Follow Abby!

You might remember the great Abby Minard who did a guest post for me a couple of months ago. Well she has now started her own blog which like her writing is much better than my own. But her launching a blog and her dicipline to updated it several times a week has inspired and motivated me to make this blog a once a week blog and to reopen my sports blog. So you can catch me here once a week and you can catch my sports blog at http://thecognitivecacophony.blogspot.com/ everyday.

But if you want a great read you need to go to http://abbyminard.blogspot.com/ that is where the good stuff is.

See you next week!

What A Weekend!

My wife and I are exhausted after a super busy weekend!

Saturday was a magical evening as we went to a surprise party for Harry Potter's 30th birthday. Ginny and Hermione went all out with decorating and food. (Even though British food is not really my favorite, it was still pretty good!)

All of the kids were there, James Sirius, Albus Severus, Lily Luna, Hugo, Rose, Teddy, Victoire, Dominique, Loius, Molly, Lucy, Fred and Roxanne just to name a few. (it was quite a room full)

Of course all of the Weasleys came, Authur and Molly (being grandparents really suits them), Bill and Fleur, George and Angelina, Percy and Audrey, and even Charlie tore himself away from his dragons in Romania to be there.

Neville and Hannah came for a while but could not stay long owing to the fact that the venomous tentaculas were teething. Luna and her family could not make it because they were off chasing a creature that was reported to be a cross between an Erumpent and a Crumple-Horned Snorkack. (which if true would be a great discovery for it would be the first evidence of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack) Kingsley was there and Percy would not stop pestering him with ministry business, much to Hermione's frustration. Hagrid was there with a new pet of some sort that Ginny would not let the kids get near, and Headmistriss McGonagall seemed a bit exasperated by Hagrid bringing his new pet but she bore it with good grace and even danced with him by the end of the night. Horace Slughorn sat in the corner observing the festivities with cheer all while keeping a sharp eye on the kids, taking a measure of eachs' abilities. Even Aberforth showed up, but left early muttering something about seeing a baseball game that he had been trying to get into since 1945.

Hermione and Ginny nearly stole the show. They both looked radiant and they were the perfect hostesses. Sure, Ginny had to keep threating Ron so that he would stay away from the food, and Hermione almost jinxed Percy into silence, but after so much hard work it would be hard to blame them for these little tense moments. But it was Ron who really made sure that Harry had not found out anything about the party, and Ron even got Harry to go after a fake report of a dark wizard operating in Hogsmeade. Harry arrived him in a bit of a sour temper after being sent on this wild goose chase, but took the surprise with good natured humility and after dinner offered a toast to Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and friends and loved ones far and near. It was such a great moment that we didn't even mind when George revealed that he has spiked the champagne with U-No-Poo.

It was a perfect evening, and we hated to leave but Sunday was another huge event for us too.

Sunday we got up early and traveled to Springfield for Lisa Simpson's wedding. It was beautiful. The decorations were tastefully understated and the food was wonderful. (It was supposed to be all vegetarian, but Homer snuck in some pork chops and I was lucky enough to get one.) There ceremony was beautiful and even though Lisa did not end up getting married, but it was great to spend time a family that means almost as much to me as my own.

We got back late last night and we had really blown out imaginary budget for this amazing imaginary weekend, but for a trip through our imagination with some of our favorite characters it was worth every fake penny.

It is not often that a book or TV series have actual dates on which we can take a fond look back at the stories and characters that we have grown to love. So two have two of my favorite series have landmark dates fall on the same weekend was pretty special to me. I hope you enjoy my reminisce of what might have been and as always your comments are welcome.

What to write first?

I am in a bit of a quandary. As a new writer I am still trying to find my voice. I am trying to perfect my craft. So my question is should I hone my craft on the story that I care most about, or should I write something else first and then take my more practiced skills and apply them to the story that I want to be my magnum opus.

The adult epic fantasy that I am writing is my favorite project. I have been working on the world and refining it for over a decade. I had it planned for a trilogy but I believe it will be 5 books now. It is what I have been working on since I started this blog. It is my dream.

But I feel like I owe the story and the characters better writing. I feel like I need to improve before I tell this story.

Now it is possible that by the end of the three to five books I will be the writer who I think I need to be to tell the story, but is it better to write something else first?

I have something else that i would like to work on. It is a YA fantasy series set in the same world as my epic fantasy and so I would not only be refining my writing but I will still be refining my world.

So should a switch gears? What to you think?

ALA part II

Today is our last day of ALA and we are coming home loaded with swag. I think that we have too much but it is never too much for my wife. We will be paying to ship everything fedex because the wonderful USPS pulled out after one day at the conference.

The most inspirational author that I met this week was James Kennedy. He wrote the book The Order of Odd Fish. It is a fantasy book and it seems a little weird but that is ok. I met him at the ya coffee klatch yesterday and he had such great energy! He brought a bunch of fan art about his book and even made mix cds of the music that inspired him during his writing for everyone that he visited with. I do not think that I will be inspired by much on the CD, but it was great to meet another writer who used music as such a strong muse while they write.

Well, I suppose that is it. My last suggestion based on my ALA experience is to pick up Charles and Emma: Darwin's Leap of Faith. I met the author and she was great and said that the reason she was so drawn to this book was because Charles and Emma Darwin's marriage was very much like her own with her husband. She comes from a religious background, he comes from a science background and how they make it work together and find aspects of each others' "faith" (ie. faith in God versus faith in Science) to reinforce their own beliefs and find that perhaps the differences between science and religion are not so great. I have not read the book myself, but I think my wife has it so I think I am going to read it.

Hope you enjoyed my recap of the trip, I look forward to any comments.

ALA!!!

Hey everyone,

Here is my update on ALA. It has been a great so far. Lots of free stuff and I have met a bunch of really cool authors. My favorite so far has been Brandon Sanderson. I got an advanced reader copy of the first book in his new 10 book series. He was very nice and personalized his signing.

I was also looking for Mockingjay (not here because the book is so popular they are keeping it secret like with Harry Potter), the new Bartimaeus book, (not here because it is too popular but they are going to mail me a hardcover when it comes out thanks to my wonderful wife), and the third tapestry book by Henry Neff (not here because it got pushed back, i will get it at Midwinter in January). So those were major bummers.

We have gone to all of the monuments and the Library of Congress. Monday we will hit the Smithsonian.

Met a lot of great librarians and bloggers too, and in the morning we are going to the ya author speed dating event that enjoyed so much we did last year.

Best moments/Random thoughts:
Best Carry-on at the airport: A dog head from a mascot costume
Best Quote: @the Lincoln Memorial, Kid 1: Wow that's a big Lincoln! Kid 2: Yeah he was even bigger in real life.
Best Book: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Best Meal: Tonight at Austin Grill with a bunch of bloggers, librarians, and authors; 17 of us in all.
The convention is really loud! Is it too ironic to shush it?
Apparently ALA is where librarians go to spawn...last year there was a secret twitter account posting anonymous sex confessions, this year it is a twitter hashtag for everyone to see.
Book bloggers are either really cool or really awful and greedy.
The #ala10 twitter feed is either extremely funny or extremely boring
I guess librarian's like soccer because the USA match today was really popular
Lots of kids are here, most seem bored...poor things.

Well that is it I guess. Off to bed because I have another full day tomorrow. If you want to keep up with my adventures follow me on twitter: @crazywriterblog

See ya and look for another update soon.

PS I have been WAY to busy to write so far but I am hoping for time tomorrow. I tried on the plane, but I was too tall to look at the screen...I had no legroom.

Guest Post! Finding the Time by Abby "I rock at writing" Minard

Hey guys,

It is my honor to introduce you to my friend Abby who, as I have mentioned on this blog before, is an aspiring young adult author and my critique partner. I asked her recently to do a guest post and she took the time out of her very busy schedule to do it. She is a great writer and a good friend, and your lives will be better for having read her guest post.

Finding the Time

As I sit here, surfing the net for bedding sets instead of writing, it made me think of this post I’m supposed to be writing for Andy. So, I thought I’d start it now. What a better time to write a blog post about time management when I am wasting my time as we speak! Well, not anymore since technically now I am not wasting my time since I am writing a post I told Andy I’d do.

Anyway, we all have different ways of managing our time. Some of us are great at it, and get everything done on their “to-do” lists and then some. I like to call those people “overachievers”. Then, there are those that procrastinate and do everything other than what is on their to-do list. I call those people…well, me. Okay, I’m not that bad I guess. But let me tell you, trying to juggle a “day job”, a 4year old, a house, writing a novel, a social life, and oh, did I mention a husband in there somewhere?…is just plain hard!

I just read a really great blog post by Maggie Stiefvater about time management, and she really hits the nail on the head for me. She talked about having children, and making time to write when you are just starting out. It’s what I am going through now, as well. The number one thing for me, is that I need to carve out specific times during the day or week that is “my writing time”. If I designate a time to do it, it’s like going to my job. It’s on my calendar-in pen- so I have to do it. If I dedicate myself to that, then most of the time it gets done (with a little bit of procrastination on the side).

But the big question for those of us with children is, when exactly do I have time to write? My answer- if you love it, you’ll find time. I love my daughter, and I love spending time with her, as well as my husband. But my Little Monster (I call her that because she is obsessed with Lady Gaga, and she calls her fans her “Little Monsters” so, she is her Littlest Monster) is not my WHOLE life. I am not her slave. I do not wait on her hand and foot. I know some people whose children are what they live for. They are their whole lives, and they know nothing else. They don’t know what’s going on in the world, they don’t keep up with the latest trends in whatever, and they don’t have much interaction with adults. If my life was like that, I think I’d explode. No one would like mama, then.

So, I make time for myself. Little Monster has quiet times during the day, and I utilize that time to work on what I need to, be it writing, reading, keeping up with blogs, or keeping up with My Shows (I have to have My Shows, people!). I am trying to narrow that down to mostly writing right now, so I can get this first novel up and running, but it takes time to adjust (the procrastination thing really gets me some days). I also have Monday nights as my night to write. Little Monster goes to bed early, and then after that I just write until I’m dizzy and the screen’s all fuzzy. Hubs is at work, so I have no distractions.

And that is how it has to be for now. Hopefully, once I can get my first novel published, the goal is to be able to write full time. That will open up a whole new slew of time management issues. But for now, I deal with the reality of my situation and do what I need to do. Because I love to write. I love telling stories, and yes, it’s very hard and sometimes I just want to give up. But in the end, I come back to it and coax it back to life. Because it’s what I want to do, and it’s who I want to be, and it makes me happy.

Thanks Andy, for letting me invade your blog to drone on and on about making time to write! Seriously people, if you love it, stop making excuses and just sit down and do it! Now to listen to my own advice…wait, Old Navy’s having a sale? Let me just check on their website…

May the Fourth Be With You!

Because most fantasy readers are scifi readers (although I detest most scifi), and because most fantasy and scifi readers are at some level nerds (I do acknowledge my nerdiness although I try to keep it under wraps most of the time), I am "forced" (hee hee) to ask two questions:

1. Which is the nerdiest day of the year? Is it:
A. March 14th aka PI day
B. May 4th aka Star Wars Day
C. April 5th aka First Contact Day
or
D. Should I get a wedgie and shoved in a locker for 1, asking this question and 2, knowing of all three of these days?

and

2. Which is the best scifi series?
A. Star Trek
B. Star Wars
C. Battlestar Galactica
D. Something else
E. Why you taking scifi when fantasy is the superior genre
or
F. OK back in the locker you go!

Now for the first question, Star Wars day is very nerdy but Wars is generally more culturally accepted than intelligence or Trek. However, PI day has to potential for businesses actually giving away free or discounted pie, which makes me happy. And I think that all americans can get behind free pie. Therefore in my option PI is the least nerdy and First Contact Day is the most nerdy. (I mean celebrating something that has not happened yet?)

The second question? I just want to see what you think. Leave your answers in the comments below.

My next post will be a guest post by my critique partner, so make sure that you come back and check it out!