• About
  • Books
  • Food
  • Life
  • Writing

onceuponmyworld

~ A blog about books, writing, food, life and more.

onceuponmyworld

Category Archives: Writing

Mystery Blogger Award April 2017

20 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by jcollettesmith in Life, Writing

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Austin, Awards, Blogging, Food, gardening, Inspiration, Life, recipes, Travel, Writing

mystery-blog-award

Hi everyone! Another wonderful blogger, The Happiest Pixel, nominated me for a Mystery Blogger Award. Thank you for thinking of me, Silvia. Do check out her site. She posts about all things creative, especially her DIY section.

Here’s a link to the original post.

A little background on what the Mystery Blogger Award is: It is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion. Okota Enigma 

The Rules:

Display Award Logo
List The Rules
Mention Creator Of Award & Provide A Link
Thank The Blogger(s) Who Nominated You & Provide A Link
Say 3 Things About Yourself
Nominate From 10 to 20 Bloggers
Notify Nominated Bloggers By Leaving A Comment On Their Blog
Answer 5 Questions From Nominee
Write 5 Questions For Your Nominees
Share Your Best Post

3 Things About Me:

  1. I love writing and it’s a path I’m passionately pursuing. My blog will take readers along my journey to publication. Hopefully, I’ll be able to provide some tips and humor along the way.
  2. Another passion of mine is food. Who doesn’t love to eat delicious things? From appetizers to meals to dessert – yummy, yummy dessert – I love finding new recipes to try.
  3. One day I want to travel all of Europe for an indefinite amount of time, exploring the scenery, history and culture.

5 Questions For Me:

  1. What or who inspired you to blog? I’d been thinking about creating a blog for a while. One of my friends and I talked about doing one together, but never came up with an idea that we both wanted to do. For me, blogging is another extension of my writing and a way to share, create and express myself. I really enjoy it!
  2. What was the biggest obstacle you overcame last year? Or recently, really? Accepting the fact that we’re going to stay in our current city for a while. I was really looking forward to moving again, but sometimes life takes you in a different direction.
  3. What’s your everyday mantra? Create something!
  4. If you’re allowed one impossible thing only you can do, what would that be? Teleport anywhere in the world
  5. What’s your spiritual mythical creature? Dragon

My Best Post:

Austin Getaway

My Nominees (no particular order):

A Writer’s Path

Live. Eat. Create.

Haylsaway

Booknvolume

Our Nourished Table

Cooking with a Wallflower

Give Me Meatloaf

Mae Travels

Wild About Scotland

Lauren Sapala

5 Questions for my Nominees:

  1. What prompted you to start blogging?
  2. What are your favorite books?
  3. Share one of your favorite quotes
  4. Are you pursuing writing/blogging on a full time basis?
  5. If you could travel to one place in the world, where would it be?

Hope you guys check out the bloggers I mentioned above. They have some really great posts! Until next time . . . just love, Collette

Gardening in a Raised Bed

19 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by jcollettesmith in Food, Life, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

basil, Food, gardening, Inspiration, peppers, plants, raised beds, spring, tomatoes, vegetables, veggie garden, Writing

IMG_0008

Hi guys! I don’t know about you, but with Spring in the air and all these little things coming to life, I was inspired to try something new. It’s something I’ve wanted to try for a while and finally decided to go for it – a veggie and herb garden. I imagine a lot of you have done this kind of thing before, but for someone like me with a pretty bad track record with any and all plants, it was a risk!

I planted a variety of peppers, tomatoes and basil in late February and they’re blooming beautifully. The tomatoes are now in separate pots since they started to overtake the bed. Romaine lettuce is something I also tried, but after a couple of attempts and no luck I let it go.

I’ve used the basil in a few pasta and pizza dishes and it’s delicious! It’s even nicer to be able to step out into your back yard and pick it fresh from the garden.

Here are a couple of shots:

IMG_0005

IMG_0006

Since I’m not known to have a green thumb I’m quite excited for this success. It also ties in well with my writing. You plant a few seeds, water and feed them, nurture them and love them, use what works and let go of what doesn’t, and most importantly, learn how to grow better, healthier, fruitful plants.

I tend to work on multiple projects at once. My main WIP always gets the most attention, but other works are brewing and coming to life. If not on the page, definitely in my mind. For example, right now I’m drafting a YA Fantasy while also working on a screenplay. As thoughts come to me about other ideas, I jot them down in my notebook for future stories.

How are you inspired for new stories or projects? I’d love to hear what spurs your creativity.

Until next time . . . just love, Collette

Mystery Blogger Award February 2017

26 Sunday Feb 2017

Posted by jcollettesmith in Books, Food, Life, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Awards, Blogging, Food, Inspiration, Life, Writing

mystery-blog-award

Hi everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your weekend. I have a few new posts coming soon, but first some news: I was nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award by Pat at All Day I Eat.  Thank you so much, Pat!

Here’s a link to the original post.

A little background on what the Mystery Blogger Award is: It is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion. Okota Enigma 

The Rules:

Display Award Logo
List The Rules
Mention Creator Of Award & Provide A Link
Thank The Blogger(s) Who Nominated You & Provide A Link
Say 3 Things About Yourself
Nominate From 10 to 20 Bloggers
Notify Nominated Bloggers By Leaving A Comment On Their Blog
Answer 5 Questions From Nominee
Write 5 Questions For Your Nominees
Share Your Best Post

3 Things About Me:

  1. I love writing and it’s a path I’m passionately pursuing. My blog will take readers along my journey to publication. Hopefully, I’ll be able to provide some tips and humor along the way.
  2. Another passion of mine is food. Who doesn’t love to eat delicious things? From appetizers to meals to dessert – yummy, yummy dessert – I love finding new recipes to try.
  3. One day I want to travel all of Europe for an indefinite amount of time, exploring the scenery, history and culture.

5 Questions for me:

  1. What if anything, intimidates you when it comes to cooking/baking and why? I’m always nervous to try complicated or lengthy recipes. I usually gravitate toward quick and easy ones.
  2. What challenges do you have when it comes to writing? Time! Having a day job and a family can create challenges in carving out quiet time for my writing.
  3. Where do you get your inspiration? Early morning when no one else in my house is awake is when I can let my imagination and thoughts soar. The characters are usually in my mind for a while before I’m able to understand their story and write it down.
  4. Where do you see your website going one year from now? I hope to have a well-rounded and interesting blog with regular posts that readers enjoy.
  5. What is your day job? Banking

I’m supposed to include my best post, but being so new to blogging I can’t say that I have a best one yet. However, I’ll share one of my recent ones with a delicious and healthy recipe. Shrimp and Avocado Salad.

5 Questions for the Nominees:

  1. What prompted you to start blogging?
  2. What are your favorite books?
  3. Share one of your favorite quotes
  4. Are you pursuing writing/blogging on a full time basis?
  5. If you could travel to one place in the world, where would it be?

Nominees (in no particular order):

The Purple Almond

The Happiest Pixel

Kate M. Colby

Work Mum Balance

4am Writer

Nature Photography by Urmo Parts

Recipe in a Bottle

Cooking Without Limits

My Dear Kitchen in Helsinki

Mrs. Twinkle My Wonderful Little World

Millie Schmidt Writes

Duri Rolvsson – Stories of Adventure & Friendship

L. A. Lancaster

Jane’s Patisserie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organization 101

09 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by jcollettesmith in Life, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

decluttering, goals, organization, organizational tools, planning, Writing

It’s that time of the year. Out with the old, in with the new. 

To be honest, I started on the path of clearing out and reorganizing in late 2016, but I still have a few things left on my to-do list. The feeling of starting over fresh with a clean space and a new set of goals is, well, refreshing and something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Starting was the hardest part. Knowing what I wanted to accomplish was only part one. I had to outline a plan with an end goal in mind.

One of my big areas was creating not only a space, but defined goals I wanted to achieve with my writing. I don’t know about you but I’m a big fan of organizational tools. Calendars, planners, storage boxes. All of these things make me happy. Of course, I’d also like to say that I use them to their full advantage, making my life easier and more productive, but I’d be lying. Don’t get me wrong. I have a calendar above my desk that I use regularly. It keeps me on track with appointments, school/extracurricular activities for my child and this blog schedule. However, I felt like my writing and goal-setting could use revamping.

I did some searching and came across this planner and fell in love! It’s portable, customizable and and just too cute. I started using it about two weeks ago and I’m already experiencing the benefits. I’ve used it to map out plot points, flesh out characters and set daily/weekly/monthly word goals. It’s great!

This designer also has one geared for meal prep and kitchen planning, which I plan on purchasing soon.

Decluttering is another hot topic for me right now. I’ve been cleaning out my house, room by room, and find that so freeing. Now, I’m not saying that I’ve gone full force with the KonMari Method, but I have refocused my way of thinking, keeping only what is necessary and truly important. It’s amazing what an impact a clean, organized closet can have on your life!

With only one room to go and my goals in place, I’m ready to take on 2017. Have any of you made changes this year? Please share your tips and tricks below. I’d love to hear about them.

Until next time . . . just love, Collette

 

Write. Rewrite. Repeat.

02 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by jcollettesmith in Writing

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

bloggingfundamentals, Inspiration, novel writing, Revision, Writing

Hi Lovelies! Hope that wherever you are, you’re enjoying your writing.

I thought it was time to give you all an agent update. No, I don’t have news to share, just a tally of my querying so far.

  • 11 agents queried
  • 1 partial request (ultimately a rejection)
  • 3 rejections
  • 8 no response

And so it goes. I’ll keep plugging away while starting on something new. Onward and upward.

My current WIP is a YA Paranormal. It’s quite different from my previous story, which is a MG Fantasy, but I’m enjoying it. YA is my preferred age range to write in; fantasy and magical realism are my preferred genres.

In my last post I talked about outlining. It’s a structure I’m learning my way around, but I can see the benefits. Having a guideline with the different plot points along the way is proving to be more useful than I expected. It’s like having small goals to work toward with each chapter – each scene – and baby steps tend to work well with me. Who knew?

Now, I’m not saying I’ve completely abandoned letting the writing muse take me wherever she wishes, but I think giving her a hint of what I want to accomplish is not such a bad idea. And I also find having a map for my story helps with writers block, something I’ve experienced more than once and know that no writer likes.

With that thought in mind and being new to blogging, I’ve been checking out other bloggers and their posts and found several I like. I’ve included a link from one blogger I recently discovered with her post about how to handle writers block. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

May your words and ideas flow freely! Until next time . . . just love, Collette

Write Like You Mean It

20 Friday Jan 2017

Posted by jcollettesmith in Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

novel writing, outlining, Writing, writing articles

Hi guys and Happy Friday! Today I thought I’d share some helpful articles for wherever you may be along your writing journey. They offer advice, encouragement and tips on how to better yourself as a writer.

Writing is a personal endeavor, but it’s almost meant to be shared. You have a story to tell so take the time and energy to make it your best. After all, when you pick up a book to read you’re not looking for some ho-hum story to put you to sleep. You’re searching for that world where you can get lost, forget what’s going on around you and feel like the characters you meet are your new best friends.

One of the most important things writers do is read. Read books in the genre you’re writing, read outside your normal choices, read things that will surprise you, scare you, comfort you, teach you, just read. Last year one of my favorite books I read was Stephen King’s On Writing. I know I’m a little late on checking this one out, but better late than never, right? It’s part memoir, part lessons on craft and full of excellent advice and stories. If you haven’t read it yet, be sure you do.

I also attended an online writing webinar recently that was about getting your novel idea onto paper and working through that long middle. A big chunk was about outlining and various structures for that. Of course, outlining isn’t for everyone. You’ve heard the debate – plotter vs. pantser. There are writers who can go on for hours arguing the virtues of each. Honestly, I think most of us fall somewhere in the middle. I myself lean more toward being a pantser, which is why I took this class. Outlining can be helpful and it’s something that can give you a clearer vision of where your story is going. A structure, a guideline, the skeleton of your book, if you will. It can help when you get lost in that huge middle section of your story and feel like you’re drowning in a sea of words that don’t mean anything.

The first article below is about carving out time for your writing. We are all juggling different things and multi-tasking has become a way of life, but committing to taking time out of every day to write is important. And writing doesn’t always mean drafting. This is a thought process I’m trying to get rid of. I’ve always believed my writing time = drafting in my WIP. Not true! Any writing is good and a part of the creative process – outline, make notes, do character summaries, write a blog, take a walk and daydream, etc. All of these things help stimulate your mind and your writing. If you’re at a part in your novel where you’re just not sure how you want the next chapter to unfold, step away. Let it rest. Work on something else. I promise when you come back to it you’ll have a fresh pair of eyes and things will start rolling again. Trust me, give it a try!

Now for those articles:

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/make-more-time-for-your-writing

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/7-steps-to-creating-a-flexible-outline-for-any-story

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-5-essential-story-ingredients

Please let me know below how you liked these. Until next time . . . just love, Collette

 

Writing Wednesday

04 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by jcollettesmith in Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Hi guys! Welcome to the first installment of Writing Wednesday. Hope everyone is enjoying their week.

I’d like to use this space to share thoughts, experiences, notes, etc. of my writing journey.  Reading about other people’s journeys and how they got from Point A to Point B, with all the cool little places in between, is interesting to me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share some helpful tidbits along the way and we can all move a little farther down the road to publication.

As with most writers I started writing quite some time ago, here and there, as time and creativity permitted. I’ve dabbled in screenwriting, novel writing and picture book writing (sans the illustrations), but novel writing is where my heart lies. After completing four books – all rough drafts – I circled back to my first and polished it. Then I polished it some more. Once I hit that moment of “I’m done!” I enrolled in a couple of workshops and made more revisions until I felt I’d fleshed out the story and made it the best it could be. Whew! Cue the applause ha ha! Truth is, there was still more work to be done – research. After all the next step was to start querying agents, but preparation is needed for such an endeavor and I was ready to dig in.

Step One: I had to compile a list of agents who represent what I’d written. Writers Market is an excellent resource for such a task. I recommend it to every writer whether you’re actively seeking publication, writing resources or a community in which to connect, this is a great place to begin. Once I made my wish list, I narrowed it down to newer agents actively taking on new clients. This is a great place to start since these agents are looking to build their lists. Another recommendation is to send out 5-10 queries and see how the response goes before sending any more. This way you can determine how well your query is working. Are you getting any requests for partials or full manuscripts or are you getting rejection after rejection or worse, crickets. I understand agents are very busy and receive hundreds of queries every week, but no response is the hardest one to take. At least for me.

Step Two: I wrote my query and rewrote it, revised it, trashed it, started over, took a breath, read articles on successful queries and finally, finished it. But wait, there’s more . . . a SYNOPSIS! OMG how could I forget this fun little writing exercise? How writing an ENTIRE NOVEL seems less daunting than a 1-2 page synopsis is beyond me, but it’s so true. Compressing a whole book into 2 pages, double-spaced, is like squeezing a size 10 foot into a size 5 shoe – painful! However, many agents ask for this little gem so it’s best to have it at the ready when you begin sending out queries. And by all means, hit the high points, share the beginning, middle AND ending, don’t go overboard with detail but let your writing style shine through and as with everything else when writing, hook them with the opening. Easy, right?

Today I thought I’d share a snippet of the opening chapter of my current MG novel that’s making the querying rounds with agents. I’ve submitted to only a few to gauge how my query is working and whether I need to tweak it. Out of five agents queried, I’ve had one request for the first three chapters.

Stay tuned for postings on how it goes. Good luck to everyone wherever you are in your writing journey. Until next time . . . just love, Collette

The water rippled and shivered as the hole expanded. Tiny waves churned and spread across the surface in perfect form. The air stilled, heavy with determination and promise.

The scent of wilderberries filtered through the air. A deep, spicy aroma with a hint of flowers snaking through it. It was both warm and invigorating. And dangerous. One taste could render a person motionless.

The red-haired beauty smiled as she waved her hand over the growing puddle of water, “Drag and pull. Will her near. The one you seek is already here.”

The water tossed and turned like a mad sea, its fury growing with each passing minute. Soon she would arrive. The Eye and all.

***

 Maggie leaned on the glass window pane and watched the last droplets of water roll away and drip to the ground below. She hated the sun for showing its superiority and chasing the rain away. The storm mimicked her mood and it gave her comfort knowing something else felt as angry as she did, even if it didn’t last. She took a deep breath and released letting the fire inside her escape. None of this was Gram’s fault and she wouldn’t hold it against her.

She stared at the large expanse of land sprawled out in front of her grandmother’s house. Tiny rooftops of farmhouses reared their heads in the distance. The outlines of weather vanes stretched above them and waved at Maggie as she tapped her head against the glass. Bored.

She held up her phone and stared at its darkness. It, too, was as empty as her. Summoning the tiniest bit of hope she tapped the surface, scrolled to her messages and watched for any sign of a signal. Even one bar might work. Her eyes bore into the phone as if they could will life into it. Nothing. Heat filled her fingertips curling them under into a small fist. She banged the lifeless rectangle she clinched in her hand and walked away from the window and the empty countryside that mocked her.

Maggie had a cell phone habit that would rival anyone’s. If she wasn’t texting, she wasn’t breathing. Simple as that. Her phone was her lifeline. The tiny metal instrument wrapped in a black case with a purple star splayed across the back was her whole world and she had been cut off. Stranded out here in Nowhereville, as she liked to call it. A tiny speck of a town officially named Stillwater. Appropriate enough considering the air was thick and heavy and nothing ever seemed to move. The heat was brutal. The humidity, suffocating. It was like wading through a warm jar of Vaseline – sticky and thick and not at all pleasant.

Exasperated, she plopped on the bed and slammed the phone down beside her. She was hundreds of miles from home, cut off from her friends and any semblance of a life. Two weeks stretched in front of her with absolutely nothing to do. By the time she returned it would take forever for her to catch up on all she missed.

Her heart ached and a flicker of a fire burned inside her. The unfairness of it all weighed down on her crushing her chest into the mattress beneath her. She could disappear and no one would notice.

Feel free to share comments or questions below.

Categories

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 36 other subscribers

Archives

  • May 2017 (1)
  • April 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (2)
  • February 2017 (5)
  • January 2017 (4)
Follow onceuponmyworld on WordPress.com

Social

  • View @jcollettesmith’s profile on Twitter

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • onceuponmyworld
    • Join 36 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • onceuponmyworld
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...