11 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba
10 Temmuz 2012 Salı
9 Temmuz 2012 Pazartesi
"The Call" Guest Post
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Hello, lovely people! I'm sorry I've been MIA around the blogosphere lately. I'm finally in the last stretch of my pregnancy (ONE MORE MONTH! WOOHOO!), which means, lots of doctor appointments and naps. The fun part about having an excuse to put my feet up is that I get to READ a lot of books! Just this past week, I finished 3 YA books and I'm halfway through the 4th one. :D
Reading always makes me happy. *happy sigh*
Anyway, a lovely blogger friend, Michelle Hauck of Michelle4Laughs--It's In The Details, asked me to write a guest post for her blog series, Getting The Call. If you're not sick of me gushing about how I landed my super fabulous literary agent, Julia A. Weber, head on over there to get the scope on my neurotic email checking, where my "fairly new" writing cave is located (hint: where the snacks are), and why you need writer friends who won't bat an eyelash if you start emailing them frantically because you don't know what to do next.
Click here and say hi!
 |
| The bun in the oven is almost ready!! |
Reading always makes me happy. *happy sigh*
Anyway, a lovely blogger friend, Michelle Hauck of Michelle4Laughs--It's In The Details, asked me to write a guest post for her blog series, Getting The Call. If you're not sick of me gushing about how I landed my super fabulous literary agent, Julia A. Weber, head on over there to get the scope on my neurotic email checking, where my "fairly new" writing cave is located (hint: where the snacks are), and why you need writer friends who won't bat an eyelash if you start emailing them frantically because you don't know what to do next.
Click here and say hi!
Blog Awards I Can't Ignore Anymore (Part 1)
To contact us Click HERE
I used to think I have a great memory. Back in grade school, there was a 6-stanza poem we were supposed to learn and memorize for a week. Our teacher wanted us to recite 1-2 stanzas per day so we could build up to memorizing all of the stanzas by the end of the week. Well, little me decided 1 stanza was too easy. So right after breakfast, while I was putting on my school uniform (yes, we had to wear uniforms!) I went through the poem over and over again.
Yep, I recited the whole poem that very Monday.
Nope, I didn't make one mistake.
Sigh. I wish I still have that good of a memory. I swear every time I get pregnant, some of my brain cells disappear. I rely on lists now to keep myself sane (and so I don't miss any important events). Yeah, I know people say forgetfulness is a symptom of pregnancy, but really, this forgetfulness goes way beyond gestation. Anyway, I AM rambling. The point, really, of all this...rambling...is I have blog awards I need to acknowledge and give away. Some of them I've forgotten about (picture me scrambling to read my old posts so I could see who left me awards from months ago). But I can't ignore them any longer because if I do, I'll NEVER get to them...evah. And my conscience would not allow me to be rude about it.
So! Here we go (starting with the most recent):
This one came from the lovely and talented Medeia Sharif, author of BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. (Flux, 2011). She's cool and awesome! Thanks, Medeia!!
Oh, right. The rules (almost forgot).
The rules for this award:
This award is for book bloggers only. To receive this award the blog must be at least 50% about books (reading or writing is okay)
Along with receiving this award, you must also share your top five favorite books you have ever read. (More than five is okay) You must give this award to 5-10 other lucky book blogs you adore.
Hmmm. Five favorite books, eh? Tough to narrow down, but I'll try: (not in any particular order)
(Okay, so I couldn't just pick five. I am sorely tempted to add more because there are so many great books out there, but I had to stop myself.)
Next up comes from my gorgeous blogger friend from the UK, Nikki of Inspire Nordic. She writes about Scandinavian/Nordic language and culture. Cool, eh?
and
Oh, she gave me two. Thanks, Nikki! You're such a sweetie. :)
There are some questions I have to answer. I'll keep it short and sweet.
What is your favorite song?
Gah! I'm stumped. My "favorite" song changes all the time.
What is your favorite dessert?
Man, you're asking me at this point in my life where every dessert sounds good. Cake, cupcakes, lemon bars, ice cream, bread pudding, key lime pie...you name it, I'll probably gobble it up in seconds.
When you're upset, what do you do?
I have kids so when I'm upset, I have to hide in the bathroom. Not because I don't want them to see that I'm crying, or to shield them from the fact that I'm upset/angry/mad, but because the questions will NOT stop. What's wrong, Mommy? Why are you crying? Did you get a boo-boo?
What was your favorite pet?
Can't say it was my favorite, but I totally thought our pet turtle was cool. We let him loose around our yard (it was fenced-in), and then we couldn't find him anymore because he was really good at hiding behind my mom's flowers and bushes. After a year (maybe?), we found him swimming in our little fish pond. So we took him out and somebody had the brilliant idea to paint red and white dots on his shell so we'd have an easier time finding him. Uh, didn't work. He may be slow, but he was a master at evading us.
What do you prefer to wear, black or white?
Ugh, can't wear white. Do you know how hard it is to keep yourself clean when you have little kids around you? Yeaaahhhh...
What is your biggest fear?
That something bad will happen to my kids or my husband, or anyone in my family, really.
What is your attitude mostly?
I'm a pretty laid back person. I like to believe I'm a cautiously optimistic person (still positive, but not to the point of being blind, ya know.)
What is perfection to you?
Perfection is acknowledging we're imperfect. :D
What is your guilty pleasure?
Playing games. :)
Whew! This post is getting too long so I'll have to do the rest later. For now, I'm handing over these lovely blog awards to the following people:
The {Booker} Award:
1. Jemi Fraser: A fabulous writer and school teacher. Her students are very lucky.
2. Lynda R. Young: She always has fantastic, helpful posts about writing and social media.
3. Cherie Reich: She's a writer, a freelance editor, and a library assistant. She's all about books!
4. Stephen Tremp: 'Cause his book BREAKTHROUGH: THE ADVENTURES OF CHASE MANHATTAN is out and free on Amazon--today is the last day so grab a copy!
5. Emily R. King: This new mama knows her stuff. :)
One Lovely Blog Award:
1. Michelle Hauck: She's a lovely person, and she was gracious enough to let me babble on her blog.
2. Leslie Pugh: A sweetheart! She's so cute and warm and friendly.
3. Cristina dos Santos: Her blog's always full of heart. <3
4. Joyce Alton: All hail the mother"ship" of AQC's Speculative Forum. :)
5. Shallee McArthur: A lovely mama--she's going to have a baby, too. At around the same time I am. How cool is that? *belly bump!*
Stylish Blogger Award:
1. E. B. Black: She calls herself the "death author". Creepy cool, eh?
2. Kela McClelland: A lovely friend from Agent Query Connect. :)
3. Wendy Lu: Because, like me, she just recently embraced her inner diva...I mean, her real name. And I must say, it's a lovely name, Wendy!
4. Andrea Teagan: A new blogger friend. Hi, Andrea!
5. Alex Villasante: She's my newest follower! Hi Alex! *waves*
Enjoy!
P.S. Awardees, no pressure at all. You are free to accept or ignore the awards--I promise I won't get mad at all. I know how busy you all are. :)
Yep, I recited the whole poem that very Monday.
Nope, I didn't make one mistake.
Sigh. I wish I still have that good of a memory. I swear every time I get pregnant, some of my brain cells disappear. I rely on lists now to keep myself sane (and so I don't miss any important events). Yeah, I know people say forgetfulness is a symptom of pregnancy, but really, this forgetfulness goes way beyond gestation. Anyway, I AM rambling. The point, really, of all this...rambling...is I have blog awards I need to acknowledge and give away. Some of them I've forgotten about (picture me scrambling to read my old posts so I could see who left me awards from months ago). But I can't ignore them any longer because if I do, I'll NEVER get to them...evah. And my conscience would not allow me to be rude about it.
So! Here we go (starting with the most recent):
This one came from the lovely and talented Medeia Sharif, author of BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. (Flux, 2011). She's cool and awesome! Thanks, Medeia!!
Oh, right. The rules (almost forgot).
The rules for this award:
This award is for book bloggers only. To receive this award the blog must be at least 50% about books (reading or writing is okay)
Along with receiving this award, you must also share your top five favorite books you have ever read. (More than five is okay) You must give this award to 5-10 other lucky book blogs you adore.
Hmmm. Five favorite books, eh? Tough to narrow down, but I'll try: (not in any particular order)
(Okay, so I couldn't just pick five. I am sorely tempted to add more because there are so many great books out there, but I had to stop myself.)
Next up comes from my gorgeous blogger friend from the UK, Nikki of Inspire Nordic. She writes about Scandinavian/Nordic language and culture. Cool, eh?
andOh, she gave me two. Thanks, Nikki! You're such a sweetie. :)
There are some questions I have to answer. I'll keep it short and sweet.
What is your favorite song?
Gah! I'm stumped. My "favorite" song changes all the time.
What is your favorite dessert?
Man, you're asking me at this point in my life where every dessert sounds good. Cake, cupcakes, lemon bars, ice cream, bread pudding, key lime pie...you name it, I'll probably gobble it up in seconds.
When you're upset, what do you do?
I have kids so when I'm upset, I have to hide in the bathroom. Not because I don't want them to see that I'm crying, or to shield them from the fact that I'm upset/angry/mad, but because the questions will NOT stop. What's wrong, Mommy? Why are you crying? Did you get a boo-boo?
What was your favorite pet?
Can't say it was my favorite, but I totally thought our pet turtle was cool. We let him loose around our yard (it was fenced-in), and then we couldn't find him anymore because he was really good at hiding behind my mom's flowers and bushes. After a year (maybe?), we found him swimming in our little fish pond. So we took him out and somebody had the brilliant idea to paint red and white dots on his shell so we'd have an easier time finding him. Uh, didn't work. He may be slow, but he was a master at evading us.
What do you prefer to wear, black or white?
Ugh, can't wear white. Do you know how hard it is to keep yourself clean when you have little kids around you? Yeaaahhhh...
What is your biggest fear?
That something bad will happen to my kids or my husband, or anyone in my family, really.
What is your attitude mostly?
I'm a pretty laid back person. I like to believe I'm a cautiously optimistic person (still positive, but not to the point of being blind, ya know.)
What is perfection to you?
Perfection is acknowledging we're imperfect. :D
What is your guilty pleasure?
Playing games. :)
Whew! This post is getting too long so I'll have to do the rest later. For now, I'm handing over these lovely blog awards to the following people:
The {Booker} Award:
1. Jemi Fraser: A fabulous writer and school teacher. Her students are very lucky.
2. Lynda R. Young: She always has fantastic, helpful posts about writing and social media.
3. Cherie Reich: She's a writer, a freelance editor, and a library assistant. She's all about books!
4. Stephen Tremp: 'Cause his book BREAKTHROUGH: THE ADVENTURES OF CHASE MANHATTAN is out and free on Amazon--today is the last day so grab a copy!
5. Emily R. King: This new mama knows her stuff. :)
One Lovely Blog Award:
1. Michelle Hauck: She's a lovely person, and she was gracious enough to let me babble on her blog.
2. Leslie Pugh: A sweetheart! She's so cute and warm and friendly.
3. Cristina dos Santos: Her blog's always full of heart. <3
4. Joyce Alton: All hail the mother"ship" of AQC's Speculative Forum. :)
5. Shallee McArthur: A lovely mama--she's going to have a baby, too. At around the same time I am. How cool is that? *belly bump!*
Stylish Blogger Award:
1. E. B. Black: She calls herself the "death author". Creepy cool, eh?
2. Kela McClelland: A lovely friend from Agent Query Connect. :)
3. Wendy Lu: Because, like me, she just recently embraced her inner diva...I mean, her real name. And I must say, it's a lovely name, Wendy!
4. Andrea Teagan: A new blogger friend. Hi, Andrea!
5. Alex Villasante: She's my newest follower! Hi Alex! *waves*
Enjoy!
P.S. Awardees, no pressure at all. You are free to accept or ignore the awards--I promise I won't get mad at all. I know how busy you all are. :)
Blog Awards I Can't Ignore Anymore (Part 2)
To contact us Click HERE
So here we are again. More lovely awards to pass around. Let's make the blogosphere shine and sparkle with bloggy love, right? I told myself not to ramble this time, so here we go:
The math wiz and blogger extraordinaire Tara Tyler of Tara Tyler Talks handed me 3 awards! Tara's been a longtime blogger friend. If ever you need a haiku fix, she's your go-to girl. :)
and
For the Fabulous Blog Ribbon, I'm supposed to answer the following questions. I'm a good sport, so I'll play along...
Name five of your most fabulous moments, either in real life or in the blogosphere.
~Getting married~Having my kids~Finishing my book~Getting a fabulous literary agent~Getting published! (Okay, so this hasn't happened...YET. What the heck--I'm inviting good mojo over here to make it come true. ;D )
Name five things you love.
~family time
~books!~yummy food ( I love to cook.)~pretty paper~art
Name five things you hate.
~hypocrisy~rude people~chewing gum stuck under tables and chairs (ewwww!) ~bullies~doing laundry
I know, I'm so random. Ha!
Pass the ribbon on to five other bloggers. (We'll get to this in a minute.)
The questions for the Kreative Blogger Award are similar to the One Lovely Blog award rules, so I'll skip this one. :)
And, as for the Stylish award...I don't think it comes with rules. I also don't think I'm very stylish--I'm a jeans-and-shirt kind of a gal. I mostly dress for comfort, not to make a fashion statement.
Last but not least, Alisha Klapheke of I Heart Words tagged me in the Lucky 7 meme. I met Alisha over at Agent Query Connect. She's a dear. Plus, she's got a cool ms she's querying at the moment. Good luck with that, Alisha! :)
I actually did this one before with my book, HIDDEN, so I won't do that again. Instead, I'll pick a different WIP--one that is long enough to have a page 77. These are the seven lines from my MG Fantasy WIP:
“Isa. You can call me Isa.” She reached for the makeshift rope under her cot. “I need to get out of here. Will you help me?”
“Wait, hold on. I’ll help you but you need to help me understand first. What’s going on? Why are you hurt? Who did this to you?”
Isa plopped down on the mattress and began braiding the rest of the knotted strips together. “I went into the West Wing and—”“The West Wing? But nobody goes in there. It's haunted. The washerwoman said that the*****
Well, there you go. And now, on to the tagging part because, ya know, misery loves company. Er, I mean, 'cause these bloggers are AWESOME and they won't hate me for tagging them. Right? Right?!?? (I have chocolate.)
Fabulous Blog Ribbon:
1. T. Drecker
2. The Golden Eagle
3. M. J. Fifield
4. J.A. Bennett
5. Sherry Ellis
Kreative Blogger Award:
1. Mia K. Rose
2. Laura Barnes
3. Cat Lavoie
4. A.M. Supinger
5. Suzanne Payne
Stylish Blogger Award:
1. Bethany Crandell aka Rookie Riter (I know she loves awards that don't come with rules. :D )
2. Patricia Lynne
3. Stephanie Scott
4. Mooderino
5. Misha Gericke
Lucky 7 Meme Tag:
I'm tagging new blogger friends (hope they don't mind).
1. Lexa Cain
2. Kelsey Sutton
3.Tami Marie
4. Nick Wilford
5. L.S. Murphy (my agency sister! She just recently signed with my agent. Congrats, L.S.!)
As always, no pressure. Feel free to accept or ignore the awards. I know how busy you guys are. :)
The math wiz and blogger extraordinaire Tara Tyler of Tara Tyler Talks handed me 3 awards! Tara's been a longtime blogger friend. If ever you need a haiku fix, she's your go-to girl. :)
and
 |
| Again! Lucky me. :) |
For the Fabulous Blog Ribbon, I'm supposed to answer the following questions. I'm a good sport, so I'll play along...
Name five of your most fabulous moments, either in real life or in the blogosphere.
~Getting married~Having my kids~Finishing my book~Getting a fabulous literary agent~Getting published! (Okay, so this hasn't happened...YET. What the heck--I'm inviting good mojo over here to make it come true. ;D )
Name five things you love.
~family time
~books!~yummy food ( I love to cook.)~pretty paper~art
Name five things you hate.
~hypocrisy~rude people~chewing gum stuck under tables and chairs (ewwww!) ~bullies~doing laundry
I know, I'm so random. Ha!
Pass the ribbon on to five other bloggers. (We'll get to this in a minute.)
The questions for the Kreative Blogger Award are similar to the One Lovely Blog award rules, so I'll skip this one. :)
And, as for the Stylish award...I don't think it comes with rules. I also don't think I'm very stylish--I'm a jeans-and-shirt kind of a gal. I mostly dress for comfort, not to make a fashion statement.
.JPG) |
| Case in point: Matching pink dresses with my little sis! And what's up with the floppy, doily-looking collars?!? o_O |
Last but not least, Alisha Klapheke of I Heart Words tagged me in the Lucky 7 meme. I met Alisha over at Agent Query Connect. She's a dear. Plus, she's got a cool ms she's querying at the moment. Good luck with that, Alisha! :)
I actually did this one before with my book, HIDDEN, so I won't do that again. Instead, I'll pick a different WIP--one that is long enough to have a page 77. These are the seven lines from my MG Fantasy WIP:
“Isa. You can call me Isa.” She reached for the makeshift rope under her cot. “I need to get out of here. Will you help me?”
“Wait, hold on. I’ll help you but you need to help me understand first. What’s going on? Why are you hurt? Who did this to you?”
Isa plopped down on the mattress and began braiding the rest of the knotted strips together. “I went into the West Wing and—”“The West Wing? But nobody goes in there. It's haunted. The washerwoman said that the*****
Well, there you go. And now, on to the tagging part because, ya know, misery loves company. Er, I mean, 'cause these bloggers are AWESOME and they won't hate me for tagging them. Right? Right?!?? (I have chocolate.)
Fabulous Blog Ribbon:
1. T. Drecker
2. The Golden Eagle
3. M. J. Fifield
4. J.A. Bennett
5. Sherry Ellis
Kreative Blogger Award:
1. Mia K. Rose
2. Laura Barnes
3. Cat Lavoie
4. A.M. Supinger
5. Suzanne Payne
Stylish Blogger Award:
1. Bethany Crandell aka Rookie Riter (I know she loves awards that don't come with rules. :D )
2. Patricia Lynne
3. Stephanie Scott
4. Mooderino
5. Misha Gericke
Lucky 7 Meme Tag:
I'm tagging new blogger friends (hope they don't mind).
1. Lexa Cain
2. Kelsey Sutton
3.Tami Marie
4. Nick Wilford
5. L.S. Murphy (my agency sister! She just recently signed with my agent. Congrats, L.S.!)
As always, no pressure. Feel free to accept or ignore the awards. I know how busy you guys are. :)
Bad Query Tips and Much More...
To contact us Click HERE
If you're a writer and you tweet, chances are, you've already seen the hilarious and informative hashtag #BadQueryingTips trending on Twitter. Basically, it's a what-not-to-do sort of guide for querying writers.
A few gems...
Fun, right? There's also #BadWritingTips :
Anyway, what bad query or writing tips have you encountered before? Please share so we can all have a laugh (and secretly fix our mistakes when no one's looking. :D )
A few gems...
#BadQueryTips Always include attachments. The agents are sure to open them.
— Lynn(e) Schmidt (@LynneSchmidt) June 25, 2012
Once you've queried, call the agent every day to check up on your submission. Shows dedication. We LOVE that. #BadQueryingTips
— Julia A. Weber(@jawlitagent) June 25, 2012
Mention how much your mom loves your book and how she thinks you're better than that woman who wrote about vampires. #BadQueryingTips
— Rebekah Crane (@RebekahCrane) June 25, 2012
Fun, right? There's also #BadWritingTips :
Try to use a different synonym for "said" every time someone talks. It will show people that you know lots of words. #badwritingtips
— Leigh Ann Kopans (@LeighAnnKopans) June 23, 2012
Show AND tell. Your reader is simple minded. #BadWritingTips
— Julie Murphy (@andimjulie) June 23, 2012
Use the word "just" as much as possible. And "suddenly." #BadWritingTips
— Megan Whitmer (@MeganWhitmer) June 23, 2012
Anyway, what bad query or writing tips have you encountered before? Please share so we can all have a laugh (and secretly fix our mistakes when no one's looking. :D )
Confidence or Foolishness?
To contact us Click HERE
I'm finally home from a one-week vacation! And I'm proud to say this pregnant mama survived a 6-hour drive (maybe even more than that with all the potty breaks we had to stop for) both going to our destination and coming back. Plus the baby did NOT come out during the vacation so hooray! hooray! I did make a deal with him, you know. You stay put in there, little mister, but after vacation is over you can come out anytime you want to and we will be ready for you. His first order from mommy and he obeyed! I think this kid is a keeper. :D
Anyway, I missed all of you. But at the same time, I was glad to be mostly unplugged during the entirety of our much needed R&R. I say mostly because apparently, I didn't have the willpower to stay totally unconnected (must check email...just a peek, I swear). We had a very pleasant time and the best part was I didn't feel overwhelmed. It was all about relaxation and family bonding. And I got to take naps, read two books and a friend's manuscript, and eat yummy, yummy food without cooking! WIN!
The kids' favorite activity was swimming. No surprise there, right? Actually, for both my 8-year-old and 4-year-old, this was a vast improvement from last year. They had taken swimming lessons prior to our vacation, and while my 8-year-old girl can now swim on her own, my 4-year-old boy only THINKS he can swim on his own. Last summer, they were both afraid to put their faces in the water or to stray too far from the shallow end. This summer, they were diving off to retrieve dive toys from the bottom of the pool.
That's all fine and dandy, especially when daddy's nearby to rescue them if they needed help. But my little boy is overly confident. He thinks he can swim without any help. No wait, he BELIEVES he can swim on his own. So all of a sudden, we had a slippery fish on our hands (well, I didn't go swimming, so poor daddy had to handle the boy by himself). Which meant, we had to watch him EVERY. DARN. SECOND. You couldn't take your eyes off him because he would just jump off without warning--arms scooping water wildly, legs kicking, his chin tilting briefly to breathe and then he'd go under again...only he couldn't keep it up for very long so he'd end up sinking in a matter of seconds. My boy knows the basics of swimming--unfortunately, what he's lacking is proper execution. But you know, he's only 4, and he's only had two summers of swimming lessons. He'll get it by next year. Or the year after that.
Still, I was both amazed and scared by his abundance of CONFIDENCE. Or was it FOOLISHNESS? Maybe it's a mixture of both. It kinda reminded me of my days as a newbie writer. We probably have similar stories to tell. You know, that first instance when you decided you wanted to write a book. There was probably a little apprehension, but that was quickly swallowed by enthusiasm. Oh yeah, this story idea is the most epic ever! Then you wrote with abandon--places and characters coming to life on your computer screen. Never mind that you started with a prologue that had nothing to do with the beginning of the story. Never mind that every dialogue tag was a synonym of "said" and duly accompanied by an adverb to reinforce what the character was feeling at the moment. Never mind that you were info-dumping left and right.
This was your story, and 150,000 words later, you knew you were a writer. No, you believed it. So much so that you immediately decided to send it off to a literary agent or a publishing house.
Okay, so this is a bit exaggerated. I didn't write 150K, nor did I send the first draft to any agent or publisher. It was the SECOND draft, and I mailed them a query letter, not the manuscript. Even I wasn't as stupid as that back then. Thankfully for me, I learned quickly. I only sent 3 queries before realizing my first manuscript was total crap. My query was crap, too. Heh.
Like my 4-year-old boy who fearlessly threw himself in the water, we writers need to have confidence, but not too much so we don't drown. We may know the basics, but it takes time and effort to master execution. And lots of drafts and revisions.
My boy will learn how to swim, and how to do it well. So what if it doesn't happen right away? As long as he continues to love the water, and keeps up with his lessons, I have no doubt he'll make it. After all, the very first day of vacation he came up to me and declared: Mommy, I'm going to be a great swimmer. I believe him.
And you can be a great writer, too. Just keep on writing.
Anyway, I missed all of you. But at the same time, I was glad to be mostly unplugged during the entirety of our much needed R&R. I say mostly because apparently, I didn't have the willpower to stay totally unconnected (must check email...just a peek, I swear). We had a very pleasant time and the best part was I didn't feel overwhelmed. It was all about relaxation and family bonding. And I got to take naps, read two books and a friend's manuscript, and eat yummy, yummy food without cooking! WIN!
The kids' favorite activity was swimming. No surprise there, right? Actually, for both my 8-year-old and 4-year-old, this was a vast improvement from last year. They had taken swimming lessons prior to our vacation, and while my 8-year-old girl can now swim on her own, my 4-year-old boy only THINKS he can swim on his own. Last summer, they were both afraid to put their faces in the water or to stray too far from the shallow end. This summer, they were diving off to retrieve dive toys from the bottom of the pool.
That's all fine and dandy, especially when daddy's nearby to rescue them if they needed help. But my little boy is overly confident. He thinks he can swim without any help. No wait, he BELIEVES he can swim on his own. So all of a sudden, we had a slippery fish on our hands (well, I didn't go swimming, so poor daddy had to handle the boy by himself). Which meant, we had to watch him EVERY. DARN. SECOND. You couldn't take your eyes off him because he would just jump off without warning--arms scooping water wildly, legs kicking, his chin tilting briefly to breathe and then he'd go under again...only he couldn't keep it up for very long so he'd end up sinking in a matter of seconds. My boy knows the basics of swimming--unfortunately, what he's lacking is proper execution. But you know, he's only 4, and he's only had two summers of swimming lessons. He'll get it by next year. Or the year after that.
Still, I was both amazed and scared by his abundance of CONFIDENCE. Or was it FOOLISHNESS? Maybe it's a mixture of both. It kinda reminded me of my days as a newbie writer. We probably have similar stories to tell. You know, that first instance when you decided you wanted to write a book. There was probably a little apprehension, but that was quickly swallowed by enthusiasm. Oh yeah, this story idea is the most epic ever! Then you wrote with abandon--places and characters coming to life on your computer screen. Never mind that you started with a prologue that had nothing to do with the beginning of the story. Never mind that every dialogue tag was a synonym of "said" and duly accompanied by an adverb to reinforce what the character was feeling at the moment. Never mind that you were info-dumping left and right.
This was your story, and 150,000 words later, you knew you were a writer. No, you believed it. So much so that you immediately decided to send it off to a literary agent or a publishing house.
Okay, so this is a bit exaggerated. I didn't write 150K, nor did I send the first draft to any agent or publisher. It was the SECOND draft, and I mailed them a query letter, not the manuscript. Even I wasn't as stupid as that back then. Thankfully for me, I learned quickly. I only sent 3 queries before realizing my first manuscript was total crap. My query was crap, too. Heh.
Like my 4-year-old boy who fearlessly threw himself in the water, we writers need to have confidence, but not too much so we don't drown. We may know the basics, but it takes time and effort to master execution. And lots of drafts and revisions.
My boy will learn how to swim, and how to do it well. So what if it doesn't happen right away? As long as he continues to love the water, and keeps up with his lessons, I have no doubt he'll make it. After all, the very first day of vacation he came up to me and declared: Mommy, I'm going to be a great swimmer. I believe him.
And you can be a great writer, too. Just keep on writing.
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| Photo by ~ezs' |
8 Temmuz 2012 Pazar
From emollient creams to bath products: How to keep the agony of eczema at bay
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Skin diseases such as eczema are the mainly common reason we go to the GP, according to new figures from the British Skin Foundation the condition, characterised by dry, itchy red skin, is now expected to affect up to 20 per cent of school children and up to 10 per cent of adults.
‘In 99 per cent of cases, eczema can be prohibited’ says Professor Mike Cork, head of dermatology research at the University of Sheffield and guide dermatologist at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
‘But tragically we see adults with horrendous eczema their condition would have been dramatically different had they be referred as a baby caught early, we can prevent mild or reasonable eczema from getting worse.’
Skin diseases such as eczema are the mainly common reason we go to the GP, according to new figures from the British Skin Foundation the condition, characterised by dry, itchy red skin, is now expected to affect up to 20 per cent of school children and up to 10 per cent of adults.
‘In 99 per cent of cases, eczema can be prohibited’ says Professor Mike Cork, head of dermatology research at the University of Sheffield and guide dermatologist at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
‘But tragically we see adults with horrendous eczema their condition would have been dramatically different had they be referred as a baby caught early, we can prevent mild or reasonable eczema from getting worse.’
Friday Photo Fix 6/1
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I give up...or I guess you could also say...I gave up, 10 hours of work a week!
After a year and a half of trying to nail down how to be super mom, super wife, and super therapist all at once something finally clicked for me. I realized I didn't want to do it all and I was stressing myself out by trying. Who wants to be stressed? No one! Who wants to be around someone who is stressed all of the time? No one!
Lucky for me, I have an understanding husband who was on board when I told him I'd like less work and more family.
I was double lucky, when I told the same story to my boss and she was also on board. Starting July 1, I will officially go to 3/4 time. I'm happy about the change and excited for the opportunity to change things up a bit. Hopefully, I will feel like this change will give our family the best of both worlds, meaning that I will still have extra income to travel and play, but I will also always have three day weekends to shower Chance and Max with love and attention.
I hope you like pictures of Chance playing in the park because I have a feeling you are going to see a lot more.
After a year and a half of trying to nail down how to be super mom, super wife, and super therapist all at once something finally clicked for me. I realized I didn't want to do it all and I was stressing myself out by trying. Who wants to be stressed? No one! Who wants to be around someone who is stressed all of the time? No one!
Lucky for me, I have an understanding husband who was on board when I told him I'd like less work and more family.
I was double lucky, when I told the same story to my boss and she was also on board. Starting July 1, I will officially go to 3/4 time. I'm happy about the change and excited for the opportunity to change things up a bit. Hopefully, I will feel like this change will give our family the best of both worlds, meaning that I will still have extra income to travel and play, but I will also always have three day weekends to shower Chance and Max with love and attention.
I hope you like pictures of Chance playing in the park because I have a feeling you are going to see a lot more.
Brad and Ashley's Wedding Rehearsal
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A few weeks ago, we were able to spend some time in Kansas with family for Brad and Ashley's wedding weekend. We had an amazing time and we are so happy that we were able to be a part of Brad and Ashley's big day.
Here are some highlights from the rehearsal...
Max and Brad's Aunt Jan officiated the ceremony. She did an amazing job at making everything run smoothly and it was really special to have her as the minister.
Brad and Ashley chose the Rose Garden in Gage Park Topeka as the site for their vows.
Looking into the rose garden
Chance playing in the rose garden during the rehearsal.
He w.o.u.l.d.n.o.t.s.i.t.s.t.i.l.l or let anyone else hold him without a huge fuss. Good thing he's cute and I love him so much :)
Brad and Ashley getting serious about their practice I DO's
Brad's guys and Ashley's gals
Friends of the couple
The wedding party
Kennedy is love!
(and maybe the happiest baby on the planet)
Chance the ever curious explorer
Parents of the bride and groom
(How do I never seem to have any photos of Mike? My dad is the exact same way. They must never sit still).
Chance and Adrian playing in the rain
Max and Chance
my two great loves
Even though it rained, the rehearsal was a great success. It was nice to meet all of the people that mean so much to Brad and Ashley and also to put names with faces of the friends of theirs that I have been hearing about for so long.
After the rehearsal, we headed to Bosco's in downtown Topeka for the rehearsal dinner. Mike and Carol had a room reserved for the entire wedding party. The food and atmosphere was perfect.
Carol did a great job on all of the floral arrangements and decorating the place. I think everyone really enjoyed their dinner and time relaxing.
Even Chance got a little sentimental about family and decided to go in for the BIG HUG with Adrian.
I'll post pictures from the wedding soon.
Here are some highlights from the rehearsal...
Max and Brad's Aunt Jan officiated the ceremony. She did an amazing job at making everything run smoothly and it was really special to have her as the minister.
Brad and Ashley chose the Rose Garden in Gage Park Topeka as the site for their vows.
Looking into the rose garden
Chance playing in the rose garden during the rehearsal.
He w.o.u.l.d.n.o.t.s.i.t.s.t.i.l.l or let anyone else hold him without a huge fuss. Good thing he's cute and I love him so much :)
Brad and Ashley getting serious about their practice I DO's
Brad's guys and Ashley's gals
Friends of the couple
The wedding party
Kennedy is love!
(and maybe the happiest baby on the planet)
Chance the ever curious explorer
Parents of the bride and groom
(How do I never seem to have any photos of Mike? My dad is the exact same way. They must never sit still).
Chance and Adrian playing in the rain
Max and Chance
my two great loves
Even though it rained, the rehearsal was a great success. It was nice to meet all of the people that mean so much to Brad and Ashley and also to put names with faces of the friends of theirs that I have been hearing about for so long.
After the rehearsal, we headed to Bosco's in downtown Topeka for the rehearsal dinner. Mike and Carol had a room reserved for the entire wedding party. The food and atmosphere was perfect.
Carol did a great job on all of the floral arrangements and decorating the place. I think everyone really enjoyed their dinner and time relaxing.
Even Chance got a little sentimental about family and decided to go in for the BIG HUG with Adrian.
I'll post pictures from the wedding soon.
Brad and Ashley's Wedding Reception
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A few of my favorite pictures from the reception....
Beautiful table decorations (Max and I think that Ashley secretly loves K-State because everything was purple :)
I would be shocked if another picture like this exists! Terry, Mike, and Skip! This is what trouble looks like. Don't let those sweet smiles fool you. Don't ;)
Sweet Aunt Joyce!
A few family photos
Oops! I guess I didn't make it to the cake until people decided that it was fine to grab a cup cake.
Brad busting out to a slow jam during their first dance
One of my favorite photos of the night
my other favorite photo
OK carol, I love this one too!
(No wonder Max cried during his speech :)
I guess everyone one showed up to party!
Except Chance...
Cousin shenanigans...
Max is sad that the dance floor is empty
But happy that his mom is still around to talk with.
What a special night! We love you all!
Beautiful table decorations (Max and I think that Ashley secretly loves K-State because everything was purple :)
I would be shocked if another picture like this exists! Terry, Mike, and Skip! This is what trouble looks like. Don't let those sweet smiles fool you. Don't ;)
Sweet Aunt Joyce!
A few family photos
Oops! I guess I didn't make it to the cake until people decided that it was fine to grab a cup cake.
Brad busting out to a slow jam during their first dance
One of my favorite photos of the night
my other favorite photo
OK carol, I love this one too!
(No wonder Max cried during his speech :)
I guess everyone one showed up to party!
Except Chance...
Cousin shenanigans...
Max is sad that the dance floor is empty
But happy that his mom is still around to talk with.
What a special night! We love you all!
Kaydol:
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