Chick Flicks

Yes, a deviation this week. Let’s chat about chick flicks for a moment. I love movies. I’m a huge movie watcher. I’ll watch anything and probably have watched some of the best, worst and well…probably way more movies than the average person. I have an enormous collection of dvd’s. Well if you count over 5,000 a lot, then I guess I have more than the average person.

Sure, I love to read, but sometimes I love a good movie, especially when I can get the whole story in about two hours. There’s some instant gratification getting through the plot, the character development and the end in one night. There are times I can’t get through a chapter of a book in a night depending on my time, but to relax and watch a movie…well I can find time for that-usually.

My top chick flicks in no particular order… remember, this is only my opinion. Everyone is welcome to tell me theirs.

1. Gone With The Wind -Yes, it’s a Margaret Mitchell book, but have you seen the size of that book. The movie is several hours long, but such a wonderful story.

2. The Notebook -Nicholas Sparks can tell a great story, and this is a beautiful love story.

3. Bridget Jones’s Diary -All of them are good, funny and enjoyable.

4. How Stella Got Her Groove Back -Yeah there’s something about the older woman, younger man and the struggle to make it work.

5. Beaches -Keep lots of kleenex closeby for this one. Damn, best friends are worth their weight in gold.

6. Hope Floats -Betrayal, new found love, and a new beginning. What could be better!

7. Practical Magic -Sisters! That just about says everything…except that they’re witches, which makes it soooo much better!

8. Love Story -Yep, I know it’s an old one, but so is Casablanca and that’s a classic. Still a tear jerker.

9. P.S. I Love You -Nothing more heartbreaking than losing the love of your life. If you haven’t seen this, get it and watch it!

10. In Her Shoes -Again with the sisters. One bad, one goody-goody…how will they ever meet in the middle. If you have a sister, you’ll understand this movie for sure.

11. Thelma and Louise -Nothing like getting into trouble and going on the ‘run’ with your best friend, with the cops chasing you. Fantastic movie.

12. The First Wives Club -Great actresses, unfaithful husbands and revenge make for a great partnership and a good story.

13. Up Close and Personal -Another unforgettable love story, and a sad ending. Pass the tissues.

14. Catch and Release -Sometimes you really don’t know someone at all. A very good movie.

15. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days -A good plot, great dialogue and a wonderful ending. HEA What more could you ask for?

16. Dirty Dancing -Patrick Swayze…need I say more?

17.  The Twilight Saga -All of them. I’d watch them again, and have. Still love the books more, but I like seeing it come to life on screen.

18. A Star is Born -Still one of my all time favorites even if it’s an old movie. Love the plot, love the characters, and yes, pass more tissue!

There are so many more…The Blind Side, While You Were Sleeping, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Wedding Planner, The Wedding Date, Titanic, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, Sweet Home Alabama, The Holiday, Waiting To Exhale, The Devil Wears Prada, Pearl Harbour, Serendipity…damn I know I’m leaving out so many here, but these are just some of my favorite chick flicks.

Sometime, I’ll list my favorite supernatural movies, or just favorite movies…

Tell me some of yours……..

 

Where Do Your Ideas Come From?

Psst…yep I’m talking to you…it’s me…the right side of your brain calling to you-to create, to develop, to think, and write your ideas down. Write your stories. 

I’m that little voice in your head that comes up with all your brilliant and creative ideas. yep I’m hiding up there inside your brain. I’m that part of your brain that continually thinks and creates.

So, where do your ideas come from? Everyday life, situations, conversations, music, art, the weather, people, places, etc., are all places and things processed by your brain and recreated into something useful.

As a writer, we take these pieces that fill our minds, and put them on paper, finding those bits we’ve saved in the deepest recesses, and integrating them into our stories.

Everything you do, say or think can be used for a story…well almost anything. For example, last night I was ranting to two of my best writer friends about my ex and they suggested I write about it…oh yes! Making life hell for my ex would make a great story. Yes, of course the names would be changed to protect the innocent, but nonetheless, I could think of some creative ways to make his life a living hell or worse.

Or, there’s the time you spent at the beach last summer, good times, but what about that little girl who was sitting in the sand all alone with no one nearby? Did her parents forget her on the beach…maybe leave her behind? What will happen to her?

Or maybe, she’s just sitting there thinking that when she grows up she wants to be a surfer. That could make a great story with some interesting obstacles and twists. You can make up just about anything from any picture, vision or conversation.

Or you remember the time your best friend went missing overnight… and had no recollection of where he’d been. When he returned, he wasn’t the same person you remembered. His personality seemed different, and now he had an obsession with researching alien abductions.

How about that conversation you had with your sister about the blood work the doctor has just ordered her to have done? He suspects something sinister when he notices she has no pulse…   Don’t you remember your her telling you she had an encounter at the local bar with a tall dark man in the ladies room. She remembers him, but she can’t remember what he said or did to her. Then again, she still doesn’t know why she has a curious desire to drink blood suddenly.

Very little of this is true, but seriously, a story can come from anywhere, anytime, as long as you let yourself be open to the possibilities of your creative mind.

Yes, I write the sinister, the dark, the creepy, and the kind of stories that seem a bit twisted… but then we all have our secrets, don’t we?

Let those ideas flow, there are plenty of them all around you, just twist things up a little, and there you have a story to tell.

There are so many ways to get ideas. Dreams, brainstorming, just open your mind and set it free.

Have fun creating your writing masterpieces.

A New Project

For the past week, with my brilliant and talented partners, Tammy Crosby and Lisa Forget, we carved out a path…a nice bloody one…and named it Bleeding Ink Anthology: A Collection of Dark Tales.

We decided our name would be ’The Ink Babes’.

No NaNo for me this month. The idea for this project came to us through discussions about how many short stories we’ve done, submitted, and how many other good writers there are with

good stories, poetry, flash fiction that could be compiled in an anthology.

So, we’ve spent a lot of time planning and discussing what the anthology would include.

It’s been a hectic week. And yet, working together as a team has been inspiring. Between the three of us, we seem to cover all the bases, and make sure everything gets done.

The enthusiasm shared by both Lisa and Tammy for this project has been amazing. Our plan to compile something dark and creative, with a variety of topics is a thrilling venture to undertake.

Vampires, werewolves, supernatural entities, horror elements and even a little humour are all elements acceptable for this anthology. We hope to give readers pause to think about what they’ve just read.

This is a labour of love for us. We love writing, and I’m looking forward to this project coming together.

I hope you’ll take some time to check out Bleeding Ink Anthology and maybe submit a piece or two.  All details can be found on the site.

I’m enthusiastic about co-producing something of quality and look forward to the future of Bleeding Ink Anthology.

Submit your work to Bleeding Ink Anthology.

Check out our website!   Now open for submissions.

I’m sure you’ll find our site enticing and captivating…leave us a comment, check out the sections. I hope you visit often! :)

And keep writing! May your muse continue to provide you with great ideas and stories!

Setting Goals

I’ve always been good with setting goals. Need to get things done…make a list and do it. No excuses. No ifs, ands or buts, just do it.

With NaNoWriMo coming up next month, it reminds me of last years goal… 50k in 30 days. Yes, it’s a goal, and yes I met it. Because I wrote it down somewhere so I could be reminded I had to meet that goal.

Now we come to the hard part…setting goals for writing all the time. 10k per week doesn’t seem unreasonable. But the problem is, I haven’t been writing it down. I just think about it, so I never achieve that weekly goal.

Our subconscious knows and picks up the slack when we write a goal down. It remembers what we’ve done and keeps reminding us to meet that goal. So on a 3×5 index card, I’m writing 10k per week and posting it on my cork board to remind me of my weekly goal. That way there are no excuses and no deviations from the plan.

Setting goals is a key step to getting your work done, whether it be writing, a job, family responsibilities, whatever it is. Goal setting forces you to achieve what you write down. Well, it does for me. So, today I’m turning over a new leaf. Weekly and monthly goal setting. And Writing It Down!

So, I’ve taken a step in the right direction. I’ve been reading a book aptly titled ‘Book in a Month’ or as they abbreviate it in the book: BIAM, and since we’re coming up to NaNoWriMo it seems appropriate that goal setting and ‘Book in a Month’ are topics worth discussing before NaNo.

Yes, anyone can do NaNo, but to achieve the goal of 50k in a month, you need to set that goal. And don’t lose focus! Keep your eye on the brass ring and you’ll get your book done in a month.

Yeah, yeah, I know…it sounds easier than it is. But, without goals, would we achieve everything we need or want to do?

Not me!

Good luck with NaNo…whoever is doing it…and remember to ‘Set Your Goals!’

Social Media vs. Productivity

Yep, blog topic this week! Does social media affect your productivity?

I’d say yes, although others may disagree with me. Since this is my blog, I think it’s absolutely okay for me to express my opinions about it. We all use social media, Facebook, Blogging, Twitter, Linkedin, writing groups, etc., but how important is it to maintain an online presence? Is is necessary to further your career or does it just decrease your productivity because you’re spending so much time blogging, chatting, socializing and just generally interacting with other people?

I spend way too much time socializing. More than I care to say. But, at the prompting of some of my fellow writers I started a Twitter account. In about two weeks, I’ve probably made over 700 tweets. A twitterholic…definitely on my way! I’m hoping there’s help for me…Twitterholics anonymous? Maybe.. But, seriously, I need to govern my own actions better.

I’m not a published author. I have several short stories published, working on my manuscript, and seriously that should be taking priority for me right now. Not social networking! But, I love chatting with the people I know and interacting with them. Writing is a lonely business, and it’s easy to ‘wander’ off and before I know it a couple of hours have flown by just travelling from one site to another checking and chatting and generally just seeing what’s going on with everyone. I like knowing when things are going well for my friends, and yes, equally disappointed or sad when things don’t go so well for them. But….

I’m not getting as much of my work done as I could. And I know my productivity has dropped because of social media. Do I need this online presence? No! But, I like it. What I need to do is get my priorities straight. Set targets and not allow myself any social media interacting until I reach my targets. Like Pavlov’s dogs…a reward system of sorts.

At this point I don’t need to establish an online presence to promote myself or my stories. And if I spend too much time on social media I’ll never be able to achieve my goal of completing my manuscript. Solution: Set priorities, use social media when I need it, and limit myself to surfing and socializing so I can reach my goals with my writing and other life goals.

Social media is important. And keeping in touch with fellow writers is wonderful. But, I know I need to keep better track of my time so that one day I’ll need to make social media an important part of my on line presence. Until then, I’m going to try and be better at controlling my use of time.

Happy and productive writing this week fellow writers!

p.s. Thanks for the blog topic Tammy Crosby!

Realism in YA stories

Seriously, I have a thorn in my side about this topic. I’ve read quite a few YA novels and really?? Where is the realism? Teens in those books don’t swear, don’t drink, don’t have sex, don’t talk back to their parents and all their friends never say anything wrong to them. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about…the real world doesn’t work that way.

I have 2 teenage daughters and a son who just turned 21, and I’ve had plenty of their friends over and seen them in ‘action’. And I can honestly say that most YA books idealize teens and their habits and behaviours. It’s just not real. My kids aren’t bad, but they are normal and most of their friends are exactly the same. They all drink on occasion, they swear, they post nasty messages on Facebook when they’re pissed off, and they make no bones about saying what’s on their mind.

I want more realism in YA stories, and yes! I want to write it that way too, but there’s that imaginary line that stops us writers from crossing that line. Editors, publishers, agents, all don’t think it’s good to write this ‘stuff’ in to our stories and basically idealize young people so they look wholesome and good and never do anything wrong.

Oh, they make mistakes just like we all do. But, they learn from their mistakes. Their social lives are of the upmost importance to them, and they talk openly about sex and drugs and drinking. I’d have to say mine are pretty good about staying away from the drugs, but not ALL teens are like that.

Are we only appealing to an audience of teens who sit at home with no social interaction and read because they have ‘nothing better to do’? Shouldn’t we be writing with more down to earth and real life stuff so teens can identify with our characters? I’d say yes, but of course I don’t have the final say. I wish I did.

So, I’m working on my manuscript, and I’ve decided to break from the norm and make it more believable. No sparkling vamps, no perfect kids, just down to earth and real…lets see where it takes me. Yes, there’ll be some re-vamping of my work, but I’ll feel more true to my own writing by doing this.

This has been bugging me for some time. Of course I’m not going to take it over the top. There won’t be any crazy ass drug dealers or high school hookers in my story, but just the real stuff that happens to teens every day that we gloss over and don’t write in our stories because someone in their infinite wisdom thinks it won’t sell.

I’m writing for me, and writing what I love and what I love is realism. Maybe it’ll be an eye-opener and maybe it won’t, but lets see where it takes me.

Good luck with your stories fellow writers. Write for yourself. Its the only true way to self-satisfaction.

What You Write Matters!

This week I thought I’d talk about ways to get rid of writers block and creativity stumblers. Yeah most writers get that from time to time and if you don’t you’re one of the lucky ones!

1. There is never a best time to write

True! But, when is the perfect time to write? We all have doubts, fears, problems, things to do…so when is the best time to write? Anytime and right in the middle of all that you have going on. Don’t wait for the perfect time to write…just do it. Right in the middle of whatever you’re doing. I have to keep reminding myself that one!

2. Believe in yourself

Seriously! You have something to say otherwise you wouldn’t be writing, would you? Tell yourself it matters what you say, and eventually you’ll believe it. Push any doubts out of your mind!

3. Take out the big ‘BUT’

Yep! You all know what I’m talking about here. But, the dishes need to be done, the shopping, the laundry, I’m too tired, I’ve had a long day at work, etc., etc. Whatever it is…eliminate that big BUT that’s stopping you. Stop with the excuses. Oh, its easy for me to preach this one because I’ve flagrantly disregarded it so often. I put everything else first then do my writing. That laundry won’t disappear, the dinner will still get made, etc., but I need to write and forget about doing everything else first. Try not to do everything else first, unless it’s a job, but instead of saying I’m too tired after work, write for a while. Just don’t let that BUT get in your way. I promise to practice what I preach as well.

4. Cut out the junk!

Yeah you know those little things that are meaningless! Surfing the web, looking for other things to do besides writing, playing X-box or a game, all the little things that take up so much time and really don’t count for much in the end. You’ll find your day more rewarding when you can look at what you’ve accomplished and how much you’ve written in the time you would have spent doing something that yeilded no results. There goes my recipe hunting excursions, and my web surfing… LOL

5. Calm yourself

That’s right! Forget about everything else going on around you and just concentrate on the task of writing. Thinking about all the things you have to do leaves you stressed and your mind is not calm enough to think about writing and creating. Clearing your mind of the clutter will allow you to open yourself up to the task of writing. Get rid of the inner turmoil and chaos and just enjoy the calm, peaceful, tranquility of writing.

6. Take out the fear

Last but not least, take out the fear that’s stopping you from writing. You have a story to tell. Many writers hesitate to continue because they’re afraid of failure. Stop thinking about the outcome and concentrate on the process. If you don’t try, you’ve already failed.

So, that ends my little blog speech for this week. I hope someone got something out of it. None of it is new to us writers, but I thought just blogging about it might be a good way of reaffirming some of the things I personally need to work on to push my writing into the next gear.

What hinders you from writing? I’d love to hear it.

Note: Some information obtained from ‘What You Write Matters’, by Eric Maisel

Lovely Blogger Award…hehe!

One of my very favorite people and writing partner Tammy Crosby awarded this to me and I guess that means I have to share some facts about myself that no one has heard before…I’ll try to make it painless to read.

Lovely Blog Award

LOVELY BLOGGER AWARD

There are two very simple rules that accompany this award:

1. Share “7″ facts about yourself
2. Pass this award on to “15″ other deserving blog owners. (Ummm…15, yeah right! That’s not happening! Maybe 2 LOL.)

Okay, here we go…

Fact 1- I’m a movie fanatic. I’ll watch anything. I just love movies. I probably have over 5000 in my collection and add more all the time. My favorites are probably anything supernatural, old classics like Gone With The Wind, and Romantic Comedies, or just plain romance. Yeah, I’m a sucker for a good vamp movie or a good ole fashioned love story.

Fact 2- We have 2 dogs, 1 cat and 1 kitten. I love animals and hate to see animals hurt or abused. I’ll probably become some crazy old cat or dog lady taking care of as many of them as I can when all the kids move out. I’m just a sucker for a helpless animal.

Fact 3- I can sew anything and probably have. I can make a pattern for anything and sew it together. I’ve been sewing since I was 9. My mom was too poor to afford ‘bell bottoms’ for me when they changed the dress code at school to allow pants worn by girls so she gave me an old skirt of hers to cut up and make some bell bottoms. I have a degree in Fashion Design from Ryerson and have made stage wear for some big country stars. My motto in Uni was ‘who needs patterns, I just make it fit’.

Fact 4- I have a huge love of architecture, art, designing and decorating. Its unfortunate my budget doesn’t allow me to do everything or buy everything I really want. I’ve designed my dream house…hectagon shaped, right on the beach, windows from floor to ceiling, fireplace in the centre… If I could afford a house like that, I could afford to have someone clean the windows for me. LOL

Fact 5- I’m a control freak. I have to control the money, the budget, what happens and when it happens, and I keep lists for everything. It’s almost anal… but no one in the house seems to mind because then they don’t have to worry about it. Of course, it’s only the things I CAN control that I make my responsibility. Everything else is fate.

Fact 6- My love of international quisine is frequently tested on my family… I really love making Indian, Italian, Chinese, and anything else I can try. And I really love wild game and fresh fish which we eat quite often. Nothing quite as tasty as venison or fish right from the lake.

Fact 7- I have a fascination for Native culture and traditions. My step-father was Ojibwe (he’s since passed), and my hubby is Ojibwe, and all Native cultures are interesting and hold a special fondness and place in my heart and story telling. Growing up with some of the histories my step-father passed on have stayed with me and I still love learning about them.

Well, hopefully that was painless for you because it was hard for me to think of seven facts. There are so many things I could have said, but I tried to find some things that were important to me.

Now to nominate 2 others who deserve the lovely blogger award. How about I nominate TJames and Chrissey both from since it looks like they haven’t been nominated yet.

And, like Tammy did (which I really liked), share a fact about yourself if you comment on the blog. Thanks

Seriously Cute Blogger Award

An amazing writer and friend Tammy Crosby very sweetly awarded me this cute blogger award.

She is an inspiration to me and is my writing shoulder to lean on, vent to, and plot out ideas with, not to mention just chat with and have fun talking. So here we go….

Seriously Cute Blogger Award

Puppy Club rules are:

1st RULE: You do not talk about Puppy Club.

2nd RULE: You DO NOT talk about Puppy Club.

3rd RULE: You talk about 5 books/films/TV shows you’ve read or watched in the last 12 months.

1.) Game of Thrones-a brilliant HBO series set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, where “summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime,” GoT chronicles the violent dynastic struggles among the kingdom’s noble families for control of the Iron Throne, based on the book by George R. R. Martin.

I loved this series and have watched it twice now. Really anticipating the next season.

2.) The book ‘Hooked’ by Les Edgerton-this was the first book that actually made me sit up and think about the beginning of my manuscript and how crucial it is to hooking the reader. Brilliant and entertaining.

3.) Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’- seriously down to earth and details his struggles with writing. Love the fact that he’s a pantster and threw ‘Carrie’ in the trash. Lucky for him, his wife dug it out. You know…behind every great man….. LOL

4.) So many great movies to choose from that its hard to pick just two but ‘Beastly’ I enjoyed because of the concept of a witch changing a guy with tatoos to show how ugly he is on the inside by tatooing him on the outside and he has a year to find someone who loves him.

5.) Limitless-Another good movie. That a pill would create a limitless existence. And a good twist at the end. Really enjoyed this from start to end.

I’m supposed to nominate 5 people who should get this award, but I figure with everyone doing this, I’ll end mine at me, and save doubling some ‘seriously cute blogger awards’.

Character Development

Last week I talked about planning your manuscript right from the beginning. During the Dark Fantasy Writing course taught by Kelley Armstrong, she handed out a form to develop our character profiles.

I took the one she gave us, and revised it. I added lines for information that I needed to know about my characters so its a combination form, partly her ideas and some of my own. So its a full profile for my main characters, and I can when I write about them, I know everything I need to know to develop their personalities in my story.

Then I did another form for secondary characters…you know the people that come and go in your story, but you don’t need to know everything about them. You may need to know a little, but not a full profile.

Doing these has helped me understand my characters so much better. I thought I knew them well enough to write them into my story, but readers need to identify with them, and the writer needs to know them as well as he/she can possibly know anyone.

I know my characters so well that they’re like familiar friends or family members. I don’t know all their intimate secrets yet, but I know enough that I can write about them. They need to be just like real people and that’s what the reader will sense while they read the story. Identifying with your main characters will draw your reader in. If you don’t know them that well, then your reader won’t either.

This is another stage of planning, which I can’t stress enough as being an important part of starting your story. Hope this helps!

Feel free to use mine or make your own if you find anything useful in the form. They’re underlined in blue below.

Keep writing, and enjoy your week!

Character Profile Page-Primary

Character Profile Page-Secondary characters