I literally can't take it anymore.

Let's talk grammar.

I'm no expert.  I haven't taken a class on it since the 9th grade.  (You'd think it'd be a requisite for folks studying writing in college, but no.)  Still, there are some grammar blunders that drive me nutty.  (Not literally.)

their/they're/there
literally
apostrophes

Those are at the top of my list.  (Literally.)

I recently discovered grammar comics at The Oatmeal and had to share.  The creator explains grammar rules, among other subjects, in comic form.  Two of my grammar peeves (you know, instead of pet peeves) have already been covered.

They're informative and clever.  Literally check them out here.  

Do you have any grammar peeves?  What about when people misuse saw/seen?  Ugh—that drives me nuts too.  (Again, not literally.)

Determination.

I have the weirdest cat.

She will cram herself into any box that she can find.

Whether or not she actually fits into it is so beside the point.

At least she is determined.  I could use more of that.

I like the plot and hate the execution.

Ouch!  Read Rachelle's post for more fun manuscript rejections.

Lots of goodies this week.


Deadly Sin of Writing #5—P.O.V. Prostitution by Kristen Lamb

Top Ten Reasons to Become a Writer by Kristen Lamb  (Not really helpful, but it brings the funny.)

Think YOU Don't like Pass Letters? by Rachelle Gardner  (Make sure to read the postscript.)

Two Signs of Overwriting and Why It's a Problem by Mary Kole

A Method in the Madness:  Outlining As You Write by Jody Hedlund

Dialogue as Weapon by James Scott Bell

Plot vs. Character—Which Side are You On? by Laura Drake  (Contains some helpful plotting tools.)

Cheat of the week:  The Doctor is in the House—Novel Diagnostics by Kristen Lamb

Favorite things 2.

I finally got around to taking photos of more favorite things around this joint.  It only took me two months.  See here for the first installment.

A 1920s typewriter.

Part of my 1930s-50s seltzer bottle collection. 

An antique dough bowl.

The seltzer bottles and the dough bowl live in the kitchen, but there is no natural light in there so I pulled them out to get some decent photos.

Yes, obviously I love old things, since that's all these posts have consisted of so far.  I like to shop, but I only do it about once a month because it's mentally draining.  Yet I think I could go antiquing nearly every day and not get tired of it.

Do you have any items in your house that you're particularly attached to?  And is it sad that I often have nightmares about a fire sweeping through and destroying all of my pretties?  Yes?  Ok, then.

Milestone.

I've made it to 50 posts.  Well, to 50 published posts at least.  There are a few half-written drafts that you're probably better off not being subjected to.

As it's Writer Wednesday I thought I'd commission (moi) a limerick to commemorate this momentous occasion.  (No, I haven't been drinking.  Although I am under the influence of high-fructose corn syrup—excuse me, corn sugar—at the moment, so keep that in mind.)

There once lived a blogger named Jill

who found blogging a right bitter pill.

"A limerick," she said,

"Would help clear out my head."

From there it went decidedly downhill.

Ha.  Ok, I actually enjoy blogging most of the time even though it still doesn't feel entirely authentic yet.

I'm honestly surprised I've made it this far.  Maybe it's time I actually start letting people know that I have a blog?  

Or should I just wait 'til 100?  That limerick will probably be better.

Or not.  Remember this post?  

Backstory and rules as tools.

Deadly Sin of Writing #4 -- Beware the Bog of Backstory by Kristen Lamb

Guinea Pig Diaries:  Little Darlings Anonymous by Kirsten Lamb and Piper Bayard (Hilarious, yet instructive.)

Being Psychotherapist to your MC by Lisa Turner

Writing Rules are Just Tools by Rachelle Gardner  (I especially appreciate this one.)

I have another Cheat of the Week, this one worse than the last because not only is it not from this week, but it's not even from this year.  But hey, it's James Scott Bell and I love him. Plus, it's just as relevant as it was last year; one should hope.

Cheat of the Week:  The Great Backstory Debate by James Scott Bell  (The comments are great too.)

The cast of characters, Part Two.

The parade of characters continues with those we meet in the Special World of my middle grade fantasy series (book one).  If you haven't met the characters from the Ordinary World yet, read Part One first.  If you have no idea what the heck I'm even babbling on about then you definitely need to read part one.

Remember that I picked actors based on look and vibe, not so much on the kind of actor they are or any roles they've played.  I'm not sure about a few of them and they may change.

Here they are, the characters introduced in the Special World, in order of appearance:

Oren.  An innkeeper.  Kind, matter-of-fact.  Oren provides the information Kate needs to uncover the truth about her father's disappearance.

Fiona, 17.  Superficial and temperamental.  At Oren's request, Fiona arrives to guide the trio (Kate, Oliver, and Justin) through the Special World, but her motives are called into question when she disappears herself.

Aiden, 20.  Leader of the military.  Straight arrow, loyal.  Aiden and the other members of the military are sent to stop the trio.  

Kieran.  Controlling, unkind.  Regardless of his obvious dislike for the trio, Kieran is in charge of determining their fate.

Daig.  Revolutionary, passionate.  Daig offers to help the trio out of a tight spot if they'll help him with a dangerous task in return.

Hetty.  Knowledgeable, a rescuer.  Hetty provides the trio with safe haven.

Hazel, 13.  Hetty's ward.  Lacks confidence, brainy.  Hazel's life hangs in the balance and it is up to Hetty and the trio to save her.

Elspeth.  Easy to confide in, protective.  Elspeth jumps to the trio's aid by defying Kieran.

Eveyn.  Steadfast, melancholy.  Just when it seems that Kate may succeed in saving Hazel and making it back home with her family intact, Eveyn sends it all crashing down.

There are actually many more characters, but I decided to only include those most important in the first book.

I realize that some of the character descriptions are vague, but I didn't want to give away too much plot.  Again, it's learning to find that balance between what I should share here and what I shouldn't.

Btw, if any of the actors look different (in either part) it's probably because I photoshopped some of them to look more like the characters they're portraying.  We could turn it into a game called Which Body Parts Did Jill Photoshop.  5 points for every part you get right.  Minus 5 points for every one you get wrong.  If you make it to 50 points you win a free iPad.  ;-)

The cast of characters, Part One.

I recently blogged about how I've worked on my fantasy series off and on for over a decade. The characters have been hanging out in my head for so long I think I've got a good grasp on them.  It's odd then that I've never collected photos of actors I think they'd resemble.

I decided it was time that I did that.  And I might as well share.

I'm always a little nervous to post anything about work I'd like to publish, but after skimming other writers' blogs it looks like I'm safe to introduce characters.  You'll never catch me posting chapters though, or even a paragraph.

I'm splitting this parade of characters into two parts.  Part One will include those that we meet in the Ordinary World (Refer to The Hero's Journey.) and Part Two will include those we meet in the Special World.

Keep in mind that I picked actors based on look and vibe, not so much on the kind of actor they are or any roles they've played.

That said, here are the characters in the first book of my middle grade fantasy series, starting with the main trio and then going in order of appearance:

Kate Greenley, 14.  Serious and responsible beyond her years, has a hard time relating to her peers.  Startling information about her father's disappearance forces Kate to act rashly.

Justin Greenley, 10.  Thoughtful and trusting.  It's clear that Justin is not as innocent as he seems when Kate discovers he knows more about their father's disappearance then he's let on.

Oliver Gregory-Greer, 14.  Kate's best friend.  Charming, a prankster.  Convinces Kate to let him tag along on the mission to find her father.

Roger Greenley.  Kate and Justin's father.  Absent-minded, depends on Kate to help run the household.  A visit from a mysterious stranger leads to Roger's disappearance.

Grace Greenley.  Roger's older sister.  Means well, but smothering and emotional.  Aunt Grace arrives from out of town to look after Kate and Justin when their father disappears.

Stay tuned for Part Two.

Kristen to the rescue.

I suppose I'm making up for not including her in last week's Writer's Round-Up because she's it this time around.

Self-Discipline -- The Key to Success by Kristen Lamb (Not just for writers.)

Spam Toad vs. Author Brand by Kristen Lamb (I don't usually include articles about social media, but this is important info for any writer.)

The Devil is in the Details -- 3 Ways to Make Your Writing Shine by Kristen Lamb

Obstacles.

For those days we consider giving up (and sometimes do):

Brick walls are there for a reason.  The brick walls are not there to keep us out.  The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something.  Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want something badly enough.  They are there to keep out the other people.

~ Randy Pausch

Literary polygamy.

If you've read my blog more than a couple of times you may have noticed that I've had The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay on my sidebar for months.  It's pictured as the book I'm currently reading.  I haven't been a bad blog mommy and forgotten to take it down.  I'm actually still reading it.

No, I'm not a slow reader.  Here's the problem.

I can't manage to read one book at a time anymore.  I've become a literary polygamist.  Eek!

I didn't always have this problem.  I used to be very faithful.  I never read more than one at a time until recently.

Maybe my ADD is worse or maybe I'm too easily excited over shiny new books these days, but whatever the reason I've always got at least three going at the same time, sometimes more.  Today it's five.

So it's taking me much longer to finish a book.

Oh, and the books don't get fair turns.  I've re-read the first two Harry Potters (I'm on number three now) since the last time I picked up Kavalier & Clay.  Hence the reason why the later is still on my sidebar.

The really sad thing is that I've been reading The Omnivore's Dilemma longer.  Months longer.  Even sadder?  It's the last 10 pages that have stumped me.

The order and/or length of a turn doesn't appear to have anything to do with how good a book is either.  Sometimes I just feel like reading this one and other times that one.  *shrug*

The old way was more effective -- I got through more books, faster -- yet I'm having a really hard time making it to the end of a book without being drawn to another.  I've tried reading only one, but except for rare occasions (The Book Thief, Harry Potter (all of them), The Hunger Games (all of them), anything by Toni Morrison), I always end up picking up a second, third, or even fifth book.

This new-ish habit of mine is annoying and I'd love it to stop.  Do they make a patch for those similarly afflicted?  Or maybe classical conditioning would work.  I've got a bell.

An uplift of a moment.

How do we create one in our manuscripts?  Read Donald Maass' article below.

(Pssst.  Read the others too.)

Why Are So Many Writers Plagued With Insecurities by Jody Hedlund

Describing Appearances:  Moving Beyond Eye and Hair Color by Jody Hedlund

The Comeback by Donald Maass  (Should be read again and again.)

The First Sentence as an Amuse-Bouche by Therese Walsh

Fearing the ordinary.

It took J. R. R. Tolkien more than a decade to write The Lord of the Rings.  Admittedly, the process involved creating new languages and building world histories from scratch while working a demanding full-time academic job, but still.  It took him more than a decade.

My middle grade fantasy series isn't a literary masterpiece, nor will it likely sell 150+ million copies if (when!) it's published, but it's nice to know that slow doesn't necessarily mean aimless.  I see so many writers fly through their manuscripts in two or three months and I wonder if I'm going about this all wrong.  

The idea for my series came to me years before Stephanie Meyer dreamt about a girl in love with a vampire.  Or before I'd ever picked up a Harry Potter.  It was eleven years ago that I had this flash of an idea which grew into the beginnings of a story and soon spread to this vast weighty thing that's been thundering around inside my brain ever since.  There are some days it takes up so much space it's all I can think about.  

Then why isn't it finished?  After eleven years?  If time was the only consideration not only would the entire series be done, but Warner Brothers would be on the fourth film by now, if we were to imagine it on that level.  I've had the time.

Here's the thing.  Any book I write will never be as literary as LOTR, as beloved as Harry Potter, as infatuating as Twilight (that, I don't mind), as clever as A Series of Unfortunate Events, etc.  So what's the hurry to write it?  It could never be anything more than ordinary when compared to the greats and I fear the ordinary.

But here's the other thing.  There's nothing wrong with ordinary if that's the best I've got. Ordinary is better than unfinished.

And while we're at it, there's nothing wrong with being slow either.  So long as I'm not just fearing the ordinary.

Okay, maybe I'm fearing the ordinary just a little.

Do you Pinterest?

If you don't you should really get on board.  

What is it?  I'll let Pinterest explain.

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard.  It lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.  Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people.  Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people that share your interests.

When I first heard about Pinterest several months ago I didn't understand how it's supposed to be better than an image hosting service.  After all, you can organize those too. 

Ha!  O ye of little imagination...  There's this nifty little tool called a pinlet that you download onto your toolbar.  Anytime you come across an image you'd like to save you click the pinlet, select which image you want and which Pinterest pinboard you want to save it onto, write a description, and then you're set.  

The best part about Pinterest, for me?  The pinlet also stores the source links for the images.  So say you see a pair of shoes that you want.  Pin a photo of the shoes onto one of your boards and then anytime you go to that photo you will also see where the photo came from.  

This comes in extra handy for recipes.  I have a food board.  I click on the photo of the creamed avocado and lime chilled pasta.  Then I click on the source and it'll take me right to the recipe!  (Which, btw, is delish.)  In the past I've bookmarked entire pages in order to save recipes.  Then, if I'd want to find a certain recipe I'd have to scroll through my bookmarks looking for it.  Now, I just save one photo onto a pinboard and I can retrieve that recipe in about 5 seconds. It's genius!  

Here's a peek at my Pinterest page with some of my boards.

I love that you can follow other people's boards.  For example, I'm following my mother and my sister so anytime one of them pins something new Pinterest will let me know.  And if my sister pins something that I want then I can simply repin it onto one of my boards.  Pretty cool!  

It's typical to follow people that you don't know.  If you come across someone that seems to have similar taste in food, fashion, crafts, whatever, follow them!  It's the Pinterest way.

Also, even if you have no interest in joining, it's a good place to search for images.  I used it exclusively to find pictures for the writing spaces post.

If I haven't managed to convince you to join Pinterest, well, I suck.  Or maybe you suck?  ;-)  Seriously, I highly recommend it.  It's easy to use and extremely helpful.

I've added a Pinterest button to my sidebar over there on the right if you're interested in checking out my pinboards.