My Pen Still Works!

Check it out! I cleaned out the ink chamber and it's working great!
(FYI, the photo was lightened a bit. The ink is actually much darker and smoother in person.)

This is called the Pelikan Go! fountain pen. It has what's called a piston filling system. I love it. Pelikan doesn't make this version anymore, but you can probably find one on eBay.

Hope you are having a lovely Sunday.

The Mighty Pen

I do most of my writing on my laptop, but I was told a long time ago that it is important to hand write things. The act of putting pen to paper actually does something in our brains, activates cells, that helps us to remember things better. Time to dust off the old writing journal.

I also have this super cool fountain pen someone gave me years ago, along with  two bottles of ink. Although most people don't care about their writing implements, there really is something magical about writing with a fountain pen. The one I have is modern. You fill it up, so you don't have to keep dipping it. And every mark on the paper comes out beautifully clean and precise. Every word becomes a work of art. I just hope my pen still works. I'm sure I'll have to take it apart and clean it.

Have you ever used a fountain pen? Do you have a favorite brand? I may need to replace mine.

Freewriting Today

Good morning! Since I have nothing to say at the moment, I will give you an example of freewriting. No judgement, please. Laughing is okay.

I'm looking out the window and the sky is grey. It's almost as if God tipped over a bucket of paint, the one He was using on the elephants. "Oops!" He cries out, while quickly grabbing up the pail, so no more spreads. Too much paint and the sun will be blocked out. There goes mankind. Don't want that... yet.

There ya go! My mini freewriting lesson for today. Since I don't have much time this morning, I kept it short. When you freewrite, you just write down whatever pops into your head. It can be totally ridiculous and not make any sense. Nobody is going to read it... not unless you plaster it on a blog for the world to see, that is.

Have a greytful day!

My Old Stomping Ground

I was searching for writer information sites and I found the one I used to frequent! It's called National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for short. I don't remember how I had originally discovered it, but when I did they were just getting started for their annual event where you write 50,000 words in one month. I accepted that challenge and actually accomplished it! It was basically a freewriting experiment for me. For those of you who don't know about freewriting, it is stream of consciousness, and a great exercise to help with writer's block. I know, I know! I keep meaning to do that. Every day I say, "I really should just do some freewriting." Someone told me it was great to do before bed, when you're tired. I bet it would be really interesting to read that the next morning.

Now I have rejoined nanowrimo.org in the hopes of finding some peers to hang out with, as we kick each other's butts into gear and get our novels finished. If you have any other suggestions on writers' resources, please post them below.

Have a beautiful day, even if the sky is gloomy.

Desert Island Time

Good morning, world! Thank you for this beautiful grey day!

Lately I keep thinking, "When am I going to start working on my novel again?" I have so many things to do, even if some of them are just thoughts in my head.

What if I could actually dedicate some time to do nothing but WRITE? No distractions, no worries, just immerse myself in creativity and get my novel finished. Well, maybe it is possible! Check out Funds for Writers. They are a site dedicated to helping writers get paid for their art. There's an entire page called Grants. I am off to find one that suits me. I notice a lot of them are for people in specific areas. There must be some for northern California...

And I'm back already! There was nothing there that suited me, but I will keep searching. Wish me luck!

Writing Fan Fiction

I used to write fan fiction a long time ago. It was all based on my favorite TV shows: Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, The 10th Kingdom, General Hospital and All My Children. If you don't have any new character ideas yet, it's a great way to practice writing everyday.

Some of my old stories are on a site called FanFiction.net, but there was a mass exodus a few years ago when they started "burning" books. They don't allow adult content on their site, even though they have a Mature Audiences rating you can use. One day they decided to purge anything with adult content in it. People got so angry they banded together and started a new site called AO3 or Archive of Our Own. If you have anything adult in your stories, go straight to AO3.

Well, I must get ready for work. Have a great day. I know I will.

Resources for Writers?

Ah, what a glorious foggy day!

One of the reasons I started getting serious about my writing again was because I somehow ended up on a mailing list for a self publishing service (who shall remain nameless due to their horrid user reviews). I don't remember signing up, but anything is possible. I helped my husband, Mick Gray, self-publish his children's book, Al B. Mouse's Abecedarium, years ago and was searching for help all over the place. Anyway, this company's email was constantly bombarding me with subject lines like Tips for Writing Children's Books, How to Stay Motivated, Finding Creative Momentum, Marketing Strategies for Authors... and so on.

Today I will start checking out writers resources and start reading all the books I got about writing, like The Writing Life by Annie Dillard. It's also time to join an online writers community and get some support. I used to belong to one many years ago and it was great. They even had local meetups all over the country, where writers could get together and brainstorm or just write in each others company. You know you can't slack off when your friends are watching.

I will post my resource findings in the next post.

Write About Your Passions?

The other day, when I wondered how I would get back into writing after a five year hiatus, a friend told me to write on what I'm most passionate about. She was assuming that was spirituality. While I love all things spiritual, metaphysical and meditative, my real passion is ROMANCE NOVELS.

Okay, you can stop laughing now! Geez!

I have been a fan of romance novels since I was a teenager. I love to watch people fall in love, their journey, their discoveries, their challenges, etc. And I love sex. Sorry, but I do. In fact, if a romance novel doesn't have a good love scene I usually feel cheated. It's a part of life, baby. It's natural and beautiful. It's an important form of communication, as much as procreation.

So, do I want to be a romance writer? I'm not sure. Maybe? It wasn't what I planned for the series that's playing in my mind. Think Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but with boys. There might be romance in it, but I wouldn't classify it as romance. Young adult genre for sure.

Anyway, here are three examples of romance novels that really made me sit up and take notice. They are all completely different, yet they all use humor to deal with heavy subject matter, which I love! In backwards order of historical timeline...

All Summer Long by Susan Mallery. This book is just one in a long line of stories about a small town in northern California, called Fools Gold (best marketing site ever!). This town and its community are described so vividly, that everyone who reads these books wants to move there, including myself! This particular story is about a tough young female firefighter who had been raped in college and never learned to trust men because of it. When she is attracted to a man for the first time in several years, she asks him to help her get over her fear of intimacy. This is a book I want my daughter to read when she's old enough. It is the perfect example of how making love should be! You start out as friends, you get comfortable with each other, you TALK about what you want, and you take things SLOW. It is my favorite of the entire series.

The next novel is Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas. This is the first of her books I had ever read and I fell in love with her writing style and humor. This story is about a female novelist in 19th century England. She is about to turn 30 and wants to lose  her virginity, without having to be beholden to a husband. She contacts the proprietress of the most popular brothel in town, who has just the man for her! Mistaken identity and hilarity ensue, when the handsome man who shows up is not from the brothel. The madame was playing matchmaker. I love that the heroine is a bit overweight and older than her hero.

This last book is Transcendence by Shay Savage. I came across it on an Amazon.com recommendation page. I think it was free at the time. It had great reviews, so I figured what the heck. First of all, judging by the cover I thought it was going to be either a dark ages or mystical fairy romance. As much as I love those genres in film, I'm not necessarily a fan of these books. Then when I started reading it was in first person narrative, which I don't care for (I'm getting used to it now because several books I've read recently are all in first person). I became so engrossed in this man's tale. It was all about a caveman's daily struggle. It probably sounds silly, but it was not at all. I am going to spoil  this book right now so if you plan to read it stop here and go get it!

This is a time travel story about a young woman who accidentally gets thrown back thousands of years and is found by a lonely caveman, who is overjoyed to have finally found a mate. It's pretty funny how he internalizes why she will not let him mate with her, and the many ways he tries to make her like him so she will let him (bringing her dead animals, making her proper fur clothing, making her a comb). He is in awe of her because she teaches him about modern conveniences like pottery, slings to carry heavy items, and an easier way to make fire! Because it's in first person, I kept trying to figure out what was going on with this girl. At first I thought she was left behind by an expedition from another planet. But at the end we get her POV and find out how she got there. It was a really beautiful love story that made me laugh and cry. An unexpected gem of a story.

Sorry this turned into a book review, but I wanted to share the differences in the romance genre. There are so many possibilities. And my future novels just might fall into this category. I will keep you posted.

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

I did it! I have embarked on my writing career, the one I have dreamed about having all my adult life. I swore I would wake up every morning, say THANK YOU to the universe (check), go meditate (check) and sit down and write something--anything--on this blog (check).

*insert Jeopardy them music*

Thank you, Alex. I'll take "Subjects to Write About" for $200.

I'm sure this will get easier with practice...right? Writing is like everything else, I need to work that muscle. It's been so long I've forgotten how to start. So until my muse comes down and inspires me, I will just write about random things.

I mentioned that we got rid of cable TV last week. I really haven't missed it much so far. I've been busy helping my daughter get ready for her big exit interview at school. This is where each 8th grader has to present all the things they've learned and grown from during their time at school. I don't know if this is a new thing at all schools. I sure didn't have it when I was in junior high. It could be part of progressive education. We've had our daughter in a progressive parent co-op school since kindergarten. It's a public school, so it's free. There's just a small annual fee that helps to cover field trips. If you are able to donate a few hours in the classroom each week, I highly recommend it. The school experience then becomes a community, rather than just some place to drop your kid off while you go to work. If you think you don't have the time, I believe most companies offer family leave for such situations. Look into it. If you're in the San Jose area, check out The Indigo Program.

Have a great day!
Go inspire someone.

Welcome to My Writing Blog!

The pull has become too strong! For months now I've felt like something wasn't right. I finally realized I had to start writing again. I'd been writing stories since I was a child, and for a while dabbled in fan fiction. That was another lifetime, though. And five years ago I had a great idea for a book series. Sadly, I let my fear get the best of me and gave in to writers block. Like I said, that was FIVE YEARS AGO!!! What?!?

Okay, Holly, snap out of it and get off your ass (or on your ass) and start typing!
Okay, me! I will. *flexes and wiggles fingers*

So, here we go, day one of my writing blog. I plan to start each morning with a word of gratitude and an observation. I will also occasionally post things I enjoy and want to share with you. Mostly, this will be me trying to get disciplined by writing every day. Hmm, discipline. I've never been any good at that. Even my meditation practice starts and stops, while my body screams at me to just sit down and shut the freak up for a minute or two... or twenty (like I should).
Follow me on a journey as I become a self-published author. Notice the title of my blog already says AUTHOR. That is called the law of attraction, people!

STEP 1: Get rid of the biggest distraction...TV.
Okay, we didn't actually get rid of our tv, but we did cancel cable! As much as we loved DirecTV, it was a huge expense that really wasn't worth it. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law got us a Roku for the holidays a couple years ago and we love it! When we feel the need to watch something, we can view Hulu Plus or Netflix, and various other channels at less than half of what we were paying for DirecTV. I thought our daughter would put up more of a fight, but as long as she can watch her favorite shows later in the week, she's happy.

Check out Roku. Do you have one? Do you like it?