A.J. Lauer's Blog, page 9
April 1, 2015
#AtoZChallenge and IWSG!
Happy April everyone!
It's going to be a busy month round these parts, what with April A-Z Challenge, and also participating in Camp NaNoWriMo. Oh, and today is Insecure Writer's Support Group as well (see bottom of post, though I encourage you to read the whole thing!).
My theme for A-Z this year is interactive fiction. So every day I will write a short bit of a story, and then my lovely readers will get the opportunity to vote for what direction they want the story to go next by leaving a comment. I have absolutely no idea where this is going to go because it is up to y'all, so it should be fun! Here we go...
A:
Amy had never been to the bazaar. She'd read about it of course, but this was her first time walking into the heady swirl of colors, music, smells and humans. And not humans. Monkeys? Eew. Frankly, it was overwhelming. Also entirely enchanting. She found herself trying to focus on just one item, one person, at a time, allowing the rest of it to wash over her.
Each time she engaged with a vendor, she gave them her entire attention. However she was indiscriminate about what booths she stopped at, and that was how she found herself poring over a table of objects of dubious origin. Her best efforts to deflect the vendor's sales pitch failed so she tuned him out with the rest of the clamor of the bazaar. Several objects on the table attracted her attention, though.
Which object should Amy inspect?A Basket full of Bits of fabricThe Blue Bottle, decorated with riBBon and twineThe Bouquet of interesting herbs and grasses
Please vote below for your favorite option for tomorrow's bit of adventure! I will tally the votes after 8pm Mountain Time and use them to write my next post.
IWSG reflection:
Last week I saw one of my favorite authors, Jacqueline Winspear, speak in Fort Collins. She ended her talk by telling us that she does not allow herself writer's block because so many have lost their lives to give us our freedom of speech:
"What a privilege to be able to make up stories for a living. There are those who would, and have, died for that privilege. If you have it, you MUST use it."
Gives new meaning to the phrase, 'I write because I must,' and was exactly what I needed to hear last week as I embarked upon writing full-time.
It's going to be a busy month round these parts, what with April A-Z Challenge, and also participating in Camp NaNoWriMo. Oh, and today is Insecure Writer's Support Group as well (see bottom of post, though I encourage you to read the whole thing!).
My theme for A-Z this year is interactive fiction. So every day I will write a short bit of a story, and then my lovely readers will get the opportunity to vote for what direction they want the story to go next by leaving a comment. I have absolutely no idea where this is going to go because it is up to y'all, so it should be fun! Here we go...
A:
Amy had never been to the bazaar. She'd read about it of course, but this was her first time walking into the heady swirl of colors, music, smells and humans. And not humans. Monkeys? Eew. Frankly, it was overwhelming. Also entirely enchanting. She found herself trying to focus on just one item, one person, at a time, allowing the rest of it to wash over her.
Each time she engaged with a vendor, she gave them her entire attention. However she was indiscriminate about what booths she stopped at, and that was how she found herself poring over a table of objects of dubious origin. Her best efforts to deflect the vendor's sales pitch failed so she tuned him out with the rest of the clamor of the bazaar. Several objects on the table attracted her attention, though.
Which object should Amy inspect?A Basket full of Bits of fabricThe Blue Bottle, decorated with riBBon and twineThe Bouquet of interesting herbs and grasses
Please vote below for your favorite option for tomorrow's bit of adventure! I will tally the votes after 8pm Mountain Time and use them to write my next post.
IWSG reflection:
Last week I saw one of my favorite authors, Jacqueline Winspear, speak in Fort Collins. She ended her talk by telling us that she does not allow herself writer's block because so many have lost their lives to give us our freedom of speech:
"What a privilege to be able to make up stories for a living. There are those who would, and have, died for that privilege. If you have it, you MUST use it."
Gives new meaning to the phrase, 'I write because I must,' and was exactly what I needed to hear last week as I embarked upon writing full-time.
March 30, 2015
wHooligan intro: Shilpa!
Today I'd like to introduce to you my lovely 2nd year wHooligan, Shilpa Garg! She gave us a deliberately short intro so that you all could get on with pre-gaming for A-Z. Considerate!
Shilpa Garg is a blogger from the Pink City of India who is passionate about the written words, sweets and beautiful conversations that happen over a mug of tea.
She loves writing micro fiction, book reviews and general observations of life, things and circumstances on her blog, A rose is a rose is a rose! Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
March 26, 2015
wHooligan intro: Sue!
Sue and her pup Dolly. So sweet :)I am quite happy to introduce to you today my wHooligan, Sue @ CollectInTexasGal! Sue is a new member of the wHooligan team this year, and I'm so pleased to have her. She has provided below some great answers to questions that were posed to the Co-Host team over at the main A-Z blog.
Have you ever been to Texas, and if so, what part?I was hoping someone would ask a question about Texas, so I could brag about being a Texan. I'm so Texan that it's the focus and title of two of my blogs....CollectInTexas Gal and Tracks of My Texas Ancestors. As far as what part...it would be easier to say what part of Texas I haven't been to, and honestly I have to say I've been to pretty much every part of the Lone Star State.
What is the wingspan of a swallow? I have no idea, but I know how to find out...and that is why I love this question. It's a 'Researchers' challenge question! As a Family Historian and Genealogist, research is in my 'Genes', and sharing what I learn through writing my Family's History has been one of the most rewarding and significant challenges of my life. Now about that Swallow Wingspan...depending on the species, the span ranges from 27-35cm. Cliff Swallows with an interesting colonizing life style have a span of 28-30cm and weigh 0.7 to 1.2 oz.
Do you remember your dreams?Sometimes...if the dream wakes me...I try to go back to sleep and pick up where I left off. When that works...I usually remember them. Most of my dreams have nothing to do with me or anyone I know. I've been told I have an 'Old Soul' so perhaps other 'Old Souls' are sharing their lives in my dreams in hopes that my subconscious will remember them in my writing. Groovy, huh?
Are any of the AtoZ hosts skiers? If so do you prefer Breckenridge or Arapahoe Basin?My answer is sNOw way in the COLD on any ridge or basin known to man...but YES to the WARM Waters of the lakes and reservoirs of West Texas. This year's Letter 'B' story and photos...Bathing Beauty Bombs...has a bit about my 'Skiing in the 1960's'.
What do you do with Spam?Such a loaded question...but here goes. My mother, bless her heart, bought Spam in a can and had several creative recipes that stretched Spam to it's limits to feed seven. I have sworn to DELETE Spam off all my lists (grocery and comment) and feed it to my Email Spam Lovers.
Have you signed up for the A-Z Challenge yet?? Less than one week of deliberation time left...
March 23, 2015
Happy 2015 Theme Reveal Day!
Phew. Y'all. It's been a crazy couple weeks. Long story short, I was passed over for a promotion at work, into a job that I created for myself to be promoted into, so I quit my job. Can't stay in a place that doesn't reward hard work and vision. My last day was Friday. While it has been disappointing and frustrating, this change has also given me an opportunity to try something I've always wanted to do. I'm going to dive headlong into being a full-time writer! Eeek! It's a very exciting and also terrifying time and I'm extremely thankful that my family has the means for me to be able to take this dive.
One of the fun things about this is that I'm feeling much more confident about my ability to be successful with my A-Z theme this year! (and I will have a LOT more time to dedicate to the Challenge overall. Yay!) And so on this Theme Reveal Day I present to you....
An interactive fiction adventure from A to Z!
The concept is simple: We are going to follow a character through an adventure and my visitors every day will vote in the comments section about what direction they want to see the character go. Options will have to do with the appropriate letter of the day. So on A day, you'll receive choices that have to do with the letter B, on B day you'll find out about what happened with your choice and vote on what happens for C, etc.
I'll be writing the post for the next day every evening before bed, once the tally is in. I have absolutely no idea where this is going to go, as it depends upon what my blog visitors tell me to write about. It's going to be SO fun! Also, I have a minor surgery partway through April, so my awesome co-author Dan is going to write for you for a couple days while I am recovering, and that's going to be great too :)
Happy Theme Reveal Day! Can't wait to see what you all are doing...
One of the fun things about this is that I'm feeling much more confident about my ability to be successful with my A-Z theme this year! (and I will have a LOT more time to dedicate to the Challenge overall. Yay!) And so on this Theme Reveal Day I present to you....
An interactive fiction adventure from A to Z!
The concept is simple: We are going to follow a character through an adventure and my visitors every day will vote in the comments section about what direction they want to see the character go. Options will have to do with the appropriate letter of the day. So on A day, you'll receive choices that have to do with the letter B, on B day you'll find out about what happened with your choice and vote on what happens for C, etc.
I'll be writing the post for the next day every evening before bed, once the tally is in. I have absolutely no idea where this is going to go, as it depends upon what my blog visitors tell me to write about. It's going to be SO fun! Also, I have a minor surgery partway through April, so my awesome co-author Dan is going to write for you for a couple days while I am recovering, and that's going to be great too :)
Happy Theme Reveal Day! Can't wait to see what you all are doing...
March 9, 2015
Updates and under construction!
Hello friends!
You might notice that when you click on your old frodofrog.blogspot links you are given a redirect page to my new, improved, ajlauer.net!
I'm so excited about launching a 'real' domain! It has struck me that creating my own domain, with my real name rather than ye olde frodofrog alias, feels like a very adult thing to do. Odd how we've changed in this digital age that there are things that represent maturity in our digital world as well as in real life. I had my blog at frodofrog for 14 years, so we've been through a lot together. And of course it's not gone, just changed a bit.
Not sure if google friend connect/blogger will automatically update the link on your feed, so you might need to go in and manually change it from frodofrog to blog.ajlauer.net. (let me know on this!)
Please celebrate with me by joining my email list! The form is on the sidebar to the right. I promise not to send with too much frequency. Probably not much more than once per month with more frequent updates, of course, here on the blog :)
If you have any suggestions for the new site - things I'm missing, that you'd like to see, or that you particularly dislike, please let me know in the comments. This is definitely a work in progress, so community assistance will be much appreciated.
Happy Monday, everyone!
You might notice that when you click on your old frodofrog.blogspot links you are given a redirect page to my new, improved, ajlauer.net!
I'm so excited about launching a 'real' domain! It has struck me that creating my own domain, with my real name rather than ye olde frodofrog alias, feels like a very adult thing to do. Odd how we've changed in this digital age that there are things that represent maturity in our digital world as well as in real life. I had my blog at frodofrog for 14 years, so we've been through a lot together. And of course it's not gone, just changed a bit.
Not sure if google friend connect/blogger will automatically update the link on your feed, so you might need to go in and manually change it from frodofrog to blog.ajlauer.net. (let me know on this!)
Please celebrate with me by joining my email list! The form is on the sidebar to the right. I promise not to send with too much frequency. Probably not much more than once per month with more frequent updates, of course, here on the blog :)
If you have any suggestions for the new site - things I'm missing, that you'd like to see, or that you particularly dislike, please let me know in the comments. This is definitely a work in progress, so community assistance will be much appreciated.
Happy Monday, everyone!
March 4, 2015
IWSG? Already??
How is it at all possible that it's time for another Insecure Writers Support Group post? Where in the world did this month go so quick? And next month is the April A-Z Challenge? Egads.(do you ever feel like your life is going really fast and how are you going to do all the things you want to do and there are so many things to see and stories to tell and agghhh..)
This last weekend I attended my first writing workshop! Well, my first since middle school creative writing camp, anyway.. It was a three day intensive, so we met for three hours Friday night, eight hours Saturday and four hours on Sunday. It was a loonnnnnggg weekend, but so deliciously educational and fun. Going back to regular ol' work on Monday was rough. No lie.
I spent the whole weekend working on the second of my two NaNoWriMo projects. Specifically on developing my hero character and having consequent revelations about how those developments impact the plot of the whole thing. At the end we had to read aloud a three page concept document and I was SO nervous! I haven't really done that kind of sharing with an unfinished project before.
I got some really great positive and constructive feedback. One of the things people said was that I could make it into three novellas, rather than one long novel. And I LOVE the idea, but oh man it's going to be some work. I'm totally stoked to do it, now just to find the time..
What projects are you trying to find time for this month?
This post is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, a bloghop dedicated to writers supporting one another through this crazy thing called 'being a writer'. They're a good bunch - check my buddies out!
February 16, 2015
The Great and Powerful A to Z Theme Reveal Blogfest!
(EEEEK My theme! Y'all... I think I've signed up for something big! It's going to be awesome, and also will involve daily writing. No pre-posting for me this year. Can't wait!)
Sign-ups for the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge are already under way. If you have done it before, you know how much fun it is (good for you!) and if you have not, this is your chance to give it a try! You can sign up to participate here.
One of the most burning questions participants ask themselves every year is: "Should I have a theme?"
Themes are not mandatory, but definitely fun. They let your visitors know what to expect, and help you create posts that line neatly up from A to Z. They also have an added bonus: They let you participate in a whole separate blogfest!
Two years ago A to Z participant Mina Lobo started the Theme Reveal, and we thought it was such a great idea that we made it tradition. It is now our very own, grand and festive way of rolling out our themes together!
Here is how the Theme Reveal Blogfest works:
Sing up on the Linky list below, and on March 23rd (Monday) publish a post on your blog in which you reveal your theme, tell us why it is exciting, and give us a hint of what to expect from it! Then, once your post is up, use the Linky to visit all the other blogs announcing their themes. Enjoy!
This is a great opportunity for all of you to get a jump start on your A to Z experience. You can link up with fellow bloggers, scout out and bookmark themes that you look forward to, and set out delicious themed bait on your blog to lure in wandering participants! This way, by the time the frenzied posting begins on April 1st, you will already have an audience eagerly awaiting your posts.
Sign up below, ready your theme, and post March 23rd on your calendar!
Sign-ups for the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge are already under way. If you have done it before, you know how much fun it is (good for you!) and if you have not, this is your chance to give it a try! You can sign up to participate here.
One of the most burning questions participants ask themselves every year is: "Should I have a theme?"
Themes are not mandatory, but definitely fun. They let your visitors know what to expect, and help you create posts that line neatly up from A to Z. They also have an added bonus: They let you participate in a whole separate blogfest!
Two years ago A to Z participant Mina Lobo started the Theme Reveal, and we thought it was such a great idea that we made it tradition. It is now our very own, grand and festive way of rolling out our themes together!
Here is how the Theme Reveal Blogfest works:
Sing up on the Linky list below, and on March 23rd (Monday) publish a post on your blog in which you reveal your theme, tell us why it is exciting, and give us a hint of what to expect from it! Then, once your post is up, use the Linky to visit all the other blogs announcing their themes. Enjoy!
This is a great opportunity for all of you to get a jump start on your A to Z experience. You can link up with fellow bloggers, scout out and bookmark themes that you look forward to, and set out delicious themed bait on your blog to lure in wandering participants! This way, by the time the frenzied posting begins on April 1st, you will already have an audience eagerly awaiting your posts.
Sign up below, ready your theme, and post March 23rd on your calendar!
February 13, 2015
Happy Galentine's Day!
SO GOOD!My dear friend Katie invited all us ladies out to lunch today, in honor of Galentine's Day. Which, for those of you who don't know (I didn't) is a holiday created by Leslie Knopes of Parks & Recreation. It's basically an opportunity to get together with all your favorite gals on February 13th, to celebrate how awesome we all are. Not bad, right?I had been wanting to try making chocolate covered cherries for a while, and realized that Galentine's Day would be a great opportunity to try it out, and spoil some of my favorite people in the process. Don't they look delicious? Mmm..
We don't have any plans for Valentine's Day. If the weather is as nice as it has been, maybe a hike? *shrug* February is a big month because it's our date'iversary, Valentine's Day, AND my birthday! So yeah.. Lots of chocolate happening here in these couple weeks. :)
For reference, here's a video of Leslie explaining Galentine's Day. What's not to love?
February 4, 2015
IWSG: February
Just a quick IWSG post from me today, from a conference (and on my phone, hence no pics or formatting!)
I am attending a conference this week called Creating Change. It is a conference for activists, organizers and leaders in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) movement. Today is the first day and we have not been talking about LGBT issues at all. Today is all about race.
We are talking about things like: how my whiteness impacts how I speak up for LGBT people; why we are so willing to talk about other movements but remain afraid of race conversations; how I understand the world differently because I am white.
So since it is IWSG day I am also thinking about:
* How do stereotypes and prejudices inform my writing (are my only characters of color always the bad guys?)
* Are there ways that I can further the causes of justice that I so strongly believe in, through my fiction?
* How can I show my audiences that I am an ally and though I am white, people of color will not find themselves excluded or if included always negatively portrayed in my writing?
Are these things you think about when writing?
January 29, 2015
Super awesome dresser!
One of the items on our project list for The January Cure was to get a dresser or table to put on the wall between the bathroom and closet in our bedroom. The wall just.. needs to have something, and we needed somewhere that could take in odds and ends.
Also tights and leggings are a must in the winter in Colorado, but I swear the darn things multiply when I'm not looking! They were piled high in the closet but are now tucked safely away in adorable little drawers:
So many drawers!
That black binder is *packed* with
travel information
There's room for more... Actually the top right and top two left 'drawers' are cabinets, which my adorable husband promptly insisted were to be for storing maps. We have a lot of maps due to all the hiking and traveling, and they were previously piled up on a shelf in the office. But look how nicely they fit in there!
One of my greatest goals in decorating our home is that it be full of items that have significance. Either because we got them while traveling, or they came through our families somehow, or are art created by us or loved ones. I love to be surrounded by things that remind me of my favorite places and people.
So in the picture above you'll see a couple items of significance. The picture on the wall is from a local artist that we found on our visit to Greenwich Village just outside London when we went to see the Prime Meridian Observatory. It depicts the Village with the Meridian cutting through it. The roses are from my bouquet when I stood up in the wedding of one of my best friends, and the vase was a 'big purchase' for my first apartment. I think I need to add a little more something to the vase. Need to receive more flowers! hah The fabric on top of the dresser will actually be hung on the opposite wall over our bed, and came from my husband's grandmother's home.
I'll have to figure out what actually goes on top of the dresser, but I'm so pleased with it both functionally and aesthetically :)
What is your process for deciding how to decorate your home?
Also tights and leggings are a must in the winter in Colorado, but I swear the darn things multiply when I'm not looking! They were piled high in the closet but are now tucked safely away in adorable little drawers:
So many drawers!
That black binder is *packed* withtravel information
There's room for more... Actually the top right and top two left 'drawers' are cabinets, which my adorable husband promptly insisted were to be for storing maps. We have a lot of maps due to all the hiking and traveling, and they were previously piled up on a shelf in the office. But look how nicely they fit in there!One of my greatest goals in decorating our home is that it be full of items that have significance. Either because we got them while traveling, or they came through our families somehow, or are art created by us or loved ones. I love to be surrounded by things that remind me of my favorite places and people.
So in the picture above you'll see a couple items of significance. The picture on the wall is from a local artist that we found on our visit to Greenwich Village just outside London when we went to see the Prime Meridian Observatory. It depicts the Village with the Meridian cutting through it. The roses are from my bouquet when I stood up in the wedding of one of my best friends, and the vase was a 'big purchase' for my first apartment. I think I need to add a little more something to the vase. Need to receive more flowers! hah The fabric on top of the dresser will actually be hung on the opposite wall over our bed, and came from my husband's grandmother's home.
I'll have to figure out what actually goes on top of the dresser, but I'm so pleased with it both functionally and aesthetically :)
What is your process for deciding how to decorate your home?
