Teaser Tuesday - Which Teaser Is Mine?

Teaser 1: 

His keen blue eyes narrowed slightly, and then she saw him lick his lower lip. She had trouble breathing. It struck her how handsome he would be if he ever allowed himself to smile, and then naturally, she felt her own lips begin to curve, encouraging him.

Teaser 2:

He could feel her warm tears on his cheek and he buried his face in her hair. She felt so small and fragile wrapped in his strong arms. What have I done, he thought pulling her closer. He could feel her heart beating next to his. He'd spent too many lonely years holding people at a distance and now he never wanted to let her go.

One of these teasers is mine and one comes from the YA Dystopian I'm currently reading called Birth Marked by Caragh M. O'Brien. The male love interest in this book is similar to the one in my WIP, in looks and personality - so I thought I'd use a teaser from my book too  - can you tell which one is mine?

Back To Basics

 "Write without pay until someone offers to pay."~ Mark Twain

Kurt Vonnegut's 8 basics for Creative Writing:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964). She broke practically every one of my(Vonnegut's) rules but the first. Great writers tend to do that.

I'm not sure I agree or will follow all those rules, but it is a good place to start. You have to know the rules before you can break them.

A few basics of my own:

1. Write at least one page everyday - except Sunday. Even God rested on the 7th day.
2. Eat before you start and have something to drink nearby.
3. Take a walk - it clears your mind and helps you focus.
4. Pray
5. Be Clear

Another Gathering of Awesome Writers

I feel so privileged to be apart of the writing community in general and this group of women in particular. Thursday night we gathered at the home of Nichole Giles and enjoyed much eating and much talking of writing and life. There's nothing like hanging out with a group of like minded people. If you're a writer and you've never gathered with other writers, I highly recommend that you do it. The writing community in Utah is so supportive and full of fabulous people and writers and I'm grateful I'm apart of it.

If you're not sure how to meet writer peeps here's some ideas:

1. Writer's Conferences - I've met so many awesome people by going to a conference.
2. Blogging - if you're reading this you obviously blog, but as you blog look for people who live in your state and become as friendly with them as possible.
3.Go to book launches and book signings. Not only is this a good way to meet your favorite authors, but you get to meet like minded people and it's also fun. Authors want their books to do well so they put on a great party to get you there.
4. Start or join a crit group. I have an on-line crit group and I've had a few who meet in person.
5. Host a gathering of writers. The first time I got to together with this awesome group of writers I only knew a few of them. Now they are all my writer peeps.


The main reason I suggest getting to know other writers is because of the support you get. We are all at different writing levels, but whether you're already a published author or a newbie - we all need support to keep going. It's also so much fun to be with people who understand us.

 A big thank you to our hosts - Elana Johnson and Nichole Giles

Do any of you have more suggestions on how to meet other writers?

It's My Birthday and I'm...

It’s never too late to be who you might have been. —George Eliot  

It's my birthday and I'm a late bloomer. Are you one too? I'm one of those people who've spent their life not really knowing what I wanted to be when I grow up. This may shock some of you, but I never dreamed or wanted or thought I had even a smidgen of talent to be a writer. I only wrote when I had to for school. 

Through my adult years I found myself more and more getting lost in novels and I started to wonder what it takes for a person to write such amazing books. I began studying authors who have written many books over the course of their lives and I enjoyed seeing the progress and change that came to these authors. As I did this a tiny inkling of a desire to write awoke in my heart.

Five years went by before I actually tried to write, but that desire was smoldering and growing within me. It wasn't until a few years ago though, after the birth of my third child that a friend encouraged me to write. At the time I was suffering with depression and was grasping at anything that might pull me out of it. Writing is what saved me and gave me a reawakening. I feel as though I've been given the gift of a second chance to do something special with my life. 

Here's a short list of some famous late bloomers:

1. Rodney Dangerfield - He sold aluminum siding for years while he struggled as a writer and comedian. He didn’t get his first big break until he was 42.
2. Al Jarreau - The famous jazz vocalist didn’t release his first album until he was 38.
3. Julia Child - Her first book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was published when she was 49. Her television debut came a few years later when she was in her early 50s.
4. Charles Bukowski - The famous novelist/poet worked at the post office for years. He was 49 when his first book was published.
5. Laura Ingalls Wilder - Her first book, Little House in the Big Woods came out when she was 65. It was the first of her 8-volume Little House series.
6. Stan Lee - He was in his early 40s when he created Spider-Man and most of his other legendary superheroes. His partner, artist Jack Kirby, started drawing The Fantastic Four when he was 44.
7. Colonel Sanders - Didn’t franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 65.
8. Robert Duvall - He was 40 when he acted in The Godfather.
9. Raymond Chandler - The famous novelist published his first short story at age 45. His first book, The Big Sleep, came out when he was 51.
10. Buckminster Fuller - The visionary architect and inventor didn’t truly begin his career until he was 32. Instead of committing suicide after going bankrupt and losing his daughter to pneumonia, he decided to conduct “an experiment…to find what a single individual can contribute to changing the world and benefiting all of humanity."

What about you - are you a late bloomer too?  

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