I Live

I live with a man, two little girls, that dog Lucy, four ducks and a fish named Bob.

I live with migraines, sensitive skin, bad eyes, the curse of curly (often frizzy) hair, an ear that is scarred but musical, good genes, good food and good sleep.

I live with expectation and satisfaction, desire and dreams, the blessed memory of my father, questions of faith, spirituality, and words and words and words.

I live.

I am me.
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You?

Rules for Successful Writing -- Giveaway Results!

Last week I posted some of popular author Janet Evanovich's writing tips (as found in her craft book, HOW I WRITE), and asked for your additions. You guys didn't disappoint. You gave great suggestions!
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FringeGirl said: You can't please everyone, so don't worry if someone doesn't like what you wrote.
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Amy Sue Nathan said: #1 Put everything near you that you need while you're writing. For me, a morning writer, that means coffee, both pairs of glasses, my phone and my Flip Dictionary. Then I don't have to get up. Ever. #2 Give your readers credit, they're smart. Meaning, don't overwrite or over explain. Allow the reader to think and figure things out along the way. It engages them and makes them turn the page.
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Jessica Nelson said: Trust your voice.
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Liza said this worked for her: Recently when I was stuck, I wrote a conversation between two characters. I hadn't written to the point in the story when that conversation happened yet, though I knew it would. So I wrote it. It helped me move forward, in that made me consider how my characters would get to the place where that conversation happened. I'm about to write another conversation to help me along again.
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Lynn said: Don't stop writing. Write everyday, even if it just for 15 minutes. And those minutes have to be focused writing.
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Wendy Miller said: At the exact moment you feel like quitting... don't.
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Lissa said: I prefer to write first and then check out the rules.
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Savannah Rose said: Write "something" every single day even if it's not part of your WIP.
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Ginger said: It seems that any quiet meditation on any piece of writing I'm working on is the "miracle grow" to make it blossom.
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Patti's thoughts: I would add, quit second-guessing yourself.
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Deb Shucka said: I would add that a successful writer needs community - other writers to commiserate with and to provide fresh perspective.
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Mary Warner said: I guess it goes along with what was already said, but one of my own rules would be to remember that writers block only stops you if you want to be stopped. After all what stops you (or me at least) isn't that I have no ideas, but I have no "good" ideas.
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Laura said: #1 - Just write. (No matter what, write every day.) #2 - Be concise. Less is more.
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Jill Kemerer said: Persistence. We have to believe in our writing even when it's bad. Maybe it means tucking our WIP away after too many rejections and starting a new one, but we can't quit.
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Tana Adams shared this: A writer who writes is the best writer a writer can be. I think so often the actual writing is the last thing to happen.
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Helen Ginger said: Help other writers. Even when you think you're a newbie and don't know much, there's someone who has less experience than you who could use some advice. Join a group or attend writer meetings that fit your genre or ask another writer what they're working on.
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Karen Lange said: I think that perseverance and discipline are key factors in the writing equation too. These things help me press forward to do something I feel called to do.
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Melissa Marsh said: I always feel that you must ignore the trends and write the book YOU want to write.
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Analisa said: [Be] a reader. I don't think you can write well if you don't read well.
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Jeanette Levellie said: My best tip is to pray for yourself as you write, that God give you words to most help your readers and show them God as He truly is. And to love your readers. Okay, that's two. Here's a third: Never stop growing. Never say, "I know all there is to know about writing." The day you say that is the beginning of the end of your creativity.
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Thank you all! These were wonderful tips.
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To visit any of these writers, go to this post (its comments, to be specific) to follow their links.
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And now... Our giveaway winner... whose name was randomly pulled from a hat (my new, super-cute, hot-pinkish/purple ball cap...) is...
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LYNN!

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Lynn, congratulations! Please e-mail me at jannawritesATyahooDOTcom. Include both your mailing address and the title of a book you've been wanting, which I'll order for you from Amazon. I'll order your choice and have it sent your way!

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Thanks for playing along.

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And thanks for being a part of my blog, by following, commenting, reading, all of it. I appreciate every one of you!

Five Words Into Fiction (#2)

Her hair, beautiful and harsh, is the color of a crow. This is by careful choice, and she has it dyed once a month, every third Tuesday. She loves the mystique of the hue, the way it refracts the light as a wile, almost like there's some blue to it.
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Noah would have adored it, and so of course this is why. It is for him.
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It was a month after he disappeared that she first had it colored. His foray into nothingness, hers into vanity. Because it is the single binge she's found that stills the hurt, quiets the shame. Eating didn't do it; she felt empty. Not drinking; she felt a waste of herself. And sleeping with Noah's best friend, Mart, only buried guilt in her stomach and in her dreams.
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So it is also for her, the hair and the rest, with the primping and pampering and perfection. It all says she is significant and strong and courageous, that she is and will be okay.
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When she looks in the mirror to see what Noah left behind, she is satisfied by what she sees and she tells herself, You will be okay.
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My apologies for posting this piece so late in the day. My words were difficult to fuse together. They were: binge, crow, foray, refract and wile. You'll find them all above. Whew!
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I hope you enjoyed it. I also hope that it leaves you thinking, perhaps making up more of the story.
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**
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If you've played along and written your own fiction with your own words, link up in this post's comments. Or, if you haven't done a piece yet but would like to, I'd be happy to give you some word suggestions. Just let me know (also in this post's comments).
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Also, since you're here, be sure to check out my post about rules for successful writing. Leave your thoughts (by Sunday night--earlier if you're busy for Easter) for a chance to win the book of your choice in my giveaway! Winner will be announced Monday.
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Have a wonderful, blessed holiday weekend.

Rules for Successful Writing* -- A Giveaway!

• Don't fall into the trap of rewriting chapter one until it's perfect. And don't discard everything you write halfway through because you're sure it sucks. Writing stuff that sucks is part of the learning process!
• When people ask what you do, tell them you're a writer. Put yourself on the line. Make a commitment.
• Make writing a responsibility. Think of it like a job and show up on time.
• Never hold anything back for the next book. Always go for it. Be brave.
• Respect and love your audience. Write for the reader.

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*From Janet Evanovich's HOW I WRITE: SECRETS OF A BESTSELLING AUTHOR.
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Evanovich is the wildly popular author of the Stephanie Plum books. Visit her site here.
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As for the giveaway part of this post, I'd like you to add your own tip to the list. I don't think there's a shortage of good advice, do you?
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What do you think makes for a successful writer? I'd like to know from the perspective of both writers and readers, so anyone can join in. For instance, my sister, who is an avid reader but doesn't write like I do, thinks a relevant thing for writers' success is an active, frequently-updated author's website. Valid!
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Add your thoughts in the comment section of this post. Everyone who does gets their name in a hat (or bowl, mayhaps) for a giveway--to celebrate that I'm nearing 350 blog followers! (If you're not a follower yet but enjoy what you see here at Something She Wrote, please sign up. I do love watching that number grow.)
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I'll give you through this weekend (ending Sunday at 7PM CST) to add to the list. Winner to be announced Monday!

ETA: Friends, I apologize--It's just occured to me, I didn't announce what the giveaway prize is. (Oops. I'm sorry.) It'll be a new book of some kind, to be determined/selected according to the winner.
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Also, be sure to come back Friday, to see the results of the new five words into fiction meme.

A Meme, A Prompt (Five Words Into Fiction--Part 2)

Do you remember when a year or more ago there was a meme floating blogland, and several folks posted five words into fiction? (Here's mine.) This week I want to play on that. And I want to invite you to play (or read) along.
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This time, the five words to incorporate don't come as suggestion from a friend or another blogger, they come from the dictionary. By merely flipping through its pages, stopping randomly and taking the bolded header word.
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Using my small Webster's this morning, I've flipped for five words. They are:
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*binge
*crow
*foray
*refract
*wile
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photo from diypublicart.org

So there you have it, my five words. This week I'll use them to write a flash fiction piece (less that 1000 words)--the words must appear in the text, I can't only allude to them--and will plan to post it Friday.

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I'm excited because this sort of thing is stoopid fun, and it's good for a creative break from a consistent project. It's good exercise, too.

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Want to join me? Link up and/or post the details on your own blog, and we'll spread the meme.
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Ready? Set? Let's do this!

Drop Your Books Here (A Reference of Friends' Published Works)

photo from
weblogs.sun-sentinel.com

It's a good idea, I think. Because, you know, we all like a good list of good books to read.

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I was going to create this whole thing for you, had the post of it mapped out in my head, but then I realized I'm getting to know too many writers with published books (which is really kinda crazy-cool and exciting) to try and list them all.
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So, I invite you to drop your books here. YA? Historical fiction? Women's fiction? Mystery? Non-fiction, etc., etc.?
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Friends (and visitors), leave a comment with your published (or even soon-to-be) title(s) and a link to your website. If you've a logline or short summary to add, please do. Let's get you some readers!
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Readers, let's get you some books!

Fairer Than Morning, Rosslyn Elliott

Ann is a fine young woman with the interest of more than one man, motherless sisters to care for, and a father who keeps secrets--but she has her own desires for life. Where will her heart and her God lead her?

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Will is a brave man with few options, which leads him into indentured servitude with a new master, a master of evil. Is Will's strength enough to see him through to freedom and happiness?

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FAIRER THAN MORNING, book one of The Saddler's Legacy, a new trilogy by Rosslyn Elliott, follows sweet Ann, as well as tortured Will, through loss and trial, misunderstanding and doubt. Could there be a life filled with love and promise in their future?
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Rosslyn's expertise with historical fiction makes for prose that reads flawlessly. Her dialogue, and expressions of the early 1800's, zing, and her characters, along with their stories, are powerful.
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If you like historical fiction, if you like tender romance or Christian-themed reads, this is one you don't want to miss. FAIRER THAN MORNING is released today (Thomas Nelson Publishers)!
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Author Rosslyn Elliott

Rosslyn Elliott has a B.A. from Yale University and a Ph.D. in English from Emory University. Her study of American literature and history inspired her to pursue writing fiction. She lives in the Southwest, where she homeschools her daughter and works in children's ministry.
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Visit Rosslyn at her website and learn more about her here.

Today Is Monday, and . . .

[fill in the blank]

RQ #19

It is a good thing for an educated man to read books of quotations.

Winston Churchill

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I got so tired of hearing those proverbs when I was a child. Now I use them all the time. Sometimes they are the best way to say what needs to be said. I teach them to my students. I have a collection of [quotes] for class discussion and writing assignments.

Marva Collins

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I might repeat to myself, slowly and soothingly, a list of quotations beautiful from minds profound; if I can remember any of the damn things.

Dorothy Parker

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If you were to be quoted in the future, what would your statement be?

Make Me Cry

Look what those kids did.

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On Friday my daughter came home with a stack of thank you cards from her class. There were colorful designs and clear pictures (lots of spring flowers!), often of writing tools or books. Several mentioned haiku poetry, most mentioned their notebooks.

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There was an "I like writing stories." And "I love writing."

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Every one of them signed either "love," or "your friend." One said, "I hope we get to see you again." Of course, this from the boy I'd pegged as the most interested in what I had to say. A budding writer!

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I am so, so touched. I cried. This is how I felt, reading their notes:

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photo from polyvore.come

Thank you, kids. Thank you.

A Writer Employed

photo from lamableu.net

So this girl got a job. It's my first away from the home in nearly nine years.

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I can't speak of the specifics, but I can tell you that it involves the outdoors, a scientific case study and... my nose.

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The most genius part is, tucked around the work itself, there is mucho downtime. During that downtime we can do whatever we choose, and that means I will write! It's a perfect scenario, really, because I'll be earning great money, but won't have to give up the time I put toward my writing.

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when Janna met Sally

I'll schlep my notebooks, pens and pencils, novels and craft books, my laptop and (sometimes) my AlphaSmart 3000. (Who remembers Sally?)

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This experience will be incredibly out of the ordinary for me, and I'm very much looking forward to it. Every day is an adventure waiting to happen, and I expect to be inspired.

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Also, because of the change in my schedule, and the way I'll have to make adjustments with family and household responsibilities, I feel sure I'll be forced into a more balanced life. (I've spoken about the life juggle many times, most recently here.) Does that make sense? I think time away from home will give me healthy space, a more appreciative perspective, and better-defined goals.

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The busier we are, the more we accomplish, right?

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Please keep me in mind! This will be so new for my family and me. But don't worry, they'll be fine, and I will, too. ;) You'll still see me here and on Facebook. I'll still have content at those places you see linked in my sidebar, and I'll be working ever diligently on my current novel-in-progress.

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Stay tuned, too. I may have stories to tell!