Coming Soon - New Chat Opportunity to Learn from Your Writing Coach

 Carrot.fm, a new connection application, is going to be launching an app soon that enables clients to get advice via video chat with qualified, carefully selected Authors.  I am signing up so that you can have the opportunity to chat LIVE with me and ask me questions about writing tips or specific writing issues you may be experiencing.

Carrot's goals:

Enjoy a seamless experience

We built Carrot to get people video-chatting in 10 seconds

• Sign-up quickly and with no hassle.
• Browse experts on Carrot or invite anyone to easily join.
• Pay per minute, simply and transparently.
• Video chat anyone in your social networks.

Experts and influencers

• Set your rate easily and withdraw funds at ease.
• Direct people to video chat you on Carrot by word of mouth.
• Get targeted traffic courtesy of Carrot.

The video link gives a quick overview of the purpose of Carrot.fm and how you can join. You can also join by clicking my link "join me" below.

As soon as the application launches, we can be chatting "just like that!"


Join me at Carrot.fm

August Writing Challenges: Day 12 - Senses and Color

AugustThe summer is nearly over. Kids are going back to school. You now have some time on your hands.  Okay, you still have a list of chores a mile long, but let's put writing at the top of the priority list, okay?

I am going to challenge you with a writing prompt every day this month. Are you up for it? I hope so.

The writing challenges will be about a variety of topics and hopefully cause you to dig into your writing toolbox to complete with emotional skill.

Watch out, I just might throw in a fun one, well, just for fun!

For the twelfth challenge we're going to discover how our senses and color affect our writing.

Here is your challenge:

On your paper, draw a circle with five lines coming from it. Label each line with one of the five senses:

   Sight

   Hearing

   Touch

   Taste

   Smell

Close your eyes and imagine what color is prominent in your mind. Let the color wash over you as you think about it in terms of each sense. 

Fill the next ten minutes by writing down what comes to mind by this color, sense by sense. Some of the senses are more difficult than others, but making the extra effort will help you with being more specific in your future writing. 

Once you've written for ten minutes, adding to each sense, pick a number between one and ten. Write it on your paper. 

Check below and find your number. 

1. Yellow

2. Black

3. White

4. Gold

5. Blue

6. Green

7. Brown

8. Pink

9. Purple

10. Orange

Now, go back and use the color that matched your number and write for another ten minutes how that color affects your senses. 

THINK ABOUT THIS:  Imagine the colorful people you have met in your life. Jot down notes about the way these people look, dress, act, talk, walk, and smell. This is a great way to work on character development and perhaps flesh out a character in need of a little more personality. It's fun to pick and choose from all the choices offered by people you know as you invent characters of your own. 

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The Least You Should Know - Capital Letters

Capitalize: To write or print in capital letters (Webster's II New Riverside Dictionary)

Seems simple enough, right? But, which words are capitalized and which are not, and how do you know the difference?


So, here in this post, we'll answer the what, why and when to capitalize.

Here are seven rules on Capitalization.

Capitalize:

1. The first word of every sentence.

The horse ran through the field.


2. The first word of every direct quotation.

She said, "I've wondered about that."

"They don't think about how water is found," he said, "and I can tell it doesn't make a difference." (The  and is not capitalized because it does not begin a new sentence.)


3. The first, last, and every important word in a title. Don't capitalize prepositions, short connecting words, the to in front of a verb, or a, an, the.

What a Horse Owner Needs to Know

"The Night the Earth Stood Still"


4. Names of people, places, languages, races, and nationalities

Grandmother Jones
Europe
United States
Japanese
Latin American
Indian


5. Names of months, days of the week, and special days, but not the seasons

March
Tuesday
Fourth of July
Halloween
spring
winter


6. A title of relationship. If it takes the place of the person's name, but not otherwise. If my (or a similar word) is in front of the word, a capital letter is not used.

I know Father will want to go.     but   I think my mother will come.

I'm sorry, Grandmother.     but    Our grandmother is 60.

He visited Uncle Henry.      but   She visited her aunt.

She phone Mother yesterday.      but   He phoned his dad.


7. Names of particular people or things, but not general ones.

I spoke to Professor Lawrence.       but   I spoke to the professor.

We sailed on the Mississippi River.      but   We sailed on the river.

Are you from the Northeast?      but   We turned east.

I take Art 101 and Spanish 102.      but   I take art and Spanish.

I went to Bayview High School.      but   I was in high school ten years ago.

He goes to Phoenix University.      but   He is going to the university now.


Have you figured out Capitalization?  If you have further questions, please put them in the comments below.


I hope you've enjoyed this "The Least You Should Know" series. This is the last session. Next week we'll open up a discussion about what you'd like to learn more about with writing and how I can meet those needs.

Friday Five Minute Exercise - Expectations

1. Set your clocks/timers for Five (5) Minutes.

2. Write about your expectations. Write about the expectations that you have for yourself and the people around you. Do your expectations define a part of who you are? Get into as much detail as you can for the next five minutes.

3. Ready?

4. Go.

5. Finished? Review and be amazed.

I hope you had fun. Come back next Friday for a new writing prompt.

Was this exercise helpful?

Did you succeed with this writing exercise? Was it helpful? Were you able to write about your expectations?

Why or Why Not?

Thought for the Day

People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.

Norman Vincent Peale