Well the first draft of the last novel in the Absolute Obsession series is finished, with a beginning, a middle and an end. There is still many more edits that need to be done, which I am now knee deep in making and until then, it won't be considered anywhere near a completed work.
When the last word was written, excitement was the first emotion, then sadness, making it a bitter, sweet moment. Even though I'll be revisiting them quite often doing the edits, their story is told. What started two years ago is complete for them, their lives are now on paper as they wanted it. And as Rose, Michael and the gang slowly leave the stage one by one, new characters are taking their place, gathering, waiting for their story to be told.
You may think it's crazy, but it's going to be difficult to say good-bye to the gang. They have become a very big part of my life, not to mention that they started me on this wonderful journey of self-discovery -- I can't help but to feel a wicked empty nest syndrome coming on.
Have a great day.
C. Elizabeth
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Monday, 24 October 2011
Story Telling: How It Comes To Pass
Below is my article that was published on Blogcritics
Article first published as Story Telling: How It Comes to Pass on Blogcritics.
A writer, for all intents and purposes, is and must be a storyteller. I’ve had the great pleasure to have readers tell me that, while reading a novel, they often wonder how the author ever came up with such an idea for a book. To understand where those stories come from, one needs to know a little about the source.
To watch a writer, published or not, go about their daily business, working, tending to family matters, running errands, you wouldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. There is no sign with an arrow above their head saying “I’m a writer”, though I’m certain there are a few who wouldn’t mind such a display — they’re as normal as anyone else. Yet there is one decidedly different twist to them. It’s not something you can see, nor is it something you can touch and you will never know that distinction is there until you hold the pages of their book in your hands – it’s what is going on inside their minds. A writer can mentally multi-task, with the ability to stay focused on regular everyday things, as well as allow ideas to flow while doing it.
Extravagant, earth-shaking confrontations are not the norm to produce an idea for a writer. No, it’s mostly the world around them, maybe an encounter with a stranger who reveals a goofy quirk or a shift in the atmospheric barometer — okay, maybe not that – or perhaps seeing the tender moment between two people. Ideas come from everywhere, but it is usually the simplest things the writer takes and brings to life, building places, times, cities, and most of all the beloved characters, developing them as each word is written – unfolding the story so as to take you on a journey.
So if you’re one of those readers who often wonder where the ideas come from, remember while you’re out, you may be in the presence of a writer and you’ll never know if something you do or say will inspire a novel.
Have a great day
C. Elizabeth
Read more: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/story-telling-how-it-comes-to/#ixzz1besM6teB
Article first published as Story Telling: How It Comes to Pass on Blogcritics.
A writer, for all intents and purposes, is and must be a storyteller. I’ve had the great pleasure to have readers tell me that, while reading a novel, they often wonder how the author ever came up with such an idea for a book. To understand where those stories come from, one needs to know a little about the source.
To watch a writer, published or not, go about their daily business, working, tending to family matters, running errands, you wouldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. There is no sign with an arrow above their head saying “I’m a writer”, though I’m certain there are a few who wouldn’t mind such a display — they’re as normal as anyone else. Yet there is one decidedly different twist to them. It’s not something you can see, nor is it something you can touch and you will never know that distinction is there until you hold the pages of their book in your hands – it’s what is going on inside their minds. A writer can mentally multi-task, with the ability to stay focused on regular everyday things, as well as allow ideas to flow while doing it.
Extravagant, earth-shaking confrontations are not the norm to produce an idea for a writer. No, it’s mostly the world around them, maybe an encounter with a stranger who reveals a goofy quirk or a shift in the atmospheric barometer — okay, maybe not that – or perhaps seeing the tender moment between two people. Ideas come from everywhere, but it is usually the simplest things the writer takes and brings to life, building places, times, cities, and most of all the beloved characters, developing them as each word is written – unfolding the story so as to take you on a journey.
So if you’re one of those readers who often wonder where the ideas come from, remember while you’re out, you may be in the presence of a writer and you’ll never know if something you do or say will inspire a novel.
Have a great day
C. Elizabeth
Read more: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/story-telling-how-it-comes-to/#ixzz1besM6teB
Friday, 21 October 2011
The Math Equation
Today I'm going to go off on a rampage. Why you ask? Well, because something has been bothering me for years off and on and yesterday someone reminded me how much. I think and this is only my opinion, that kids aren't required to use their brains in school anymore with all the electronics out there. The one subject that comes to mind is math.
When my kids went to school they weren't allowed to have a calculator until grade ten, now a calculator is manditory on school supplies lists as early as grade three. The sad thing is, the kids never learn the art of doing math in their heads and as far as I'm concerned, you should be able to, at least, know your basic times table, or be able to calculate how much money you'll save if an item is 10% off and also be able to subtract that amount from the original price.
I see it every day, even with my own kids, they rely so much on electronics to do the work for them, their minds are lazy. It really isn't their fault, that's how they were taught -- I wish the schools would turn back time, if only to the time when they actually wanted our kids to be smart.
Nuff said, thanks for listening.
Have a great day and weekend.
C. Elizabeth
When my kids went to school they weren't allowed to have a calculator until grade ten, now a calculator is manditory on school supplies lists as early as grade three. The sad thing is, the kids never learn the art of doing math in their heads and as far as I'm concerned, you should be able to, at least, know your basic times table, or be able to calculate how much money you'll save if an item is 10% off and also be able to subtract that amount from the original price.
I see it every day, even with my own kids, they rely so much on electronics to do the work for them, their minds are lazy. It really isn't their fault, that's how they were taught -- I wish the schools would turn back time, if only to the time when they actually wanted our kids to be smart.
Nuff said, thanks for listening.
Have a great day and weekend.
C. Elizabeth
Thursday, 20 October 2011
The Pictures
Well the verdict is in about which pictures to use for around the internet -- I've decided to use all of them, intermittently for all the different sites I have. Every so often I'll change them just to keep things fresh.
Thank you for helping me to decide -- I will let you know the 4/5 and 10/11 came out on top, in a tie. I also want to thank Jill, at J. Shantz Photography for doing the pictures, she did an excellent job making me beautiful. If you need any photography done in the St. Albert/Edmonton area you definately have to check her out. She has excellent prices too.
I have removed the slideshow and again thanks guys. Luv ya.
(I know, I'm not fooling you, what a cop out on today's blog eh?)
Have a great day.
C. Elizabeth
Thank you for helping me to decide -- I will let you know the 4/5 and 10/11 came out on top, in a tie. I also want to thank Jill, at J. Shantz Photography for doing the pictures, she did an excellent job making me beautiful. If you need any photography done in the St. Albert/Edmonton area you definately have to check her out. She has excellent prices too.
I have removed the slideshow and again thanks guys. Luv ya.
(I know, I'm not fooling you, what a cop out on today's blog eh?)
Have a great day.
C. Elizabeth
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Book Review: Altered by Laura Burks
Jenna Larson is an eighteen year old, who tends to leave typical teenage trouble to the other teenagers, relying on her sweet and fun-loving side to get through most days. She's looking forward to spending the summer in a small town with her grandfather, who is also known as Pops. When Jenna's curious, high spirited side, discovers a mysterious book filled with blank pages, she thinks nothing of it. Until words begin to appear, bringing with them a curse from another time and putting the whole town and her Pops in danger. Yet, it also brings with it a budding love. Can she alter the curse to save her Pops and her new love?
There were times when the anticipation of what would happen next had my stomach tight with fear, other times a laugh out loud and a few crying spells along the way too. Ms. Burks' ability to bring you into this novel is nothing short of amazing. Her writing style and finesse have you transfixed on Jenna's world, not just wanting, but needing to encounter whatever it was that Jenna was about to face, cheering her on.
This is a wonderful novel that will appeal to both the young adult as well as the cross over to adult. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I tip my hat to Ms. Burk for her fine showmanship of her writing skills in her debut novel.
I can't wait to read the next...sequel, perhaps?????C. Elizabeth
There were times when the anticipation of what would happen next had my stomach tight with fear, other times a laugh out loud and a few crying spells along the way too. Ms. Burks' ability to bring you into this novel is nothing short of amazing. Her writing style and finesse have you transfixed on Jenna's world, not just wanting, but needing to encounter whatever it was that Jenna was about to face, cheering her on.
This is a wonderful novel that will appeal to both the young adult as well as the cross over to adult. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I tip my hat to Ms. Burk for her fine showmanship of her writing skills in her debut novel.
I can't wait to read the next...sequel, perhaps?????C. Elizabeth
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Why Do I Write
The above question was posed to me yesterday and I found myself tripping over my tongue trying to give an answer. So of course, I pondered it all day, thinking about all my blogs, things that I've talked about, things the way I see it... Looking for the answer in one or all of it. Then I moved on to the next big question -- is there actually one answer? No, there isn't.
As with most things subjective, the answer will be different for every writer. As for me -- why do I write? I write for the same reason you read. To delve into a different world, to meet new people, to embark on a journey, to maybe go to a place where I can be alone, or have a sword fight with a horde of pirates (no, I'm not writing a book about pirates), but most of all, find a place that is mine and mine alone, if only for a moment, before life is real again.
Have a great day.
C. Elizabeth
As with most things subjective, the answer will be different for every writer. As for me -- why do I write? I write for the same reason you read. To delve into a different world, to meet new people, to embark on a journey, to maybe go to a place where I can be alone, or have a sword fight with a horde of pirates (no, I'm not writing a book about pirates), but most of all, find a place that is mine and mine alone, if only for a moment, before life is real again.
Have a great day.
C. Elizabeth
Monday, 17 October 2011
The Hazards of Writing
As I've said before, our job as writers is to show you the story, explaining things in such a way that you can see everything as we do, unfortunately sometimes that's one of the hazards of being a writer. Our visuals of a scene or world can get in the way of the words. Allow me to explain (I hope).
As the author, we go back numerous, numerous times and re-read, most times our words will rebuild the scene in our mind exactly as you would see it. Yet on a few occasions, with a re-read, I've scratched my head, truly wondering what in the H.E. double tooth picks I was thinking when those words were put down -- in those cases, nine times out of ten it was because I was so focused on the visual of the scene, that I missed the mark for the words. At the time of writing it, it makes sense because I had a vivid picture in my mind's eye, but when I read it later, as the reader, it makes no sense at all, the words not building the scene as it should, also sometimes me forgetting completely, what the scene was in the first place. Wouldn't you call that a huge hazard, when a whole scene doesn't make sense to the writer and they don't even know what they were trying to portray in the first place? Yikes! I'll never confess when that happens, truly I won't.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is this: Remember to take the time to re-read your work no matter how long it takes, because if there is so much as a paragraph that a reader is unable to understand and gets confused, they'll put the book down, never to return and never mind the word of mouth review.
Does this make any sense? Well it does to me... Maybe I'll just quit while I'm ahead.
Happy Monday and have a great day.
C. Elizabeth
As the author, we go back numerous, numerous times and re-read, most times our words will rebuild the scene in our mind exactly as you would see it. Yet on a few occasions, with a re-read, I've scratched my head, truly wondering what in the H.E. double tooth picks I was thinking when those words were put down -- in those cases, nine times out of ten it was because I was so focused on the visual of the scene, that I missed the mark for the words. At the time of writing it, it makes sense because I had a vivid picture in my mind's eye, but when I read it later, as the reader, it makes no sense at all, the words not building the scene as it should, also sometimes me forgetting completely, what the scene was in the first place. Wouldn't you call that a huge hazard, when a whole scene doesn't make sense to the writer and they don't even know what they were trying to portray in the first place? Yikes! I'll never confess when that happens, truly I won't.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is this: Remember to take the time to re-read your work no matter how long it takes, because if there is so much as a paragraph that a reader is unable to understand and gets confused, they'll put the book down, never to return and never mind the word of mouth review.
Does this make any sense? Well it does to me... Maybe I'll just quit while I'm ahead.
Happy Monday and have a great day.
C. Elizabeth
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