Sometimes I get way too much silly pass-along email, but this one I got yesterday seemed to hit the spot for writers. These are supposedly actual headlines.
(Needless to say, we all need to proofread very carefully! Any first person statement below is by Anonymous.)
Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! They put in a correction the next day. Too funny.
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
Really? Ya think?
Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Now that's taking things a bit far!
Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
What a guy!
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's!
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
See if that works any better than a fair trial!
War Dims Hope for Peace
I can see where it might have that effect!
If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Ya think?!
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Who would have thought!
Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
They may be on to something!
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?
Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
He probably IS the battery charge!
New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Weren't they fat enough?!
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
That's what he gets for eating those beans!
Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Do they taste like chicken?
Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Chainsaw Massacre all over again!
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Boy, are they tall!
And the winner is....
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
Did I read that right?
From her home in the forest, writer Marsha Ward offers up an eclectic collage of musings on life, insights into the writing process, sample scenes and snippets from her work, book spotlights, and author interviews. Now including "The Characters in Marsha's Head."
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Going the Extra Mile
Last night it started to snow again. By this morning there was an accumulation of a couple of inches here--nothing much for those used to driving in snow, but enough to make me ask myself if our church meetings would be canceled because of the unique circumstances of members of our congregation.
Our boundaries are long and thin, extending over twenty miles along a state highway. Our church building is on my end of the highway, so it's not usually a big trial for me to get to church in iffy weather. I could even walk there, if I really needed to.
The highway, however, winds over hill and dale, through forest and glen, over several two-lane sections interspersed with divided highway. For the next two years, there is a seven-mile section of reduced speed for major construction. There are several long grades, and places where the roadway ices up. In inclement weather, it may be closed until the plows come along.
I called my "home teacher," the man who, with his wife, has a special interest in my welfare (The LDS Church is famous for its home teaching and visiting teaching programs that aid members in looking out for one another). I inquired about the possibility of our meetings being canceled. He said he would check into it.
A few minutes later, another member, who lives in my area, called and offered me a ride to church. I gratefully accepted, as their vehicle has four-wheel drive. The members who live on the other end of the highway were told that if they didn't have four-wheel drive, they should attend the church service in Payson. We had a shortened church schedule--just the worship service--and returned home.
When the family dropped me off at home, the husband got out of the car and shoveled the snow off my deck before he let me get out of the car. He didn't have to do that. The snow would have melted in a couple of days. He didn't want me to slip, though. He went the extra mile to bless me. (He also asked me to speak in church next week!)
How many times do we go the extra mile in our relationships with other writers? How do we give help to those who are beginning their writing journey? When I was a beginner, many people in the writing community went out of their way to guide me through the pitfalls and snares of the world of writing. In gratitude for that assistance, I have dedicated many hours of time and much effort to aid other writers. Some of this is invisible, some is evident for all the world to see.
I know other writers who feel the same way I do that we have a duty to help others. You will see the evidence of that when you attend the 2010 ANWA Writing Conference on February 27. Eight wonderful writers are sharing their experience and knowledge. Your time and money will be well spent partaking of the joys of that Conference.
What do you, as a writer, do to help other writers?
Our boundaries are long and thin, extending over twenty miles along a state highway. Our church building is on my end of the highway, so it's not usually a big trial for me to get to church in iffy weather. I could even walk there, if I really needed to.
The highway, however, winds over hill and dale, through forest and glen, over several two-lane sections interspersed with divided highway. For the next two years, there is a seven-mile section of reduced speed for major construction. There are several long grades, and places where the roadway ices up. In inclement weather, it may be closed until the plows come along.
I called my "home teacher," the man who, with his wife, has a special interest in my welfare (The LDS Church is famous for its home teaching and visiting teaching programs that aid members in looking out for one another). I inquired about the possibility of our meetings being canceled. He said he would check into it.
A few minutes later, another member, who lives in my area, called and offered me a ride to church. I gratefully accepted, as their vehicle has four-wheel drive. The members who live on the other end of the highway were told that if they didn't have four-wheel drive, they should attend the church service in Payson. We had a shortened church schedule--just the worship service--and returned home.
When the family dropped me off at home, the husband got out of the car and shoveled the snow off my deck before he let me get out of the car. He didn't have to do that. The snow would have melted in a couple of days. He didn't want me to slip, though. He went the extra mile to bless me. (He also asked me to speak in church next week!)
How many times do we go the extra mile in our relationships with other writers? How do we give help to those who are beginning their writing journey? When I was a beginner, many people in the writing community went out of their way to guide me through the pitfalls and snares of the world of writing. In gratitude for that assistance, I have dedicated many hours of time and much effort to aid other writers. Some of this is invisible, some is evident for all the world to see.
I know other writers who feel the same way I do that we have a duty to help others. You will see the evidence of that when you attend the 2010 ANWA Writing Conference on February 27. Eight wonderful writers are sharing their experience and knowledge. Your time and money will be well spent partaking of the joys of that Conference.
What do you, as a writer, do to help other writers?
Friday, February 05, 2010
Congratulations, Whitney Finalists!
The 2009 Whitney Awards Finalists:
Best Romance
Counting the Cost , by Liz Adair
Inglestone Publishing, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-0977881466
Illuminations of the Heart , by Joyce DiPastena
Brigham Distributing, June 2009
ISBN: 978-1935217267
All the Stars in Heaven, by Michele Paige
Holmes
Covenant Communications, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-159116214
Santa Maybe, by Aubrey Mace
Cedar Fort, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1599553122
Previously Engaged, by Elodia Strain
Cedar Fort, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1599552514
Best Mystery/Suspense
Lockdown, by Traci Hunter Abramson
Covenant Communications, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1598115840
Methods of Madness, by Stephanie Black
Covenant Communications, Aug 2009
ISBN: 978-1598117301
Murder by the Book, by Betsy Brannon Green
Covenant Communications, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-1598119381
Lemon Tart , by Josi Kilpack
Deseret Book, Mar 2009
ISBN: 978-1606410509
Altered State, by Gregg Luke
Covenant Communications, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1598118324
Best Youth Fiction
Princess of the Midnight Ball , by Jessica Day George
Bloomsbury, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1599903224
Fablehaven IV: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, by Brandon Mull
Shadow Mountain, Mar 2009
ISBN: 978-1606410424
My Fair Godmother, by Janette Rallison
Walker Books, Dec 2009
ISBN: 978-0802720733
Bright Blue Miracle, by Becca Wilhite
Shadow Mountain, Feb 2009
ISBN: 978-1606410318
The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams
St. Martin’s Griffin, May 2009
ISBN: 978-0312555115
Best Speculative
Servant of a Dark God, by John Brown
Tor Books, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0765322357
The Maze Runner, by James Dashner
Delacorte, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0385737944
Wings, by Aprilynne Pike
HarperTeen, May 2009
ISBN: 978-0061668036
Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson
Tor Books, June 2009
ISBN: 978-0765320308
I Am Not A Serial Killer, by Dan Wells
Headline, Mar 2009
ISBN: 978-0755348817
Best Historical
Tribunal, by Sandra Grey
Covenant Communications, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1598116719
The Undaunted, by Gerald Lund
Deseret Book, Aug 2009
ISBN: 978-1606411919
Alma, by H.B. Moore
Covenant Communications, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1598115641
The Last Waltz, by G.G. Vandagriff
Shadow Mountain, Apr 2009
ISBN: 978-1606410523
In the Company of Angels, by David Farland
David Farland Entertainment, July 2009
Best General Fiction
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford
Ballantine, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-1615233748
No Going Back, by Jonathon Langford
Zarahemla Books, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0978797195
Gravity vs. The Girl, by Riley Noehren
Forty-Ninth Street Publishers, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-0615261652
The Route, by Gale Sears
Brigham Distributing, May 2009
ISBN: 978-1935217244
Eyes Like Mine, by Julie Wright
Covenant Communications, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1598116740
Best Romance
Counting the Cost , by Liz Adair
Inglestone Publishing, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-0977881466
Illuminations of the Heart , by Joyce DiPastena
Brigham Distributing, June 2009
ISBN: 978-1935217267
All the Stars in Heaven, by Michele Paige
Holmes
Covenant Communications, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-159116214
Santa Maybe, by Aubrey Mace
Cedar Fort, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1599553122
Previously Engaged, by Elodia Strain
Cedar Fort, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1599552514
Best Mystery/Suspense
Lockdown, by Traci Hunter Abramson
Covenant Communications, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1598115840
Methods of Madness, by Stephanie Black
Covenant Communications, Aug 2009
ISBN: 978-1598117301
Murder by the Book, by Betsy Brannon Green
Covenant Communications, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-1598119381
Lemon Tart , by Josi Kilpack
Deseret Book, Mar 2009
ISBN: 978-1606410509
Altered State, by Gregg Luke
Covenant Communications, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1598118324
Best Youth Fiction
Princess of the Midnight Ball , by Jessica Day George
Bloomsbury, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1599903224
Fablehaven IV: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, by Brandon Mull
Shadow Mountain, Mar 2009
ISBN: 978-1606410424
My Fair Godmother, by Janette Rallison
Walker Books, Dec 2009
ISBN: 978-0802720733
Bright Blue Miracle, by Becca Wilhite
Shadow Mountain, Feb 2009
ISBN: 978-1606410318
The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams
St. Martin’s Griffin, May 2009
ISBN: 978-0312555115
Best Speculative
Servant of a Dark God, by John Brown
Tor Books, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0765322357
The Maze Runner, by James Dashner
Delacorte, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0385737944
Wings, by Aprilynne Pike
HarperTeen, May 2009
ISBN: 978-0061668036
Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson
Tor Books, June 2009
ISBN: 978-0765320308
I Am Not A Serial Killer, by Dan Wells
Headline, Mar 2009
ISBN: 978-0755348817
Best Historical
Tribunal, by Sandra Grey
Covenant Communications, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1598116719
The Undaunted, by Gerald Lund
Deseret Book, Aug 2009
ISBN: 978-1606411919
Alma, by H.B. Moore
Covenant Communications, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1598115641
The Last Waltz, by G.G. Vandagriff
Shadow Mountain, Apr 2009
ISBN: 978-1606410523
In the Company of Angels, by David Farland
David Farland Entertainment, July 2009
Best General Fiction
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford
Ballantine, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-1615233748
No Going Back, by Jonathon Langford
Zarahemla Books, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0978797195
Gravity vs. The Girl, by Riley Noehren
Forty-Ninth Street Publishers, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-0615261652
The Route, by Gale Sears
Brigham Distributing, May 2009
ISBN: 978-1935217244
Eyes Like Mine, by Julie Wright
Covenant Communications, Jan 2009
ISBN: 978-1598116740
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)