For the past two years I have been a member of an organization called the North American Travel Journalists Association. Each year I have entered their annual writing competition, in the categories for travel trade writing.
In 2008 I submitted two articles and I won First Place for the article I submitted in the Tips & Advice for the Trade category. I won a three-night stay at Mohegan Sun, with food credits. It was great fun!
This year, I again submitted two articles, both in the general Trade category. Two days ago I found out that I "won" a Merit Award (basically honorable) mention for one of the articles.
Of course, I'm conflicted about the win.
In 2008, I truly won. This year (being 2009) I only got honorable mention. Yes, that's still a high honor. There were two First Place winners and two Merit Award winners, and I'm sure there were more entrants than than, so my article was still picked as one of the best out of a larger field. So I should be pleased.
And I am. It's another notch on my travel publishing belt, another bullet point on my resume.
But I'm not going to lie and say I don't care that didn't First Place. Of course I care. I'd much rather have won First Place (and a prize).
Oh well, there's always next year. ;)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Writing Body Language
I've been taking a super intensive online class about body language, or non-verbal communication (NVC). It's specifically for writer's and is about how to use NVC in my writing.
It's taught by a woman named Mary Buckham (www.MaryBuckham.com), who is an amazing teacher and I can only imagine must be an amazing writer. When she makes suggestions on how to change things, I'm awed by her skill.
NVC when added to writing changes the depth of the writing dramatically. One of my first writing assignments was to try and show disbelief using body language.
This was what I wrote:
"I didn't touch your computer," I said and immediately had to lean away from Bob lest I smack him. Not only because it pissed me off that he didn't believe me but I've never been able to lift just one eyebrow.
What do you think?
As it turns out I missed the mark. And here's why:
[from Mary's feedback] "What you'redoing here is, instead of letting the movement of the eyebrow itself give the non-verbal message or body language you are using her thoughts only. Thoughts can be used in conjunction with a body movement to clarify the message but the brow needs to be in action and not simply referenced. Make sense?"
Totally makes sense. I didn't actually use any body movement (other than her leaning away) in the above passage. Hmm, body language is harder than I thought.
Here's my second attempt:
He cocked one bushy eyebrow in my direction. God, one of these days I was going to pluck the smugness out of those things.
"Really, I didn't touch your computer."
I tried to keep my eyes wide, lifting my shoulder up for emphasis. I hoped he didn't notice the tell-tale fluttering in my throat's pulse.
Better?
Here was Mary's response:
"Major improvement here. See what you've done :-) You've shown the reader his reaction to the subject at hand through his body language then gave her internal reaction to clarify for the reader exactly what the brow movement meant - so you have communication, not only emotion but conflict and tenseness between these two without simply saying 'He was frustrating her'."
Success!
Let me tell you this class has been a real eye-opener!
It's taught by a woman named Mary Buckham (www.MaryBuckham.com), who is an amazing teacher and I can only imagine must be an amazing writer. When she makes suggestions on how to change things, I'm awed by her skill.
NVC when added to writing changes the depth of the writing dramatically. One of my first writing assignments was to try and show disbelief using body language.
This was what I wrote:
"I didn't touch your computer," I said and immediately had to lean away from Bob lest I smack him. Not only because it pissed me off that he didn't believe me but I've never been able to lift just one eyebrow.
What do you think?
As it turns out I missed the mark. And here's why:
[from Mary's feedback] "What you'redoing here is, instead of letting the movement of the eyebrow itself give the non-verbal message or body language you are using her thoughts only. Thoughts can be used in conjunction with a body movement to clarify the message but the brow needs to be in action and not simply referenced. Make sense?"
Totally makes sense. I didn't actually use any body movement (other than her leaning away) in the above passage. Hmm, body language is harder than I thought.
Here's my second attempt:
He cocked one bushy eyebrow in my direction. God, one of these days I was going to pluck the smugness out of those things.
"Really, I didn't touch your computer."
I tried to keep my eyes wide, lifting my shoulder up for emphasis. I hoped he didn't notice the tell-tale fluttering in my throat's pulse.
Better?
Here was Mary's response:
"Major improvement here. See what you've done :-) You've shown the reader his reaction to the subject at hand through his body language then gave her internal reaction to clarify for the reader exactly what the brow movement meant - so you have communication, not only emotion but conflict and tenseness between these two without simply saying 'He was frustrating her'."
Success!
Let me tell you this class has been a real eye-opener!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Don't do this in Ireland
We had a lovely time in Ireland, some good weather, did some interesting sightseeing, including a side trip to Newgrange, several hours at the Guinness Brewery and a visit to the Dublin Jewish Irish Museum.
However, there were two aspects of our trip that stand out as not so great. One was our hotel -- The Regency Airport hotel, which was perfectly satisfactory for a place to sleep but was definitely what we paid for.
First of all, based on the description on the Air Lingus Vacation Web site, I thought it was closer to central Dublin that it was. We had to take a bus about 15 to 20 minutes each way to get to/from the hotel and central Dublin. It ended up being fine, especially as we noticed two Romanian supermarkets from the bus, which we ended up visiting and my husband got lots of Romanian supplies he can't get in the States.
So I wouldn't even be mentioning the hotel if it weren't for what happened when we first checked in.
We got to the hotel around 9:30 in the morning. After our five hour flight I felt like I needed to wash my face and change my clothes so when given a choice to pay 20 Euros for early check-in, I jumped at the chance.
We were given room keys and went up to the room.
First off, the key cards we were given didn't unlock the door. So I had to go back downstairs and get new cards. Then we get in the room and low and behold its freezing in the room, there's not hot water and to top it off, there's no electricity to any of the outlets.
So again, I go downstairs to the reception desk. The woman is, of course, shocked at my pronouncement of no electricity and promises immediate action. I go back upstairs.
And we wait.
In the meantime, I wash my face with cold water and my husband lies on the couch in the sunlight, which does warm him up, which is good because he's come to Ireland with a head cold.
And we wait.
So I go back downstairs. Excuse me, we still haven't got electricity. Again, I'm promised someone will be up immediately.
Thankfully, a guy knocked on the door shortly after and within five minutes he'd reset the fuse in the hallway and our electricity was back. He also informed us that heat at the hotel is on a timer and would come back on in the late afternoon.
[Can I mention he was very cute, especially with the Irish accent -- my favorite accent in the world!]
So, if you're going to Dublin and you're looking to save a little money, then the Regency Airport hotel is an ok choice, but be prepared for very basic amenities!
However the worst part of our Ireland trip, and this is TOTALLY my fault, was an Irish singing and dancing dinner show we attended. I wanted to do something in Dublin with Irish music. We went to a couple of pubs and they always had on regular radio or sports on the TV, and I really thought it would be a shame to come to Ireland and not get any traditional music in. So I asked at the hotel what a good option was and was referred to a Irish singing and dancing dinner show at The Arlington Hotel in central Dublin. It was very expensive, but I figured it was worth it if we got to hear Irish music and see some dancing.
I should have known better.
It was terrible -- and I do mean terrible! The food was horrible. There was very little selection and what we chose had no taste. I got a plain salmon dish because the sauce had prawns in it (which I don't eat). It tasted only of salt and butter -- and that's because I put salt and butter on it because it had no taste!
The music, which was three old guys singing traditional Irish favorites, was mediocre. The dancing was horrendous. Two young Irish men, two young Irish women, who probably flunked out of step dancing class trying to mix traditional Irish step dancing with something more rock and roll. Ugh!
And this lovely evening's cost? $127. Probably the most I've ever spent on dinner, and probably one of the worst dinners I've ever had.
DO NOT do this if you go to Dublin. Next time we go we'll ask around for which pubs offer good Irish music in the evenings for free, 'cause we were told later that lots of them do good music after dinner with no additional cost.
Oh well, live and learn.
However, there were two aspects of our trip that stand out as not so great. One was our hotel -- The Regency Airport hotel, which was perfectly satisfactory for a place to sleep but was definitely what we paid for.
First of all, based on the description on the Air Lingus Vacation Web site, I thought it was closer to central Dublin that it was. We had to take a bus about 15 to 20 minutes each way to get to/from the hotel and central Dublin. It ended up being fine, especially as we noticed two Romanian supermarkets from the bus, which we ended up visiting and my husband got lots of Romanian supplies he can't get in the States.
So I wouldn't even be mentioning the hotel if it weren't for what happened when we first checked in.
We got to the hotel around 9:30 in the morning. After our five hour flight I felt like I needed to wash my face and change my clothes so when given a choice to pay 20 Euros for early check-in, I jumped at the chance.
We were given room keys and went up to the room.
First off, the key cards we were given didn't unlock the door. So I had to go back downstairs and get new cards. Then we get in the room and low and behold its freezing in the room, there's not hot water and to top it off, there's no electricity to any of the outlets.
So again, I go downstairs to the reception desk. The woman is, of course, shocked at my pronouncement of no electricity and promises immediate action. I go back upstairs.
And we wait.
In the meantime, I wash my face with cold water and my husband lies on the couch in the sunlight, which does warm him up, which is good because he's come to Ireland with a head cold.
And we wait.
So I go back downstairs. Excuse me, we still haven't got electricity. Again, I'm promised someone will be up immediately.
Thankfully, a guy knocked on the door shortly after and within five minutes he'd reset the fuse in the hallway and our electricity was back. He also informed us that heat at the hotel is on a timer and would come back on in the late afternoon.
[Can I mention he was very cute, especially with the Irish accent -- my favorite accent in the world!]
So, if you're going to Dublin and you're looking to save a little money, then the Regency Airport hotel is an ok choice, but be prepared for very basic amenities!
However the worst part of our Ireland trip, and this is TOTALLY my fault, was an Irish singing and dancing dinner show we attended. I wanted to do something in Dublin with Irish music. We went to a couple of pubs and they always had on regular radio or sports on the TV, and I really thought it would be a shame to come to Ireland and not get any traditional music in. So I asked at the hotel what a good option was and was referred to a Irish singing and dancing dinner show at The Arlington Hotel in central Dublin. It was very expensive, but I figured it was worth it if we got to hear Irish music and see some dancing.
I should have known better.
It was terrible -- and I do mean terrible! The food was horrible. There was very little selection and what we chose had no taste. I got a plain salmon dish because the sauce had prawns in it (which I don't eat). It tasted only of salt and butter -- and that's because I put salt and butter on it because it had no taste!
The music, which was three old guys singing traditional Irish favorites, was mediocre. The dancing was horrendous. Two young Irish men, two young Irish women, who probably flunked out of step dancing class trying to mix traditional Irish step dancing with something more rock and roll. Ugh!
And this lovely evening's cost? $127. Probably the most I've ever spent on dinner, and probably one of the worst dinners I've ever had.
DO NOT do this if you go to Dublin. Next time we go we'll ask around for which pubs offer good Irish music in the evenings for free, 'cause we were told later that lots of them do good music after dinner with no additional cost.
Oh well, live and learn.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
First of at least four 3-night or longer vacations!
I haven't been as spot on as I'd like regarding all the resolutions I made this year. I haven't been blogging as much as I'm supposed to or exercising as much. But today I leave for what (according to my resolutions list) will be the first of at least vacations of three nights or longer.
We're off to Ireland!
We'd been thinking about somewhere to go back in December and Aer Lingus had offered this fantastic sale but we waited too long and when we finally decided we'd go for it, it was too late. But who's Aer Lingus trying to kid -- February in Ireland isn't exactly the most happening time to go.
We waited, and Aer Lingus brought the sale back. Roundtrip airfare and four nights in a 3-star hotel. Granted the hotel's more than five minutes away from the center (hoping for no more than a 20-minute walk) and it is going to be cold and rainy, but come one, we're going to be in Ireland!
My husband can't wait for the beer; I can't wait for the music and sexy accents.
I'm also thrilled to finally be able to share my favorite country with my husband. For those of you who know me, you may remember that he wasn't allowed off our our honeymoon cruise at any of the Irish ports. So now he's finally setting foot on the Emerald Isle and I get to share it with him.
We're even gonna spend a day in Belfast, which I haven't seen since I was 21. That's a long time ago...
I'll let you know if my favorite country is still my favorite when we come back.
Slainte!
We're off to Ireland!
We'd been thinking about somewhere to go back in December and Aer Lingus had offered this fantastic sale but we waited too long and when we finally decided we'd go for it, it was too late. But who's Aer Lingus trying to kid -- February in Ireland isn't exactly the most happening time to go.
We waited, and Aer Lingus brought the sale back. Roundtrip airfare and four nights in a 3-star hotel. Granted the hotel's more than five minutes away from the center (hoping for no more than a 20-minute walk) and it is going to be cold and rainy, but come one, we're going to be in Ireland!
My husband can't wait for the beer; I can't wait for the music and sexy accents.
I'm also thrilled to finally be able to share my favorite country with my husband. For those of you who know me, you may remember that he wasn't allowed off our our honeymoon cruise at any of the Irish ports. So now he's finally setting foot on the Emerald Isle and I get to share it with him.
We're even gonna spend a day in Belfast, which I haven't seen since I was 21. That's a long time ago...
I'll let you know if my favorite country is still my favorite when we come back.
Slainte!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
And the winner is...
The winner of the January raffle is Sharon W.
Sharon won an advance uncorrected proof of the debut mystery novel "For Better, For Murder" by Lisa Bork.
A new raffle starts this month. Anyone who leaves a comment during the month of February is entered into the drawing. This prize for February is an uncorrected proof of "Holiday Grind" by Cleo Coyle.
Sharon won an advance uncorrected proof of the debut mystery novel "For Better, For Murder" by Lisa Bork.
A new raffle starts this month. Anyone who leaves a comment during the month of February is entered into the drawing. This prize for February is an uncorrected proof of "Holiday Grind" by Cleo Coyle.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Intimidation
Today I opened up Word to start working on my novel. I pulled out my outline and began writing. After about three-quarters of the page, I had to flip the page of my outline.
My writing stopped.
I am on the last page of my outline.
I have not only reached the final homestretch, a daunting enough thought by itself, I have reached the most critical moments in the story -- both emotionally and in terms of action.
And suddenly I'm terrified.
It's all well and good to muddle my way through the earlier parts of the book, setting the stage, planting clues, having Abi chase after those same clues, but there's no muddling when it comes to emotional intensity and a high-intensity climax. And suddenly, I'm not sure I'm up to it.
I mean I'm just not sure I know how to do emotional intensity without getting all maudlin. Or without using too many words.
I know, I know. For my first draft I'm not supposed to let these thoughts bother me and just write whatever comes and then fix it later. But come one! This is scary stuff.
This is it. This is the crux of the story. This is the endgame, the money shot, the reason d'etre. If I can't make this part of the story work, the entire story fails!
And yet at the same time, I look at my outline and I see how far I've come and how little I have to go to have completed my first ever full novel. Who cares that its a first draft and could be a piece of crap and may never turn into anything else. I have never before finished an entire novel, never. I've never even managed to finish a short story. And now I'm just 50 pages or less away from a complete novel. How cool is that!
So I'm taking a deep breath, letting all these crazy thoughts go, and going back to my Word doc.
Here goes nothing... and everything.
My writing stopped.
I am on the last page of my outline.
I have not only reached the final homestretch, a daunting enough thought by itself, I have reached the most critical moments in the story -- both emotionally and in terms of action.
And suddenly I'm terrified.
It's all well and good to muddle my way through the earlier parts of the book, setting the stage, planting clues, having Abi chase after those same clues, but there's no muddling when it comes to emotional intensity and a high-intensity climax. And suddenly, I'm not sure I'm up to it.
I mean I'm just not sure I know how to do emotional intensity without getting all maudlin. Or without using too many words.
I know, I know. For my first draft I'm not supposed to let these thoughts bother me and just write whatever comes and then fix it later. But come one! This is scary stuff.
This is it. This is the crux of the story. This is the endgame, the money shot, the reason d'etre. If I can't make this part of the story work, the entire story fails!
And yet at the same time, I look at my outline and I see how far I've come and how little I have to go to have completed my first ever full novel. Who cares that its a first draft and could be a piece of crap and may never turn into anything else. I have never before finished an entire novel, never. I've never even managed to finish a short story. And now I'm just 50 pages or less away from a complete novel. How cool is that!
So I'm taking a deep breath, letting all these crazy thoughts go, and going back to my Word doc.
Here goes nothing... and everything.
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