Lucky 7 Meme

Here is a fast writer's Meme  Lucky 7 is a good name too!  So here are the rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current ms.

2. Go to line 7.

3. Copy down the next 7 lines/sentences, and post them as they're written. No cheating.

4. Tag 7 other victims, er, authors.         

This is where I was at, still working on my rewrite, I see errors in this that need attention, but it said no cheating.  Current title:  Seven Silver Swords; Book One Heirs to the Throne.

  "The sounds of an axle creaking and the carriage rattling as it drew up greeted them as they stepped into the early morning light.  Belinda made a valiant effort to leave her sorrow in the tent with her fallen father.  She had to face this terrible day with some dignity.  The carriage stopped with a final squeak and the dirt crunched under the iron-rimmed wheels.  Belinda could smell the dust in the air.  Somewhere a bird sang. 

The Honor Guard readied the carriage to place their fallen King inside for his final trip back to the city he ruled with such love."

Tagging

E.M. LaBonte - The Realms of a Fantastical Mind

TBruce - Terri Bruce Net

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan - Speculative Fiction Author

T.W. Fendley - TW Fendley.com

Darke Conteur

Lora Palmer

Riley Redgate - In the Jungle

Motivate Me, Motivate you Guest Blogger Terri Bruce

Terri and I met in the Speculative Fiction Forum over at AQC.  She is an amazing writer, and the more I learn about her the more I apprecieate the fact that she is willing to work with me on projects.  The Blog Ring of Power was her idea, but my teasing her about it made the name I gave it stick.  It has been a win/win for all involved and I have really enjoyed the author interviews.

Terri and I were chatting about getting things done one day and she talked about skills.  I was so taken with the topic she agreed to do this guest post for me.  So here is Terri with some great ideas...

Motivate Me, Motivate You

Every person has strengths and weaknesses. But not all strengths (or weaknesses) are created equal; knowing the difference between a motivated skill and a burnout skill can be a huge time (and life) saver.

As a writer, we know the areas in which we struggle—perhaps we have a hard time writing dialog. Maybe it’s creating place-immersing settings. And, as a writer, there’s very little we can do to work around these weaknesses. Sure, we can try to stick to genres where our weaknesses aren’t such a big deal, but generally, a writer has to strengthen his/her whole craft to succeed.

But being a writer is so much more than just putting words on paper—there’s all the tangentially related writing stuff, such as coming up with character names, editing, and generating book titles. And then there’s all the “author” stuff—networking, marketing, public speaking, and platform building. And this is where the difference between “motivated skills” and “burnout skills” makes all the difference in the world.

Career counselor Dick Knowdell (http://www.careernetwork.org/career_workshops.html) famously classified skills into four categories (http://www.careernetwork.org/assessment_skills_worksheet.pdf):

·         Motivated Skills—things you enjoy doing and you are good at. These skills give us great pleasure and we continually seek out opportunities to use them.

·         Development Skills—things we enjoy doing but for which we lack the desired skill level. These are the skills that, with training, can become motivated skills. These are the areas where we should seek out training, mentors, and opportunities for improvement.

·         Burnout Skills—things we are good at and do NOT enjoy doing. The difficult thing about burnout skills is that we are good at these things—so we are continually called on to use these skills. But the problem is that using these skills takes pleasure away—we hate doing these things. And so we become burnt out. We should avoid using our burnout skills—even though we’re good at these things—at all costs.

·         Irrelevant Skills—things we are neither good at nor enjoy. So don’t do them! Too often, we’re told to put a lot of time and energy into developing our weaknesses. Don’t do it! Marcus Buckingham, in his strengths based approach to personal development, points out that no one ever said Mozart should spend more time studying math. Just the opposite—once it was clear his greatest strength was music, he was encouraged to focus exclusively on that. Taking time away from the things you love and/or are good at to pursue some arbitrary goal of “well-roundedness” doesn’t make lot of sense (where did this idea even come from, anyway? Ever since Henry Ford invented the production line we’ve know that specialization is the key to productivity.

So how does this relate to the writing life? Very simply—first and foremost, if you’re getting called on to do things you don’t like because everyone knows you’re good at them—stop telling people! Second, find ways to get burnout and irrelevant skills off your plate. If it’s time to update my author website and web mastering is one of my burnout or irrelevant skills then I’m spending time on something that is, quite frankly, sucking my soul dry. And that is time I could be spending on a motivated skill—like writing—instead. Struggling artists that we are, it’s very unlikely that we can afford to pay for a professional web master to maintain our site for us, but there are plenty of opportunities for bartering. How about mentoring a high school or college student in English in exchange for his/her web mastering skills? How about helping a fellow writer with his/her dialog if he’ll help you with your commas?

We can’t get out of doing everything we don’t like, but by thinking about our skills in a slightly different way, we can get a lot of dross off our plates and ensure that we’re focusing our limited time and energies to the areas where they will do us the most good.

What do you think? What are some of your burnout skills and what’s a way you could do less of that?

Author News: Sophie Perinot, Alisa Jeruconoka, and T W Fendley

 Author News:

Sophie Perinot

You may recall back in July Sophie Perinot was gracious enough to do an interview here on The Write Time.  Well this week her new book, The Sister Queens has debuted.

 
Sophie writes historical fiction.  Here is a link to her blog where she discusses the launch of her book.

Five out of five apples for The Sister Queens check out the review.

Patient, perfect, and used to being first, Marguerite becomes Queen of France. But Louis IX is a religious zealot who denies himself the love and companionship his wife craves. Can she borrow enough of her sister's boldness to grasp her chance for happiness in a forbidden love?

Passionate, strong-willed, and stubborn, Eleanor becomes Queen of England. Henry III is a good man, but not a good king. Can Eleanor stop competing with her sister and value what she has, or will she let it slip away?

The Sister Queens is historical fiction at its most.

Good luck Sophie.

BTW, she has agreed to return for a follow up interview.  

T W Fendley

TW Fendley, fellow Blog Ring of Power member has her book Zero Time in the spotlight this month.  Jump over to her blog to see what is going on.


Check back here because I'll have a review on Zero Time.

As Zero Time nears, only Keihla Benton can save two worlds from the powers of Darkness. But first she must unlock the secrets of Machu Picchu and her own past.
 

Xmucane leads an expedition to Earth to overcome a genetic flaw that threatens the people of Omeyocan with extinction, but she soon finds herself involved in a very personal battle that pits mother against daughter and sister against sister. With the help of the time-traveling Great Serpent Quetzalcoatl, she leaves the Southern Temples to arrive in present-day Machu Picchu as the expedition’s time-window closes.  
 

When Philadelphia science writer Keihla Benton joins an archeological team at Machu Picchu, she learns the Andean prophesies about 2012 have special meaning for her. Only she can end the cycle of Darkness that endangers Earth at the end of the Mayan calendar. As she uncovers secrets from the past, which threaten her life and those she loves, Keihla struggles to keep the powerful Great Crystal from the Lord of Darkness and his consort.
 

Xmucane and Keihla work together as Earth and Omeyocan near alignment with the galaxy’s dark heart for the first time in 26,000 years. They must seize the last chance to restore the cycle of Light to Earth and return to the Pleiades with a cure, no matter what the cost to their hearts.

Alisa Jeruconoka

Alisa also has some exciting news.   Unparallel Worlds is now available.  She also did an interview here on The Write Time.  I returned the favor and answered a few questions for an interview on her blog, Unparallel Worlds. 

‘Unparallel Worlds’ is a richly imagined fantasy fiction novel I have written, based on a multi-dimensional planet called Adriana that’s full of strange and colourful characters. Two laws, the law of Light and the law of Darkness govern this planet.

If happiness is a state of mind and balance is a game of what happens when the worlds of Light and Darkness collide on Adriana then light and darkness are not always what they seem?
In this story you will experience many turns, twists and revelations. The main players get caught up in something that’s bigger than anything they have ever imagined.

The book is a true page- turner where you the reader will be taken on a ride that leads to Earth, you will fall in love with the characters, the story and the world of Adriana.

Being George Washington Challenge

My father sent me an e-mail.  As I read it and opened the attachment I said to my self, this has to go on my blog.

I admire both George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.  So If I learn who originated this I'll put a link back to that.  In the meantime I'll share this here.

This is a challenge to better ourselves.  Like managing our time wisely and trying to find inspiration to do better, here are some more tools to help make ourselves better individuals.   So here is the e-mail:

 The traits he is known for—honesty, courage and honor—did not come naturally to him, he worked hard at them every single day. It's often said that it takes 30 days to form a habit.  We're going to put that to the test.  Each month this year we try to become better citizens and human beings one small step at a time. Each challenge will be posted here and we encourage everyone to keep a running journal of their experiences.  Write down everything—and review it often.  You'll be amazed to see how fast things that once seemed difficult to you are now almost routine. This list was an eye-opener for me…hopefully, it will be for you as well.

And remember, this is a challenge, not a contest.  We aren't keeping score and there will be no one to watch over you to make sure you honor your promises.  But we can promise that those who practice the first virtue (diligence) and stick with this for a year will be changed forever.  This is a support group like never before and, if we are successful.

THE STARTING POINT

Below are some items pulled from the writings of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin that we've identified as key things to start with and focus on every day.  Think of these as "baseline" items to have in your life that are in addition to those things you add as part of this challenge. Many of these will seem daunting at first, but by adding them to your Monthly Tracker and concentrating on them each day they'll become more and more routine.

• EVERY ACTION MUST BE DONE WITH RESPECT TOWARD OTHERS AROUND YOU.
• SHOW NO DELIGHT IN THE MISFORTUNE OF OTHERS, EVEN THOUGH HE BE YOUR ENEMY.
• IF ANYONE COMES TO SPEAK TO YOU WHILE YOU ARE SITTING, STAND, EVEN THOUGH HE WILL BE YOUR INFERIOR.
• BE NOT HASTY TO BELIEVE FLYING REPORTS TO THE DISPARAGEMENT OF ANY.
• ASSOCIATE YOURSELF WITH MEN OF GOOD QUALITY.
• IF YOU ESTEEM YOUR OWN REPUTATION, TIS BETTER TO BE ALONE THEN IN BAD COMPANY.
• LET YOUR CONVERSATION BE WITHOUT MALICE OR ENVY.
• SPEAK NOT INFURIOUS WORDS NEITHER IN JEST OR IN EARNEST.
• ALWAYS STAND WHEN A LADY ENTERS YOUR CIRCLE OR STANDS BEFORE THE TABLE.
• READ YOUR SCRIPTURES DAILY.
• HAVE A PICTURE OF SOMEONE YOU ADMIRE. WHEN HAVING A TOUGH DAY MOVE IT NEAR YOU.
• MAKE A GOAL EVERYDAY.  WRITE AND PONDER IN THE MORNING, REVIEW YOUR SUCCESSES AND FAILURES AT END OF EACH DAY.
• GATHER OTHERS TO SUPPORT HONESTY.
• ALWAYS LOOK A MAN IN THE EYE.
• ALWAYS HAVE A FIRM HANDSHAKE.
• PRAY FOR OTHERS.
• LOOK FOR WAYS TO SERVE OTHERS AT ALL TIMES.
• ALWAYS SAY WHAT YOU MEAN AND MEAN WHAT YOU SAY.
• BUILD TRUST THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS.
• DO NOT PARTAKE IN BASHING THE BIBLE.
• DO NOT FIGHT WITH THOSE WHO ARE NOT WILLING TO SEE ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE. WHEN IN BATTLE (ARGUMENT) REPEAT THE OTHER SIDE  UNTIL THEY SAY YOU HAVE THEIR ARGUMENT.
• BUILD, NEVER DESTROY.
• ASPIRE TO INSPIRE.

Speculative Blog Tag

Happy Birthday to Yesternight's Voyage. Joyce Alton's Blog.  To celebrate a year of blogging Joyce has initiated another meme, tag, chain letter, or what have you type of fun.  She is planning  bunch of things to commemorate the event, and to start it off she has tagged me (what did I do? *tries to have a look of innocence and fails miserable*) to help kick this thing off.

So I need to post her rules, answer her questions and tag three fellow Speculative Fiction Members

These are Joyce's rules, not mine. 

The rules are as follows:
1) Answer the questions on your own blog.
2) Tag three other speculative fiction blog writers to participate.
3) Each participant needs to link their blogpost with their answers back to Yesternight's Voyage.
4) Leave a comment in the original post (on Yesternight's Voyage) as to why you love, write, or read speculative fiction and a link to your blog.  

5) Stay tuned to Yesternight's Voyage this month for a mad treasure hunt (later on) that will connect all the participating blogs.
6) Make sure you post these rules on your blog when participating.
7) Please note that the blogging part of the treasure hunt will only run between March 6th - 19th. So have your answers posted by then. If you are posting your answers on the 18th or 19th, don't worry about tagging anyone new.

Feel up to a little tricky fun?

Here we go!

Part II answer her questions:
Questions:

1) Who are your favorite speculative fiction writers?

R  A Salvatore, Ann McCaffey, Katherine Kurtz, Author C. Clark, Orson Scott Card, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and of course J.R.R. Tolkien the one who started it all

2) Write a two or three sentence writing prompt to inspire your readers today. (Encourage them to post their responses in your comments section.)

Never give up.  Make a plan and be spontaneous.  You are what you think.

3) List three favorite industry blogs/websites that you've found helpful.

Rachelle Gardner - An agent who has great advice for writers

AgentQueryConnect – the real place on the web to get specific help you need.

Writer’s Digest

4) Give us the low-down on your main character (or one of your main characters) in the story you're working on right now, regardless if it's finished or not. Describe his/her personality, situation, and what his/her biggest problem/obstacle is.

Troubled by night visions, Duncan sets out to find Silverflame, the ruling sword with the ability to break the spell of immortality protecting his usurping uncle.  Enemy agents dog his steps, the High King’s court distrusts him, and anyone loyal to the High King tries to kill him.  Discovering he can wield magic only adds to Duncan’s troubles. 

As Duncan begins to wield magic he discerns that his uncle is really a plaything to a dark and sinister foe. This evil will swallow not only the kingdom of Rea, but all the surrounding kingdoms. Duncan must overcome his distrust of magic and use his newfound abilities to confront and defeat this evil power. But in a world where magic power can grow, and the victor takes the loser’s power, can peace ever be restored?

5) What are your favorite speculative fiction movies from the last five years?

Hmmm, I don’t get out to the movies much, but the ones that come to mind are:

Inception

Star Trek (JJ Abrams)

Frequency (Okay it doesn’t fit in the last five years, but it was a great show and it is one of my all time favorite.)

Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (I watched it with my Daughter and she loved it, so it is now on my list of favorites.)  

The Hobbit  (Okay it isn’t out yet, but if Peter Jackson delivers the goods it will be one of my favorites!  (Does December 14^th 2012 count as in the last five years?))

6) If you were suddenly thrown into another world where magic existed, what is something from the real world you'd want to take with you? (Limitations apply on energy sources and such.)

A good pair of shoes and a sharp pocket knife.

7) List the first type of these things you think of:

a) color:  Green
b) number: 67
c) made-up name: Migelthid
d) an adjective: Bewildered

Part III:

I am tagging:

Peter Burton

Moonshade

Cheriewrites

Jump over to Clippership’s blog to grab the questions to answer and post on your blog.

BRoP Interview with Rebecca Hamilton Part III

Well my blogging friends within our Blog Ring of Power have another author interview on our blogs.  Today Rebecca Hamilton visits The Write Time and we will talk about where she gets inspiration and the creative aspect of how she writes.

You can read Part I at Em's Blog

Part II is over on Sandra's Blog

Today is Part III

Tomorrow Part IV is over on Terri's Blog

Part V wraps up the interview with Teresa on her Blog.

First off welcome to The Write Time, Rebecca.  Glad you agreed to join up with our Blog Ring, we like to call it The Blog Ring of Power.  So pull up a chair right here and lets talk shop and your creativity.  

Where do you get your story ideas?

This is such a crappy answer, but the truth is, “they come to me.”

Do you have a specific writing style?

I like writing from a deep point of view.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I am not sure how much I believe in writers block. Sure you get stuck, but a true writer’s block implies something else to me. It’s like the difference between having lost something or just having not found it yet. If you don’t look, you definitely won’t find it.

How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?

They also “come to me”. Sometimes I will put thought into the shallow details, after the fact, because it seems most readers care about things like what a character looks like or what car they drive, but to me, personality is the key. So I just write the character as I FEEL them. Then sometimes I take a personality test to see what their personality is if I need to get more depth into what kind of person they are.

Are you a “plotter” or a “pantser” (do you plan/outline the story ahead of time or write “by the seat of your pants”)?

I was a pantser. Plotting still doesn’t work for me. Usually I have some general ideas, but that’s it. What I’ve taken to doing (to make writing easier) is to keep handy some outlines of plot structures, but more “fill it in as I go”. In other words, I know I have to write an inciting incident at the opening. I don’t decide what it will be, but I make sure it’s there by time I’m through. I know I need to set up questions in the first act, develop character, and make sure the problems of the story and goals of the character are clear. I don’t know ahead of time what those things are, but I know to be aware of them when they come to me and to include them as I write. When I hit 25%, I know that I’m going into act 2 and that I need to build on conflicts. I don’t know what those conflicts are, but as I write, I look for them and include them. So I guess there is structure there, but it’s more like following a map without knowing what I will see or where I will turn as I walk the paths.

For Rebecca's fans, or new fans here is where you can find her online:

Blog:

Facebook page:

Goodreads author page: 

Twitter:

Amazon US: 

Amazon UK:

Smashwords: 

iTunes: 

CreateSpace: 

Amazon Print:

Oh, one last question:

Is your book in print, ebook or both? 

 Both.

Thanks for having me :)

Thank you for coming over and being a part of our interview.  It has been a real pleasure having you with us.

Book Blurb on The Forever Girl:

Publication Date: January 26, 2012

Sophia Parsons’ family has skeletons, but they aren’t in their graves...

Solving the mystery of an ancestor’s hanging might silence the clashing whispers in Sophia's mind, but the cult in her town and the supernaturals who secretly reside there are determined to silence her first.

As Sophia unknowingly crosses the line into an elemental world full of vampire-like creatures, shapeshifters, and supernatural grim reapers, she meets Charles, a man who becomes both lover and ally.

But can she trust him?

It’s not until someone nearly kills Sophia that she realizes the only way to unveil the source of her family's curse: abandon her faith or abandon her humanity. If she wants to survive, she must accept who she is, perform dark magic, and fight to the death for her freedom.

Growing or Withering?

Several years ago, my then four-year-old son and I planted a garden.  Due to life events, it was two months before he was able to see the garden again.  In our absence, it grew.  He was amazed at how big the plants grew while we were away.

As most folks know, water, sunlight, and fertilizer help plants to grow.  I’ve had house plants I’ve neglected and came back to find them withered.  I put them into the sink and added water.  After some time they perked back up.

In a lot of ways we are a lot like plants.  If we aren’t growing, we are withering.  My schedule is such that I’ve gone several weeks without doing some things on twitter.  The #FF and #WW that mention me all but stopped.  If I go through and name folks and do my part, my name came up more often.  But once I stopped, my influence diminished.

Going to a social function is a lot the same.  If I stand back and watch, I am just that - on the sideline watching.  If I wait for someone to come up and start a conversation, I may find myself waiting a long, long time.  If I reach out to someone and take the initiative to shake a hand and start a discussion, I become engaged and have a great time.

The old adage, “You have to be a friend to have friends.” Is so true.

Bottom line is this, if you are not growing and reaching out, you are withering and diminishing. 

What observations do you have?  What do you do to reach out and grow?