Make sure he has enough coffee. That should do it.
Okay, I'm kidding. And I'm not really going to sit here and give you a bunch of marriage tips. My husband and I are doing great, thank the Lord, but I'm not exactly counselor material.
My parents got this idea last year. For Valentine's Day, they bought books on marriage for each couple in my immediate family. We were all supposed to read our books, then switch them out with someone else in the family when we were done.
Our first book was His Needs, Her Needs by Harley, Jr. It was interesting enough (for non-fiction...I know, I know. Shallow me.), but my husband decided I shouldn't read any more marriage books, as I kept asking him very random questions. We did discover, however, that neither of us had any interest in taxidermy. What a surprise.
We have a new book now. Haven't started it yet, since it's non-fiction and all. (If I keep saying that, you're going to lose all confidence in my character, aren't you.) The question is, is it worth it? When I could be devouring Susan May Warren's latest, or looking up the perfect picture to represent Brogan's heroine?
What marriage books have you read, especially from a Christian perspective? Which ones were worth the time? Which ones can I skip? :-)
4/19/10
Survey
When I first started pursuing publication, it was in the form of short stories. I knew I wanted to write novels someday, and had started quite a few (mostly melodramatic Western stories of epic proportion), but short stories was the way to go to learn the ropes.
I still like wading through the Writers Market books. Fascinating stuff. All the possibilities, all the magazines just waiting to send me a rejection letter. For the record, I did make it in two magazines, and two more were pretty close. Oh, and I was in two more in addition to those, but they were freebies, so I'm not sure they count. :-)
But over the years, there were fewer and fewer adult magazines asking for fiction, especially romance. It's hard to sell short stories--to magazines or as a collection for a book.
I'm curious why you think that is. Our attention spans are supposedly getting shorter. We're supposed to write tighter--no long descriptions or story build-up. We want snappy dialogue, want to dive right into the action. So why the demise of the short story? Or is everyone reading them online?
So now I decided to take a poll. If you had your preference, would you pick up a really good collection of short stories (in a magazine or book--whatever), or would you choose a novel? And why?
And if you leave a comment to tell me your opinion (here or on facebook), then I'll put your name in a drawing for a rather different prize: a copy of GRIT magazine from years ago, containing my very first published piece. Hey, if you don't want to read about the matchmaker, you can always read about tractors or something. :-)
P.S. Last time I checked, GRIT didn't do short stories anymore, either.
I still like wading through the Writers Market books. Fascinating stuff. All the possibilities, all the magazines just waiting to send me a rejection letter. For the record, I did make it in two magazines, and two more were pretty close. Oh, and I was in two more in addition to those, but they were freebies, so I'm not sure they count. :-)
But over the years, there were fewer and fewer adult magazines asking for fiction, especially romance. It's hard to sell short stories--to magazines or as a collection for a book.
I'm curious why you think that is. Our attention spans are supposedly getting shorter. We're supposed to write tighter--no long descriptions or story build-up. We want snappy dialogue, want to dive right into the action. So why the demise of the short story? Or is everyone reading them online?
So now I decided to take a poll. If you had your preference, would you pick up a really good collection of short stories (in a magazine or book--whatever), or would you choose a novel? And why?
And if you leave a comment to tell me your opinion (here or on facebook), then I'll put your name in a drawing for a rather different prize: a copy of GRIT magazine from years ago, containing my very first published piece. Hey, if you don't want to read about the matchmaker, you can always read about tractors or something. :-)
P.S. Last time I checked, GRIT didn't do short stories anymore, either.
4/11/10
My Hero
A while back I asked what you loved about your own personal hero. Well, today is my hero's birthday, so I figure it's my turn to talk about him. So here are a few things that I adore about my husband:
1. I never have to fill up the gas tank. Seriously. How spoiled am I? And he knows I hate to drive, so on trips he's at the wheel while I relax and pick the music. If I have to go somewhere I haven't been before, he'll sit me down with google earth and walk me through every turn. And I don't think it's JUST because he wants his truck to come back home.
2. He makes up songs and stories, does different voices and styles and makes me laugh so hard I'm almost crying. I guess we need to have children just so someone else can truly appreciate his "Blacky the Green Dragon" tales when they can't sleep.
3. He is so amazingly talented. I didn't have a form for potential suitors to fill out during my dating years, but looking back, I think I would have put website designer as a necessity on the application. :-) It's fun to watch him create, and to see how he uses his talent to help others. And he makes sure my computer and whatever other gadgets I need are in working order.
4. He believes my love language is gifts, so there has been more than one trip where he had a gift and/or a card for me to open every single day.
5. He takes my writing seriously. Insists on sending me to conferences even when we can't really afford it. Talks out a certain aspect of the plot I'm struggling with. Tells me he's proud of me. Tells other people he's proud of me. And he actually read my debut novel without me asking him to.
There are many more things I love about him, of course, but he's going to kill me, and I don't want to freak his students out any more than I already have. :-) But he takes care of me, and he makes life fun. And he has a heart for God. I'd say I'm very lucky, but I'm not sure I believe in luck. So, thank you, God. Very, very much.
Happy Birthday, Jason. I love you. And even if Brogan's picture is on my computer background, you're my true hero. :-)
1. I never have to fill up the gas tank. Seriously. How spoiled am I? And he knows I hate to drive, so on trips he's at the wheel while I relax and pick the music. If I have to go somewhere I haven't been before, he'll sit me down with google earth and walk me through every turn. And I don't think it's JUST because he wants his truck to come back home.
2. He makes up songs and stories, does different voices and styles and makes me laugh so hard I'm almost crying. I guess we need to have children just so someone else can truly appreciate his "Blacky the Green Dragon" tales when they can't sleep.
3. He is so amazingly talented. I didn't have a form for potential suitors to fill out during my dating years, but looking back, I think I would have put website designer as a necessity on the application. :-) It's fun to watch him create, and to see how he uses his talent to help others. And he makes sure my computer and whatever other gadgets I need are in working order.
4. He believes my love language is gifts, so there has been more than one trip where he had a gift and/or a card for me to open every single day.
5. He takes my writing seriously. Insists on sending me to conferences even when we can't really afford it. Talks out a certain aspect of the plot I'm struggling with. Tells me he's proud of me. Tells other people he's proud of me. And he actually read my debut novel without me asking him to.
There are many more things I love about him, of course, but he's going to kill me, and I don't want to freak his students out any more than I already have. :-) But he takes care of me, and he makes life fun. And he has a heart for God. I'd say I'm very lucky, but I'm not sure I believe in luck. So, thank you, God. Very, very much.
Happy Birthday, Jason. I love you. And even if Brogan's picture is on my computer background, you're my true hero. :-)
4/1/10
March Madness Fail
So...my husbands brackets for the real March Madness weren't exactly what you would call accurate. He ain't gonna be winning the jackpot, that's for sure.
As for the writing March Madness...I keep moving my word count status down on the sidebar so no one notices it. :-) No, I did not make my 50k goal. Not at all. My excuses, because you know I have to give them...
1. I did a lot of research looking for options for our Spring Break trip.
2. My latest ms got rejected, which kind of killed any momentum I might have had going.
3. I did a lot of brainstorming for a new project and turned in a quasi-proposal to my editor.
4. I did more brainstorming on a few other project options.
5. And frankly, I just need to do better, don't I?
But now it's April. A new month. A new goal. This time I'm going for 100k. Right. April Fools. So how about I get back with you on the word count. Maybe at the end of the month, when I can make sure I've surpassed the goal. :-)
You did notice I blogged, right? Like once a week? Come on, I need kudos here for something, right?
As for the writing March Madness...I keep moving my word count status down on the sidebar so no one notices it. :-) No, I did not make my 50k goal. Not at all. My excuses, because you know I have to give them...
1. I did a lot of research looking for options for our Spring Break trip.
2. My latest ms got rejected, which kind of killed any momentum I might have had going.
3. I did a lot of brainstorming for a new project and turned in a quasi-proposal to my editor.
4. I did more brainstorming on a few other project options.
5. And frankly, I just need to do better, don't I?
But now it's April. A new month. A new goal. This time I'm going for 100k. Right. April Fools. So how about I get back with you on the word count. Maybe at the end of the month, when I can make sure I've surpassed the goal. :-)
You did notice I blogged, right? Like once a week? Come on, I need kudos here for something, right?
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