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Having trouble keeping up with the challenge? No problem! You can catch up here: The Writing Challenge Series
Today's Challenge: the writer you chose on Day Thirteen reads your story and tells you it's no good and you should just give up writing. What is your reaction? I mentioned two writers on Day Thirteen: J.R.R. Tolkien & Bryan Davis. Lucky for me, J.R.R. Tolkien is dead, because I'd bet a shiny thousand dollar bill that he'd be disgusted with my book. Absolutely disgusted. He would probably suggest that I stop writing all together. I have no idea what Bryan Davis would say about my book, but I'm guessing he wouldn't be all that impressed either. My work is really amateur and shallow compared to his. I don't think he'd tell me to stop writing, though. He's too nice of a guy to do that to someone (at least, that's what I've heard). But, what would MY reaction be if one or the other told me my stuff is awful and I should give up writing? I would be undoubtedly a little hurt at first, but then I would brush it off, as I do with so many things, and say: "Dear sir, my giving up writing would be akin to you giving up breathing. It simply isn't possible." ![]()
Having trouble keeping up with the challenge? Don't worry about it! You can always go back and read what you've missed just by clicking this link right here --> The Writing Challenge Series.
Today's challenge: Your writing buddy Wow. If I had taken this challenge only 8 months earlier, today's would have been a sad tale of a lone wolf author who was forced to survive the harsh world on her own, hunting down the review bunnies and surviving on the scraps of editing tips thrown to her by those passing by on the internet... Okay, not totally.... But almost!.... But that's not the point! The point is that I do have a writing buddy! F.P. Spirit, hands down... or up... that always confuses me... is it down or up? How about sideways? Anyway, F.P. Spirit is my writing buddy. He has, in a way, become my dad and mentor in the author/writer dimension. We met via a Facebook writing group in 2014 (HAS IT REALLY BEEN THAT LONG?!?). He needed an editor and I pointed him toward the one I used at the time. When he published his first book, a fantasy, I scrambled to review it (I didn't have many fantasy authors in my circles at the time and I was *cough* desperate for some fantasy to break up the western monotony... sorry! I'm not a huge fan of western.). I was instantly hooked to his book series! I loved the color and depth of his story and his characters. I was ashamed of my own book, honestly, because I thought it paled in comparison. He ended up reading my book as well and was equally impressed with it. In fact, if I remember correctly, he told me he was absolutely blown away by it.... but that was a couple of years ago, so I could be getting that wrong... cough, cough.... ANYWAY. After that, we kept talking. We became friends and started learning things together. Then we started bouncing ideas off each other, and we started challenging each other in our writing, and then he talked me into using Skype for meetings (always had Skype... never used it), and now I think we've shared too many of our writing secrets with each other, so we're basically in this two person cult now and will have to shred the other person's drafts if they try to leave said cult so that our sacred writing secrets are kept safe.... okay, not really, but you get the point. I think my writing has improved 50 times more since becoming friends with F.P. Spirit. It has been great to have someone that I can bounce ideas off of, talk about author troubles to, and ask weird author questions in front of (and sometimes even get an answer!). I honestly didn't know what I was missing out on when I was a lone wolf author. Having a writing buddy is awesome. I only hope that I have provided as much "miracle grow" to our friendship as he has! ![]()
Want to see the other challenge days? Here you go! (you're welcome): The Writing Challenge Series
Today's challenge: Your go-to writing spot My bed or my desk. Usually, I start at my desk, then my buttocks get sore, so I move to the bed, then my legs go to sleep and I move to the desk, then my back starts hurting and I move back over to the bed, then I flop onto the floor until my hips start killing me, then I go back to my desk and etc... This can go on for quite a while, depending on how wrapped up I am in my writing at the moment. Honestly, I need an extra wide La-Z-Boy chair - one of those chair & a half ones, or something. That way, I can prop my legs up on a stool and write, slide a sofa table up and write, recline and write, sit cross legged and write, or whatever! I could sit (or lay) in any position I want and keep on writin'! Anybody want to donate a chair & a half for the cause? Or a chaise? *Listens to the crickets in the audience* So, is that a "no" or a "I'm thinking about it"? ![]()
Hey everyone! Have you kept up with the writing challenge? Well, in case you have missed a day or two, here is where you can find the entire challenge! - The Writing Challenge Series
Today's challenge: Your go-to writing snack. I don't snack when I'm writing. I may have a drink (coffee, root beer, tea-hot-Earl Grey...), but I don't snack. The only time I snack is when I have writers block. I'm a boredom eater. I eat when there is nothing going on in my brain and I'm bored. When I am writing, there is a LOT going on in my brain. I went two days without food one time because I was so wrapped up in my writing. When I have some writing to do, I will turn on some forest, river, or storm ambiance, grab something to drink, and sit down and write. If I brought food into my writing area, I would spend my time eating. I wouldn't be able to focus until the food was consumed. Once I vanquished the food, then I would want more, and I wouldn't be able to focus until I got more. It's a vicious cycle. When there is food in my writing zone, I don't get any writing done... like, NONE. At all. In fact, food is the best weapon my family has. If they notice that I've been missing for a while (three or four days), they'll make some tasty Italian dish that just makes your nose melt, it smells so good. Then Kris will come upstairs with a bowl of it and nonchalantly start eating it in front of me. That's when my concentration goes POOF! Appetite takes over and drives the wagon off the cliff and I eat a whole lasagna, six loaves of buttered garlic bread, three cheesecakes, and the boxes they came in. Yeah. Food is the only thing that can drive a big solid wedge between me and writing. In fact, it doesn't even have to get in-between me and writing! Food can just stand behind Writing and wave at me with a smile, and I'll run Writing over with a dump truck to get to Food. Yeah. It's bad. ![]()
If you haven't been keeping up with the challenge so far, no sweat! You can catch up here.
Today's challenge: All social media sites go down for 24 hours - You can still do things like searching on Google in order to research relevant things for your book, but that's the extent of what you're able to do on the internet during that time. How much writing do you get done during that 24 hours? I would get a LOT done. Like, no kidding. Well... unless I decided to go outside and finish one of the many unfinished outside projects I have. Still, I can't work outside for a solid 24 hours, so yeah. I would get a lot of writing done! Weeeellll.... Actually.... if I started doing ANY research of any kind, then any and all writing would go down the drain. I'd get nothing done all day long. I love to research stuff. I get lost in research. I can spend DAYS researching just one single thing. I just love to learn new things. However, I draw the line at research about Jack the Ripper. I spent one entire day researching Jack, and that night, after my shower (and spending my entire shower time thinking about Mr. Freaky-Creepy Jack the Ripper), as I was leaving the bathroom, my sister, Kris, decided it would be fun to jump out from around the corner and scare me. I NEARLY KILLED MY SISTER. I thought she was Jack the Ripper come to slit my gut open! I flew into self-preservation and self-defense mode. I was going to turn Jack the Ripper into Jack O' RIP. Good thing for Kris, I realized who she was before I really damaged her. Good thing for me, Kris has a wonderful sense of humor... most of the time... she is very forgiving anyway... most of the time. Good thing for Jack he doesn't exist in my timeline or ever tried to take on a girl like me. Anyway. Moral of that story is: unless you need to do the research, it's best to let Jack the Ripper be. ![]()
Don't forget to check out the previous day's challenges here at The Writing Challenge Category
Today's challenge: A random sentence from your favorite novel. Well, my favorite novel is THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien. I did choose a random sentence at first, one that mentioned Radagast, but I just couldn't use it. I wanted to use my favorite one. So I went from the random to using one of my favorites: ...said Thorin "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended with measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world..." That sentence has always gotten me right in the heart, ever since I was a little kid. Thorin went through all the fuss and angry upsets to get his stupid mountain and hoard of treasure, only to learn at the end of his life that he had thrown away one of the dearest treasures any person could ask for: friendship and a happy life. At least he had the chance to make it right. That's more than what many people in this life are able, or even willing, to do. ![]()
I am really excited about today's challenge, because I get to share something from book #2 of the Tales of the Wovlen series - The Dragon's Due (the book that everyone has been waiting tirelessly for). But first, if you haven't been keeping up with this challenge so far, you can catch up by clicking "The Writing Challenge" category.
And now, today's challenge is: A random sentence from your WIP So, forget just picking a random sentence. I'm going to give you a 2 whole paragraphs! This is part of a scene from Chapter 7, and we get to be inside the Crystal Witch's palace, hearing a conversation she has with her most trusted minions! She turned away, climbing back up to her throne. “Rise, my servants. There is much to be done and little time to accomplish it all.” She turned to face them, and the wraith all rose to their feet in unison. “I have learned that one of our old enemies has resurfaced, and there is a rumor spreading that he has found one of the ancient dragon blades. He is under the Dayspeaker’s blessing of protection, so none of you can kill him, but there is one who can.” She paused a moment. “It is time to release the Nightstalker. It is time for him to play his part.” She turned away, climbing back up to her throne. “Rise, my servants. There is much to be done and little time to accomplish it all.” She turned to face them, and the wraith all rose to their feet in unison. “I have learned that one of our old enemies has resurfaced, and there is a rumor spreading that he has found one of the ancient dragon blades. He is under the Dayspeaker’s blessing of protection, so none of you can kill him, but there is one who can.” She paused a moment. “It is time to release the Nightstalker. It is time for him to play his part.” Now, I can already hear the ever present question: WHEN IS BOOK 2 COMING OUT?! Soon. Very soon. Like, V-E-R-Y soon. It is going through the last stages of editing (YAY!) and I should be setting a release date any day! Hopefully it will be sometime THIS month! Whoohoo! I promise that I'll keep everyone updated on my progress. I'm really upset that it has taken me this long to get it on a roll (I wanted this book done and published in March... of LAST YEAR), but I guess it's better late than never, right? ![]()
Don't forget to check out the previous day's challenges here: The Writing Challenge Category
Today's challenge: A writer you admire. Oh man. Put a knife into my heart! I can't choose - I admire too many! Of course I admire J.R.R. Tolkien (did anyone see that coming?). He was a master at world building. I mean, he not only created a world and filled it with fantastic creatures, he also gave that world a history, unique technology, healing plants, special rocks, and it's own mythology and creation story. If you are an aspiring fantasy author, you would do well to read J.R.R. Tolkien's works and study the world(s) he built. Bryan Davis would be another author I admire. His story crafting BLOWS MY MIND. I don't know how he does it, but he somehow creates an elaborate maze out of his story line. Just when I think I know where the story is going, the path twists and sends me and the characters down a new road that comes to a dead end, but then a trap door opens up and drops us into a river which rushes us to a bridge and a cross roads, and you take one road, and the characters take another road, and just when it seems there is no hope, dragons come in to save the day, and then you look back and you see that all those roads you thought were separate were actually all just a part of the never ending maze! Yeah. Bryan Davis knows how to suck you into a story, blow your mind, and keep you glued to the edge of your seat the entire time. He also knows that all we readers really need in life is more dragons. *Nods* I could come up with several more writers that I admire a great deal, but I think I'll stop here. The rest of the authors I admire are alive and know me, and I don't want to make their heads swell. *Wink, wink*
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If you are just joining this challenge, you should check out the previous days!: ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN and ELEVEN.
Today's Challenge: How would your writing habits change if the internet no longer existed? Haha! I would write a LOT more. Being a writer is 3% talent and 97% being distracted by the internet. True story. Without the internet as the distraction, I'd probably spend a lot more time writing. However…. without the internet, I likely would not be a published author. I published my book through CreateSpace. It was free for me to upload my book to, it assigned me a ISBN number, and it published my book in ebook and paperback - for FREE. The paperback books are printed as people order them (print on demand) so I don’t have to deal with inventory and I don't have to pay anything outright, thus the free publishing. Oh... I also get 70% of the royalties, as opposed to most big time publishing houses where the author only *maybe* gets 35%. Anyway. Elephant trail.... I don’t know that Createspace would be here without the internet, and I know for sure that my blog would not exist without internet. So, maybe I would actually write less if I didn’t have the internet to push me to keep writing. Who knows?
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Today's challenge is going to be a little bit exciting for all the Tales of the Wovlen fans out there, but before we get into it, if you are just joining this challenge, you should check out the previous days challenges!: day ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, and TEN.
Today's challenge is: The last complete sentence you wrote on your WIP This is currently the last sentence of the first chapter in book #3 of the Tales of the Wovlen series, which is titled "The Dragon's Foe": Walneff paused and looked at Keegan, his diamond blue eyes lighting up with a mysterious twinkle, “We must summon the Giants from their sleep. But first, we must call on the prophet Raefindal.” Oh yes. Big things are fixing to go DOWN in book 3! Giants aren't even the half of it. Honestly, I'm a little scared myself of everything that is cropping up in book 3 (and I haven't even gotten book 2 published yet... uhg!).
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Kathryn FoglemanAuthor of the fantasy series, Tales of the Wovlen, Kathryn spends a great deal of time in the world of her imagination, having tea with fire breathing dragons, writing books on flying space ships, and practicing her mad scientist laugh with gusto. However, on occasion,she returns to this world just to play with her dog and blog about her fun. My BookGrab a Button!![]() Archives
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