Tag: Darla

  • Darla’s Writer Wednesday – Inspiration

    Dear friend and gifted writer Nicole Gordon once gifted me an inspirational book. It’s called “Rip the Page! Adventures in Creative Writing” and offers all sorts of open-ended writing experiments, encouragement from writers and poets, and enough blank pages to let your words roam.

    That’s taken from the cover, by the way, and fittingly descriptive. Karen Benke and company clearly wish to instill a love of words in children, a worthy endeavor, while also entertaining this adult with some very clever suggestions.

    One involves quirky phrases which Ms. Benke suggests we cut apart and put into a little container. Then, when a writer wants something to get creative juices flowing, he or she simply pulls out a slip.

    So that’s what I did today. My phrase ended up being “It’s like a slow collapse of words”. That curious imagery resulted in a bittersweet ficlet to be posted on my Darla M. Sands blog.

    What inspires you? I’d enjoy reading your suggestions in the comments.

    Whatever fires your creativity, I hope you build a bonfire. Happy writing!

  • T is for Tastiness

    Can a Whoopass

    Okay, I’m not sure tastiness is a good subject title. But I’m ready for dinner. So sue me. And I didn’t get assigned the letter O but it is my own fault. I could have requested it. Then again, I wasn’t hungry at the time.

    ~shakes head~

    Anyway, my super secret subject for today is a food I have not yet gotten the pleasure of trying – Japanese okonomiyaki. But I want to taste so badly I can almost imagine a bite on my tongue. Read about it for yourself, if you’d like.

    You can check out the Wikipedia article here.

    If you took a peek, tell me if they don’t look delicious. Chinese egg foo young, even delivered to my Midwestern United States suburban door, makes my mouth water just thinking about it. The thought of adding dashi, squid, and cabbage to the batter only makes this more intriguing.

    Fortunately, I discovered a restaurant which serves okonomiyaki in Columbus, Ohio USA. Now I just need an excuse to head that way someday soon. I plan to call ahead, even, and make sure it’s on the menu that day.

    Do you like any cuisine that’s hard to find in your area?

    I’d like to read about any dishes you miss from your home abroad or haven’t enjoyed since your grandmother passed away. Food can be a powerful force of nostalgia. Wish me luck in making new memories…

     

  • N is for Nice Girls Writing Naughty

     

    Since I am not affiliated personally with the blog Nice Girls Writing Naughty, I feel it’s not inappropriate to promote the group. On the other hand our own very dear and talented team of A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder are very justifiably represented. I can personally vouch that these two are both extremely nice. And they write some extremely delicious naughtiness.

    In case you had not guessed the novel content of these authors is erotica in various, glorious forms. To give fair warning, you may not want to open their home page at work. But I urge you to check them out if you like steamy romance.  Here’s the link.

     

    They even have a reading club in which various titles are discussed on a regular basis. I hope you’ll check it out!

    So, dear reader, what’s on your novel wish list? Personally, I’m looking forward to the next Noon and Wilder publication.

     

  • H is for Hens

    This sounds like a very odd subject, chickens. In fact my choice tells you just how much I’m looking forward to vacation. You see, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina there is a little historic farm on Roanoke Island. The name is simply Island Farm.

    My partner and I appreciate the place for its history and also its hens. They are even a vintage breed, which fascinates us. And their clucks are very soothing.

    Isn’t she beautiful?

    They also make us laugh, gathering around their water cooler like office workers and running fast as lightning when there is corn on offer. Animals of all shapes and sizes make me grateful. Their presence grounds me and makes me smile.

    It’s even better when the ocean is mere miles away.

    Do you have any special summer travel plans?

  • B is for Blogging!

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    Happy April! I’m pleased to be contributing to the challenge this month with my talented friends. My own theme this spring is music from my collection and I nearly used Bile (as in the band) for my post here.

    Somehow, though, that name seemed just a little, well… gross. So I decided to blog about blogging. The art is not something at which I’m particularly prolific or gifted but have certainly met some wonderful people around the world. Additionally, it never ceases to impress me when folks manage to make money with the creative endeavor.

    Several bloggers I’ve come to follow, especially in the nation of India, receive trips in return for product reviews. My favorite had to be an overnight visit cross country where my blogging friend got to tour an industrial plant. The writers all feasted on wonderful sounding foods and enjoyed the company of their peers.

    And they took home goodies! Swag, I tell you!

    It made me jealous until I remembered how introverted I am. Hence blogging gives me the perfect opportunity to reach out to the world from the comfort of my own home.

    What about you? Do you blog? Does it earn you benefits outside the creativeness? Please let us know in the comments so I can turn green with envy.

  • T Is For… Thaumaturgic – Flash Fiction Word Prompt

    Theo, eyebrows bridged by a crease of concentration, waved her fingers midair in a seeming random pattern. When she finished, Sela gasped. The glowing trails coalesced to clearly show a portrait of their mother. The image sparkled before disappearing.

    “You can do it, too. When…?”

    “The night Mom died,” Theo whispered.

    “We can’t tell him. You do know that, right?”

    “I know, Sela. If Father finds out, I’ll be put in the institution just like Mom.”

    Sela sat up straight, fists balled in her lap. Fear gathered in her throat but she shook her head and swallowed it.

    “He’ll have to go through me first,” she growled.

    The air shimmered and the eyes of both girls widened. They clasped hands and bowed their heads, thanking the goddess and their mother’s spirit. Two would now stand strong against the blindly bigoted theocracy headed by their maniacal patriarch.

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  • K Is For… Kibitzer – Flash Fiction Word Prompt



    Karl shook his head. What an unfair nickname! He wasn’t really Karl the Kibitzer, was he? Sure he liked to joke around, but his wisecracks weren’t disruptive like the Yiddish word implied.
    At least he got off relatively light. Those jerks around the water cooler called some of their colleagues much worse. He figured Lester the Molester should file a lawsuit, in fact. Finished drying his hands, Karl tossed the paper towel in the trash and squared his shoulders.
     I’ll show them, he thought. They won’t get a word out of me the rest of the day.
    Five minutes later, Karl interrupted an important conference call to tell about the squirrel trapped in his fireplace last fall. After all, who didn’t love that story? Oblivious of his coworkers’ eye rolls, Karl felt certain he heard their customer laughing through the speaker.

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  • H Is For… Holes – As in Plots (get that mind out of the gutter ~grin~)


    I tend to write without outlines, character sheets, or even much of a plan. Sometimes this approach fails utterly because the stories can go off on a tangent and then sputter out.  Or, as referenced in the name of this post, the plot ends up full of holes. That is at least fixable. Other times, however, something clicks for extremely satisfying results.
    For the month of April, I’m endeavoring to rewrite a story that faltered back in November of 2013 during National Novel Writing Month. The Office of Letters and Light is hosting a similar challenge called Camp NaNo, so it’s full steam ahead once again.
    Some new ideas have since cropped up for my contemporary gay romance tale, and that feels good. As of today (actually April fifth as I type this), the tale has not advanced far but I am hopeful. The whole idea came about with a silly opening line. Then I thought of an interesting name and just ran with it. We’ll see how it goes as the month progresses.
    If you’re a writer, what tools work to help you create a cohesive story? Inquiring minds want to know. ~grin~ Happy writing!

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  • E Is For… Event – Camp NaNo


    Besides posting some A to Z entries here and the entire alphabet for my Darla M. Sands blog, I am also endeavoring to meet another writing challenge. The Office of Letters and Light, hosts of November’s National Novel Writing Month, provide still more opportunities for writer’s to test themselves. Camp NaNo happens in both April and July, I believe (can’t stop to research details now!).
    The rules are much less strict than for NaNoWriMo, and contestants can even set their own word count. I, however, decided to go for broke and attempt another fifty thousand during the month just as in November. Wish me luck.
    What are you writing today?

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  • B Is For… Book Review – What Dreams May Come


    I’ve just finished reading a YA book by author Beth M. Honeycutt. I’m so glad my friend Rochelle Bradley introduced me because the story What Dreams May Come is very, very sweet. And Ms. Honeycutt is a professional editor, which makes this a very polished read.
    Ellie Cross, our young protagonist, has a frequent dream companion named Gabe. He visits her regularly, appearing as if on cue to commiserate over deep sorrows or share surprising joys. And she can spill her heart to him utterly since there’s no reason for regret or hesitation simply because Gabe isn’t real.
    After all, her mother even paid a therapist to help convince Ellie. So the shy, overlooked girl makes the best of the situation, enjoying this long-lasting companionship as a private sanctuary. If she must keep Gabe’s continued appearance secret from her mother, then so be it. At least someone accepts her without judgment or disappointment.
    I feel that Ellie, however bullied at school, could have easily come across as terribly unappreciative of the good in her life. I mean, things could be so much worse as the young lady herself comes to learn. However, Ms. Honeycutt does a lovely job of balancing over-reactive teenage angst with deep human pain.
    As for escapism, who wouldn’t want their own private guardian angel? And maybe, just maybe, they can take real human form. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
    You can find various retailers with some very reasonable prices here:
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