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Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Blogging & Writing


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How A World-Class Acrophobic Survived Pyramid Peak (sort of) & Writing It Real

Disclaimer: I may have done some pretty stupid things back when I was young and foolish – like yesterday – but nothing like hiking Pyramid Peak. At least not in the last 10 minutes. (Kids, don’t try this at home.)

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You know that saying about “There’s dangerous and doable and then there’s dangerous and stupid?” (If you’ve never heard it before, don’t worry. I just made it up.) Well, guess which category the Pyramid Peak hike fell into?

My husband, aka Snuggle Bunny, and I planned to do what we always do to celebrate our anniversary: hike the hinterlands. I mean, who needs romantic candlelit dinners and tiramisu when you can chug through every mosquito-ridden, rock-strewn traipse known to man in knee-deep mud and cushion your every fall with a nice, thick slab of granite while enjoying The Great Outdoors?

Pyramid Peak 2

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The Best Days

He was one long drink of water. Thirty-ish. Long and lean. Sweat shirt and tennis shoes. Spare as a scarecrow, with enough energy to power Seattle for a fortnight, solo. Maybe more.

It wasn’t quite how I had our Friday planned. It was supposed to be a quick library in and out. Swoop in. Return some checked-out books. Pick up some new ones. Dash out. Head for the nearest Hershey’s with almonds, lickety-split.

But Sarah the Intrepid Youth Services Librarian hornswoggled my son into attending a YA author’s presentation in the downstairs meeting room. Which meant she also hornswoggled me.

Sometimes the best days are unplanned.

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Finishing Touches

Hoq River Sunset 2Hey there, sports fans. It’s that time of year again.  Another school year’s in the rear view mirror. Whew. The Stanley Cup’s been awarded – way to go, Kings! – but there’s plenty more summer sports on tap. Baseball. Wimbledon tennis. The Tour de France (Yes, I confess. Been following that epic bicycle race for years).

Ditto summer reading programs. Fresh starts. New projects while the good weather holds and one summer-gilded day glides into the next.

Recent projects around here this summer include putting the finishing touches on my new web site. You won’t find any box scores or time trials here, but if you’re even a teensy-weeny bit partial to Mozart, have I got a deal for you! :)

Visit me at: Kristine Lowder, Author. Don’t forget to leave a comment.

By the way, if you’re an author or know an author looking for some exposure for your work this summer, check out my Author Avalanche page.

In the meantime, Batter up!


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Guest Post: ‘Why You Should Never Skimp on Editing Services’

How Professional Editors Can Help

cropped-writing-photo.jpg          Professional editors became editors for a reason: they want to make better, grammatically-accurate content. They want to help writers reach their goals and love to take weak sentences and polish them into a shine. Professional editors know the market, what sells and what doesn’t, what their readers want to know about, and what style of content best suits their needs. If you’re self-publishing your novel, an investment you should not try to skimp on is editing.

When you become too familiar with your work, you can glaze over obvious errors, miss key plot mistakes, and end up publishing work that lacks readability. A professional editor can look at your work from an outsider’s perspective. They can see what you’re trying to achieve and help you reach it while also helping make it sell to readers. Their experience and knowledge is honestly, invaluable. They see cracks that you may not and their services are worth the high dollar they charge.

Why You Should Pay the Most You Can for the Best Editor

Low-balling or offering less money than you should for editors will show in your work. If you grab a freelance editor that will read your novel for $20, they won’t spend the necessary time to understand it and will give you bad advice. You may save money in the short-term, but your work will for sure suffer.

A great editor is worth the cost because of their reading and editing skills. You can read your work 100 times and still miss the spelling mistake on page 125. They understand where you need changes, what should be cut that doesn’t forward the story, and know the market. If you can only afford $200 for a good editor, make sure they have the best skills available. You want to have someone who will work with you to change your work into something great. You want an editor you can feel comfortable asking stupid questions to that you know will give you the right answers. Someone you can continue to use for any writing you have in the future. Editing really can change your story from a great promise to a throw away.

Online Proofreaders for Penny Pinchers

Money may be tight for you right now and hiring a good editor is out of reach. There are free proofreading tools, such as Grammarly, that find mistakes in your work while teaching you how to overcome your most common errors. Although it doesn’t cost a dime, Grammarly provides top tier services to writers. It can check for plagiarism, grammar, punctuation, offer stylistic changes, teach you how to avoid mistakes, and teach you new writing techniques. It also offers a community for writers to connect through their question and answer boards. I’ve used the boards a few times and the response was fast, friendly, and correct. Grammarly offers everything a writer needs without the expense.

Editors are Here to Help

Editors want to help you and can push you to be a better writer. Many famous writers, including Stephen King, have been using the same editor for years. They find a good fit and stick with them. Editors also offer excellent advice on where the market is going, style, and PR. They can help you find the right people to promote your book while making it your best possible material. Cheap editors may not always know what’s the best direction for your material and they don’t offer all the same quality services. You don’t have to break the bank to get a great editor but you also shouldn’t sacrifice the quality of your manuscript over a few dollars.

By Nikolas Baron

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About Nikolas:

Nikolas discovered his love for the written word in Elementary School, where he started spending his afternoons sprawled across the living room floor devouring one Marc Brown children’s novel after the other and writing short stories about daring pirate adventures. After acquiring some experience in various marketing, business development, and hiring roles at internet startups in a few different countries, he decided to re-unite his professional life with his childhood passions by joining Grammarly’s marketing team in San Francisco. He has the pleasure of being tasked with talking to writers, bloggers, teachers, and others about how they use Grammarly’s online proofreading application to improve their writing. His free time is spent biking, traveling, and reading.


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Cozy Quilts and ‘Cave-Dwelling Neanderthals’

It’s no coincidence.  The writing compulsion most often grabs me by the neck and shakes me till my teeth rattle when I’m surrounded by books.  For a writer, there’s something inspirational about a library.  Being in the massed presence of so many other authors is like snuggling under a cozy quilt on a snowy day.

Here in the warm embrace of some of my favorite dead people, I’ve engaged in an experiment: I’m re-reading some of my favorite stories from childhood. There’s something steadying and bracing about unearthing and enjoying a book that’s still in circulation some forty years or so after finding it the first time.  It’s like digging up a pot of gold or swan-diving into an Olympic-sized pool of Hershey’s chocolate with almonds.

It’s also kind of strange.

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Four Tips (and one secret) for Finding Your Writing Voice

If you’ve been around the writing world for any length of time, you’ve probably heard endless minions talk about “finding your writing voice.”  Maybe you’ve wondered what that means.  Or how to go about it.  Here are some tips:

First off, your writing voice is yours.  This may seem self-evident, but it’s amazing how many “writers” try to mimic someone else rather than work at developing their own style or “voice.”  Don’t be one of them.

Secondly, think of your writing “voice” as you would your spoken voice.  How do you sound aloud?  What kind of tone, accents, or intonations do you use?  Do you declare, express, state, proclaim, utter, whisper, echo, articulate or assert?  How do you express yourself verbally?  Is your voice strong, sweet, gentle, smooth, raspy, high-pitched or low?  Evaluate your writing “voice” in the same terms.  Whatever you do, be genuine.

Thirdly, realize that “finding your writing  voice” isn’t like searching for the lost city of Atlantis.  It’s not all that mysterious.  Jettison the cagey cloak-and-dagger stuff, and practice.  It’ll come.

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Set Apart: Compelling reads vs. Ho-hum?

Ever picked up a book, read through several pages or chapters and… gave up?

I brought home a book from the library the other day, the fifth in a series by a favorite author.  I read the first four books cover-to-cover in a day or two a piece.  But there was just something about the fifth book… it was like trudging through a muddy bog in hip-waders under a hundred pound pack in a monsoon at midnight.  Blindfolded.  I plowed through several chapters, teeth gritted, hoping it would get better.  Gather steam.  Engage.  It didn’t.  I eventually plopped that puppy into the library book return drop, half-read.  Try as I might, I just couldn’t “get into” that book.

Was this due to an implausible, incoherent plot?  Cardboard characterizations?  Stilted dialogue?  A pace that moved as fast as a gimpy snail in a molasses factory?  Maybe it was bad lighting, a serious dent in my private chocolate stash, or the weather?

What is it about a book or an author that disappoints?  Derails a story?  Elicits yawns, shoulder shrugs or a No-Doze run?  What do you look for in a good book – one that hooks you from the first paragraph, grabs you by the jugular, slides down your esophagus, invades your whole body and being and won’t let go until you finish it?  Compelling reads are out there.  What sets a compelling read apart from a ho-hom one?

Chime in with your comments. Don’t forget to include a favorite and a few primo titles you’d like to recommend.


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‘Training Sammie’

One of the purposes of this blog is to give new writers an opportunity to share their work and give them some visibility*. Every so often I come across an up-and-coming writer who’s a real “diamond in the rough.” Gib Check is one of them. That’s why I’m re-publishing this post from 2011.  Enjoy! Don’t forget to thank him in the comments section. (And thanks again, Gib!)

By Gib Check

           Can you better-informed cat owners tell my wife and me how to train ours? Sammie, our part-Siamese, was already house-trained when we got her, or so we thought. We figured she’d do fine with adjusting to our household routines. Instead, she’s had us jumping through her hoops ever since.

For openers, how does she know to wait until exactly 4:30 AM before she starts pawing insistently at the bedroom door? Cats are too dumb to read the time on our clocks, right? Yet, give or take a few minutes, that’s when she wants us up to start her day.

“Sammie”

As I make the bed, she circles my feet meowing impatiently to tell me it’s time for our wrestling match. And yep, I said wrestling. Her previous owner also had a dog with whom he rough-housed a bit. Jealous of the attention the dog was getting, Sammie would join in. So, growling like a wrestler, I tumble her around atop the bedspread for a few minutes. If I don’t, she pesters me until I do.

Next is her water and food bowl ritual. Even if they’re full, I must at least pretend to add more, otherwise she’s displeased. Once I’ve made a big show of dribbling in more of each, she’s satisfied.

Oddly, she thinks using the water bowl is boring at times. Whenever we forget to drop the cover over the toilet bowl, she finds it far more entertaining to scoop up water out of there. Ruthie will head for the john, only to cry out a minute later, “Gilbert! Your dumb cat splashed water on the seat!” (Whenever Sammie is naughty, she’s my cat).

A glutton for being fussed over day and night, she absolutely hates it when we leave on trips. Thinking Uh-oh! at seeing suitcases appear, she begins sounding off and keeps it up as we’re heading out the door. She’s mollified not at all by our friend who cat-sits for us. Upon our return, Sammie scolds us unmercifully the rest of the day.

Contrarily, whenever her snooty Siamese aloofness kicks in, she keeps to herself as if our presence has suddenly become bothersome. During one of her disappearing acts, we realized we hadn’t seen her all day. Suddenly worried she might have escaped outside somehow, we spent until dark looking up and down our block, but no Sammie. Even though she could be a pain in the butt at times, we’d grown quite fond of our temperamental little critter.

Making a final search indoors, I heard sounds coming from behind a dresser set diagonally into a corner. When I peeked in back, there she was! While playing around atop the dresser, she’d fallen behind it and gotten trapped. Totally unconcerned, she must’ve spent the rest of the day catching up on her beauty sleep. Glaring down at her, I exclaimed with a mix of exasperation and relief, “You little goof!” Ignoring me, she nonchalantly began licking a paw to groom her furry face. Beautifying herself is also very important, you see.

Carrying her to the den, I showed her to Ruthie. “Look who I found behind the dresser!”

Blowing out her own sigh of relief, Ruthie laughed, “Can you believe this cat? Back there all this time and never made a sound!”

It’s clear her stubborn streak of independence has convinced her that our house is actually hers and that she can darned-well do or not do whatever she pleases. And so, is there hope Sammie can be re-trained? On second thought maybe I should be asking; is there some way my wife and I can escape being trained by her?

Author Gib Check

Retired from construction, I live on a Wisconsin lake with wife Ruthie and am finally exploring being an author. When I write about our travel adventures, I focus on the fun we have meeting people and exploring these places. I’m also big on hiking, biking, canoeing, and thrill to stargazing. (I keep hinting to Ruthie and the kids about a new ‘scope). But always, it’s the writing I love.

* Have a short story, anecdote, travelogue or “slice of life” piece you’d like to see featured on Road Diverged? Let me know in the comments section or shoot me a line at: KristineWriter@gmail.com.


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Seven Deadly Social Media Sins

Congratulations! You’ve taken the plunge and joined the wonderful world of  social media.  Now that you’ve set up your Facebook, Digg, Redditt, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts and have burnished your initial blog post to a fine sheen, you’re ready for the world to snap up your pearls of wisdom.  But wait. Although savvy sales folks and business gurus often push social media as the latest and greatest marketing miracle, it has its hazards.  Here are some common pitfalls to avoid:

  1. Feeding readers a steady stream of me-centered posts. Fascinating as you may find yourself, the truth is that unless you’re the POTUS, a Nobel Laureate or the Pope, you’re probably a “small fish in a big pond.”  One way to “enlarge” or enhance your presence is to get outside yourself and engage others.  Offer content targeted to a specific audience.   Carve out and cultivate your “niche” by offering readers something they can use: tips, tools, advice, links, feedback.  Leverage your experience and expertise into a shared resource.    Respond.  Reciprocate.  Retweet.  Ask questions.  Don’t forget to comment.
  2. Opening an account and using it once in a blue moon.  Your life need not revolve around your Twitter account or blog, nor do you need to develop a Facebook addiction that sends you into withdrawals if you’re not checking in every 20 minutes.  But you need to post on a reasonably regular basis if you want to retain your readers/followers.  Don’t forget to complete your profile and keep it updated!
  3. Posting ho-hum or redundant content. You’re not the only game in town.  If you’re not offering a new angle, fresh perspective, something original or breaking news, your followers will find someone who is.
  4. Using profanity. A big turn-off and a big no-no.
  5. Wordiness. You’ll lose readers if you dump the online equivalent of War and Peace on ‘em every time you post. Choose your content carefully, keeping in mind your focus, theme, and intended audience. Keep posts short, sweet, and to the point (2,000 words doesn’t qualify).  Offer value, not volume.
  6. Expecting to be an overnight heavyweight. Building a social media following takes time and effort.  Schedule in a bit of time each day to work your outlets.  Post quality content to a targeted audience.  Participate, contribute, and be patient.
  7. Taking your readers for granted. Social media is a community. Think dialogue, not monologue.  Focus on building relationships and networking.  That means joining a conversation, offering help, advice, or encouragement and highlighting those who contribute.

If your primary goal in using social media is to promote yourself or your product, you don’t get it.  Instead of selling or self-promotion, focus on building friendships and offering content with “take-away” value.  Be patient.  Stay focused.  Don’t forget your manners.  “Please” and “Thank you” go a long way in both real and virtual worlds.

Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be well on your way to increasing your social media traffic.  Bon voyage!

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Coming up:

Part 1 of a five-part series: Write Away...


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What Makes You a Writer?

If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If you feel blocked, write through it until you feel your creative juices flowing again. Writing is what makes a writer, nothing more and nothing less.

– Anna Rice

WordsDo you feel better about yourself when you’re working on an unfinished writing project, making progress?  When you’ve bagged that elusive characterization?  Nailed down that clever dialogue or subtle pacing?  I do.

A Day Without…

Someone once said, “A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.”  I’ll go one further: “A day without writing is like a day without orange juice.”  And by “writing” I don’t mean 10,000 words every day (although if you can manage to whip that out on a regular basis, you may qualify for Guinness Book of World records status.)

 I mean have you:

– Jotted down a story idea or character?

– Outlined a new novel?

– Worked on your latest manuscript?

– Journaled?

– Blogged?

– Whipped a troublesome storyline into shape?

– Crashed through that writer’s block?

– Polished up a chapter?

– Re-worked some rickety dialogue?

What Doesn’t Count

Tweeting and updating your Facebook don’t count.  That’s not “writing,” – as in, expending mental energy and effort to create and communicate something unique, fresh, and relevant.  Tweets and Facebooking, although they have their place, are to writing what Cliff’s Notes are to Shakespeare.  There’s a difference.

If you need a friendly jump-start, check out:

34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer

Seven Writing Tips from Stephen King

Books Are a Writer’s Best Friend 

(more on this in an upcoming post.)

Skipping the Tiramisu Cover 3To reiterate Rice, “Writing is what makes a writer, nothing more and nothing less.”  To explore the concept more fully, grab a free copy of my ebook, Skipping the Tiramisu: Becoming the Writer You Were Born to Be.

How have you worked on your writing this week?

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Up next: How to Avoid Sneezing By Email and Books to Grow By.