Question of the week: What should I write about for next week’s UCG news commentary?

Lots of things are happening in the news, and there are many important prophetic trends as well. What would you like to see in the United Church of God weekly commentary on the news next week?

It’s due Monday morning, so I really appreciate your help! Join the conversation!

From this week’s Cup O’ Joe Column on CBR:

Jonah Weiland: I think it was Tom Brevoort who was talking on a blog post or on Twitter about how he was pretty sure “Siege” would destroy “Blackest Night.” Would you go along with that take?

Joe Quesada: [Laughs] Yes. Absolutely! But let me say for the record that I do not read Tom’s blog or anything Tom is attached to. He’s a loathsome individual, and I just do not like him very much. And anyone who knows Tom Brevoort I’m sure would agree with me. [Laughter].

Now for this week’s question:

Do you think that The Siege will in fact “destroy” Blackest Night?

I’m aware that the above quote by Tom Brevoort was most likely made in jest but I am thinking that Joey Q is laughing because he knows deep down that The Siege is the same boring Bendis written nonsense that will not stand a chance against Blackest Night. I could be misreading that though.

My answer to this week’s question:

[Laughs] No way in hell. If anything, Blackest Night will probably destroy Marvel. [Maniacal Laughter]

J.

So far we’ve been doing all the talking, so we’re going to flip it. It’s your turn to talk. We want to know about you! This week’s question is:

What was the first concert you went to and what do you remember about it?

Post your response as a comment to this post.

Righty oh after the shoe sniffing fun and hilarity over the transfers (Should the British Government re-survey the geography of England there would be a new mountain in London consisisting of the bullshit transfer stories of The Daily Mirror, The Sun and others) it is time to move on to more philosophical topics..

This week question is designed to address the fact that no matter how hard we try and ignore it time continues to roll on and in just 5 weeks we will enter a new decade. In that vain I will be using the question of the week slot to look back over the last ten years and the players, managers and personalities who have shaped what is undoubtably the most successful decade in the clubs history.

This week I would like to start in a perfectly logical order by looking at the central defenders who have sweated blood sweat and tears to defend the Chelsea goal over the last ten years, I have compiled a list of 5 candidates for your consideration.

1. Marcel Desailly

Marcel Desailly joined Chelsea as a World Cup winner after the blues had themselves won both the League Cup and European Cup Winners Cup and his signing represented how far the club had come in such a short period of time and the dawn of the Hoddle era.

After the turn of the millenium Desailly spent a further four years at Chelsea in a Chelsea team full of swagger, flair and success only a mistake against Monaco that inadvertenly ended the commentary career of Ron Atkinson (no fault of Desailly) blotted his copybook. Skilful strong and powerful no one can argue that he was not a Chelsea legend.

2. Ricardo Carvalho

After following Jose Mourinho from Porto Ricardo Carvalho joined John Terry and William Gallas to form one of the most formidable central defensive line ups in Premier League history, between them they only conceded 15 Premier League goals as Chelsea romped to their first title in 50 years.

What he lacks in height and pace he makes up with an amazing ability to read the game and his positioning skill, a defensive rock during but dangerous from set pieces he is a fans favourite and definite contender for the title ‘ Best Chelsea Central defender of the noughties’

3. William Gallas

A controversial suggestion but after 230 appearances 14 goals, 2 Premier League titles and a League Cup it is hard to ignore the contribution he made before acting like a complete bellend and threatening all sorts in order to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Strong, quick and powerful he was also versatile and able to play in a number of positions along the back line. His move to Arsenal as part of the Ashley Cole deal can be argued to be a key factor in the relinquishing of the Premier League title in 2007.

Hated now, but was he one of Chelsea’s best?

4. John Terry

The obvious choice, captain since 2003 he has played a definitive role in Chelsea’s decade captaining the side to a plethora of titles and a heartreaking kick away from European glory. Strong, athletic and dedicated he is often dubbed ‘Mr Chelsea’ and has been European Defender of the year twice and will captain his country to the World Cup next summer.

I do not need to waste time extolling Mr Terry’s virtues as you know them already!

The Wrappy Up Bit

Right so the obvious candidate is Terry, but Desailly and Carvalho would win this at pretty much any other club in the country and so would Gallas if well he wasnt an arrogant idiot full of self importance.

Have I missed any other candidates? 

Can we look beyond John Terry?

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Roses need special care to survive winter in Colorado. Insulating roses from temperature fluctuations helps their natural defense system operate properly. It’s not cold weather that damages roses; it’s the see-saw slide between warm and cold days and nights.

Proper winter rose protection should actually begin at the end of August. Stop fertilizing at this time and gradually reduce water. Roses will begin the hardening off process which prepares them for dormancy. In November, once night temperatures have consistently dipped to 20 degrees, prepare roses for winter. Cut down any high canes that could break in high winds or heavy snow. But don’t do any serious pruning until mid- April.

Once the rose is dormant, it can withstand very low temperatures without harm. In our climate with temperatures fluctuating as much as 40 degrees in one day, roses can come out of dormancy. That’s when damage can occur.

For hybrid teas or grandiflora roses, 12 inches of mulch contained by a plastic rose ‘collar’ or a wire mesh cylinder will keep roses in dormancy. There are many good mulches available, but some gardeners like to combine shredded leaves with soil from summer containers as a cost effective mulch. In December strip away dead or diseased leaves from the branches and clean up any debris around the base of the rose so diseases won’t survive winter.

Most miniature roses are very hardy. Because the plants are usually small, they are easy to protect. Mound mulch around the stems to a depth of 5 to 7 inches. Chipped evergreen boughs or loosely packed straw are good mulches for miniature roses.

Because of their height, protecting climbing roses can be challenging. Many gardeners mulch the graft area and tie the canes firmly in place. This is the easiest method. Other gardeners take the climber canes off their supports after they are dormant and secure them to the ground. The canes are then totally covered with mounded mulch. This is a more complex method.

Finally, remember to water roses during extended dry spells.

Resources:
“November and December Tips,” by Barbara Kemp, The Denver Rose Society, www.denverrosesociety.org/home_page/11RoseGrowingTipForNovember.pdf
Planttalk #1726 – Roses: Winter Care
“Winter Protection for Your Roses” by Stan Barrett, Colorado Master Gardener, www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4DMG/Flowers/Roses/wintrose.htm

Contributed by Eileen Tully, Certified Colorado Gardener
Photo courtesy of Colorado State University Extension, Tri River Area

What is your current favorite work-out song?

The one that really gets you going!

I’m still having trouble posting the little icon from the Multiples…And More! Blog that they use for their Question of the Week… I tried a different way this week and it gave me a different picture. Don’t know why this is…

Question of the Week: What do you like to make with your Thanksgiving leftovers?

Thanksgiving is without a doubt one of my favorite holidays of the year. (New Years Eve is also in the running for favorite! Hello, Overnight Babysitter! Hello, Champagne, my dear friend!!) Lots of good food, lots of fun, and LEFTOVERS!!!

As a child, I would eat green bean casserole for DAYS after Thanksgiving. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. (It’s a co-winner for favorite side dish with my Nana’s stuffing.) And just this past year (while I wasn’t pregnant) I got in the mood for green bean casserole and made myself a 9×13 pan of it… and proceeded to eat the entire 9×13 pan all by myself. Over the course of three days!!! It’s just SO GOOD!!!

Once I was able to drive, my friends and I would gather after we had celebrated Thanksgiving with our respective families. All of us (typically 10-13 of us) would gather at one of our houses (never mine because I lived so far from my friends… another story for another day) and drink, have a pow-wow, and then have our own leftover feast together! Other than Christmas night (when we’d get together and do the same things), it was really one of the nights when older brothers and younger sisters (not mine… my sisters were always too young and my brothers too delinquent to include…) of the families (me + the P’s + the G’s, and a few other stragglers) would hang out together. We were our own little family in a way. Now that we all live in different cities, and that two of us are married living in separate parts of the country, it’s much harder to coordinate our special holiday celebrations and I miss them very much. Especially at Thanksgiving. That’s when it’s the hardest because that was always OURS. I’m planning on doing a whole post about this, this week, so come back later to hear more about that. Read on to see my answer to the Question of the Week!

ANYWAYS…. Leftovers are just so delicious. The gals over at Multiples…and More! asked the following for the Question of the Week: What do you like to make with your Thanksgiving leftovers? So here goes…

With my Thanksgiving Leftovers, I like to eat plentifully for days. Sometimes I make a traditional “plate” of food: Turkey, Stuffing, Sides, Gravy – and enjoy a repeat feast. I also really like to make a Thanksgiving Sandwich. It involves: Bread (duh), Turkey, Cranberries, Cream Cheese, and Stuffing. Just stack and enjoy! YUMMY!!!!

I do a lot of eating side dishes for breakfast… like green bean casserole breakfast. Or stuffing breakfast. Or mashed potato with gravy breakfast…

And I eat my leftovers COLD. I know, I know – most people would say yuck to that!!! But I really, truly, LOVE eating my leftovers cold. More or less, right outta the fridge! I suppose if I ever HOSTED Thanksgiving, I’d have to make some sort of soup with the Turkey leftovers… I’m sure people do that. But I’m not a great hostess (I get too stressed out) so I don’t know if I’ll ever do that. I’m better with bringing desserts.

I don’t like my MIL’s stuffing (she puts breakfast sausage and mushrooms in hers and I’m a traditional plain stuffing kind of person, although I DO like mine with celery and apples) but I’m making Organic Stuffing for Juniper & Magnolia so… I’ll just eat some of theirs! Plus, MIL will send us home with enough food to last the rest of the week. And because I’m pregnant, she might not even “let” me help clean up afterwards… SCORE!!!

As long as I don’t go into labor this week or this weekend, I’ll be able to enjoy it all!! 

What do you like to make with YOUR Thanksgiving leftovers?

Hello all!

Since this is the week of Thanksgiving, I decided that the question of the week should be:

What are you thankful for?

Perhaps I should start.

Some things I am thankful for are:

• My wonderful readers & subscribers (♥ you guys!)
• My family & friends
• My fabulous boyfriend
• Knowing my purpose & what I want in life
• Having the courage to pursue my dreams & being able to do what I love
• All my e-friends (i.e., friends from Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
• Life in general

Now it’s your turn!

——

~Mocha Writer

Well..noone sent me another question, so i guess i hav to make up one myself…again.

If you could use the stickiest glue on two items, what would those 2 items be?

****leave your creative and interesting comments in the Comment section below****

Ok.

Since this is the first Question of the Week , evar!!, I will start off with the first one.

If you could beat the crap out of any fictional character, who would you beat and why?

****leave your creative and interesting comments in the Comment section below****

Two weeks ago I asked all of you your opinion on who was the best comic publisher this year. An overwhelming majority of you choose DC over Marvel. Then last week I asked if Blackest Night was living up to the hype and again the vast majority said that it has. Which now brings us to this week.

We have been focusing a lot on DC here lately so it’s time to talk some Marvel. Marvel Comics has fallen out of favor with many comic fans, myself included, over the last year or so for a variety of reasons. I am going to try to put together a post of what I perceive to be Marvel’s strengths and weaknesses and how Marvel could win me back over. That’s where you all come in.

This week’s 2 part question:

What do you think are Marvel’s greatest strengths and weaknesses?

What would Marvel need to do to beat DC as the CCW Nation’s Publisher of the Year next year?

I would like to take you answers and suggestions and incorporate them into my post which will go up sometime in the near future. I am really quite interested in what you guys have to say on this subject.

J.

Question of the week: What are you thankful for?

With Thanksgiving coming up next week here in the United States, I’d love to hear some of the things you are thankful for this year. Please join the conversation, whether you are in the United States or not.

By the way, I am thankful for all the readers and commenters on the blog. Thank you very much!

Wow! We’ve received SO many wonderful Question of the Week suggestions lately! Keep them coming, guys!

Caitlin asked us: “I’d like to know what each of you would be if not an author (like if writing wasn’t your day job, what would your day job be?)“

Thanks for the QotW, Caitlin!

~~~

Well, actually, writing isn’t my day job.  At least not yet.  My career track has been pretty varied, but I’ve always tried to get involved in work that has been somewhat related to writing and/or publishing.  I was a reporter for a while (one of my college professors told me: “It worked for Hemingway”).  Now my day job is at a public library—which, unfortunately, does not mean I get to sit around reading all the time.  But I do get to handle dozens, if not hundreds, of books a day (which never gets old), and the job provides a rich education on the human condition—to put it mildly.  I’m sure anyone who works in public service comes home every night with plenty of fodder for a novel.

-The Writer Who’s Writing Queries

~~~~~~

I’ve actually considered this question several times before: What kind of career do I want after I graduate university? The answers have often left me with a horrible headache. I came up with: bookshop keeper, librarian, an employee at a publishing company, a member of an NGO. But they were all half-hearted considerations. I’ve pretty much gambled my whole future for writing. I’ve planned my life around writing because that is what I do and love best.

-The Writer Who Just Started Querying

~~~~~~

If I weren’t a writer I’d probably be where I am now: employed at a medical billing company, working as an Executive Administrative Assistant (I love my job; I get to write policy and fetch coffee!). Recently, I was promoted to HR Manager for the company, so I’ll probably pursue a career in HR until the writing (one day hopefully!) becomes a full-time obligation.

-The Writer Who is Also on Submissions

~~~~~~

If I weren’t a writer….Oh, boy. What would I DO with my life? If I had math skills, I would have pursued a career in science. No, seriously. From the age of eight (and until I was fifteen), I wanted to be a marine biologist and study great white sharks. To this day, I still have a fascination with sharks (and great whites in particular), and know way too much about them. If not a marine biologist, I might have followed my passion for antiquities and perhaps wound up as an Egyptologist or something.

Or, to imagine my life taking a completely different route, if my parents had forced me to keep up with ballet lessons, I might have become a ballerina. I sort of wish they had, because ballet is a passion of mine, and I wish could dance.

-The Writer Who Is (Im)Patiently Waiting While Her First Novel is On Submissions

~~~~~~

I honestly can’t say what I’d be if I didn’t want to be a writer, because I don’t even know what kind of day job I’ll have to keep my life together so I can keep writing. But, I’ve always wanted to be: a wizard (of the Hogwarts variety), a vampire slayer, a knight, a necromancer (yeah, it’s kinda weird, but you can thank my SABRIEL obsession for that one), or possibly a princess, though only if I get to be trained in the art of war and statecraft—if I have to wait around for a prince to save me, princess is definitely not for me.

-The Writer Who Queries Like It’s A Compulsion

~~~~~~

For me, I am an author *AND* I have a day job: I work in real estate acquisitions for a local government agency. The truth is, if you wander through a bookstore, 90% of the authors you see have day jobs, and will always have day jobs. The vast majority of authors can not earn enough income to quit. An average first advance can range from just a few thousand dollars to around $10,000. Deduct from that your agent’s cut (15%), taxes, and book related expenses, and you can’t even pay rent! (Sorry to be the Debbie Downer! Publishing should be your passion, not your idea of easy money.) There are always exceptions, of course, but they ARE exceptions and not the norm.

My biggest goal is actually to become an agent. I know, whole-heartedly, that publishing is the industry that I belong in. If I can become a successful agent and continue to write, I can ditch the day job and focus 100% on my passion.

-The Writer With a Book Deal

~~~~~~

Well, right now I’m not a writer I’m a college student. However, I’m not actually planning to be a writer as my profession. I know that while I love books, reading,  creating plots and characters, I cannot support myself on my writing full time. I hope to go into the publishing field, particularly for children’s literature, middle grade literature or young adult literature. I want to edit or be a part of sales & marketing or design or maybe even just run around and get the head editors/etc. coffee! I just want to be immersed in helping children and teenagers find their way if they are lost, just like books helped me during that time.

-The Writer Writing Her First Novel

~~~

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!!!

Poor Pedro

From the movie Giant

(The audio is poor so you may need to turn up your speakers)

Question of the week: How many people will you be sharing Thanksgiving with? Will they be at your house or are you going to have Thanksgiving at someone elses house?

Isaiah 58:11-12

 ¹¹ The LORD will guide you always;
       he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
       and will strengthen your frame.
       You will be like a well-watered garden,
       like a spring whose waters never fail.

 ¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
       and will raise up the age-old foundations;
       you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
       Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

Sometimes the idea of being one who brings restoration, one who repairs, is a wonderful notion. We think, “I want to leave the world better than I found it. I want to make the lives of others better.” And God says here that this is the plan for his people. They will be repairers and restorers. Wow, that sounds good! I want to be that kind of person. I want to belong to that kind of people!And then we try. We try to plug into a community of people who are “God’s people” and we try to become these repairers, these world restorers…

And it all falls flat.

We find God’s people to be lacking. We find that they tear down more than build up, that they open wounds more readily than they heal them. And when we are honest, brutally honest, we find that we do the same. What’s going on here?! Didn’t God say that “the people” would be repairers and restorers? So where’s the breakdown?

It’s tempting to say, “Well maybe it’s this church, this people.” And we move to another group where we like the music more or the programs are “better” or where they don’t know us so we can get a fresh start. And it’s all exciting and the new relationships are interesting and everyone thinks we are wonderful and we return the sentiment…for a while.

And then what? More tearing down. Little restoration of the broken. Little repairing of the hurting. Why?

I am beginning to understand that the key to being this people described in Isaiah 58:12 is found in the verse before it. Look at what God says about his people before they become the great restorers and repairers:

“The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

Before the people as a whole become those that heal they have to be the group of individuals who have found their needs met in God. They have to be healed, restored, repaired themselves.

“He will guide you. He will satisfy your needs.”

The truth, the unfortunate reality, is that we are broken and hurting. Everyone you’ve ever met is carrying baggage; is trying to stop the bleeding of their own wounds. Life is hard and everyone gets scars along the way. The reality is that until we let God be our guide through the pain, until we allow Him and only Him to satisfy our needs, we will never be repairers or restorers.

“He will satisfy…”

Too often we are tempted to let the desire for revenge satisfy. But it doesn’t. Or the “safety” we feel from pretending that nothing ever happened try to satisfy. Or the denial of our deepest darkest secrets and desires. But they don’t satisfy. Ever. We behave, all too often, like we accepted Jesus and so old hurts just magically don’t hurt anymore. Old wounds just mysteriously don’t bleed anymore. But this just isn’t the case.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a world repairer; a people restorer. But I’m learning that I first need to find repair, to be restored. I need to allow God to satisfy all my needs. This isn’t an easy, one step process, but for now maybe it’s enough just to ask ourselves:

What needs do I have that I’m not allowing God to satisfy?

What parts of my frame need His strengthening?

Psalm 147:3

³ He heals the brokenhearted
       and binds up their wounds.

You know what next Thursday is, right? It’s Thanksgiving Day.

For the past few years, a friend here in Cincinnati has invited me to drive down to Pittsburgh with him on that day. Most of his family still lives there and he usually spends Thanksgiving weekend with them.

Every year I find a reason not to go, but this year, I’ll be making the trip with him. On Thanksgiving morning, I’ll be on the road to Pittsburgh.

That’s my plan for the day. What’s yours?

(Photo from oshea.net)

Can you and your ex still be friends? I guess the answer depends on who you ask. It seems like most women that I ask say “HELL NO” and most dudes I know say “I dont see nothing wrong with it”. So I decided to ask you.  Leave your thoughts in the comment section.

If you know me, you know that I think it’s important for a person to have a career she/he really enjoys.

So, the question: Is it important to you to have a career you love and enjoy? Why or why not?

——

Jamie

mochawriter.com

<center><a href=”http://multiplesandmore.blogspot.com/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss293/lanik58/Mulitples%20and%20More/QOTW-button.jpg”/></a></center>

Question of the Week from the Multiples…and More! Blogsite: Name 5 small successes in your life from the past week. (and yes, laundry counts!)

1. Laundry. In anticipation of my family’s visit from the Big City, we did a lot of cleaning up around here which led to LOADS and LOADS of laundry. We’ve still got a couple piles hidden in the basement but we probably did about ten loads between Tuesday and Friday afternoons… Go us!!

2. Hung some frames & pictures. Our room is hardly decorated at all. I recently purchased frames from Pottery Barn Kids that would match our bedroom and so we got them hung up. No pictures in them yet, but at least they are hung & ready!

3. Packed for the Hospital. We’re all packed for the hospital. I did have to take the girls’ black stretchy pants out of their bag so they could wear them last night, BUT other than needing to now wash those and repack, we’re all set to jet off to the hospital when we need to.

4. Made a Curtain for our kitchen window. Actually, I made two. But the first curtain turned out to be about four inches too short on each side. So I went to the fabric store for something different (I had used some leftover fabric from an upstairs curtain I made last year) and ended up finding some great fabric for only $3/yard (originally it was over $12/yard) Thank you Veterans Day Sale!! So I made a new curtain and it actually looks better & goes with the curtain much better than the first one. Now I just need to make some slipcovers for the barstools and we’ll be set.

5. I’ve been nice to my mom this whole weekend (So far. They leave this afternoon. Who knows if something will go down at breakfast, haha.) even though she’s been a total bitch. Go me for not being the one to act like a child!!

Five Small Successes.

The Bible has real, practical answers and solid hope that people desperately need. We want those answers to be there on Google’s or Bing’s first search results page. But what words are people who are seeking spiritual answers typing into the search box?

Question of the week: What are you searching for? What search words and phrases should the United Church of God focus on in optimizing our Web sites for the search engines?

Join the conversation!

Happy Friday, everyone! So, we received a fantastic question from Lauren, who asked us:

“I need help with dialogue. I’d love to read any advice you have!”

Hope this helps, Lauren!

~~~~~~

There are a lot of things I could say about romantic dialogue, but I’m going to focus on creating romantic tension between characters, so that when they do take that step into romance-land, it seems believable. First things first: people rarely say what they mean. ESPECIALLY when they’re interested in someone. The dialogue should be almost a dance of avoidance—each character trying to pry information from the other without giving information themselves. And if they’re ever backed into a corner and they DO have to say something revealing (Which should not happen often–it’s a supercharged weapon, use it wisely) it should be like pulling teeth, and there has to be a compelling reason for them to admit it.

The text outside the dialogue tags is important, too. Movements, rather than feelings or questions, especially early on in a romantic relationship, really set off the words. Let us know what they’re doing with their body–how they’re feeling physically. People interested in one another (even if they don’t want to admit it) are hyperaware of each other’s body movements, and they tend to match their own accordingly, even subconsciously. Connotations can completely be changed with tone of voice, eye movement, shifting, hand movement, etc. People are rarely still when they talk–they move around, walk, sit, stand, move closer or farther away from one another, all depending on how they’re feeling. Use movement to cue us (and your characters) in on feelings they may or may not have admitted to. Happy writing!

-The Writer Who Queries Like It’s A Compulsion

~~~~~~

I think making your dialogue realistic is possibly the most important part of dialogue. If it seems inauthentic, or stiff, people are going to pick up on that.

One of the biggest things is that people–especially teens– rarely come right out and say what they mean. People dance around their feelings, hoping the other person can figure it out. For instance, a girl isn’t going to ask her date if she looks good. But she might say her shoes are uncomfortable, hoping he says something about how great they make her legs look. Maybe a girl is annoyed because her boyfriend doesn’t spend enough time with her. She’s going to glare at him and say, “Are you really going to play with that stupid Xbox all day?” instead of saying, “Honey, I want you to spend time with me.”

Secondly, make sure the dialogue doesn’t sound too formal. Read your dialogue out loud. People naturally emphasize certain words, or pause between others, and you want to find that cadence in your writing and make sure it comes across. Adding a little slang, if apropriate, works nicely. Your choice of contractions and punctuation all affect the way the reader will read your dialogue.

-The Writer With A Book Deal

~~~~~~

As a historical romance writer I struggled a lot when it came to writing dialogue that made the characters sound like they were living in Regency England. Before, the history buffs that read my writing would comment on how my phraseology tended to be too modern. I’ve improved over the years but still have a long way to go before I can write as if I lived in the Regency Era. What I found most helpful in making my writing style a bit more historically accurate was:

1) Read lots of books written or set in the era you’re writing in.

2) Watch many period dramas with the subtitles on.

3) Borrow audio books—for example, Dickens, Bronte, Gaskell for the writers of Victorian novels; Burney, Austen, Heyer, for the writers of Regency novels; as for writers of Medieval stories, ask Lynn, she’s the expert on that–and listen to them whenever you can.

The OTHER problem some historical fiction writers might come across is that their writing style is TOO historically accurate and thus alienates the reader. Two bits of advice I can give for this issue are to: 1) read lots of contemporary novels to give your writing a balance, and 2) ask a friend who is not widely read in this genre to look over your work. If he/she responds with a “wtf!?” expression, you know you have some rewriting to do.

-The Writing Getting Ready to Query

~~~~~~

Worried about info-dumping? I’ve found that a great way to avoid it—or disguise it—is to use dialogue. Instead of spending paragraphs describing your protagonist’s past, try a conversation. Very few people want to read pages upon pages about a) the status quo, b) your hero’s twisted past, c) the history of that world or d) all of the above. Veiling facts in dialogue serves a double purpose: conveying vital information, while also building relationships between your characters. What they choose—or don’t choose—to reveal in their conversations is also a great way to hint at information. If a character is questioned and they choose NOT to answer, it still says a lot, doesn’t it?

But make sure you keep it real: think about your own conversations—how you reference current-day events/history/etc. when speaking with people. It’ll be pretty obvious that you’re info-dumping if your main character suddenly starts explaining stuff about the history of your world/past events when the person they’re speaking to should already (plausibly) know this. The last thing you want is for the reader to see YOUR hand in things. Sometimes, it’s OKAY not to explain every little detail, and just to randomly mention that king’s beheading three centuries ago and NOT go into a million details about it. But having a vague reference to that beheading in dialogue can be a great way to world-build—sometimes, a lot of those little details add up to a bigger picture, and can really flesh out your world!

-The Writer Who is (Im)Patiently Waiting While Her First Novel Is On Submissions

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I really think working in journalism helped my dialogue. When you spend all day interviewing people and writing down what they say, you develop an innate sense for the way they talk.  (And they don’t always use full sentences, finish thoughts, or even make sense!)  Even more importantly, I learned to take raw information I’d collected during interviews and decide when a quote sparkled enough to use in full, when an indirect quote would do, and when my subject was so dull the only way to use them was to paraphrase large chunks of what they’d said.

If you’re not lucky enough to work for a newspaper, try going out someplace where there are lots of people and just listen to them for fifteen minutes to half an hour at a time.  If you write down every snippet of conversation you hear (surreptitiously, of course—you don’t want people to know you’re spying on them!), you begin to develop that ear for spoken language.  Once you’ve got that ear, the other half of the equation is learning what dialogue moves your story forward and how to cut the rest of it out.  Writing down dialogue while you’re watching movies and TV shows also helps because (hopefully) the screenwriter has already done this second part for you.

-The Writer Who is Writing Queries

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Before I began writing the fantasy novel I’m working on now, I wrote lots of contemporary short stories. If you’re writing a contemporary novel, a smart idea is to study the setting. By doing this, you can understand the type of dialect and speech your characters would realistically use. If you can connect the speech with the setting, a reader from that area might recognize it. When reading, I’m always pleased to recognize something from my own daily life, whether it be a nod to the setting, or slang from the area. It adds credibility and depth.

-The Writing Who Is Writing Her First Novel

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Occasionally, your characters might come from a time/place where they need to speak a little differently than we speak now. The most important thing to remember is to not overdo the accents in an effort to appear ‘legitimate’. Your character should be easy to read and understand. Their accent/use of slang should NOT interrupt the flow or make the reader have to work too hard in order to decipher what you’re saying.

The exception to this rule is if you WANT your characters to be indecipherable for a purpose. For example: Brad Pitt’s character in the movie Snatch. Or the whole book of A Clockwork Orange. Or Finnegan’s Wake. Otherwise, I recommend giving it just enough of an accent so that the reader adopts that accent in their head while reading, but it doesn’t interrupt ease of reading. Use accent/slang triggers. For example, if your character has a southern accent, slip a y’all or an ain’t in there (appropriately!) to clue in your reader.

Use the internet as a tool to help you learn the cadence of speech for certain demographics. Youtube is your friend! Not quite sure how a Nigerian immigrant would say something? Youtube it! A Hungarian with a lisp? Youtube! The Chicago ‘a’ sound? Need I say it again?

-The Writer Who Is Also On Submissions

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Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your weekend, and make sure to check back on Monday for Lynn Heitkamp’s article on building a FictionPress.com readership base!

This week’s question:

Is Blackest Night living up to the hype?

I will admit that earlier this year I had some reservations about Blackest Night. I felt that the story sounded a bit to gimmicky. After success with the Sinestro Corps War DC needed a way to up the ante. So why not create 5 more Lantern Corps and have a huge war on a much grander scale? During the Agent Orange storyline in Green Lantern Geoff Johns was really starting to lose me but I was still very much enjoying Green Lantern Corps. In May Blackest Night #0 was released on Free Comic Book Day and I was really not impressed (as many of you saw in our video review). I really started to think that Geoff Johns was pulling a Bendis and just overextending himself.

Now that we are more or less half way through the Blackest Night miniseries I can safely say that my worrying was all for naught. I never would have thought I would be enjoying it as much as I am. Sure, most of the credit goes to Johns, Reis, Mahnke, Tomasi, Gleason (to name only a few) for making it so enjoyable but I have to throw the rest of the credit to DC as a whole.

DC is really handling this “event” exceptionally well. The editorial on all the books seem to be really tight and are keeping a nice, cohesive story on the rails. The 3-issue miniseries (Batman, Titans, Superman) and tie-ins(REBELS, Doom Patrol, Booster Gold) have added to the overall scope of Blackest Night without feeling at all like a cash grab. Most of the tie-ins and miniseries have been $2.99 while the books that are $3.99 actually have more pages and warrant the price.

DC running their Ring Promotion along with retailers is kind of the icing on the cake. DC didn’t have to do this but it really does make this event feel exciting and special. Add to that the fact that new customers have been making their way into comic shops just to see what all the hype is about and it’s all good.

Which brings me back to the question “Is Blackest Night living up to the hype?“

I would have to say yes. Yes it is.

J.

So over at the Multiples…And More! Blogsite, they do a Question of the Week every week. I’ve decided to TRY my hardest to start doing these as it will give me writing fodder & might encourage me to write more often on my blog! I know once Snowdrop arrives, my brain will be on baby-time and not necessarily working creatively… at least for a few months.

<center><a href=”http://multiplesandmore.blogspot.com/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss293/lanik58/Mulitples%20and%20More/QOTW-button.jpg” /></a></center>

(Okay, that was supposed to insert a cute button with the MAM logo…hmm… I’ll keep working on that.)

So the Question of the Week is: How do you stay beautiful on a budget?

Hubby and I are certainly NOT wealthy but I do make sure to spend a little on myself to keep my spirits up and looking human! He gets to drink his locally brewed beer, I should get to spend a little on my body right? Haha. Once every month and a half I get my eyebrows waxed and my moustache (yes, please pronounce that “moose-tache”) waxed. That costs roughly $32. I tip the girl to make it an even $35. Yes, $35 is a hefty amount of change for a “spa treatment”. It’s the one real luxury I allow myself in terms of “beauty”. I look like an amazon woman for the last week before my appointment… but going once a month would be too often. And the hair removal creams are far too harsh to use on my skin. AND there’s no way I’d be able to go through with waxing my own face. OUCH!!!

I don’t get my nails done (unless my MIL gets me a giftcard to the local nail place) – I do them myself if there’s ever a reason. Frankly, I wash my hands too many times a day to validate paying someone to paint my nails – the polish would be off by the day’s end! And I only get my hairs cut once a year, twice at most. I’m in a constant state of growing it out… so, I got it cut this year in January and again on my birthday in September. Even in September that was just because it was my birthday… And I guess it needed a trim.

As far as make-up goes… I try and remember to wash my face every night before bed and apply lotion (simply, Oil of Olay). Nope, I don’t ALWAYS remember – but I do feel that keeping my skin in good condition is a great step to staying “beautiful”. I don’t wear makeup unless I’m going out of the house – so that’s a pretty big budget cut right there! Plus, when I do wear makeup it’s not a lot. I wear Clinique UnderEye Concealer (not sure if that’s what it’s called, but that’s where I use it), Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, and Clinique Blush. Oh, and lip gloss. I buy makeup when it’s on sale, or during “Bonus Days”, so I at least get a little gift with my purchase. The Maybelline Mascara I can get for Buy One Get One at Walgreens (or another good discount) so when it does go on sale, I buy two of them – it will keep for up to a year, I believe.

I don’t use drug store cosmetics because I have super sensitive skin. I’ve been using Clinique makeup since I was a teenager and stick to it now because of the “success” I’ve had using it.

I guess it’s on a budget. I don’t use a lot of products. And I am sure to buy good quality products so they last longer and don’t have a negative effect on my skin – which would cause me to spend more money in the end. I think you get what you pay for and when it comes to “beauty” – it’s important to be safe.