Get the DIRT: June 7, 2012

It's another Do It Right Thursday!

I've been digging around for informative and fun sites and resources. Hope you find these links helpful! :)

Backspace
Writer's community.  Articles and resources are available to all.
Exclusive to members ($40/year membership) is a discussion forum, critique section, short story contests, video library,

WriteDirections
Another website I stumbled upon, this one run by writer Beth Mende Conny, which offers articles and resources for writers. Includes articles focusing on the writing process with practical tips as well as some articles categorized as "Inspiration," which might be just the thing to help you through a moment of writer's block. :)

Wake Up Writing
Daily writing prompts. Although the site hasn't been updated since April, archives go back to 2002, so there are bound to be prompts that inspire you.

Editorrent
Very popular, so you may already know this one. If not, definitely check it out for all kinds of info from the mechanics of writing to pitching your novel.

Factbites
I haven't tested this one too thoroughly yet, but it seems a valid gateway to legitimate resources. Could be helpful when doing novel research.

"The Snowflake Method"
I've been looking into how to create effective outlines, since I haven't really tried using one since my college days.  Here, author Randy Ingermanson presents an interesting approach to organizing and outlining a novel.

"How to Outline (The Easy Way) Like Janet Evanovich"
From Writer's Knowledge Base, another approach: Writer's Digest explains author Evanovich's outline process, complete with storyboard example.

That's it for this week, but please feel free to add any helpful links you may have in the comments.

And be sure to stop by this weekend -- I'll have a new book review up as well as another installment of Biff and Mary.  :)


Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Casual Friday

To get a head start on a (hopefully!) relaxing weekend, here are some links and videos, just for fun. Enjoy!

~  Check out these crazy and unusual book designs. Amazingly creative ways to multi-purpose a book.

~ There is such a thing as a little too much persistence...you go, girl! An Impossible Love

~ Now, here's something you don't see every day.  Puppies from Heaven...

~ Hysterical. I dare you not to laugh! :)    Best of Funny Talking Animals

~ Love this kid's voice. The original is a lot of fun, but this is so different it's amazing and I think I like it better!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Another Adventure Begins...

I am very pleased and excited to announce that my proofreading service is up and running and ready to book assignments!

The Practical Pen
Proofreading Services for the Pragmatic Writer

I am offering proofreading services for everything from manuscripts to professional marketing materials and resumes. Rates are set at a very affordable level, and I am currently offering a 10% discount for all projects booked by May 31, 2012.

Thank you for indulging me in a little self-promotion here, and I hope you will take a moment to check out my new website at www.thepracticalpen.com. It's still evolving, but most information is there and any comments/feedback would be welcome!

Have a great weekend!  :)







Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

The More Things Change

Alex Wolff of Nat and Alex Wolff,
Brighton Music Hall, 2/24/12

So many changes since I last posted...
Some pressures have eased, while others have not, but that's what keeps life interesting, isn't it?
Right now, the dripping faucet in my kitchen has morphed into a major plumbing project, there is an escaped gecko hiding somewhere in the house, and there's still never enough time/money/what-have-you.
Some things change, and some stay the same.

I started thinking about how things change when we took my daughter to her first concert last week. She's had a recent interest in Nat and Alex Wolff, formerly featured on Nickelodeon's "The Naked Brothers Band" several years ago.  They're still young (14 and 17),  but there's some definite musical talent there, and they certainly weren't hard to listen to, even for us chaperones.  They also have a dedicated fan base, of which my daughter is one of the more enthusiastic.

The show was held in a small venue, a less overwhelming first concert experience for a twelve-year-old than one of the large stadiums the more "popular" acts could fill.  It turned out to be a great show, and my daughter and her friend were among the many fans who had the opportunity to meet the boys, get autographs, and even have pictures taken with them.  A terrific experience, all around.

It was interesting to me, though, to see that although the screeching "fan girl" attitude was much the same as it may have been when I was twelve or thirteen, some things have definitely changed.  Instead of dancing and really getting into the music and the atmosphere as we used to back in the days of waving lighters, most of this audience was far more intent on taping/taking pictures with their phones (note the iphone in the foreground of the picture, above). I lost count of the number of phones held up in the sea of mostly pre-teen girls.

The performers had to encourage the audience to clap along (since, of course, phones had to be set aside to actually clap!).  They were clearly an appreciative and excited audience, regardless, and I can understand why they were so determined to tape the performance; I can only imagine how excited I would have been to have had the opportunity to videotape Aerosmith or Bob Seger, or any of the other concerts I went to. Back then, it was "no cameras" for the most part.  We all would have been thrilled to have something other than the old Polaroid Onestep (a bit too bulky to sneak into concerts!).

And yet...I couldn't help thinking that they were missing out on some of the real thrill of a live concert.  After all, how much can you fully experience something if you are merely a videographer?  With your eyes primarily on a small screen in your hand instead of the stage before you, the excitement simply can't attain the same level.  The audience was certainly enthusiastic, but not in the same way I remember.

That's the way of most changes, I suppose.  There are pros and cons, good parts and not so good parts.
My daughter and the rest of the audience that night may have seemed a bit less completely immersed in the experience than I might have been at that age, but they do have plenty of memories in pictures and video.
Maybe it's a good trade-off.   Just as Nat and Alex have changed, evolving from those cute kids in that TV show to "real" musicians, everything needs to change and evolve eventually, and I suppose the concert experience is not immune. And in the end, this new generation doesn't know any different -- it's only us old folks who see it.

If they are missing out, they don't know it.  And maybe that's just how it's supposed to be.

Hard Bleachers and Beautiful Noise

Just a quick post the morning after my daughter's holiday band concert.

The thought went through my mind as I sat there that no one past the age of thirty has any hope of ever again being comfortable on hard, wooden bleachers...and yet, strangely enough, once I settled in, I barely noticed the numb bottom anymore, because there is just something wonderful about school band concerts. 

Yes, often they are off-key, or lose their places, and on that rare occasion they do manage to butcher a piece of music into an unrecognizable cacophony of discordant notes.  But they try so hard, and no matter the level of perfection in their performances I love to watch and listen to them, every time.  I love the look of nervous pride on all their faces, their thrill at standing to greet the audience applause, the noticeable expelling of breath when they've finished their most difficult pieces. 

Mostly I think I just love witnessing these beautiful creations of ours learning to create their own beautiful noise. 

And that, I think, is worth every minute on those bleachers.

Striving to be a Grinch

I admit it. 

I have no Christmas spirit this year. 

I'm not quite sure why.  Normally, I am very determined in my pursuit of the spirit of the season.  I decorate, bake, make gingerbread houses and shop and wrap with the best of them.  But I just can't seem to motivate this year.

Maybe it's because as much as I'd love to go out and buy the usual boatload of gifts for everyone in my life, I simply can't do it this year, and it saddens me to have my spirit of giving stifled by circumstance.  Combined with other personal challenges at the moment, it's exhausting to think of how much there is yet to do and how little I seem able to summon either the energy or the finances to do it.

However, I keep reminding myself of what I've always told my children: Christmas isn't about getting gifts or spending money, but is a spiritual reminder of the importance of giving of oneself to others, of remembering what's truly important. 

Which, of course, leads me to the Grinch.

Yes, the Grinch, that curmudgeon of coddled Christmas spirit, so jealous of the joy in others that he tried to steal it away in his effort to pull everyone down into his pit of grinchdom.  I've always found it curious that the Grinch is most commonly remembered for his lack of Christmas spirit (or "grinchiness") when in fact it's the eventual discovery of it within himself that seems the most important part of the story.  My favorite moment in  Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas is when he has his epiphany, and "...the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches plus two."  It's that moment, when he opens his heart to love and sharing, when he holds out a hand to little Cindy Lou Who ("who was no more than 2") that has always held such poignance for me (and countless others, I imagine).

And as silly as it may seem to draw on an old children's story for my own Christmas spirit, the Grinch truly is an inspiration for me.  Part of it, I know, is that he was my father's favorite character, too.  My dad, one of the sweetest and most giving men I've ever known, always loved the Grinch best, and joked at being "grinchy" himself.  One Christmas, I made him a Santa hat with the word "Grinch" spelled out in glitter on the cuff.  He grinned beneath that hat proudly every year, and those Christmases are among my most cherished memories of him.

So this year, in spite of the current slump in which I find myself, I'm determined to find my Christmas spirit however I can.  I'll decorate the tree, snap precious pictures of the annual Gingerbread House Decorating Day with my daughter and niece, and wrap whatever presents I can give.  I'll remember my dad smiling around his pipe with that silly hat on his head, and I'll remember to count my blessings of past, present and future.  I'll remind myself, too, that Christmas is more than what I can put under the tree, and will bring smiles and laughter even "without packages, boxes or bags." 

In fact, I'm going to try to be the best Grinch I can be...

Do you have a favorite Christmas character?  Any special Christmas memories wrapped around Rudolph or Frosty or the Grinch?  How do you find your own spirit of the season? 
Feel free to share in comments! :)