Ink in the Book

Hey beautiful guys and dolls! Here it is! My CP feedback edited story. Had a hard time with this, but I hope it makes sense. I've got a post I'm working on I plan to put up after Thanksgiving. Here ya go. Enjoy... Every morning I wake to carnival day.  Today, though, I have my key. If I don’t use it before midnight, my way of escape will gone. It’s a silver key with a twisted metal handle, a sapphire stone half moon and engraved stars. There’s a tiny inscription on the moon, but it’s so small, I’ve never been able to read it.I’ve always kept mine in my jewelry box, but today, I string it on a ribbon and tie it around my neck. My two best friends will be wearing theirs, too, and I wonder how they will escape this carnival of dreams. “What’s it for?” Cress asks as we stand in line for the swings. I run my fingertips over the entire silver surface. “I don’t know. It belonged to my grandmother,” I say. “Whatever.” She shrugs her shoulder in a dismissive way. “Have ...

Hey beautiful guys and dolls! Well, here is my very rough, very messy first draft. This is my first ever flash fiction piece! I know it needs sooooooooooo much work, but my idea is on paper, and I have good bones and plot pieces to work with. My ideas didn't come out as I had anticipated, BUT I think I can turn this into something I love! I have several elements I want to add still, but since no editing was allowed on this draft, (you have no idea how hard it was not to edit this. I wanted to so bad) I just wrote the bare bone idea to get started. My initial idea was The Cloud Goddess, and a Native American fairytale retelling. So, here goes...It's messy, and it's a fire pit, but look at the potential...(this is what my CP's keep saying. Thanks guys. I love ya!) PS. I plan to get detailed with my writing process, but first, I have to make sense of all the messy notes and blurbs I've written. Some, even on notepads and napkins! The Im...

Hey beautiful guys and dolls!! Welcome to my first post during WRITER IN MOTION round two. I was lucky enough to be chosen in the raffle to have my short, 1,000 word or less flash fiction chosen to be edited by a professional editor! So, follow along  my journey as I go from prompt to polished draft in for weeks. Out first post is prepping for the first draft. Given the prompt, what were my first thoughts and what did I do to prep the character, story, and plot?? HEre's the photo prompt: Honestly, it didn't speak me. At all. I was lost, and my excitement quickly deflated like a helium balloon stuffed in the back of a dark closet. Not because I didn't like the photo. I LOVED it. But because I was completely lost in ideas. So, I put the put the picture away, and ignored it. Well, that's not true. The photo haunted me for hours. Who was this girl? Why was she here? What had happened up to this point in time? That's when it hit me. Tell the story before...

Hey beautiful guys and dolls!! I'm so super excited to introduce the new project I'm going to be part of! It's called Writer in Motion, and it's a a group of writers and editors who will work through the beginning of a writing project to the end. From prompt to polished finished product. We'll go through several rounds of CP edits and revisions until the final writing is ready to go!  This week, we introduce ourselves and talk about our writing process. I'm a sit down and write on the fly sort of writer. I love to take an idea, put a character in the middle of the idea, and just where he/she takes the story. The creative process is so fun, but it's not always easy. If (and when) I hit a writer block, I'll create a short outline. It might be a scene outline, a chapter outline, a character prompt outline, or even some backstory. My plan during Write in Motion, is to post every step I take so that you can see the entire thing, from beginning to end. ...

Hey you beautiful guys and dolls! I missed posting in August, but I have a really good reason.... My daughter just had her third baby, and I've been in Germany visiting her and spoiling grand babies. Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!!!! Just got home this week and went straight to the hospital. My mom had heart surgery. We hope this is the last one (she's already had one heart surgery) but the Dr says if she needs another one, they will be putting a pacemaker in, which she really doesn't want. All thoughts and prayers appreciated. See you Wednesday !! Until then, keep writing.

I've rejoined the IWSG (Insecure Writer's Support Group, and I'm super excited to be back. I missed the post for July, but will be promoting and visiting the blogs on the list this month as I try to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. This is the first step back to the writing community. Hey, all you beautiful guys and dolls! *waves and smiles*

I've been gone forever, I know. I know, and I'm sorry. But I had decided I just couldn't keep up with the blog, but mostly, my writing. I'll admit, I got so discouraged, I quit writing for a while. Several months, actually. After Pitch Wars, I had to deal with some personal life, and it bled over into my writing ability. Then, I found an amazing group of CP's that welcomed me into their fold, and they've encouraged me so much, I couldn't stay away from writing any longer. So, here I am. I hope to build my blog back up. I've lost over a hundred followers, but I don't blame them. Why follow when I offer nothing but empty space and air?? It may be a slow process, but I'm determined to make this work. My writing has come a long way since 2012, when I started this blog in earnest. What has everyone else been up to? How's your writing coming along? Fill me in on all the news! Until next time, stay kind, beautiful guys and dolls!

This has been such a horrendous last few months. I'm so glad spring is here! I'm feeling very optimistic about 2017. This is the year I feel like is going to be my year. No new news. BUT... I'm still writing and still in the literary and publishing world. So that's a plus, right??  I look forward to my spring workshop. This year, I've got lots of revision and editing workshops lined up. These are all from my experience last year and the process I went through in revising and editing one manuscript upwards of ten times. It's going to be a great year and I'm so glad you're here to make it better! See you next week, you beautiful guys and dolls. I'll be posting my first book review of 2017. An adult romance. Excited? I am! Have a wonderful weekend my friends.

I spent the evening looking through my blog. I remember when I published articles at least 3 and 4 times per week. I had enough visitors to keep me busy. I ran contests and workshops. I wrote about writing and graphics and fun stuff. And then somehow, one day, I got too busy. Too busy to visit my friends, whom I'd taken so long to get to know, spent hours and days investing in their time. I miss my blog. I miss my friends. I've been so busy writing that I let my blog go, and I stopped visiting other blogs. Now, I have to start over. I plan to write about everything I learned in pitchwars, which is a lot. So excited to be back!!! I hope to see you all soon. Until then, write with purpose, beautiful guys and dolls!

Hey beautiful Guys and Dolls! I know. I've been gone so much from my blog. *sad face* I'm almost finished with PitchWars manuscript (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) A few more edits, and it'll be good to go! I'm so super excited about the way my story turned out and I"m super excited to share it with the world. Yes, I may be getting the cart the before the horse, but really. I'm THAT excited about it! So how was my PW experience? I'll start from the beginning.... I really wanted to enter Pw this year. I loved my story and characters. I'd work so hard on this story and after I got the final edits back from the pre-pitchwars round, I knew it was ready. I scoured the mentor blogs and studied them all. I pretty much had my mind made up on my top choice. Lizzy Charles was number one from the get go. Her strength was exactly what I needed help with: adding HEART to your story. The one thing that scared me was the fact she was really quiet on Twitter. I sat back an...

Hey you beautiful guys and dolls!! Yes, I've been gone pretty much all year. I've been so busy. That's not an excuse, I know, but it's true. Earlier this year, I received word that a contest I had won several months back (about 2 years ago) would be finalized this year and I'd be able to self publish that book! Well, that's not going to work as fast as I'd hoped. Publishing is a slow world, am I right?? I'm not even for sure if I'll be working on that particular book any more. I wrote this particular story about SIX years ago. It went through several rounds of revisions and edits, and this last time I went through it on my own, I made a mess of it. I took the chapters apart, and even some the individual scenes and rearranged and rewrote some chapters to add to my word count. I didn't know how to fix it. I'd hoped the contest I won would work out, but not all dreams can be realized and sometimes, it's best to know when to shelve a ...

Hey beautiful guys and dolls... I'm sorry I forgot this month and last month posting. I've been swamped with work. Please bear with me and I'll see you next month. How's everyone doing? I hope all is well.

Welcome to the first IWSG of 2016!! I'm so excited to start the year. I've got so many wonderful things happening this year! My biggest piece of news? I will be publishing my first novel via self publishing! I'm so excited! It's a bit early to share any details, but I will have more information ready by March, so be patient and BE EXCITED!! Also, I wanted to thank all of YOU for your continued and faithful support. There have been many times through the past 4 years I've looked forward to each month because I needed a hug or a smile. Insecure Writers Support Group has never failed to deliver the encouragement I needed. Thank you!! See you next month, you beautiful guys and dolls!! Sign up here... http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html Visit the IWSG blog here... http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Hey y'all! How's your month going so far? Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving? Where has the year gone? Wow. Welcome to my monthly support meeting. Hi! My name is Talynn and I'm insecure about my writing. This month, I'm participating in NanoWriMo, but I didn't sign up with a cabin on site. It'll be the first time in FIVE years I haven't joined a cabin. (UPDATE: As I'm sure everyone knows...Cabins are for Camp Nano, but during November, you sign up and simply tag a few writing buddies. This year, however, I didn't know anyone who's participating. I did go ahead and sign up. Maybe it'll help me keep track of my progress!) I usually enjoy the cheering and the updates from other participants. But this year, I didn't have anyone I knew personally, and I felt a little weird being in a cabin of strangers and laying out my book with others who may not really care, just because they don't know me. ...

Hey beautiful guys and dolls! Insecurity has a hold on me, like a shadow creeping up behind me. Isn't it odd how you can feel the "blues" sneaking up and you know it's hounding to catch up with you? I AM excited about the upcoming contests this month, and also NanoWrimo next month. Are you participating in NaNo? I'm trying hard to keep my chin up and not get discouraged. It's difficult to not worry and fear I may never see my dream come true. But you know something? The best thing about shadows is the eventually pass over you! See you next month!

As is  quite frequently, I have no Internet today. So I am posting my blog post from my phone.  Yikes!  Hey beautiful guys and dolls! How has your month been?  We've moved twice but have finally settled into a small apartment for the next couple of months. Then we will be moving back home to my house that I missed dearly.  My husband's work travels a lot. A. Lot.  So in order to spend more time with him my children and I travel with him.  We get to see quite a bit of the united states this way. Fun!  This month, I plan to participate in pitch wars.  For those of you who do not know, this is an online contest or unpublished manuscript and unagented writers.  If my manuscript is chosen by a mentor,  I will have the privilege to work one on one with him or her to polish my manuscript and get it ready for the agent around in November. Wish me luck!  This is plenty to be insecure about this month. What if I'm not chosen? What i...

Hey beautiful guys and dolls! How are you today? Are you writing? More importantly, are you happy? *rant to follow Today's world is so full of hate, mean words, hate, and more mean words. Why!! WHY?? In the epic words of Taylor Swift, Why ya gotta be so mean? I'm making a pledge to be kind. Rude behavior does nothing for anyone. Hurtful words, snappy, rude comments, conniving jabs. What purpose do they serve, other than show how unkind and nasty you are? It doesn't matter if you agree with the person or not. Why can't you simply disagree with them and go on your  merry way, smiling and spreading cheer to others. Hey, news flash! Not everybody is just like you. But that doesn't mean they deserve to be treated like they have the plague. Just be nice. You'll be a happier person and the world will be a better place because of it. Try it. I dare you. *end of rant PS: This has nothing to do with the writing community. Just something I encounter...

There's always light at the end of the tunnel, right? It's going to happen one day. Keep your chin up! Keep writing! Keep hoping! It's going to happen!!! That's my cheer for the month. You know, one of these days, you're going to come to visit me, and you're going to find me shouting for joy, sharing my good news. Until then, I"m going to keep writing. This month, it's Camp Nano writing month. So I'll be working on my WIP I started last month. I've started a new intern position at Justice Literary, and will soon be an agent!! I'm so excited about this new chapter in my life. Look for great changes on the blog, and keep your fingers crossed for me. It's going to be a fabulous summer:) Until next time, be happy, you beautiful guys and dolls!!

Hey beautiful guys and dolls! Hope the rainy weather hasn't been too bad for you. It's perfect writing conditions, isn't it? Insecurities are at their height for me this month. I'm feeling left behind and forgotten. I'm beginning to think my dream has turned into a nightmare. I'll never stop writing, but finding an agent and getting published seems like it's getting farther away instead of closer. I'm really discouraged this month and don't even have a smile to offer. I'm sorry. Next month will be better! Especially, since I'm on my phone and auto correct changed month to m&m! Luckily I caught it before I clicked post. Ps. We got moved, but don't have Internet connected yet.

Hey you beautiful guys and dolls! What am I insecure about this month? I'm moving!! I must apologize for the very short post but I'm lost somewhere in all these boxes and won't find my way out until next month:) I will visit others tonight and over the weekend! Have a great week!