Tag: writer

Progressive Book Club – How to Write Good by John Vorhaus

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle13 Comments

mlswift.blogspot.com“These days I can’t wait to write.”

Aimagess I prep for JuNoWriMo, I found this quote from the book interesting.  This for me is the goal. That feeling you get when you can’t wait to sit down and write.

What concerns me is that I seem to forget this feeling as soon as WriMo is over.  I wrote three books last year during, June, August and November and during those WriMo months, I couldn’t wait to write every day.  I couldn’t wait to sit down and get into that groove, the feeling of pure bliss because you are doing what your supposed to do, what you were meant to do.

I can close my eyes now and imagine the feeling.

Why is this feeling so fleeting when I’m not in the habit of writing?  I’ll write every day in June. I will have a daily goal and most likely will exceed it every day.  I am comfortable in this setting, writing towards a monthly goal where others are paying attention to what I am doing.

How to Write Good by John Vorhaus is all about giving yourself permission to write with no fear and to get the words on the paper. He uses this word whimsy which I love. I picture fairies flying around sprinkling fairy dust on everything and it makes me smile.  That is the feeling I get when I write. I feel like a fairy sprinkling prose on the world and making them smile.

As writer’s we are supposed to write every day, so tell me, how many of you out there are doing it? How do you do it?

I will be helping the JuNoWriMo team this year conducting word sprints on twitter.  These writing sessions made the difference for me. If your looking for a super supportive writing experience, I highly recommend JuNoWriMo. Visit www.junowrimo.com for more information and if you’re joining us, let me know.

junowrimo-book-button

My Weekly Update – It’s a New Day

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle3 Comments

I’ve been playing with my weekly line up and trying to create at schedule to include at least three weekly post consistently.  May still need a few more weeks to get organized, but I have some fun stuff planned for the future.

Flash 500

Flash 500 Cover

Nicole Pyles and Carrie K. Sorensen created this anthology based on their Wednesday Writer’s Blog Hop.  I took part in a few weeks and am happy to have four of my flash fiction pieces chosen for the anthology.  The blog hop happens every Wednesday and is a great way to get in some creative writing practice.  It also gave me a chance to try my hand at a few different genres.  Click on the cover to download the book for free and you can find my stories in the following weeks:

                        • Week of 5/9/2012
                        • Week of 5/16/2012
                        • Week of 5/23/2012
                        • Week of 6/6/2012

Post to Ponder

How to Use Your Logline, Tagline and Pitch to Create a Stronger Story by Marcy Kennedy a guest post on Jenny Hansen’s blog – I meet Jenny at #DFWcon and she was awesome.

How Does the Editing Process Work? by Tristi Pinkston, Editor – Interesting to hear how its done by a professional.

Jennifer Represents – cool agent blog (cool blog written by an agent) with great information.

Query Tip: Do Your Research by Ava Jae –

How to Write a Killer Pitch by Marcy Kennedy – Can you guess where I am at in this writing process?

Coolest Things – My chance to share with you some things I thought are pretty cool this week.

Iron Man 3 is finally available for our viewing and quoting pleasure. I loved it. I mentioned before Tony Stark is my favorite movie character of all times and he doesn’t disappoint. More on Tuesday when Sydney Quotes the Movies – Iron Man 3

Tiger Woods won The Player’s Championship yesterday.  His forth win this season.  He’s back.

Next Week’s Schedule
Tuesday – Sydney Quotes the Movies – Iron Man 3 – see the many sides of Tony Stark
Wednesday – Progressive Book Club – How to Write Good
Friday – Best & Worst Remake Blogfest

My #DFWCon by the Numbers

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle16 Comments

8 Seminars Attended – couldn’t even pick a favorite, they were all amazing.

1 Workshop Attended – didn’t go well.  The story I had critiqued isn’t very good and I am finally ok with it.  It was my first attempt at writing a novel and while I love the story, I came to realize it works much better in my head then it does on paper.

2 books purchased – believe me when I tell you I exhibited an incredible  amount of self control in only buying two.

The Wisdom of Hair by Kim Boykin – she conducted two seminars, Making a Story Great with Texture and The Way to a Women’s Heart. She was amazing.

Secret Sex Lives by Suzy Spencer – she conducted a seminar titled Murder & Sex, great information.

2 Pitches – my first attempted at pitching my story. I wrote my pitch in 6 different ways the morning of the first pitch. It never sounded right.  Finally, after a pep talk from the lovely Tameri Etherton,  I just went in and spoke from my heart.  I love this story and I guess it showed because . . .

2 Requests for submissions – I really don’t know how or why an agent asked for a request, in the pitch sessions, it seems like everyone was getting request.  I don’t care, I am happy to have some one care enough to ask follow up questions about my story and to hear them say, I would like to read more.  Coolest feeling in the world, every.  

Tons of amazing people – I met and talked to and learned from and admired and was humbled by so many people. It was so great to be around people who understand and can related to the weird, quirky, imaginative, off the wall, what in the world and strange way we think sometimes.  People who say, I know exactly what you mean.  It was nice to be around people who understand how blessed we are to call ourselves WRITERS!

Related Post – DFW Writers’ Conference

EM, Why Do You Blog?

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle6 Comments

Back in June of 2012, I found EM’s blog and we met during JuNoWriMo.  I interviewed her back in June and found out she is from England (my favorite country) and lives in a castle (so cool) and a few months later, she asked me to read one of her short stories (talented writer).  She is amazing. 

So, EM, why do you blog? 

Thank you Sydney for inviting me to guest post on your blog!

Sydney and I both started blogging on March 1st, 2012, and I’m thrilled to be part of her first blogiversary celebrations!

Today’s topic is “Why do you blog?”

I’m a writer. I have been writing Fantasy stories for 15 years, and I’ve been thinking about getting one of them published for about 3 years. When I researched how to do this, it was clear from the start Internet was an invaluable information tool. So at first I just used the writing resources I found online to improve my writing and to research the publishing process, without having an online presence myself.

Then I came across – and followed – a couple of writers’ blogs. If you want to check them out, here they are: Elizabeth May, Susan Dennard and Claire Legrand. Month after month, these ladies documented the writing journey that took them from unknown YA writers polishing a manuscript to successful traditionally published authors. About 18 months ago, I wrote them an email, telling them how I found their blogs inspiring.

And they replied. And they wished me good luck with my own writing journey.

That was when I realised I was missing out on something there. I had always thought I wouldn’t need an online presence before getting published (because honestly, who on earth would want to read a blog written by me?!). Then I read Are You There Blog? It’s Me, Writer by the amazing Kristen Lamb. In her book, Kristen explains how having a blog, when you’re a writer, is as necessary as writing your book itself. Because in this day and age, getting a book published, then read, implies networking with readers, publishers, agents, editors and other writers. And the best way to do this is via Internet.

So I launched my blog. I started a Facebook page. I got on Twitter. At first, I was shy, and obsessed with the quality of my blog content. And in many ways, I still am. But I have also built an amazing network of writerly friends, who have all contributed to making me a better writer, closer to publication than I could ever hope.

I always say my blog is a way of “paying it forward”. I’m still not published, so I have nothing to sell. But I’m hoping all the people who stop by my blog, read my posts and comment on them, follow my blog or my Twitter feed, find something useful there. I relay news from the publishing industry, recommend books I like, share my writing tips and interact with whoever is kind enough to follow me. I cheer other writers on. I promote their books. I discuss trends with book bloggers. I give away books I love.

So why do I blog? Because writing is a solitary business. Sometimes you have to remember there are awesome book lovers out there. And Internet is the best place to find them. 

http://www.elizabethmaywrites.com/

http://susandennard.com/blog-2/

http://claire-legrand.com/blog/

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ (Kristen Lamb’s blog)

http://emcastellan.com/

http://twitter.com/EMCastellan

http://www.facebook.com/EMCastellan