Laura Roberts's Blog, page 30

A to Z Challenge: Week 3 Roundup

Week 3 of the A to Z Challenge is almost through, so here’s another round-up of all the items I’ve written at my new blog, World’s Coolest Jobs!

In case you missed them, here are posts M through R:

Melodic, Multi-Talented and Magnificent Jobs
Nifty, Neato, Noticed Jobs
Original, Outstanding, Obtainable Jobs
Philosophically and Potentially Perfect Jobs
Quietly Quintessential Jobs
Radical, Rambunctious Jobs

S posts tomorrow at World’s Coolest Jobs, so be sure to check back to find out what kinds of super sweet gigs I’ve got in store!

Related Posts A to Z Challenge: Week 2 Roundup Let’s write together! 2017 #AtoZChallenge Blog-Ins First A to Z post = tomorrow, First Blog-In = MONDAY, April 3

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A to Z Challenge: Week 2 Roundup

Week 2 of the A to Z Challenge is almost through, so here’s another round-up of all the items I’ve written at my new blog, World’s Coolest Jobs!

In case you missed them, here are posts G through L:

Great, Grand Gigs!
Hifalutin, Hilarious, Humbling Jobs
Intelligent, Intriguing, Inimitable Jobs
Joyful, Jubilant, Jaunty Jobs
Keen, Knowledgeable, Kick-Butt Jobs
Long-lasting, Luscious, Loquacious Jobs

M posts tomorrow at World’s Coolest Jobs, so be sure to check back to find out what kinds of great gigs I’ve got in store!

P.S. If you’re in San Diego, I have cancelled all of my scheduled Blog-Ins, due to lack of interest. Is anyone in California doing the Challenge this year?

Related Posts A to Z Challenge: Week 1 Roundup First A to Z post = tomorrow, First Blog-In = MONDAY, April 3 Let’s write together! 2017 #AtoZChallenge Blog-Ins

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Starting a new project – and I need your help!

So, I started writing haiku about random celebrities a while back, just for fun. I included a few of them in my mini book, Haiku For Haters, like the one about Prince declaring the Internet “over.” (Which, by the way, I still find hilarious.)

Mostly these poems are tiny snapshots of a celebrity moment – whether it’s recorded on film, described in a book or article about them, or viewed in a photograph.

Since haiku are traditionally about nature and not people, these are technically senryu. But since no one knows what senryu are, I keep referring to them as haiku.

Anyway, as a result of this rather random exercise, I’ve decided to start a new project. It’s called, quite fittingly, CELEBRITY HAIKU.

I plan to write two celebrity haiku per day, for the next two months, and then publish those 60-some poems in a collection.

I have already written poems about:

Hedy Lamarr
Vincent Price
Charlie Murphy (RIP)
Beverly Cleary (congrats on turning 101!)
Prince
Brad Pitt
Aziz Ansari
Marilyn Monroe
Chairman Mao (although I’m not sure one would technically consider him a celebrity…)

I’m currently brainstorming ideas for the title of this book (the series title will be “Celebrity Haiku”), and debating whether I should choose a theme for which celebrities to include in this volume (i.e. actors, artists, musicians, writers, or just any celebs that strike my fancy?).

I also made a placeholder cover for the book, featuring two (as far as I know) non-celebrities that I plan to swap out when I come up with a better stock photo:

But… I need your help

Right now, what I’m looking for are suggestions. I’ve got my own list of celebrities that seem poem-worthy, but what kinds of celebrities would YOU like to read about?

Feel free to submit your recommendations in the comments. Or you can email them to me, if you have a huge list, via my contact form.

If I use any of the celebrities you’ve mentioned in my book, I’ll send you a free copy of the ebook!

Thanks for your help, and I look forward to reading your recommendations.

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5K Walk/Run/Write Challenge 2017

This weekend is the 10 Minute Novelists‘ semi-annual 5K Walk/Run/Write Challenge, and I wanted to chronicle my adventure! The basic gist of this challenge is that participants must either walk or run a 5K course (you can plot your own course, run/walk on a treadmill or elliptical machine, or join an official race depending on your circumstances) AND write 5,000 (i.e. 5K) words within the same 24-hour period. The event is open from April 7 to 9, and you can pick whichever 24-hour period works best for you.

I decided to complete my 5K from Friday to Saturday, as I got a pretty good chunk of writing done on Friday, and then plotted out a good walking course for completion on Saturday. It’s a circuit in my small town from my apartment up to the nearest Starbucks and back again, which allows me to complete half of the 5K walk, then write some of my words at the café, and then follow that up with the rest of the 5K walking back home.

Although Saturday started off gray and drizzly, it actually ended up being the perfect day to complete a 5K walk!

Blue sky and tall trees – another day in paradise, here in San Diego!

So, I started my day with the walk part of the challenge, heading out around 9:15 AM. I had library books to return, so I loaded them into my backpack, along with my iPad, a notebook, and a bottle of water (and of course my wallet!) and out the door I went… only to discover it was raining, ever so slightly. It was just misting enough to be a problem, as I didn’t want to arrive at my destination (i.e. Starbucks) drenched. Thus I went back inside and grabbed my umbrella, then back out into the 55-degree day.

First, I decided to swing by the post office to mail a letter. I dropped that into the box, and then proceeded onward to the library. I began snapping pictures of the gray day, on a whim, to document my journey. Here are some of the results:

A gray day, starting out on my journey

At the library, I dropped off my books. By now it was about 9:28. The library doesn’t open until 9:30 (go figure) on Saturdays, so I went around to the side of the building and snapped more pix of some wildflowers, as well as the awesome images of birds and other animals that decorate the side of the library. (The owl is definitely my favorite.)

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After the library, I continued towards Starbucks. It was still gray, and while the drizzle was becoming more intermittent, I still kept my umbrella up because I felt it called attention to me as a pedestrian – particularly in places where the sidewalk in my town happens to run out along the side of a fairly busy road. As an added bonus, it was also shielding me from any stray sunbeams that might be sneaking through, given that I didn’t have any sunscreen to apply to protect my delicate skin.

I finally reached the very last house, marked “Howell,” which indicated that I was almost at my destination…

And after much waiting at various crosswalks, I finally arrived! The mermaid beckoned me inside:

Like a beacon to a drowsy sailor in a storm…

I asked a party of three bicyclists who were pulling up where they’d come from. They said Rancho San Diego, which is “down the hill” from Alpine – the “hill” in question actually being Viejas Mountain. Who would bike up the side of a mountain for fun?! (Apparently these guys!)

After waiting in a rather long line-up, I finally got my morning latté and grabbed a table to begin the second leg of my 5K: writing!

I’ll spare you the dull details, except to say that I got 1,899 words written in about an hour at Starbucks. After that, it was just getting too noisy and crowded, so I decided to head back home for some peace and quiet to finish the writing in my home office.

I packed up my things, took my coffee, and headed over to the nearby Albertson’s to check out their sunscreen selection. Since the cheapest offering was $6.95, I decided to nix the sunscreen purchase and simply dug my green hat out of my backpack to block the sun’s evil rays. I continued my 5K, back the way I had come, and decided to stop off at the Dollar Store to see if they had any supplies I might need. (Oh, who am I kidding? I always need more supplies, when it comes to stationery!)

Once inside the dollar store, I tried not to go too crazy, and only purchased:

A bar of lemon scented soap
A candle that smells like clean laundry
A clipboard (to replace one I recently lost)
A packet of 3 colorful file folders
2 notebooks with birds on them, and
A packet of Riesen candy

Upon leaving the store, I continued to snap pictures, feeling happy that the walk back to my house was all downhill from there – the hard part of this 5K was over!

When I arrived at this, I had to stop into the antique/craft mall in the open lot next to Janet’s, to see what kind of things were for sale…

This bull is anatomically correct. I… have proof.

Inside, I found these lovelies:

I also found lots of kitschy and beautiful antiques in the trailers at the back of the property. I never even knew this stuff was here! Since I only had $5 cash on me, I mostly window-shopped until I found something I absolutely had to buy: a comic book for my husband! It was a comic called The Maxx that he has told me is his favorite, and it was only $2! So I brought it to the main building, paid, and was on my way once more.

As you may have noticed from the sign behind that metal bull, there’s a Vintage Market on Sundays, which I am now eager to check out. According to the proprietor, there are more vendors on Sunday, so there are bound to be more intriguing sights to see.

During the last leg of my journey, I snapped even more photos of the wildflowers on my path. Here’s a sampling:

So that was my Saturday. I currently have 46 more words to write to complete this challenge, so I’m going to write another few words in my current WIP and call it a night!

How was your weekend?

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A to Z Challenge: Week 1 Roundup

Week 1 of the A to Z Challenge is almost over, so I’ve decided to post a round-up of all the items I’ve written at my new blog, World’s Coolest Jobs!

In case you missed them, here are posts A through F:

A is for Astronaut
B is for Beekeeper
C is for Clandestine Service
Delightful, Daunting and Dependable Jobs
Exciting, Enigmatic and Existential Jobs
Fantastic, Fiery and Fun Jobs

G posts tomorrow at World’s Coolest Jobs, so be sure to check back to find out what kinds of great gigs I’ve got in store!

P.S. If you’re in San Diego, you can join me at my Sunday Blog-In on April 9 at Starbucks in Trolley Square from 3-5 PM, or my Monday Blog-In on April 10 at the Central Library from 10 AM to noon.

 

Related Posts First A to Z post = tomorrow, First Blog-In = MONDAY, April 3 Let’s write together! 2017 #AtoZChallenge Blog-Ins Calling all San Diego bloggers! #AtoZChallenge

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First A to Z post = tomorrow, First Blog-In = MONDAY, April 3

As noted in a previous post, I am scheduling several different San Diego Blog-Ins this month for the A to Z Challenge. However, I neglected to mention an important fact:

I will NOT be leading a Blog-In on Sunday, April 2!

Why not? Because one of my BFFs4Lyfe is going to be in town this weekend, from halfway across the country, and therefore I will be otherwise engaged, trolling all of the best local fish taco stands, nacho dealers, and other San Diegan highlights for folks who live where it’s NOT chill springtime weather 365 days a year.

Yes, I am a terrible Blog-In host for forgetting this most important of facts, and neglecting you all on one of the very first days of this blog-a-thon. Will you ever forgive me?

Please? Pretty please, with a cherry on top?

Yes? Okay, cool!

So, to update the schedule, here is the FULL LIST of dates that I will be hosting my Blog-Ins:

3: Central Library Blog-In (10 AM-Noon) – I’ll be hosting an A to Z Challenge Blog-In at the Central Library (Downtown). See you in the 8th floor Reading Room!
6: ONLINE – I’ll be hosting an #AtoZ2017 chat on Twitter. Use the hashtag (or @originaloflaura) to find us and ask questions about the challenge, blogging, and anything else writing related.
9: Trolley Square Blog-In (3-5 PM) – I’ll be hosting an A to Z Challenge Blog-In at the Starbucks in Trolley Square (Santee).
10: Central Library Blog-In (10 AM-Noon) – I’ll be hosting an A to Z Challenge Blog-In at the Central Library (Downtown). See you in the 8th floor Reading Room!
13: ONLINE – I’ll be hosting an #AtoZ2017 chat on Twitter. Use the hashtag (or @originaloflaura) to find us and ask questions about the challenge, blogging, and anything else writing related.
16: Trolley Square Blog-In (3-5 PM) – I’ll be hosting an A to Z Challenge Blog-In at the Starbucks in Trolley Square (Santee).
17: Central Library Blog-In (10 AM-Noon) – I’ll be hosting an A to Z Challenge Blog-In at the Central Library (Downtown). See you in the 8th floor Reading Room!
20: ONLINE – I’ll be hosting an #AtoZ2017 chat on Twitter. Use the hashtag (or @originaloflaura) to find us and ask questions about the challenge, blogging, and anything else writing related.
23: Trolley Square Blog-In (3-5 PM) – I’ll be hosting an A to Z Challenge Blog-In at the Starbucks in Trolley Square (Santee).
24: Central Library Blog-In (10 AM-Noon) – I’ll be hosting an A to Z Challenge Blog-In at the Central Library (Downtown). See you in the 8th floor Reading Room!
27: ONLINE – I’ll be hosting an #AtoZ2017 chat on Twitter. Use the hashtag (or @originaloflaura) to find us and ask questions about the challenge, blogging, and anything else writing related.
30: Trolley Square Blog-In (3-5 PM) – I’ll be hosting an A to Z Challenge Blog-In at the Starbucks in Trolley Square (Santee).

More Writing Events In April

And, to make up for my forgetfulness, here is an ADDITIONAL list of cool writing stuff that is happening this month.

Camp NaNoWriMo

In addition to the A to Z Challenge, perhaps you’ve heard of Camp NaNoWriMo? If not, this is a chance to write a large project of your choice (fiction, nonfiction, blog posts, whatever!), and set your own word-count goal for the month. I like to combine my A to Z Challenge with my Camp experience by setting a monthly goal of 26,000 words (that’s 1,000 per A to Z writing day – Sundays off) to create a nonfiction book that includes the material written for my blog posts plus some extras that I write throughout the month. I’m writing the first draft of my YA nonfiction book, World’s Coolest Jobs, with blog posts over at World’sCoolestJobs.com excerpting some of the daily material.

Mystery on the Shelf Conference

For San Diego mystery and thriller writers, you definitely won’t want to miss this event! Partners In Crime – the San Diego chapter of Sisters In Crime – will be co-hosting a FREE day-long conference in partnership with the San Diego Public Library. The “Mystery on the Shelf” event will run from 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, April 15 at the Central Library (330 Park Blvd.). Keynote speakers are Cara Black (author of the bestselling Private Investigator Aimée Leduc series) and Kate Carlisle (bestselling author of the Bibliophile Mysteries), along with presentations from six other speakers. Bring your mystery questions and get some answers from these fantastically gifted writers in the genre.

San Diego Writers & Editors Guild meeting

And finally, if you’re looking for more helpful hints and actionable items to help you sell more books, be sure to join the San Diego Writers & Editors Guild at our monthly meeting on Monday, April 24th. Our speaker this month will be Penn Wallace, author of the #1 bestselling political satire, Christmas Inc, the Ted Higuera Thrillers, and the Catrina Flaherty Mysteries. He’ll be presenting on Marketing 101, with topics such as knowing your target audience, writing a marketing plan, how to write an author bio, what should be in your media kit, and how to use your website and social media. Our meeting begins at 5:30 PM with the Marketing Support Group (6:30 PM for the general meeting), and takes place at the San Diego County Health Services Center (3851 Rosecrans, 92110).

Will I see you at some (or all) of these events? Looking forward to meeting you here in San Diego!

Related Posts Let’s write together! 2017 #AtoZChallenge Blog-Ins Out with the old: Reflections on 2016 Calling all San Diego bloggers! #AtoZChallenge

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Blog-Ins, Twitter chats & writing: How to stay focused during the #AtoZChallenge

This April is going to be busy!

As a long-time A to Z Challenge participant, I’ve decided to bring my 6 years of experience to the table this year – quite literally. I’ll be hosting Blog-Ins here in San Diego, and Twitter chats online for folks with questions about the challenge and blogging in general.

If that weren’t enough, I’m also going to be writing my own blog posts throughout the month of April.

So how, exactly, do I plan to stay on top of all of this action?

First of all, I’ve got an ironclad schedule:

Blogging happens daily, preferably first thing in the morning, so that I have no excuses for falling behind.
Blog-Ins are scheduled weekly, on Sundays and Mondays, which are my current days off. I’m going to specific locations, and will come prepared with a list of blog ideas for people who are new to the challenge.
Twitter chats also happening weekly (on Thursdays, from 7-8 PM, PST), and these are going to follow an existing chat that I already participate in, to make things easy to remember! I’ll also come prepared, with questions and answers for bloggers.
Even though Sundays are, technically, non-blogging days during the challenge, I always like to use my Sundays to pre-write a few posts for the coming week. Remember: there’s no rule against writing your posts in advance!
Part of the fun of the A to Z Challenge is trying to find new bloggers to follow, so I’m going to try to find at least 1 new blogger to follow each day. Without the Linky list to help break things down by topic, this may prove to be a bit of a challenge – but that’s the whole point of the A to Z Challenge, right?

What’s the A to Z Challenge?

In case you don’t already know what the A to Z Challenge is, here’s a list of my Top 10 Reasons to Join the A to Z Challenge.

Let’s do this!

I hope to meet you during one of my Blog-In sessions, but if you can’t make it, you can also find me on Twitter @originaloflaura, where I will be posting links to my A to Z blogs and chatting about the challenge this month.

See you on April 1st!

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Got blogging questions? I’ve got answers – and a Twitter chat! #AtoZChallenge

In case you missed it, on Friday I announced that I’ll be scheduling some Twitter chats this month for folks participating in the A to Z Challenge. This is an online addition to the San Diego Blog-Ins I’ve got scheduled throughout the month of April (click here for dates and times, plus an explanation of what a “Blog-In” is).

What’s the A to Z Challenge?

In case you don’t already know what the A to Z Challenge is, here’s a list of my Top 10 Reasons to Join the A to Z Challenge.

What’s a Twitter chat?

Inspired by a writing group I love, the 10 Minute Novelists (who use the hashtag “#10MinNovelists,” in case you’re searching for them on Twitter), I’ve decided to hold weekly Twitter chats for anybody who wants to talk about blogging generally or the A to Z Challenge specifically. The idea is that we’ll meet up from 7-8 PM (PST) on Twitter, using the hashtag #AtoZ2017 to find one another, and I’ll direct the chat with some questions and prompts.

You can join in on the conversation by replying to me (@originaloflaura) directly, tossing the hashtag into your answer, or chatting with any other A to Z’ers that show up during the conversation.

It’s low pressure (you can chat in your PJs!), fun, and even educational!

So bring your blogging questions, your A to Z Challenge questions, and anything else you’d like to talk about on April 6 for our very first Twitter chat!

Can’t make it on April 6? No worries! Here’s the complete list of A to Z Twitter chats I’ve got planned. These will all run from 7-8 PM PST/10-11 PM EST:

April 6
April 13
April 20
April 27

Let’s do this!

I hope to meet you during one of my Blog-In sessions, but if you can’t make it, you can also find me on Twitter @originaloflaura, where I will be posting links to my A to Z blogs and chatting about the challenge this month.

See you on April 6th!

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Calling all San Diego bloggers! #AtoZChallenge

In case you missed it, on Wednesday I announced that I’ll be scheduling some Blog-Ins this month for folks participating in the A to Z Challenge. The schedule (for now) is:

Sundays in April: Starbucks, Trolley Square – 3 to 5 PM
Mondays: Central Library, 10 AM-Noon
Occasional drop-ins at San Diego Writers, Ink’s “Room to Write”: Tuesdays from 9-11:45 AM and Fridays 10 AM-1 PM (SDWI members only)

I also plan to try to blog a bit more in public this month, to spread the word about the challenge, so you may catch me in a local coffee shop or library near you!

What’s the A to Z Challenge?

In case you don’t already know what the A to Z Challenge is, here’s a list of my Top 10 Reasons to Join the A to Z Challenge.

What’s a Blog-In?

Basically: bring a laptop, tablet, phone or pen and paper to write with, and let’s write together! I usually organize my Blog-Ins something like a “Sit Down, Shut Up and Write” event, where attendees will have about 15 to 30 minutes to meet up, mingle, grab some snacks or beverages, and get settled, and then everybody gets down to business and writes for at least an hour. I usually set aside a block of 2 hours for the meet-up, so if you want to drop in a little later, you’re welcome to do so – as long as you don’t disturb fellow bloggers. We can also chat after the set blogging time, if you’ve got questions about the A to Z Challenge, blogging in general, or just want to say hi.

I’ll also bring some writing prompts and theme ideas to share, in case you’re stuck and don’t know what to write about.

Let’s do this!

I hope to meet you during one of my Blog-In sessions, but in case you’re not from the San Diego area, you can also find me on Twitter @originaloflaura, where I will be posting links to my A to Z blogs and otherwise chatting about the challenge this month.

Inspired by another writing group I’m a part of (shout out to the awesome #10MinNovelists!), I’d also love to organize a Twitter party on Thursday evenings where we can talk about what we’re blogging about. What about 7-8 PM (PST), right after the #10MinNovelists chat? Use the hashtag “#AtoZ2017” and I’ll throw out questions and blogging advice to anyone who shows up.

See you on April 1st!

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Let’s write together! 2017 #AtoZChallenge Blog-Ins

Howdy! I’ve recently had a brainstorm about my blogging, as it relates to the A to Z Challenge. This is an annual tradition at my blog. And I will definitely be participating again this year (my sixth!), but with a twist (which I revealed on Monday).

That being said, I also really enjoyed hosting a few local blog-ins during last year’s challenge, and thought I would try that again this year.

What’s a Blog-In?

Basically: bring a laptop, tablet, phone or pen and paper to write with, and let’s write together! I usually organize my Blog-Ins something like a “Sit Down, Shut Up and Write” event, where attendees will have about 15 to 30 minutes to meet up, mingle, grab some snacks or beverages, and get settled, and then everybody gets down to business and writes for at least an hour. I usually set aside a block of 2 hours for the meet-up, so if you want to drop in a little later, you’re welcome to do so – as long as you don’t disturb fellow bloggers. We can also chat after the set blogging time, if you’ve got questions about the A to Z Challenge, blogging in general, or just want to say hi.

I’ll also bring some writing prompts and theme ideas to share, in case you’re stuck and don’t know what to write about.

Let’s do this!

So, if you are in the San Diego area and would like to blog with me, here’s my Blog-In schedule for the month:

Sundays in April: Starbucks, Trolley Square – 3 to 5 PM
Mondays: Central Library, 10 AM-Noon
Occasional drop-ins at San Diego Writers, Ink’s “Room to Write”: Tuesdays from 9-11:45 AM and Fridays 10 AM-1 PM (SDWI members only)

I’m trying to make these Blog-Ins as informal, fun, and accessible as possible, so hopefully these times, dates and locations will work.

If all else fails, I can reschedule to accommodate the group – so let me know if you’ll be there!

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