500 Words: Short Story

Posted in Short Stories by

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Meg?”

My mother looks at me with both concern and disapproval. She holds up my inhaler so I know exactly what she’s talking about.

I give her a subtle nod as I take off my warm-up track suit and start jogging in place.

“This could be the day,” I say. I’m not sure if I say it for her benefit or for myself though.

“You said that exact same thing on the last race and look how that turned out. They had to carry you to the medical tent, Meg.”

She puts the inhaler back in her purse, exasperated.

“I can’t give up.” I reply, “You know I’m doing this for Lynn.” Continue reading →

Similes Exclusive to the World You Are Creating

Posted in On Writing by

I am a big fan of similes. Like, the biggest. If they ever became rock stars, I would be one of the crazy girls waiting backstage to see a glimpse of them, holding up my big glittery/neon/heart-covered poster that read “I love you Similes!” and crying profusely when “As” or “Like” touched my hand. So yeah, I have a thing for similes.

I don’t think I need to school you on what similes are, but if I did, I would say they are used to compare two different things using the words “like” or “as”. I will even provide you examples created by…you guessed it, ME.

It fell from the sky like the last firework on the fourth of July.

The corn rustled and hissed as they pushed through it, like they had awakened a thousand rattlesnakes all at once.

He threw down the stone as if he had been holding a hot coal and ran as fast as his wobbling legs could carry him.

SEE!!! I love them. Continue reading →

The Disease of TMI

Posted in First Novel Attempt, On Writing by

I currently am very sick. I have succumbed to a disease that has shattered my ability to write. I want to share this disease with you in hopes that you will be able to withstand the infection that seems to be spreading amongst novice writers like myself. This is the disease of TMI or, Too Much Information.

What this disease feeds on is our yearning as beginners to gather up all of the little trinkets and golden nuggets of information that prestigious published authors want to toss out on the road for us to pick up in scraps. Or literary agents who blog or Tweet occasionally and try to throw us a bone while we fuss relentlessly over our query letters and outlines. Or the countless marketing tactics out there to draw in naive and hopeful new writers with workshops and how-to books that will make us “the next best-selling author.” Continue reading →

The Difference Between Wanting a Dream and Knowing Your Dream

Posted in Misc. by

So, I used to dream about being a rock star. I would write songs on my guitar or piano as a teen and record them on my little computer mike. I would imagine singing them to a huge crowd, which conveniently would include ex-boyfriends (all 1 1/2 of them) who did me wrong and were dying to have another chance with my beautiful and talented self. I would go into the bathroom with my CD Walkman and sing to the mirror, perfecting my “performing face,” complete with dim lighting and overdone make-up. That was my dream and I wanted it oh so bad.

Now let’s grow up a little bit and come back to the realities of this dream I had. This dream I wanted. Why didn’t it work out? Why am I not still relentlessly crooning at coffee shops and pushing my demo CD on every person who has a pulse? Because I didn’t know my dream. I wanted it for sure but I didn’t know it like I needed to in order to make it a reality. Continue reading →

First Entry Ever

Posted in First Novel Attempt, Misc. by

So when I first considered starting a blog as a novice writer, I thought NO WAY! What am I going to be able to write about writing that will make any sense?? Here there are a thousand PUBLISHED authors out there with blogs that everyone will migrate to and if someone even HAPPENED to stumble across mine they would hurt themselves in the process of trying to leave it so quickly…maybe get a sprained pointer finger or something.

But that I reconsidered what my goal was even to begin with and that is to *insert triumphant music* become a PUBLISHED author myself! So what better way to help people then to show them the journey to (hopefully) getting published?? We can start here at the beginning where I have absolutely no “ins” in the publishing industry and I have absolutely NOTHING professionally published. Continue reading →