Fonetic Friday: Word of the Day
Hey, you know those cool words they make you type when you comment on a blog, the ones that prevent spammers from commenting? If they were real words, what would they mean? See if you can come up with a definition and use it in a sentence.
Today’s word is: Tyfero
HAVE FUN! AND HAPPY FRIDAY?
Tyfero: A new disease characterized by a dry hacking cough, high fever, and weeping eyes.
I came down with tyfero and coughed up a lung.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
What I Love About You Wednesday
My new feature for 2011 is called "What I Love About You Wednesday". As of today 1/9/11, I have 87 wonderful followers. Each and every one of you has added something unique and wonderful to my life, and I want to reach out to each of you and share what I love about you and your blogs.
My plan is to go in order starting with my very first followers, and each week, highlight someone new. If you're a follower of my blog but haven't blogging for a while, I'm going to wait until you get back into it. If for some reason you are following my blog, but I'm not following yours, please let me know. I tried to make sure I was reciprocating, but there were a few people I couldn't find.
So without further ado, I'll introduce my very first follower:
Lisa Maliga: Notes From Nadir She also has a blog for her new book Leaving Nadir.
Lisa started following me when I was a baby in the blogging world and didn't even know what a follower was. She is a writer who has the courage to put her work on the internet. And now she's followed up Notes From Nadir with Leaving Nadir.
Thank you Lisa for being my first follower. Stop by and check out her blog, I dare you not to get hooked.
My plan is to go in order starting with my very first followers, and each week, highlight someone new. If you're a follower of my blog but haven't blogging for a while, I'm going to wait until you get back into it. If for some reason you are following my blog, but I'm not following yours, please let me know. I tried to make sure I was reciprocating, but there were a few people I couldn't find.
So without further ado, I'll introduce my very first follower:
Lisa Maliga: Notes From Nadir She also has a blog for her new book Leaving Nadir.
Lisa started following me when I was a baby in the blogging world and didn't even know what a follower was. She is a writer who has the courage to put her work on the internet. And now she's followed up Notes From Nadir with Leaving Nadir.
Thank you Lisa for being my first follower. Stop by and check out her blog, I dare you not to get hooked.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Zoosday Tuesday
The Clouded Leopard
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| Bornean Clouded Leopard |
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Clouded Leopard The Clouded Leopard and the Bornean Clouded Leopard are two distinct species of cat that live in Southeast Asia. Until 2007 it was believed that the Bornean Clouded Leopard was a subspecies, but DNA testing has proven them to be distinct species. Both species of clouded leopard live in the jungles of Southeast Asia and like their distant cousing the spotted leopard, they are highly arboreal. They got the name "clouded" from the large cloud like elipses of black over a tawny coat. This provides excellent camophlage in the dense forest. They also have a tail that is as long as thier body which gives them excellent balance in the trees. They have been observed hanging upside down in trees, and can decend trees head first. Clouded Leopards are solitary, nocturnal cats who only interact when breeding or rearing young. Mother leopards give birth the 2-4 young who are blind and deaf at birth.  Clouded Leopards and Bornean Clouded Leopards are considered endangered in the wild. They are also fairly rare in zoos. But if you live near any one of the following zoos, you should be able to see these beautiful animals. |
Monday, January 10, 2011
Melissa's Revision Mondays
As always, my revision tips are posted in the hopes that new or beginning writers will discover the tools they need to do a thorough revision of their work, before sending it to agents or publishers. I am far from an expert on the subject of revision, and am learning as I go through the process myself. I call upon my more experienced collegues to offer up their wisdom and tips.
This week, I've been working on organizing my manuscript. Being a died-in-the-wool pantser, I wrote 80,000 words, with only the barest outline to guide me. Now it's time to take what I wrote and try to make some sense out of it. To uncover those plot holes that need to be filled in. To address changes to plot, setting, and character that evolved as the story unfolded.
I turned to one of my favorite reference books to help me bring some sanity to my crazy manuscript. It's called "Thanks, But This Isn't For Us." By Jessica Page Morrell. In it she suggests creating a blueprint of your story. So I deconstructed my MS scene by scene and put together a blueprint, that I can use to illuminate stuctural issues that need to be addressed. I have a long way to go on this, but hope to have a solid blueprint by next week.
http://www.amazon.com/Thanks-But-This-Isnt-Compassionate/dp/1585427217/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1294602017&sr=8-5
Another great post that addresses this issue is Elana Johnson's post from Friday which talks about where to start your book. She has some awesome things to share about revision, so if you haven't seen it, check it out.
Do you have any tips for creating organization and structure in you manuscript?
This week, I've been working on organizing my manuscript. Being a died-in-the-wool pantser, I wrote 80,000 words, with only the barest outline to guide me. Now it's time to take what I wrote and try to make some sense out of it. To uncover those plot holes that need to be filled in. To address changes to plot, setting, and character that evolved as the story unfolded.
I turned to one of my favorite reference books to help me bring some sanity to my crazy manuscript. It's called "Thanks, But This Isn't For Us." By Jessica Page Morrell. In it she suggests creating a blueprint of your story. So I deconstructed my MS scene by scene and put together a blueprint, that I can use to illuminate stuctural issues that need to be addressed. I have a long way to go on this, but hope to have a solid blueprint by next week.
http://www.amazon.com/Thanks-But-This-Isnt-Compassionate/dp/1585427217/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1294602017&sr=8-5
Another great post that addresses this issue is Elana Johnson's post from Friday which talks about where to start your book. She has some awesome things to share about revision, so if you haven't seen it, check it out.
Do you have any tips for creating organization and structure in you manuscript?
Friday, January 7, 2011
Fonetic Friday: Word of the Day
Hey, you know those cool words they make you type when you comment on a blog, the ones that prevent spammers from commenting? If they were real words, what would they mean? See if you can come up with a definition and use it in a sentence.
Today’s word is: Zable
HAVE FUN! AND HAPPY FRIDAY?
Zable: a new forest dwelling animal, found deep in the jungles of Africa. It was once believed to be a relative of the elusive Okapi, but is now thought to be the sterile offspring of zebra and sable antelope.
I'm sure you guys can do better than that.
Today’s word is: Zable
HAVE FUN! AND HAPPY FRIDAY?
Zable: a new forest dwelling animal, found deep in the jungles of Africa. It was once believed to be a relative of the elusive Okapi, but is now thought to be the sterile offspring of zebra and sable antelope.
I'm sure you guys can do better than that.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Zoosday Tuesday
***The opinions expressed on this blog are mine alone and are not endorsed by the Kansas City Zoo***
Asian Small Clawed Otter
I've always loved otters. They are fun and playful, they like to swim around in the water and cavort on land. As their name suggests, these are the smallest of the otter species, and live in Southeast Asia. Unlike other otter species, their feet are only paritally webbed and they have...you guessed it small claws. Their claws don't extend past their fingers, making their front paws very dexterous.
This picuture gives a very good illustration of the paws that give the animal its name. Their main food is molluscs, crabs, and other crustaceans. They use their dexterous front paws to break and pull apart their food.
Another thing I love about otters is their social nature and close family ties. This species of otter lives in family groups that include the ranking couple and several generations of offspring.
The ranking pair mate for life and ususally produce two litters of 1-6 cubs per year. The older siblings assist in raising the young pups.
When they're not hunting and eating they spend most of their time grooming their luxurious double coated fur. Because they spend so much time in the water, they have to keep their fur neatly groomed to retain its water-proofing. But at least these guys don't have to deal with the cold, like thier North American counterparts.
We have three young male Asian Small Clawed Otters at the KC Zoo. They share a inter-species exhibit with the gibbons. While the gibbons swing overhead, the otters swim and splash in their waterfall. They are all a lot of fun to watch.
Asian Small Clawed Otter
I've always loved otters. They are fun and playful, they like to swim around in the water and cavort on land. As their name suggests, these are the smallest of the otter species, and live in Southeast Asia. Unlike other otter species, their feet are only paritally webbed and they have...you guessed it small claws. Their claws don't extend past their fingers, making their front paws very dexterous.
This picuture gives a very good illustration of the paws that give the animal its name. Their main food is molluscs, crabs, and other crustaceans. They use their dexterous front paws to break and pull apart their food.
Another thing I love about otters is their social nature and close family ties. This species of otter lives in family groups that include the ranking couple and several generations of offspring.
The ranking pair mate for life and ususally produce two litters of 1-6 cubs per year. The older siblings assist in raising the young pups.
When they're not hunting and eating they spend most of their time grooming their luxurious double coated fur. Because they spend so much time in the water, they have to keep their fur neatly groomed to retain its water-proofing. But at least these guys don't have to deal with the cold, like thier North American counterparts.
We have three young male Asian Small Clawed Otters at the KC Zoo. They share a inter-species exhibit with the gibbons. While the gibbons swing overhead, the otters swim and splash in their waterfall. They are all a lot of fun to watch.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Melissa's Revision Mondays
I don’t claim to be an expert on the revision process, but I came across a series of blog posts last year that really changed my thoughts about revising. Mary Kole’s series on revision from December is no doubt more helpful than anything I could share, (see Revision O-Rama) but I’m going to invite you to join me on my revision process anyway.
I finished my WIP during NaNoWriMo, and after dutifully putting it away for one full month, I’m ready to begin revising. A lot of people dislike the revision process, but not me. Now that I’m finished with my WIP I feel like I have a raw lump of clay in my hands, ready to be shaped into something beautiful. But first I have to push out all of the air. If I don't, there will be holes in my manuscript, or the whole thing might blow up when I put it in the fire.
The very first thing I have to get rid of is my first chapter. I don’t even want to read it first. When I wrote it, I had no real sense of my character, my setting, etc… (this comes from being a pantster, what can I say?) So the whole thing has to go.
What about you? Have you ever banished a whole chapter from your manuscript? Do read it first to see what can be salvaged, or just let it go?
I finished my WIP during NaNoWriMo, and after dutifully putting it away for one full month, I’m ready to begin revising. A lot of people dislike the revision process, but not me. Now that I’m finished with my WIP I feel like I have a raw lump of clay in my hands, ready to be shaped into something beautiful. But first I have to push out all of the air. If I don't, there will be holes in my manuscript, or the whole thing might blow up when I put it in the fire.
The very first thing I have to get rid of is my first chapter. I don’t even want to read it first. When I wrote it, I had no real sense of my character, my setting, etc… (this comes from being a pantster, what can I say?) So the whole thing has to go.
What about you? Have you ever banished a whole chapter from your manuscript? Do read it first to see what can be salvaged, or just let it go?
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