Tuesday's Tip for March 31st

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The day started out beautiful. The sun peaked over the horizon and rose into a cloud-filled sky. We’ve a bit of a storm front moving in today, so that luscious blue sky is now a wintery gray. I can report, though [while out picking up another chance at a laptop], much of the Forsythia are abloom. And there are daffodils and hyacinths about as well. The Magnolia’s are in full array. And the Ornamental Pears, Dogwoods, and Crabapples are just beginning to unfold and show their color. The Midwest is mere hours away from the full delight of Spring.
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I do miss the Crabapple tree, though, that stood across the street, and straight out of my second floor window. It was my true herald of the new season. I love the contrast of the generally darker bark against the new fresh foliage. But, as some of you might recall, the trunk of that tree suffered severe damage last year when it split, after a high winds storm, and needed to be felled. There is nothing to its compare in my immediate view.
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As I drove along this morning, I also noticed the current price of regular gasoline, up .30 cents literally overnight to $2.09, is now back down [for today anyway] to $1.97. Funny how the price at the pump came down so drastic last year, but the food pricing never followed suit. My favorite whole grain/sprouted breads are still well over $5 a loaf. And the two quart jug of my favorite orange juice has climbed to almost $7.00.
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One week it was at the regular price of $5.49, and not looking like it was selling, I might add. That section of the case was full, while the quart-sized containers looked picked over. I’m in the store just a few days later to find the regular price of $5.49, is now the sale price. Did they up it in order to sell it at the new sale price? Are we that gullible and/or willing? Or is it merely more along the lines of climate change and crop damage and the price is not coming down; regardless the prices at the pump? I luvs me orange juice, but-
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I’m getting a little more Twitter Savvy each day. I’m still learning the little ins and outs, so—if I’ve missed answering or responding; ReTweeting, or simply understanding all the Tweells and Tweestles— please forgive. But! I just added a new background tile to my site, and rewrote my bio. I do have one complaint, though. When trying to access the more option, at the bottom of the page, it simply will not load the older posts. I'm dead in the water as regards my attempt to catch up on a conversation or posts from an offsite conference.
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All of this should have been yesterday’s blog post, but I was busy with [what time I could spend in this chair], making sure I have all the necessary Patches, System Packs, Upgrades, and overall Dewormers in place for the Conflicker Worm! [See: Cool down on Conflicker panic…] Thank you, Lynda, for helping my brain-fogged mind to remember.
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By the way! Romance writer, Lynda Lukow, is giving away a print copy and pdf copy of Every Heart Has Its Day. To win, visit her site and enter the Sweet Treats Contest. Winners will be announced on April 13th. And just in case you'd care to know, Reese Easter Eggs are my absolute favorite!
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Finally! ~~ Here we are at today’s portion of the post. ~~NOTE: Next week’s tip is already in the can, so next time around this'll appear all the more concise. Now, here is my preliminary delicacy of advice.
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Getting Your Point Across.
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Tip: Never underestimate the value of allowing someone else to read your work prior to submission.
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How much new advice can any given writer offer another? Lots! There's as much as anyone is willing to share. And it's out here. As much as any new writer is willing to absorb. I've found writers are quite wonderful at sharing. But that can be said of much of the artistic world. Whether you find what you're looking for online, at the bookstore, from a writer's conference, within a group, or all of the above, most understand it's simply the need to express oneself.
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I read a great article many years ago in a popular nature photography magazine No. Unfortunately I remember neither the publication nor the photographer being interviewed. But— the writer asked whether he [as most of the professionals are still men] saw new photographers as a serious threat or competition. He said no. Not at all. Because he knew that no two people would ever see the same landscape, on the same day, in the same light. Their vantage points, their point of view, would always be different. That answer thrilled me to no end!
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Every writer, whether of fact or fiction, writes based on their life experience. And every new writer inevitably searches for another pair of trusted eyes. We all suffer the pangs of bearing one’s soul and eventually offer up some portion of our manuscripts to critique. What we get back, depends entirely on where we are in the process. For the sake of today’s tip, let's say it’s a matter of perspective.
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A writer being too close to his or her own work is an occupational hazard. Before any given manuscript ends up in the hands of a potential editor, it behooves us to ensure the words written, read as we intend them understood. Especially when building enticing new worlds, it’s important to know we’ve not taken anything for granted. And it’s each writer's responsibility to ask the necessary questions, so that our intentions are not be misconstrued or twisted around by someone else’s ill interpretation.
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So. It's up to every writer to muster up the strength to dust off their courage and hand over their heart to someone they trust. There's great value in another pair of eyes. Ones that might find a whole that needs to be filled. Or a landscape in need of a better, stronger view. And who knows. One day while you're paying it forward, those invaluable eyes may well end up being yours.
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Blessings

The Friday Five Favorites of March 27th

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After several days of rain there is a beautiful sunrise filtering in through my studio office window. With the return of Spring, the sun [weather permitting], is now in perfect view.
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Yesterday afternoon I peered through said window to find the first of the Clan Redwing females, had finally arrived at the feeders. Though they generally dine among the ground feeders, it was good to see her there. She holds her own amid the Grackles, Cowbirds, and Starlings.
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As for today, they're all out there. Clan Sparrow and the Mourning Doves. My BetweenOnes-- the Cardinals. The Grackles, the Brown-headed Cowbirds [still males only], the Starlings, and the Redwings. I have the window up and my ears are filled with their chirps and squawks and whistles. There is also the sing-song from Clan Robin.
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Since I’m trusting the day will come when I garner a more regular readership, this is my shameless ploy to reap that reward.
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The plan is to publish that which relates to the craft of writing, like: my current favorite website finds; weblogs; or specific Blog Posts of the Week. They may also feature five favorite authors or tweeters, or the helpfullest of hints. Look for formidable quotes or excerpts; books and/or reviews. Links to online interviews or favorite letters of news. But! Since this is my blog, I may opt (on the occasionalist of times) to share five photos, or projects, or interests of mine.
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That is somewhat the case with today’s introductory contribution. These are five of my favorite videos. Some were sent to me by friends, and some I found, happily, on my own. Why these? Because! What with all the bad news, bad weather, bad health, and the like, I thought I’d ration out a few heartwarming smiles.
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So, at the risk of coming across like a segment on Ellen, here are this week’s five favorite videos.
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OBLIGATORY WARNING: There may be a few heartfelt tears to be shed as well.

#1-- Cat Man Do?
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It’s the paw tapping the face that resonated with me. My first cat used to do that when he wanted me to, Wake up! These days, Lucy will sit in front of me, but not directly in front of the monitor, and try to gather up my attention. While I’m still keying, she'll reach with her right front paw and tap tap, ever so lightly, on the left side [cheek] of my face. Her claws are lethal, and I don't feel a one.
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#2-- A Wonderful Reunion
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If you haven’t already seen it, this article explains it best.

"But it may be something more: the indelible image of a creature that could kill a man in seconds behaving like a pussycat with two men it obviously loves, smack in the middle of the African bush."

I say we can make a lasting impression upon one another, cross-species, and goes toward proving we are indeed all related.

A related video & Wikipedia

#3-- What the ... ?
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Well--- This one just speaks for itself. Let me know how many times YOU hit the Replay button!

#4-- Playing in the Sprinkler
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Could this one make you feel any better? A happy accident, this one. I don't remember what I was looking for on YouTube when I found it, but whoever posted it initially could NOT have picked a better song. For me, it’s the sharing of worlds, and one person caring enough to share it with those who have no other way to experience such a moment. And I was truly grateful for such a find.
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#5-- English Opera
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I watched this on GMA, one morning, and ended up in tears. This shy and seemingly unassuming man, walked out on that stage and bravely showed the world exactly who he truly is. Dreams do indeed come true!

Have a wonderful weekend, Everyone!

Blessings,

Thesaurus 101

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Today’s post comes after reading Nathan Branford’s current blog post: Know What Your Words Mean.
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And again, I’d like to comment on Blogger’s Blogs I’m Following feature.

What with the brain fog of Rx drugs and fibromyalgia, this is a god send! Thank you, Blogger.

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Several of my earlier posts speak to the power of words. [See: The Power of Words or The Impact of Words] So Mr. Branford’s piece today speaks rather loud, and evoked a fond memory this gloomy rain-drenched morn.
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Prior to my going on LTD, I worked [for almost 18 years], in the field of electronic publishing. Editing, enhancing, and verifying the accuracy of legal citations and text. A good 10 years ago now, a fellow co-worker became known for writing reviews for a local paper. Via recurrent email exchanges, he would voice his disgust for being edited and repeatedly told to, ‘dumb down your work.’ An interpretation, to be sure, of his editor’s words. Though I fully supported his arguments against being forcibly dumbed down, there were times [after reading his latest review], when I had no choice but to write [and say with Love], “You’ve been reading the Thesaurus again, haven’t you?”
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He moved out west to pursue better employment [and weather no doubt], and we have since lost touch. So on now, to how I use a thesaurus.
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When I first decided to put pen to paper and release the stories in my head, I had nothing but a beautifully crafted hard bound book. What did referring to this thesaurus teach me? That a word here and there, ones I’d grown up hearing and subsequently used, did not mean exactly how I understood they should be used.
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While majoring in English helps to unlearn bad usage, it is no light matter when hearing someone say, “what difference does it make whether I say I or me?” or “you should write the way you talk,” one feels duty bound [regardless the come back] to explain and defend why..

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The only time I lay claim to what I call Writer’s Block, is when I’m simply stuck, or brain-dead, on what word to use. I’m talking about moving along, keying out a perfectly good thought into sentence form and then--- the flow just stops. The next word--- Think, think, think--- [I know it’s just behind my e-y-e-s, but... ], it juuust isn’t there. That’s when I skim through a thesaurus. Though now I use the Research feature in Microsoft Word.
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Let’s say ramparts eventually comes to mind; but— No! Ramparts is too Francis Scott Key. So, with absolutely nothing else springing to mind, I highlight ramparts, click Thesaurus--- and there it is. Battlements. THAT’S the word I was struggling to find. Now I can get back to work!
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What I find most important to remember is the need to have an understanding of the words one seeks. I could very well have said, Hummm, how about parapet instead? n-n-n-No. That doesn’t even sound like me much less blend with the tone of the storyline. And I wouldn’t have considered stockade, because in my head stockade equates to brig.
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A writer truly needs to keep his or her readers in mind. When brig is an informal reference to a *prison on a warship, one needs to maintain the proper context. Especially if a writer, working on a period piece, describes a protective enclosure built of felled wood and spiked posts, then stockade is clearly the word of choice. Which is also [using North American vernacular], precisely where one might choose to store a particularly naughty character. It’s knowing when to use stockade instead of brig. Or vice versa.
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So! A thesaurus can be quite useful in jump-starting a blocked brain [regardless whether it’s the right word or one that will inevitably read as having been plucked from a hardcopy or digital lexicon], as it is in teaching a writer what words NOT to use. All I’m saying is we simply can’t go about substituting words nilly-willy! It's about knowing the craft. [And yes. I know it’s willy-nilly.]
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In the end, thesaurus-based word usage, while not going anywhere, will eventually [and quite rightfully so], imply either the writer is not versed in the proper jargon and/or history, or will never even give an editor pause for concern.

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I’d prefer to work toward the latter.
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Blessings

From AskOxford’s free online dictionary:

stockade • noun 1 a barrier or enclosure formed from upright wooden posts. 2 chiefly N. Amer. a military prison.

brig1 • noun 1 a two-masted square-rigged ship. 2 *informal a prison on a warship.

A Little of This, and a Little of That

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It was another beautiful spring morning until the sunrise became criss-crossed with heavy trails that eventually overcame the Sun. Clear blue skies seem rare these days. On a cheerier note-- along with the return of the Clan Robin, the Grackles, Cowbirds, and Redwing Blackbirds are all back as well. And one interesting thing to note, as goes the Cowbirds and Redwings, I've seen only the males. But, the feeders [with my neighbor is still helping] are teaming with activity.

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Some of you will remember the Slide proposal I posted the first week or so of January [which has since been pulled off into the Draft folder], for a children's picture book: A Day at the Marsh. Well, I opened that file and keyed the text into a Word.doc for further fleshing out. I also need to go through my photo CDs to collect the required images; both for the subsequent manuscript and future submissions and queries. Reading through Top Ten Writing Mistakes Made By New Children’s Writers helped to steer me toward [aside from keeping up with my blogs], what project to focus on next. While I still monitor my BP, I can go through the CDs and photos while on the couch. And though I’m practicing a new stitch, my knitting can wait.

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There is also the fact that Script Frenzy begins April 1st. I very much enjoyed the process of scriptwriting, but failed to finish Remembrance, in 2007. I have my Final Draft software out and ready to install, I just need to make the commitment and follow through. I would like to see a complete first draft. I can decide what to do with it later.

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I’ve got a few hand-written notes on the results of one of my NON-writing-related goals for 2009. While offline I worked with sprouting lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans and split peas. Though the split peas have since been relegated to future soups, the other three worked wonderfully well. A post on all of this will likely be found in my Quill of the Heart blog.

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To close, here are a few photos of a recent sewing project; again, done while off line. I came to the point where I needed a case to properly store my knitting needles. The only thing is, it just wasn’t something that was going to fit into my limited budget anytime soon.

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So, I pulled out a couple of fat quarters of this Victorian print flannel [from my quilting stash], and went about designing a case. I didn’t have a zipper [another something I simply could not afford], so I looked through my hatboxes of laces and trims and found this silk frog closure, and dyed it in a coffee bath. I believe, though, I'm going to remove the fire-polished crystal drop; as it detracts somewhat from the closure.

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Here's a look at the inside pockets. The small one, upper left, is for row and stitch counters. The gussetted one holds my circulars. And those to the right, pretty much speak for themselves.

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It took a few weeks to accomplish; what with not being able to sit so long at either the table and/or the sewing machine. But I’m quite happy with the end result. Enjoy!

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This is it for today. I need to give my back a break from this chair.

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Blessings,

Tweet Tweetly-tweet...

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While I get the value of networking on Twitter [See, Lori Widmer's What I Finally Get About Twitter], I'm finding it juuust a little harder to navigate than what's professed. I know interviews and conversations are held there on a regular basis, and I've seen other writers posting numerous updates a day. But I seem allowed only one.
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If I post one even few hours from the initial day's update, either the first one disappears, or my current one doesn't post at all. Though I'm still waiting for my ticket to be assigned, any help will be greatly appreciated.
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[Update: I just managed a second post on Twitter!

Fingers cross-ed that my dilemma is solv-ed!]

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I had a bad reaction, this week, to the new NSAID Arthrotec. Exhaustion set in Wednesday, to the extent I felt ready to crash, and was followed by a spike in my blood pressure Thursday evening. I started feeling bad around 10:45pm. There was nothing to explain the change since I'd been sitting, with my legs up on the ottoman, all evening. I took a BP reading and found it at 150 over 101. Pulse was a seemingly normal at 65.
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When I woke at 5:15am the next morning, still feeling bad, I took another reading. 160 over 101, though my pulse was up to 70. I took myself off the dosage for the day, called my personal physician [who wants me on one tablet a day], and woke up this morning at 148 over 90. Pulse down to 61.
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My prescription was changed as the OA is now showing up in my hands. That along with the fibromyalgia in my ankles, needless to say-- I've been concerned.
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Part of this year's writing-related goals was to set up for writing-related activities downstairs; when I'm in my all-too-often, periodic recovery modes. I generally use this time for my knitting. But, as I was able to accomplish Wednesday, I had several notebooks [too many notebooks!] and topics to sort through and into their own respective files. That was partially achieved. As I could no longer sit at my desk, I did feel I accomplished SOMETHING along the lines of productivity; while sorting through all that long-hand.
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Oh! Yesterday I won a free coffee from Tim Horton. They're playing RRROLL UP -THE RIM TO- WIN, again, and I'm shooting for a laptop. One of those would be quite helpful when I'm relegated to the couch and recovery.
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Though I still need to take it easy today, there is also laundry to tackle.
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More soon,
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Blessings,

New to the RESOURCE & Favorite Sites Lists

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I want to post another quick update regarding a few recent side bar additions to my RESOURCE list; all found while following Twitter.
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Today's additions comes via Linda Jo Hutchinson's Twitter link to: 101 Essential Resources For Freelancers. From there I found: Social Media Starter Moves for Freelancers. Both are excellent must-read pieces. Needless to say I subscribed to Mr. Brogan's community and social media newsletter and I've bookmarked his site for further reference! And, there is still so much to review from the initial 'essentials' list.
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Yesterday's additional link came from Devon Ellington's Twitter update, and where I found her article @ Scruffy Dog Review: Where's the Work? I plan on visiting the boards she shared, sometime early next week.
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I also added a link to Suzanne Lieurance's: The Working Writer's Coach; an excellent resource for tips for writers at any stage. See Your Professional Writers' Resume.
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My Favorite Sites list also has a few new links; two of which are: Nathan Bransford Literary Agent, and Alan Rinzler's The Book Deal. Both found via Lea Schizas. Check out her new header @ The Writing Jungle. [And thank you again, Lea, for lending a kind ear yesterday. It helped to keep things in perspective!]
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More soon. I've got to go for now. The new stronger NSAIDs have me feeling quite exhausted.
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Blessings

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Back Up and Running?

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N-o-t entirely. I still need to complete the proper install of my security suite. The Spyware Protection did not install. So-- this is merely a quick post to let you know that I hope to be blogging again soon. My next serious post may well be found at Diary of a Prisoner. I fleshed out a couple entries in long hand; during my unintentional down time.
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I added a link in the side bar, so-- scroll down and Tweet Me! For my more personal side of life, you can also find me on Facebook.

Please let me know if either link doesn't function properly and I'll look into resolving the issue. I'm still trying to figure out things at both sites.
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More soon, Many Blessings, L.L.