Expressive Hands
I talk with my hands. No I don’t know sign language and no I’m not Italian, even though people have asked me if I am. My hands have a mind of their own and many times I don’t realize what they are doing until I realize the person I’m talking to, is staring at them. My hands will wave and point. Sometimes my palms will go up and my fingers will splay out. Then there are times during stress that my hands will clench and release.
Our hands are probably one of the most expressive parts of our body. They say the eyes are the window to our souls, but our hands can tell people when we are happy, sad, stressed, and angry
Hands can be warm, cold, soft, or rough and calloused. Some hands are small while others are large. There are fat stubby fingers and long slender ones. It’s been said, “Cold hands are a sign of a warm heart.”
I have read that when we write dialogue, our characters should be doing something. When we talk, we don’t just stand there like a statue. If you are talking to me, my hands are all over the place, but not everyone talks with grand gestures. What are your characters doing as they talk to each other? Are their hands clasped behind their back? Is he drumming his fingers on the desk? Maybe she is checking out her manicure.
A tear rolls down his cheek and she gently wipes it away with the tip of her finger.
He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks at the ground.
As you are reading this what are your hands doing? Are they folded in your lap? Maybe you’re tapping on your desk or pulling at that loose thread on your shirt. Scratching, touching, helping, clenching, adjusting our clothes, or running our fingers through our hair, our hands always seem to be doing something.
When we describe our characters we always touch on the obvious. Tall, thin, curvy, dark hair, light skin, etc. But what do your character’s hands say about them?
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Heaven
My Thoughts/Your Thoughts
This post really has nothing to do with writing, but it’s my blog and even though I don’t usually voice my opinions…
I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and I guess it started with Facebook. I have many friends with many different beliefs. Different religions, sexual preferences, etc. They post different things and if I agree with their views I’ll like the post but I don’t always share the post. Am I wrong? If I don’t share the post and put out that I support it, am I being a hypocrite? I’m the type of person that believes, live and let live. You respect my beliefs and I’ll respect yours. I just don’t see any reason to put my beliefs out there just so someone else can come along and argue with me that my beliefs are wrong. Maybe they are, but they are my beliefs.
Which brings me to two blog posts I read this past week and I just have to share my thoughts.
Gabrielle Reece did an interview with US magazine and she said “women should be submissive with their husbands”
Now I’m wondering; submissive how? Like “Fifty Shades of Gray” submissive or maybe only do what he likes to do, go where he likes to go.
Is she sending the wrong message? What happens if he’s abusive? She has a new book out and I haven’t read it so I’m not exactly sure what she means or how submissive a woman should be, but you can read the article here,
And you can find her book, ”My Foot Is Too Big for the Glass Slipper” here,
My thoughts, I think marriage has to be a two-way street.
Okay on to the next topic.
This one has been all over the web. Some support it, others don’t and it boils down to just a matter of opinion and my thoughts of course 
The mother who regrets having children.
I don’t condemn her for not wanting children. Not every person is cut out to be a mom or a dad. What I condemn her…No I don’t condemn her for anything, because it’s not my place to do that, but I do have some things to tell her.
One, don’t blame your children for ruining your life. Blame your husband for wanting kids. No that’s not right either. The only one to blame is yourself. You knew you didn’t want children and yet you compromised. We all have choices to make in this life and we must all live with our decisions and blaming your children, who didn’t ask to be brought into this world, is wrong.
As for free time for yourself…Seems to me you had a lot of that. What with your husband taking care of the kids when he was home and when you went on vacation. Not to mention that, kids do take naps when they are little and eventually they do go to school.
My thoughts, I think that she is still very bitter about her decision and that this is still eating away at her and maybe she should get some counseling. What do you think?
And last but not least. I need help. Ha ha, yes most people who know me will tell you, I definitely need some kind of help.
But that’s not the kind of help I need today. See the little scruffy dog in the featured picture? He showed up at my house on Friday. Alone, scared, hungry, and thirsty and me being a big softy, I have fed him. He’s afraid and won’t come any closer then a foot away from me. Not sure if he was abused and that’s why he is un-trusting or maybe just because he’s been on the streets and people tend to chase stray dogs away. See the other little dog in the picture? That’s my little Duggy, he was running the streets, in fact one of the busiest streets in my city, and the rental car company that I used to work for, had coaxed him into the office and had called the pound to come pick him up and I just happened to stop by and say hello and this little dog came out from behind the counter and jumped up on my lap…Well that was three years ago. I also have my Mitzy, whom I’ve had since 2003. I don’t need another dog fighting over who gets to sleep on my lap and yet…
I have been getting flak about encouraging it to hang around and that was not my intentions, but I can’t let an animal go hungry.
Do I gain it’s trust and then call the pound? Do I just quit feeding it and hope it goes away? So what do I do? What would you do?
Well that’s my thoughts and dilemmas for today. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Guess I should bake my oldest son a cake, since it is his birthday today
Hugs to all.
I’m Unstuck!
Well maybe not. Just thought I should pop in and say, Hello!
I thought we could talk about what’s been going on.
What? You say you want to know how the revisions and rewrite is coming along for the first book of Chris’ Journey.
Let’s not talk about that. Or how about books 2 and 3 from Chris’ Journey? Well we won’t discuss that either. Even though I am moving forward on all three.
Maybe we can talk about my 5 book series, “The Reincarnations of A.M.B.E.R. Naw…
What I really should be doing and talking about is my new book “Judged by the Cover”
I have a cover reveal on Bite My Book on the 21st of April and I still haven’t decided when it will be released! Yikes!
(It’s not that I’m not working on all of these, I am, in my head. I am just having a hard time finding the motivation to sit down at the computer and type them up.)
So…What I really want to talk about today is, “Being Challenged”
Not sure that’s worded right, but my meaning is; I believe we all need a challenge to continue moving forward in everything we do in our lives. Give me a mountain to climb, a hurdle to jump over, or an obstacle or detour to go around. I like to be challenged. I want to keep moving forward with my writing. So…
I have started turning the first book of Chris’ Journey into a screenplay. Now you may ask, “Have I ever written a screenplay? Do I even know how to write a screenplay? And the answer is no and no, but I am learning!
By writing a screenplay, it is also helping me to see where I need to make revisions to the book. I look at it as a way to grow, a way to move forward, and a challenge I can’t resist.
What do you do to challenge yourself? Have you ever thought about writing a screenplay? Don’t know where to begin?
Checkout http://www.screenwriting.info/
And I really liked this one http://www.oscars.org/awards/nicholl/scriptsample.pdf
And did you know you can download script writing software for free. I am using Celtx
Here’s to challenges! Go climb that mountain and jump over those hurdles! I challenge you to be the best you can be.
Happy Sunday Everyone!
Reviewing The Tube Riders
Not yet…But I am halfway through. This is a long book. 613 pages. It starts out a little slow, but that’s just to set the scene. Once I was past that...Wow! I have been on the most Amazing roller coaster ride of my life! There are twists and turns and ups and downs, and loop da loops! I am fully invested in the characters. I’m rooting for Switch and even have a soft spot for Dreggo. Not sure how many stars I will give it when I’m finished (depends on how it turns out ) But right now it’s looking like a five star. If you’d like to jump on this roller coaster with me, pick up The Tube Riders by Chris Ward and ride the trains with “The Tube Riders“
And check out “The Passive Voice” for a great post about “to review or not to review”
http://www.thepassivevoice.com/03/2013/to-review-or-not-to-review-that-is-the-question/
I’m Stuck…
No, it’s not writer’s block! I refuse to have writer’s block! No, No, No!
It’s just the words won’t come…. It’s just a bump in the road…It’s….
I stare at the empty page. Or maybe the page has lots of words, but I can’t see them…
Yeah! Maybe that’s it. They are invisible. So…
I’ve been reading and reading and reading…UGH!
Even writing reviews, of what I’ve read, are hard to find the words to say what I feel.
And it’s not like the stories aren’t there. I talk to my characters. I ask them, “Where do you want to go from here? What do you want to say?” And we have these long conversations and yet…The words just aren’t getting from my Brilliant Scatterbrained mind to the paper.
We do a word prompt at my local writer’s group. This past meeting the prompt was, “What are you looking for?” And I had no problem with that one. The homework one on the other hand…“Two hours went by and he/she wasn’t there.” And I’m drawing a blank. No creative spark. No…
I like the people in my writer’s group. They are coming up on their 4 year anniversary. (I just recently joined and have been to 4 meetings) But most of them write non-fiction and I’m a fiction writer. It was brought up at the last meeting are you happy with the group the way it is, or would you like to see some changes? Critiquing was pretty much out-voted. The basic theme of the group, which is called, Writers helping writers, is we do a word prompt, then we do another exercise, and then we read our stories from the last meeting’s homework prompt. There are pats on the back. Good job comments and that’s about it. I want more! I want to be challenged. I want someone to say, “You should have said this, or maybe you could write it this way. I want to move forward. I want to challenge others! I want to be the best I can be and I want to help you be the best you can be.
That said…I’m stuck…I have been writing a blog post about, Chris’ Journey the first book, and even that I’m stuck on. LOL
So I have been reading. Reading help books. Reading other blogs. Reading the books that were shared in my blog series, “Judging a Book by its Cover” and writing short reviews.
Here are two blog posts I read this morning. The first one is about famous writer’s tips on overcoming writer’s block.
And the second one is about self-doubt, struggles, and The Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
http://ascenicroute.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/iwsg-embracing-the-turtle/
And here are two of the help books, I have been reading. The first one, I have read more than once. It is “250 Things you should know about Writing” written by Chuck Wendig. A word of caution. Chuck writes with humor and some of that humor is rated G, and some is PG, and then there is R, and maybe even some X-rated thoughts. So if you have virgin ears, er…virgin eyes, then this book is not for you, but he does give some great tips!
“The Little Red Writing Book” by Brandon Royal
Well I am off! I have a beta read to finish this morning and another short story to finish and write the review on Amazon, and then maybe…I can get unstuck
Happy Monday everyone and enjoy your week!
I just finished reading this blog post and wanted to share the link. It’s titled “In The Corner– Writing exercise” Check it out!
Review of The Adventures of Cecilia Spark- The Brimstone Forest
Dragons, Witches, and a Talking mouse. Oh my!
Reading “The Adventures of Cecilia Spark” by Ngaire Elder, brought back wonderful childhood memories of the books I read growing up.
Cecilia is a ten year old girl with a big imagination. With dragon cookies and juice in her backpack, Cecilia and her dog Flurry set off to the backyard on a bug hunting adventure, never guessing that instead of bugs, she would get captured by a wicked witch who owns a mean scary dragon. Who will save her? Get your copy of The Adventures of Cecilia Spark and find out.
Ngaire did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of an imaginary world and a little girl’s big imagination.
This is a great book for kids, ages 9 to 12.
Well, I am currently reading 2 more books from “Judging a Book By it’s Cover” So not sure which one will get reviewed next
Review for “The Door on The Left”
When I did a call out for authors to share their book covers for my blog series, “Judging a Book by its Cover” Vonda shared the first book in her new series. Now I don’t normally read erotic (blushing) books. Phew! Is it hot in here or is it just me…? Anyone have a fan? Could you turn it on?
Karen closes her eyes and lets the breeze cool her beet red checks and murmurs, “Thank you. Must be my hot flashes.” 
Vonda Norwood is a funny and talented writer. “ The Door on The Left” is the second book I have read from her and I find that it is Vonda’s humor that makes her characters fun to read and realistic. I enjoyed the story and yes there is a storyline and not just sex. There were a few typos, but they didn’t take away from the overall flow of the story. I was a bit dismayed by the ending though, but then being a romance writer I’m always looking for a happily ever after, but it does end in a happy for now. Which is understandable being that it is the first book in a series. I do have to say, “ The Door On The Left” is for adults only.
If you like erotica, humor, and a great story, with fun and passionate characters, I recommend “The Door on the Left”
Pick up your e-book copy here and I am waiting patiently for book two to come out. (Tapping fingers on desk wondering if the fan has a speed setting of extra high.)
And with that…
Tomorrow I will be reviewing, “ The Adventures of Cecilia Spark – the Brimstone Forest” written by Ngaire Elder
My Review of “Cops, Crooks, & Other Stories in 100 Words”
Mark is another one of the authors who shared his book cover with us on my blog series, Judging a Book by its Cover.
I have to give Mark a thumbs up! Writing is hard no matter what you write, but try writing a story, with a beginning, a middle and an end in only 100 words and he did it! Now that’s tight writing.
Each story was unique and different. Some made me smile, while others made me chuckle. And then there were the ones that had a twist and a surprise ending.
If you only have a few minutes of time to read, Pick up the e-book here. I guarantee you won’t want to put it down.
Now for My Daily Numeroscope: I’m a One, by the way.
THURSDAY, MAR 7, 2013
Share with friends:
When is the last time you picked up a novel? Reading regularly can be the quickest and surest way to continuously add to your knowledge base. Even if an entire novel can’t hold your interest, a collection of short stories may bring much to you. A busy lifestyle can see many people forget to engage in this pleasure, but a 7-Day like this can remind you of the benefits. Consider picking up something to delve into today.
And with that, my next review will be for “Erotic The Door On The Left” by Vonda Norwood, which I will post tomorrow!
Thoughts on Series
I was reading Emily Guido’s post titled, “The Next Big Thing” And you can find her post here…
For those that don’t know, Emily is the author of “The Light-Bearer” series.
And Alastair asked, “How do you carry on the story across novels?”
It’s easy. Most novels have a beginning, middle, and an end. Yes, they lived happily ever after, done. But did they? Even though you think your story is done and most stories have the characters ending their story when they are in, let’s say their thirties, Does that mean life just stops for them? It doesn’t for us, so why should it for our beloved characters? Even after Stephen King wrote “The End” for his Dark Tower series, he still had a story to tell in, “The Wind Through The Keyhole” Which was a story within a story, within a story But it was like touching base with old friends and seeing what they were up to.
Take one of the characters from one of your books and create a new adventure for them. Or how about making a separate story for one of your minor characters. A spinoff so to speak.
Take “Chris’ Journey Turning Different Corners” for example. In the first book of Chris’ journey starts out when she’s 12 and takes her to the age of 22. In book one she meets Sue, who becomes her best friend, but book 1, as well as books 2, 3, and 4, are about Chris’ life, even though Sue is in all 4 books, the story doesn’t really talk about Sue’s life before she met Chris, so that’s one option.
The reason I decided to make Chris’ Journey a series is because I wrote the 4th book first as a stand alone and when I was finished, I found that there were questions that could be answered if I wrote books 1, 2, and 3.
What makes you decide to make your stand alone novel into a series?
