A Big Birthday

        I'm talkin' 'bout Radar's birthday, not mine. When you're older than dirt, like I am, there are no milestones to celebrate. But Radar... Radar is going to be two on Thursday.

          Certainly, I didn't think we'd be able to keep him. Radar was a digger. Deep holes. Unevenly spaced out. And lots of 'em--all over our backyard. If you let him stay out for five minutes, he'd have time to pee and time to dig 7 new holes.

           But now he's a great dog. And every day, he's teaching me something things like:

• Be optimistic. Radar races to the back fence, sure that this time, he's going to get a squirrel. (He never does.)
• Soak in the whole experience and savor it. When Radar goes for a car ride, he has his head stuck out of the window and he's sniffing away.
• Be happy with what you have. Radar eats the same food, twice a day and every day. He doesn't complain. Wouldn't it be a more pleasant world if we were like that?

        And above all, if there is some pine tar to tramp around in, or a deer carcass to roll around on, do it. After all, you only live once.

        What have you learned from your dog or cat? A dog hair-covered mind wants to know...

Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday #7

         It's book blurb time. Time to stretch your succinct skills. Here's the basics:

• Use the photo (by Bryan Hanson over at Morguefile) of the tennis shoes as the front cover of a book.
• You decide what kind of book it is. A sci-fi novel. A YA story. A murder mystery. The possibilities are endless. You could even use this as the cover of romance novel. (Just picture heaving bosoms overflowing the shoes.)
• You come up with a title and a blurb--the blurb is the bait that will appear on the back cover.
• Your blurb should be 150 words or less (not including the title).
• You can jazz up the photo any way you'd like. You can put a title on it. You can also include fake reviews. 
• Post your blurb on your blog, and then link it to this post via Mr. Linky. If you have the time and the inclination, you can also check out the other blurbs, to see what direction they headed in...
• And if you enjoy reading these blurbs, go over to Lisa Ricard Claro's site and thank her. She was the writer who began this prompt a long time ago. Now she's a big-time, multi-book author (she calls James Patterson "Jimmy-Boy," that's how famous she now is).
   

Here's my blurb: (I've set the bar really low this week ;)

The Skinny-Dipping Damsel's Distress

It was a sweltering July. Her summer job crammed every day full of boredom, but the afternoons and evenings were Savannah's to savor. And savor she did. Swimming. Midnight bonfires. Cruising through town with the radio blasting.

One Tuesday, it was too humid to walk home without doing something to cool off. The river seemed to beckon her, as it often did. Savannah peeled off her damp clothing. There was a steep hill that overlooked the river, and she always chose a secluded spot around a bend of the river, so she felt completely safe.

But when Savannah finished skinny-dipping, her clothes had vanished. Frantically, she ran up the hill... and what she saw--along with her shoes--made her scream. Read to find out how Savannah's innocent swim session turned into something awful. (135 words)

           And of course, here's the photo for next week. Drink in all the details, and think about what kind of story you can cook up.

photo by Bryan Hanson at Morguefile

Everybody

       Everybody has a story to tell. I firmly believe that. In fact, most people have many stories to tell. Or they have one really long story to share.

       Last night I had the privilege of dining with some fabulous women... and then I was lucky enough to be on a panel with them.

From left to right: Donna Volkenannt, Linda O'Connell, Sherri Stanczak,
Pat Wahler, and some random passerby (Dianna Graveman--
not pictured as she--cleverly--chose to be the photographer for the evening)

      The message of the night was: write. There were people in the audience who are dreaming of being published. There were people who are hesitant--they're on the brink of being a writer. The panel shared some tips for getting a story published by Chicken Soup but really, they were all great suggestions for writing in general.

       And for some of us, we might have to be the one taking down another person's story. If you have a parent or other elderly relative (an aunt/uncle, a cousin or grandparent), maybe you need to sit down with them, turn on your phone or your tablet, and start them talking... while you're filming them. Simple questions like, "What did you do for fun when you were a kid?" and "What were holidays like with your family?" and "Talk about any trips you took with your family" are invitations for them to talk. And talk. And talk. Make it casual and fun.

        If you're thinking, 'I can do this during the summer,' or next month or next year, do it now.

       Because this summer or next month might be too late...

       

      

Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday # 6

        Stretching. It's a good thing to do when you're exercising, and it's also a good thing to do when it comes to your creative work. As a writer, we occasionally sometimes often get stuck in a rut...

      ... And this weekly "exercise" is a way to stretch as a writer and have fun at the same time.

          Here's the low-down:

• A photo is posted every Friday. The picture is intended to be the front cover of a book.
• Your mission:  to write a blurb for the book, in 150 words or less (not including the title). Make it compelling. Make it enticing. Make it so engaging, the reader cannot resist buying it and reading it.
• Post the blurb on your blog, and then connect your post to this one, via Mr. Linky. (It's simple. I promise, although I do have the occasional snafu.)
• Check out the other blurbs. It's fun to see what direction other people went when it came to the same photo.
• And speaking of fun, make sure you have it. This should not be something you sweat and fret over. 
• You can do some extra things. Put a title on the photo/book cover. Create some fake reviews (which would not be included in the 150-word limit).
• At the end, the photo for the next week will be included, so you have some extra think-time.

     And don't forget to stop by Lisa Ricard Claro's blog. She's the one who started this many, many years ago in a galaxy far, far away. 

     Here's the photo for this week, along with my take:

Four Hands...

World-famous business dynamo Pearl bucked the system once she had children. She left the corporate world after finding out women can't have it all... unless they grow an extra pair of arms.

Through a special method to generate new limbs (the same technology that made Richard Simmons' hair grow), Pearl grew two new arms... and discovered that four hands are so much better than two.

Once the new arms were complete and functional, Pearl was able to breastfeed while she typed. She could style her hair while simultaneously painting her toenails. She'd be seen driving her car and putting on mascara and eating a bagel--at the same time.

Buy this book, become a member of her Four Hands Club, and you too will have access to Pearl's secret formula. Find out how you can live the same productive life as Pearl--with your two new arms... (147 words)

And here is the photo for next week. Think about the different directions you could take it. And above all, have fun with it...

photo by Bryan Hanson @ MorgueFile

Life...

       Life happens.

       This past week I was buried under report card preparation, along with the normal work and life stuff. But I had two highlights to look forward to. On Tuesday, I took part in a panel discussion about Chicken Soup stories, and it was a marvelous evening. Great audience. Great writers. Great conversation. On Saturday, my granddaughter had a basketball game (at the crack of chicken. The game began at 8:00, and we live an hour away from where it was. There should be a law against starting a game before 10.)

      The discussion on Tuesday was the sort of thing that jumpstarts my writing. The next day, I started a new submission and am almost finished with the first draft.

       My granddaughter's team lost (12-10) but she played her best... which is all we want from her.

       Since I'm working on a couple of big professional (teacher) projects right now, I'm going to post on Tuesdays and Fridays only. Perhaps that will give me time to work on some of my bigger writing pieces.

       Previously, I posted on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. However, that's too much. I have blogging friends who post every day. I have writing friends who write a mind-blowing poem every. Single. Day. I even have a writing friend who has two blogs and posts every day on both blogs. To those writers, I bow down...

       I'll see you Friday. And if you haven't played along with the Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday gang, stop in on Friday... and have some fun. 

Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday # 5

       Whew! It's been five weeks since I began attempting to breathe life into Lisa Ricard Claro's Friday Book Blurb. (Lisa is currently on a intergalaxy book signing tour. This prompt was her brainchild decades ago, but she is now way too busy with her 3-novel set, and had to let it go.)


      The guidelines are easy.

• Use the photo as the front cover of your prospective book. What kind of book is it? You decide. It could be a mystery, a romance, a serving of chick lit, a nonfiction piece. It's all on you, baby.
• Write a blurb that is 150 words or less (not including the title). Tightening it and making it compelling is what this exercise is all about.
• Speaking of exercise... Doing push-ups and crunches is not fun, but this is supposed to be enjoyable. Don't sweat over it.
• After you've written your blurb, post it on your blog. Then, link your post to this post, using the agreeable (and easy) Mr. Linky. (I've seen Mr. Linky's name on the wall of a public bathroom wall. The graffiti artist noted: You can do it with Mr. Linky. And you can. It's very simple.)
• Check out the other blurbs. You'd be surprised at the varied blurbs that are inspired by the same photograph.
• The photo for the next week will always be at the end of the post, so you have time to consider it.

• 

  photo by Lynn Obermoeller

   
          Here is my blurb:

Tuesdays With Lori

Often, Lori would be seen aimlessly wandering the streets of her hometown. By the time she was 19, she still had never been kissed. Never had a job. Never ventured past the city limits of Highland.

But on a fateful Tuesday, she sat on a bench for a moment... and that moment changed Lori's life forever.

In front of her, on a stone wall, appeared a screen. It was as if a private movie was playing just for Lori. A giant cardinal came into view, and he was talking to Lori. He spoke of his hopes and his dreams, and then cocked his head and listened as Lori poured out the contents of her heart.

Lori started coming every Tuesday. Passersby walked past the bench—but only Lori could see the bright red bird. How long will their friendship last? And how does Lori's life change--forever? (146 words)

If you have time to participate this week, have fun with it. It's a way to stretch your writing skills. And never forget--size does matter when it comes to book blurbs. No one will buy a book that has 1,000 words crammed onto the back cover.

Here is next week's photo. It will be posted on 3/18.

photo by Lynn Obermoeller