Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts

Friday, November 22, 2013

Why I Need a Fire Dragon








 Now that Nanowrimo is winding down to a close (for me at least, I’m at 49, 872 words today!! Woohoo…happy dance!), I thought I’d blog about a much more pressing matter.

Why I need a Fire Dragon:

1.      The only pets I currently have are outside chewing their cud.
2.      A fire dragon (meaning a dragon made of fire, with scaly black skin laced with cracks that burn orange and ominous as if it’s about to explode…bwah ha ha ha)… Ahem, a fire dragon can provide much more warmth and pyrotechnic ability than a cat, even one who can puff up to the size of a burning mountain lion. (Alas, I don’t have one of those, either, but I wish I did.)
3.      Dragons posses vast stores of ancient, magical knowledge. (That oughta help with my latest novel, right?)
4.      Dogs can’t fly. Dragons can. (And I might be able to ride, right? Wait…what about all that fiery skin…)
5.      Security. Dragons are great at fighting enemies (and irritating neighbors, too).
6.      Seaching for treasure. There’s got to be some gold hidden in these hills.
7.      To keep the cows company when I travel.
8.      To cook me dinner (roasted cow…yum).
9.      So I can watch a dragon fly across the moon (much more exciting than an owl, although those are nice, too).
This would be a perfect moon for dragon-watching
10.  And in the words of my 13-year-old son…Dragons are cooool.

What mythical creature would you like for a pet?

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Skiing Catastrophe

Well, I have to apologize that I've neglected blogging for so long. I tore out my ACL and meniscus (apparently essential knee structures) over the Christmas holidays and have been trying to keep up with life when I can barely walk. I know, poor me.

My reconstructive knee surgery is at the end of this month, so I figured I better knuckle down and get blogging. No sense waiting until rehab is over since that could take a year. I plan to spend all my resting moments either reading or writing.

On the upside, I now know what it feels like to toboggan down a mountain in a body bag. Surely I can fit that in a novel somewhere!

What crazy experience in your life do you think ought to be in a book?

Friday, November 30, 2012

Autumn fun...life dreams


Family and friends sharing the joys of autumn. While helping some friends move, our kids found these wonderful piles of leaves and jumped right in. I love how they live life so fully. They worked hard and played hard, something we all should do!

These little sweeties are one of the reasons I’m a writer. I hope to share with them the love I have for life. My hope is to write novels that transport readers to new worlds—real or imagined, and to provide exhilarating adventures that, when finished, will inspire readers to tackle their own lives with spirit and courage.

What hopes or dreams do you have for your writing or other work or hobbies?

Monday, October 15, 2012

Define Your Character




Each character needs unique identifiers to be easily recognized by the reader. Following are some characterization tips with ideas to get you started. Happy creating!














·         Physical description, height, hair color, unique details
o   Obvious things like height, hair color, eye color
o   Hair type or style
o   Bulky frame, lanky frame
o   Limp or physical defect, healthy or ill?        
·         Special abilities/talents
o   Intelligence
o   Physical strength
o   Supernatural power
o   Special talents
§  Musical
§  Ability to sense things or to judge
§  Wisdom
·         Things they often carry with them or that are associated with them
o   A football
o   Reed pipes
o   Backpack full of books
o   Lipstick
o   Magical items
o   Specific jewelry
·         Certain types of clothes associated with them
o   Comfy sweats, exercise clothes
o   Glittery eye makeup
o   Fitted suits
o   Very plain
o   girlish
o   sophisticated
o   dance club wear
o   rasta cap
o   heels
·         Turns of phrase or ways of speaking
o   Babbled
o   Bleated (ie: if satyr)
o   Demanded
o   “awww man…”
o   “are you mental?” (gratuitious harry potter reference. I can’t help myself.)
·         Things or people associated with them, that would commonly indicate their presence
o   Shifting mud
o   other mages
o   Earthquake
o   Cold room
·         Beliefs and attitudes
o   Religious
o   Ethical/moral
o   Opinions about issues in their world
o   Superstitions
o   Grudges
o   Irrational ideas
o   Generally positive or negative
o   How do they behave when no one is looking?
·         Any unique behaviors
o   Nervous fidgeting (be specific!)
o   What do they do when they concentrate
o   Or when bored
o   Compulsively pick fluff off people’s clothes
o   Are they huggy or standoffish?
o   Wander off when nervous or bored?
o   Rambling speech

What characters are you writing about?