19th on our countdown (the best vs the worst parts of being an aspiring novelist): commenting under a blog post vs. emailing or visiting the commenters' blogs to acknowlegde a comment
we've been struggling with figuring out the best way to comment on comments.
if you're a commenter, you might have realized this:
we always comment on our blog UNDER your comments (er, we hope, anyway)
we always email comments as well. er, nope, we don't. (but we've started to.) HOWEVER, thanks to Abby (yes, click on the word Abby and follow her. she's awesome) we now realize we've been responding to a non-address. (your name @ no reply blogspot [dot] com) which means we're responding to no one. oops.)
sometimes we follow you over to your blog to reciprocate a comment (we mean to do this EVERY time...and will get better at it)we're busy moms, writers, and bloggers. but we intend to respond to all of you.
on a personal level.
you are our friends. sincerely.
SO, how do you prefer to have your comments acknowledged?
a) comments under our blog post
b)comments under YOUR blog post at YOUR blog
c)email (only if you want this you have to check the box on YOUR blog's profile to SHOW EMAIL. then we will no longer email you at a no reply address aka your email out there in oblivion)
(also check out this post by YA author elana johnson on comments...#3 also helped us figure out our replying via email problem.
lately we've been trying to do all three, and we believe that is the best way. then all commenters can see our comments, plus we're sending a personal email and making that connection with you, and we're visiting you to see what your thoughts are that day. it's only fair and right after all.
time consuming? yes. can we promise to do all three every day? no. we wish we could. so, since we can't do all three all the time. which method is your favorite?
And if you have a chance, let us know how you connect. How did you find us? How do you know other aspiring novelists? How do you find followers? Who do you choose to follow and what does that mean to you?
thanks!!!!
12.08.2010
12.07.2010
#20
20. the death of a first novel vs. the birth of the second
there's a something in this room no one wants to talk about.
we know that.
somewhere, something died. and it took a lot of loved one's with it.
a service was held. people are mourning.
it's the death of a manuscript.
there's a something in this room no one wants to talk about.
we know that.
somewhere, something died. and it took a lot of loved one's with it.
a service was held. people are mourning.
it's the death of a manuscript.
this is what it might look like
it takes awhile to figure out when this death might occur and who will carry it out.
is it the author deciding he/she can't make it work no matter how much they edit/revise/rewrite?
is it the critique partner encouraging the author to move on (and keep moving. away from the manuscript)?
is it the industry telling the author ohmygoddontsubmitavampirenovelevenifyouthinkitwillbegreatjustdon't right after you finished yours?
what's the silver lining here? you get to start over. the bad plot line? gone. that character no one liked? dead. the awkward, stilted dialogue you tried to rewrite twenty times and never quite nailed? silenced forever.
so, if this has happened to you, go ahead. kill one to save the other. we give you permission. and a shoulder (er, four shoulders) to cry on - just let us know. then, start a new one. and look like this:
yep, that's better
How about you? Have you ever killed your manuscript? Or felt like it?
12.06.2010
#21 and mealtime madness monday
21st on our The Best vs Worst parts of being an aspiring novelist countdown: setting a schedule vs. keeping a schedule
Setting something to blog about every Monday is good - until you have something else to talk about. (If we stop on our countdown now we'll never finish in December. And it IS only a monthly theme.) And setting a writing (running, etc.) schedule is good - until something else comes up. Even setting an eating/mealtime/snacktime/calorie counting schedule is all good and fine until you're invited out for dinner or to a party of some sort or someone brings donuts in to the teacher's lounge at work. Or something.
So with the topic of our themely countdown taken care of, on to today's recipe. (You may notice extra adverbs in my posts. Real or made up. I am trying very hard NOT to use them in my manuscript. So in order to help with my withdrawl I'll use them here instead.)
Here's an appetizer to munch on while you wait for the meal. Oh, who am I kidding. There's not that much wait time involved. It's a quick, easy and YUMMY meal to make. Munch anyways. Or serve the appetizer with the meal.
My husband's new stuffed mushroom recipe. He made this just last week. Came up with it out of the blue when he discovered we had semi-old mushrooms and no cream cheese to stuff them with. He still stuffed them. Here's what with:
You'll need 1 carton of baby bella mushrooms (about 15 baby bellas)
1 slice of bread (we had split top wheat on hand)
1/2-3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons of onion flakes and/or 1/4 cup diced onion for more texture
1- 1 1/2 tablespoons of garlic powder
(4 oz cream cheese if available)
1 1/4 tablespoon ranch dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons
1-2 pinches of salt
Rinse and pull off stems. Save half of the stems for the stuffing.
Chop up the stems.
Melt butter in a saucepan on stove over high heat. Place mushrooms in pan (open side up) for about ten-twelve minutes.
While that cooks, break bread up into small pieces into a microwave safe bowl. Add stems and all other stuffing ingredients to the bowl. Place bowl in microwave until ingredients are soft and mixable.
Mix ingredients. Use a scooping spoon to add a spoonful of stuffing to the middle of each mushroom.
Turn stovetop down to medium heat. Heat mushrooms with stuffing for about five minutes.
Place mushrooms on a serving pan or plate.
Enjoy!
Fettuccine Alfredo con Chicken and Broccoli (totally rivals Olive Garden) (makes four servings)
1 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons butter in slices
2-4 cloves of garlic chopped fine
2 cups parmesan cheese (shredded)
3-6 sprigs fresh parsley (or parsley flakes)
salt and pepper to taste
fettucine (or other pasta) enough for four servings
chicken breast strips (1 lb)
broccoli (enough for four people)
(italian bread, butter, garlic powder, optional)
Boil pasta in large pot (12-15 minutes) until soft.
Place chicken in large pan on stove top over medium heat (add water to cover bottom of pan, sprinkle pinch of salt and pepper over chicken). Cover pan. Cook until no longer pink in middle.
If using fresh broccoli rinse, cut off stems, add to boiling water for a five minutes, until soft, OR steam as per directions on your steamer, OR use steamfresh package of broccoli and place in microwave. When finished, add butter along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
While the pasta boils, chicken bakes and broccoli softens, blend/mix all other ingredients until smooth. (I have a magic bullet...that's where the recipe came from. Use the cross blade if you have one, too.)
Place container of mixed ingredients in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or on stove top until sauce is heated thoroughly.
(While heating, slice italian bread, spread butter over each slice, sprinkle with garlic powder (and parmesan cheese and parsely flakes) and broil in oven until brown.)
Then blend/whip heated alfredo sauce for a few seconds more (3-4 pulses with the magic bullet flat blade) and serve over hot pasta.
Dice chicken. Add chicken and broccoli as toppings to the pasta dish. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
We ate this meal this past Saturday night after getting our Christmas tree. We treated my parents and brother-in-law to dinner after a fun outing in the cold. There wasn't any snow yet this year, but it was cold. My son's teeth chattered the whole time and he just wanted to get back into the car.
Grasshopper Ice Cream Dessert (serves four)
Fill up a blender with vanilla ice cream. Pour in cream de menthe to taste (4 shots). (Add 1-2 shots of brandy. Optional) Blend. Serve in glasses with straws.
Here's our perfectly crooked and beautiful tree. My four year old picked it out and is incredibly proud of his choice. So are we. He is certain Santa will love it as much as he does.
Have a great week everyone!
Christy
Setting something to blog about every Monday is good - until you have something else to talk about. (If we stop on our countdown now we'll never finish in December. And it IS only a monthly theme.) And setting a writing (running, etc.) schedule is good - until something else comes up. Even setting an eating/mealtime/snacktime/calorie counting schedule is all good and fine until you're invited out for dinner or to a party of some sort or someone brings donuts in to the teacher's lounge at work. Or something.
So with the topic of our themely countdown taken care of, on to today's recipe. (You may notice extra adverbs in my posts. Real or made up. I am trying very hard NOT to use them in my manuscript. So in order to help with my withdrawl I'll use them here instead.)
Here's an appetizer to munch on while you wait for the meal. Oh, who am I kidding. There's not that much wait time involved. It's a quick, easy and YUMMY meal to make. Munch anyways. Or serve the appetizer with the meal.
My husband's new stuffed mushroom recipe. He made this just last week. Came up with it out of the blue when he discovered we had semi-old mushrooms and no cream cheese to stuff them with. He still stuffed them. Here's what with:
You'll need 1 carton of baby bella mushrooms (about 15 baby bellas)
1 slice of bread (we had split top wheat on hand)
1/2-3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons of onion flakes and/or 1/4 cup diced onion for more texture
1- 1 1/2 tablespoons of garlic powder
(4 oz cream cheese if available)
1 1/4 tablespoon ranch dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons
1-2 pinches of salt
Rinse and pull off stems. Save half of the stems for the stuffing.
Chop up the stems.
Melt butter in a saucepan on stove over high heat. Place mushrooms in pan (open side up) for about ten-twelve minutes.
While that cooks, break bread up into small pieces into a microwave safe bowl. Add stems and all other stuffing ingredients to the bowl. Place bowl in microwave until ingredients are soft and mixable.
Mix ingredients. Use a scooping spoon to add a spoonful of stuffing to the middle of each mushroom.
Turn stovetop down to medium heat. Heat mushrooms with stuffing for about five minutes.
Place mushrooms on a serving pan or plate.
Enjoy!
Fettuccine Alfredo con Chicken and Broccoli (totally rivals Olive Garden) (makes four servings)
1 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons butter in slices
2-4 cloves of garlic chopped fine
2 cups parmesan cheese (shredded)
3-6 sprigs fresh parsley (or parsley flakes)
salt and pepper to taste
fettucine (or other pasta) enough for four servings
chicken breast strips (1 lb)
broccoli (enough for four people)
(italian bread, butter, garlic powder, optional)
Boil pasta in large pot (12-15 minutes) until soft.
Place chicken in large pan on stove top over medium heat (add water to cover bottom of pan, sprinkle pinch of salt and pepper over chicken). Cover pan. Cook until no longer pink in middle.
If using fresh broccoli rinse, cut off stems, add to boiling water for a five minutes, until soft, OR steam as per directions on your steamer, OR use steamfresh package of broccoli and place in microwave. When finished, add butter along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
While the pasta boils, chicken bakes and broccoli softens, blend/mix all other ingredients until smooth. (I have a magic bullet...that's where the recipe came from. Use the cross blade if you have one, too.)
Place container of mixed ingredients in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or on stove top until sauce is heated thoroughly.
(While heating, slice italian bread, spread butter over each slice, sprinkle with garlic powder (and parmesan cheese and parsely flakes) and broil in oven until brown.)
Then blend/whip heated alfredo sauce for a few seconds more (3-4 pulses with the magic bullet flat blade) and serve over hot pasta.
Dice chicken. Add chicken and broccoli as toppings to the pasta dish. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
We ate this meal this past Saturday night after getting our Christmas tree. We treated my parents and brother-in-law to dinner after a fun outing in the cold. There wasn't any snow yet this year, but it was cold. My son's teeth chattered the whole time and he just wanted to get back into the car.
Grasshopper Ice Cream Dessert (serves four)
Fill up a blender with vanilla ice cream. Pour in cream de menthe to taste (4 shots). (Add 1-2 shots of brandy. Optional) Blend. Serve in glasses with straws.
Have a great week everyone!
Christy
12.05.2010
Pet Names (terms of endearment)
My sister-in-law calls her daughter "peanut". When I was little (who am I kidding, I'm 5'1"?) younger a child, my mom called me "kiddo". I call my kids "honey", "pumpkin", "sweet pea" and "honey bunches of oats". At school I even call my students "honey", "buddy", and once, accidentally, "babe". (I don't even know how that slipped out.)
How many different terms of endearment are there? honey, baby, dear, sweetheart, muffin, sugar,...I'm sure you can help me out with this list. :0)
And I know they vary from language to language and culture to culture. I remember learning about pet names in a French phonetics class I took in college (from a professor from Belgium). She said theirs were chosen by how they sounded, not necessarily what they stood for. Le petit puce...because the p's were pleasing to the ears...not because a mother necessarily felt her little baby reminded her of a little flea.
I recently thought about my characters and what they refer to each other as. I haven't read the middle of Solstice in at least six months. I can't remember if my MC's dad uses any terms of endearment when he talks to her. I can't remember what Lawrence calls Dawn. In my current WIP (okay, so now I'm actually switching back and forth on a daily basis so I guess they're both my current WIPS, but whatever) my MC's not-so-best friend calls her "Love". You know like, "Oh, Love. I can't even believe you wore that atrocious outfit today." She never actually says that, but she's probably thought it.
So...just curious. What terms of endearment, or pet names, do you use in your real life? And which ones, if any, do you include in your novels? How do you decide which to use?
How many different terms of endearment are there? honey, baby, dear, sweetheart, muffin, sugar,...I'm sure you can help me out with this list. :0)
And I know they vary from language to language and culture to culture. I remember learning about pet names in a French phonetics class I took in college (from a professor from Belgium). She said theirs were chosen by how they sounded, not necessarily what they stood for. Le petit puce...because the p's were pleasing to the ears...not because a mother necessarily felt her little baby reminded her of a little flea.
I recently thought about my characters and what they refer to each other as. I haven't read the middle of Solstice in at least six months. I can't remember if my MC's dad uses any terms of endearment when he talks to her. I can't remember what Lawrence calls Dawn. In my current WIP (okay, so now I'm actually switching back and forth on a daily basis so I guess they're both my current WIPS, but whatever) my MC's not-so-best friend calls her "Love". You know like, "Oh, Love. I can't even believe you wore that atrocious outfit today." She never actually says that, but she's probably thought it.
So...just curious. What terms of endearment, or pet names, do you use in your real life? And which ones, if any, do you include in your novels? How do you decide which to use?
12.04.2010
#22 (& award giveaway)
aspiring writers who blog may get this...best part vs. worst part...
22nd on our countdown list of best/worst thing about being an aspiring writer:
receiving blog awards (yay! the best) and passing them on (we love acknowleging others' awesomeness! still great!) vs the time it takes us, a procrastinating and busy pair, to come up with new tidbits to share with you all (oooh, this takes some time and thought) and the linking and notifying part, although we DO love connecting with you all. so it's totally worth it. :0)
speaking of...we got an award recently and we're taking this opportunity to say "thanks so much" and to pass it on!
(almost) fifteen amazing bloggers, we'd like to pass this award to YOU:
1-dangerous with a pen--fellow teacher, mom, blogger and writer (yes, weregift reaward) BUT since you already have the award and you've already done all the work, here's a special something for you (and all the others listed below): virtual flowers. just take 'em. no need to pass them on or acknowledge or state seven anythings. just a simple thank you from us.
2-fellow blog pair (deb and barbara) at the middle ages--blog partners rock!
3-theresa milstein @ a substitute teacher's saga --shares teaching woes and family woes
5-josh @ the weed--runs on the treadmill in the morning, fellow crusader (first round) and dad
6-jeff beesler--because i totally missed his post on the 29th until now...and it was competetive vs comparative...and well, it fits our theme. so naturally i LOVE that post!
7-colene murphy at the journey--great newly discovered blog
9-joanna st james--loyal commenter who also gives great advice (via comments AND her blog!)
10- francine @ romancing the blog for posting pics of hot guys...oh, and helpful posts, too!
11- teachers who blog (can i award myself on another site? it's probably way tacky, but we're just beginning and need some help, and by help i mean YOU! comments and feedback from fellow teachers, please!)
12- the sisterhood for beautiful, thought-provoking blog posts
13-donea lee the queen of procrastination we LOVE your title.
14-obsesssions of a workaholic @ http://neuroticworkaholic.blogspot.com/ ...another busy teacher!
15-catherine @ kangaroobe's blog for a great blog in general...and as and added bonus got me thinking in french for a moment!
to accept the versatile blogger award post it in a blog post. in that very same post, list seven random bits of info about yourself, pass it on to (almost)15 other bloggers (link to all of them in the blog post) and notify all of them that you've given them an award.
here's my embarrassing seven. (it's me, christy, all the way)
7 tips christy learned the hard way. (i'm sure none of you are this idiotic, so you'll learn nothing from this. feel free to have a good laugh, though. or think i'm a huge jerkly idiot.)
1. don't email after two glasses of wine and a dessert coffee. you risk the chance of being a huge jerk. oh, and dessert coffee is pretty potently filled with alcohol. apparently.
2. don't drink the above mentioned drinks the night before a 15k race. you risk the chance of feeling like puking the entire way.
3. don't sign up to race 9.3 miles when your legs haven't run more than 3 consecutive miles for over two months.
4. don't send query letters without proofreading first. don't do an impromptu email edit of a query letter just before sending it off. you risk the chance of having the first half of the query in past tense and the second in present. don't then send an apology email for having sent the first poorly written email. don't send the above mentioned emails to your number one agent pick.
5. don't be late for work. too many times. (i did see a cute coffee cup saying the other day: i'm not always late. sometimes i don't show up at all!) cute, but not responsible. definitely not. (i'm responsible, really. and a good employee.)
6. don't place a bun (dinner roll) on a paper plate in the oven to broil. you risk the chance of starting an oven fire and smoking up the whole house.
7. don't speed. tickets are expensive. and it's unsafe.
THANKS again to really great blogger at dangerous with a pen. check her out if you haven't in the past. oh, and you have a bit of time to enter her great blogfest and contest yet! click on her link!
22nd on our countdown list of best/worst thing about being an aspiring writer:
receiving blog awards (yay! the best) and passing them on (we love acknowleging others' awesomeness! still great!) vs the time it takes us, a procrastinating and busy pair, to come up with new tidbits to share with you all (oooh, this takes some time and thought) and the linking and notifying part, although we DO love connecting with you all. so it's totally worth it. :0)
speaking of...we got an award recently and we're taking this opportunity to say "thanks so much" and to pass it on!
(almost) fifteen amazing bloggers, we'd like to pass this award to YOU:
1-dangerous with a pen--fellow teacher, mom, blogger and writer (yes, we
2-fellow blog pair (deb and barbara) at the middle ages--blog partners rock!
3-theresa milstein @ a substitute teacher's saga --shares teaching woes and family woes
5-josh @ the weed--runs on the treadmill in the morning, fellow crusader (first round) and dad
6-jeff beesler--because i totally missed his post on the 29th until now...and it was competetive vs comparative...and well, it fits our theme. so naturally i LOVE that post!
7-colene murphy at the journey--great newly discovered blog
9-joanna st james--loyal commenter who also gives great advice (via comments AND her blog!)
10- francine @ romancing the blog for posting pics of hot guys...oh, and helpful posts, too!
11- teachers who blog (can i award myself on another site? it's probably way tacky, but we're just beginning and need some help, and by help i mean YOU! comments and feedback from fellow teachers, please!)
12- the sisterhood for beautiful, thought-provoking blog posts
13-donea lee the queen of procrastination we LOVE your title.
14-obsesssions of a workaholic @ http://neuroticworkaholic.blogspot.com/ ...another busy teacher!
15-catherine @ kangaroobe's blog for a great blog in general...and as and added bonus got me thinking in french for a moment!
to accept the versatile blogger award post it in a blog post. in that very same post, list seven random bits of info about yourself, pass it on to (almost)15 other bloggers (link to all of them in the blog post) and notify all of them that you've given them an award.
here's my embarrassing seven. (it's me, christy, all the way)
7 tips christy learned the hard way. (i'm sure none of you are this idiotic, so you'll learn nothing from this. feel free to have a good laugh, though. or think i'm a huge jerkly idiot.)
1. don't email after two glasses of wine and a dessert coffee. you risk the chance of being a huge jerk. oh, and dessert coffee is pretty potently filled with alcohol. apparently.
2. don't drink the above mentioned drinks the night before a 15k race. you risk the chance of feeling like puking the entire way.
3. don't sign up to race 9.3 miles when your legs haven't run more than 3 consecutive miles for over two months.
4. don't send query letters without proofreading first. don't do an impromptu email edit of a query letter just before sending it off. you risk the chance of having the first half of the query in past tense and the second in present. don't then send an apology email for having sent the first poorly written email. don't send the above mentioned emails to your number one agent pick.
5. don't be late for work. too many times. (i did see a cute coffee cup saying the other day: i'm not always late. sometimes i don't show up at all!) cute, but not responsible. definitely not. (i'm responsible, really. and a good employee.)
6. don't place a bun (dinner roll) on a paper plate in the oven to broil. you risk the chance of starting an oven fire and smoking up the whole house.
7. don't speed. tickets are expensive. and it's unsafe.
THANKS again to really great blogger at dangerous with a pen. check her out if you haven't in the past. oh, and you have a bit of time to enter her great blogfest and contest yet! click on her link!
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