Blogging Comeback

Wow, I can't believe that the last time I blogged my random thoughts was way back in April. Ah, yes, I remember April well; it was still snowing! Welcome June, thankfully it is not snowing, however I must admit I am a little tired of the rain and my accompanying puffy hair! Not much helping my hair at this point, two months of mostly rain makes Late Night Writer very cranky!

I have been somewhat busy creating a facebook profile page for my writing service. If you are on facebook, look me up at Proword Wizard Writing Services. I have also been practising my twittering skills, you can catch me on Twitter @latenitewriter. Yup, I realize that 'night' is spelled two different ways in my blog and my twitter name but someone else was using it already.

On the bookshelf, I just completed reading The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I started it in the winter; yes, it took awhile but it had lots of pages and the print was small! I really enjoyed this book although I have to admit, I was glad once I had finally finished it. I always grow impatient when a book is taking a long time to read because I am eager to start a new book.

This week, I moved on to something a little easier and just finished reading Ten Degrees of Reackoning by Hester Rumberg. The book was based on the true story of Judith Sleavin and her tragic story of losing her family at sea whilst she floated alone in a rubber dingy. The family were avid sailors and were enroute to sail around the world. After reading her story of survival, I can honestly say that any ingling I might have had to sail around the world has been permanently silenced. A very sad and tragic story but her story of courage and survival story needed to be told.

I have a few more books nestled on my bookshelf awaiting my arrival before I will make my next journey to Chapters. What have you been reading lately..feel free to comment!

Until next time...

Twitter Here I Come!

Over the last few months, I have come to realize that if I want to stay in the game in the writing world, I need to develop some social skills - social media skills that is! Hence, my reasons for creating this blog that you are reading.

My new social venture is getting acquainted with Twitter. Like this blog, I am not quite certain what I will 'tweet' (boy, I hate that word!) but I am hopeful that it will come together at some point and I will discover a reason for all this blogging and tweeting. I have come a long way since last year when I could not remember the name of the website and kept referring to it as Tweeter instead of Twitter. Now, I have it all figured out, you create a twitter account and post daily tweets for your followers to read. Not sure why anyone would care what I am doing at any given moment; my life is not that interesting - quite boring actually!

So bear with me, as I muddle through the schematics of twitter, learn about hash tags, figure out how to post a tweet via my cell phone, learn how to entice people to follow me and discover that at some point, I will be rewarded for mastering Blogspot and Twitter.

In the meantime, follow my tweets at Twitter.com. You can find me at: @latenitewriter.

Caught Napping!

With the Canadian election campaigns in full swing, I had a chance to catch some of the debate on TV the other night. Is it just me or does Mr. Ignatieff resemble a cross between the Grinch and the penguin from Batman? Not sure what it is, perhaps the over extension of the corners of his mouth but whatever the reason, I am very afraid!

I watched a clip on the news last night from Barak Obama's budget speech. When the camera person panned the audience, there were three indidivuals very obviously nodding off including U.S. Vice President Joe Biden! Now, if Mr. Biden were one of us common folk, he would definitely get a tongue lashing for sleeping on the job. Why is it ok for the vice president of the US to sleep on the job yet Torontonians were so outraged when the lonely ticket guy at the TTC was caught napping on the job? Just doesn't make much sense to me. Let's be realistic, we are only human and we get damn tired...and sometimes it happens at the most inappropriate times!

I am pretty sure that VP Biden has received alot of teasing today! For all those nappers out there...be careful..you definitely don't want to get caught napping on the job unless of course, you are the Vice President of the United States.

Calling All Short Story Writers

Good Day Fellow Writers and Avid Readers!

If you reside in Ontario, Canada, The Toronto Star Newspaper has announced its annual 2011 Short Story Contest. This contest is open to all Ontario residents over the age of 16 years. There is no entry fee and the prize breakdown is:

1st Prize
 $5000 plus the tuition fee free for The Humber School for Writers Correspondence Porgram in Creative Writing

2nd Prize - $2000
3rd Prize - $1000


Entries must be received by February 27, 2011. Winners will be declared on April 15, 2011

Please visit the link for further information:
The Toronto Star Short Story Contest

 I found this good article on how to increase your chances of winning a short story competition. Before you enter any short story contest, gain some valuable tips to increase your chances of success:

Short Story Competitions: Increasing Your Chances of Wnning
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/mar98/keegan6.htm

Until next time...good luck!

The Effects of a Great Book

A friend dropped by for tea last night and we got on the topic of books. We are both avid readers and at some point always find ourselves on the topic of great books. Andrea was telling me how much she enjoyed reading but doesn't read before she goes to sleep because she becomes so involved in the book that it becomes part of her dreams. She said that she gets so absorbed with the characters and the setting that it is like she is actually there.

I can relate and Andrea can attest to it. Years ago, I purchased a copy of the novel Cane River By Lalita Tademy; one of Oprah's Picks. The book tells the tale of three generations of slaves on a Creole plantation in Cane River, Louisiana. It was quite a long, compelling story and I had been tackling it for over two months.

I brought the book along with me during a 'girls only' weekend trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario. On route, I settled comfortably in the back of the van and dozed off for a little awhile. I awoke to hear one of my fellow travellers inquiring as to what was going in the field running parallel to the highway we were on; there was a group of about 15 individuals in the middle of the field a short distance from the shoulder of the highway. Still groggy from my mid-morning slumber, I poked my head up, peered out the window and blurted, "Picking cotton of course."

There was dead silence in the van followed by a rumble of uncontrollable laughter. Amid the laughter, I heard a voice break through the racket and point out, that "we are in Ontario, not Louisiana! We don't even grow cotton here!" Feeling a bit sheepish, I explained that I had become so involved in the book, Cane River, that when I awoke from my little car nap, I was confused and actually thought the group of people in the field were cotton pickers.

To me, that is the sign of a great read! When the author engages the reader in such an amazing tale that the reader actually feels like a participant in the story, it is pure magic!

Have you read any books that made you feel that you have become a participant in the story or a bystander witnessing the action? Drop me comment and share your experience!

Until next time..enjoy a book today.

Aspire to Write?

Many individuals dream of writing whether it be a simple poem, the next great novel to be awarded a prestigious book award or to be featured on Oprah Winfrey's Book List. However, a common complaint amongst those who aspire to write is that they cannot find anything to write about.

Most experienced writers have learned that one must use various sources of inspiration to help them create their works of art. You may argue that you cannot find anything that will spark the creative spirit in your soul but think again. Inspiration can be derived from the simplest of pleasures:

Ø      A early morning walk around your neighborhood

Ø      A unexpected sunset or vibrant sunrise

Ø      A look from a stranger

Ø      A touch from your significant other

Ø      Rage over an injustice

Ø      The sound of a pounding rain

Ø      The quiet of the midnight hour

Ø      The chatter of a toddler

Ø      The giggle of a group of school girls

Ø      The clickety clack of your keyboard

Ø      A longing, a love, a hope.

  

The possibilities for inspiration are abundant and readily available if you seek beyond the mundane of everyday life. The key to finding inspiration is to break down an event, experience or emotion and focus on that single aspect. If it is a great fiction story you are after, dig deep in your past, examine the present or look into the future. For poetry, let your emotions run high and embrace your tears, laughter, fears, happiness, grief and sorrows. Write it when the moods strikes - do not sit on it or the inspiration will fade.

The great writers, both past and present, knew this and wrote when the inspiration struck them regardless of the place or time. Follow in their footsteps; this is the stuff great literary works are made of.

Until next time..keep writing

My Children's Picture Book: Church Mouse Poor

A quick note regarding yesterday's blog on Literary Classics - Not sure what happened but the spellcheck changes did not save properly and the online version contained a few typos, my apologies. Hmm, didn't I write a blog on proofreading??

In 2007, after seventeen rejections, my eighteenth query netted a traditional publisher for my children's picture book entitled, Church Mouse Poor. The story came to be after a friend announced that she was officially 'as poor as a church mouse." Perhaps it was the air that night, or someone slipped something in my drink, but I began to ponder what it meant to be 'as poor as a church mouse' if you were, in fact, a mouse that lived in a church. With my creative juices flowing, I quickly jotted down a short story about a mouse who lived in a church and sets out on a quest to find out what it means to be "as poor as a church mouse." The story sat under a pile of papers for a few months until I rediscovered it, rewrote it and then eventually sent it on its way to do the publisher rounds for the next year and a half.

I enjoyed some success with the book, and enjoyed the experience immensely. I had a great book launch at the local library, did quite a few author readings at local schools and hosted a book signing at my local chapters (see picture below). In addition, I attended some other book functions and signings and brought the hubby and the boys along in tow to experience the whole thing. Unfortunately, my traditional publisher ceased operation about a year after the book's release and I am now the sole, independent marketer of my book.

Friends will ask me if I plan to write another children's book and I have to admit that there is no explanation as to how Church Mouse Poor came to be. I am not a children's book writer in any sense of the word; I write non-fiction articles on an array of topics - basically I will write about any topic that someone is willing to pay me for!

So last weekend, as I watched the snow pile up outside, I pondered whether I had another children's picture book somewhere deep inside of me. I have some ideas but whether or not they will amount to anything, I am really not sure. If I decide to pursue that avenue, I will take what I learned from the publication of my first children's book and  use that information to my advantage.

Firstly, writing the book is the easy part. The hard part is trying to find a publisher who will see your vision and is willing to work with you and make it happen.

Secondly, I will seek out a publisher who is associated with a book distributor. Although I am all for the small publishers, it is difficult if not impossible, for the majority of them to break into the major bookstores in Canada and the U.S. If you aren't on a bookstore shelf, it is extremely difficult to sell your book especially a children's picture book in which the pictures say as much as the actual wording. Picture books don't sell so great over the Internet.

And lastly, I know as the author, I will have to do my part too including school book readings, book signings and book fairs as required.

So, until such time as a great idea for another children's picture book slaps me upside my head, I will just sit and wait and see what transpires over the cold, long winter.

Until next time....keep reading..

P.S. If you are interested in more information or wish to order your own autographed copy of my children's picture book, Church Mouse Poor, please visit my website at www.christinecristiano.webs.com