Tammy Lyn Carbol
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A Little Bit of TLC
Blog
2018 Is Looking Fantastic!
| Posted on January 30, 2018 at 9:59 PM |
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Have been getting quite a bit done lately - and I'm fairly pleased with myself! During our ARWA Saturday workshop this month, we had Dwayne Clayden in to speak with us about Poisons. It was incredibly interesting! The best was he had to say "so if you are looking to poison someone...IN YOUR WRITING"...<snicker>  We looked at poison through the ages and it was truly very interesting with what and how they would poison folks. He was an entertaining speaker and we left with a LOT of information...for our writing, of course.During ARWA's Thursday night meeting, the fabulous Sarah Kades was in to discuss Building Your Author (or Editor) Website. Many of us either have websites that need updating (completely!) or none at all, so the information was helpful. So, I was a good student and updated pictures and also some of my writing in my website. Thought about updating the template, but I kind of love my typewriter, so it stays. Also going to make sure I keep blogging at least once a month (hey, considering I sometimes go months or a year without updating, I think that's a healthy goal).  My website for my hardtobeagoddess.com domain I purchased last summer (at the urging of my ARWA tribe)now has a plan. I believe after Sarah's discussion, I now know what it will be for. Planning to get it done before end of February. Doing some Virtual Assistant work for Adam Dreece and Katherine Dell, two local Calgary authors who are fabulous people who write great books! Loving it and looking forward to helping them both with some of their administrative needs. I love beta reading and editing Adam's books and audiobooks as well - it's a great deal of fun! Also helping an up-and-coming author get their non-fiction book put together - and I look forward to her publishing it this year.  Have also offered to beta read a friend's Western - which I had no idea they even wrote! He said it was just something he had done, so I told him to send it over.During all of this, I actually got some time to do a BIT of writing (I've started writing by hand again as I feel it just flows better when I do that and not when I'm typing a story into a computer). This approach seems to be working, so I'll continue finding time to get some writing in each day, even if just for 15 minutes. Getting to work on scrapbooking as well, which I'm finding very relaxing to do and I enjoy putting what I want into it. Overall, January has been a frustrating, yet fulfilling month and I look forward to what February has to bring. I'm enjoying all the ARWA workshops and meetings we've been having and the information I've been getting from them - it's great! I seriously love my writer tribe, both in ARWA and outside of it. We have a tremendously supportive writing community in Calgary, and I'm extremely thankful for that. Write On... |
2017. Let's Get 'Er Done
| Posted on January 13, 2017 at 9:38 PM |
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2017.
Shit. Looking at my blog I note I haven't blogged since Dad passed, and that was far to long ago. I honestly had no heart to do it, and my writing was not up to par either. 2017!! Time to change. New website design, new writer business cards, new determination to finish the few stories I DO have on the go right now. Seriously, the last few years I have not been writing nearly as much as I wanted to be. Call it writers block, call it laziness, I just had no desire.  Although I have had a fantastic time both sitting on panels at When Words Collide here in Calgary and attending the fabulous workshops both at WWC and at our monthly ARWA meetings and Saturday workshops, I just couldn't get motivated to write. Nothing much anyway. A few months ago, one of the members from ARWA said "why don't you try a different genre for now? It might get you started again". Brilliant. I started again. I actually started on two separate stories (of course). One of which makes me giggle-snort at times. It came about by some of the ARWA members making a comment in one of our workshops and we went from there. COMPLETELY outside my normal genre of writing. I normally write paranormal romance or if I'm in a different mood, erotica. It is a mystery with some humour in it (okay, A LOT of humour in it). I'm enjoying writing it. I didn't think I would be able to get back into writing, but changing genres to try something outside my comfort zone is working. I will be putting an excerpt up before end of January. I figure if I declare and state things in print, I will be held accountable.  ARWA had a workshop on Scrivner last Fall and I have started using this writing tool. I am finding it extremely easy and useful and that makes me happy.It feels like perhaps 2017 may be the year I get my writing mojo back. Switching genres seems to have helped, I don't understand why as yet and want to finish my "Angel" book, as well as "Rope, Saddle & Ride", but I will finish "Write Club" first. Also working on a story situated on Guernsey, which is also a mystery (without humour)and the hero is a much older man - something new. Looking forward to (and already registered) to When Words Collide this coming August. Amazing local and international speakers, writers, authors, publishers - it's a fabulous conference to go to.  I met Diana Gabaldon in 2015 there (and became BEST SISTER EVER to my twin when I got Diana to sign a book to her). She is my twin's absolutely, hands-down, favourite author. I found to her to be an amazingly adorable person and really entertaining speaker. I had of course read Outlander and a number of the series after that (given to me by my sister, of course). After meeting her and speaking with her, I had a desire to read even more of her books - and I'm very much enjoying them. I like her writing - I really really like her writing. The amount of research she does makes me feel SUPER lazy, so I have actually been researching the Isle of Guernsey while I have been writing the story. Unbelievable history! WOW! Research can actually be fun! Didn't realize that LOL. Now that I've revamped my website and been working on some writing, I'm getting more and more confident. It's been a long time since I've felt not only happy writing, but confident in my writing.  I feel 2017 is my year. My year to prove TO MYSELF what I can do and what I can accomplish. No offense, but I am not doing this for anyone other than myself.My friend is giving me a Passion Planner to try out - I intend on filling it with A LOT of goals, especially writing goals. I intend on posting excerpts now and then on what I'm writing to keep me accountable and forward-moving. I intend on MAKING the time for myself (I love my son but Mommy DOES need some writing time for herself). He is almost 4 1/2 so he knows how to occupy himself playing while Mommy writes. I just need to keep an eye on him and an ear out for when it gets silent. My new "sign out" this year will be... Write On... |
Climaxes and Words....Colliding...
| Posted on February 25, 2014 at 6:19 PM |
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Well phew!!! I did it!!! I gave my "Building That Climax, Well Before the Climax" workshop on Sexual Tension to the ARWA ladies on Saturday, February 8, 2014. From what they said to me, they liked it! YAY!!! I'm happy some things I said helped some of them with their writing in regard to sexual tension.
 Here are some of the key points I used - oh, and did I mention my presentation was peppered with pictures of Antonio Banderos (from Zorro), the newer version of Pride & Prejudice and that FABULOUS scene with Louis and Armand from Interview With The Vampire? Oh...yeah...those helped <wink>
  Then I was SUPER excited!!! I finally got off my behind and signed up for When Words Collide (August 8-10, 2014) here in Calgary! Checked with the hubby if he wouldn't mind me basically being gone for 3 days in August - took an afternoon off work - and there ya go! www.whenwordscollide.org It is for both readers AND writers, and when my sister saw Diana Gabaldon was coming (who just happens to be her FAVOURITE author) - oh yeah - she had me sign her up with me! Should be a fun and interesting weekend! I know ARWA will be involved in numerous panel discussions, and I *think* we are having a panel discussion all our own. You should TOTALLY come check it out!!!  I have been using my lunch hours the last little bit to get some writing done, and that has actually been working out well. I'm getting more and more excited (heh heh) as I'm moving forward in this book. In MY mind, it's fabulous - but hey, that's just me.I shall continue to slowly plod along and get my writing done. Little by little is better than none at all, and I will celebrate my "little bit" rather than torture myself when I don't write at all - it's the only way I'll stay sane. If I stopped in frustration over having days where I didn't have time to write, I'd never move forward - so I will continue to write at lunch and IF time affords me, and I can write at home, I will do so. As Dory says "just keep swimming...just keep swimming" (yes, yes I DID happen to watch Finding Nemo...FIVE times this past weekend) I love the ARWA ladies and our meetings - www.albertaromancewriters.com - we always have a fantastic time with lots of giggles, and inappropriate comments (usually coming from me, but still).  I'm very happy that this month, my mom has offered to come play with David all night so I can go to my ARWA meeting (as my husband also has a meeting on that night)Don't get me wrong, I love my little monster...but I love me my ARWA gals too! |