Isabel Roman's Blog, page 53
March 29, 2011
What do you know? Quizes
Don't ask how I found these, but if you're interested in testing yourself try them out. The faster the better!
History.com's Ultimate History Quiz
TLC.com's Citizenship Quiz
State Capital Quiz (I sucked at this!)I have no idea what Lizard Point is, but their quiz site is nifty. Click the location, don't type in the box. WARNING: Some quizes are HARD!
History.com's Ultimate History Quiz
TLC.com's Citizenship Quiz
State Capital Quiz (I sucked at this!)I have no idea what Lizard Point is, but their quiz site is nifty. Click the location, don't type in the box. WARNING: Some quizes are HARD!
March 28, 2011
Monday Musings
Have tweaked the blog based on the less is more theory. I can't begin to tell you how often I've heard this, because less is always more in just about everything, but at last week's Computers in Libraries Conference, they had excellent tips on maximizing webpage retail space.
Hence some changes.
Am also working on adding search terms and relevant content.
Shorter posts? I can do that. More focused on writing? On reading? On the publishing market today? On randomness? I can do all that too!
But what drives reader to your blog? I'm okay with not commenting, I rarely comment on a post myself unless I have a point I want to make or support to offer. But what drives people to THIS blog of the millions out there?
Ideas?
Hence some changes.
Am also working on adding search terms and relevant content.
Shorter posts? I can do that. More focused on writing? On reading? On the publishing market today? On randomness? I can do all that too!
But what drives reader to your blog? I'm okay with not commenting, I rarely comment on a post myself unless I have a point I want to make or support to offer. But what drives people to THIS blog of the millions out there?
Ideas?
March 26, 2011
Saturday Excerpt
Mary Ann Weber's Civil War story,
No Decorum
, is this week's Saturday Excerpt over at Slip into Something Victorian.
In spite of her overwhelming passion for Randolph, Juliet can't forget her aversion to marrying the son of another minister. This soon fades when compared with the threat of losing the love of her life. Within days, and with her father's help, they secretly wed at the courthouse and embark on a feverish honeymoon in the parsonage and the church. Their time together is measured in hours and minutes.
While the bloody Red River Campaign rages through Arkansas and Louisiana, the Confederate and Union forces jockey in and out of position in Camden. Before the Union army can make its escape back to Little Rock, Randolph is taken prisoner by the Rebel army and marched to a notorious Confederate prison in Texas.
Separately, they endure the horrors of war. Strangers when they marry, the young couple matures apart. Will their short-lived marriage survive changes brought to them and their world by war?
In spite of her overwhelming passion for Randolph, Juliet can't forget her aversion to marrying the son of another minister. This soon fades when compared with the threat of losing the love of her life. Within days, and with her father's help, they secretly wed at the courthouse and embark on a feverish honeymoon in the parsonage and the church. Their time together is measured in hours and minutes.While the bloody Red River Campaign rages through Arkansas and Louisiana, the Confederate and Union forces jockey in and out of position in Camden. Before the Union army can make its escape back to Little Rock, Randolph is taken prisoner by the Rebel army and marched to a notorious Confederate prison in Texas.
Separately, they endure the horrors of war. Strangers when they marry, the young couple matures apart. Will their short-lived marriage survive changes brought to them and their world by war?
March 25, 2011
Great Writing Weekend part 5
Sunday: wrap up, doing this again, and still remaining friends.
We did more plot rounds, it's fun, fast, and yet not as easy as it sounds. But it's a way to come up with new ideas in a genre you may not write. For instance, comedy: don't write comedy and yet one of our author friends does. Coming up with ideas for her was a blast! Oh, how I wish I could write funny!
Then we ate a very late lunch and reluctantly wrapped everything up. Would we all do this again? Definitely. The only problem was that it takes an entire weekend when there's always something else to do. However, it was well worth it!
We did more plot rounds, it's fun, fast, and yet not as easy as it sounds. But it's a way to come up with new ideas in a genre you may not write. For instance, comedy: don't write comedy and yet one of our author friends does. Coming up with ideas for her was a blast! Oh, how I wish I could write funny!
Then we ate a very late lunch and reluctantly wrapped everything up. Would we all do this again? Definitely. The only problem was that it takes an entire weekend when there's always something else to do. However, it was well worth it!
March 24, 2011
Great Writing Weekend part 4
Saturday: or why it's best to have an entire day devoted to this where no one has to travel.
Manuscript critiquing in the AM, with 1 hour per person which spilled over into lunch. We only allowed for the summary and 1 chapter read aloud. Why aloud and not hand out pages? Because you only have a few moments to catch a reader's attention. Most people read at least the first chapter, possibly the first few pages of chapter one, before deciding whether or not to buy your book.
So by reading out loud, I, as the listener, have a better chance of telling you what does and does not work. What catches my attention and what doesn't.
Then we ate (always important).
After lunch, we did two versions of fast plot rounds:
What about this plot does or doesn't work? What did we, as the reader/listener, like about the plot, can the rest of us see where this plot is going and agree with it? Are there research problems? Not just historical but other issues. Even in a contemporary world, you can't know all the ins and outs of everything.
What did you want to work on next? Then the rest of us threw out crazy, zany, or possibly workable ideas for plots based on the author's criteria. As with everything, some work and some don't. Weeding through great, funny, oh this is brilliant ideas might elicit a gem or two, but they also might not be workable beyond chapter 4. Things to think about when plotting.
All this took us well into the night, when we finally crashed.
Manuscript critiquing in the AM, with 1 hour per person which spilled over into lunch. We only allowed for the summary and 1 chapter read aloud. Why aloud and not hand out pages? Because you only have a few moments to catch a reader's attention. Most people read at least the first chapter, possibly the first few pages of chapter one, before deciding whether or not to buy your book.
So by reading out loud, I, as the listener, have a better chance of telling you what does and does not work. What catches my attention and what doesn't.
Then we ate (always important).
After lunch, we did two versions of fast plot rounds:
What about this plot does or doesn't work? What did we, as the reader/listener, like about the plot, can the rest of us see where this plot is going and agree with it? Are there research problems? Not just historical but other issues. Even in a contemporary world, you can't know all the ins and outs of everything.
What did you want to work on next? Then the rest of us threw out crazy, zany, or possibly workable ideas for plots based on the author's criteria. As with everything, some work and some don't. Weeding through great, funny, oh this is brilliant ideas might elicit a gem or two, but they also might not be workable beyond chapter 4. Things to think about when plotting.
All this took us well into the night, when we finally crashed.
March 23, 2011
Great Writing Weekend part 3
Friday night was very informal. We arrived, unpacked, ate, and talked. As noted yesterday, we also had a psychic. But we also made a plan for the rest of the weekend. Sure, we had the agenda, but we talked plots and what each individual author wanted out of this weekend.
We also talked about why we had this weekend. It came about from a 2008 RWA workshop in San Francisco hosted by Susan Mallery and three of her writing friends whose names escape me now. (But they're all bestselling Harlequin authors.)
Twice a year they meet in hotel rooms around the country and devote a day each to brainstorming and plotting new ideas. Pretty cool, eh? Yeah, we all thought so, too, and created a smaller version of it.
While all of us have been friends for years, we got to know each other better, outside the writing box. No, we didn't do the speed plotting round, but relaxing hafter a long week was needed more. For next time we'll definitely add in time for idle chit chat!
Tomorrow: Saturday's progress
We also talked about why we had this weekend. It came about from a 2008 RWA workshop in San Francisco hosted by Susan Mallery and three of her writing friends whose names escape me now. (But they're all bestselling Harlequin authors.)
Twice a year they meet in hotel rooms around the country and devote a day each to brainstorming and plotting new ideas. Pretty cool, eh? Yeah, we all thought so, too, and created a smaller version of it.
While all of us have been friends for years, we got to know each other better, outside the writing box. No, we didn't do the speed plotting round, but relaxing hafter a long week was needed more. For next time we'll definitely add in time for idle chit chat!
Tomorrow: Saturday's progress
March 22, 2011
Great Writing Weekend part 2
Here's the agenda we used. Note the psychic part. It was fun to add in on Friday night while we ate and chatted. One person met the psychic in the basement while the rest of us relaxed upstairs. Not for everyone, granted, but you should add in something fun and frivolous. It adds an element of playfulness to it and gives you more to talk about than just writing and reading romance.
Combine your weekend with your at home spa night-facial masks, pedicures, etc.
The Great Weekend Writing Getaway
Friday night: Dinner, gossip, and speed round for plot concepts
Saturday:
9-1 manuscript critiquing1 lunch2-4:30 manuscript critiquing4:30-5 Tea break5-7 Plot problemsDinnerCharacter profiles
Sunday:
9-2 new plot brainstorming session.We'll take the plot concepts from the speed round and devote 30 minutes per author for developing, planning, and detailing a new idea. Each author will get 2 sessions.
What to bring:
• Laptop, USB drive, paper and writing utensils.
• The manuscript you want to work on this weekend.
• A completed synopsis for this story.
• Which characters are represented with their own points of view.
• Which publisher and line you wish to target.
• Specific problems you want to discuss with the story.
• For the brainstorming parts, have ready vague concepts for future stories, and publishers you wish to target for these stories. Sometimes it's better to tailor the concept to the publisher than go back and rework it later.
At the end of this weekend you'll have an idea of where this manuscript is going, how to fix or tailor it to your target publisher, and ideas for at least 2 future stories.
Tomorrow: Friday night's progress
Combine your weekend with your at home spa night-facial masks, pedicures, etc.
The Great Weekend Writing Getaway
Friday night: Dinner, gossip, and speed round for plot concepts
Saturday:
9-1 manuscript critiquing1 lunch2-4:30 manuscript critiquing4:30-5 Tea break5-7 Plot problemsDinnerCharacter profiles
Sunday:
9-2 new plot brainstorming session.We'll take the plot concepts from the speed round and devote 30 minutes per author for developing, planning, and detailing a new idea. Each author will get 2 sessions.
What to bring:
• Laptop, USB drive, paper and writing utensils.
• The manuscript you want to work on this weekend.
• A completed synopsis for this story.
• Which characters are represented with their own points of view.
• Which publisher and line you wish to target.
• Specific problems you want to discuss with the story.
• For the brainstorming parts, have ready vague concepts for future stories, and publishers you wish to target for these stories. Sometimes it's better to tailor the concept to the publisher than go back and rework it later.
At the end of this weekend you'll have an idea of where this manuscript is going, how to fix or tailor it to your target publisher, and ideas for at least 2 future stories.
Tomorrow: Friday night's progress
March 21, 2011
Great Writing Weekend part 1
The first weekend of February I got together with several writing friends for an in-person weekend of food, fun, and (of course) writing. All this week I'll be blogging about how we came up with the idea, what we did, how it was organized, and most importantly, WHY we did this.
So why did we do this? Simple: it's a fun way to get outside opinions on your writing, plot ideas, and future concepts. While three of the writers were critique partners, hearing a chapter, or a part of one, read aloud is instant reaction: there's no going back looking for grammar problems or flow, you hear the chapter and you either want to hear more or you know why it's not working.
Creating a writer's weekend retreat:
Step 1: Figure out who to invite, where to hold this, and how long it's going to be. This is actually more important than you might realize. There were 6 of us (5 writing names) and 1 who couldn't make it at the last minute. It was a purposely small group; we met at a house, after work on Friday evening through Sunday afternoon.
Step 2: Make an agenda. be specific but be flexible. Writers love to talk their stories, which I'm sure you know! So while the agenda may say: 30 minutes each for chapter 1, tangents do happen. Keep an hourglass or stopwatch nearby to time it. Gently steer the conversation back onto the right path and don't be too strict with the time.
Step 3: Have food. And snacks. And a conveniently located bathroom. Also make sure the meeting area is a comfortable temperature, there's nothing worse than freezing or sweating while you're trying to work, and has comfortable chairs for everyone. Not just a nice couch to lounge on, but a straight back chair for someone with back problems, etc.
Step 4: Be prepared and make sure everyone else is, too. Bring a laptop, USB drive, paper, pens, folders, whatever you need. This isn't a workshop, this is for you to actively work on your stuff. And yes. You will forget it. Better to write it down or record it than sob over that lost brilliant idea later.
Tomorrow: How we broke our agenda down and how it really worked out.
So why did we do this? Simple: it's a fun way to get outside opinions on your writing, plot ideas, and future concepts. While three of the writers were critique partners, hearing a chapter, or a part of one, read aloud is instant reaction: there's no going back looking for grammar problems or flow, you hear the chapter and you either want to hear more or you know why it's not working.
Creating a writer's weekend retreat:
Step 1: Figure out who to invite, where to hold this, and how long it's going to be. This is actually more important than you might realize. There were 6 of us (5 writing names) and 1 who couldn't make it at the last minute. It was a purposely small group; we met at a house, after work on Friday evening through Sunday afternoon.Step 2: Make an agenda. be specific but be flexible. Writers love to talk their stories, which I'm sure you know! So while the agenda may say: 30 minutes each for chapter 1, tangents do happen. Keep an hourglass or stopwatch nearby to time it. Gently steer the conversation back onto the right path and don't be too strict with the time.
Step 3: Have food. And snacks. And a conveniently located bathroom. Also make sure the meeting area is a comfortable temperature, there's nothing worse than freezing or sweating while you're trying to work, and has comfortable chairs for everyone. Not just a nice couch to lounge on, but a straight back chair for someone with back problems, etc.Step 4: Be prepared and make sure everyone else is, too. Bring a laptop, USB drive, paper, pens, folders, whatever you need. This isn't a workshop, this is for you to actively work on your stuff. And yes. You will forget it. Better to write it down or record it than sob over that lost brilliant idea later.
Tomorrow: How we broke our agenda down and how it really worked out.
March 19, 2011
Saturday Excerpt
Today it's my turn for our weekly excerpt at Slip into Something Victorian.
March 18, 2011
More pictures to smile at
From a forward my mom sent. And because smiling is the least painful thing to do after a night of drinking for those who aren't even Irish and where the holiday that is way more reverent in Ireland than here.
