#amwriting – Page 148 – Jean's Writing

Old habits are hard to break

Published on November 21, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell8 Comments

Do you stumble over Gerunds?

Read the November 19th post over at The Kill Zone to find out if you need to rid your story of a few Gerunds.

I loved The Kill Zone’s post titled Gerunds Be Gone.

The Kill Zone is one of my go to blogs for good info, and today when I opened this email they didn’t disappoint. Once more their post was filled with a great reminder to watch out for sneaking little “ing” beings that are as scary as Gremlins.

Hmm, makes me wonder about the name Gerunds…

Check out The Kill Zone and see if your writing is filled with the little devils.

For additional help you might want to check out editing software Grammarly or Ginger. I use both.

Sorry for the short post today.

I gotta go Gerund hunting.

One Lovely Award

Published on November 16, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell9 Comments

I’ve been nominated by the sensual Elsa Holland for the One Lovely Blog Award. She has humbled me with the honor and her words of encouragement.

Thank you Elsa!

one_lovely_blog_award

This is my 4th Blog Award nominated by my peers. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. No words can properly thank my readers. This award requires I tell you 7 things about myself, so here goes.

I’m an optimist, believing things will get better.
Living with chronic pain, I’ve learned to live.
I love Peanut M&M’s. (best with a glass of red wine)
Enjoy curling up by the fire with a good book. (can’t wait until it’s mine)
Love to travel, wish I could do more of it.
Love, love, love an afternoon nap.
As an introvert, I still find people fascinating. (must be the writer in me)

Now for the second requirement, link back to blogs I enjoy reading. You must check out, in addition to the amazing romance writer and blogger Elsa Holland, the following:

If it’s not fun, why bother – Cassie Newell
Sheila Good at Cow Pastures Chronicles
The Bloggings of Jez Farmer – the lunatic, the lover and the poet.
Ryan Lanz on A writers Path
Lets Cut the Crap over at How the Cookie Crumbles
David Allen over at Allen Fiction
Practice your Flash Fiction with Jeremy Farmer

I could probably fill up this page with many more deserving blogs, but I’ll save some for later.

Take a moment and check what these great writers have to offer. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you again Elsa for thinking of me!

How does your writing grow?

Published on November 6, 2014November 6, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell3 Comments

How do you write?

In peace and quiet?

With lots of noise?

From kids and toys?

A minute here a minute there?

Or sit all day and merely stare?

Do your fingers type for hours on end?

Or peck out a word every now and then?

How do you write?

Me? I prefer peace and quiet. When doing dishes give me a Country Music song to get the job done, but as for writing, I need quiet to hear my characters speak. I wish I could write for hours on end, but my life is probably much like yours, so I write when I can. A line here and a line there.

Does the love of words inspire you?

Poetry is one of the most beautiful forms of writing, but as you can see, not my talent. I wish it were. However, words do inspire me. Whether a limerick, headline in a newspaper, spoken by a child or written in a good thriller, I love them all.

Words inspire me when appearing on a blank page, as if by magic, one letter at a time they form a sentence. The sentences soon become paragraphs and before long a story fills the page.

What else would you call it but magic?

Not the magic of secret spells or potions but of stories produced from thin air and plucked from my crowded mind.

The fun part is grasping the words and throwing them at the page. The hard part is rearranging them into an interesting work worthy of a reader’s time. So that’s my goal. To write something worth reading.

Thanks for listening to my rambles today. I need to find some order for all the words floating around in my gray matter. Sometimes a little rambling helps.

Talk to me.

Leave a comment about how you manage to capture words, producing your stories, finding inspiration and keeping the magic alive.

And The Winner IS…

Published on October 30, 2014October 30, 2014 by Jean M. Cogdell1 Comment

Thanks to all who played along and made the build-up to All Hallows Eve so much fun. There were so many good entries, it was hard to pick.

Check out their websites.

First Place:

Goes to Sheila, for:

She laughed, tossed the horoscope into the trash and picked up the bowl of Halloween candy as the doorbell rang. The bowl crashed to the floor, “I sent a message,” the Grimm Reaper said.

Runner up:

goes to Jez Farmer, for:

She rose from the basket as she arrived at her destination. Behind her the axe-man disposed of her decapitated body and wiped his sword ready for next traveler on the road to hell.