Beginning

Welcome to my blog, thank you for stopping by. If this is your first time to my blog, it's nice to meet you. If you've been here before, welcome back.

My writing journey has begun. The road will have some bumps and detours. I only hope that the first hill is not too high, and the journey is long.














Monday, June 11, 2012

Hi Everyone! 

Happy Monday!

I finished another Picture book draft!  Yay for me.  This one I am actually going to try to illustrate.  I'll keep you posted on how that goes. 

How was your weekend?  I hope you had the opportunity to get some writing done.  I hope this week you hit the ground running (as far as writing goes)!  Have a great start to your week!  Here are a few quotes to get you going:

"A writer is, after all, only half his book.  The other half is the reader and fromthe reader the writer learns." - P. L. Travers

"I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning." - Peter De Vries

"The writer, when he is also an artist, is someone who admits what others don't dare reveal." - Elia Kazan

"The true function of a writer is to produce a masterpiece and no other task is of any consequence." - Cyril Connolly


Monday, June 4, 2012

Inspiration For The Week

     Do you know why a car’s windshield is so large and the rearview mirror is so small?  Because your Past is not as important as our Future.  Look ahead and move on.

     Old friends are gold!  New friends are diamond!  If you get a diamond, don’t forget the god!  Because to hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold!

     Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace.

     I chose these particular inspirational phrases because the author is unknown to me.  I hope that you become the author of these phrases during your upcoming week. 

Happy Monday to you all! 

Friday, June 1, 2012

Planning On A Writing Weekend

So, I am geared up and ready to go.  I am planning on having a writing weekend. 

     I picked up a funky new pen and a new notebook.  I love the notebook, it is one that you can sketch on your own design on the cover.  I have gathered my magazine photos and articles, for a little added inspiration. 

     This weekend I am heading outdoors for my writing retreat. 

     How about you?  What are your plans for the weekend?  Hope it is Inspiring!


Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Quotations for Inspiration

Good Morning!  Hope everyone had a nice long weekend!  Here are a few quotes:

“Writing a novel is like driving a car at night.  You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
– E. L. Doctorow

“Most of us don’t value what we have.  Instead we focus on what we lack.”
– Paul McKenna

“It’s never too late – in fiction or in life – to revise.”
– Nancy Thayer

“True success lies in deciding what our priorities are, and what trade-off we are willing to make.”
– Octavius Black

“Life is not the way it’s supposed to be, it’s the way it is.  The way you cope with what it is what makes the difference.”
– Virginia Satir

Hope your week sails by smoothly. 

All the best,

Maeve

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Am I Really A Writer?

     Has anyone else questioned themselves and asked:  Am I really a writer?  There are times that I hesitate to share my craft, to let others know that I write.  I hold back. 

      Maybe, I feel this way because writing is never about me, even though there may be some of me in everything I write.  Writing is hard work.  I apply myself, writing and re-writing every day.  So, then why is it so hard for me to grasp onto that title?

      This is something I am working on.  How about sharing some of your own feelings and tips?

      How do you overcome this feeling?  Have any of you felt this way?    

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Here we are at the beginning to a new week!  It is like the start of a book.  Ideas of what you would like to happen are laid out before you.  How will it end?  Will it be as you planned or will surprises await you?  I love surprises!  Don't you? 

Here are a few quotations to start your week.  I hope they bring you some inspriation.

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glit of light on broken glass." - Anton Chekhov

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." - Jimmy Dean

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau

"Believe in yourself and in your own voice, because there will be times in this business whn you will be the only one who does.  Take heart from the knowledge that an author with a strong voice will often have trouble at the start of his or her career because strong, distinctive voices sometimes make editors nervous.  But in the end, only the strong survive.  Readers return tiem and again to the unique, the distinctive, storytelling voice.  They may love it or they may hate it, but they do not forget it." - Jayne Ann Krentz

"Each day comes bearing its own gifts, untie the ribbons." - Ruth Anne Schabacker

I'll be checking in on you to see what gifts this week brings you.  Have a great week!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Happy Friday!  I am working on a new story while I am waiting to hear on my submissions.  My main charachter keeps yelling at me and saying:  "YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!  YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!  I WANT TO DO IT MY WAY!"  Which I find kind of funny.  I thought I was.  Am I not the one who created you? 

So, with that in mind I took a step back and did some rethinking.  Was I pushing my character around?  Was I being a dictator or a coach to my character?  What I really wanted to be was a coach.

We may create our characters, but it is their journey in our story.  They each have problems conflicting with their own goals.  They already had plans before our story interupted their lives and made them change course.  They weren't just sitting around waiting for something to happen. 

Today, I will be getting back to my story and my character.  I will challenge him to do his best.  I may not always see him as he sees himself.  But, I will coach him to be the best he can be and make sure that he has self-assurance, self-discipline, courage and a sense of humor.  Hopefully, with all this I will have created a character who is believable and can stand on his own.

Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Hello Everyone - I Have Really Missed You All!

Wow!  It has been so long since I have been on my blog!  Sorry for my absence, sometimes life just gets ahead of you.  I hope all is well and I can't wait to catch up on what has been happening and how you are all doing.  I have been actively submitting.  Now, I am hoping I won't actively be receiving rejections. :)

I know it isn't Monday, but I am going to start with posting some inspirational quotes just to get back on track.  Hope you find them as inspirational as I did.

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." - Agatha Christie

"You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer.  You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one.  If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist." - Isaac Asimov

"Believe in yourself and in your own voice, because there will be times in this business when you will be the only one who does.  Take heart from the knowledge that an author with a strong voice will often have trouble at the start of his or her career because strong, distinctive voices sometimes make editors nervous.  But in the end, only the strong survive." - Jane Ann Krentz

"Never, EVER give up.  Not ever. Not EVER. Ever EVER." - MaryJanice Davidson

So, everyone - Hello, Best Wishes and Good Things to you all!


Monday, February 27, 2012

Inspiration for Monday

"You may only be someone in the world, but to someone else you may be the world"
-Author Unknown

"Today you are You,
     that is truer than true. 
There is no one alive
     who is Youer than You."
-Dr. Seuss

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."
-Benjamin Franklin

"I have spread my dreams beneath your feet-tread softly because you tread on my dreams."
-W.B. Yeats

"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."
-Langston Hughes

Have a Happy Monday and a Great Week!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Books With Cookies And Milk

See You At Harry's

See You At Harry's

Written by:  Jo Knowles

     I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book through NetGalley and I thought a lot about how I was going to write this review. I debated whether to do a detailed outline of what was going on in the story and finally opted on leaving that up to you as the reader and telling you a little more about Jo and just giving a touch on the story.   Jo has really done it this time!  I loved her first three books, “Lessons From A Dead Girl”, “Jumping Off Swings” and “Pearl”, but with “See You At Harry’s”, I felt more emotions than I thought possible with the reading of one book.  Jo takes you down a path where your heart breaks, heals and then soars.  She has a remarkable talent for writing; her words seem to flow effortlessly.  Jo captures the essence of her subject creating an inspiring reading experience.  I feel that her writing is a gift and she is the channel from inspiration to paper.  

     “See You At Harry’s” is coming out in May of this year.  This is Jo’s first, ‘middle-grade’ novel, where her other stories are for the Young Adult Genre, although I feel that this book is ageless. 
     When you stop by Harry’s you will meet, Fern, who is twelve, her older brother and sister, Holden and Sara, and then there is Charlie who is three.  Their parents own and run the family restaurant, “Harry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Family Restaurant”.  While reading this story I was drawn into the world of the characters and found their happenings truly realistic.  Here is a family that truly loves each other with realistic emotions of annoyance, grief, anger, despair and fear.
Thank you, Jo, for finding a way to share this beautiful story, not only for the sake of the story itself, but for the message you spread with it. 

If you haven’t already, please stop by her blog/journal at http://jbknowles.livejournal.com/ . 

     Reading her blog, leaves you with the feeling that you have known her forever, even though you may never have met.

 Chocolate Covered Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich Cookie Pops
For the Brownies:
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa, plus more for pan
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
pinch of kosher salt

For the Ice Cream Sandwiches:

1 quart vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
2 pounds chocolate chips
1 teaspoon oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 13x9inch pan. Place a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom, spread with butter, and dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. When the mixture is creamy, and all lumps are gone, add in eggs, one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Add in vanilla.
With the mixer on low, add in flour and salt. Mix until just combined. Spread into prepared pan and bake until shiny on the top, 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool completely.
Remove brownie from the pan, and cut in half. Spread ice cream on one half, and top with the other half. Freeze for 2-4 hours, until firm.
Cut the large ice cream sandwich into smaller sandwiches. Insert wooden popsicle sticks, and freeze for another hour.
Melt the chocolate chips with the oil in the microwave in 30 second intervals, until chocolate is smooth. Dip each ice cream sandwich in the chocolate, and let set on a sheet of parchment paper. Wrap in parchment

Don't Forget The Milk!
Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Inspiration Is A Gift

    

     The gift of writing comes in many forms.  For me, I like to think my inspiration for writing comes in pretty little packages.  I love opening each and everyone, unfolding new surprises and ideas.  Inspiration in our writing is not only a gift to ourselves, it is a gift to our readers as well.  Where we choose to draw inspiration from is as much about who we are as it is about anything else.

     Where do you draw your inspiration from?  Would love to hear your thoughts.

Monday, February 20, 2012

I'm Back! - Inspirations to Start Your Week

     So it has been some time since I wrote a blog post.  Like everyone, I have been busy.  I have been taking care of my Step-mom who has not been well.  She is doing much better now! 

     Thank you everyone for the emails "where are you, are you okay?"...  I appreciate your concern.  Well, I am now coming out of my rabbit hole with a little help from my fellow bloggers.


     I hope you are all well and I wish you all a belated Happy New Year!  Here are a few inspirational "To Do's" on my list this year:

1.  Carve out an hour a day for solitude.
2.  Strive for realistic deadlines.
3.  Nurture friendships.
4.  Approach problems as a challenge.
5.  Cherish your dreams.
6.  Create boundaries.
7.  Let Mother Nature nurture.
8.  Always carry something interesting to read.
9.  Don't overschedule.
10. Keep it simple.
11. Laugh more often.
12. Be instead of do.
13. Don't be afraid of your passion.
14. Care for your soul.
15. Set aside one day a week for rest and renewal.

     Life has priceless gifts waiting for us, if we are willing to quiet our hearts and listen to what it tells us.  I hope you all have a great start to the week. 

     "You only live once - but if you work it right, once is enough."
- Joe E. Lewis