Wind-down Wednesday

Hope everyone's Wednesday's are going superbly. A lot's been happening this week, and I'm getting in the swing of things again (well, actually trying to keep up with everything... surprisingly I'm able to).

This week I've been able to:

1. Pass my last subject from last semester, English (I learnt the valuable lesson of backing up files, or computers are totally useless when the file corrupts so it didn't end up in my tutors in box and then the computer crashes... just my luck).
2. A new semester has started, and I've vowed that I'm going to try this semester... hey, I passed an assignment I didn't even try hard at and I didn't hand in all of the components of it... imagine what I could have gotten if I'd tried.
3. Keep ahead with my critique group.

Well, the one thing I haven't been able to do a lot of is actual writing... I need to work on that.

Here's a couple of blogfests that are happening on the blogosphere:

1. The blogfest of Death hosted over at Tessa's blurb on the 18th July
2. And, don't forget about mine which is happening tomorrow, 8th July. A good chance to show off your minor characters.

So, how's everyone's day going (or week)?

And, to leave everyone, I've found one of the old Looney Tunes cartoons on YouTube. I've always wanted to see it, it's the legendary moment where Wile-E-Coyote finally catches Roadrunner.

Wind-down Wednesday

Well, a lot has hasn't happened this week. I have no uni, pretty much no work and I'm going to visit my sister and father next Monday/Tuesday (yay, 12 hours on a train... sounds like fun) to temperatures that don't even reach double digits (that's celcius).

Apart from doing a bit of very late spring cleaning, I did promise myself I'll get stuck into my writing... unfortunately I rediscovered my love of books (and since I've got over 10 unread books on my shelves) and I've been reading constantly... oh well, let's hope I can start writing a bit before the week ends.

So, here's what's been happening in the blogosphere this week:

1. The Querytracker blog had a great post on "how to grab an agent's attention in a query letter."
2. Also at the Querytracker blog they also addressed how long manuscripts should be.

The Blogfests happening this week are:

1. Breaking the rules Blogfest on the 18th June, hosted by Elizabeth Mueller.
2. Bad Boy Blogfest on the 20th June, hosted by Tina Lynn over at Sweet Nibblets.

And, lucky last, there was a great announcement this week about an online writers convention, WriteOnCon, taking place on August 10-12. The wonderful people setting it up are (and they also have contests that they're running in conjunction with it as well):

1. Elana Johnson
2. Lisa & Laura Roecker
3. Casey McCormick
4. Jamie Harington
5. Shannon Messenger

 Well, I hope you all have a great day. To leave you all, here's the trailer for the book that's got me so enthralled that I simply can't put it down. It's The Rise of Renegade X from debut YA author, Chelsea M. Campbell.

Wind-down Wednesday

What a wonderful Wednesday it is. It was gloomy and rainy and still we had to go to sports, so I ended up standing (shivering) under the little shelter while watching crazy kids slip and slide while trying to play touch football.

But, on the bright side, I've only got two more days left at school and I think I'm winning... the kids are FINALLY starting to listen to me.

To start off such a wonderful day I would like to thank Slushpile Slut for awarding me with the Beautiful Blogger Award

And, I would love to pass it on to:

• Deb Salisbury
• Annie Mcmahon
• Mary Macdonald
• Laura B Diamond
• Kurt Chambers

Now for the fun. Every day it seems like the amount of contests and blogfests just keep expanding. This week some of the new contests that have appeared are:

• Nathan Bransford is holding a contest in honour of Rock Paper Tiger. He's holding a chase/action scene contest. All you have to do is post your most exciting chase or action scene in the comments of the contest post. Here's a chance to win a critique from the man himself or even a 10 minute phone conversation with him.
• Ink in All Forms is giving away a fab YA giveaway full of all the things you'll need to kill some hours reading.
• Writer's Alley is holding a fantastic giveaway of books and critiques. All you have to do is create a caption or flash story to the picture shown in the post.

I also can't forget about the fantastic blogfests that are taking place this week:

• Amelia T. is hosting the Dreamsequence Blogfest on June 4th
• Rachel Bateman is hosting the Beach Scene Blogfest on June 5th
• Mary Macdonald is hosting the Terror Tuesday Blogfest on June 8th
• And, don't forget about mine Tales from the Sidelines for all the minor characters out there (set for the date July 8th)

 Wow, there seems to be so much happening at the moment, so make sure you all jump in and have some fun. Hope everyone has a great Wednesday.

Wind-down Wednesday

Boy, is it another Wednesday already? And, I almost forgot to post... don't you hate it when life becomes so hectic that you can't remember if you've done things or not, well that's me at the moment.
So, there's a lot of things happening on the blogosphere at the moment:

• Congratulations to Elana Johnson who received a publishing deal from Simon Pulse, I definitely can't wait to read Control Issues when it's published. It sounds like a great book. Elana's also running a massive week of competitions where she's giving away not only 1, but 2 packages a day. So, go and check her blog out.

Other contests that are out there:

• Zoe, over at No letters on my Keyboard, is holding the Ultimate Interview Question contest. The rules is to leave the most imaginative/creative interview question. The winner will be picked randomly and will be interviewed and featured on her blog. Contest ends tomorrow so be quick and enter.
• L. Dianne Wolf is holding a contest for reaching 200 followers. There's lots to win, including books and an Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Contest ends 31st May.
• B. Miller is holding a Pay it Forward contest with gift cards, or something even more special for those already published. There's lots of ways to enter, so check it out.

That's only the contests, but Wait... there's MORE. The blogosphere seems to have exploded with blogfests lately. Here are some of the one's coming out shortly:

• Amalia is holding a Dream Sequence Blogfest on Friday, June 4th.
• Rachel is holding a Beach Sequence Blogfest on Saturday, June 5th
• Halley is holding a Practical Joke Blogfest on Wednesday, June 9th
• Slushpile Slut is holding a Next Top Title Blogfest on Saturday, June 12th

Be sure to check out and participate in all the fun that these blogfest's hold.

Also, don't forget about my little one for the minor character which is taking place on Thursday 8th July.

I hope you have a great week.

Wind-down Wednesday

Boy, the Lets Talk blogfest was fun yesterday, and now it's another Wednesday. Who doesn't need a mid-week wind-down? I know I definitely do.

So far this week I've:

• Submitted my second last assignment (hey, I even had half an hour to spare... I'm doing good).
• Passed an exam (since I decided that last minute studying and didn't open my books till the night before the exam that's fantastic).
• Discovered 15 year olds *gasp* "Don't like to read"... how to teach them about a book if they won't read it is beyond me.
• Decided to finally get started with my new superheroes novel. At the moment it's got the most original name in the world... "Heroes" (memo to self: I definitely need to change that).
• And figured out there's not enough hours in the day (also, you need more than 4-5 hours sleep to be able to stay awake in a Maths class... I don't think a teacher falling asleep in the back of the class will look good).

 There are plenty of contests out on the blogosphere at the moment:

• A new website called the League of Extraordinary Writers, established by a group of debut authors who write Science Fiction and Distopian YA novels is giving away a prize pack that consists of signed books, bookmarks and magnets.
• Kathy Bradey over at Once Upon a Time in Writer Land is giving away several Amazon gift certificates.
• Creepy Query Girl is holding a Spoof Query Contest in which a 30 page critique is up for grabs. All you have to do is query for an already established book or movie, but with one catch. You have to write a query the worst possible way. Use everything you've learnt shouldn't be done.

Well, I hope everyone's Wednesday is going great guns. As a finishing note I'll leave you with another funny video I found by the author of Sisters Red, Jackson Pearce.

Wind-down Wednesday

Well, another Wednesday has come, and this time I definitely need the wind down. Within a week I've entered final weeks of uni, so I've already sat a test (that I hope I've picked the answers according to the one who's marking the paper because it seems that out of the two tutors there could be two very different answers), frantically trying to find time to finish my assignments, started teaching (well, trying to) a couple of English classes, all the time while I'm still trying to work... so, this is a perfect time for some necessary R&R... since I don't have much time, I've given myself the night off to watch Masterchef while curled up in bed.

So, around on the blogosphere there are always plenty of contests to sink ones teeth into, here's just a small selection of those:

• The Book Pixie has prize pack of books to give away. The contest will finish 16th May. All you need to do is fill out the form, and also be a follower of the blog. There's just a slight catch, you need to have a US mailing address to win.
• Steph Bowe is giving away a $20 gift card to an online boutique in America called Mode 5. All that's required is to fill in a little form. Contest ends 26th May.
• Miss Snark has also announced May's Secret Agent Contest. For all those that don't know, you submit the first 250 words of a "Complete" Manuscript and it is judged by an agent that isn't announced until after the contest. This contest is open to YA, middle grade and chapter books. The contest opens 17th May and opens at 12 noon and closes at 2pm or when they fill the 25 slots (which usually happens within 10 minutes of opening so be quick).

 Also, there's a lot of blogfests happening all over the place. There's one happening next Tuesday, the "Let's talk" blogfest in which you select the best piece of dialogue from your manuscript. To sign up simply go to Fiction Groupie and you'll find the links.

And, now something to leave you on. I thought this video was great, and something that we all wished were that easy. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday.

Wind-down Wednesday

To start off another wonderful Wednesday I would love to thank the wonderful Creepy Query Girl for giving me the Beautiful Blogger Award.

The fantastic bloggers I'm going to be passing it on to are:

• Shannon O'donnell
• Lydia Kang
• Justine Dell
• Stina Lindenblatt
• Elana Johnson

And, now for the fun. There are a lot of contests happening out there at the moment:

• Lisa and Laura is holding a contest for a book giveaway of Picture the Dead.
• Shooting Stars is holding another book giveaway.
• Casey McCormick is giving away a copy of Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls
• Jessica Brody is holding a contest to giveaway a Flip Video Camera to celebrate the release of her YA book, Karma Code. The only catch is you need a US or Canadian postal address.

I would also like to congratulate Cole Gibson. She has received an announcement in Publisher's Weekly that her novel, Katana will be published. That's great news, and I can't wait to read it.

And, to leave everyone on this bright day, here's the trailer for Jessica Brody's Karma Club. I can't wait to read it because it sounds like a great book.

Wind-down Wednesday

To start off with the post today, I would like to thank Lydia Kang for giving me the awesomesauce award.

I would like to pass it on to:

• Annie at Dutch Hill News
• Kerri at Craft Junky
• Angela at Watcher's Daughter
• Creepy Query Girl
• Stina at Seeking Creative

Okay, now that's out of the way I've decided to change up Wind-down Wednesday's and now it will feature contests and other interesting and amusing links that I've seen out there in the blogosphere.

To start off with, there are numerous contests available out there at the moment:

• http://writinginthewilderness.blogspot.com/2010/04/tgif-and-contest.html - The prizes that are up for grabs are three gift cards. One for $20 and two for $15 from either Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Borders, winners choice. All you have to do is comment on the post to enter, plus there's other ways of getting more entries.
• Steph Bowe has a contest over at her blog. She's having a massive book give away with lots of great books up on offer. All you have to do is fill in a simple entry form (piece of cake).
• Noelle Nolan has a contest called the 150 follower contest and it's not going to close until she has 150 followers. Up for grabs is a $10 Amazon gift card and all you have to do is follow her, plus there's extra entries available as well.
• Steena & Stina is having a contest for a query critique. All you have to do to enter is be a follower as well as fill in an entry form.

Interesting links for the week:

• For anyone who likes horoscopes, Paperback Writer has created one especially for writers.
• Here is a post, over at Hyperbole and a Half, that screams they are irritated by the word "alot" appearing in Manuscripts.

 And just to wrap up another perfect day, here is a trailer of the movie Beastly. It looks killer, and now I just want to read the book before going and watching it:

Wind-down Wednesday

“I really wish I was less of a thinking man and more of a fool not afraid of rejection.”

Billy Joe, Singer and songwriter

I just love musicals (yeah, I know. I'm sappy like that). And, I felt this song was a fantastic song to represent what writers are like. I like to believe you learn more from rejections and mistakes than you do if you got that "yes" (even though that one "yes" would be absolutely fantastic and I would take it over a rejection any day). If you can get back up, learn from the mistake and try again, that will only make you stronger. We writers are all survivors who will pursue through all conditions (dare I say it... through sleet and rain) until we achieve our goals.

Just remember that it's okay to scream every now and again. If you're embarrassed to out in public, then go to a theme park and ride a thrill ride... that'll give you the opportunity. And, don't forget to give yourself at least some time to relax and catch your breath. Hope everyone's Wednesday is going good.

Wind-down Wednesday

Well, I hope everyone's having a good Wednesday... I've decided I'm taking the day of, so I've been writing. Hey, that's what I do when I need a bit of relaxation. I've found a song today because I love the message of the song (and I absolutely loved it in Glee), and in honour of the return of Glee... I'm hoping it comes down to Australia shortly though... here's Defying Gravity from Rachel and Kurt.

I love how the song is about not listening to what people say you can't do, but rather finding out your own limits and anything's possible if you only try. So, that's going to be my motto.

'My limit's my own.'

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the day.

Wind-down Wednesday

Today I thought I'll keep with the theme of writing, after all, it's what we do. And, the clips I found comes from none other than the Simpsons (who doesn't love the Simpsons?)

Well, everyone have a fantastic Wednesday. I hope everyone's week hasn't been too stressful, and just remember to allow yourself to unwind every now and again.

Wind-down Wednesday

Another Wednesday and what's not to celebrate and relax for? I've got a whole week off uni, my baby sis is coming up on Sunday and I actually have time to get back into writing, which I've been neglecting lately because I've figured out there's not enough hours in the day (still petitioning to get some more).

So, this week I found up on the fabulous YouTube a little Monty Python sketch which should be an interesting viewing.

Also, for anyone that loves good old super hero movies they should check this out when it premieres (I'm pretty sure it's the 8th here and 16th in US). I was lucky enough to get into an Advanced Screening and I've got a new hero... Hit Girl, she's just great.