Here’s looking at you, kid. A Grande Amore Rose for you!
I wish I could remember that first day,
First hour, first moment of your meeting me,
If bright or dim the season, it might be
Summer or Winter for aught I can say;
So unrecorded did it slip away,
So blind was I to see and to foresee,
So dull to mark the budding of my tree.
By Christina Rossetti, ‘The First Day’.
With all that are happening around the world, here is something to think about this Christmas season. I prefer “Christmas season” instead of “holiday season”. After all, this poem is titled “Christmas Bells” written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, long before the country has gone crazy with “politically correctness”.
CHRISTMAS BELLS
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Until next time, stop and smell the roses.
Rosalinda
Get your copy today at www.amazon.com/author/rosalindarmorgan.
Today is the final day of the NANOWRIMO Challenge for 2015. I made my goal of 50,000 words on Nov. 23 and reached 57,632 to finish the first draft of my novel, “Courage and Endurance”, the last book on the series “Journey to Freedom”. Tomorrow, the draft will be put away for a while and revisited at a later date.
30. The tip for today is Think and Act Like a Pro. Build Your Writing Career and Continue to Grow as a Writer. Our job does not end with the last day of the NANOWRIMO Challenge. Like every professional, a writer should continue to grow professionally. We have to find ways to improve our craft. It is a continuing education. Just like a medical doctors and lawyers who have to keep up-to-date on their knowledge, we as a writer should do the same. We should attend seminars and workshops. We should read as much as we can in the genre that we are writing. Be confident and be proud of what we do. Keep on writing and blogging. Practice makes perfect. Don’t be afraid to tell everyone you meet that you are a writer.
To follow what I preached yesterday about marketing, after recommending other books this month, I would like to recommend my own two books – The Iron Butterfly and BAHALA NA (Come What May). These two books are part of the trilogy which ends with “Courage and Endurance“, my 2015 NANOWRIMO Challenge novel.
Book 1 (The Iron Butterfly) is about the life of a young mother who tried to support her nine children against all odds after her husband died. Book 2 (BAHALA NA (Come What May) is about the life of a young man before and during WWII and how he managed to survive during the war. They are historical fictions based on real life events. Both books are available at http://www.amazon.com/author/rosalindarmorgan.
I have one day left to wrap up this NANOWRIMO writing challenge. I reached 55,739 words today. Tomorrow should be interesting on how I will end the story. I had two choices of endings and we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.
Today’s tip is:
My book recommendation today is The Gate House by Nelson DeMille.
If you read The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille, you might want to read The Gate House. It is a continuation of John Sutter’s encounter with his former neighbor’s family, the mafia don. The Gate House will bring you back into the fabled North Shore of Long Island where my next novel will also take place. So stay tuned.
The next three days are tough ones since I have another deadline – to work on the December newsletter for my rose society and send it out on Monday. In spite of that, I was able to squeeze some ideas into my novel and I made it to 54,926 words. Not bad at all.
The tip for today is the most important.
Going the traditional route may take months to see your book in print. I know a lot of writers go with traditional route to make a lot of money. In my case, I want my book out there first and the money will come when they see what I’m offering, a unique story. They will learn something from my books. I write to educate, inspire and stimulate the minds of my readers.
Also, remember that only big celebrities get big advances. There is also a big difference in royalty between traditional (15%) and self published (70%). If you are in a hurry, you can go with self-publishing. I recommend CreateSpace. You don’t have to pay anything until you order your copies. No upfront fees like vanity presses. Just remember and it is very important. Make sure your book is polished and can stand the competition out there.
My book recommendation for today is Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
Margaret Mitchell’s epic novel of love and war won the Pulitzer Prize and one of the most popular movies of all time. Many novels have been written about the Civil War and its aftermath and to some southerners, this is the story of the civil war in its most vivid details. Margaret Mitchell wrote a brilliant love story between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler amidst the turmoil and hardships during the Civil War.
Today being Thanksgiving Day, the tip today is Be Thankful. Here is a lovely prayer for your Thanksgiving meal.
Bountiful God,
You have blessed us in many ways,
In the beauty and richness of our land,
And in the freedom we enjoy.
You have given us even greater gifts
In our family who loves and cares for us
And in the grace which allows us to know and believe in you.
May we be grateful for all our blessings
Not just today, but every day.
Help us to turn our gratitude into action
By caring for those in need
And by working for a more just society.
Bless the wonderful meal we will enjoy today and
the merriment of those at table.
Be with all those we love who are not with us at this time.
We thank you Lord now and forever. Amen.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!
From Rosalinda R Morgan, author of
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There are ten days left to the end of the NANOWRIMO challenge. Last night I made it to 39,193 words. Today, I did very well in spite of taking a break to take my husband to his eye doctor. The story seemed to flow more freely today. I’m on target to make it to 50,000 words before Thanksgiving. With luck I might end up with 60,000 words by the end of the month. We’ll see.
The tip for today is:
My book recommendation for today is “The Iron Butterfly” by Rosalinda Morgan. That’s yours truly. As I said before, I always back up my work and The Iron Butterfly is no exception. I have a hard copy of my manuscript. It is in a flash drive, in my computer with two titles, and in my E drive. An excerpt can be found on my website: www.rosalindasgarden.com. Check it out.
I’m moving right along. Last night, I made it to 37351 words. I’m getting closer to my goal. Today, the plot was getting more exciting and the words came out more easily. I was typing faster. I took a break this afternoon and went food shopping which took out 3 hours of my time. I went to Costco for one item and checked out with $144 of stuffs. Then I went to Publix next to buy Golden Blossom honey (it’s the only store that carries that brand of honey) and came out of the store with another $90 worth of grocery. Why is that? I can never stay with my list.
Anyway, the tip for today is:
My book recommendation for today is Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff. This book is geared to WWII enthusiasts and should be marketed to them.
I’m more than half way on my novel. I reached 35,566 words last night. This is the most difficult part of writing a novel where your brain has to work hard to keep your readers engaged. You want more interesting stuffs at this point to keep your readers want to turn the pages up to the end. At this point, I introduced a new character. More to come in the next twelve days.
The tip for today is:
The book recommendation for today is The Good Earth by Pearl Buck. I tried to read this book decades ago but stopped. I could not get into the story. This year, I reread it and found it fascinating to learn about Wang Lung’s life from rags to riches with the help of O-Lan, his unattractive wife with big feet. It was all about the land and his attachment to the land where all his wealth came from. It was beautifully written and I learned a lot about Chinese culture and its people.
We have two weeks to go on the NANOWRIMO challenge. Last night, I reached 33,584 words when I finished. The story went so sad last night. The emotion was high when someone died and this one was heartbreaking. I’m not giving away the plot. Some characters from the first book made an appearance too. And so the story continues.
The tip for today is :
17. Use your imagination and let yourself fantasize. The ability to imagine and fantasize can strengthen your writing. All you need to do is let your mind wander and follow where it will lead you. One of the best ways to fantasize is to ask yourself the question “What if?”. We have been known to daydream all our life and now we should be able to use this skill to make our writing stronger. Ask yourself a lot of questions. If you are not happy with what you visualize at first, ignore it and ask another question. There are so many possibilities out there. Use your imagination.
The book recommendation for today is The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. If there is a book full of exaggeration, this must be one of them. People actually believe what they read in The DaVinci Code. It’s a fiction and Dan Brown wrote an exciting book.
Rosalinda R Morgan 