Monday, June 25, 2018

Stumbling Along

The Writing Life

I feel like I'm getting a lot of work done, and the weekend rolls around and I have twenty things needing my attention. And that's just for the writing part of my life. I've settled into a really good routine of writing at least a thousand words per day in WIP. Twenty-four days into the month and I'm on schedule. I never thoughts I'd be one of those word-counting people, but this is really working for
me since I started it with my last WIP. The thing is, there are lots of other things I need to do for my writing than spewing out words. Like promotion, keeping in touch with my online friends, reading blogs, learning new things, and keeping up with the work I do for my writing groups.

The Business of Writing

I want to thank my friends over at The Whole Shebang Site for having me as guest. I'm talking about all the science I researched and used in my most recent series, Survivors of the Apocalypse. The series is set 300 years in the future when a virus has nearly wiped out mankind.

Also, for my writing groups, Pennwriters. I'm helping promote our upcoming online class, Nonfiction Places and Spaces. The instructor wrote a top ten list of how this class will help fiction writers. It's a quick read.

Personal Life

My daughter is thinking about applying to a MFA low-residency program. It had a good reputation. I'm watching my granddaughter in the mornings this week while her father is coaching at a baseball camp so I'll be late visiting everyone today. Little Elliana is 15 months old now and pretty amazing. She learns a few new words every day.

I purchased an elliptical a few months ago, and I'm staying true to it. Any where from 40-60 minutes per day and it doesn't bother my knees like jogging and walking does.

Entertainment

Yippee! Salvation comes back on tonight. I'm very excited for it. My other summer fun, Killjoys isn't coming back on until late July, I believe. The only other TV I'm watching this summer is The 100 which is having it's best most twisty, horrifying season ever.

What part of the writing business takes away from your writing time? What do you think of MFA programs for writers? Do you think scientists could accidentally wipe out mankind?




Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Chrys Fey: Write With Fey


NEW RELEASE & GIVEAWAY!


Catch the sparks you need to write, edit, publish, and market your book!

Write with Fey: 10 Sparks to Guide You from Idea to Publication offers an abundance of data in one handy book. From writing your novel to prepping for publication and beyond, you’ll find sparks on every page, including 100 bonus marketing tips. You’ll also discover how to write specific scenes and characters, adding depth to your work.

•        Spark One: Being a Writer
•        Spark Two: Story Essentials
•        Spark Three: A Book’s Stepping Stones
•        Spark Four: How To
•        Spark Five: Character ER
•        Spark Six: Editing
•        Spark Seven: Publishing
•        Spark Eight: Marketing
•        Spark Nine: Writing About
•        Spark Ten: Final Inspiration

With so much information, you’ll take notes, highlight, and flag pages to come back to again and again on your writing journey.


BUY LINKS:




 AUTHOR BIO:

 Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept blending romance, crimes, and disasters. She’s partnered with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and runs their Goodreads book club. She’s also an editor for Dancing Lemur Press.

Fey realized she wanted to write by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for hurricanes.
 
Chrys Fey’s Links:




GIVEAWAY!

Open to all from June 4th 2018 – July 6th 2018
Click here to enter or use the form below.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

IWSG: June 18 Version


June? How can it be? It's the first Wednesday so that means IWSG blog hop time. Please visit the IWSG site to hear about the 2018 anthology they're putting together. Also, check out the list of all the participants in this awesome group.


This month's optional question: What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?

I used to have no trouble coming up with titles for my books and series. Lately, I've had more difficulty. My publisher has even helped me with suggestions and we've worked together to find the best one. Character names have always been a challenge so no change there. Sigh...

I attended a hilarious but information workshop session at Pennwriters led my Timons Esaias. Timons teaches in a MFA program at Seton Hill University so he has lots of experience reading and grading his students writing samples. The title of his workshop was More Stuff Tim Is Tired Of and he had an hour's worth of cliches, common mistakes, and damnable habits. One of the things he talked about that writers should stop doing is using character names with weird spellings like substituting a 'y' for an 'i' or an 'e' so the name looks exotic. Or making up a name that is impossible to pronounce. He claims fantasy writers are especially guilty of this.

Some wisdom from the Old Farmer's Almanac.
Astronauts can become up to 2 inches taller in space because there is less gravity. 
The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1st through November 30th.

I do like summer heat but another great part of summer is fresh salads. I love fresh fruits and veggies. I'm not growing my own this summer but there are two produce stands close by. Our local snapping turtle resident has been making daily appearances around the homestead. And the new fawns are sneaking out into the back acres. Their barely the size of a tall cat. Adorable.

Is coming up with names or titles in your writing difficult for you? Do you agree with Timon's naming irritants? Is gravity on Earth making you shorter? Will hurricane season impact your neck of the woods? Are you having more wildlife sightings recently?