 2007, I started judging electronic contests exclusively. I like to think I've become a better writer and judge in the process, but there is a learning curve to judging just like there is with writing.
When a person decides to judge a contest they have to follow the contest rules and score sheet and, depending on the score sheet, many of the categories overlap. I agreed to judge a contest recently--stupid me, when will I EVER learn? I thought it was a 30 pg limit, but nooo, it was a 50+ page limit. Anyway, this score sheet has numerous categories to judge: characterization, dialogue and narrative, are a few of the examples. If you are new and don't really understand POV (point of view) and odds are you will be marked down in all three areas.
Why? Because all three develop characterization. The way a character thinks and speaks plays into how a character acts and reacts, thus develops characterization.
Sorry, but judges have to follow the contest rules. Now we can 'manipulate' the scores up to a point if we feel someone has a unique voice and take on a story. But if it's bad, then it's just the red-hot poker jabbing us in the eyeball.
And no, I WILL NOT JUDGE A CONTEST ENTRY THAT I'VE JUDGED BEFORE. It's not fair to anyone. I got an entry once that I had judged previously--a few years earlier in fact--and I still remembered the entry. . . and yes, the author was pimping the EXACT SAME ENTRY.
Time to move on, sista!
But judges can offer you something that CP's (critique partners) can't.
--Contest judges are as close as you get to agents and editors. When you send a submission to an agent/editor and keep getting rejections, it's because they stop reading (lucky dogs!) Entering a contest might give you insight as to why you are getting generic rejections. Whereas, agents just say thanks, but no thanks, a judge has to comment on the 'flaws' of the story. True, you might get conflicting input, but I've seen the same thing with editors and agents when they do comment--which is rare.
--Judges don't know the backstory of the entry. If you leave something out, then a judge will be confused. Or the action of the character doesn't make sense.
Who do you brainstorm with? Your CP's.
Who do you describe your elaborate backstory to? Your CP's.
Who knows every excrutiating detail of your story and has bled with you along your path? Your CP's.
Judges don't know everything about your entry. All they have is what they are given. If you leave it out or gloss over an important issue. It won't make sense. Judges will comment on it.
You'll get your entry back, boohoo over the low score, tell your CP's, they'll pat you on the back and tell you the judge was an idiot.
But was the judge really an idiot? Could the judge be onto something? A really good CP will help the entrant interpret their scores and this would be a good time for the CP/friend to step up and say, "yanno, I thought something was missing or off in there."
I'll continue this diatribe on Friday, 'cause I have a life and need to get on with my own writing. . . after I finish judging this contest.
Write on!
Last week I was trolling through the numerous loops that I'm a member. I'm on a daily digest for most of the loops and simply verify the topic before I delete the whole thing. Sorry, but my time is becoming more and more precious to me. I don't need to waste it reading stuff that doesn't interest me . . . uh, ditto for books.
Anyway, on one of the numerous contest loops that I belong to I was reading a slightly vitriolic comment by a contest entrant. Her manuscript had been in a contest YEARS ago, but she still got sick to her stomach when she saw the judge's name. Lady, you need to get over yourself and move on with your life and a new manuscript.
When I first started judging contests in 2002, I used to sign all the entries that I judged and I wouldn't be surprised if I was that judge and my comments made her ill. Trust me, I fully expected to get a face full of spit every time I wore my name badge at RWA National.
Over the years, I reserve my signature and email to the entries that blew my socks off. In 2007, I started judging electronic contests exclusively. I like to think I've become a better writer and judge in the process, but there is a learning curve to judging just like there is with writing.
When a person decides to judge a contest they have to follow the contest rules and score sheet and, depending on the score sheet, many of the categories overlap. I agreed to judge a contest recently--stupid me, when will I EVER learn? I thought it was a 30 pg limit, but nooo, it was a 50+ page limit. Anyway, this score sheet has numerous categories to judge: characterization, dialogue and narrative, are a few of the examples. If you are new and don't really understand POV (point of view) and odds are you will be marked down in all three areas.
Why? Because all three develop characterization. The way a character thinks and speaks plays into how a character acts and reacts, thus develops characterization.
Sorry, but judges have to follow the contest rules. Now we can 'manipulate' the scores up to a point if we feel someone has a unique voice and take on a story. But if it's bad, then it's just the red-hot poker jabbing us in the eyeball.
And no, I WILL NOT JUDGE A CONTEST ENTRY THAT I'VE JUDGED BEFORE. It's not fair to anyone. I got an entry once that I had judged previously--a few years earlier in fact--and I still remembered the entry. . . and yes, the author was pimping the EXACT SAME ENTRY.
Time to move on, sista!
But judges can offer you something that CP's (critique partners) can't.
--Contest judges are as close as you get to agents and editors. When you send a submission to an agent/editor and keep getting rejections, it's because they stop reading (lucky dogs!) Entering a contest might give you insight as to why you are getting generic rejections. Whereas, agents just say thanks, but no thanks, a judge has to comment on the 'flaws' of the story. True, you might get conflicting input, but I've seen the same thing with editors and agents when they do comment--which is rare.
--Judges don't know the backstory of the entry. If you leave something out, then a judge will be confused. Or the action of the character doesn't make sense.
Who do you brainstorm with? Your CP's.
Who do you describe your elaborate backstory to? Your CP's.
Who knows every excrutiating detail of your story and has bled with you along your path? Your CP's.
Judges don't know everything about your entry. All they have is what they are given. If you leave it out or gloss over an important issue. It won't make sense. Judges will comment on it.
You'll get your entry back, boohoo over the low score, tell your CP's, they'll pat you on the back and tell you the judge was an idiot.
But was the judge really an idiot? Could the judge be onto something? A really good CP will help the entrant interpret their scores and this would be a good time for the CP/friend to step up and say, "yanno, I thought something was missing or off in there."
I'll continue this diatribe on Friday, 'cause I have a life and need to get on with my own writing. . . after I finish judging this contest.
Write on!
8/24/09
What Is Your End-all Be-all of Writing?
This weekend, we (me, hubster and kiddo{sort of}) did some major yard renovation. We had a small dump truck of topsoil (4 cu. yds) poured in our driveway and two pallets of zoysia grass.
It's one of those things that happens when you've been in a house for over ten years (we've been here 14 years). Stuff starts to happen. Windows start leaking. Carpets need replacing. Roof needs shingled. And trees grow. Trees grow, killing the Bermuda grass because it's too shady, thus the grass thins and nothing holds the dirt in place under the trees when it rains. This equals washout. It doesn't help that we live on the downhill side of four houses, and I'm almost positive there is a natural underground spring uphill because our two next door neighbors needed to have a pump put in their yards.
Life in our backyard was fine and dandy when we moved in. There wasn't anything in the yard except fresh Bermuda sod. No trees. No pool. No pond. NO nothing. So over the years we planted: two oaks, one purple mountain ash, one river birch (remember, natural spring. Lots of water), two loblolly pines. I landscaped. We had the pool put in. I landscaped. Hubster built the pond. I landscaped. Trees grew. I landscaped.
But I couldn't do anything about the runoff issue from the neighbor's yard--that's hubster's department. We have three problem areas. The front yard grass death due to tree, not a drainage issue except that water runs into the backyard, adding to the neighbor's overflowing water and becomes a drainage issue, which is site #2. Site #2 is uphill to our pool and has neighbor's runoff plus two large trees. And yes, in some torrential rains we have had mud wash into the pool... very gross. Site #3 other side of the yard--gutter issues under a large oak (remember, no grass=total washout).
Hubster had to put in a drainage system. Yeah, yeah, some of it runs into the downhill neighbor's yard, but what can you really do?? And we have one drain leading onto the school property at the back of the yard.
On Saturday, we had dirt and sod delivered bright and early. Slaving most of the day, we succeeded in downing a case of Gatorade and shoveled all the dirt and laid all the sod.
If you didn't know about the labor, you would only wonder about the line of dark topsoil in the yard. To the uneducated eye it looks like a line of dirt.
And what does this have to do with writing? And trust me, I could have used a horse analogy, too, but I'll save that for another day.
For the most part, instant gratification/success isn't going to happen overnight.
You know you put in the hard labor. You know the improvements your writing has taken since your first attempt to write a novel.
But no one else in the publishing business knows the road you've traveled.
They are comparing your writing to something that is already published. You may have improved, but you haven't reached that level of saleability yet.
So do what's a writer to do?
Make your personal goals something achievable. Don't let someone dictate what makes you happy, but also be realistic. None else will pat you on the back and tell you what a great job you're doing, so it's up to you to do it yourself.
Our yard looks green. That's it. But I know that we put in eight hours of hard labor to make it that way. It makes me happy--and that's all that matters.
Does what you are writing do that for you? If it makes you happy then that's all that really matters isn't it? Publishing is the icing on the cake, not the end-all be-all of writing, but writing because it makes you happy is.
Write on!
It's one of those things that happens when you've been in a house for over ten years (we've been here 14 years). Stuff starts to happen. Windows start leaking. Carpets need replacing. Roof needs shingled. And trees grow. Trees grow, killing the Bermuda grass because it's too shady, thus the grass thins and nothing holds the dirt in place under the trees when it rains. This equals washout. It doesn't help that we live on the downhill side of four houses, and I'm almost positive there is a natural underground spring uphill because our two next door neighbors needed to have a pump put in their yards.
Life in our backyard was fine and dandy when we moved in. There wasn't anything in the yard except fresh Bermuda sod. No trees. No pool. No pond. NO nothing. So over the years we planted: two oaks, one purple mountain ash, one river birch (remember, natural spring. Lots of water), two loblolly pines. I landscaped. We had the pool put in. I landscaped. Hubster built the pond. I landscaped. Trees grew. I landscaped.
But I couldn't do anything about the runoff issue from the neighbor's yard--that's hubster's department. We have three problem areas. The front yard grass death due to tree, not a drainage issue except that water runs into the backyard, adding to the neighbor's overflowing water and becomes a drainage issue, which is site #2. Site #2 is uphill to our pool and has neighbor's runoff plus two large trees. And yes, in some torrential rains we have had mud wash into the pool... very gross. Site #3 other side of the yard--gutter issues under a large oak (remember, no grass=total washout).
Hubster had to put in a drainage system. Yeah, yeah, some of it runs into the downhill neighbor's yard, but what can you really do?? And we have one drain leading onto the school property at the back of the yard.
On Saturday, we had dirt and sod delivered bright and early. Slaving most of the day, we succeeded in downing a case of Gatorade and shoveled all the dirt and laid all the sod.
If you didn't know about the labor, you would only wonder about the line of dark topsoil in the yard. To the uneducated eye it looks like a line of dirt.
And what does this have to do with writing? And trust me, I could have used a horse analogy, too, but I'll save that for another day.
For the most part, instant gratification/success isn't going to happen overnight.
You know you put in the hard labor. You know the improvements your writing has taken since your first attempt to write a novel.
But no one else in the publishing business knows the road you've traveled.
They are comparing your writing to something that is already published. You may have improved, but you haven't reached that level of saleability yet.
So do what's a writer to do?
Make your personal goals something achievable. Don't let someone dictate what makes you happy, but also be realistic. None else will pat you on the back and tell you what a great job you're doing, so it's up to you to do it yourself.
Our yard looks green. That's it. But I know that we put in eight hours of hard labor to make it that way. It makes me happy--and that's all that matters.
Does what you are writing do that for you? If it makes you happy then that's all that really matters isn't it? Publishing is the icing on the cake, not the end-all be-all of writing, but writing because it makes you happy is.
Write on!
8/21/09
When a Main Character SUCKS. . .
*spoiler alert* if you even care. Things get blown up. Bad guy gets caught.
Last week, the entire family, including kiddo, went to see GI JOE: *deepens voice* Rise of Cobra in the theaters. I knew it would be a good blowing things up kinda movie, but I was heartily disappointed in the main character of Duke.
I should have been warned by the rating in our local paper--two out of four stars--and the comment that Duke was generic so fans can imprint their own memories on the character. Uh, reviewer left out 'two-dimensional', 'contrived', 'cardboard', and 'lacks motivation' along with generic. Now, as much as I'd love to totally blame it on the actor (sorry, dude, can't even remember your name and don't care enough to look it up), I can't. Not privy to the way movies work, I do know all characters are a combination of screen writer's words, actor's interpretation, and director's vision.
And all three of them sucked with Duke's character, or lack of.
As a movie whole it was a good movie, BUT (there's always a but, isn't there?) without the secondary actors it would have totally sucked pond water. I think this movie got away with something that a book couldn't do.
--Have a main character whose basic motivation was missing or simply not strong enough. Granted, I haven't read every book out there, so there are probably likely candidates that I'm unaware of.
I didn't get it. The whole reason behind the problem of Duke and The Baroness (evil female who was engaged to Duke) was because he promised nothing would happen to little bro.
--IT WAS A WAR ZONE, people! Even the stupidest person on the planet knows he had no control over that type of promise.
Duke then goes to the funeral, but doesn't say anything to his fiancee.
--This is so soap opera that it is ridiculous. Just talk to her, idiot. Yeah, this is the 'contrived' part of the equation.
Then we find the fiancee boo-hooing in her sleep and she gets injected by some sort of nanobot thing. Later, we discover bro alive and making these nano thingamajigs, SO how much time has passed since the funeral? No idea, but they make it seem like months and not the years it would need to be.
Sorry, got side tracked. Duke sucked. The 'romance' and back story with the Baroness sucked, though I liked the hard-ass Baroness character. Ripcord, Scarlett, and Snake Eyes and the General were the best of the movie. Liked the romantic subplot between Ripcord and Scarlet. Liked the internal conflict between Snake Eyes and his evil counterpart (forgot his name).
I certainly hope they give Duke more of a personality for the next movie. And will there be a next one? Hell, yeah, they set it all up neat and purty-like.
But the only other thing I can offer is this . . . Do Not Write A Cardboard Character in your stories, unless you want your readers to make your book fly.
--Uh, and not in a good way, especially when it hits the other wall and you realize the publisher was cheap with the glue and an explosion of paper pages litters potential reader's living room. Yeah, quickest way to lose your following. Jus' sayin'.
Write on!
Last week, the entire family, including kiddo, went to see GI JOE: *deepens voice* Rise of Cobra in the theaters. I knew it would be a good blowing things up kinda movie, but I was heartily disappointed in the main character of Duke.
I should have been warned by the rating in our local paper--two out of four stars--and the comment that Duke was generic so fans can imprint their own memories on the character. Uh, reviewer left out 'two-dimensional', 'contrived', 'cardboard', and 'lacks motivation' along with generic. Now, as much as I'd love to totally blame it on the actor (sorry, dude, can't even remember your name and don't care enough to look it up), I can't. Not privy to the way movies work, I do know all characters are a combination of screen writer's words, actor's interpretation, and director's vision.
And all three of them sucked with Duke's character, or lack of.
As a movie whole it was a good movie, BUT (there's always a but, isn't there?) without the secondary actors it would have totally sucked pond water. I think this movie got away with something that a book couldn't do.
--Have a main character whose basic motivation was missing or simply not strong enough. Granted, I haven't read every book out there, so there are probably likely candidates that I'm unaware of.
I didn't get it. The whole reason behind the problem of Duke and The Baroness (evil female who was engaged to Duke) was because he promised nothing would happen to little bro.
--IT WAS A WAR ZONE, people! Even the stupidest person on the planet knows he had no control over that type of promise.
Duke then goes to the funeral, but doesn't say anything to his fiancee.
--This is so soap opera that it is ridiculous. Just talk to her, idiot. Yeah, this is the 'contrived' part of the equation.
Then we find the fiancee boo-hooing in her sleep and she gets injected by some sort of nanobot thing. Later, we discover bro alive and making these nano thingamajigs, SO how much time has passed since the funeral? No idea, but they make it seem like months and not the years it would need to be.
Sorry, got side tracked. Duke sucked. The 'romance' and back story with the Baroness sucked, though I liked the hard-ass Baroness character. Ripcord, Scarlett, and Snake Eyes and the General were the best of the movie. Liked the romantic subplot between Ripcord and Scarlet. Liked the internal conflict between Snake Eyes and his evil counterpart (forgot his name).
I certainly hope they give Duke more of a personality for the next movie. And will there be a next one? Hell, yeah, they set it all up neat and purty-like.
But the only other thing I can offer is this . . . Do Not Write A Cardboard Character in your stories, unless you want your readers to make your book fly.
--Uh, and not in a good way, especially when it hits the other wall and you realize the publisher was cheap with the glue and an explosion of paper pages litters potential reader's living room. Yeah, quickest way to lose your following. Jus' sayin'.
Write on!
8/20/09
Five Pages
We've all heard about the first five pages of a novel. They must be gripping. They must plunk the reader into the middle of the scene. They must give enough information to satisfy the reader . . . for now. Those pages must also open the door to questions the reader fill form in the back of his/her mind.
--Back-story dump--outta there.
--Blathering prose--delete.
--Endless coffee scenes of putrid dialogue--but only if you plan on poisoning one of the drinkers.
The first five pages have to give enough to the reader to make them care enough to read on and see what happens.
I LOVE/HATE the first five pages. And I write, rewrite, edit, rearrange, tweak, revise, rectify, modify, redact . . .
Okay. I think y'all get it.
I thought the first five pages in the second book in my middle grade series would be easy-peasy. All I had to do was put hints about book one in the story to catch the reader up to pace. Right?
Wrongo. Oh, how wrong this cocky writer can be.
I have been working on the first five pages, roughly 1500-words for WEEKS. Weeks, I tell you! Not all the time, but thinking and fixing. Paragraphs were out of order. First, I gave too much info and then not enough. Then it had to actually make sense in the present context. *sigh*
Just trust me. It's harder than you think it is. So, finally I was sort of happy with what I had. I could start writing. Fear gripped me by the throat. Did I do enough? Did I give away the answer to the first book? Did I tell too much? Too little?
I did what any normal writer would do--I called my trusted friend, Cyndi. Yes, everyone should call Cyndi Morgan--not their own CP, but *Cyndi Morgan*--she's running for RWA Pro Liaison, by the way. Who was that running for RWA PRO LIAISON?
** CYNDI MORGAN **
I didn't want her to crit it. I didn't want her to do ANYTHING except read the first five pages and let me know if I did my job by hinting at the previous story, by building the atmosphere of an ongoing fantasy, of the challenges of being a single child, etc.
I wanted to know if it made sense.
It did.
So now I can really. . .
Write on!
--Back-story dump--outta there.
--Blathering prose--delete.
--Endless coffee scenes of putrid dialogue--but only if you plan on poisoning one of the drinkers.
The first five pages have to give enough to the reader to make them care enough to read on and see what happens.
I LOVE/HATE the first five pages. And I write, rewrite, edit, rearrange, tweak, revise, rectify, modify, redact . . .
Okay. I think y'all get it.
I thought the first five pages in the second book in my middle grade series would be easy-peasy. All I had to do was put hints about book one in the story to catch the reader up to pace. Right?
Wrongo. Oh, how wrong this cocky writer can be.
I have been working on the first five pages, roughly 1500-words for WEEKS. Weeks, I tell you! Not all the time, but thinking and fixing. Paragraphs were out of order. First, I gave too much info and then not enough. Then it had to actually make sense in the present context. *sigh*
Just trust me. It's harder than you think it is. So, finally I was sort of happy with what I had. I could start writing. Fear gripped me by the throat. Did I do enough? Did I give away the answer to the first book? Did I tell too much? Too little?
I did what any normal writer would do--I called my trusted friend, Cyndi. Yes, everyone should call Cyndi Morgan--not their own CP, but *Cyndi Morgan*--she's running for RWA Pro Liaison, by the way. Who was that running for RWA PRO LIAISON?
** CYNDI MORGAN **
I didn't want her to crit it. I didn't want her to do ANYTHING except read the first five pages and let me know if I did my job by hinting at the previous story, by building the atmosphere of an ongoing fantasy, of the challenges of being a single child, etc.
I wanted to know if it made sense.
It did.
So now I can really. . .
Write on!
8/19/09
When Do You Switch Genres?
I love it when blog topics feed readers into a slightly different blog topic and back again.
Does that even make sense?
I wrote my blog on Friday, Beating a Dead Horse about male vs. female protagonists in middle grade. Publishers want to buy more male protags, but more females are reading fiction books, than males. My unofficial observations show that neither boys nor girls care what gender the protag is as long as the story is fun, though boys wouldn't be caught dead with a blatantly obvious 'girl book' (Junie B. Jones or Judy Moody).
When my friend Susan took that topic and made it her own on her glog Twisted Sisters. Then a comment by Marilyn made me wonder about writing in different genres.
How does a writer know that you've hit the genre that really speaks to YOU but isn't blatantly following a trend? Uh, chick lit, anyone?
One thing I've learned over the last few years is that we may LOVE reading certain genres, but that doesn't mean we are the appropriate writer for that particular genre.
Don't get me wrong. I believe many PUBLISHED writers can write across genres and they do a great job at it. Published writers have a vast support system of professionals (agent, editor, publisher) in the biz to guide their decisions.
BUT an unpublished writer doesn't have that advantage. Oh, sure, we have writer friends (pubbed and unpubbed), critique partners, beta readers, and family, but when do you know a genre isn't really for you?
In my case, it took years. Were those years wasted? Hell, NO!
I learned how to write. I gained writing friends. I've had crit partners and lost crit partners, but I like to think I learned from every experience. So with my support system in place, why did I change genres?
Because I felt like I was making the motions to fit into the romance genre. I never quite 'got' the internal conflict of the hero/heroine relationship. I always wrote to the external plot, not the internal one. Romance focuses on the internal conflict of a relationship, and how the hero/heroine grow and resolve those issues.
Characters grow in other genres (sci-fi, mystery, middle grade), but the core of the story is the external factors forcing the character to make choices within the story, thus character growth.
When you switch genres you need to take into account your strengths as a writer. I like to think my strength was my youthful outlook and personal inability to 'grow-up' (nasty word. I'm not Peter Pan, but I love escaping from responsibilities!).
It helps that my daughter is eight years old and I started reading middle grade stories. LOVED THEM. Then Delacorte had it's Yearling contest, deadline June 30th. I had a goal. Write a middle grade story, according the the Delacorte parameters and submit by their deadline. Got it! I did it and discovered I really like writing middle grade stories. I have discovered the passion that was missing from the romances that I had written.
Will I sell? *shrugs* Who knows? But I'm really enjoying the journey.
So if you feel stagnant writing in the genre you are in, try something else. It doesn't have to be a big genre jump like mine (romantic suspense to middle grade), but it could be something as simple as Scottish Historical to contemporary erotica. Try it. You might actually find your writing voice in the process.
I know I did. And I'm pretty sure it's worked for other writers, too (right, Kira?).
Write on!
Does that even make sense?
I wrote my blog on Friday, Beating a Dead Horse about male vs. female protagonists in middle grade. Publishers want to buy more male protags, but more females are reading fiction books, than males. My unofficial observations show that neither boys nor girls care what gender the protag is as long as the story is fun, though boys wouldn't be caught dead with a blatantly obvious 'girl book' (Junie B. Jones or Judy Moody).
When my friend Susan took that topic and made it her own on her glog Twisted Sisters. Then a comment by Marilyn made me wonder about writing in different genres.
How does a writer know that you've hit the genre that really speaks to YOU but isn't blatantly following a trend? Uh, chick lit, anyone?
One thing I've learned over the last few years is that we may LOVE reading certain genres, but that doesn't mean we are the appropriate writer for that particular genre.
Don't get me wrong. I believe many PUBLISHED writers can write across genres and they do a great job at it. Published writers have a vast support system of professionals (agent, editor, publisher) in the biz to guide their decisions.
BUT an unpublished writer doesn't have that advantage. Oh, sure, we have writer friends (pubbed and unpubbed), critique partners, beta readers, and family, but when do you know a genre isn't really for you?
In my case, it took years. Were those years wasted? Hell, NO!
I learned how to write. I gained writing friends. I've had crit partners and lost crit partners, but I like to think I learned from every experience. So with my support system in place, why did I change genres?
Because I felt like I was making the motions to fit into the romance genre. I never quite 'got' the internal conflict of the hero/heroine relationship. I always wrote to the external plot, not the internal one. Romance focuses on the internal conflict of a relationship, and how the hero/heroine grow and resolve those issues.
Characters grow in other genres (sci-fi, mystery, middle grade), but the core of the story is the external factors forcing the character to make choices within the story, thus character growth.
When you switch genres you need to take into account your strengths as a writer. I like to think my strength was my youthful outlook and personal inability to 'grow-up' (nasty word. I'm not Peter Pan, but I love escaping from responsibilities!).
It helps that my daughter is eight years old and I started reading middle grade stories. LOVED THEM. Then Delacorte had it's Yearling contest, deadline June 30th. I had a goal. Write a middle grade story, according the the Delacorte parameters and submit by their deadline. Got it! I did it and discovered I really like writing middle grade stories. I have discovered the passion that was missing from the romances that I had written.
Will I sell? *shrugs* Who knows? But I'm really enjoying the journey.
So if you feel stagnant writing in the genre you are in, try something else. It doesn't have to be a big genre jump like mine (romantic suspense to middle grade), but it could be something as simple as Scottish Historical to contemporary erotica. Try it. You might actually find your writing voice in the process.
I know I did. And I'm pretty sure it's worked for other writers, too (right, Kira?).
Write on!
Perseverance or Stupidity?
I had commented on my goals loop that I received two rejections from the requested partials on MOGG. One, y'all already heard about: agent couldn't think of editors who would be interested in the story. Okay, fine. In the second, the agent just didn't connect with the main character (agent 'fessed up after I sent her an email thanking her for her time and asking if she'd be interested in the second story). Uh, no. When an agent can't connect with the main character--it isn't going to miraculously happen in the next story or the next.
Of course my rejection generated numerous {hugs} and private comments from some of my friends.
Okay, fine, thanks for the hugs, but I've already moved on.
Lord knows I'm used to rejection, so it really doesn't bother me. What does bother me is having to tell my kid that no one wants to buy Mommy's stories. This hurts more than the rejections themselves. Whodathunk it??
One thing this does teach my kid is perseverance.
But when does perseverance become plain old stupidity? When do you stop crashing head first into the cement wall of publishing? A couple hundred rejections? A thousand? When do you, as a writer, draw the line? Never?
This is a question every writer has to ask him/herself. Sometimes changing genres helps discover your true voice. Sometimes changing point of view--some women can write men like nobody's business or a man writing a woman's POV. The only way to find out is to test the waters.
Changing genres can be scary. But it isn't nearly as scary for us unpublished writers as it is for published ones. Many published writers get the opportunity to write in different genres under another name. I have one online friend who just got a contract under a pseudonym. Good for her!! Don't get me wrong I think it's awesome she's able to do this.
The part that I'm disgruntled about is the publishing company is touting her as a 'debut author'. Uh, no she isn't, she had numerous published books under her belt. I wish her well in her new endeavor and will buy all her books, no matter her name, but don't pull the wool over the buying public's eyes and tell them she's a debut author.
*Sorry, but this 'marketing' just gets my goat, thus I've wandered off topic.* *sigh*
So do you 'reinvent' yourself as a writer if you keep getting rejections? Do you keep writing? Keep plugging away? What does this ramming my head against the wall really tell my kid?
Is this perseverance or is this stupidity?
I like to think it's the former, perseverance. I just hope that some day it pays off and I can prove to my kid that with hard work, you can find your silver lining.
Write on!
--I tried to get this on the blog tomorrow, but it insisted on putting it up today! Damn you, computer!
Of course my rejection generated numerous {hugs} and private comments from some of my friends.
Okay, fine, thanks for the hugs, but I've already moved on.
Lord knows I'm used to rejection, so it really doesn't bother me. What does bother me is having to tell my kid that no one wants to buy Mommy's stories. This hurts more than the rejections themselves. Whodathunk it??
One thing this does teach my kid is perseverance.
But when does perseverance become plain old stupidity? When do you stop crashing head first into the cement wall of publishing? A couple hundred rejections? A thousand? When do you, as a writer, draw the line? Never?
This is a question every writer has to ask him/herself. Sometimes changing genres helps discover your true voice. Sometimes changing point of view--some women can write men like nobody's business or a man writing a woman's POV. The only way to find out is to test the waters.
Changing genres can be scary. But it isn't nearly as scary for us unpublished writers as it is for published ones. Many published writers get the opportunity to write in different genres under another name. I have one online friend who just got a contract under a pseudonym. Good for her!! Don't get me wrong I think it's awesome she's able to do this.
The part that I'm disgruntled about is the publishing company is touting her as a 'debut author'. Uh, no she isn't, she had numerous published books under her belt. I wish her well in her new endeavor and will buy all her books, no matter her name, but don't pull the wool over the buying public's eyes and tell them she's a debut author.
*Sorry, but this 'marketing' just gets my goat, thus I've wandered off topic.* *sigh*
So do you 'reinvent' yourself as a writer if you keep getting rejections? Do you keep writing? Keep plugging away? What does this ramming my head against the wall really tell my kid?
Is this perseverance or is this stupidity?
I like to think it's the former, perseverance. I just hope that some day it pays off and I can prove to my kid that with hard work, you can find your silver lining.
Write on!
--I tried to get this on the blog tomorrow, but it insisted on putting it up today! Damn you, computer!
8/17/09
Heels Down! Query Up!
I learned how to ride a horse when I was in my early twenties. Dawn, my trainer at the time, tried her darnedest to teach me the concept of 'heels down' ('Eyes up' is the rest of the phrase, but I don't want to go into the excruciating detail of how long it took me to learn that one! Let's just say that I ate a LOT of dirt before I got it). But I never really understood what she was talking about. Yeah, try teaching an old dog new tricks. Fast forward to a new trainer at our facility, Carol. Carol said the exact same words, but in a different way, plus she forced my heel down and adjusted my leg.
Holy Moly! I got it!
A side note: When riding English (and I think Western, too, but don't quote me on it) the ball of your foot sits on the stirrup, BUT to draw your leg around the girth of the horse you must lengthen your leg. To do that end, you drop your heel, which stretches and lengthens all the muscles from your calves through your hips.
Now, I will never have the beautiful equitation leg that Jody has--she's built differently. I have short round muscles on short stubby legs, and she has long lean muscles on relatively normal length legs. Short and round will never be as pretty as long and lean on a horse. I got over it a long, long time ago--NOT!
--If you want to practice this technique simply place the ball of your foot on the edge of a stair and then slowly drop your weight in your heels. To get the full effect, bend at your hips and knees slightly. Then post rhythmically for an hour and see how sore you can get. And silly doctors don't think horseback riding is aerobic! They need to get ON a horse and post for fifteen minutes, then they'll change their tune!! Ha!
Back on topic, sort of: I bet your were wondering how I was going to segue from horses to writing, right? There is reason to my segue madness, trust me . . .
How did I finally, trust me, we are talking a couple of YEARS here, figure out how to drop my heels. Carol told me the same thing Dawn did, but--here it comes--in a different way.
How does this relate to queries?
Queries are a necessary evil that writers must face. We have to garner the interest of an agent to gain entrance through the hallowed doors of most publishing houses. Thus, we must query.
And over the years I have queried various stories. I've learned some secrets, (no, there isn't a special handshake--*snort* I WISH!) and insight about this process, but it wasn't until I read a blog entry of Jennifer Jackson, an agent for The Donald Maass Agency, that it finally made sense. She didn't compare it to horses, but instead to food, my other love in life.
Queries are the appetizer in the agent meal. They should whet the palate and excite the agent. The synopsis is the bones of the meal--bare and straight forward--showing the ability to the writer to tell a good story and round out a plot.
And the five pages that many agents want, balance it all out with details that hint at the writer's style and hook of the story.
The query also provides the agent with valuable subtext in ". . . the way a writer perceives their own work. Their attitude about both writing and publishing (often separate considerations). It can show their attention to detail and their level of professionalism. It can reveal whether the writer has done their research . . ."
Though queries are a necessary evil, writers would do well to learn from each and every one she writes because her query might turn a NO form rejection letter into a MAYBE partial request.
So, next time you write a query, think about it as the Onion Blossom at Outback Steakhouse. Fried with a hint of heat in the coating, a tender onion on the inside and the dipping sauce to end all dipping sauces. MMM, fried food. . .
Write On!
Holy Moly! I got it!
A side note: When riding English (and I think Western, too, but don't quote me on it) the ball of your foot sits on the stirrup, BUT to draw your leg around the girth of the horse you must lengthen your leg. To do that end, you drop your heel, which stretches and lengthens all the muscles from your calves through your hips.
Now, I will never have the beautiful equitation leg that Jody has--she's built differently. I have short round muscles on short stubby legs, and she has long lean muscles on relatively normal length legs. Short and round will never be as pretty as long and lean on a horse. I got over it a long, long time ago--NOT!
--If you want to practice this technique simply place the ball of your foot on the edge of a stair and then slowly drop your weight in your heels. To get the full effect, bend at your hips and knees slightly. Then post rhythmically for an hour and see how sore you can get. And silly doctors don't think horseback riding is aerobic! They need to get ON a horse and post for fifteen minutes, then they'll change their tune!! Ha!
Back on topic, sort of: I bet your were wondering how I was going to segue from horses to writing, right? There is reason to my segue madness, trust me . . .
How did I finally, trust me, we are talking a couple of YEARS here, figure out how to drop my heels. Carol told me the same thing Dawn did, but--here it comes--in a different way.
How does this relate to queries?
Queries are a necessary evil that writers must face. We have to garner the interest of an agent to gain entrance through the hallowed doors of most publishing houses. Thus, we must query.
And over the years I have queried various stories. I've learned some secrets, (no, there isn't a special handshake--*snort* I WISH!) and insight about this process, but it wasn't until I read a blog entry of Jennifer Jackson, an agent for The Donald Maass Agency, that it finally made sense. She didn't compare it to horses, but instead to food, my other love in life.
Queries are the appetizer in the agent meal. They should whet the palate and excite the agent. The synopsis is the bones of the meal--bare and straight forward--showing the ability to the writer to tell a good story and round out a plot.
And the five pages that many agents want, balance it all out with details that hint at the writer's style and hook of the story.
The query also provides the agent with valuable subtext in ". . . the way a writer perceives their own work. Their attitude about both writing and publishing (often separate considerations). It can show their attention to detail and their level of professionalism. It can reveal whether the writer has done their research . . ."
Though queries are a necessary evil, writers would do well to learn from each and every one she writes because her query might turn a NO form rejection letter into a MAYBE partial request.
So, next time you write a query, think about it as the Onion Blossom at Outback Steakhouse. Fried with a hint of heat in the coating, a tender onion on the inside and the dipping sauce to end all dipping sauces. MMM, fried food. . .
Write On!
8/14/09
Beating a Dead Horse (Sorry, Jody!)
not a real dead horse, of course. I would never forgive myself, though I do remember a time when I threatened Abe (psycho horse from hell) with the glue factory.
Two days ago, my daughter and I went to the local B & N bookstore. I have no qualms at spending $$ on books. I love books. My daughter likes books--specific authors only at this point in her life--third grade, yanno. She wanted a Judy Moody book. Did they have any in stock? NO. But they did have about twenty to twenty-five copies of Stink books (Judy's brother).
Minor rant to follow. This is just my opinion as I do not have any data to back up my stance on this topic.
insert rant: I KNOW publishers/parents/agents/editors want to encourage boys at this age to read. I'm all over that. I totally agree and loved it when J.K. Rowling did what no one had been able to do--she got a whole generation of children to take an interest in reading. More to the point, boys started reading. And this was prior to my personal interest in middle grade (pre-child and pre-writing of middle grade novels).
But while the interest is focused on encouraging boys to read, they are forgetting about girls--girls who already read and want more. My daughter doesn't want to read about Stink. But I understand why boys wouldn't want to be caught dead carrying around a book labelled Judy Moody or Junie B. Jones. It isn't because the protagonist is female, it's because of the 'girl' title.
I conducted an unofficial survey of third grade boy's reading material. It covers a wide range of topics, and many of the books feature a female protagonist. Boys at this age don't care who the main character of the story is, they just want a good story. The key is not to use a 'girl' name in the title of the book, or series title. The Magic Treehouse books feature Annie and Jack, sister and brother. Both of the characters have roles in each story. Inkheart is one other example. Female protag. Excellent adventure.
I think this topic irritates me because I'm trying to generate agent interest in my story, MISSING: One Garden Gnome. Generic title, but female protag. I just got a rejection on one of the partials. Though the agent was interested, he couldn't think of any editor who would enjoy this novel. Okay. I get it. It isn't about me, but about the story.
But it does make me wonder if it is because I have a female protag and not a male one.
When I started collecting names of agents to query, there were quite a few of them who wanted middle-grade novels with a strong male protagonist. Yeah, I subbed to those agents--but will probably get an auto rejection. Trends change. I'll still write my female protag, but I would like to think this story would be a good read for a boy just as much as a girl.
Do you have an opinion on the topic?
Do you have a boy who won't read a book because the protag is a girl? If so, what age is he?
What type of books does he read?
Two days ago, my daughter and I went to the local B & N bookstore. I have no qualms at spending $$ on books. I love books. My daughter likes books--specific authors only at this point in her life--third grade, yanno. She wanted a Judy Moody book. Did they have any in stock? NO. But they did have about twenty to twenty-five copies of Stink books (Judy's brother).
Minor rant to follow. This is just my opinion as I do not have any data to back up my stance on this topic.
insert rant: I KNOW publishers/parents/agents/editors want to encourage boys at this age to read. I'm all over that. I totally agree and loved it when J.K. Rowling did what no one had been able to do--she got a whole generation of children to take an interest in reading. More to the point, boys started reading. And this was prior to my personal interest in middle grade (pre-child and pre-writing of middle grade novels).
But while the interest is focused on encouraging boys to read, they are forgetting about girls--girls who already read and want more. My daughter doesn't want to read about Stink. But I understand why boys wouldn't want to be caught dead carrying around a book labelled Judy Moody or Junie B. Jones. It isn't because the protagonist is female, it's because of the 'girl' title.
I conducted an unofficial survey of third grade boy's reading material. It covers a wide range of topics, and many of the books feature a female protagonist. Boys at this age don't care who the main character of the story is, they just want a good story. The key is not to use a 'girl' name in the title of the book, or series title. The Magic Treehouse books feature Annie and Jack, sister and brother. Both of the characters have roles in each story. Inkheart is one other example. Female protag. Excellent adventure.
I think this topic irritates me because I'm trying to generate agent interest in my story, MISSING: One Garden Gnome. Generic title, but female protag. I just got a rejection on one of the partials. Though the agent was interested, he couldn't think of any editor who would enjoy this novel. Okay. I get it. It isn't about me, but about the story.
But it does make me wonder if it is because I have a female protag and not a male one.
When I started collecting names of agents to query, there were quite a few of them who wanted middle-grade novels with a strong male protagonist. Yeah, I subbed to those agents--but will probably get an auto rejection. Trends change. I'll still write my female protag, but I would like to think this story would be a good read for a boy just as much as a girl.
Do you have an opinion on the topic?
Do you have a boy who won't read a book because the protag is a girl? If so, what age is he?
What type of books does he read?
8/12/09
First Day of School
1) 6 AM--get up, feed critters, make coffee, empty dishwasher--CHECK
2) 6:30--wake husband and child--CHECK
3) 6:30-6:55--drink one cup of coffee and read paper before child changes news channel to cartoons--CHECK
4) 6:55--iron hubster's pants because I'm a good woman--CHECK
5) 7:20--feed child breakfast--CHECK
6) 7:30--8:30 shower, etc. because I don't want to stink for big day of being ALONE, harvest crops on Farmville, killing time until we walk to school--CHECK
7) 8:30--take pics of child and walk her to school--CHECK
8) 8:50--come home, take aspirin, pour fresh cup of coffee, write blog--CHECK
9) 9:00--open word document, but which one FF or RM. . . hm, RM first. Set timer--CHECK
10) 9:01--WRITE!!--CHECK
How is your day progressing?
Write on!
2) 6:30--wake husband and child--CHECK
3) 6:30-6:55--drink one cup of coffee and read paper before child changes news channel to cartoons--CHECK
4) 6:55--iron hubster's pants because I'm a good woman--CHECK
5) 7:20--feed child breakfast--CHECK
6) 7:30--8:30 shower, etc. because I don't want to stink for big day of being ALONE, harvest crops on Farmville, killing time until we walk to school--CHECK
7) 8:30--take pics of child and walk her to school--CHECK
8) 8:50--come home, take aspirin, pour fresh cup of coffee, write blog--CHECK
9) 9:00--open word document, but which one FF or RM. . . hm, RM first. Set timer--CHECK
10) 9:01--WRITE!!--CHECK
How is your day progressing?
Write on!
8/10/09
Deadly Isolation
***FYI--I wrote this on Saturday. Today is a better day, but I thought I would still run the post. Life isn't all wine and roses. Though, at this time, I'd be happy if the Stag's Leap Merlot was bottled and ready for consumption.***
Ever since I expanded my writing into another genre, I've experienced a surreal isolation. Oh, it's probably one of my own making, but I don't know what to do about it.
When I started writing full time, I hit every emotion on the spectrum, thank you very much. I kinda like the stability of working in the lab--there is no rollercoaster. Stress is due to the enviorment, not emotional upheaval. Trust me, periodic stress is far easier for me to deal with than emotional whammies.
All I can say is that it's freakin' depressing! An I'm not usually the one to get depressed!
I try to be there for other writers when they need encouragement, but it feels as if I don't get any thing back. Silence tends to do that. Dropping out of sight isn't really the signal-- 'Help! I need some encouragement'. It gives the impression, 'Oh, Margaret must be writing. I best not bother her.' When the opposite is really the case.
My sis-in-law is a good sounding board, but she has her own life along with living halfway across the country. My family thinks I'm a nut job or they just make fun of me and my stories or try to ignore me, with the exception of my nephew Matt. He's the only one who actually asks about my writing. Now that's a great kid. He's off to college in a few weeks, but for a teenager who knows how to speak to adults--he's the best. I wish him well in college. He's a smart kid--I know he'll do good.
*sigh* I don't fit in the romance world since I started writing middle grade novels. And I joined a local SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) group for one session. Oh, they welcomed me into the fold, but I didn't feel like I belonged. Friendships had been forged and I didn't really feel welcome into that group. Again, that was my feeling, but it might not have been what was really going on.
Writing middle grade has opened my writing voice. I like who I am as a writer, but not everyone does. Out of 19 query responses for my middle grade novel, I have 16 rejections. Most of them were personalized, i.e. they actually used my name, instead of Dear Author, and they mentioned the correct name of my novel. Trust me, that is an improvement. I did get requests from 3 agents. All are for partial manuscripts--the proverbial foot in the door--stops the door slamming in your face, but it doesn't open any wider. And I have 29 pending queries, but it's still early in the game, only 3 weeks into the process.
--and I have to admit this is the first time I've actually had more than two people request my story! YAY!
While I'm thinking about my next middle grade novel, I'm writing a romance (17K words into it) that I started a year and a half ago. It's a brand new story, though the plot is still the same. This novel has a lot of potential, but I don't belong to a romance group thus no support from that quarter. Again with the frustration due to my own making. I need to finish this rough draft before I allow anyone to see it as I'm too susceptible to other writers suggestions--not always to the benefit of the story.
I belong to a wonderful goals group, but I try not to whine to them. Sometimes it happens, but I try to keep on topic. I know they would show support, but they have their own problems to deal with. Again, with my own personal brand of isolation.
All in all, I'm trying to write without a support group of any kind, but it's hard.
I know, I know it's time to put on my big girl thong and hike it up--but, OW!--Damn it, that hurts!!
I feel better just venting on this blog, so what's a girl to do?
Write on, baby, write on!!
Ever since I expanded my writing into another genre, I've experienced a surreal isolation. Oh, it's probably one of my own making, but I don't know what to do about it.
When I started writing full time, I hit every emotion on the spectrum, thank you very much. I kinda like the stability of working in the lab--there is no rollercoaster. Stress is due to the enviorment, not emotional upheaval. Trust me, periodic stress is far easier for me to deal with than emotional whammies.
All I can say is that it's freakin' depressing! An I'm not usually the one to get depressed!
I try to be there for other writers when they need encouragement, but it feels as if I don't get any thing back. Silence tends to do that. Dropping out of sight isn't really the signal-- 'Help! I need some encouragement'. It gives the impression, 'Oh, Margaret must be writing. I best not bother her.' When the opposite is really the case.
My sis-in-law is a good sounding board, but she has her own life along with living halfway across the country. My family thinks I'm a nut job or they just make fun of me and my stories or try to ignore me, with the exception of my nephew Matt. He's the only one who actually asks about my writing. Now that's a great kid. He's off to college in a few weeks, but for a teenager who knows how to speak to adults--he's the best. I wish him well in college. He's a smart kid--I know he'll do good.
*sigh* I don't fit in the romance world since I started writing middle grade novels. And I joined a local SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) group for one session. Oh, they welcomed me into the fold, but I didn't feel like I belonged. Friendships had been forged and I didn't really feel welcome into that group. Again, that was my feeling, but it might not have been what was really going on.
Writing middle grade has opened my writing voice. I like who I am as a writer, but not everyone does. Out of 19 query responses for my middle grade novel, I have 16 rejections. Most of them were personalized, i.e. they actually used my name, instead of Dear Author, and they mentioned the correct name of my novel. Trust me, that is an improvement. I did get requests from 3 agents. All are for partial manuscripts--the proverbial foot in the door--stops the door slamming in your face, but it doesn't open any wider. And I have 29 pending queries, but it's still early in the game, only 3 weeks into the process.
--and I have to admit this is the first time I've actually had more than two people request my story! YAY!
While I'm thinking about my next middle grade novel, I'm writing a romance (17K words into it) that I started a year and a half ago. It's a brand new story, though the plot is still the same. This novel has a lot of potential, but I don't belong to a romance group thus no support from that quarter. Again with the frustration due to my own making. I need to finish this rough draft before I allow anyone to see it as I'm too susceptible to other writers suggestions--not always to the benefit of the story.
I belong to a wonderful goals group, but I try not to whine to them. Sometimes it happens, but I try to keep on topic. I know they would show support, but they have their own problems to deal with. Again, with my own personal brand of isolation.
All in all, I'm trying to write without a support group of any kind, but it's hard.
I know, I know it's time to put on my big girl thong and hike it up--but, OW!--Damn it, that hurts!!
I feel better just venting on this blog, so what's a girl to do?
Write on, baby, write on!!
8/7/09
Five More Days!
until school starts. Wow, where has the summer gone? Hubster was bemoaning the fact that we didn't go anywhere for vacation. Of course, I had to point out that we had just come back from a long weekend in the Ozarks, but he said that wasn't the same thing. Guess his idea of a vacation is hopping on an airplane or sitting for more than four hours in a car.
It used to be my job that held us captive--I worked in hospital and it was first come first served on vacation time. Some of the people put their vacation time over a year in advance and always got it, especially around Christmas. I could understand if you are going out of the country or have a special get-together, but it was always the same people year after year who did this--and some of their kids were in college. It really pissed me off that I never got time off around Christmas, especially the year I had to work Christmas day and I had a three year old.--Yeah, I missed Christmas morning. The preferential treatment pissed me off. Glad I don't have to deal with that political crap anymore!
Sorry, that was a digressive rant. Anyhoo, the Hubster's job was holding us back this year. But we have a nice trip planned for Fall break (Disney World, of course!) and we only have to take the kiddo out of school for two days. YAY!
At first, summer break seemed like the days were stagnant, but now the finish line is in place!
And I seriously need to get my ducks in a row.
With the kiddo in school, one of two things will happen.
1) I will write like a maniac,
2) I will sit on my ass eating bonbons and watching judge (my secret addiction) shows, but I also need to,
3) exercise my BUTT off. Yeah, literally. . .
During BIAW last May, I discovered that I CAN write like a fiend. I had a middle grade novel that I wanted to enter into Delacorte's Yearling contest, deadline was 6-30-09. So I had to have my rough draft finished by the end of May. During the last two weeks of May, I wrote 30K words. Not too shabby. This little story is currently out in the query stage.
I have started book #2, and I'm calling it, The Fast and The Faerieous. I'm only 1000 words in, but I don't really have a clue where it's going. My personal goal is to have the rough draft (30-35K words) finished by the week before vacation in October. Why a week before? Because there is so much to do to get the house, yard, pets, and ourselves ready for vacation. I need a week to take care of the extracurricular stuff.
As if finishing one story isn't enough, I decided to add pressure to myself by writing a suspense, currently called Rosewood Manor. I'm 17.5K words into this story with a goal of hitting 70-75K for my rough draft. During my second draft, I usually tweak and tighten, but also fill out my subplots, deepen the characterizations, yadda, yadda, yadda, which ultimately adds 10-20K to my final count.
Finish two books by the first week of October, eight weeks, is it doable? Heck, yes. I'm not setting a daily writing goal but I know roughly how many words I'll need to write--A LOT. :-)
All I need to do is focus and the words will come. Research will happen while the rough draft ferments. And then I'll tackle the second draft.
Who knows? By the end of the year, I might have two more novels to pimp.
So, for those of you with kids or without them, what's your goal for the rest of the year??
Write on!
It used to be my job that held us captive--I worked in hospital and it was first come first served on vacation time. Some of the people put their vacation time over a year in advance and always got it, especially around Christmas. I could understand if you are going out of the country or have a special get-together, but it was always the same people year after year who did this--and some of their kids were in college. It really pissed me off that I never got time off around Christmas, especially the year I had to work Christmas day and I had a three year old.--Yeah, I missed Christmas morning. The preferential treatment pissed me off. Glad I don't have to deal with that political crap anymore!
Sorry, that was a digressive rant. Anyhoo, the Hubster's job was holding us back this year. But we have a nice trip planned for Fall break (Disney World, of course!) and we only have to take the kiddo out of school for two days. YAY!
At first, summer break seemed like the days were stagnant, but now the finish line is in place!
And I seriously need to get my ducks in a row.
With the kiddo in school, one of two things will happen.
1) I will write like a maniac,
2) I will sit on my ass eating bonbons and watching judge (my secret addiction) shows, but I also need to,
3) exercise my BUTT off. Yeah, literally. . .
During BIAW last May, I discovered that I CAN write like a fiend. I had a middle grade novel that I wanted to enter into Delacorte's Yearling contest, deadline was 6-30-09. So I had to have my rough draft finished by the end of May. During the last two weeks of May, I wrote 30K words. Not too shabby. This little story is currently out in the query stage.
I have started book #2, and I'm calling it, The Fast and The Faerieous. I'm only 1000 words in, but I don't really have a clue where it's going. My personal goal is to have the rough draft (30-35K words) finished by the week before vacation in October. Why a week before? Because there is so much to do to get the house, yard, pets, and ourselves ready for vacation. I need a week to take care of the extracurricular stuff.
As if finishing one story isn't enough, I decided to add pressure to myself by writing a suspense, currently called Rosewood Manor. I'm 17.5K words into this story with a goal of hitting 70-75K for my rough draft. During my second draft, I usually tweak and tighten, but also fill out my subplots, deepen the characterizations, yadda, yadda, yadda, which ultimately adds 10-20K to my final count.
Finish two books by the first week of October, eight weeks, is it doable? Heck, yes. I'm not setting a daily writing goal but I know roughly how many words I'll need to write--A LOT. :-)
All I need to do is focus and the words will come. Research will happen while the rough draft ferments. And then I'll tackle the second draft.
Who knows? By the end of the year, I might have two more novels to pimp.
So, for those of you with kids or without them, what's your goal for the rest of the year??
Write on!
8/5/09
Romance as Birth Control
I've been thinking about this topic ever since Jen Lyon (no, I didn't paste the exact blog post--get over it and look around her site!) asked this question on her blog site: How old were you when you read your first romance? What was the title the book? Now, she might not have worded it that way, but that was in essence the question.
Most of us started reading romance in our teen years, some of us were as young as twelve to about age sixteen. Some of us started with the 'sweet' romance of Barbara Cartland and the 1970's version Harlequin with Janet Daily, to the hot and sexy romance of Rosemary Rogers. One of my most favorite romances wasn't even considered a romance, Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters. (yes, there are two different sites here) *sigh* Radcliffe Emerson and Amelia Peabody still send chills down my spine as their romance survived through the years of archaeological digs, Ramses (their precocious son), WWI, and all sorts of adventures. Though this smattering of blog readers read a variety of romance, NONE OF US WERE PROMISCUOUS BECAUSE OF OUR READING CHOICES.
Hm, interesting. Living smack dab in the heart of the bible belt, I remember preachers, teachers, and bible thumpers droning on and on about the evils of romance. So if romance is so evil and causes girls and young women to fantasize about the perfect man and meaningful relationships, why didn't we become one of the growing statistics of teenage pregnancies?
Could it be because we wanted to believe in true love? Could it be because we learned to respect ourselves and wouldn't succumb to the a quick roll in the hay? Could it be because we really believed that there was a Mr. Right or a knight in shining armor somewhere out there? Could it be because we believed in a Happily Ever After?
Granted, this was a very small smattering of blog responders, but I thought and thought about this for awhile. With the sky-rocketing teenage pregnancy issue in this country--Oklahoma is right near the top--could reading romances be a better birth control than simply handing young women pills or condoms?
Am I simply delusional or could I have hit on something? If nothing else, I'd love to see young women and men reading more and if they happen to read romances then there truly is the power of love.
What do you all think?
Most of us started reading romance in our teen years, some of us were as young as twelve to about age sixteen. Some of us started with the 'sweet' romance of Barbara Cartland and the 1970's version Harlequin with Janet Daily, to the hot and sexy romance of Rosemary Rogers. One of my most favorite romances wasn't even considered a romance, Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters. (yes, there are two different sites here) *sigh* Radcliffe Emerson and Amelia Peabody still send chills down my spine as their romance survived through the years of archaeological digs, Ramses (their precocious son), WWI, and all sorts of adventures. Though this smattering of blog readers read a variety of romance, NONE OF US WERE PROMISCUOUS BECAUSE OF OUR READING CHOICES.
Hm, interesting. Living smack dab in the heart of the bible belt, I remember preachers, teachers, and bible thumpers droning on and on about the evils of romance. So if romance is so evil and causes girls and young women to fantasize about the perfect man and meaningful relationships, why didn't we become one of the growing statistics of teenage pregnancies?
Could it be because we wanted to believe in true love? Could it be because we learned to respect ourselves and wouldn't succumb to the a quick roll in the hay? Could it be because we really believed that there was a Mr. Right or a knight in shining armor somewhere out there? Could it be because we believed in a Happily Ever After?
Granted, this was a very small smattering of blog responders, but I thought and thought about this for awhile. With the sky-rocketing teenage pregnancy issue in this country--Oklahoma is right near the top--could reading romances be a better birth control than simply handing young women pills or condoms?
Am I simply delusional or could I have hit on something? If nothing else, I'd love to see young women and men reading more and if they happen to read romances then there truly is the power of love.
What do you all think?
8/4/09
Why cicadas? Why??
Why did God make cicadas?
If it wasn't to irritate and laugh at humans than I'm just stumped. They are the single most headache-inducing irritation. I wished I could listen to music while I write, but then I start singing along and forget about writing.
To my knowledge, cicadas don't have any redeeming value except to make hideous noise--probably to find mates--so they can irritate me a year or sixteen down the line.
We've had cicadas since June this year. They love the heat and we had some 100 degree days that month. If you see holes in the ground about 1/2 inch in diameter, that's where they hatched. And that doesn't count all the little exoskeleton carcasses strewn all over the trees and fences as they grow. I've pulled out more dead ones in the pool this year than in my previous eleven years of pool ownership.
Their only redeeming value is when you pick one up to scare the kiddo. NOW, that's fun!
I hate cicadas.
If it wasn't to irritate and laugh at humans than I'm just stumped. They are the single most headache-inducing irritation. I wished I could listen to music while I write, but then I start singing along and forget about writing.
To my knowledge, cicadas don't have any redeeming value except to make hideous noise--probably to find mates--so they can irritate me a year or sixteen down the line.
We've had cicadas since June this year. They love the heat and we had some 100 degree days that month. If you see holes in the ground about 1/2 inch in diameter, that's where they hatched. And that doesn't count all the little exoskeleton carcasses strewn all over the trees and fences as they grow. I've pulled out more dead ones in the pool this year than in my previous eleven years of pool ownership.
Their only redeeming value is when you pick one up to scare the kiddo. NOW, that's fun!
I hate cicadas.
8/3/09
Last Hurrah of Summer
We took a mini-vaca this last week, thus no post of Friday. Oh, I could have pre-written something, but I never got around to it. Oh, well. We left on Thursday, but Wednesday was spent getting the house, the pets, the swimming pool, and yard ready for our departure, plus our packing. Over the years we've programmed the kiddo to learn to pack her own stuff. Just tell her how many days we'll be gone and she gets her shorts, shirts, undies, and socks in neat daily piles, plus one extra, laid out on the bed. Once we verify everything she packs her own suitcase. Her toiletry bag is prepacked, it's just a matter of verifying that we have everything.
WARNING: Loaded with links--please take a look--it took forever to put them in, the least you can do is check them out!
We drove to the Ozarks: Branson (Vegas of the Ozarks), Silver Dollar City (1890's craft village with lots of rollercoasters!), and Eureka Springs, Arkansas (artsy-fartsy town). The benefit of these places is they are within a short driving distance, 3-4 hours. The weather was awesome! It rained on the way, but that dissipated by the time we arrived at the park to ride some coasters.
Silver Dollar City has tons of craftman demonstrating their skills: candy makers, candle makers, bakers, glass blowers, potterers, wood carvers. They also have numerous shows, but we've never gone to any. Usually you have to wait in a 30 minute line before going to the show and we don't have enough patience for that.
But we do have enough patience to wait in a ride line. :-) SDC does have three water rides, but I don't do wet, unless it's at a water park. Besides, the weather was on the comfortable and cool side--70's to low 80's.
--Wildfire is our fave. It's a loop-de-loop, four seats across with a shoulder harness. Last summer, the kiddo was finally tall enough to ride.
--Powderkeg will scare the bejeezus out of you. On all these rides, the ride attendants are strict about putting anything that might fall out of your pockets in a cubby hole before you ride. We found out why this weekend. :-) The takeoff of this ride is 0 to 60+ in less than a few seconds. Yeah, you are up and over the first hill before you realize it. Anyway, a young guy in the front of the coaster must have had a wallet in a front pocket, 'cause it went up in the air a hovered while we hit the first hill. Hubster tried to catch it, but his arms weren't long enough.
--Thunderation is fun, but it is the easiest of the rides, unless you have toilet bowl (circular) issues.
--The Giant Swing scares the crud out of hubster. The kiddo thinks it's lame. And I like it. It satisfies that flying thing. Not as good a riding and jumping a horse, but as close to flying a dragon that I'll ever get!
--and another fave, Electro Spin. I used to look at this one for a couple of seasons before I worked up the nerve to try it. It took hubster and kiddo a couple more visits before they would ride. You sit facing outward as if you are on a motorcycle and the support bar squeezes you in the back. It totally looks worse than it really is. The 'sombrero' spins around as the disk slides back and forth. The best part is when you are on the top of the slide and it feels like your are going to fly off! Way fun!!
We also played mini-golf, drove go carts (the kiddo is tall enough on some courses to drive her own cart!), rode the Ducks (goofy, but fun--we still quack our quackers!), and ate dinner on the Branson Scenic Railway (DON'T do DINNER!) I'm not a prime rib fan, but what they did to that meat is criminal . . . 'nuff said. But I wasn't expecting much considering it's mass produced. And we had a celeb in our train car, Yakov Smirnoff.
On Sunday, we drove along the windy roads of the Ozarks from Branson to Eureka Springs. I'm currently writing a story set in this area so it was nice to reinforce my memory of it. I shopped on upper Spring Street and picked out two new pairs of earrings at Quicksilver for my birthday at the end of this month--yes, I have to wait to get them, but they are purty. I LOVE EARRINGS!
We ate in a hole in the wall restaurant that serves 'Arkie-Mex' food called The Oasis. This link only takes you to the location and reviews. BEST FOOD EVER! BUT you have to factor in the wait time. If you happen to arrive at the last table and there are still unfed patrons, plan to wait an hour for your nummies, but the wait is worth it. Oh, and definitely go to the bathroom, it's an experience! Sorry, no pictures. I didn't think about it, since we eat there every time we are in Eureka!
This week I'm hoping to get back on track with my writing, but it's the week before school starts so we will be doing lots and lots of errands.
Write on!
WARNING: Loaded with links--please take a look--it took forever to put them in, the least you can do is check them out!
We drove to the Ozarks: Branson (Vegas of the Ozarks), Silver Dollar City (1890's craft village with lots of rollercoasters!), and Eureka Springs, Arkansas (artsy-fartsy town). The benefit of these places is they are within a short driving distance, 3-4 hours. The weather was awesome! It rained on the way, but that dissipated by the time we arrived at the park to ride some coasters.
Silver Dollar City has tons of craftman demonstrating their skills: candy makers, candle makers, bakers, glass blowers, potterers, wood carvers. They also have numerous shows, but we've never gone to any. Usually you have to wait in a 30 minute line before going to the show and we don't have enough patience for that.
But we do have enough patience to wait in a ride line. :-) SDC does have three water rides, but I don't do wet, unless it's at a water park. Besides, the weather was on the comfortable and cool side--70's to low 80's.
--Wildfire is our fave. It's a loop-de-loop, four seats across with a shoulder harness. Last summer, the kiddo was finally tall enough to ride.
--Powderkeg will scare the bejeezus out of you. On all these rides, the ride attendants are strict about putting anything that might fall out of your pockets in a cubby hole before you ride. We found out why this weekend. :-) The takeoff of this ride is 0 to 60+ in less than a few seconds. Yeah, you are up and over the first hill before you realize it. Anyway, a young guy in the front of the coaster must have had a wallet in a front pocket, 'cause it went up in the air a hovered while we hit the first hill. Hubster tried to catch it, but his arms weren't long enough.
--Thunderation is fun, but it is the easiest of the rides, unless you have toilet bowl (circular) issues.
--The Giant Swing scares the crud out of hubster. The kiddo thinks it's lame. And I like it. It satisfies that flying thing. Not as good a riding and jumping a horse, but as close to flying a dragon that I'll ever get!
--and another fave, Electro Spin. I used to look at this one for a couple of seasons before I worked up the nerve to try it. It took hubster and kiddo a couple more visits before they would ride. You sit facing outward as if you are on a motorcycle and the support bar squeezes you in the back. It totally looks worse than it really is. The 'sombrero' spins around as the disk slides back and forth. The best part is when you are on the top of the slide and it feels like your are going to fly off! Way fun!!
We also played mini-golf, drove go carts (the kiddo is tall enough on some courses to drive her own cart!), rode the Ducks (goofy, but fun--we still quack our quackers!), and ate dinner on the Branson Scenic Railway (DON'T do DINNER!) I'm not a prime rib fan, but what they did to that meat is criminal . . . 'nuff said. But I wasn't expecting much considering it's mass produced. And we had a celeb in our train car, Yakov Smirnoff.
On Sunday, we drove along the windy roads of the Ozarks from Branson to Eureka Springs. I'm currently writing a story set in this area so it was nice to reinforce my memory of it. I shopped on upper Spring Street and picked out two new pairs of earrings at Quicksilver for my birthday at the end of this month--yes, I have to wait to get them, but they are purty. I LOVE EARRINGS!
We ate in a hole in the wall restaurant that serves 'Arkie-Mex' food called The Oasis. This link only takes you to the location and reviews. BEST FOOD EVER! BUT you have to factor in the wait time. If you happen to arrive at the last table and there are still unfed patrons, plan to wait an hour for your nummies, but the wait is worth it. Oh, and definitely go to the bathroom, it's an experience! Sorry, no pictures. I didn't think about it, since we eat there every time we are in Eureka!
This week I'm hoping to get back on track with my writing, but it's the week before school starts so we will be doing lots and lots of errands.
Write on!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)