Finding Something Friday...Funny New Christian Voices

Oooooh, I found something so funny today! (Besides Mr. Hall's baby picture...although, if I'm being perfectly honest, his brother is much funnier-looking. So I guess I sorta got the better end of that deal).

Anyway, kids and funny have something to do with my second find for the day. I found the website, New Christian Voices, a few weeks ago. I've been reading all the columns and articles since then and laughing out loud. So, um, if you like your Christian voices staid and serious, this may not be the place for you. But if your Christian voice is a little skewed on the humorous side, then rush over here right now. And while you're there, check out my tale of the Parent/Child Chaos Equation on the Relationship Channel. I just realized today that it was up and running. I love this new site and hope it finds a huge audience. The world could use a laugh every day, don't you think? And if we can laugh and spread a little of the Lord's joy while we're at it, then so much the better!

Oh, and here's something that might make you smile, too, if your story is chosen. It's called Thin Threads and it's sponsored by Kiwi Publishing. They're looking for those moments in your life that made all the difference. They're hoping to share stories that will bring hope and happiness to readers ( in 1200 words or less). But you don't have much time...the deadline's July 1st. I know, I know, I should have told you sooner. But I just found out myself. So hurry, check it out here and start writing.

No, wait! You can start writing after you've checked out New Christian Voices. There's nothing like a little humor to put you in a happy writing frame of mind. (Now if I could just get Uncle Jimmy's baby picture out of my mind!)

I've got a Secret (Thanks, Mr. Bly!)

Do you have a stack of writing books laying about that you never seem to get around to actually reading because you're too busy writing? Or maybe that's just me...Anyway, with lightning striking willy nilly I thought it might be a good idea to get off the computer and do something else. So I picked up Robert W. Bly's Getting Started as a Freelance Writer (better late than never.)

I had to read his Ten Secrets to Success because hey, if someone's giving up his secrets, I'm all over that. And since I've never been very good at keeping secrets, here is Secret Number One:

1. Define what success means to you.

It sounds simple enough, doesn't it? But have you ever really thought about what you consider to be success? Not what your parents think of as success...or your friends...or your spouse. Now that I think of it, I'm glad that the beneficent Mr. Hall's idea of success involves paying bills and such.

That gives me the freedom to pursue what success means to me--working at something I love. How about you? What does success mean to you? C'mon and share...it'll be our secret.

Me and Burl Ives

Have you ever come across a song from your childhood and been transported back to a time and place as clear as a bell? Or in this case, as clear as the folksy voice of Burl Ives.

I LOVED Burl Ives when I was a little girl. My parents must have bought an album of his, never realizing that a nine year old would play the record over and over again, falling in love with (let's face it) a bit of an old coot.

And then, the other day, out of the blue, I came across that very same album. Scratched, true, but for seven dollars, I thought it was a steal. Today I'm listening to Burl and feeling downright small and innocent and happy with the world. You can't really put a price tag on that kind of joy, can you?

And then I wondered how I'd come to fall in love with those old folk ballads (I also wondered how I could possibly remember the words to those long ago songs? And how could I not remember the words to a song I'd heard a thousand times on American Idol last month? And if this whole conundrum may be the first sign of Alzheimer's? Well. That was entirely enough of wondering...) But then wham! It hit me.

Burl's songs tell a tale. I'd fallen in love with those characters...The Lavender Cowboy, Sweet Betsy from Pike, Cotton-eyed Joe, Peter Gray and all the rest. Each and every ballad grabbed me with its melodic story, whether it be unrequited love or a dissolute life.

And I just had to wonder once more...was it then, in my attic bedroom, record player by my side, Burl Ives' face staring up at me, his music and stories filling the air, that a writer was born?

Finding Something Friday: What a Beautiful Day to Write

Oh what a beautiful moooorning, Oh what a beautiful day!

When I stepped outside to get the mail, I felt like singing. Okay, I did sing...but I did a little look-see first to make sure the neighbors wouldn't catch me being myself. But here in the South, when the Good Lord blesses you on the first day of summer with no humidity, a gentle breeze, and a hint of Confederate Jasmine in the air...well, if you don't find yourself singing, then I don't know what to say.

Wait, I do know what to say. Maybe you need to find something that will lift your soul, like a Cup of Comfort book, or maybe a Chicken Soup for the Soul essay or two. Better yet, try writing one yourself. Check out the COC books here and the Chicken Soup books here. They're always looking for good stories and a few deadlines are drawing near. You don't have to be a famous writer; you just have to share a good story. If you want to increase your chances of getting published, read a few of these books to see what they're choosing.

And hey, I've got a beautiful feeling, you could find yourself singing, too!

Children's Lit Bits: You've Got to Have a Flaw or Two

I was catching up on some of my assignment's reading when wham! Just like that, I stopped mid-page. And not because Sally the crazy dog was up to her old tricks. But I did learn an old trick or two.

The writer was going on about external conflicts (Terribly important to a story, but we already know that, don't we?) and internal conflicts (Terribly important, too, if you want to make things interesting). Then I read a few lines on the importance of characters having a flaw or two so that they're not these perfect little people that, deep down, (or maybe not so deep down) we'll end up hating. Hold on now, I'm just about to get to the point.

And here it is: if your character doesn't have a flaw or two, how can he learn or change? Which is terribly, terribly important to a good story.

Let's consider good, old Harry P. (just as a for instance) and his constant (external) conflict with bad old Voldewhatever. Now consider all the flaws Harry had, like his insecurity about being a Muggle and being so different and just in general being a real pain in the whiny neck (those would be the internal conflicts). But it was all those flaws that made Harry so appealing to kids. He was an unlikely hero, with several obnoxious behaviors common to the typical 12 year old. But didn't he learn quite alot along the way? (Frankly, he had to learn the same thing more than once, but that's another story.) And didn't he change, besides getting facial hair and body odor?

Give your protagonist a good flaw or two and then sit back and watch the conflicts bring your story to life. Your protagonist must learn something and then use that knowledge to effect an internal change. That's the trick for the day. And maybe just that one little bit will make all the difference!

Finding Something Friday...A Simple Contest

My life can get very complicated. So when something simple comes along, I grab for the gusto. Today, I found a contest I intend to grab and not let go. That is, until I submit my essay to it.

It's a Life Essay contest sponsored by Real Simple with a prize of $3,000! All you have to do is write 500 to 700 words about the most important day of your life. Everyone has one of those essays bouncing around in a document file, a sticky note, or even on a paper napkin. But it's there somewhere. You have till September 9th to find it and make it win-worthy. Simple, huh?

And while you're looking for that true-life essay, take a look around for a piece of fiction that's been languishing. I just found a cool market listing page at the Fiction Factor website: http://www.fictionfactor.com/markets.html. I'll bet you'll find a market or two that interests you. Better yet, maybe you'll find a market or two interested in you and your fiction.

Hey, it doesn't get any simpler than that.

Tooting My Horn Tuesday About the Alabama Writers' Conclave

I've had connections with Alabama all my life; some good, some not so much. But now I have a great connection and I'm tooting my horn!

I sent one of my all-time favorite children's stories to the Alabama Writers' Conclave Writing Competition and I won...er, something. The actual prize (First, Second or Third) won't be announced till July, but in any case there's a little Fame and Fortune coming my way. Stay tuned next month and I'll tell you all about it.

But maybe more importantly is the story behind the winning story. I kept working on that little story till I got it right. You know how you have a gut feeling after you've written something? A feeling that says, "Dang! That's some good writing!" But then, when you send it out into the world, no one else seems to think so. Still, my gut was telling me not to give up on "The Chocolate Cake Bait." (My gut was awfully chatty, wasn't it?)

I believed in that children's tale of boyhood friendship. And I guess the good writers in Alabama did, too!

Finding Something Friday...To the Moon, Cathy C!

Fly me to the moon, and put my name among the stars...let me show what I can do for Jupiter and Mars!

What, you wonder, is Cathy C. Hall singing about now? So glad you asked. A swell friend (thanks, Nicole!) sent me this cool link: http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/index.php. Click on it and you can send your name to the moon, courtesy of NASA and the Orbiter.

Now, I'm not saying there's life on the moon...or Jupiter or Mars, either, for that matter. But if there is, they (or he, she or it) is going to know the name Cathy C. Hall. You can't buy promotion like that. (Literally. It's free till the sign-up deadline, June 27th.)

And while I'm thinking of moonlight, I'll pass along the following mushy contest about Past Loves. If you can write 700 words about a former sweetie, you could win a Fortune. And it's absolutely free to enter. Check out all the details here. But don't wait too long. Deadline's August 17, 2008.

The beneficent Mr. Hall is my one and only sweetie. But for the sake of a little Fortune, I may be able to remember a toad or two or twenty I kissed before he hopped along. (Just for the record, I only took Mr. Hall to the moon.)

Repurposing: See How it Works

See Mr. Bill. See Cathy C. Hall.



This photo was originally taken to be used in an advertising campaign. Waking up with Bill in the A.M., or Hey Bill, Do You Mind?. Whatever. Anyway, it was never used. Until now, when I'm using it here, at Cathy C.'s Hall of Fame.


See how that whole "repurposing" thing works?

What Not to Do Wednesday Looks at Repurposing Articles

First of all, I didn't even know there was an official name for recycling an article. Turns out there is: "repurposing" an article is what the pros call it.

Secondly, although I had some vague thoughts about recycling my work, I hadn't done anything about it. Oh, I rewrote some fiction pieces, making them shorter for flash, or making them longer when I gave up on the "flash" idea. And I save almost every word I've ever written because you never know when you might need a scathingly brilliant turn of phrase. But "repurposing" a non-fiction article? Uh, no.

But when I read how an article could be reworked to fit several different markets, I had one of those Eureka! moments. Now, I find myself looking over old pieces, wondering where I can send the "new and slightly re-purposed" article off, thereby adding to the Cathy C. Hall Fortune-O-Meter.

What I'm trying to say here, grasshopper, is hold on to your articles, whether you've sold them or not. You never know when you can recycle some of those ideas to fit another market. And don't sit around thinking about it. It works better if you actually do something.

Tooting My Horn Tuesday : Sentence Soiree Luck at The Verb

I feel lucky, oh so lucky. I feel lucky, and plucky and bright!

I'm a singing, dancing fool when I win, so thanks to "West Side Story" for inspring me today. And a BIG thanks to Elizabeth Guy over at The Verb for her Sentence Soiree Party. Remember when I told you to write a brilliant sentence and send it in? You could have been the one to be plucked from the straw hat. But instead it was me!

That's right. Cathy C. Hall won an opinion (a $300 value!) when her name was chosen out of all the daily winners. How's that for a Fortune? Check it out here for the horn-tootin' details. I know just the manuscript I'll send. Technically, it's the only manuscript I can send. But hey, that just makes the choice easy.

Kind of like the way I won that contest. I feel lucky, oh so lucky! Think I'll go buy a lottery ticket.