paranoid over paranormal

my paranormal is being judged in the secret agent contest over at miss snark's first victim.

people are bringing up what i struggled over--the first line. maybe too much of a punch without follow-through.

also about the amount of beer a teenage boy-man can consume and not be passed out drunk. it's too bad they don't know mal's 6'5" and 300 lbs--a boy that size can down a lot of beers!

undertow

one of ee's gtp

5. Newlyweds Spencer and Emily Harris embark on their honeymoon-- a trek across the US in their RV. When they get a flat in the New Mexico desert, a mysterious tow truck driver comes to their rescue, pulling them into a seemingly inescapable horror. Maybe they should have taken that left at Albuquerque.

chance to win a "jewel" of a book

ooh, goody! a chance to win carolyn jewel...uh, her books, i mean, not the actual carolyn... right?

seriously, a chance to get your grubby little shaking hands on my wicked enemy and my forbidden desire.

check it out here at tina folsom's blog.

grrrr, had to vent...

i'm irritated. my blogs links never seem to update, making me believe nothing new is happening in the world. dumb blog links keep making me go in the old way and check each one individually. what's the point in having the blog link?

6(66) signs from slushpile hell

check out the hilarious slushpile hell 6 Signs That the “Professional Editor” You Hired for Your Manuscript May Not Be So Professional.

save the cat? hell, maybe save your hero...

miss snark's first victim has shared a tidbit from save the cat written by the late and great blake snyder.

does your hero suffer from inactivitis? here are four tips from mr. snyder's book she shared:

1. Is your hero's goal clearly stated in the set-up?
2. Do clues of what to do next just come to your hero or does he seek them out?
3. Is your hero active or passive?
4. Do other characters tell your hero what to do or does he tell them?

think i'll get a copy of this book, i've heard great things about it from various authors.
must go back and read my work...

bransford on chapters...

nathan bransford tweeted this:

"Every chapter is a microcosm of a novel: it should have a beginning, middle and end. Characters end in a different place. #writing "

what a great way to think of it, and so true.

I write like...

try this site out for shiggles. http://iwl.me/s/f0797b6c

the proof is in the pudding, so here's mine for the same of skin games: the con way. i gave it up unti pickin', and they said i write like the bard: http://iwl.me/s/f0797b6c.
i went back and pasted a different part of con and it still came back shakespeare. 

i gave them some of settin' the woods on fire  and it came back as jack london. http://iwl.me/s/f92755a9

i gave it sea serpent and it spit out cory doctorow http://iwl.me/s/31398c21.

i've got an identity crisis.

that's what she said, or he said...

great post about good dialogue at nathan's place:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/09/seven-keys-to-writing-good-dialogue.html

5 minute fiction contest

juice magazine is hosting a contest for all you writers who have the bug. sounds like a lot of fun!

http://dmjuice.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100820/JUICE03/100820012

oh, you're so funny

slush pile hell, you crack me up!

he's so heavy...

the story may be from 1999, but i just read it yesterday. tc boyle's the love of my life.

love went on a path i should have seen coming. actually, i think i did, but was in denial--until it hit me over the head! it really knocked my socks off. it was a very emotionally arresting piece filled with happiness, joy, bliss(the ignorant kind), and then it swoops in for the kill--your heart, its victim.

this is a must read for teenagers who think fooling around is just fun and games. there are real consequences, and for some, very life changing and terrifying consequences to their actions.

congrats to phoenix

phoenix (an ee fellow lurker and minion) won the last summer contest at janet reid.
way to go girl.

creepy...

so i gave some of my short stories and poems to my mother for her to read. she read settin' the woods on fire, which is, by far, my most favorite of my own stories. she called me up the next day to tell me after reading it she went to bed and woke up with an uneasy feeling.

i can either take that as (1) she's creeped out and thinks i'm going to be the next aileen wournus, or (2) i was very effective with my portrayal of those backwoods old farts who love to go night fishing.

i think i'll go with (2), which is much more of a compliment.

after the (contests) of summer are gone...

the last writing contest of the summer was this weekend at janet reid's spot:
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/

once upon a time

there was an author who was asked to beta read. and now the beta is over. waaaaaaah!

no, really, that was a lot of fun.
i love reading other people's prose and poetry and offering a comment or two.
(hint, hint, nudge nudge--go on over to the turn the page link and read mine!)

having fun with the idiot

if you ever have a chance to beta read, take it. it gives you a chance to read another prospective author's work, and hone in on your own craft.

i'm so glad my prospective author is so open to feedback, however it may come.

this is a blast!