Monday, February 28, 2011
Microfiction Monday
Monday, February 7, 2011
Microfiction Monday
Microfiction Monday
Monday, January 31, 2011
Microfiction Monday
"Look! Lifebouy Soap! It's the answer to our prayers. No more fish odor on our clothes, Gorton!"
Gorton bent double laughing with relief.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thursday 13: 13 Books Writers (Really, Really) Shouldn't Be Without
13 Books Writers (Really, Really) Shouldn’t Be Without
1. Word Menu ISBN-13: 978-0679400301
2. Webster’s Dictionary ISBN-13: 978-0877798095
3. Roget’s Thesaurus ISBN-13: 978-0060094799
4. What Not to Say, Linda J Beam ISBN-13: 978-1581733600
5. A writer’s guide (The Everyday Writer, Strunk & White, Kate Turabian, MLA Guide, &/or all of the above)
6. The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition by Christopher E. Vogler ISBN-13: 978-1932907360
7. Save the Cat! Blake Snyder ISBN-13: 978-1932907001
8. Pocket Muse, Monica Wood ISBN-13: 978-1582973227
9. Pocket Muse 2, Monica Wood ISBN-13: 978-1582975993
10. Writer’s Digest Guide to Literary Agents ISBN-13: 978-1582979533
11. At least one version of the Bible, preferrably KJV and a modern language translation
12. New York Public Library Desk Reference ISBN-13: 978-0786868469
13. The Timetables of History ISBN-13: 978-0743270038
Honorable Mentions
I didn’t include these in the absolutely necessary group, but they sure are helpful!
• Audobon Society Field Guides (Mammals, Rocks and Minerals, Birds, etc)
• Every writer should also have books relating to his or her genre (A ___ Writer’s Guide) and the books of his or her contemporaries. Know who you are going to be compared to and know who will be on the library shelf beside of you.
• Foreign language dictionaries
• Baby Names book
1. Word Menu ISBN-13: 978-0679400301
2. Webster’s Dictionary ISBN-13: 978-0877798095
3. Roget’s Thesaurus ISBN-13: 978-0060094799
4. What Not to Say, Linda J Beam ISBN-13: 978-1581733600
5. A writer’s guide (The Everyday Writer, Strunk & White, Kate Turabian, MLA Guide, &/or all of the above)
6. The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition by Christopher E. Vogler ISBN-13: 978-1932907360
7. Save the Cat! Blake Snyder ISBN-13: 978-1932907001
8. Pocket Muse, Monica Wood ISBN-13: 978-1582973227
9. Pocket Muse 2, Monica Wood ISBN-13: 978-1582975993
10. Writer’s Digest Guide to Literary Agents ISBN-13: 978-1582979533
11. At least one version of the Bible, preferrably KJV and a modern language translation
12. New York Public Library Desk Reference ISBN-13: 978-0786868469
13. The Timetables of History ISBN-13: 978-0743270038
Honorable Mentions
I didn’t include these in the absolutely necessary group, but they sure are helpful!
• Audobon Society Field Guides (Mammals, Rocks and Minerals, Birds, etc)
• Every writer should also have books relating to his or her genre (A ___ Writer’s Guide) and the books of his or her contemporaries. Know who you are going to be compared to and know who will be on the library shelf beside of you.
• Foreign language dictionaries
• Baby Names book
Monday, January 24, 2011
What I’ve Learned About Twitter
What I’ve Learned About Twitter
When I began my book, the advice I got most frequently was "start a blog," and "get on Twitter." Being a good little writer, I did both. Since Twitter can be awkward when you first get started, I thought I'd take the time to share what I've learned. Hopefully this information will be useful to beginning tweeps as well as seasoned tweeters.
Why Twitter?
Twitter is a unique social platform. You have 140 characters to say what you want to say. So why use a platform where you’re limited like that? Because anyone can blather on for miles. It takes thought to pare it down. Twitter users, or tweeps, are thinkers. There is a huge diversity of people on Twitter and the majority of them are bright, witty people. Creativity breeds creativity. Unlike Facebook, where you generally only connect with people you already know, on Twitter you can connect with people in your field, people who share your interests , and people who are interested in what you have to offer.
Someone recently said, and I believe them to be correct in general, that people on Twitter say what they are thinking about, people on Facebook say what they have done, people on Linked In say what they do well and people on Quora ask why they’re doing things.
I do use other social media, but for interacting publically, I use Twitter. For me, Facebook is for close friends and family only.
Who sees my tweets?
Tweets that begin with someone’s twitter handle (@name) are not visible to your followers unless they follow that person too. (Ex/ I’m friends with Person One @personone and Person Two @persontwo. I tweet “@personone Did you hear that awesome new song?” Person Two isn’t going to see my tweet unless they also follow Person One.) The exception to this is comes when Person Two is mentioned in the tweet. (Ex/ I tweet “@personone did you read that blog post by @persontwo?”) Now both Person One and Person Two will see my tweet. You can make sure all your followers see a tweet by starting the tweet with ANYTHING other than @name. (EX/ I tweet, “Hey @personone did you see that?”) All of my followers will see that tweet.
Manners Matter
Twitter is a lot of fun, but it is also a great tool for brand building (a.k.a. publicity). Keep an eye on your mentions, new followers and your tweets retweeted. The first two are pretty easy. The third is easy to forget, but it is very important. People who are too reserved to speak directly to you may well be helping get your name out by retweeting things you’ve said. Make an effort to thank those who follow you, mention you and retweet you. Not only does this make them want to continue, it’s just good manners. Chances are you are going to make new friends on Twitter. Treat your new friends well and you’ll make LOTS of new friends on Twitter because you’ll be recommended as a tweep people want to follow.
Follow Friday
Follow Friday was never meant to be weekly tweets solely consisting of people’s handles. Have something to say about those you are mentioning. That is more likely to get them new followers than a tweet that is only handle-vomit. Also if you look at Follow Friday rankings (did you know such a thing existed? It does!) you’ll see that the #ff’s that are counted are ONLY from people who list less than 50 people in their #FF tweets! You can visit the rankings page here: http://www.followfriday.com/.
How effectively am I using Twitter?
Ok, if you liked the follow Friday rankings site, you’ll want to try this site too, in order to get your Twitter Grade. Check your grade at http://twittergrader.com/. I haven’t managed to figure out their formula yet, but I do know that the ratio of followers to followed plays an important part.
The Following Limit
Speaking of the followers to followed ratio, someone told me this week that there is a limit! I was surprised to hear that you can only follow so many people based on how many followers you have. The limit of people you can follow is 2000 UNLESS you have 2000 followers yourself. If you manage to get 2000 followers, then you are allowed to follow 2200 people. (Past 2000 it is following-followers=200). If you are nearing the limit of following 2000, the best thing you can do is find out who doesn’t follow you back and (unless it is someone whose tweets you really enjoy or whose tweets are related to your industry) unfollow them. You can see who has unfollowed you and check who isn’t following you back at http://who.unfollowed.me/.
Hashtags (Those little number sign things)
When you see a hashtag, (the little waffle-like number sign) it can mean one of two things. First, hashtags were originally intended as a way to follow a specific topic, like #breakingnews or #music. There are quite a few hashtags out there that have a website and group dedicated to them, #amwriting for example has http://amwriting.org/ which is a group of writers that uses the hashtag as a designation for an ongoing chat about writing. You don’t have to be a member of a group to use a hashtag though, anyone can use them.
Second, hashtags have become a way to comically express yourself. If I were to tweet, “I ate the whole pot of chili!” I might use a “#fulltobursting” hashtag for comic emphasis. Hashtags only work if the words are all together, as opposed to the trend of using periods to separate words for effect in a tweet (ex/ “Went to the park. Best. Day. Ever.”)
Tweeps and bots
Soon after you begin tweeting you’re going to discover that not all tweeps are real people! Some are bots who collect keywords from what you tweet and tweet spam to you to entice you into visiting websites where an attempt to sell you something occurs. The best way to handle this is when you are mentioned and sent a spammy tweet is to report the spam to twitter. When you report spam, Twitter automatically blocks that @name from sending you more tweets. Alternately you can just block them yourself without reporting them, but it is better to let Twitter know so they can be stopped. Spam bots usually have the newbie egg as their avatar or a picture of a pretty girl. Look at their tweets. Is it all spammy or is there real stuff there? If you’re still not sure if it is a bot, check their follower to following ratio. Chances are their number of followers will be very low in comparison to the amount they follow. (Most real people have somewhere between a 1:3 to a 1:2 ratio of followers: following. The exceptions to this rule are celebrities. Celebrities almost always have a check mark on their profile that says “verified.”)
Proofread (You are what you tweet)
Read over what you have written once more before you hit the tweet button. This gives you a chance to catch any errors you may have made and it also allows you to see how it will sound to others. If there is a chance that it will be construed as offensive or doesn’t come out sounding the way you intended it to, you can repair it before you tweet it. A piece of advice I heard a great deal during childhood is important here: You only get once chance to make a first impression. Once you’ve tweeted it, it’s out there to be read and retweeted. People you have never met before will have the opportunity to see your words. Make sure they represent you well.
Things put on the internet are out there forever.
Most people have used Google to search for their own name. Try using Google to look for your Twitter handle. You’ll be surprised at the results. Not only will you very likely find things you’ve said, but you’ll see your lists if you haven’t made them private and you’ll also find the lists you’re on. Chances are you’ll find comments you made that you’ve totally forgotten about as well.
Lists
Twitter allows you to make lists. This is very useful if you’re using TweetDeck or other applications that allow you to put different lists of people into different columns and thereby organize your twitter stream. There’s a nifty useful tool for creating lists and maintaining them at Formulists.com. People generally like to be listed, especially if it is a list of their peers. I have a list called “Writerly-Tweeps-5” that I created with Formulist. I simply told it to select from my followers those that have author or writer in their bio. Create at list at http://formulists.com/.
Your Bio
As someone well-versed in Twitter promotion once told me, your bio should tell people WHAT you do, WHY you are on Twitter, and WHO you are. You should include a photo in your bio to replace the little egg avatar that Twitter gives newbies. A real picture that shows your face will garner you more followers than a cartoon, your cat or a generic bird avatar. People want to connect to other people. And for goodness sake, smile! No one likes a grumpy Gus.
There are people who can help you with getting the perfect bio. Some charge for this. Some have free advice. Tweet me if you need a name.
Who to follow
Twitter makes suggestions on tweeps you should follow. Usually these suck. Sorry to be blunt, but it’s true. You are better off searching for a topic that interests you and selecting a few people to follow from the results. When you find someone that you enjoy following or someone who is important in your field, check and see who they follow. You can then choose from the people whose tweets they read and follow accordingly.
When you follow someone it isn’t necessary to say hello, but no one will fault you for introducing yourself. If they didn’t want to interact with people, they wouldn’t have joined Twitter to begin with! Don’t annoy people with excessive tweets directed to them, though, this will get you blocked. A little common sense goes a long way!
“But I don’t have anything interesting to say!”
Sure you do. Do you have favorite things? A favorite song, book, tv show, movie? Talk about what you like if you’re stuck for something to tweet. You might be surprised who else likes the same things you do. You can also always check out what is Trending. Trending topics (TT’s) are words, names or phrases that Twitter selects as most frequently tweeted and posts as what is trending. Comment on a trending topic, add the appropriate hashtag, and you’ll be part of the conversation in a jiffy.
Promotion
If you’re promoting something (a blog, a book, a product, music, a website) tweet about it, but don’t over-do it. No one likes spammers. Spammers get blocked. Being blocked is just the opposite of what you want. When you tweet a link to something, be sure to let readers know what it is you are linking to and use words that fit the subject. Don’t say, “my blog (link),” rather say, “Please visit my blog about recipes and candies at (link). Thanks! #recipes #candy” Not only will you get more visitors this way, but it will help your tweet make it higher up in the search engines.
There are sites that will automate tweeting for you. You put in what you want to tweet, how often and when to tweet and it does it for you. This can work for you as long as you don’t set it to tweet too often. Over-tweeting will get you blocked and unfollowed. Personally, this isn’t something I recommend doing, but if you do, please use it carefully.
Direct Messages (DMs)
Direct messages are seen only by you and the person you are messaging with, sort of like mini-emails addressed only to you. What people will say “privately” is often very different than what they will say “publically.” A DM is a way to send a message via Twitter that won’t get lost in the twitter stream.
I always get amused when I follow someone and they send me a direct message without following me back first because this means I can’t answer them via direct message. I usually just send them a tweet that says, “Hey @name, sorry I couldn’t answer your DM, you’ll need to follow me before I can.” Twitter designed their direct message system so that only people you follow can send you direct messages. While it may not seem logical at first, give it a little consideration and you’ll see that, yes, it is a good policy.
A Few Last Things
Common sense. Courtesy. Thank people. Don’t be afraid to say hi. Proofread. Manners. Pretty soon you’ll have the “Best. Tweets. Ever. “
Drop by and shoot me a tweet! Also feel free to connect with the tweeps I follow. Most are involved with books in some way, but there are some entertainment folks too, as befits my past in theatre.
@rebeccatlittle
When I began my book, the advice I got most frequently was "start a blog," and "get on Twitter." Being a good little writer, I did both. Since Twitter can be awkward when you first get started, I thought I'd take the time to share what I've learned. Hopefully this information will be useful to beginning tweeps as well as seasoned tweeters.
Why Twitter?
Twitter is a unique social platform. You have 140 characters to say what you want to say. So why use a platform where you’re limited like that? Because anyone can blather on for miles. It takes thought to pare it down. Twitter users, or tweeps, are thinkers. There is a huge diversity of people on Twitter and the majority of them are bright, witty people. Creativity breeds creativity. Unlike Facebook, where you generally only connect with people you already know, on Twitter you can connect with people in your field, people who share your interests , and people who are interested in what you have to offer.
Someone recently said, and I believe them to be correct in general, that people on Twitter say what they are thinking about, people on Facebook say what they have done, people on Linked In say what they do well and people on Quora ask why they’re doing things.
I do use other social media, but for interacting publically, I use Twitter. For me, Facebook is for close friends and family only.
Who sees my tweets?
Tweets that begin with someone’s twitter handle (@name) are not visible to your followers unless they follow that person too. (Ex/ I’m friends with Person One @personone and Person Two @persontwo. I tweet “@personone Did you hear that awesome new song?” Person Two isn’t going to see my tweet unless they also follow Person One.) The exception to this is comes when Person Two is mentioned in the tweet. (Ex/ I tweet “@personone did you read that blog post by @persontwo?”) Now both Person One and Person Two will see my tweet. You can make sure all your followers see a tweet by starting the tweet with ANYTHING other than @name. (EX/ I tweet, “Hey @personone did you see that?”) All of my followers will see that tweet.
Manners Matter
Twitter is a lot of fun, but it is also a great tool for brand building (a.k.a. publicity). Keep an eye on your mentions, new followers and your tweets retweeted. The first two are pretty easy. The third is easy to forget, but it is very important. People who are too reserved to speak directly to you may well be helping get your name out by retweeting things you’ve said. Make an effort to thank those who follow you, mention you and retweet you. Not only does this make them want to continue, it’s just good manners. Chances are you are going to make new friends on Twitter. Treat your new friends well and you’ll make LOTS of new friends on Twitter because you’ll be recommended as a tweep people want to follow.
Follow Friday
Follow Friday was never meant to be weekly tweets solely consisting of people’s handles. Have something to say about those you are mentioning. That is more likely to get them new followers than a tweet that is only handle-vomit. Also if you look at Follow Friday rankings (did you know such a thing existed? It does!) you’ll see that the #ff’s that are counted are ONLY from people who list less than 50 people in their #FF tweets! You can visit the rankings page here: http://www.followfriday.com/.
How effectively am I using Twitter?
Ok, if you liked the follow Friday rankings site, you’ll want to try this site too, in order to get your Twitter Grade. Check your grade at http://twittergrader.com/. I haven’t managed to figure out their formula yet, but I do know that the ratio of followers to followed plays an important part.
The Following Limit
Speaking of the followers to followed ratio, someone told me this week that there is a limit! I was surprised to hear that you can only follow so many people based on how many followers you have. The limit of people you can follow is 2000 UNLESS you have 2000 followers yourself. If you manage to get 2000 followers, then you are allowed to follow 2200 people. (Past 2000 it is following-followers=200). If you are nearing the limit of following 2000, the best thing you can do is find out who doesn’t follow you back and (unless it is someone whose tweets you really enjoy or whose tweets are related to your industry) unfollow them. You can see who has unfollowed you and check who isn’t following you back at http://who.unfollowed.me/.
Hashtags (Those little number sign things)
When you see a hashtag, (the little waffle-like number sign) it can mean one of two things. First, hashtags were originally intended as a way to follow a specific topic, like #breakingnews or #music. There are quite a few hashtags out there that have a website and group dedicated to them, #amwriting for example has http://amwriting.org/ which is a group of writers that uses the hashtag as a designation for an ongoing chat about writing. You don’t have to be a member of a group to use a hashtag though, anyone can use them.
Second, hashtags have become a way to comically express yourself. If I were to tweet, “I ate the whole pot of chili!” I might use a “#fulltobursting” hashtag for comic emphasis. Hashtags only work if the words are all together, as opposed to the trend of using periods to separate words for effect in a tweet (ex/ “Went to the park. Best. Day. Ever.”)
Tweeps and bots
Soon after you begin tweeting you’re going to discover that not all tweeps are real people! Some are bots who collect keywords from what you tweet and tweet spam to you to entice you into visiting websites where an attempt to sell you something occurs. The best way to handle this is when you are mentioned and sent a spammy tweet is to report the spam to twitter. When you report spam, Twitter automatically blocks that @name from sending you more tweets. Alternately you can just block them yourself without reporting them, but it is better to let Twitter know so they can be stopped. Spam bots usually have the newbie egg as their avatar or a picture of a pretty girl. Look at their tweets. Is it all spammy or is there real stuff there? If you’re still not sure if it is a bot, check their follower to following ratio. Chances are their number of followers will be very low in comparison to the amount they follow. (Most real people have somewhere between a 1:3 to a 1:2 ratio of followers: following. The exceptions to this rule are celebrities. Celebrities almost always have a check mark on their profile that says “verified.”)
Proofread (You are what you tweet)
Read over what you have written once more before you hit the tweet button. This gives you a chance to catch any errors you may have made and it also allows you to see how it will sound to others. If there is a chance that it will be construed as offensive or doesn’t come out sounding the way you intended it to, you can repair it before you tweet it. A piece of advice I heard a great deal during childhood is important here: You only get once chance to make a first impression. Once you’ve tweeted it, it’s out there to be read and retweeted. People you have never met before will have the opportunity to see your words. Make sure they represent you well.
Things put on the internet are out there forever.
Most people have used Google to search for their own name. Try using Google to look for your Twitter handle. You’ll be surprised at the results. Not only will you very likely find things you’ve said, but you’ll see your lists if you haven’t made them private and you’ll also find the lists you’re on. Chances are you’ll find comments you made that you’ve totally forgotten about as well.
Lists
Twitter allows you to make lists. This is very useful if you’re using TweetDeck or other applications that allow you to put different lists of people into different columns and thereby organize your twitter stream. There’s a nifty useful tool for creating lists and maintaining them at Formulists.com. People generally like to be listed, especially if it is a list of their peers. I have a list called “Writerly-Tweeps-5” that I created with Formulist. I simply told it to select from my followers those that have author or writer in their bio. Create at list at http://formulists.com/.
Your Bio
As someone well-versed in Twitter promotion once told me, your bio should tell people WHAT you do, WHY you are on Twitter, and WHO you are. You should include a photo in your bio to replace the little egg avatar that Twitter gives newbies. A real picture that shows your face will garner you more followers than a cartoon, your cat or a generic bird avatar. People want to connect to other people. And for goodness sake, smile! No one likes a grumpy Gus.
There are people who can help you with getting the perfect bio. Some charge for this. Some have free advice. Tweet me if you need a name.
Who to follow
Twitter makes suggestions on tweeps you should follow. Usually these suck. Sorry to be blunt, but it’s true. You are better off searching for a topic that interests you and selecting a few people to follow from the results. When you find someone that you enjoy following or someone who is important in your field, check and see who they follow. You can then choose from the people whose tweets they read and follow accordingly.
When you follow someone it isn’t necessary to say hello, but no one will fault you for introducing yourself. If they didn’t want to interact with people, they wouldn’t have joined Twitter to begin with! Don’t annoy people with excessive tweets directed to them, though, this will get you blocked. A little common sense goes a long way!
“But I don’t have anything interesting to say!”
Sure you do. Do you have favorite things? A favorite song, book, tv show, movie? Talk about what you like if you’re stuck for something to tweet. You might be surprised who else likes the same things you do. You can also always check out what is Trending. Trending topics (TT’s) are words, names or phrases that Twitter selects as most frequently tweeted and posts as what is trending. Comment on a trending topic, add the appropriate hashtag, and you’ll be part of the conversation in a jiffy.
Promotion
If you’re promoting something (a blog, a book, a product, music, a website) tweet about it, but don’t over-do it. No one likes spammers. Spammers get blocked. Being blocked is just the opposite of what you want. When you tweet a link to something, be sure to let readers know what it is you are linking to and use words that fit the subject. Don’t say, “my blog (link),” rather say, “Please visit my blog about recipes and candies at (link). Thanks! #recipes #candy” Not only will you get more visitors this way, but it will help your tweet make it higher up in the search engines.
There are sites that will automate tweeting for you. You put in what you want to tweet, how often and when to tweet and it does it for you. This can work for you as long as you don’t set it to tweet too often. Over-tweeting will get you blocked and unfollowed. Personally, this isn’t something I recommend doing, but if you do, please use it carefully.
Direct Messages (DMs)
Direct messages are seen only by you and the person you are messaging with, sort of like mini-emails addressed only to you. What people will say “privately” is often very different than what they will say “publically.” A DM is a way to send a message via Twitter that won’t get lost in the twitter stream.
I always get amused when I follow someone and they send me a direct message without following me back first because this means I can’t answer them via direct message. I usually just send them a tweet that says, “Hey @name, sorry I couldn’t answer your DM, you’ll need to follow me before I can.” Twitter designed their direct message system so that only people you follow can send you direct messages. While it may not seem logical at first, give it a little consideration and you’ll see that, yes, it is a good policy.
A Few Last Things
Common sense. Courtesy. Thank people. Don’t be afraid to say hi. Proofread. Manners. Pretty soon you’ll have the “Best. Tweets. Ever. “
Drop by and shoot me a tweet! Also feel free to connect with the tweeps I follow. Most are involved with books in some way, but there are some entertainment folks too, as befits my past in theatre.
@rebeccatlittle
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Worldbuilding and the city of Sarum
I’ve read a lot about world-building for writers. There are a lot of good sites out there with suggestions and questions to ask yourself as you design the location your characters will abide in. Ultimately for my work in progress, Blood Thief, I ended up with the city of Sarum. When you enter the world of the book, hopefully, I will have created a place that is new and familiar at the same time. You may recognize places that I’ve been to in the past or cities I’ve lived in in part, but Sarum isn’t a carbon copy of any one place.
When you visit Hardington’s Auction House or maybe Everson’s Funeral Home you might see traces of Greensboro or High Point. Strolling down the tree lined streets you may feel the old ghosts of New Orleans nearby or even recognize the grand old houses of Salisbury’s historic district.
Shopping? Try Mondomart or Homebase. You’re sure to find what you need. Just be sure to avoid the warehouse district near the interstate after dark. Sarum can be a dangerous place, you know. Oh and if you happen to leave your alarm off or a window unlocked, don’t be surprised if you get a visit from the Blood Thief.
When you visit Hardington’s Auction House or maybe Everson’s Funeral Home you might see traces of Greensboro or High Point. Strolling down the tree lined streets you may feel the old ghosts of New Orleans nearby or even recognize the grand old houses of Salisbury’s historic district.
Shopping? Try Mondomart or Homebase. You’re sure to find what you need. Just be sure to avoid the warehouse district near the interstate after dark. Sarum can be a dangerous place, you know. Oh and if you happen to leave your alarm off or a window unlocked, don’t be surprised if you get a visit from the Blood Thief.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Always Read The Fine Print!
A friend on Twitter pointed something out yesterday that floored me. I usually consider writing contests and sometimes even remember the deadline and enter them. There is one out there that I am GLAD I missed out on though. First One Digital Publishing ran a writing contest open to works of prose 65K words and under. That’s no so unusual. What was pointed out to me that left me so happy to have not entered was in the rules, all the way down in clause 13. I’d be willing to bet that most people don’t make it down that far as they read.
Sitting there, looking innocuous, are the words, “All submissions become sole property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. By submitting an entry, all entrants grant Sponsor the absolute and unconditional right and authority to copy, edit, publish, promote, broadcast or otherwise use, in whole or in part, their entries, in perpetuity, in any manner without further permission, notice or compensation.” If that weren’t horrifying enough a little further down in the legal information is a line stating that, “in the event that there is an insufficient number of entries received that meet the minimum standards determined by the judges, all prizes will not be awarded.” So now not only do they own YOUR entry completely, they don’t even have to give out the prizes!
What were the prizes you ask? The Grand Prize was a publishing contract with them, $5k, marketing and publicity tour and 20 books from their library. They state that the “Grand-Prize Winner must sign the publishing contract, which contains additional terms and conditions in order to be published.” Any bets that they will own that poor sucker for life? Sheesh! Be wary, folks. Please make sure that you read and understand the rules for any contest or contract BEFORE you enter or sign.
Sitting there, looking innocuous, are the words, “All submissions become sole property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. By submitting an entry, all entrants grant Sponsor the absolute and unconditional right and authority to copy, edit, publish, promote, broadcast or otherwise use, in whole or in part, their entries, in perpetuity, in any manner without further permission, notice or compensation.” If that weren’t horrifying enough a little further down in the legal information is a line stating that, “in the event that there is an insufficient number of entries received that meet the minimum standards determined by the judges, all prizes will not be awarded.” So now not only do they own YOUR entry completely, they don’t even have to give out the prizes!
What were the prizes you ask? The Grand Prize was a publishing contract with them, $5k, marketing and publicity tour and 20 books from their library. They state that the “Grand-Prize Winner must sign the publishing contract, which contains additional terms and conditions in order to be published.” Any bets that they will own that poor sucker for life? Sheesh! Be wary, folks. Please make sure that you read and understand the rules for any contest or contract BEFORE you enter or sign.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Here's hoping for a prosperous year!
I'm currently still writing/editing. I'm beginning to think that I may be a perfectionist when it comes to this book. I just want it to be "right." All this double checking has paid off some though as I've managed to tie up a few loose threads and replace some scenes with which I was less than happy.
Happy writing and reading to all of you!
R.
I'm currently still writing/editing. I'm beginning to think that I may be a perfectionist when it comes to this book. I just want it to be "right." All this double checking has paid off some though as I've managed to tie up a few loose threads and replace some scenes with which I was less than happy.
Happy writing and reading to all of you!
R.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Selected bites from friends
This from my friends after mentioning the dead body found in the park:
T: did the body have two bite marks? and are you waking up in your bed in the morning with tattered clothes and the taste of blood in your mouth? Just curious...
O: even though u r my sister, u r weird
A: O, I can't speak for all her friends, but for this one, that's what makes me love her so!
Rebecca Taylor Little: ROFLMAO!!! And for the record, the guy had lacerations on the face consistent with a fall. No mention of bites ;)
(and when I say ROFLMAO, I very nearly meant it literally!)
T: did the body have two bite marks? and are you waking up in your bed in the morning with tattered clothes and the taste of blood in your mouth? Just curious...
O: even though u r my sister, u r weird
A: O, I can't speak for all her friends, but for this one, that's what makes me love her so!
Rebecca Taylor Little: ROFLMAO!!! And for the record, the guy had lacerations on the face consistent with a fall. No mention of bites ;)
(and when I say ROFLMAO, I very nearly meant it literally!)
Monday, December 13, 2010
Irony, Part Deux
Ok, now it's just getting weird. First I posted about the irony of a scene in Blood Thief in which Celeste nearly creams a deer portended my husband hitting a deer in our Explorer. Blood Thief is set in Sarum, which is a mythic mirror of my hometown. There is a scene in Blood Thief which takes place in City Park and results in a drug dealer being killed. Now you have to understand the town where I live is small and finding a dead body here is a rarity. So guess what they found in City Park yesterday? Yep. A dead body. I think I'll go back and add a scene in where my main character wins the lottery!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Oh deer, how ironic!
Chris hit a deer in our Explorer this morning on his way to work. Very ironic considering that this scene was written as an add-in scene for Blood Thief two days ago:
As I drove home, I tossed things around in my mind. The fire at the club had been called arson at first and then dismissed as accidental. Had someone been paid off or threatened? If it was arson, who was behind it and why? The kid I'd caught in the greenhouse had been at the club that night. What if he was watching me since the night Catherine had been killed and I'd seen him at the Five and Dine? If he had set the fire, was it in order to draw me out? He knew more than was tolerable, that was for certain. I needed to find him and fog his mind. It wasn't likely that anyone would believe him if he started spouting off to authorities that vampires existed, but I couldn't risk the safety of my kind.
At the traffic light where Old Sarum highway crosses Lee Farm Road, another thought came to me. What if someone had hired the kid? Anna's ex, maybe? The light changed and I drove forward. Suppose Anna wasn't the only target? If by trying to hurt or kill Anna in a fire, someone was attempting to hurt me . . . all the unfortunate things that had happened lately were coincidence, right? Surely there was no way that Maggie Kelly's murder, the theft of the reliquary and the break in at my home were all connected. I was just becoming paranoid.
I very nearly missed seeing the deer that bounded out of the woods to cross in front of me until it was too late. As it was, I swerved and hit the brakes, but my car didn't slow at all. I tried to wrest the wheel back the other direction even as I kept pumping the brakes, but it was futile. I slid into the ditch. The deer gave a backward glance at me and then leapt into the woods, its natural camoflauge causing it to vanish nearly instantly, even to me. I slammed my hands against the steering wheel and cursed a blue streak.
I got out to inspect the damage. The grass had been slicked down and mud oozed up over my shoe as I stepped around the front of the car. One tire was partially off the wheel and the rim was bent. Thankfully, the only body damage was a dent about the size of my fist and a few scratches leading up to it. I did then what almost every girl would do in a similar situation. I got back in the car, called the AAA and had a good cry.
By the time I'd used up all the tissues I could find in the car, the tow truck driver had arrived. He took one look at all the bloody tissues and asked if I needed an ambulance. I assured him I was fine and told him I'd just gotten a nosebleed while waiting. He comforted me and told me it was probably just stress, to which I readily agreed, and then set about getting my car out of the ditch while I waited in the nice toasty cab of his truck with a fresh pack of tissues just in case. I do love the AAA.
When was he done hooking up my car and climbed back in the cab, I signed the mandatory paperwork. He asked me how I'd managed to get into the ditch. I explained about the deer and my brakes failing to respond. He gave me a long appraising look and the climbed back out of the cab. He called to me a moment later and I got out as well. When I went around and looked at what he was pointing at I felt a chill run up my spine.
His words confirmed my suspicions, "Brake line has been cut."
Maybe everything wasn't coincidence after all.
As I drove home, I tossed things around in my mind. The fire at the club had been called arson at first and then dismissed as accidental. Had someone been paid off or threatened? If it was arson, who was behind it and why? The kid I'd caught in the greenhouse had been at the club that night. What if he was watching me since the night Catherine had been killed and I'd seen him at the Five and Dine? If he had set the fire, was it in order to draw me out? He knew more than was tolerable, that was for certain. I needed to find him and fog his mind. It wasn't likely that anyone would believe him if he started spouting off to authorities that vampires existed, but I couldn't risk the safety of my kind.
At the traffic light where Old Sarum highway crosses Lee Farm Road, another thought came to me. What if someone had hired the kid? Anna's ex, maybe? The light changed and I drove forward. Suppose Anna wasn't the only target? If by trying to hurt or kill Anna in a fire, someone was attempting to hurt me . . . all the unfortunate things that had happened lately were coincidence, right? Surely there was no way that Maggie Kelly's murder, the theft of the reliquary and the break in at my home were all connected. I was just becoming paranoid.
I very nearly missed seeing the deer that bounded out of the woods to cross in front of me until it was too late. As it was, I swerved and hit the brakes, but my car didn't slow at all. I tried to wrest the wheel back the other direction even as I kept pumping the brakes, but it was futile. I slid into the ditch. The deer gave a backward glance at me and then leapt into the woods, its natural camoflauge causing it to vanish nearly instantly, even to me. I slammed my hands against the steering wheel and cursed a blue streak.
I got out to inspect the damage. The grass had been slicked down and mud oozed up over my shoe as I stepped around the front of the car. One tire was partially off the wheel and the rim was bent. Thankfully, the only body damage was a dent about the size of my fist and a few scratches leading up to it. I did then what almost every girl would do in a similar situation. I got back in the car, called the AAA and had a good cry.
By the time I'd used up all the tissues I could find in the car, the tow truck driver had arrived. He took one look at all the bloody tissues and asked if I needed an ambulance. I assured him I was fine and told him I'd just gotten a nosebleed while waiting. He comforted me and told me it was probably just stress, to which I readily agreed, and then set about getting my car out of the ditch while I waited in the nice toasty cab of his truck with a fresh pack of tissues just in case. I do love the AAA.
When was he done hooking up my car and climbed back in the cab, I signed the mandatory paperwork. He asked me how I'd managed to get into the ditch. I explained about the deer and my brakes failing to respond. He gave me a long appraising look and the climbed back out of the cab. He called to me a moment later and I got out as well. When I went around and looked at what he was pointing at I felt a chill run up my spine.
His words confirmed my suspicions, "Brake line has been cut."
Maybe everything wasn't coincidence after all.
Friday, December 3, 2010
The Blood Thief Crew
A question from a friend prompted me to give you all a brief rundown of the dramatis personae:
Celeste – Celeste was born in 1701, but she’s a thoroughly modern vampire. She lives with her brother in an old Southern town that is rife with vampires due to an incident in a Civil War prison camp. Adapting and changing to fit each era, Celeste doesn’t always do what is expected of her by vampiric society. She serves her Regent loyally though and works as a revenant hunter for him. She is more progressive than most of her peers.
Nick – Celeste’s biological brother, he was turned by Celeste a couple of years after her own turning. He supports Celeste’s choices, but tries to serve as a voice of reason to her as well. He is fiercely protective of his sister. He shares his sister’s dark hair and his smoldering good looks draw in admirers easily.
Viktor – Celeste’s vampiric suitor. He has been seeing Celeste for several months, but they don’t always see eye to eye, especially on the subject of humans. He has an Old World charm about him though and makes everything he does look easy. Always well dressed and classically handsome.
Anna – Celeste’s best friend who also happens to be human. Anna knows Celeste’s secret, a rarity since most humans aren’t aware of the existence of vampires, and helps with daytime tasks that Celeste can’t manage. Anna runs the nightclub, Locus, that Celeste frequents.
Ryan – The contractor doing work on Celeste’s home. He has his eye on Anna and turns into a staunch ally. Besides, there’s just something about a good looking man in tool belt.
Elly – The newest member of Celeste and Nick’s bloodline. She looks more angelic than vampiric, but her actions are questionably devilish at times.
Joss – A human thief that Celeste interrupts mid-burgle. With his piercing blue eyes, swimmer’s build and sinful good looks he is quite possibly the most beautiful human male Celeste has ever seen. Celeste develops a fast fascination with Joss - - much to the consternation of her brother. A self-educated motorcycle-riding walking contradiction, Joss has an agenda all his own.
Celeste – Celeste was born in 1701, but she’s a thoroughly modern vampire. She lives with her brother in an old Southern town that is rife with vampires due to an incident in a Civil War prison camp. Adapting and changing to fit each era, Celeste doesn’t always do what is expected of her by vampiric society. She serves her Regent loyally though and works as a revenant hunter for him. She is more progressive than most of her peers.
Nick – Celeste’s biological brother, he was turned by Celeste a couple of years after her own turning. He supports Celeste’s choices, but tries to serve as a voice of reason to her as well. He is fiercely protective of his sister. He shares his sister’s dark hair and his smoldering good looks draw in admirers easily.
Viktor – Celeste’s vampiric suitor. He has been seeing Celeste for several months, but they don’t always see eye to eye, especially on the subject of humans. He has an Old World charm about him though and makes everything he does look easy. Always well dressed and classically handsome.
Anna – Celeste’s best friend who also happens to be human. Anna knows Celeste’s secret, a rarity since most humans aren’t aware of the existence of vampires, and helps with daytime tasks that Celeste can’t manage. Anna runs the nightclub, Locus, that Celeste frequents.
Ryan – The contractor doing work on Celeste’s home. He has his eye on Anna and turns into a staunch ally. Besides, there’s just something about a good looking man in tool belt.
Elly – The newest member of Celeste and Nick’s bloodline. She looks more angelic than vampiric, but her actions are questionably devilish at times.
Joss – A human thief that Celeste interrupts mid-burgle. With his piercing blue eyes, swimmer’s build and sinful good looks he is quite possibly the most beautiful human male Celeste has ever seen. Celeste develops a fast fascination with Joss - - much to the consternation of her brother. A self-educated motorcycle-riding walking contradiction, Joss has an agenda all his own.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Chair Dancing
Am doing a bit of happy dancing as I have corrected a timeline problem with Blood Thief! Rocking through some editing today, chair dancing as I listen to Timo Descamp's "Like it Rough" and "Phonecall" along with "Undead Heart" by Vampires Everywhere! If by some miracle Blood Thief becomes a film I know who I want on the soundtrack.
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Friday, November 26, 2010
Thanksgiving and the Blood Thief crew
I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. I spent a little time wondering how Thanksgiving would affect my characters. Cel and Nick would probably celebrate by finding a nice plump tourist to share and then perhaps working at the soup kitchen, serving the homeless. Viktor would find it totally beneath him to celebrate such a human ritual and would treat it like any other day. Anna would go to see her family and spend time with them. Ryan would go visit his elderly parents. Joss probably wouldn't celebrate, not because he doesn't have things to be thankful for...staying out of jail is always good...but because he has no one he trusts enough to spend time with. His landlord, Mark, would likely bring a plate of turkey and dressing by for him, which he would eat alone.
If you are writing currently, I ask what your characters would do for Thanksgiving?
If you are writing currently, I ask what your characters would do for Thanksgiving?
Friday, November 12, 2010
In progress...
Bear with me, changing computers...there may be a slight lag in updates for a bit, but never fear... Celeste and Nick and Joss and the crew will be back asap!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Save, save, save
And so I stress the importance of saving one's work frequently. Thankfully I had done so before O.C. decided to take a nap on my keyboard and thus bringing up a seemingly never ending string of "8"s in my work.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Halloween is almost here and...
Halloween is almost here and I'm loving the ready availability of vampire-themed stuff. I've got a new Dracula candle, a wicked pair of coffin shape sunglasses, bat and vampire Pez dispensers, Vampire Blood hand sanitizer (Bath and Body Works) and some fun and funky fang jewelry adorning my desk to put me in the mood to write. I plan to stock up before Halloween is gone, too!
What about everyone else? Do you adorn your desk with the theme of what you are writing to put you in the mood?
R.
What about everyone else? Do you adorn your desk with the theme of what you are writing to put you in the mood?
R.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Hard to believe
It's difficult to believe that fifteen years ago today, I walked down the aisle got married. It doesn't seem like it has been that long. Even harder to fathom, thirteen years ago today I woke up at 4 a.m. when my water broke and by dinner time I had given birth to a beautiful baby boy. He's a teenager today. So, happy anniversary to my hubby and, as hard to believe as it is, happy birthday to my 13 year old son . . . the best anniversary present ever.
Love you guys.
Love you guys.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Making notes
After a wonderful weekend spent with dear friends at my college homecoming, I find myself full of fresh notes and ideas for a follow up to Blood Thief. Lots of fun and laughter was just the break I needed :)
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