Artistry With Words

And a very happy April 21st to you all!

We spent the weekend resting.  We spent the weekend planting.  We spent the weekend chicken-proofing the garden.  LOL  Each year we have to put a temporary fence around the garden area so the chickens won’t destroy all our hard work, so that’s what we did yesterday.  It took a couple hours but those were hours that will save us a lot of heartache and cussing over the next five months.

I took last week off from this blog.  Did anyone even notice?  I wonder.  It’s okay if you didn’t.  I know you are busy. I know you have your own concerns, and I know you have a thousand different things to do.  The same is true for me.  I just want you to know that I appreciate all of you.  Your support of my efforts means the world to me.

Since I talked to you last I finished the final edit of “Shadows Kill.”  Query letters are now being sent to agents.  I received a wonderful reply from Janet Reid, an agent I respect and follow.  She called it, not a rejection, but a re-direction.  She said her plate was full but if it wasn’t she would have seriously considered taking on my novel.  I can live with rejection like that.

So while I’m sending out queries I have started “Shadows Over Innocence.” I’m now ten-thousand words into that new novel and I feel good about it so far.

Life moves on!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”

Benjamin Franklin
THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I’m only human.  There are days when I’m tired of progressing towards a goal.  I want the damn goal!  I’m tired of growing as a writer.  I want to be successful.  Let’s face it, we writers spend an awful lot of time inside our own heads, and I was once told that the most dangerous real estate in the world is the six inches between my ears.

Life moves on!

I can either be a willing participant or I can get swallowed up by it.

Yes it can be discouraging being a writer.  It can also be the highest of highs.

TIP OF THE DAY

Reach out to your supporters and tell them how much you appreciate them.  We all need them.  We all need encouragement.  Your core group of staunch supporters will always be there for you, so make damn sure you tell them how important they are to you.

SITE OF THE DAY

If you don’t follow Janet Reid’s blog I strongly suggest you start doing so.  She is a fountain of knowledge and I have found her to be very helpful.  You can find her by following this link.

CONTEST OF THE DAY

Press 53 Poetry Competition. The deadline is July 31^st.  Read about it here.

WRITERS OF THE DAY

This shout-out is to all of you.  Congratulations on what you have accomplished so far, and I mean that will all seriousness.  Very few in the world can do what you do.  Be proud of that fact.

MORE NEXT WEEK, OR WHENEVER

I have novels to write so I can’t promise when I’ll post on the blog again.  I’m sure you can find something to do until I post again, so no worries.  Have a great week.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

Welcome back and Happy April to all of you. I hope you had a superb Easter with family and friends.  A new week is upon us and that means one thing:  writing!

Today is somewhat of a milestone for me.  This is the first Tuesday in over three years that I have not posted an article online.  The changes I have hinted at for awhile now are slowly taking place.  I’m gradually moving from articles to novels.  I’m not much of a believer in quitting cold turkey, so I’ll ease myself into this transition.  The bottom line is my muse is talking to me, and she is insisting that I spend more and more time writing novels and less time writing articles.  And I’ve learned never to argue with my muse.

I should be done with my novel this week and then I’ll start sending out query letters. Thanks to all of you who have followed  along on this journey.  I love this new novel. I love the characters, and I have already begun the next novel in this “Shadows” series.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The muse is not an angelic voice that sits on your shoulder and sings sweetly. The muse is the most annoying whine. The muse isn’t hard to find, just hard to like – she follows you everywhere, tapping you on the shoulder, demanding that you stop doing whatever else you might be doing and pay attention to her.”

Harlan Coben

Ain’t that the truth, Harlan?

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

If you are a writer then you understand the concept of the muse.  She is, for lack of a better description, the creative voice that speaks to you, and again, if you are a writer, she is damned near impossible to ignore.  So why bother trying?

TIP OF THE DAY

This is a simple tip that carries a ton of truth:  listen to your muse and follow her religiously.  She has your best interests at heart even though she can be a bit demanding at times.

SITE OF THE DAY

For those of you on the east coast, go take a look at the Muse Writing Center based in Virginia.  Here’s their website.

CONTEST OF THE DAY

Poetry, flash fiction and short story contests at this one Pulp Literature site….take a look here.

WRITER OF THE DAY

If you are a mystery fan then I invite you to read the works of William Kent Krueger.  You can find his website by following this link.

 ONE FINAL NOTE OF IMPORTANCE

I’m probably going to let my website lapse for the time being, so this blog will only appear on the Artistry With Words blog site.  You can find it by following this link.

AND THAT’S ALL FOR THIS WEEK

Have a great week of writing and thank you for joining me today.  I’ll catch you again next Tuesday.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”