Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Erased

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is erased. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

"Oh dear God," she looked down at the bright orange stain spreading across her top and shorts and back at the crowded lunch room full of faces already laughing at her. 
The professor had warned her not to abuse the magic eraser, had told her not to take it for granted, but she couldn't help it. Some things she could live with, others she couldn't. She pulled it out of her pocket and erased the stains from her clothes, the laughter from everyone's mouth and the memory of her catastrophic embarrassment from their minds. When she was done, she picked up her lunch tray and sat down at a table, anonymous once again. 

Voila! I hope you enjoyed this little story, and if you did, please feel free to follow this blog and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. If you're in the mood for more Five Sentence Fiction, just follow the links below to read past editions. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Determination
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Malice
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Enrapture
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Celebration

Bring On the Holidays

You may have noticed over the past several weeks that I've really been getting into the Halloween spirit here on the blog. Since the beginning of September, my weekly book recommendations have centered around the spooky, the creepy and the suspenseful, and for the month of October all of my Five Sentence Fiction Friday posts have a darker twist to them. Why? Well, last year I swore off the holidays. I was so sick of all the holiday mayhem (Christmas in particular, but the rest as well) that I decided to take a year off. I did the minimal requirements for each and it felt so good to just give it a rest for a year. I really needed the break.

Now, I'm feeling refreshed. I'm ready to take on the holidays again, but in my own style. I'm embracing the parts I love while leaving out the activities I just don't feel up to. Take Halloween for example. I probably won't get dressed up or decorate the yard this year. But I'm reading a giant stack of spooktacular books to get in the spirit, and having weekly get togethers with friends to watch classic horror. I'm going to carve a pumpkin and roast pumpkin seeds and hand out candy to trick or treaters. And so far, I'm having a blast.

So, if you're starting to get a little sick of all the Halloween spirit hanging around here, I apologize. And don't worry, I'll keep most of my Christmas spirit off the blog. That's one of those holidays that can be a little too... everywhere. I plan on enjoying Christmas this year, but I won't be cramming it down anyone's throat. In the mean time, Happy Halloween!

Monday Book Review - Up Jumps the Devil

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation!

UP JUMPS THE DEVIL by Michael Poore

 

 For our last macabre tale of fall, I bring you the biography of the devil himself. It seemed fitting, even though it wasn't spooky or scary. After all, what is Halloween without the devil? And in this charming, witty and clever tale is the world's best character, the first love story and the first broken heart. A complete delight.

I think it's obvious that my favourite thing about this book was Poore's rendition of the devil. He's as charming as you'd hope he would be, clever, but also complicated with a colourful history. It takes you back through history to the start of the world, with surprising twists and turns and intriguing subplots. Poore has created a truly vivid portrait of one of the most universally misunderstood bad guys, with a fantastic story to boot.

This was the perfect weekend read. Original and unique, a story I won't soon forget.

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Determination

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is determination. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

She sat in her car, waiting outside his building, like a cat for its mouse. Sooner or later, he'd have to come out, have to talk to her, acknowledge her existence. She knew if she could just talk to him, she could make him see they were meant for each other. He belonged to her. She would make him see that. 

Voila! Hope you enjoyed this week's story, and if you did, don't forget to check out past editions below. Have a great weekend everyone!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Malice
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Enrapture
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Celebration
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Magnetic

Tips for NaNoWriMo

Well, October is over the half way mark and for a lot of people that means gearing up for this year's NaNoWriMo. If you aren't familiar, November is National Novel Writing Month. Every year thousands of people sign up online and pledge to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days. With daily word counters, a supportive online community and pep talks from some fantastic writers, it's a great way to blow your writer's block right out of the water. After all, there's no better silencer for the inner critic than a looming deadline. Unfortunately, I won't be participating this year, I'm deep in editing land, but I was a winner for the June Camp NaNoWriMo and so I thought I'd share a few of my tips and tricks for anyone who's considering giving it a try this year.

1) First off, do not fall behind. Hit your targets every day, right from the start. Don't assume that you'll be able to catch up on the weekend when you have all that free time. You won't. Believe me. You just won't.

2) However, if you do fall behind, don't give up. Yeah, I know what I just said, but falling behind doesn't mean you get to throw in the towel. Dig deep, throw in a few very late nighters and you'll be back on track.

3) Have an idea of your story before you start. No, you don't have to have it all mapped out ahead of time (unless you want to) but have a general idea of the characters, the plot. It'll keep you from staring at a blank page, wondering where the hell you're going with all this. Use this time before the start date to chew on your story, let it start building in your head and then let the momentum take you.

4) If your story just isn't working, change it. NaNoWriMo is the perfect chance to experiment with your writing. Think about it, with no time to care about the rules, you can be free to just create. (Because really, that's what it's all about.)

5) Please remember: Although it's called National Novel Writing Month, at the end you will NOT have a finished novel. What you will have is a rough draft and a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment. Don't get me wrong, completing a 50,000 word manuscript in a month is extremely impressive, but don't forget that there's a lot of work to follow. I won in June 2012, and I'm still editing. And frankly, I will be for a while. Every rough draft needs a ton of work before it's suitable for an agent, a publisher and the general public.

6) Have fun! I know that sounds like a cliche, but it really is fun. Incredibly stressful fun. But as your fingers race over the keyboard, pounding out word after word, an undeniable feeling of elation begins to envelope you. It's magic!

All right, good luck and God bless! I'll see you on the other side.

Monday Book Review - Fangland

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation!

FANGLAND by John Marks

 

I know we're all sick to death of vampires, but this is something completely different. FANGLAND has turned the vampire into a much creepier, darker monster, something more akin to a virus that infects your mind and your soul. It's brilliant.

My favourite thing about this book was the representation of the whole vampire mythology, the way Marks took it, twisted it and made it so much better. It's effortlessly creepy, sneaking up on you as you read. I also liked the format, almost as a kind of catalog of evidence, jumping from diary entries and emails, from character to character. It unfolds before you like a case file, the evidence building until it's undeniable.

It just isn't Halloween without a good vampire story and this is a really good vampire story. Read it. You're guaranteed to get creeped out.

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Malice

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is malice. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

She didn't have the heart to tell her mother she didn't like the doll, not when she looked so excited and hopeful. But really, didn't her mother realize she was way too old for dolls? And besides, it was creepy, with its wide unblinking eyes and cruel little painted on smile. 
She carried the hideous porcelain creature upstairs, feigning excitement, and stashed it in the closet. She didn't like the way it stared at her, the way it almost seemed to move just as she was turning away...

I hope you enjoyed this week's slightly spooky tale. If you did, then please share it with friends. If you really liked it, then I hope you'll follow this blog and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. Still in the mood for more Five Sentence Fiction? Just follow the links below to read past editions. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Enrapture
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Celebration
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Magnetic
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Wild

Beautiful Language Vs. A Great Story

You might have heard me rant a little on this before, but I've always had a hard time with literary fiction. I know that to many it's held in very high regard, and to that same many it's believed to be head and shoulders above main stream fiction. Part of me understands why, but the rest just shakes its head in disbelief.

Lately I've been reading ON BECOMING A NOVELIST by John Gardner, and I think it's helped me figure out what I dislike so much about literary fiction. In his book, Gardner talks about the importance of language. A writer's skill with language can be tantamount to their success, but it requires balance. When a writer becomes too obsessed with the language he's telling his story in, no matter how beautiful it may be, the story gets lost. Of course, neither should a writer neglect language. It adds depth to a piece that would otherwise be flat.

In a nutshell, I think that's why I find literary fiction so dry and boring. Too often I lose interest in the story because it seems to be a shadow in the background, a mere device to drive the language. The writer in question gets to hung up on his method and forgets about the story. First and foremost should always be the story, and the device, whether it be language, metaphor, symbolism, etc. should only be as useful as it is to making the story better. Once it starts to distract from the story, it's no longer useful and must be discarded.

So, what do you think? Am I way off base here? Obviously there are some excellent authors of literary fiction out there capable of telling a wonderful story, which are your favourites? What's more important to you? Beautiful language or a great story?

Monday Book Review - We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation!

WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson

 

Mary Katherine Blackwood lives at Blackwood Manor with her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian. The rest of her family is dead. The villagers have always hated the Blackwoods, but more so since the bad thing happened. And when a new visitor shows up at Blackwood Manor, everything will come to light.

Deliciously creepy and unexpected, this was another perfect read for the Halloween season. I especially loved the character of Mary Katherine, also known as Merricat, with her strange rituals, her devotion to her sister, and the tickling sensation I had while reading it that she knew more than she was letting on. The whole story is deviously clever, well written and perfectly dark.

If you're looking for a creepy Halloween read, you've found it.

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Enrapture

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is enrapture. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

When she sang, it moved him. His heart would thump harder against his chest even as his breath caught in his throat, his skin bubbling up with goosebumps as each hair stood on end. It was hard, watching her from so far away, but it wouldn't be for much longer.
Soon she would know who he was. Soon she would be his. 

Voila! I hope you enjoyed this tiny story, and if you did, then I hope you'll share it with friends. If you're still in the mood for more Five Sentence Fiction, just follow the links below for past editions. Don't forget to follow this blog and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Celebration
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Magnetic
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Wild
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Flowers

The Importance of Editing

Great news, everyone! I have my manuscript back from the editor. And let me just say, wow. Her ideas and suggestions are so thought provoking, so utterly fantastic that I desperately wanted to jump up and down ecstatically for a few minutes when I read her memo. Of course I didn't, because I was at work at the time. And although my coworkers are aware that I'm rather strange (unfortunately it's impossible to miss), it would have required a little too much explanation. But suffice it to say, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Very exciting, thrilling, rapturous work.

Which brings me (in a very roundabout way) to my point. Editing is so important. Every writer on the planet knows they have to edit their work, that no first draft should ever be the last, but sometimes I think writers (especially new writers such as myself) don't realize just how much editing is actually required. I guess that's why I'm still reticent about self published authors. Now, I realize that there are some really great self published authors out there (Wes Funk for example), who have put their work through the wringer to make sure it's as good as humanly possible before it sees the light of day. But there are just so many writers out there who don't realize that they can't be the only editors of their book.

Here's what happens when only the writer in question edits their manuscript (by which I mean, they don't let anyone else read it and give editorial feedback). They may think they're being unbiased, but it's impossible. They will always have a vision in their head of how the story is supposed to go. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's important to be open to new ideas. When I'm done working through the suggestions the editor gave me, my book is going to be a lot different from the one I started with, but so much better. Unbiased readers, especially those with no emotional connection to you, can offer worlds of possibilities you never would have dreamed of. But you have to put in the work.

And speaking of editing, let's talk about the inevitable rejection. If you've written a novel, and you think it's amazing, that's all well and good. But believe me, it's not as good as it could be. Let it go through the wringer. Send it out, and with every rejection (and there will be tons), look for any hint of editorial feedback. If they say the main character was weak, or the plot wasn't believable, don't get angry. Really ask yourself, was it? I know a lot of writers out there are scared of all the hard work involved, of having to go back to the dreaded drawing board (I know I am!) but it's necessary. It's what molds us as writers. Send it out, take it to critique groups, go through a manuscript evaluation service, hire an editor. It's the only way to really grow as a writer and above all, tell a really, really good story.

Monday Book Review - Christine

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation!

CHRISTINE by Stephen King

 

It wouldn't be Halloween without at least one novel by Stephen King. In my opinion, CHRISTINE is the perfect illustration of just how talented Stephen King really is. (Not that any of you needed convincing, I'm sure). But here is the story of an evil car, a murderously evil car, and ... it's riveting! This was the first Stephen King I've ever read (aside from his memoir, ON WRITING). I'd always wanted to read his work, but I wasn't sure where to start. A girlfriend suggested I start with this one and she was right. I'm hooked!

I'm pretty sure King could make anything terrifying. It's the writing. He so perfectly sets the scene, builds the tension and then takes it places you never would have dreamed of. And his characters are so well drawn that everything feels intensely real. An evil car becomes entirely possible.

If you've never read King before (or if you have but avoided this one because you found the idea of an evil car too ridiculous), give it a try. It's the perfect example of fantastic writing taking a very odd idea and making it not only believable, but so real you'll never look at a car the same way again. 

As a side note, I'm sure all of you have heard about Stephen King's latest novel, DOCTOR SLEEP, which is a sequel to THE SHINING. I've never read THE SHINING, so that's next up on my list of King's works. I can't wait to read both of them. What about you? What's your favourite book by Stephen King?

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Celebration

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is celebration. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

Artie lit the candles one by one. He set the places, placed a hat on each of his guests and sat down at the head of the table. He raised his glass and made a toast. He was having a lovely time, although the same could not have been said for his guests.
Of course, most people enjoy a party a lot more when they're given the option of attending, instead of forced there against their will. 

Voila! I hope you enjoyed this week's little story, and if you did, be sure to share it with friends! If you're still in the mood for more Five Sentence Fiction, just follow the links below. Don't forget to follow this blog (if you haven't already done so) and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Magnetic
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Wild
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Flowers
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Beauty

The Horror!

Well, it's officially October and that means the Halloween season has begun. As you already know, I'm reviewing scary, spooky, creepy books until the end of October for Book Review Mondays, but I'd like to take it one step further. To help us get in the spirit, every week my girlfriends and I have decided to get together and watch classic horror movies. These are a few of the titles that we're thinking of. Maybe there's something here that will get you in the spirit as well.

 

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho

 

King Kong

 

Dracula

 

Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds

And of course...

 

The Nightmare Before Christmas

What about you? How do you like to get in the Halloween spirit? Are you doing anything fun/different/special for Halloween this year? Do you have any classic horror movies you love to watch around Halloween? (God knows, I only offered a small sampling!)

Book Review Monday - Silks

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation!

SILKS by Dick Francis and Felix Francis

 

I have for you, another addition to our fall spookfest. And really, what kind of spookfest would it be without a little murder? And SILKS is the perfect murder mystery. Taking place in the world of jockeys and horse racing, a violent murder has occurred. It seems to be an open/shut case for the prosecution but defense barrister and amateur jockey, Geoffrey Mason, has other ideas. And those other ideas may lead to him being killed as well. 

At first, I was a little turned off by the subject matter. I have absolutely no interest in the world of jockeys and horse jumping/racing. In fact, I almost put it down. So glad I didn't. It was the perfect murder mystery for a blustery fall afternoon, with the pace of the story increasing the further you read, until the idea of putting it down was more horrifying than the murder itself. And this one will keep you guessing all the way to the end. You have no idea who the murderer is, or why, and when everything clicks into place it's not cliche. It makes perfect sense and is oh so satisfying, the way a really good mystery is supposed to be. 

The writing is fantastic, the pacing superb. It's thrilling and unexpected and the main character is empathetic, smart and charming. Every step of the way I found myself nodding my head, agreeing with his deductions, urging him on. It was the kind of book where you can't flip the pages fast enough, and I love those. If you're looking for a great murder mystery for the fall, this is it. Wonderful.

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Magnetic

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is magnetic. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

FATAL MAGNETIC ACCIDENTS
She shakes her head at her son's latest google search. He's been acting so strange lately, but of course he won't say what's going on.
"Mom, I told you to stay out of my room!" he screams it, eyes glinting as he scrambles across the room and slams his laptop closed. 
She's never seen him like this, so angry he's actually trembling; it's frightening. That's when she notices the coins on his desk begin to move...

I hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. If you did, then I hope you'll share it with friends. If you'd like to read more, just follow the links below for past editions. And if you'd like to make my day (and really, who wouldn't?) then follow my blog and come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Wild
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Flowers
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Beauty
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Thunder

Guest Post Book Blitz with Mia Hoddell

Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers #1)
by Mia Hoddell
Release Date: February 2013

Genre: YA/Romance/Paranormal/Fantasy
ASIN: B00BDQ3QGA
ISBN: 978-1-291-41025-9

Blurb:
The world is dangerous – but love will kill you.

Little did Serena Jackson know that one simple, flirty remark to an anonymous guy online would lead to her world being changed forever.

She doesn’t know him, but inexplicably, is drawn. She knows it is wrong but she agrees to meet.

His real name is Kai. He is beautiful. And immediately Serena feels herself blindly falling for him even though she senses a lie. She knows he is hiding something and it terrifies her.

What she doesn’t realise is that her entire life has been built on secrets and lies. The people she loved left her in the dark for a reason.

She trusted them. She trusts Kai. But as he pulls her straight into the heart of the danger the lies and deadly secrets are revealed. They overwhelm her, and the person she once was no longer exists as she is thrown into a ruthless world of elemental forces. The price of truth is her life—and now the world wants her dead.

Available from:

Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | Lulu
and only 99c / 77p on Kindle for September!

Praise:

“I couldn't put it down. So I finished it last night and all I can say is WOW! This book was amazing and different.” Brianna (Book Blogger)

“I loved how the author took a different approach to writing a love story in modern times with the paranormal element present. I thought it was absolutely wonderful and refreshing. Marvelous!” Kathy H (Amazon Reviewer)

“I will admit I scoffed at the way it started but in the end I had fallen in love with this story…completely untraditional it was a very original idea, not to mention modern. This story had such a good plot and the story structure was sound.” Kacii – The Kooky Bookworm (Book Blogger)

About the Author

Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading and loves anything paranormal. Mia always had a love of writing but never reading. She was more interested in sports and hated sitting still - despite getting three poems published before the age of sixteen. Finally though, she found some novels that captured her interest and developed a love of reading which is now one of her favourite hobbies.

Mia began with poems before moving on to short stories. Although she enjoyed this, Mia found she had too much to tell with too little space, so later on she created her first series 'The Wanderer Trilogy' and from there other ideas have emerged. With a total of nine books planned at this moment, she is busy working on her second series 'Elemental Killers' before moving onto the next idea on her ever growing list.

Author Links

   

***Excerpt***

Happy with the amount of photos I had collected I started to head back out of the forest, still flicking through my shots. As well as close ups, I had taken a few landscapes and as I was almost at the edge of the forest I noticed something in one of the photographs that made me stop.

In the left hand corner was a figure that looked mostly human, but was blurred as if they were moving on the spot.

A cold shudder shot through me.

Looking over my shoulder I became slightly panicked and felt as if someone was following me.

My eyes flicked and searched the shadows. Even though there was no sign that anything had ever been behind me, the forest looked different now - dark and threatening.

Instinctively I broke away and ran, still clutching the camera that was displaying the freaky image. Surrounded by trees I didn’t stop until I was free of the forest and back in the open light and sight of my house.

Throwing open my door, I slumped against the inside of it, regaining my breath from the short sprint. Once I had recovered I looked down at the photo once more, just to make sure that I hadn’t been seeing things. The old saying “the camera never lies,” came into my mind and for the first time I wished it not to be true. Sure enough though, as I looked down at the screen, the figure was still there and this time I noticed a red and orange glow around where its feet should have been. The image almost looked like the person was on fire but I thought I would have surely noticed if there had been a burning man in front of me.

***GIVEAWAY***

Mia Hoddell is giving away an Amazon gift card this month only there is a slight twist: the more entries she receives the more money she will put on the gift card to giveaway! For example:

No matter what = $5

100 entries = $10

150 entries = $15

200 entries = $20

and so forth...

So if she gets 1000 entries she will give away $100, there’s no limit!

To enter all you have to do is buy or have bought Deadly to Love. It's only $0.99 or £0.79 on Amazon for the duration of the giveaway! This will also unlock extra entries for you so you can earn more points by sharing the giveaway. Remember the more entries she gets the bigger the prize for you so share!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Book Review - Pretty Monsters

Welcome to Monday and this week's book recommendation!

PRETTY MONSTERS by Kelly Link

In keeping with our fall spooktacular theme, I bring you PRETTY MONSTERS by Kelly Link. A collection of short stories that are sometimes creepy, sometimes funny, sometimes just plain imaginative and often all three. I'm not usually a short story kind of person, I often find them rather boring (sorry short story writers out there. I'm sure yours are awesome!) but these were fabulous. I was swept away with each story, always surprised and delighted.

The writing is fantastic. Kelly Link is an imaginative writer, who paints vivid stories out of pure fancy. As I said before, short stories often fail to grab my attention but these gripped me immediately. I was struck by how well they were told, the originality of the plots and the beautiful illustrations at the start of each story. They're beautiful. I adored them. I want to put them in frames and hang them around the house. 

Definitely pick this up. If you love short stories and even if you don't, try it anyway. Maybe this will do for you what it did for me. Which is restore my faith in the short story. They're the invention of a fantastically original imagination and fit perfectly with my theme for fall, where monsters and creepiness abound. To give you a little taste, here's a quote from the first page, under the illustration for the first story.

"Anyone might accidentally dig up the wrong grave."

Tell me you don't want to find out what happens next. Read it! 

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Wild

Welcome to Friday and this week's edition of Five Sentence Fiction. This week's prompt is wild. If you'd like to learn more about Five Sentence Fiction, or give it a try yourself, just visit Lillie McFerrin Writes. Enjoy!

"Wow, that was wild," she looked down at her blood stained clothes and the machete in her hand, bits of gore still clinging to the edge, "I didn't think we were going to make it for a while there."
The faces around her were pale and a little green, a few open mouthed in horror. "I know they were zombies, but you just... you just took their heads clean off, didn't you?"
She smiled. "Well, not at first, but as they say, 'practice makes perfect.'"

I hope you enjoyed this creepy little tale, and if you did, please share it with friends. If you really liked it, then I hope you'll make my day and follow this blog, as well as come find me on twitter @MelanieKCole. If you're still in the mood for more Five Sentence Fiction (and who wouldn't be?) just follow the links below to read past editions. Have a great weekend!

Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Flowers
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Beauty
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Thunder
Five Sentence Fiction Friday - Travel

Gearing Up for Fall

There's something about fall that always makes me think of new beginnings. Yes, I really should be thinking the opposite. After all, the natural world is dying, going into hibernation. It's the end of a cycle, not the beginning of one. But I've been conditioned by years of school that fall is a time for starting new academic challenges, for buying new clothes, for new pencils, notebooks and erasers and of course, for new possibilities. Which is why I've been thinking a lot about the new challenges and goals I'm setting for myself as a writer.

First of all, I've made an appointment with the new Writer in Residence. I miss last year's like crazy and I'm a little nervous about meeting with the new one, as it seems impossible for anyone to fill his shoes. But I felt that way about the Writer in Residence before him, so I guess that's natural. And I think it would be incredibly foolish to turn down the opportunity to learn from anyone as experienced and capable as the talented writers the program has come up with so far. Each new writer has something unique to teach, and I'm anxious to learn.

Secondly, I'm sending in an application for the Saskatchewan Writer's Guild Mentorship Program. In this program you work one on one with an experienced author, on issues and concerns that are personal to you. It's a tremendous opportunity and even though I have no guarantee of being accepted, I knew I had to apply. As I said before, the chance to learn from other writers, especially such talented ones, is a rare gift and not one I'm willing to turn away from.

Lastly, I'm thinking about joining a critique group. I'm not sure how to even begin going about finding an appropriate one, but I love the idea of getting together with other writers, offering and receiving constructive criticism, as well as supporting one another. It sounds like a valuable experience, especially if you find the right group. (Sometimes it's difficult to find one with members that give constructive criticism. Either they give weak feedback, or none at all. Which isn't particularly helpful.)

So, there you have it. How are you gearing up for fall? Have you set goals as well? Let me know in the comments section! (As well as if you have advice for finding a critique group.)