Take time for some inspiration

Take Time:

Take time to think-
It is the source of all power.

Take time to read-
It is the fountain of wisdom.

Take time to play-
It is the source of perpetual youth.

Take time to be quiet-
It is the opportunity to seek God.

Take time to be aware-
It is the opportunity to help others.

Take time to love and be loved-
It is God’s greatest gift.

Take time to laugh-
It is the music of the soul.

Take time to be friendly-
It is the road to happiness.

Take time to dream-
It is what the future is made of.

Take time to pray-
It is the greatest power on earth.

Take time to give-
It is too short a day to be selfish.

Take time to work-
It is the price of success.

There is a time for everything. . . .[Ecclesiastes 3:1-8]Bible
 
What aren't you taking time for? How will you change this situation?

New contest just announced

New QueryTracker blog contest. This one:

• Opens Tuesday June 1, 2010 at 9:00 PM EST
• Only 100 entries will be accepted
• Genres: Young Adult and Middle Grade only (next month's contest will be adult only.)

Get all of the details here.
And lots of luck to all who enter.

When rejection has you down...

A good friend sent me this video and I couldn't wait to share it. Listen to the words. Although the video is a bit fuzzy, the vocals make up for it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I so needed to hear this today.

Writing exercise on voice

Rewrite this sentence and give it a different voice. This is from my WIP THE LION AWAKENS. Petra is the MC’s wing girl. She’s funny, and when she talks it’s like she has diarrhea of the mouth.


“Oh. My. Gawd.” Petra said. “Is that a for real baby? Like one you have to feed and burp and change diapers and rock and…”

50 famous authors who were repeatedly rejected

Keep this list of famous writers who were rejected but never gave up for those times when you need a little encouragement.
How do you handle rejection? Drink? Exercise? Write?

Playing with food

I have a super creative staff. We’re always doing fun things. One time, we held a Project Newspaper contest in which entrants had to design (and wear) clothing and accessories made out of newspapers. 
We always hold a Peeps contest each Easter in which readers create dioramas using the sugary treats. In the past, we’ve seen Peeps of the Caribbean, Nascar  Peeps, Trojan  Peeps, Alien  Peeps and  Peeps from the “Wizard of Oz.”
So when someone suggested making the Hotdog the star of the show (given Memorial Day is coming up, the unofficial start of summer and all-things grilled) we were all over it. 
I decided to do come up with some of my own ideas, just for fun. Besides, I love playing with food. I’m such a kid.  Here they are.


1. Finger Food: I created "fingers" with cherry tomato fingernails (sliced the cherry tomatoes in half) and added chips to the presentation. 

2. Shark attack: I hollowed the inside of a hotdog to make it look like a canoe. Then I raided my kids'  Legos and found the dude with the paddle and a shark. Bingo! Just what I needed to make the scene work. I was going to add ketchup for blood but forgot to bring that to work where I set up my creations to share with others.

3. School time: I took the bus from the FisherPrice schoolhouse set and the cars from the FisherPrice garage set in the toy room and made this scene of a bus stopping to pick up a child. I used peppercorns for the eyes and Silly String for the hair. One of the passengers in the bus also sports a blue baseball cap.

I also made a scene from Alien, with the creature emerging from the belly of a hotdog body; hotdog barbells; and a hotdog cannon that shoots out a cannonball (which is really a cherry tomato).
So have you ever played with food? If so, what have you created?

A minute list

Let’s play I say, you say.

Ie. I say peanut butter, you say jelly.
Ie. I say Barbie, you say Ken.
Copy and paste the list below in comments and complete. You should take no more than a minute to do this. Write the first word that comes to your mind.
I say dimples, you say…
I say horses, you say…
I say rocker, you say…
I say work, you say…
I say running, you say…
I say grill, you say…
I say query, you say…
I say offer, you say…
I say Memorial Day, you say…
I say end of school, you say…

Quote of the day

"Every one of us, unconsciously, works out a personal philosophy of life, by which we are guided, inspired, and corrected, as time goes on. It is this philosophy by which we measure out our days, and by which we advertise to all about us the man, or woman, that we are. . . . It takes but a brief time to scent the life philosophy of anyone. It is defined in the conversation, in the look of the eye, and in the general mien of the person. It has no hiding place. It's like the perfume of the flower — unseen, but known almost instantly. It is the possession of the successful, and the happy. And it can be greatly embellished by the absorption of ideas and experiences of the useful of this earth."

                                                  --George Matthew Adams

Quote of the day

"The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man's foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher."
                                           --Thomas Henry Huxley

I hope that you climb your ladder and do not rest on the bottom rung. Trust that the ladder will take you where you want to go and enjoy the climb. Blessings...

A minute list

Today, list five things you are blessed to have. Here’s mine:
I’m blessed to have:

• A family who loves me despite my many imperfections
• Sisters to share memories and make new ones with
• Friends who never stopped supporting and believing in me
• An awesome staff that makes me laugh at least once a day
• A church family that’s loving and supportive

Now it's your turn.

New Lucky Agent contest

Chuck Sambuchino has announced the fifth Dear Lucky Agent Contest on the Guide to Literary Agents blog. If you write fantasy or sci-fi, this contest is for you. The judge is Roseanne Wells, a literary agent
at the Marianne Strong Literary Agency. Details here

More great contest news

From Guide to Literary Agents Blog Post here

Winners Announced! Agent Regina Brooks Names Her Contest Winners

Apologies for the delay in announcing winners, but agent judge Regina Brooks of Serendipity Literary recently wrapped up our fourth "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest on the GLA blog and has picked her three winners. The winners (listed below) receive a free year of WritersMarket.com access as well as a critique on their first 10 pages from Regina.

WINNERS (IN NO ORDER)
Katherine Higgs-Coulthard: "Chicken Soup for the Social Outcast"
Katharine Kolata: "Thicker Than Water"
Buffy Andrews: "Dance"

Congrats to everyone who entered and the other two winners. Awesomeness! And a big thanks to Regina! (Happy dance)