Writers Quote Wednesday – FRUSTRATION

Hello! Welcome! I hope everyone has had a better morning than me. I spent most of the morning on the phone with Apple Support. Last night I was online when suddenly a window popped up on my screen. The pop up window vibrated and then a recording came on and it told me that my computer was in danger of crashing and that I had to call the number on the screen immediately.

I immediately called the number and spoke to a man with a thick accent who told me I had to pay $199.00 to fix my computer because someone hacked into it and I had several viruses. I told the man that I would much rather go to the Apple store and speak to someone in person. I actually just wanted to hang up on him since the entire situation seemed fishy to me. It was late, so I called Apple this morning.

It turned out that it was all a hoax! This man was the hacker and he was all over my computer. I feel so violated and frustrated. I can’t even think straight right now. If this happens to any of you, don’t even bother calling the phone number on the screen. Close your computer at once and call Apple (or whatever service provider you have) directly and allow them to fix the problem.

♥

“Things never go the way you expect them to. That’s both the joy and frustration in life. I’m finding as I get older that I don’t mind, though. It’s the surprises that tickle me the most, the things you don’t see coming.”

~Michael Stuhlbarg

Michael Stuhlbarg had the right idea, but I bet his computer has never been hacked.

♦

♦

 

Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog.

 

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – GRATITUDE

Hello and welcome to my blog! It’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Gratitude is a feeling or attitude in response to something good. I also believe that gratitude is a virtue because being grateful is a morally positive character trait.

Some people . . . many people, spend their time griping and complaining about the objects they don’t have, and the places they’ll never visit, and things they’ll never do. They don’t put anywhere near as much time and energy appreciating the people in their lives or what they do have. I don’t want to be like those people (although sometimes I can be).

It occurred to me that we don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other huge holiday to tell others and ourselves what we are thankful for. I decided that today I will do that and I will begin with the so-called ‘little things‘.

♥

♥

1/ Toilet Paper

Did you know that before toilet paper people used stones, pieces of clay, sponges, and corncobs to wipe their––you know? Ouch! Quilted Northern, formerly Northern Tissue, advertised as late as 1935 that their toilet paper was “Splinter-Free!” So, the first rolls of toilet paper had splinters? I’m so grateful for my soft, absorbent, splinter-free Charmin toilet paper.

♦

2/ Bottled Water (clean water in general)

I don’t know about you guys but I go through at least 6-8 (16 oz.) bottles of water a day. I can’t imagine living in countries like Ethiopia where women and children are burdened with the task to get water. Sometimes walking up to six hours to collect water from unprotected pools of water that may be contaminated. I’ll never complain about having to go to the corner supermarket to get water again.

♦

3/ My Bed

You’d be surprised how many people don’t have decent beds or mattresses. Would you like to know what it’s like not to have a bed? Go camping for a weekend––you’ll miss your bed . . . trust me.

♦

4/ My shower (running hot water)

If people in countries like Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Laos . . . don’t have enough clean, sanitized water, do you think they have showers with running hot water? I don’t think so. I can’t imagine going to work with bed-head and skin that smells like night sweat. 

♦

5/ My iPhone

I have books, news, information, weather and traffic reports at my fingertips! Thank you Steve Jobs! I’m glad you bounced back after being fired from your own company.

♦

There are so many things I am grateful for, like my husband, family, my fluffy baby Scribbles, friends, online blogging buddies, writing, readers, the fact that there hasn’t been a hurricane in Florida in the last few years, my new house, Pinterest  . . . I could go on and on.

For those of us living in free countries where there is plenty of food, clean water, freedom of speech and religion, entertainment and beauty––lets stop complaining about the things we don’t have and live life with gratitude for what we do have, because if we think about it, we have so much.

♦

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.”

♦♦♦

Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

♥

What are the ‘little things’ you’re grateful for?

Have a wonderful day!

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Theodore Seuss Geisel was an American writer and illustrator best known for authoring popular children’s books under the pen name Dr. Seuss.

♦

♦

♦

“Kid, you’ll move mountains!”

♦

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

♦

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

♦

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

♦

“You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.”

♦

“Everything stinks till it’s finished.”

♦

There are so many amazing quotes by Dr. Seuss I could go on and on listing them here. One thing all his quotes have in common––he spoke the purest form of truth and he knew how to inspire a generation with simple words. I grew up reading Dr. Seuss and his words always made me feel like I could do anything. Dr. Seuss’ books encouraged me to be the best person I could be.

♦

 

Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

Have a great rest of the week!

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Self-Publishing

Welcome to another week of Writer’s Quote Wednesday! I hope your week has been good so far. We’re almost over the hump and soon the weekend will be here. 😉

♦

Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

♦

Today I wanted to briefly mention the Publishing Industry. I’m busy working on my Fantasy Angels Series and I’ve been on the fence for some time about whether to send out query letters to agents or skip all that and self-publish. I know there are many aspiring authors who are as confused as I am about this. I found an article by author Hugh C. Howey that was very helpful.

My Advice to Aspiring Authors by Hugh C. Howey 

Here’s a snippet from the article:

Now would be a good time to explain the advantages of self-publishing over traditional publishing. When writers ask for advice, they are often asking how they should proceed with their completed manuscript. I’m going to explain why every author should begin their writing career self-publishing, even if their dream is to be with a large publisher. There’s a lot to say. Bear with me.

Your manuscript won’t change. This is the biggest logical fallacy I see in the self vs. trad debate. The idea seems to be that if you self-publish, somehow your work drops in quality. It’s the same work. The words won’t change because of perceived association with what else is out there. Querying an agent won’t make your manuscript better. Self-publishing won’t make it worse. It’s either a story that appeals to readers or it isn’t.

I underlined that sentence because it tickled me––it’s so true!

Know your gatekeepers. Appealing to readers is the endgame. They want story over prose, so concentrate on that (aim for both, but concentrate on story). Agents and slush-pile readers are often the opposite, which is why they bemoan the absence of literary fiction hits and cringe at the sale of Twilight, Dan Brown, and 50 Shades. You are writing for the reader, who is your ultimate gatekeeper. Get your work in front of them, even if it’s one at a time, one reader a month or year.

Other sentences that struck me as the ultimate truth.

(To read more click on the link above)

♦

“There’s a bizarre prejudice that exists in the New York publishing establishment that any work outside the tri-state area is being done by trained chimpanzees, that geography screens out sensibility.”

~Kate Braverman

♦

“The publishing world is very timid. Readers are much braver.”

~Kiran Desai

♦

“Anyone who says it’s easy to self-publish a book is either lying or doing a shitty job.”

~Nan McCarthy

♦

“Whatever you may have heard, self-publishing is not a short cut to anything. Except maybe insanity. Self-publishing, like every other kind of publishing, is hard work. You don’t wake up one morning good at it. You have to work for that.”

~Zoe Winters

♦

The State of Self-Publishing – The Wayfinder – Hugh C. Howey

♦

I believe it is every indie writer’s responsibility to write the best and most complete book possible before publishing in order to elevate the industry.

♦

♦

Have a great day! 😀

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Short Stories

It’s the middle of the week and that means it’s time for Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Welcome, everyone! I love short stories. I enjoy writing them and reading them as well. I have written several short stories for this blog, although it has been a little over a year since I wrote the last one. That’s because I’ve been so busy working on my Fantasy Angels Series and what little free time I have left after working on my series I use to work on my blog posts, social media, and blogging.

I haven’t had the time to write short stories in a while and that makes me sad because I love doing it. Anyway, I have gotten several new followers since I posted my last short story, so I decided to post the links to some of these stories. That way, those of you that have not read them can check them out, if you like.

A Town’s Perception

Murder She Wrote, Part 2, Finale

Raven’s Masterpiece

A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance, Part 2, Finale

♦

♦

“I would also suggest that any aspiring writer begin with short stories. These days, I meet far too many young writers who try to start off with a novel right off, or a trilogy, or even a nine-book series. That’s like starting in at rock climbing by tackling Mt. Everest. Short stories help you learn your craft.”

~George R.R. Martin

♦

“A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick – a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.”

~Neil Gaiman

♦

“I love short stories because I believe they are the way we live. They are what our friends tell us, in their pain and joy, their passion and rage, their yearning and their cry against injustice.”

~Andre Dubus

♦

“I find it satisfying and intellectually stimulating to work with the intensity, brevity, balance and word play of the short story.”

~Annie Proulx

♦

Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen, have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

♦

Enjoy your day! And don’t forget to read one of my short stories.

They will haunt you . . . 

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – I Like Nonsense . . .

Hello everyone! It’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday! Last week I told you I was a huge fan of Horror and of course I am but I am also a big fan of Fantasy. This week I will feature several quotes from some of the brilliant minds of Fantasy fiction. I hope you enjoy.

Illustration by George Miltiadis for ‘The Fall of Lilith‘

♦

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.”

~ Dr. Seuss

♦

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don’t we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we’re partisans of liberty, then it’s our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”

~ J.R.R. Tolkien

♦

“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”

~ Terry Pratchett

♦

“Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.”

~ Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

♦

“The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real … for a moment at least … that long magic moment before we wake.

We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens sang. There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt the forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La.

They can keep their heaven. When I die, I’d sooner go to middle Earth.”

~ George R.R. Martin

♦

 

 

 

Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

♦

Have a great day!

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – HORROR – Scare Me Happy

Welcome everyone! It’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday! I’m a huge fan of Horror, so instead of having one quote today I’ve decided to post several quotes from some of my favorite writers in this genre. I hope you enjoy. 😀

♦

I grew up reading Stephen King novels. He’s still one of my favorite authors. It started one day when an older cousin had finished reading one of Stephen King’s books. She put it down beside her and called her friends and proceeded to gush about how great it was on the phone. I became curious about it, because she seemed so excited.

I picked up the book and turned it in my hand gazing at the front and back covers. My cousin quickly took it from me and told me that I was too young to read it. Well, I rolled my ten-year-old eyes dramatically and that was it, from that moment on, all I wanted was to read that book.

Later on, I managed to sneak the book out of my aunt’s house and take it home with me. I had to hide it from my parents, because I knew they would never allow me to read a ‘Horror’ novel. I read the book from cover to cover in record speed––I couldn’t put it down.

Did it scare me? YES! Of course it did, but more than that, it taught me to have courage and to not be afraid to feel certain feelings. Horror books helped me confront the scary things of childhood, because––don’t fool yourself parents––childhood is frightening. Kids are so vulnerable and powerless in a world full of bad things. Horror provides a place in which children can move with their fears in a safe way that can teach them how to survive monsters and be powerful, too. Stephen King scared me happy!

When I returned the book to my cousin she didn’t even know it was missing. I told her I had read it and enjoyed it. She was surprised but let me borrow a couple more Stephen King books. That’s how I became a Stephen King and Horror fan.

♦

“The charm of horror only tempts the strong”

― Jean Lorrain

♦

“Alone. Yes, that’s the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn’t hold a candle to it and hell is only a poor synonym.” 

― Stephen King

♦

“Which is the true nightmare, the horrific dream that you have in your sleep or the dissatisfied reality that awaits you when you awake?”

― Justin Alcala

♦

“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.”

― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

♦

“Horror fiction shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter on chaos and oblivion.”

― Clive Barker

♦

“I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.”

― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

♦

“Read. Read. Read. Just don’t read one type of book. Read different books by various authors so that you develop different style.”

― R.L. Stine

♦

“You know how sometimes you tell yourself that you have a choice, but really you don’t have a choice? Just because there are alternatives doesn’t mean they apply to you.”

― Rick Yancey, The 5th Wave

♦

“Here is a list of terrible things,
The jaws of sharks, a vultures wings
The rabid bite of the dogs of war,
The voice of one who went before,
But most of all the mirror’s gaze,
Which counts us out our numbered days.”

― Clive Barker, Days of Magic, Nights of War

♦

“We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.” 

― Stephen King

♦

5 Reasons Horror in Children’s Literature Is a Good Thing

10 Novels That Are Scarier Than Most Horror Movies

Required Reading: 30 of the Best Horror Books

♦

Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog. Check out her weekly wrap-up every Tuesday and be inspired by all the quotes.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Live In The Moment

Hello! Welcome! I read this quote and it really resonated with me. We’re living in an age in which people are seldom present or in the moment. So many are glued to their phones, iPads, and other gadgets even while in the company of family and friends. There’s an epidemic of people who are missing out on special moments. One day they’ll wake up and wonder what happened to their lives. What happened is simple they didn’t live in the moment and ‘It’s the little moments that makes life big.’

♦

Quote by Thomas S. Monson

 

♦

Do you live in the moment?

 

 

Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog. Check out her weekly wrap-up every Tuesday and be inspired by all the quotes.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Really Good Writing . . .

Hello everyone! It’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday! I hope you are all doing well. My day has been hectic, as usual, but I wanted to take a little time to post this great quote by author Ann Voskamp. I can relate to what she says in her quote because when I write and read It’s like a movie playing out in my mind. Sometimes I don’t know where I’m going to go from a certain scene but as I see it play out I get ideas to go on. I guess that is what ‘being in the zone’ is. When you can hear the crunch of dirt giving under a character’s foot step and smell the fragrance or stench in the air––you’re there. 😉

Author Ann Voskamp

♦

Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog. Check out her weekly wrap-up every Tuesday and be inspired by all the quotes.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

♦

Quote by Ann Voskamp

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – George R.R. Martin

Welcome to my blog. I hope 2016 has treated all of you well so far. Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog. Check out her weekly wrap-up every Tuesday and be inspired by all the quotes.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

♦

♦

I have a love/hate relationship (in my head) with the author of A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin. He’s a brilliant writer and I love that he is fearless when it comes to taking risks with his storytelling, but if he kills off another one of my favorite characters . . . #%^ƒµ∫>!

Anyway, here are 10 Fantasy Writing Tips from the talented fantasy author that can help writers write their own epic tales. (Those are his comments under each tip.)

1- Don’t Limit Your Imagination

“Before A Song of Ice and Fire I had been working in television for ten years.When I went back to prose, there were suddenly no limits: I could write something huge with all the characters I wanted, with battles, dragons and immense settings.”

2- Choose your point-of-view characters to broaden the narrative’s scope

“My story is essentially about a world at war. It begins very small with everybody apart from Daenerys in the castle of Winterfell. It’s a very tight focus, and then as the characters split apart, each character encounters more people and additional POVs come into focus.”

3- It’s okay to “borrow” from history

“Although my story is fantasy, it is strongly grounded in actual Medieval history.”

4- Believable POVs

“Ultimately all of us are alone in the universe — the only person we ever really know deeply is ourselves. Obviously, I’ve never been a dwarf or a princess, so when I’m writing these characters I have to try and get inside their skin and see what the world would be like from their position. It’s not always easy.”

5- Grief is a powerful tool — but don’t overdo it

“Presenting not just death, but grief is important. At some point, we all experience the loss of our parents, or sibling or close friend and it’s a very powerful emotion.”

6- Violence should have consequences — so spare nothing! 

“If you’re going to write about Medieval-style warfare, you need to show it — those swords aren’t just for show. You should present it honestly in all its ugliness and horror.”

7- Avoid fantasy cliches

“One of the things that drives me crazy is the externalisation of evil, where evil comes from the “Dark Lord” who sits in his dark palace with his dark minions who all wear black and are very ugly.”

 8- Creating “grey” characters

“Grey characters have always interested me the most and I think the world is full of them.”

9- Juggling lots of characters takes skill — and luck

“Sometimes these damn characters have a mind of their own and refuse to do what I want them to do.”

10- Remember: Winter is coming

“There is darkness in the world but we don’t have to give way to despair. One of the best themes in The Lord of the Rings is that despair is the ultimate crime.”

♦

♦ To read George R.R. Martin’s full article, which is very interesting and helpful, click on the link below.

Top 10 Fantasy Writing Tips From ‘Game Of Thrones’ Author George R.R. Martin