tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89126006512590285532011-07-08T11:54:25.705-07:00Aspiring Romance Writer Mom - Pay it forward, people.Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-15252629965904645522010-06-11T10:08:00.000-07:002010-06-11T10:23:50.324-07:00

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anais NinYes, it's been awhile. Over a year and a half. I'm in the process of overhauling a lot of things right now, the blog included. I stopped writing when I stopped blogging. Sad but true. Not the kind of thing a writer likes to admit, let alone practice. Life has been kind of crazy the past two years, but it's taught me a lesson or

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-19477104245631014792008-11-13T09:35:00.000-08:002008-11-13T09:43:37.858-08:00

Judge a tree by its fruit, not by its leaves – EuripidesOne of the things I like about Lost is the depth of characterization. Just when you think you have someone figured out, a weed from the past sprouts up and strangles their belief system. Some characters, like Jack, have obvious merit and self-worth, but their heroic acts screen hidden stores of conflict. Others, like Kate, are light on

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-62941771623797804652008-11-04T17:01:00.000-08:002008-11-04T17:09:01.743-08:00

The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy. – Helen HayesPreviously, on Fear, Itself: the gang has been invited to a haunted house party at Alpha Delt, but a hinky icon painted on the floor infuses the building with serious mojo. Decorations animate and mortal fears manifest. Trapped inside, our crew discovers frat brother Chaz cowering in a closet.Chaz babbles to himself,

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-63377004774899966222008-10-31T08:09:00.000-07:002008-10-31T08:17:05.180-07:00

Everything I’ve ever done was out of fear of being mediocre – Chet AtkinsHappy Halloween! Fear, Itself was the second Halloween-themed episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, advertising each character’s worst nightmare like a Walmart circular. An entire show devoted to black moments. For writers, it doesn’t get any better than this.Situated in season four, the Scooby gang has graduated from high

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-71753485575929681682008-10-24T11:07:00.000-07:002008-10-24T11:25:48.136-07:00

When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future. - Bernard MeltzerThe first regular season episode following Lost’s pilot is entitled Tabula Rasa, the Latin phrase for “blank slate.” The metaphor tilts more on the side of fresh start than blank slate, but it takes the entire episode before any new beginnings appear possible.The U.S. Marshal (aka shrapnel man)

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-67756268321019065202008-10-20T19:17:00.000-07:002008-10-20T19:33:25.727-07:00

The game is nearly up, the hounds are at my door. – Tom T. HallIn First Impressions, we examined Kate’s character as revealed in the first hour of Lost. The conundrum of Kate’s characterization isn’t fully realized for several episodes, but one giant piece of the puzzle is finally divulged. And it’s a doozy.Hour two begins by explaining Charlie’s sudden outpouring of companionable magnanimity. A

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-68299911531454266112008-10-08T14:43:00.000-07:002008-10-08T14:48:21.502-07:00

Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount. - Clare Booth LuceFirst impressions can be dicey things. Sometimes what you see is what you get. And sometimes you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The former adage seems to apply fairly handily to Jack Shephard’s character in the premiere episode of Lost. On the surface, he’s a heroic guy, putting the needs of others first like you’

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-68994291865625830832008-09-25T15:36:00.000-07:002008-10-06T14:09:34.249-07:00

Start with action. Explain it later. -- John GrishamI’m back! Okay, enough about me.Picking up where we left off in Paradise Lost, character development is the topic, featuring a key cast member from the mysterious action adventure series, Lost.Lost embraces the action-packed premiere like few series on TV today. That’s great for winning over the coveted 18-49 male demographic, but it can strip

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-22755674675361325422008-07-17T09:06:00.000-07:002008-07-17T09:51:04.887-07:00

"If your parents never have children, chances are you won't, either." Dick CavettThis isn't a particularly relevant quote other than I think it's pretty ironic and my kids are partially to blame for my current blogging drought. When summer approaches, I always harbor the same misconception. I think I'm going to have so much more time to write with the kids out of school. Every year, I'm proven

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-15792147833301577132008-05-30T12:00:00.000-07:002008-05-30T16:31:03.454-07:00

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself – Franklin Delano RooseveltI interrupt this regularly scheduled writing lesson to give you the following public service announcement: What the hell?? I don’t normally get political, but when people accuse perky, harmless Rachel Ray of seditious acts of style, I worry about the future of our country.The blogging community went bananas last week when a

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-40673036088452644132008-05-23T17:16:00.000-07:002008-09-08T13:22:59.533-07:00

Character is what you are in the dark – proverbThanks to the modern marvel of DVDs, my family and I are watching the first season of Lost four years after it aired. It’s a thrill ride of tension and mystery that fills the yawning gap of grief left behind when we devoured seven seasons of Buffy and five years of Angel only to realize we had no more Whedonverse to enjoy. Sadness. There is Firefly,

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-12197292408654544472008-05-13T11:17:00.000-07:002008-05-13T11:30:50.318-07:00

The truth is rarely pure and never simple – Oscar WildePreviously on Lie To Me, Buffy follows Ford to the club. Ford is using her as bait to bring vampires down upon them so they can be turned. Diego locks them in with no way out. They are sitting ducks for the mob about to descend.Chantarelle and Diego don’t understand why Buffy is so worked up. They will ascend to a new level of awareness as

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-16047003425898548772008-05-09T08:09:00.000-07:002008-05-09T08:34:39.251-07:00

Men occasionally stumble upon the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened – Sir Winston ChurchillPreviously on Lie To Me, we learn both Angel and Ford are hiding things from Buffy.Something feels off about Ford so Angel goes to see Willow. She opens the door to her bedroom balcony but he can’t come in until she invites him. It’s a vampire thing. But

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-41780720105042157102008-05-07T17:25:00.000-07:002008-05-07T17:33:02.937-07:00

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. - Sir Walter ScottPreviously on Lie to Me, we discussed the subterfuge of foreshadowing and how all roads paved in duplicity lead to conflict. Deception is the theme of the Buffy episode, “Lie to Me”, and foreshadowing is the device on display.The episode opens at night in a playground where a young boy sits, alone and uneasy.

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-87963824502377651782008-05-06T17:16:00.000-07:002008-05-06T21:05:37.394-07:00

Coming events cast their shadows before – “Lochiel's Warning”, by Thomas CampbellAs a mother of two, I’m no stranger to the little white lie. I was a teenager myself once. I can hardly claim immunity from this ancient rite of passage. Revisionist history is a milestone for moral code formation. Can’t cultivate a sense of right until you walk on the wrong side. I always found it especially

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-35084897916395442722008-05-01T14:49:00.000-07:002008-05-03T13:54:26.097-07:00

“Clothes don’t make the man.” - proverbPreviously on The GMCD of Trick or Treat: Angel, Xander, and Cordy search for Buffy, Giles and Willow attempt to unravel the mystery behind the demon-possessed denizens of Sunnydale, and Buffy is cornered by a homicidal, hygiene-challenged pirate while Spike closes in on Buffy…Giles and Willow enter the costume shop and confront the owner, Ethan Rayne. Giles

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-19757810310654831142008-04-30T13:28:00.000-07:002008-05-01T08:32:23.030-07:00

“The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.” - James YorkePreviously on The GMC & D of Trick or Treat, we assembled the GMCD’s of three major characters: our heroine, Buffy, and her faithful sidekicks, Willow and Xander. We now introduce the villain of the piece and pick up where we left off.While the Scoobies prepare for Halloween night, vampire villain Spike is plotting to add

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-90777062049774523002008-04-29T13:01:00.000-07:002008-05-02T08:56:10.956-07:00

“Goals are not only absolutely necessary to motivate us. They are essential to really keep us alive.” - Robert H. SchullerPreviously on The GMC & D of Trick or Treat, I defined GMCD and selected the “Halloween” episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to dissect. Let’s meet the heroine and her two best friends.Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg, and Xander Harris are the embodiment of Sunnydale’s Scooby

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-2011290992494057282008-04-28T17:10:00.000-07:002008-09-26T07:47:39.688-07:00

“All writers are amateurs in a craft that knows no masters.” – Ernest HemingwayI always find this quote comforting. If someone this famous and talented considered himself an amateur - well, then…braid my hair and call me Pollyanna.I’ve been studying the craft of writing a long, long time and found it’s true what t, hey say – the more you learn, the less you know.If stories were Legos, the final

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-5409529966028292302008-04-24T10:48:00.000-07:002008-04-29T07:42:56.215-07:00

"Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterward." - AnonymousI was a shy kid growing up. A good student who loved reading and preferred a small circle of friends to a bursting rolodex of who’s who in high school. My day wasn’t exactly packed with extracurricular activities, unless you define writing stories sequestered in a bedroom with the head phones on

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-63025042596846886142008-04-22T07:42:00.000-07:002008-04-29T13:52:45.612-07:00

"Each time, storytellers clothed the naked body of the myth in their own traditions, so that listeners could relate more easily to its deeper meaning." - Joan D. VingePuppies are irresistible. A cliché, maybe, but one that’s hard to argue. When you spot a rumbling, tumbling ball of frolicking fur, you can’t resist. Even if you don’t like dogs. Puppies are powerful magnets that draw you against

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8912600651259028553.post-2268319132811028852008-04-20T22:02:00.000-07:002008-05-09T08:44:26.992-07:00

"Begin with the end in mind." - Kathy ClarkWelcome. This is my inaugural entry into blogging. I’m an unpublished romance writer. I’m not trying to command an influential, worldwide audience or publish breaking news. I’m just trying to hone my writing skills when I’m stumped creatively. If you learn something along the way, that's icing on the cake.I’m in my forties and the sad fact is, I’m in my

Rom Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08100876520238195021noreply@blogger.com0