Words are weird. I’m not sure who originally decided how a word should be spelled, but sometimes I just shake my head. Seems like very few words are actually spelled like they should be. I’ve always been a pretty good speller and my grammar is probably better than average, but there are still those stupid words that jam me up every time. I stumble over words that end in le or el. Angel is not the same thing as angle. And you can’t rely on spell check to catch those mistakes. (more…)
Archive for the ‘grammar’ Category
Creative Space
Posted in authors, Baer House Inn, blogging, books, Fiction, fingers, goals, grammar, humor, inspiration, Jansen Schmidt, motivation, On Common Ground, On Hallowed Ground, reading, resolutions, success, words, writers, writing, tagged candles, comfortable, crafts, desk, desk chair, fountains, gentlemen's parlor, incense, ladies parlor, music, office, office space, office supplies, parlor, parlors, private space, scents, sherry, tea, whiskey, writing space, zen on December 9, 2019| 6 Comments »
I kind of have an office now. Sort of. For the past couple of years I’ve been writing either in the kitchen or the basement, neither of which are really conducive for writing. It’s been working, but it’s not comfortable. Or pretty. Sometimes you need pretty.
Workshops, Webinars & Awards Oh My!
Posted in authors, awards, blogging, books, Family, Fiction, goals, grammar, Jansen Schmidt, reading, romance, short story, social media, success, words, writers, writing, tagged #amwriting, #writerslife, awards, classes, cliches, computer classes, different, education, learning, membership, seminars, story tropes, tropes, unique, webinars, workshops, writing awards, writing classes, writing groups, writing organizations on October 21, 2019| 4 Comments »
As a writer I’m always challenging myself to learn new things so that I can keep things fresh in my writing. I have this fear of running out of clever new ideas or that somewhere down the road my books might end up coming out looking suspiciously like some of the other books I’d previously written. Or worse yet, like someone else’s book. This popular saying come to mind, “There are no new stories, just new ways of telling them.” I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but most people in the business of writing tend to feel that way. (more…)
The Things You Find In The Name of Research
Posted in acting, authors, beach, blogging, books, camera, Family, Fiction, friends, grammar, humor, Jansen Schmidt, laughter, social media, travel, words, writers, writing, tagged discovering, facts, funny, funny songs, funny video, Google, learning, parody, rabbit hole, research, time suck, wasted time, Youtube on July 15, 2019| 4 Comments »
As a writer I spend copious amounts of time researching. Yes that’s right. Even though I write fiction, there are things that still have to be researched because, unless I’m writing about a completely made-up world, people are going to know if I’m not describing a person, place or thing correctly. Ergo – research.
I Could Be A Double Winner!
Posted in April, authors, awards, blogging, books, Fiction, friends, goals, grammar, humor, Jansen Schmidt, reading, romance, success, words, writers, writing, tagged awards, contest, finalist, literary award, On Common Ground, please help, please vote, RONE awards, vote, vote for me, western romance, western writers, WILLA Awards, winners, winning, women writers, Women Writing the West, writing contests, writing groups on April 29, 2019| 4 Comments »
That’s right folks, I could very well be a winner in not one, but two contests. A couple of months ago, I entered my book On Common Ground in the Willa Contest. What is the Willa Contest you ask? I’ve never heard of it, you say. Well, neither had I. Here’s the blurb from the Women Writing the West (WWW) website: (more…)
Toto, We’re Not In Kansas Anymore
Posted in authors, Baer House Inn, blogging, books, breakfast, Christmas, Family, Fiction, food, grammar, health, hill billy, Holidays, humor, innkeeping, Jansen Schmidt, redneck, sports, travel, Uncategorized, Vicksburg, words, writing, tagged chicken, chicken dinner, chitlins, cracklins, Faulkner, food, football, Halloween, hunting, hunting season, kale, Kansas, kumbachu, Mississippi, pork rinds, quinoa, unexplained, weird, Welty on March 4, 2019| 12 Comments »
I’ve lived in Mississippi for almost 4 years now and there are still some things that I just can’t comprehend. Mostly I love the laid back way of life and southern hospitality. I love the charming small town feel of a lot of places in this great state. Other things, I don’t get. At all. (more…)
In With the New
Posted in Amazon.com, authors, blogging, books, Family, Fiction, goals, grammar, humor, Jansen Schmidt, reading, resolutions, short story, social media, success, writers, writing, tagged advertising, authors, books, computers, Facebook, Facebook ads, marketing, marketing plan, novel, photos, photoshop, pixels, sales, software, technology on February 11, 2019| 7 Comments »
So I’ve been spending a LOT of time lately learning how to market my book. For those of you who are not writers, let me just say that when you write “the end,” you’re only about a third of the way done with that story. Next comes rounds of editing and proofreading to get it exactly right and then comes the selling part. This is the hardest, yet most important part. After all, what good is a really good book with an amazing cover if nobody knows how to get their hands on it? (more…)
You Say I’m Stubborn Like That’s A Bad Thing.
Posted in authors, Baer House Inn, blogging, Family, Fiction, friends, goals, grammar, humor, Jansen Schmidt, resolutions, sports, success, words, writers, writing, tagged arm wrestling, being right, compromise, determined, doggedness, giving up, losing, never give up, puzzles, riddles, strong-willed, stubborn, stubbornness, victory, winning on February 4, 2019| 10 Comments »
I have a stubborn streak that I inherited from my father. I admit it. We’re both very strong-willed. But, being stubborn isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’re stubborn for the right reasons. I’ve been known to dig my heels in for something that’s important to me, but I also know how to compromise.
Why Would I Do That?
Posted in Amazon.com, authors, awards, blogging, books, Family, Fiction, Free book, friends, grammar, humor, Jansen Schmidt, reading, resolutions, romance, short story, social media, success, words, writers, writing, tagged authors, Barnes & Noble, Book Bub, book buying, book recommendations, book reviewers, book reviews, e-books, Good Reads, Kindle, library, new authors, recommendations, star ratings on September 24, 2018| 18 Comments »
I know a lot of folks like to read. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say, there are a lot of folks who LOVE to read. I’m one of those folks. Most writers probably are. Everyone has their favorite authors, books, series, genres, etc. Me? I like to read lots of stuff. The only things I don’t read are science fiction, horror, and books that “preach” at me about anything. (more…)
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Has It Been That Long?
Posted in authors, blogging, Family, Fiction, friends, goals, grammar, humor, Jansen Schmidt, social media, success, words, writers, writing, tagged analytics, blog followers, blogging, blogging anniversary, comments, first blog, followers, history, knickerbocker, new tricks, no way, patterns, technology, titles, words on November 4, 2019| 13 Comments »
While I was composing my blog for this week, I was having trouble coming up with a clever, cute, catchy title. I don’t know why because usually the title is the least of my blogging woes. But, for some reason I just could not decide on a title. So, I decided to scroll back through my previous posts and see if I could see a pattern or find an old post that I could resurrect or change the title a bit. And that’s when I found something I just couldn’t believe!
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