Bev Pettersen's Blog, page 37
December 25, 2017
Holiday Greetings
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My house is beginning to look a lot like a Hallmark Christmas Movie set.
Happy Holidays, Katie Graykowski
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Hello and Happy Holidays to all!
When my children were small, Christmas was a very special time of the year with decorating the house, baking, school programs, reading the...
December 24, 2017
December 23, 2017
Holiday Greetings
Wishing you a magical Christmas surrounded by loving friends and family…and animals too. Bev Pettersen
December 22, 2017
Christmas Greetings
Over the next week the Ruby Sisters will be sharing their traditions or sending out holidays wishes. Stop by and tell us how your holidays are going.
Wishing you all the merriest of Christmases. May Santa bring you happiness, joy, and family. And as my special gift to the readers of the Ruby Blog, here’s a link to a free downloadable short story about the power of giving. Enjoy: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/7f0plg6k10.
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December 21, 2017
The Pendulum
I’ve read several articles lately that suggest the pendulum of publishing is swinging once again. The rush of opportunity over the past few years had begun to level out and authors are again recalibrating and reconsidering their careers. In lockstep with this discussion is another one – the subject of speed.
Conventional wisdom over the past few years has suggested the only way to be successful as a genre fiction author is to produce at a rapid rate. Whether this is the right strategy for any...
December 19, 2017
The Illusion of Success
It’s the holiday season, which for many of us means gathering with family and friends… which, for many of us, means hearing that lovely question, “How’s the writing going?” (Is anyone else out there groaning at the thought?)
I’ve been a confessed writer for about a decade now and in all that time, I don’t think my answer to that question has changed much. It’s always “Good!” … followed up by a few qualifying sentences, where I fish out whatever the good thing that happened to me in the last...
December 18, 2017
Announcing the 2018 Winter Writing Festival!!!
If you’ve joined us for the Winter Writing Festival any time during the past seven years, you know it can be a tremendously productive time, with lots of inspiring support and the magic of REGULAR WRITING SPRINTS held in our cozy Ruby Chat Room!!
It’s completely free, and all writers are welcome—the more the merrier!...December 17, 2017
I’m Not Your Prop
If you don’t think secondary characters are as important as the main characters of any story, you would be completely wrong. They are not simply props. They play many important different roles; The side-kick, The Tempter, The Skeptic, The Driver, The Mentor, and The Mixture to name a few. I’ve listed definitions of these roles below.
Often, SC (secondary characters) disclose bits of backstory (truths) which exposes our hero’s motivation for championing a cause. They can unmask aspects of pe...
December 14, 2017
Falling in Love Again…
I mentioned in my last blog post that I was hitting up my keeper shelf in an effort to break out of a writing slump. The writing slump is slowly easing, but reading-wise? I’m IN THE ZONE.
I’m re-reading one of my favorite series for the upteenth time, and falling in love again. The objects of my affection? Miles Naismith Vorkosigan, and his creator, Lois McMaster Bujold.
Where do I start?
The Vorkosigan Saga, currently up to 30 books, is a genre mash-up – though having won multiple Hugo, Neb...
December 12, 2017
Assume Positive Intent
I had a wonderful boss a few years back. Not only has she become a dear and treasured friend, but she gave me a piece of advice at a moment I genuinely needed to hear it.
Assume positive intent.
The specific advice came in the midst of a random (and long-forgotten) frustration at work. But in true Addison fashion, I was ranting and grumbling about something someone did. Actually, it wasn’t about what they did, it was about how I believed they’d acted. I’d convinced myself that they not only m...
