Tag: writers

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle33 Comments

It is Insecure Writer’s Support Group time and it couldn’t come at a better time for me.  As always, I must thank the wonderful Alex Cavanaugh who has created this most safe and secure setting for us writers to vent our insecurities.

I am editing my first story.  I am subsequently having it critiqued by two very diligent CP’s.  I have to find about 12,000 words to add to my second novel in order to declare the first draft finished.  I have a really good outline for my third story and I am dreaming about it every night without prompting which is kind of cool.  I don’ t know if I should start writing now or wait for Nanowrimo.  With all that in the air, I am insecure and scared and frustrated and tired with occasional bouts of mania.

Will I ever get to the point where I feel like my life is clicking on all cylinders or is that something that only us writers can create for our characters?

I just want some steady, on tracking, moving forward type of progressive in my writing.  Stephen King writes 2,000 words per day.  That’s the kind of stability I want.

Anyone else ever feel like they wish they hadn’t started this whole writing thing. Now that I have started, I can’t stop, but I just wish it would be easier every once in a while.

This image makes me feel calm.

 

My Weekly Update – Look, Read & Follow

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle1 Comment

 Look Challenge – thanks to Karen at Different Corners in My Life who tagged me in this challenge.  The rules are to find the word ‘look’ in my WIP and then post a few paragraphs around that word. This is from Ink: A Permanent Love Story. My MC, Emilynn, is moving to New York City after inheriting a lot of money from her father who recently passed away.  She has serious trust issues to deal with along with trying to reconcile how she feels about herself with how others see her. Not sure if you will get that from this passage, but it is kind of funny.  Oh, and, they are sitting in an airplane.

     This may be a strange thing to admit given my circumstances, but since I have determined that most guys are liars, my confidence when talking to them has risen.  Like the knowledge they are untrustworthy in general makes me more able to be myself.  It is a weird twist to my behavior that I have noticed, lately.  
     And, it seems guys that I have never been attracted to are the ones hitting on my.  I must be giving out some pitiful sad girl vibe that these type of guys are attracted to. Even this guy senses it.  
     “It is nice.” I said as I lean in and offer him my glass, “taste for yourself.” 
    “David.” We both turn to look across the aisle and there is the guys wife and kid.  And, the wife looked pist.  At me.  She needs to check her husband. 
     It could be a symptom of my new found wealth, as well.  I mean, lets face it, having a million dollars in the bank makes me walk a little taller.  Makes me talk with a bit more confidence.  Having money makes me hot.  

Read these Post

Sev shares with us 41 Things I’ve Learned in 41 years of life – #32, #33, & #35 are my favorite.  Happy birthday Sev. I know it sucked, but like you said, you have 364 more days to make this birthday mean something.
Falls Into Writing explains What Joss Whedon Teaches Us About Writing – As the Director and the Screenwriter of the greatest movie of the decade (so far) THE AVENGERS, his work has some great lessons for us to learn.
Jeff Goins penned this quote in a email recently and it rang true for me:  That discomfort you feel when you experience beauty, that ache you feel, is good. It means you aren’t finished yet. That there is still great work in you the world has yet to see. That there is an intention to your imagination.
 
Follow these people
All World Issues
Word Fusion – Exploring Countries Around the World
Chris Martin
Inside K Phipps Warped Exotic Mind – Not a PG site. 
Bookendings
Kim Cox
 
Next Weeks Schedule
Tuesday – Tattoo Tuesday
Wednesday – Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Friday – Write Practice – I need to start practicing and The Write Practice has some fun prompts geared towards different parts of writing. I am going to post some of practice for the world to see. 
Sunday – My Weekly Update
 
 

My Weekly Update – Books and Beginnings

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle10 Comments

Books

I read a book last week. I know what you saying. “Sydney, you are a writer, your supposed to be reading books.” Let me clarify. I read a real book, last week.  No. That’s not the right word. I read a physical book last week.

It had paper, a soft cover on the front and the back and I never had to recharge it.  I read it in bed and didn’t have to worry about breaking my nose.  Am I the only one this has happened to?  (Imagine lying in bed holding your iPad/Kindle over your head and you loose your grip and from that distance it landing smack dab on your face) I can’t be the only one and it hurts.  I read in the tub and didn’t have to worry about dropping my life in the bathtub and loosing all my information.  And, I read on the train and didn’t have to worry about the shady guy eyeing my most prized possession and think, that could easily belong to me.  (Just kidding, there are no shady people on the Hong Kong train).

Regardless, it was quite a thrill.  I didn’t tap it, flick it or swipe it and accidentally turn to many pages.  I read a page and manually turned to the next page. I used an old receipt as a bookmark and there was no question whether I was in the right place.  I spilled some coffee on it and still kept on ready.  It was so much fun.

I haven’t read a real book in about 6 months.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPad with it’s iBook and Kindle app.  But, really there is nothing like reading a real book.

What do you prefer?  Your Kindle or the real deal.

Beginnings

Spring is considered the season of new beginnings, but it appears the end of summer is inspiring me and others to begin new stuff as well.

I began to edit my June novel and at this point it is a lot of work.  But, I found these articles very helpful in getting my head organized to tackle this new writing task.

How to Use Brainstorming to Edit from Ava at Writability
What is It Like to Read a First Draft? from Becca at Inspiration for Creation
 

Roxie’s Blog is beginning a series on effective editing on September 14th. She will feature a weekly post on her editing process.  I can’t wait.  Her post are informative and always funny.

Sevestian Winters began a new blog: The Homeless Gazillionaire.  It you haven’t read it, I would suggest you do.  It is fascinating and sad and inspiring and heartbreaking and life altering all at the same time.

AM has returned to My Weekly Update.  I am sure he is thrilled.  But, this is legitimate. His site had a new beginning last week; a new look and a new focus and I think it is pretty cool.  I also wanted to help him introduce a new feature;  Wired Writers Wednesday, for all those coffee drinking writers out there.  I was inspired to take this lovely photo:

 

 

New Follower – they began following me this week (it works).
Baz McAlister
Tyson Carter at Head in a Vice – Movie Review Site
Meghan Elisabeth at Book Nerd
Patrick Latter at Canadian Hiking Photography
Miranda Hardy – Future New York Times Bestseller! – I love that. 
 
Next Weeks Schedule
Monday – What’s Your Chocolate Bloghop
Tuesday – Tattoo Tuesday
Friday – Sydney Quotes the Movies – The Bourne Legacy
Sunday – My Weekly Update

Summer: Fact or Fiction? – The Big Reveal

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle16 Comments

It is time for the big reveal in the What I did Last Summer: Fact or Fiction? Blog Hop.  Thanks so much to all the lovely  people who stopped by and casted their votes.  I was thrilled with the response and appreciative of all those who where concerned about my health and those who enjoyed the Universe setting things back in balance (You need to read the stories to get what I am talking about).

Taking a walk down memory lane and putting these two story on paper was a great experience for me.  I truly enjoyed it and discovered I have many of these types of stories rolling around in my head.  I can use them in my WIP, might be fun.  You know – – –

Oh, all right. I will stop stalling.  Here is what you all have been waiting for:

Broke Back in Three Places – FACT

Roller Coaster Karma – FICTION

Thanks again Emily R. King and Melodie Wright  for a cool Bloghop.  I had a blast.

Make sure to stop by the other participants and see if you guessed correctly.

Have a great weekend!

 

 

IWSG and Summer: Fact of Fiction Bloghop

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle43 Comments

Ok. Busy day here at Sydney Aaliyah.  Let’s start with my Insecure Writer’s Support Group post.  I kept it short.  Then, stay to enjoy story #2 of the Summer: Fact or Fiction Blog Hop (Don’t forget to vote in the comments which story you think is true;  this one or that one).  

 The main area of stress and insecurity for this month is showing my work to other.  I am super excited to have formed a critique group with two talented writers.  We haven’t started, yet and I am scared to death to show them my work as a whole.  Introducing characters, excepts for blog post, no problem, but the entire work at one time.  Wow, scary stuff.  Now, I know I will get over it and I understand to be a published author the goal is to get others to read my work, otherwise what’s the point.  But, the initial idea of it is making me nauseous. But, I am really looking forward to the critiques, so go figure.  What am I scared of?      How did you feel the first time you let some else read your work?  Does it get easier?  
Story #2 – One summer when I was 13 and my brother was 16, our parents bought us and our friends (two each) season passes to AstroWorld in Houston, Texas.  They were trying to keep us out of trouble I guess.  The only rule, stick together.
Well, as you can image, 16 year old boys don’t really want to hang out with 13 year old girls.  Besides, my friends and I were really silly.  We broke out in song at the most in opportune times.  I still do.  It wouldn’t have been so bad if we could carry a tune.  So, as soon as we entered the park, we all went out separate ways.
On one particular beautifully hot and muggy day in Houston.  we were in line for the roller coaster.  One of my friends hated roller coasters, but we were able to finally talk her into riding it with us.   It just so happened, my brother and his friends were a couple of spots ahead of us in line for the same roller coaster. Seeing how nervous she was, one of my brother’s friends who was really obnoxious started teasing her and trying to scare her even more.
We ened up on the same ride and we started the slow, agonizing crawl to the top of the roller coasters first hill.  Even I had that feeling in the pit of my stomach.  But, that coupled with  my brother’s stupid friend yelling “We’re going to get stuck, We’re going to die.” Even I was getting nervous.
The roller coaster creeped, creeped, creeped up the hill and it got to the top and started over and then it stopped.  We were in the back so we had not made the crest when it stopped.  The obnoxious friend, he was in the second car and was hanging over the edge.
Everyone was quiet for a moment.  Thinking this was part of the ride, but after about a minute, we knew we weren’t going anywhere.  We were stuck.
The park operators had to walk up, show us all how to unhook ourselves get out and walk down.  My friend was handling it all pretty well.  But, my brother’s friend.  He was terrified.  It was hilarious.  First he refused to get out of the car.  Then, when the park workers and my brother finally talked him out of the car, he held on to the guy in front of him and cried the whole walk down.
We all made fun of him the entire ride home.
Now, did that really happen?  Let me know what you think?