Blog Tag

I'm It!  

Sending a big thank you to Lisa Ricard Claro of Writing in the Buff! She tagged me, and now I get to answer the following questions. :)

What are you working on right now?

My work in progress is an historical fiction novel set in colonial America. It's a collaborative project with author Susan J. Reinhardt. Both of us have had other projects on our plates this year so progress has been slow. But it's been fun and exciting to watch the book take shape. Susan and I both are seat of the pants writers and we like to give each other surprises when we hand over a completed chapter.

In addition to working on articles and blog posts, I'm brainstorming ideas for more educational books for my publisher, Helping Hands Press. I'm also taking a copyediting course and considering new lesson offerings for the online writing classes I teach.

How does the WIP differ from other works in the genre?

The book Susan and I are writing touches on a little known historic event of that era. There are additional surprises, but since this is a collaborative project, I cannot divulge any more right now. Sorry about that! We're hoping that it will offer a fresh and interesting storyline to Christian historical fiction fans.

Why do you write what you do?

I realized about fifteen years ago that I enjoy writing lessons, like those I use for teaching teens and adults online. I come from a family of teachers, but I never wanted to go into teaching, so this came as a bit of a surprise. Composing lessons involves writing but takes a different approach and role than that of a traditional classroom teacher, so maybe that's why it appeals to me.

When writing lessons, I think about material from the student's viewpoint. What can I write that will engage young minds? How can I make it fun and interesting? What will help them stretch, learn, and retain info? I've seen success in my classes with this approach; it motivates me to write more lessons that can help students learn.

I enjoy writing fiction too, although I am not sure yet how strong of a writer I am in that area. Susan seems to think I do okay, as she agreed to write the book with me. :) She's a patient teacher.

Bottom line, I enjoy writing and have long felt that I could use it to reach and encourage others in various ways. Writing is a passion that I also see as my life's work at this stage of the game.

What is the hardest part about writing?

I like all stages of the process unless I am stuck with a deadline pressing, or when editing and not sure how to rework something. I battle two things most - lack of confidence and procrastination. I'm a work in progress though, and figure there is no growth without a few bumps in the road to overcome.


Now You're It! 

I'm supposed to tag three authors, but I've decided to tag all of you. If you are willing, consider yourself tagged. If you'd rather pass, I understand. Let me know if you accept the challenge, Would love to hear your answers. :)


Coming Attractions

Alex J. Cavanuagh joins us for an interview on September 30 to celebrate the release of his latest book, Cassastorm.

Jody Hedlund's blog tour for Rebellious Heart stops here on October 7 and will include a giveaway and other surprises.

Hope you can join us!


What do you think is the hardest part about writing?
 
Have a great week,

Karen

P.S. Looking for writing tips for kids K-12? I'm sharing a few over at Carol Alexander's blog.



Photo credit: Stock Exchange

I Love to Write Day

Did you know that November 15, 2012 is the 10th anniversary of
I Love to Write Day?

Author John Riddle created this wonderful holiday to celebrate writing and hold the "world's largest party for writers."

Mr. Riddle says his goal is simple, and "...people of all ages are encouraged to write something. A poem, a letter, an essay, start a novel, finish a novel...the possibilities are endless!"

So there you have it, whether participating in NaNo, penning an article, a story or blog post, or writing an email, you'll be joining the celebration. Chocolate anyone?

More info on I Love to Write Day is available at the official site.

And, if you happen to be looking for writing ideas to use with your children, grandchildren, or other amazing kiddos in your life, check out my guest article at Carol Alexander's Lessons From the Homestead. I share a few ideas on how to get imaginations primed to stretch those writing muscles. 

Did you know about I Love to Write Day? What did you think about writing when you were in grade school? Have any fabulous weekend plans?

Have a great weekend,

Karen


Photo credit: Stock Exchange

Thursday's This and That

I've another round of tidbits and goodies to share. Hope you find something helpful!

Links and Resources

Do you write to express or write to impress? Author Bernadette Pajer shares her thoughts on this topic over at Chuck Sambuchino's blog. I think her advice, particularly in the area of writer's block, can be liberating - see if you agree.


Here's the answer to the question that's been on many writer's minds - Do you italicize internal dialogue? Deareditor.com has info on this and other interesting topics, like how to obtain height in your dialogue or how to get back on track after an editor calls you an idiot. There's a little something for every writer, check them out!

Looking for freelance work? The Freelance Writing Jobs site might be of help. While there, check out their assortment of helpful articles, writing tips, and business help. Click here for more info.

The wait is over! The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi will be released next week! Angela and Becca blog over at The Bookshelf Muse and offer wonderful writing insight in their posts. They compiled a book with their great writerly advice; I expect it will be a must have for every writer's library. Can't wait to pick up a copy! If you aren't already following their blog, I highly recommend that you do so.

Book Review

Lessons From the Tree House by Carol Alexander

After her sons built a tree house, Carol Alexander realized that they didn't just get a tree house in the bargain, they gained important life skills too. Spurred on by the sobering statistics that most children spend only 30 minutes of outdoor free play each week, she decided to review the process, document it, and share the steps in this new ebook. I'm glad she did, for the result is a wonderful, hands on guide for parents and children of all ages.

Carol divides the procedure into three steps, the design, building, and enjoyment phases. Each phase is broken down further into subjects such as mathematics, computer skills, drawing, science, writing, and even public speaking. The hands on lessons provide a plan for all ages that can be used as is, or tailored further to suit more specific needs and interests. The target audience is the homeschool family, but this would be a great resource for other groups such as 4H or scouts.


In addition to providing suggested books and links, Carol includes quotes from students and parents. I thought this was a great addition to highlight various aspects of the project. Illustrations, photos, vocabulary lists, and even grid paper that can be reproduced are also tucked into this handy guide.

Carol's newest ebook is, in my opinion, another winner. It is exactly the type of resource I would have used when homeschooling my three children. I'll have to keep it in mind for the grandkids!


Carol is also the author of Lessons From the Hen House and Lessons From the Seed Catalog and can be found at her blog, Everything Home With Carol.





Run across any good links lately? What are you up to this weekend?

Happy weekend,
Karen


Photo credit: Stock Exchange

Interview with Carol J. Alexander

As part of the Good Friends Old and New Blogoversary theme, I'm pleased to share an interview with Carol J. Alexander. Carol is a talented author and blogger, and one of the first people I met through blogging. She's been a wonderful inspiration and all around supportive friend.

Carol is the author of several ebooks, so I thought it would be nice to hear about her experience with this process.

Karen: Welcome to Write Now, Carol, so glad you could stop by!

Carol: Thanks so much for asking me, Karen. I don’t think I’ve been interviewed before so this is a bit exciting for me.

Karen: I'm glad to host your first interview! It IS exciting. :) You have several ebooks under your belt. What made you choose this format?

Carol: First, I want to say that I am still finding my way in all this. I know what I know, but I definitely don’t consider myself an e-publishing expert.

That said, I chose electronic format for my books for several reasons. First, I was looking for something I could put together quickly to sell on my site to make money. Last year I made about $37; so this is not my idea of a get-rich-quick scheme. :) Secondly, my e-books are not full-length books, but booklets or workbooks; so I didn’t think the traditional publishing route made a lot of sense. 

Karen: It sounds like a smart move, given your circumstances and the popularity of ebooks now. Did you use any special format or software to create the ebooks?

Carol: Not really. I simply laid them out in OpenOffice and then converted them to PDF format. I used OpenOffice because the version of Word that I had last year said in big, ugly letters at the top of the screen “Non-Commercial Use” and that intimidated me. (As an aside, I found OpenOffice slow and cumbersome and do not recommend it for large files that include graphics and pictures.)

I have not gone the Kindle route so far for a couple reasons. Planning a Homeschool Graduation is a workbook with worksheets for a parent to print out and use in their planning process. When I put it together, I was told you could not print from a Kindle. More recently, I learned that you can, so I will explore that option more fully this year.

Lessons from the Seed Catalog and Lessons from the Hen House are booklets in their own right; but I have plans to make them chapters, or sections, of a larger work called Lessons from the Homestead. Just a few months ago I started the Lessons from the Homestead e-newsletter for parents that have trouble getting the chores and the homeschooling done. It is full of ideas and encouragement for them to use life on the farm as part of their schooling; integrating both lifestyles into one. I also set up a website for this product which includes a blog. The larger work Lessons from the Homestead will include chapters or sections titled Lessons from the Hen House, Lessons from the Dairy Barn, Lessons from the Tree House, Lessons from the Wood Pile, etc.

Each of these booklets will include at least 50 lessons that a parent can use in their schooling centered on the given topic. For instance, in Tree House: “Research the toxicity of different types of wood—pressure treated, oak, etc.—and the relative precautions for each.” And for younger children, “Take a trip to a hardware store and introduce them to hammers, screwdrivers, hand saws, etc. Ask an employee to explain the difference between a coping saw and a hacksaw, and a Philip’s-head and a flat-head screw driver for instance.” I envision a parent being able to purchase the appropriate chapters for their family, print them out, hole punch, and store in a 3-ring binder.

Karen: That Kindle info is good to know - I hadn't thought about that. As a former homeschool mom, your books sound like my kind of resource. (Note: I read Carol's Planning a Homeschool Graduation. I highly recommend it!) How long, on average, did your books take to write from start to finish?

Carol: I spent the greater part of a year writing Planning a Homeschool Graduation. I interviewed a lot of parents that held graduation ceremonies for their children, or those that coordinated large events for their homeschool support groups. This booklet can be used by either the single family, or a group coordinator, and has worksheets and ideas appropriate for both. I also had several parents read it over and offer their feedback. This whole process took a lot of time.

I wrote the rough draft of Lessons from the Seed Catalog from my recliner with my family sitting around me in about two evenings. Many of the lesson ideas in this book came from my husband and kids. However, I took several weeks after that editing, tweaking, and doing the layout.

Karen: There's a lot more that goes on behind the scenes in the writing process, isn't there? What advice do you have for someone who is considering writing an ebook?

Carol: While working on both of these books, I was taking classes from Christina Katz and she gave me the best advice: pay for professional editing. I did, and I am so glad. My editor found little inconsistencies that I missed and had me looking at things at angles I had not thought of. I wouldn’t put out another book without her.

Also, marketing your book is a key to its success. I attribute my $37 profit last year to lack of marketing skills. Also, after spring both of those books were no longer “in season;” so I spent the rest of the year reading up on marketing techniques. Now, I’m timing my social networking posts and article writing to correspond with the season for these books. For instance, this spring I have an article coming out in regional parenting magazines about the learning opportunities found in your seed catalogs. In the bio after the article is a link to my blog where they can purchase their own copy.

Karen: I wonder if marketing isn't most writers' weakest area. Thanks so much for the insight and tips; I appreciate you sharing your experience with us. It's been a pleasure, Carol!

Carol: Thanks for asking me, Karen. I’m glad to have the opportunity to share what I’ve learned.

More About Carol: 

http://everythinghomewithcarol.com/

Freelance writer Carol J. Alexander has been homeschooling her children for 18 years, homesteading for 10, and still has enough energy left over to tell you about it. She has served as the leader of her local homeschooling support group and hosted homeschooling co-ops in her home. Her family has kept milk goats, chickens for eggs and meat, and pigs on their modest acreage in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. When she isn’t in the garden, Carol can be found writing on homeschooling and homesteading topics. Her articles have appeared in Home Education Magazine, The Old Schoolhouse, BackHome Magazine, Grit, Urban Farm, Hobby Farms, and various regional parenting publications. She is also a regular contributor to NaturalHealthEzine.com and ChristianPF.com.

In an effort to help homeschooling parents that struggle to juggle the farm and the family, Carol recently started a free e-newsletter, Lessons from the Homestead. This newsletter (with a blog of the same title) contains encouragement and tips to help parents find the learning opportunities a homestead has to offer so that they can spend less time in the textbooks. She’s also written a couple e-booklets with more than 50 lessons for math, language, art, science, and more—Lessons from the Seed Catalog and Lessons from the Hen House. Other titles in the series will follow.

You can read more of Carol's tips and encouragement on growing children and food naturally at her blog Everything Home with Carol.

Don't forget to enter the Blogoversary Giveaway - the prize includes chocolate! Need I say more? Check out Monday's post for details.

Quick reminder: The Coffeehouse for Writers classes begin March 26. Lots of great offerings including - Blogging for Profit, Basic Boot Camp for Writers, Character Development, SEO Savvy, Social Media, and more. Click here for more details.

Do you have any questions for Carol? Have you published an e-book? Have you considered it?

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,
Karen

Writing Rewards

Happy Monday! I am excited to welcome guest blogger Carol Alexander of Everything Home with Carol. Carol and I met through blogging, and it's a treat to have her share her wisdom and insight with us. I encourage you to stop by her blog and say hello. She'd love to see you!

The Sweet Rewards of Berries and Writing

In my neck of the woods, wineberries are the mother lode. They beat all wild berries hands down. The wineberry is related to the raspberry, but bigger, juicier, sweeter, and with seeds soft enough to go unnoticed. Our family purposes to find and pick these tasty morsels every summer.

One day last summer, while hip high in briars picking berries, I thought how this practice is much like my writing career.

The first similarity I realized between berry picking and writing came as I walked along the mountain road looking for fruit on my right. After some distance, and not finding any, I stopped to look back for my husband. I then saw a flash of red from the other side of the road.

“Wow. What a stash,” I said. “I never even thought to look on the other side of the road.”

How often do we do that with our writing? We are so accustomed to writing on the same topic that we never consider the other side of the road. Just because I, for the most part, write articles on homeschooling doesn’t mean I can’t venture into other areas. To remind me of this I posted a large note on my office wall that reads, “What Did I Do Today? Write It.”  In response to this charge, I’ve written about buying a washing machine, running a flea market business, and reaching out to my neighbors. Remember, for more story ideas look on the other side of the road.

Today the whine of the gnats was deafening. They weren’t just swarming around our heads, either. They were crawling all over us—in our ears, eyes, mouths. B-l-l-a-a-h-h-h! I could have gone nuts! But wineberries are worth it. I just had to focus on those berries—that sweet reward.

In writing, publication is the sweet reward. And the gnats are those telling us we can’t do it—the rejection slips, unsupportive families, and critics. But if we ignore them, if we focus on the reward, we can do it. If we waste time and energy fanning the gnats out of our face and slapping them off our arms, no berries go into the bucket.

That reminds me of another thing. When picking berries, and when writing, you must focus on what you are doing. Mostly I pick berries with little boys. A little boy typically picks a berry from a cluster as his eyes travel to the next cluster. Consequently, his hand leaves nine berries here to get one berry from over there, and so forth. He travels down the road that way, leaving scads of berries behind. Fortunately, I am aware of how little boys operate and follow along to retrieve the berries they miss.

In writing, losing focus leads to losing opportunities. If you sit down at the computer to write, but end up on Facebook, you’ve lost your focus. If you’re working on a story about growing tomatoes, but find yourself writing about eating tomatoes, you’ve lost your focus. Don’t be like my little boys. Don’t leave so much behind that someone else scoops up all your berries.

Picking wineberries involves trudging up dusty mountain trails and hanging onto steep hillsides. Hip high in brambles and poison ivy you constantly wonder how far lurks the nearest snake or bear. Often, you come to a great stand of berry canes that have been picked clean. Someone else beat you to them.

Just so in writing—the way is steep, it’s a lot of hard work, and the competition is fierce. But if you persevere, you hit the mother lode.

Carol J. Alexander picks berries and writes stories in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Her articles have appeared in Urban Farm Magazine, BackHome Magazine, Grit, Home Education Magazine, The Old Schoolhouse, Funds for Writers and Writing for DOLLARS! Visit her blog http://EverythingHomeWithCarol.blogspot.com for more information on wineberries.


Many thanks, Carol, for sharing your thoughts with us!

What's the latest writing idea you've gleaned from everyday life? How did you use it?


Happy writing,

Karen

Photo credit: foobean01  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/896415

Blogging Benefits & Contests Galore

What is the biggest benefit to blogging?  

Information?

Like minded friends?

Connections with other writers?


I've been pondering this in light of my recent one year Blogoversary and surpassing the 100 follower mark. Many of you know that when I began blogging, I had no clue what awaited me. I learned quickly that there were benefits galore.

The most treasured benefit, I believe, is the amazing and varied assortment of writing friends I've made. It warms my heart to think about it. It might sound silly, but it really does. I feel as though I have this incredible support group at my fingertips - friends who offer advice and encouragement, and who care about how things are going. It has enhanced my life and writing. It is priceless, and I am grateful to you, my writing friends. Thank you!

What benefits have you gained from blogging? What did you expect when you began? Do you have any advice to enhance the blogging life? Please share, for your input is greatly treasured. I love the conversations that come about in the comments.

Contests Galore

The Great Race Giveaway, hosted by Carol Alexander of Everything Home with Carol is offering some fun prize excitement. Carol will be celebrating her Blogoversary in July, so hop on over and join the fun!

Lynda Schab's recent post at On the Write Track features details about the Family Circle Fiction Contest. Deadline to enter is September 8, 2010, and there is no entry fee. Yay! Free is nice, don't you think? Check out Linda's blog for all the details.

Don't forget my 100 Follower Giveaway! Giveaway ends Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at noon. To enter, leave a comment with your email address. Complete and addtional entry details can be found on Thursday's post. We also discussed commenting, so feel free to get in on that discussion too, if you haven't already.

Be sure and leave your two cents about the benefits of blogging. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

Blessings to you,

Karen