Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 142
May 12, 2016
A seagull limerick for National Limerick Day 2016
In honour of it being National Limerick Day today, I thought I'd share a fun limerick about a seagull I wrote recently. Enjoy!
There once was a seagull named Billy,
Who everyone thought was quite silly.
He’d caw and he’d screech,
As he flew over the beach,
Diving down to steal scraps willy-nilly.
© 2016
May 11, 2016
#Writing Wednesday - May 11th 2016
Struggling with writers' block? Read this inspirational post. If you still need some help getting over your writers' block, check out these top 5 tips for getting words written.
Feel better? Feel like you can keep going now? Great!
So, are you writing a fantasy story? If so, check out these useful resources for fantasy authors. The sites cover everything from naming your characters, to creating your fantasy world.
Regardless of what you write, bear in mind, reduce, reuse, recycle, can also apply to your writing.
Above all... Always remember... Editors are useful. But, at the end of the day, the work is your own. Bear this in mind when you get the response from your editor. Although, obviously, there are some things you absolutely should fix if they're pointed out (typos and spelling mistakes, for example).
***
Did you know that May 12th is National Limerick Day? Well, if you didn't know before, you do now!
Feel better? Feel like you can keep going now? Great!
So, are you writing a fantasy story? If so, check out these useful resources for fantasy authors. The sites cover everything from naming your characters, to creating your fantasy world.
Regardless of what you write, bear in mind, reduce, reuse, recycle, can also apply to your writing.
Above all... Always remember... Editors are useful. But, at the end of the day, the work is your own. Bear this in mind when you get the response from your editor. Although, obviously, there are some things you absolutely should fix if they're pointed out (typos and spelling mistakes, for example).
***
Did you know that May 12th is National Limerick Day? Well, if you didn't know before, you do now!
May 9, 2016
Of Mothers' Day, thermal cups, and cards (kinda FD)
Yesterday (May 8th 2016) was - as you probably know - Mothers' Day in Canada, and several other countries. Not here in the UK though... That was a couple of months ago over here. But we acknowledge both, since Kelly's Mom is in Canada, and my Mam is in the UK.
I doubt she'll read this, since she doesn't get online much. But I'm going to say "happy Mothers' Day" to Kelly's Mom on here, just like I did for my Mam back in March. So... Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
I hope all the Moms out there had a very happy Mothers' Day yesterday.
***
Remember how I got myself one of these thermal cups? Well, Kelly thought my red thermal cup was great, so I got him a blue one like it. He loves it as much as I love my red one!
Actually, we now both have two of them: two red ones for me, and two blue ones for Kelly. I got us extra ones, because they're good for keeping cold drinks cold too, so we use one for hot drinks, and the other for cold drinks.
So, thanks Rita, for recommending them!
I also want to thank Rita for this wonderful card we got in the mail last month:
So, thanks for that too, Rita!
***
I never got around to taking a photo of the Easter card we got from my Nan (Dad's Mother) this year. So, since I finally took one, here it is:
She won't see this, but... Thanks, Nan!
I doubt she'll read this, since she doesn't get online much. But I'm going to say "happy Mothers' Day" to Kelly's Mom on here, just like I did for my Mam back in March. So... Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
I hope all the Moms out there had a very happy Mothers' Day yesterday.
***
Remember how I got myself one of these thermal cups? Well, Kelly thought my red thermal cup was great, so I got him a blue one like it. He loves it as much as I love my red one!
Actually, we now both have two of them: two red ones for me, and two blue ones for Kelly. I got us extra ones, because they're good for keeping cold drinks cold too, so we use one for hot drinks, and the other for cold drinks.
So, thanks Rita, for recommending them!
I also want to thank Rita for this wonderful card we got in the mail last month:
So, thanks for that too, Rita!
***
I never got around to taking a photo of the Easter card we got from my Nan (Dad's Mother) this year. So, since I finally took one, here it is:
She won't see this, but... Thanks, Nan!
May 7, 2016
Anniversary #eBook #sale - final day!
Today is your last chance to take advantage of my eBook sale to celebrate being a published author for four years, and blogging for ten years.
So, for the final time... In case you missed them before, or don't remember and would rather not go looking... The books on sale, their sale prices, and the coupon codes to use if you want to take advantage of the sale prices, are as follows:
Asha's Big Adventure
Regular price: $3.99
Promotional price: $1.00
Coupon Code: YT67K
Cubby And The Beanstalk
Regular price: $3.99
Promotional price: $1.00
Coupon Code: ES33K
Filicity The Musical Platypus
Regular price: $2.99
Promotional price: $1.50
Coupon Code: SL83N
Snowball The Oddball Kobold
Regular price: $2.99
Promotional price: $1.50
Coupon Code: PJ83K
NOTE:
*To grab your copy of any of the above mentioned books, simply click on its title to go to the book's Smashwords page, add it to your cart, and enter the coupon code in the box provided for that purpose, before taking the book through checkout.
*The coupon codes above are valid for use on Smashwords only, and will not work on any of the other retailers that carry my books. However, my books are available in multiple eBook formats via Smashwords, and a purchase from Smashwords gives you access to all of these formats, which means you can still grab a copy in a format that works for reading on the computer, or that works best for your eReader of choice (mobi for Kindle, or epub for Nook, for example).
*These coupons are valid from April 20th 2016 to May 7th 2016 only.
So, for the final time... In case you missed them before, or don't remember and would rather not go looking... The books on sale, their sale prices, and the coupon codes to use if you want to take advantage of the sale prices, are as follows:
Asha's Big Adventure
Regular price: $3.99
Promotional price: $1.00
Coupon Code: YT67K
Cubby And The Beanstalk
Regular price: $3.99
Promotional price: $1.00
Coupon Code: ES33K
Filicity The Musical Platypus
Regular price: $2.99
Promotional price: $1.50
Coupon Code: SL83N
Snowball The Oddball Kobold
Regular price: $2.99
Promotional price: $1.50
Coupon Code: PJ83K
NOTE:
*To grab your copy of any of the above mentioned books, simply click on its title to go to the book's Smashwords page, add it to your cart, and enter the coupon code in the box provided for that purpose, before taking the book through checkout.
*The coupon codes above are valid for use on Smashwords only, and will not work on any of the other retailers that carry my books. However, my books are available in multiple eBook formats via Smashwords, and a purchase from Smashwords gives you access to all of these formats, which means you can still grab a copy in a format that works for reading on the computer, or that works best for your eReader of choice (mobi for Kindle, or epub for Nook, for example).
*These coupons are valid from April 20th 2016 to May 7th 2016 only.
May 6, 2016
Furkid Friday: Mollie and Maizie
We recently added two new members to our rodent gang.
I'm not sure whether I think it's unfortunate that this happened now, or fortunate. On the one hand it's unfortunate, because there's a part of me that feels guilty for being pleased with new additions to the family when we just lost Bilbo. On the other hand, I think it's fortunate, because it gives us something positive to focus on.
The new additions are a pair of charcoal short haired chinchillas.
Well, I say "a pair" but they're not a proper pair, because they aren't littermates or anything like that... Not like how our pair of rats are a proper pair, because they're littermates, and have been together since birth. No. The chinchillas aren't littermates, and they've only been together for a few weeks. They bonded quickly though.
Mollie is three months older than Maizie; Mollie is almost seven months old, and Maizie is almost four months old. But they were put together shortly before we got them, because Mollie was becoming depressed being by herself. That's part of the reason why, even though they've officialy been ours since early April, it took until the last Tuesday in April before we finally brought them home.
It was me who named them though. They're just names I like (Mollie, especially, I've liked since I was a child). For the benifit of those who - like me - are interested in the origins and meanings of names, however, here are the details for each name:
Mollie (like the original spelling, Molly) developed as a pet form of the name Mary, although today both Mollie and Molly are independently given names in their own right. The name can mean "beloved" or "bitter" depending on the origin you go with (baby name sites disagree on the true origin of the name).
Maizie is a phonetically spelt version of the name Maisy, which means "light's creation" or "child of light" depending on whether you go with the Latin or Persian origin.
Mollie is still suffering with some issues from her depression, but she's doing better than she was; between attention from us, and Maizie's companionship, she's improving nicely.
Anyway, here's their cage all set up:
I took two shots, one more to one side than the other, and the other more to the other side, to make sure everything was included in at least one of the photos. Just in case you're wondering why there are two photos of the cage.
Since the photos for this post were taken, however, we've removed the ladder - or ramp, if you prefer - between the second and third levels. Well, actually, Maizie removed it, and we decided not to bother with putting it back any more. Apparently Maizie felt it was in the way of where she wanted to stretch out on the second level, so she kept shoving at it until the hooks holding it came loose (no matter how well we anchored it) and, after putting it back a few times, and realizing Maizie was most likely going to keep doing it... In fact, she seemed to figure it out quicker each time... We decided it would be better to have them need to jump between levels, than to risk Maizie doing that when Mollie is in the way of the falling ladder. Besides, chinchillas are good climbers and jumpers, so it's a really easy jump for them. We had a similar issue with ladders with the degus, and never even bothered to attempt putting ladders in the degu cage when they moved in to the cage they currently have (which they've now been in for close to two years).
Anyway...
Here's a photo I managed to get of them just after we got them home:
Only one of them is facing the camera, but at least they're both in the shot.
And here's one taken really early in the morning a couple of days later:
Mollie is slightly lighter in colour than Maizie. They're both considered charcoal, like I said, but Maizie is such a dark charcoal she's almost dark enough to be considered ebony instead. With that in mind, you might be wondering why I didn't name them the other way around. Sure, it would have made sense. But... Well... For one thing, I didn't know about the difference in colour shading when I picked the names (I knew Mollie was charcoal, but didn't know at that point what colour Maizie was). For another thing, I think Maizie's name fits because she was a ray of light that came in to Mollie's life to help with her depression. Plus, Maizie has such a cheerful and outgoing personality, that it just felt right to name them this way around.
Anyway...
This one is Maizie:
And this one is Mollie:
There would have been more photos, but Mollie tends to hide after a while, and Maizie isn't always good at staying still for long.
So, there you go. Now you've met the two newest members of the family. You'll get to hear and see more of them in the near future, when we take more photos, and they get their turns at doing posts.
I'm not sure whether I think it's unfortunate that this happened now, or fortunate. On the one hand it's unfortunate, because there's a part of me that feels guilty for being pleased with new additions to the family when we just lost Bilbo. On the other hand, I think it's fortunate, because it gives us something positive to focus on.
The new additions are a pair of charcoal short haired chinchillas.
Well, I say "a pair" but they're not a proper pair, because they aren't littermates or anything like that... Not like how our pair of rats are a proper pair, because they're littermates, and have been together since birth. No. The chinchillas aren't littermates, and they've only been together for a few weeks. They bonded quickly though.
Mollie is three months older than Maizie; Mollie is almost seven months old, and Maizie is almost four months old. But they were put together shortly before we got them, because Mollie was becoming depressed being by herself. That's part of the reason why, even though they've officialy been ours since early April, it took until the last Tuesday in April before we finally brought them home.
It was me who named them though. They're just names I like (Mollie, especially, I've liked since I was a child). For the benifit of those who - like me - are interested in the origins and meanings of names, however, here are the details for each name:
Mollie (like the original spelling, Molly) developed as a pet form of the name Mary, although today both Mollie and Molly are independently given names in their own right. The name can mean "beloved" or "bitter" depending on the origin you go with (baby name sites disagree on the true origin of the name).
Maizie is a phonetically spelt version of the name Maisy, which means "light's creation" or "child of light" depending on whether you go with the Latin or Persian origin.
Mollie is still suffering with some issues from her depression, but she's doing better than she was; between attention from us, and Maizie's companionship, she's improving nicely.
Anyway, here's their cage all set up:
I took two shots, one more to one side than the other, and the other more to the other side, to make sure everything was included in at least one of the photos. Just in case you're wondering why there are two photos of the cage.
Since the photos for this post were taken, however, we've removed the ladder - or ramp, if you prefer - between the second and third levels. Well, actually, Maizie removed it, and we decided not to bother with putting it back any more. Apparently Maizie felt it was in the way of where she wanted to stretch out on the second level, so she kept shoving at it until the hooks holding it came loose (no matter how well we anchored it) and, after putting it back a few times, and realizing Maizie was most likely going to keep doing it... In fact, she seemed to figure it out quicker each time... We decided it would be better to have them need to jump between levels, than to risk Maizie doing that when Mollie is in the way of the falling ladder. Besides, chinchillas are good climbers and jumpers, so it's a really easy jump for them. We had a similar issue with ladders with the degus, and never even bothered to attempt putting ladders in the degu cage when they moved in to the cage they currently have (which they've now been in for close to two years).
Anyway...
Here's a photo I managed to get of them just after we got them home:
Only one of them is facing the camera, but at least they're both in the shot.
And here's one taken really early in the morning a couple of days later:
Mollie is slightly lighter in colour than Maizie. They're both considered charcoal, like I said, but Maizie is such a dark charcoal she's almost dark enough to be considered ebony instead. With that in mind, you might be wondering why I didn't name them the other way around. Sure, it would have made sense. But... Well... For one thing, I didn't know about the difference in colour shading when I picked the names (I knew Mollie was charcoal, but didn't know at that point what colour Maizie was). For another thing, I think Maizie's name fits because she was a ray of light that came in to Mollie's life to help with her depression. Plus, Maizie has such a cheerful and outgoing personality, that it just felt right to name them this way around.
Anyway...
This one is Maizie:
And this one is Mollie:
There would have been more photos, but Mollie tends to hide after a while, and Maizie isn't always good at staying still for long.
So, there you go. Now you've met the two newest members of the family. You'll get to hear and see more of them in the near future, when we take more photos, and they get their turns at doing posts.
May 4, 2016
#Writing Wednesday - May 4th 2016
If you haven't already taken advantage of the discounted prices of the eBook versions of some of my books, you may want to do so now, because there are only a couple of days left: the sale ends this Saturday!
For details of the titles on sale, their Smashwords page links, their sale prices, and the coupon codes you'll need in order to take advantage of those prices, you need to take a look at the post I did two weeks ago.
***
Did you set yourself a NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) goal for April? Was it a writing goal, or a reading goal? Or, perhaps, you had a reading or writing goal of some other kind? If so, how did you do?
My unofficial writing goal was to write at least four poems during April. I managed to write three.
I've also made good progress with finnishing up "Zeena And The Phoenix" (the fourth "Zeena Dragon Fae" book). I hope to be able to have a release date for it soon. Plus, I've made progress on the other stories I've been working on too, and the story that started life as a piece of flash fiction during my trip to Wales in late February, is pretty close to being finnished. I should be able to have that one ready a month or two after the final Zeena book.
So, April was a pretty good month when it comes to writing, I think.
***
Working on a book of your own? Check out these tips for how to build a story in 20 easy steps, and this practical advice for writing dialect.
Alternatively, if you're thinking of co-writing something, you may want to read these tips on how to survive co-writing.
Regardless of whether you're writing something by yourself, or planning to co-author, if you plan to have a blind character in your story, you might want to read this post on writing a blind character. Also, if there's anything about blind people that's not answered in this post, which you'd like clarification on, feel free to ask me. I can't promise to have the answers, but I'll answer your questions if I can. Oh, and... For the record... I'm happily married, could have a guide dog but don't have one because I choose not to have one, do as much for myself as I can, can't use echolocation though I wish I could, have learned to read braille and sometimes do use it for non-essential reading (just not very often... In other words, not as much as I would if technology wasn't what it is) and have always hated wearing sunglasses (even when I still had sight and they would have probably helped with my sensativity to light).
For details of the titles on sale, their Smashwords page links, their sale prices, and the coupon codes you'll need in order to take advantage of those prices, you need to take a look at the post I did two weeks ago.
***
Did you set yourself a NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) goal for April? Was it a writing goal, or a reading goal? Or, perhaps, you had a reading or writing goal of some other kind? If so, how did you do?
My unofficial writing goal was to write at least four poems during April. I managed to write three.
I've also made good progress with finnishing up "Zeena And The Phoenix" (the fourth "Zeena Dragon Fae" book). I hope to be able to have a release date for it soon. Plus, I've made progress on the other stories I've been working on too, and the story that started life as a piece of flash fiction during my trip to Wales in late February, is pretty close to being finnished. I should be able to have that one ready a month or two after the final Zeena book.
So, April was a pretty good month when it comes to writing, I think.
***
Working on a book of your own? Check out these tips for how to build a story in 20 easy steps, and this practical advice for writing dialect.
Alternatively, if you're thinking of co-writing something, you may want to read these tips on how to survive co-writing.
Regardless of whether you're writing something by yourself, or planning to co-author, if you plan to have a blind character in your story, you might want to read this post on writing a blind character. Also, if there's anything about blind people that's not answered in this post, which you'd like clarification on, feel free to ask me. I can't promise to have the answers, but I'll answer your questions if I can. Oh, and... For the record... I'm happily married, could have a guide dog but don't have one because I choose not to have one, do as much for myself as I can, can't use echolocation though I wish I could, have learned to read braille and sometimes do use it for non-essential reading (just not very often... In other words, not as much as I would if technology wasn't what it is) and have always hated wearing sunglasses (even when I still had sight and they would have probably helped with my sensativity to light).
May 2, 2016
Of nice days by the ocean, motorbikes, birthdays, and bloggerversaries (FD)
The above photo was taken a couple of weeks ago, while looking out of the window in the computer room (which is beside me while I'm at my computer). The day before had been quite stormy, but this particular day was a beautiful one, where plenty of our neighbours were out enjoying being able to be beside the ocean in the sunshine; many of them with their dogs for company. The ocean birds - especially the seagulls, of course - were also having a great day; enjoying all the people being out there, because most people take snacks, and many people are willing to share them with the birds.
I love days like that, when it's warm and dry, but not hot. So, I'm pleased to be able to say that we've had a decent scattering of days like it in the past month or so. There have still been storms, but not constant ones, and they haven't been as bad in the past couple of weeks. We've had a lot of days like the one pictured above. Summer is coming!
***
There's an anual event where on the May Day bank holiday (first Monday in May) they have some sort of motorbike festival going on in town, where bikers come from all over the place to show off their motorbikes, and do whatever else it is bikers do when they get together.
Now, I like motorbikes, don't get me wrong. But we're in a position to hear many of them heading to town, since the road between us and the ocean is one of the main ways in to town. So, while the first few are exciting, and I have some interest for the next few dozen, by the time we've had a few hundred motorbikes go past, I can't help longing for the end of the day. Bearing in mind, last year there were around ten thousand bikers in town with their bikes. So, I'm sure you can see why I was sick of motorbikes by the end of the day last year.
Since today is this year's May Day bank holiday, I expect to be feeling the same way by the end of today. At the moment though, I'm still at the point where I'm enjoying hearing the motorbikes go past. Like I said... At the moment!
***
Today is also Kelly's birthday, and tomorrow is my 10th bloggerversary.
Yes, it counts, even though my blog was private for a while a couple of years ago. I mean, I was still blogging, even if you couldn't see it, so this blog has been going since May 3rd 2006.
The very first thing I ever posted was a late "happy birthday" post for Kelly. After that, especially for the first couple of months, my posts were mostly about my furkids, since I wasn't sure what to post about at first, and we were in the process of getting my Chance cat at the time I started my blog. Chance was around eight months old when we got him... Hard to believe he'd be almost 11 years old if he was still alive now. But then, Kero was nine weeks old when we got him (three weeks old the first time I held him) and would have been coming 12 if he was still alive. Time flies, doesn't it? Also, I can't believe how much I miss my boys! I mean, I miss the other furkids I've lost too, but I miss my boys most of all... Especially Kero.
OK... Enough of that...
Like I said, today is Kelly's birthday. So... Happy birthday, Kelly!
He wanted money to spend on some of the stuff he wants to do with his games (credits for those games that allow you to buy them, and pdfs for some of the other types of games). So that's what I gave him. I'm also giving him the night off from cooking by letting him order take-away tonight. Since I'm giving him the choice, it will most likely be either chicken or pizza that he has (if he goes with the chicken, I'll be having a veggie burger or something like that).
I had planned to do something special for my bloggerversary this year too... Especially with it being the 10th. But I've had so much going on recently that I never ended up arranging anything. Well, other than the eBook giveaway I have going on right now, but I'd planned to do something more. Maybe I'll make up for it next year? We'll see...
In the meantime... You may want to go and check out which of my books are on sale, if you haven't already done so.
Also... If you've had your birthday recently, or it's coming up really soon, consider this paragraph to be a birthday message directed at you. I hope you had/have an amazing birthday!
April 29, 2016
Furkid Friday: have you seen my brother?
Hello everyone. This is Baggins the gerbil.
Sorry for the lack of my usual enthusiasm, but I'm one very sad gerbil right now. You see, my gerbil brother, Bilbo, went away. I don't know where, and I don't understand why. All I know is that he's been gone for more than a week now, and I can't find him anywhere I've looked. I even tried checking inside all of the tunnels I dug recently, just in case I accidentally buried him in sawdust... That happened several times in the past, after all. But I've had no luck in figuring out where he went.
My degu brothers haven't seen our gerbil brother either, and they miss him too. Especially Jacob, who was Bilbo's pal. Jacob and I have been trying to comfort each other by sitting together like Bilbo and Jacob used to; sometimes just the two of us, sometimes with the other three of our degu brothers as well. But it's just not the same... Especially for me. At least Jacob has the other degus to give him comfort.
The human caretakers have been giving me extra attention. But, still... Like I said... It's not the same. I miss Bilbo!
Actually, we all miss him. Me most, but we all miss him, and we're all a little confused about it all. Plus, we're a little sad, because we remember that something like this happened a couple of years ago with the big, white, Kero dog, and we never ever saw him again. Will that be the case for Bilbo?
If Bilbo doesn't come back, I hope my brother is happy wherever he is, has access to his favourite nibbles, and has plenty of places to dig.
The human caretakers say they're sure he has everything that makes him happy in the place where he's gone, and that I'll see him soon, but they hope not too soon, because they'll miss me. I hope they're right about my brother being happy where he is, though I'm a bit confused about why he had to go at all... Especially if the human caretakers don't want me to go with him any time soon.
Anyway... If you see my brother before I do, tell him I miss him. Also, if it's at all possible, tell him I want him to come home
Squeak soon,
Baggins
Sorry for the lack of my usual enthusiasm, but I'm one very sad gerbil right now. You see, my gerbil brother, Bilbo, went away. I don't know where, and I don't understand why. All I know is that he's been gone for more than a week now, and I can't find him anywhere I've looked. I even tried checking inside all of the tunnels I dug recently, just in case I accidentally buried him in sawdust... That happened several times in the past, after all. But I've had no luck in figuring out where he went.
My degu brothers haven't seen our gerbil brother either, and they miss him too. Especially Jacob, who was Bilbo's pal. Jacob and I have been trying to comfort each other by sitting together like Bilbo and Jacob used to; sometimes just the two of us, sometimes with the other three of our degu brothers as well. But it's just not the same... Especially for me. At least Jacob has the other degus to give him comfort.
The human caretakers have been giving me extra attention. But, still... Like I said... It's not the same. I miss Bilbo!
Actually, we all miss him. Me most, but we all miss him, and we're all a little confused about it all. Plus, we're a little sad, because we remember that something like this happened a couple of years ago with the big, white, Kero dog, and we never ever saw him again. Will that be the case for Bilbo?
If Bilbo doesn't come back, I hope my brother is happy wherever he is, has access to his favourite nibbles, and has plenty of places to dig.
The human caretakers say they're sure he has everything that makes him happy in the place where he's gone, and that I'll see him soon, but they hope not too soon, because they'll miss me. I hope they're right about my brother being happy where he is, though I'm a bit confused about why he had to go at all... Especially if the human caretakers don't want me to go with him any time soon.
Anyway... If you see my brother before I do, tell him I miss him. Also, if it's at all possible, tell him I want him to come home
Squeak soon,
Baggins
April 27, 2016
#Writing Wednesday - April 27th 2016
Happy Tell A Story Day!
I don't have a story to tell about my day, or my life, but I do have plenty of stories to tell in general, and... As you may remember... In celebration of four years of being published, and ten years of blogging, the eBook versions of some of my books are still on sale until May 7th 2016. Read this post for more details (the post includes titles, links, and coupon codes).
***
Just in case you need them, here are 39 things to remember while struggling to build your writing career.
Next... When you - or your publisher - are ready to write your book's description, you may want to check out these three common mistakes made in book descriptions, in hopes you can avoid making them too.
Also, as boring and frustrating as it is, marketing is essential if you're going to make it as an author. So... Listen up authors; here are six tips for people "trying" to promote their work.
Most importantly, however, you should always remember to write books, not war! The words you put out in to the world will be judged, and you will be judged for saying/typing them. So, just bear that in mind.
***
When writing your own stories, you might want to make use of these powerful writing techniques, which will help to get your readers hooked, and give them an even more enjoyable reading experience. Or, perhaps, these 12 ways to improve your writing (right now, for free) could be useful to you?
Struggling with writers' block? Did you know that some people use research as writing inspiration, and the cure for writers' block? Well, they do! You should try it too some time.
Another thing that may help you to get over your writers' block - especially if you write for children or teenagers - is to remember that you are writing the future. Of course, this isn't only true for books aimed at children and teenagers. One day, your book may inspire greatness in someone who reads it. Now, doesn't that thought make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and make you want to get back to your writing? I better let you do so then...
Before you go though...
This is how to be taken seriously as a writer (which can also apply to artists). Plus, if you have kids under ten, here are some tips on how to get some writing time in, without losing your mind (which can also apply to time for doing artwork, crafts, and other hobbies where you don't want the kids "helping" you). Yes, it is possible... Even when they aren't in school. It's a little more difficult, but it is possible. Still, I'm sure - if you have kids - that you wouldn't trade them for all the writing/drawing time in the world.
Speaking of children... Next month is National Get Caught Reading Month, which is an anual month long event set up to encourage children to enjoy reading, and show them that reading is a fun and cool thing to do. Check out the post I just linked to for more details, and to find out how you can get involved.
I don't have a story to tell about my day, or my life, but I do have plenty of stories to tell in general, and... As you may remember... In celebration of four years of being published, and ten years of blogging, the eBook versions of some of my books are still on sale until May 7th 2016. Read this post for more details (the post includes titles, links, and coupon codes).
***
Just in case you need them, here are 39 things to remember while struggling to build your writing career.
Next... When you - or your publisher - are ready to write your book's description, you may want to check out these three common mistakes made in book descriptions, in hopes you can avoid making them too.
Also, as boring and frustrating as it is, marketing is essential if you're going to make it as an author. So... Listen up authors; here are six tips for people "trying" to promote their work.
Most importantly, however, you should always remember to write books, not war! The words you put out in to the world will be judged, and you will be judged for saying/typing them. So, just bear that in mind.
***
When writing your own stories, you might want to make use of these powerful writing techniques, which will help to get your readers hooked, and give them an even more enjoyable reading experience. Or, perhaps, these 12 ways to improve your writing (right now, for free) could be useful to you?
Struggling with writers' block? Did you know that some people use research as writing inspiration, and the cure for writers' block? Well, they do! You should try it too some time.
Another thing that may help you to get over your writers' block - especially if you write for children or teenagers - is to remember that you are writing the future. Of course, this isn't only true for books aimed at children and teenagers. One day, your book may inspire greatness in someone who reads it. Now, doesn't that thought make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and make you want to get back to your writing? I better let you do so then...
Before you go though...
This is how to be taken seriously as a writer (which can also apply to artists). Plus, if you have kids under ten, here are some tips on how to get some writing time in, without losing your mind (which can also apply to time for doing artwork, crafts, and other hobbies where you don't want the kids "helping" you). Yes, it is possible... Even when they aren't in school. It's a little more difficult, but it is possible. Still, I'm sure - if you have kids - that you wouldn't trade them for all the writing/drawing time in the world.
Speaking of children... Next month is National Get Caught Reading Month, which is an anual month long event set up to encourage children to enjoy reading, and show them that reading is a fun and cool thing to do. Check out the post I just linked to for more details, and to find out how you can get involved.
April 25, 2016
TV talk and movie mutterings - April 2016
Time for this month's post of new to me movies and TV shows.
Well, actually, just movies, since the only TV shows I watched were ones I've mentioned liking already, so the only new thing about them was the newer episodes I saw of some of them.
But, anyway...
As with the similar posts from the recent past, I've not written very detailed reviews, but instead just given my opinion of the movie in question, so I've included links to where you can find out more about the movie, if you want to... Just click on the title of it, and you'll go right there.
So...
Penguins Of Madagascar (movie):
I thought these penguins were quite cute, and extremely entertaining, when they appeared in Madagascar, and have enjoyed a few episodes of the TV series about them, so it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed this movie. Besides... Who doesn't love penguins? Especially talking penguins!
Inside Out (movie):
I've been dying to see this one, and am relieved to report that I was not disappointed. It was a great movie; fun and entertaining, but also potentially useful for helping children deal with their emotions should they find themselves in a similar situation.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (movie):
I used to love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons, so wanted to watch this movie. Quite frankly, I'm glad I watched it on Sky instead of wasting my money going to see it at the cinema. It was absolute rubbish! They changed the origin story (not a whole lot, but enough that someone familiar with the original would notice) and the movie itself wasn't all that good, even if you ignore that fact. Like I said, I'm glad I didn't waste any money on seeing it; it's one I certainly won't be bothering to watch again, that's for sure.
Finally, here's a little something for the Harry Potter fans who read my blog:
Well, actually, just movies, since the only TV shows I watched were ones I've mentioned liking already, so the only new thing about them was the newer episodes I saw of some of them.
But, anyway...
As with the similar posts from the recent past, I've not written very detailed reviews, but instead just given my opinion of the movie in question, so I've included links to where you can find out more about the movie, if you want to... Just click on the title of it, and you'll go right there.
So...
Penguins Of Madagascar (movie):
I thought these penguins were quite cute, and extremely entertaining, when they appeared in Madagascar, and have enjoyed a few episodes of the TV series about them, so it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed this movie. Besides... Who doesn't love penguins? Especially talking penguins!
Inside Out (movie):
I've been dying to see this one, and am relieved to report that I was not disappointed. It was a great movie; fun and entertaining, but also potentially useful for helping children deal with their emotions should they find themselves in a similar situation.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (movie):
I used to love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons, so wanted to watch this movie. Quite frankly, I'm glad I watched it on Sky instead of wasting my money going to see it at the cinema. It was absolute rubbish! They changed the origin story (not a whole lot, but enough that someone familiar with the original would notice) and the movie itself wasn't all that good, even if you ignore that fact. Like I said, I'm glad I didn't waste any money on seeing it; it's one I certainly won't be bothering to watch again, that's for sure.
Finally, here's a little something for the Harry Potter fans who read my blog:
Zigler News
Author and book news for children's author and poet, Victoria Zigler, as well as general news from the life of the Zigler family; furry and otherwise!
...more
- Victoria Zigler's profile
- 235 followers
