Heather Crews's Blog, page 7

Triviality

When you're stuck at a difficult part in your writing and you're just so discouraged. When you can see where you need to go but you can't figure out how to get there. When you wonder why anyone would want to read this silly thing when there are many more important items on the roster: meaningful works to be read, beautiful works, time to be spent with family, walls that need painting, a sky that needs viewing, wind that needs feeling—anything but what you're doing.

When you keep writing anyway, perhaps badly, probably slowly, because even if no one else loves it, you do. When you remember you care too much to leave it alone. And then it becomes that much closer to whole and the experience from beginning to end is so worth it.

Blake & Me

My friend Stacey at The Endpapers is having a challenge to memorize a poem. At first I thought, I have 3 month old twins and a 2 1/2 year old. No way am I memorizing anything except the last time the kids ate. Then I thought, Well, I do have that book of Keats poems. Or maybe it's Yeats. Anyway, I'll just do a short one. And then, I already know the first stanza to "The Tyger." I'll just do that one.

So there you go. That's six stanzas to memorize! I've got the first two down, working on the third.

and what shoulder and what art
could twist the sinews of thy heart?

One a day. That's my goal.

I hate winter.

Yes, I get to drink hot coffee every morning, and hot tea or chocolate any other time of day, but I would much prefer to be running around in jeans and a tank top. I hate getting dressed for the cold. I don't own any cute winter clothes, because they aren't necessary here. I know I'm being a wimp, but I don't care. The high today is in the fifties (that's still cold). I would welcome 110 degree heat any day!

P.S. They are building two water parks here one of them almost within walking distance of my house. No, they will never equal the greatness of the much missed Wet 'n' Wild, but they'll do. Anyway, they're supposed to be open this summer, and I can't wait.

Don't you forget about me.

I need this shirt:

29

Today is my birthday! In honor of me, I'm putting Unchanged up for free tomorrow and Saturday (the 5th and 6th). I probably should have thought of this sooner, but I barely even remembered my own birthday. So Friday and Saturday it is. Happy reading!

Jumbled

My family has had quite a time these past few weeks, some good and some bad. My writing got sidetracked for a while, but I'm hoping to get back on that. Um, yeah . . . not going to be as easy. My mind is still distracted and the twins are due any day now. Good thing I'm not under contract or anything like that.

Anyway, just for fun, and since I likely won't have any new writing out for a while, Unchanged is going to be free November 7th through the 9th. Three whole days!

Also, you can still go here to vote for my short story, "The Attic".

Thanks!

Short Story Contest, Part II

I made it to round two! Go me! If you haven't read or voted for my story "The Attic," you can do so here. Thanks everyone!

Voting has begun . . .

You can now vote on my story in the America's Next Author Contest! It already got one five star review. Yay!

Short Story Contest

Just a few days ago I submitted a short story to the America's Next Author contest and I'm pleased to report my story was accepted! Both my story and profile will go live on October 9th. Exciting!

For Writers without Agents

A good friend of mine sent me this link. Harper Voyager will be accepting manuscripts from unagented authors for two weeks! This is extremely good news for those of us whom agents keep rejecting. Or even those who don't want to bother looking for an agent in the first place (it takes a lot of work, and it's boring). I'm definitely going to try and have a manuscript ready by the deadline. What's 70,000 words (preferably 80,000, as they say) when I could have a contract with a major publisher? Speaking of words, I better go add some to my manuscript. I've got a schedule to keep.