Rabia Gale

I’ve been feeling introverted lately, just wanting to hunker down and do my own thing. I haven’t been doing my usual cheery rounds of chat and forums and blogs and–oh my!–what is this thing called tel-e-phone? Nothing major has caused this withdrawal. I guess my brain just needed the time away. It’s been low-key here [...]

Read Full Post »

I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but I finally changed my header picture. It’s a lot brighter around here and the pink and red fit with Valentine’s Day a whole lot better.
Yes, it doesn’t take much to make me happy.

Read Full Post »

The Broaden Your Horizons Edition
Three Things Writers Can Learn from Photographers: I love how different creative pursuits shape and inform each other.
Creative Experiments: February: daisy yellow posts monthly experiments to jumpstart those of us with creativity block. The experiments that specially intrigue me: art inspired by circles; drawing (as opposed to writing) letters and numbers; [...]

Read Full Post »

I love how writer Megan Payne turns failed short stories into a learning experience. I wish I were that analytical–maybe my short story success rate would be higher. *grin*
Debut Analysis for Aspiring Writers: After two and a half years of reviewing debuts, Tia Nevitt shares her thoughts on writing to fit trends, complete with marine [...]

Read Full Post »

Wow. What a ride. I finished up Ship of Destiny–the culminating volume of Robin Hobb’s mammoth Liveship Traders trilogy–a few days ago. I can understand why Hobb is such a popular writer. In this trilogy, she deftly and masterfully handles a sprawling plot,  an immersive world, multiple points-of-view, and several character arcs. Ship of Destiny [...]

Read Full Post »

This post was supposed to go up Christmas Eve, but I spent close to an hour struggling with a slow Internet connection and gave up after getting two pictures uploaded.
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas!
***
Our December, in pictures:

Glittery Stars

Science Experiments With Snow

Handprint Wreath

Decorating Cookies

Decorating the Tree
Merry Christmas!

Read Full Post »

I binged on fantasy all November long. I flew through two YA fantasies–Avielle of Rhia by Dia Calhoun and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George.
Avielle (of Rhia, of course!) is the despised younger daughter of the royal family. She closely resembles her Dredonian great-grandmother, reviled for the magic she used to [...]

Read Full Post »

I’m happy to be back revising SoR. Revising, I think, is often where the real work of writing novels is. This is the point where I have to put my thinking cap on, where I have to confront plot issues and grapple with characters. I can’t blow off story problems with a note to come [...]

Read Full Post »

Ok, David again with an update. As you can see from the nifty picture on the left over there, I actually made it across the finish line, clocking in at 50,307 words on Saturday, November 28th. Yep, two days early. And Rabia wants me to write up another post with my thoughts, now that I’ve [...]

Read Full Post »

I find searching for markets for my work to be one of the more stressful parts of wanna-be-pro writing. Note that I said searching, not querying. It’s almost like being a matchmaker—trying to find the perfect fit, scrutinizing guidelines, reading archives, doing the mental equivalent of plucking daisies (“they’ll like my story” “they’ll like my [...]

Read Full Post »