B2MeM Is Underway. Are You Playing?

B2MeM started on Sunday. For those who read my blog but aren't involved in the Tolkien Fan Fiction community, B2MeM is Back 2 Middle-earth Month and takes place every March. Each year's format is different, but they all involve a large number of us writing original stories or producing original artwork to meet themes or prompts. This year's event is turning out to be quite exciting.

This year's B2MeM features the Middle-earth Marketplace. 

This year we are holding a Middle-earth marketplace with stalls from various locations throughout Middle-earth and beyond. Each person participating begins with 15 farthings from which they can purchase a story prompt from a stall or leave a prompt that they hope might interest another writer to purchase and use as the basis for their tale. Each transaction costs 1 farthing. I purchased two prompts, initially, and left one, so my 15 tokens were down to 12 yesterday morning.

Some of the market stall banners are pictured above.
Aldarion's Sails and Rigging will have stories based in or regarding Numenor.
Denethor's Armory deals with Gondor and it's surrounding area.
Lonely Mountain Toy Emporium features stories of Dale, the Lonely Mountain and Dwarves
Nali's Puzzles and Devices allows for AU and crossover stories.

The stalls have been heavily shopped and many prompts have been added. Now stories are being written and posted. Reviews earn money, so each review is paid one farthing. I've reviewed six stories so far. Now I have 18 farthings to spend. Such riches!

Making and spending farthings while writing is a total win/win. Originally
the concept sounded a bit complex, but now that I'm involved in it, it's
so EASY. This year's B2MeM will be lots of fun! 

I started work on one story yesterday, and it's coming along well but still has quite a long way to go. I am also thinking about purchasing three other prompts which would bring my total of stories to five, but I want to make sure I don't get drowned by the work during a month that is very busy at the shop.

I have to be careful not to take on too many story plots. It's a busy
month at work and I don't want to drown at my keyboard. 

It was B2MeM that first got me involved with writing fan fiction. Before then, I had reviewed and done beta work and generally read a lot of other people's stories, but I hadn't started sitting at a keyboard and writing. B2MeM was what broke me out of the reading mold and pushed me into the writing mold. It was the year of the Passport, and I loved it. I started with the prompt from the second day and went back to write the first day later. I got stamps for each day and a complete passport, and I also got a lot of friends and my OFC Helyanwë from the stories I wrote that month. I have participated in each B2MeM since then and have always enjoyed it - some more than others.

My completed passport from B2MeM 2011 is still a prized possession. 

So I'm playing, I'm shopping, and I'm writing, and once again I'm having a wonderful time with B2MeM.

Productivity - What I Need to Do & Nature's Wonders

It's Wednesday, it's my "day off" and I will be sitting at my computer keyboard for the day because I'm SO far behind. Because I need to be super productive, I'm looking for pics of productive critters... Here we go!

This is a picture of a large field of termite mounds. I looked to find out if
the pic was from Australia or from Africa, but unfortunately the specific
designation was missing. Still - these little critters all gather together to
make large, sometimes twenty-foot-high, mounds in which they live and
work. Rather like a miniature New York City, insect-style. 

I have a drabble to do and even though it isn't a firm deadline, I would like to have it completed by Monday.

I almost missed out on the LOTR Monthly Challenge due to my funk a week or two ago. I now have five days to pound a story into shape, when normally I have at least two weeks *sigh*. I hear the clock ticking.

Speaking of small critters, just look at this small section of Australia's
Great Barrier Reef. How truly spectacular! Coral is a bunch of small organisms
who gather together and form large colonies. Many coral reefs around the
world are dying because of ocean pollution and UV devastation. NEVER break
off a piece of coral, and make sure that any coral jewelry you wear is
either appropriately harvested or antique. 

I have to compose a bio for my B2MeM story and my B2MeM artwork for the e-compilation. I also have to send the revised story to the editor since there were two small, but important, changes to the text and I want the proper one to be published, not the one with such silly errors.

I have to write my monthly diary submission for Monday - just didn't get to it yesterday.

And I promised my dear friend in Germany to get some beta work completed on her latest chapter.

I'm allergic to bees, so this gives me a bit of a shiver, but I can't deny that
honeybees are productive. Bees are tremendously important
in agriculture and their honey tastes pretty darned good, too. 

So instead of getting exercise, yadda-yadda-yadda ..., I'll be sitting at a keyboard and typing, typing, typing. I will, however, still do laundry and grocery shopping, as well as banking stuff and a quick run with a package for a friend to the post office. So I guess I'll have some opportunities to get out and smell some fresh air today, but not many. *sigh*

Finally, productivity can be measured in many ways, including
the above. This little pug was very productive indeed! 

Hopefully, by tomorrow, a great deal of the list above will be into revision process or completed and sent off. That's the real mark of an accomplished day off for me. I wish all of you a productive day. Happy Wednesday!

Paperless? Ptah! I Say ... Ptah!

One of the promises of our electronic, computerized world was that we would become a paperless society. Although I see that in many things - email, facebook, twitter and the other social media methods of reaching out primary among them - I don't really see this coming through in spades throughout my life. I would LOVE to rid myself of paper, but I don't think it is possible, at least not yet. My notes and instructional manuals, my alternative keyboards for odd fonts such as my Egyptian Hieroglyphic fonts, and my other odd keyboard instructions are all are printed in hardcopy because I need to refer to them. My weekly and monthly story prompts are printed because I take them with me to work on a variety of different computers while composing the storylines. Forms, legal letters, etc are sent via email, but printed out, again for easy reference. Every time I print, I hear a tree cry. But...I have to print these things to make sure that I catch everything. My memory isn't as good as it used to be, I guess.

What happened to our 'paperless' society? 

It's a real Catch-22. I want a paperless office/life, yet my unreliable or overloaded memory and my lifestyle demand pieces of paper to remind me of things like passwords, account numbers, instructions, and procedures. For example - today I printed out the exhibition times for an art and crafts exhibit I'll be attending on Sunday. Although I know the times, my DH won't take my word for it, so I'll have to back it up with proof *sigh*. One tree.

Maddy Haggith put together this paper mountain of an average year's worth of
paper waste. It's a really interesting article if you follow the link. 

The second tree was sacrificed by my printing out the addresses of the Mazda dealers near me so that I can go and take a closer look at one of the autos I'm thinking about purchasing. I want to check it out from top to bottom, and I'll probably request a full brochure also so that I have all of the statistics at hand. Two trees...

I will admit that I read almost all of my books in e-versions now. I use my Nook
or my Nook App on my phone and cruise through my usual 2-3 books a week
on those. My house appreciates the fact that I don't have to find space for more
paperbacks and I love the fact that I can read practically anywhere with more
ease. My Nook app on my phone gets used to the max daily. I LOVE e-books. 

The third tree was sacrificed printing out the instructions for the B2MeM Compilation Ebook. I want my story and artwork included in this, but I've made a couple of very important text changes to my story since the original submission and must make sure that the version used is the most up-to-date one. I need to read through the directions carefully to make sure I'm doing everything correctly and submitting the proper required information. Sometimes it is easier to have a checklist, and that's what this basically is. Nonetheless - it is my third tree of the morning.

Are we trapped in paper? Is the dream of a paperless society just
a pipe dream? 

My DH was contacted by the attorney who is working on the income taxes for his father's estate. He needs one more bit of information phoned into him this morning. I printed this out and put it on DH's keyboard where he'll see it first thing this morning when he awakens. This particular tree was an important one, but nonetheless, was my fourth tree of the morning.

What things would we miss in a paperless society? Paper airplanes, certainly,
but also things like the morning newspaper and catalogs. I hope to always enjoy
handwritten letters and cards from dear friends, however, and I will continue
to design, make, and send my annual Solstice cards in December. 

My final felled tree for the day was used to print out the April Challenge Prompt I had received in my email for my monthly LOTR Community story. Again, I work on my stories on several different computers (thank goodness for Dropbox) and need to remind myself about prompt words, deadlines, and headings so that my submissions meet the criteria. I carry these with me until I've submitted the story, then shred them. Tree number five.

Of course, if you must use paper, please recycle the pages when you
are through with them. So few things actually need to be archived in physical
form these days. 

Now, I also admit that I am a HUGE fan of recycling, and that all of these pages will be shredded and added to my recycling bin. But still ... the paperless office is a joke in my life. How about in yours? Have you managed to eliminate most printed paper and leave lighter footprints on Mother Earth?

We can all dream of living in a new Emerald City of clean air, pristine water,
ample food and supplies for everyone throughout the world.
If we stop dreaming, halted by the immensity
of the challenge, we won't make the slightest dent in our future. Work
for progress in your own life and it will impact the lives of others. 

Sorry for the rather 'preachy' post today. Have a fabulous Tuesday...

The White Rabbit

I feel like the White Rabbit of Alice in Wonderland fame today because "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!" I usually start working on my blog fifteen minutes earlier than now, so I'm tight on time.  But...I have so many things to say! It's TOTALLY not fair - LOL.

I think I love The White Rabbit the best of all of the marvelous characters
in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. 

We met with the Realtor last night and signed the Purchase Agreements for my father-by-marriage's house. The buyer will be doing her inspection today and if all goes well and there are no roadblocks cast down in front of us, we can continue on with her financing, etc, and sign the final papers on May 16th. If the inspection doesn't work out and she decides to pull out, I'm already getting more showing requests that I am temporarily placing on the back burner until we can determine our path. This buyer seems very anxious to get into the house and I'm perfectly delighted to sell it to her, so I'm really hoping the inspection goes well and that things will proceed smoothly from here.

If the inspection goes well, we might be able to put a SOLD sign on
the house as early as next week. I'm hoping, I'm hoping....

Of course, my DH with his fear of commitment, had a terrible time deciding to sign the forms, but I managed to convince him that waiting for X, Y and Z would be a poor idea and that we want the house sold. He finally took pen in hand and signed his name in several places as the Estate Representative. When the house is finally sold the estate will finally be settled and all assets will be distributed. I can hardly wait!

As I race toward my 60th birthday, I understand more and more how
growing old can affect the body and mind and general outlook of life. 

My B2MeM story was released overnight and I'm delighted because I can now post it to my archives. I'm quite pleased with it. The original parameters were to write a story about a character who has reached old age, so I wrote about Bilbo Baggins and his final journey across Middle Earth from Rivendell to the Grey Havens and beyond. It gave me an opportunity to examine my thoughts about elven aging and compare it to the aches and pains felt by the elderly hobbit (and also myself, something that made me feel a kinship for Bilbo). It was a lot of fun to write.

I love my McDonald's Fish Fillet sandwiches. I buy them year-round. This
year they are running a two for $3.50 special every day until Lent is
over and I'm totally taking advantage of it. I had two for lunch on
Wednesday, have had them every Friday, and also had them for a dinner
a week or so ago. Yeah! I love my Fillet-o-Fish. 

I have to close this now or I'll run too late, so my apologies for such a short post. Happy Friday, happy fish day! (Give me that Fillet o' Fish, Give me that fish!)

Loose Ends? - NOT!

It's strange but my life is like a vacuum - no sooner does it get emptied then it immediately gets filled again. I posted my B2MeM story into the master list last night. I'm not sure when it will be revealed by the moderators, but for those of you wanting to know, I'll be putting it into my standard archives (Fairie, AO3 and either SWG or MPTT -in this case MPTT) after it has been revealed. No sooner had I done this when I had my next drabble prompt waiting in my mailbox. I also have my LOTR Community Story for the month that I started work on yesterday. So two items for me to write as well as a necklace repair waiting for me to work on. I guess I'll have a full slate for a while.

Can't I just relax and wait for the plots to come to me? Clara Bow
looks wonderfully relaxed and cute in this pic. Unfortunately, I'm
not as cute or young as she was in this pic, so I guess I'll have to
sweat the plots out the hard way...

We have a showing request for my father-by-marriage's house on Wednesday. But we've been very carefully watching to make sure we didn't have more ceiling or attic leaks due to the ice dams. We've had a good melt over the past two days, but I'm not sure I can approve a showing request until next week. I'll have to ask DH if it will be something I can approve. They'll be phoning me for my approval later this morning and I hope I hear from DH before they contact me.

Ice dams can lead to ceiling leaks. We've kept a close eye on
any leaks and have caught them, and we also raked the snow off
the roofs each and every time it snowed. It was so labor
intensive, and we still ended up with a few small leaks *sigh*. 

I don't usually watch the popular vocal contest shows - American Idol and The Voice have never really attracted me. But my Public TV station switched its schedule and instead of Antiques Roadshow on Monday nights, it has something else that I have no interest in, so I've been watching The Voice instead. Last night, the final contestant, Josh Kaufman, on this episode of blind auditions sang George Michael's "One More Try", one of my favorite singers and songs of all time. And he totally NAILED it. Beautiful. All four judges turned for him as well they should have. I've always thought George Michael to be an incredibly sexy man and wonderful vocal talent. It was a joy to hear some of my favorite song again.

The judges for this phase of The Voice Season 6 are: Adam Levine, Usher,
Blake Shelton and Shakira. They play well off each other. 

A young duo from Oklahoma also just wowed me. Alaska and Madi worked together beautifully as they sand "Barton Hollow" and were polished and interlaced like long-time professionals. They ended up with Blake as their coach and I think they'll do very well with him as their guide.

Another contestant to watch (and on Team Blake) is Sisaundra Lewis. She
wowed all four judges with her amazing voice. As a former backup singer for
Celine Dion she has the professional skills and calm. It should be a good season. 

I'm getting sucked in to the show, darn it all. I've watched it three times now and I really like what I'm hearing. I realize that this is Season 6, so I've been way behind the loop, but anyone who can pull me away from my computer screen and writing to turn around and watch them sing is making an impact.

Tonight I'll be watching "Face Off" and eating some Ben & Jerry's
Core Ice Cream. I'm already looking forward to it :-)

Enjoy your Tuesday.

Spring is a'Coming

Pity the poor person who is responsible for
changing multiple clocks twice a year.

In the US, Daylight Saving Time started on Sunday morning (very early). Spring is 'spring ahead' so we lose an hour of sleep. Normally it doesn't hit me horribly because it's on a Sunday and that's the day that we sleep in. But I was a wreck by mid-afternoon yesterday and actually crashed out for a nap before dinner. I always figure if I'm falling asleep in my chair while trying to edit, I should probably at least get into a prone position.

This is the season for leaking roofs. Homes and
business will both be sporting buckets. It drives
me a bit crazy - I hate that constant dripping sound.

We checked out ceiling leaks in the shop and Jim's Dad's house yesterday, chopped a lot of sidewalk ice up to make them safer, and did a bit of grocery shopping. Before I left to do these varied errands I washed my computer keyboard. Over the top? No. The left Shift key was sticking and more times than not I wasn't getting the capital letter I needed. I'm not good with using the right Shift key, so washing time. I have a washable keyboard or I wouldn't try this, and amazingly enough, it worked. Shift key is now happy and I am also.

I had Dale add a washable keyboard to my computer when he
built it last year. I love the keyboard, and now it has proved
its worth. 

I finally was able to finish my B2MeM story last night. I'll post it today sometime for later reveal. I knew what I wanted when I accepted the prompt, but it was one of those stories that had to be dragged out of my mind, one word at a time. Argh! Fortunately after some serious editing, it even reads well. It's really silly how much time it took. Now to get back to editing for a couple of friends and writing my next LOTR Community assignment.

Spring cleaning - the best of intentions and the complete
lack of stamina is my usual difficulty. 

Spring to me always means spring cleaning. But since we'll still have cold temps for another month and the possibility of snow here and there too, I don't feel the need to dive right into it. But soon. My fingers are actually itching to dust, run the vacuum, and polish. Silly me!

My thoughts are a bit disjointed today...

I realize the post this morning is disjointed, but so it goes sometimes. Have a great Monday!

Growling Photos - Because I Can

When I got to my computer this morning after my shower I had no internet. It wasn't the computer, it wasn't the modem, it was Comcast. After phoning them and having their automated service acknowledge that there were spotty problems in my area and that it would be fixed by 6:00 am, I sighed and went upstairs to the living room couch with my Nook to read for a half hour. Returning after 30 minutes, I had internet again. But of course, I'm WAY behind schedule. So ... Growl ...

Sometimes a girl just has to growl...

I had a comment from a good friend on yesterday's post that once again he was in town for one day, but working and totally unable to grab any time off to get together. *sigh* I'm hoping that another tour will have him in town for a bit longer and can get together for a meal or a drink. Or maybe we can meet up in Milwaukee again if our schedules intersect. That was such fun when we reconnected so many years ago. But for now ... Growl ...

A growling wolf is a good pic for Seth. Beautiful man, beautiful wolf. What's
not to like? 

I finally finished writing my B2MeM story yesterday and started the editing process. Since my morning's spare time evaporated on me today, I'll have to edit in Open Office instead of Word during the day. That means I'll have to revisit everything I edit today in Open Office in Word tonight to catch formatting issues. Growl ...

There's something so wonderful about a tiger, even when it's
this close to causing you serious bodily harm. 

DH found Ben & Jerry's core ice cream for us at the grocery store yesterday but we decided to wait until watching "Doc Martin" tonight before dipping in to them. This is a Growl for yesterday when I was looking forward to trying some, but a Yummmm for today when I'll get to indulge.

Look at this small growling puppy. Who could be afraid
of this tiny puff ball? 

Finally, it's Friday. For most people that signifies the end of their work week. For me that signifies the next to last day of my work week. But it's Lent (which I don't really celebrate or keep) and that means McDonald's Fish Fillet sandwiches for dinner. OK, I know it's an acquired taste, but I adore Fish Fillet sandwiches and eat them year-round. During Lent they are available at a very inexpensive cost, so this one is no Growl - only a total Yippee! ....

Great ambitions, aren't they? 

Have a totally fabulous Friday and be kind to yourself today. Treat yourself to something fun - a package of gummy worms, an ice cream cone, a truffle, or maybe some time on the park swings. Enjoy!

Running Late - Bondage, B2MeM, and Aging

I got tied up in some website recommendations and photo blogs this morning. Normally I have an hour to write my blog - today I have 30 minutes. This will be a rushed job!

Were you ever tied up as a kid? These days I tend to get tied up in
photographs or text, not physical cords, but they hold me just as
tightly as if I were bound to my chair. 

The pieces for B2MeM 2014 have started to be released. I'm still writing my story (I'd better check on my deadline once more) but my artwork is in the queue. I have beta work to do, but no cat care today. Yesterday was the final day of cat care. Chickie should have returned late last night and will take today off to recover. Tomorrow I actually get a real DAY OFF again - the first (except for my Sundays) in two weeks. I can hardly wait!

I've loved the items released for Back to Middle-earth Month so far. I have one
story and one artwork for this year's challenge. It's much less work than two
years ago. I didn't care for the format in 2013 and didn't participate that year. 

Waking up this morning and seeing there was no minus sign in front of my temperature gauge made me unreasonably happy. Then again, the entire area has been fighting frozen pipes, and any warming trend will be welcomed with throw blossoms and the sacrifice of an appropriate virgin. It's been a simply beastly winter and even though we are still deeply into winter for another month, we might be turning the corner. At least I really hope so. It's become the fourth coldest winter on record with a huge snowfall too. I'll be very curious to see what our final totals are at the end of the season, but we're up there in the PAIN index.

It's above zero! We're having a Tropical Heat Wave!

I must have slept rather contorted because my arm is really giving me fits this morning. Have you ever experienced that? It's one of those mornings when I think I had my arm twisted in some strange position for an extended period because every time I try to straighten it out, it twitches in pain and complains mightily about being forced into a rational position. Although I'm fully aware that I could have caused a similar condition anytime in my life, the creaks and clicks accompanying this are, I fear, just one more indication of how I'm falling apart as I age.

I just don't contort while sleeping with the same flexibility
I used to have when I was younger. 

Getting old is not for the faint at heart!

Getting old is not for the faint at heart, for sissies, or for those who refuse
to think young. If you can't think young, you'll age before your time. 

Have a fabulous Tuesday and sorry for the random segues above.

A List of Tasks & A Book Recommendation

Sometimes listing out my tasks can motivate me to actually get going on them - or not. I'm in a 'meh' period right now. I suppose it's a combination of the continuing never-ending winter, the fact that I have to work for the next eight out of nine days, and numerous other little things that all build up to a great big "I don't really give a darn about much of anything right now" attitude. It's an attitude that I have to get rid of, and quickly. I've learned over many years that either I recover my general positive attitude and 'go get it' attitude or I fall into a black depression. Depression for me is a very bad thing and I'll do almost anything to avoid it.

I have stories to write that are just sitting there, laughing at me. My BeMeM story is 60%+ complete and isn't due until the 12th, but I really need to wrap it up. My art piece is complete, but I submitted it incorrectly and need to try once more - it won't take a long time to do that, but for some reason I just can't motivate myself to do it. I just got my new drabble prompt yesterday and I'm drawing a blank, and I have a repair waiting for me here on my desk (I really need the extra money I get for repairs) and I'm just looking at it even though I told her I would probably have it done by Wednesday. Not even to mention my O-fic.

What to do? What to do? I'm just not feeling it...

What have I been doing with myself instead of writing and art and repair work? I've been reading. Most of what I've been reading has been OK, although I did drop one book out of my list after 100+ pages still couldn't get me involved enough in the characters and where the story was heading to want to plod along with the characters any longer. BUT...I DO HAVE ONE GREAT BOOK RECOMMENDATION FOR YOU! (Yes, the caps are necessary - the book is that good.)

The short list of books we've read that change our lives
is always expanding, but sometimes books drop off the
list also. The Fault in Our Stars has just been added to my list. 

Yesterday I read "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green, available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon and your local stores in hardcover, paperback and e-book. It will be released as a movie in June. After finishing the book (have some tissues ready, it's a weeper at the end) I just can't understand how they will adequately make a movie of it, but I'll probably have to see it just because the book was so excellent. I'll be reading this one again, and I think I'll hunt up other books by this author also.

There are so many great phrases in "The Fault in Our Stars". These are
just a few. 

Maybe one reason why I'm a bit in a 'meh' mood today isn't just the cold weather (which seems never-ending) or the fact that I feel like I'm running in place and getting nowhere. Rather it might be tied to the fact that I'm not writing up to my personal standard. I spend a lot of time wondering about whether my novels are worth more of my time or whether they should be shut up in a virtual desk drawer while I move on to other projects. It wouldn't be the first or last novel that's been shelved for a variety of reasons. But I'm just not feeling it - as much as I love my characters and their individual stories, they are swirling apart from each other at warp speed. It might be better to resurrect them in different times/formats and let "A Face in the Window" die a quiet death.

I'm seriously thinking about shelving my novel and working on
a different one that I started last year instead. 

In any case, read something wonderful today and enjoy your Tuesday. Hopefully yours will be warmer than mine will be (shivering as I face another cold day *sigh*).

Writing, Reading and Watching

Yesterday was a bit slow at the shop (except for the ceiling leaks which I won't discuss because I'm really tired of discussing water issues with all of you and I'm sure you're all tired of reading about them). Because it was slower, I brought my laptop out to the main room so that I could get some computer work done on the shop computers and still do some of my own things on my laptop.

I always wanted to be a great doodler, but I never had the knack. This,
however, is just lovely. By Daisy Jane.  I doodle with words instead. Not
as interesting to look at, but a lot more fun for me. 

ITEM THE FIRST - So, I had my laptop set up and started doodling - that's when I'm just starting into writing a story with no particular idea of where it will go. My B2MeM story got a good start yesterday, and my LOTR Community story is also swimming along. What really pleased me was that I hadn't taken a close look at the parameters for my LOTR Community story until I was about 1000 words into it, but the piece is meeting all of the requirements in spite of my lack of foresight and planning. Yippee!

One of the books recommended to me was this one -
ShadowCastle by Marion Cockrell
I remember reading this as a child and I loved it.
I may still own the book - I tend to keep books over
almost anything else I've owned.

ITEM THE SECOND - I must thank all of you who gave me such wonderful recommendations for writers who have written characters that stay with you. I recognize many of the titles and authors you recommended and even see some of the covers in my mind's eye. Time to take another look at some of these (call me happy).

"Under the Gunn" features Tim Gunn  and three previous designers who will
be learning how to mentor beginning designers. The three mentors are
Anya Ayoung Chee, Nick Verreos and Mondo Guerra. Each mentor has
different strong points. I'd work with Mondo or Nick in a second, but
have always been unimpressed with Anya's sewing skills. 

ITEM THE THIRD (A) - I had a chance to catch Episode #1 of "Under the Gunn" last night. I must admit to a bit of frustration about the selection process. Because of the way it is set up, splitting the candidates into two groups and focusing on a single group at a time through the selection phase, the second group is given a distinct disadvantage. Even if each designer in the second group produces amazing work that is far and above most of the people in the first group, two of them will still have to go home. To me that's dreadfully unfair. I think they should have had all of the candidates make their items, show all of them at a full runway, and then make the twelve selections from the full group. I don't disagree with the person who was sent home in group one, but I think it could have been handled in a more equitable fashion.

Because of the way that I post my blog across several different
platforms, I'm just pasting the link for the video below here
instead of trying to embed it and hoping that the link would
work properly. Go ahead and take a look, or
search it out for yourself on YouTube as 100 years/style/east london

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JxfgId3XTs

ITEM THE THIRD (B) - Speaking of watching, check out the video. This is 100 years of fashion in dance and clothing. Although there is a longer version of this too, I linked the shorter one because it loads quickly and it's just fun to watch. It's less than two minutes long, so just enjoy. As a fashion maven I had to watch it several times just to try and catch all of the various costume changes. It's great fun.

So, have a wonderful Friday and enjoy your day!

Be Careful What You Ask For

Was it only a few days ago that I had decried the lack of writing assignments on my plate? Silly me! I had forgotten about the LOTR Community Challenge, which has now come through, my Tolkien Weekly challenge is continuing to make me think with every post, and I now have my assignment for B2MeM 2014 with a firm deadline. I guess I'm busy after all - LOL.

Between all of the assignments listed above I have my novel. But my novel is in a "bothering her" state right now. This is a point in time when I think about what I've written to this point, the next direction I need the plot to go, and how my characters need to get there, and I'm bothered by how it will all work out. I'm taking the advice of a good on-line friend and will start rereading my novel from the beginning to see about getting things back on track and eliminating some side plot lines that are bogging things down.

Aearwen and I had a great talk about character development yesterday during our weekly schmooze. Although she thought that having a gripping plot with good writing would keep people interested in a book, and I didn't disagree with that, I also pointed out that how a character is written may well be the difference between success and failure. I've been reading through the works of some authors who write characters that jump off the page and grip me, and comparing them to works where I feel that the characters are dead and lifeless, even though the plot is good enough to keep me fighting through to the end of the book. So I must ask, "What makes a character live on the page?"

Character development is a central part of each creative writing course I've taken or audited over the years, and it is the core of most books. Some authors can sell their books simply based on their history with readers. I put Stephen King in that category. He's an accomplished writer, can draw out a good tale and makes sure to hit plot twists, unexpected movements, and strong characters. But he doesn't pull me in as much as other authors and I admit that I put down his latest, "Doctor Sleep," without coming anywhere close to finishing it. I'm not sure I'll pick it back up again.

Isn't he a wonderful character? What storyline could you devise to explain
his location and history? 

I want to read a book that draws me with both a great plot as well as a selection of really interesting characters whose welfare I care about. If one of those two elements is missing, I'll feel unfulfilled as I attempt to read the book. Often I will push my way through and read the book anyway, especially if it is by an author whose work I have enjoyed in the past. But if one or the other of these two aspects doesn't come through, the book falls flat and becomes something that I would sell for next to nothing at a garage (or rummage) sale. Having interesting characters that grip the reader is something to strive for in my own writing.

Have you read a book lately that gripped you and wouldn't let you go? Tell me about it in the comments and maybe I'll find a new author or plot to dive into.