A Writer's Internet Find: BrainyQuote

I was working on a blog post when I went in search of a quote and I found a great site called BrainyQuote.com.

This site is loaded with quotes about everything. When I searched for voice, this is what I got. Over 40 pages of quotes. Incredible.

The site utilizes Google Search to query the internet and list the results for your perusal. At least, that's how it seems. A bit wonky if you ask me, but it gets the job done. However the search works, I've bookmarked the site for future use.

If you've ever wanted to use a quote for your writing, or anything else, this might be the place to check out. Do you have a favorite place to get your quotes? Share in the comments.

(Bet you can guess that my next post has something to do with voice.)

Back to the Drawing Board

Yep. Back to the ol' Drawing Board. Time to review and tweak my outline.

Why? Because of my editor's comments. She gave me lots to think about, but the piece of feedback that will take the most amount of work deals with my setting. She highlighted something I hadn't considered. My story takes place in 17th century Scotland, which is very popular with other writers. So, she asked, how was I going to make my story stand out from the rest?

Um... After a few days of letting her question percolate, I have an idea. An idea that means lots of research and playing with facts and maybe even physics.

Fortunately, the work I've done so far won't be a complete waste as I can use most of my material. However, I predict major tweaks to how the setting interacts with my characters and vice versa. I think. At this stage, it's hard for me to predict how it will all come out.

While this problem-solving/creating effort, if not exactly exciting, is enticing, it means that the finish date of the story just got pushed out even further to some undetermined date. (Can you hear my frustrated sigh?) No, I haven't succumbed to the urge to ditch the story. And fortunately, my coach reminded me that any movement is better than no movement. So, I'll just suck it up and get it done.

To that end, I've printed out my latest outline and begun my research. Let the tweaking and twisting begin. How diabolical unique can I be? Time will tell.

In the meantime, I hope the Drawing Board is ready, cuz here I come.

A Writer's Platform? Really? Yes.

Seasoned writers, coaches, agents, and the like all talk about platform, and how a writer, published or not, needs to have one. The rule-following person that I am, I started my platform with this blog many moons ago.

Which is sort of anemic. Yes, I noticed.

Truth is I struggle with what to blog about. Memes? My writing journey? A story draft? What? There are only so many times I can rant and rave about the long and tedious revision process. And significantly less times that you'll read it.

Twitter, Google+, LinkdIn, Pinterest? I have profiles in each of those social networking sites that I keep for writing related topics, not that I do much with them. That's going to change.

I just signed up for Platform Bingo with Christina Katz. This is the first offering
by Christina designed to help writers of all backgrounds and experiences to develop and maintain a platform. I'm looking forward to getting ideas that help me understand the platform concept and how to make one that reflects me and my writing. The game starts tomorrow.

Any one else interested in some platform coaching? We can try it out together. Just follow the link.

Keep an eye out for this space. Plans to be afoot.

Time. I need More Time.

Who doesn't need more time? Ask anyone. If they could have more, they'd take it. I know I would. (Power would be good too. However, that might be a greedy to ask for both time and power.)


We all get the same amount of time in a day, yet the 86,400 seconds still aren't enough. Or so it seems. With exercising, cooking, eating, cleaning, chauffering, volunteering, sleeping, and general mothering and wife-ing, sometimes it's difficult to wedge in photographing and writing. But wedge them in I must.

With the guidance of my life coach, I've been scheduling in that writing time and setting realistic goals. And now that school started today, I can already hear the uninterrupted writing time calling me.

What will I do with all that time? Keep working on the revision that seems to never end.

What do you wish you had more time for? Let me know in the comments.

My Life Coach and Me

When I won a week's worth of life coaching with Susan Duncan in a raffle, I thought I was helping out a friend jumpstart her new business  Turns out that I, a queen of organizing, goal setting and doing, needed the help instead.

At the start of the coaching session, I hadn't gotten any writing done in several weeks, due to other family activities. So I figured it would be best to work on that aspect of my life. During those first coaching sessions, I was reminded that planning is all good, but if it isn't set on realistic goals, heartache is an unintended consequence.

How many times can I set and not reach the goal of querying my story by the end of the year, and not see the flaw? Quite a few, particularly since I want to get to the other part of being an writer... published.

That's where Coach put her hands up and asked me to calculate, yes calculate, given my current rate of revision, a realistic date to send out the story queries. When the calculation came out to week 52 of 2014, I won't lie, that depressed me. But now I knew, and knowing is half the battle. Thanks to Susan, I realized I was too close, and impatient, to see how I was setting myself up for heartache. 

Which brings up something else Coach is helping me set up, an opposite of heartache: a reward system. This system includes a little rewards at set intervals if I complete my writing goals for a week. (I'm looking forward to some new music soon.) She also encouraged me to get the whole family involved, as they are my primary support system. So, the hubby, kids, and I have agreed to give High Fives and Family Hugs when anyone, not just me, meets interim goals as well as the regular celebrations when the big goals are achieved.

Another aspect Susan is working with me is to readjust my mindset when my daily writing goals are interrupted. It's sounds easy: reset the daily goal and mindset to see something positive of the situation. Operative words, sounds easy. Not so much, especially when that end of 2014 goal gets pushed into 2015. That is why she asked me to place the inspirational/motivational poster she asked me to make right next to my computer. A cheerleader always present and ready to encourage.

Just like with my decision to contract with my editor, I'm glad that I engaged with Susan on my writing life. I look forward to what else Susan has up her sleeve to help me to setup my success. Thanks, Coach!