Wordless Wednesday -- After hearing from Editor
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Getting a little excited...
Sunday Summations
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Why is it that we're always learning? changing? discovering?
I think, in ten years, I've only figured out that nothing stays the same.
This makes branding myself a bit of an issue. If you're on my blog, you can see I made changes again. I've had a pretty 'cutest blog on the block' design up for a while. I knew it didn't really suit my writing, but I was okay with that for now. Even if I write on the darker side, I'm still a girl. I like pink and flowers and snazzy designs.
But the rule of promotion says to "Brand" myself. Make sure people can recognize me no matter where I show up online. This isn't a writer's rule, either, btw. We all recognize certain ideas, logos, themes when it comes to businessess whether they are online or off line.
This past week, I started messing around with my facebook page and my blog and my twitter. It's different. Not permanent, perhaps. Eventually I'd like to have my own domain involved and an actual Bethanne Design created that really IS me. But that will cost money!! So, I'll make do until then...
I think part of my problem is that I get bored. I like the change. Probably part of the reason I've enjoyed sharing a life with my husband who has moved us several times in 15 years. I get on my blog a couple times a year and I start messing with it. changing font, changing design, changing my bio.
So, there it is, the new design. It's fun, different, darker, and winner of the Most Likely to Change award at the graduation banquet. ;)
Let's Summate! [I don't think that's a word, but I don't care]
{ I'm editing. } <--that's the nutshell, btw. ha! doesn't it kind of look like a walnut?
I've written a lot of novellas over the last couple of years. I remember when I hit that phase. I'd written a half dozen full length novels, and I think I was tired. No luck came from any of those submissions, so I decided to shake things up. I'd heard that writing short helps focus your writing. That when every word counts, I would need to make every word count!! So I started writing shorter stories, 30K.
Two years later, I'm ready to go back. I've learned alot in writing them. I HAVE improved my abilities [I think], but now I'm sitting here with comments like... "if you made this longer, you could develop the characters more and really give the reader a better feel for them. Invest the reader!" and "I'm sorry. I don't review novella length. It might be a great story, but I just don't read them. Too many times I find I'm wanting more."
For me, that's okay. I do have a novella length coming out in November. But it's a Christmas story, so I think it will do well. People are more likely to pick up a themed shorter story. I am, anyway!! Something to get me in the spirit. :D This also means that I've had to rethink a few stories I'm working on now--like I said, editing. I think it's time to open the gates--so to speak. Time to bring the shorter novels up a step. Really get into the characters' heads, find the kinks. Find what I was missing before.
And then I'll see. :)
I was going to write something new this fall.
I don't know how that is going to happen, but if all else fails, I think in December I will take a break from all this editing and write something new over the holidays...even if it is another Holiday Novella. ha!
Have a great week,
With Love
Bethanne
I think, in ten years, I've only figured out that nothing stays the same.
This makes branding myself a bit of an issue. If you're on my blog, you can see I made changes again. I've had a pretty 'cutest blog on the block' design up for a while. I knew it didn't really suit my writing, but I was okay with that for now. Even if I write on the darker side, I'm still a girl. I like pink and flowers and snazzy designs.
But the rule of promotion says to "Brand" myself. Make sure people can recognize me no matter where I show up online. This isn't a writer's rule, either, btw. We all recognize certain ideas, logos, themes when it comes to businessess whether they are online or off line.
This past week, I started messing around with my facebook page and my blog and my twitter. It's different. Not permanent, perhaps. Eventually I'd like to have my own domain involved and an actual Bethanne Design created that really IS me. But that will cost money!! So, I'll make do until then...
I think part of my problem is that I get bored. I like the change. Probably part of the reason I've enjoyed sharing a life with my husband who has moved us several times in 15 years. I get on my blog a couple times a year and I start messing with it. changing font, changing design, changing my bio.
So, there it is, the new design. It's fun, different, darker, and winner of the Most Likely to Change award at the graduation banquet. ;)
Let's Summate! [I don't think that's a word, but I don't care]
{ I'm editing. } <--that's the nutshell, btw. ha! doesn't it kind of look like a walnut?
I've written a lot of novellas over the last couple of years. I remember when I hit that phase. I'd written a half dozen full length novels, and I think I was tired. No luck came from any of those submissions, so I decided to shake things up. I'd heard that writing short helps focus your writing. That when every word counts, I would need to make every word count!! So I started writing shorter stories, 30K.
Two years later, I'm ready to go back. I've learned alot in writing them. I HAVE improved my abilities [I think], but now I'm sitting here with comments like... "if you made this longer, you could develop the characters more and really give the reader a better feel for them. Invest the reader!" and "I'm sorry. I don't review novella length. It might be a great story, but I just don't read them. Too many times I find I'm wanting more."
For me, that's okay. I do have a novella length coming out in November. But it's a Christmas story, so I think it will do well. People are more likely to pick up a themed shorter story. I am, anyway!! Something to get me in the spirit. :D This also means that I've had to rethink a few stories I'm working on now--like I said, editing. I think it's time to open the gates--so to speak. Time to bring the shorter novels up a step. Really get into the characters' heads, find the kinks. Find what I was missing before.
And then I'll see. :)
I was going to write something new this fall.
I don't know how that is going to happen, but if all else fails, I think in December I will take a break from all this editing and write something new over the holidays...even if it is another Holiday Novella. ha!
Have a great week,
With Love
Bethanne
Saturday Snippets
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Winter Craze, or also called, Another Shot in the Dark by Me
...Grabbing her arm, Tan pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her chest and giving her a lift off the ground. Wow, she was light.
Immediately, she threw her head back, catching the side of his jaw. Pain shot through his temple. He groaned, the surprise making him drop her. She slammed her foot onto his instep, elbowed his gut, which left him breathless, then turned and kneed him in the groin.
He moaned and slowly lowered himself to the floor so he could lie in the fetal position. Holy Crap. Taken down by a sparkling princess. Thank God he was the only one around today.
She leaned over, and her hair brushed against his cheek. “How about you tell my dad I passed, and we’ll call it even.”
Not in a million years, he promised as she picked up her bag and walked out the door....
Sunday, Sunday Summations
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Not quite done with the day and have a good bit of editing left to do on my lastest project, or newest project??? It's really hard to keep track of which project is most current, but this one is a romantic suspense that I haven't submitted anywhere yet. :) It's going to have more of an edge to it. It has a villain's POV, which is very different for me yet therapeutic at the same time!! haha.
Teaching a Religious Education class helps remind me to keep the murder to a minimum. All kidding aside, this has been a very different year for me as I volunteer left and right, willy-nilly for all things kid related. But I think it'll be a good year and I found myself charmed by the little third graders!! Charmed!
Been a long week! Looking forward to something a little less busy in the coming days. Have a great one with me!
With Love,
Bethanne
Teaching a Religious Education class helps remind me to keep the murder to a minimum. All kidding aside, this has been a very different year for me as I volunteer left and right, willy-nilly for all things kid related. But I think it'll be a good year and I found myself charmed by the little third graders!! Charmed!
Been a long week! Looking forward to something a little less busy in the coming days. Have a great one with me!
With Love,
Bethanne
Admitting is HALF
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I've heard that admitting something is half the battle...
Well, here it goes.
I HATE BLOGGING!!
[that's Largest font, Helvetica, because Helvetica has the word hell in it]
I honestly don't know what to do about this dilemma of mine. But you can expect soon, sometime around the new year, that I might change things up again. I know I need a real webpage, and that is my goal--a money oriented goal--so, I think 2014 will be the year of the webpage for Bethanne Strasser.
I try. I really do, but I don't have the passion to keep up!! Some people LOVE to blog, and they do it with effort yet so smoothly. Whereas, I flounder, look for resolutions, start again, flounder...etc. I think it's a sign that I need to figure something else out. So, bare with me...no wait. That's not right! Bear with me! I'm determined to get through the year on this blog. :D
And then, we'll see...
Well, here it goes.
I HATE BLOGGING!!
[that's Largest font, Helvetica, because Helvetica has the word hell in it]
I honestly don't know what to do about this dilemma of mine. But you can expect soon, sometime around the new year, that I might change things up again. I know I need a real webpage, and that is my goal--a money oriented goal--so, I think 2014 will be the year of the webpage for Bethanne Strasser.
I try. I really do, but I don't have the passion to keep up!! Some people LOVE to blog, and they do it with effort yet so smoothly. Whereas, I flounder, look for resolutions, start again, flounder...etc. I think it's a sign that I need to figure something else out. So, bare with me...no wait. That's not right! Bear with me! I'm determined to get through the year on this blog. :D
And then, we'll see...
Scrivener for Dummies
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What do you do when you're so sick of Microsoft Word you want to pull your hair out?
You look for alternatives!!!
And you find Scrivener. Then you go to a Scrivener workshop put on by Gwen Hernandez--a blonde gal. Okay, yes. I have to mention that!! I don't care if it's odd. :D She's a beautiful blonde woman with a name like Hernandez. It's okay, though. It took me no time at all to acclimate to the contradiction. Especially since I have a beautiful, blonde sister who is now named Reyes...
But, I digress... and onto the topic at hand, Scrivener.
There are lots of awesome things about Scrivener. The first and most obvious...word processing.
It's different, yet similar. Don't get me wrong. There are lots of alternatives to MS Word. Open Office and whatever is on your PC when you get it. Not to mention Notepad. So, this isn't such a big deal maybe.
Its flash is in everything else. It's a fiction writer's organizational dream. It has corkboards, color coding, folders, index cards. In every "fiction" project, it has set folders for characters, research, places...and the ability to add folders if you can think of other things you might want to keep track of. For example, in one project, I opened and started, I decided I was going to use the places folder. In that folder I have at least nine notes with each spot my hero and heroine end up. In those notes are details about the spot, what happens, etc. Because my characters are an Angel and a descendent of Mother Nature, they move alot. This is not the usual small town story--all in one place. It helps to keep things straight.
You can see each note on the corkboard or in outline form or, by clicking through the project files, see them separately in the main window. I know this is all foreign to you if you've never even opened Scrivener to use it, so I'll try not to be too detailed. BUT...I just wanted to get it out there. For all of you people who love post it notes, color coding, and otherwise being anal retentive about plotting, this is a GREAT tool.
Last, but not least, I want to quickly mention. I formatted one of my ms for epub. If anyone else has ever used MS Word to create a .pdf and then dropped it onto an ereader, you know...the formatting is AWFUL. This is not the way books or documents were meant to be read!! Well, let me tell you... using Scrivener to format my doc in order to read it on my Nook??? So awesome. So awesome! If I were to self-publish again, I would know exactly what to do, where to go. None of this crazy step-by-step process that takes well over an hour to get one document into ereader format. Nope. Just a few clicks here, a few clicks there, and BAM! Perfection. I was pleased. By far, pleased with this discovery, more than any other feature.
Anyway, feel free to leave me a comment. Tell me what you think, if you use it.
You look for alternatives!!!
And you find Scrivener. Then you go to a Scrivener workshop put on by Gwen Hernandez--a blonde gal. Okay, yes. I have to mention that!! I don't care if it's odd. :D She's a beautiful blonde woman with a name like Hernandez. It's okay, though. It took me no time at all to acclimate to the contradiction. Especially since I have a beautiful, blonde sister who is now named Reyes...
But, I digress... and onto the topic at hand, Scrivener.
There are lots of awesome things about Scrivener. The first and most obvious...word processing.
It's different, yet similar. Don't get me wrong. There are lots of alternatives to MS Word. Open Office and whatever is on your PC when you get it. Not to mention Notepad. So, this isn't such a big deal maybe.
Its flash is in everything else. It's a fiction writer's organizational dream. It has corkboards, color coding, folders, index cards. In every "fiction" project, it has set folders for characters, research, places...and the ability to add folders if you can think of other things you might want to keep track of. For example, in one project, I opened and started, I decided I was going to use the places folder. In that folder I have at least nine notes with each spot my hero and heroine end up. In those notes are details about the spot, what happens, etc. Because my characters are an Angel and a descendent of Mother Nature, they move alot. This is not the usual small town story--all in one place. It helps to keep things straight.
You can see each note on the corkboard or in outline form or, by clicking through the project files, see them separately in the main window. I know this is all foreign to you if you've never even opened Scrivener to use it, so I'll try not to be too detailed. BUT...I just wanted to get it out there. For all of you people who love post it notes, color coding, and otherwise being anal retentive about plotting, this is a GREAT tool.
Last, but not least, I want to quickly mention. I formatted one of my ms for epub. If anyone else has ever used MS Word to create a .pdf and then dropped it onto an ereader, you know...the formatting is AWFUL. This is not the way books or documents were meant to be read!! Well, let me tell you... using Scrivener to format my doc in order to read it on my Nook??? So awesome. So awesome! If I were to self-publish again, I would know exactly what to do, where to go. None of this crazy step-by-step process that takes well over an hour to get one document into ereader format. Nope. Just a few clicks here, a few clicks there, and BAM! Perfection. I was pleased. By far, pleased with this discovery, more than any other feature.
Anyway, feel free to leave me a comment. Tell me what you think, if you use it.
Saturday Snippets
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When your kids think you're stupid
This snippet is from dinner last night:
After talking about how the school was spray painted and the front pane of glass had been smashed in by a softball, I noted my surprise that a softball could actually break that thick, exterior, tempered glass in the entry to the building.
My oldest son: Mom, a soft ball...isn't really soft, ya know?
I admit, my blood boiled a little and I have a great snarky, sarcastic streak that comes out...sometimes when I least expect it. I have officially entered the my-kids-are-smarter-than-I phase of life.
Me: Yes! I know exactly what a softball is, thank you very much.
Wordless Wednesday--last week before school...
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GAME NIGHT with Grandma...
Saturday Snippets -- The Sandlot
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Yesterday was the 20th Anniversary of The Sandlot... greatest movie ever. And it was featured at our Minor League Baseball Team's stadium. Which actually reminds me of the time I saw Angels in the Outfield at The Pirates' stadium in Pittsburgh, years and years ago. :D That was fun.
So, today... A snippet. :D Well, just the trailer. Someone needs to add a few more clips to youtube. ;)
Late--Music Monday
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*~*~* Be Brave *~*~*
Sunday Summations
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I wrote the title of this blog and immediately thought, that should be 'Sup Sundays...you know, like Whassup? Because really, Sunday Summations? I'm bored just looking at it! :P
Maybe next week, I'll change it up a little...
I have four days left until deadline for this first round of revisions. It's funny because it has involved a lot of rewriting. You know how you can sit and write a story, a novel, and force your way through pages and pages of new ideas? I mean, it's not always easy. It can be. When I get on a roll, I can sit and write two, three, even four scenes in one sitting, but eventually, I stop. Maybe I hit a snag in the plot or I decide to change directions a little. When I'm finished with the story, I'm usually so relieved!!
New words in a revision? Not the same feeling at all. There's a practical approach to new writing during a revision. There's a better sense of what needs to happen, how it's going to happen, and making the words take me there. I think that's why I like the revisions better! Don't get me wrong, penning a new story is, and always will be, exhilarating. But I like the editing part, too.
The story I'm working on is set in a small[ish] town in California. Part of the reason I love the revisions is because I hadn't realized how much my hero and heroine were apart. Now I get to write all these new scenes, fun little stories that show how they fall in love. A date at the winter carnival. Dinner with the family. Etc. It's a little embarrassing, actually. True...my story before fell victim to a very basic mistake--falling in love out of the blue. Or so it might seem to people who don't know the characters as well as I do.
It's good to have those things pointed out to me. Believe me, the next manuscript won't be quite as failing. But, I'm sure there will be something else to mess with...and fix. Always something to learn. Here's an excerpt from the WIP, Letters From Home.
Maybe next week, I'll change it up a little...
I have four days left until deadline for this first round of revisions. It's funny because it has involved a lot of rewriting. You know how you can sit and write a story, a novel, and force your way through pages and pages of new ideas? I mean, it's not always easy. It can be. When I get on a roll, I can sit and write two, three, even four scenes in one sitting, but eventually, I stop. Maybe I hit a snag in the plot or I decide to change directions a little. When I'm finished with the story, I'm usually so relieved!!
New words in a revision? Not the same feeling at all. There's a practical approach to new writing during a revision. There's a better sense of what needs to happen, how it's going to happen, and making the words take me there. I think that's why I like the revisions better! Don't get me wrong, penning a new story is, and always will be, exhilarating. But I like the editing part, too.
The story I'm working on is set in a small[ish] town in California. Part of the reason I love the revisions is because I hadn't realized how much my hero and heroine were apart. Now I get to write all these new scenes, fun little stories that show how they fall in love. A date at the winter carnival. Dinner with the family. Etc. It's a little embarrassing, actually. True...my story before fell victim to a very basic mistake--falling in love out of the blue. Or so it might seem to people who don't know the characters as well as I do.
It's good to have those things pointed out to me. Believe me, the next manuscript won't be quite as failing. But, I'm sure there will be something else to mess with...and fix. Always something to learn. Here's an excerpt from the WIP, Letters From Home.
***
Maria smiled. “So, what’s going on with Zack?”
“Not Zack. I’m
convincing Lena to go meet her secret admirer,” Catalina
answered.
Her sisters chatted
back and forth about the attributes of the dwindling single population in Red
Bluff. But one thought that had been niggling at the back of Lena's mind came to
fruition.
She took a deep breath. “What if it’s Zack?”
“What?” Cat broke
off what she was saying and turned wide eyes to Lena.
“That would be
convenient, yes?” Maria kept her eyes closed as she spoke. “I wouldn’t care who
it is. It’s romantic. Nothing romantic ever happens around here.”
“That’s not true!”
Catalina sat up in protest. “You went out with Mario last month and he brought
you a rose.”
Lena perked up at
that news. “Mario?”
“Yeah, that wasn’t
going to work. Mario? And Maria?” Maria cringed.
“You didn’t want
it to work out.” Catalina pouted.
“Shut up, Cat.”
Maria toed off her shoes and curled into one of the throw pillows. “You should
both know that I’m giving up dating. My New Year resolution is to not
get involved with anyone this year.”
Catalina laughed.
“Come on. It won’t last!”
But there was hurt
in Maria’s eyes. Something had happened that she wasn’t talking about and Lena
wished she hadn’t missed so much while she was away. “Good for you, Maria. There is nothing wrong
with that.”
Maria roused,
slowly opening her eyes and getting up. “Thanks, Lena.”
Maria reached over to ruffle Lena’s hair and give her a
hug. “You know, how could it be Zack? He only came home in June. You’ve been getting
letters since January.”
Lena
sighed. “There is that.”
"Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, Lena. Then the mystery will be over. " Cat also got up to leave. "Don't worry about it. You'll do what's right...you always have."
Music Monday
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My son's piano teacher has given us a few assignments to find music to listen to. Last week it was the theme song to Mission Impossible. We found this!! And I thoroughly enjoyed it. :D
Saturday Snippets -- The Pitch
/Thursday, I pitched to Carly Silver at Harlequin Publishing for their Special Edition Line. :D
This is what I threw at her....
Single mom,
Samantha Hollister, returns to her hometown in search of a safe haven to bring
up her daughter, only to find her beloved family home sold to her childhood
sweetheart. Former soldier, Morgan Lawrence, plans to convert the house into a
hunting lodge for wounded soldiers. He hasn’t let a missing leg stop him, so
he’s not about to let a certain feisty ex-girlfriend stand in his way, either. Years
ago, following their own dreams tore Sam and Morgan apart. Now they have a
second chance. This time, can they bring their different dreams together and
learn to love?
This was her response: ...after a lot of questions that made me spew nerve-induced, incoherent answers, which also made me think, "that makes no sense at all!"
She wants to see a proposal. Yippee. Not a resounding, "I love it!" But the chance to convince her it's an awesome story. I sent it. No grass growing under these feet, I swear. I have too much to do!!
Have a great weekend, friends.
With Love,
Bethanne
She wants to see a proposal. Yippee. Not a resounding, "I love it!" But the chance to convince her it's an awesome story. I sent it. No grass growing under these feet, I swear. I have too much to do!!
Have a great weekend, friends.
With Love,
Bethanne
Pitching to HQ
/
Never really thought I'd see that happen in my lifetime. I know I write romance so it's not completely off the charts. Maybe it just took a few years to understand the value of the cliche... the trope. I wrote a story, and it just fits the line. :)
Wish me luck. It's a 100 word pitch, which I'll share in my Saturday Snippet. I don't know why. Maybe I'm just suspicious enough not to want to throw it out there before I use it officially.
For now, I've got my coffee.
I've got an extremely quiet house...
Time to get to work. Have a great day.
With Love, Bethanne
Wish me luck. It's a 100 word pitch, which I'll share in my Saturday Snippet. I don't know why. Maybe I'm just suspicious enough not to want to throw it out there before I use it officially.
For now, I've got my coffee.
I've got an extremely quiet house...
Time to get to work. Have a great day.
With Love, Bethanne
