The Rising Authors Tag Revisited

Back in the day, I was tagged to do the Rising Author's Tag (you can see it here). Wow... reading through it recently, I realized how differently my writing style/habits have changed. So, I thought it might make a fun post to redo the tag, having both the old answers, and the new.

What's your favorite writing style? 

Old answer: Hmm… probably 3rd-person. And some 1st person.

New answer: Wow . . . since writing Beloved, I've grown to love 1st person. Yet I also love 3rd person. So, there's really not just one answer to this.

Where's do you usually sit to write? 

Old answer: Anywhere—the dining room, schoolroom, kitchen, etc. I'm not picky. I'm currently on the patio. :D

New answer: Still the same, haha! I mostly prefer the kitchen table, though, or an easy chair with a lap desk.

If you write for long periods of time, does it bother your fingers/wrists/hands?

Old answer: UGH, yes.  Mostly my wrists, but my hands get writer's cramp too.  Which really doesn't help at all with school. ;)

New answer: Mhmmmm. It's awful.

Do you snack while you write? If so, what's your favorite snack?

Old answer: Every once in awhile.  But when I do, I just LOVE Cheese-It's and Mediterranean Herb Pita crackers.  (Yes people, I am VERY specific.) ;)

New answer: Um actually, I probably snack even less than I used to. But yeah, my favorite snacks are probably still the same. If you add strawberry Twizzlers to the mix.

Are you published? If so, best publishing advice you've received? If not, do you want to be? 

Old answer: Nope.  And… I don't really know.  I think it would be fun to be published, but… it's not a priority.

New answer: Pretty sure y'all know the answer to this one! ;)

Writing/publishing wise, where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? 

Old answer: Umm… I really have no idea. ;P  Maybe still just sharing my stories with my friends?  Or maybe even posting them… ;)

New answer: Well, having Beloved published, obviously . . . but in five years? I really don't see myself publishing again anytime soon. In ten years? That's up to God, folks.

Do you listen to music while you write? 

Old answer: Not often.  I get distracted REALLY easily.

New answer: Hahahaaaaa, yeah, things have changed. I listen to music all. the. time. while I write.

What's your opinion of editing? 

Old answer: Well, I know several people who would say, "I HATE it!!", but I really can't say as I dislike it that much.  Of course, I haven't really edited enough to be sure. :P

New answer: It . . . has it's place. I enjoy it, when there's nothing major I have to change. If there's a lot of research to be done, I'll always be nervous that I've got the facts wrong, which makes the editing process more difficult.

Do you enjoy research? 

Old answer: Yes, I do; at least, when it comes to writing.  For school, not so much. ;P

New answer: My opinion of it is dwindling . . . much like I said in the last answer, I'm always scared that I don't have my facts right.

Do you fiddle with the font style and size of your works? 

Old answer: Nope.  Maybe the title, but… I've never tried it with everything else.

New answer: Some, yeah. I like to make my font super small, then after I've written for what seems like forever and it doesn't look like a whole lot, I change it to 'normal' size and see just how many pages I've written. ;)

And lastly, what's your thoughts on writerly tags? B-) 

Old answer: I love them.  That's all there is to it. B-)

New answer: I like 'em.

150-word story-snippet request: Can I see a piece of your writing? 

Old answer: Absolutely! :D  This is an excerpt from a story I wrote called Katie's War:

Mom looked up in surprise.  “Katie, I thought you were doing homework in your room.”
“I finished it.  Now, what does the telegram say?”
Mom slowly opened the telegram, unfolded the paper inside, and her face blanched.  “I-I have to sit down,” she said faintly.
Katie’s eyes widened with fright.  Something’s happened.  Dad or Jerry are dead.  Oh, God, please, no, no!  She squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears in, placing her hand on the back of her mother’s chair.  “Shall I get Joey?”  
Mom nodded absently.  “I believe he’s in the backyard studying.”
Katie walked quickly through the house and opened the backdoor.  “Joey,” she called.
Josiah looked up with a smile that quickly vanished at the look on Katie’s face.  “What’s wrong, Kate?”
Katie bit her lip and swallowed hard.  “We... just got a telegram.  Mom didn’t tell me what it says, but Joey, a telegram…”

New answer: Mmkay, if you insist. This is from, you guessed it . . . Beloved.

I stop at a corner, waiting to cross, reaching the curb just before a woman and her little girl. The mother glances at me, narrows her eyes, and grabs her daughter’s hand. When the light turns green, she rushes ahead of me, adding credence to my theory that everyone is bigoted against anyone different from themselves.

My feet move almost without my bidding. Down the street, walking, walking . . . always walking. Never looking back. Crossing streets, dodging thieves. Not that I have anything worth stealing anyway. A person with no one to love, and no one to love them, isn’t worth anything to anybody.

Believe me, I know.

Well, I hope that my writing has improved some . . .

******

Well, how was that peek into my writing life? I hope you enjoyed my humiliation . . .

Like a Puppy

Meet Trigger, the newest addition to our home! Isn't he adorable?

Kordell and I took him him with us to check the cows yesterday, and it was so cute how he just sat there at my feet. He didn't understand that we wouldn't let him up on the seat because we didn't want to make a mess. He didn't understand why we made him approach the cows while he was terrified of them. He didn't understand why we wouldn't let him go wherever he wanted. He didn't understand what was going on outside, but he wanted so badly to see it all. He wanted to see everything that was happening when he was stuck in the car while we were out of the pasture. And sometimes he caught glimpses when the door would open. But Kordell and I, we knew why. We could see everything. And Trigger trusted us, and he obeyed.

Sometimes we don't understand why God holds us back. Sometimes we don't understand why we have to face our fears. Sometimes we don't realize that the actions we do today can affect what happens tomorrow, or what happens to those around us. Sometimes we want to see everything; we want to see the future. We want to see the end result. And sometimes, sometimes, God lets us catch a glimpse. When someone tells us that we had the exact words they needed to hear, even though we're convinced that we never have the right words. When we step outside on a Spring day and hear the birds singing, and we realize that God really is in control.

We hope. We have faith that God knows and sees everything. And we trust like a puppy.

And so it Begins...

The adorables are starting to come into the world! Meet Jimbo, Sarah, Ashwy and Caleb, the first calves of the season!

Well . . . I actually didn't get a picture of Ashwy. Because when I was finally in a position to snap a shot, she'd disappeared. Go figure.

Jimbo

Of course the little guys wouldn't let me close. I guess I'm scary. *halo*

Caleb & his mama

Me: You could stare at your cows all day, couldn't you?
Kordell: Yeah, probably.

Kinda hard to see Sarah...she's the little one on the left

Yeah, he kinda loves his cows.

The cows were quite anxious to get fed!

Cows that are too hungry to be wary of the phone. *smirks*

FOOOOOOD

He actually has some of them tame enough to let him pet them.

No, Kordell...a little bit to the right...ahhhhh, that's the spot.

So yes, that happened almost first thing this morning. What do you like to do during your weekends?

Wanted: Beta Readers

I'm finally doing it.

I'm asking for beta-readers for my novel, Beloved.

When I wrote this book a year and a half ago, the thought of asking for beta-readers was always in the back of my head, and I'm finally making that thought a reality. So yes, if you're interested in being a beta-reader . . . *points to form below*

Bonus points if you:

-Live in California, or are at least well-associated with it, particularly the west coast.

-Have any medical knowledge, particularly about concussions and drowning.

-Have any knowledge about foster care, particularly in California.

-Are good—and picky—at pointing out typos, flaws and inconsistencies.

If you fit any of these criteria, sign up!

If you're wondering what this book is about, here's the (unofficial) synopsis:

Life hurts.

Cara Richards just doesn't care anymore. Alone and unloved—or so she believes—she decides that there's only one answer to the nightmare that has become her life. But when an unwelcome intervention disrupts Cara's plans and turns her life in a direction she never imagined, she is faced with a decision. Is death really the answer?

Can everyone truly be loved, no matter what?

This book is feelsy and geared more toward girls that deal with depression. It is, as my brothers call it, a 'chick flick' (yeah, even though they've never even read it).

Ya interested? Just as a warning, signing up does not make you an official beta-reader. I'll let you know.

All that said, sign-ups end two weeks from today, on Saturday, February 16th.

(also, I completely redid the blog's look . . . whatcha think?)