Rebecca Graf's Blog, page 5
October 19, 2012
MIA
Wow! I had not realized how long it had been since I last posted something. Time flies by especially when you have so much to do. Oh, my!
Well, what am I doing? I'm finishing up a semester of school. Another semester starts the first of November. We're editing books like crazy at Silver Tongue Press. I'm writing the Connections books. The second has been sent to the editors. I'm finishing the first draft to the final book in the trilogy. Trying to get just the right ending to the whole thing.
On top of that, I started writing a book with a friend. It's more fun than I thought it would be. On top of that I'm mentally trying to finish two others. Oh, and I have some novellas planned to go with the Connections series.
Do I have enough to do? I don't think so. lol I want to do so much.
I'm hoping to not be MIA anymore. I have to get out of my dungeon and live a little.
Well, what am I doing? I'm finishing up a semester of school. Another semester starts the first of November. We're editing books like crazy at Silver Tongue Press. I'm writing the Connections books. The second has been sent to the editors. I'm finishing the first draft to the final book in the trilogy. Trying to get just the right ending to the whole thing.
On top of that, I started writing a book with a friend. It's more fun than I thought it would be. On top of that I'm mentally trying to finish two others. Oh, and I have some novellas planned to go with the Connections series.
Do I have enough to do? I don't think so. lol I want to do so much.
I'm hoping to not be MIA anymore. I have to get out of my dungeon and live a little.
August 20, 2012
I Need to be in the Mood
Writing can be so frustrating at times. I have to be in the mood to write certain stories. If I am in a romantic mood, a comedy is not what I need to be writing. If I'm in a serious mood, romance might not be the ticket for me that day. I need to be in the mood.
What do I do to resolve that? I have several stories going on at the same time so I don't miss out on any writing time I can find. I have a comedy in the works, a romance, a mystery, and a serious chick lit. I even have a few children's stories.
What mood am I in today? Doesn't matter. Too much editing is needing my attention. I swear that is more work than the initial writing.
What do I do to resolve that? I have several stories going on at the same time so I don't miss out on any writing time I can find. I have a comedy in the works, a romance, a mystery, and a serious chick lit. I even have a few children's stories.
What mood am I in today? Doesn't matter. Too much editing is needing my attention. I swear that is more work than the initial writing.
August 9, 2012
Oh, The Editing
I thought we had Deep Connections ready to release. That was until some eagle eyes caught a few discrepancies which I am very thankful for. Now, I'm working on them and having a few more eyes look at it. Oh, boy.
Editing is very important. It can make the difference between an okay book and a great book. Think about it. When you read a book do you get turned off when you know the author wrote a scene all wrong? I know I do.
So, Deep Connections is being pushed back a couple of weeks while I work on it and work on Dark Connections.
Stay tuned.
Editing is very important. It can make the difference between an okay book and a great book. Think about it. When you read a book do you get turned off when you know the author wrote a scene all wrong? I know I do.
So, Deep Connections is being pushed back a couple of weeks while I work on it and work on Dark Connections.
Stay tuned.
July 28, 2012
Looking for Beta Readers
We're looking for beta readers. These are readers who read unedited or slightly edited stories for inconsistencies, plot suggestions, and such. We have full length novels, children's stories, and short stories.
If you are interested, please contact me.
If you are interested, please contact me.
July 19, 2012
Adjustments - Story Sources
If you don't think you have sources for story ideas, you can't be alive. Trust me. Every day of my life is a source for a story.
I just moved in with my family of five in the same house as my in-laws. This is a major adjustment for all of us. That alone is a story. My computer crashed. Good and bad came out of it. I've got about six story ideas from that. We have job interviews and more that give me ideas for short stories and novels.
Do you have pets? Now, we have six. There are our two Ragdoll cats, our black lab, and my silkchon. Then there is the cat and Dachshund of my in-laws. I cannot begin to tell you the stories we could get from the adjustment with the animals. We've gone from frustration to laughing in a matter of minutes.
Don't let the opportunities that life gives you pass you by. Use them to write stories. You might as well get something good out of it all. :)
I just moved in with my family of five in the same house as my in-laws. This is a major adjustment for all of us. That alone is a story. My computer crashed. Good and bad came out of it. I've got about six story ideas from that. We have job interviews and more that give me ideas for short stories and novels.
Do you have pets? Now, we have six. There are our two Ragdoll cats, our black lab, and my silkchon. Then there is the cat and Dachshund of my in-laws. I cannot begin to tell you the stories we could get from the adjustment with the animals. We've gone from frustration to laughing in a matter of minutes.
Don't let the opportunities that life gives you pass you by. Use them to write stories. You might as well get something good out of it all. :)
July 12, 2012
MIA
I've been a MIA lately. I feel bad about it, but I have a good excuse. My life went in a spiraling vortex.
I spent close to a month with my mother. She doesn't have internet and lives way out of town. I had to go into town for a few hours every day. That put me behind. Then I moved to another state.
Now, I'm settling in and trying to find my sanity. What do you do if it can't be found?
I'm trying to get back into the mood of writing, but it has been hard. Tension is all around me. For a spell I seemed to get only obstacles instead of help when I needed it. Now, that is changing.
My book is about to be released. My mother-in-law said not to forget that I'm a writer. My husband is there for me. To be honest, I couldn't ask for anything better.
Until next time when I'm a little more in my writing mode..... :)
I spent close to a month with my mother. She doesn't have internet and lives way out of town. I had to go into town for a few hours every day. That put me behind. Then I moved to another state.
Now, I'm settling in and trying to find my sanity. What do you do if it can't be found?
I'm trying to get back into the mood of writing, but it has been hard. Tension is all around me. For a spell I seemed to get only obstacles instead of help when I needed it. Now, that is changing.
My book is about to be released. My mother-in-law said not to forget that I'm a writer. My husband is there for me. To be honest, I couldn't ask for anything better.
Until next time when I'm a little more in my writing mode..... :)
June 19, 2012
How Safe is Your Creative Spirit from Nay-Sayers?
No matter what someone might say, their creative spirit is sensitive. They might not admit it. They might not see it. The truth is your creative spirit could be in danger from the nay-sayers in your life.
What is a nay-sayer? This is a person who can only see the negative in everything. “Being a writer won’t make you money.” “Do you really think you’ll make a bestsellers list?” “There’s too much competition out there.” “In a year or two you’ll realize the foolishness of it.” “She claims to be a writer, but….” This is just a small sampling of what the nay-sayers can say.
The result?
A crushed spirit.
It hurts to hear that you’re not good enough. It hurts to hear negative comments about your dreams. You might not think it does, but it will hide there and fester. One new writer confessed to me how comments she had ignored thinking they did not affect her had actually hurt deeply. It was months later that they rose to the surface and had her quitting her dream of writing.
The question becomes, “How safe is your creative spirit from nay-sayers?”
The answer to this lies in the protection around you.
Anytime you are being attacked, you need protection around you. This includes gossip, mean people, and actual physical attacks. The protection you erect around you is vital.
For a creative spirit, the protection comes from your friends. They are the ones who see your potential. They are the ones who ask for your next piece of work. They are the ones who cheer you one while not lying to you about your abilities. The stronger that network is, the more protected your creative spirit is. The nay-sayers’ ammunition will fall to the ground unable to penetrate the fortress around you.
What is a nay-sayer? This is a person who can only see the negative in everything. “Being a writer won’t make you money.” “Do you really think you’ll make a bestsellers list?” “There’s too much competition out there.” “In a year or two you’ll realize the foolishness of it.” “She claims to be a writer, but….” This is just a small sampling of what the nay-sayers can say.
The result?
A crushed spirit.
It hurts to hear that you’re not good enough. It hurts to hear negative comments about your dreams. You might not think it does, but it will hide there and fester. One new writer confessed to me how comments she had ignored thinking they did not affect her had actually hurt deeply. It was months later that they rose to the surface and had her quitting her dream of writing.
The question becomes, “How safe is your creative spirit from nay-sayers?”
The answer to this lies in the protection around you.
Anytime you are being attacked, you need protection around you. This includes gossip, mean people, and actual physical attacks. The protection you erect around you is vital.
For a creative spirit, the protection comes from your friends. They are the ones who see your potential. They are the ones who ask for your next piece of work. They are the ones who cheer you one while not lying to you about your abilities. The stronger that network is, the more protected your creative spirit is. The nay-sayers’ ammunition will fall to the ground unable to penetrate the fortress around you.
June 5, 2012
A Blast From My Forgotten Past
A friend contacted me on Facebook. She said, "If you can tell me who wrote this, I'll send you more." It was a little poem. I read the first line and gasped. Oh, my! It was mine from high school!
I dappled a little with poetry back in high school. The ones she sent me mostly had to do with school and algebra. Why? Because she didn't like algebra. I wrote the poems for her.
Now, they aren't any good. They are feeble attempts of a 15 year old to be poetic, but they did teach me something.
I have wanted to write for a very long time.
I still see my writing as needing a lot of work as do these poems, but the desire is there. That is one of the most important things. You need to desire it. Without desire, you are just going through the motions and there is no soul in the piece.
With no soul in the writing, no one will enjoy it or connect to it. It will be lost in the void of forgotten writings.
One of the poems was about two lovers who follow different paths and yearn for more. My muse has ordered a novel out of it. Yes, ma'am. :)
What sources for stories do you have in your past? When did you last look through your old high school things? You might find a best selling novel in there.
I dappled a little with poetry back in high school. The ones she sent me mostly had to do with school and algebra. Why? Because she didn't like algebra. I wrote the poems for her.
Now, they aren't any good. They are feeble attempts of a 15 year old to be poetic, but they did teach me something.
I have wanted to write for a very long time.
I still see my writing as needing a lot of work as do these poems, but the desire is there. That is one of the most important things. You need to desire it. Without desire, you are just going through the motions and there is no soul in the piece.
With no soul in the writing, no one will enjoy it or connect to it. It will be lost in the void of forgotten writings.
One of the poems was about two lovers who follow different paths and yearn for more. My muse has ordered a novel out of it. Yes, ma'am. :)
What sources for stories do you have in your past? When did you last look through your old high school things? You might find a best selling novel in there.
June 2, 2012
Anything Can Be a Story
No new story ideas coming to you? Baloney and horse hockey. There are a million and one ideas hitting you every day and that is only barely an exaggeration.
Every single thing that happens or is said is a story idea. Conversations you have with people generate story ideas. Trust me. Whenever I speak with my muses, a ton of ideas flow. Why? Because we're not talking to get ideas. We're being real. We're being goofy. We're loving life. We're generating ideas.
I was complaining about the other half. Thoughts of revenge was jokingly tossed between my friend and me in regard to other half. A story idea sprang up.
Was listening to a song and a story line appeared based on it.
The dogs' antics inspired a story idea.
Dreams are inspirations.
Real life pain, personal experiences, news events, anything can be a story idea.
Never say you can't find a story idea. Open your eyes to the world around you and you can find millions.
Now, that I've just inspired a few hundred more I have to spend the next couple of hours writing them down in my idea notebook.
Every single thing that happens or is said is a story idea. Conversations you have with people generate story ideas. Trust me. Whenever I speak with my muses, a ton of ideas flow. Why? Because we're not talking to get ideas. We're being real. We're being goofy. We're loving life. We're generating ideas.
I was complaining about the other half. Thoughts of revenge was jokingly tossed between my friend and me in regard to other half. A story idea sprang up.
Was listening to a song and a story line appeared based on it.
The dogs' antics inspired a story idea.
Dreams are inspirations.
Real life pain, personal experiences, news events, anything can be a story idea.
Never say you can't find a story idea. Open your eyes to the world around you and you can find millions.
Now, that I've just inspired a few hundred more I have to spend the next couple of hours writing them down in my idea notebook.
June 1, 2012
Help! Muse Mutiny
I have a lot of work to do. The new publishing company, Silver Tongue Press, is off and running. I have so much to do with that. Then there is my regular writing that is needed to help pay bills. Then there are the all the book reviews I've given my word to finish. I haven't had time to write. I need to write! But reality is I can't.
You know what happened? That darn muse mutinied on me.
I was trying to get work done. Depression was sitting in. I was getting very irritable. Nothing helped. Absolutely nothing helped. I tried to read something because I wanted to. Nope. I tried a movie. Nope. But I had stuff to do.
That's when one of my muses said something about me keeping her busy in the editing world with my work. It hit be with the strength of two locomotives.
Just Write!!!!
It didn't have to be on a story I was working on. It didn't have to be editing. Just write.
Then I realized that a story had been forming in the back of my mind. It was the reason for the mutiny.
I had my plan. My writing and working life as well as personal was laid out and planned by the hour. The creativity muses had other plans.
I was about to but them in the brig when I notice that the story wasn't half bad. It had potential.
Shhhhh! Don't say a word. The muses might find out. They're cocky enough. Don't add to it.
You know what happened? That darn muse mutinied on me.
I was trying to get work done. Depression was sitting in. I was getting very irritable. Nothing helped. Absolutely nothing helped. I tried to read something because I wanted to. Nope. I tried a movie. Nope. But I had stuff to do.
That's when one of my muses said something about me keeping her busy in the editing world with my work. It hit be with the strength of two locomotives.
Just Write!!!!
It didn't have to be on a story I was working on. It didn't have to be editing. Just write.
Then I realized that a story had been forming in the back of my mind. It was the reason for the mutiny.
I had my plan. My writing and working life as well as personal was laid out and planned by the hour. The creativity muses had other plans.
I was about to but them in the brig when I notice that the story wasn't half bad. It had potential.
Shhhhh! Don't say a word. The muses might find out. They're cocky enough. Don't add to it.
