A Deal for You, A Deal for Them

I came across this AMAZING deal the other day from Writer's Digest. And now you have just a couple more days to act on it, so don't waste another minute. Go HERE and check out these SEVEN writing books that are absolutely FREE.

That's right, friends. They're part of a free NaNoWriMo ebooks deal. And don't tell me that you don't have an e-reader, 'cause you can download a FREE Kindle for your PC. Yes, you can. Then you can download any or all of these FREE books. Yes, you can!

Then, after saving ALL that money, you can zip over to the Light Up the Library Auction and bid on something special. There are a ton of categories, and one especially for you, writers.

Now, I love libraries and I love how this auction will benefit the Musana Children's Home Library in Uganda. So check out what Jean Reidy's been up to, and take a look at her book, Light Up the Night, then light up a child's life with your bid.

Finding Something Friday: The One With a List

So I cleaned out ALL my emails, which was really just cleaning out a TON of newsletters and such that had been languishing in the old inbox. But I found some interesting stuff to share with you, the languishing summer writer.

1. Kate Wolford over at Enchanted Conversation is having a contest, perfect for summer. She's looking for a great character sketch of a summer fairy, in 300 words or less. All you writer friends who are hooked on memes, put that writing practice to work for you! Deadline is June 17th.

2. Need some fast summer money? I just came across London Brokers, a web content provider. Unlike Demand Studios, you don't have to apply. But you don't make much moola, either. Still, pay is through Paypal. Just pick a topic, write, and get a flat fee.

3. Cheryl Klein is the speaker for a WD webinar on "How to Plot and Structure your Novel." You'll also get a query and first 250 words critique. So if a conference will break your budget, or you simply can't get away, here's a chance to hear an amazing editor (she's a senior editor with Arthur Levine) for $89.00. The seminar's June 23, but you'll have access for a year, so you can listen and learn whenever you get your lazy summer boomerosity in gear.

4. And because some of you have little ones (or grand little ones) and might be traveling, I'm throwing in this site called MomsMinivan with its printable car activities and games. If I'd had this little gem back in the day, I would not need Golden Auburn or whatever haircolor Gloria uses to disguise the gray hairs I earned on kiddie road trips. And don't forget rainy days--stick the kids in an inside fort and throw a few games and flashlight inside. Bottom line: You can save a ton of money for yourself in hair dye down the road.

That's it, my summer sistahs (and brothers). Go forth and languish no more!

How to Find Column Ideas

When friends read my column in Modern Senior Living Magazine, they will invariably say the same thing. First, it's "You're making that up." And second, they'll say, "It's a good thing you've still got your parents/husband/kids around."

And I always say the same thing. First, "I wish I could say I made that up." And second, "Yeah, those folks come in pretty handy in the column-fodder department."

Now, I know the old writing adage, "write what you know." But I think it should really be "write who you know." Trust me. If you want to come up with a column idea, week after week or month after month, you'd do well to hook up with a big, somewhat colorful family. Of course, it works out great if it's your own family.

Because family might get a tad annoyed when you write about them, but at the end of the day, they keep coming back, providing more columns.

(A special thank you to my mom who has NO idea that the May column (page 8) sort of spotlights her colorful behavior. And let's keep it that way, okay?)

Writing A Pitch: As Easy as 1-2-3 (Okay, There's a 4, 5, Maybe Up to 10)

Whilst catching up with emails and such, I came across an issue of Writing World that I hadn't quite perused yet. I think that's where I happened upon this delightful link to Kathy Carmichael's Story Pitch Generator.

(Is it just me, or am I talking a bit fancy? That's what happens when I read proper writing like I findest in Writing World.)

Anyway, yes, it's a simple generator. But here's what I love, love, love about this funny, little tool. It forces you to whittle away till you get to the essence of your novel. If you can't fill in the blanks quickly and easily, then you don't know yet what your novel's about. And how can you pitch something you haven't got a handle on yet?

It's enough to make you want to pitch your manuscript out the window! Instead, take a deep breath and think about the simple questions. Really thinkest.

Bet you'll find that pitch, after all. (Better go get your manuscript out of the bushes while you're at it.)

National Doodle Day--Who Knew?

Well, I, for one, did not know that today is National Doodle Day. (That's Neil Gaiman's Doodle. Looks remarkably like something a Junior Hall drew in the 4th grade. )

But I kinda like this doodle idea.

I know most of us think of doodling as drawing little squiggles or curves, making silly little pictures on a piece of paper. We doodle in a class when the teacher gets boring. We doodle at a conference when the speaker gets repetitive. We doodle at church when the sermon drags.

Or maybe that's just me. The point is, most of the time, we doodle when our mind's not completely occupied. But have you ever let your mind doodle? When you're occupied with some boring chore, like pulling weeds, or painting outside furniture, or scrubbing a tub, haven't you let your mind wander? Sort of like a mental doodle?

I doodle out a plot problem while I'm planting a row of pansies. I doodle out an idea for a column while I'm washing my hair. I doodle a character's traits while I'm unloading the dishwasher. When I mentally doodle, thoughts ramble about here and there. I may not have a substantive solution, but I will have a starting point, or perhaps a couple of points to develop.

The problem with mentally doodling is that, if you're not careful, your wonderful doodle will go poof! Unlike your squiggles from your 10th grade notebook (Cathy + Tommy 4ever), thoughts and ideas may not stick around unless you take a moment to write them out.

Although, honestly, I have a couple doodled notes that make absolutely no sense to me now. Sort of like Tommy 4ever. I have NO idea who Tommy was.

Finding Something Friday: W is for Writer. Er, Writing. Um, Whatever.

Holy download, Batman! I may just have to spend a few of my hard-earned bucks for this program called WriteItNow that I found today.

After spending the last thirty minutes or so, fiddling with the free demo download, I'm beginning to see a definite value in this story-writing program. On the other hand, the demo story has to do with Native Americans and shamans and a mystery. I mean, I totally got sucked in with the story. But then there's the super-impressive software sucking me in, too...

I'd love to hear if any of my writing buds have tried it. What was your experience? Or if you try the download and decide to buy WriteItNow, let me know all about it. Because it has just occurred to me that Mother's Day is this weekend.

I'm pretty sure that Mother's Day had something to do with the Writer Mama Every-Day-in-May-Book Giveaway. I don't think it matters whether you are a mom or not; as long as you enjoy a good read, and enjoy winning a good book, then you're eligible. Still, it's a good idea to read "Da Rules."

So zip over to Christina Katz' site to find today's giveaway. Meanwhile, I have some writing to do. Something along the lines of...

Dear Junior Halls,

I know you've been racking your brains, trying to figure out what to give your dear, sweet mother. It just so happens, I've got a couple brilliant ideas...

Tuesday Tips (And Okay, a Little Horn-Tooting, Too)

Here's a simple tip that I live by (or write by, as the case may be):

There's usually room for improvement. (I used to say "always
room for improvement" but I've mellowed with age.)

And sometimes, that improvement can make all the difference. Take a poem I wrote a few years back called, "Taking Out The Trash."

It was a good poem (she said, modestly). It won an Honorable Mention in a Bylines Poetry contest. Bylines (no longer published) would get quite a slew of entries for their contests, so I felt pretty good about that win.

Time passed, and another poetry contest came along. I pulled out "Taking Out The Trash" and figured I'd send it off. But in reading the poem, I thought the meter was not quite right. I tweaked it, changing a word here, adding a word there, improving it, see? I think it garnered another Honorable Mention.

This year, the North Carolina Poetry Society had a Humorous Verse category in their poetry contest. So back I went to "Taking Out the Trash." But in reading the poem this time, (the meter was perfect, by the way, she said modestly) I realized that I could make the imagery a bit more vivid. I tweaked it again, trying first one word, then another, working to punch up the humor in the poem.

Did I improve it? Please see the Katherine Kennedy McIntyre Award (she said, modestly).

Every time I read through my YA manuscript, I find a spot that can be improved. Whenever I find a contest where an older work of mine will fit, I almost always find a word, a sentence, perhaps even a paragraph that needs a bit of work. To be honest, I'm usually surprised that I missed that spot, that word or sentence or paragraph the first time. But I think that's because the harder I work at my craft, the more I improve. I'm able to recognize mistakes that I simply didn't have the skill and experience to catch the first time, or the second time, or heck, even the 37th time around.

I'm pretty sure that "Taking Out the Trash" has seen its last contest. But then again, a year from now, I might give it another go--and improve that poem yet again.

P.S. I almost forgot my other Tip! You can win a $25.00 Amazon gift card over at Diamonds and Toads, just by answering a simple question. Diamonds and Toads is a sister site to Enchanted Conversation; both sites have wonderful fairy-tale inspired poetry, stories and art. And I'm not just saying that because you'll find my poetry and stories over there (she said, modestly).

And Another Thing I Love About Conferences...

Metro Atlanta is a BIG place. And I love living in my little corner of this big place. But it's not always easy to get together with writing friends who may be in a little corner way on the other side of this big place. Sometimes, writing friends are a state or two over. Thank goodness for writing conferences where we can all get together.

We laugh, we cry, we toast our successes, drown our sorrows, then start all over again. Is it just me or could that be a country song? Anyway, the point is that we share our journeys, and learn from each other. Sometimes, we learn a lot.

Take my friend, Janice Hardy. I knew she'd written a middle grade fantasy series, but I did not know that she had an entire blog FULL of writing information. I mean, seriously helpful writing articles and resources. Having a problem with finding your voice? There's an article for that. Conflicted over your conflict? There's an article for that. Confused about word counts? There's an article for that, too.

In fact, there are over 500 articles! Great googly-moogly, that's a lotta info. And it's all in one place, over at The Other Side of the Story.

The best part is, you don't have to go to a conference and get chummy with Janice to find out more. Oh, dear. That didn't come out quite right. Janice is completely charming and you'd really like her. So, um, the point here is, you don't have to wait for the next conference. All you have to do is click.

Finding Something Friday on Love-Hate Relationships (I'm Talking to You, Twitter)

Here's the thing I found today: I love Twitter.

I love how this HUGE community of people come together and share thoughts on just about everything. I follow lots of writers, editors, and publishers, so I find tons of tweets relating to the subject I love best. And I LOVE how these folks find submission opportunities, or book giveaways, or funny little videos or vastly interesting blog posts that I would never find myself.

But I also hate Twitter. Because when I sit down at my little desk, telling myself that I will only look at Twitter (and if I'm being perfectly honest, Facebook, too) for fifteen minutes, PROMISE, and then I get up to stretch TWO HOURS later, I am not happy.

But a part of me is happy. Because I've learned so much that I didn't know before. It's just that I'm paying for that knowledge when I finally finish my To Do list at 12:30 AM. Whew. Anyway, that's how I found a tweet that took me to Steve Buttry's blog.

Steve Buttry happened to be interviewing Roy Peter Clark, the man behind Writing Tools, which was published as a book--and now Mr. Clark has a blog of that name over at Poynter.

Of course, you can peruse all those delightful links, because really, there's lots of good writing stuff there. Or you can go directly to this shortcut of the 50 Writing Tools, Quick List. Where you will find that number 2: Order words for emphasis, is the rule that Mr. Clark finds terribly important for all writers.

In the end, it was all worth it, right? (Or...It was all worth it, in the end. Right?)

Snow (Writing) Lessons: Part Two

I'm pretty sure I live in Georgia. But I'm wondering if I've slipped into some alternate universe. I mean, there's STILL a couple inches of snow on the ground and brrrr! Baby, it's cold outside. So, I bundled up to take a little trek, seeing as how I'm stuck in this freezing universe at the moment.

It wasn't horrible, I suppose. I dressed in layers. That's the trick. Which brings me to Snow Writing Lesson, Part II: Layers.

Without layers, I can step outside for the journey, but I won't get far before I give up. Better to be prepared for the adventure. Pull on that thermal shirt, and then a flannel shirt, and then the toasty, knitted scarf, and finally my extra-thick, winter coat. Maybe even that goofy stocking cap. All those layers make a difference.

What about your adventurous novel? Or your short trek of a story? Have you added all the layers you need to make the difference between a richly woven, complex tale or a one-dimensional, static fizzle-out? You might want to start with your characters.

Characters can add a ton of texture. Multi-dimensional characters are interesting, believable, and keep the reader hooked. Flat characters, not so much. You might want to check out Darcy Pattison's Checklist of 17 Character Qualities (and maybe even the related posts.) I heard Darcy speak at a conference; she's a pretty multi-dimensional character herself.

Or take a look at the Character Workshop offered by Holly Lisle. Lots of interesting story paths to consider when answering those questions.

Bottom line: Bundle up your writing in warm layers. Then, your readers will follow your story anywhere. (Um, maybe not into some freezing alternate universe where it's crazy cold like Georgia. But that could just be me.)

Snow (Writing) Lessons: Part One

Just about any day, I have a backyard and beyond of birds. But I also have woods, full of tall, spindly pines, wild dogwoods, sycamores and lots and lots of vines. So this amazing array of birds, zipping to and fro outside my window, blends in to the background hues of greens, browns, golds and reds. I know there are birds out there, but I often miss them unless they alight on my deck.

Not so this morning. Against a backdrop of six inches of pristine snow, I could see the red-headed woodpecker, hopping upside down up the tree branch. I caught a pair of cardinals, dashing in and out of the trees. Fat robins, wrens, and blue jays danced among the bare limbs or skimmed the snowy ground blanket. And I watched the birds, thinking how easy it was to spot them. And then I thought...what a great writing lesson!

How many times have you written something you were sure was scathingly brilliant, only to find that when you pulled it out later, it was spotted with writing flaws? That's because, when we read our own words, we zip through, missing the errors amongst the jumble of lovely words. So, here's a few of the tricks I use to catch those writing flaws, making them stand out like...well, a cardinal in the snow.

*Read aloud. Those turns of phrases that read so smoothly in my mind might come out clunky when I read aloud. If my tongue trips over words, the reader (or editor) will trip over it, too. On the way to the reject pile.

*Work backwards. When I finish a piece, sometimes I'll read from the end to the beginning. It makes my brain stop trying to make sense of what I'm reading and instead, focuses on technical errors. Like writing "there" for "their." Don't you just hate it when you do that?

*Use the FIND function. You know how we all have favorite words, or little expressions that we love so much, they show up in our writing like our companionable, pet pooch? With me, it's the conjunction "but." I LOVE to start sentences with but. Trouble is, too much of a but is (a matter of taste, I know) NOT a good thing. So I use the FIND function, plug in but, and get rid of those extra buts. If you have a problem with passive voice, plug in "was" and see how often that passive indicator comes up. The FIND function is a wonderful thing. Using but as the example, not so much.

*Get critique. Join a group or find an online writing buddy. Heck, ask that friend who can't hide the truth from you. The point is, get another pair of eyes on your work.

I have a children's critique group where one member always catches repitition of words. And I'm always surprised when I do that. But I'm in good company. Last night, while reading a very fine and famous author's YA novel, I came across a line with "cacophony" in it. Now, that's one of my favorite words, and it really punched up that scene. But one page later, the author used "cacophony" again. Suddenly that punchy word seemed kinda boring. Too bad he didn't have Debra in his critique group.

I always get the Beneficent Mr. Hall to read my humor column. Not because I listen to a word he says...I mean, the man depends on me for food and creature comforts. He is NOT going to jeopardize that with a bad critique of my column. So, he always says, "It's fine."

I don't pay any attention to his words, but I watch him like a hawk while he reads the column. If he smiles, or makes a funny snort/chuckle, I know my column's golden. If he reads it through, blank-faced, I snatch the paper back with a "Fine. I'll rewrite it!" ("And P.S. Dear, dinner is going to be late!") So, if you can't get a writing critique partner, find a friend who's either a. very blunt or b. totally lacking in a poker face.

If you've got an error-finding, cardinal-in-the-snow trick, I'd sure love to hear it. I need all the help I can get. (I took out three extra buts from this one post. Seriously.)

Nobody Puts Baby in a Grammar Corner

Yesterday, whilst cleaning out some papers, I came across a short story critique.

Actually, there were three critiques, for this short story had been entered in a contest. Oh, how funny, I thought, reading the comments. Because although I'd forgotten the critiques, I had not forgotten the story. I'd made corrections to that story, and in fact, I'd sold it to an anthology. So, I was smiling and reading, thinking back on good times, until I read this:

"This story has potential, but the many grammar errors need to be addressed."

Now, you can say what you will about my lack of conflict in a plot. You can question my character's motivation. You can even throw out the ubiquitous "this doesn't work for me" comment. But nobody puts Baby in a corner.

Um, you know what I mean. I am not going to make a grammar error. Unless it's something like this where, technically, I'm using blog slang. I mean, I read grammar books for pleasure. And whenever I find an interesting site, I bookmark it.

Which brings me to Jack Lynch's Guide to Grammar and Style. And I'm going to peruse this lovely site in detail. But first, I have a critique to burn.

Tuesday's This 'n That Other This

I've been meaning to share This:

If you're not signed up for Writing-World's newsletter, then zip your cursor over to this wondrous writing site and fill in those blanks. The site and newsletter are seriously packed with great writer stuff, as well as funny writer stuff. And the editor might buy your writer stuff, if you have something to share.

And here's the other This:

I have no business hanging out at the Unpublished Guy. I have work to do. Very Important Work. But five minutes laughing at a Monty Python clip never hurt anyone, did it? (Well, unless you fall off your chair laughing. So, don't do that.) Thanks to my Writing-World newsletter for sharing this Brit wit!

Finding Something Friday on Confusing Words

Once in awhile (okay, every day), I spend some time (okay, hours) exploring (okay, pooting around) on the wide world of the web (okay, mostly Facebook).

Anyway, I find interesting things. Then I bookmark them. Then I completely forget that I've bookmarked them. So, it behooves me to occasionally take a little time and check my bookmarks. It's like opening a Bookmarks Box of Chocolates. I never know what I'm going to get!

Today I found Confusing Words. This is a handy little tool for those of us who may have trouble with certain words. Words like the perennially confusing lay, lie. And let's not forget those favorites, affect vs. effect. You don't have to look up a whole bunch of grammar rules. You can go to this site and find the definition of said confusing words, as well as sentences using said confusing words. And bam! That confusing cloud hanging over your head suddenly disappears.

Assuming it's a word thing. I wonder if there's something in my Bookmarks called Confusing Life Stuff (okay, you know what I mean).

What Not To Do Wednesday on Writing Picture Books

If I'm being honest,I could write a book on what not to do when it comes to writing children's picture books. But I don't have that kind of time, and besides, Ann Whitford Paul's written a splendid book on exactly what to do when it comes to writing children's books.

And it just so happens that I'm giving away Writing Picture Books over at Finders & Keepers. So, even if you're not a regular reader over at F & K, if you've been mulling over a picture book idea, you might want to take a peek. Don't let this opportunity pass you by, grasshopper.

'Cause trust me when I tell you. That writing picture book thing? Waaaay harder than it looks.

What Not To Do Wednesday - Stay Tuned

Tomorrow, Elizabeth Kirschner, author of My Life as a Doll, will be visiting the Hall of Fame with a great What Not to Do.

Now, I know that's a Wednesday feature, but Elizabeth's coming Thursday, the 25th, so come back tomorrow and find out when you should NOT publish a memoir. And by the way, it's not the reason that Cathy C. Hall is not publishing her memoir. To wit, I can barely remember yesterday, much less the first thirty years of my life.

I can remember when wonderful authors are touring at my blogs with terrific advice and newly published books...that's what little sticky notes are for. Um, has anyone seen my little sticky note pad?

What Not to Do Wednesday Looks at Vacation

It's true that I'm on vacation, relaxing the old brain cells.

I mention this fact, not to rub it in for those of you NOT on vacation and relaxing, but rather to make my What Not to Do Wednesday point. To wit, grasshopper, even on vacation, one must always be prepared.

Let's say, for instance, that a writer (we'll call her Cathy C. Hall 'cause I'm a little partial to that name) is relaxing on the beach (we'll call that beach Tybee Island 'cause I'm a little partial to that sandy spot) and suddenly, she gets a scathingly brilliant idea!

When you think about it, that's not so unusual. Even for Cathy C. Hall. It seems to me that whenever I'm relaxing and not thinking of anything, that is the time when I think of something. And though that sounds like Yogi Berra thinking, it makes perfect sense. Now, here's what not to do: don't forget your camera. Or a pen. And something to write on.

'Cause as sure as you're relaxing on the beach, you'll think up something brilliant. Then you'll have to repeat that brilliant idea about a hundred times so you won't forget it. Little children will ask their mommies, "Why is the funny lady talking to herself?" Bigger kids will stand ten feet from your lounge chair and point, maybe throw a frisbee or two, just to see what happens.

Trust me when I tell you: there's nothing relaxing about that. So, bring your writing supplies in your beach bag. Just in case.

Great Big Gobs of Genre Writing Advice

I'm just on a writing advice roll here at Cathy C.'s Hall of Fame! Today, it's the awesomeness known as the May/June issue of WOW!Women on Writing.

Pick a genre, any genre, and I'll bet you'll find some great tips for writing it. I haven't had time to read the whole issue yet, but I saw articles about magic realism, fantasy, mystery thrillers, and eeeeek! horror.

And as I'm a shameless hussy when it comes to promotion, I'm just going to add that eeeek! the horror article is brought to you by Cathy C. (as in Creepy) Hall. It's packed with info on all the horror subgenres as well as great big gobs of gushy, grimy writing resources. So, if you've been wondering if horror might be just what you need to rev up your writing passion, sink your teeth into my scathingly scary how-to article, "How 2 Find the Right Horror Fit for You."

Oooh. I'm a little creeped out. (But in a good, totally awesome way.)

Finding Something Friday: Fonts and Funds

Looking for ways to make writing pay off? Search no more, my little fund-seekers.

This week, I was a tad busy catching up on web content writing. And I thought, Hey! Here's a way for a Junior Hall who just happens to be living back at the homestead to generate some funds (or beer money, depending on your perspective on life).

Junior Hall and I sat down to pick a Demand Studios article in which Cathy C. Hall could show him the ropes. I/he wrote "How to Act Like an Anime Character." People pay for that, you ask? Oh, yeah, they do. I learned tons about anime, and Junior Hall learned how easy it is to write web content articles.

Demand Studios is hiring writers; they pay a flat fee per article. Suite 101 is hiring, too. They pay based on web views, so your articles may not generate funds immediately, but you'll generate what we in the business like to call a "passive stream of income." Which is just a fancy way of saying that your writing will pay off while you sit back and do nothing. And Ehow works the same way. You don't even have to apply to Ehow; just sign up. You could make a living off of writing web content. Or at least enough for a six-pack.

And if you need a break from all that web writing, find out what font you are. Take this quiz here for a little insight into your font personality. I think I came up "Helvetica," the classic font. Let me know how font-astic you are. Now, off you go! Fonts and funds wait for no man (or woman).

Repurposing Makes Cents

I started to write "Repurposing makes Sense," but then Wham! A brilliant thought popped in my head with "Repurposing Makes Cents."Even if I do say so myself.

Um, actually, this time it's not so much me saying so as it is Marcia Peterson over at Wow! Women on Writing. She wrote a very detailed How 2 in the latest issue that can answer every question you have about repurposing articles and show you how to make mo' money in the process. Check out Marcia's How 2 article here if you want a primer on the subject.

You know that I'm a big believer in repurposing. I do it all the time with essays. Take my latest essay, "The Sign Solution" over at New Christian Voices. When I originally wrote it, I had a work-at-home mom pub in mind (WAHM Magazine, for you nosy readers). I submitted the essay, but I hadn't heard anything in awhile. So, I took the thing out for a reread, and thought, "Hmmm. This little essay doesn't really work for that market." (To put the thought politely) I gave it a few humor tweaks and sent it over to NCV. Repurposed, the essay found a home and I've made a few cents.

But a part of that essay (how Mr. Hall likes music BLARING when he works vs. my need for silence when I work) was a nugget from a column I'd written over a year ago. But it was part of the new story regarding the sign solution. And that's repurposing, too.

So, now you can truly appreciate the title of this post! Even if I do say so myself.