Celebrate the Small Things-February 3, 2017

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

I spent a portion of this week sick.  I've had a cold for more than a week, but on Tuesday, I suddenly started feeling much worse.  By the time I went to bed, I was running a fever of 102. Yikes!  Needless to say, I felt awful.  I went to the doctor, and I seems some opportunistic bacteria decided to attack my ears and sinuses.  Taking care of three kids while ill is one heck of a challenge.  Now I know how my mom must have felt when I was little and she had to still take care of me even when she didn't feel well.  The good news is that I'm starting to feel better.  For that I am grateful.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I'd ordered something, and that something just came in.  It's technically a Valentine's Day gift from my husband, but he wanted me to take part in picking it out so I'd have what I wanted.

I'm very happy with how it turned out.

What would you like to celebrate?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group-February 2017

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and that means it's time for another meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group!  Alex J. Cavanaugh started this group so writers could have a place to share their insecurities and offer support.  His co-hosts for this month are Misha Gericke, L.K. Hill, Juneta Key, Christy, and Joylene Nowell Butler.

Be sure to check out the IWSG website!

I'm sick today, so I'll keep this brief.

February 1st Question: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

I don't read passively.  I find myself reading for clues that might tell me where the story is going.  I consider the narrative choices the author has made.  Why did the author choose a certain word?  Why did the author choose this POV? How would the story be different if another POV were used? The process of asking these questions helps me with my own writing.

How has being a writer changed the way you read?

Celebrate the Small Things-January 27, 2017

It's Friday! Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

I'm excited because I'm almost done with a short story that I plan on submitting.  It's a science fiction story, which I'm more than familiar with writing.  However, it's also a middle grade story.  I've done adult and YA fiction.  Never middle grade.  Unless, of course, you count the stories I wrote when I fit into that age range myself, and those stories were nowhere near publishable.  We'll eventually see whether I've done a good job with this writing challenge or not.

My husband has family coming into town this weekend, so we're going to be doing a lot of visiting.  I'm sure Zoe is going to be popular.

Zoe had her 2 month checkup this week (where has the time gone?), and the doctor was impressed by how healthy she is and how well she's growing.  I'm definitely grateful for that.

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-January 20, 2016

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

I went and did something silly this week.  I managed to smash my finger, and it's been swollen and painful ever since. I never went to the doctor, so I'm not sure if I broke it or sprained it. The good news is that, while the injured finger is on my right hand, I've still somehow managed to keep writing.  It's made the process a bit slower, but I'm doing it nonetheless.

We had an ice storm this week, so our yard has been turned into a skating rink.  The boys were happy about this because they got two days off of school as a result.  I'm happy because, over the last couple of days, the ice has been slowly melting off.  I'm hoping most of it will be gone before long.

Even with the crazy stuff that happened this week, I got to order something nice that I've been wanting.  I'll post pictures when it comes in.  Yes, I'm keeping it secret because I enjoy creating suspense when I can.  What can I say?  I'm a writer for a reason.

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-January 13, 2017

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

My boys were sick early in the week, and they missed some school as a result.  The good news is that they're all better now.  I'm happy to have them back in school again.  It makes my life a little bit easier.

Though the writing process remains a slow one, I'm still making progress.  I'm definitely glad about that.

Today is Friday the 13th.  While many would not count that as a good thing, my husband and I tend to celebrate these occurrences.  We met on a Friday the 13th, so we see that as a lucky date for us.  We're certified weirdos, so it makes sense this would be the case for us.

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-January 6, 2016

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

I just started working on a new short story this week.  Since having baby Zoe, I haven't done much in the way of writing, and when the idea for this story struck me, I just had to give it a shot.  It's going slow, but it feels good to get something written down nonetheless.

The family is finally falling back into a normal routine.  As fun as the holidays are, it's good to have some kind of return to normalcy.  I'm certainly more productive while my boys are in school.

I'm excited for a new year.  I don't know what 2017 will bring, but I'm hoping for some good things.  I'll definitely do what I can to make it a good year.

What would you like to celebrate?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group: January 2017

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and that means it's time for another meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group.  Thank you Alex J. Cavanaugh for making all of this possible.  The awesome co-hosts for today are Eva @ Lillicasplace, Crystal Collier, Sheena-kay Graham, Chemist Ken, LG Keltner (me!), and Heather Gardner!

Be sure to stop by the IWSG website where the winners of the anthology contest!

The question for this month is: What writing rule do you wish you'd never heard?

This one took some thought.  I've heard many writing rules over the years, and while they vary in their usefulness, most of them haven't out right irritated me.  When I really considered it, though, one of the most aggravating rules that came to mind was also one of the first rules I ever heard.

"I before E except after C."

Yes, it's more a spelling rule than a writing rule, but hey, knowing how to spell is a crucial part of the writing process. 

This rule bugs me because there are so many exceptions to it. The Wikipedia page for the rule lists them out if you're curious. I've always been a pretty good speller, but thanks to this rule playing through the back of my mind, I've second guessed myself so many times it's not even funny.

Here's a short video on the subject that always makes me laugh.  Enjoy!

Are there any writing rules you wish you'd never heard?