Intensive Purposes? What? Intents and Purposes!
Today I was blog hopping and I happened across another writer’s thematic blog about how much she truly hates Twilight. This isn’t actually the point of this article. I don’t hate Twilight, I actually enjoy the story and series, but do recognize the flaws in the characters and do not want my children to emulate any of them.
At any rate, she had me hooked on her article basically depicting why Bella was a bad role model for girls, as well as Edward Cullen being a bad influence for what girls should be looking for. All the way until I got to the end of the article and I read “For all intensive purposes”. The first thing I thought of was, “Hey that reminds me of a ‘The King of Queens’ episode that I loved! But then I realized how sad it is that many people actually think it is intensive purposes. It’s not. It’s “For all intents and purposes”. It probably would have worked had she have written it correctly. She’s a writer.
I will still continue to read her blogs and her posts, that didn’t ruin me forever – after all, she’s a great writer. It just surprised me to see someone that writes for a living, make such an obvious error.
Have you ever made an error like that and realized later that you wrote the phrase wrong or said it wrong? (I have, but I’ll save that for another post).
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Slow Down on Article Writing
Before the holidays I always go a bit crazy writing articles, to make up for the holiday rush that seems to make article writing take a back seat. I have a ton of articles I have done nothing with yet, and have been throwing around the idea of tossing them up on Suite 101 or Associated Content, but I would really like to hear what others think. I also write for Demand Studios but haven’t for awhile.
My private clients have assignments that are due the first of February, but nothing until then, so I’m getting antsy to write. Been working on my book to supplement my writing time, but I am ready to get back into the swing of things.
Anyone have any advice for good websites to write for?
I recently applied to another residual site, but I hate counting on that for anything. I do it more for the experience, and a place to put the stuff I feel compelled to get down. haha
I have no idea where else to apply, or where else to do something with. Anyone? Bueller?
xoxox and Happy New Year! Hoping 2010 is my best writing year yet (and that my book gets published!)
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Happy New Year to All My Bloggy Friends!
I hope your 2010 is the best year yet. Keep smiling and have faith and hope that your New Year will be better, and I promise the positive attitude will deliver.
Here’s to 2010!
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Suite 101 – Got Words?
Completely on a whim, I decided to apply at Suite 101 just to see what would happen. I have written for some pretty big named sites on the Internet, but when I applied to Suite101 in May 2008, I got turned down. Back then I was writing for families.com. Uhm. Okay.
So I put it on the back burner, and last night thought about it again. I applied using the SAME two clips I had used back then (the same two I tend to use most of the time because they have not been published anywhere).
Within two hours I got an email congratulating me on being accepted to Suite 101. Wow. I got accepted using the same two writing samples I used last time that seemed to have deemed me not worthy? I changed TWO words to make them past tense. That is all I changed, and honestly if anything – I would have thought that might have been more of a problem than the original way it was written. So funny.
Uhm. So now what? Got any words to share? I have no idea what in the world to write about, since I wasn’t thinking they would accept me again. What articles do well on Suite101? What articles stink on Suite101? I realize it is a residual site, so I want to find articles to write that are interesting and would keep people coming back long term.
Do any of you write for Suite101? Has anyone had my experience? You are rejected and then reapply later, and are accepted? My favorite part is that it was the same two articles. LOL The original “editor” must not have liked my topics. haha
Fill me in on your experiences with this site. I’d love to hear them! 
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Experience With Atlantic Publishing?
I have a friend who was recently contacted by Atlantic Publishing to write a book for them. Have any of you had any experiences working for or with this company? There doesn’t seem to be a lot out there about them, except I did find a few negative reviews. Problem is, all sites seem to have a few negatives.
Apparently, they give you a firm fee for the completed book (quotes seem to be between $1000-$1500) depending on who you ask, however you earn no royalties from future publications of the book. Only the one time fee.
If you have had, or anyone you know has had, any experience with Atlantic Publishing, I would be grateful if you would comment below and tell me about them. I am especially interested in people who have completed the book, and hopefully received their check. I would be interested in hearing the good, the bad and the ugly, so don’t hold back.
I want to know ALL about your experiences with Atlantic Publishing.
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Something’s Missing
The past few days have felt almost numb. I am working on other projects, but the fast paced, goal oriented month of November is over and I am missing it terribly. There’s just something special about the craziness, writing with such abandon and hanging out with a bunch of people doing the same thing. I really do miss it.
I saw that some people are organizing a NaNoWriMo in December, but I am really not interested. I would only do it if it was officially sponsored by Chris Baty and his team of awesomeness. Without the pep talks from amazing authors, and the use of the forums whenever I get stuck or want a dare, it just isn’t the same.
So I plow forward on the two WIP’s I am doing now, and I will come back and begin editing my NaNoWriMo WIP in about two weeks (needed a little break from that one), and life is slowly resuming to normal.
On the bright side, now my house is cleaner, there are groceries in the fridge and the kids aren’t annoying me quite as much. So what are you working on and doing now that NaNo is over?
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NaNoWriMo 2009 Winner
*woot* I cannot believe I finished and I actually finished more than 12 hours before I had to validate my word count.
That might just have been the most exhausting NaNoWriMo I have participated in. I had a lot to juggle this month, and I did it anyway, It’s extremely rewarding to know I was able to finish, even with all the obstacles. I finished with 53,203 words, which was an accident because I thought I was more behind a few days ago than I was.
On a side note of course, the novel is NOT finished yet, and still has a lot more to be written and so much editing it makes my head hurt thinking about it. But regardless of what I still have to do, I accomplished my goal of 50,000 words and that is all that matters right at the current moment.
On yet another note, I will be VERY happy to get back to blogging and the real world. I miss all my blogs and while I tried to update weekly, I failed miserably. Now I can do better.
I actually rewarded myself for the past two hours, by importing all of my WIPs into yWriter which is my most favorite writing program EVER. Plus I even wrote a little bit on two of them, because I was feeling inspired (so technically I wrote a lot more than 50,000 this month but since they are on other books, they don’t count).
Want to know how else I rewarded myself? Don’t laugh, please. Seriously.
I cleaned. My kitchen. Yes, I did. I said, don’t laugh. I also did two loads of laundry and folded one. Hey, I said don’t laugh! Oddly, it felt satisfying to actually complete my 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo ‘09, import all of my WIPS (there were 15 I had to move from Story Binder to yWriter), write some more on two of them, clean my kitchen (swept and mopped the floor, cleaned counters and cabinets and reorganized the counters completely, plus put all the dishes away from my dishwasher), and get three loads of laundry worked on, all before 10am on validation day. Wow! hehe
The rest of the day I am seriously considering writing on a few of my older books just to get back into them. I will probably also do several blog posts and perhaps, after all that, I’ll take a freakin’ nap. I deserve it. LOL
I know a lot of you finished before me. What did you do to reward yourself, if anything? And for those that are finished… where are you, in your word count?
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Writing Tips To Keep You Focused
The new plot idea is finally down on paper… or rather, typed into yWriter. I wrote nearly 12K just with the new idea, so I feel satisfied that I have what I need down, to be able to come back to it.
My NaNo Novel took a small turn last night and I wound up deleting a few paragraphs and lost almost 800 words in the process. But even that I fixed before I fell asleep. All that and I even managed to help two of the five kids with homework, deal with 1 teen and her crisis, watch an hour of TV and listen to a 2 hour radio show. My night was a success.
Which brings me to today. I have a lot of work to do on my current novel if I hope to finish it by the end of the month. (I am aiming to finish it, not just reach 50K) I keep getting sidetracked by things I have been researching for other projects and situations. I need to focus. Here are some tips for keeping focused. (yes, I plan to heed my own advice).
What happens when my idea seems stale and I want to change directions or plots entirely?
Nothing happens. You just keep writing in whatever direction your heart takes you. That was actually why I wound up deleting those paragraphs. I had a better direction to go. I don’t recommend deleting anything until the end though. You know, do what I say, not what I do. haha.
Even if certain elements of your story have changed, you can keep writing. Editing comes later and that is when you can go back and change what you need to change. Make notes nearby the paragraphs that need changes so it is easier to find them again.
Don’t allow yourself to get bored with what you are writing and think that a change is what you need. It isn’t always. Sometimes we just need a fresh idea or a new character to be introduced.
Can I skip a day of writing and catch up the next day?
There are no rules on how you write, when you write or how you reach 50K. So yes, you can skip a day. But the question would be better asked, “SHOULD I skip a day of writing? The answer to that question, is really, No. You should make every attempt you can to make sure you are writing every single day, even if you aren’t meeting your word count goal for the day. Every little bit helps and keeps the flow going. If you take a day off, it makes it very easy to take the following day off, and continue on with that pattern until you find yourself so behind that you can’t possibly catch up, without getting no sleep for two days straight.
I didn’t quite make my word count goal for the day, is that bad?
No, it is not bad. It’s not a great thing, but it happens to all of us. (especially us idiots who delete 800+ words and then have to write them all again). If you are just a few hundred words off, you can probably make those up fairly quickly. However, if you only get a few hundred words out a day, you have little change of successfully completing your 50K goal. Do everything in your power to meet or exceed your writing goals, daily. If you get ahead, try not to take the next day off. Write something.
This chapter is going nowhere, even though I know what’s going to happen next, what do I do?
You keep writing. I hear this same complaint, year after year and many want to give up when a chapter seems hopeless. Don’t do that. There is no rule that says you cannot skip around from chapter to chapter or scene to scene. So skip ahead. Write a scene that is playing on your mind heavily, or one that you are just really excited to write. You will probably get a lot of words down if you are in the mood to write, and are writing something you are passionate or excited about.
I’ve told this story before, but for the new readers of the blog: Several years ago, the first year I actually won NaNo – I tried something I hadn’t done before. I wrote the beginning and the end first. I even wrote about three different scenes in the middle of the book. THEN I went through and filled in the gaps. It was actually a really cool way to do it. I wound up with subplots I never saw coming and situations I probably wouldn’t have come up with originally.
So, I’m all hyped up on coffee, I have a hot steaming cup sitting next to me, and hours before any kids get off the bus. I am going to go get lost in novel-land and avoid Twitter like the plague.
How’s your novel coming? Are you where you want to be?
(oh, and no James – that’s not me either lol)
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The Only Thing I Hate About Writing…
Honestly I was born to write. When I’m not writing, I feel the constant need, the constant creative thoughts flowing through me. I feel compelled to write.
When I am writing, I feel that need fulfilled. It feels almost poetic… a justice to the words and thoughts I needed to get out.
Sometimes the writing is good, and flows freely. Sometimes the words are stilted and unsure, as if they don’t know which direction to take. But no matter what, when I am writing, I feel alive.
But there is one thing I really hate about writing. When I am writing, and feeling alive, I am also very receptive to my inner thoughts. And I feel the new worlds, the new plots, developing… even when I am deep in the middle of a totally non-connected plot.
It usually happens when I am already in the midst of a plot, and I have all these new ideas occur to me. These new plots, sub plots, characters and story ideas that just inundate my brain and make it impossible to focus on the plot I am working on.
During this time, I usually just take a break from writing and grab some index cards or post its and start frantically taking notes to get the thoughts and ideas out. Often once they are all down on paper, I can return to the project at hand and get back to work.
Sometimes though, I can’t get back to work because the new story idea is yelling at me to work on it. And no matter how much I write down, it isn’t enough for those little plot bunnies that want me to keep going.
When you are working on a deadline, this can certainly wreak havoc. So today I am lost in organizing the ideas for a whole new novel, that I will work on around Christmas. I wish it would release me. I need to get back to work on my NaNo Novel.
How are you guys doing on your word counts? How are your novels developing? Would love to hear about it!
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Plotting The Next Part of My Novel
I had to take a day off writing, so I am really not as far as I would like to be, but I am hoping all that will change today.
I spent the entire day yesterday spreading out my notes and print outs, and creating post it’s to get that section more organized. I am eager to get started and was relieved that my cat and dogs didn’t mess with my stuff on the table. Yay!
Want to see the mess I made?
Haha, and just think – when I’m ready to move onto the next section of the book, I have to do this all again.
I also think its funny that in the picture I managed to capture the Motrin bottle sitting in the middle of the table. And my always needed coffee cup.
How is your novel coming along?
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Welcome!
Hi there, I am Nicole. This blog is a combination of my little corner of the writing world and the previous website known as Freelance Writer's Exchange. Please be sure and leave a comment so I know you visited, and so I can come visit you.
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo in 2010? If you are, leave me a comment with your id and I'll add you as a friend! 2010 will be my 5th year winning, and my 7th year participating.
What I'm tweeting:
- Caught up in a re-run of the Vampire Diaries and getting very sleepy. Need. Sleep. Good night my dear twitter friends!
- RT @FrugalChanges: RT @OMGFacts You can't hum while holding your nose closed. Try it. #omgfacts
- uhhh, I think I fit a few of those. RT @Twitter_Tips: 11 Funny Graphs About Twitter: http://j.mp/boCNRE
- I have no idea where that 'a' came from. Strange.
- a@centsiblelife I can relate. Truly. Not feeling motivated enough - need some mugs of liquid motivation. :)
- There is something really wrong when on the first day of Spring, they are calling for snow.
