Serenity, peace,
a figurative sculpture
where quiet words float.
Writer’s literary muse
watching over her shoulder.
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My daughter, Vanessa, gave this beautiful sculpture to me as a Mother’s Day gift. She said it was my new literary muse to stand on my desk next to me while I’m writing.
Visit www.willowtree.info to find out more about Susan Lordi’s handcrafted figurative sculpture, which is designed to “speak in quiet ways to heal, comfort, protect and inspire”.
Novel Writing Winter (NWW) 2013 ended today with the advent of the Vernal Equinox (just couldn’t resist replacing the word Spring, with its posh relative Vernal). I’m not sure whether all the people who registered an interest in NWW are still on board, but I know of some who’ve stayed the course. From the feedback I’ve had, nobody has yet finished their project, which is why I’ve decided to start a new page titled “Novel Writing Spring, 2013 ( Forum)” — link below. On the NWS page, you’ll also find a new image to paste in your sidebar, to replace the NWW one.
For me, January 1st heralded a change in direction for my writing — different style, more literary than before, and speculative. At first, my head could only deal with writing 250-500 words per session, or I would end up with one of my “school algebra” headaches, which is my name for anything that taxes my head to exploding point. Once I’d written the first 10,000 words and sketched out a complicated family tree for my incestuous cast of characters, things started taking off for real, and it was time to throw away the paracetomol. This week, I’ve reached the point when I’m breathless with excitement, so it’s on to the tranquillizers (only joking!).
Yesterday, in anticipation of the Vernal happening, I wrote an explosive and passionate chapter that’s pivotal to my whole novel. Approximately 20,000 words in, here’s a small tease of a paragraph. Publication of anything else from the chapter would require me to slap an adult rating on to this post, so anyone interested to read on will have to hope, with me, that the novel ends up published.
But there she is, standing there in the middle of the room, tears rolling down her speckled cheeks, her tawny irises swimming in a sea of pink. Alone. Adrift. And it’s my duty to rescue her before she runs aground, splinters, and drowns in her own desolation.
Does anyone else want to celebrate the start of spring, by sharing a paragraph of their Work in Progress?
https://sarahpotterwrites.wordpress.com/novel-writing-spring-2013-forum/
Spring sounds her trumpet.
March, crocus battalion!
Go, vanquish Winter.
Awarding the people who live in the moment,
The noble who write and capture the best in life,
The bold who reminded us what really mattered –
Savoring the experience of quality time.
RULES:
Winners re-post this completely with their acceptance speech. This could be written or video recorded.
Winners have the privilege of awarding the next awardees! The re-post should include a NEW set of people/blogs worthy of the award; and winners notify them of the great news.
RESOURCES:
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
I’m overwhelmed. This is my eighth award, including my four stars for Blog of the Year Award, 2012. Before starting my blog in December 2011, I’d never received an award for anything other than one music medal at school for my piano playing, so I’m really touched by my fellow bloggers’ generosity.
This is my first speech ever, other than the ones delivered over the morning tea when my husband is too tired to knock me off my soap box. My areas of shyness are patchy. Yes, I can sing in front of people, but, no, I won’t talk to the audience about the music I’m performing. This is my husband’s job, as he loves giving speeches. In fact, the first time I saw him, he was giving an impromptu speech, and I thought, that man is really eccentric and funny. Little did I know he’d end up capturing my heart!
Although my biggest dream is to find a traditional publisher for my novels — especially my work-in-progress — sending out typescripts these days can be like casting them into a vacuüm. Publishers used to give feedback and encouragement. Nowadays, they send out standard rejections. This is most soul-destroying for a writer who’s had so many near misses in the past, with calls for full typescripts, followed by a 3-6 month wait, ending in rejection. The wonderful thing about blogging is its community spirit and responsiveness. When you post something, there’s feedback within minutes. Everybody needs encouragement to follow their dream. So I thank all of you for the love, support, and recognition you’ve given me.
I have chosen to break the rules and nominate sixteen bloggers for their exceptional posts, rather than fifteen. Some of these wonderful pieces of writing are fresh off the blogging press, and others are older, but have stuck in my mind.
THE WINNERS OF THE BEST MOMENT AWARD ARE:
Don’t forget to celebrate with your followers! Tweet your success with hashtag #MomentMatters. Congratulations, winners!
You can read the post that earned me my nomination at https://sarahpotterwrites.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/novel-writing-winter-nww-2013-one-month-to-go/
When Dolly posted this picture for our March haiku challenge at http://allaboutlemon.com/for-the-love-of-haiku/, I wondered if she was doing some extremely early advertising for a Halloween props’ shop. But then I thought, of course, this would only be following in the footsteps of retailers who sell Christmas decorations in September, or Easter eggs at New Year!
Beware, the restless dead!
Drawing life from Spring and Summer,
Halloween bites hard.
Sarah Potter Writes 