All Moved In

I moved into a new home last weekend. Because I was in the middle of a move, I've been offline for a few days. Before that I was packing. It's been busy. What can I say, Moving is "Sometimes Hard, But Oh-So Worth It!"

I'm in the Syracuse Utah area now (about 30 miles north of where I was before). I have a lot to learn about the area.

It will come with time. And practice.

Kind of like writing.

Lillian Hellman says it well,

"Nothing you write, if you hope to be good, will ever come out as you first hoped."


Practice, Practice, Practice!

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Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, my day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here

Love of Learning

I love to learn new things. So bad, in fact, that I take too many new things on and cannot stay focused on any of them long enough to actually learn something. It's a problem I've always had, but never really been able to change.

I love to learn new things!

(To be perfectly clear, I consider this different from loving change. That, I'm not so good at. Like when your computer system gets upgraded and you have no idea how to do the same thing you were good at yesterday.)

But, back to learning...

Things I want to learn:

• Great storytelling
• Public speaking
• Will power (when it comes to food)
• Spanish
• Sign language
• Cake decorating (thanks to you - Laura!)
• First aide
• How to fast forward through potty training
• Patience (though I am NOT praying for this, as I do not want to learn it that way!)
• Better time management (all my friends think I'm an expert at this. I have them all fooled!)

That's to name a few. I'd bore you if I continued.

It's a pretty good list. I want to do those things. But how?

The best way would probably be to pick one at a time and focus. Focus. FOCUS!!!

Or  you could go with this method:

"The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it."

-Benjamin Disaeli

What do you want to learn?

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Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, my day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here

Off to LTUE!

Tomorrow morning I'm headed to the BYU Conference Center in Provo for the annual writer's workshop:

Life, the Universe and Everything

(LTUE)

But I won't see you in any of the workshops. 

Why?

Because I'll be there as a vendor!

That's right, I bought a vendors table.

And I'll be there selling (hopefully selling) my writing planners.

You've heard about them...

You've wanted one...

You've put it off ordering one for unknown reasons...

Now's your chance! 

If you're going to be at LTUE, come find me in the vendors hall. 

You can see them in person. Touch them. Smell them. Drool on them. Buy them...

Who doesn't love a little organization?

Who doesn't love to have one place to write down all your writing goals?

Who doesn't love motivating writing quotes to keep you going?

And now, here's the writing quote pulled directly from this week's page:

"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, 

we lose the excitement of possibilities. 

Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

-Gloria Steinem

If you have any questions, send me an email or check out my website!

I'll be there Thursday, Friday and Saturday!

I hope to see you soon...

Seamless Storytelling

My dad is a storyteller. He can entertain with his words and make otherwise average stories funny. When I listen to him tell a story, my mind does not drift away to my To-do list or what I'm going to eat next.  Okay, sometimes I still think about food (chocolate), but you know what I mean.

He also likes to tell jokes. Only he tells them as stories, and you never know until he's done if he's building up to a story ending or a punch line. Most of the time it's a punch line.

Me, on the other hand? I'm not so good with the jokes. Never have been. Usually I can't keep a straight face. They usually go something like this:

"Wanna hear a joke? (no subtlety there!) Okay, there were three guys that walked into a bar. Or was is two guys and a girl? Um, I can't remember. Anyway, three people walk into a bar. I don't think it matters if they're guys or girls. One says to another... Oh, I can't remember how he said it. Maybe the girl said something first. Crap! I can't remember. But it was funny! You'll just have to trust me."

I know.  Lame.

Lucky for me, I'm the writing kind of storyteller, not the sit-around-the-table-chatting kind of storyteller. I can revise and change my story until it actually makes sense. At least that's the idea. I haven't actually got there yet...  :)

And now for my weekly writing quote:

"Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it."

-Hannah Arendt

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Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, my day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here

Book Launch and Give-a-way

It's a book launch and give-a-way!

Hooray!

Sarah M. Eden's newest book, The Kiss of a Stranger, has just been released. I'm currently reading it, and I love it! I'm going back to it as soon as I'm done with this post.

Sarah is joining two other authors, Jennifer K. Clark and Stephonie K. Williams, who co-wrote the book Mark of Royalty, for a book launch.

Saturday, February 12th

11am - 1pm

Provo Deseret Book

989 South University Ave

There are going to be lots of door prizes, including one of my very own writing planners: 

The Write Planner.

Check out Sarah's website for more information, and to see the other prizes.

Happy Groundhog Day

It's Groundhog Day! That means it's also
MY BIRTHDAY!!

And Mr. Punxsutawney Phil has given me the best birthday present ever. He predicted an 
Early Spring!

I don't think I've been warm for the last three months. But there may be an end in sight.

Of course, not today. It's 8 degrees outside right now.

I'm ready for Spring. I'm ready to Spring Clean. I'm ready to do yard work. I'm ready to send the kids out in the back yard to play.

Of course all of those things will be happening in a new house. As long as everything goes smoothly anyway. Our house is under contract, and we're house hunting. I've even found a house I'm very interested in. The next month will bring lots of changes.

Bring them on!

And since I've been behind on everything this week, my weekly writers quote is late. But without further delay I present:

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
-Mark Twain

Can you use that for houses to? The difference between the right house and the almost right house is the difference between...what? Your entire future? There's a lot of pressure in that, isn't there. Where you live will have major impacts on your life. Not to mention on the lives of your children.

I hope I will choose the right words, as well as the right house!

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Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, my day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here

The Thief of Time

I was going to write this post last night.

Then, I was going to write it first thing this morning.

It's now just after lunch, and I'm finally getting around to it.

Where does all the time go?

The answer to that question leads us to this week's writing quote:

"Procrastination is the thief of time."

- Joseph Heller

Oh, that's it. Procrastination took my time away. The thief!

I never used to be good at procrastination, but I'm learning!

And I hate it.

I hate how I feel when it's the night before a big event, and I'm scrambling.

I hate the sleepless nights, or even worse - the nightmares of being unprepared if I do actually manage to sleep.

Each time I promise myself that I'll be more on top of it next time.

Like I always used to be.

What happened to me?

Kids?

Church service?

Work?

Housework?

Friends?

Television?

Books?

General laziness?

Writing?

Okay, so it's probably all of the above. Plus a few other things.  Like trying to find a picture for this:

Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, my day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here

The Best Fruit

This week's writing quote is,

"The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit."

- Moliere

Okay, so you can really apply that to any aspect of your life. But I find particular comfort in applying it to my writing. Because let me tell you - it is extremely slow growing!

My first book was easy. I wrote most of it in a three month block. It was exciting to see it all show up on the screen. It was a learning experience. It was Terrible!

Really. But it's okay.

I moved on to my second book. The idea was fun. I dove right in. And nearly drowned in the tide.

It proved to hold many more challenges than the first book I wrote.

Historical fiction's kind of like that.

I loved doing the research, but it was still hard to get myself to do it.

Then I put it aside so I could focus on my writing planners.

Now I'm in limbo. I think the slowest thing to develop in my writing is actually deciding what genre to write! I feel like that just comes naturally to most writers. But I'm really struggling with it. The more I read, and the more I learn about what I actually like, the more I wonder.

I'm not giving up on my current historical fiction, but it may take a vacation on my bookshelf while I explore a new idea I've got, in a new genre.

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Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, my day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here

I Can Relate...Sometimes!

This week's writing quote is:

"I have made this [letter] longer, because I have not had the time to make it shorter."

- Blaise Pascal

Sometimes it's so easy to get carried away with our writing, that we've written three chapters that have nothing to do with the plot. Sometimes our characters take a detour, and we want to see where it leads so we follow, only to get lost down a dead-end street.

But that's okay. That's what drafting is for. We experiment. We explore.

Eventually we have to go back. Edit. Revise. Thus begins the process of shortening. Taking out all the unnecessary stuff. Oh yeah, and adding those most important details that somehow we missed! It takes time. But the end result is so much better.

Thank goodness we have computers. Thank goodness we're not dealing with typewriters or worse, hand writing. (Although I know a few writers who still prefer that method!)

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If you (or anyone you know) could benefit from a day planner that's geared toward writers, my sale price is still available for The Write Planner. Right now it's only $12, which come to $1 per month!! Check out my website for more details.

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Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here

The Parts To Leave Out

This week's writing quote is:

"I try to leave out the parts that people skip."
- Elmore Leonard

Such simple words. Well Duh! Right? But most of us are guilty of skipping over passages, even when we really love the book. As a writer, that's one of my biggest fears. Will I bore the reader? Will they skip this part?

So ask yourself: Is this really necessary? Does it move the plot along? Does it create conflict? Does it develop the character? Would the reader miss anything if you took it out?

No?

Then get rid of it!

(Is anyone still reading this post?)

Have I bored you yet?

Well, if you're still with me, go check out my website. I've got a special offer for The Write Planner going on now.

For the next two weeks they are on sale for just $12. 


That's only $1 per month to keep you focused on your writing!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Today's writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here.

Writing Is An Adventure

This week's writing quote is:

"Writing is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public."

- Winston Churchill

This writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here.

A Time To Write

This week's Writing Quote:

"Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, 

I don't feel I should be doing something else."

- Gloria Steinem

Is that how you feel about writing?

For me: Not usually.

I always feel like I should be doing something else. Even when I'm working on the very thing I should be doing. There is just so much to do!

Unfortunately, writing usually falls pretty far down on the priority list. I hope to change that soon. (You know - New Years Resolutions and all....)  ;)

But one thing is for sure. When I do actually write, I feel successful. Even if I've only written garbage, I wrote!

I love the feeling of creation that comes with writing. I love the sense of accomplishment.

I love writing!  So why don't I do it more often?


This writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here.

Talent or Guts?

Today's Quote of the Week is:

"Talent is helpful in writing, 

but guts are absolutely necessary."

- Jessamyn West

So many of us are held back by our own feelings of inadequacy. We think, "We're not smart enough. We're not good enough. We're not talented enough." And we may not be. Yet.

But that's not all that matters!

Sure, it's helpful.

But having guts in this business is a necessity. It's a tough world. To quote Sarah M. Eden (from my interview on her blog last Friday) "I decided to become a writer because ninja was just too easy."


First, you have to have guts to put your thoughts on paper. Next, it takes guts to let anyone actually read what you've written. Then when you're ready, you have to face the world of rejection from agents, editors, and publishers. And after all that, when you've finally made it in the writing world, when you finally have that New York Times' Bestselling Novel, you have to face the criticism of your beloved readers. Because lets face it, not everyone will love your book. And that's okay. More people will love it!

So go ahead. Put yourself out there. Prepare to be rejected. It takes guts.

Do you have guts?

This writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. To learn more about The Write Planner, click here.

I Need Friends Friday - My Interview

Today I am featured on Sarah M. Eden's weekly interview: I Need Friends Friday.

Go check it out!

Quote of the Week

Today's writing quote of the week is:

"A writer is someone who can make a riddle out of an answer."

- Karl Kraus

Some writers know how their book will end before they even write the beginning. Some figure it out as they go. But one thing is for sure. It's not nearly as exciting to know that "Sally" did it, if we don't get to read the how, why and when. The riddle is the good part. The answer is just the perk at the end.

I just finished re-reading The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. This is a great example of making a riddle out of an answer. We know very early that Edmond Dantes was wrongly imprisoned, and that he wants vengeance. But watching the story unfold and discovering his complicated means of achieving that vengeance is the exciting part.

I know how my work in progress will end, but I'm still not sure how the middle of the story will go. I get to discover it as I go. Hopefully sooner than later!

This writing quote was taken from The Write Planner, a day planner designed for writers. Learn more about The Write Planner here.

The Write Planner - Special Offer

I've had a great beginning with my new product,

The Write Planner

and want to give a special thank you to all those who helped me spread the word.

Thank you!!

My resources only get me so far, but you've helped me extend my reach.

If you haven't heard about The Write Planner yet, listen up!

It's a day planner designed especially for writers. It includes:

1. Sturdy Cover with inside pocket
2. Weekly motivating quotes
3. Full 2011 Yearly calendar
4. Monthly Calendars
5. Weekly layouts with daily goals
6. Monthly writing goals
7. Card stock dividers
8. NaNoWriMo tracking sheet
9. Track your progress
10. Visual progress bars
11. New contacts
12. Critique group info
13. Notes
14. Upcoming conferences (blank)
15. Built-in Ribbon bookmark

Check out my website, Writer Remedies and see sample pages here.

As a special offer, if you order before November 30th, 2010, in addition to the full 2011 planner, you'll get the month of December 2010,  included for free. That way you won't have to wait until the new year to organize your writing.

I only have 12 more of these special edition planners left in stock, in the following color options:

• (5) Blue
• (3) Green
• (2) Tan
• (2) Cream

Get one as a gift and one for yourself! (Especially since shipping is the same amount whether you buy 1 or 2 planners!)

Included in the planner are weekly quotes from famous authors to motivate and inspire you, and sometimes just make you laugh. This week's quote is,

"I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, 

and took out a comma. 

In the afternoon I put it back again."  

- Oscar Wilde

And the Winners are:

Thank you all for your participation in my giveaway for The Write Planner.

I hope to continue to spread the word.

I hope writers everywhere will find it helpful.

But now, the winners!

The winner of The Write Planner is: Okie

The winner of the non-writer prize goes to: Andrea

Congratulations to you both!

Last Day To Enter

Today is the final day for The Write Planner giveaway! I'm away from my computer until later, so this post is coming from my phone, and I don't know how to link to the contest post. But look at Mondays post (November 15th), and comment there for a chance to win!

One winner gets The Write Planner (your choice of color). Another winner, for those of you who are not writers, gets a copy of Annette Lyon's newest book

Chocolate Never Faileth
(a chocolate cookbook)

Let me know whether or not your a writer.

Good luck to you all!

I'll post the winners this evening!

Introducing...The Write Planner

The wait is over! 

I'm excited to finally announce the product I've been working on for the last few months.

It's called 

The Write Planner.

What is The Write Planner? It's a day planner designed especially for writers. 

That's right, for you!

(or for that writer you know)

To celebrate the arrival of The Write Planner finally being ready, 

I'm having a give-a-way contest.

The lucky winner will receive their own copy of The Write Planner for free! 
Not a writer? Don't know a writer?
That's okay. Just let me know that in the comments,
and you'll be entered to win another (secret) prize!

Here's how to enter:

• Visit my website. Look at the list of features. Preview the sample pages. Leave a comment telling me what color option is your favorite.
• Blog about this contest, linking back to this post.
• Put this contest on the sidebar of your blog.
• Find my company (Writer Remedies) on facebook and 'like' me.
• Post this contest on facebook, linking back to this post.

Each item will give you one entry, for a total of five entries. Tell me what you've done in the comments. 

Contest ends Friday, November 19, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. (MST).