Too Many Shoes!

There are so many things I want to blog about today, and I don't know where to start. I planned on telling you a bit about my webinar with Mary Kole, but all these other things came up. So I'll hold off on that until later in the week. For now, I want to thank Nancy for honoring me with The Stylish Blogger Award. She has to be one of the sweetest people I know. I'm not one to follow the rules with these types of awards, but I do want Nancy to know how grateful I am and that I truly appreciate the friendship we've developed here on blogger. If you don't already follow her, you should drop by her place. You're sure to find a heartwarming experience. Also, I want to congratulate Jennifer Shirk on her 3rd book contract. And get this... I wasn't even on a break when this good news came in! (Don't know what I'm talking about? Then click here). Of course, technically, we could say it counts considering my Internet was down last week and I didn't hear the good news until Friday. Yeah, I know that's a stretch, but still... Finally, did you hear about the drawing my awesome friend Kate Walton is having? If not, you should go check it out. The prizes include 7 YA books and a first chapter critique by the lovely Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown LTD. It doesn't get much better than that! Okay, this post is long enough. I'm sure there's more I want to talk about, but it will wait until Wednesday. Have a great day!

I've Been A Bad Blogger

But, in my defense, it isn't entirely my fault. Nor is it my fault that I don't have a shoe picture today. All my shoes are buried under 6 foot snow drifts. And with the winter storm, our Internet connection has been sketchy at best, so I haven't been able to get around to visit all of you as much as I'd like. Being trapped at home, however, has allowed me to do a whole bunch of other things. I wrote a lot. I read a lot. I ate a lot. I cleaned a lot. And, I watched way too much television. Lucky for me, our Internet didn't cut out once yesterday when I sat in on a Writer's Digest webinar instructed by Mary Kole of The Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Let me just say, it was fantastic. I'll post about what I learned next week. Until then, I'll be trying to dig some of my shoes out from the snow and reading as many blogs as my Internet connection will allow. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! And for those of you experiencing the same weather as I am, stay warm and remember that spring is just around the corner.

I Want To Wear Flip Flops!

And I don't want to wear them in the snow. I also want an 80 degree day with sunshine, a spotless house, and a Hawaiian vacation with my husband. All of these things will come in time... but not now. In a few months, it will be 80 degrees because it will be summer. In a few years, my house will be spotless because my kids will all be out on their own. In a few decades, I will have that vacation to Hawaii because my husband will retire. For now, though, I have to be satisfied with 0 degree temps, a messy, um... I mean cozy home, and a night out on the town with my husband. If I focus only on what I want to change, I miss out on the pleasures of the present. I may want it to be 80 degrees, but there's something to be said for curling up with a good book on a cold winter night. My house might be cleaner when my kids are gone, but it won't feel as homey without the constant activity. And when my husband retires, we may be able to go to Hawaii, but he'll be home EVERY SINGLE DAY, ALL DAY LONG, pacing because he won't know what to do with himself (which will drive me absolutely crazy). The same could be said for my writing career. I want to be a published author, and I can do everything in my power to make it happen. But (and this is a big but) some things are out of my control. Not only that, but when it does happen, things will change in many ways. I'll have to spend more time marketing and less time crafting. I'll have deadlines that aren't just self-imposed. I'll face criticism on a much broader level. So, for now, I am satisfied with the present. I write for the pure joy of writing and am loving every stage in my journey. The rest will come in time, and who knows... I might miss this part of it.

Cute boot, huh?

Something tells me I'm going to wish I had a pair of them by tomorrow. Yes, the weathermen are calling for the biggest winter storm of the season. My Uggs just might not do the trick this time around. Today... ice and fog. Tomorrow... up to 12 inches of snow. Wednesday... -12 degrees. Will this winter ever end? Of course it will, but in the mean time, I plan on doing what any self-respecting aspiring author would do. I'll be curled up on the couch next to the fire with my WiP. Anyone care to join me?

Ooops!

Wearing two different shoes is not a mistake I've ever made, but I've made plenty of others. Especially in my writing. I read a published book recently that had a glaring mistake. Now, don't get me wrong... it was a fabulous book and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone, but at the risk of sounding critical, I'm not going to mention the title. In fact, my intentions are not to criticize at all. The opposite is true. I sympathize with the author because I see how easily this can happen. The mistake I'm talking about is a repeated line. I probably wouldn't have noticed the line if it had not brilliantly conveyed the emotion of the character in a unique way. It was such a fantastic line that it stood out to me, and when it was repeated later in the book, I remembered it right away. I have a theory on why this mistake went unnoticed by the author, the agent, and the editor. I've actually made the same mistake. During revisions, I move things around a lot. Many times, I've come across a line that I decide is needed elsewhere or would be more effective in a different spot. I move it, but... I forget to delete it from the original place. When I read through my manuscript over and over again, it doesn't stand out as a repeat because I've read my chapters so many times that every line sounds like a repeat. When an author turns in revised material to the publisher, she, her agent, and her editor have read the manuscript so many times that they all fail to catch the repeat. See how easily it can happen? I guess what I'm trying to say is that none of us can be too careful. Even if you've had several crit partners read your manuscript, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let a fresh eye read for you after you've made your final round of revisions. They just might catch something glaring before you submit to an agent. The same could be said for an author whose book is scheduled for an upcoming release. A fresh eye before approving the final copy might not be a bad idea. Noticed any glaring mistakes in your manuscript lately? Have a great weekend!