Whoop! Whoop! Friday Update!

Wow, is it that time again?

Whew, if these weeks keep flying by like this, I'll be 50 before you know it! Yikes! Not that fifty is a bad age, mind you, but I'm terrified (literally, scared to death) to turn 30 this August. Don't ask...it's another one of those things that I'm afraid of. Laugh. It's okay. ;-)

Now...wow. A lot of stuff has happened this week. Nothing mind-blowing, but a lot has been going on. So, we better get started.

1. My beta (You all remember her, right? As much as I mention her, she's hard to forget. LoL) She's had 2 partials of her first book out. Then, she decided to "test" out her new query for her second book and...let's just say the new query has worked. She got a request for that book as well. So, quick re-cap because all of her stuff is getting hard to keep track of ;-)

Her partials have been out for:
First Book
Partial One: 49 days
Partial Two: 16 days
Second Book
Partial One: 6 days

2. I have a partial out (for my short contemporary romance) and it's been in the hands of the publisher for 10 days.

3. BTTB is getting is final reading from my beta. Don't worry though, all the plot points have been worked out and it's practically polished. Just the final read through and I'm good to go. However, my clicking finger couldn't help but to test out my new query, so I sent out three this week. I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best.

4. OMG, I actually managed to add some wordage to my current WIP!! We are over 60k now and it's all down hill from here. I'm thinking this baby will end up at the 80k mark, so....go...go...go...go!!!!! The great beta of Oz has even started to read it. She likes the characters thus far. That makes me happy. ;-)

5. And double OMG! I managed to work a little on the story I was doing for my daughter as well. Whew...I need to cool myself off - I've been hard at work this week!

Actually, I was sick all last weekend and the first couple days of the week, which gave me lots of time to get some things accomplished. I had the official migraine from hell, which we finally decided was the sinus infection from hell...but I wasn't clogged or congested or anything. Weird. I don't understand that at all. All I knew is that I only felt OK when I closed my eyes. When they were open and moving, I felt like someone was stabbing me with a blunt object in my eye socket. Yeah, it wasn't pretty. I'm better now, though! Amazing the miracles modern medicine can do!

All right everyone, that's it for this week! Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! (Which reminds me that next Monday's Grammar Police will be taking the day off). Get some sun and splash around at the beach or something. Do whatever it is you do for fun!!

~JD

Wordle Your MS!

So, I was on Bransforums the other day and I cruised into a forum topic where someone was having trouble picking a title for her book. In order to inspire ideas, she wordled her ms. That got me thinking...what would my word cloud look like if I wordled my ms?

Well...you know I had to find out, so I went to www.wordle.net and did it with BOTH of my completed books. Here's the results:

Know what's funny? I was trying to guess what word would be the most used, and I was like DUH when the cloud came up. FYI...I hadn't picked the names of the H/H to be the most used words. How silly am I? Of course the main characters are going to have the most page time!

Some of the other most used words struck me, though. There are ones in my cloud that I tried NOT to use a lot. Oops! See where that gets ya'. ;-)

Anyhoo - it was fun, and the clouds are pretty. I suggest you do the same to your ms!

~JD

Oh...and PS
H A P P Y * B - D A Y to my daughter, Emily, who turns 12 today!!!

Guest Blog: Editing Sentence-by Sentence

Whoop! Guest Blogger day! Please let's all welcome Candice from Live Raw. Candice is a freelance writer with some mad grammar/english skills. She does some freelance editing as well. Believe you me. I know her personally, and have for two years. She rocks.

I'm trying to get her to write a novel. She'd be awesome. She wants to, but has a hard time finding the time. Anyhoo...visit her blog. It's dedicated to raw food and healthy stuff and it's fun to read! Plus, her camera takes some wickedly good pictures. Check it out.

Okay, I'l quit rambling. Of we go with Candice:

First of all, of course I must thank Justine for this opportunity to be the guest blogger for today! I love her blog and I love her stories, so this is a really exciting day for me! My post topic is: Editing-Sentence by Sentence.

Warning: I must tell you that for this particular post, I am going to use Justine’s shorter piece, Recaptured Dreams, for some examples in which I will attempt to “improve” a sentence. However, I don’t think ANYTHING is wrong with this book—I just needed something to work with!

And now…

Editing-Sentence by Sentence. I majored in English in college (B.A.) and conducted multiple research projects that required a lot of writing. And what did I hear more than anything else from peers, faculty, editors, etc.? This simple phrase: “Writing is Re-Writing.” Ugh! Sometimes that can be so daunting. I just want to be FINISHED when I think I am FINISHED! …And knowing Justine, I would imagine some of you feel the same way.

However, editing is imperative to becoming published. Here are some tips to help you check out your WIPs line by line – tips I believe will help your writing, your style, and your chances for publication.

1. You can check to make sure your sentences make sense OUT of context by starting at the very last sentence in your novel/story. Read them one at a time, without considering the rest of the story and how the sentence fits in. Just think about whether or not it sounds good on its own. Is it a good sentence? A bad sentence can ruin a piece.
2. Don’t use your word processing “synonyms” function to replace words when you are having trouble with repetition. Still, don’t try to use words you don’t understand. There’s nothing more awkward than a misplaced, uncommon word.
3. As many of you know, take out filler words like “that,” “started to,” “began,” etc.
a. “The dog poop danced” or “The dog danced his graceful poop dance” can replace “The dog began to do his poop dance.”
4. Don’t be afraid of your own style – you don’t need to match the style of your favorite author. In fact, publishers will be looking for a unique voice.
5. Read your novel/chapter/single sentence out loud. It will help you decide whether or not a sentence sounds good. Or, have a trusted friend read it to you. It will either sound good or horrible.
6. Consider each sentence and what you are attempting to tell your reader. Every sentence MUST mean something. It must be important to your story or you should take it out.
7. PUT IT AWAY! Put your MS away for a couple days (or weeks in some cases) and work on something completely different for a while. You will come back to it fresh and with new perspectives.

All right, so here are some examples of editing sentence by sentence:

RD, page 10: “The fashion show had been an exhilarating experience and the after party was even more amazing and exhausting.”

I would change this sentence by considering the adjectives used to describe the nouns. Exhilarating Amazing Exhausting. All end in ING, All start with vowels, two have the EX-ING sound. All are pretty common words. Of course, you could say I am too wordy, but I would say DESCRIBE these “ING” words. Make your reader do some work in deciding what you are telling them!

Savannah left the fashion show, heart pounding and skin damp from sweat, only to find herself at the after party where the world’s top designers mingled, drinking only the most expensive top-shelf tequilas and whiskeys.

RD, page 40: “Standing above him as the moonlight poured into the room, she realized just how handsome he was.”

Ok, so what’s happening in this sentence is a really touching, intimate moment in Savannah’s experience. So, this sentence could easily reflect that in its style.

“The moonlight poured into the room, dancing across his face as he slept. The contours of his nose and the slight twitch of his lips as he dreamt reminded her just how handsome he was.”

Ok, so there are my two cents for better editing. Like I said, some of you may find my examples to be too wordy (I AM an English major, though), and I do understand the quest for reaching/staying below word limits.

Always remember, though, “WRITING IS RE-WRITING.” Don’t be discouraged. Not one published novel was never edited before becoming a hit!

Whew~ My brain hurts! She gave us a lot of info. A lot of GREAT info. Write it down peeps!!

And....can I just say I am embarrassed about my own sentences? Gah! I actually really like the second one she changed better than my original. *Sigh* Like I said...she's good.

Don't forgot to stop by her blog. and check out cool recipes, nutritional advice, and some randomness (don't we all have a bit of randomness on our blogs? lol) ;-)

~JD

Grammer Police! Their vs. There

Their vs. There

I know what you are thinking. "Does the sheriff think, I'm stupid?"

I mean, this is first grade stuff, peeps! I assure you, dear followers, I don't think you are stupid. I don't think I am stupid either - well, that might be debatable...lol. BUT I will tell you this IS a mistake I make - quite frequently, actually.

Here's the thing, though-I don't do it on purpose. I know the difference. As well as I'm sure you do to.

But for those who don't, here's the difference:

There is referring to a place. Or the existence of something.

"Where's my math book?"
"It's over there, bozo!"

"I heard there was rockin party down at the club tonight."

Their indicates possesion.

"What time is their flight leaving?"

Oh! And let's not forget about They're. It's a contraction of they and are. It can only be used as a subject (who or what does the action) and verb (the action itself).

"They're leaving in 10 minutes! Get your butt downstairs!"

"I'm so glad they're finally figuring out you can't ride a horse like that."


So, pretty easy right? Right...but I'm telling ya' - these little boogers get confused in my ms all the time. I think it's my brain. Nah, it has to be my typing fingers. I don't know what the problem is, because I do know the difference. Sometimes they just slip past.

Check your wip's for this simple, yet obvious mistakes, peeps! After all, you don't want to look like you don't know the difference, do you? I didn't think so.

~JD

Whoop! Whoop! Friday Update!! (And Contest Winners)

Whoopie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm getting to the point that I love FRIDAYS!
What the heck am I talking about-
I've ALWAYS loved Fridays!

Teeheeheeheehahahaheehee. . . .

All right, peeps - we've got A LOT of stuff to cover today, so let's get started!


1. My wonderful, awesome, and smart Beta has had her partial with an agent for 42 days. She got another request for a partial and that one has been out for 9 days. She's on FIRE!!

2. OMG! OMG! OMG! I've FINISHED the, like, 7th rewrite on BTTB. And the beta APPROVED the new, totally-written-from-scratch ending! Swwwwweeeeeetttttt!! Now, I just need to finish up some small editing things she pointed out and then I can query! Do you see that? It's me doing cartwheels!! YAY!

3. AAG and daughters YA book have been frozen. They probably won't see the outside of their ice box for while. *Sigh*

4. Partial request!! I mentioned last week that I was going to start requering my short contemporary romance, Recaptured Dreams. Well, I did (again to a place that requires exclusive submissions/queries...grrr) And....my partial has been with the publisher for 3 days. Let's hope this one turns out better than the last.

Funny thing, I didn't get near as excited with this request as I had the others. I guess that elated feeling really does wear off because deep-down you know the chances from here are still slim. It's reality. So, I'm happy to have gotten the request, but I'd be happy if it turned into something more. Plus, I try to keep my hopes down to minimum...it makes the rejection that much easier.

5. CONTEST! CONTEST! DL from Cruising Altitude is hosting a 300th follower contest. Go enter! Super cool grand prize up for grabs, peeps!!!

AND NOW....

I PRESENT TO YOU
- MY FABULOUS FOLLOWERS -
THE * W I N N E R S * OF MY 100th FOLLOWER CONTESTS!!!

For the record (those who voted for two or couldn't decide, I didn't count).

Oh Crap!!! There was tie for 2nd and 3rd place!!!! Errr...I hadn't considered something like that might happen. Hmmm...okay, I'll be the tiebreaker.

CONGRATS TO Pauline Thomas from for this 3rd place entry:

"Cecelia still couldn't figure out why she felt that itch in a particular place--the place she knew so well."

For the life of me I can't find Pauline's blog. Help! I'm sorry it's not linked here. I can't remember the name and I can't find it anywhere! I'm soooo sorry Pauline!!!

CONGRATS TO Miss V from Rambles and Randomness AKA Miss V Speaks for this 2nd place entry:

"So, like my story is about this girl who's married and um her husband had this totally hot assistant and she totally thinks he's foolin around but he's not, but she doesn't know that see so um, like this other dude who knows her husband and hates him has been popping into her dreams and trying to like, you know, seduce her and junk but then she runs into him in real life and then all this interesting stuff happens cuz it's like a really good book y'know?"


Drum roll for the 1st place winner. . . . . . .


Streamers fall from the ceiling!! Noise makers whizzing in the background!! Cake smashed in your face!

Whoa...wait - this isn't a crazy birthday party. Heehee. Although, I do like me a bit of cake-face-smashing!

C O N G R A T S

Emily White from Stepping into Fantasy for this winning entry:

"This dude meets this zombie/vampire/werewolf/mermaid girl and he's totally like whoa."

I don't know about the rest of you - but I loved reading the entries. They all made me smile, most of them made me laugh like crazy!

If the top three people would please be so kind as to email me with your contact info and we'll get the prizes all sorted out. Thanks for all who entered, participated, and voted. You guys and gals are the bestest bloggish friends ever!

Just for the record, my favorite entry of the top 10 was submitted by Tamara from Get Your Giggle On:

"Cat Yack, a graphic non-fiction treasury of all the feline digestive reversals presented to my carpets and tiled floors over the years--a coffee table book for the ages! "

You know why this is my fav? Not only is it funny as hell and ridiculous to boot, but people would by this book. Heck, I would probably buy this book. It truly would be the perfect coffee table book and a heck of a conversation starter! I think she should market it!!

Now, go have a rockin weekend!

~JD

PS - I promise to hand out those awards I've been talking about so much. Those post take a TON of work! All those choices! Whew ;-)

Blogging - The new time sucker?

YES!!

YES!!!

YES!!!!

I LOVE BLOGGING!!!!!!!

*Sigh*

But have you found that it takes a lot of time?

Oh - don't misconstrue, I'm not complaining - not one little bit! I love blogging and all the wonderful people I have met.

But it does take a long time, yes? Has it started to steer you away from your current wip or have you found a way to balance it? I'm trying to find a way to balance it because I love blogging so much! I love writing too, which is kind of what blogging is...so maybe that's why I enjoy it so much? Well...that, and you YOU GUYS!

Ahem...anyhoo - I have noticed that my editing/beta reading/wip have suffered a bit. I haven't figured out how to manage everything, but HAVE NO FEAR! I will persevere and figure out how to do it all!! After all, I am Justine!

Umm...okay, that sounded a little too crazy. I mean, I am only Justine - not Superman!

So, I was just wondering - how do you guys do it? How much time to you spend blogging? For the record, I probably spend a good 3 hours a day on it. *Smacks own hand*. But it's good for me...and you! Right? I sure hope so! ;-)

Tell me your secrets, peeps. I'm dying to know...

~JD

Freelance Writing: Why I don't think it will work for me.

When I first heard about freelance writing I was like: Whoo Hoo!! Yes! Finally...I can write wonderful things and get paid for it. Sweet!

Ahem...but then I found out it's not that easy. And freelance writing might not be for everybody. Like me.

Let me explain. First, fellow blogger Shannon gave me some leads on freelance jobs when I mentioned I would like to try it. (Thank you again, btw) So, I went to the first website, read the application instructions, and got to work. It required me to write a non-fiction article of no more than 600 words and give them a resume.

All right, first, I don't have a writer's resume. I had to make one. Second, I didn't really have anything to put on it. I mean, I'm not published...anywhere. And I'm NOT a MFA graduate or anything. Let's remember that I'm a business major. My "resume" reflects that. Thank god for Google and templates. It helped fill up some of the white space on said "writer's resume".

Anyhoo - the resume was the LEAST of my problems. Then I had to write a non-fiction article. Let's see...I've NEVER written non-fiction anything - unless you count those crappy papers in high school and college. I was at a loss. So, I took one of my blog post and tweaked it (quite a bit I might add). I gave it to two people to read. First, my beta (I can't do anything without letting her take a look. She is my rock) Second, I let a coworker who is a freelance writer read it. Well, she's a freelance writer now (she got the job I didn't, but I'll get to that later). Anyway, both of them basically said "This is too colloquial". Ahem - I had to Google that. Basically, it was too me.

Here's the thing. I am me. That's all I know how to be. I didn't change the submission. I didn't want to. I thought, "If I was to write freelance, I want to be able to be me." I mean, that's fair isn't it? Well, not so much if you actually want to get hired somewhere.

The coworker applied for the freelance thing on the same website as me and got in. Her article was very technical, precise, professional - it was good. Mine was well...informational and fun. Not technical at all. So, last night (after one week and 3 days, I got my official rejection). That's okay though. I stayed true to myself and that's what matters.

But, I still really want to do freelance. So, I tried another link that Shannon gave me. This time, I strongly adhered to the submission guidelines and wrote two articles that were technical, precise, professional, and well....boring. I hated writing them. I mean, they were good (said coworker found them to be very freelance-ish) but they had no me in them at all. Not one little ounce. They were hard to write because I had to change my writing style. It was tough.

But here's my thought...maybe after I get a freelance gig (if I get one), can I find somthing that can show my style? I am hope so. We'll wait and see. At least I submitted the correct type of article this time. And now if I don't get the job...I'll really think freelance just ain't my thing.

How do you all feel about freelance? How much would you change your style to do it?

Also, don't forget to vote on my 100th follower Worst One-Liner Contest! Click HERE. It's fast, easy...and fun! I swear, it will make you laugh!!


~JD

Worst One-Liner Finalists! COME and VOTE!!

Yup! The 100th follower contest is in full swing.

Today I shall share with you the top ten finalist picked by me. These fine folks (who shall remain anonymous until a winner is picked) has offered up their best ONE-LINE PITCH for a book.

Before sharing the entries with you I have to say how difficult this was to pick the top ten. I mean, ALL the entries were sooooo good. It reminded me what a creative bunch you are. It also made me proud to have met each and every one of you. Thank you all who entered.

As you know, the contest winner will be picked by YOU - my wonderful followers! So, read all the entries and vote for your favorite by commenting on this post (list the number of your pick). Comment on all you want...but only vote for 1 favorite. Please and thank you ;-)

Now, BEHOLD! The top ten finalist picked by me (in no particular order):

1. You don't have to read the book you can just look at the pictures.

2. This dude meets this zombie/vampire/werewolf/mermaid girl and he's totally like whoa.

3. In a world ruled by super smart, ninja fighting kittens, outcast St. Bernard, Sophie, finds the purrfect solution: Learn to meow, rule the world

4. I'll get the pitch line and the manuscript to you after my advance, because this novel is going to make us both billionaires.

5. If ya read my no-other-freakin-book-like-it novel, I'll take ya out for sum chow, 'cause I know how hard the publishing biz is nowadayz.

6. If you thought Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight was the most fantastic piece of literature ever written (what fool wouldn’t), then, although not quite on a par with Ms. Meyer’s masterpiece, the enclosed two chapters of my similarly ingenious and intriguing novel, Ghoul Girls of Ghana, will certainly pique your interest and leave you begging, aching, even drooling to read more.

7. So, like my story is about this girl who's married and um her husband had this totally hot assistant and she totally thinks he's foolin around but he's not, but she doesn't know that see so um, like this other dude who knows her husband and hates him has been popping into her dreams and trying to like, you know, seduce her and junk but then she runs into him in real life and then all this interesting stuff happens cuz it's like a really good book y'know?

8. Cecelia still couldn't figure out why she felt that itch in a particular place--the place she knew so well.

9. Monster Trucks Reunite: A greasy, oily, gassy love-affair takes place in the middle of an emotionally disturbing demolition derby--Will PREDATOR recover when she discovers she's been betrayed by BIG CRUNCH?!

10. Cat Yack, a graphic non-fiction treasury of all the feline digestive reversals presented to my carpets and tiled floors over the years--a coffee table book for the ages!


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I don't know about the rest of you...but all of these totally crack me up!

Now off! Vote for your favorite in the comments section.

The winners will be posted in this Friday's Update post. Also, I will tell you what my top three are!

Thank you all for voting and/or participating!! ;-)

Oh...and good luck to the entrants! :o)

~JD

* H E L L O * E V E R Y O N E *

I don't normally blog on the weekends, but I wanted to remind everyone of my 100th follower contest!!

Here's the official instruction reminder:

(IT's REALLY EASY!!!)

And you only have until midnight TONIGHT!

THE WORST ONE-LINER CONTEST

1. You must be a blog follower to enter this contest.
2. Write the WORST one-line pitch for a book.
3. EMAIL me your one-liner: justine_dell(at)yahoo(dot)com.

4. Email me your entries before TONIGHT @12 midnight Eastern Time.

The top ten finalist (chosen by me) will be posted on Monday, May 17th.

You wonderful followers will then vote on that post and decide the three winners! YAY!

PRIZES:

Autographed Dave Malone poetry books
********
Stephen Kings On Writing book.

The extra special gift going to the 1st place winner is a handmade Justine bookmark. To learn more about the significance of the bookmark it, go check out this post.

It says: Success to failure is but one step. Failure to success is a long road. Don't give up on your dreams. The four-leaf clover isn't on yet, but it will be before you get it!

That's it for my contest - think up the best one-liner peeps and send it my way!! HURRY!

~JD

Whoop! Whoop! Friday Update!!

YES! Thank goodness! It's finally Friday! I'll tell ya, I love blogging and all of you, but this week has been really rough. I've worked (at my actually job) for 16 days straight with ZERO time off. I worked on mother's day!! Grrr... Anyhoo, next week (and the following weeks hopefully) should be better - otherwise I might start pulling my hair out by the roots! Okay, that was a bit dramatic. ;-)

On with the updates.

W E L C O M E New followers!
Thank you for finding me interesting enough to take a peak at my wandering ramblings. Let me know if I haven't returned the favor, I do love to stalk...err, I mean follow fellow writers and the occasional crazy person. Heehee.

1. I've made little progress on my finished book BTTB these past two weeks. It's in rewrite mode. Remember two weeks ago I said my beta was reading the last 3 three chapters of my BTTB rewrite? Well, it seems I screwed up the ending - again. I'm working on the fix...30 pages left to tweak. I might put it in the drawer for awhile and let it cool off. Sometimes you just got to take a break, you know? Other than that - my other wip's have halted. Hopefully more progress in the coming weeks. I'm itching to query SOMETHING!

Oh...wait...I did query something just last night, Recaptured Dreams, my short contemporary romance to Wild Rose Press. *Sigh* I really like this story...I just wished I could make it longer and more marketable. My bad.

2. My beta has had her partial with an agent for 35 days! That's 5 weeks. PLUS, just this past week, she got a request for ANOTHER PARTIAL!!!!!!!! Drinks all around for her!! Well, I don't drink, so I'll just throw confetti all over! You go, Sarah!

3. DON'T FORGET ABOUT MY 100th FOLLOWER CONTEST!!! GO HERE! Right now! You still have 1 more day to enter! I know you want to share in the comedy! Seriously...just email me your WORST one-line pitch: justine_dell(at)yahoo(dot)com
It's THAT easy!!!!

It seems a lot of us in the blogger world have tripped over the 100 mark. Here are a few 100th follower contest you MUST check out:

Stop by Katie's place-Creepy Query Girl-and check out her 100th follower contest. It's pretty sweet.

Zoe Courtman from No Letters on my keyboard is hosting on as well. Check hers out here.
You could win a gold flash drive! Like the golden ticket, baby!

Both have REALLY cool prizes so be sure to check them out!

OH! And another contest to add. Check Lydia's out - her 150th follower contest!
Find it HERE.

Once again a big thanks go to Jen at Unedited for being the guest blogger this week. She's wonderful ;-)

Come back on Monday to read the contest entries for the 10 finalist! My wonderful followers get to pick the winners! Grammar police will be bumped that week. Do you think you can handle a week without the sheriff? Okay then, saddle up...move on out...and come back to read the HILARIOUS entries! I'm telling you - They. Are. Good.

Have a wonderful weekend ;-)

~JD

Guest Blogger: Your Favorite Place by Jen @ Unedited

Happy Thursday, everyone!

First I would like to RRRawr!!! at blogger for my difficulties yesterday. I don't know about the rest of you, but man...I couldn't comment on like, anything. I did manage to get a few of the blogfest entries read and posted on. They. Are. Awesome. But for those I didn't, I'm sorry....blogger kept me locked out! I'll try my best to get around to them all ;-)

Without further ado, here's this week's guest blogger: Jen from Unedited. She's giving us a little insight into her mind...and it's very interesting!

* * * * * *

First off I just wanted to thank you Justine for opening up your blog for a post of mine!! I've never done this and I know that you hold great blog posts so I hope not to disappoint!

I am a person who uses safety or comfort spots when writing. I'm not talking about a place in the house you find comfortable, I'm talking about an object you re-use in a story over and over again to get the plot moving. Now I know some of you may not know what I'm talking about but let me explain.

When writing a story I often start with an idea, last week I had an idea that popped in my head. I had been eating ice cream outside on the patio, it had been late and I couldn't sleep (no the ice cream didn't help any) as I watched the traffic pass I looked up at the stars and though "What if I could catch a falling star?" immediately my mind raced with a billion scenarios and I couldn't wait to get pen to paper. I ran inside and opened up my notebook and wrote.

Now recently I read Stephen King's On Writing and learned that he had a safety/comfort spot that he used in all his stories, something that exists just to get the story to move, allowing the ideas that you have to break through the block and continuing the flowing of words. Now I don't mean that each of his books were published with the same object in each story, it was just a starting point.

Mine is a house, not just any house but a colonial southern style two story house. Of course there are several windows to allow for proper sunlight, a bright red door and pale yellow paint for the outside color. The inside is always a rustic comfy feel, rundown in a few places, wainscotting graces the hallway with the staircase to the left. No matter what genre I choose the house always ends up in the story, it prevents me from writer's block. I find that I'm not so focused on the house, but it's something about it that gives me a sense of comfort a dash of inspiration. Now I will say that of all the novels I've worked on the yellow house has never made the cut, it ends up being a log cabin, a secret forest, a small country house hidden in a sea of trees, but it guides me to the point of what would fit there perfectly. At the beginning I never know what journey is in store for me, I'm only along for the ride but rather than contemplate on where they will stay, or where they will meet I choose the same location to make my life easier. Just like some of you who choose to call all of your characters John and Jane at the begining, because names aren't important until you've learned about your characters, once you've learned about them you know their attitude, their likes and dislikes you are able to really name them and choose the best fit. All I know is with each novel I write I find a whirlwind of words flowing on the paper when I don't have to focus on character names or where the story will begin!

So do you re-use a favorite place? Your hometown, your favorite campground? Does it help you spill the words on paper?

Thanks again to Justine for hosting this wonderful guest blog, I really appreciate it!

* * * * *

Wonderful post, Jen! I would like to say I don't re-use any places. I have no comfort spots or special places I turn to. Everything in my stories is created from scratch. I wonder when I get stuck somewhere, if I could use this to help me through and then come back to it later. That might be the answer to one of my many problems! LoL ;-) Seriously though, I will try it if I get stuck. It might help.

A big thanks to Jen from Unedited for stopping by. Don't forget to cruise by her blog and check it out. She's pretty awesome and always has fun stuff to talk about!

Also...DON'T FORGET ABOUT MY 100th FOLLOWER CONTEST!!! Find the entry (and prizes!) instructions here. I promise...it's really easy!! You just have to come up with the worst one-line pitch and email it to me: justine_dell(at)yahoo(dot)com

~JD

Internal Conflict Blogfest. Oooh Yeaaah!!!!!!!!!!!

I N T E R N A L * C O N F L I C T * B L O G F E S T !!!

So, I forgot about a little blogfest thing going on. Jessica from The Alliterative Allomorph is hosting this baby!

I signed up and I am supposed to post no more than 800 words from my MC's internal conflict. Whoop! Whoop! But...I forgot all about it until yesterday (this is what happens when you leave the blogosphere for awhile-boo me!). Anyhoo, I also promised to hand out all the awards I have been so selfishly hoarding. Well, I think doing both will make this blog post waaaaay to long. Dontcha think? YUP!

So, I'm just doing the blogfest. Sorry!! I'll do the awards next Tuesday or Thursday. Make sure to come back around. One of them may be for you!!

Now, here's my internal conflict entry. *Disclaimer* This is fairly unedited (the beta hasn't had her hands on it yet). Plus, I'm not sure what type of internal conflict would be best, so I hope this will do!

Away we go:

I, Samantha Moore-Douglas, hereby declare that once my marriage to Ryan Douglas is finalized I will take a long needed vacation. I will not sulk in my depression. I will not allow my OCD to overcome my life. I will not become a control freak and lash out at everyone. I will control my emotions and seek out tranquil peace in my life. The only way to seek this peace is to get away. Away from New York, the place I call home, away from the people who have caused problems in my life, away from everything that causes me pain. To this I owe myself for living a lie for the past five years. I will begin again and run my life as I want to. I promise this to myself.

Samantha turned around slowly, a glisten of tears in her eyes. “So?”

“Do you remember when you wrote this?”

Samantha nodded, her throat clamped shut by the softball size lump forming. She remembered too well. It had been a little more than a year before, after her husband filed for divorce. After that, Samantha found out he was swindling her hard earned money along with traipsing around with a mistress on the side. Damn him.

That’s when all her emotional troubles began. Now she just wished she could rein them back in, she desperately wanted to feel whole.

Dr. Wade walked over to her side, grabbed her hand and guided her to the full-length mirror in the corner of the office. Dr. Wade squeezed her hand and stepped away, allowing Samantha to peer at her reflection in the mirror.

“What do you see?” Dr. Wade asked.

A mess. An utter, absolute mess of a person that has fallen to pieces and has no idea how to put herself back together. Wasn’t that what her therapist was supposed to be helping her with? Surely they can do that without all this self discovery nonsense?

“I see…” She drew in a deep breath. “Me.”

“Who is me?”

Samantha loudly blew out the breath she was holding, irritated that she had to explain to her therapist what she saw when she looked the mirror. Really, what good would that to do?

“Me is the washed up novelist who can’t seem to write a good story. Me is the strung-out soon to be ex-wife of a liar and traitor. Me is the person who can’t seem to do anything right in her life.”

Dr. Wade shook her head in disappointment as she walked over to stand beside Samantha. Putting her arm over her shoulder, Dr. Wade gave her a gentle hug.

“Do you know what I see?” she asked.

“You’re going to tell me anyways,” Samantha replied as she shifted out of Dr. Wade’s embrace. Touchy-feely really wasn’t her thing.

“Yes,” Dr. Wade said with a laugh. “I see a strong thirty year old woman with determination seeping under her skin. I see dark, green eyes - sharp as a hawk - ready to take aim at the next goal in life. A stubborn chin, maybe–but a strong silhouette. The woman standing before me is proud and beautiful.”

Beautiful? Hardly. Dark circles clung to Samantha’s eyes from lack of sleep and stress. Her once long and shiny auburn hair was a fright with serious frizz, split ends, and absolutely no style. She pretty much resorted to the daily ponytail. And her clothes? Ewh. She only wore a suit when she had to do press interviews, but other than that it was drab and basic with jeans and cotton shirts. She didn’t have time for much else anymore. Well, truth was, she did have the time just not the drive. Who cared what she looked like anyway? Her husband left her for a younger tart, his daughter that she had helped raised had been taken from her. Her writing career was almost down the tubes because she couldn’t finish the simplest of stories. What was there to look forward to?

“Was…” Samantha said slowly, “She was all of those things.”

Dr. Wade turned to face Samantha and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. Her voice came out cool, with a hint of demanding undertones. “No, she is all of those things. It’s time for you to stop the poor me train and hitch a ride on something else. What’s it going to take for me to make you see that?”

“A miracle.”

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So, there's my newest (and my favorite) baby. It's a WIP.

Don't forget about my 100th follower contest! Find the info here. Enter everyone! Enter!!

And don 't forget about the guest blogger tomorrow!! Jen from Unedited is stopping by to share some of her wonderful insights.

~JD

100th follower contest! Come one - come all!

Time to celebrate my 100 followers!

Errr...there's more than 100 of you now, so let's just say my 110 followers contest! YAY!

First, let me give a big (((((((HUG)))))))) to all of you who follow my blog. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you.

Now, on with the contest....drumroll.......
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THE WORST ONE-LINER CONTEST

Whoo Hooo!!

Rules: (you know there has to be rules, peeps - sorry)

1. You must be a blog follower to enter this contest.
2. Write the WORST one-line pitch for a book. A make believe book or your own book. Not that your book is bad, but I'll bet you creative peeps can make it sound like it.
3. EMAIL me your one-liner: justine_dell(at)yahoo(dot)com. Obviously, I want to authors to be surprise until the end ;-)
4. This is how the contest will work:
Email me your entries before this SATURDAY, May 15th @12 midnight Eastern Time.
The top ten finalist (chosen by me) will be posted on Monday, May 17th.
You wonderful followers will then vote on that post and decide the three winners! YAY!

Hmmm...I think that's it for rules. Now go tell the world!

Oh, wait - you probably want to know about the prizes, right? Well, I guess I can tell you. They are as follows (and since I can't pick which prize is better than the rest, they will be handed out as follows: 1st place picks first, 2nd picks next and 3rd gets remaining book). The person will the most votes (1st place!) will get the extra special gift.

Okay, here's the prizes:

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Dave Malone's poetry books

Oh, and did I mention that Dave is signing the books and sending them to you personally?

Oh Yeah, he's that great.

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Stephen Kings On Writing book. I've recently started to read this book and its...ummm...no less that totally awesome. Actually, there is no words for what this book is. If you don't win it, go buy it! And, um...this one's not signed. I'm afraid I'm not a personal friend of Mr. Stephen King. Sorry!

The extra special gift going to the winner is a handmade Justine bookmark. For those of you who are new, I had a special moment while reading a book and finding my FIRST EVER four-leaf-clover. To learn more about it, go check out this post. Well, I found my SECOND EVER four-leaf-clover, so I'm making another bookmark. This one could be yours:

So, it's kind of hard to read. It says: Success to failure is but one step. Failure to success is a long road. Don't give up on your dreams.

I haven't put the four-leaf clover in it yet, either- but I will!!

I think that's everything! Now, go start up your thinker and come up with the best one liner you can! Good Luck!

~JD

The Blog's Back, Baby!

It's me!!! It's meeeeee! Did you miss me? I missed you all!!! I was seriously going through some blog withdrawal.

All right, since this is the first day back, there is no Grammar Police post today. Awe, I'm sorry. Keep your chin up, the sheriff will return next week!

Just want to give you a quick rundown of the happenings this week...it's a little different than past weeks. For those of you who are dying to see my little puppies in their snuggies, you'll have to wait on more week. :-( It'll be worth it, though!

All right...here's the breakdown for this week:

Tuesday: My 100th follower Contest information! Don't jump too high, you might hit your head on the ceiling. It is exciting, though. :o)

Wednesday: Awards that I have been totally hogging and need to share. ;-) This might change, though. I've got a lot of stuff I want to cover and I've run out of days this week.

Thursday: GUEST BLOGGER!!! Jen from Unedited is stopping by - don't miss it!

Friday: Contests finalists and the normal Friday update!

Stick around this week, folks. It's gonna be a fun one!

~JD