Passive Aggressive Texting With Jimmy Kimmel, K?

Hello!

I'm back! First off, I'd like to wish everyone a peaceful and splendid 2016 and I hope the holidays were good to all of you. I spent the holidays with family and things went generally well. Except, for the dishwasher crapping out on us a week before family arriving for the holidays. The estimates for repairs were comparable to the cost of a new machine (Insert slew of curse words HERE).  As you can imagine, buying a new dishwasher was not on my Christmas list. Nor was the computer we had to buy the month prior when the old one gave up the ghost. Apparently, was not on the 'good list' last year. So, in my attempts to start off the New Year on a positive note, I went to see Star Wars episode VII with my kids on Jan 1. I won't give away any spoilers, only that we enjoyed the hell out of the movie and look forward to seeing it again. 


Anyway, the following is a clip of Jimmy Kimmel explaining passive aggressive texting. It's pretty funny and I thought I'd pass it along for a bit of comic relief. When speaking face to face, we often use tone of voice, body language, and/or facial expressions as cues to identify passive aggressive speech or things like sarcasm. For example, the famous huff, hand on hip, followed by the eye-roll. In writing, sarcasm and passive aggressive subtext are more difficult to express simply because the visual cues we rely on have to be written in. Easier said than done.  However, if you properly flesh out your characters before hand, chances are your readers will automatically pick up on dialogue cast with sarcastic notes. And, a good sarcastic character is always a fun read. 


Enjoy the clip and have an awesome week. :) 

REVIVAL blog tour, PICTURES and COMPUTER DEATH

 

Bonjour everyone and welcome!

 

Did you know I love pictures? Well, I do. I love taking pictures and I love sharing them. I love color pictures, and I love black and white pictures. I love pictures in frames, in blogs, and in books (the more the better). I love thought-provoking pictures, and I love pictures I can rub my crayons all over. In short, a picture really is worth a thousand words (can my next ms be just pictures?) and to prove my point, below is a picture I took a couple weeks ago......

 

And a few days ago, I took this beauty....

What exactly do you mean metal box when you say,
"Your computer was unable to start."

 Just look at these pictures, they hold so much emotion, frustration, and betrayal. We see the battle between man woman and machine. There are lives and files at stake... These images personify the dying of the light and the motherboard. It is death and rebirth and then death again. It is a portrait as I curse, cry, yell, and curse some more. In these pictures I see a desperate soul trying to reformat (twice) a piece of crap computer. Ultimately, it was all for nothing.

NOTHING I TELL YOU!

The metal box died five days ago.

This is my first post from my new computer which runs on Windows 8 (which sucks, seriously what is so complicated about opening docx files? Windows 7 can do it!) . Looking back, I should have thrown the metal box of cookies and crippled rams over a bridge, at least it would have been therapeutic. But enough about me and my pictures, you should see the pictures in Mark's book REVIVAL!
(I'm a black belt in transitioning can't you tell?)

But seriously, I'm excited to be part of Mark's blog tour for REVIVAL and today he's going to talk about the many pictures that were included in the memoir and how they were chosen. So check it out, and don't forget to sign up for the rafflecopter at the end to win a bunch of prizes!

                                         Take it away, Mark! ----->>>>>

  *****

 

 

 

Aloha,

Nearing the middle of the Tour for my new book, REVIVAL – The Donald Braswell Story, we find ourselves in France where Elise is so kind to let me parlais about pictures in a memoir—and how do you choose a final set?

 When I first suggested to Donald that adding pictures to the memoir would bring so much more to the story, he was immediately on board, but he soon emailed me with the same question: How do I choose?

I checked my battered copy of What To Expect When You is Memoir-ing, but when that offered little (except to get enough sleep before launch day), I asked Donald to send fifty pics that basically covered the timeframe of the memoir (early ‘20s to late ‘40s.)

I went through the multitude of emails, and because of age and technology (anyone remember how a scanned 4x6 Kodak can appear?) it wasn’t hard to whittle the first round down to a final selection.

Donald sent rough cutlines for each “finalist,” and now REVIVAL ended up with about thirty pictures sprinkled throughout its 236 pages (thanks to our publisher, Pen-L Publishing.)

 (When I read a section, and then saw the corresponding picture, it really drove home how a picture really does tell a thousand words. Just as well… with thirty pictures, gosh, I’d still be writing :)

 Has a picture ever helped or hindered your writing?

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Merci buckets, Elise. You rock, as does the Eifel Tower at night.

I’m stopping by MJ Fifield on Friday, and she’s curious about the challenges involved in memoir writing.

 

 

 

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 REVIVAL - THE DONALD BRASWELL STORY by Mark Koopmans

 



 



 

 

BOOK INFORMATION:

Title: REVIVAL - The Donald Braswell Story
Subtitle: How a Tenor Lost his Voice, but Found his Calling
Author: Mark Koopmans
Category: Non-fiction
Genres: Memoir, Biography, Inspirational
Publisher: Pen-L Publishing
Length: 65,000 words
Release Date: November 03, 2015
Tour: Every weekday in November

 

Back Blurb:

 

Five years removed from his 1990 Juilliard graduation, Donald Braswell is set to be “the next Pavarotti.” Braswell’s successful career ends, however, not with a standing ovation at Carnegie Hall, but alone, lying in a dirty ditch.

Following the hit-and-run accident that steals his voice and future, the “Texas Tenor” struggles with depression and despair—until the night his daughter, Aria, is born. Understanding this new and immediate life change, Braswell fights to relearn how to speak, sing—and share this gift of second chances with others.


Working as a plasterer, a car salesman, and many jobs in-between, it takes thirteen years—and a musical miracle—for Braswell to battle back and sing on a professional stage. His dreams and ambitions collide with a tired and angry crowd when he auditions for America’s Got Talent. For his family, his faith and his entire future, can the Rocky Balboa of the operatic world find the courage and strength to win just one more fight?  

Purchase Links

(Paperbacks)

• Pen-L Publishing
• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
•  Powell's

(Ebooks)

• Amazon Kindle
• Nook
• iTunes
• Kobo

 SINGER BIOGRAPHY:

Donald Braswell II is an American actor, classical crossover tenor and composer. Braswell was on a fast track to become an internationally acclaimed opera singer when he suffered a car accident in 1995that made him unable to speak for almost two years. After that, he lived a quiet life outside of the spotlight until his appearance on the 2008 season of America’s Got Talent where he was a Top 5 finalist, which gave him another chance at a career in entertainment. Since then, he has entertained audiences both internationally as well as shore to shore in the United States in concerts, television appearances, inspirational speaking and radio. He boasts an international fan club with fans from over 25 countries.

Braswell has reentered the world of music by singing in concerts starting with the Symphony of theHills in Kerrville, Texas in June 2009. He performs a variety of musical genres ranging from pureclassical repertoire to soul to mainstream pop. He engages people of many cultures by singing invarious languages outside of English, including Spanish, Italian, Neapolitan, French and Russian. Hisconcerts are generally multilingual, and he has performed pieces that are themselves in more than onelanguage. Some of these include: Mario Frangoulis bilingual version of “Nights in White Satin” (Italiantitle “Notte di luce”), originally by The Moody Blues; “The Prayer”; and Andrea Bocelli’s “Vivere”(English title “Dare to Live”). His other non-English repertoire includes Aqustin Lara’s “Rosa” (Spanish),Mario Frangoulis’s “Vincerò, perderò” (Italian) and the Neapolitan standard “O sole mio”.Some of his many compositions can be heard on his recent album We Fall and We Rise Again.Donald is a testament to the powers of the human spirit in difficult times and he inspires all who come to know him.   Find him at donaldbraswell.com

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:


Mark Koopmans is originally from Ireland. After working in Holland, Spain, France and England, he won his U.S. “Green Card” in 1994, and is an American by choice since 2003. Koopmans began his writing career with a feature for a regional magazine in California. Since then, he’s worked as a staff writer for newspapers in Florida and Texas. Koopmans is also a proficient blogger and is working on his next book, a novel. Koopmans lives in Virginia and is a married, stay-at-home dad to three active boys under the age of nine. He writes at night.

 

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

● GRAND PRIZE (2 winners): Donald Braswell to sing (Happy Birthday/Anniversary) via
Skype or phone call. (A unique gift idea!)
● 1ST PLACE PRIZE: Signed Donald Braswell CD/REVIVAL book combo
● 2nd, 3rd and 4th PLACE PRIZES: Signed copies of REVIVAL (by Donald and Mark)
● 5th, 6th and 7th PLACE PRIZES: Signed copies of Donald Braswell CDs
● 8th, 9th, and 10th PLACE PRIZES: Signed Donald Braswell 8x10 picture



Ideas: The Most Important Tool For Writers

What would you say is the most important tool for a writer? 

A computer? 
The internet? 
Writing groups? 
Grammar and style guides? ..............

Obviously, there isn't one true answer to that question because a writer, a good writer at least, needs many tools to develop their craft and create their world. 

But, I'd say having a good idea for a story is pretty damn important. And since I'm too tired and lazy to think of a better segue, (i.e., I'm out of ideas :P ) I've tacked on a short clip below about the power of ideas. 

If you think about it, without ideas there are no stories. Without ideas there is no forward thinking. Without ideas we cannot break down mental barriers, nor can we continue to progress. Without ideas we basically have--nothing. 

Anyway, I like the message in the video and it's interesting to think of it as it pertains to writing. What do you think? 

Lockmeupology: Writing From The Chandelier

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Parody of "Chandelier" by artist, Sia 

No copyright infringment intended.

Dude, is this disclaimer really necessary?

Seriously. 

*eyeroll*

IWSG: I Tip My NaNo Cap To You

IWSG and National Novel Writing Month

Final Word Count: 25,650

Words Remaining: Ha, ahaha, ahahah!

Annnnd here's my recap.
(get it?! :P)

Well, I didn't win the challenge but I did get off to a decent start. Though I am a bit bummed I fell short of the 30k mark. Balancing writing time and my nutty personal life truned out to be a bigger challenge in November. 

"Tis what it is," I guess.

So what did I learn this month?

1: Getting off to a good start is paramount! 

I had been told to write as much as I could the first couple of days to surpass the daily requirement. I didn't really heed this warning, big mistake. There were days when I could have used the extra word count to compensate for unexpected setbacks. 

2: Have a good outline and stick to it. 

My outline was too general and I ended up spending too much time trying to figure out in what direction I wanted to take my story. The other thing that messed with me was by day 5 I had taken my story completely off its tracks in a different direction (into a wall) and basically gave my outline the middle finger. 

That was bad. 

Bad Elise, bad!

3: Avoid traveling during the challenge. You'll never get as much writing done as you think you will.

I told my self I'd get tons of writing done in the car. And I did... on the way down. But on the way back, it was all zzzzzzzzzzz. :P

4: No matter how prepared you think you are...BAM! Life comes along and kicks you in the ankles and sabotages your writing time. 

During the challenge I had to deal with some family crap and I lost two days of writing. Ugggg. 

Sometimes your real life gets in the way, but that's ok. Deal with it and move on. 

So I had a few setbacks. It happens. And though I didn't reach my goal, I am happy for giving it a shot and sticking through until the very last day. I also want to thank the NaNo team for all their work to make this challenge possible, and I tip my hat(s) to you and everyone who won NaNo or at least gave it a shot. And I also want to thank everyone for stopping by with your encouragements. You guys were great and made this challenge totally worth while. I wish I had had the time to reply to each and every one of you. However, I do plan on spending most of December trying to catch up with you all and see what's going on in the bloggosphere. 

Thanks again for all your support and to Alex and the IWSG for another great bloghop this month. You all rock! 

Now, back to work. :)

IWSG: Motivating My Troops

Motivation.

That is what's been bothering me lately. And, I'm not talking about my own motivation, though it has waxed and waned these past few months. The motivation I'm referring to is that of my characters.

I'm a blackbelt panster. But for the first time, I outlined a story from start to finish. It's a basic outline using index cards for chapter headings and I managed to plan out the general plot. What would have taken a plotter one afternoon to finish, took me over a week, nevertheless finishing the outline is pretty exciting for me.

Though painful as it was, outlining allowed me to answer the questions one must ask while drafting a story:

The Who (identify and name my main and secondary characters through basic character profiling) 

The What (what each of my characters do and their importance within the story)

The When (the present)

The Where (Earth)

The How (how my characters accomplish the things they need to do)

The only question I haven't been able to completely nail down is The Why. Why are my characters doing all this awesome and scary stuff?

 

What motivates my characters? What drives their actions? It's the most important question to answer and it must be believable to the reader. The answer to this will be the driving force throughout the entire book and it will dictate how characters respond to, well, everything in the story. 

I've been able to answer The little why, in the immediate sense, their day-to-day motives,  but The BIG Why, which is anchored in backstory, is still unclear at best. Without The Why, then everything else in my story unravels at the seams. If I can't convince the reader what motivates my characters, then what's the point of reading on?  

Gosh Batman, this writing stuff is hard.

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Many thanks to Alex Cavanaugh our IWSG super-host and his awesome team of co-hosts this month. To find out more about the IWSG monthly bloghop, or the IWSG website, feel free to click the highlited links or the button on my sidebar.

IWSG and Beyond...

Today is special, not only because it's IWSG but also because I get to help reveal the cover of Beyond the Binding. 

Last December, I took part in Composers for Relief, a project that is helping to raise money to support disaster relief efforts in the Philippines. The project has pooled together talented individuals from all over the world to create a music album and its companion ebook, Beyond the Binding. 

*****

Cover by Jennifer Redsteak Grey

Embark on an exciting journey “Beyond the Binding” of the imagination with 29 authors from across the globe, in a groundbreaking collaboration where music meets fiction. Surrender to soaring compositions as they surge through the veins of every story, capturing the triumphant pulse of the notes in heart pounding sci fi, enchanting fantasy and gripping slices of realism. 

All proceeds of the Composers for Relief album and Companion Collection ebook will go to Gawad Kalinga (“give care”) and GVSP (Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme), to support the relief efforts for victims of the deadliest natural disaster in Philippines’ history, Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). 

Ebook available from Amazon, Amazon UK, iTunes, B&N, Kobo, Sony, Diesel & Smashwords.

Composers for Relief album available on ITunes, Amazon, CDBaby & Spotify

*****

The idea was to pair inspirational music tracks with short stories written under the theme of 'hope.' It's a beautiful project, organized in part by the amazing Samantha Redstreake Geary, and you can read more about it HERE. And though this book is for a great cause, it's also the source of my insecurity at the moment. The reason being is I'm one of the writers who submitted a story for the ebook. 

O.M.G

So it's obvious what my insecurities are. On the one hand, I'm proud to be a part of such a wonderful collaboration. The cover is fantastic, the album sublime, the stories inspiring, and I hope it's a great success. But... BUT, now my work is 'out there' and I can't take it back. It's intimidating being surrounded by so much talent knowing my entry, When Paper and Fire Fall in Love is not perfect. And now, I'm out of time. I can't continue editing. I can't tinker with it any longer. Heck, I can't even hide behind a different pen name...it's simply out of my hands and belongs to the readers now, and that my friend is just a big bag of scary for me. It also leaves me wondering if I feel like this over a 1000 word short story, then how the heck will I ever be able to publish a 400 page novel? 

So, I'm going to suspend my insecurities for a moment and shove them in the padded room in my mind. This project is for a great cause, and I truly hope you will check out this book and album. I know I'm looking forward to purchasing my copy of both, especially the book when it comes out in physical print (I still don't own an ebook-- I know, I know, I le suck).

*****

Thank you all for stopping by today, and many thanks to our IWSG host Alex Cavanaugh and his super co-hosts this month. If you'd like to know more about the IWSG monthly bloghop, feel free to click the IWSG button on my side bar. 

Composers for Relief: Supporting the Philippines

Album cover by Ryo Ishido

Composers for Relief: Supporting the Philippines, is a collaborative effort that brings together musicians, and writers from all over the world. The project aims to raise funds for the victims of the disastrous typhoon that hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013. For more information about this soundtrack and companion ebook please visit Samantha Redstreake Geary's website. A master list of the composers and the stories their music inspired can be found HERE. 

Below you'll find my entry, a tale based on a story I wrote that required much love and massive amounts of editing. The inspiration I needed to transform this story and take it to the next level came from the  phenomenal track: One by Ryo Ishido featuring Nik Kershaw.

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When Paper and Fire Fall in Love

The lines in the wizard’s face were deep, like the folds of his velvet cloak. Every night his faded blue eyes gazed in mournful meditation out the window. Tumultuous rains had befallen the land and the future was being swept away. On the darkest of nights, the wizard concentrated his magic to summon a noble light. The light resembled a tiny man made of fire who was anchored to the wick of an enchanted candle. The wizard named the man, Flame.

Flame was grateful for the life cast into him and honored to provide a soothing light in return. But after several moons, the wizard noticed his friend’s light was fading. A foreign emotion had begun to fester in Flame’s heart, it was called melancholy. Worried, the wizard took action and retrieved one of his finest sheets of paper vellum. He placed the paper on his desk and rolled up his sleeves. Aiming his wand, he mumbled a few magical sounds into his long grey beard. The tip of the wand glowed like molten lava, and released a bolt of magic that electrified the paper vellum, infusing it with life. The delicate sheet began to tremble. Flame looked on with glowing curiosity. Slowly, the sheet began to fold upon itself. It twisted and creased. It folded and unfolded. It pleated and opened until at last, a recognizable figure was created—a delicate paper girl known simply as, Vellum.

The girl lay still on the table at the edge of Flame’s light. Her eyes were closed but she was breathing. Captivated by what he saw, Flame pushed his light a little further and wrapped the girl in his warm glow. The warmth made Vellum stir. She stretched her arms and opened her large round eyes, turning a delicate face to the source of the light. When she met Flame’s gaze, she smiled for the first time. She couldn’t blush, but she felt as if she could as she stared into the eyes of the man made of fire. Flame had never seen anything so beautiful and wished he could reach out and touch her lovely face. Her smile alone was enough to cast out the loneliness. He swelled with joy and the entire room filled with a magnificent light.

Satisfied, the wizard put away his wand and gave his creations a warning. He told Vellum should she get too close, Flame’s light would burn her to ash and she would perish. But, the wizard also said the day would come when they would be together as one. Their union would bring an end to the rains and hope for a brighter future. The two nodded, heeding the wizard’s cryptic words, and Vellum kept a safe distance from the enchanted candle.   

But distance proved powerless in keeping Flame and Vellum from spending endless nights together. They shared their thoughts and dreams, and soon the two became close in heart. One night, the paper girl danced for her flame. It was an expression of love, and the only gift she could give that could not be destroyed by fire. With music in her heart, she danced. Her arms painted rainbows in the sky. Her heels kicked high as she twirled on her toes. She was a delight to behold. Flame could have watched her for hours but soon sadness unfolded. Watching her dance reminded him of everything he could never do or ever touch. How he wished he could hold Vellum in his arms and dance with her.

The wizard also watched Vellum as she pirouetted across the room. A sad smile hung on his face. The outside world had long lost all hope, but when he looked at Flame and Vellum he knew, their love could bring it back. The time had arrived. The wizard glanced out the window, pausing for a moment at the sound of despair that rained against the glass. Then, he placed his head on his desk, and closed his eyes.

Sorrow fell upon the room. Vellum and Flame realized their friend had closed his eyes for the last time. But something else came over them—fear. Without magic, the candle was no longer enchanted, and Flame knew he would soon burn to the end of the wick, disappearing forever. Vellum raged against the thought. She searched the wizard’s books for answers, but no answers could be found.

Then, the floods came.

Outside, the rains brought floodwaters that rose with determination. Water forced its way into the room. It trickled through cracks, and rushed in rivulets from under the door. The floor was soon covered with water that never ceased to rise. When the water reached the wizard’s waist, it pulled him from the desk, and his body disappeared beneath the surface. Flame’s heart filled with despair. He cursed his body that committed him to the candle. His forever was with Vellum. How could life be so cruel?

Inevitably, water cold as death reached the edge of the table. Vellum would be washed away and Flame’s light extinguished forever. Yet despite this brutal fate, they still refused to succumb to the floods. In an act of eternal love, as the water spilled over the surface of the desk, Vellum turned towards Flame. She ran into his burning light. Then, she jumped. Responding with the love he felt for her, Flame expanded his noble light, and received her in his arms. For a fleeting moment he felt her, and held her, and watched her smile one last time. As she smothered his light while his fire burned through her body, the cold waters took them both and they became one.      

When the rains had washed everything from the land, the only thing that remained was a patch of soil nourished by ash, born of love and hope. The sun returned, and warmed the land, and from the ashes, rose a man. Flesh and bone replaced fire and wick, and at his side rose a woman. He recognized her large round eyes and beautiful smile. It was Vellum. Flame looked at her in awe and she blushed under his gaze. Reaching for her without fear, Vellum fell into his arms. Hope had returned to the world and finally, Flame and Vellum danced towards a brighter future.  

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Thank you for stopping by and 

Happy New Year!

:D

IWSG: How Long-Term Fatigue Affected My Writing

I knew something was wrong when I stopped dreaming. 

It started over a year ago when I decided it best to write in the evenings after everyone had gone to bed. The logic that supported my decision was sound. After all, it was the only time the house was quite, distractions drawn to a minimum, and interruptions were just about nil. The only thing I didn't take into consideration was me, but I'll get back to that later. So every night, as the moon rose into the sky, I wrote my little heart out. My head rarely found a pillow before midnight but that was fine by me, I saw progress between the pages of my manuscript and the late nights were worth it. Several months went by, my manuscript was in the hands of my editor, and in this down time I focused on blogging, facebook, twitter and started other writing projects. 

It didn't take long before I hijacked my sleep cycle and gave my circadian rhythm the big ole F.U. After that, I was crashing to bed around 2am and waking back up at 7am. By now, my body was getting a little irritated with me and started sending me messages. It was clear I was being told to stop being an idiot and get more sleep. Did I listen? Of course not. 'I can handle it!' I said. Turns out, not only was I not able to 'handle it,' but my body did not like being ignored and it proceeded to kick my butt until I listened. The effects were varied and not pretty. Here's what followed:

I started having difficulties concentrating on any particular task. 

My run times on the race track regressed. 

I gained weight.

I felt tired. All. The. Damn. Time. 

I procrastinated. A lot.

My muse, due to lack of sleep, packed up his shit and split. 

Crappy posts that should have take me hours to write, took me days to finish. 

You know how aggravating it is to have ideas pop into your head just as you're about to fall asleep? Well not having any ideas come to you is worse. The pad of paper on my night stand stayed blank for months and the magic of writing was slipping through my tired little fingers. 

My writing suffered. 

I started feeling depressed. 

And then I stopped dreaming. Or maybe I was no longer able to remember my dreams. Before, I was someone who dreamt all the time and could recall my dreams or at least fragments of them. And let me tell you, that was fun because I have the craziest, wildest, dancing-with-blue-whales dreams . . . or at least I used to. 

In the end, I lost my joy for writing. 

What started out as a reasonable shift in my schedule to gain more writing time, turned into six months of the most counterproductive writing I've ever struggled through. And the thing is, I knew what I was doing was stupid but I took that risk regardless. We always know, deep down don't we? Now, I've got a mess to clean up before I start having some serious health issues to deal with. Here's the update:

Two weeks ago I started getting to bed no later than midnight, no matter what.

I cut back on my blogging and other social media time. Sorry in advance if I haven't gotten to your blogs. I will though, soon. (: 

Last week I made awesome progress during running practice. It felt good to enjoy practices again. 

I'm still waiting for my muse to come back. I think he's still mad at me. And yes, my muse is a guy. A hot, sexy, sensitive, intelligent, imaginary guy. *le sigh*

Still taking me crazy amounts of time to write the simplest things, but at least I'm starting to feel the quality of my writing improve. 

So it seems I've decided to stop being a total idiot, and guess what? Last night, I had the strangest dream . . . (:

I hope those of you who are having similar issues find a way to make the necessary adjustments and get back onto a better sleep cycle. People don't realize how important sleep is to your health. Or maybe you do but you're not listening. If that's the case, then let this be the moment you unplug your ears and start listening to your body. Trust me, you're worth it and so is your writing.

Let's stop being idiots together. (:

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A big thank you to our host, Alex Cavanaugh and his amazing IWSG co-hosts this month. If you would like to know more about this awesome group of writers, click HERE or click the Insecure Writers Support Group icon at the top of my right side bar.