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onceuponmyworld

Tag 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

 

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