Drugs? I don’t need no stinkin’ drugs!

Dana Belfry on Romance Divas sent me this.  *sniffle*  She loves me and thinks I can be drug free.  I’m feelin’ a whole lotta love from her…bringing me into the fold. 

*stands*

Hi, my name is Sue and its okay to be sarcastic!

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The benefits of a Crit Partner!

I have written for many years, but before finding my CP, it was hit and miss.  Okay, so it was more miss than anything else.  Trula has been a complete God-send and is worth her weight in G.O.L.D.  Before her, people (translated as: family and close friends) read my books and raved about how perfect they were.  Yeah, not so much.  (I do have to point out that this was pre-Leese! She is an awesome beta-reader and my biggest cheerleader!!)  They told me what I wanted to hear (again, pre-Leese!) and I thought, ‘yeah, this writing stuff is a breeze!’  Again, not so much.  A real Crit Partner will tell you what they like, but also what they DON’T like.  They will tell you what works, but will turn around and give you pointers toward what will makes the story flow better or make it stronger.   They will even be nice enough to call you out when you completely butcher the English Language! 🙂 

The moral of this post, you ask?  If you are a writer, get into a writer’s forum *cough*romance divas*cough* and find a Critique Partner who writes similar to you, (or at  the very least, someone who likes to read what you write) grab them around the ankles and drag him/her into your writing cave!  DON’T EVER LET THEM GO!  Trula and Leese are MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE though, so hands off 😉  But seriously, find one who works well with you and make sure they know how much you appreciate them.  I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

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Slander vs Experience

 

Okay, without pulling out my giant foam finger and flashing it in someones direction, I’d like to chat about the difference between slander and discussing a particular bad experience. 

First off, according to dictionary.com, slander means “a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report.”  This would occur when someone has no experience in the subject, or with the person in question, when they say hurtful or harmful words.  Granted, this could be an opinion based on what they had heard, but is merely circumstantial at best.  Now, dictionary.com phrased experience as “a particular instance of personally encountering or undergoing something”.  In this case, something derogatory could be expressed because it had actually happened ‘to you’. 

*steps up on soapbox, but promises to be brief*

The Internet is a vast space and almost everything put into it will remain there indefinitely.  Play nice, pull your punches, and remember this: something you say in anger or bitterness will be there to haunt you in years to come, well after it has either blown over or been rectified.  Choose your words carefully and your battles wisely because after you fight them on-line, they WILL come back to bite you in the butt one day.

*steps off soapbox*

So, how is everyone these days?  Anything good to report???

*wonders if anyone noticed the FAST change of subject*

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I’m a WHAT?!

First off, aren’t those the cutest shoes EVER!?  (Yeah, just look past my c’ankles…the black shoes…near the bottom…yeah, there ya go!)

My husband says I’m a shoe whore.  Actually, he went one step further and called me an inexpensive shoe whore.  Let’s dissect this, shall we?!

Now, had he said it like this:  “inexpensive shoe” whore, I could live with that…but he didn’t.  It was more the “Yup, she’d do anything, AND CHEAP, for a pair of shoes.” 

Mind you, I’ve come into the shoe game later in life than most.  When a woman gets to a certain age (we’ll just say “over thirty” so I can keep my dignity), they are supposed to be more frugal…or so I’m told.  I had my daughter when I was in high school, then my son four years later.  I have spent my life making sure their needs were met.  I’m not looking for sympathy.  I’m WAY past that…and she’s moved out and has her own life now, and my son is 19.  He is still suckling from the homestead-teat, but working while he’s going to school, so there is no financial support going on there.  Ergo, this is MY time now.  I can buy shoes and purses just because I want to, not because my old ones are worn out!!  Now the “inexpensive” part comes from being too cheap to part with serious cash for a single pair of shoes.  I choose instead to surf eBay and clearance racks so I can save money…and have more shoes!  See how that works?!  I guess I just need to wear the title with pride.

Hello, my name is Sue and I’m an inexpensive shoe whore.  🙂

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