Andrea Pearson's Blog, page 7
August 2, 2013
Friday Writing Prompt: Willingness to Give
One of the most frustrating (and sometimes neatest things), is being really excited about a post you’re writing, then watching as it takes a completely different turn from what you’d planned. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, and this is what happened to me today. I was going to write a flippant, somewhat funny prompt, but while putting together the intro, found the words heading somewhere else.
A while back, my husband and I had quite the “growing” experience. Our dishwasher broke, followed by the disposal, then the master-bathroom sink started leaking, we had an enormous rainstorm come through which flooded the basement and the garage, I tore my left rotator cuff and sprained my wrist, my car (a Geo Metro, bless its heart) and my husband’s (a ’93 Grand Am) started having problems, and on top of all this, we’d had some really stressful deadlines with my writing.
Needing a break from everything, we made a quick decision to attend a sibling’s college graduation. It was really nice to spend time with family, but my in-laws decided to follow us back and stay two nights with us. I was mortified! The house was a wreck, nothing worked, and neither my husband nor I had met our deadlines yet. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown—trying to keep up with everything, while playing the “perfect” hostess.
What a relief it was when my MIL didn’t snub me or act like she was better than me, but stepped in and started helping. She insisted I go to my office and edit so I could make my deadlines. She did the dishes and cooked for us while my father-in-law fixed the cars. Then, the next day, the two of them spent nine hours working in the yard, helping us maintain our rental agreement. Before they left, they filled the fridge and freezer with food and gave us a check for $100.
I’m constantly amazed at the generosity of other people. At their willingness to give of themselves—their time, money, and talents. I started that week thinking I’d be in a living Hell, and it ended with me feeling really close to my in-laws and husband. And I met my deadlines. Hallelujah!
Today’s challenge:
Write about an experience where someone blessed your life, or helped you achieve something you felt was impossible. Post it on your blog, and put a link in the comments below!
A while back, my husband and I had quite the “growing” experience. Our dishwasher broke, followed by the disposal, then the master-bathroom sink started leaking, we had an enormous rainstorm come through which flooded the basement and the garage, I tore my left rotator cuff and sprained my wrist, my car (a Geo Metro, bless its heart) and my husband’s (a ’93 Grand Am) started having problems, and on top of all this, we’d had some really stressful deadlines with my writing.
Needing a break from everything, we made a quick decision to attend a sibling’s college graduation. It was really nice to spend time with family, but my in-laws decided to follow us back and stay two nights with us. I was mortified! The house was a wreck, nothing worked, and neither my husband nor I had met our deadlines yet. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown—trying to keep up with everything, while playing the “perfect” hostess.
What a relief it was when my MIL didn’t snub me or act like she was better than me, but stepped in and started helping. She insisted I go to my office and edit so I could make my deadlines. She did the dishes and cooked for us while my father-in-law fixed the cars. Then, the next day, the two of them spent nine hours working in the yard, helping us maintain our rental agreement. Before they left, they filled the fridge and freezer with food and gave us a check for $100.
I’m constantly amazed at the generosity of other people. At their willingness to give of themselves—their time, money, and talents. I started that week thinking I’d be in a living Hell, and it ended with me feeling really close to my in-laws and husband. And I met my deadlines. Hallelujah!
Today’s challenge:
Write about an experience where someone blessed your life, or helped you achieve something you felt was impossible. Post it on your blog, and put a link in the comments below!
July 31, 2013
Review of Pacific Rim (movie)
My husband and I finally were able to go see Pacific Rim. Yay!
There will be spoilers in this review. I'll keep them as small as I can so as not to ruin anything for anyone who wants to watch the movie and read this post. But you have been warned. :-)
I gave Pacific Rim 8 out of 10 stars. I loved it. What did I expect? It was directed by Guillermo del Toro! :-) While watching, I kept thinking, "I'm loving this!"
Here's what worked for me:
1. The soundtrack. There were several times throughout the movie where I noticed, and appreciated the music. The reason I noticed it? The composer mainly used real instruments, not synthesized sound affects. I loved that! Especially during the scary parts or the intense fights - those tubas and french horns were amazing sounding! :-)
2. The freakin' cool, wide-scale, huge, vast size of everything. The Kiaju's were awesome monstrosities - I'd be completely terrified if one attacked my city. I loved their designs and weapons. The Jaeger's (really hard for me not to type Jaegar, since that's a character in my Kilenya Series :-)) were huge. The amount of damage and destruction these two caused while fighting was realistic and actually very satisfying. (Yes. I'm one of those girls who likes some destruction and explosions. :-))
3. Pretty much everything else, except what I mention below. The pacing was strong, and the movie was excellent from the beginning. I enjoyed the main characters. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the fact that the main chick was Japanese and that they destroyed Hong Kong instead of New York. I loved that everything was global - there's only so many times monsters can attack Chicago or Los Angeles before I get bored of those cities. :-) Oh, and that three-armed Jaeger was pretty sweet.
4. The romance was how it should have been! I loved the ending of the movie - it wasn't forced, it felt natural. Well done!
What didn't work for me:
1. The three-armed Jaeger only survived a quarter of a fight!! Grrr. I didn't like that. :-)
2. The pregnant Kaiju. My husband and I looked at each other and groaned. Not another Godzilla thing... And why would they send a pregnant Kaiju out into battle in the first place? This ended up turning out well and I was satisfied in the end. Still annoyed me at first, though.
3. The side characters weren't very strong, or had personalities that were stereotyped or annoying. And all of the pilots, aside from the Asian ones, were blond. Because of this, everyone else looked the same. (The Australians and the main guy.) The platinum, obviously-bleached Russians were easily to tell apart, but those other guys? Buff in the same ways, same hair color, nearly the same faces. Took me a while to figure out who everyone was. More variety, please!
Anyway. Overall, I was very, very satisfied by this movie. It's one of my favorite new releases. The fighting didn't feel cheesy, or like they were going for slapstick humor. (Think of the rock giants in the Hobbit... very stupid.) And speaking of humor, there wasn't a whole lot of it, but that didn't bother me in the slightest. If there had been, it would probably have been forced, since the characters weren't set up to be funny.
So, if you haven't seen it, go watch it! And don't hate me if you don't like it. :-)
There will be spoilers in this review. I'll keep them as small as I can so as not to ruin anything for anyone who wants to watch the movie and read this post. But you have been warned. :-)
I gave Pacific Rim 8 out of 10 stars. I loved it. What did I expect? It was directed by Guillermo del Toro! :-) While watching, I kept thinking, "I'm loving this!"
Here's what worked for me:
1. The soundtrack. There were several times throughout the movie where I noticed, and appreciated the music. The reason I noticed it? The composer mainly used real instruments, not synthesized sound affects. I loved that! Especially during the scary parts or the intense fights - those tubas and french horns were amazing sounding! :-)
2. The freakin' cool, wide-scale, huge, vast size of everything. The Kiaju's were awesome monstrosities - I'd be completely terrified if one attacked my city. I loved their designs and weapons. The Jaeger's (really hard for me not to type Jaegar, since that's a character in my Kilenya Series :-)) were huge. The amount of damage and destruction these two caused while fighting was realistic and actually very satisfying. (Yes. I'm one of those girls who likes some destruction and explosions. :-))
3. Pretty much everything else, except what I mention below. The pacing was strong, and the movie was excellent from the beginning. I enjoyed the main characters. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the fact that the main chick was Japanese and that they destroyed Hong Kong instead of New York. I loved that everything was global - there's only so many times monsters can attack Chicago or Los Angeles before I get bored of those cities. :-) Oh, and that three-armed Jaeger was pretty sweet.
4. The romance was how it should have been! I loved the ending of the movie - it wasn't forced, it felt natural. Well done!
What didn't work for me:
1. The three-armed Jaeger only survived a quarter of a fight!! Grrr. I didn't like that. :-)
2. The pregnant Kaiju. My husband and I looked at each other and groaned. Not another Godzilla thing... And why would they send a pregnant Kaiju out into battle in the first place? This ended up turning out well and I was satisfied in the end. Still annoyed me at first, though.
3. The side characters weren't very strong, or had personalities that were stereotyped or annoying. And all of the pilots, aside from the Asian ones, were blond. Because of this, everyone else looked the same. (The Australians and the main guy.) The platinum, obviously-bleached Russians were easily to tell apart, but those other guys? Buff in the same ways, same hair color, nearly the same faces. Took me a while to figure out who everyone was. More variety, please!
Anyway. Overall, I was very, very satisfied by this movie. It's one of my favorite new releases. The fighting didn't feel cheesy, or like they were going for slapstick humor. (Think of the rock giants in the Hobbit... very stupid.) And speaking of humor, there wasn't a whole lot of it, but that didn't bother me in the slightest. If there had been, it would probably have been forced, since the characters weren't set up to be funny.
So, if you haven't seen it, go watch it! And don't hate me if you don't like it. :-)
July 30, 2013
Microsoft to allow self-pubbers!
Has anyone else been following the Sony (Playstation) versus Microsoft (Xbox) self-publishing thing? Microsoft is now allowing self-pubbed games on their Xbox!! Sony's been doing it all along, but then, we all know Sony is better than Microsoft. ;-) :-) (Don't hate! I'm not a gamer, so don't really care about either company.)
Self-publishing is a revolution! First the music industry, then gamers/app developers, then authors. What do you think will be next?
Technology advances are really awesome! And so is the ability to do things your way when you want, how you want. There are still people out there who think that self-publishing is going to go away eventually. If you're one of thems peoples, think again! It's here to stay. :-)
I love the liberation we have now: the freedom to choose which path we take. And the freedom to leave when we realize we don't like the path we chose. It's pretty darn awesome.
Self-publishing is a revolution! First the music industry, then gamers/app developers, then authors. What do you think will be next?
Technology advances are really awesome! And so is the ability to do things your way when you want, how you want. There are still people out there who think that self-publishing is going to go away eventually. If you're one of thems peoples, think again! It's here to stay. :-)
I love the liberation we have now: the freedom to choose which path we take. And the freedom to leave when we realize we don't like the path we chose. It's pretty darn awesome.
July 29, 2013
Twenty Things Wealthy People Do
Came across this fascinating article on Dave Ramsey's site about things the wealthy people do/apply regularly that poor people don't. Before you go read it, know that there are NEVER guarantees to wealth. Also know that simply doing those things won't make someone rich.
I posted a link to that article on my Facebook account and got soundly whipped by people who are bitter and angry that they do those things and aren't wealthy, or that people they know who are wealthy are jerks and they don't want to be those people, or that are angry that they aren't wealthy and that people don't give them money, or that hate living in a free market.
I don't know all the reasons, but I'm posting and drawing attention to this so that people can decide if they want to pick up a few more habits with the goal of BETTERING their situation, not necessarily in becoming wealthy.
My husband and I do fifteen of the twenty, and three of those we don't do aren't applicable to us in our current situation. We're working our butts off, writing, creating, and focusing, trying to make our way in life, trying to edify and help one another.
So here's to becoming better people so we can help lift others!
I posted a link to that article on my Facebook account and got soundly whipped by people who are bitter and angry that they do those things and aren't wealthy, or that people they know who are wealthy are jerks and they don't want to be those people, or that are angry that they aren't wealthy and that people don't give them money, or that hate living in a free market.
I don't know all the reasons, but I'm posting and drawing attention to this so that people can decide if they want to pick up a few more habits with the goal of BETTERING their situation, not necessarily in becoming wealthy.
My husband and I do fifteen of the twenty, and three of those we don't do aren't applicable to us in our current situation. We're working our butts off, writing, creating, and focusing, trying to make our way in life, trying to edify and help one another.
So here's to becoming better people so we can help lift others!
July 26, 2013
Friday Writing Prompt: A Well-Placed Word
A well-placed word is (usually) more powerful than a whole paragraph of descriptions.
Challenge:
Write a full scene (dialog, etc., and at least four paragraphs) between a man and a woman who run into each other at the wedding of a mutual friend.
Information:
The man intensely dislikes the woman. Can't stand to be around her. Describe how she looks, how he feels for her through his dialog, and color everything with his feelings for her.
The woman loves the man. Craves being around him. Describe how he looks, how she feels for him through her dialog, and color it with her feelings for him.
Girls must write from the view point of the man.
Guys must write from the view point of the woman.
Purpose:
Rather than give a full paragraph of description, learn to use a few carefully placed words. Also, getting into the head of the opposite gender is a great exercise, and can be very entertaining. :-)
Let me know, in the comments below, how it goes!
Challenge:
Write a full scene (dialog, etc., and at least four paragraphs) between a man and a woman who run into each other at the wedding of a mutual friend.
Information:
The man intensely dislikes the woman. Can't stand to be around her. Describe how she looks, how he feels for her through his dialog, and color everything with his feelings for her.
The woman loves the man. Craves being around him. Describe how he looks, how she feels for him through her dialog, and color it with her feelings for him.
Girls must write from the view point of the man.
Guys must write from the view point of the woman.
Purpose:
Rather than give a full paragraph of description, learn to use a few carefully placed words. Also, getting into the head of the opposite gender is a great exercise, and can be very entertaining. :-)
Let me know, in the comments below, how it goes!
July 25, 2013
A fun-to-read guest post on Joe Konrath's Blog
Joe Konrath is an awesome guy. He opened up his blog for authors to guest post for the next while. (Yes, of course I signed up. I asked to be scheduled early next year, though, and will announce when my post goes public.) But anyway, I just read the one from July 23rd, and it was really awesome!
It was written by Richard Stoker. In his post, Richard discusses the Forbes list of highest-paid authors from 2010 and 2011, then draws conclusions based on those lists. I really enjoyed reading his thoughts and think most of my author friends will as well.
You can access the post here.
All of this has got me to thinking. How important is it to write a blockbuster? On the other hand, how important is it to be prolific and put out many quality books?
Personally, though I'd love to write a blockbuster, I'd rather the steady, slow, continually writing more books routine. Like many others, I've watched authors who write blockbusters. JK Rowling released Casual Vacancy and it took forever to find it's target audience, mainly because everyone knew her through Harry Potter and judged the book based on HP's merits. After seeing how that went, JK released her next book, a mystery called The Cuckoo's Calling, under a pen name.
Stephanie Meyer, on the other hand, hasn't put out a new book since when?
My point is, JK Rowling is writing because she's a writer. It's not her fault HP went huge. She's not content to sit and live off of what she's made (she gave most of it away last year anyway). Stephanie Meyer, on the other hand, seems to be more interested in making movies. In fact, Austenland, which she produced (written by Shannon Hale) is coming out soon. I'm super excited!
I don't want to jump into public view until I'm good and ready. Which means more years of potential mistakes and working out kinks and writing more books. Anonymity isn't a bad thing, it really isn't. :-)
What are your thoughts on all of this? Would you rather be a Dan Brown, as Richard describes him, or a James Patterson? Or would you rather have a slower pace of life than either of these authors enjoys?
Another personal thought from me: I don't want millions of dollars from my writing. Millions of dollars definitely equals publicity. I write under a pen name for a reason (my maiden name). Only close friends know my husband's name or my daughter's name. I'm one of those outgoing extroverts who's really an introvert and loves privacy. :-)
But I'd definitely be very happy with a modest six-figure income from my books. :-) And if anyone knows how to become a millionaire from book sales, without everyone finding out, let me know. I wouldn't turn down the money, just the publicity. :-)
It was written by Richard Stoker. In his post, Richard discusses the Forbes list of highest-paid authors from 2010 and 2011, then draws conclusions based on those lists. I really enjoyed reading his thoughts and think most of my author friends will as well.
You can access the post here.
All of this has got me to thinking. How important is it to write a blockbuster? On the other hand, how important is it to be prolific and put out many quality books?
Personally, though I'd love to write a blockbuster, I'd rather the steady, slow, continually writing more books routine. Like many others, I've watched authors who write blockbusters. JK Rowling released Casual Vacancy and it took forever to find it's target audience, mainly because everyone knew her through Harry Potter and judged the book based on HP's merits. After seeing how that went, JK released her next book, a mystery called The Cuckoo's Calling, under a pen name.
Stephanie Meyer, on the other hand, hasn't put out a new book since when?
My point is, JK Rowling is writing because she's a writer. It's not her fault HP went huge. She's not content to sit and live off of what she's made (she gave most of it away last year anyway). Stephanie Meyer, on the other hand, seems to be more interested in making movies. In fact, Austenland, which she produced (written by Shannon Hale) is coming out soon. I'm super excited!
I don't want to jump into public view until I'm good and ready. Which means more years of potential mistakes and working out kinks and writing more books. Anonymity isn't a bad thing, it really isn't. :-)
What are your thoughts on all of this? Would you rather be a Dan Brown, as Richard describes him, or a James Patterson? Or would you rather have a slower pace of life than either of these authors enjoys?
Another personal thought from me: I don't want millions of dollars from my writing. Millions of dollars definitely equals publicity. I write under a pen name for a reason (my maiden name). Only close friends know my husband's name or my daughter's name. I'm one of those outgoing extroverts who's really an introvert and loves privacy. :-)
But I'd definitely be very happy with a modest six-figure income from my books. :-) And if anyone knows how to become a millionaire from book sales, without everyone finding out, let me know. I wouldn't turn down the money, just the publicity. :-)
July 24, 2013
Megamind Review
My favorite word right now is "Olo." Thank you, Megamind, for introducing me to this exceptional greeting. :-)
When my brother-in-law popped Megamind into our player, I felt like arguing with him or kicking him out of the house. ;-) Most kid movies have really annoyed me lately. For example. Cloudy, with a Chance for Meatballs. I extremely disliked that one. :-)
But guess what? Megamind surprised me. A lot. I LOVED it! We bought it on bluray as soon as we could. (Well, as soon as it went down in price a bit. :-))
The one liners were fantastic. My husband and I quote them to each other all the time. The characters were well developed, the twist at the end great, and Megamind was fun, cute, intelligent, and so innocently evil. Love. :-)
If you haven't watched it, you'd better go get it and see it now. :-)
When my brother-in-law popped Megamind into our player, I felt like arguing with him or kicking him out of the house. ;-) Most kid movies have really annoyed me lately. For example. Cloudy, with a Chance for Meatballs. I extremely disliked that one. :-)
But guess what? Megamind surprised me. A lot. I LOVED it! We bought it on bluray as soon as we could. (Well, as soon as it went down in price a bit. :-))
The one liners were fantastic. My husband and I quote them to each other all the time. The characters were well developed, the twist at the end great, and Megamind was fun, cute, intelligent, and so innocently evil. Love. :-)
If you haven't watched it, you'd better go get it and see it now. :-)
July 22, 2013
Writing with Feeling While Under Pressure
I've read many books lately where it was apparent the author was stressed, burned out, or under too much pressure to get the book done. The books fell flat in one (or more) of many ways. Ways such as: the romance not paying off, the tension not being high enough, the main character not being involved in the solution, the humor falling flat, etc.
I don't have answers for how to prevent this, and am wondering what you all think. Sometimes you DO have deadlines. Sometimes you DO have people waiting for you. And to me, it's important to keep agreements and goals and meet deadlines. So how does a writer manage to put something together that is emotionally satisfying, even when they're burned out?
Think about it. In every single other profession, you're expected to put forth quality work even when you hate your job. You don't get paid otherwise. And bosses, clients, patients, etc., won't wait patiently for you to get excited again. Why is it that many artists feel they're different in this regard, and again, what can we do to write with power when we're in this type of situation?
Like I said, I don't have the answers. I'm hoping all of you do. :-)
I don't have answers for how to prevent this, and am wondering what you all think. Sometimes you DO have deadlines. Sometimes you DO have people waiting for you. And to me, it's important to keep agreements and goals and meet deadlines. So how does a writer manage to put something together that is emotionally satisfying, even when they're burned out?
Think about it. In every single other profession, you're expected to put forth quality work even when you hate your job. You don't get paid otherwise. And bosses, clients, patients, etc., won't wait patiently for you to get excited again. Why is it that many artists feel they're different in this regard, and again, what can we do to write with power when we're in this type of situation?
Like I said, I don't have the answers. I'm hoping all of you do. :-)
July 19, 2013
Friday Writing Prompt: Cliches
I'm obsessed with all sorts of dos and don'ts, especially those involving the written word. During the past week or so, I've mulled over cliches. Most editors will tell their authors never, ever to use them, and the reason is that they weaken the writing. Readers glaze over those phrases, never internalizing them.
This isn't good.
Of course, how do we know we're using cliches? They tend to slip in when we're least expecting them; when we're not paying attention. I propose we force ourselves to recognize these phrases. :-)
My challenge, to get you into your writing this week:
Write a poem/short story/memoir/essay/advertisement/novel/whatever else you feel like writing (fiction and non-fiction). It can be humorous or serious.
Rules:
You must use three cliches.You must start out your writing with, "It was a dark and stormy night," which counts as one of the three clichés.
And that's it! Good luck!
Let me know how it goes. :-)
This isn't good.
Of course, how do we know we're using cliches? They tend to slip in when we're least expecting them; when we're not paying attention. I propose we force ourselves to recognize these phrases. :-)
My challenge, to get you into your writing this week:
Write a poem/short story/memoir/essay/advertisement/novel/whatever else you feel like writing (fiction and non-fiction). It can be humorous or serious.
Rules:
You must use three cliches.You must start out your writing with, "It was a dark and stormy night," which counts as one of the three clichés.
And that's it! Good luck!
Let me know how it goes. :-)
