Shelly Hickman's Blog, page 9
April 29, 2013
Swallow Your Fear
I have not written anything substantial since last summer, but somehow I've managed to reach a second chapter of something, I'm not quite sure what yet, and this is proving to be much harder than I remember.
Have any of you seen the movie "Paper Man" with Jeff Daniels? If not, I highly recommend it. There is a returning scene in that film where Daniels, a writer, is sitting at his typewriter, (yes, an actual typewriter because he prefers it to a computer) and he has the worst writer's block imaginable. I have looked all over the Internet for that video clip because it is hilarious. We hear his thoughts turning in his mind, over and over again, as he tries to land that perfect word he is searching for, but it is always just beyond his reach. Each time he returns to his work, he is stuck in the middle of that same, God forsaken, unfinished sentence, and he just can't seem to push past it. I know it doesn't sound very funny, but if you have ever been in that spot, I am sure it would make you laugh. One day I'm going to find that clip, even if I have to buy the movie and cut it out myself.
Since I wanted to provide a visual of how I'm feeling right now, I'll have to settle for this. It could easily be me, staring at my laptop screen.
Or perhaps even this, since clearly I'm allowing myself to become distracted from the task at hand. Look at the hot dog as a symbol for Twitter, Facebook, Google Earth, whatever. 
If you choose to comment, please know I'm not trying to draw anyone away from their writing. (Who am I kidding? Misery loves company.)
Okay, my friends. I'm off to face my writer's block. Adieu!
Have any of you seen the movie "Paper Man" with Jeff Daniels? If not, I highly recommend it. There is a returning scene in that film where Daniels, a writer, is sitting at his typewriter, (yes, an actual typewriter because he prefers it to a computer) and he has the worst writer's block imaginable. I have looked all over the Internet for that video clip because it is hilarious. We hear his thoughts turning in his mind, over and over again, as he tries to land that perfect word he is searching for, but it is always just beyond his reach. Each time he returns to his work, he is stuck in the middle of that same, God forsaken, unfinished sentence, and he just can't seem to push past it. I know it doesn't sound very funny, but if you have ever been in that spot, I am sure it would make you laugh. One day I'm going to find that clip, even if I have to buy the movie and cut it out myself.
Since I wanted to provide a visual of how I'm feeling right now, I'll have to settle for this. It could easily be me, staring at my laptop screen.
Or perhaps even this, since clearly I'm allowing myself to become distracted from the task at hand. Look at the hot dog as a symbol for Twitter, Facebook, Google Earth, whatever. If you choose to comment, please know I'm not trying to draw anyone away from their writing. (Who am I kidding? Misery loves company.)Okay, my friends. I'm off to face my writer's block. Adieu!
April 12, 2013
Tag! Looks Like I'm It.
First, I will begin this post by saying I am not creating a blog! Not that I have anything against them, but I have firmly made up my mind that I will not start a blog. I just don’t have the discipline for it. I don’t know what happened to my discipline. I used to have much more of it when I was young, but I digress.
Anyway, there’s this thing going on now where authors are tagging each other in their blogs, or in my case, websites. Somehow I got double-teamed by two of my author friends.
The first is Cait Jarrod, author of romance novel, Kidnapped Hearts . Cait and I met in our online writing community, and she helped me extensively with my Somewhere manuscript, from start to finish, and I am forever grateful to her. I am also proud to say that I was one of many sets of eyes for Kidnapped Hearts as it was a work in progress. If you enjoy romantic suspense, be sure to pick up a copy of Cait’s debut novel. Jake and Pamela have some great chemistry that draws you in right from the start!
My new friend, Patricia Mann, is the author of women’s fiction novel, Is This All There Is? I don’t remember where I stumbled upon this book, but I’m so glad I did. It’s about a married woman’s temptation to stray, and Patricia’s writing is so uncomfortably honest. Her protagonist’s journey will form a knot in the pit of your stomach; at least it did for me! As I began reading the book, I started tweeting her here and there. We began chatting about writing, family, and life in general, and now I consider her a dear friend, even though we have never met.
Okay, so this is what I’m supposed to do next for this “tagging” thingie. I’m supposed to answer some questions about my work in progress, and then it’s my turn to tag some authors. Well… here’s the thing. I don’t really have a work in progress, per se. I have this story in my head that I plan to start this summer when I am on break from the ol’ teaching job. Actually, Patricia and I have made a pact to commit to one hour of writing in two weeks; we’ll see how that goes.
So, call me a cheater, but I’m now going to skip the WiP discussion and jump straight into tagging my fellow authors. However, if you would like to read more about my finished works, you can see them further below. (Smiles) I’ve probably single-handedly ruined the integrity of this chain tagging. Remember the game telephone from when we were kids, where one person whispers something into the next person’s ear, and by the time the message gets to the end of the line, it winds up being something entirely different? Yeah, that’s pretty much what I did here.
The first author I would like tag is British writer, Terry Tyler. I have only read one of her books, The Other Side , and thoroughly enjoyed it. We all have questions of “what if” in our lives. What if I had taken that job? What if I had stayed with that guy? Terry weaves several different storylines together to examine this idea, and her characters are so relatable. And, I just discovered today on Twitter that she has a new release, Full Circle , which is on my to-read list.
My second author is not yet published, but she is lovely blogger and writer, Isabella Louise Anderson, aka Chick Lit Goddess. I understand that she has completed her manuscript, and whether she self-publishes or goes the traditional route, I look forward to seeing what she’s got. Isabella has formed a wonderful network of female writers on Facebook, one that has been tremendously helpful to me. You can read author interviews and book reviews on her blog, ChickLitGoddess.com. Keep your eyes peeled for her work!
Well folks, that’s all for now. Thanks once again to Cait Jarrod and Patricia Mann for “tagging” me, even though I didn’t quite follow the rules.
Anyway, there’s this thing going on now where authors are tagging each other in their blogs, or in my case, websites. Somehow I got double-teamed by two of my author friends.
The first is Cait Jarrod, author of romance novel, Kidnapped Hearts . Cait and I met in our online writing community, and she helped me extensively with my Somewhere manuscript, from start to finish, and I am forever grateful to her. I am also proud to say that I was one of many sets of eyes for Kidnapped Hearts as it was a work in progress. If you enjoy romantic suspense, be sure to pick up a copy of Cait’s debut novel. Jake and Pamela have some great chemistry that draws you in right from the start!
My new friend, Patricia Mann, is the author of women’s fiction novel, Is This All There Is? I don’t remember where I stumbled upon this book, but I’m so glad I did. It’s about a married woman’s temptation to stray, and Patricia’s writing is so uncomfortably honest. Her protagonist’s journey will form a knot in the pit of your stomach; at least it did for me! As I began reading the book, I started tweeting her here and there. We began chatting about writing, family, and life in general, and now I consider her a dear friend, even though we have never met.
Okay, so this is what I’m supposed to do next for this “tagging” thingie. I’m supposed to answer some questions about my work in progress, and then it’s my turn to tag some authors. Well… here’s the thing. I don’t really have a work in progress, per se. I have this story in my head that I plan to start this summer when I am on break from the ol’ teaching job. Actually, Patricia and I have made a pact to commit to one hour of writing in two weeks; we’ll see how that goes.
So, call me a cheater, but I’m now going to skip the WiP discussion and jump straight into tagging my fellow authors. However, if you would like to read more about my finished works, you can see them further below. (Smiles) I’ve probably single-handedly ruined the integrity of this chain tagging. Remember the game telephone from when we were kids, where one person whispers something into the next person’s ear, and by the time the message gets to the end of the line, it winds up being something entirely different? Yeah, that’s pretty much what I did here.
The first author I would like tag is British writer, Terry Tyler. I have only read one of her books, The Other Side , and thoroughly enjoyed it. We all have questions of “what if” in our lives. What if I had taken that job? What if I had stayed with that guy? Terry weaves several different storylines together to examine this idea, and her characters are so relatable. And, I just discovered today on Twitter that she has a new release, Full Circle , which is on my to-read list.
My second author is not yet published, but she is lovely blogger and writer, Isabella Louise Anderson, aka Chick Lit Goddess. I understand that she has completed her manuscript, and whether she self-publishes or goes the traditional route, I look forward to seeing what she’s got. Isabella has formed a wonderful network of female writers on Facebook, one that has been tremendously helpful to me. You can read author interviews and book reviews on her blog, ChickLitGoddess.com. Keep your eyes peeled for her work!
Well folks, that’s all for now. Thanks once again to Cait Jarrod and Patricia Mann for “tagging” me, even though I didn’t quite follow the rules.
