Celebrate The Small Things

Friday is here… yet again… and it's that time! This is the weekly instalment of Celebrate The Small Things, hosted by Viklit over at Scribblings Of An Aspiring Author.

                       

This week I'm celebrating the following:

~ I completed reading an anthology of 6 stories based on dystopian/ paranormal/ magic/ fantasy elements, and posted the review on Goodreads

~ On Sunday June 16th, we celebrate Youth Day which means that Monday is a public holiday! Plus it's Fathers Day! Double celebration!

~ This weekend, our city plays host to Top Gear, which will bring thousands of motor enthusiasts and other visitors to our shores, and will inject millions of rands into our city coffers!

~ These 7 writerly nuggets on how to write fiction (from Ernest Hemingway)

1. To get started, write one true sentence.

2. Always stop for the day while you still know what will happen next.

3. Never think about the story when you’re not working.

4. When it’s time to work again, always start by reading what you’ve written so far.

5. Don’t describe an emotion–make it.

6. Use a pencil.

7. Be brief.

He makes it sound so simple, doesn't he?

Are you celebrating anything this past week? Please share in the comments section. Have a great weekend everybody!

56 Comments

  1. Julie Flanders on June 14, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    I can't imagine never thinking about a story when not working on it. I am probably the exact opposite as it's hard for me to think about anything else once I get wrapped up in a story LOL.

    "Make" an emotion makes me cringe because I know that is the absolute truth but I also think it's so hard! Don't know if I've ever managed to do it.

    Have a great weekend and also a great holiday on Monday. Nothing better than three day weekends! 🙂

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:07 pm

      I agree with the "make" an emotion. Easier said than done. 🙂

  2. Alex J. Cavanaugh on June 14, 2013 at 1:12 pm

    That's cool Top Gear is filming in your town!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:09 pm

      It's over 2 days, Friday and Saturday. It was also here last year this time. I think they want to make it an ongoing annual event!

  3. LD Masterson on June 14, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    Do you think Ernest would be offended because I don't use a pencil?

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:10 pm

      Mmm… that makes two of us… though I do use a pen from time to time. Hope that counts?

  4. C. Lee McKenzie on June 14, 2013 at 3:15 pm

    Excellent writing tips to keep posted above your desk. And congratulations on your anthology!

     

    I've left you something at The Write Game today. 🙂

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:11 pm

      Good idea about posting the tips above your writing space (I don't have a desk…) I'll stop by your place later on to check it out! 🙂

  5. Al Diaz on June 14, 2013 at 3:22 pm

    Excellent tips!! And excellent reasons to celebrate. Father Dragon should also celebrate Father's day, since technically he's a father, at least in the name, LOL. I'm glad you finished your stories! Dragon hugs.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:13 pm

      Happy Father's Day to you too! 🙂 Hugs back at you Father D!

  6. Krystal on June 14, 2013 at 3:23 pm

    Monday is a holiday for you! So lucky.

    I love those tips. I break a few of them, but I follow a few of them, too. ^_^

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:14 pm

      Rules are guidelines. We can't be expected to follow each and every one. Imagine if we did? No writing would get done… LOL Thanks for popping in Krystal!

  7. M.J. Fifield on June 14, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    I love those tips. I've heard #2 said a lot. But I don't know how to make #3 happen. I can't help myself most days.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:18 pm

      I love the fact that the tips are basic. I struggle with some. Actually, I struggle with most of them. I think that no.# 7 is the one I can manage!

  8. Viklit on June 14, 2013 at 5:03 pm

    Great tips!

     

    YAY to public holidays!

  9. Mary on June 14, 2013 at 5:06 pm

    I'm thinking about mine right now and how to unstall it… maybe it'll come to me when running errands. Yay for holidays!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:20 pm

      Hope you enjoyed the errands… and hope you had an epiphany too! 🙂

  10. Cathrina Constantine on June 14, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    Does anyone use a pencil anymore? I did when I started my ms 3 years ago, then stole my son's computer, (well borrowed) I'm sorry but I don't follow Hemingway's rules! 

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:22 pm

      That's okay. I suppose different rules work for different people. I enjoy writing long-hand, it works for me… I also use a computer from time to time. It depends on my mood.

  11. Carol Kilgore on June 14, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    Great tips to share! Have a fun weekend, and keep celebrating the small things 🙂

  12. Trisha on June 15, 2013 at 3:00 am

    Great tips from Ernest! It's funny to see this sort of advice rehashed all over the place today 😉

    Youth Day public holiday, huh? We need one of those over here in Aus I think!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:23 pm

      Every country needs a Youth Day. Nobody would complain about an extra public holiday… 🙂

  13. Nancy LaRonda Johnson on June 15, 2013 at 5:46 am

    I'm not so sure I'm keen on those writing tips. When I start thinking about my WIP a lot, I know I've really got to get cracking on it, and sometimes, I don't need to read what I've already read if I know where I'm going next and it's fresh and clear in my mind. But the tips did give me things to think about.

    May you have a wonderful holiday weekend. 

    P.S. – I'm planning on posting on the gifts I received from you tomorrow. (Which means I'd better start creating my post!)

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:25 pm

      I suppose that when you're deep into your WIP, and writing every day, then you wouldn't need to read the stuff from the day before… makes perfect sense!

  14. Lara Lacombe on June 15, 2013 at 5:54 am

    Have fun on your three day weekend! 🙂

  15. Vidya Sury on June 15, 2013 at 6:22 am

    Top Gear! Wow! I would have so loved to be there. 😀 Happy weekend to you, Michelle. Yes, I celebrated the little things this week too!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:27 pm

      Are you a motor enthusiast, Vidya? Or would you like to be here for the atmosphere… the hustle and bustle… the excitement…? 🙂

  16. Meredith on June 15, 2013 at 8:14 pm

    Yay for holidays! And I love Top Gear! Such a fun show. Love the celebratory blog hop. So much fun to celebrate the small things with fellow bloggers 🙂

    Meredith

     

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:27 pm

      Welcome to my place, Meredith! Nice to meet you. 🙂

  17. J.L. Campbell on June 16, 2013 at 2:36 am

    Hey, Michelle,

    I'm celebrating one more day on the weekend. I do read the last of what I've written before picking up again to refresh my memory and get back into the story.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 16, 2013 at 12:28 pm

      Hey Joy, happy celebration! Happy writing too… 🙂

  18. Annalisa Crawford on June 16, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    I love Top Gear, so I think that's really cool! 

    I don't agree with the advice to stop writing when you know what's going to happen next – I tried it once, and I forgot… and I know it was a great idea! I have to write until I have nothing left, or I lose it.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 17, 2013 at 12:30 pm

      I agree. That doesn't work for me either. I have to write everything down at that precise moment or else I'll forget it.

  19. Milo James Fowler on June 16, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    Well done! And I particularly like the advice to end where you know what will happen next, only I usually end where I <i>want</i> to know what happens next. I give myself a cliffhanger of sorts so that I want to come back to it later.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 17, 2013 at 12:32 pm

      So it works for you, but in the form of a cliffhanger. Interesting perspective.

  20. Medeia Sharif on June 16, 2013 at 2:28 pm

    I'm always thinking about a story when I'm not working on it. That's how I work out plot glitches.

     

    I do enjoy reading other writers' lists. Thanks for sharing. 

    • Michelle Wallace on June 17, 2013 at 12:34 pm

      I suppose a writer never really forgets about the story. Not totally.

  21. Janice Heck on June 16, 2013 at 9:07 pm

    I am celebrating finding a new blog on Scribblings of an Aspiring Writer. And I have nominated you for the Liebster Award. I noticed you also did the A to Z as did I. I promise to go read some of your A to Z posts.

    Here is the award nomination: http://janiceheck.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/the-liebster-award-times-four/

  22. Lynda R Young on June 17, 2013 at 6:58 am

    Ha! He has a knack of making things sound simple, and yet his writing and his tips are packed with goodness.

  23. Michelle Wallace on June 17, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    I actually want to add some of his books to my TBR pile. I've heard lots of good things about The Old Man And The Sea.

  24. Nick Wilford on June 17, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    So Jeremy Clarkson et al are coming to your town?

    Hemingway's advice is a mixed bag, I LOVE two and five but don't agree at all with three, I need to be immersed in the story at all times so I can get back in the zone when I'm working. 

    • Michelle Wallace on June 18, 2013 at 6:40 am

      They came. They saw. They We conquered! 🙂 It seems that nobody can identify with #3…

  25. Beverly on June 17, 2013 at 3:27 pm

    Exciting stuff all around, Michelle!  I will be sure to check out your goodreads review.  I like SOME of the Ernest Hemingway suggestions but I can't get behind not thinking about writing when you're not working- my best ideas come when i'm away from the computer, doing things that have nothing to do with writing.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 18, 2013 at 6:42 am

      It seems like 99.9% of the writerly population are in the same boat with regards to not thinking about the writing when away from it…

  26. Rachel Schieffelbein on June 17, 2013 at 6:22 pm

    Never think about it when you're not working? Is that even possible?!

    • Michelle Wallace on June 18, 2013 at 6:43 am

      I agree. It's not really possible. Hemingway belongs to that special breed of writers…

  27. Ciara Knight on June 17, 2013 at 6:53 pm

    #2 is something I always follow! I need to know what I'll begin with the next day.

    • Michelle Wallace on June 18, 2013 at 6:44 am

      I need to get everything out, while I remember… LOL

  28. Nana Prah on June 17, 2013 at 7:05 pm

    Those writing tips are amazing. And yes he does make it sound simple.

  29. Julie on June 23, 2013 at 9:52 am

    Exciting news that you posted a review on Goodreads! I'll be on the lookout for it. Some of Hemmingway's tips still hold true. Hope you enjoyed the Top Gear festivities!

  30. Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on June 25, 2013 at 9:15 pm

    Very helpful tips. All the men in our family love Top Gear! They're huge car fans and Top Gear certainly entertains them! D

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