Thanks

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward

I was talking to a writing friend yesterday, who'd just gotten a rejection. She was in the dumps, of course, but said she had an invite to resubmit. So we talked some more about fixing the problems ... and she mentioned that one of her Crit Partners had asked what the character's "core values" were.

This led to a discussion about how I interview my characters and the pre-plotting exercises that I do. They aren't extensive, and I don't outline the entire story, just make a loose map with a couple of stops (or scenes) along the way to keep me on track.

She doesn't do anything. She is a "pantser" in the truest form of the word. I admit I was a bit gobsmacked... I couldn't work without at least my character forms (which are a bit fluid since I learn things about them as the story progresses, but I add those things to the form). If I didn't have a form, I'd forget things: where they were born or their mother's job, or the name of the cat they had as a kid... even their eye color!

And after our discussion I realize how blessed I was to stumble across some truly amazing people who guided me through learning how to write. I got to feeling a little sappy and sentimental, so wanted to share some thanks.

To Writer's Village University, who introduced me to all the people I mention below. Without WVU, I never would have become an author. A writer, yes, an author, no.

To Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance -- who were students in the first EVER class I took on romance writing. They were the first folks who shared some "rules" about things like passive voice and showing instead of telling. I owe them the greatest of debts.

To Allie Boniface, who invited me to join a crit group at Writers Village University. My experiences there built upon the things I'd learned in class and without which I never would have gotten hungry to actually get published.

To the Persist & Publish group at WVU.org -- a group of VERY serious writers (none of whom were romance authors). They gave me completely different insight into writing since most were either literary writers, some were poets and all were very serious about honing their craft. I have to admit to being a little sad that my name is no longer in the list of members...

It's because of them that I began to hone my craft. While I'm not perfect, I am miles better than I was when I began and it gave me the impetus to keep on learning and growing and realized that there even WAS something to learn! Writing is far more than stringing words together.

Thanks, guys.

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You Are Soap Bubbles

You are free spirited and a heck of a lot of fun. You refuse to act your age. You can always find a chance to play a little. You bring whimsy to an otherwise boring day. It drives you crazy to be cooped up inside for too long. You need to be outdoors to be able to breathe. It's likely that you crave a nontraditional life. You have to do things your own way!

What Kind of Bubbles Are You?

About 50/50...

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