It's All About Time

Let’s face it . . .we are all busy. If you’re like me, scrapbooking can be overwhelming. There are so many products available and new techniques, it seems hard to keep up with it all. I’m always on the lookout for products that make scrapbooking easier. Pebbles Inc. has a new product I think you’re going to love. The new Share & Tell album system is affordable and completely customizable.

You can spend a little time or a lot and create a family keepsake you will be proud of. You decide how much time you have to spend—no time, some time, or creative time.

NO TIME

Simply label your photos and slip into the 4x6 pocket pages. Use large 12x12 sheet protectors to conveniently store artwork and larger pieces.

SOME TIME

Create simple 4x6 title and journaling squares to help tell your story. Pebbles Inc. 4x6 creative pads and journaling cards are a quick and easy way to add memories to your photos.

CREATIVE TIME
Create a large scrapbook page to creatively spotlight your memory, then slip the extra photos in the 4x6 pocket pages. No need to scrapbook all of your photos ever again.

This program was created by Brenda Birrell, mother of five daughters and founder of Pebbles in My Pocket and Pebbles Inc. as an answer to today’s busy life.

I think life should be more about making memories than preserving them. It is nice to have a system that is easy to maintain and gives us more time to spend with loved ones creating memories.

CONTEST ALERT!!
Brenda, from Pebbles, has graciously donated $80 of Pebbles Share & Tell products which will be given to one of my lucky blog readers. They will get a complete album set including a binder, two sets of sheet protectors, and six sets of 4x6 cards. Simply post a comment on this blog and your name will be entered in the drawing.

Return to the Neighborhood.

Blog Tour - Season of Sacrifice by Tristi Pinkston

I spent the weekend reading Tristi Pinkston’s newest book, Season of Sacrifice. It is a historical novel about the hole in the rock pioneers, including the story of Tristi’s great-great-grandfather, Benjamin Perkins.

The book details the story of a family of Welsh immigrants. After settling with the Saints, Ben and Mary Ann Perkins are asked to join a mission to create a trail to Southern Utah through what would become the famous Utah landmark “Hole in the Rock”. The story tells about the great fortitude it took these pioneers to create a road and blast through obstacles day after day. Without fail, they persevered until their destination was finally reached. It shows the great faith of the early pioneers and their determination to follow the Lord, regardless of what sacrifices may be required.

My favorite character in the book was Sarah Williams, Mary Ann’s sister. Sarah went along on the expedition to help care for Ben and Mary Ann’s children. Once they reached their destination, the real trial began when Ben asked Sarah to be his second wife. It was a test of faith they were not sure they could pass. Tristi did an amazing job showing their agony as they wrestled with the difficult decision. Through Ben, Mary Ann, and Sarah’s faith, they were blessed, and throughout this well-written account their testimonies are evident. It is a story you will not soon forget.

You can order a copy of the book and learn more about the author’s other books at Tristi’s Website.

Tristi is a wonderful writer and an amazing woman. Like her characters, she has a strong faith and willing spirit. She never hesitates to share her talents and through her fun-loving, witty personality she creates a following of fans wherever she goes. I feel lucky to call her my friend and look forward to reading more of her work.

I asked Tristi some questions about her background, her new book, her interests and writing in general. I think you’ll find her answers intriguing:

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I've wanted to be a writer my whole life. I wrote little stories the whole time I was growing up, most of them really bad, a few of them good enough that I may try to resurrect them at some point. But it wasn't until I was twenty-three that I realized, I might be able to write something good. You know how we all plague ourselves with self-doubt? Yeah. That was me. But at twenty-three, I had a dream which morphed into the plot for "Nothing to Regret," and I realized that I really could actually do this, instead of just dreaming about it. Now with the publication of "Season of Sacrifice," I feel like I'm doing what I came here to do.


Is there a message in your novel you want readers to grasp?

There isn't an overt message, as I'm basically just telling the story of what happened to the faithful pioneers who lived at that time. However, I do hope the reader comes away with a greater appreciation of the sacrifices made, the miracles that occurred, and the incredible power of the human spirit to overcome any obstacle.


How long did it take you to write Season of Sacrifice?

Eighty hours. This is the only book I've ever timed, but I know for sure that eighty hours is just not my norm. I'd say I usually take a couple of hundred hours, but "Season of Sacrifice" pretty much wrote itself.


What books or authors have most influenced your writing?

Growing up, I read a lot of Louisa May Alcott, Gene Stratton-Porter, and L.M. Montgomery, so my sentence structure tends to be a little more complex than what we're seeing now. I'm working on that -- it's a hard habit to break. More recently, I find myself influenced by Ann Rinaldi. She's really what got me excited about writing historical fiction. She writes for the national young adult audience, and her stories bring history to life. I write for adults rather than teens, but I want to accomplish what she has, in making history real to the reader.


What can we look for next? What current projects are you working on?

I have a couple of contemporary mysteries finished, and I have a Vietnam-era book about done that I'm really excited about. I also have a Civil War story on the backburner, and about twenty other ideas beyond that. My very next project will be another contemporary mystery, a sequel to one I finished a few weeks ago. After writing so much historical fiction, it's kind of strange to write a contemporary. While working on my latest book, I didn't have to research anything until I got to page 100. That was wild.


Why did you choose to self-publish?

With all of the hooha going on with Warren Jeffs and the FLDS Church, LDS publishers aren't accepting stories about polygamy. I wanted to get this story out there. My ancestors were incredible people and I wanted to share who they were with the world. I realized the best way for me to do this would be to publish it myself. My good friend BJ Rowley did everything but write the book -- cover design, typesetting, line editing, the works -- and we made it happen.


If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?

I am immensely proud of this book. I truly feel that by writing this book, I have done the thing I was supposed to do when I was given this talent. (Not that I'm quitting writing, by any means) The only things I would change are the small occasional typos that I didn't catch, and I would put a map in the front. I couldn't find one that wasn't heavily copyrighted. Beyond that, I would change nothing.


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I really dislike editing it for the forty-seventh time. I know it has to be done, but by the time you've read it and read it and read it, you want to scream. I'm also challenged by finding all the information I need -- it seems someone always contacts me after I've published a book and says, "Didn't you know that such and such happened?" I can research something until I'm blue in the face, but because I didn't live during that time period, I can't know everything. I'm grateful when someone points out a fact I missed, but I wish it didn't make me look like I don't know what I'm talking about. I do know what I'm talking about, when I can find the materials I need to learn about it.


I know you have four children and homeschool, so when do you find time to write?

I do the bulk of my writing in the late evening and into the night. I work from home writing media reviews for Families.com and editing for other authors, so I generally get to work around nine o'clock and stay up until around two, doing my reviews and editing, and then working on my own books. I try to sneak stuff in during the day -- I nearly always get new scenes while I'm in the shower, so I work those in, but I try to keep the bulk of my writing to the nighttime hours after my kids are down.


Do you have any advice for other authors?

Read good books, be willing to accept constructive criticism, and try your hardest to be just like me . . . Well, the first two, at least.


What do you like to do when you're not writing?

When I'm not writing, I'm usually thinking about writing. I also love to read, I enjoy good movies, I like to scrapbook although I haven't had time in a long while, and I like trying new recipes. Not that it does me any good -- it's hard to find recipes my family will eat. But I keep trying.


Any last words you want the reader to know?

Let's see . . . I'm the most awesome writer on the planet and you should buy all my books. You should probably also know that I've got a really strange sense of humor.

The Digital Evolution

The art of memory making is as old as time. There is evidence of scrapbooks clear back to the 1500’s. Since the early 1990’s scrapbooking has exploded in America and is now the number one hobby. As long as people have been clipping and saving mementos, the industry has been dedicated to providing the essential tools of the trade, including scissors, adhesives, markers, paper, and stickers. But the recent surge in digital scrapbooking is changing all that.

Due to the information age, there has been a natural evolution from ‘traditional’ scrapbooking to digital. It started out by scrappers using the computer to enhance their photos. They would remove red-eye, crop out the background, and adjust the color of their pictures. The computer can be used to create elements that are printed out and attached to your traditional scrapbook page. Journaling is often printed on the computer because you can create fun effects with all the fonts and colors that are available. These things eventually led to scrapbookers experimenting with creating entire page layouts.

Using digital, or scanned pictures, and photo-editing software, you can create stunning pages entirely on the computer. One of the benefits of creating your pages digitally is that you can share them with friends and family, no matter where they live. Grandma and Grandpa can see the grandkids' latest adventures with the click of the mouse.

Not only that, but digital scrapbooking can be less costly than traditional scrapbooking. Traditional embellishments, which can cost $2-$5 a piece, quickly make the price of each scrapbook page unaffordable for many consumers. The internet has made digital scrapbooking elements available for a very low cost. And once you purchase them, they can be used over and over again. There are also tons of freebies out there. Most of the digital scrapbooking websites have free paper, embellishments, and even entire layouts that can be downloaded. Just do a google search for digital scrapbooking and you’ll be amazed at what you find.

Scrapbookers find that going digital solves several problems. For one, they no longer have to devote a room—off limits to children—to store the die cutters, scissors, paper, stickers, etc. It’s nice to be able to just sit down at the computer when you have a few spare minutes and work on your scrapbooks without having to haul out all of the supplies.

Another benefit is that if you make a mistake, you can just delete it and start over. You have not wasted expensive supplies or ruined priceless photos. Also, once a layout is created you can print it as many times as you want and in any size you need.

Sometimes the creators of traditional scrapbooks are afraid for people to handle them too much because of potential damage. This kind of negates the purpose for which they were created—to be shared and enjoyed by others. Digital scrapbooking solves this problem. A digital version, whether stored online, on a CD, or printed, can be shared without worrying about damaging the original.

If you decide to go digital, please don’t forget to print your layouts. There is nothing quite as exciting as finding a dog-eared album hiding in the attic.

Return to the Neighborhood!

New in the Neighborhood

I’ve joined a team of bloggers and will be blogging a couple times a week for yourldsneighborhood.com. I’ll be talking about my other passion besides writing—scrapbooking. I’ll have lots of fun tips, tricks, new products, and interviews to share with you. I’ll even be doing some fun giveaways, so if you love scrapbooking, be sure to check back often.

Come check out the neighborhood. There will be a variety of subjects discussed such as:

Art
Books
Clothing
Home & Family
Jewelry
LDS Department Store
Missionary
Movies
Music
Scrapbooking
Services
Travel
Wedding

Plotting and Outlining with Jeff Savage

Jeff Savage was my favorite speaker at the League of Utah Writers Spring workshop. I was lucky enough to hear him speak twice in one week, first at the LUW monthly chapter meeting and then at the workshop. I’ll include notes from both presentations below:

Jeff started out by saying a successful novel needs three main elements—a beginning, middle, and end. He talked about the pros and cons of outlining. Personally, I like to outline and agreed with his list of advantages:
-Outlining helps you write a novel faster.
-It allows more foreshadowing and buildup if you know where the plot is going.
-It helps avoid writers block. You always know what to write about next.
-It highlights strengths/weaknesses in your plot and helps with pacing.
-It keeps you from writing 50 pages before realizing that your idea is not going to work.

Jeff suggested several questions to ask yourself when you sit down to outline your story:
1) How will the story begin and end?
2) What are the primary storylines?
3) What are the beginning and end of each storyline?
4) List one to three sub-climaxes to keep reader interest high.
5) How will each character be affect by the above questions?
6) Where and how will I foreshadow?

Jeff has a unique way of outlining using multiple storylines. It graphs the flow of the story and keeps the excitement level high. Jeff calls it NESS, the Not Enough Storylines Syndrome. You can read more about it here, on Jeff’s blog.

He also talked about sagging storylines and how to identify weaknesses in three areas—plot, characters, and setting. He presented multiple questions that warrant consideration.

PLOT:
Does your character have a noble quest? Will the reader empathize with the quest? What are the obstacles to the quest? Do smaller climaxes lead up to the final climax? Did I start at the right point? Is the storyline broad enough? Or is it too broad, so it loses focus.

CHARACTERS:
Is there a clear main character? Do you like them? Do they have flaws? What do they learn? Are their obstacles difficult enough? What is the consequence of their failure or success?

SETTING & TIME:
Why did you choose the setting you have? Does it add to the story? Why did you choose the time period? What would happen if you changed it? Are there any key events that could be tied in?


He gave us one last tidbit of advice, which I’ve been contemplating ever since—enter the scene late and leave it early.

Think about that. It is a very interesting concept and leaves no room for boredom. It was a privilege to listen to Jeff and learn from his experience. He is an engaging speaker and is very knowledgeable about his passion—writing. I’ve enjoyed his previous books, and I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing his new series—Farworld.

So, next time you are planning a new novel, try out some of the tips and suggestions from Jeff. You'll be glad you did!

Tips & Tricks for Quick Sales

At the League of Utah Writers Spring workshop, Carolyn Campbell, who has had over 800 magazine articles published, taught a class called Tips & Tricks for Quick Sales. She shared with the attendees thirty ways to speed up the sale of magazine articles. I will highlight a few of her ideas here:

- Begin with a query or a pre-query

The idea of a pre-query was new to me. Carolyn suggested sending email queries and start out by sending a pre-query consisting of only a couple of sentences stating what article topic you would like to write about. Tell them you will send a complete query if they are interested.

-Three-paragraph query formula

Carolyn uses a three paragraph query. The first is the beginning paragraph of your article, usually and anecdotal paragraph. The second paragraph should state why the person you are writing to should care about your article. This section is the place you would submit, statistics and say why the article is timely. The third paragraph should include why you should be the author. Include your writing background and previous experience.

Close the query by requesting they send you an approximate word length and deadline for the article and state you are available to work on the project immediately.

-Keep moving your inventory

Treat your previously written articles as inventory and resubmit them for further publication. She stressed to give a buyer first rights only, so that you can resubmit. Another option is to offer exclusivity for a certain time period.

Other tips Carolyn shared:
-Follow your gut instinct
-Send your query to multiple markets
-Consider shortening an article or expanding a sidebar
-Review past material for information that has currently become timely
-Remember to check for seasonal sales possibilities
-Feel free to call publications and ask what they are looking for
-Find experts to interview through article archives (Salt Lake County Library online)
-Set aside writing time daily and stick to it.

Carolyn was an amazing instructor, so if you ever get the chance to hear her speak, I highly recommend it.

Three Ways Music Can Enhance Your Writing

I attended the League of Utah Writers Spring Workshop last weekend. I’m going to blog about three of the speakers and what I learned from them.

Nichole Rushing has published articles in BabyBug Magazine and currently has a children’s picture book with Peachtree Publishing which will be coming out soon. Nichole taught us three ways that music can enhance your writing.

1) Music Stimulates Creativity

The brain does not have a central point for processing music. Music stimulates creativity by engaging both sides of your brain. The right side of your brain processes the music, and the left side the lyrics. Nichole suggested listening to music that would trigger the side of your brain that you want to use, depending on what you are writing.

2) Creating Mood through Music

You can use music to alter your mood before you sit down to write. Nichole suggested listening to music for fifteen minutes before you write. Listen to the type of music that will get you in the mood for the results you are trying to achieve.

Music can also affect the mood of your story. She suggested pinpointing the over feel of the scene you are creating and find a song that matches.

Music selections of various genres were played and it was amazing how the different types of music did affect the way you feel.

3) Learning from Lyricists

Music lyricists, because of necessity, use fewer words to describe their ‘story’. Country music is a prime example. To illustrate this point, Nichole used the song Two Pump Texaco by Diamond Rio:

He was wipin' motor oil off her dipstick
She was pullin' on the hair that got caught in her lipstick
And with the smell of her perfume he forgot the smell of gasoline
As he was toppin' off her tank she said, "How far to Abilene?"

He sees 'em come
He sees 'em go
From the island of his
Two pump Texaco

This song is a great example of being descriptive. Nowhere in the lyrics does it mention the word car, or small town, or gas station. It does not tell us how long her hair is, or that she has her window down, but we picture all of these things because of the distinctive word choice.

The ideas Nichole presented were interesting and new to me. I had never considered using music to enhance my writing. But, I’m going to put it in my writers’ toolbox and see if it works for me. I’ll be sure to let you know.

Look for my upcoming blogs about the workshop:
-Plotting and Outlining with Jeff Savage
-Tips & Tricks for Quick Sales with Carolyn Campbell