Storm Clouds

I'm in a little funk


dealing with some junk

a storm cloud overhead


just want to stay in bed

and wish

hope

pray for it to pass.





photo courtesy of flickr.com

Tell me it will -

please
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Don't Put A Hat On A Hat

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I did get a bit of writing done last week, but mostly I got caught up with my children and other responsibilities.

It was a good thing.

Today I will start sharing my report from the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention that I attended in Indianapolis. There were over 2,000 attendees -- all writers, fans and publishers of mystery/thriller novels. What fun!

One of the helpful things I heard was:

Don't put a hat on a hat



what? you say...



Well, don't overwrite. Especially when it comes to humor.

When you know you've struck that beautiful punchline moment, STOP.

Don't go on to explain why it is funny

And, don't -- please don't -- repeat the joke/situation or another similar joke/situation too close to the first.

Just let it be -

beautifully written

fresh and surprising to the reader

left alone

Don't ruin it by putting a hat on the hat.

Questions: Do you ever overwrite? I do! Sometimes I am so excited at what I think is the cleverness of my writing, I don't know when to stop. Overkill. How are you able to be objective and see this in your writing? How do you avoid it? And, do you like mysteries/thrillers? Read any good ones lately? What is it about them that you like?
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I'll Give It A Try

I'm going to give unplug week a try.

I just returned from the fantastic Bouchercon Mystery Convention in Indianapolis - have lots of notes to sort through and can't wait to share

but

there's also lots of laundry

and dishes

and children who are feeling a bit ignored by their mommy

so- I'll unplug this week and get it together

I'll be back into the swing of things next week and will share an explanation on this great bit of advice I got at my conference : "Don't put a hat on a hat"

I swear it makes sense once explained...

Could Anyone Help Me?

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My new WIP is adventure based.

I tend to write more character driven novels.

I am trying mightily to combine strong characters with some fun middle-grade adventure. It is a tall order for me, but I am determined to give it my best.

I have some fantastic ideas brewing



side note: have you ever had the kind of idea where you don't dare telling anyone because you think the concept is so fresh? Well, a tiny part of my story is that way and it is exciting to have something that I don't think is in very many novels going on in the life of my characters.

Anyway - my problem comes in on the adventure side.

I am compiling a list of elements of a good adventure story.

So far, I have:

unanswered questions about a character

chases

desperate plans born out of panic/fear

last second escapes

suspects arriving when he/she is not expected

mystery elements : footsteps, darkness, doorknob turning

What more can we add to the list? Can you think of any elements that can be incorporated into a fun adventure story? Would you be willing to offer up some suggestions to a struggling writer like myself? No specifics, mind you....just basic elements.

I may or may not use them all -- but I'm thinking it would help to have some classic scenarios that I can incorporate into my specific storyline. And, maybe a few of you out there can benefit from what others add as well.

Could anyone help me?
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ALSO: This weekend, I am going to the Bouchercon Mystery Writers Conference in Indianapolis. Anyone else out there going to be attending? Let me know if you are!

Two Funny Winners

Thank you all for the weekend of giggles.

I couldn't pull my kids away from the computer -- they kept refreshing my blog and then running around telling their friends whatever new joke you had to offer.

It was fabulous.

And I was a hero for coordinating it for them.



Thanks for that.



And, I loved that a few of you actually came back and checked in to see the incoming jokes. That was super cool to see.

On with the winners:

To clarify: This was not a joke contest. I'm lousy at picking winners that way and always run my Free Stuff Friday's as a simple drawing.

The drawn winners are:

Amy Allgeyer Cook

and

Jennifer Shirk

Congrats gals! Send me an e mail at tesshilmo(at)comcast(dot)net and I will respond with the $10.00 Amazon gift card (it is sent back to you in e mail format).

Any more jokes out there? Which were your favs? Did you steal and share any? I hope so!

Free Stuff Friday and Laugh-O-Rama

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I like jokes.

Clean ones that I can share with my kiddos.

They think I'm clever when I sit across from them at the breakfast table and say,

What does the sea monster eat for lunch?

blank stare as they pick up the syrup and tilt it over their steaming waffles

Fish and ships!

they try not to smile ... try not to admit I made them giggle at 6:45 am, but I see the twist in the corner of their mouth - just ever so slightly.

Those are my some of my favorite mommy moments.

So - today's Free Stuff Friday is a drawing for two $10 amazon.com gift certificates. I will run the contest through Sunday evening when I will draw two names at random.

What you have to do is leave a clean, kid friendly joke in the comment section. Hey - Halloween is just around the corner..maybe you can offer up a seasonal joke,

like -

why didn't the skeleton cross the road? he didn't have the guts!

or

What did the pirate say when he walked into the bar with a paper towel on his head? (best pirate voice here) Argh, I have a bounty on me head!

see what my family has to put up with? nerdy, goofy me.



Oh, well. Let the Laugh-O-Rama begin...

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These Trendy New Netbooks : My Review

A few months ago, my sweetheart purchased this netbook.

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I was jealous.

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I wanted one.

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It was just so darn cute!

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Well, being the generous soul that he is, he let me borrow it a few times.

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Verdict?

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I'll pass.

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It's a personal thing, but I'll share my list of pro's and con's so that you can be more informed if you choose to purchase (or just envy a friend's purchase) of these new gadgets.

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PRO:

they are cute and trendy

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they are small and light

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the battery lasts significantly longer than a conventional laptop

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you can get them in cool colors

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they are relatively cheap (going from around $200 - $500 depending)

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CON:

unless you are a fairy with itty bitty fingers, the keyboard is a pain in the rear. It is minuscule! True, you can get them of varying sizes and I would highly recommend giving this aspect of the purchase serious thought before you decide which model to go with.

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the mouse pad is ULTRA sensitive. Tap it and you've made some weird move that will mess with your writing or searching or whatever you are doing.

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Speaking of the super sensitive mouse pad -- it is located ENTIRELY too close to the space bar. And, it is where your thumbs naturally rest. Trust me, it is a problem waiting to happen. I have erased whole sections of my WIP without even knowing how I did it because of the proximity of the pad to the space bar.

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The scroll options are also tiny and a pain in the rear to navigate. They seem to stick and I have to push the mouse pad button several times. Because of this, it seems to take me two or three times the amount of time to get anything done on the netbook.

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SUMMARY: It is an adorable computer to carry around. It's a pain in the hind end to actually use. I'd say it would be fine for occasional use (conferences, vacations) but not comfortable or worth the trouble of using on a daily basis.

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Questions: What about you? Do you have a netbook? Know anyone who does? Want one? What have you learned about them? Let's share and help each other....

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