Hey there everybody! If you are still following this blog, I just wanted to let you know about my new and much cooler blog, which will be the center of operations for all of my writing! Head over to the new blog and check it out!
heidinicolebird.blogspot.com
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Deep Sludge
One of my all time favorite movies is A Goofy Movie, and one of the most memorable quotes, at least for me (there are MANY!) is after Max tells a major lie to Roxanne. As he walks away from her doorstep he looks down and states "I'm in deep sludge."
That is what I feel like right now. I've hit a rut. A bump in the road. This is probably obvious considering how little I have posted this past while. The problem now though is that the bump in the road has inverted itself and created a hole. A sort of bad, sort of awesome hole. See, the problem is that all I want to do is write. That's it. All day, all the time. I don't want to do anything else. I just want to work on my two current novel projects and get into the published world!
Unfortunately I live in the real world (even though I prefer not to, and I try not too, hence my love for writing fantasy). Since I live in the rather dismal world that this is, I need money, which means, I need to get a job. Like now. I'm literally at the end of my rope, so much so that I canceled my cell phone! Annoying? Yes.
So, lately I've been checking out the online freelance circuit. There is definitely a lot out there, but there is also a lot of competition and a lot of places that don't pay very well.
So, my question for you is, have you ever done freelance writing? Have you been paid for your writing in some form? Last week I did score getting paid for an article, but not much. Still, it's a foot in the door!
- Heidi Nicole Bird
That is what I feel like right now. I've hit a rut. A bump in the road. This is probably obvious considering how little I have posted this past while. The problem now though is that the bump in the road has inverted itself and created a hole. A sort of bad, sort of awesome hole. See, the problem is that all I want to do is write. That's it. All day, all the time. I don't want to do anything else. I just want to work on my two current novel projects and get into the published world!
Unfortunately I live in the real world (even though I prefer not to, and I try not too, hence my love for writing fantasy). Since I live in the rather dismal world that this is, I need money, which means, I need to get a job. Like now. I'm literally at the end of my rope, so much so that I canceled my cell phone! Annoying? Yes.
So, lately I've been checking out the online freelance circuit. There is definitely a lot out there, but there is also a lot of competition and a lot of places that don't pay very well.
So, my question for you is, have you ever done freelance writing? Have you been paid for your writing in some form? Last week I did score getting paid for an article, but not much. Still, it's a foot in the door!
- Heidi Nicole Bird
Thursday, June 7, 2012
For Real
Ok people, I have returned to put you at ease. No, I have not died, I am still here and pumpin! And this time I intend to be back, FOR REAL!!! Crazy, I know, but lately I have been so gung-ho about writing there's just not much to do about it. I have created three more blogs about other things that I love to research/write about and I am determined to keep up on this one as well! I have also started to write in other places online, and I will also be getting back into my novel writing. Woohoo!!! My goal is to finish my current project and get going on making a second, MUCH more polished version of my first book. Here's to posting, writing, and editing! I hope the rest of you haven't been slacking like I have been, because it really isn't fun. Let's do this thing!
-Heidi Nicole Bird
-Heidi Nicole Bird
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Fighting for Breath
OK guys, wow, I feel super beyond lame! I feel like I've fallen off the back of the truck. Got dumped on the road. Really, I feel like a fish who was having just so much fun in the ocean that it didn't realize how close it was to the beach and inadvertently flopped right out and is now gasping for breath and trying to get back to the water. Yep, that sounds about right. Remember my last post, how I basically said the same thing and that I was going to get back into the swing of things? Yeah, hasn't really happened. EXCEPT! I did officially start Script Frenzy. That being said, I have only written about six pages, and it is already the fifth of April. Not off to such a hot start. I've found that I really love script writing, but that it is DANG different than writing a novel and that I am nowhere near as good at it. Even so, I am going to persist! I will push through! I am super mega determined to get back into my writing groove. I was seriously in a great one before I got off track. The book I stopped writing is seriously, in my opinion, the best I have ever written, and it is about time I got back to it. I miss my characters! Hopefully they miss me.
SO, this time, FOR REAL, I'm jumping back in. The very second, OK maybe minute, that I post this, I am going to go back to writing. Probably working on my script. Hopefully the rest of you are in a better state than I am. If you are, what are you working on right now? If you aren't, hey let's find our way back to the water together!
- Heidi Nicole Bird
SO, this time, FOR REAL, I'm jumping back in. The very second, OK maybe minute, that I post this, I am going to go back to writing. Probably working on my script. Hopefully the rest of you are in a better state than I am. If you are, what are you working on right now? If you aren't, hey let's find our way back to the water together!
- Heidi Nicole Bird
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Writing and the Language Barrier
At the moment I am supposed to be reading "Legal Rights to Land in the Early Chancery," by Edith Henderson for my English Paleography class, but focusing has become futile. Just like every other school day I finished my classes and then headed to my usual spot in the lobby of my Dad's building. Today, however, has been different than most days.
My Dad just happens to be the head of international travel here at the university, and so, the building who's lobby I so often utilize is also the Center for International Study. As one of the resources for students and other people who may wish to come, this building houses many speakers from all over the world. I have attended one myself - an ambassador from France - and quite enjoyed the experience. That was back when I was still a beginner with French, and I was so proud when I could raise my hand when the ambassador asked who in the room could speak French. I'm happy to say that had he decided to speak in his native language, I would have done very well if he were speaking today!
Funny enough, the speaker today was also a French-speaker. BUT, he wasn't French. He was Mongolian. From what I can tell from the poster over there he was talking about "The 25th Anniversary of Mongolia-U.S. relations." I caught a few little bits of what he was saying, but I wasn't paying that much attention. My attention was hopelessly grasped, however, when the speaker finished, and from the room came not the group of students I was expecting, but a few students and a lot of other Mongolian people! Suddenly the lobby was filled with them and they had literally surrounded one other girl and I who had chosen the best chairs in the room. That was probably over a half an hour ago, and they are still here! I love foreign people, and I am thoroughly enjoying listening to them speak their language. They are, however, making it impossible for me to read any of my homework!
So, let's take this international theme and add in some writing bits, just to make things even more fun! Like I said, I love international things, especially French things. I have greatly enjoyed using my reading and writing skills to understand and create things not only in English, but also in French. I feel like I have access to a whole other world that the rest of my family members and friends do not. Of course, many of them have access to even more worlds that are unlocked by other languages. It think that it is a beautiful thing to be a part of both of these worlds, and I try to incorporate things from French culture and language into what I write.
What about you? What do you think about when an author has quotes in another language in their book? Does it annoy you because you can't understand? Does it give you a fiery desire to learn the language solely so you could understand? If any of you have read the Hourglass Door Trilogy by Lisa Mangum, you may have experienced this feeling just as I did!
If you are bilingual, what language to you usually write in? Do you only write in your native language? If you write in more than one, why? For enjoyment? To expand your audience? To hide things from your siblings? I would love to hear about it!
My Dad just happens to be the head of international travel here at the university, and so, the building who's lobby I so often utilize is also the Center for International Study. As one of the resources for students and other people who may wish to come, this building houses many speakers from all over the world. I have attended one myself - an ambassador from France - and quite enjoyed the experience. That was back when I was still a beginner with French, and I was so proud when I could raise my hand when the ambassador asked who in the room could speak French. I'm happy to say that had he decided to speak in his native language, I would have done very well if he were speaking today!
Funny enough, the speaker today was also a French-speaker. BUT, he wasn't French. He was Mongolian. From what I can tell from the poster over there he was talking about "The 25th Anniversary of Mongolia-U.S. relations." I caught a few little bits of what he was saying, but I wasn't paying that much attention. My attention was hopelessly grasped, however, when the speaker finished, and from the room came not the group of students I was expecting, but a few students and a lot of other Mongolian people! Suddenly the lobby was filled with them and they had literally surrounded one other girl and I who had chosen the best chairs in the room. That was probably over a half an hour ago, and they are still here! I love foreign people, and I am thoroughly enjoying listening to them speak their language. They are, however, making it impossible for me to read any of my homework!
So, let's take this international theme and add in some writing bits, just to make things even more fun! Like I said, I love international things, especially French things. I have greatly enjoyed using my reading and writing skills to understand and create things not only in English, but also in French. I feel like I have access to a whole other world that the rest of my family members and friends do not. Of course, many of them have access to even more worlds that are unlocked by other languages. It think that it is a beautiful thing to be a part of both of these worlds, and I try to incorporate things from French culture and language into what I write.
What about you? What do you think about when an author has quotes in another language in their book? Does it annoy you because you can't understand? Does it give you a fiery desire to learn the language solely so you could understand? If any of you have read the Hourglass Door Trilogy by Lisa Mangum, you may have experienced this feeling just as I did!
If you are bilingual, what language to you usually write in? Do you only write in your native language? If you write in more than one, why? For enjoyment? To expand your audience? To hide things from your siblings? I would love to hear about it!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Vacuum of Time and Script Frenzy
OK, WOW, IT HAS BEEN WAY TOO LONG SINCE I'VE POSTED!
Sorry if that felt like I was yelling at you! Mostly, it is you who should be yelling at me! I've been neglecting you wonderful followers of mine, and any of you who are newcomers. If you are a newcomer, welcome! If you are a follower, welcome back! Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here! See, the thing is, there's this thing that I like to call "the vacuum of time." All of us have experience it. We plan to do things, but time decides otherwise, and before we even realize it, all the time in the day has flown by, and we have no idea what we've done with it!
Unfortunately, this has been happening to me a lot lately. Only a short while ago I was gung-ho, all out ready to hit the world with my writing skills! Not so much as of late. I was steadily working on my fourth novel (which has quickly become my favorite), and I was proud of how I was keeping up on this blog!
So, thanks to the past little while of spending way too much time on my favorite French musicals and way too little time on my writing, I have not been progressing very much at all. BUT! The cool thing is, I've decided to pick myself up from the dusty old floor and get back up to the writing table! Hopefully if you have been lagging behind, you'll join me in this! We all need each other's support, and that is what the writing community is here for! At least, that's how I see it. So, here we go, back into the wild fray that is the world of writing! I hope you'll join me. I look forward to having you along for the ride!
If you are needing something to get your inner writer back into shape, you should try Script Frenzy, one of the programs offered by the Office of Letters and Light. It begins April 1, and you have the entire month of April to write yourself the 100-page script you have always dreamed of! Ok, so maybe you haven't always dreamed of writing a script. I, for one, had never considered it at all until this year. And you know what? I have no idea what to write, or even how to write a great script, but I'm going to do it anyway! I'll also be dealing with finals and graduation, but hey, when do we ever not have something going on. If I can write a 50,00 word novel in a month, three years in a row, then surely I can handle this!
Maybe this will be a crash-and-burn sort of thing. Maybe not. Either way, it will be fun, and I hope you'll give it a try. Remember, I'll be trying it out, right along side you! If you have been a good little writer and have been keeping up with things, I say to you BRAVO! For the rest of us, here's to getting back on our chargers and riding triumphantly into the future!
Sorry if that felt like I was yelling at you! Mostly, it is you who should be yelling at me! I've been neglecting you wonderful followers of mine, and any of you who are newcomers. If you are a newcomer, welcome! If you are a follower, welcome back! Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here! See, the thing is, there's this thing that I like to call "the vacuum of time." All of us have experience it. We plan to do things, but time decides otherwise, and before we even realize it, all the time in the day has flown by, and we have no idea what we've done with it!
Unfortunately, this has been happening to me a lot lately. Only a short while ago I was gung-ho, all out ready to hit the world with my writing skills! Not so much as of late. I was steadily working on my fourth novel (which has quickly become my favorite), and I was proud of how I was keeping up on this blog!
So, thanks to the past little while of spending way too much time on my favorite French musicals and way too little time on my writing, I have not been progressing very much at all. BUT! The cool thing is, I've decided to pick myself up from the dusty old floor and get back up to the writing table! Hopefully if you have been lagging behind, you'll join me in this! We all need each other's support, and that is what the writing community is here for! At least, that's how I see it. So, here we go, back into the wild fray that is the world of writing! I hope you'll join me. I look forward to having you along for the ride!
If you are needing something to get your inner writer back into shape, you should try Script Frenzy, one of the programs offered by the Office of Letters and Light. It begins April 1, and you have the entire month of April to write yourself the 100-page script you have always dreamed of! Ok, so maybe you haven't always dreamed of writing a script. I, for one, had never considered it at all until this year. And you know what? I have no idea what to write, or even how to write a great script, but I'm going to do it anyway! I'll also be dealing with finals and graduation, but hey, when do we ever not have something going on. If I can write a 50,00 word novel in a month, three years in a row, then surely I can handle this!
Maybe this will be a crash-and-burn sort of thing. Maybe not. Either way, it will be fun, and I hope you'll give it a try. Remember, I'll be trying it out, right along side you! If you have been a good little writer and have been keeping up with things, I say to you BRAVO! For the rest of us, here's to getting back on our chargers and riding triumphantly into the future!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Power of Words
I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for anything that does an outstanding job of using words. For example, I love the line "set fire to the rain," from Adele's new song, even though I'm not a huge fan of the actual song. There are just certain combinations of words that just "do me in" big time and I instantly fall in love. Who doesn't fall for, or at least refer to, this immortal line, whether we understand it or not?
But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.
Romeo and Juliet Act 2, scene 2, 2-6
There is just something about words and the way that some people know how to use them. I appreciate great users of words in just about any setting, whether it is a poem, script, movie, tv-show, random saying, comment, poster, book, or even a comedian. Comedians make a living off of knowing how to use their words in just the right way. I wanted to share such case with you. This video was brought to my attention last week and I have watched it several times, showing it to everyone in my family, and in each case we were all laughing. Check out this link. Hopefully it livens up your day a little!
So, are you a sucker like I am? Where have you been inspired? What lines have taken your breath away?
But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.
Romeo and Juliet Act 2, scene 2, 2-6
There is just something about words and the way that some people know how to use them. I appreciate great users of words in just about any setting, whether it is a poem, script, movie, tv-show, random saying, comment, poster, book, or even a comedian. Comedians make a living off of knowing how to use their words in just the right way. I wanted to share such case with you. This video was brought to my attention last week and I have watched it several times, showing it to everyone in my family, and in each case we were all laughing. Check out this link. Hopefully it livens up your day a little!
So, are you a sucker like I am? Where have you been inspired? What lines have taken your breath away?
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