The “Writer’s” Job is Not to Judge, But to Seek to Understand – Earnest Hemingway

The contest I just entered taught me a few things. The statement: The “Writer’s” Job is Not to Judge, But to Seek to Understand by Earnest Hemingway, was on one of the blogs that commented on my work. It caused me to research a little about Hemingway. It is very motivational when you find out how much of a “normal” person someone like Hemingway was. He did not have some elaborate degree in writing, nor did he have a flawless personal life. Throughout his life he was married 4 times, sustained an injury by pulling what he thought was a toilet chain and committed suicide because of his mental status. However, he did do great things as well. He seemed to enjoy writing since high school and also served in WWI and received a medal after saving the life of another soldier. One of the lessons he learned about writing was to always be positive. This is something I also do as a result of my father.

The comments I received from the contest were all taken into consideration and I sought to understand each one. However, I will continue to follow Hemingway’s other statement as well:

My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way. – Ernest Hemingway

Learning the process of writing is coming to me the more I write and research successful authors, not necessarily the comments made on my work. I appreciate any and all comments since people were nice enough to take the time to look at my material, but I will only try to understand the reason for each and use it as a guide for further research. I find that the hard part for most is finding what to write about. I am quite the opposite. In the meantime, I will write all of my crazy stories in the best and simplest way I can.

Have a sci-fi day everyone! ~ TLH

Aliens, Brains and Migraines

Aliens, Brains and Migraines

By: Tammy Holloway

                Cue the music…Theeeeere’s a pain in my brain and I call it a migraine but I think it’s an alien monster. With this pain in my brain I go hugely insane so I must get rid of this monster.

                I’m a writer. Yep, plain and simple. “Norf du spak! Norf du spak!” Oh yeah, before I forget, I have an alien in my brain and he pretty much decides everything. Norf du spak…that means “I’m your master”. I just go with it since there isn’t a whole lot I can do about him. It makes for interesting writing though I must say. I write science fiction and love the visions I get thanks to Al. Al isn’t very creative for a name but hey, I didn’t choose to have him in there.  I got tired of yelling “Shut up alien!” and “Stupid alien!” so I just shortened it. He seemed to like it because the first time I called him Al I got a nice gentle squeeze to the brain.

                Al hates most things so I generally live with a migraine almost every day at some point or another. Berkle smut almost always means a big one is coming so I make the most of my day with relaxation music and a hot bath.  Before I realized what berkle smut meant, I continued my day as normal. It wouldn’t matter if I was in the middle of writing a really great story, the pain would come with such intensity that I would have to put the pen down. I always hated trying to remember what I was going to write next and Al would laugh and access my memory bank with some really off the wall material. I don’t know how many times I started writing whole paragraphs before I realized what was going on. “Very funny Al!” I would say in a louder than normal tone. Wreek lum sten fo ler ler. Kimp san wen voc romp. Dok la.&*YOYIH NUUIY*YYYOUPIOJO.

                “AL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stop it!” Anyway, it’s time to feed Al. I can forget about getting anything hfskslend…normal written until he is happy again.

Have a sci-fi day everyone! ~ TLH

How To Train Your Dog To Get You A Beer? Is That “Write”?

One of my adventures involved starting my own radio show. The Puppy Whisperer is a show designed to help dog owners with some of the more difficult times in a dog’s life. From tricks like “how to train your dog to get you a beer” to “potty training” – Each episode offers free tips to guide you into a happier life with your four-legged friend. It was another form of writing for me, but also a way to fill the need to help others. This happens to be one of the more popular shows lol!

Listen to
internet radio with The Puppy Whisperer on Blog Talk Radio

Here is Daisy after she just learned the trick at 5 months old:

Here is Buster after the trick had been perfected:

Imaginary Friends are All “Write”

Imaginary Friend

By: Tammy Holloway

Robot Sam Liked Monster Jam.

He hid in my pocket all day.

I played with him at night when I got real scared and he stood six feet tall in my bedroom.

He had robot arms with funny looking hands and he had one wooden eye cause he lost it.

He said he blew up and he stood by a tree so he grabbed up some wood and he made it.

His body was square with wiry hair. It was fun in the dark cause it glowed.

We played hide and seek and I always found him cause he gave himself up with his light.

The sounds were like “beep” and “buzz buzz” or “bleep bleep”.

He talked all the time but he sounded the same. Even his laugh was so plain.

Robot Sam was my friend and I’ll love him to the end.

Time for bed cause it’s Friday and then it will be Saturday.

That means time for another Monster Jam with Sam!

Good night.

 

Have a sci-fi day everyone! ~ TLH

It’s All “Write” If You Are New to Writing

Nervous, worried, scared someone might make fun of your work? When I started this journey not so long ago, I had these fears. My first was how others might feel about my writing. After getting up the courage to finally show some of my material to others, I then felt worried about it being stolen. After getting past that I finally realized I really wanted to write….and be good at it too. I decided to get involved in a writers association. That led me to writers conferences, which led me to an old English professor of mine, which directed me to a writing coach. This is where the nervous part comes in. I actually paid a professional to look over my work.

(I’m sorry but I have a spaghetti noodle jammed up in my thumb nail and it is THROBBING like crazy!)

Anyway, She did exactly what I thought she would do and I was humbled. However, that did not stop me. I knew it was going to need work. Heck the only writing skills I have are from college essays and simple English courses. I never actually studied writing like many of you have. What I did keep in my mind was that I had creativity in my mind. Story after story flows through me and I just needed the writing skills in order to present the material in an exciting way. Needless to say, I’ve learned so much from many people like you and I thank all of you.

I plan to repay you. I want to give back what had been given to me and then some. How? By Inspiring, researching, sharing, teaching and guiding those who are new to writing like all of us were at one time. Imagine your very first day of writing; the day you decided you wanted to “be” a writer. What was it like? How did you feel? These are the things that will inspire new writers. It is not about how you succeeded or how you wrote a best seller; but how you got up and fell down a million times before finally getting to a point of success.

People fear. That’s what we do. Fear gets in the way of so many wonderful things in our lives and we must conquer it. You are all wonderful people. Every person is unique. Your words mean something to others. Not just some of you…”All” of you. Maybe the words help get you through the day. What if they help someone else get through the day too? You are amazing and deserve only the best! Stand up to your fear and face it!

New writers reading this, hear me out – Write! WRITE! WRITE!!!..and share it so we can marvel in your world and you can grow into an amazing writer as you hope to do! Take fear out back and kick its ass! I believe in you. Fight for what you want and ignore what others want “for” you. This is about you and you are special. Listen to only those who mean to help you improve; those who have experience. Take it in and learn from it. Smile at those who criticize you because they could never be capable of growing as you will. They will look back one day and regret. Forgive them and move on. Become stronger by pushing through all the twists and turns along the way. Never throw away any of your work! It is what may become one of your best sellers one day. Become a leader for new writers as you follow those you admire. Grow, achieve, become, inspire! Pass on this great form of expression! and of course, GOOD LUCK!!!!

(I am going to soak my thumb in peroxide again….I am seriously stupid. How does one injure themself while doing dishes? By the way, don’t scrape dried spaghetti noodles off the pot with your nails OUCH! Guess that’s why people call me goofy:-p)

Have a wonderful sci-fi day everyone! TLH

Today – I’m All “Write”- Are You?

 

Today is a good day, just as every other day in my life.

 

Today, I will fight to regain my happiness as I pick myself back up off the ground,

brush off the dust and move forward.

 

Today, I will forgive and admit my faults as I try to push them on others.

 

Today, I will give and expect nothing in return.

 

Today, I was beat down by this cruel world but got up to face the next blow.

 

Today, I am thankful, no matter how bad I feel.

 

Today, someone else is suffering. My pain does not help them.

 

Today, I cried but wiped my tears away to write this blog in the hopes of inspiring others.

 

~Tammy Holloway~

Not “Write” Video – Powerful Message – Not for the Weak

On the “Write” Path

 “On Writing is both a textbook for writers and a memoir of Stephen’s life and will.”

Read more at Stephen King’s website

The more I find out about Stephen King, the more I see myself. The only differences are the fact that I am a woman of course, and that I do not have good discipline to write every day. I do have other obligations such as college but that is a choice. I am going to purchase this book and get even deeper into the world of Stephen King since I am heading in that general direction. This could be interesting to say the least but I feel it will really help give me perspective on my direction. I also feel motivated and inspired by such a wonderful science fiction author. My writing improves by the day and I feel great about that. It is true, the more you write, the better you become. I guess it is the same for anything. I have a gift but it is not going to happen without some work involved. Writing is fun…but it also has its challenges. Who motivates and inspires you?

 

“The keys on your keyboard are the controls to your bulldozer. Take the keys and drive until you are finished. Everything else will kindly move out of your way or be forced to become a part of your path to success.”

 

“Dozer” Have a sci-fi day everyone! TLH

FREE COLLEGE COURSES! “SHUT”….”UP”….”WRITE”…..”NOW”!

Stanford University is Offering Computer Science Courses Online, Free to Anyone

Go here to read about it:

http://www.geekosystem.com/free-stanford-courses/

Deadline is today!….October 9th….Register. I did.

Sorry it is so short but I wanted to post this as fast as I could! Awesome!

 

Who Wants to “Write” a Best-Seller? Show of Hands

OOO OOO ME! I DO!

 Since I am down with one of my famous “migraine” attacks, I figured it would be a good night to just research some helpful information for those of us who take our writing seriously. Here are 3 pretty good websites about writing a best-seller.

 The question caught my attention so I had to share:

Who Wants to Write a Best-Seller?

There should be a single, dramatic question to be answered. The question is posed at the beginning (or merely hinted at for the first part of the book) – but it must be answered at the end. This question should run through the whole book and is the framework on which the rest of your story rests. Some suggestions:

• Will he/she save the world / neighbourhood / heritage listed building / forest … from war / terrorists / greedy developers?
• Can he/she uncover the mystery of his/her humble beginnings / the whereabouts of the missing treasure / the lost formula
• Will she get her man?
• Can he find his true love?

For more visit:  http://www.write101.com/best.htm

 

 This is a great Q&A site for ideas. Here is a sample answer:

A: I find plot ideas just by keeping my eyes open. One day, I saw this blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman walking somewhere, and I started thinking about what her story was and what her problems were. I decided she needed her own book! She turned into the main character in my latest novel.

Read more: Interview With Barbara Taylor Bradford – Tips On How to Write a Novel – Cosmopolitan

 

This guy has some very good insight:

It’s a lot faster and a lot easier than you’ve EVER imagined!
(Especially when you know the secrets I’ll share with you!) 

• Let the rest of the planet assume that marketing a book is too hard! 
• Let everyone else think it takes a ton of time, patience, or energy. 
• Let everyone else think you have to be a Shakespeare or Hemingway to become a #1 best-selling author! 
• Let them think you have to jump through a bunch of hoops, or spend a fortune, or ‘get lucky’ enough to be on Oprah for your book to hit #1 and for you to become a #1 best-selling author. 

Read more: http://instantbestsellersecrets.com/