Rules of Mourning 04/29/10 08/08/2011
Mourning was a public act, so to do it correctly was high fashion. Whether an aristocrat mourned or not showed his animosity or recognition toward the deceased. If the relative that had passed was loathed, one might don mourning as slight as possible, just enough not to give offense.
Add Comment Did You Know--Weepers 04/27/10 08/08/2011
 Weepers are actually a knot of ribbon, or a long, narrow scarf which is attached to the shoulder of a coat. Weepers are usually white, not black (perhaps to show up better against the dark coat!).
Playing God 04/22/10 08/08/2011
 "The characters can own villas and yachts, and armies can be deployed at no cost. A novelist is limited only by his or her imagination. Writing a novel is a heady experience, for a novelist creates worlds and plays God." --Sidney Sheldon And people wonder why I write! Titles 04/22/10 08/08/2011
 As I said yesterday in my post, I have been getting contest entries ready. So I had to rethink the title for one of my MS's "Sutherland Family Curse" as that was a working title only and I didn't want to enter it into a contest with that name. Usually, I don't have trouble when it comes to naming my stories, but this one...I don't know nothing great or fitting would come to me. I threw a bunch of names out at my CP and she helped me to narrow it down to two. I asked my daughter and she was no help whatsoever. So I wrote them both on a piece of paper, tossed them in a bowl, closed my eyes and picked one. The "Sutherland Family Curse" is now "The Viscount's Potion". I'm still not the happiest with this name, but it does fit the story a little better. If your working titles are not appropriate for your stories. If they're not catchy enough, or you just need some direction with your titles check out this article by B. W. Clough entitled the "Theory of and Practice of Titles": http://www.sfwa.org/bulletin/articles/clough.htm Foolish 04/21/10 08/08/2011
 I've been working a lot on contest entries and writing synopses,etc. I read over my work get frustrated or just flat out wonder who the heck is ever going to want to read any of these stories and want to shove everything in a drawer and forget about it and move on to something new. And then I came across this quote: "When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap." --Cynthia Heimel The Writing Rituals 04/20/10 08/08/2011
 Do you have a hard time getting yourself into the groove of writing everyday? What do you do to get yourself ready to write? Take a look at this article on writing rituals from some the highest successful writers around, see what they do to clear the distractions and get themselves into the flow and ready to write. http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/right_writing_rituals.htm Offerings 04/19/10 08/08/2011
 I love this quote! "Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer." --Barbara Kingsolver Sound of Dialogue 04/19/10 08/08/2011
 "I do a lot of talking to myself when I write, trying out the sound of dialogue. Neighbors must think I always have a roomful of company."--Tennessee Williams I read this quote and it made me laugh. This is me, to a tee. I laugh and I'm moved emotionally at my own work. A couple of years ago, I took a week off from work just to write. I wanted to get to "The End" of my MS and I knew I needed some uninterrupted time. So, my husband parked our travel trailer at one of the camping resorts we have membership to, gave me a kiss, patted the dogs on the head and left us there for the entire week. It was bliss. A whole week by myself to write—undisturbed. The only gadgets I took with me (besides my laptop) were my cell phone and I-Pod. There was no internet access, so I had no distraction with e-mail and surfing the net, etc. I didn't even have cell phone service unless I walked from the resort down the road and even then it was spotty and sometimes dropped calls. But I loved it! I got so much writing accomplished. I would sit at my table every morning and start writing. I would have to remind myself to take a break and walk the dogs. It was lovely. The only distractions I had were the other campers at the resort. And there were people outside of my trailer. Lots of older retired people who have time to travel around. They were coming and going. Moving trailers and whatnot. My dogs let me know anytime they felt someone was too close to my trailer. Then I began to notice who they were barking to. The park manager who kept coming onto my site to check...I don't know something?? Water my site, etc. My little patch of grass was flooded (I stepped out of my trailer into puddles of water) and a little sapling that was growing there drowned (poor little thing). Some of the older gentlemen were sitting outside my open trailer window at the next site. First it was just the old man that was parked next to me. One day, his wife tried to get him to come in and he kept putting her. In a moment...in a moment...just a moment...until she came out to see what he was up to and bring him inside with her. Next he had a friend or two sitting with him. My windows were open, but I didn't hear they talking. The only reason I knew they were out there was because my dogs would bark when someone new would approach. I still think back on that week and wonder. Did all those old men hang around my trailer because they were curious about what was going on inside my trailer? I read my work aloud and had been doing so all week. I had written some explicit, touching and funny scenes throughout those days. Had they been listening to my story? Or did they just think I was psycho? Hmm... Entered two MS into contests last week. Wish me luck! Going to need it... Nautical Phrases 04/14/10 08/08/2011
 One of my recent characters was an Admiral. So I had the opportunity to research nautical terms/phrases, etc. and I learned that many phrases originating from the days of sail have been adopted into everyday use. Undoubtedly, seafaring is also the source of more false etymology than any other. Luckily, recorded records help us distinguish the truth. I thought I would list some of the phrases I came across in my research. All at sea Meaning: In a state of confusion and disorder. Origin: This is an extension of the nautical phrase 'at sea'. It dates from the days of sail when accurate navigational aids weren't available. Any ship that was out of sight of land was in an uncertain position and in danger of becoming lost. 'At sea' has been in use since the 18th century, as here, in Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the laws of England, 1768: "If a court of equity were still at sea, and floated upon the occasional opinion which the judge who happened to preside might entertain of conscience in every particular case." The earliest reference to 'all at sea' in print that I can find is from Travel and adventure in south-east Africa, 1893, by Frederick C. Selous: "I was rather surprised to find that he seemed all at sea, and had no one ready to go with me." From the web site: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/all-at-sea.html Love Stories vs. Romance Novels 04/09/10 08/08/2011
 Nicholas Sparks--a formulaic romance writer or author of unpredictable love stories? http://www.cracked.com/funny-4725-nicholas-sparks/ Hmm...has he read his own work? | Jaycee Keef
random ramblings of a romance writer on her trek towards publication  Like what you've read?
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