It's Over. And the Winner Is...

This is a spoiler alert. Inside this blog post, I will be announcing the winner of Project Runway. If you haven't seen it. Run away!

Stretching Creativity to the Max

I was afraid for the little guy when I saw that window right next to him!

If you've been a reader of this blog for any length of time, you know that I'm like a squirrel on crack who runs from one shiny thing to another. I love trying new things. If creativity were a physical activity, I'd be one of those extreme sport types. Trying bigger and better things, taking risks, jumping from the side of buildings. Since I'm scared of breaking an arm or a leg, I'll stick to low impact rushes. Thankyouverymuch.

This blog started out as an author blog. Then I honed in on writing creativity. Lately, it's been about creativity in general. Or perhaps it's been more about the exploration of ideas and finding what I love. I like that because it lets me share all my crack with the rest of you. Anyone who is thinking, 'I thought she was a wanna-be writer. What's with all this off-topic stuff?' I'm happy to report that it IS on topic. Although, it's my blog. I could make it about space monkeys if I wanted! (Space Monkeys! If only that were a real thing) 

Under the umbrella of creativity and exploration, I'm going to share with you all the newest venture. Jewelry! 

As I'm writing this, I'm thinking who knew I could craft things. Anyone who knows me is laughing like a loon and pointing at me as they mouth the word "crafter" like it's the most ridiculous thing ever. They've seen rooms I've tried to paint myself. Or the crooked shelf I made years ago. Or when I decided I wanted a beach theme in my bathroom that consisted of one shell-shaped soap dish and a wall hanging.

A few years ago, I took an English Comp class. I barely passed. I hated book reports in school even if I loved the books. I hated writing, or so I thought. Writing doesn't always mean book reports and academic writing and being bad at one doesn't necessarily mean you're bad at another. 

The same thing with my new crafting projects. While I may never be able to craft a shelf because I can't hammer the pieces of wood together, I can be great at other things. I'm finding out so much about myself lately. It's been a blast. 

I wouldn't consider myself a crafter still. You'll never see a holiday shelf in my house. (Well, because I can't make one! Damn shelves.) 

As I was saying, jewelry! Wire wrapped jewelry to be specific. I talked my mother into starting this hobby with me. I didn't start with the intention of selling the items, but I was pleasantly surprised by how great they looked. A little modesty there! I knew they were a hit when the daughters made requests/took some of the rings.

It suddenly occurred to me that this would be a fun way to make a little money. I can spend hours and hours making items. It's a fun way to clear my mind yet still be creative. Etsy is terrific and doesn't cost much to list items. Like most things I do, I jumped in with both feet!

We started an Etsy shop called Pail of Pretty Things.

I'm leaning towards steampunk-type items and funky pieces while my mother is doing more elegant, traditional items. It fits our styles, but gives people choices in our new shop. I'm having a fantastic time so far even if my fingers hurt from wrapping wire!

Runway Regrets

The contestants might have regrets, that is, if they were eliminated, but I'm talking about my regrets. I wish I hadn't started doing this recap. When I started, it sounded like fun. I've always wanted to write about my favorite shows. When I've been able to take work assignments about television, I'm giddy with excitement. It doesn't sound giddy-worthy but after hours and hours of insurance articles or SEO articles, it's a better pick-me-up than coffee. Okay, that might be a stretch. I mean, coffee? Probably not that exciting.

But anyway, I wish I hadn't started. That was my point.

At first, it was a blast, but I've lost interest in these people. Usually by now I have a favorite. Not this season. This season, I find them all equally bland.

Amanda, Kini, Sean and Char.

Those are the designers moving on to the finale. Meh. Maybe I'll be inspired by them next week.

Here's a little video of part of the challenge. They tried to bring back Korina to be an assistant to the person who picked her garment for a redo.

It was Char.

Project Runway Wars

When I saw the teaser for the show, I thought it sounded fantastic. The designers would have to bid on storage lockers for their materials for the next challenge. Sounds exciting and challenging, right?

I should have known better. You got me again, Project Runway!

The units were sitting in a warehouse already chosen by producers. That means the materials were already chosen, too. Not the exciting potluck of potential materials that I expected.

Project Runway's Pretty Pretty Makeovers

Sorry that I missed last week's recap, people. Sandhya was kicked because she made a onesie for a pre-teen girl. It was sufficiently horrid for the judges to be like "Ohhh. You aren't as innovative as we thought. You're out there and wacky." There's a fine line between out-of-the-box thinking and out-of-your-mind designing.

I've been bored with the runway lately. There's nothing fantastic or original. Maybe I'm underwhelmed since Sean's fun little gimmick with the dye packs on the Rainway. How can you top the rainway?

Project Runway Recap: It's Raining Product Placement

A curved display. How can we turn this into a challenge that totally has nothing to do with the display itself? Let's make it about rain!

I actually love this challenge, but the way PR tries to throw in product placement is a bit of a joke. I'd love some honesty here. “We can't keep having runways unless someone pays our bills. This challenge is sponsored by this curved display.” I could totally get behind that.

Anyway, a Rainway! I've actually been waiting for this since I saw it on the previews a while back. It's an avante guard challenge, which is fun, too. The contestants can make whatever they like. Create new shapes and designs.

Project Runway: Saved by the Gunn

Saved by the Gunn

I don't know what the name of the episode is really. That's what I'm calling it. 

Based on the previews of this week's episode, I wasn't surprised to see Tim use his save on Char. That should have been used later in the competition. I liked the idea of the Tim Gunn save because sometimes a designer will take a huge misstep and need to be saved -mostly from themselves. It shouldn't be used for designers that tug at Tim's heart strings, or that he's grown fond of over the weeks. It should be used on a talented designer that falls on his or her face at the last minute. I don't think Char will make it to the end unless she ups her game a bit.

Project Runway Recap: Frock this Runway

First, I need to say... it's beautiful outside. I love the fall. It's starting to get cooler, and as soon as I publish this recap, I'm out of here!

Second, the episode was called Rock the Runway, but I watch PR Australia, too, and they say frock instead of dress. It's fun to say. Go ahead. Try it. Awesome, right?

Third, on with the recap...

Project Runway Recap: The Doom of Spoilers

Episode Five: Project Runway

The Klum of Doom

In my various, random clicking around the interwebs, I stumbled across Heidi Klum in a blue, swirly dress. Well, at first it didn't look like her, so I clicked it and accidentally subjected myself to a spoiler! I was truly annoyed.

Project Runway Season 13: The Red Robin V-Twist

Via Fair Use Project Runway

A little about how I'll be doing these recaps. I'm going to talk about the important and/or crazy quirky moments from each episode. These will be my initial thoughts on the episode too, as well as my personal opinions. It's not always going to be sweetness and light, people! Some of these designers make some ugly items, or they are excessively weepy about absolutely everything. The main weepy person is gone already though, so we may not have any tears at all the rest of the season.

Another warning: I don't know a ton about fashion. I'm coming at this as a lover of creativity. The creative process these people go through is fascinating to me. I like to see how their personalities impact their clothing too.

When I watch Project Runway, I don't always know their names until they hit the top 7 or 8 unless they are extra dramatic, or the clothes blow me away. I think that's enough warning and explanation.

On to the episode...!

A Suitable Twist

The person who wins this season gets a ton of prizes. I swear Heidi spends the first twenty minutes of each episode listing all the prizes including the chance to design a part of the Red Robin uniform. It's a strangely bizarre prize. The others make sense; money, makeup for runway shows, accessories for their shows. Things that will benefit their careers. I'm not sure how Red Robin fits except they must have ponied up some of that cash prize.

That's where they end up going this week; Red Robin. The shameless Red Robin plug has nothing to do with the challenge except they get to eat in the restaurant while designing. "We have burgers with a twist. Now here's your challenge. Fresh take on a hamburger! You're about to become a chef instead! Welcome to Hell's Kitchen!" Okay, he didn't say that but it was close. Men in suits come out holding trays of burgers. Hideous suits by the way. Every ugly suit your dad ever wore in the 60s and 70s. Pink prom tux, purple velour suit, tan corduroy, blue leisure suit.

As a viewer, it made me laugh a little. These were terrible, and I couldn't blame the designers for their initial nausea. Sandhya as the winner of the last challenge gets to pick her suit first, but as an extra stab in the back to the others, she gets to choose theirs, too. Surprise Hernan. Shouldn't have been so mean to Sandhya two weeks ago!

She claims to have given everyone suits that she thought they could work with, that fit their aesthetic. I'm not sure. I can't get a read on Sandhya. Two weeks before, she went weeping to Tim about how the other designers were mean and were picking on her, but I like her out-of-the-norm design choices. They aren't always things I love or would want to wear, but they are original.

It's interesting to watch the designers and their reactions to the suit choices. In my opinion, the ones with the most talent took the challenge, absorbed it and moved on. They focused on how to work with the fabric they were given. The least talented whined and fussed about how they couldn't create with the ugly fabrics. They did get to go to Mood and choose other fabrics, too, so they had some choices.

Unless Red Robin is responsible for every horrible prom suit in the last 50 years, I'm not sure what the point was. But they go inside, eat fries and design. They did have cool-looking drinks and glasses!

Mitchell and Hernan did the most complaining about how Sandhya hates them. Hernan made the worst decisions or didn't understand the challenge. He tried to match the brown and beige suit with more brown and beige so he chooses a brown vinyl at Mood. At this point, I'm thinking "wow, you didn't find it challenging enough even though you've whined for 30 minutes about it so far?" Brown vinyl. That's all I have to say about that.

Moving on.

Everyone else is thinking about their design, solving the problem of the ugly suit with fuzzy design decisions and a slightly vague directions, but they've mostly moved on from the initial shock. Except Mitchell and Hernan.

Two of the designers are making a motorcycle jacket. Neither one of the designers would give up their design, but one of them was slightly bitchy about it, but not bitchy enough for me to remember her name. She's been vaguely bitchy before, too. I wish she'd own it. Around Project Runway, that could keep her in the competition long after she's messed things up.

More Hernan whining. They had a bit of a confrontation in the sewing room. She basically said I gave you what I thought you could handle, but maybe you should have realized I'm not easy prey. Ha! He was a bit of a bully on the challenge they had together.

Tim's critiques are entertaining. One of my favorite parts of each week's challenge. I can't always see what they envision. I see sketches and flaps of fabric on dummies. They almost always look horrible. Amanda's description sounds like a flapper dress. Kini's dress is almost done. It looks fantastic. The two designers and their motorcycle jackets. An off the shoulder piece from some designer that was on the bottom last week. They destroyed him. Nina called his dress a planet of the apes dress. Ouch. The designer with the corduroy suit took strips of it and strips of other things and sewed them together. I thought it had the potential to be amazing. Mitchell put clear plastic over his dress.

Tim snuck up on Hernan who was trying to mold his vinyl. Tim's face was thoroughly confused. He didn't understand why Hernan was using the vinyl like fabric when it's not. It's crumply and messy. At this point, Tim can inspire a designer who is heading in the wrong direction. They scrap old garments and start fresh, or take the current one in a different direction. Hernan has the chance to fix things. I would if Tim ever gave me that face.

They skimmed over the blue haired woman and the young girl with the lip piercing as well as Fade and another (which usually means they are safe) before stopping at Sandhya who said I was blown away by the moustache on the wall of Red Robin. Tim just seemed confused, but he's been confused by her before, and she's won challenges. All the interview segments show designers confused by Sandhya.

Model fittings are model fittings. They only showed bits and pieces so it was tough to see what was happening with the finishes!

With so much focus on Hernan, it wasn't looking good for him unless he pulled something out of his nether regions at the last minute. Tim announced things the designers knew already like send your models to the makeup room, and use the accessory wall thoughtfully.

Boring, boring then runway time!

I'm not going to give a rundown on each look until it hits the top six designers or so. There are just too many of them right now. At the beginning of the season, I was happy about the new accessory wall. The one last season was super ugly, especially the shoes. I was so happy to see the wall this year except everyone seemed to pick short boots with their dresses this week.

During the runway, Hernan laughingly called Sandhya a bitch. She gave him the finger and told him not to ever talk to her like that again. It made me question her tears of two weeks ago to Tim. Clearly, she can stick up for herself, which makes her move seem calculated. Or perhaps I'm being too harsh, and she has just realized that she needs to be strong to win!

The judges didn't love one of the motorcycle jackets, the shredded dress and Hernan's super V girl costume. He had a V directly over the model's crotch.

They loved Amanda's hippy girl outfit, Kini's dress, and the guy who was on the bottom last week. Amanda won.

Via Fair Use Project Runway

I wasn't unhappy about the win, but out of the three they liked, I'd have chosen Kini's.

Via Fair Use Project Runway

Hernan tried to defend his dress by saying the material disintegrated, which the judges saw was a lie because they get to see the material and the dress up close.

Via Fair Use Project Runway

He lost.  

My favorite was this dress by the girl with the lip ring. I am drawn to sporty-chic-sexy clothes. 

Bringing Back the Quirk

No, that's not a new dance move. Well, it might be? Wait. That's twerk. I won't be twerking. You can all rest easy about that. I've missed chatting with you guys. I've been spreading my wings and spreading my quirk all over the place, but I'm not as free in those other spaces to really be myself. Since this place has my name on it, I'll be coming back here to bring the quirk. Nobody can stop me here!

For the past two or three weeks, I've been posting recaps on another site. Unfortunately, they have very strict rules about sharing photos. I believe that the pictures are included under the fair use copyright since I'm using them to critique, but they are erring on the side of caution. I completely understand, but that means I had to take down my recaps! I was slightly irked by that since it took nearly an entire day to write those suckers.

I'd like to continue writing them, and it took me days to come up with the brilliant solution of using my own blog!

Tall Tale Tuesday Discontinued and What I've Been Doing with Myself

Lately, I've been devoting my energy to other avenues of writing. I'm not disappearing! If you want to find me, I'm still all over the place doing that squirrel on crack thing. I want to provide one location for the prompts, which is the new writing prompt site. It doesn't make sense to divide the prompts in 18,000 locations when I can keep them in one. Hopefully, people will find that helpful and less scattered. Keep using the prompts. Keep writing! Or write without the prompts. Whatever works to keep you writing is what matters.

I've been working on the professional side of my writing. Since I started watching Project Runway and reading hysterical recaps, I wanted to do one myself. You'll find my first recap over at Daily Two Cents. If you're not watching Project Runway, you should start! Like now. Right now. Go watch it on demand or something. I'll wait.

That isn't super professional, granted, but the rest of the work is. I'm still slowly working on more fiction with the erotica pen name as well as that mystery story. I have to admire those writers even more now. That mystery crap is hard to write.

Links to my profile pages and the body of my work online, in case you're interested. I'll be back, and I'll keep you updated. I check my Facebook at least once a day if you want to connect with me there. I'd love that!

Daily Two Cents

WritEdge

Hubpages

Squidoo

My Facebook page: Missy Kierstead

That's it for now. I'll keep you posted from time to time, and I'll be back, promise.

Tall Tale Tuesday: July 15th

Storms

It's pouring outside; big, fat raindrops that plop to the ground and splash as they rebound. The mother and daughter sit on the porch watching it rain for a few minutes until the daughter looks at the mother with round, pleading eyes.
**What does the little girl want? What happens next?**

Jagged forks of lightning flash in the night sky illuminating a man as he skulks from one tree to another in the dimly-lit backyard.
**Who is the man? What is he doing in the backyard?**

Windshield wipers work overtime to clear the glass as the driver heads up the winding turn. Something darts across his path, he swerves and almost crashes. With a rapidly beating heart, he stops his car on the side of the road.
**What flew in front of his car? Does he see it again?**

Tall Tale Tuesday: July 8th

It's Tall Tale Tuesday again! Take a prompt and write a short story, flash fiction piece, or a poem if you like. It doesn't matter if you want to keep the finished product private, or share it with the group. The point is to be inspired to create. 

Enjoy!

The Beach

A young girl is playing in the sand at the edge of the water. Her older brother is a few feet away in the water splashing when suddenly, he runs over and stomps on her sand castle. 

**What happens next? Does she get even somehow? Do the parents notice?**

The surfer swims with short, lazy strokes. The waves have been small so far until the surfer sees a promising wave about to swell. 

**Talk about the excitement, or disappointment based on the incoming wave.**

One lone runner and his dog are on the beach as the sun sets and night descends. 

**Does he remain alone? Who is the man, and why does he run by himself with the dog?**

This week, I won't be adding the link generator. I'm not very happy with how it works and the fact that I can't change the label on it, so add your links in the comments. I'll feature them next week so everyone can see your work.

Tall Tale Tuesday: June 24th

I really hope that people are finding some value with these prompts. I'd love to see more stories. I'm considering a contest of sorts. Any other suggestions to make these prompts better, or encourage more participation, I'd love to hear them in the comments. 

Samantha at The Marble Jar can always be counted on for a great short story. She's contributed a story based on last week's prompt. Head over and show her some love! Peanut Butter Flowers

End of the World

A plague starts spreading. Many people die over the course of weeks and months except a family of five; a couple and their three children. Their closest neighbor left two weeks ago for a rumored camp to the north.

**Does the family stay in their home, or travel in the hopes of finding others?**

On the streets of New York City, the woman notices people start disappearing from their cars. The cars drift into intersections, and onto sidewalks as if in slow motion.

**What's happening to cause the disappearances?**

During the night, everyone on Earth dies. It's sudden and inexplicable.

**What do you do as the last person on the face of the earth?**

Tall Tale Tuesday: June 17th

This week's theme is the heart. Heart-warming or heart-wrenching. You can go whichever direction you choose, as always. I'm not going to use the linky post widget. If you have a story you'd like to share, feel free to add it to the comments. I'll link it inside next week's prompt post.

A young boy brings home a bouquet of flowers. The woman he gives them to isn't his mother, but someone he's grown very close to.

**Talk a little about who the person is, and how they've become close.**

The woman sits sadly at her kitchen table sipping coffee. She is about to celebrate her 50th birthday alone for the first time.

**Why is she alone? Does anyone do anything to surprise her?**

The bill envelope was left in a pile by the door with the others. Finally, he opened it only to find that it wasn't a bill at all.

**What was in the envelope?**

Tall Tale Tuesday: June 10th

Work Strangeness

A young intern working in her first advertising company notices that the executives meet for a pre-lunch meeting once a week. During that time, the entire office seems to function at a lower volume as if awaiting an epic event.
**What are the executives doing?**

The warehouse operates 24 hours a day sending packages around the world for various companies. It's an open warehouse with many clients. One corner of the warehouse is colder than the rest. Workers complain of headaches when they work near there, but they are unaware of the cause.
**What's in the corner of the warehouse?**

The convenience store clerk is slumped behind the counter. He seems to be unconscious. On the counter, there's a heavy mallet like those used in construction, otherwise, the store is undisturbed.
**What happened to the clerk? Where did the mallet come from? What did the cameras catch?**

Tall Tale Tuesday, June 3rd

It's June. Half of the year is gone. It's hard to believe! I'm still at work on the prompts for the other site, too. If you want more prompts to choose from, feel free to browse over there!  http://creativewritingpromptsforwriters.com/

Strange Reality

A man dressed in a three-piece suit is seen dancing outside of an office building. He dances with an intense expression on his face, not with the joy expected from someone taking part in such a happy activity.

**Why is the man dancing? What happens when he's done with his dance?**

In an area of the city, there exists a section devoted to the homeless. They sit on old couches, cardboard boxes nearby for sleeping. One woman stands out because of almost neatness of the dirt applied to her face and neck, as if it were smeared purposely.

**Who is she? Why would she be with the homeless if she didn't belong?**

A red Jeep follows behind as you drive home from work. It drives close to your bumper, but not aggressively. Vaguely, you remember a Jeep behind you on the highway this morning, too. For the next two days, the same Jeep shows up at different places as you run errands.

**Is someone following you? What does the person want?**  

Tall Tale Tuesday (on Wednesday!): May 28th

I know! I'm late with the prompts. I'm sorry. I completely forgot my own Tuesday prompt thing.

Where Have You Been?

My throngs of followers and readers might be wondering that very question. Okay, fine. The two of you might have vaguely wondered why I haven't been posting. I'll tell you! I've been doing that squirrel on crack thing.

Tall Tale Tuesday: May 20th

It's Tuesday again. The time just flies, doesn't it? For the few people paying attention, I've been keeping up with the Tuesday prompts, but nothing more for the past week or two. I've got projects exploding out of my ears! Well, not literally because that would be messy, and I don't have a maid. I hate cleaning. I'll explain it all in a day or two when I've made the projects fit for other people. Right now, the projects are in their pajamas. Soon, they will be dressed in their party clothes, then I'll let you all see them. Wanted everyone to know I haven't disappeared like bloggers sometimes do!

Tall Tales Tuesday: May 13th

It's that time again!

Samantha over at The Marble Jar submitted a great addition to her story from the week before. You have to read both. Yes, you have to! 

Swing Tricks

Altar of Rebellion

Convince her to write the rest of this character's story. I need more!

Tall Tale Tuesday: Writing Prompts for May 6th

It's that time again.

This week, I'm providing prompts with a theme.

99 Cent Chick Lit Sale

The Winner

Thanks to everyone who responded with their choices.

The Alice in Wonderland picture was the clear winner. (Fits me, doesn't it?) The runner up was the Pfffft cup. I'm thoroughly happy with the picture choice, and I'm off to order it! Once it gets here, I'll have to consider what kind of frame it needs.

Thanks so much for playing along!

The Voting Begins

Last Day of Choices

Before I get into the choices for today, I had to share this art that I found over at Etsy. I'm not even sure how she does these sculptures but they're amazing. She takes found books like this one from the Salvation Army and molds them into art.

Spend-a-Thon: The Third Day

I like that title better than the others. Sounds more epic!

It's time to think about spending my money again. Today, there are so many choices. If you missed the others, here they are again.

Day 1: Glass Pens

Day 2: Mugs

On to day 3, where I have a few things to share but under the same category. You'll be able to see by now that I obviously can't make a choice. They are all amazing. Left on my own, I won't buy any of them. That money will sit in my account gathering dust and cobwebs because of my indecision.

Tall Tale Tuesday: April 29th

It's the last day of April. I know. I can't believe it flew by so fast, either. This will be our last Tall Tall Tuesday before May.

Spend My Money: Day 2

New day, new choices. 

I absolutely love coffee. If I could hook myself to an IV filled with the beautiful liquid and live on a caffeine high all day, I would. A brand, new coffee mug would be great. I've listed a few choices since this is one category. They are all a bit expensive, if the mug gets to be a finalist, I'd have to choose only one. 

Help Me Spend My Money Wisely

More like help me spend my money, period. A week or two ago, I won a $25 Target gift card for being the closest to guessing when a fellow blogger would have her baby along with the weight and sex. I guessed it would be April Fool's day. I was off by one day but that was close enough based on the point system, so I won. Yay me!

Round Up: Wish I Could Round Up This Word Count

Wouldn't that be nice? Round up your word count to the thousand or so. Instead of the 13,354 that I wrote, I could round that up to 15,000 or even 20,000. 

Still, it's interesting to see this every week. I'll miss it when Camp NaNoWriMo is over. I was thinking that I'd been a total slacker this week, but I actually haven't. I had around 5,000 words last Friday, so this is a huge increase from the week before.

Tall Tale Tuesday: Prompts for April 22nd

Last week, Samantha from The Marble Jar wrote Lost Doll. I'm always thrilled by where she takes the prompts, and Lost Doll was a great read. Make sure you show your appreciation for her story.

I'd like to do something a little different this week. It occurred to me that people might want to participate, but not devote an entire blog post to their attempt for whatever reason. You can also add your idea or finished story to the comment section, too.

Torturing Characters

Behind the Scenes with a Character

Interview with Emma

Did you know Missy would be throwing so many things at you when you agreed to be the next character in her novel?

Agreed? Do you think we had a conversation about permission? She never asked me. She shoved me into it and started to twist my life into knots.

Impossible Goals and Disappointment

My weekly recap of word count is kind of depressing. I considered not doing a post since it was a letdown this week. Not because I don't want anyone to know I wasn't able to meet my self-imposed goal, but because I'm a little sad about it.

That happens sometimes, though, and if I'm sharing the highs and lows of my writing journey, I have to claim them both. I spent my word count on work writing. While I'm getting paid to write, so it's not a total loss, I feel like I'm helping other people fulfill their goals while mine fall to the side. There's a constant struggle to devote as much time to my writing as other people's writing. I have this strange compulsion to fill my face with food. Yeah, yeah. It's fuel for the body. I'm still racking up a word count for these other people! It's hard to give my writing equal weight and time when it barely makes me any money.

Tall Tale Tuesday: April 15th

New Tall Tale Tuesday prompts. 

I hope that it's been spurring your imaginations even if you don't put anything down on paper. 

Terrible Writing Tips

Word Counts and Germs

Too bad my germs couldn't have typed for me while they were busy making me sleep this week. I ended up with a disgusting stomach bug on Tuesday that put me out of commission for a few days. As soon as I said, "Hey, I'm going to make a schedule for myself." The germs laughed and laughed.

I'd broken my day into 2-3 hour chunks of time. I have a few projects to complete as well as the novel and serial to write. I've done some initial research into the serial story. That should make it easier to whip through the next few chapters.

Tall Tale Tuesday: April 8th

Samantha from The Marble Jar contributed a great story named Hunger for the last Tall Tale Tuesday prompt. Check out her contribution.

Prewriting Checklist

This is my personal, prewriting checklist. This implies that I'm super organized with a list written on paper, which truly is not the case. My checklist is vague and the steps are a mish-mash of "Oh, yeah. Make sure to have this. And don't forget that. Oh, man! I have to remember to do that, too" This will be the first time I'm putting it all down in organized form. Now, we can all see it!

Leaving You Alone This Week

I have lots to do this week, so I'm leaving you alone. I'm putting money on the fridge for pizza. Don't have any parties while I'm gone, and don't stay up late watching scary movies. You know they give you nightmares.

To keep you busy and out of trouble, I'm giving you some links to stories I've done in the past. These are a few of the popular ones: The Potion, Rumpelstiltskin, and Dear John Letter.

If you'd like something new to read, the book is published! You can buy the Kindle version here. It'll be free starting on the first and for a few days. That should keep you busy. If you'd like the print version, order it here. It's not free but available now.

Behave yourselves, and I'll be back next Monday!

Feature Friday: March 28th

This is the Feature Friday Wrap Up.

The week of organization is over! Well, the week of organization-themed posts is over. Are we extremely happy about that? Yes, yes I think we might be. The Feature Friday blog hop is hosted over at Blogitudes. Check out her blog if you're interested in joining the hop this week. It's a great way to share blogger love.




What I wrote:

Files, Files and More Files!

It's still organization week around here. I'm definitely taking my own advice and organizing my work space. Still pondering Pinterest, trying to decide what kind of storage would work best for me. (Pondering Pinterest is a great blog name!)

Tall Tale Tuesday: March 25th

I'm convinced that Sam's super power is to create stories that hit me directly in the feelers. Many of her stories are very emotional. This one is no different. Thanks for participating, Sam!

Organize That Desk!

Sorry. Did it seem like I was yelling at you? I was talking to myself. 

If you imagine me as a flighty, slightly-amusing yet disorganized person, you would not be far off in your assessment. Okay, fine. You're dead on. That doesn't mean I can't have moments of organization. When it comes to my work, I try to keep my desk as organized as possible, for me at least.

Feature Friday: March 21st

This hasn't been a terrific week. Those of you who are paying attention may have noticed that I had no post on Wednesday. I needed a bit of a mental health break. There's nothing major going on with me. Just a little burnt out, I think. Next week, I'll be back on track.

Tall Tale Tuesday: March 18th

Once again, I was thoroughly impressed with the stories contributed to the prompts this week. Please, check out the stories!

Marcia at Blogitudes wrote Maggie's Treasures.
Samantha at The Marble Jar wrote Once Upon a Monday.

And You Thought I'd Never Talk About This Again

The book is published on Kindle. \o/ (That's a little dance I'm doing) The print version will take some time. I have to wait for the proof copy to be delivered to my house. That sounds so authorly!

Amazon

Feature Friday

There are not enough days in the week or strength in my fingers to participate in all the blog hops that I find fascinating. I have to be a part of Blogitudes' Feature Friday, though. Have to.

It's a blog hop with a twist. Instead of writing my own post with its wise bits of wisdom, (*sighs* Don't roll your eyes! I throw something wise in occasionally.) the Feature Friday allows me to highlight great content I've read during the week. I love that. I read many, many blogs and websites with great information that I'd like to share with you.

There are rules. You can read more at Marcia's blog, Blogitudes, but I'll paraphrase.

1. Write about something awesome you've seen or read this week.

The A-Zon Publishing Choice

I'm late posting today. I know! Sorry. It was a busy morning.

To continue with my "what-NOT-to-do" theme week, I'll be talking about Amazon publishing.

How to Get Started

Tall Tale Tuesday: March 11th

Last week, two amazing bloggers participated in Tall Tale Tuesday. They took the same prompt and went in completely different directions. I loved reading their contributions. Take a look at the stories and leave them some love. 

Samantha at The Marble Jar: Current Resident

Marcia at Blogitudes: The Letter

A Blurb on the Fly

It's publishing week!

I've never claimed to be an authority on this whole self-publishing/author thing, but let's talk about the ways I've done things in the past that didn't work. I can show you my mistakes for learning purposes. I'm almost always an example of "don't do this." A cautionary tale!

This isn't my first book blurb.

Over time, it never gets any easier to write a book blurb that makes sense, pulls the reader in, and doesn't give away twists within the book. That last part is the hardest for me. How do I snatch the reader with a great hook without giving away the surprising plot points?

Polished to a Glossy Shine

I've spent two days editing Reframing Emma. This was the fourth or fifth time. I've lost track. The other attempts were half-hearted. I'd skim to the middle and depending on my mood either sigh in disgust or shove it away in boredom. (Not from the story itself, but the editing. The book isn't boring. I promise!) Once, I started at the back of the book to make it interesting, but my end reaction was the same.

Treasures and Trash

This is my story in response to the Tall Tale Tuesday prompts from yesterday. Hope you enjoy it.

Tall Tale Tuesday: March 4th

Last week, Samantha at The Marble Jar contributed The Statue and the Dog. It was very entertaining. Be sure to give her some love!

Here are this week's prompts. You don't need to follow the prompt exactly. It should be a spur to your imagination, not a strict rule or guideline. Let the prompt take you wherever it wants to go.

Recons, Recaps and Word Count Experiments

Recons, Recaps and Word Count Experiments

Last week, there was a writing conference online called Indie Recon. It was the second annual Indie Recon, but the first time I'd heard of it. First, let me say that there is a lot of controversy about independent publishing versus traditional publishing. I love being able to indie publish my books. In my opinion, self-publishing is an amazing opportunity. I don't judge people who traditionally publish because that's amazing, too, for different reasons. I just love the whole world of self-publishing and all the helpful people who have somewhat banded together to assist other authors.

Connections and Writer's Digest Online

To close out the week's theme of Connections. I decided to write for a prompt that has a bigger following than the others. I've always wanted to participate in a Writer's Digest prompt. Fear held me back. Lots of people will see my writing if I participate. I know it's the entire point of writing. You want people to see your writing and enjoy it, but people will see my writing!

Connections and Random Acts of Creativity

Samantha over at The Marble Jar had a great idea last week for a Random Acts of Creativity Round Up where she is encouraging risk, bravery and creativity. I agree wholeheartedly about embracing risk. I love challenges and risk, so this seemed like a perfect chance to make connections while taking a huge leap.

Tall Tale Tuesday: February 25th

The prompts are a creative stepping stone. Anyone who wants to participate is more than welcome to alter the prompts in a way that helps them be more creative. My flash fiction as well as the prompts can be a bit dark, but this is an exercise in tapping into your imagination. If the prompt comes from a place of darkness but helps you jump into the light, take that leap. Don't let the wording of the prompt hold you back from pursuing the story you want to write. I'll try to create versatile prompts, too.

Connections and Write on Edge

This week's theme will be Connections. After the recent realization that I don't have as many blogging friends as I'd like, I will be striving to become more connected with other bloggers. I'd like to find more writing blogs to read and admire!

Award

Alicia over at Chosen.Called.Chasing nominated me for an award recently. I think I might have said I WON an award. Sorry about that. I was excited!

Off-Beat Inspiration through Collaboration

I saved my favorite site for last. As you'll see when you head over to the site, the design of it inspired my own blog design choices. Wait. Don't go yet!

Off-Beat Inspiration Through Learning

I love online classes and learning new things. I'm not sure how artistic I actually am, or if I just want to be artistic with mediocre talent. Doesn't matter though. It's about opening up to creativity through the process of being artistic if that makes sense. It feels ethereal and vague. Like I'm touching the essence and spirit of my creative being. It feels silly to say, but that's a little like how it feels!

Tall Tale Tuesday: February 18

I'll have a better graphic next week!

Every Tuesday, I'll be listing a few writing prompts for those who want to stretch themselves with some story writing. I'll have a linky widget at the bottom of the page -- if I ever figure out how to add one. If you'd like to share with others, feel free to link your blog there. Visit some of the other links to leave your comments and encouragement, too!

Off-Beat Inspiration

This week's theme is off-beat inspiration. Word and writing prompts are common inspiration, but there are other, unexpected ways to open yourself up to imagination and creativity. This week I'll share three websites that spark my writing.

Your Love Story

Fellow blogger and friend, Brandi over at Finding a Path for Me, is running a Valentine's Day giveaway.

What's Your Love Story?

Even if you don't have a love story to share, you can enter the giveaway by friending Brandi on social media. Follow her all over the place; Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Plus she's lots of fun. Who wouldn't want to follow her?!

It ends February 16th, so get over there and participate. There are two gift cards to be awarded!

Behind the Scenes: Blogging Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned

It may be very soon in my writing/blogging journey to talk about the lessons I've learned, but I always seem to jump in with both feet - the wrong way. So, that would be me jumping in sideways? With arms and legs wide like a skydiver? You get the idea. I do it wrong. That means my lessons come early. I may jump in like a flying squirrel on crack, but I'm quick to understand when I'm running into problems. I'm self-aware, and 'doing it wrong' is a pretty common occurrence.

Behind the Scenes: Blogging Affiliates

**Blogging Affiliates**

Behind the scenes, I've tried to monetize my blog. It's what you do with a blog, right? Bloggers write because they love it. They share meaningful posts full of information for their readers because they want to become an authority on their topic. At the end of the day, bloggers would like to make a little bit of money for providing valuable information.

Power of the Thriller by Robert Sells

My first ever book promotion blog... thing. Robert Sells is here today talking about thrillers. I'm thrilled to welcome him! I know. That was pretty bad, but it's a compulsion. I can't help myself.

The Power of the Thriller

“I’ll be back.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s line from the iconic thriller, The Terminator. The movie was directed by another icon, James Cameron. The Terminator had all the essential ingredients: good acting, action packed, clever concept, but… it didn’t make sense. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the movie. It remains one of my favorites. However, when I left the theater after seeing it for the first time, I wondered about one minor inconsistency.

Behind the Scenes: Blogging Niche

**Blogging Niche**

This week's theme will take you behind the scenes of blogging. There's nothing truly earth shattering. I want to start a conversation about the whole blogging process. I'd like to talk to all of you about the whole mystery of it. Oh. It's not a mystery to you? Well, it's a mystery to me!

Friday Imagination Prompt

Here's my story based on the prompts from Wednesday.

Five Writing Prompts to Give Your Imagination a Kick in the Pants

Sticking with the theme of imagination this week, I want to talk about ideas and my idea file. That's where I keep all my ideas, obviously! There's almost always a random, stray topic in that file, but I don't always want to write what's there. It doesn't inspire me.

When I'm uninspired by my idea file, I have to find the inspiration someplace else. Writer's often call this type of thing writer's block. Basically, they're uninspired. The uninspired writer stares at the blank page, and the blank page stares back. Finally, it begins to mock them. They become frustrated. It's a cycle. You're bleh about writing, nothing resonates, the blank page mocks you, which makes you bleh about writing. (Yes. Bleh is a real word. I don't care what the red squiggle says!) I don't have the perfect solution for all writers. I only have the solution that works for me.

Word Prompts!

The Monkey House

This is an off-topic and off-day post. If anyone remembers, I struggled with a cover for my short story Marking Time. I've never been completely happy with the one I settled on when I started uploading the story to JukePop Serials.

Let Your Imagination out of its Chains

Since themes worked so well for me over the course of the 31-day blogging challenge last month, I'm sticking with it until the wheels fall off.