A Word for the Wise

From Matthew West's blog:  "the average person speaks between 25,000 and 50,000 words every single day.  Every day!  At the end of a week, that would end up being about a novel’s worth of words.  What if someone was typing down every word you said today, and you could read them back to yourself?  Would you find words that you’re proud of?  Words spoken out of anger?  Words you would take back if you could?"

Well, that sure got me thinking about choosing my words wisely, whether it be by pen or tongue.

Win $15 Amazon.com Gift Card

Author Teresa Slack is featuring a contest to win a $15 Amazon.com gift card and a can of mixed nuts.  Yes, mixed nuts. To find out more visit her blog Joy in the Journey.

Taming the Muse

Is that even possible?  I find it very difficult once my imagination takes flight.  My ideas spark ideas which spark more ideas. You know. How much fun it is!  I love research. I thrive on creativity.  But too much information swirling around in my head can hinder my focus.  Sometimes I just need to reign in my muse.

Thoughts are precious and you never can tell when inspiration will come. Yet, it's important to give the current project the time and creativity it deserves.  So here are a few things I do to try to keep my sanity and focus. I  keep pen and paper with me at all times, just so I can get those wandering thoughts down on paper.  Napkins have even served the purpose. On the computer, I use Wordpad to quickly  jot down ideas and website addresses to save them for later.  I also have to be careful not to let time get the better of me.   It's not easy laying those bright ideas down, so I put them on an imaginary shelf for safe keeping.  I need to rest the old brain occasionally. 

What do you do to tame your muse?

Review: Reflections of God's Holy Land

Reflections of God’s Holy Land –
A Personal Journey through Israel
by Eva Marie Everson and Miriam Feinberg Vamosh

Beautiful. Reflections of God’s Holy Land – A Personal Journey through Israel took me on an extraordinary journey through Israel. As I turned each page I was transported to the land that has long been called holy ground. The coffee table tome uniquely blends historical insights with personal reflections about many ancient Biblical landmarks. This collaberation by Jewish historian Miriam Feinberg Vamostt and Bible teacher Eva Marie Everson was not only co-authored, but the pair traveled the Holy Land together for its making. It is a treasury unmatched from the beautiful layout, exsquisite photographs, Bible vignettes, and exceedingly informative and inspirational text. Weather you want to learn or simply be inspired, this book provides a retreat for anyone who has cherished memories of past visits of the Holy Land or longs to visit someday. Just open the book and you are there.

This book may have been provided free of charge by the author/publisher for review purposes.  My opinion was freely provided.

Reviews: That Certain Spark

Cathy Marie Hake did it again! That Certain Spark is the sixth novel, each who stand well on their own, in a series of books that feature the community of Gooding, Texas. Hake is gifted at caputuring personalities and That Certain Spark is no exception.

When Gooding gets a new doctor and veterinarian they were expecting a couple of men. Much to their chagrin, the new Dr. Taylor MacLeay Bestman is a woman, with a captial W. Taylor is bright, determined, and has a mind of her own. Married to her occupation, she has no room in her life for love. Or so she thinks. But what she truly has to contend with is the townsfolk and their notions about if and how a female doc can fit in. She'll need to prove her skill, gain their support, and keep out of danger if she is to succeed. But will she succeed in refraining from falling in love? You'll have to read the book to find out. You'll be delighted by the cameos from much loved characters from Hake's previous novels. The story carried me along and I couldn't put it down, especially toward the end . . . which in reality makes a nice beginning!

Healthy Competition

A little healthy competition is good for a writer. Here's why.

Debbie Roome at Pix n' Pens talked about "The Value of Writing Competitions" this week. The crux of her post said that competitions provide opportunities for discipline, new experiences, meeting deadlines, feedback, and rewards.

Wendy Lawton of Books and Such Literary Agency said this, "By sending your work to a writing contest you're saying, 'I'm ready for the competition. Put my work up against my fellow writers' work and let's see how it fares.' Bravo! That's the kind of attitude it takes to compete in this industry. And guess what? It's exactly what happens when your published book comes out. It goes to the bookstore shelf with all other books that made the cut and begins to compete for those few book dollars in the reader's wallet."

What have your experiences been with writing competitons?

What I learned from Facebook & Twitter

Before I started on Facebook and Twitter blogging for me was much more complicated and time consuming. Then I learned to microblog. Facebook has a 420 character limit, while Twitter challenges you to say what you need with only 140. For a writer, I likened this challenge to creating a brief pitch of a manuscript. A microsynopsis. Describe your book in one paragraph. Now describe it in one sentence. Is this even possible? I learned that it was. I also learned that I needn't drone on and on in my blogs or make it a major project every time I had something to say. This was good. Only problem, I started blogging so much on Facebook, using my Twitter updates as the vehicle, and neglected writing on my regular blogs. So, I'm trying to find some middle ground and hoping that this new blog will be that. Something else I've learned. Self expresion is possible with few words. That should give me practice when it comes time to trim my manuscripts.

How do you feel about blogging in fewer words?