Natasha Deen's Blog, page 96
June 16, 2011
Thursday Time: Is there a 100%?
I had a conversation with three authors this week, which each expressed dismay at their lack of consistent writing. I empathize: consistency is brutal to maintain…but it got me thinking of giving a 100% versus giving your best.
100% is a statistic, and frankly no one achieves that in anything. I don't think anyone's ever maintained a 100% success rate with sleeping (right? I mean, some days, you just can't sleep), or eating (too busy to eat 3 squares). Heck, if humanity could maintain...
June 15, 2011
Wednesday Whoa: Joan Marie Galat's "Dot to Dot"
5 Stars - Here's something every writer knows: there are no new stories, only fresh takes on old favourites (and most of those favourites come from myths and legends). So, I was curious as both a reader and writer to see what Dot to Dot in the Sky: Stories of the Moon had to tell me. I was really impressed with this book. I love the breadth of different cultures that were included--from Africa to Russia, Japan to Greece, there's a wealth of myths. The other thing I really enjoyed was the...
June 14, 2011
Technique Tuesday: The Importance of Words
Part of being a good writer is choosing the right word for the right situation…I was reminded of this today, as I listened to Cascada's "Evacuate the Dance Floor."
The word "evacuate" has a lot of meanings—in our family, it's the word we use to describe the dogs'/cats' diarrhea, "He evacuated his bowels." So, every time I hear this song (and I love the song), I can't help but snicker.
It's a good reminder that everyone has certain associations with certain words and as a writer, it's...
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June 13, 2011
Win a Kindle!
Digi Books Café Summer Hunt Prizes: 3 months; 3 hunts; 3 Kindle eReaders
How to enter: There are two ways to enter the Summer Hunt Giveaway.
Visit the 12 author's websites and locate the unique word. Collect the words and email them to marketing@digibookscafe.com Put Summer Hunt in the subject of your email. Go here: http://www.digibookscafe.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=9 to find the list of authors. Every purchase at www.DigiBooksCafe.com enters you into the drawing.The...
Monday Mechanics: The Colon
Ah, the happy, helpful colon. Use this little guy with lists, quotations, or to explain the thing (technical term: clause) that precedes the colon. So:
Things we need for camping: air mattress, tent, stove.
I love what Nietzsche said about perseverance: "You can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow."
Life in three words: anything is possible.
Cautions when using colon:
...June 10, 2011
Friday Freebie: Finding Shelter
It's been a body-blow kind of week—you know the type: one hit, and just when you're pulling yourself off the mat, there's another hit and the only thing going for you is the fact that you keep getting off the mat despite the broken teeth and bleeding nose…but I was coming home tonight, heading toward a grey sky and trying to outrun the coming storm…Five for Five was playing on the i-pod and the windows were down, letting in the cold air, and I thought, I'm heading to place with dogs, cats...
June 9, 2011
Thursday Time: Failing Like a Baby
I've had the complete pleasure of having my granddaughter & my daughter visiting for the past few days. First off, let me just say there's nothing quite like baby toes, is there?
My GD is adorable. She's also very wobbly. And wiggly. Put her on her back and she's kicking and squirming. Put her in a siting position and she lists like a drunk sailor. She's does all this, of course, because she's figuring out her stabilizing muscles and through a series (a llloonnggg series) of start and...
June 8, 2011
Wednesday Woe: This is When I Stop Reading
I ranted about it before, but I just have to say (since I'm reading a book with this theme for my book club), I'm super tired of authors writing about protagonists who suffer horrific abuse, then kill themselves the end. I know people who've been abused, sexually, mentally, emotionally. Very few of them have ever walked into the water and ended it all.*
I know it happens and I know those stories have to be told, but I'm always bothered by the glee some of these characters seem to take in t...
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