Are you a limited point of view writer, or are you an omnicient point of view writer?

What’s the difference? A limited point of view lets the reader experience a scene through the eyes of one person, and one person only.

An omniscient point of view lets the reader experience a scene through several persons.

Basically the difference is that with a limited point of view you see into the mind of one person. With the omniscient point of view you see into the minds of several (usually two) people while they interact.

I used to write omniscient point of view, but like many people, I was told I’m headhopping, and I’m doing it all wrong. The trouble is, I like seeing into the minds of both my characters.

Other people do it, why can’t I? Why am I not allowed to write how I’m comfortable? Is one way better than the other? I’m told the reader gets confused. I don’t think so. There is headhopping, where you go from one character to the other, switching over and over. And there is omniscient point of view, where you slide smoothly into the view of the other person.

Is it wrong?

I find love scenes much easier to write when I can convey the feelings of both people involved. Their doubts and fears. On both sides. Is that headhopping?

Truth is, I don’t know.

I just know I find it very difficult to stick to limited point of view, and I find myself telling, instead of showing, because I feel I’m repeating myself.

What do you think?

Tags: Headhopping, Point of View, POV

I’ve blogged about New Years Resolutions on Passionate Critters today.
Mainly because I never stick to them, but this time I’m determined to succeed.

In more ways than one!

So if you want to read my musings… Head on over.

Tags: Lists, New Start, New Year, Resolutions

I’m worldbuilding.

I always do, but occasionally I sit back and review.
It got me to thinking.
I write Paranormals, which means there are all manner of creatures running around.
In groups.
That requires a collective noun.
I’ve always been very fond of the term "A murder of crows", which got me to wondering…

What do you call a group of Vampires?
Here are some I found, I hope it’s a little helpful for some.

Vampires:

Coven, Clan, Pack, Kiss, Coterie.
(The place they inhabit tends to be called a Nest.)

Werewolves / Lycans / Werecats:

Pack

Demons:

Err… yeah. Not a clue. Still looking. Maybe "A Scare"?

Ghosts:

Haunt

Dragons:

Brood, Flight, Clutch

If I find any others, I’ll post them.
And if you have suggestions… put it in a comment.

Other words that describe groups of… anything, really, are:

Fraternity, Crew, Gang, Flock, Cluster, Herd, Family, Sect, Squad, Tribe, Legion, Cloud, Host, Swarm, Horde, Litter, Drove… the list goes on and on.
I’ve put up a page with collective nouns for people who are after the same thing.

Tags: Collective Nouns, Definitions, Groups, Word Terms

Did you get what you wanted?
Did you get something you needed?
Did your family drive you crazy?

I got a huge jar of jelly beans, even though we said no presents this year.
I gave a Wheat and Lavender neck warmer in return. (We’re sharing the beans. :))
Some other things too, but the beans made my day. (The pink nightie… didn’t. I don’t do pink.)
Oh and some vouchers, as well. I’ll probably swap mine with the other half, who got book tokens.
All in all it was a nice Christmas. I still miss the snow and ice and darkness on Christmas Eve though, and I doubt I’ll ever get used to Christmas Day being the main day.
So now we can all get back to writing, right?

The one thing I didn’t get for Christmas, is unblocked.

 Argh.

Tags: Christmas, Presents

It’s that time of year again.

The time, when all sense goes straight out of the window and only one thing matters:

Brussel Sprouts.

The annual Brussel Sprout War is in full swing, as witnessed by myself in Waitrose earlier today.
I don’t know why people go crazy at Christmas time. You’d think everything was closed for the next eight weeks, the way some people are shopping.
Seriously, do you think you’re going to starve? That the shops run out of food by Saturday?
Worse, apparently it all hinges on a little green vegetable.

So…

Have you got your sprouts yet?

If not… you better bring a shotgun.
You’re gonna need it…

Tags: Christmas, Food, Shopping, Sprouts

It’s the same thing every year.

Christmas Eve arrives and I get a little melancholy and homesick.

It all has to do with Christmas Tradition, the smell of the tree, the cookies I used to bake with my grandmother (Gutzle, if any Swabians happen to read this.), Butter-S’s, Glühwein!
Sorry, I digress. We didn’t really have Glühwein (Mulled Wine) on Christmas Eve. We had that during the run up to Christmas, because it was… well… cold.

We never used to bring the tree inside before Christmas Eve.
It was kind of a ritual, and the day went something like this:

Morning — Noon

We’d get the tree up three flights of stairs, into the living room. Eventually. When we worked out how to get a tree that was too wide, too tall and otherwise unwieldy, up those winding stairs and through that door, without leaving half of in on the stairs or in the banisters… One of us was always on a mission to unsnag snagged branches and hide the broken bits from mom.
There it would be erected and left to settle for an hour or so, while my dad, my brother and I climbed into the attic to go get the Christmas decorations down.
Then came the ritual "Oh no! You BROKE it!" of the dropping of any baubles that were breakable.
We would pull tinsel apart and lay it out, dig out the candle holders, the stars, the bows…
Then my mom would come in and we’d decorate the tree, taking extra care to put the candles where they wouldn’t burn anything. (Yes, REAL candles.)
Once we were all happy with our tree, we’d clear up the debris (there was always debris…) and leave the living room.
Usually by around noon.
Door shuts.
No one is allowed inside anymore.

Noon — Afternoon

I’d go downstairs to my gran’s and we’d make more cookies. (We started baking cookies on the 1st Advent, and after Christmas Eve you didn’t bake any more.)
Our cookies never lasted long. There were Butter-S’s, Vanillkipferl, Coconut Macaroons, Ausstecherle, Haslenut Macaroons… you name it, I’ve probably made it before.
Tons and tons of them. (And I’m still making them…)
I might dig out the recipes and post them some time, because they are worth preserving and making, they were that good. And there is nothing like baking with gran, or mom.
By 3pm we’d start asking if the "Christkind" had been yet. (In Germany, presents are not brought by Santa, but by the Christ Child.)
By 4pm we’d "help" my mother prepare Christmas Dinner. (I think she would have preferred us not to, but there you go… at this point we were unstoppable.)
By 5pm (it was pitch dark outside by then) we’d be camping in front of the living room door.

Afternoon — Evening

At 5pm, everything was silent outside. You didn’t hear a car move, or anything.
Then the church bells of all the churches in town would start to ring.
When they fell silent again, you would hear "Silent Night" ring out over the town, played by a trumpeter on the church spire.
I swear, I hear that, and I’ll be in tears. They probably don’t do it anymore now, but they used to, when I was a kid.

And that’s when a little bell would ring in the living room.
My mom turned all the lights off. Every single one.
It was a time when I held my breath, waiting… waiting for that door to open.

And then it did.
And all you saw was the lit tree, sparkling tinsel in the dark room, glistening baubles, stars…

Magic.

I tried hard to find anything that could do justice to that view.
Below is pretty close to what we’d see when that door opened.
 

Merry Christmas!

I hope your Christmas is a magical as mine used to be.

Tags: Christmas, Germany, Tradition

I miss snow.
But everytime there’s even an inch of it here (outside London) everyone is like "OMG! What is that WHITE stuff????"
Having grown up in southern Germany, and having spent most of my formative years on skis, you kinda look at an inch of snow and go "So?"
Mind you, growing up near the Alps and spending plenty of time on top of them, kind of also makes you go "What mountain? Where??" when you get to Wales and someone says "Look at the mountain!"
This is closely followed by me going "Oh you mean that hill?" which is closely followed by my hiding under the car, trying to avoid enraged climbers. With ice picks.
Scotland has mountainous terrain. I still have trouble calling it a mountain.
I used to ski in Courmayeur and Dolonne (Monte Bianco / Mont Blanc) as well as all over the Dolomites (South Tirol), Zugspitze and whatnot.
1,000 meters (3,500 ft) is a hill to me. Even the Zugspitze is 3 times higher than that and I’m used to looking at 4000 meters of mountain. (13,000ft, with Monte Bianco being almost 16,000 ft)

I miss the mountains. I really do.

And I miss snow, especially around Christmas.

Tags: Christmas, Mountains, Snow

One Silent Night
(Dark Hunter Series)
Sherrilyn Kenyon
ISBN 978-0312947064

(No, I’m not kidding.)

Blurb:

It’s the Christmas season and all hell’s breaking loose. Literally. While humans shop, an angry demon lord is plotting an all-out onslaught against his enemies, which -unfortunately for us - includes the human race. But as Stryker gathers his forces, he discovers a grown son he never knew existed and an angry ex, Zephyra, who’s as determined to end his existence as he is to end ours. The ultimate predator is about to meet his match as new battle lines are drawn and the Dark-Hunters are rallied for a blood bath on Christmas Eve. The only question is this: can Stryker survive his oldest enemy to fight the ones he really wants to kill ? or will Zephyra finally have her shot at the husband who abandoned her?
 

Review

First of all… I was hoping this one would see Sherrilyn get back to pre-Acheron form.
While I liked the story in Acheron, I thought it deviated too much from the previous ones.
It was not a romance, as far as I’m concerned. At least not until the second half of the book.

So yeah, my hopes were high that she’d got it all out of her system.
Epic Fail, darling.

For starters — the blub is shoddy, really shoddy, but not Sherrilyn’s fault. That one is down to copy editors, editors, marketing people and whatnot at St. Martin’s Press.

That blurb…
The angry Ex who wants to kill him is there, yes.
Everything else in the blurb is wrong.

1. There is no angry demon lord, but a demon/ex god type creature Stryker sets loose.
2. War is not going after humans, he’s going after Ash and Nick, at Stryker’s request.
3. Stryker doesn’t discover a SON he never knew existed — but a daughter. (who the hell didn’t spot THAT one??)
4. The Dark-Hunters barely get a mention, let alone join the fight.
5. It has nothing to do with Christmas, other than the culmination on Christmas Eve.

The entire book feels backstory and setup for future books, basically.
She’s written herself into a corner with Ash out of the picture now, the big enemy Artemis is relegated to the sidelines — she needed new big guys, bigger than she had before. (That’s where Savitar and Jared came in a few books ago, it started back then, so I knew this was coming.) Suddenly Nick turns into some ultimate being. There is all manner of setup of the new world as it is forming (with the new powers and stuff, and an explanation thereof) and in the middle of all that you have a lackluster love story which isn’t really a love story at all.
This is not a romance. It’s nothing like previous books, except that you get tons of past — and not enough present. She keeps touting Stryker as the ultimate lover — well. SHOW would have been better than TELL. Wow. I would have seriously handed this book back and told her to make me love the characters. I didn’t see Stryker come across as a likeable guy. Yeah, he has faults, yeah, he has to overcome them — but it happens way too fast, way too easy.
Stryker suddenly has a heart. I suspected he did, but he deserved so much better than this book. He deserved better than Zephyra, too. It didn’t make me perceive him as the strong, unshakable heroes I’m used to from Sherri. Instead my sense of strength that I got from him in previous books, evil and malicious as it may have been, transformed into a sense of "What kind of spineless weak git is this?". We keep being reminded what he’s capable of — but it felt more like "Remember, he’s really evil".
I didn’t like Zephyra. (to the point  have to double check how to spell her, and I can’t remember what she looked like — and I finished the book an hour ago…) It was bland and boring, because the "I hate you, you left me" "I had to or daddy woulda killed you" got old real quick.
I mean pa-lu-heeze. Get over it already!
The story lacks the passion of previous books. The characters lack depth and purpose. They came across whiney, spoiled and irritating. As well as too powerful. Too much "I hate you" followed by "I’m sorry" to really have a conflict. Yeah, I like a heroine who can kick the hero’s behind, but I don’t like all powerful. It made me dislike her.
There is way too much backstory and setup to get any sense of the people whose story this is supposed to be. And they deserved better than being thrown into this hodgepodge of storylines.
There’s too much Ash, Savitar, Nick, Jared, Artemis and whatnot involved, along with a whole slew of new and old gods.
Too many things smack of deus ex machina, or at least a serious cop out.
Too much tell instead of show.
Too much explanation where I could have done without, not enough where I needed to know.
And throughout — there is a lack of the tension that made the previous books keepers.
When I’m more interested in the gay bodyguard than in the hero… that’s not good!
First time I give Sherri a lackluster two stars. The reason for the pervious ones being keepers is because they were about the people in the story, not about the world around them. This time it’s more about the world and the powers in them and who does what — with a bit of gratuitous sex thrown in — than about the people.

All in all, I’ll only recommend it to keep on track with the series, but other than that… I kept getting bored.
I was more interested in reading about Davyn than Stryker, more intrigued by Medea than Zephyra — and that’s bad, when it’s not their story.
I know I’m a harsh, brutal, critic, but I also know Sherri can do better than this.
I’ll still get the next one, in the hope we return to previous keeper books, but chances are slowly running out. Stop worldbuilding and start writing about people again.

Man I hate slam-dunking Sherri, but this one doesn’t deserve to stand next to the others.

Tags: Dark Hunter, Kenyon, Review

I’m off to London today, to show the husband of a fellow Critter around.

Of course, I just broke my camera — figures. I might grab one on the way in, and make Paul carry the box after we meet up with him "At work".

Things on the agenda:

The High Court

Temple Church

Holly Village / Highgate West

Waxy O’Connor’s (The pub!)

St. Pauls (I’ve lived here all this time and I’ve never been inside.)

Old Bailey

Maybe a trip on a "Duck".

We’ll see!

Tags: London, Sightseeing, Travel

I was sent this and thought it was simply hilarious.

Enjoy!

Phase 1

You are listening to jazz — Your first day at work is great. Your coworkers are wonderful, your cubicle is cute, and your boss is the best!

Phase 2

You are listening to pop music — After a while you are so busy that you are not sure if you’re coming or going anymore.

Phase 3

You are listening to heavy metal — This is what you feel like at month end.


Phase 4

You are listening to hip hop — You become bloated due to stress, feel sluggish and suffer from constipation. Your coworkers are too cheerful for your liking and the walls of your cubicle are closing in. You have started thinking ‘WHATEVER’ about your boss.


Phase 5

You are listening to GANGSTA RAP — After more time passes, your eyes start to twitch, you forget what a ‘good hair day’ feels like as you just fall out of bed and load up on caffeine.


Phase 6

You are listening to the voices in your head — You have build a makeshift door on your cubicle to keep people out, You have a dartboard with your bosses picture on it in your cube, You wonder why you are even here in the first place.

Tags: Cat, Funny, Joke

Title: Cursed Legacy - Vezien
Words Total Previous: 55,679
Words Written: 1847
Challenge Total: 5348
Word Count: 57,526
Hero Mood: Worried
Heroine Mood: Worried
Story Snippet:

    "There were kids in purgatory?" Sabriel gasped. "Good God, what did they do to end up there?"
    Of course. She had no idea how it worked. "Everyone goes to purgatory, Sabriel. It’s where your fate is decided. Purgatory is just another word for waiting room. It’s what you imagine it to be. I saw it for what it is, a vast empty space, but when I touched one of the souls there, I saw their version and shared it for a little while." He’d spent a lot of time there, almost all of his childhood and part of his adulthood. First he’d played, then he’d talked. "It’s not the devil’s waiting room, it’s the only waiting room. Some souls like it there and don’t move on for a long time."

Tags: November Challenge

Title: Cursed Legacy - Vezien
Words Total Previous: 52,178
Words Written: 3501
Challenge Total: 3501
Word Count: 55,679
Hero Mood: Sleepy
Heroine Mood: Slightly shocked
Story Snippet:
    She quietly opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. With a bit of luck she’d even see some wildlife. The moon was high and she smiled when the scent of mown grass and cool earth drifted into her nostrils. God, there was something to be said about quietly sitting on the porch with a cup of hot tea, enjoying the night. Her gaze drifted along the railing and she gasped when she became aware of Vezien sitting on her porch swing. He didn’t move, just sat, turned sideways, stretched out, his long legs crossed at the ankles. Talk about seeing wildlife. They didn’t come much wilder than him.

Note:
I deleted a good 5k words, because they didn’t work.
Part of this was already written, but never counted.
So yeah, I still have some catching up to do.

Tags: November Challenge

I’m editing the blog at the moment — as you may have noticed.

While I was doing that, I realized my list of the Nocturne Series was getting WAY out of hand; I had to do something about it.
Yes, there was a longass list on one page, which you could just scroll (and scroll, and scroll…) down, but it made it difficult to read.
It’s still there, but split up now.

I may do it to the others too, if they get out of hand, but I doubt they will.

I also had J.V. Jones’s Book 3 in the "Sword of Shadows" series delivered today.
Talk about a slow writer! I only had to wait 6 years for this one!

Tags: Authors, Blog, Books, Reading

Daily Writing Tips had a nice post on [sic] the other day, and I figured it was worth repeating… but I won’t [sic] it.

So, what does it mean?
You see it all the time in articles in the newspaper, or on the web.

Sic is the Latin word for “thus,” or “such.”

It means, something is exactly as it was said, or appeared. Spelling and all.

For instance, we had a lively discussion about submissions, and how we’re prone to triple check — even after the thing is already out of the door — whether we attached the right file.
In reply, Debora said, I do think "neurotic" is just another word for "writer" [sic]

Those were her words, exactly as they appeared.

If I’d said Deb responded saying neurotic is yet another word for writer, then that would not be [sic], because I’m paraphrasing.

So, is it becoming any clearer?

Tags: Meaning, The Written Word, Words

If only it were that simple.

I blogged on my blockage woes over on Passionate Critters, because it drives me mad when it happens. When everything stops. When the words won’t come and the characters fall silent.

And a hearty thanks to Cathie Linz, who makes me laugh and tells me I’m not crazy — just a writer.

Tags: Writers Block

It’s on again.

Starting November 10th, we shall write like crazy (like we don’t always do that) for 70 days.

Tags: 70 Days 4, Challenges, Sven

Title: Cursed Legacy - Vezien
Words Total Previous: 48,952
Words Written: 3226
Challenge Total: 16,582
Word Count: 52,178
Hero Mood: Very Horny
Heroine Mood: Freaked out
Story Snippet:

I’ve mostly edited and polished, so no snippet for now. Stuck on page 87 omg!

Seriously, I suck at this one at the moment. It’s been driving me mad.

Tags: Challenge, October 21k

  I’m talking about adjusting the time.

  You know, moving the hour hand forward or backward.
  Or, not.

In my case… Not.

The clocks changed on Saturday night. I dutifully changed all the clocks that didn’t self adjust and all was well.
I realized on Sunday that, oops, I’d left my cell phone at work. Black blends into a black computer, so naturally, I left the damn thing sitting there.
Not to worry.
I got in on Monday, pocketed my phone and carried it home with me at the end of the day.

This morning I got up when the alarm went, showered, had coffee, got dressed… you know. The normal routine.
I walked to work, snow (!!) crunching under my feet, when promptly I slipped and landed in a puddle of mucky water, splashing my jeans.
Luckily it wasn’t too bad, but hey…
It was really quiet on the road and I trudged on.

I get to work and promptly drop my walkman, then, bending to pick it up, kick it across the room for good measure, where it slams into a storage shelf.
It didn’t sustain damage, despite the punishment.
By this time I’m thinking this isn’t a good start to the day.
So I say good morning to my co-workers, round the counter and go into the office, where I realize they are all giving me funny looks.
"What are you doing here?" my boss asks.
Immediately I think oh shit, do I have the wrong day? (I work part time)
"It’s Wednesday," I say. "I work Wednesdays."
"Yes, but…" He looks at his watch. "It’s 8 o’clock."

I start work at 9 o’clock…

I checked my watch, and yes, it was. Could I work out why I was an hour early? Hell no. It made no sense.

Then it dawned on me.

I use my cell phone as my alarm.
Since it was trying to merge with my desktop at work when the clocks went back, I didn’t change the time, and on Monday, when I picked it up, the clock change was far from my mind. After all… I’d changed all the clocks, right? I woke up at the right time on Monday, using the other alarm, so why would I think about it? It’s not like anything was wrong.

I felt like a complete idiot lol.
Especially since my morning routine includes checking my mail — and I usually use the computer time to see how long before I have to go.
There is a brightly lit screensaver showing 4 timezones on my PDA.
There are 2 clocks in the kitchen.
I wear a wrist watch.
And I still didn’t know what time it was!

So the moral of the story: The one day you don’t want to forget your phone at work, is when the time "Falls Back" or "Springs Forward"
 

Tags: Clocks, Oops, Time

Val posted an article about Avon and the words "Paranormal" "Series potential" and "Romance" jumped in my face.

I’m going to spend some time going over their guidelines tonight.

If it fits… then I’ll give it a shot with Naiche or Vezien. Or both.

To say I’m terrified of querying is an understatement!

Tags: Publishers, Querying

    Those who know me, know I like Achmed, the Dead Terrorist.

    Well.

    I now have him as my ringtone.

    If you want it, you can download the MP3’s here:

    Knock Knock

    I kiel you.

    Enjoy

Tags: Ringtones

A crit partner of mine shared a link with us to an animation by Carlos Lascano.

It’s gorgeous, not just well done, but also really moving to watch.

A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

Judge for yourself.

Tags: Animation, Clips, Graphics

I’m having to play a little catch up at the moment.

There was a pen show… and then a migraine… so nothing got posted, even though I added rather a LOT to this one.

That’s why the Day 12 progress is posted on the 13th. Otherwise I get totally confuddled.

Title: Cursed Legacy - Vezien
Words Total Previous: 43,243
Words Written: 5,709
Challenge Total: 13,356
Word Count: 48,952
Hero Mood: Very Horny
Heroine Mood: Freaked out
Story Snippet:

    "Sorry about that," she croaked, sniffling. She blew her nose, only too aware what she must look like to him.
    "Don’t apologize." He lifted her chin with his hand and met her tearful gaze. "Don’t ever apologize when someone hurts you."
    She couldn’t stop a new flood of tears.
    Vezien cursed and kissed her.
    Sabriel gasped against his mouth, too shocked to stop him. She blinked the tears away, staring at him in utter confusion. He kissed the tears off her cheeks, so gentle, it almost made her cry again. Her breath came in gasps, her stomach did flip-flops - and her nose was still running. She couldn’t get over the fact that he didn’t draw back, nor did he pressure her. Sabriel rested her hand against his heart, stunned to feel it racing. He drew back slightly and looked at her.
    "Don’t stop," she whispered.

Tags: 21k October, Challenge, Tweety

I haven’t written a word on Vezien’s story, which bugs the hell out of me.

Instead I’ve been trying to shut up another one, which keeps yelling in my head.
In the end I figured as long as he’s screaming, he’s going to distract me from doing what I should be doing — so I’ll write him out of my head for now.

So todays update is not on Vezien, but on Taan instead.

Title: Cursed Legacy - Taan
Words Written: 4963
Challenge Total: 7647
Word Count - Taan: 3324 (+ 1639, Character interview)

Well, all in all, that’s not bad.

Tags: 21k October, Challenge, Tweety

Every writer should wander around with a notepad and a pen. Seriously.
I carry a moleskine around with me, mainly because it’s small, handy and has a little pocket to put stuff in.
You may argue about that laptop, and the old "I don’t need…", but well, I’m telling you. You do.
Formats change. Your PDA might break. You might run out of battery power on your Blackberry.

That notebook?
You’ll still be able to use it in 50 years time. That format never changes.
Ask Hemingway.

It’s useful to quickly note down those brainstorms you get at the most inconvenient times.
To write down that elusive bit of research you just tripped over.
Character sketches.
Location notes.
Bits of dialog.
Parts of the plot that eluded you.
Plots you haven’t written yet, but which are too precious to forget.
To Do lists.
Character Names.
The taste of that cherry pie you just had.
The smell of the house you just walked into.
The name of a song you just remembered.
Somewhere to put that menu in the Diner you want to use in your next novel.
Prices of things.
Colors of things.
The feel of the velvet curtain you accidentally pulled down at your friend’s house.
Phrases used by professionals.
Legal terminology.
Sketching the layout of a building.

You name it, it’s useful to have a notebook to hand. Because if you know it’s there, you’ll probably use it.
It’s quicker to write in than trying to text yourself, trust me.
And you just never know when the stuff you put in it comes in useful.

I recommend everyone carry one, whether it’s one of the more expensive little moleskines, or a 99 cent scratchpad.

Tags: Making notes, Notebooks, Organizing

I would like to thank Chris Colin, of www.sfgate.com, for his unbiased and well written article about the Romance genre.
I don’t know him, but he made a friend in me with what he wrote.

The writer in me rejoices to see someone look at the genre for what it is, and not let his judgment be clouded by hearsay and prejudice.

I recommend reading it.

Tags: Articles, Romance, The Written Word

Writing long hours isn’t for everyone.
Many of us work on projects that encompass much more than just writing. There’s research. Revision. Distraction…

When you write a long project, it can help to set yourself targets. Realistic targets, that is.
Saying "I will get my book published this year" isn’t a realistic target. It’s not even a target. It’s a longterm goal, but not realistic.

There are a few things you can do:

1. Work out your priorities
If you work on several projects at once — like I do — it’s important to know which one needs to be finished first. It generally isn’t a good idea to have more than one project on the go at any given time, but it can be done. If you have your priorities set and know where you’re going.

2. Set yourself a realistic goal
It’s no good saying "I will have my novel published this year". It’s a goal, yes, but an unrealistic one.
If you say "I will finish the book this year and submit it to X number of publishers / agents." that’s more like it. You can actually achieve that, there are no unknown factors involved.

3. Set yourself realistic targets
That’s different from goals. Targets are short term, goals are long term.
Good targets are:
Write 1000 words every day.
Brush up by reading relevant books once a week.
Research new markets every Saturday.

4. Keep track
Whether you use a word counter, or use a "Goals" site like Joe’s Goals, or write your achievements down on a piece of paper — keep track of how you are doing somehow. That visual clue is motivating, no matter if you fall short sometimes. It’s that kick up the rear or the pat on the back, but most of all, it shows you’re working on things. I use my blog to record my progress, setting my targets there, and blogging my progress. Get your friends on board and they’ll kick you up the backside when you slack.

5. Assess how you’re doing and adjust if you have to
Life happens. Sometimes you get ahead of yourself, sometimes you fall behind. Don’t get discouraged. If it doesn’t look like you can achieve your targets — rejig them. Maybe they weren’t realistic and now you know better what you can achieve.
Only make 500 words a day instead of 1000? Fix your target to reflect it. You will feel better when you set it to something you can achieve, rather than beat yourself up over not making it.
There is no point in feeling guilty, because that reflects on your writing. It only makes things worse, so instead of feeling guilty — rework the target. Once you achieve your targets, you feel better about yourself, and things are easier. Next time, set the target slightly higher. i.e. go from 500 words to 750. Over time you’ll find it gets much easier to achieve it, because you’ve already proven to yourself that you can do it.

Most of all — keep writing.

Tags: Goals, Progress, Targets, The Written Word

Title: Cursed Legacy - Vezien
Words Total Previous: 42,454
Words Written: 789
Challenge Total: 2684
Word Count: 43,243
Hero Mood: —- None today. Fixes.
Heroine Mood: —- None today. Fixes.
Story Snippet: —- None today. I mainly did some fixes.

Tags: 21k October, Challenge, Tweety

There is an interesting article over at Writer’s Digest, which chronicles what turns various agents off.

It’s well worth reading!

Tags: Agents, Pet Peeve

Title: Cursed Legacy - Vezien
Words Total Previous: 40,559
Words Written: 1,895
Challenge Total: 1,895
Word Count: 42,454
Hero Mood: Semi Frustrated
Heroine Mood: Confused
Story Snippet:

     Sabriel slid slowly down the wall when the front door fell shut behind him. Her hand lifted to her lips, touching them as if they’d changed shape. They tingled. She could still feel his thumb there, couldn’t forget how he’d made her feel. She hadn’t wanted to feel anything. Not for him. Now she couldn’t get that look he’d given her out of her mind.
     He’d looked at her as if she were the most precious thing in his world.
     How the hell was a woman supposed to resist that?
     For long minutes she just sat and stared at the door, her mind a jumble of contradicting thoughts, trying to get over her attraction to him. And she was attracted. Sabriel wouldn’t lie to herself, didn’t try to reason her feelings away. There was something about him that pulled her in, something that made her care when she wanted to hate him. It was all a total mess.

Tags: 21k October, Challenge, Tweety

My challenge for October is going to be 21k Words. Again.

The update is on the right, in the progress meters as well, but I figured I put it in here too.

However… I’m going to do it in the form of a Tweety.

Also… I’ve started to mess around on Twitter. Eeek.

And here is the Tweety Format again:

Title: Cursed Legacy - Vezien
Words Written:
Words Total:
Hero Mood:
Heroine Mood:
Story Snippet:

I will probably update the word count at midnight, which is about an hour from now. Last night the count stood at: 40559 (This is mainly for my own reference so I know how I am getting on!)

Tags: 21k October, Challenge, Tweety

9 WORDS WOMEN USE

FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this means a 1/2 hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine. (refer to #1)

GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It!

LOUD SIGH
This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing.
(Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

THAT’S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

THANKS
A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you’re welcome.

WHATEVER
Is a women’s way of saying F@!K YOU!

DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT, I GOT IT
Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking ‘What’s wrong?’
For the woman’s response refer to #3.

Tags: Jokes, Women

I came across this and… giggled.

"IT’S A GUY THING"
Translated: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with it, and you have no chance at all of making it logical."

"CAN I HELP WITH DINNER?"
Translated: "Why isn’t it already on the table?"

"UH HUH," "SURE, HONEY," OR "YES, DEAR"
Translated: Absolutely nothing. It’s a conditioned response.

"IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN"
Translated: "I have no idea how it works."

"I WAS LISTENING TO YOU. IT’S JUST THAT I HAVE THINGS ON MY MIND."
Translated: "That girl standing on the corner is a real babe."

"TAKE A BREAK HONEY, YOU’RE WORKING TOO HARD."
Translated: "I can’t hear the game over the vacuum cleaner."

"THAT’S INTERESTING, DEAR."
Translated: "Are you still talking?"

"YOU KNOW HOW BAD MY MEMORY IS."
Translated: "I remember the theme song to ‘F Troop’, the address of the first girl I ever kissed, and the vehicle identification numbers of every car I’ve ever owned, but I forgot our anniversary."

"I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU, AND GOT YOU THESE ROSES."
Translated: "The girl selling them on the corner was a real babe."

"OH, DON’T FUSS - I JUST CUT MYSELF, IT’S NO BIG DEAL."
Translated: "I have actually severed a limb, but will bleed to death before I admit that I’m hurt."

"I CAN’T FIND IT."
Translated: "It didn’t fall into my outstretched hands, so I’m completely clueless."

"WHAT DID I DO THIS TIME?"
Translated: "What did you catch me at?"

"I HEARD YOU."
Translated: "I haven’t the foggiest clue what you just said, and am hoping desperately that I can fake it well enough so that you don’t spend the next three days yelling at me."

"YOU KNOW I COULD NEVER LOVE ANYONE ELSE."
Translated: "I am used to the way you yell at me, and realize it could be worse."

"YOU LOOK TERRIFIC."
Translated: "Oh, please don’t try on one more outfit, I’m starving."

"I’M NOT LOST. I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE."
Translated: "No one will ever see us alive again."

Tags: Jokes, Men

Many years ago, when I was a little too podgy, too short, too… well, when I was a kid, I used to have a Shetland Pony.

One year, I spotted an advert for a horse race held at Iffezheim (Baden Baden) Racecourse, called the "Bauernrennen".
This raceday is pretty unique. It’s the day when the racecourse is handed over not to Thoroughbreds — but to any horse out there. Be they Heavy Horses, Warmbloods, or Shetland ponies, Arabians, or any other horse.
If I remember correctly, this is because some time in the past, the local farmers saved the racehorses stabled there from starvation, and in return the race club established a race day for them. (I could be wrong, but that’s how I remember it.)

So on a bright and cold morning some time in June (If I remember right) we rolled up in Iffezheim with my Shetland. I knew it was probably the last year I could ride him, I was simply getting too big for him.

We had a little trouble. He was a stallion and he behaved accordingly, so we had to keep him away from the other horses.
Then, later that day, the race was on. Despite my weight, my little childhood companion (who wasn’t the most friendly of shetlands) raced into 3rd place in amongst some 20 others.

I didn’t care about prizes, I was way too happy to have taken part, but my prize was a set of Parker Pens. The real prize for me was the memory of the day, but that’s something else.

I have had, and used, those pens for years. I still have the Ballpoint of the set, but somewhere during the years, I lost the fountain pen.

I was gutted. Then forgot about it, then remembered and searched again… only to be gutted again when I couldn’t find it. It is lost.

So a while ago, when I started to pick up my fountain pens again, I tried to track down which model this was. Well I found out, they were Parker P25’s. Black ones, which are relatively rare. The P25’s tend to be silver colored. My hopes of replacing my lost pen were… not very high.

PARKER P25

A kind member from the Fountain Pen Network spotted a black P25 on Ebay and messaged me, because I’d mentioned wanting one.

I put it on my watch list. I messaged the seller, because the only shipping option listed was the US.
Well we got that part cleared up, so now I had to wait for the auction.
I sat in front of the TV today when suddenly I thought "Hang on. I think that auction finishes today. Better go check."
To my complete horror, when I logged into Ebay, there were 30 seconds left to go on the auction.
I added a bid, hoping to snag the pen, when Ebay goes "Would you like to log in?"

ARRRRGHHHH!!!!

I got in with 2 seconds to spare, or thereabouts. LUCKILY my bid was high enough to win!

I am getting my beloved black Parker back! So yeah, I’m floating now.

And this time… I’m not going to lose it again!!

Tags: Fountan Pens, P25, Parker, Pens

I am in shock.

I’m sitting here and I can’t believe it.

Cursed Legacy: Naiche — is finished.

Book 1 in a series of God only knows how many are in my head, and it’s finally, finally finished. Others are in the works, in various stages of progress, but this one is the start of it all. And it’s FINISHED.
Well.
Until the edits, that is. Those will take forever, no doubt, and there are going to be things I will have to fix, lots of them. So chances are I’m going to rewrite the lot of it during edits, but the first draft is finished.

Thanks Amanda for the word sprints today, we did bloody good.

So now I get to pick another one to write and that alone feels sooooooooooo good, I can’t even describe it.

Tags: Finishing, Naiche, WIP

Acheron
(Dark Hunter Series)
Sherrilyn Kenyon
ISBN 978-0749908669

Blurb

Eleven thousand years ago a god was born. Cursed into the body of a human, Acheron endured a lifetime of hatred. His human death unleashed an unspeakable horror that almost destroyed the earth. Brought back against his will, he became the sole defender of mankind. Only it was never that simple…
For centuries, he has fought for our survival and hidden a past he never wants revealed. Now his survival, and ours, hinges on the very woman who threatens him. Old enemies are reawakening and uniting to kill them both.

Review:

Finished reading the book. Now… I have mixed feelings about it.

First, let me tell you about it.

I have wanted Ash’s story for a long time. Now that I have it… In a way I wish I didn’t.
Not because I didn’t like it. It’s a heartbreaking story and one worthy of him, but… It brought a character who was larger than life down to the realm of mortals. I don’t get tired of Sherri’s writing. It’s sassy and out there, it always has been and I’ve loved everything she’s ever written, even before this series was ever born. I’m biased where her writing is concerned, that’s why — although I truly love her books — I don’t usually put my thoughts about them to paper. (Or screen, in this case.)
With that in mind…

I read the book, all 700+ pages of it, in (almost) one setting. Us mere mortals have to sleep when our eyes start to droop. It starts before Ash is born and continues through the horror of his childhood. If you’re squeamish, this isn’t a book for you. If you want to know what makes Ash tick, it’s a book you should read. The betrayal, the pain and suffering that have shaped the character are laid bare in a horrendous chain of events. You get to see Ash’s soul, his pain, his lack of self-worth. It’s there, in brutal detail. You get to see Artemis and how their unfortunate relationship starts and develops into supreme hatred. But to hate something, you have to love it first.

I loved to read about the interactions between Ash and his DH’s, loved seeing Talon miss at basketball. As heartbreaking as the story is… I think I grinned as much as I cringed.

I won’t tell you the story, I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. But I can tell you that, while I liked the heroine, I hated her at the same time. Because she takes Ash out of the equation. I’m happy for him, but that doesn’t mean I like her.

I guess we have to get used to Savitar and Jaden as being larger than life in place of Ash, and that’s why I have mixed feelings about the book. No, he’s not any less powerful or potent, he’s just different now. The book changes him from the Ash we know and it’ll take a while to get used to that thought. I’ll reserve judgement until I read some more books first. I want to see where Sherri goes with this. I know she can do it, I’ve always believed in her, even way back when, when she didn’t really believe in herself. Sherri, if you ever trip over this, let me tell you — I see you in Ash. A lot. You’re a survivor. Don’t ever change that.
And for what it’s worth… one day we will meet up and then I’ll give you that hug I wanted to give you 11 years ago, when you told me some dimwit told you that you’d never get published, that what you write isn’t publishable. The woman was wrong. I told you that then and I’d love for you to know that you’re my heroine. Because you gritted your teeth and did it anyway. By any means you could. And I truly, truly want you to know how good it makes me feel to see you go from strength to strength and leave that dark time behind.
Back then, when everything dropped around me, and I hit rock bottom… I didn’t think I’d ever write again. Then I saw YOU rise from the ashes. And you made ME believe it can happen. Thank you for that.

I have a few gripes though. (When do I not?)

There are a couple inconsistencies. (Sorry, I read books not just as a reader, in my mind I crit the dang things and edit…) There are bits the editor should have caught, but I can forgive them. The book is very long. Things get missed. Or maybe I missed it and skip read, but I re-read the previous pages and it was still there. It’s the hospital scene after Tory wakes up… I won’t elaborate, but… hello. She just woke up. When did she get a chance to speak to her friends? It’s a little thing, but it made me go "Huh?". A couple of others, too, but really, I can live with it and fill in the blanks.

Overall, it’s a riveting read. It’s not like the other DH books, but at the same time it is. It’s a lot darker, more painful. It took guts to write that. It’s a story of survival.

Most of all, it’s a reluctant keeper. Reluctant, because of what I said above: Ash is out of circulation now.  We need a new mysterious badass to root for and worry about, now.
(So get on with it! Chop chop, back to that keyboard, break time is over!)

And BTW… I want Styxx’s story. Yeah, he’s a bastard. A total and utter… yeah. That.
But something tells me he’s not quite as bad as you paint him and that he’s saveable. You hinted at it. Grr. Something tells me there’s more to him, and that while he was a total and complete vindictive, evil bastard to Ash… he had his reasons. Everyone had it in for Ash, yet there were still some who rooted for him.
Who did Styxx have? That waste-of-space father of his, who wouldn’t know love if it bit him? The mother who more or less abandoned him, too?
I might be wrong. I might have him all wrong and he’s supreme evil. I might have completely misunderstood. But…
It makes me wonder.
No one is born evil. We’re all the product of the events that shape our lives, the product of the actions of other people toward, or against us.
So yeah… Make me like him, I dare you.

Highly Recommended — if you can stomach the torture.

Tags: Acheron, Dark Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon

I went to the doctor today.

When I told her I took Aspirin for pain, she looks at me and goes "Oh you should take Paracetamol, Aspirin is dangerous."

Err… what?

Not what I’ve been told. Well, okay, if you overdose on Aspirin it’s dangerous. Obviously. That goes for any drug. But if you overdose on Aspirin, they can usually save you. If you overdose on Paracetamol… bye bye.

In Germany you can’t get Paracetamol. At all. It’s classed as a dirty, dangerous drug. Because of the overdose issue. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but that’s what I was told by a nurse. That if you overdose on Paracetamol, there is nothing that can be done to save you.

Never mind.

Then she says that you can’t give Aspirin to children. By law, you can’t give Aspirin to anyone under 20 years old.

Riiiiiiiiiight.

That brought us to talking about kids. I said what do you give them then if they hurt themselves and are in pain? Paracetamol.
Not that kids today are allowed to hurt themselves. Period.
They’re not allowed to climb trees, because they might fall off. (Duh!)
They’re not allowed to play chase because they might fall. (Duh!!)
They’re not allowed to ride their bicycle because they might fall off. (Or get run over…)
God forbid they pick up a creepy crawly, or (gasp!) a slug.

Basically, kids aren’t allowed to do anything anymore. And people wonder why there are so many hyperactive, gone wild, out of control brats??? They aren’t allowed to exhaust their bodies. They’re not allowed near any germ, houses get hoovered and cleaned so much, the slightest germ will give a kid a hell of an infection now. Asthma is rife — not because the world is so terribly dirty, but because our homes are so terribly clean now.
When I was growing up, my dad used to say "Every human needs three pounds of dirt, per week."
I think I wallowed in my, my brothers, and twentyfive other kids allowance per week. At least. I fell off my horse. I fell off trees. I fell off my bike. I got wet. I got dirty. I got hot and sweaty. I scraped my knees, arms… every bit of skin on my body. You know what? It didn’t kill me. None of it did.

I think it’s about time parents took a step back and allowed their kids to play again. So what if they get the sniffles? So what if they scrape a knee? That’s what being a kid is all about.

When was the last time you saw kids play football in a field not dedicated to it, watched over by adults?
What’s wrong with picking up a slug? A worm? To build a dam in a stream, to fall in and laugh? To find a frog and catch it to have a closer look? Lick a toad? Catch grasshoppers and keep them in a jar? Get bitten by ants?

Yeah, they’ll get up to mischief, all kids do. What’s wrong with sticking a frog through your neighbors letterbox? I did it. My friends did it. My neighbors from back then still remind me of it to this day. "When you were ten, you put a frog in my letterbox," they’d say (Grannies now) and laugh heartily. Then they’d go all wistful and say "I thought you kids were terrible back then. But look at them now. A frog in my letterbox is the least of my worries. These days they just steal the letterbox…"

So here is a word from me to those parents: Take off the leash. Stop being so damned overprotective! Let them have their three pounds of dirt and let them get an immunity to germs. They’ll be happy, exhausted kids at the end of the day. Kids who will remember their childhood with a smile, who won’t get sick with everything. Kids who won’t be hanging around streetcorners, smoking, drinking beer and stealing my granny neighbor’s letterbox.

And if they do wrong… Punish them. Not by taking their internet away, but give them a slap. Teach them manners.
I’m not advocating you beat up children, but a slap has never failed to make me see the error of my ways. Nor did it harm my brother. Or my friends. This whole nonsense about "mustn’t slap a child" has to stop. Sorry, if you’ve done wrong, then the punishment has to be there. Today those kids know if their parent lifts a hand against them, they can run to the police and scream child abuse. And the parents know it too.

That’s just wrong on so many levels. It’s wrong because those kids have no respect for their parents, and the reason for it is that the punishment the parents are allowed to dole out are so negligable, the kids don’t respect the punishment either.

It has to change or we’re headed for disaster.

But again, part of the problem here is that those kids who get out of hand do so because they have no outlet for their energy.

So yeah, take off the leash. Do it. I dare ya.

Tags: Childhood, Kids, Overprotective Parents

My handwriting stinks.
No, I mean that. I used to have nice handwriting, but because these days we type everything, instead of handwriting it… my penmanship has suffered severely.
I thought a nice pen would help. It did, to some extent. Not enough, though.
Time to learn how to write again.
I keep a journal – sporadically. I should do it more, but you know how it goes. Good intentions and all that.

I’ve made up my mind. Yeah, emails are nice and fast, but the real joy comes from receiving a handwritten letter in the mail. Right? Who doesn’t like to get a letter? I’m not talking about a postcard, but a letter. In an envelope. On nice paper.
How about your handwriting? Has it suffered since you left school? Any good tips on how to improve it?
Also, if anyone out there would like to exchange some letters, I’m up for it.
Boy, am I ever! It would make a change from getting bills in the mail!
So if you want to do the penpal thing, drop a note on the blog and I’ll contact you. J By email, first. Don’t put your address here! LOL
(And that image up there is not my handwriting!)

Tags: handwriting, letters, Penmanship

Oh God I am SO slack!

Title: Cursed Legacy - Sorol
Words Written: 2126
Words Total: 7962 (68018)
Chapters: 27
Hero Mood: Mellow
Hero Condition: Hurting
Heroine Mood: Worried
Heroine Condition: Weak, but not getting weaker
Story Snippet:
    "I didn’t know what to believe anymore." The narrow eyed look told him Nathan hadn’t forgiven him for that tape yet. "She doesn’t know, does she?"
    "I don’t know what?" Mason piped up.
    "That first night… I taped you." Sorol ground out. He didn’t want her to find out from Nathan. "I sent the tape to Nathan, thinking you’re Dixie."
    She looked up at him in shock. "You did what?"
    "I’m not proud of it, trust me." God no, he hated himself for it.
    Mason sucked in a sharp breath, glanced at Nathan, then back at him. There was a distinct rosy tint to her cheeks. "He saw me naked?" Mason hissed, her eyes accusing him.
    Yeah, he had. Sorol didn’t even want to think about who else might have seen that tape. "You know, on second thought, bring Cáel and Acwellan back to beat me some more."

Tags: 20K Challenge, Snippet, Sorol, WIP

The Bugatti Veyron is the fastest production car in the world.

Faster than an F1 Racecar.

253 mp/h.
That’s 407 km/h
Hellish. Seriously hellish.

Damn it’s sexy!

(It’s also the world’s most expensive car £850,000 — and I didn’t get any zeroes into the wrong place. It really is over 3/4 million pounds.)

Tags: