Life List Club Milestone Party

The Life List Club Party has started! 

To celebrate the LLC Birthday I...

Got some balloons... (notice the grammar error above?)

Grabbed some party hats...

Found a low calorie cake (you'll find out why below)

And thought we could do a little dancing!

Thanks so much for coming to MfC to celebrate my second Milestone Party with me!  I hope you enjoy the shortened version of Funny Photo Friday.  I'll give you a quick run down on how the last three months has gone with meeting my goals.

My Life List

Photo courtesy of Wookiepedia

"No. Try not. Do or do not... There is no try." Yoda

Daily Goals

Daily goals were tossed out the window from April 22nd until May 30th. I met them as much as I could, but I needed to get Finding Meara revised by the end of May. It was a hard deadline, and so I shuffled everything to meet it.  If you're interested in how that went, read my post here.

Play with my boys half-an-hour every day.   The one daily goal I tried hardest to meet over the last three months was to play with my boys.  They haven't always wanted me!  How sad it is when they grow up and become more independent... 

Write at least 15 min. every day.  New writing hasn't really gotten started, but I have been writing with blog posts and editing, if that counts (and when I wrote the goal, I figured it better count). I have a short story I want to write while I'm plotting The Age of Stars. I need to just do it!

Exercise 20 min. five days of the week 100 min. a week.  It's been hard to get back on the exercise wagon, but have been doing better the last couple of weeks. I gained some weight while I was focused on editing, and really am not feeling very motivated to reverse my eating habits. I really, really like candy.

Writing (revised 3/23/12, revisions in blue)
Complete revisions of Finding Meara by the end of March May  completed May 30th

Create pitch, query letter, synopsis, etc... for Finding Meara by end of April June  Pitch is done, query letter is almost done, a three paragraph synopsis has been written.  Don't ask me how good they are. All I can say is I'm trying my best!  If you want to read my entry into the Query Corral Blog Hop, go here!  Leave me some feedback, if you want.

Blog twice a week (Mondays and Fridays)  Yay! I'm doing it!

Write first draft of second novel by end of December.  I'm working on lots of pre-writing (using Cathy Yardley's Rock Your Plot.  I can say it's worth a lot more than the $2.99 I paid for it!) so I don't have to think so hard while writing the first draft.  Hopefully it won't take as long as the first draft of Finding Meara.  I'm very excited about the storyline of The Age of Stars.  The blog post on physics and death came from some research I was doing for the novel.

Social Media (all completed by 3/23/12, revisions in blue)
Grow Twitter followers to over 500 1,000 followers. I'm up to a little over 800 followers.  I started in August 2011, so I actually feel like Twitter has been a relatively successful media for me.  Shocking, considering how scared I was of it!  Thanks again, Nina Badzin, for the twitter help and support!

Grow blog membership to over 100 300 followers. Ah, yes. The blog membership. I so appreciate all of you who signed up to keep track of my blog over the last six months. You have made my year. January to March was absolutely amazing, and then it just kind of stopped. I have no idea how to grow blog membership. Over the last month, I had a mind shift, though. I have decided I can't really control this one much, and I'll just do what I do and we'll see where it turns out in December.

Participate in six bog hops (including the A-Z Challenge) completed 3/23/12 Except I didn't do the A-Z Challenge. I did do six blog hops.

Guest post on three other blogs - completed 3/23/12, going for another three by end of year  So far the new guest posts were at Karen S. Elliott's blog (two of them - one about my mom!), and Colin Falconer's.  I can't link to Colin's anymore because I asked him to take the post down for safety reasons.  I hope you saw it when it was up!  I've got a couple more guest posts lined up in the next couple months, so I will meet my new goal.

New Goal: Complete MNINB Platform Building Challenge for April  This was an unexpected good time! I joined the challenge because I didn't sign up for the A-Z Challenge.  It was a wonderful opportunity and I got to meet all kinds of new, talented writers and poets.  When Robert Lee Brewer hosts another challenge, I'd recommend participating in it.  The daily challenges were quite easy to meet and really did make a difference in how I view platform building.

All right! That's it for me!  I hope you'll make the time to run over to the Life List Club Blog and answer the question " What goal on your Life List has held the most surprise or invoked the most unforseen benefits/changes?" in the comments section for a chance to be included in the big LLC Milestone Party Giveaway. 


You must comment between 6 AM (EST) June 29th and midnight (EST) July 5th to be included in the drawing. And to show you how tricky I am, I'm not going to tell you what the big giveaway is. You'll just have to go over there yourselves and find out!

Even more good news is that each Life Lister is having their own parties and giveaways on their own blogs, so I highly recommend you increase your chances to be a winner and hop around and see what we all have going on!  Here's a place for you to start.

Marcia Richards

Jess Witkins

Sonia G. Medeiros

Gary Gauthier

Sherry Isaac

Winners for the giveaways on all the blogs will be announced July 6th.

Also, if you think the Life List is a group full of the supportive, kind, action oriented people you would like to hang out with (and have your own Milestone Parties!), you can contact either Marcia Richards or Jess Witkins and discuss joining.  The hazing is pretty painless, and the benefits and support are wonderful!

To have a chance to win my giveaway of a $15.00 giftcard of your choice, please leave a comment below.  You can either tell us all how your goals are coming along, or even just pick a favorite out of the pictures above.  

Mine, I think, is the turtle.  I never see them doing anything but sitting there. It's nice to know they actually do move and eat!

Please Meet Vaughn Roycroft!

If you are looking for the Query Corral Blog Hop entry, please go here.  Otherwise, read on!

Who is Vaughn Roycroft, you may be wondering?  Well, he is a talented writer, new-ish to blogging blogger, and embodiment of kindness on the internet.

Vaughn has guest posted on Writer Unboxed's blog a time or two, and written book reviews for the sister site Reader Unboxed.  It was through these posts that I became aware of the fine writing skills Vaughn has, and in my comments, I selfishly encouraged him to get his own blog so I could read more of his writing.  Thankfully, that did happen, and his blog, Seeking the Inner Ancient, went live (along with his cool website) this year.  My only complaint is that I wish he'd post more often! (And I mean that with all kindness, Vaughn!)

We finally bonded a little over my post The Magic of Star Wars and Writing.  Through Facebook I learned that Vaughn is a kind, interesting person -- just the kind of person I would love use as my guinea pig for my first blog interview.  So, without any more talking from me, I would like to present Vaughn Roycroft, the first ever interview at Motivation for Creation!

Welcome, Vaughn! Could you please introduce yourself to us, and share with us some of your favorite things? 

I’m a husband, a writer of historical fantasy, a carpenter, and a former businessman. I love spending time with my wife, my black lab, music, reading, a good laugh, walks on the beach, cooking, the spooky feeling that accompanies being imbued by the muse.

Would you care to share a little about your current work? Where are you in the process of publication?

I completed the first draft of a trilogy a few years ago, and have subsequently written a ‘prequel’ manuscript, examining the trilogy’s backstory (kind of like Star Wars, eh, Lara?).

Short version of all four, starting with the prequel: A Goth chieftain sets out to restore his father’s honor, and is told by a mystic that he and his progeny are destined to greatness. He begins a disastrous war of conquest with the Roman Empire. In seeking to ensure his foretold legacy, he marries two prominent women who each bear him a son. One son goes on to be raised within the fold of empire, and the other is raised in his tribe’s homeland among his mother’s royal clan. The trilogy examines the rise of the sons, and how each responds to his so-called destiny, against the backdrop of the their two peoples’ epic culture clash. Oh, and there’s an all-female warrior sect entangled in there. Can’t go wrong throwing in some kickass warrior chicks, right?

I’ve gone through two rounds of submissions with book one of the trilogy without a sale. This last time I was fortunate enough to receive several wonderful rejections (that’s a funny phrase, but it’s true—anything you get beyond a form letter, be thankful and listen up). I’ve worked on ideas to streamline the opening with my fabulous critique editor (Cathy Yardley, of Rock Your Writing) and some wonderful writing friends who’ve been kind enough to beta read. Round three coming up! 

Name the three things that are most important to you.

My wife is clearly numero uno. I’d be lost without her. She’s my first reader, my biggest supporter, my best friend and my soul mate. 

 Next, my cottage in the woods and the life we’ve built here in our little beach community (including daily walks along the shore). 

 The third would have to be my writing journey. It began a bit late in life, but it has been hugely rewarding. I’ve learned so much and have met so many wonderful people (like you, Lara). My relationships and insight into my life and the world around me have been greatly enhanced. I am blessed, whatever comes of my quest for publication. 

What/Who are your writing influences?

I’ve often mentioned the importance of Tolkien in my life, but reading the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings affected my literary life more than any other single thing. It demonstrated the possibilities for being immersed in another world and yet inspired to emotions that are definitely of this world. I didn’t want it to end. Turning the last page, and being satisfied and yet left with that longing for it to go on, was what led me to imagine the possibility of trying to create such a world and to inspire such feelings in others.

Currently I’m working hard to adapt my work, and my future method, to utilizing the elements of story structure. This is largely in response to the positive influence of my online writing tribe—most prominently in the person of my aforementioned editor, Cathy (plotter extraordinaire). I was a dyed-in-the-wool pantser during the writing of the trilogy. Now I’m going back through and adapting/honing my work to fit the elements of structure. It’s a big job, but I was fortunate to have had either the instinct or dumb luck to have crafted fairly good bones in my early drafts. And I can see what a positive effect it’s having on my work. 

Do you believe in everyday magic? If so, give an example of why.

In a recent discussion about the mystical versus the scientific in regard to writers having a muse, I weighed in on the side of the mystical. I believe there is so much more going on than can be easily explained. Those on the other side claim that those amazing story elements that occur are just a byproduct of our brain’s complexity—the result of accessing our cognitive subconscious. Even if science proponents are right, it’s still pretty damn magical to me. Even if I’m self-deluding, why would I want to live in a world without magic?

A new-to-writing Writer comes up to you and asks for your advice. What would you tell them?

I would tell them not to wait around. Start! Today! 

I always knew I’d write, but I wasted a lot of years saying, “someday, when there’s more time, I’ll start.” Just begin, anyhow, anyway, even if you only spend fifteen minutes a day on a rambling outline. Don’t muse, write! Get something on paper.

Another thing I would advise might sound controversial. I’d tell them to avoid seeking online writing advice or publishing information—at least during the writing of the first draft. Read a craft book or two (I’d recommend On Writing, by Stephen King and The Art of War, by Steven Pressfield), but then stay off the internet and just write! 

Your head will be swimming in the ocean of the online writerly world soon enough. Get out a draft without any of that influence. Do it for the love of it. Do it for you and no one else. All future work will belong to others (editors, agents, readers, etc.). During that first draft of that first manuscript, just rejoice in the exhilaration of freeform expression—rules, advice, gatekeepers, readers, et al be damned.

Optimist, pessimist, or realist?

I said earlier I’d be lost without my wife. This is part of it. I’m a realist with pessimistic overtones. All too easily, I get caught up in a woe-is-me mind-frame. My wife is the eternal optimist. She believes in me more than I believe in myself.

What motivates you to be creative? (i.e. Write, but any other type of creativity is fine, too!)

Hardest question, by far. When I was in business, most of my creativity was devoted to problem-solving. For example, designing a system or a new piece of equipment to overcome an obstacle to production. This creativity had the simplest motivation: profit. I also developed a love of cooking over those years, mostly as a way to relax. Over time a secondary motivation crept in for both: I was being praised for doing them well. It felt good.

Writing, at first, was a completely different beast. For a long time I kept it secret, and honestly never planned to show it to anyone. It took me several months to even tell my wife about it. Even after she knew, I told few others. It’s still a huge, difficult leap for me just to hit the send button, every time (and will be even for this interview). I do feel quite gratified by praise, but it wasn’t what I sought in starting, and I’ve come to see there’s more at work here.

I’m taking a long road to get there, but bear with me. I think I started writing in a quest to answer some big questions about life. It was ’03. My old feelings from Tolkien were reawakened by the release of the LOTR movies and a rereading of the trilogy. 9/11 was a fresh memory. We’d suffered some tough losses. In hindsight I see myself grappling with the meaning of love, honor, choice, destiny, and legacy (we have no children). I was also coming to grips with death (my own mortality, the loss of loved ones, and my fear of losing others dear to me).

When I finally started allowing a select few to read, the first outside of family was a dear friend. After he finished, he and I literally spent an entire day talking. The fact that he was moved, that he was able to apply the work to his own life, and that it left him grappling with the same issues as I had in writing it, threw a whole new light on my journey. I knew then this was my life’s work, that it could really matter. It’s the greatest motivation there is.

Thanks so much for having me on your wonderful blog, Lara!

Now that you've had an introduction, head over to Vaughn's blog and read all the great posts he has there, such as Originality Isn't Everything, What Building my House Taught Me About Writing (and it's a beautiful house - there's pictures!), and of course, because you can't have too many warrior chicks, Regarding Kickass Warrior Chicks.

Please come back on Friday to help me celebrate my Life List Club Milestone party.  I'm going to try and incorporate Funny Photo Friday into the celebration, and I'll be giving away an Amazon gift card to a random commentor.  Also, between now and then, I've got some awards to pass on, as well.  It's going to be a busy week!

Query Corral Blog Hop

Heather Webb, writer, foodie and wine afficianado (which makes her very cool, in my book) is hosting a blog hop at her blog, Between the Sheets. Since I seriously need help with knowing where to even start an effective query, I was so excited for the opportunity to participate!

Below is my first attempt at a query letter for Finding Meara.  Even if you're not participating in the blog hop and want to share some of your wisdom, I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave a comment. 

Dear Agent:

In Finding Meara, my 80,000 word adult contemporary-fantasy, Hazel Michelli’s life is turned inside out when she is mistaken for a girl named Meara, kidnapped from her Denver apartment by a winged creature, and taken to the Realm, a parallel world where magic and monsters exist. 


Upon learning she is to be sacrificed for some nefarious purpose, Hazel narrowly escapes the Realm with the help of Frederick, a fire-cat, and Arden, the cryptic keeper of the forest.

Back in Colorado, Hazel’s world is further turned inside out when she learns she was adopted as a baby, and dysfunctional doesn't even begin to describe her family of origin. Her adoptive parents are distant cousins to her mother, an Earthforce magician who fled the Realm to protect Hazel when she was an infant. Meara is her four-year-old half-sister, and their father, Lucian Rosen, is a sadistic Lifeforce magician desperate to sacrifice his daughter to maintain his immortality.

The only problem is Meara has disappeared, and not even Lucian knows where she is. Furthermore, Lucian realizes Hazel is his lost daughter, and if he can sacrifice her, he will obtain the Earthforce magic in her blood and take over the Realm.

Guilted to action by her adoptive mother, Hazel races between the Realm and Colorado, trying to find the four-year-old and stay one step ahead of Lucian, so she doesn’t end up becoming the sacrifice that would give him control over the Realm.


While written with light-hearted humor, Finding Meara deals with themes of sacrifice, selflessness and family.

I am a school social worker, mother and wife. I have had two short horror stories published in printed anthologies. My contemporary fantasy story, Bear Hug, is published in the February 2012 issue of the online journal, Hogglepot.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Lara Schiffbauer

Thanks so much, everyone, for all your helpful feedback! Have a happy hop!