tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34178755.post8786116794069941457..comments2023-05-03T04:28:16.339-05:00Comments on <center>Jumping off cliffs</center>: Jumping off cliffs (and building your wings on the way down)Mary O. Paddockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04097124493453341534noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34178755.post-48860371980382819112008-05-21T21:20:00.000-05:002008-05-21T21:20:00.000-05:00Hi Geoff and thanks for dropping by. As for the ch...Hi Geoff and thanks for dropping by. <BR/><BR/>As for the character description--knowing Sevin, she'd probably love the costume, but I don't think she has a place to keep the horse. And she'd probably prefer a good cordless mouse to a sword.Mary O. Paddockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04097124493453341534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34178755.post-5897676907892450732008-05-21T14:34:00.000-05:002008-05-21T14:34:00.000-05:00mary, I can sense the excitement you feel about a ...mary, <BR/>I can sense the excitement you feel about a new beginning. I like the title. It sounds dramatic, and romantic, all at once.<BR/><BR/>I envisage a heroine wearing riding leathers under a heavy cloak with a sword in a scabbard at her waist, a feisty wench with fire in her veins, lust in her heart and a a thirst for vengeance bitter in her mouth.<BR/><BR/>regards,<BR/><BR/>GeoffBandersnatchihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10969846391208230082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34178755.post-43218714031845393572008-05-20T20:46:00.000-05:002008-05-20T20:46:00.000-05:00Alice--You are very kind. Thank you. Advice? I'll...Alice--You are very kind. Thank you. Advice? I'll do the best I can, though this is a bit like the blind leading the blind. :)<BR/><BR/>Read, read, read, then read some more. Read the kind of stuff you want to write, but read more than that--classic fiction, bad fiction, and good fiction (subjective I know, but you need to know why it does or doesn't work for you). It all has something to teach you. <BR/><BR/>Write something everyday. A letter, a blog, a vignette, a short story, a poem . . . Something that makes you use words.<BR/>When my boys were little, I wrote a lot of poetry because that's what I had time for. I still have a passion for it, and read it regularly, though I'm not much of a poet myself.<BR/><BR/>Get your hands on a few "how-to" books, depending on what you want to write. I like Lawrence Block because he's a novelist and he's not arrogant. Stephen King's "On Writing" was terrific for similar reasons. I've read others, but Mary Oliver's "Poetry Handbook" remains a favorite. I also love "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" for lesssons on punctuation. <BR/><BR/>Be teachable. Seek out other writers who will tell you the truth about your writing. Friends and family have a stake in making you feel good and they're great(important) support. But when it comes to ferreting out the weaknesses in your work, you need somebody who enjoys reading and critiquing, who has less invested in whether you feel good about their opinion or not. <BR/><BR/>I'm a moderator here:<A>http://www.everyauthor.com/forum/index.php</A> There's some good people there. If you're a serious poet and write poetry and have really thick skin (Meaning, you say thank you whether you like the crit or not) this is the--bar none--best poetry workshop on the net: <A>http://www.everypoet.org/pffa/</A> I've been a member there for seven or eight years (though I write primarily fiction). The devil is in the details could have been written about poetry and these folks know it. <BR/><BR/>Hope there's something you can use in those ramblings Alice.<BR/><BR/>All the best,<BR/>maryMary O. Paddockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04097124493453341534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34178755.post-7166097883183061552008-05-20T19:30:00.000-05:002008-05-20T19:30:00.000-05:00I am with the chicken feathers man. Sorry. Serious...I am with the chicken feathers man. Sorry. <BR/><BR/>Serious question, though - for those of us who would like to write, and be better at it, what resources would you suggest? Your style is so smooth, it's like chocolate on the tongue, and it flows so sweetly and is easy to digest. Please share, I am a willing pupil. :)alicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02699734825484266916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34178755.post-14183776596924334522008-05-19T22:18:00.000-05:002008-05-19T22:18:00.000-05:00Thanks guys! Oooh! Chicken feathers! All I can fin...Thanks guys! <BR/><BR/>Oooh! Chicken feathers! All I can find here belong to wild Turkeys. Really wild Turkeys . . .Mary O. Paddockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04097124493453341534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34178755.post-31941287064708053302008-05-19T16:41:00.000-05:002008-05-19T16:41:00.000-05:00Take a deep breath and go for it, Mary!Take a deep breath and go for it, Mary!Debbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09531125606268748793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34178755.post-20375342835106073902008-05-19T12:49:00.000-05:002008-05-19T12:49:00.000-05:00I don't know if mine would help you, since they're...I don't know if mine would help you, since they're <I>chicken</I> feathers. Good luck.Hal Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17350917997504370743noreply@blogger.com