The Yonaguni Monument

Japan is a land of contradictions; a land of mystery where the traditions of centuries long gone sometimes have to make way for the challenges of today.  But there is one mystery which is still around to stump local archaeologists and geologists.  Deep underwater off the coast of Yonaguni, near Okinawa, is a massive rock formation.  Discovered in 1986, a diver came across an unusual underwater structure.  There are terraces and ramps, as well as a pyramid structure as large as 600 feet wide and 90 feet high. There is also five separate levels of stone which some experts say appears to be a road surrounding the formation

Some scientist have recreated what the structure would look like if built on land and one wonders what this structure was really used for?  The undercurrent is dangerous but that doesn't stop local divers from exploring the different levels.  

Is this another lost Atlantis uncovered?  Maybe millions of years ago water didn't cover that part of the world and this was the beginning of a great ancient city?  Or maybe it was the foundation of some unknown civilization that was destroyed during a time when ice melted and covered most of the earth with water?

Or maybe it's simply a bunch of rocks thrown together by the currents.  I'm a dreamer, so my bet is on the ancient civilization, but you be the judge...

Teaser Tuesday

Pigsty

Author: Mark Teague

Illustrator: Mark Teague

Publisher: Scholastic

ISBN: 13 9780439598439

Sometimes a kid's room gets messy.  Sometimes a mess is just what a kid wishes for.  And sometimes the mess gets out of control and a kid doesn't know what to do about it.  What will Wendell do when visitors stop by and decide to stay?

My Gift To You

I was really planning on writing something brilliant today.  Something to lift spirits and inspire others to go out and conquer the world.  One of those once in a lifetime nuggets of wisdom that you would want to print out and tape to your computer.  Then I realized there are all ready so many other nuggets of wisdom floating around out there that I decided to pass a few of those around instead.  Enjoy the wisdom of others and if you see one (or two or three) that you like, by all means...SHARE...;~)







This & That

LOVE AGAINST THE ODDS

(A Flash Fiction Challenge)

Labored breathing and the machine’s hum breaks the silence.  Breath for breath his matches hers as fingers entwine.  Lifetime of memories dance about the room; first kisses, that first secret touch, and a promise to love forever.  Then comes doubt, a misunderstanding and room for regret to linger between the then and now.  Years later, a chance meeting and a love reborn.  Now he wonders how he will live without her.  Can he live without her?  Breath for breath he matches hers, brushing hair from her eyes and breathes in her scent as he sits wrapped in her love. 

**********

There is no mistaking the dismay on the face of a writer who has just heard that his brain child is a deformed idiot.  - L. Sprague de Camp

I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.  -Peter de Vries

Make everybody fall out of the plane first, and then explain who they were and why they were in the plane to begin with. - Nancy Ann Dibble

If it has horses and swords in it, it's a fantasy, unless it also has a rocketship in it, in which case it becomes science fiction. The only thing that'll turn a story with a rocketship in it back into fantasy is the Holy Grail. - Debra Doyle

If you start with a bang, you won't end with a whimper. - T. S. Eliot

Here A Scam, There A Scam...

I received an interesting piece of unsolicited mail today.  It was a chance for me to complete a free writing test to see if I had the talent to be a writer.  It was addressed to "Dear Friend" (they couldn't even take the time to drop my own name into the form letter) and the letter proceeded to tell me of one writer's climb to becoming a published author.  Of course this author couldn't have done it without this particular writing program which offered one-on-one mentoring with an almost guarantee that my stories would be published once I completed their program. 

This particular program might be legitimate.  I might do research and discover this is just the type of program I could benefit from.  And then again, I could be the next winner of some African lottery worth millions of dollars...if I just cough up some "transfer" money to help defer sending all those winnings my way.  Funny how I can be so lucky when I haven't even entered the contest!  MUST be a miracle!

There are many scams in the world these days.  Some want to take your money.  Some want to steal your identity. Others want to do both and destroy your self esteem along the way.  Within the writing community, new writers seem to be the most vulnerable these days because some of us are so desperate to see our name on the cover of our published work that we are blinded to the wolves lurking in the shadows.  I'm not immune to scammers either.

When I was in my early twenties I allowed one of my poems to be "published" in a book of anthologies.  I even got a chance to purchase one of the completed books at a great discount.  I was too poor at the time to take the publishing house up on it's wonderful offer, but later when I discovered they were only a vanity  publishing house and the only copies printed were those for the "authors" themselves on a prepaid basis, I realized I was the victim of a scam.  While not exactly illegal, it was misleading to say the least and preyed upon my being naive about the whole writing industry.

So what is a new or existing writer to do to prevent falling into the same trap I did years ago?  I thought I would provide links to some articles I have come across to help us all be more diligent in recognizing when something SOUNDS too good to be true...because it usually IS!

http://pred-ed.com/peba.htm

http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-01-2011/avoid-publishing-scams.2.html

http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/

http://www.419hell.com/

http://ezinearticles.com/?Publishing-Scams:-Six-Red-Flags-That-Scream-Rip-Off&id=81336

http://helpingwriters.com/special-reports-articles/publishing-scams-and-schemes

http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2012/10-common-self-publishing-scams-you-should-be-aware-of/

http://www.authormedia.com/2012/01/04/3-signs-of-a-publishing-scam/

http://mickrooney.blogspot.com/2012/01/10-common-self-publishing-scams-you.html

http://www.publisherstandardsboard.org/book-publisher-scams-and-warnings.html

I'm sure there are more sources out there with tips and tricks on how to avoid becoming a victim of a publishing scam. If you are like me, you want to enjoy sitting down to pen and paper...or computer screen...and creating a good story.  I just don't want one of my characters to come to life...

How Do You See Yourself?

I enjoy watching the surprise on a toddler's face when they first discover a mirror.  My boss' daughter comes into the school and walks up to the mirror like it is a magic portal.  I wonder what she sees on the other side?  Hunched over with hands on hips, she will sashay in front of that mirror as if fascinated with who she sees staring back at her.  It makes me wonder, as a writer, who I would see if I looked into that mirror?

 

When I was younger,  I didn't look into the mirror much.  I thought I already knew the person I would become.  I had big dreams and set my course on a path I thought I wanted.  What I did in my day job wasn't as important to me as my writing  and I thought it was enough to simply write every day.  I wasn't focussed on bettering my skills and it reflected in the things I wrote.  But writing was something I thought I couldn't live without.  Writing gave a voice to my feelings when I thought I was alone in the world.  Writing was the barrier between the incredibly shy teenager I was and the confident woman I wanted to become and so I wrote.  I realized I wasn't quite like other people.  I was content with a solitary life as long as I had my pen and paper.  But sometimes life will throw you a curveball.



The ego can be a fragile thing and I listened to those closest to me who said I couldn't write.  That my words didn't matter.  That I didn't matter.  And I believed them because I lacked the confidence at the time to think otherwise.  I put aside my writing.  I pursued other dreams...dreams that were important to me, but not nearly as important as my writing.  But I discovered that if a person is meant to be a writer, the cosmos finds a way to make it happen.  At least that's what happened to me.  I returned to my writing a more confident person who sees I have a talent for this dream I follow now.  My words matter, even if just to myself and sometimes that is enough.

What do YOU see when you look in the mirror today?  Do you see the author you will become one day?  I do!  Do you hold on with both hands to the dream you have of making a difference in the world around you with your words?  Writers have a power no one else may have.  The right word can lift a spirit.  The right word can change a life.  The right word can alter the course of history and leave your stamp upon mankind like nothing else can.  You decide which path you will choose whenever you look in the mirror...

 

It's A Mystery To Me

There are times when I have such a moment of clarity to my stories.  When characters and plot and writer voice come together for one beautiful creation of pen on paper...or keystroke to computer screen as the case may be.  Then there are times when my writing is a complete mystery to me.  When I look at my characters like they have dropped in from outer space and speak a different language.  When my plot unravels almost before I can begin and my writer's voice comes out with a croak when I try to write something down.  Do you ever feel like that?

It's a mystery to me how some authors manage to pull that rabbit out of a hat.  To make their words dance upon the page like a ballet.  To have a writers voice so pure and melodious it brings tears to one's eyes.  Just how do they do it?

Then I realize it's really all about me.  My growth as a writer.  My skills as a story teller.  And the more I write, the more I will discover the mysteries inside which make me the writer I am.  It will take time as I slowly figure out the publishing industry.  It will take patience as I work to perfect my craft.  I might even have to remind myself every once in a while that I write for a reason.  A reason that is just as important as any other.  And then I will know one more thing about myself...

Wild Wednesday

 

Harry Houdini, one of the greatest escape artists of all times, made a living being mysterious.  Eighty six years after his death, people today still are fascinated with the life and time of this famous magician.  You might know some of his famous escape tricks like the Chinese Water Torture Cell or the Milk Can Escape, but did you know these facts about him?

1.  Houdini died on October 31, 1926 from a ruptured appendix after being hit in the abdomen as part of a stunt gone wrong.  His wife, Bess, attempted to contact her husband through a series of seances for the next ten years and in 1936 closed down the shrine created in his honor.

2.  Dixie Dooley, a Las Vegas magician, holds a seance during his magic act that once had 20 people attend but now performs for crowds of up to 5000 at a time.

3.  Before Bess died, she passed the seance torch to Walter B Gibson, an American author and magician, who held the seances at the Magic Town House in New York City.  The torch was then passed to Dorothy Dietrich, American magician, who held the seances at the Houdini Museum in Scanton, Pa.

4. Harry's house at 278 West 113th Street in New York is thought to be haunted and is owned by an escape artist.

5.  Harry starred in six Hollywood movies and nine movies were made about him after his death.

6.  He began his career at nine years old when he performed as a trapeze artist under the name Ehrich, Prince of the Air.



Teaser Tuesday

The Last Viking

Author:  Norman Jorgensen & James Foley

Illustrator: James Foley

Publisher: Fremantle Press

ISBN: 9781921888106

Josh isn't afraid of anything.  Except for boy-eating dinosaurs.  And bullies in the park.  And spending the night away from home.  When Josh visits his Nan and Pop one day, he gets a chance to become a hero.  But does he have what it takes to become a Viking?





There Can Be Only One!

There was once a movie called The Highlander.  Maybe you remember it?  What started out as a little story about one guy just trying to stay alive turned into a multi million dollar franchise with a number of movies, a tv series, fan clubs, and a whole line of merchandise to keep the multitudes of Highlander fans happy.  I confess, I am one of those fans.  The thought of immortality is an interesting one and the storyline can be reduced to one simple mantra...THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

What might be good for the movie might not translate so well into the writing world however.  What if there was only ONE top best seller?  ONE successful author?  Even if there was just ONE per genre, there would still be a lot of us left out in the cold.  Words are a powerful avenue.  Nations have been born from words, lives have been destroyed from words, and hope is sometimes reborn simply from the words a writer chooses to use.

I think I will use The Highlander movie tagline THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE as a writing chant but with a new twist.  I will tell myself there is only ONE way to create the best story I can.  There will be only ONE path I will travel to publication, where rewrites and polishing my words are the tools of my trade.  And in the end, I will glance behind me to see others who might have given up or been cut down by the challenges to become a published author but for me, THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE winner in my fight for success and that ONE will be me!





This & That

Which author based one (or perhaps two, depending on your perspective) of his most famous characters on the fascinating case of William Brodie, respected Edinburgh businessman by day, leader of a gang of thieves by night?  Robert Louis Stevenson  Arthur Conan Doyle  Daniel Dafoe  James Fenimore Cooper

The reason 99% of all stories written are not bought by editors is very simple. Editors never buy manuscripts that are left on the closet shelf at home.

- John Campbell

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any.

- Orson Scott Card

It is perfectly okay to write garbage--as long as you edit brilliantly.

- C. J. Cherryh

Next to doing things that deserve to be written, nothing gets a man more credit, or gives him more pleasure than to write things that deserve to be read.

- Lord Chesterfield

Put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it.

- Colette

Writing Like The Wind

There is no escaping it.  I have created a pressure cooker challenge for myself which I never expected to happen.  Most of you know I was lucky enough to win a pitch contest recently where an agent wants to look at the first 50 pages of my YA fantasy novel Lunadar: Homeward Bound.  The only problem? The novel isn't finished yet.  Ooops...my bad! One of the problems of being a newer writer is that you might THINK you understand all the rules and terminology of writing, but you could be just as wrong!  Bottom line is I need to actually COMPLETE my novel and I thank my lucky stars this wonderful agent is willing to wait.  I just don't think she will wait forever.  So I have to write like the wind as one of my friends so aptly put it!

The advantages of pressure cooker writing for me is that I have a lot of material with which to work.  I have ONE main character,  about SIX supporting characters, TWO minor characters, FOUR different "kingdoms", a murder, and a handful of secrets mixed in with a healthy dose of mystical magic.  THAT should be enough fodder to fill 50,000 words, right?   The disadvantages of pressure cooker writing is that despite the fact that I am a organized kind of gal in other parts of my life, my WRITING does not come to me in an organized fashion.  

I'm not one of those people who plot, outline, character develop, and index their way from beginning to end of each story.  My characters talk to me...all the time.  I daydream what the characters are doing and saying.  I sit down at my computer with only the slightest inkling of what I am going to write and then I listen to the voices...carried in on the wind...and I simply write them down and see where it leads me.  I don't know if this is how other writers do it, but it seems to work for me.  So for this latest test of my writing ability I will just have to strap on the chaps and write like the wind.  Wish me luck...I think I'm gonna need it!

Let The Crazy Train Pass You By

Publisher's Weekly just posted an article about the potential danger of libraries no longer being able to lend books to the public.  WHAT???  Here is the link to the article:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/copyright/article/52874-in-supreme-court-filing-libraries-say-decision-in-wiley-suit-threatens-lending-rights.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+PW+Daily&utm_campaign=00778e7307-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email

If I'm understanding the article correctly, the Supreme Court is trying to decide if libraries have the right to lend e-books and other books to their patrons.  Now they are taking things one step farther and thinking about making it illegal to lend any "foreign" published books within the United States as it might infringe on someone's copyrights.  Would the same apply to US published books no longer being allowed to stock the shelves in the libraries of other countries?  Again I say...WHAT???

How is it even possible that there are people sitting around debating this issue?  When did we board the CRAZY TRAIN???

I could be completely off base, but I thought libraries purchased the books they stocked their shelves with?  And all John Q. Public needed to do to have access to said books was to apply for a library card.  Following this line of logic, the original author received fair compensation for their work and what the library chooses to do with the book after the purchase is their business.  And when you consider the ever increasing number of struggling readers and rising illiteracy around the world, in my mind ANYTHING which encourages someone to read is a GOOD THING!

Think about it.  We might never have been able to pick up a copy of A Christmas Carol from the local library when we were children because Dickens lived on the wrong side of the pond.  And as for  reading the Harry Potter books?  Forget about it!  Where will the CRAZY TRAIN stop?  Will I have to wonder if the book police will handcuff me should I choose to read a book purchased from one of my Australian friends just because I didn't ask permission first?  Or maybe we just need to go back to the caveman days and do away with books all together.  We can gather around the one storyteller in the village that can remember it all and hope WE won't forget ourselves!

I know that is a bit extreme, but it's as silly to me as the Supreme Court having to spend their precious time deciding a case like this.  Don't they have better things to do? 

Hey, I have an idea!  How about some people not being greedy to the inth degree and spoiling it for the rest of us?  How about some people acting like adults, even when they write for children, and thinking about the greater appeal of seeing their books in the hands of the intended audience in the first place without trying to nickle and dime the public to death? 

I know I'm not a published author, so maybe some people would think I have no write to speak, but I DO have a right to my opinion and I have an overwhelming LOVE for books in all forms.  I simply don't understand the whole idea of having to fight for the right to pick up a "foreign" published  book from the library as compared to a "homegrown" one.  For myself, I am going to let the CRAZY TRAIN pass me by and I hope others will do the same...





Climbing A Crooked Path

When I first started on my path to publication, in my ignorance, I thought the road would be a fairly straight one.  Like all new writers I presumed one simply sits, one writes, one submits, and one gets published. The reality couldn't be farther from the truth.  Yes, I sit and write...and rewrite...and rewrite...and rewrite again until my stories are as good as I can make them.  The road is more curvy than straight.  The submitting part of the process is extremely complicated to me because there are so many factors involved in the decision making.  And with so many ways to publish these days and the general upheaval within the children's picture book side of industry...which just happens to be MY genre...the chances of becoming a published author are getting more challenging every day.

So why should I even bother to try?  For me, it is as simple as breathing.  I write because I must.  Even with all the twists and turns in the road that come with writing professionally, I am driven to do this thing I love beyond compare and it's days like today that make it worthwhile.  Last week I entered into my very first pitch contest on an author's blog.  It was my chance to maybe win the right to directly submit one of my stories to an agent who actually wanted to SEE it.  I wouldn't be going in blind.  Over 140 contestants later, I discover I am one of the winners...but there is a catch...

I realize I have make a novice writer's mistake.  I THOUGHT the agent was looking for a story idea query and what they REALLY wanted was the complete story.  I thought I had reached a dead end.  I thought I had royally screwed up!  But apparently a strong pitch is still a strong pitch and once the error was explained to the agent, she still was interested in seeing my novel once it is complete.  How gracious of her to overlook the ignorance of a beginner writer.  So now I focus even harder to navigate the bumps on the road to publication as I travel a sometimes crooked path to my goal of becoming a published author.

There was another lesson I learned today.  Agents and publishers don't really want to see potential future books sitting on someone's blog as installments or read synopsis of works in progress on someone's website.  It's like opening a new candy store and giving away the goods for free.  It's just not smart business.  As much as I am saddened with my having to remove all reference to my stories or poems from my blog and website, I understand and respect the advice of those who are looking out for my best interest.  And I hope my friends and readers will know that I have enjoyed providing a sneak peak into some of the worlds of my imagination.  Now we just have to wait to read the actual published book.  I would caution others to also think twice before posting something they hope one day will be seen in print.  It might make the difference between an acceptance letter and something else.

Now it's back to the land of Lunadar as I realize the final lesson I learned today...

Independence Day Oddities

So you think you know all about Independence Day, right? The Fourth of July in the US is celebrated because that is when all those people signed the Declaration of Independence back in 1776, right?  WRONG!  Read on and discover some unusual facts about this day in American history...

1.  The Declaration of Independence was NOT signed by all of the participants on July 4th, 1776.  John Hancock was the only one of the original 56 signers to actually sign it on July 4th.  It took until 1781 for one of them to finally sign it!

2.  The Liberty Bell was not rung on July 4th, 1776 because the paperwork was neither signed nor proclaimed on that date.  The bell was rung on July 8th after most of the 56 signers had finally completed the paperwork.

3.  Williamsburg, Virginia is the only city which celebrates Independence Day on July 25th instead of July 4th because that is when the actual declaration was adopted.

4.  Rough and Ready, California tried to break away from the union on April 7th, 1850 but quickly decided to rejoin the country on July 4th when saloons in the area made it clear that no liquor would be sold to non-citizens!

5.  Three presidents died on Independence Day.  Jefferson and Adams died within minutes of each other on July 4th, 1826 and Monroe died on July 4th, 1831.

A Stick Is An Excellent Thing

Author: Marilyn Singer

Illustrator:  LeUyen Pham

Publisher:  Clarion

Ages: 3-8

ISBN: 978-0-547-12493-3

In this age of electronic gadgets, what are children to do when all they have is the great outdoors and a stick?  Maybe there are adventures to be found by going back in time and joining in the fun of simple children's games requiring no batteries and just a wonderful imagination?  Do YOU know how to make mud soup?

Enabler or Encourager?

Sometimes people think they are watching out for your best interests, but what they really are doing is just holding you back.  If I am struggling with an exercise program, I don't need someone telling me it's okay to skip a day...I need someone to kick my butt into gear.  If I am dealing with doubts about whether I should keep writing or not, I don't need someone saying I really didn't have a chance of becoming a published author anyway so I might as well give up...I need someone reminding me why I started writing in the first place.

Enablers like to hold back, hold down, and hold off.  They hold back when they place obstacles in the way of someone else's vision.  They hold down when they shower words of doubt on an already beaten spirit. And sometimes they hold off honest praise for the effort made because they wish it were themselves pursuing that dream.

Encouragers, on the other hand, hold up, hold out, and hold on.  They hold up someone who might be having a bad day and remind them of prior accomplishments.  They hold out a helping hand, offer words of support, and guidance to keep someone on the right track.  And they hold on to the dream as well so they may be there at the finish line to join in the celebration.

When I began to fully focus on my writing career a year ago, I decided not only to surround myself with Encouragers who would fill my world with positive energy, but to be an Encourager myself with this blog so others may be held up in their time of need.  With that kind of attitude, there is only one direction for all of us to go...