Wednesday, April 30, 2008

New England Sunset



There are few moments in life more tranquil and beautiful than the sun descending into the horizon. This photograph is of one of my favorite places -- the sun setting over Cape Cod Bay.

Growing up in New England I had the rare privilege of being able to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean, and set over Cape Cod Bay. Something I have come to truly appreciate more and more with the passing of the years.

Enjoy. :)

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

TARA Contest Deadline

May 1st is the deadline for entries in the 2008 TARA contest! If you are an unpublished writer of romance here is your chance to shine. Not only do you have an opportunity to have your first 25 pages judged and critiqued, but your work could land in front of an editor.
The categories and editors are as follows:

Series Contemporary -- Wanda Ottewell/Harlequin
Paranormal -- Amy Pierpont/Grand Central
Single Title -- Danielle Poiesz/Pocket
Women's Fiction -- Lindsay Louis/NAL
Historical -- Leah Hultenschmidt/Dorchester
Romantic Suspense -- Allison Brandau/Berkley
Inspirational -- Natalie Hanemann/Thomas Nelson

Check out the TARA website for all the information and guidelines!

tararwa.com

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Writer's Block

What is writer's block and does it actually exist?

For me -- absolutely! So often my writing comes from my emotional state of mind. How do I feel today? Am I happy? Sad? Is my kitty not feeling well? Am I going through a heart wrenching divorce? Has a friend or a relative recently been sick or passed away? How difficult is my day job?

At this point in my writing career I have the choice of sitting down to write -- or not. If I don't feel the inspiration flowing through me, I'll pick up a book and read, or click on the television (probably not the best idea), or worse, surfing the net. However, the many professional, published writers I know, they don't have that luxury. They have deadlines! They have publishers who choose when their books are to be finished. They have editors who need the rewrites and revisions -- now!

Someday soon I hope to up my game and find an agent and editor interested in my work. At that point I need to be 100% prepared to do the work; get the job done and produce the words and pages that need to be finished. :)

I write as often as I can, but for the past few weeks I've been in a major slowdown. Writer's slump? Writer's dawdling? Writer's procrastination? Hmm...
Well, no more. It's time to write and push through to finish my second book.

Writer's block be gone!