tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87002897469065231452024-03-08T11:28:21.585-08:00Fragments of DaylightJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-64038656321299378032014-04-07T06:40:00.001-07:002014-04-07T06:40:37.767-07:00Poetry, blogging, journals and fictionI've seen many writer and blogger friends post this lately: "I haven't blogged in forever!" This is true for me as well and I wonder if they are having the same problem I have. I've been wanting to post things, have topics I want to write about it, but when I try, I haven't been able to and wasn't sure why.<br />
<br />
I know that the longer a break you take from writing, the harder it is to get back to. I didn't realize this applied to different kinds of writing, until I recently read a preface by SK in a collection of stories that for years he had been working on novels and forgot that short stories took a whole different set of writing skills. <br />
<br />
I took a break, meant to be a short one, from blogging because I went from thinking it was a good way to keep up my writing skills and my self discipline to write regularly to thinking maybe it was taking time away from working on my books and stories. Then when I wanted to post something on occasion, I found I couldn't. After reading that comment from SK, I decide the problem was that I had forgotten how to blog. I had let my skills for this type of writing get rusty and couldn't figure out how to get back to it. I couldn't make the posts read like I wanted them to and I thought that was silly, because blogging is so simple. But is it?<br />
<br />
Again and again I learn the same lessons. Different kinds of writing - stories, personal essays, daily journals, poems - doing all of these things helps maintain and improve writing skills in different ways. Writing a blog post is as different from writing a poem as writing a book is different from writing a how-article or a short story. And all these skills are needed in some way in all kinds of writing.<br />
<br />
I know I've 'discovered' this many times before and probably written a few other posts about it, but here it is again. No form of writing is a waste of time. It's like any kind of excercise, it keeps our minds and imaginations in shape and sometimes helps us learn new things. Often, in my case, again and again and again.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I have this amazing young Paint Gelding, Turner, that I started competing with last year in hunter shows. He's wonderful; willing, smart, quiet, athletic, easy to train. He listens and is very attentive to everything I tell him - except when I tell him to stop. This is odd, because he is a quiet horse. Not one you have to constantly nag to keep going forward, but not one that is always going to fast.<br />
<br />
Like all my horses, before I started riding him, he knew all the voice commands: walk, trot, canter, and whoa, which means either slow down or stop depending on how it is said. Under saddle, Turner responds to voice commands and leg and hand aids quickly and easily. Except when I want him to go from a trot to a walk, or walk to a halt. (Because he is inexperienced at the canter, he's always happy to go from a canter to a trot.)<br />
<br />
I'm used to guiding my horses with my voice and body cues. I barely have to use the reins, especially for stopping - I simply sit back and tell the horse with my position that it is time to walk or halt and they do. This doesn't work with Turner, which is odd because he moves off my leg when I want him to move to one side, turns as soon as I look where I want him to go, knows to change direction when I change my diagonal even if I haven't cued him to go the other way. And at the canter and trot, when I say whoa, he does slow down. But I have to pull on the reins to get him to stop trotting or to halt. And I hate using the reins this way, especially because pulling doesn't work either. It is always a battle to get him to a slower gait.<br />
<br />
For months I have tried everything I can think of, anything that has ever worked with other horses, and nothing got him to slow down except yanking on the reins. It finally occurred to me that maybe when I said "whoa", I wasn't saying it in a way that he could distinguish "whoa" as a command to slow down, which he has no problem with, from "whoa" as a command to stop, which he is oblivious to.<br />
<br />
So I (finally) thought to try using different words. When he was trotting, I used my position to tell him to walk and said "whoa", as I always do. He kept trotting. I pulled gently on the reins and said "whoa". He kept trotting. Rather than resort to pulling harder and harder on the reins, as I always had to do, I said, "Walk", a term he knows, but I had only ever used it to tell him to go forward from standing still. <br />
<br />
He didn't walk. Not immediately. But in his usual attentive manner, he let me know that he recognized this as something new. When I said "Walk" again, he slowed his trot and finally, as if not sure he was doing the right thing, walked. I cheered and hugged and praised him. We tried it again. This time he understood and walked as soon as I said to, without me having to use undue pressure on the reins. <br />
<br />
I felt like an idiot. Why had it taken me over a year of wrestling with the poor horse, who has never done anything but try to do as I asked, to figure this out? Once he was walking, I tried my usual, never-successful means to get him to go from a walk to a stop. It was, as always, unsuccessful. I said "halt". This word was not familiar, but he figured it out. It took a few hesitant seconds for him to stop, but he did. I told him he was brilliant. He looked around at me as if to say, "This is what all that pulling on my mouth was about? Why didn't you just tell me to walk or halt?"<br />
<br />
This isn't a new lesson in communication; it's one everyone has - or should have - learned, possibly multiple times. When someone doesn't get what you mean, don't just say it louder or keep repeating the same words. Change the words or change the way you say them. This also applies to writing. If the words on the page don't convey what you want, change the words or how they are written. <br />
<br />
I had to be taught - "told" - this again, from someone who doesn't even use words to communicate.<br />
<br />
jenniferballard.weebly.com<br />
daylightsend.weebly.com<br />
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www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-57506182940486048792013-04-29T18:58:00.000-07:002013-04-29T18:58:14.589-07:00Mourning the Southern VampireThe soon-to-be-released Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris is going to be the last in the Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series. I am mourning the end of this series!<br />
Unlike many book series, each book in this one has a great, unique story and facinating characters. And there are so many stories that can still be told about these characters and their fictional world. So why is it ending?<br />
As devastated as I am to lose any series I love, I can see where some have run their course. There are a few series I used to love that I stopped reading because their story lines and characters became stale, boring, repetitive or ridiculous; series that should have ended 3 or 13 books ago. <br />
As a writer, I have to respect an author's decision to end a series. I am only working on the 3rd book in my series, Daylight's End, and I still have many ideas for books to come. Even so, I have no doubt I will one day come to the end of it and move on to something else, either because I think the characters and their stories have run their course or because I just want to write something else.<br />
A writer only has so much time and energy to devote to their art and good writers want to give 100% to any project they do. Choices have to be made. I get this. <br />
While I totally understand and support Ms. Harris decision concerning her work, I am sad! I look forward to each new installment of the Southern Vampire series. I have absolutely loved most of the books and enjoyed even the one or two that weren't as great as I would have liked them to be. My inner book lover is grieving.<br />
As a huge fan of Ms. Harris' books, this series and her previous two, I have great faith that her next project will be something awesome and I look forward to it. And to anyone not acquainted with Sookie or the Southern Vampires, you really need to meet them!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-37465280062483566942013-04-28T17:34:00.003-07:002013-04-28T17:35:34.529-07:00Mystery MilieusI am a huge fan of mysteries of all kinds. And there are all kinds. Many mystery novel and series protagonists are in professions that lend themselves to crime solving: Cops, private eyes, lawyers, spies or even kind-hearted criminals. Or some less obvious jobs that bring the main character into frequent contact with murder victims, like coroner and or mortuary cosmetologist. When I consider a lot of the books I've read, it occured to me that some settings and or protagonist professions are more suited to good story/mystery plots. On further consideration, I've decided it has little to do with any particular premise, and everything to do with the writer.<br />
Lots of books and series are given settings to appeal to the different interests of readers- and presumably the writer. Some of these work really well and some not so much.<br />
Everyone knows that Dick Francis is my favorite author of all time and a majority of his novels take place in the world of steeple chasing and horse racing. As horses are a strong interest of mine, this appeals to me. And since horse racing is essentially gambling, it lends itself to plots of greed and treachery. However, many of his plots are written around different areas of interest for him: glassblowing, flying, meteorology, physics, etc. No matter the setting his characters are in, his books are amazing.<br />
I know of at least two authors - well, former jockeys who are mediocre writers - who wrote several books each about the horse racing world. I struggled to read one or two and gave up. The same is true of two authors I tried because their mystery protagonists were equine or small animal veterinarians.<br />
There are dozens of series written around unique interests. I know of two mystery series centered on solving crossword puzzles and at least three others set in the world of dog breeding and showing. I am a fan of crosswords and a dog lover, but none of these held my interest. <br />
While many of these books might be expected to appeal to enthusiasts of certain interests, I think that has very little to do with it. For example, Gerald Brown wrote several popular books with plots that revolve around gemology. I don't know what drew me - or other people - to read any of them, but it wasn't an interest in precious stones. But I read all his books, because they were great.<br />
This is true of mysteries about other sports, home remodeling, Egyptology. None of those subjects are particular interests of mine (although I think most people are fascinated by Egyptology and Archeology), but I love the books. <br />
Any premise, however common or unusual, can work for a novel, but that won't make it a great or popular book. A book or story can only succeed if there is good writing, strong plotting and interesting, well-developed characters.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-85514745939627389462013-03-07T00:00:00.001-08:002022-03-15T21:21:19.167-07:00Not So BadIt is a fact that when writers - not just beginners, but any writer not yet at the top of their craft (and most of us never are) - go back and read their earlier works, they cringe at how poor the writing is. Maybe it's not awful, maybe just certain aspects of it seem bad, but they feel they could write it so much better <i>now</i>.<br />
Even accomplished writers will say that their first drafts are terrible; but they understand that with a few or a dozen rewrites, the work improves and becomes something they can be proud of. For beginners and intermediates and anyone who doesn't have the validation of having a bestseller (or being paid decently for a consistent production of "midlist" books), reading our previous work that we might have been really proud of before we were knowledgeable or experienced enough to know better, is a humbling experience. <br />
When reading our past work and realizing that it is less than stellar, we have to resist the belief that we have no talent for writing and never will. For this reason, many new ("new" being a relative term) writers hate revisiting earlier work. It can be disheartening.<br />
This is not always true. I recently revised, for the millionth time, a collection of short stories I have written over the years, mostly horse-related, mostly mysteries, several of which had been published in magazines and anthologies. And it was a very rewarding experience. (This is good, because I was editing them to publish this very week.) They really weren't bad. In fact, I feel a lot of them were quite good, and like most writers, I am often my own worst critic. <br />
I feared that as much as I loved them and thought they were brilliant when I wrote them - and even several times since when I read them - now that I was going to publish them, they would seem so bad, I would be crushed by my own ineptitude. But I wasn't. They really are good. Not amazing, not stellar, but well-written and entertaining. <br />
While this may prove daunting to many writers, I suggest when you need an ego boost or some encouragement, go back and read some of your work that you feel is an example of good writing. You may be surprised at how good it is; it can elevate your writing spirit and show that you do have talent, that you can write things that others will read and enjoy. Sometimes, we have to be our own best cheerleaders.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-8498391408253389092013-03-03T19:59:00.001-08:002022-03-15T21:26:57.533-07:00Leave It InCommon advice to novelists is that if anything in the story - scene, action, dialogue, description - fails to move the plot forward or reveal something about the character(s), it should be cut. This is mostly sound advice.<br />
I recently read books by Janet Evanovich and Robert B. Parker (Stephanie Plum and Spenser series books, respectively) and noted there were several scenes that did little to move the story and didn't give any new insights to the characters. The action or dialogue had nothing to do with the main plot and what the characters did or said was exactly what the reader would expect from what they knew of the characters. <br />
The thing these unnecessary scenes had was humor. They were really funny. Stephanie Plum novels are funny, but some of the events are serious and scary, and they parts that make you laugh help to balance that. Spencer's cases tend to be more serious, but there is a lot of humor to keep the whole story from getting too dark.<br />
Technically, these scenes could be cut without taking anything from the story. The plot line and characterization would remain unchanged. According to the aforementioned advice, they could have been left out. <br />
I don't think it needs to be argued that there is no valid reason not to have humor in a novel, even if it serves no other purpose. I feel this particular bit of advice should be amended: If it doesn't move the plot forward or add to characterization, cut it. Unless it's funny. Humor should be kept.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-72965883895545867592013-02-27T20:39:00.002-08:002022-03-15T21:31:18.383-07:00Fooled AgainMaybe I should say seduced again.<br />
When I first started reading Great House by Nikki Giovani, I was excited to have found a literary novel that I was sure I would love. And it has everything there is to love in a literary novel: beautiful writing, great use of language, fascinating characters, interesting scenes. It wasn't until I got to the last few pages that I realized it also had the one thing I hate about literary novels: no plot. Or at least no conclusion.<br />
The book was intriguing in that it had four interconnecting stories - or seemed to; in the end I realized one had no connection whatever to the others - that revolved around a piece of furniture and its history with the people that had owned it. I was riveted, wondering how these characters and their vastly different lives would be tied together. And they weren't. The "stories" didn't even have endings, just kind of wandered off or stopped abruptly.<br />
My reaction to this leaves me thinking, as literary novels always do, that I'm just not smart enough to "get it", or not literate, creative, or educated enough to appreciate it. And I did appreciate all the lovely facets of it, just not the feeling that there was no ending. It's very much like not finishing a book you started reading, something all dedicated readers are uncomfortable with to some degree.<br />
Doesn't the definition of novel say it has a beginning, middle and end? I just feel cheated when a book has no decisive ending. (I'm also a little jealous that I can't write well enough to be able to write a story that people love, even though it is missing something that should be essential to all novels.)<br />
I do highly recommend this book to fans of literary works. If you are not troubled by a lack of closure at the end - and I recognize the possibility that the story is perfectly well-concluded and that I just don't see it - there is everything to love about Great House.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-73662158499117064292013-02-19T07:22:00.002-08:002013-04-28T17:36:32.431-07:00CrossfireThis is the fourth offering of the Dick Francis/Felix Francis writing duo. As I've said in other posts, after reading the first collaboration I was hopeful; it was not nearly the caliber of Dick Francis other novels, but not bad. The next two were very disappointing. I happened to read Gamble - number five - next and was pleased to find that some of Dick's amazing talent was, as I hoped, emerging in Felix. <br />
So I went back and read the fourth novel, Crossfire, and was again let down...until half-way through the book. Then the story and main character both got more interesting and from that point the novel resembled Dick Francis' style.<br />
I know it is not fair to compare Felix's writing to his dad's. If I were him, I would want my own style - it's never fun to be constantly measured against another who was amazing at their craft. I do want Felix to excel at his own writing and I want to love it. <br />
Crossfire, at least the first half, still shows some amateur writing gaffes that drive me crazy. One example (not a direct quote): "'I can't believe it!' I exclaimed. I was astonished." Really?<br />
While I can't recommend Silks or Even Money, I think mystery readers and Francis fans would like Dead Heat, Crossfire and Gamble. I am glad to have enjoyed these last two and I am looking forward to the next one.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-2815861630773442992013-01-30T20:44:00.002-08:002022-03-15T21:33:41.080-07:00Am, Have, Will (Reading, read) I am still reading - and loving - Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss. Fans of fantasy novels should really check out his trilogy. Book one is The Name Of The Wind and Rothfuss is an amazing storyteller.<br />
I'm half-way through Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I had no interest in reading this, but picked it up at my sister's over the holidays and read a few pages. It was very funny and I loved the writing and I have not been disappointed.<br />
I am trying to read The Official Biography of Vincent O'Brien, famous British racehorse trainer, but I'm having a hard time getting past the first chapter. So far, it's been a lot of history and miscellaneous facts and anecdotes mixed in with description of his early life and the lives of his parents and grandparents. I hope it gets more interesting.<br />
I recently finished the two latest releases by Janet Evanovich. Notorious Nineteen, of her Stephanie Plum series, was just as good as the previous eighteen books. Wicked Business is the second in her Diesel and Lizzy series and it was also great.<br />
I read Dean Koontz's The Good Guy. It was one of his more recent books and it was one that I liked. When I first became a fan I read several of his earlier books and many of them were formulaic - felt like the same story with slightly different plot scenario and similar characters - and I was very disappointed. But several of his books are great. My favorites are still the Odd Thomas and Christopher Snow books.<br />
In anticipation of what I have heard is Stephen King's only sequel, I re-read The Shining. I'm not sure I finished it the first time I read it many, many years ago. Back then, before I was a writer, I read his books for the story alone and didn't appreciate the writing the way I do now. I hated the story in Carrie, but heard some of it recently on an audio book and was mesmerized by the writing. <br />
I'm about to start the latest by Tim Dorsey, Riptide Ultra Glide. Dorsey's books are not ones I can recommend to anyone. The main character is a hyperactive, good-hearted, social activist, serial killer and the story lines are insane and jump around everywhere, so they can be hard to follow, but funny and entertaining in a very twisted way. <br />
I don't have an actual TBR list, but I am excited about the newest offering from Jim Butcher and can't wait to get it. I am most looking forward to what I have heard is the FINAL Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire book in the series by Charlaine Harris. I am devastated that this series is ending and I may have to write an entire blog post about my thoughts on this.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><br />
<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-54686791566315467172013-01-19T19:33:00.000-08:002013-04-28T17:36:58.123-07:00Dennis LehaneI recently discovered this author through the most recent of what I refer to as my random book choices (books I pick up and start reading for no reason that I can pinpoint), A Drink Before The War. The novel reminded me of Robert B. Parker's Spencer series although the protagonist, Patrick, is younger, less experienced and more unsure of himself than Spencer. I love Parker and Spencer and thoroughly enjoyed this book.<br />
It wasn't until I finished the book that I checked to see what other titles Lehane has published and learned there were ones I recognized, including Mystic River, which my writer's group friends claim is one of the best books ever (and a great movie). I recommend this book to mystery fans and I look forward to reading more of Lehane's books.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-71240895404375016232013-01-14T19:56:00.004-08:002022-03-15T21:36:23.000-07:00GoalsThe top goal I had for 2013 - which I planned to accomplish in the first week of the new year - was to publish my second novel, Before Daylight. Toward that effort, I was working diligently on revisions and even carried my laptop around with me so I could work on them more. The only result of this was I lost my flash drive that had my novel on it. It also has nearly every completed work I've written, but all others have been saved on my hard-drive and a back up flash-drive.) Before Daylight is also saved on my hard drive - but not the last <i>three</i> rounds of edits.<br />
At this time, the idea of going back to the last saved edition and redoing all the revisions is too overwhelming for me to consider. And - forever the optimist - since the only place I had taken my computer on the fateful day I lost my flash drive was my mom's house, I am confident and hopeful that my flash drive is simply misplaced, not lost forever. However, my mom did recently move and her new house is in the throes of being unpacked and is in chaos, so that's another glitch.<br />
Not a very auspicious start to the writing year. I am not one who believes all things happen for a reason, but this does have the upside of making me work on some other writing goals I have been ignoring. I have a second installment of my short story series and a collection of horse-mystery short stories I have wanted to publish and I am moving forward with these projects while waiting for my flash-drive to reappear. <br />
In my last post, I sort of spoke out against making resolutions for the new year. In light of this recent dilemma, I resolve to always save <i>all</i> updates and edits to each and every work on both flash drive and hard drive.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-15298405890077944892013-01-10T08:59:00.002-08:002022-03-15T21:38:05.399-07:00Not Resolutions People advise against making resolutions for the New Year for the practical reason that most don't succeed at keeping them. I agree with this. I feel anyone who has the determination and self-discipline to keep resolutions, are the kind of people who don't need resolutions.<br />
I don't know if there is a negative side effect to making and failing to keep resolutions, other than having failed. Supposedly, experiencing personal failure is unhealthy for one's self-esteem or whatever. I feel that has more to do with (having the wrong) perspective than anything else. (See post "Success Via Failure").<br />
The main problem I see with resolutions is that individuals often see it as an all or nothing situation. Once broken, the resolution loses it's power. Once or twice, folks are willing to start over, but after the third failure they give up. And often by giving up they move in the opposite direction of their goals and further away from whatever they were trying to accomplish. <br />
On the other hand, almost everyone is in favor of setting goals. Goals are good. Goals are seen as something you keep striving to attain, despite setbacks. You get up, keep going, overcome, try again. <br />
With goals, unlike resolutions, people are expected to not always succeed in every step. It's okay to fail in several attempts, as long as you can regroup and try again, and again and again. Goals also have room for adjustment, and can be reached in different ways, which is rarely true of resolutions. <br />
So it's a matter of perspective. Instead of a resolution to eat healthy, which is not something that can be done all the time, vowing to eat <i>healthier</i> is doable. Exercising every day may become overwhelming, but exercising <i>often</i> is easier. <br />
Writing a certain number of words a day, for me, is impossible, but if I give myself some room, like an average number of words per week, I can manage. It's a matter of avoiding the always or never principal. And as with so many things, it's a matter of perspective.<br />
This year, I resolve to keep a healthy perspective toward achieving my goals.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
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At the last show of the year, both my horses won only fourth and fifth place ribbons in all our classes; which was interesting, because I felt we performed as well as (or not any worse than) we did at the first four shows of the season (with the exception of one jumping class where my mare - who never spooks - was startled by some crazed wildlife in the field next to the ring and went off course; I am certain we would have placed first or second in that class). Really, fourth or fifth is about where I would have placed us in most of our classes throughout the season.<br />
While placing where I felt we deserved <i>did</i> feel more right than winning when I didn't feel we should have, I was still - only very slightly - disappointed. I was surprised to feel that way. Having never had a show season go quite like this, I had never been able to juxtapose the two situations. A small part of me thought, "Well, as long as we are going to perform consistently under par, isn't it better to <i>place</i> higher?" <br />
In my past blogs on the subject, my point had been that it was better to write well and be unappreciated than to write poorly and have your work praised and/or published. Maybe it has something to do with getting older, but now I'm thinking that even if I write mediocre stories or books, isn't it better to have success with getting them published or appreciated by others rather than ignored? It certainly would be nice to earn money from work, even if it is not as good as I would like.<br />
I may have to revisit the question posed by one of my writer friends: Would you rather become rich and famous for writing crap that is commercial success, or write great works that are less popular or lucrative?<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
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One really fun part of this - for my sister and the rest of us - is what calendar she chooses for each of us. For the first few years, mine were always about horses; then cats and dogs, then wildlife and onto more diverse things my sister thinks I would like. My other sister's calendar themes went from lighthouses to seascapes to ships to nature scenes and so on. Mom's calendars started with pictures of schoolhouses and old barns and historic sites and have since featured things like churches and gardens.<br />
Besides having amazing pictures, these calendars often have tidbits of information or great quotes that also influence their being chosen. The other day I turned my calendar to December and found this quote: "Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." - Mother Teresa. <br />
That quote was very meaningful to me, as I have just returned to writing after an unexpected and prolonged hiatus. The words remind me that to do just a little writing each day will keep me moving forward and strengthen my skills and hopefully my discipline. And I know from experience that when I start writing, even if I just plan to do a small amount, inspiration may strike and carry me along further. Getting started and keeping going is hard; focus on one step at a time and it becomes easier.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.jennifermballard.com/">www.jennifermballard.com</a><br />
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If you google ideas for blog topics most of them suggest posting about various things in your "niche" (in my case that would be writing) and tend to be business oriented; ways of marketing your product or service, increasing productivity, things you've learned about certain aspects, etc. (I have since wanted to find that generic list my friend sent out, to challenge myself to post something on each topic and somehow tie it to writing.) <br />
Having just this week once again returned to my writing, I am following the example of many of my friends who blog keeping to no schedule. They blog only when they have something to share, an idea or experience or whatever, that most other people can relate to: family life, jobs, everyday adventures like errands or school functions.<br />
I often find my blog posts somehow linking writing to other things in my life: family, riding, ordinary daily challenges. If I only blog when I feel driven to, maybe the posts will be more inspired.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-34709837398073556802012-11-27T19:29:00.001-08:002013-04-28T17:38:31.703-07:00Maybe I Can('t)I recently started the best "day job" for a writer. I stock groceries at Wal-Mart. (Sorry, if you have negative opinions about the company. I don't feel strongly either way, but I love my job and the people I work with.) This job is perfect. Stress-free, mindless, and more physically active than you would believe - I have lost weight every week since I started. My only responsibilities are to find what needs to go on the shelf, put it where it belongs, keep the shelves neat and everything in order. My inner librarian is as happy as a clam. And I can spend all day thinking about stories, characters, plot, conflicts, etc. <br />
I have always been that annoying person who goes into a store like Home Depot and asks random employees where to find light bulbs, bug spray, ladders, curtains, and various types of hardware that I have no need for and no interest in purchasing. I do this not to be obnoxious but because I enjoy being amazed that anyone you ask can tell you what aisle something is on, what side of the aisle, how far down the aisle and, if applicable, what shelf. This fascinates me because I know I wouldn't be able to do it. Or so I thought.<br />
The grocery section of Wal-Mart is not nearly as huge as a DIY store, but there is a lot of stuff -small stuff. And I am completely shocked that after the first few weeks I worked there, I can tell any customer where almost anything is. (This is valuable, because some of it makes no sense. Why is dried fruit on the baking aisle between jello and pudding and not with the canned fruit? Why is Kool-Aide by the soda and not on the juice aisle? Why is instant tea with the Kool-aide and not with the coffee and tea - which are on the condiments aisle? And so on.) <br />
We carry exactly one kind of molasses (on the middle of the top shelf of the cereal aisle with the pancake syrup). We have cream of coconut in two different places, while coconut milk, coconut water and coconut oil are in three other separate places, none on the same aisle. Pimentos are in the vegetable aisle right next to canned artichokes and mushrooms and sauerkraut. <br />
In most cases, I can lead customers to these things unerringly. I still get a little confused that chili is on the pasta aisle instead of with the beans on the soup aisle. And I get capers -which are with olives and pickles - confused with cloves, which are with spices. <br />
I have gotten so confident that when a customer asks me, "Do you know where I can find...?' I say, "I know everything." I once had a woman ask me this and when I claimed I knew everything, her wise-ass husband asked, "The square root of pi?" Wish I could have remembered it and tossed it back at him.<br />
The reason I am so impressed with myself is that I always considered employees at Lowe's and such places to be like those writers who can remember every detail of their books. I know many writers are like me and have to keep notes and constantly check back to see what Teri's husband's name is and which of the neighbor kids drove the four-wheeler through the other neighbor's corn field. But I suspect that many writers don't have to do this and I am envious. <br />
So, ridiculously, I am now thinking, since I can recall the exact location on everything in the twenty sections of each of the twenty shelves in grocery, that maybe I can keep all the details of my novel in progress straight in my mind. Is this belief the result of my new confidence in my ability to find things in the store? I don't know. It's possible that my new skill will translate to my writing. Also possible that it won't. But maybe if I think I can...<br />
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<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-45818266087134346212012-11-22T00:00:00.001-08:002022-03-15T21:51:09.877-07:00Things I Am Thankful ForMy grandmother had a saying that my family members quote to each other when any of us suffer a crisis: "If money can fix it, it's not so bad." It is understood that frequently there is not enough money to fix whatever the problem is; or often, lack of money is the root of the trouble (can't pay the rent, can't afford to get the car fixed, etc.). What Nana was trying to make us understand, was that money can't buy health or happiness or the life and well-being of our loved ones. <br />
When I count my blessings, family, friends and loved ones are always at the top of the list, followed by health - mine and theirs. I always put the intangibles above the material things I am thankful for. I am grateful for my house and having enough to eat and transportation to work, but I am thankful that I am <i>able</i> to work and even to eat. I appreciate that I am mobile, have the ability to see and hear and talk. <br />
I am glad for my intelligence, although I recognize that those among us who are less intelligent are often happier; they are satisfied with the simpler things, as I try to be. I'm glad to be as well-educated as I am (being a book lover, I cannot imagine not being able to read), that I have traveled and experienced different things. I am thankful for memories. I am grateful that I can love and be loved.<br />
Among these intangibles I most appreciate, right near the top, is my creativity and ability to write. If I can keep reminding myself what a blessing it is, it may inspire me to be more dedicated to my craft and write as much as possible, not just as much as I feel like doing at any given time; not just when it's easy.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
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In it, the author opined that you should only write a blog if you have something to say. Now I don't understand people who blog about their everyday adventures, even when they are amusing or informative. However, I have also wondered if my blog, where I try to share encouragement, advice, experiences and information about writing is really helpful to anyone. I do, on some days, feel what I post may be useful to someone.<br />
Ms. Murphy also said you shouldn't blog out of a sense of duty. I'm not sure what that means. I guess it could apply to one of my reasons for blogging: to keep myself in the habit of writing regularly and keeping to a self-imposed deadline. <br />
The statement that most caught my attention was that a writer should not blog "to feel like you are writing, when you are not." That speaks directly to another of my reasons for blogging, which is to use it as a writing exercise. I more than occasionally think I use blogging as a way to write when I am "not able" - I use that term loosely and relative to my lack of self-discipline - to work on any other writing projects. But for the most part, I do consider it a valid writing exercise. I try hard to find topics I think are relevant and I work to convey my ideas and information clearly. It really is an effort for me.<br />
I feel Ms. Murphy is one of those who thinks any kind of writing that is not productive work on a publishable project is a waste of time that should be spent on 'real' writing. I know many writers believe that as well, and it may be true for some people. However, I am of the school that you need to write regularly, and if emails, random haiku or blog posts are all you can manage at a given time, it is worthwhile.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-638545168001380252012-11-15T00:00:00.000-08:002013-04-28T17:39:14.803-07:00NaNoWriMo 2012I'm not participating this year, but I did once a couple of years ago. It was how I got the rough draft of my second book finished. Even though I had already started it, I needed to add at least 50,000 words, that was my project for the event and it was an effective way to get the book done.<br />
Some of my writing buddies are doing NaNoWriMo this year and they are struggling. I don't understand why. The point is to write 50,000 words. It can be - in fact, is expected to be - crap. You aren't supposed to care whether the story is any good or even if it's written well. <br />
Maybe I had an advantage in that I had a work in progress when I started. But I think it would be fun to just start with a speck of an idea and just write whatever. Maybe I will try that next year. (When things calm down...)<br />
Even though I had a definite plot and established characters when I wrote my 50,000 words in 30 days, I still feel like the experience, not the end result, was the important thing. You learn a lot about yourself - about your writing process - when you commit to something like that and stay with it. And I think what you learn stays with you. The experience has positive benefits no matter what the end result.<br />
Another angle to consider is the idea that "writing is re-writing". Many people have trouble just getting the story down, but once they have something to work with - no matter how rough or bad it is - they feel they can make it into something good. The hard part is getting the raw material. <br />
This is not true of all writers. I am one among many who, when faced with a manuscript that needs a huge amount of work, finds it easier to just start over. I'm not sure if it's because fixing too much is overwhelming or if my mind isn't as strong at remodeling as building. (There is a difference.) <br />
Whatever kind of writer you are, whatever your process, experience, strengths and weaknesses, I think NaNoWriMo is something all writers should try. Whether you've never written anything or have already finished one book (as I had), it's a worthwhile experience.<br />
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I keep thinking when things calm down - which of course they never do (dad's health is better, moving is almost done, horse show season is over for the year, I'm settled into new job and NOW I have the flu) - something would inspire me to get back to it. Interestingly, it's not so much that I miss the writing itself, although I do. The main thing I'm missing is my characters.<br />
I've always been anxious to finish one book (or book-related short story), so I can go on to the next adventure. Kind of like reading a series and anticipating the next installment, even though I am the author.<br />
I like to think one day my readers will feel this way about spending time with my characters and wanting to know what's going on in my characters fictional world. But in order for that to happen, I need to get book two edited and published. And do some marketing. And get started on book three. Essentially, all the things I'm <i>not</i> doing. (I give myself some credit for getting this blog posted while I'm feeling so miserable, but I did miss posting both times last week. Sigh.)<br />
Don't be like me. There is always something that will keep you from doing what you want and what you love. There may never be a "good" time to start, continue, or return to whatever it is. I have to teach myself to work through the challenges that life will continue to throw my way. I hope everyone else has an easier time with this than I do.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><br />
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So, I've been trying to think of what beneficial effects you might see after a hiatus and I'm not finding any. Sigh. The only one I can think of right now is realizing how much you miss writing when you have been away from it for a time. I am just now getting to that point again after a few months off. It's too much to hope that you might come back to writing with some great new skill or perspective, but maybe it could happen. I write fiction; I can believe in these things. <br />
The lesson here - again - is that not practicing your craft just makes it harder, dulls your skills and sets you back in your works in progress and growth as a writer (or as anything else). So follow my advice and not my example and keep at it.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><br />
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www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-44358062089238154592012-10-30T00:00:00.000-07:002013-04-28T17:39:54.045-07:00Books I'm ReadingRight now I am reading Odd Apocalypse, by Dean Koontz. Love it! I cannot get enough of Odd Thomas. Can't wait for the next one.<br />
I have just finished Rick Riordan's (YA) The Serpent's Shadow, last book in the Kane Chronicles. Still need to read the two latest in the Heroes of Olympus series, Son of Neptune and Mark of Athena. <br />
I recently posted about reading Gamble by Felix Francis and how delighted I am that I liked it and look forward to the next one. I plan to go back and read Crossfire, the previous release of Dick and Felix Francis (before Gamble was published). <br />
I am still sporadically working my way through Patrick Rothfuss' tome, The Wise Man's Fear. It is still incredibly awesome, I just don't get to pry my Nook away from my husband very often to continue reading it. <br />
My random (picked-up on a whim and not sure why) non-fiction title of the moment is Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It is a book about meditation, which I totally don't understand and have no real interest in, but the book is holding my attention.<br />
I am looking forward to reading Wicked Business, second book in the new series by Janet Evanovich and anxiously waiting for the next release in the Sookie Stackhouse series (Charlaine Harris), the new Dresden Files novel by Jim Butcher and a new title from Tim Dorsey. <br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.trustindarkness.weebly.com/">www.trustindarkness.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
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Many years ago I read a book - don't know how I finished it, wanted to burn it a dozen times - that I immediately place on my five worst books I've ever read list. It was called Riding Lessons by an author named Sara Gruen. She wrote a sequel, Flying Changes, that I never picked up, having vowed to never read another book she had written. <br />
A few years back she wrote another book, Water For Elephants. After it had been out for awhile and just before the movie came out, I picked it up and started reading. It was a best-seller obviously, and it never occurred to me, in spite of the unusual name, that it was written by the same woman. (I have since learned that Riding Lessons was a bestseller and I have to wonder if this was before or after the phenomenon that Water For Elephants turned out to be.)<br />
I agree with most of the world that Water For Elephants is a great book. It really is nothing like her first novel, which will never free itself from my-most-disliked-books-of-all-time-list. And I have to say that I'm glad I read it, and think I might have even if I had realized who the author was. <br />
In the second paragraph above I used the phrase "worst books I've ever read", and just above I mentioned my "most disliked" books. Those two phrases don't mean nearly the same thing, and I have to say that by worst book, I am stating an opinion. I have not read Sara Gruen's latest novel, Ape House, and not sure that I will. <br />
These two examples make me aware of how unfair it is that I - and many other readers - give up on an author because we didn't like one (or more) of their books. Another of my favorite authors, Dean Koontz, who is an incredible writer, has written many books that have failed to impress me. So has Stephen King, arguably one of the most talented writers in the history of writing.<br />
I have recently published my first novel. It is a good book. I am proud of it, but it is not a great book. I know many, possibly most readers, will not be impressed, but might still read the upcoming sequel. I have written a lot about authors "growing" in their writing talent as they continue learning to write and become more experienced. I hope and expect that will be true of me as well. But it won't matter if readers - like I have on occasion - give up on an author after a less than stellar book. <br />
In the future, I'll try to judge a book on its own merit and not be influenced by past experience with a certain author. I will choose to read books that catch my attention and interest, regardless of how I felt about similar books. I'm sure, in most cases, I will be glad that I did.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.trustindarkness.weebly.com/">www.trustindarkness.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
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www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-15822223157131336802012-10-23T00:00:00.000-07:002013-04-28T17:40:20.582-07:00GambleThe official title of this book is "'Dick Francis's Gamble" by Felix Francis. I'm not sure that title is properly punctuated, but that's not what interests me about it. I believe this is the first book (officially) by Felix Francis.<br />
As many people know, Dick Francis is my writing idol and all-time favorite writer; best writer in the world in my opinion (followed closely by Stephen King, who is an amazing writer, but not one of my favorites). Since his dad's death, Felix Francis has published four novels with both Dick Francis and Felix as authors. Presumably his dad had started these books or written parts of them or possibly just had notes for them. Whatever the case, I have read each of them - and by most I was disappointed.<br />
The first one, Dead Heat, was good. Some of it I thought was very like Dick Francis and some I thought was not nearly as good as he would have written, but overall I enjoyed it. The next one I was not impressed with. Nor the one after. I started the third one and lost interest. <br />
Last week I picked up the latest, Gamble, and was delightedly surprised. It's not amazing; it's not written by Dick Francis. But it's really good. Not great, but I liked it very much. I am hoping, hoping, hoping that Felix has come into his own in his writing. <br />
I don't know how much of his dad's writing he had to work with for these five books, but except for the first one they didn't feel like Dick Francis novels at all. Not that I think Felix should write like his dad. Stephen King's son, Joe Hill, is a great writer - but his writing is nothing like his dad's, which I feel is a good thing. However, I have held hope that Felix did share some of his dad's writing ability and that I would enjoy his books. <br />
I am now looking forward to the next one. If his writing continues to be strong, I also hope Felix will be able to leave his dad's name off the title and create a following of readers on his own.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.trustindarkness.weebly.com/">www.trustindarkness.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700289746906523145.post-41943962787910627372012-10-18T07:21:00.000-07:002013-04-28T17:40:46.858-07:00Writing TherapySaw my therapist yesterday for the first time in months; since just at the beginning of the chaos that has kept me from writing or even wanting to write. He was distressed that I haven't been writing (outside of blogging) and urged me to get back to it.<br />
He is possibly the best therapist in the world and while he doesn't write, he is a big reader and huge lover of books. He knows that those of us with any kind of creative nature have to create in order to stay balanced and happy. Writers have to write, singers have to sing, dancers have to dance, artists have to paint or sculpt or whatever. (I am not ignoring the other less recognized kinds of artists: jewelery makers, those who knit or crochet, fashion designers, etc. I know all such things are driven by the need to make something to share with the world.) Our creativity is such a big part of us that it is unhealthy to keep away from it.<br />
I haven't purposely kept away from writing. For a few months I haven't had the energy to write, even on the rare occasions recently that I have had time. But the urge to write is starting to rear is lovely head and I hope to get back to it soon. <br />
There will always be chaos - it's part of life - but hopefully not so much of it. I admire writers who can keep up with their writing in spite of the craziness in their lives. I am jealous of those who can <em>use</em> writing to keep themselves grounded when things get wild and stressful. It seems I'm not one of them, but maybe one day I will learn to be.<br />
So, the next time I have a few extra minutes and I'm not exhausted, I hope to do some writing. And I feel positive that soon I will be once again, planning writing time into my week and doing so on a regular basis. Perhaps it will create some order to battle the chaos.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.daylightsend.weebly.com/">www.daylightsend.weebly.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.trustindarkness.weebly.com/">www.trustindarkness.weebly.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.jennifermballard.com
www.daylightsend.com
www.trustindarkness.com</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216939508647402573noreply@blogger.com0