The Alliterative Allomorph

Tuesday, 4 January 2011

Jen Daiker's For the love of gifts GiVeAwAy!

The magnificant Jen @ Unedited has reached a WHOPPING 1000 FOLLOWERS! Woot! So head on over to her blog to enter her For the love of gifts GiVeAwAy!

The Prize
I quote:

"Option #1 – You say books. I answer. Books, bookmarks, magnets, etc.
Option #2 – Bath salts, soaps, candles, lotions, galore."

The Deal
I quote:
"Comment : This is a must. Choose your package # and then add one of the following -

Option 1 – tell me your favorite genre. You MUST also give me a favorite quote of yours to be entered.
Option 2 – tell me your favorite scent. You MUST also share with me your favorite way to be pampered.

Extras:
Tweet (and leave the link)
Facebook (because I love to be talked about)
Post (give me blog love for blog points)
Sidebar (you know my love for sidebars)

The more you play the more you win!

The winner will be selected on my first official year of blogging. January 20th! The polls are open. Let the games begin. "

So whaddaya waiting for?

PS: I'm going for a coffee with THIS AUTHOR today. So excited! :o)

Monday, 3 January 2011

Strangely Satisfied by the Mundane

So I'm back to work today! I was dreading it. But you know what? My brain has strangely relaxed. There's something soothing about not having to think too much - knowing that I can complete an editing task by using skills that I have become comfortable with over the past six years - that I don't need to learn anything new, or create anything new in order to complete the task - all I have to do is tick everything off on my editing checklist by Thursday and wait for the courier to come and pick up the proofs. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.

Ahhh. Sometimes I forget, that it's fun not to be creative too. It's a nice and much needed break for my brain. Weird, yes, I have to agree. But I can't deny the weight that was lifted from my shoulders, the release of pressure that has built up over Christmas from a certain self-expectation, this morning when I put my head down and started checking off design's corrections on a set of final layout proofs.

Most of my life I've been craving the opportunity to spend my time 'creating', be it fiction, poetry, or music, that I take every opportunity, every spare moment that comes my way. But I seem to have forgotten what it's like to 'see the end of a task'. When you're being creative, the 'end' is blurry. You don't stop 'creating' until you have created something that you're totally satisfied with, and satisfaction is not something you can add to your agenda. You can't say, "Oh, I'm going to start writing a short story today, and by Friday I'm going to be satisfied with it. Let's mark that on my calendar. Friday. Satisfied. Short story."

So today, immersed in my mundane editing task, I feel relief. Because I can see the end. Thursday. Satisfied. Final proofs.

How about you? Do you ever get pleasure from the mundane?

Saturday, 1 January 2011

Happy New Year, Everyone!!!

If you're friends with me on Facebook you'll know that I made a pact to write a poem per day in 2011. If you're interested in joining the Poetry Pact 2011 group (invite only - all work posted is not visible to the public), CLICK HERE! We already have 37 members!

This means I have to get in touch with my time management skills this year. I'm only going to post four days a week instead of five from now on, so Monday-Thursday, it'll be.

This is what I have to work on fitting into my day until the end of February:

Write a poem for Poetry Pact 2011, and feedback on others' work.
Revise a minimum of four pages of String Bridge a day to meet March 1st deadline
Write blog post and/or comment on blogs (depending on day)
Do a minimum of 6 hours English Language Teaching editing/writing in order to remain financially on top of all payments and save to go to the USA next year for my book launch
Beta read manuscripts for two of my blogging buddies

*Cough* Somewhere in all of that I need to cook, clean, walk the dog, eat, and erm ... and oh yeah! sleep. Um, hmm, I think I've forgotten something ... stupid me, almost forgot I had a man in my life. Yeah, I'd better find some time for him too. ;o)

Hope you're all having a wonderful beginning to your New Year!

Wednesday, 29 December 2010

IT'S TIME TO GROW GILLS (i.e. I've made a decision and want to ask you some stuff)

So, the New Year is coming up and all, so I figure I need a New Year's resolution. (Well, no I don't, the decision didn't come about because I thought I needed a resolution, the resolution element is just a convenient addition to my decision.)

Anyway, I made a decision, and the idea of telling all who are willing to hear seems to be a psychological trick to set the decision in stone - so here I am - setting it into cyberstone.

The decision:
In 2011, I am going to prioritize reading works (which I have not yet read) by authors that inspire me to become a better writer - i.e. Margaret Atwood, Marilynne Robinson, Raymond Carver, Milan Kundera, Rebecca Miller, and my new-found love Anne Lamott. (But do not fear, if you have a debut coming out that you'd like me to read, gimme a shout and I'll TRY MY BEST TO MAKE time for it.)

You see, in 2010, I read A LOT of debuts, and took chances on A LOT of authors I'd never read before. And it was great. Really, some mega surprises can be found in the unknown, so I'm SUPER glad that I did that. (I also read a lot of stuff that really wasn't my cup of tea and kinda think I wasted time - but yer know, live and learn). But I will do it again - when the time is right.

But you see, I've missed my lovelies. And I have a novel coming out next year, which has made me realise, "OMG, my 'career' is being kick-started. I need to keep growing as a writer.' And to do that I need to be inspired. So, I've decided to be a little more selfish with my reading.

I need to swim in literature that makes me grow gills so that I can breathe under water. I need to read the works of authors that, somehow, take me to a place deep deep under the sea, where all exterior noise is drowned out; where the world around me turns into an unfocused swirl of unidentifiable color; a place where my own creativity is sparked; where my mind is free to roam in worlds only I know how to breathe in.

So there you have it. My decision. But if you have read the authors I mention above, and you know of any authors you think I might be inspired by, please holler. This decision doesn't mean I don't want to explore new authors, it just means that I want inspiration and am going to go where I'm guaranteed to find it.

On another, more smaller note, I'm also hoping to find a good work/writing/love-life balance. Something I am yet to perfect. I should get my butt in gear, I dunno, I should write up a daily schedule or something instead of living in my usual fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants mode. I need some structure. Because 2011, is already filling up with 'have tos'. Yep ... I need to find a balance. I need a routine. I also need something that forces me to get out of the house and away from the computer more. Perhaps a part-time job, doing something non-editing/writing related. Hmmm ... that's a thought ...

So this leaves me with a few questions for you:

1. What authors inspire you to become a better writer, and why?
2. Have you found your work/writing/love-life and/or family balance? If yes, how? If no, are you going to try to in the New Year?
3. When you make a decision, do you feel the need to 'set it in stone'? If so, how do you go about that?
4. Do you spend too long at your desk? Do you feel you need a 'reason' to get away from it, or are you good at self-discipline?

Have a wonderful New Year!

Sunday, 26 December 2010

There Are No Words by Mary Calhoun Brown

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It didn't take long for me to realize that this book was going to be one-of-a-kind. On page fourteen I was already salivating at Mary's stunning prose.

It is a heart-warming YA historical fiction tale told from the perspective of a 12-year-old autistic girl named Jaxon. Though I believe it suits more to the Middle Grade genre, it definitely will not disappoint any young adult reader, nor will it disappoint an adult! Beautifully written - magical. It pushed me directly into her world and I found it very difficult to put it down. It had me turning the pages as if I had to before they melted from my fingers.

And I totally agree with Jaxon when she says: "The problem with most books is that when I read them, all the adventures in the book happen to me right then. But the authors almost always write about everything in the past. Sometimes the authors will go on and on, describing a hill or a sunset, and I can't help thinking it wasn't worth remembering. If they would just tell what's happening when it's happening, then there would be no need to remember."

Well, there is definitely no need to try remembering anything about this book because the story is eternally engraved into my mind. Thank you, Mary, for the wonderful experience!

View all my reviews

Wednesday, 22 December 2010

Praise = Constructive Criticism. What do you think?

Do you ever hold back praise in fear of not constructively criticising someone's work?
Do you ever hold back praise because you think the author/writer is brilliant and knows it? (Believe me, we may think we're brilliant in small bursts of temperamental self-confidence, but it never lasts. More often than not we think we're terrible.)
Do you ever hold back praise because you think the work has so many problems that need to be dealt with before offering any?
Do you ever hold back praise out of jealously?
Do you ever hold back praise due to thinking the writer might believe you're not very well-educated in literature and therefore can't find anything to criticize?

Well, I say stop it. You know why? Because praise can act as constructive criticism too. Sometimes praise motivates us to do better because we want to continue to impress the person who has offered it. We want to continue to write well (or whatever the project may be) in fear of disappointing the praiser the next time.