J is for Journal...an excerpt from my 16-year-old self...

Ok - so there's a few hours left in my Tuesday, so I'm getting my "J" word in under the gun.  That counts, right?  :)

My word of the day is Journal.  I was given my first one when I was 8.  Number of entries during my 8th year?  One.  I haven't always been the most faithful journaler.  (that's a word, right?)  Even now, I still write in my journal, but the entries are few and far between.  But, I treasure the entries I do/did write.  I'm even going to share one with you (DON'T judge!) from when I was sixteen.  It's deep and profound - I'm warning you now.  It will BLOW your mind!!  Ready?

excerpt from the journal of Donea Lee circa 1990:

"Dear Diary,

Tomorrow I register for my Junior year.  I am so excited - It will be so much fun - I am hoping - Jen's back and we're having some fun times - saw Brian Moore at the college - his friend is good lookin'.  Met Mike Anderson - he's a cutie and wants to date me but he's 20 - met Jenny's ex-boyfriend's brother Jade - he wants to take me out cause he thinks I'm hot - but - he's 20 - met a guy named Bob from Layton on the 'vard last night but - he's 20.  Is this weird or what - if only they were 19 - then my mom wouldn't cow!  Haven't heard from John P. forever - Jill blew it with John D. but he forgave her - DARN!!  Well not much else to say - will write later.  Luv ya L.A.S.,  Done"  (imagine a line over the "o" in my name...it was a nickname, like "done" in "condone"...)


*shakes head and laughs*   Well, on the bright side - for you YA writers out there with a 16-year-old female protag... this might be valuable research!  :)  Happy A-Z'ing out there!

I is for Imagine....

Happy Monday, all!  Here's my hand at acrostic poetry ~


If the world were a book
Made of words
Always changing
Given life and light by
Imagination
Never a dull day had
Ever the adventure


May your imaginings today take you everywhere you've always wanted to go ~ :)

H is for....

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&

Hope you all Have a Happy Weekend!  :)

G is for Gorgeous Dog!! Caption Contest Part deux...

Happy Friday, everyone!!  How's the A-Z treating you?  Me?  Fabulous, of course.  I'm finding some great new bloggers out there, some old experienced and some just starting out.  And for everyone out there not participating, I hope the blogosphere is treating you right ~ :)

If you missed this last week, Fridays at The QoP are my "Find the Story Friday" segment.  I post a picture I've taken of a person, place or thing and then encourage my readers to create a story and run wild with it.  It's one of my favorite days of the week!  For the A-Z challenge, I'm posting pics of my dog, Sammy, and asking readers to make up a caption for the picture.  There's prize $$$ involved!!  For more deets, check out my original post HERE.

Now, for "G" day...I give you my Gorgeous little pup:

Isn't he handsome?

Ok, peeps.  Give me your best!  There's moola on the line... :)

F is for Fitness!! (and no more French Fries...) :(

Happy Thursday!!  So, the company I work for just rolled out a massive Fit Challenge to all employees. I guess they don’t want us to die on the job, or something like that… well, ok. That’s good. Thank you Company X for looking out for me! :D

We’re on teams of 3-5 and can I just say…I find it a little daunting that I’ll have to carry the weight loss on my team. I’m stuck working on it with a bunch of skinny minis co-workers who will lose weight on the scale only if they strip naked! What’s a pair of slacks and a shirt – like 2 lbs? And that trick will only work for week 1 (it’s progressive) so…basically, I’m it. Which means no more French fries… *waves goodbye to an old friend* No more baked goods… *feels tears forming* No more pasta… *looks around for a Kleenex* Ok, I better quit. I don’t like to weep in public!

*whimpers*  Yes, I'm whimpering...

But, I’m in. Really! I hear exercising helps with blood flow, which helps your brain. And as that’s where most of my ideas come from, as a writer, it’s essential to have a good working brain. So, I thought I’d give you two quick lists of fitness tips. The 1st for everyone and the 2nd especially for writers:

Fitness for Everyone:
1 – Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day – so EAT UP in the A.M.! *make sure you work a good protein in...

2 – Cardio is the only thing that will work for actual fat loss – dance, run, walk, hike – just get moving EVERY day

3 – But, strength training is essential, too. Alternate days – give your muscles a rest...

4 – Chewing copious amounts of gum does wonders for a would-be double chin...

5 – If fish/chicken and fruits/veggies aren’t really your thang? Count calories on the foods you do like. You can still eat it, just eat less of it. (But, try to work an apple, some spinach, or a little salmon in when you can..)

Fitness for Writers:
1 – Ok, guess I have to add cardio here as I mentioned the whole brain-flow thing above…

2 – The Hand-Splay: to do this, put your hands in front of you and stretch out those fingers as far as you can, hold, count to ten, relax. We need those hands and fingers in good typing form, right?

3 – Eat copious amounts of your favorite guilty-pleasure goody. You just can’t write if you’re cranky.  (the fitness for everyone plan might call this "cheating"...I call it "the occasional reward for being good!")

4 – Do a cross-word puzzle, brain teaser, a few math equations, SOMETHING to work the other side of your brain for a minute. The creative side needs a breather.

5 – Can you say “READ-A-THON”!

Now, go forth and BE FIT!

E is For Evoking Emotion through Experience

Welcome to Writerly Wednesday at The QoP!! *smiles and waves to my fans and visitors*

I usually do a segment on writing tips on Wednesdays, and honestly, the topic I've picked for today deserves a lot more attention than the brevity the A-Z challenge suggests. So, this will be an appetizer to a longer post I'll do in May.

Please look at this chart of emotions:

source

Think about the books you've read or the movies you've seen that have evoked one of these emotions in you.  Why can the death of a loved one in one book make you bawl your eyes out, while another leaves you dry-eyed?  Could it have something to do with the author's personal experience? 

Think of a time when you felt particularly loved, angry, embarrassed, surprised, or sad.  Go through the whole range of senses to help with this:  Your first kiss?  What did it taste like?  How did the other person's hands feel?  What was the look on his/her face?  Was their music in the background?  Could you smell anything?  Cologne, flowers, food, perfume, their minty breath?  And why did all these things make you feel the way you felt about it?

Now, write about it...  :)

D is for Donea, Pronounced!

"So, ummm...how do you say that?"  Do you think about name pronunciation when you're creating your characters?  Do you shy away from hard-to-pronounce names?  Or do you find a way for the name to be explained within the words of your story?  I remember pronouncing Hermione as Her-me-own, all through the first couple of Harry Potter novels.  I don't think it was until the first movie came out that I had a clue.  And I should know better.  I have this issue with my own name, ALL the time!  So, I thought since today is 'D' day...and in case you were interested at all?  :)  Here's how you pronounce my name:

DOE

+

KNEE

+

"UH"

*Emphasis on the "ee".  All together now!  Doe-knee-uh = Donea.   Easy, peasy - right?  :)  Short and sweet today.  Have a great day of writing out there!!

C is for Chicken Pasta Grape Salad

Happy Monday to my already-followers, new followers, crusaders and A-Z challengers!! Welcome to Mood Munchies Monday at The QoP ~ :)

And sticking with the A-Z challenge letter "C", my recipe today is for a great, springy, picnic pasta salad that in my humble opinion, is DE-LISH!

Here you go:

Chicken Pasta Grape Salad

Ingredients:
1 box bow tie pasta
chicken breast, cut up bite-size
red-seedless grapes
2 bunches green onions
small can cashew pieces
1 bottle Hidden Valley ranch coleslaw dressing
1 bottle Kraft coleslaw dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
sugar

Cook the pasta as instructed.  While pasta is cooking, combine the 2 bottles of coleslaw dressing, the mayo and a sprinkle of sugar and mix well.  Add the cooked chicken pieces (I'd say about 2 cups), the sliced up green onions, the sliced up grapes (as many as looks good to you - 1-2 cups), and 1/2 to full can of cashew pieces.  Drain pasta, cool with cold water, drain well.  Add to dressing mix.  Let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour.  Mix and serve!!

So, what does this recipe have to do with writing?  Well...not much.  Except that it's so yummy that after eating it, you'll likely feel so euphoric that pure genius will flow right from your fingertips!  Worth a try, right?  :)

B is for BIRTHDAY!! MINE!! :)

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah ~ You Say It's Your Birthday!  Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah ~ It's My Birthday, Too!  :)  *tips hat to Farmer Ted*

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How cool is it that day "B" of the A-Z coincides with my Birthday?  I don't mean to shamelessly plug myself (or, do I?) but...OK, I'm shamelessly plugging myself.  :)  With that in mind ~  I forgot I needed to post a log line for my current WiP, as part of Shelly Watter's Blogfest "Win a Critique from Agent Suzie Townsend" contest!  Here's my 140 character twitter pitch:

When The Glass Prince claims 17-year-old Clara to the family curse, she must work with Snow White’s immortal son to break it, or die trying.

What do you think?  Any good?  There's still time to sign up for the contest.  Pitches need to be in by tomorrow, April 3rd.

And, as I also promised to be (B)rief today, I'll end it here with a final...

To me, to me!!!  :)  Have a great day of writing/reading/whatnot out there, everyone!

A is for ANNOUNCEMENTS!! 100TH Post, A-Z, Caption Contest & More ~ :)

Wow!  This is a HUGE day!  It's the start of the infamous A-Z challenge.  850+ bloggy participants in this event, conceived by Arlee Bird of Tossing It Out.  I'm sure he wouldn't mind another entrant or two or three...(would he?) - so feel free to check it out HERE.

ALSO - it's my 100th post today!!  I officially started this blog in 2007.  Number of blog posts in 2007?  I think 1...  It wasn't until last August that I really got serious and BOOM!  Now I'm typing away post # 1-0-0.  Pretty Amazing.  It's been a great ride so far.  Here's to the next 100!

Plus, I've topped 250+ followers and tomorrow just happens to be my birthday.  :)

So - to celebrate April, I'm going to hold a Caption Contest.  Friday's are typically my Find the Story Friday segment, so I decided to incorporate this into the A-Z and into a contest.  And since my little puppy Sammy will also be turning 1 this month (Apr. 3rd), ALL pictures to caption will be of him.  *BONUS points for offering up a caption every Friday!  Winner will be picked on Apr. 30th and announced on May 2nd. 

The prize?  A $30 Amazon gift card!  *pauses for applause*  Yeah, I know.  I'm awesome like that.  Even better - if I top 300+ followers by month's end, I'll bump that up to $50!!  (feel free to spread the word, thx!)

So - here's the first pic:

Have fun!  Caption away, and I promise tomorrow's post will be (B) for Brief.  Happy Friday!