C.L. Swinney's Blog, page 8
November 4, 2013
Don’t Quit Striving Towards Your Writing Goals
Words to live by if you are an author!
Originally posted on "CommuniCATE" Resources for Writers:
For some reason, I see owls being used everywhere in decorator and stationary items.
They are even appearing on Christmas paper plates! Maybe they are telling us that we need less ‘frantic doing’ and more contemplating to learn wisdom from our experiences!
For the last few weeks I have desperately needed a change of pace, and have been trying to plot out a new direction for CommuniCATE in 2014. I have destroyed parts of a brand new, very expensive diary in the process! However, after an obsessive assessment of my stats and many hours of deliberating, I keep coming back to the same answer: keep doing what I am already doing, as it’s working and I am being true to my own creative self.
That makes sense… but!!!!!! I am paying a high price in unpaid labour and far too many hours of drudge work to make that happen. So still, what to do? I want off that rat wheel!
Don't Quit Striving Towards Your Writing Goals
Reblogged from "CommuniCATE" Resources for Writers:
For the last few weeks I have desperately needed a change of pace, and have been trying to plot out a new direction for CommuniCATE in 2014. I have destroyed parts of a brand new, very expensive diary in the process! However, after an obsessive assessment of my stats and many hours of deliberating, I keep coming back to the same answer: keep doing what I am already doing, as it's working and I am being true to my own creative self.
Words to live by if you are an author!
October 27, 2013
Gray Ghost .99 cent sale!!
UPDATE-86 FRIENDS have said they will help me on October 31, 2013. I need at LEAST 14 more to help….I have 857 FRIENDS. If you’ve ever been around me you know this is a good cause. I am pulling in the all-time FAVOR REQUEST for support and .99 cents for a very good book (check Amazon reviews).
BONUS CONTEST!!!!!!!! Participate in this event and I’ll be giving away FIVE signed copies of the second book featuring Koti Fakava! The Collectors will be EVEN BETTER than Gray Ghost.
When: 12 noon on October 31, 2013!
Cost: .99 cents
October 7, 2013
October 1, 2013
THE GODDAUGHTER’S REVENGE!!
THE GODDAUGHTER’S REVENGE and the Rule of Worst Thing
By Melodie Campbell
THINGS I HAVE LEARNED IN LIFE:
Men called Raoul are to be avoided.
Coffee can solve a lot of problems, but it doesn’t help you sleep.
It is a really bad idea to make financial decisions after finishing an entire bottle of cheap wine. (Okay, even expensive wine.)
If it sounds like a stupid idea, it probably is.
Never EVER go easy on your protagonist. In fact, invoke the rule of WORST THING.
My name is Melodie Campbell and I write comedies. I came by this honestly, in an attempt to avoid being serious. Most of my life, I have tried to avoid being serious. (Which is why I was a dismal failure as a bank manager. That’s another blog – yup, a comedy. But I digress…)
So far, it’s worked. THE GODDAUGHTER’S REVENGE is my 5th non-serious book.
But here’s a secret: writing non-serious is serious hard work.
HOW DO WE DO IT?
Comedy writers take a situation, and ask themselves ‘what’s the worst thing that could happen now?’ And then, ‘what’s the funniest?’
In THE GODDAUGHTER’S REVENGE, Gina discovers that her weasel cousin Carmine has switched real gems for fakes while he was babysitting her jewelry store. The lousy rat! Now, some of her best clients are walking around with fake rings on their fingers. Her rep is seriously on the line if anyone finds out. What’s a girl to do?
Mastermind a bunch of burglaries to steal back the fakes, of course. She is the reluctant Goddaughter of the local mob boss, after all.
So let’s invoke the rule of Worst Thing. What’s the worst thing that could happen to Gina when she breaks into houses? She could get caught by the cops. Or shot as an intruder. But that would end the story pretty quick, and we don’t want that.
Also, I don’t want ‘worst thing’ all the time. This is a comedy. We need a balance of pathos and bathos. So what’s the funniest thing that could happen?
All the burglaries could go wrong. That’s our worst thing. And the WAY they go wrong is the comedy.
Houses aren’t empty when they should be. Her accomplice is a manic critic of interior design. Everyone in Steeltown is following the antics of “their very own Pink Panthers” in the local newspaper. The more Gina tries to be invisible, the more they become a sensation!
Worse and worse. Funnier, and hopefully, funnier. And that’s my rule of ‘best thing.’
Melodie Campbell has over 200 publications, and six awards for fiction. She was a finalist for the 2012 Derringer, and both the 2012 and 2013 Arthur Ellis awards. Melodie is the Executive Director of Crime Writers of Canada.
Library Journal says this about The Goddaughter (Orca Books):
“Campbell`s crime caper is just right for Janet Evanovich fans. Wacky family connections and snappy dialogue make it impossible not to laugh.“
THE GODDAUGHTER’S REVENGE on Amazon http://tinyurl.com/kmgjgsf
THE GODDAUGHTER on Amazon http://ow.ly/dnObH
Follow Melodie’s comic blog at www.melodiecampbell.com
September 26, 2013
Daily Rant #6
Daily Rant #6 “Last Minute Lane Mergers.”
All right. This one is beyond frustrating. The ol’ last minute lane merger person…it’s the person who clearly sees traffic has to merge and waits for the last second to dive into the lane of traffic of people who merged miles ago. They rarely signal and feel entitled to cut in line, during traffic, when we are already frustrated. In addition, their activity causes accidents and traffic to slow even further to deal with their nonsense. Really?? What’s the deal with these types of people?? I’m gonna say it here and now. There should be a law against this type of behavior! Man, this is sooooooooo frustrating!!!
Tell me how you feel about this?
C.L. Swinney
September 23, 2013
Daily Rant #5
Can someone please explain to me why the heck people who smoke feel the need not to obey posted signs and the law about not smoking in public places??? I’m part of a free society, I get that, and if people want to kill themselves by smoking, then by all means, have at it. But, my kids and family don’t need to suck your cancer-ridden second hand smoke in while we are at theme parks or other public places!!!! In case you haven’t figured it out, “designated smoking area” means smoke in THAT AREA. Some smokers obey the law and I truly appreciate it. However. The majority of them light up wherever they darn well please and subject me, my family, and hundreds of others to second hand smoke. It’s a bunch of BS!!!!!?! Then heaven forbid you ask them to put out a cigarette! Wholly cow!! They go crazy and it isn’t pretty. How do you guys feel about this??
September 18, 2013
Daily Rant #4
Yes, this one really irks me. So you are in your car and a pedestrian is coming up to the crosswalk in front of you. You slow and stop and give them plenty of room to walk across the street. Then, for some unknown reason, they give you the stink eye and walk as slow as possible to the other side!!!! WTH?!?!?!? What is really going on there?? Today was the day that this behavior forced me to act.
I jumped out of my car after placing my hazard lights on and politely asked, “Excuse me Sir, would you like assistance crossing the street?”
With a puzzled look the 20-something year old man replied, “Ummm, no.” Then he turned a little red in the face and picked up his pace across the street.
“Ok, have a great day,” I said as I got back in my car and safely drove away.
What are your experiences with this??
C.L. Swinney
Daily Rant #3
What kind of guy does a section on his blog called “Daily Rant” but does it any old time, with no rhyme or reason, and certainly not ‘daily?’ This guy. Get over it. That is all.
C.L. Swinney
September 12, 2013
Daily Rant#2
So, I like pets, dogs and cats mostly, but I’ve got a daily rant today that I MUST get off my chest.
IF YOU INSIST ON HAVING YOUR DOG OR CAT IN YOUR CAR WHILE YOU DRIVE, MAKE SURE YOU CAN ACTUALLY HANDLE THE DOG LICKING YOUR FACE, JUMPING ALL OVER THE PLACE, AND BARKING AT PASSERBYS AND BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE!!!!
THIS IS NOT GOOD:
Yesterday, after working 22 hours, I was at a stop light waiting for it to turn green. A car pulls up next to me with its window down. I saw it out of my peripheral vision, I was too tired to look over! Next thing I know, “Fifi,” about 7-pounds soaking wet with a scarf on lunges out of the car and starts barking at me! It was like a cartoon, you know when there is a regular size person, they get shrunk, then their voice gets super high. Well, that was Fifi! An angry full size dog in a mini body. The owner tried to capture the little barking torpedo and made all the cars behind her miss the light… As I drove closer to home, I thought, she should buy that thing some of those cool paw shoes..at least the dog’s feet would be nice and comfy as it attacks the tires of cars!!!!!!
I’ll only accept it if your dog is like this:
PEACE OUT!
C.L.Swinney
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