writing books

Monthly Journal – February 2018

/ melindamariealexander / 4 Comments

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my new blog series…Monthly Journal

Ummm…what happened to February? Where did it go? How is it even possible that…it’s time for another blog post. I’m not ready!!! Time is going by way to fast for me.

This is why I need a time machine.

On the first day of February, I started reading my new book, Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. I couldn’t wait to read it. That night, I didn’t want to go to bed, because I didn’t want to stop reading. I think I should have stayed up, because life got in the way, I got distracted, and didn’t finish reading it. Now I’ll have to start over, and refresh my memory.

I worked on more character profiles

I finally finished my blog series on Character Development using Zodiac Traits. I’m super happy about that. I’ll be starting two new blog series soon, one on Chapter Names and the other blog series will be Character Development using Myers Briggs.

I actually didn’t get as much done as I wanted to, this month. I didn’t write anything down in my notebook, so I can’t remember everything I did do. I was naughty! I was very distracted by the Winter Olympics. I could not resist watching all the figure skating and the ice dancing. I love it! Hopefully I’ll get more done next month.

The most important thing that happened this month, was that we started on my new pottery workshop. I’m so excited!!! I can’t wait to dig into a fresh bag of clay and make something awesome. But, there’s lots of work to do first. This is another reason why I’ve been distracted, and not getting a whole lot of plotting done this month. My mind is going from writing, to pottery, to writing and then back to pottery. Being distracted by pottery is a good thing though.

If you didn’t read last months Monthly Journal here is it…

https://melindamariealexander.com/2018/01/31/monthly-journal-january-2018/

Okay, that’s about it for February

At least that’s all I can remember right now.

#notetoself…Remember to write everything down!

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Writing Books

/ melindamariealexander / 4 Comments

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These are some of my favorite writing books!

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PLOT & STRUCTURE…Techniques and exercises for crafting a plot that grips readers from start to finish by James Scott Bell…is one of my favorites. I’ve read it three times. I highlighted it the first time around, then I underlined it with a pen the second time, and the third time…I took notes on a legal pad. I love this book!

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Structuring your NOVEL…Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K.M. Weiland…is another one of my favorite writing books. And it’s so awesome that there’s a workbook to go along with it. I love it!

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I’ve only read it once so far, but I definitely plan on reading it again!

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 I haven’t finished this one yet…but it’s already on my favorites list!

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THE EMOTION THESAURUS, THE POSITIVE TRAIT THESAURUS AND THE NEGATIVE TRAIT THESURUS…A Writer’s Guide To Character Attributes by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi are amazing and very helpful! Love them!

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My NaNoWriMo Emergency Survival Kit

/ melindamariealexander / 3 Comments

This is my very first #NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month

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So, I’ve made an emergency survival kit.

And the very first thing in my kit is…

 Chocolate

I absolutely love chocolate! I started eating endangered species chocolate, shortly after finding out I had celiac disease. I had to find some chocolate that I could eat. That was one thing I wasn’t willing to give up. I love the dark chocolate with cranberries & almonds.

It’s certified GF and NON GMO Verified.

Not only does chocolate make me happy, it actually has a lot of health benefits. It’s nutrient dense, it supports mental performance (I’m going to need that), and it reduces stress and anxiety (I need that too!) I think I’ll be eating a lot of chocolate this month.

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Pistachios

Pistachios have lots of health benefits, one of them is a high content of vitamin B6, which helps in increasing the hemoglobin count in your blood. This oxygen rich blood is then supplied to the brain making it even more active. I’m going to need that!

GF bars and water

Water

Water boosts productivity and ramps up brain power!

GF Snack Bars

I love Van’s chocolate chip whole grain snack bars and cranberry almond whole grain snack bars. It’s hard to believe they’re gluten-free, they taste really good.

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Paper, Index Cards and Post-it Notes

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Pens and Markers

I have plenty of pens and markers, if I need them. I’ll be doing most of my writing on my computer, but sometimes I like to sit in my recliner and write old school style, with a legal pad and my favorite pens.

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My Favorite Writing Books

And the last thing in my #NaNoWriMo Emergency Survival Kit is my favorite writing books. These are just some of them. I buy books like most women buy shoes, so I have a lot of books.

I think I’m ready!