The Pen of a Ready Writer

I am too excited to write a normal post.  Please accept this writerly expression of my anticipation instead.  See you all tomorrow!!!!!      Once upon a time, there was a princess who received a prick from a spindle that turned her into an authoress.  She was immediately locked away in a tower, there to dream up endless plots and worlds and characters and write them down.  She was told that someday she would be awakened from her dreamy state and introduced into the publishing world by an acceptance from a publishing company (practically the same thing as a kiss from a prince).      On the last day of February (the 29th, no less, for it was a leap year), rumors were whispered through the tower.  A prince would be passing through on the morrow.  Was he the one?  The authoress did not know.  All she could do was to fall asleep and wait for the dawn.  In the morning she would know if his kiss awakened her or if...

     "Emery?" Beth's voice was full of panic.      Emery swung to face her, just in time to see an officer in uniform grasp Beth's arms and pull her back with a yank.         Beth's eyes were wide and unblinking.  They fixed on Emery's face, and Emery could see the doubt and disbelief creeping into them.  "Emery?"       Emery threw her arm out as if to stop the officer.  "Stop!  Let her go!"       Lights flashed in her eyes again, blinding her, and she felt a rough arm shove against her, sending her stumbling backward against the fence.      "I don't want to go back!" Beth cried out.  "Don't put me in the box again!  Emery!  Emery, help!"      The sound wrenched in Emery's heart, and she flung herself at the officer, trying to pull his hands from Emery.  "Let her go!  Let her go!"       More hands rea...

This is the part when I think it gets really hard.  Because five days can seem like an eternity. But what happens at the end of those 5 days? Today I want to talk about what happens if you win.  Because, honestly, that excites me more than I let on.  And it scares me a little bit, too.  In a good way. There's a good scared and a bad scared.  I talked about that many months ago.  "Bad scared" warns you to get out of a bad situation.  "Good scared" is the feeling you get when you are about to do something that takes a lot of courage but you know you will be glad that you did it. If you win this contest, your name will be posted on the announcement page along with the title of the story you worked so hard on.  And then you will work with Rooglewood's editors and marketers to polish up your story and share it with the world. You will have to make changes.  But you will also learn a lot.  And it will be worth it.  That's t...

I just wanted to pop in and express my gratitude to all of you.  You make me happier than you realize. So...hello to the new followers!  I'm so glad to have you on board!  Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world and liking it enough to come back regularly.  That makes my day.  You should see me counting my followers like a little girl counting how many presents she has under the Christmas tree. ;) And...hello to all of you who have joined me so wholeheartedly in this countdown to the Rooglewood contest announcement.  You guys are the one making this countdown so much fun.  I love reading all of your comments and feeling the friendship in them.  And I really, really, really am grateful for the support because this "wait" has truly been so much easier this year. And...hello to all of my old followers who let me take a long break and then welcomed me back with open arms.  I really appreciate you all.  So. ...

Eight days.  Do you know what that means?  Barely over a week.  Tomorrow will be one week from the announcement date. Are you excited? I am. So, today, I want to talk to those who wrote something for the contest, whether or not you entered it in the end. What made you start writing your story?  What was the first inkling of an idea that tickled your brain?  What was it that you liked about your premise?  As you wrote, did you have a favorite character or a favorite scene?  And are you glad you wrote it down?  Do you feel like you learned and grew in your ability as a writer as you tried out things for this contest? And, if your story isn't included in this year's Rooglewood anthology (either because you didn't submit it or because it didn't fit with the other four stories selected), what will you do with it?  Will you market it elsewhere?  Or will you lock it away in a drawer?

     "And this princess was guarded by men and demons, each having a different purpose for her imprisonment," Emery continued the story.  "But the princess did not know that.  All she knew is that she was forever tormented and held captive by them, with no hope of escape."       "And then came another princess...in shining armor," Beth filled in.      Emery shook her head.  "No, not a princess.  A daughter of a very brave knight.  And though her father was courageous, she was very timid.  She had not the makings of a knight in her blood.  Instead, she took a role as a humble servant, minding her work and keeping out of everyone else's way.  She did not expect to ever wield a sword or vanquish an enemy.  She only hoped to do enough laundry to bring home some food for her mother and brother and sisters."      "That's brave, too," Beth commented.  Her voice was nonchala...

Hi, guys!  Thank you for joining me!  I'm continuing my countdown to Rooglewood's announcement on March 1st.  We have only 12 days to go!  And it's SO nice to wait with you guys.  As you know, this year's Rooglewood contest is the third of its kind.  The first year, the contest was for Cinderella retellings, and, last year, it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling.  Have you read either of those anthologies?  Did you like them?  Do you own a hard copy of them?  Or an ebook version?  Or both? I read both anthologies.  I have Five Glass Slippers in paperback, and I have Five Enchanted Roses as an ebook.  And, of course, I'm looking forward to adding Five Magic Spindles to my collection. But what I really wanted to talk about today was Five Glass Slippers (partly so that I'm thinking about something different than this year's anthology but still somewhat related).  For those of you who have read it, what were you...

Ladies and gentlemen,       We are in the final two weeks of the countdown.  In fourteen days, the five winning stories will be announced.  Huzzah!      Shall we count down the last 14 days together?  Time flies faster when you are with good friends.  If I write a "countdown post" twice a week, maybe March 1st will be here before we know it.  I could share something contest-related on Mondays and Thursdays.  How does that sound?      Okay, here it goes.      I know we've all seen some of the wonderful stories that Rooglewood had to pick from.  Maybe you read the blurbs shared in the  September Show and Tell  or on some of the blogs around here.  Maybe you proofread a friend's story before she sent it.  Maybe you wrote a great story and submitted this year.  But I think we are all agreed that the Rooglewood team had an awesome set of stories from which to choo...

     "This way, Beth."  Emery hurried down the street, her eyes finding familiar landmarks that would lead her to the Carlysle Estate.       Beth's hand slipped into Emery's, and Emery could feel a tremble run through it.       "Am I really going home?" Beth whispered.  "This isn't a trick?  Or a dream?  I'll see my Mama and my Dada again?"      Emery squeezed Beth's hand.  "You're really going home," she said softly.      Beth was quiet for a moment as she trotted by Emery's side.  Then a shiver ran through her again.  "I'm scared, Em.  Tell me a story."      Emery looked down at the white-clad figure and suddenly felt like curling up and crying.  Emotions from the day swelled and crashed inside her like an incoming tide.  Panic. Horror. Terror. Hope. Confusion. Fear. Love. Helplessness. Compassion. Power. Purpose.     ...

      The truck stopped with a rattle and squeak.  Emery slowly slid to the ground, overwhelmed by whispers from the past.  It had been so long ago that she was here.  But this was her road -- the little back road, down which various employees of the Carlysle's abode.  She could almost see her father's strong form, striding down the road, and hear his whistle.  Emery inhaled.  The scent of tree blossoms were hauntingly familiar and she could almost hear a little Evelyn's voice wailing because Edwina spilled her milk.      But then she blinked and the images disappeared, leaving behind a wistful feeling.  "Come on, Beth," she murmured.  "I can get you home from here."      Beth sprang to the ground beside her.  Her eyes were wide and curious, but there was no recognition in them.  She didn't know how close she was to home.  The staff road was unfamiliar to her.     ...

     Greetings, dear friends!  I have returned to the blogging world!      My absence provided me a lovely break from deadlines.  I must admit, as much as I love writing, the weeks with no posts to schedule were refreshing.  I highly recommend taking the occasional break, if you can.      My sabbatical was not empty.  I have been writing -- lots of journalling, mostly.  And I started working at the veterinary clinic again (yay!).  But that's not the biggest thing that has happened.       The biggest thing is that I now have a boyfriend. And he is awesome.  And this has inspired me to do a bunch of journaling because I have to wrap my brain around this new life journey and because I think better on paper.  I'm sure you writers can relate.      I will do my best, over the coming months, to not bore you with sappy posts. ;)  But I am excited about the things God in ...