Windy Winning Wednesday

I want to tell you about my Grand Prize or at least part one. Kristi Noll http://www.kristiholl.com/index.htm author of 42 books was one of the generous prize donators. She recently contacted me about the prize and offered to exchange the print copy of a book she was going to send me instead offering three ebooks which would be instantaneous rather than take three months in the post.

I am now the proud recipient of these four works by Kristi.

those who know me best KNOW I need to learn to set boundaries so this was a perfect book for me to have.

 Writing Mysteries for Young People. what a terrific title and something I would like to explore.

 "You won't actually find bandages or medicine in More Writer's First Aid. But in 48 short chapters, you will find cures for dealing with disappointment and jealousy, writing despite physical and emotional pain, banishing procrastination once and for all, and combining writing with parenting (from infancy to adulthood.) "We're all in this together" has been Kristi's constant reminder to readers of her first book and her blog." http://www.kristiholl.com/More%20Writers%20First%20Aid%20PDF.htm

My life is filled with mini mountain sized mole hills so this is going to be one useful book to own.

"TENSION on every page is the one quality your writing needs to keep readers hooked and turning pages. What exactly is tension? And how can you possibly increase tension on every page? Simple techniques show you how to infuse page-turning tension into your dialogue, your plot, your setting descriptions, and your characterization.

Conflict/Plot: 14 tension techniques  

Characters: 12 tension techniques   

Dialogue/Inner thoughts: 15 tension techniques

Setting: 9 tension techniques "   I am looking forward to learning all there is about tension to keep my readers turning pages.    Thank You Kristi Holl for your generosity and thanks again to Christie Wild  http://christiewrightwild.blogspot.com.au/  and her marvelous 14:14 blog challenge. 

I feel so excited by my growing knowledge and skills. I am at lesson two of my Video Idiot Boot Camp(VIBC) and very soon I will upload my very first welcome video and give the link to my very own youtube channel. It is a big dream of mine to read stories to kids via that medium without whizzbang, just read and use my face, new pirate scar and all, and my voice like I have always done for the kids close at hand. Another big thank you to Katie Davis who is in the business of teaching people to make video   http://katiedavis.com/category/video-idiot-boot-camp/  I attended her seminar last week after hearing about it in the 12 x 12 FB group and on the forum and I was very glad I did. I expect it will be an investment in my burgeoning career. 

52 week challenge this week  (week 12) is all about numbers so I am off to make Pi with pencil.

Flat week Wednesday

I have not ...start that again...in retrospect I have done several things this week. I wrote an opening for a new novel, I won midweek blues buster, I sent a query to an editor, I threw out lots of things and gave away even more and I managed to see a couple of movies. I think my problem is that I have not done any art and that is causing me some consternation. Well I have done some preliminary sketches but not a whole piece of art so I will go do that. My chapterbook is slightly on hold. I wrote out answers to an  interview and emailed it and I attended a seminar online so not really such a light weight week as I tell myself. I also did domestic duty.

The seminar was about making videos for promotion and run by the lovely Katie Davis of http://katiedavis.com/ who has her own youtube channel and teaches people to make videos. Video Idiot Boot Camp is what she runs and she seems to do a dandy job of helping people gain the best out of their videos. I will be making book trailers in the not too distant future so it would be a good skill to add to my kit.

So what else have I done this week of significance? Had visitors, ate good food with people when I went visiting, organised appointments, supervised assessment tasks, did some exercise and oh lots of teensy weensy things that build up into a whole week but I feel like I haven't done enough. I did write another flash fiction yesterday for week 52 mid week blues buster. There are a couple of competitions coming up and a launch part and of course a chapter book to write. Not to mention art. Time to go do art I think.  watch this space for uploads.  

I'll just put this up to brag for another few minutes. :) Okay art art art here I come.