Writers Plot's Blog – October 2007 Archive (24)

Lead The Way

Posted by Doranna

Mr. Leash is Your Friend

Leash_2 Well, Mr. Leash is my friend. Especially when Mr. Leash is on other peoples' dogs. And I swear I wrote this before the events of the 21st and my previous blog, when Connery was attacked by the Giant Schnauzer. Honestly honestly truly. I even wrote it before the comments I saw in my SFF Net hang-out,…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 31, 2007 at 9:52pm — No Comments

Brave New World Part 2

Posted by Lorraine (L.L.) Bartlett

Here at Casa Ivy Bend, we've been living in a computer crisis, so following Sheila's lead, I thought I'd blog about it.

Imac My husband is self-employed as a cartographer, and his Mac G3 has been dying a slow and painful death. We really had no choice but to…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 30, 2007 at 10:31pm — No Comments

O BRAVE NEW WORLD

Posted by Sheila Connolly

I am writing and sending this post from my new computer. To most of you out there, this should be no big deal, but this is the first computer I have researched, purchased, and set up all by myself. I am patting myself on the back.

I know, most kids today could do this while watching television, listening to their MP3 player, and eating lunch, but for me it’s a major achievement. I remember life before computers (gasp).

Back in the Dark…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 29, 2007 at 9:52pm — No Comments

Too Cozy or Not Too Cozy? That is the Question

By guest blogger Sue Ann Jaffarian

Silly me – when I first started writing mysteries, I had no idea there were so many subgenres. To me, a mystery is a mystery is a mystery. When I put my fingers to the keyboard and pumped out my first mystery, Too Big To Miss, I was writing a mystery – period. I didn’t write for a particular label or to avoid being labeled. I wrote from my gut, the labels came later and were purely superficial.

Although many readers consider my Odelia…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 27, 2007 at 9:57pm — 2 Comments

The Crockpot--A Writer's Best Friend (And this is an interactive blog!)

posted by Leann Sweeney

Crock_pot Thank goodness some semblance of autumn finally arrived in southeast Texas this past week. For me, that first real cool front means it's time to make chili. And I did. I do a good chili, but not Texas chili, Yankee chili. I know. You can the girl out of Yankee-land but you can't .... Anyway, it's also time to pull out the best kitchen…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 26, 2007 at 8:54pm — No Comments

An Open Letter to the World, From Your Local Librarian

posted by Jeanne Munn Bracken

Dear library user,

Your local librarians are delighted to welcome you to the library. We are happy to help you find whatever you need (except for you porn surfers--you know who you are). There are, alas, some limitations to what we can do for you. Most of those limitations involve computers. As for the rest, well, we're talking humans here...

First, I have to point out that those of us in middle age were trained in the Dark Ages when…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 25, 2007 at 9:17pm — No Comments

On going far enough after it's gone too far

Bellekachinatitle This should be a blog about Belle Cardigan's triumphant return to the show ring--about how although she's not even on fully normal activities around the house just yet, she nonetheless went out to a dog show this past weekend, competed in rally and obedience, and earned Qs in all four classes--with two red ribbons on Saturday and two blues on Sunday. She came home…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 24, 2007 at 11:46pm — No Comments

Librarians: An Author's Best Friends

Posted by Lorraine (L.L.) Bartlett

Last week I attended the New York Library Association's annual conference, this year held in Buffalo, NY. Since MURDER ON THE MIND takes place in Buffalo, it felt good to reconnect with the setting of my book. And I met a lot of wonderful librarians who seemed truly interested in my work.

I was there as part of the Mystery Writers of America's New York chapter. My "appearance" was at the second-annual "Author Garden." The authors…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 23, 2007 at 11:55pm — No Comments

Let There Be Light

Posted by Sheila Connolly

Since I live in Massachusetts and love old things, for the past few years I have gone to the Brimfield Antique Show, which bills itself as the largest outdoor antique show in the country. I'll believe it–three times a year hundreds of vendors take over an entire town and spread over acres. If you can't find the weird antique item you're looking for there, it probably doesn't exist.

When I go, I try to have a plan–a list of things I'm…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 22, 2007 at 10:29pm — No Comments

I Have A New Name

Posted By Leann Sweeney

Maddison Grace Sweeney arrived by C-section last Friday night and I can now call myself Grandma. Yahoo! The troubles that went before, not being there, all those selfish things didn't matter a twit once she arrived. A baby is a miracle for so many more reasons than I ever imagined before she came. You might say can't do anything but cry, eat, pee, poop and sleep, but there is so much more. She can unite a family in instant love. She can bring a smile…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 20, 2007 at 8:04am — No Comments

They Must Be Giants

Posted by Jeanne Munn Bracken

Remember "Malcolm in the Middle"? The funny sit-com with the overwhelmed mother? I loved that woman--her family did what she told them to do! My style, overwhelm them with kindness, is not nearly as effective.

Anyway, the theme song from the show was "(You're not the) Boss of Me", lyrics that echo around every playground and family room with kids in conflict. The song was performed by an alternative rock band called They Might Be…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 18, 2007 at 10:52pm — No Comments

It Sucks To Be An Object Lesson

posted by Doranna Durgin

The writing world...especially the genre writing world...it's a small community. It's also a community of intensely creative people...and those who are successful have generally become that way because they're also passionate people. They believe in what they're doing.

We are also, I think, a fairly idiosyncratic group. Not to mention a wee bit professionally incestuous. Put those things together, and it would be easy to…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 17, 2007 at 11:14pm — 2 Comments

It's Almost In Site

Posted by Lorraine (L.L.) Bartlett

I have a beautiful website. Go ahead, go visit it here. I've been working with Blue Hound Visions for four or five years. We've gone through a couple of iterations and you can see them by visiting both sides of the site.…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 16, 2007 at 11:48pm — No Comments

Little Pests

Posted by Sheila Connolly

In the wake of Al Gore's Nobel Prize, this is a great time to talk about environmental issues as part of Blog Action Day. I want to say something about one small aspect of our environment–one about which I have some direct and personal knowledge.

My husband is an entomologist who works for the federal agency in charge of monitoring and combatting invasive insect species. (Disclaimer: the opinions expressed herein are mine, not his.)…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 16, 2007 at 12:20am — No Comments

Designing Online Zines for Fun and Profit

written by guest blogger Melanie Fletcher

Heya -- I'm Melanie Fletcher. In addition to being a science fiction writer/fencer/quilter/bellydancer/herder of cats, I'm also the webmistress for the quarterly speculative fiction zine Helix.

I wish I could say that I got the job after a continent-spanning talent search by the editors for the hottest zine designer around. The truth…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 14, 2007 at 2:50am — No Comments

Panning For Gold

posted by Jeanne Munn Bracken

I probably should have been a travel agent. I spend a lot of time planning our trips. I had Alaska guidebooks, maps, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and website printouts scattered all over the house for many months.

Of course we couldn't experience all of Alaska in three weeks, but we could sure take a good big bite out of it. Which is why we were up one morning at 5:15 to make a 6:30 departure for a van trip up the Dalton Highway…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 12, 2007 at 12:54am — No Comments

The Gimme Children

posted by Doranna Durgin

Or, to start from the other end of things...this is the tale of the awakening of an Earth Child.

I clearly remember the first Earth Day--my participation, my school's strong participation--and the way I took for granted, even at that age, that being an Earth Child was a groupmind understanding of the way Things Needed To Be. I participated annually in the twenty-mile Walk for Water, as well as environmental bike-a-thons.…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 10, 2007 at 10:50pm — No Comments

Double Teamed

Posted by Lorraine (L.L.) Bartlett

All summer long I waited to receive the copyedits on my upcoming books. One has a longer lead-time, so I figured that one would come sometime this fall. Well, it didn't. It came first!

That's okay, I had plenty (two weeks) of time to complete it ... until the other one arrived. And that one only had a one-week turnaround deadline.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Comparing the edits has been an eye-opening experience. What one…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 10, 2007 at 1:21am — No Comments

Art & Entertainment

Posted by Sheila Connolly

I'm writing a mystery series featuring Tucson glassblower Em Dowell as my protagonist. The "hook" was handed to me by an editor, and, in the interests of full disclosure, I told her "I don't know much about glassblowing." Apparently that wasn't a problem for her, and I hope that meant she had faith in my ability to bone up on a subject, even though she had never met me and had seen only fifty pages of my writing.

I had taken…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 8, 2007 at 11:56pm — No Comments

Half of Luck is Just Showing Up

posted by Leann Sweeney

I'm talking about my critique group today. They are a wise and wonderful bunch. I've heard stories about other writers having very bad experiences with critiquers. I've also heard this topic presented as a panel discussion at conferences, have listened to agents and editors warn new writers to be very careful about what others say about a work in progress. I guess this can be a problem, but I said "guess" because that has not been my…

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Added by Writers Plot on October 5, 2007 at 10:40pm — No Comments

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