Friday, July 8th, 2011 He that has eyes to see and ears to hear may convince himself that no mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore. ~ Sigmund Freud
Have you ever been in a room full of people and watched one person bend toward another and whisper something secret ?
(Maybe it wasn’t a secret at all. Maybe one friend was telling another very quietly that she had broccoli stuck in her teeth from lunch. Well, it certainly didn’t look that way! They have secrets, those two!)
There’s something about even the perception of a secret that charges the atmosphere in a room.
Who’s got the secret? What is it? Who will it affect? What does it mean to me?
As soon as some bit of information is perceived as “secret,” it becomes more desirous to know.
People act differently when they have a secret: they’re guarded and their body language mimics this closed fortress, arms crossed across the chest, legs crossed over knees or shoulders hunched in protection against the middle. Some folks are smug, wearing that “cat that ate the canary” smile and lording it over others. Some act frightened of what they know. Some are just full of energy, bursting to tell someone else what they’ve learned.
Secrets are a wonderful plot device. They can be uncovered, confessed, or created. They can be non-existent, with that fact known to all but the major characters. They can be a thing of joy, of horror, of shame, or any other feeling. They can control.
Here’s Your Prompt: Write about a secret. It can be one of yours, or one of your characters. It could be something pragmatic: the secret to making the tastiest fried chicken, or, the secret to brushing your teeth well.
Write about the secret you: the person you are when no one’s around. The person you secretly want to be. The person you are, but no one realizes…
Thursday, July 7th, 2011 I have an ambitious list of resolutions for 2011, if you recall.
So how am I doing? As usual, I’m happy with my progress on some goals and not so happy with my progress on others.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading about epublishing and the state of ‘the writing business’ in general, and some of the goals I had in January don’t line up with where my current thinking is. I’m beginning to steer myself toward longer works, rather than shorter, and doggedly pursuing some of these items will take me further away from where I currently want to be.
With that in mind, I’ll probably strike a few of these goals off the list.
Here’s the nitty gritty:
- Write 302 out of 365 days in 2011.
Fail! Even if I write every single day for the rest of the year, I won’t hit this mark. Something tells me I should have aimed a little lower with this one. I haven’t updated my spreadsheet for the last week or so, so my numbers are a bit off. However, it looks like I might make about 80% if I write nearly every day for the rest of the year.
Triple last year’s fiction output.
On target. Even with not hitting the daily writing mark I’ve set, I’ve managed to double last year’s fiction goal. This irritates me a bit because if I were writing nearly every day like I want to, I’d really see the numbers climbing.
Finish the two short stories that have plagued me since the beginning of 2010….or trunk them.
Fail! Or maybe, Complete!! I wrote this goal poorly. Can you tell? I haven’t even looked at these two stories, so I will probably trunk them. That means Complete! Right? (This is the first goal I’m going to discard.)
Finish the first draft of my current work-in-progress novel.
- On Target. I’ve written 25,000 additional words since January.
Write and submit 6 non-fiction articles.
- Fail! I’ve written 0 articles this year, although three I wrote last year were finally published. (I could probably still meet this goal, but it doesn’t line up with my “longer works” goals. So, I’ll probably abandon this goal, too, before the year is out.)
Write at least three blog posts per week for a total of 156 blog posts for 2011.
Fifty-two of the above mentioned blog posts must be writing prompts.
On Target: I’ve created a Writing Prompt every Friday since the beginning of the year.
Make 30 fiction submissions this year, only 1/3 (or less!) of which can be flash or micro-fiction.
Fail! (But not by much.) I’ve only submitted 10 stories this year. I can probably make this up by the end of the year, provided I have some additional short fiction finished…and, well, we know where my goals lie, so I’m not sure I can do this.
Finish reading Sol Stein’s ‘How to Grow a Novel.’
- COMPLETE!! Finally! Excellent book, though a tad dated for today’s market. Expect a full review sometime “soon.”
Send 25 query letters to agents.
- I’m not hopeful about this. Early on I decided that the anticipated novel I was going to shop needed one more ‘read through’ and I found a section I want to completely re-write, so I haven’t moved on this. It’s late in the novel, so there’s an opportunity for me to send out the queries and fix the section before some agent (or editor) asks for a full, but I really want it “all done” before I send anything out.
So…that’s it for me. How about you? If you’re over-exceeding your goals, will you be raising them? Are you abandoning any ill-made resolutions, like I am? Inquiring minds want to know!
Monday, July 4th, 2011
I’ll be celebrating by gorging at a family picnic today. The menu includes:
- steak
- chicken
- hamburgers
- hot dogs
- corn on-the-cob
- (my) Mom’s Famous Potato Salad
- other miscellaneous salads
- three cakes
- and more stuff I can’t remember.
I think there will be seven of us in attendance. That’s the kind of parties my family throws.
The good news is: like Thanksgiving, we will not have to cook for the rest of the week!
What are you doing today?
Friday, July 1st, 2011  Sometimes when we write, the words won’t come.
Or, they’re boring.
Or, they’re average, common or trite.
It could be the subject matter. Or that we’re trying to hard. Or we’re afraid to write the words.
It could also be a thousand other things. Unrelated to writing things. We’re tired. We’re fried from a long work week. The commute sucked. It’s too noisy. We just can’t concentrate.
Many times, we’re dancing around the point.
Here’s Your Prompt:
When you’re stuck with your writing, and the words won’t come, just draw a line on the page (or skip a few lines on the screen) and write:
What I’m really trying to say is…
… and then write for 10 minutes about what’s really on your mind. It may or may not fix the scene or the poem or the passage you’re working on. But it may open avenues to other pieces. It might be the kernel of the next book or poem or essay you want to begin.
Or, it might be just getting something off your mind. It might clear the path for getting back to what you were doing.
It might be exactly what you want to write about.
Either way, it’s deeper thinking, food for thought….something to be considered when next you write again.
Friday, June 24th, 2011  I venture to say that I’m not the only woman whose little-girl dreams included getting married and moving into a castle.
(Though I was never into that pink, sugar-coated, cotton candy and ice cream Disneyfied version that always gets pimped to little girls.)
Show me dark stone masonry, moats and oubliettes, a crypt in the cellar (and a dungeon) and you’ve got my attention.
I still haven’t outgrown the idea.
I’ve whiled away endless hours on the internet looking at castles for sale (and castles for rent) searching for both inspiration, and, well, the perfect opportunity.
It’s amazing how many castles are actually affordable. What stops me is the whole ‘packing up and moving to another country’ thing. That’s too much hassle.
So, if I had my wish? Yeah, I’d move into a big scary castle on scads of acreage. I want cool stone floors, vaulted ceilings in the dining room, hidden staircases, secret passage ways, crypts to explore…I’d take a torch and my laptop and spend the afternoon writing. Now there’s some stimulating atmosphere!
My favorite room would be the huge, fully-equipped library: leather bound books ceiling to floor, large crackling fireplace, thick pile rugs covering the stone (and of course a tastefully designed technology center where I can surf the net and write…)
And at least one craggy turret of the castle must overlook the ocean, so that on breezy days I can throw open a lead-paned window to catch both the ocean breeze and the noise of the breakers hitting the shore. (This turret room will contain the second, fully-equipped library, etc. etc. because being surrounded by books while writing is simply euphoric.)
Here’s Your Prompt: What’s your dream home? Where’s it located? How would you trick it out? What’s your motivation for this location? This style? Would you decorate it yourself or call in a designer? Where would it be? Your home town? Where you currently reside? Or across the ocean on another continent?
If you’ve got the time, sketch your home and the surrounding property. Then, map the layout inside: add all the details that you can to illustrate your dreams.
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011  The latest ‘Broad Pod” podcast is available.
In it you’ll hear me read from my story, ‘Sky-Lit Bargains,’ published in Hellebore and Rue.
The ‘BroadPod’ production is an outgrowth of the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Readings I sometimes have the opportunity to participate in. So rather than hearing the full story, you’ll only hear a 6-minute snippet.
Of course, you’ll get to hear several other 6-minute snippets from other authors.
Click to listen to the latest Broad Pod Episode. (Note: This is a big file! You may have to wait a few seconds for the link to connect!)
To see other Broad Pod Episodes, check out the Broad Pod Web site. These podcasts are produced monthly, and are usually centered around a theme.
Friday, June 17th, 2011  [… cue the Alice Cooper music…]
Yesterday was the last day of school in our county, and the little parasites are out in droves today. Can’t go anywhere today without bumping into one!
So…in honor of summer vacation…
Here’s Your Prompt:
Depending on your school district, you have approximately 104 days of summer vacation.
What are your plans?
Pretend you’ve got nothing to do until school is back in session…and you’ve got to plan out how you’re going to spend each and every day.
Money doesn’t matter, obligations don’t exist, any and all transportation is available to you. (So, if you want to take a trip to the moon…you may.)
Parse out the vacation by weeks or by days — or weekends — or whatever takes your fancy. Explain where you’re going to go, how you’re going to get there, who you’re going with, and most importantly: why you’re going.
Dig deep into your soul and examine the reason your trip. (“Because I’ve never been there,” isn’t good enough.)
And remember, we’re imagining here…so the reasons can be imaginary, too…
Once you’ve planned your entire vacation, choose one of your trips and pretend it’s already happened. Spend some time showing how the trip went, what you experienced along the way, and whether or not you fulfilled your reason for going.
Saturday, June 11th, 2011 I just read another great review for Hellebore and Rue over at FanGirlTastic.
I’m tickled.
Reviewer Gayle Grazen had many nice things to say, but of course I’m partial to her words about my story, Sky Lit Bargains:
Kelly A. Harmon’s “Sky Lit Bargains” is an enjoyable adventure fantasy tale in which a young woman becomes the warrior in a male-dominated world to avoid a highly unpleasant marital prospect. This could have quite easily been part of a longer work.
This is the second reviewer who’s mentioned that the story could be a longer work. Now I’m wondering if I shouldn’t write it into a novel…?
If you’re read the short story, I’d love your opinion. Drop me a line (or mention in the comments below):
- Let it stand!
- Write a novel!
(Inquiring minds want to know!)
About the Contest
JoSelle Vanderhooft, one of the editors of Hellebore and Rue is a talented jewelery maker. She is designing necklaces based on the stories in the book and offering them as prizes in a little contest.
To win, all you have to do is make a post about Hellebore and Rue on any social media outlet, and then post back to her blog by June 15, 2011 to let her know. It’s that easy.
Details — and a picture of the lovely necklace– are on Joselle’s Blog, the Memory Palace.
Friday, June 10th, 2011  I’m trying to narrow down my life to the things that really please me.
When I figure that out, I plan on streamlining everything.
I’m fairly certain of the ‘short list’ of things that I really like. Here’s a subset:
- my family
- writing
- good friends
- reading
- really loud music 🙂
- my doll collection (No, I am not too old to play with dollies!)
- visits to Staples (Will the Husband of Awesome™ groan upon reading this?)
- genealogy
- gardening
- photography
- knitting
- soft ice cream
- chocolate and peanut butter together
- homemade whipped cream
- …
The list goes on.
Some things have always been, and will always remain on the list: soft ice cream, family, reading… Knitting is fairly new, and I’m not certain how long it will continue to captivate me. But I’ve reached a point where I’m ready to knit sweaters or quit all together. (One can only knit so many scarves and potholders and really kewl fingerless gloves before the shininess palls, ya know?)
When I figure this out, when the list above is complete — and current — because I don’t want anything on it that used to please me, I’m going to weed everything out of my life that doesn’t pertain.
If it’s a physical item, it’s getting tossed. If it’s a bad habit, I’ll break it. If it’s an acquaintance, I’ll refuse future invitations.
Big job.
My point is this: why should we surround ourselves with anything that doesn’t give us pleasure? All else is an annoyance, a liability, or a distraction from what’s really important.
Here’s Your Prompt: Make a list of all the things that you enjoy doing or having or being.
The list can be as long or as short as you want it. It’s your list, after all, and only you can know how many things should be on it.
Now, pick one item on the list, one thing you really, really love, and write about why it gives you such pleasure. Write as if to a friend that you’re trying to share this passion with. Don’t try to be persuasive. It’s not you job to convince your “friend” to like it, too. Instead, concentrate on why you feel the way you do about it. Help your friend understand your passion.
Thursday, June 9th, 2011  My to-be-read pile fell over.
It’s been threatening to do so for quite some time, but I haven’t heeded the warning. Good thing I don’t tend to stack things taller than myself.
I may have been hurt in the ensuing avalanche.
I’m also lucky that only a little more than half toppled over. The other bits are on a small, sturdy book shelf, with two large baskets (full of books) on top. Those survived the descent into messiness.
What I need to do is go through the pile and determine if there are any that there’s no hope I’ll ever get to …and then give them away.
(Seriously: with so many new books being printed, where will I find the time to catch up on these?)
But it’s so hard to choose which should go: old sci-fi classics with outdated science, but “necessary” for me to read to complete my education? The literary fiction which I know will probably bore me to tears?
(Disclaimer: I have read *some* lit fic I’ve enjoyed, it’s just that with me it’s hit or miss.)
What about all those gift books by well-meaning friends, who don’t have a clue about what I’d actually read if I’d picked it out myself?
Ahh, I see one about angels right on top. I know someone who may enjoy it more than I. I think I’ll pass that one along at the first opportunity.
There are more than a hundred books in this pile. (Yes, there are others stacked up elsewhere. Don’t tell the Husband of Awesome™.)
I suppose I could re-order them by length (rather than haphazardly putting the newest acquisitions on top), and read the shortest ones first. That might weed out several in a fairly short time. Similarly, I could read all the YA first, since they’re usually quick reads for me.
Or, I could toss out all the oldest ones, thinking that if I haven’t gotten to them yet, I probably won’t. But then, how will I know if I’m passing up a good read?
How do you tame your pile when it gets so large that finishing them seems like a monumental task?
Note: The photo above is not the photo of my poor, beleaguered books. Nonetheless, it’s a fairly good representation in both amount and subject matter!
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