Today's Cache: Things you must See

There are so many times that I come across a really awesome article, video, or thingamabobber and forget to tell other people about  it; I would, but I do forget. Because of this tendency of mine, I figured that today (while I've remembered) I would compile a post of must-sees, must-reads, and must-listens. Got it? These aren't just a random grouping of things (ahemahemahemmaybeso) but they are carefully selected for your viewing pleasure. May I present Today's Cache? You will not regret the time taken to look-watch-hear-etc., I swear on bended need.

Writing Dialog: The Music of Speech 

If you've ever been a little puzzled by things like dialog tags vs. action beats (which I realize Go Teen Writers has covered as well) you will want to read this article. I was impressed with how succinct the Donna Ippolito was in her presentation of the topic and how much information (and humor) she pulled into the article. A great and concise explanation of the uses, differences, and key points of good and bad dialog.

Rachel Coker: Girls Who Write

If you follow me on Facebook (fun and hijinks and all that jazz), you will have seen this article by teen author Rachel Coker that had me looking at her with a raised eyebrow to wonder who authorized this girl to pop over into my brain and scoop out my personality to sell wholesale. Witness her crime:

Everything reminds us of a book–a story–a character. We zone out in line at the grocery store. We forget to take notes during lectures. We doodle on the edges of programs, bookmarks, and shopping lists. If you try to have a conversation with us, we might blink suddenly at the mention of a funny name or a pretty picture or interesting quote. We’re imagining how we can use it. How we can take these everyday details and moments and shape them into our own stories to share with the world.

See? Terrible stuff. You can't imagine how plagiarized I feel right now.

Tom Hiddleston Henry V 

Contrary to popular sentiment, I did not begin to love Tom Hiddleston as an actor when I saw his portrayal of Loki. (or Return to Cranford) Really, girls? A greasy-haired pale dude with beetle-horns? I fell in love with his talent when I saw this video-clip of the rousing call to battle from Shakespeare's Henry V (Followed by his brief but wonderful role in War Horse). If you aren't feeling like shouting "FOR HARRY! FOR ENGLAND! AND FOR ST. GEORGE!" by the end of the clip, you have less heart than Loki...and that is saying something. Why is Tom Hiddleston mentioned on The Inkpen Authoress? Let's pretend Shakespeare's gripping words were the object here, m'kay? And to prove that they really really were the object, you have to watch....

Kenneth Branagh's St. Crispin's Day Speech

When I watched this last night I was pretty much crying by the end. If we only had more leaders like Henry V as portrayed in Shakespeare's play! You think Tom Hiddleston's "Once more unto the breech, dear friends, once more" was touching? Hah. Watch this and go wish you had a sword or something with which to erratically dash off and whack France. If you have seen this film you will understand what I mean when I say that any man who watches an old friend hang and then walks about all night comforting his troops and then gives a speech like this and then carries his own dead across a battlefield and then commands his troops not to boast about it darn well deserves the best and most hilarious proposal-scene I've seen to date. 

Paper Crowns

This sneak-peek at Mirriam Neal's latest brainchild just served to excite me. I love cats...and talking ones at that....and people who are locked away in woodland homes and not allowed to fraternize with anyone? It sounds like the beginning of a deliciously dangerous fairy-tale and I honestly can't wait to see what comes of it! You ought to check out the link, which directs you to the first excerpt of the story. You will laugh; I dare you not to.

Wordplay: Most Common Mistakes: Animate Body Parts

This post resounded with me not so much because I have trouble with the particular issue brought to light, but because I have seen other people have trouble with it so many times and it never fails to annoy me. Eyes can't roll on their own, nor can fingers wrap or anything of that nature. (This is almost as vexing as when people use "smiled" as a legitimate dialog-tag right as if it meant to same thing as "said" or "asked". Ugh.) Definitely worth a read because I know--believe me here--that it's a far more prevalent mistake than anyone else would like to acknowledge.

Well, those are my favorite finds and links for the week, and I  do hope you'll take the time to read and watch them. Go on. Scroll back up and start at Thing One and make sure you get your daily dose of Shakespeare. Come on. Give up a little of your *groansigh* precious *sighgroan* little Doctor Who time and internet-usage and get a little bit of manly battle-speak. You won't regret it. Toodle-lah! 

Two Contest Opportunities (with awesome prizes)

I am sorry, I am sorry. But it's technically still Wednesday SO. I didn't get too far off my post schedule. Oh wait. It's Thursday. Where the BLAZES is my head?

In preparing to set up a makeshift Coffee Shop in my house, actually, to raise further funds for Romania. Thanks so much to each of you whom bought my custom stationery! And if you haven't bought any yet and would like to, I'm still taking orders. :) I know it's really short-notice, but I wanted to let you know about two contests that have awesome prizes!

First off is kind of a strange kind of contest to enter for writers like us, but then again, our craft might give us an edge when it comes to entering. Girls, the contest is for eShakti, a clothing company, and the writing prompt is What Do Women Want? You have 45 words or less to answer this question. Three winners will each receive a $150.00 gift card to eShakti! I thought, why not go for it? So I did. The only catch (and I wish I'd figured this out earlier) is that your entries have to be in by tomorrow, March 15th. But really, it's only 45 words so why not give it a go? You might end up with $150.00 worth of free clothes.

The SECOND contest is over at Go Teen Writers to celebrate the publication and release of Jill's and Stephanie's newest book, Go Teen Writers: How to Turn Your First Draft Into a Published Novel. The contest gives you an opportunity to pitch your story in 25 words or less to Jill and Stephanie!  The top three winners from this contest will each receive a copy of the new book for their winning entries! Same thing with the eShakti contest, however: you only have till 1 PM (Kansas City time) to enter the contest, so hurry!

I entered the Go Teen Writers contest with one of the scraps of stories that has been floating around my head these past few months, and that I hope might come out to be something pretty neat. It's a novel idea! (no pun intended, please) :) Anyway, sorry I didn't warn you guys sooner about these contests, but I hope those of you reading this post tonight or tomorrow will try your luck for either or both the prizes! The worst you can do is not make it to the top three. I mean, really. :)

From the Rest of You

Just as while reading you'll come across a part of a book that inspires you, in reading the blogs of my writing friends, I have come across posts that give me that ache-y break-y feeling of: I have to write because of things like this. You know the sort--they are unmistakable when you actually come across them. Because I know that it's an encouragement to hear that those countless posts you labor over actually effect someone, I've compiled a list of the particular posts over the years that are my favorites. They might be posts of snippets. They might be how-tos. They might just be a beautiful, breaking piece of prose. But each of these links are worth reading, and if one of your posts is on here, know that this is a thank-you for real. Not flattery.




From astonishing Jenny: A Strange Power in Those Riddling Words
Also from Jenny: The Fierceness of Defending Life
From Jenny as well, to me, which makes it twice as nice: Janus

From Anna: Only Dull People Are Clever At Breakfast

From my dear Katie: Contentment: a One-Butt Kitchen is Better Than no Kitchen at All
Also from Katie: "The Terror, the Suspense, the Thrill!"
And last but not least from Katie: Chainsaw Therapy

From The Anne-Girl: The Story of My Beginning (because I like hearing about starts)
Also from my Bertie: Christmas With the Sage

From Abigail: Burning the Straw Men
Also from this Valiant Girl: The Stereotyped Woman
And: The Creative Mind

There are, I am sure, many more posts from these authors and others that I find close to my heart. Most of the posts I read have had some effect on me, just as most of the books I read rub off in some way. But these pieces in particular I tip my hat to, and say "Pass the crumpets, we're out of tea."

Time to party!

People, prepare for an awesome month.

October? Nah.

November?

Oh yeah.

Because it's the 2nd birthday of both Abigail Hartman's The Soldier's Cross and Jenny Freitag's The Shadow Things, and they are holding a huge birthday-bash! What wonderful mothers. ;) This party is gonna be full of informative posts, interviews, Q & A sessions, giveaways, and more both on Scribbles and Inkstains and The Penslayer. But the best part? The part that concerns you and me and everyone else who wants to get their hands on a piece of Jenny and Abigail's attention? You can ask them any questions. Any. You can post your questions on their blog, email them, or ask them on the authors' FB pages--just get out there and do it! Now's your chance, so hurry! {and does anyone else not think the Promo-banners are amazing?}

"Five-and-twenty, Tattycoram."

...Or ten, rather. I have decided to join up (at least for several of the days) in The Anne-girl's Hero Week over at her blog, Scribblings of my Pen and Tappings of my Keyboard. :) Today's challenge was to list my top 10 favorite heroes in literature and tell you a bit about them. Ready? Set? Go!

1. John Jarndyce. For those of you who have read Charles Dicken's Bleak House, you will realize who I am talking about and why I love him so. He is the epitome of self-sacrifice and generosity. He's loving, gentle, but firm. Plus he never goes off his rocker like some people. *ahem ahem* (Nobody said the hero has to be the lover, right?)

2. Sir Percy Blakeney. Yes, yes, I know. Every girl loves Sir Percy, but it would be positively indecent not to include him in this list, even at risk of sounding like a common fan-girl. :P The French Revolution needs to be relived (kidding) so that we can have a real Scarlet Pimpernel. I was rather dismalized when I remembered there was no such personage in the actual history of the French Rev. Sir Percy is heroism itself--pluck, audacity, humor, compassion, and considerable fashion taste. ;)

3. Arthur Clennam. The hero of Little Dorrit, this man is one of the gentlest and sweetest heroes I've yet to come across in literature. He is humble, loyal, kind, and yet unmoving. His scruples are never moved by any of his circumstances and in the end he is rewarded for all that. :) Arthur Clennam has lived a life of contradictions: unloved, yet loving. Pushed away, yet reaching out. He's a real man. :)

4. Mr. Knightley. We all know who he is. We all know why he's on this list. We all know that words would not begin to describe the depth of his character. Thus I shall borrow his own words and appropriate them to myself: "Perhaps if I felt less I could talk about it more." ;)

5. Sydney Carton. We don't often think of this fellow from Charles Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities when we think of our top ten fictional heroes, but I had to include him. He is a wouldbegood. He has wasted his life for years, is denied the woman he loves, is about to go to ruin, and then he has a conversion. He takes that wasted life and becomes a hero. It's a beautiful picture of our own redemption through Christ.

Haven't seen any film version of this book so I hope this is Sydney. :D

6. Nathaniel Bowditch. I don't think I've read of a more determined man than this fellow. I was inspired by his sheer determination and strength in the face of so many trials. If you ever want a good, easy, rather sad book to read, read Carry on, Mr. Bowditch. :)

7. David Copperfield. Although I was cross for his perversity in marrying Dora, I loved David. His story was pathetic and yet sweet. And he rose up through all those terrible spheres of trial and temptation and came out on the right end. I love him. :)

8. This brings me to Mr. Dan'l Peggotty. (Also from David Copperfield) He is, perhaps, the true "hero" in the book. His love for his niece, Em'ly, and his quest to find her and bring her home brought me to tears several times. He is so blue and brown and sea-smelling that one can't help but love him. :)

9. Jean Valjean. This character from Les Miserables had my sympathy from the get-go. I wanted to  do something awful to Javert myself to get him off of this good man's track. I know Les Miz was written partially as an allegory and I can see why. Jean Valjean is a redeemed man, and yet his past and faith-by-works is hunting him down relentlessly. A marvelous hero.

10. Gilbert Blythe. I had to include him. Gilbert is so ordinary and yet so great. Why do I count him among my favorite heroes? My only answer is a shrug and a "why-not", but I think it has something to do with the fact that he is down to earth. I feel that I have a real chance of meeting my own Gilbert someday. He is practical, generous, funny, and impulsive and that is why he is on my list.

Have a great Monday, girls! :)

"It's my Hundred-and-Elevendieth Birthday!" ;)

I generally don't go in for the whole tag-business, but when I was tagged by The Anne-Girl, with an "11-themed" tag, it looked like so much fun that I thought I'd go ahead and do it. :) Without further ado:

We begin with 11 random things about myself:

1.  I do not like breakfast food
2. I wish I had deeply rich, red hair
3.  I am scared.to.death. of rabid animals (And the possibility of a rabid mosquito. O.o)
4. I get the shivers when I walk on top of spilled sugar
5.  Blogger and I are not on speaking terms at present
6. I am periodically seized with what Mr. Woodhouse calls "wander-lust" and I feel that I'll split if I don't travel somewhere.
7.  I nickname all the guys on my cousin's baseball team...let's see. There's "Peter Pan," "Goatee Man," "The Duckling," "Jesse" "Ernest T"...yeah. :D
8. I speak all my most serious, innermost thoughts in a British accent.
9.  I have an extreme aversion to all things that remotely resemble Summer Heat
10. I have Dutch Royalty and Davy Crockett in my blood. Oh yeah. :)
11. I have queer sympathies with characters everyone else hates...Frank Churchill, anyone?

Now I get to answer the 11 questions from the Anne-Girl!

1. Who is your favorite animated character from a movie?
Oh my! I think I'd have to say Flounder or Scuttle from The Little Mermaid. :D (I hadn't seen that movie in like....12 years or something and watched it again recently and it is so ridiculous! But I used to be in love in Prince Erik.)

2. If you could have any part on a Broadway show, what would it be?
This opens up so many parts... (and assuming I had a Broadway-worthy voice...) But I'd have to say either Galinda of Wicked, Laurie of Oklahoma! or Eponine of Les Miserables.Or Mary Poppins. :D

3. Describe your ideal villain:
Can a villain be ideal? Okay. Then Cold, Cruel, Handsome, Scheming, inordinately brilliant.


4. What is your favorite non-Austen period drama?
Either North and South or The Young Victoria.

5. Who is your favorite literary role-model?
Hrm....either Esther Summerson or Amy Dorrit--both from Charles Dickens' books.

6. Do you have a least favorite hero?
Marius Pontmercy of Les Miz. I think he was supposed to be a hero and I kept wondering why.

7. Are you compulsively clean or comfortably messy?
A happy medium between the two.

8. How do you drink your coffee?
Plenty of cream and honey. :)

9. Do you ever read the last page first?
Never. That is sacrilege.

10. P&P '95 or '05?
'95 as far as casting, integrity of the story, over-all-ness, but '05 for film quality and soundtrack.

11. What is your favorite Broadway song?
 Oh dear. I really can't choose just one, but I'll leave it at select songs from Oklahoma, Wicked, Phantom, Les Miz and Fiddler.

Now I make up 11 questions of my own for y'all...

1. What is your favorite flavor of jellybean?
2. Dancing in the rain or walking with an umbrella?
3. Pens or Pencils?
4. Shoes or bare-feet?
5. Hammock or tree-house?
6. Ideal summer day: Describe it.
7. If you could look a certain way, what would it be?
8. Would you ever get a haircut above your shoulders?
9. Funniest person of your acquaintance:
10. Do you like chunks of stuff in your ice-cream?
11.  Mint and Chocolate or Cherries and Chocolate?

And lastly I tag some friends.  :)

Abigail Taylor
Sarah
Katie
Ashley
Elizabeth Rose
Miss Georgiana Darcy
Felicity Deverell
Rachel Hope

A Taste of Anne-spelled-with-an-E

Miss Dashwood is having an Anne of Green Gables week over at her blog, and as Anne and I are almost twins, I thought I'd better join in the fun! :)

                                                                

                                                               *   *   *   *   *

 

1. How many of the Anne books have you read, and how many of the films have you seen?

I've read all eight of the Anne books and both of the movies...somehow I can't find it in myself to count that third one as part of the Anne-series...they ought to have just gone ahead with all the Ingleside bunch and made movies about them. :)
 
2. If someone yanked your hair and called you carrots, what would you do to him?


Let me think about this. First off, I would probably laugh--I mean, seriously, why call a brunette "carrots"? I would laugh, but I know I'd be embarrassed that he'd humiliated me in that way in front of a lot of people...I don't think I'd break my slate over his head, but you never know. My wit would probably eventually come to my rescue and I'd say something scathing to him that would redeem the moment in my favor. ;)

3. What would you do if Josie Pye dared you to walk the ridgepole of a roof?

You know...I'd probably try. I'd not get past the first few shingles, I daresay, but I would try. I'm not particularly scared of heights, you know.

4. If you had the opportunity to play any AGG (I'm abbreviating from now on because I am a lazy typist) character in an AGG play, which role would you choose?

Ooh! Well, I suppose physical characteristics must be thought about and I would not fit the part of Anne, though I'd love to play her. Let's see...I think it'd be fun to play either Mrs. Lynde, or (if I could choose from some of the other Anne books) one of the girls in Patty's Place...I've always loved the notion of that sweet little four-some living in that house and going off to college. :) I might choose Phillipa Gordon, though I'm not as pretty as she.

5. If you were marooned on a desert island, which AGG character would you want to have as a companion? (Anne, Gilbert and Diana are not options.  Let's keep this thing interesting.  Not that they're not interesting.... oh, yay, now the disclaimer to this question is longer than the question itself.  Lovely lovely lovely.)

Haha! Davy Keith. He'd know what to do, and even if he didn't, he'd keep me laughing and probably invent some way to get us out of our predicament.

6. If there was going to be a new adaptation of the Anne books and you could have any part in making the movie, what would you choose to do? (screenwriting, acting, casting, costume-making are a few possibilities)

Casting and costume-making...also set-finder-person-who-travels-all-over-and-sees-gorgeous-places. :)

7. What are, in your opinion, the funniest AGG book/movie scenes? (choose one from the books and one from the movies)

Funniest book scene? Oy vay. Um...I've always loved the part when Anne is talking to Mr. Harris and finding herself contradicted at every point. Also when she and Diana are soliciting for their A.V.I.S. society and Anne gets stuck half-way through the roof of the duck-house and has to stay there. She starts scribbling down a story while waiting for help--I love it! It sounds like something I might do in a desperate moment. :D

 

In the movies? I do love her argument with Mrs. Lynde over Dolly. Also the scene where she and Diana hop onto Miss Josephine Barry in the bed, and where she and Diana are walking through the Haunted Wood and faint. :D

8. What are, in your opinion, the saddest AGG book/movie scenes? (choose one of each again) 

In the movie, the scene where Anne realizes she loves Gilbert and he is in mortal danger...the might-have-been in that scene is so sad!

In the book, I would have to say when the Ingleside bunch finds out that Walter was killed in the war...or else when Anne's baby dies. :(

9. Which AGG character would you most like to spend an afternoon with? (again, Anne and Gilbert and Diana are not options for this one--think secondary characters)

Phillipa Gordon--she and I would get along brilliantly, I think. :)

10.  What is your definition of a kindred spirit?

A kindred spirit is the person you can just look at and know they are a friend. There is something electric in their manner that captivates you. I have a blood-hound's nose for finding kindred spirits. When you meet a person you will know they are a kindred spirit by the way they laugh or talk or stand...I can't describe it, but it's there. If you doubt this definition, you have not heard the story of one of my dearest friends and I. I saw her at a mutual friend's graduation. She fascinated me but I was too shy to meet her. We never exchanged a single word. I went home and wrote about the graduation in my journal and mentioned her as a girl who I knew I would love and I said I wished I'd summoned my courage and introduced myself. Over a year later we began emailing (through a series of events) and finally officially met at the same friend's barn-dance. We have been inseparable ever since. :) It was my greatest success! ;)

Help me decide!

All right, guys. I need help deciding something. I'm entering the New Year's Contest hosted by The Penslayer, and Scribbles and Inkstains. The theme is First Impressions--whether of another character, a place, an object...and the story isn't supposed to be complete--it ought to have some coherency to it, but I'm not supposed to tell an entire story because I have to keep each entry to 200 words or less. :) That's kinda hard for me... :D Anyway, here are four of the ones I've written so far [I can only enter two] and I need help deciding which ones to enter. I have my own favorites, but I want to hear from "my public". ;) So without further ado here they are! Please tell me your two favorites!

"They Called her Queen"

By Rachel Heffington

             Frost on an autumn-fired maple—that was the picture emblazoned on my heart as I lifted her from the carriage and the early snow kissed the gleaming coils of her hair.

She was fairy-light in my arms, and the shine from the other footmen’s torches illuminated the emerald hue of her gown, echoing the same color in her eyes. Her tiny, slippered feet touched the cobbles and all at once she was vast leagues above me. Regal, proud, unattainable.  But I couldn’t tear my eyes from her—crimson lips parted in a quick, excited breath, eyes dancing with green stars and dark magic.

She pulled her velvet, cloak around her shoulders—it could have been made of rose petals it was so light—and shivered against the cold. It was such a pretty, confiding gesture, and bespoke her perfect knowledge of her power.

            “You’re…beautiful.” I hadn’t meant to say that aloud.

She laughed, and I joined her cold, silver trill with my own laughter. But somewhere in myself a mouse-thought nibbled and warned that my pride would be footing the bill for this present glory. But what did that matter? She laughed!

No wonder they called her Queen.

"At the Very Doorstep"

By Rachel Heffington 

They dangled above Hell’s gates. Or so it seemed to the young Welsh boy as the coal-elevator jerked downward, ever downward one agonizing shaft at a time. The sheer weight of the leagues of earth above him pressed the breath from his lungs. Raven-toothed shadows fought for precedence against the pale torches, the weak circles of light fighting to keep alive in the fag-ends of life they possessed.

He tried to envision the green fields of his village, his widowed mother, the reason he was here, but he could not breathe—all the remorse and sorrow of the world sunk to these depths and festered in the perpetual night.

That crash of rubble and the stifled cry behind it could belong to a miner, but he thought it far more likely it was a soul in torment, pleading for pardon. He and the smirched, vacant-eyed foreman with him were the fallen on their way to the utter depths. The clink and crash of iron against stone was not the picks of the workers—it was the devil’s own whip.

Lower, ever lower the elevator wobbled, and hotter the shadows smothered about him. They were at the very doorstep now.

"Goody Briarbeck"

By Rachel Heffington

Goody Briarbeck lippity-lipped to the stove and poured water into a chipped teapot. If an elderly rabbit from the grassy warren had put on a homespun petticoat and muslin apron it could not look more like this Oldest Inhabitant. Anna Cooley tapped her pencil against her journalist’s notebook and tried not to smile at the quaint ears of Goody Briarbeck’s kerchief, sticking up at pert angles atop her head.

 Anna had driven eight miles off the beaten track in her pony cart to cover this story. It wasn’t everyday one met a centenarian—but she was unprepared for the quaint figure that met her on the porch, and hustled her inside with a hopping, cheerful gait.

“Noo, why daid ye coom?” Goody asked, coming lippity-lippity back to the table with a tray of scones piled with cream.

 “To ask your secret for longevity, ma’am.”

Goody Briarbeck cuddled into her chair and twitched her nose, suddenly shy. Her bright black eyes peeped at the city-woman before her with a weighing expression. “It’s aisy enough. I raid m’Bible, I eat butter by th’tub, and I tak a coold bath ivvery mawnin’.”

Anna scrawled the answers into her notebook, a trifle disappointed. She had hoped for a more rabbit-like answer. Clover, perhaps, or carrots

"Writing Crumbs"

By Rachel Heffington

Camille Perkins checked her watch again. Thirty-three minutes late and counting. Where was Mr. Botetourt? For an editor interviewing a new client he was most unpunctual. And it was not helping her nerves.

She wandered to the bell and touched the rope, preparing to ring for the secretary, but a faint harrumph chased her back to her chair. When her cheeks cooled enough that she hoped she was no longer showing through her powder, Miss Perkins glanced upward into the face of an asthmatic-looking gentleman who squinted apologetically and breathed crumbs as if he’d just been dining off of spelling errors and rules of grammar.

“Where were you hiding, sir?” she asked, being so startled, she hadn’t time to think of proper manners.

“The garden, Miss Perkins, the garden.” Botetourt gestured to the raised window-sash and a half-eaten cookie tottering on the sill in a paragraph of crumbs. He bowed, coughed, and squinted. “I before ye until after tea. You know, Miss Perkins.” And he eyed her bulging portfolio with an expression suggestive of an after-dinner snack.

Miss Perkins hugged her precious novel tighter and wondered if she wanted to surrender it to this sort of creature after all.

Author Interview: Katie S.

Miss Katie S. of Whisperings of the Pen consented to be interviewed here on the Inkpen Authoress.

I have only known Katie in the writing world, but already I can tell she's a girl to be reckoned with, a marvelous writer, and an original person. :) I am pleased to have her here this morning!

So, Miss Katie S., how do you find yourself on this coolish summer morning?

I'm quite well, allergies aside. The weather here is starting to cool down nicely. Autumn is in the air!

Tell us a little about your latest writing project!

At the moment I'm working on Lara's Story, and hoping to finish the first draft sometime in January. Here's a little snippet I wrote up to tell more about the story:

No longer able to keep her thoughts to herself, yet unwilling to share them with others, young Kate Landess starts a journal. Through her entries, she tells of her sister's life -- her mysterious disappearance -- and slowly unravels the many threads of Lara's secrets.

What is your number one, brilliant piece of advice for other aspiring authors?

Read. Read, read, read. Never, ever, under any circumstances stop reading. Read old, classic books that have stood the test of time. And write incessantly.

Are you seeking to become a published author yourself, or do you write for fun?

Someday over the rainbow, I hope, as I believe most writingly inclined people do, to be published. It's very much a dream of mine, a dream I'm slowly but surely working toward.

How do you get inspiration for your stories?

By reading, by writing whatever pops into my head, by gazing upon glorious stretches of countryside, by observing people and their habits, by looking at pictures of faraway places, by jumping on the trampoline at midnight and gazing at the stars, by asking myself "Why?". In short, I glean inspiration from so many different avenues, so many different strains of thought and imagination, that I can scarcely narrow it down.

Are your characters inspired by real-life people, your imagination, or a little of both?

A little of both. Some characters spring to the page completely uninfluenced by any other human I can place. Some are formed with great resemblance to those I know and love. Others are mixtures of the known and the unknown, the familiar and the unfamiliar, and are quite enjoyable, albeit difficult, to write.

Do you have a favorite spot to write? (If you have to sit at the computer desk you might just skip this question! :D)

By a window. I love writing by windows. There's something so perfect about gazing out a window as one orders thoughts around in one's head, making room for the old unfinished manuscript to open its pages. I love writing outside, writing in the dark of night, and in libraries--anywhere quiet.

Do you work best in peace and quiet or with background noise and action?

COMPLETE peace and quiet. I'm just queer like that; I cannot think clearly when great amounts of noise are blaring through my head, begging me to attend them. And living in a large family, it's pretty needless to say that I do most writing in the very late evening or early morning.

Which area would you say you're strongest in as a writer? Plot, dialog, characterization, action, showing vs. telling, description, etc?

Description. Description is my first love. I can read blocks upon blocks of description and, though devoid of dialogue and rather lengthy in size, still be as happy as a lark. Hence my love of penning my own little descriptions.

Which area is hardest for you?

Plot, above all. "Ooh! Idea! Shiny! But should I plan first? Pfft, no! Must write!" Then I get to about the third chapter, have to stop altogether, and am forced to create some sort of outline.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte for their sweepingly beautiful prose. Charles Dickens for his ingenious use of both plot and character. Jane Austen for her unforgettable -- and hilarious -- characters and stories. C.S. Lewis for his wonderful, simple way of portraying and explaining Truth. And Agatha Christie, the Queen of Mystery, for being ever so much smarter than myself and outwitting me every time.

Do you agree with the old adage, "Write what you know"?

To some extent, yes. I believe a person should write what they know best, but still delve into the very depths of their imagination. The adage, the advice, should not stop one from being as creative and original as possible.

Any tried and true tips as far as technique goes?

Read. Read and your writing and technique will improve steadily, though you may not be aware of it at first. Notice things as you read; study passages of description to better your own, study streams of dialogue further your own. And then write, write, write. Write little stories, write little snippets of Nothing Whatsoever just for the fun of it. Sitting outside in the middle of the day? Get some paper and describe a blade of grass, a flower, a birdsong. Write a short stories. Look up into the clouds after a storm and try to spin your feelings into words. Keep reading, keep writing.

What is your remedy for Writer's Block? :)

Droop, die, fall over, and then pick yourself up and get back to it. Force yourself to write, perhaps not your novel-in-progress, but a short story. Read. Drink tea. Take a walk alone. Interview your characters or write little stories about their past. Keep plugging along until you break the roadblock in two.

And now for your last, and most challenging question: Why is a raven like a writing-desk? :)

I haven't the vaguest idea! I am shamed to say I have never really contemplated the question. Why is a raven like a writing-desk?

Thank you for letting me host this interview on my blog, Katie, and for giving me your precious time and pearls o' wisdom! ~Rachel

The Liebster Award, and several other things of note

I am feeling fine as frog-hairs today. How are you? :) I am in a mood when anything is possible, even the coming of Autumn, though the temperatures and sulky face of August deny it.
My high good humour was, I believe, occasioned by the signal honor my dear fellow writer, Katie, from Whisperings of the Pen, who quite astonished me with. She bestowed upon me and my 'umble blog (to quote Uriah Heep) the Liebster Award.
I realized I just impaired my honor as a writer with that jumbled entry, but it is That Kind of a Day, you know. A day when knowing how to spell Tuesday doesn't count after all. ;) And so I will trust that your opinion of me is not much dissipated and we move on!


The goal of the award is to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules of the award are:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have fun!

Right-o! This sounds like something I am quite capable of doing, even on a day when Things Don't Matter. ;)

1. Whisperings of the Pen- I know Katie has already received this award, but I had to give it back to her. When I first set a toenail on the edge of her blog I thought, "Oh wow...this is how I want my blog to be!" :) There is the perfect composition of gentle wit, humor, beauty, and some rather posh writing. A must visit. :)

2. Living on Literary Lane- Elizabeth Rose is only fourteen, but her blog always makes me smile and wonder how I could become a better writer myself. She's great fun, and possesses horse-sense you mightn't expect from a young lady of that age. Plus, she has one of the best play-lists I've come across, and she loves tea. How much better can you get?

3. Chosen129- My good friend and fellow-writer, Angela Bell, is the proprietor of this wonderful blog. She has chosen to dedicate it to pointing fellow young-adults to Christ, and I wholeheartedly applaud her in this venture. The posts are always thought provoking, and timely. Give it a look! :)

4. I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud- My dear friend and Kiwi pen-pal, Felicity, is the authoress of continual delights over here. As you can tell from the title of her blog, she reads poetry. Good poetry. And a person who reads good poetry and loves it, and is able to transfer her delight to you merely in a breath, is worth associating with. :) Her posts are always first-rate offerings.

5. E.J.'s Library- Elaine Dalton's blog, and a great one for haunting, if you are inclined to favor the haunting of blogs. ;) She posts book reviews weekly, links to the most interesting of her internet finds that week, snippets of her own writing, and other odds and ends that are most diverting. :)

So there you go, everyone! That completes the pleasant business of the Liebster Award. Thank you again, Katie, for bestowing such an honor on my head. :)
I now will proceed to have two random observations and/or points:

1. My writing has been extremely unfocused recently. I do not have Writer's Block, but I can seldom manage more than a page a day in Puddleby Lane. This is entirely unacceptable for obvious reasons, so I seek to remedy it by starting a new schedule:

"I believe we're part of his exercise regime; a mile's walk and a daily scolding of Emma is just what Doctor Perry prescribes." ~Emma, 2009

But no. In all seriousness, I pledge here and now to work on Puddleby Lane for an hour each day. A concentrated hour, with none of the popping over here and there to look at Katie's new post or turn on Pandora or anything of that trivial nature. An hour conducive to brilliancy. ;) I just need to take my mental belt in a notch and buckle down to real writing. Oh. By the by, Flounder is turning out to be quite different than I expected! He's a big baby, rather like a queer Mr. Woodhouse, and is a little selfish and fussy while being nice at the same time. I hadn't thought it of him.
He's immense fun to write, however, since Cora's first thought of him was of how Dickensian he was...I can give my pen leave to write a Dickensian character. Thus we have Flounder. :)

2. It is almost Fall! I can feel it, no matter what you might think from feeling the temperature. The Gypsy Winds are lurking, ready to dance out at any second, and the mists are starting to hide in the hollows and hang in the fields, and the world seems to know the tide has turned and is preparing itself for the riotous dance of the Autumn.
Snatches of all my best poetry (which somehow all relates to Autumn and Winter) floats through my head and I find myself quoting it:

"Oh Gypsy Wind, ye have returned
To come and tell us all
the gladsome tidings that ye bring:
'Tis very nearly fall!"

-and-

"September's step-sister to August
And she hasn't October's rich blood..."

-and-

"November is a lady fair
Clad in a scarlet gown
With copper scattered in her hair
And gold spun in her crown..."

-and yet again-

"When's the holly's in the red
And the pine is in the green
When the mornings all are frosty
In a brilliant silver sheen..."

*wistful sighs*....I have to admit. Autumn and Winter bring me alive. I love the spring and the new birth and the gentle hues creeping across the countryside, I enjoy the beginning of summer with its picnics and emerald greens spattered with gay dandelions...but toward August I begin to fade as surely as the grass, and it takes the Gypsy Winds to awaken me. It takes the Autumn's riot of color to bring me to life, the bracing air, and the gorgeous royalty of it all to instill in me the sense of being wholly and entirely alive as I realize I never was the rest of the year. Ah yes. I could (and have) easily wax poetic about this most beautiful of all seasons. :) ~Rachel

A Simply Delightful Giveaway!

Ooh! There seems to be a lovely giveaway at Scribbles and Inkstains, the blog of a young, recently-published Christian authoress! :) The author, Abigail Hartman, is giving out a copy of her newest historical fiction novel, The Soldier's Cross, to each of two winners who will randomly be drawn August 15th! :)

I have not yet read this book, but have heard it spoken of in glowing terms, and now I am rather intrigued. I do hope I win a copy, for since this young lady is a Christian young lady, and a published author, it excites and inspires me! :) Please check out the giveaway over at Abigail's blog! :) Here's the link!

Oooh! This makes me so excited to wonder about the Someday of my own when I can do a giveaway like this! :) ~Rachel

A Long, Drawn-Out, but Interesting Post :)

Well, I can't believe it. It seems not a week ago that I complained I was not keeping up this blog as I ought, and here I am posting so often you haven't a chance to keep up with me. :D Although it is generally against my creed to post twice in one day, I saw this Character Interview on Whisperings of the Pen and knew it had my name on it. After all, with no chores today, since I'm the birthday girl, I could dabble in something so silly as interviewing my own characters. But you know? I found out some interesting things through this interview. :) For instance, I never knew before that the Captain had a cat and a canary, that Ann Company was quite so attached to her donkey, or that she played the bagpipes. The bagpipes just sprung to mind when I was thinking of what instrument she played...she needed something weird, and I was *not* about to make her a tuba-player. :P Anyway, enjoy.

Frank Williams: 30
Maggie Williams: 28
Tucker (Tuck) Williams: 6
Dorothy (Dot) Williams: 2
Cora Lesley: 14
Dorie Ann Beaumont: 16
Flounder, Ann Company: 19
Captain Boniface: 65

Do you want a hug?
Frank: As a general rule I prefer handshakes.
Maggie: Of course, dear.
Tucker: Long as you don't mind the jam.
Dot: Hug!
Cora: If you're giving it.
Dorie Ann: You'll only rumple my skirt.
Ann Company: Are you sure? I hug hard as a bear.
Capt. Boniface: I'd say so.

Do you have any kids?
Frank: Maggie and I are the proud parents of Dot and Tuck.
Cora: No ma'am.
Dorie Ann: Of all the nerve! I don't see why you even bother to ask such a thing of a young lady of my class.
Ann Company: You kiddin'? Eulalie's the only kin I got `sides Pa.
Me: Who's Eulalie?
Ann Company: That there donkey.
Capt. Boniface: No, no children. Addie, I been faithful to ye're memory.

Have you ever killed anyone?
Frank: Never.
Maggie: What a horrid thought!
Tucker: I accidentally...well, kinda on purpose set traps to kill the sea-mice when we first came to Puddleby Lane.
Dot: Cowa, me's hungwy!
Cora: I would never dream of killing a fellow human unless I was defending my family against attack.
Dorie Ann: Kill? As in, like, dead? Some of the fellows have called me drop-dead gorgeous.
Ann Company: I don't generally hold with killin' unless it was a bandit.
Capt. Boniface: Life at sea is rough and unpredictable as th' ocean itself. There are mutinies and crimes that can't go unpunished.

Do you love anyone?
Frank and Maggie at once: "Maggie! Frank!"
Tucker: Mommy and Dad and Dot and Cora and Captain Boney-face.
Dot: Me wuv's evvybody!
Cora: Franki, Maggie, the children...and my hero.
Me: Your...hero?
Cora: (blushing) Yes...wherever he is.
Dorie Ann: Dozens. Or they love me...that's more like it. What's not to love about a beautiful Beaumont girl?
Ann Company: Eulalie, Pa, and Cora.
Capt. Boniface: Maggie and the children...and Addie.

What is your job?
Frank: Railyway man, but until recently, a new car salesman.
Maggie: seamstress.
Tuck: clam scraper, treasure-hunter, pirate and...what was that one you called me, Cora?
Cora: A flibberty-gibbet.
Tucker: Oh, yeah.
Cora: I'm the unofficial caretaker of Tuck and Dot. And I help Maggie with the housework and plain sewing. I'd love to be a famous author.
Dorie Ann: Author? She's a nanny. A servant. Quite beneath anyone's notice, let alone mine.
Ann Company: Leave her alone! I'd like to see what you can do."
Me: What *do* you do? What job do you have?
Dorie Ann: Is Queen of Beauty and Charm a job? No? How about Official Miss Amazing?
Capt. Boniface: I used to be a sea captain, but now I keep up the Bonnie Addie and help Flounder and his gal up in town.
Me: So is Flounder Ann Company's father?
Ann Company: Shore is.

Favorite Season?
Frank: Summer.
Maggie: Thanksgiving--the in between of fall and winter.
Tucker: Just about any time I can be outside without my shoes and socks.
Dot: Cowa, me's hungwy!
Cora: Autumn.
Dorie Ann: Spring--that's when the Paris collection comes out.
Ann Company: Winter. Me an' Eulalie an' Pa are cozy as a den full of possums come Christmas.
Capt. Boniface: Spring. My rheumatism isn't so bad and the honeysuckle reminds me of Addie--her eyes shining like stars.

Who is your best friend?
Frank: I don't have many close friends.
Maggie: Cora. Who is better than a sister for company?
Tucker: Cora!
Dot: Cowa!
Cora: Maggie, Ann Company...my books and writing.
Dorie Ann: I'm independent. Who needs friends when they've got talent, brains, and a stunning figure?
Ann Company: Eulalie and Cora.
Capt. Boniface: Maggie's children and that pretty slip of a girl, Cora. Flounder's good for a game of checkers now and then when he ain't squeezed up in his ticket booth snorin'.

Hobbies?
Frank: Dancing with my beautiful wife.
Maggie: gardening.
Tuck: Cora says Mommy has a green thumb. I like catching sea-mice, digging for treasure, playing at bein' poor, and exploring with Cora and Dot.
Cora: Reading, writing, and exploring.
Dorie Ann: reading fashion magazines.
Ann Company: teaching Eulalie new tricks, racing the sandpipers, and play my bagpipes.
Me: Wait. Bagpipes? Where'd that come from?
Ann Company: The Cap'n gave `em to me.
Me: Aha.
Capt. Boniface: Sorry about that. She isn't half bad on `em now. I like buildin' model ships and fixing up the Bonny Addie....and talkin' to Tucker.

What are you going to do when this tag is over?
Frank: Take a long walk
Maggie: Bake a cake. Lemon-iced.
Tucker: Lick the bowl.
Dot: Lick!
Cora: Go for a sea-glass hunt...or rummage around in The Other House.
Dorie Ann: Paint my nails, then play tennis.
Ann Company: Fix Tuck's fishing net.
Capt. Boniface: Feed Napoleon Maximilian The Great.
Me: Who is...?
Capt. Boniface: My ship's cat.
Me: Oh! I wasn't sure you had any pets.
Capt. Boniface: Yep. Old 'Poleon and m' cabin boy, Columbus.
Me: Another cat?
Capt. Boniface: No, no. Columbus is a canary.
Me: I see. Pleased to meet them both.

What is your eye color?
Frank: Brown.
Maggie: Dark brown.
Tucker: Cora says my eyes are blue as bachelor's buttons.
Dot: Bwoo?
Cora: Brown.
Tucker: Like a teddy-bear's.
Ann Company: Like a fine chestnut filly's when she's runnin' free over the dunes.
Me: What color are your eyes, Ann Company?
Ann Company: Green as grass.
Dorie Ann: Violet. Like Elizabeth Taylor's.
Me: Violet?
Dorie Ann: Well, fine then. Blue.
Capt. Boniface: Blue-ish grey. The color of--
Cora: A stormy sea. Or the bay water at dusk.

Are you good or bad?
Frank: I try to be a good husband and father...I'm a little impulsive at times.
Maggie: We can never be perfect but--
Cora: But if anyone could be, it'd be Maggie.
Tucker: Most of the time I'm good...except when I'm not.
Dot: Good, good, good!
Cora: I do try so hard, and I am learning.
Dorie Ann: It all depends on your definition of good. It's no fun to be a plaster of Paris saint.
Ann Company: I'm a dutiful daughter and a fast friend, but I do feel fiercely about things.
Capt. Boniface: She's a right fiery girl, that Ann Company. As for me, I'm a salty sea dog, but the good Lord is my compass and He steers my course straight.

What is your greatest fear?
Frank: That I'll fail my family.
Maggie: That something will happen to me or Frank...or both of us.
Tucker: That the waves will knock over Dot, or that we'll have to leave Puddleby Lane.
Dot: Doggies.
Cora: A life without adventure and my family.
Dorie Ann: Those horrid hobos that beg for scraps.
Ann Company: The city.
Capt. Boniface: A journey without my bearings or a night near shore so dark and foggy we can't see the rocks.

What do you think of your parents?
Tucker: They're swell.
Dot: Me wuvs Mommy!
Cora: Frank and Maggie are the closest thing I have to parents now.
Dorie Ann: Papa's a darling but Mom is a bear! She wouldn't let me dye my hair last week.
Ann Company: Pa's the best feller within a dozen miles...exceptin' Mr. Williams, and the Cap'n and Tuck.
Capt. Boniface: I loved my parents, but father died at sea and Mama never quite got over it.

Any siblings?
Maggie: Cora.
Tucker: Dot.
Cora: Maggie.
Dorie Ann: Thank Heavens, no.
Ann Company: Only Eulalie.

Was this interview fun?
Frank: I've enjoyed it. Sounds like something Corie would make up.
Maggie: Very pleasant.
Tucker: Golly, yeah!
Dot: Fun!
Dora: I did so enjoy it, ma'am.
Dorie Ann: It was all right.
Ann Company: Shore as shootin'!
Capt. Boniface: I had a fine time. You're a very sensible gal.
Me: Thank you. You're the first to think so.

Do you have any weaknesses?
Frank: Like I said, I'm impulsive.
Maggie: French lace.
Tucker: Bein' tied up at stake when we play...I ain't strong enough to untie Cora's knots.
Cora: Heroic deeds...I pine for adventure and novelty.
Dorie Ann: New clothes. But I think that's a strength of mine--looking presentable, unlike some people I could mention.

Your favorite element?
Frank: Fire.
Maggie: Mountain Air.
Tucker: What's an element?
Cora: Water.
Dorie Ann: Oh, for Heaven's sake. What a ridiculous question!
Ann Company: Water, of course.
Capt. Boniface: Water. What else is essential to a man's life?

Do you care what others think of you?
Frank: Only what Maggie thinks of me.
Maggie: If Frank's happy, that's all that matters.
Tucker: I'd like `em to think I'm a man, not a boy.
Dot: Fink?
Cora: I'm afraid I do. Especially what other girls think of me.
Dorie Ann: Everyone knows I'm fabulous. It's so completely obvious, right?
Ann Company: Naw, I never did hold with other folks' opinions.
Capt. Boniface: I want my crew to respect me. So long as I've got that, I'm satisfied.

Your theme song?
Frank: Hmmm....Maggie?
Maggie: All Those Endearing Young Charms.
Tucker: Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Cora: Something sweet and dreamy.
Dorie Ann: Any song about a beautiful woman fits me to a T.
Ann Company: All the Blue Bonnets.
Capt. Boniface: The Water is Wide.

What's your species?

Frank: "A man's a man for a' that."
Maggie: We're humans.
Tucker: I'm a flibberty-gibbet, `member?
Dot: Baby!
Cora: What a strange question...who made it up?
Me: Don't ask me, Cora dear.
Dorie Ann: Bombshell Beauty. What else?
Ann Company: I'm a girl.
Capt. Boniface: You're a woman.
Ann Company: Barely, Cap'n.
Capt. Boniface: And I'm a seaman. It's a class of it's own, y'know?

"I Could Have Danced All Night!"

I am concocting a brilliant, well-thought-out, amazing post to write sometime, but for now this will be a quilt-ish post- bits and piece stitched together hopefully to end up beautiful. :)

If you are a letter-writer, have you checked out this website? They have the most *beautiful* stationary! :) Also, if you are a letter-writer, do you ever have the maddening occurrence of having had millions of stamps when you *didn't* owe a letter, and then when you have five to send you discover the stamps took their leave and a trip to the P.O. is in order? :P

Do you ever gaze at other writers' blogs and wish yours was so....exciting, literary, inspirational, etc.? I do. *wistful smile*

I am so excited about going to the Civil War ball on Saturday! (Thus the title of this post) Of course I'll be dressing old-fashioned for even the 1860's because I'm going Colonial! :) (Actually, each of us older girls is going in a different era! I'm Colonial, Leah's Regency, Sarah's Civil War, and Anna is later Victorian. :)

My dress is a similar style to this, with the drawn-up overskirt. But what is bright yellow in this photo is a cream colored silky material patterned with pink and crimson flowers, and the underskirt is a dusty-rose pink. It also has a white stomacher down the center of the bodice, and white ruffles on the sleeves. :) It's gorgeous, and my Grandmama made it! :)

I was thinking of doing a hairstyle that was a variation of this:

(no, this is not me. :)

And this. :) (Sorry the pic. is so dark! It's old)

The first is the Authentic 18th Century hairstyle from Rapunzel's Resource. Beautiful!

The second is the Victorian Recamier Coiffure. (Yes, I realize I'm mixing eras)
I was also rather clever, I thought, in my choice of hair doo-dads because I had an old pearl necklace that broke, and so I cut it apart and threaded each pearl on a hairpin, and now I can pin them all in my hair for the ball! It might look a little like Lizzy Bennet's ball hairstyle in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice. Only I like my idea way better than how they did her hair. :) I'm glad I'm not blond, since the pearls will show up better in my darker hair. ;)

I have not had much time for writing recently. I find my inspiration fizzles if I have to write in ten-minute jaunts so I've found it more profitable to not write at all and wait for a bigger chunk of time. :) But I miss it! :) Well, have a great day! ~Rachel

Unsinkable: A maiden voyage!

My dear fellow writer, Elizabeth Rose, and her sister Bree have begun an AMAZING blog called "Unsinkable" inspired by the upcoming anniversary of the Titanic. They are hosting monthly giveaways and all sorts of fun events! This blog just launched out on its maiden voyage this past week, so hop on over and enter the giveaway, check out all the neat pages, and jump aboard. As Lizzie so eloquently put it: "There are no icebergs in sight!" :D