Writer's Dreams

I saw that the group was thinking about starting up their 90 day writing again and Thought that someone from this group might be interested in this.

fmwriters.com site owner is running her free writing class again, set to start the first week of Jan. Sign ups are going on right now! The link for the thread is here:

http://www.fmwriters.com/community/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=17&topic_id=83528&mesg_id=83528&page=

She has said that this might be her last free class, so I'm taking the class again. The class is over a two year period, but you do not have to actively post every single week to stay with the class. I think that once people get past the world building part they start checking the boards about once a month.

If you're worried that this will take away from other writing time, don't worry. The first few months don't take that much time. It's a very slow building class. :)

Hope to see a few people from here taking the class with me.

I shouldn't even share this... cause it's REALLY embarrassing. But... maybe I can stop it from happening to some other child. It's scarred me for life. Please... please don't tease me about it.

My parents gave this to me when I started dating (NO... not when I was 25... I was 16).

( WORST PRESENT EVER!!! )

Hope you all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS or just a good old drunk.

ps - Revisions are FINISHED and resting for a few days.

How many are still out there in this group?  Are there plans for a rousing start to another 90 days on Jan 1st?  I was an active member in the first half of 2008 and belonging to this group did a lot to motivate me to finish a first rough draft.  I'd like to find that same activating muse again.  I'm hoping there are plenty of active members still out there that plan to dig into writing in January - Please, I need your communal writing verve and empathy!

Holiday debuggery

We know there were a few kinks with the holiday promotion. We've been working very hard to get them ironed out. If you have a paid/permanent account, keep on sending those coupons. Here's an update:

• If you were unable to send out multiple coupons at a time, please perform a hard refresh, and you should be good to go.
• If you redeemed a coupon to upgrade your account and the balance at checkout was $0 instead of $9.95 or $15, this means your upgrade did not go through (nor were you charged). We've straightened this out, so you can now apply your holiday coupon toward the purchase of an annual paid account.
• If you tried to redeem a holiday coupon and had trouble using a gift certificate to cover the balance of an annual paid account, we identified the root problem. If this happened to you, you can now use your holiday coupon together with your gift certificate.
• If the number of holiday coupons you have available suddenly goes up (instead of down), this might be due to recipients declining the coupons, at which point your pool of available coupons will be replenished and, therefore, increase.
• If you need assistance with holiday coupons or pretty much anything else (well, LiveJournal related), please open a support request and we'll be more than happy to help!

Tweaks

• There were some initial glitches displaying results on My Guests, but we've worked them out. We hope you'll check out who's been checking you out!
• Some of you reported formatting issues using the Rich Text Editor (i.e., line breaks were being removed incorrectly). We've implemented a fix! Thanks so much for your patience.

Give a little extra!

We're pleased to report that we've already sold over 100 virtual red ribbons in honor of National AIDS Awareness month. Remember, for each charitable vgift you purchase for $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of gross proceeds to IAVI.org (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to fund the development of an HIV vaccine. Once again, we thank you for your generosity.

Celebrate with holiday vGifts!

Stop by the Virtual Gift Shop and share some holiday magic with your LiveJournal friends.

Photos of the week

We're back with more dazzling pictures from around the world. Congrats to marlenemcc, who has been awarded a virtual blue ribbon as the winner of our fourth photo contest. We hope you'll click over to LJ_Photophile poll and tell us your picks in pics!

For more fantastic user content, we'll meet you under the cut. ( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks, again, for reading. Here's wishing you the very merriest of holidays. We'll see you next year!

Every once in a blue moon, a meme strikes me as a good idea.

Here is a meme of the first lines of many of my Works in Progress.

 

 

A maiden's power is found in the small things- in the tremulous beauty of the doe, in the quivering curiosity of the rabbit, in the minute yammering heartbeat of the mouse.

(The Book of Three Aspects)

 

I was born and raised in a flatbed Diahatsu with a Conestoga cover and I'm proud of it, but I don't bandy it about.  My wife grew up in a VW bug.  (Car Story)

 

No one argued with the Queen when she said they would go for a walk.  None of the courtiers dared suggest that she and the Prince were in no condition for it. (Not Drowning)

 

The First Prince of Telger stood amidst his court unobserved, as ghosts tend to. (The Sword Always Knows)

 

The baby cried when it was touched.  It screamed when it was held and it went into convulsions when the doctor pricked its heel to test its blood type. (Untouchable)

 

Millie stood at the long-drop door in her nightgown, waiting. (Just Millie)

 

"Mommy, I don't want to feed the trolls," whined six-year old Iso, as her mother pulled her by the hand across Fairbrother Park.  "I want to pet the unicorns," she insisted, digging her heels into the path.  When that didn't work, she went limp, forcing her mother to stop, or else drag her bodily through the wet grass.  (Over the Underpass)

 

The shoes were black, bulky, and weighted to keep her from flying.  (The Uniform)

 

As soon as Paul stepped in the door from work, I knew something was wrong. Only hours before, I had freshened my wards and swept the porch widdershins. Nothing should have gotten in except my husband.  And that is exactly how she did it.  She used him as a mule. (When We Were Cursed)

 

As always, they talked about her as if she wasn't there, because she wasn't. (Fixing the Unicorn)

 

I have bad thoughts. (The Confessor)

 

Science never set out to destroy heaven, you know. (Inventing Heaven)

 

It seemed disastrous when a large piece of time shrapnel broke into the kitchen of Le Restaurant la Fin on review night just before the first entrée was served. (A Wedge of Time)


Which would you most like to see me finish?

'T'was four nights before Christmas, and all through Chez Shore, not a creature was stirring...sigh, except for me. (See also: insomnia, side effects, Prednisone.)

So in the wee hours of the morning, I decided to create a Christmas journal page. Too bleary-eyed for self-editing, fa la la, I let my pens and scissors fly.

Behold...my holiday Wish List! 

Much like the 'How Many Licks' Tootsie Pop conundrum...

 

How many times do you have to read your manuscript before THIS happens?

This time of year, we're surrounded by advertisements urging us to get gifts for our friends and family members. The ads targetted specifically to families and parents remind us to pick up the latest toys and gadgets for kids and often leave out books, performing arts, and other such hobbies and endeavors. Commercials and print ads that split up gifts for girls and gifts for boys clearly cater to different interests for different genders - but must we do this? Why can't there be a new basketball hoop or football on the two-page spread for girls' items, instead of clothes, jewelry, and undergarments? Why aren't there more items related to cooking and crafts on the boys' pages? Instead of cultivating this great divide between young girls and young boys, I'd rather there be a "cool stuff for kids and teens" section which displayed creative and timeless items instead of commercial and immaterial things.

I've chosen the example of a big-name retailer to explore in-depth. I am not affiliated with it in any way, shape, or form, nor should this be considered a negative piece about their products, stores, or company. Please note that this article is simply to capture my reactions to their gift recommendations, in hopes that I can encourage readers to think outside the box and not hesitate when they want to give or learn about something or do something that's not quote-unquote "typical" for a certain gender. Just say no to gender bias.

Disclaimed and affirmed, let's go.

Target has a Christmas section (their name, not mine - I would have called it "Holidays" or "Gifts for the Holidays") at their website where they recommend gifts for different genders and ages. The initial breakdown offers:

Gifts for Her
Gifts for Him
Gifts for Girls
Gifts for Boys
Gifts for Teen Girls
Gifts for Teen Boys
Gifts for Baby
Gifts for Couples

In two separate windows, I looked over the options for Teen Girls and Teen Boys. First, I was asked to narrow it down by age, tweens or teens, then by personality.

The options for teen girls:
Miss Outdoorsy
Creative Thinker
Fashionista
Techie Girl

The options for teen boys:
Active Dude
Mr. Techie
Creative Kid
Video Gamer

I clicked into Miss Outdoorsy in one screen and Active Dude in the other. Each screen had 32 items pictured and listed. The boy was offered a baseball bat, a caster board, a portable basketball hoop, a basketball, and weight lifting equipment for the guy. None of these things were recommended to the girl, though she was offered lots of hiking items as well as golf clubs, a bicycle, a tennis racquet, and inline skates. For the boy, Lazer Tag Nerf and the Wii games called Punch Out! and Sports Resort were recommended; for the girl, there were pieces of jewelry, a journal, a tote bag, and the Wii game Active Life: Outdoor Challenge.

The Techie Girl and Mr. Techie page were more similar, each with a Wii console, TVs, and iPods, but many of the items on the girl page were pink, while the items on the boy page were mostly white or black. The recommended watch, camera, TV set, messenger bag, netbook, audio cube, and Nintendo DSi on the girl page were all pink. Even the iTunes gift card on the girl page was pink, while the iTunes gift card on the boy page was blue.

Creative Thinker (girl) and Creative Kid (boy) were the next pairing. When arranged by Best Sellers, the top row for girls had gray suede boots, the pink Nintendo DSi console, a blue sphere chair, a purple iPod Nano, and blue leggings, while the same arrangement for boys had a black iPod Touch, PlayStation 3, a black Nintendo DSi console, a blue iPod Nano, and a recharging mat. I was very happy to see an adjustable drawing and craft table on both pages. There were various pieces of clothing on the girl page, but no clothes for on the boy page. The girl was also recommended a hair dryer, a purse, and makeup.

They recommended five books for the creative boy:
Slayers: The Motion Picture Special Edition
The Dangerous Book for Boys
Instant Art History (From Cave Art to Pop Art) by Walter Robinson
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Creative Edge (Exercises to Celebrate Your Creative Self) by Mary Todd Beam

The five books recommended for the creative girl:

Oh, wait. They didn't list any books for her. Not one book. Instead, there are DVDs of The Breakfast Club and Daria: The Movie, a Hello Kitty 3-piece body spray set, and a board game called Boys are Stupid.

Now, I've been trying to keep a pretty neutral tone while relaying these lists of items throughout this piece, but I have to say something right now: I doubt anyone could get away with making and marketing a game for boys to play called Girls Are Stupid. There's no need to have ANYTHING that puts down the opposite gender. I would not want to see a game recommended to kids (or anyone, for that matter) that put down a certain race or culture.

I have not played the Boys Are Stupid game (and I never will), so I cannot give it a proper review. I don't want to judge it unfairly, however, so let me share the summary from the website so you can make up your own mind: "Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them-but first you need to collect the rocks. Do a wacky dare or answer an embarrassing truth to get 5 rocks and work your way home to win the game. The perfect slumber party game for girls of all ages. Also great for after a break-up or as an anti-Valentine's Day gift. For 2-4 People. Play Time of 30-60 Minutes."

I know that some of you are thinking, "It's a harmless game - get over it," but I ask you again to think of the scenario with a flip of genders: Would you think it was harmless if they were encouraging boys to throw rocks at girls, even if they were imaginary rocks in the context of this game? Do you really think it would be okay to market a game which encouraged violence towards young girls? I wasn't born under a rock (ha), so yes, I have heard the expression, "Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them," and I've never, ever thought any part of that was funny or appropriate.

All right, final pages: Fashionista for girls and Video Gamer for boys. The names say it all: the girl page is filled with clothes, jewelry, and beauty products while the boy page is filled with games, game consoles, and controllers. Yes, some girls love getting all gussied up, but some love making touchdowns and blocking goals in the mud. Yes, some boys love playing video games, but so do lots of girls. Bethany and Robert might both turn out to be video game developers, or Bethany might pursue a job in sports medicine while Robert designs gowns and suits to be worn on the red carpet.

Back to the Fashionista and Video Gamer pages. There are two versions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the guys, as well as Madden NFL 10, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, and that Punch Out! Wii game again. They also recommend Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms, a memoir-slash-travelogue-slash-pop-culture book by Ethan Gilsdorf which I hadn't heard of before now, to the boys, while the girls are recommended The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-Inch Heels and Faux Pas by Karen Robinovitz as well as the abridged audio edition of The Devil Wears Prada - adult titles, not young adult titles, yet again overreaching the age group.

I can't stress it enough: Pre-teens, tweens, and teens are at different stages in development and in society. Let's not encourage them to grow up too fast. Let them be kids for as long as they can be, as they should be, and ease them into the adult world rather than throwing them in too early.

But that's another article for another time. For now, I wish you and yours the happiest of holidays - and hope that you encourage your kids to follow their hearts and realize their dreams, no matter what their genders or ages. If your teen son wants to wear a pink tie and skinny jeans, let him. If your teen daughter wants to take martial arts classes, find a reputable and affordable studio with an awesome sensei. If your kids show interest in something creative and active, support them. Help them learn more about all the different things they could do as hobbies or professions. Let them do what they love.

More to consider:
Just Say No to Gender Bias
More posts with the "gender bias" tag at Bildungsroman blog

Debbie's party was held at the Artcraft in Franklin IN. It's a old theatre that dates back to the 1920's. http://www.historicartcrafttheatre.org/


Me. :)


Cake time. :) Melody with her mom Debbie. Yep, we sang happy birthday!


Me with Mick, & Debbie. :) Rhonda this one is for you! ;) At his encouragement...I've flirted with my gf and cousin's husband for 15 yrs now. Lol...can you tell she's yellin at me?


Two beautiful blondes. :) Me & cousin Rhonda.


Me & Jon. My friendship with Jon is... Well, we've been friends since I was a teen. :) I only have one sibling so it's extra nice that I have wonderful cousins too.

Until later~
Mel

The ho ho holiday's upon us: 5 days, can you believe it?

I've got a to-do list longer than Santa's Naughty List. But you know what? The world won't end if I can't find the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts; the tree won't topple over if I don't place the ornaments just so; and if I don't get around to baking my blueberry buckle this year, none of my guests will starve. So...because peace and joy are the essense of Christmas, I'm allowing myself time to play.

Psst. Wanna join me? I propose we set aside some time this week for a Creative Journaling play date!

Yes, this week. Any time of the day or evening, or even on the fly. Don't think too hard, just do it. And invite your friends along.

You could collage your favorite Christmas memories. Or maybe illustrate your Christmas wishes. Looking for more inspiration? Check out these holiday journal pages and how-to's. Ho ho ho--you'll feel like you unwrapped some presents early! 

Creativity is all about the process, not the "product", so let's not to get hung up on what our pages look like! But if you feel like sharing, hey, let's can light up LJ with our hand-crafted journal "ornaments"!



Image credit: Journaling Your Christmas

First of all, a VERY happy birthday to my buddy (and a great beta reader) reneesweet  !!!!!

 

Top Five Strangest Christmas Albums EVER!!!

5.
 
 

4.
 
 

3.
 
 

2.
 
 

1.But the BEST Album Cover of ALL TIME!!!!
 

( And the Winner Is... )

All right everybody — I’m about to go quasi-radio-silent for a bit. Tomorrow at the butt-crack of dawn I’ll be leaving for Kentucky, to spend Christmas with my dad (et. al.); so although I’ll have internet access once I get there, you may reasonably expect that my internet appearances will be intermittent at best.

Of course, I’ll probably Tweet.
Because it’s easy, and I’m lazy (and busy).

Anyway, have excellent and happy holidays — everybody, everywhere. Best wishes, good luck, and a superlative New Year to all. I’ll catch up with you when I can.

:)

[Crossposted to/from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

If you want to give books as gifts to your friends and family members but aren't sure want to get, I have lots of suggestions and recommendations for you!

I have many booklists available, arranged by age/reading level and/or topic, which you may access at my archive site. Alternatively, you can click the "booklists" tag here at the blog, which are in chronological order, meaning you will see my most recently updated booklists first.

To make your holiday shopping easier, I have the Suggested Sets booklist, which groups together books with similar themes, as well as the If Then lists (If you or the person you're shopping for like this book, then you/he/she will like this book...) for Elementary School, Middle School, and High School.

I make "best of" booklists every month and every year, listing the best books I read in that time period by audience, age, and topic. You can get these lists at my archive site or right here at the blog by clicking the "best of" tag.

At the end of the month, I will post my Best Books of 2009 list here at Bildungsroman. I have a sneak-peek version available at Amazon: Best Books of 2009 (So Far).

I hope you find these booklists, recommendations, and reviews useful!

Liz at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy has posted a round-up of bookish gift ideas.

 

AVATAR And I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVED it! I am totally BLOWN AWAY! James Cameron is a genius... I don't know how he could even begin a project like this. Where do you start? It is amazing!

Sure, the most basic plot of the movie is a redo of many movies before... but the secondary plots, the layering, the world... are so original... I am without speech!

You could stop the movie at nearly any scene... and it would be a glorious piece of art. It is that beautiful. The detail, the creatures, the plants... I'm just... man!
 
I could go on and on... but really, you must just see it. In 3D. I'm going to see it again. No doubt about it. Like nothing you've ever seen before.

2009 was a big year for me. It was such a big year that I am going to need a rather large nutshell- maybe a coconut shell, or a shell of the Coco de Mer, the world's largest nut shown here;









Yeah, I know what it looks like. Focus, people! This blog is about my accomplishments in 2009. Get your minds out of the nutshell.

A Year of Firsts: I like to sum up my year by looking at what new writerly experiences I have had. And I am always amazed at how the list snowballs as I begin to generate it.

2009 FIRSTS (and a few seconds and thirds)

1. First reprint published
2. First story in Reflection's Edge
3. First story in Reflection's Edge as the editor's choice feature
4. First magical realism piece published
5. First story produced in audio form
6. First time short-listed for an award
7. First Fan Con attended
8. First time I lost an award to a friend
9. Second story produced in audio form (okay that isn't a first, but it is still significant)
10. First appearance in an anthology
11. First genre erotica piece published
12. First contribution to a charitable publication (funding Conservation International)
13. First appearance in an e-anthology.
14. First time an editor sought me out for a personal call to submit
15. First story in Semaphore Magazine
16. First time in a "best of" Anthology
17. First story in A Fly in Amber
18. Second flash sold
19. Second reprint sold and published
20. Second story sold to Reflection's Edge
21. Third flash sold
22. First time to be interviewed as an author
23. First time participating in New Zealand SpecFic Blogging Week
24. Second magical realism piece sold
25. First literary story published
26. First time an agent stalked me
27. Second story in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine
28. First story to inspire the cover art for a magazine
29. Second story chosen for a "best of" Anthology
30. First time to win a blogging contest (at Red Room)
31. Second time an editor sought me out for a personal call to submit
32. First time participating in a One Day Short Story Contest
33. First time to have my blog featured on Jon Gibb's goodies list.
34. Second award nomination by magazine editors (Micro Awards).


Not too shabby. Last year I listed 18 firsts- so it looks as if I am gaining momentum. I can barely wait for 2010. The firsts are already lining up at the door.

What firsts have you accomplished this year?

I'd love to see your list, but please be encouraged to keep your nutshell to yourself:)

1) On New Year's Eve, I'm hosting an encore performance for my Magic 8-Ball (revisit Predictions 2009). Once again, my little black Orb o' Destiny will offer up predictions for the coming year. Wondering what 2010 holds in store for you? Let's peek into the Window of Fate together...

2) Laid low by a persistent cootie, I find myself behind the 8-ball with my holiday preparations AND (who's shocked here?) my writing schedule.

The meds are finally working, thank goodness, because tomorrow -- tomorrow! - I'm meeting up with some writing buddies for an all-day retreat.
 
Eep! This fits squarely into the general category of It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time. But as of 6:48 this morning, I'm nowhere near the place I need to be with my revisions, and the day of reckoning draweth nigh!

What to do, what to do...? Hey, I know! I'll consult my Magic 8-Ball.

Me: Magic 8-Ball, will I meet my writing goals by this time tomorrow?
M8-B: CONCENTRATE AND ASK AGAIN.
Me: *assumes meditative yoga pose* Omm...okay, I'm ready.
Me: I see beautiful words flowing from my pen today. Tell me, M8-B: Is my visualization accurate?
M8-B: SIGNS POINT TO YES.
Me: *releases pose, picks up pen*