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Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. ~Rainer Maria Rilke via Quotegarden.com (which  no longer seems to exist). Writing makes me crazy. There are days that I can’t stop writing, even if I wanted to, and the story just keeps coming.  (I call this writer crack–no better feeling).  On other days, I stare in desperation at the screen or my notes and will something, anything to come.  And if I get a hundred words down,Read More →

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New Year’s Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. ~Mark Twain via Quotegarden.com (which no longer seems to exist). Which, I suppose, one may be.  But I prefer to stay positive.  I’m not failing–I just still have things to learn. In that vein, what do I want to learn this year? To write, in some fashion every day.  I mean every day, whether I feel like it or I’m tired or I’ve got kids running around.  Every day.  I have learned that I write best when I keepRead More →

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At some point, when one realizes one wants to be a writer–a real, true, working writer–it then becomes apparent that one must write.  Even when inspiration has flipped you off and it’s the last thing you want to do.  What do I do?  I make a go of it with pen and paper.  I write very informally, almost as if I’m talking to myself. (“So, this is the part where character 1 finds out what character 2 has really been up to.  She’s pissed and more than a little hurt…”–that sort of thing.) But I really, really want to know: how do you do it? Read More →

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Arrrgh!Read More →

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I want to stick around a while and get my kicks. Yeah, that was totally unrelated. I’m nixing the schedule. I’ll still keep posting, in the same categories, maybe some new ones. I’ve got some great stuff saved up for link licker and I think I’ve almost got this long synopsis thing at least under control–and I am totally posting on that process because anyone new at it, we need the help. The structure of a schedule helped me when I started, but when something stops working for you, it’s important to know when to let it go. “What’s right is what’s left if youRead More →

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I recently wrote a post about my friend, Lea, and the anniversary of her passing. The post was more for me than anyone else. Crasty said: I added your blog to bookmarks. And i’ll read your articles more often! He commented again with: Valuable thoughts and advices. I read your topic with great interest. Really, Crasty?  Perhaps you should unbookmark me then, because I very rarely write about the death of close friends or even very personal topics.  Maybe you would enjoy Virtual Memorials a bit more. A couple of weeks ago, in a very short post consisting of three links and the word awesomeRead More →

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I just needed to somehow commemorate that it’s been one year since my beautiful incredible friend, Lea, left this world to spread her awesomeness throughout the universe. Lea battled cancer, a benign brain tumor, a rare genetic disease, much personal tragedy, and was a single mom for a long time until she met her love.  And she was an amazing, wise, generous, loving person.  I learned more from her about life and living it in the seven years that I knew her than most people will in a lifetime. She taught me: how to make homemade chicken noodle soup that life is about passion andRead More →

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I got my first no from an agent today.  It’s actually more frustrating than soul-crushing.  They didn’t say no to my writing or to my manuscript.  They said no to a one page description of my story. I’m going to work some more on that one page description.  It’s only bad when everyone says no.Read More →

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A friend directed me to this site Tuesday. It’s dozens of desktops, very nice desktops, with a March calender to boot. (I got the underwater one, if you’re interested.) Smashing Magazine: Desktop March Wallpaper CalenderRead More →

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I give up.  I can’t fight this feeling anymore.  I want a kindle! You can pick out a book and buy it, for a lesser price, in minutes.  You can take it anywhere.  Imagine how easily this baby would fit in your purse.  If I had a kindle, I’d never go anywhere without it.  It’d be like my American Express.  I can’t imagine any reader not being in love with this baby.  And, since writers are readers first… it’s today’s Material Girl pick. Update 6.29.2011: Of course, I did finally get my Kindle.  Read me gushing about how awesome it truly is.Read More →