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Category: Author Notes
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Author Platform
I have been busy these last few days trying to get my professional Facebook page up and running. Success! I added the link to this website. I knew I could do it inefficiently after many Google searches. If you feel so inclined and are a user of Facebook, please like my page. I have been active on…
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Revising Attempt Number One
I sit at the desk in a Hilton Garden Inn staring at the cell phone box which perfectly fit all 535 pages of the printed first draft of Tarbin’s True Heir. Between finishing the first draft and printing the ridiculous amount of paper, I completed a short story and five chapters in Gabriella and Periwinkle. (For everyone…
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Short Story, Schmort Story
Apparently, I suck at short stories. I completed the Las Vegas story, past the deadline, yes, but determinedly finished it. However, I don’t see the story I wrote fitting in anywhere, except a Las Vegas anthology. It has a Twilight Zone-esque feel, without being dark enough for the magazines asking for that style, such as LampLight…
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HWG April Conference
I failed to complete the Las Vegas story for the short story anthology. I came up with an idea, wrote three thousand words, meandered a bit too much, then focused. Still, not enough time for me to polish the story and get it submitted. In my defense, I only had a week between discovering the…
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You’re Looking at a Winner!
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Where does that come from exactly? Who says, “I am awesome. I’m going to treat myself to the most common, boring food I can think of. I know: chicken!” Don’t get me wrong. I like chicken, but I eat it at least once a week. Often, more than once, in a…
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First Draft Complete!!!
The printer is working double time putting to paper the draft of my first novel: Tarbin’s True Heir. I finished it!!! I wrote 4162 words, the most ever in one day, for the final stretch. Hearing those gears spin in the printer spitting out my work is intoxicating! Yes, it is only one step. Yes,…
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HWG Pre-Conference
“Building Your Author Persona” at the Pre-Conference Event hosted by the Houston Writers Guild provided invaluable information to a beginner such as myself. The first session I attended was led by Melanie Bragg, author, professional speaker, lawyer, community activist. She organized exercises for the participants to complete alone then discuss in groups. Some of the…
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New Month, New Goal
At the beginning of March, I am re-evaluating my word goals. I failed to reach my set number of words for both January and February. I completed 41% of my goal in January and 54% in February. I find myself analyzing the charts and my schedule to decide if I have set my goal too…
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Focus, Focus, Focus
ADD. It seems like everyone has ADD. Maybe we do. We watch tidbits of videos on YouTube, clicking until we’re lost in the visual wonderland. We grab food, whatever is closest, so we can satisfy that urge and move on to the next one. We keep our schedules crowded with myriad responsibilities, jumping from one…
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Chopped
Do you know that show where four chefs are pitted against each other with a basket of ingredients that obviously do not mix well? The contestants are given impossible time limits to use those ingredients to create delicious appetizers, main courses and desserts. (I wanted to say edible, but that is not good enough for…