Pomp & Circumstance

Baby #3 is graduating tonight. I couldn't be more proud of him! "Court Jester" has been accepted into LSU's Chemical Engineering college, and starts a Trig. course this summer while working at a local electronics store. I'll be smiling big with camera in hand as my last little one marches down the aisle with his high honors stole gleaming. :)

Note to son ~~ Wonderful things and people await you. Choose wisely, embrace as much of the good stuff as you can, and remember how much you are loved! Now clean up your room! :D Love, Mom

*photos by novemberwolf

Writerly Wednesday ~~ Are Ears Smarter Than Fingers?

How y'all doing with your writing projects? I'm reading a friend's manuscript, then getting down to "bidness" on my own after I blow the dust off it! Sound off and let me know of your progress or lack thereof because I've been out of the loop. *grin*

What's today's title mean? It's a subject I've been pondering lately -- the difference between what our ears pick up vs. what we let flow from our brains through our fingertips to the keyboard or paper. Participating in several poetry readings and also listening to other poets read recently, I've tried to be aware of the subtleties and small differences between words/lines/sentences and meanings when I write them myself or listen to them.

     And there are great nuggets the ears pick up that the old fingers sometimes do not. Maybe this has to do with what type of learners we are -- aural, visual, verbal, etc. [More here on learning types, which I find fascinating.] Discovering the way(s) in which we learn can translate into better writing because our brains are being fed by the method(s) most pleasing to them. I'm a more visual/aural person. Manuals, schematics and maps make me crazy, but if someone shows or tells me how to do something, I'm off and running. Sorry...went off on a little tangent there. :)

Below are a few notes from agents and editors that my ears recently picked up at a writers conference. For a great post on the importance of reading our work ALOUD, check out Harvey Stanbrough's newest mini-lesson too. It's well worth the quick read. @@@

*Submissions that get read and noticed are the "high concept" ones in which the author describes clearly in just a few sentences what his/her book is about. Ex. Jane Austen meets James Bond.

*A short one-page synopsis is best.

*Personalize your queries to agents you've researched and targeted. Same applies to work going to journals, poetry zines, magazines, etc.

*Social networking really is important for author platform/branding. Be accessible online.

*Remove snippets of your manuscripts from the Web so you're not stepping on agents/publishers efforts to sell your book, and to keep your work safe.

More "gooder" stuff next week!

** Ear & fingers photos from Flickr

Tasty Tuesday ~~ Italian Cheesy Bread

Talk about comfort food! Friend Roger made this recently to go with his wonderful shrimp etouffee, and it was some good, y'all. (I'm sure I left out a few of his ingredients in my haste to write down the recipe, but whatever spices and garnishes you add to your bread will surely taste good.)

As always, easy, cheap & delicious goes a long way with me. Enjoy...

Italian Cheesy Bread

1 loaf french bread, but lengthwise

1 stick butter (I use Smart Balance) at room temperature

1 cup mayo (Duke's sugar free worked great)

8 oz. grated mozzerella

1/2 cup parmessan

1/4 c. chopped green onions

1 small can chopped black olives

1/2 tsp. pepper (or cayenne)

Preheat oven to 350. Butter the bread, then spread on mayo. Sprinkle on cheeses, green onions and olives. Season according to taste. Bake about 15 minutes. Serve hot. Yum!

Signs of Spring/Summer & Mother's Day Montage

Thank you for your incredible support and words of sympathy and comfort you've shared on the loss of my mom last week. You blogger and real life friends, you...you are the epitome of the best of the Web and life. 'Preciate you!

May all the beauty in nature be yours, the time to enjoy it be plentiful, and the realization be ever yours that loveliness always surrounds us if we choose to see it. [See local visual aids below. Hehe.]

Happy Mother's Day to the moms, stepmoms, nurturers, givers, and take-care-of-ers! :) You are BEAUTIFUL!

Love, Angie ~~ who is rejoining the Blogosphere once again. Yay!