More Links To Share

A few links this week.  Some are helpful, some are just fun.  FYI, I'm totally addicted to books.  If you want to know how addicted, you could always visit my other blog: www.loniseye.blogspot.com.

25 Signs You’re Addicted To Books - Buzzfeed
http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/signs-youre-addicted-to-books-reading

38 Wonderful Foreign Words We Could Use In English - Mental Floss
http://mentalfloss.com/article/50698/38-wonderful-foreign-words-we-could-use-english

The King's English Dethroned - Writer Unboxed
http://writerunboxed.com/2013/05/23/the-kings-english-dethorned/

What Makes A Page-Turner - Heroines With Heart
http://heroineswithhearts.blogspot.ca/2013/05/what-makes-page-turner.html

I Miss Traveling To Other Worlds: Fiction and Non-Fiction For Me

I love writing fiction.  I always have.  The main project I've been working on lately, however, is non-fiction.  I would not normally have chosen to write something non-fiction, but some things happened to me and I wanted to share it.  As I work on this non-fiction, I find myself missing the act of creating new worlds and new characters that only exist in my mind.  Even as I write blog posts, occasionally I find myself thinking, I should really get back to that story.

I noticed this a lot yesterday.  I was at my writing group.  I wrote a couple of pieces that I think could develop into full-fledged stories.  One story in particular is weighing on my mind.  I keep thinking about it, about the main character and what is going to happen to him and his group.  (At least I think the main character is a he, I hadn't actually decided, I left it ambiguous.)  The time for writing during the group is limited, which is normally fine.  With this one piece, though, I knew it should become a story or rather; it just won't let go of me.

Though I know I need to focus on finishing my non-fiction, (draft one is done and I'm currently re-reading and editing it), I can't push away my love of fiction.  Besides the writing group, I'm thinking of designating one day a week where I can look at my fiction again.  Maybe?  Maybe it'll remain with my feelings, when a story or character move me enough to keep writing writing about it, I will.  I will not ignore everything else.

Thanks for listening.  I think I'm going to keep writing that story now....

I Like Sharing...Links

Only two links this week, but I really enjoyed both articles.  I hope you do too.

The Road Can Be (Very) Long - Book Pregnant
http://bookpregnant.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-road-can-be-very-long.html?spref=bl

Ten Ways To Torture Yourself As A Writer - Writer Unboxed
http://writerunboxed.com/2013/05/19/ten-ways-to-torture-yourself-as-a-writer/

Camomile

I'm having trouble deciding between two types of Camomile.  I really enjoy drinking Camomile in the evenings.  It contains no caffeine and it has relaxing properties.  I often have a  cup after the children are asleep, while I read or write or watch tv.  It has only been about a year since I started drinking it and now it's a regular part of my evening.  

Can you believe Teavana doesn't sell Camomile?  The sell some fruity thing that has Camomile it in.  Ugh.  Not for me.  In case I haven't mentioned it before, I don't typically drink fruity teas.  In general, they're too sweet. When I asked the sales person at the store why they didn't sell Camomile, her response was that it was too common and I should get it at the grocery store.  (Wow.)

Fine.  Except that most Camomile teas come with either mint or lemon flavouring already in it.  Really?  Why is it so difficult to find plain Camomile? Eventually, I actually came across two (the only two I could find) brands that had plain Camomile.  Twinings used to be the only one.  So I bought it.  A lot.  Then one day I was at the grocery store and the Lipton Pyramid teas caught my eye.  There was another Camomile! I was so surprised, I had to buy it, not because I disliked the Twinings, but because there were now two Camomile teas at the grocery store!  But, can someone tell me why I can't find a link to this tea online? Or even a picture?  It's new, only a few months since I first saw it, but come on!

I think the Lipton might have a stronger flavour than the Twinings, but it's so difficult to tell in such a mild tea. Anyone drink Camomile and have a preference?

Note: pregnant/nursing women should NOT drink this tea because it causes uterine contractions!

I Went To Writer's Group...

I'm not sure about the writing I produced.  - To recap:  I joined a writer's group that does "freeflow" writing from prompts, 4 prompts writing for 10 minutes each time.  This is not a critique group. -   I felt good about some of it, but not all of it.  I don't expect an instant stellar piece every time my pen hits the page, but I usually feel better about the quality of my work than I did this last time.  I've even given myself a couple of days to think about it and perspective isn't making the "meh" feeling go away.  

Why am I feeling that way?  We all have off-days, right?  I don't go to the group just to feel good about myself.  I go because I enjoy it and it keeps my writer juices flowing.  I've definitely left the group before and looked at some of the pieces I wrote and thought, well, I'll never use that for anything.  Do I feel this way because I'm tired?  I've had a busy couple of weeks and not a lot of sleep.  That can produce either work that's questionable in quality or a lack of positive feeling about work regardless of the quality, right?  Meh.

Links and Stuff

geralt

It's been a little while since I posted links... mostly because I haven't been keeping up on the blogs like I usually do. Here's what I've discovered this week...

What is New Adult Fiction? - Quick Brown Fox

http://quick-brown-fox-canada.blogspot.ca/2013/05/what-is-new-adult-fiction.html

What Novelists Should Know About Short Fiction

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/04/28/what-novelists-should-know-about-short-fiction/

Just how many readers do you need? - Book Pregnant

http://bookpregnant.blogspot.ca/2013/05/just-how-many-readers-do-you-need.html

I'm posting this because it was funny:

Funny Oxymorons for Writers - Writer Unboxed

http://writerunboxed.com/2013/04/29/funny-oxymorons-for-writers/

It's Almost Been A Week

Tomorrow, tomorrow is the day when I pick up my first draft again and read it through. Can I read the whole thing through in one sitting?  I doubt it.  Maybe if I started in the morning...  But there's this little thing called a day job...  I'll probably end up reading a bit each night for a little while until I comb through the whole thing.  I'm anxious and excited.  I'm also worried.  What if now that it's written and I've stepped away from it, I think it's awful?  What if I read it and wonder: what was I thinking?  Why am I worrying about it?  This week was supposed to give me perspective.  Maybe I'm just neurotic.  Or crazy.  It's okay, we can call it crazy.

Draft One Finished!

Yay!

I finished the first draft of the non-fiction story I have been working on since last July.  I can't describe the feeling I had last night... or the feelings I'm having today as I think about it.

I've put it aside.  That's what you're supposed to do, right?  You're supposed to step back and let it simmer for a week.  That way you're coming back to the work with a fresh perspective.  I can't stop thinking about it.  That's probably why the advice is weight a whole week, you need the time.

What do I do next?  I read it and edit.  Then... I make my Hubby read it.  He reads everything I write.  I also have a girlfriend who knows I've been working on this and has been waiting for me to finish it so she can read it too.  Then, do I need Beta Readers?  Probably, yes.  Where do I find them?  The Internet?  Bah!  I need to figure out what to do.  In a week.  In a week, I'll figure out what to do.  Or something.