Monday's child is fair of face

I was trying to work out how to hyperlink in my text today so I could link directly to another blog but I haven't worked it out yet so I shall have to do some thorough investigation tomorrow. Sometimes I g to blogs and they have a swatch of gobbledegook and they say cut and paste this swatch and it will hyperlink but it never has so I must be doing something wrong or they could actually give some instruction for the uninitiated like me.

My daughter came home after school and informed me her brand new saxophone had disappeared from the school music store room. She only had it a week and I was immeasurably upset by its disappearance. I began tracking down phone numbers and trying to find if anyone else had picked it up by mistake instead of their own sax but to no avail. I am hoping it will be returned by band practice in the morning. I spoke to the school reception and told them of its disappearance and was later told that the music department head was attempting to call students who may have accidentally taken it. If I was in that mythical realm where writers are rolling in cash and living the high life I would not bat an eye at losing a trifling musical instrument worth the equal of two months of household income but alas alack I live in the reality of writer making not one cent living on a shoe string so the loss of such an item puts a long term serious pressure on the budget. I laugh when I am asked how much money writers make.

I told people on FB that the saxophone was missing and I have been overwhelmed with the wonderful supportive and kind statements that have been written over the past few hours. it has helped to ground me and settle me down and be calmer and less reactive. I am so grateful to those wonderful people. 

I am going on a writing retreat in the not too distant future and thankfully I paid for it before I became completely broke on my self imposed year of 'leave without pay to chase the elusive book contract' and help myself recover from all that surgery and my daughter get back on her feet. I am very much looking forward to a weekend surrounded by writers in an environment where I don't even have to make the bed. I have been reading about others on writing retreats and their excitement and enthusiasm just pours through the pixels.

I wrote a review of a book this week and put in some positives and one negative statement. The author wrote to me and asked me to clarify the negative after thanking me for the positive. I said I would reread the novel to check my impressions and then i wrote back to the author to say I was wrong about my negative. I had overlapped books I was reviewing and put the negative about the wrong book. This was a fabulous interaction because it shows how easy it is to make such a mistake and also how it can be rectified. I was so pleased the author contacted me and after I corrected my review I went and purchased another of the authors books (which I enjoyed even more than the first one).

I have been editing a novel today and only glimpsed at my story a day prompt and I am ignoring the 38 week challenge and mid week BB for the time being so I can finish this novel. Only a few chapters to go and I am enjoying rereading the early parts.
That is all my writing thoughts for today. Have a love day whatever time it is with you. Hugs.

N for nano nano particles and Novels

Nano
Nice
Naughty
Nugget
Nuance

There are so many nectareal N words that roll across the tongue however I am going to leave it up to others to discover and share them because today I did some art. it is week 16 and the theme is Book Cover.

 

This was my first attempts at using scratch paper. I didn't think about the direction of the book or the orientation of the text and while I like the rainbow effect I was not happy with the overall piece. Thank fully I have more scratch paper to work with and I will see what else I can come up with.

Lesson 18 of the RhyPiBoMo asked us to look at  various types of metre and feet in revision plus rhyme that is not perfect and our homework is to write a piece of poetry in iambic pentameter. So here goes.

A day at the beach.

Today we went down to the sandy beach

Buckets and towels and hats on our heads

Flip flopping things on our feet stopping heat

Burning our tootsies and making us leap

Finding a good place, weave through the crowd

Dumping our stuff and yelling out loud

Running right down to the incoming wave

Squealing and jumping we try to be brave

Bigger ones splashing and leaping about

Little ones tiptoeing in and then out

Building a castle up to the sky

Pouring in water it gurgles away

Wondering why all the little things wiggle

Picking up small crabs making us giggle

Wandering curious in the tide pools

Watching the tiny fish dart by in schools

Eating our sandwiches gritty with sand

Having an ice-cream treat just like we planned

Leaving just as the sun hits the water

Yawning round stinging little red noses

Dragging our legs up the stairs to the car

Rinsing sand under the shower roses

Luckily home is not very far as

All of the kids fall asleep.

 

 So my novel and my nano tally are concurrent events. I am writing my novel and blogging its progress and counting the tally in CampNaNoWriMo. My work count to date is 18523 which is well on the way to my 30K tally for April. 

I also wrote a Cat story and  Horror story for two anthologies and had two of my Faerie stories accepted by the anthology I submitted them to. All very exciting. I also won a mug in the weekly round up on the blogging challenge. I love all these little prizes but more than that I appreciate the exposure that it gives my name each time I win some small writing competition or prize. It doesn't pay the rent yet but it will all build into a solid foundation of knowledge and people to base my new career on. 

Besides which I love the small flash fiction and  short stories that keep me sharp. I have to record my latest story for AntipodeanSF too. I didn't record y last four stories with them but will definitely do so this time. On my to do list for tomorrow. 

I attended a webinar today which gave me an extra boost toward making my little welcome video and I read some more rhyming picture books and completed reading another teen steampunk book which when I find out if the young author is an Australian, I will review for my next AWW review. 

That about wraps up my day so I am off to do some writing and editing since it is day two of petite ReviMo.  Edit Edit Edit. Oh and I submitted a story to my rhyming picture book critique group; chewing my nails on that one.

Hippy Happy Hoppy Hornpipe Wednesday

Hardcover

Happiness is found in the most interesting of places. I quite love a children's book called "The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate." it is beautiful in its lyrical phrasing and was a huge favourite of all my children. Today I read another which I am going purchase a copy of and sing its praises.

Published: 1st November 2011
For Ages: 2+ years old

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc-KeMXpRCc there is a book trailer at that address

and Emma Quay can be found here http://www.emmaquay.com/books.html  she has a large number of lovely books for little ones

On a scale of one to ten this scores a seventy from me for adorable. Emma Quay has perfectly captured that essential delight and beauty that can only be found in our teeny tiny little ones. The book flows well, the illustrations made me all clucky and silly and I have a HUGE grin on my face just looking at it. I loved when my own children were teensy weensy and had no bottom and tiny legs and ran around squealing with joy when ever they were freed from their constricting clothing and this book encapsulates that perfectly.

There is nothing more guaranteed to make you giggle than children running around ‘rudie nudie’ after their bath.

Emma Quay captures this delight in her marvelous illustrations. Pencil drawings are photo-shopped against patterns and colours of soft, pastel peaches, greens and blues. The entire book makes me smile in treasured remembrance of my own bath time wrigglers and captures the wonder and magic of toddlers freed from the daily constriction of tight clothes allowed to run free to explore and experience life in pure innocent joy.

The story and illustration work so perfectly together to bring a sense of playfulness and comfort. They children dance down the hall on tiny feet and roll, fall, dance, jump, spring, run, prance, and spin around the house and into the backyard. Every space and place becomes something to experience fully; rugs and grass, duvet and tickly leaves, even the cooler air outside.

In the end the ‘rudie nudies’ put on their ‘jammies’ and nestle sweet and peaceful in their beds.

The book achieved CBCA Early Childhood Book of the Year 2012- shortlisted

And Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year for Young Children 2012- shortlisted

RHYPIBOMO  today was lesson eleven and it was all about repetition in its various forms. So here are my attempts to make sense for myself mostly. 

Alliteration

Twenty two thousand and twenty three

Times twenty five hundred and ten

Ticking the ticket and checking it twice

To turn about the asking price

Of twenty two dollars and ten. 

Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of every clause.

Over time things all change

Over time language differs

Over time things once strange

Over time change to known

Diaphora is the repetition of a name, first to signify the person or persons it describes, then to signify its meaning.

Spike he is though spike he’s not, Spike his name not spike his hair style. 

Polyptoton is where the author repeats words derived from the same root but with different endings

Ride, rode, rid or ridden

on your bike down to the midden

Find the missing silver spoon

Ride back quick before the noon

Use a repeated line at the beginning and the end of a poem.

Once upon a time

She said

Is a lovely way to start

Tell a tale of love and daring

Tell it always from the heart

Tell it true then with a twist

leave them hanging on each word

Tell the sad and tell absurd

Send all their imaginings

Flying

On the wings like little birds

Then bring them back

To hearth and comfort

When they hear these loving words

Once upon a time.

Use a repeated line as the first line of each stanza.

Fire flits and brightly dances

In the hearth to keep us warm.

Fire flits and brightly dances

 Mesmerising colours bright

Fire flits and brightly dances

In the hearth it does not harm

Fire flits and brightly dances

Lulling us in false belief

Fire flits and brightly dances

We have tamed this mighty force

Use a repetitive phrase 2 or 3 times within one poem

The time has come to find my purpose

To find where I truly belong

The inner search for grace and wisdom

I know now the time has come.

The journey has sent many waves

Crashing on the shores of life

The cliffs of my stubborn resistance

Are crumbling now to nothing and I

Know the time has come.

 

Blogging my Book. whoot whoot. Today I did NOTHING, not one thing at all whatsoever but I bet I make up for it tomorrow. :) I have instead been doing some art which is still work in progress. I am trying out my polychrome pencils and I borrowed some books from the library on how to draw some particular things and I also bought some shiny paper to practice with the ink pens(COPIC markers). I also completed two critiques I was supposed to have in today and I did my poetry lessons, visited a dozen blogs for the A to Z plus had visitors, took my darling daughter to her appointment, went to the chemist and the supermarket, socialised in the car park, supervised domestic chores and read half a dozen picture books. I have had a lovely relaxing day for the most part. More writing tomorrow. 

Ghee it is Tuesday

            

today is Tuesday and G day. Guess what, I am going to do a review of a book by an Australian Woman Writer.
I have just had the privileged of reading this book

22 Leadership Fundamentals: The Door to Success says Push!

and it is one of the rare works to receive a five star rating from me.

Alison Y Vidotto has produced an outstanding piece of work that I would unequivocally recommend to anyone wanting to improve their leadership skills and their life.
Mrs Vidotto gives clear concise signposts to leadership in her 22 leadership fundamentals and intersperses these with real life anecdotes of her own life including the disasters and mistakes that she very intelligently took stock of and learned from.

This woman walks the walk and talks the talk. She does not pull back from the hard decisions nor from ownership of the responsibility for her own actions. She has built her own success on the foundations of the lessons she has learned in life and shares these in a very readable manner.

I am feeling a tinge of envy for her family and her work colleagues. I would be honoured to have a woman like her as my own mentor. It is a wonderful thing to read what could have been a dry and boring self help book and discover a story about one woman's journey to success. She acknowledged the people who have supported her along the way and in a warm and open manner takes us into a glimpse of her life. The work she has done to help others is amazing and in so doing has enriched not only her own life but the lives of probably every one she encounters.

I am going to reread my copy so I can learn how best to PUSH open the door to success. Do yourself a favour and read this book.



now onto blogging my book in 30 days...

Winner!

It's time to announce the one Blog Your Book in 30 Days member who wins a Writing Voices journal. Winner. The winner was drawn by a random number generator.

And the winner is: 

Cecilia Clark!

Congratulations, Cecilia!

Now that is gorgeous. I seem to be winning a few things lately.
In the RhyPiBoMo  where I am learning poetry and rhyme I found myself one of the the weekly winners for Tuesday   Cecilia Clark         my prize is :Who Goes There? by Karma Wilson

You have to be in them to win them. :)             and because I commented every day on the GROG blog  and advertised the launch party on twitter and FB and here on my blog...  http://groggorg.blogspot.com.au/     

GROG LAUNCH PARTY WINNERS ~ by The Groggers

"On behalf of the GROGGERS, we would like to thank each and everyone of you for stopping by and commenting on our posts. You kept your word by visiting, and now it is our time to keep our word by awarding wonderful prizes.

It was an awesome party on Facebook. It was truly a night of fun, friends, and family. If you missed it, do not panic. Our leader, Mr. Todd Burleson suggests that we do this again in the near future. Without further adieu, here are the winners.

Cecilia Clark ~ Personalized 8x10 Illustration by Suzy Leopold"


Now it is just so exciting to be part of all this and GROG stands for group blog of the most amazing collection of people offering all sorts of terrific support and knowledge for writers.

Okay G is for Going to write more story. Glad you stopped by, thanks for coming and farewell Goodbye.