I’m blogging over at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood today!
The Rubies are Golden Heart Finalists, Class of 2009, who have formed a strong bond, tight-knit friendship, and wonderful blog over the years.
In a blog series leading up to Nationals this year, they’re featuring the new Golden Heart Finalists, Class of 2012. So today’s my day!
C’mon over and leave a comment! I’m here: http://www.rubyslipperedsisterhood.com/meet-2012-golden-heart-finalist-laurie-sanchez/
So I was writing over at Popculture Divas last week (new URL, by the way: thepopculturedivas.com). I wrote about favorite first lines of novels, which is a topic I covered here, too, but it’s a topic I never tire of. (If you never tire of it either, please go over to Popculture Divas and leave me a comment!)
Anyway, it’s particularly on my mind lately because I’m studying my own first lines of the manuscripts I’ve written — studying first five pages, really.
The first five pages are of huge importance to a novel. Noah Lukeman even wrote about this in a how-to book called The First Five Pages, which I read (although I found it almost too basic. I guess I wanted something more).
The reason the first five pages are of such importance to writers is two-fold: for one, they’re important to your reader. Publishers say that readers often open a book in a book store, scan the first page or two, then make their buying decision. With Amazon, readers do the same thing with a click of a button, scanning the first few pages, then deciding if they like the style enough to read the whole thing.
But the first five pages are also of enormous importance when a writer is trying to sell a manuscript. Continue reading
Once upon a time, in a land far away, I was the mother of a 9-year-old when the first Harry Potter movie came out.
I was at a soccer banquet the night before it premiered, helping pass out some end-of-the-year soccer cake, making chit-chat with one of the fathers next to me, and I asked if he was going to take his little soccer star to the new Harry Potter movie.
“Oh, no!” he said, looking at me like I’d suddenly grown horns. “We’re Christian.”
I think I stood there, my mouth agape, for at least a minute. I’m pretty sure the cake slid to the floor. Aside from feeling like I’d been accused of raising devil children, I couldn’t quite think of how to respond. …
It was the first time I was ever met, head-on, with the issue of banning books. And it was the first time I was ever faced with a person who thought I was making a horribly wrong choice for my child.
To read the rest of the story, fling yourself over to the Popculturedivas blog. And I’d love to hear your comments about how you parent (and choose books) in the Harry Potter and Twilight era. …
Wow, I’m getting flakier and flakier on this blog, aren’t I?
(And I just want you all to know that I had to look up the word “flakey” to see if I spelled it correctly. [I did.] Or if it’s even a word. [It is.] And also that I had to look up the word “loveliness” from my post the other day to see if I spelled it right. [I did.] Because it looked so weird to me when I saw it published. This is the silly, kind of insecure stuff that goes on in an editor’s head. … But it’s all good. It pushes out all the other silly, insecure thoughts I could be having, right? Anyway. …)
Back to this week, this day:
I’ve actually been writing a lot, just not here. I did a post on why you should drop everything for family dinners (in my humble opinion) over at Health Bistro, and then another one on Jamie Oliver’s new show “Food Revolution” and why I’m so excited about it. (Does anyone know about this show? Looks like it might be really fun.)
I’ve also been writing an article about Sandra Lee (Easter decorating ideas).
Meanwhile, on the weekends, I’ve been writing fiction like crazy, and I think that’s what’s taking the time of the blog writing. In fact, I’m thinking I’d really love to put some fiction on the blog, I just can’t decide what, or when. …
How are your days rolling along this week?
Hi, all! I’m over at Popculture Divas today, blogging about TV families.
Duggars? Gosselins? Do you watch any of the new crop of reality families?
Or are you a little old school like me, and pining after the fake families like the Partridges and the Brady Bunch? (“Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!”)
Come read my current take on why the switch over the decades, and weigh in with your own opinion in the comments over there.
(I also mention why I now have my eye on Modern Family. Do you watch that show? Hilarious. …)
