SAGA

Know that new writers group I wanted to start? Now that it’s been up and running for a few weeks, I’m opening it up to new people.

SAGA stands for Society for Arcane Gibberish Authors. We are a fledgling critique group for fantasy writers, started in October of 2011. This is currently a group for adult fantasy only. If you write YA fantasy and are interested in a critique group, you can still apply. If there is enough interest I will create a sub-group. There are already a couple of us with YA projects that could use the company.

We have room for three more people. Membership is capped at ten. I’ve been part of some very successful online critique groups. May be crazy for starting my own, but I wanted something small. And something less structured. We do have a forum, but no deadlines. Our own lives and writing come first. Just fellow writers grouping together for support and feedback.

If you're interested in joining, send me an email or post below. Would love to get a few new faces.

November Happenings

I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this year, but I am participating in some challenges.

November Poem-A-Day:

Every November, in the same spirit as NaNoWriMo, Robert Lee Brewer (editor for Writer's Digest) hosts a Every November, in the same spirit as NaNoWriMo, Robert Lee Brewer (editor for Writer's Digest) hosts a Poem-A-Day Challenge. Each day he’ll post a prompt on his Poetic Asides blog, and the task is to write a poem based on that prompt.

NaBloPoMo:

National Blog Posting Month helps set the habit of blogging by posting every day for one month. If you’re interested, you can sign up through November 5th. There are even prizes! I figure if I write posts in advance, then my weekends are still free—just hit publish and I’m good to go.

PubSub3rdFri

This is more a year round commitment than a challenge. PubSub3rdFri means submitting something every month, on the third Friday, and was started by Joan Y. Edwards. I definitely need to get back into regular submitting, for both poetry and fiction, and this should give me the encouragement and support I need.

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In addition to these challenges, my poetry group is staring a group blog in anticipation of the publication of our anthology. More on that later.

Busy can be good. Hopefully this birthday month will be a good one. What are your plans this month? Good luck to everyone who is doing NaNoWriMo or any of the other creative challenges.

Need a Fantasy Critique Group? Look no further!

I'm considering starting up a new critique group for fantasy / paranormal writers. Looking for dedicated members that would be able to critique monthly. I've had three people express interest so far. Would be great if I could get two or three more. Open to going up to ten if there's enough interest, but no higher.

Age category: adult fiction. If you write Young Adult fantasy and are looking for a group, I do have some YA fairy tales that are itching to become books so maybe I could do a subgroup or sister group.

Still working on details. If you’re interested let me know. If I can get one more person I’ll go ahead with this.

Irresistibly Sweet

Yesterday I received the sweetest blog award from Saronai:

She said: “Looks alone make this site irresistible to me.  Even if the posts were uninteresting, I could just admire the eye-grabbing layout cradling the finer, more fanciful header.  I also enjoy her muse theory.”

Aww, thanks so much! I’m glad someone enjoys my layout as much as I do.

I am to share seven random facts about myself, and then pass the award along to five blogging friends.

Randomness About Me

1. I love keys. Ever since reading The Golden Key, I have been fascinated by them. Especially key necklaces. I used to have a simple key on a chain with a Yin-Yan pendant. One of my favorite necklaces  now is a Steampunk key (gift from my awesome husband) from Keyper’s Cove, seen here.
2. I am a plotter. I usually have to have at least a vague idea of a scene before I start writing it. I have one chapter written of a book that isn’t plotted AT ALL. And it scares me and fascinates me at the same time.
3. I currently have 300 Friends on Facebook. Most of them are fellow Dragon, a secret society in The Secret World, an upcoming MMO which I am super excited for. We are preparing for The Secret War which should be coming to Facebook soon. (Choose your faction now!)
4. Thanks to Netflix streaming on Xbox Live, I have watched 50 episodes of Charmed in seven weeks.
5. I started writing poetry in fifth grade. I have written well over 200 poems.
6. I have seven different email accounts.
7. I have a phone phobia. My mind goes blank whenever I’m on the phone. I can never remember the things I was supposed to ask, or info to pass along. Yay for an era of email, blogs, Facebook, and texts!

And This Award Goes To…

The top five sites I find irresistible (in no particular order):

1. Liana Brooks – I’m always learning something fascinating about science and how things work. LOVED her series on The Truth behind Lust (and Love!).
2. Nikki – Always amazed at how much she manages to get done with 7 kids and a husband in the military! She shares her challenges and provides helpful household tips.
3. The Steampunk Home – I love Steampunk, the aesthetics, the genre, the clothes. This blog feeds my appetite with pictures and links of household items that fit that Steampunk vibe.
4. Epbot – Jen is always sharing wonderfully geeky things. Her skills at do-it-yourself projects are envious!
5. Alina – Love, love her whimsical header. And her posts are totally relatable as a fellow introvert writer and mom.

Right or Left Brained

You Are 20% Left Brained, 80% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

More on this later. Just easing back into blogging.

Summer Reading

Now that B is old enough to really listen and pay attention without pictures, I’ve been reading a chapter book to him. We’re going through OF MICE AND MAGIC by David Farland. I first read the sample chapter online to see if it would be something he’d like. We’re half way through the book now and really enjoying the story. We’ll definitely be checking out the other books in the Ravenspell series when we’re done.

I have good memories of me and my siblings sprawled on the couches and floor, listening to my mom read WATERSHIP DOWN. I wanted to create that same experience for my son.

In addition to our family reading time, we have plenty of incentives to read this summer.

• Our library is having  a Summer Reading program where we can record reading sessions for B and books read for me to earn a book at the end of Summer.
• Barnes and Noble has a challenge for kids to read eight books for a free book
• Borders has their Double-Dog Dare Challenge again to read ten books and earn a free book.
• Scholastic online has a minutes tracker with weekly challenges to spin for prizes and an overall sweepstakes.
• Our state governor is doing Read with a Child. Read 20 hours together over the summer and get a Certificate of Achievement.
• I even have a challenge just for me. The library is also doing an event through Goodreads. Read five books, each set on a different continent, before the end of August. Any suggestions for those?

That’s a guaranteed three free books for B if he completes the challenges, and one for me, with chances to win more prizes.

What are your reading plans this summer?

Writing Battle Plan

This is one of the posts that I started a while back, and forgot about. Still relevant though.

I finished reading CHARACTERS AND VIEWPOINT by Orson Scott Card. Awesome! Needed it at this point in my career. I had lots of aha! moments of how to fix my first novel. I had a moment where I wondered “Why didn’t I read this years ago??” Then I realized I’m probably only now at a point as a writer where I’m actually “getting” the info on the right level.

My battle plan:

• Write at least 1000 words per day, across any of my three stories. With a minimum of 250 words (one page) in each for any given week.
• Finish books (goal: this year!) then give FM some undivided attention for a final serious revision.

I even made myself an awesome Excel worksheet. I put in the project I work on each day, and how many words. It calculates my weekly word count, yearly total, and what total and percentage is for each project. Pretty cool if I do say so myself.