By René Allen

 

Today is June 8th, 2016

 

Attention all Authors, Novelists, Writers, and Poets ~

If you haven't noticed, we are six months into the year.  Summer is upon us, and if you aren't careful, you'll look up and find those Autumn leaves dancing around in your front yard -- or in your Living Room if you happen to leave the front door open.

 

Here's the question for today...

Why does the notion of "Abstract Ground Work" matter?

Whatever it is that you seek to accomplish starts by laying the ground work for that fantastic vision that you have twirling around in your soul.  Your vision is twirling around in your soul to remind you that you need to pay close attention to the details that will assist you in making your vision a reality.  And that vision that you have is nudging you, or in some cases pushing you -- to get it in gear to unpackage the "gift" within you.

Have you ever felt butterflies when you focus on all the things that you really hope to do, miss doing, or can't seem to make manifest in the present moment?

Well, well, well...

Here's a gentle reminder ~ The Art of Writing is a "gift".  Abstract Ground Work is about snapping yourself into action whether your body is willing and ready or not.  It makes no difference if your mind is in a state of flux.  Abstract Ground Work does not care, and frankly is fertile if you find yourself in a flux state, so to speak.

All you have to do is get your materials in order.  Get your tools lined up.  Place your diagram in front of your face.  Whenever you find yourself whirling around or flip-flopping around from doing to not doing, excited, and then dropping down into the doldrums, then you need to get busy with your Abstract Ground Work assignment.

For the sake of schematic simplicity, by all means, be sure to ignore the various complications connected with time, which require some tedious but perfectly feasible elaborations.  Stalling and/or procrastinating is quite tedious you know.

Simply use abstract symbols to lead your mind to what it is that you are seeking to accomplish.  If you want to write a Novel, get your notepad and sketchbook out and start working on the ideas rolling around in your head for the design of your Novel Cover.

If you happen to be a Poet, but you can't seem to get your poetic juices flowing, then you need to relax and allow your internal poetic charm to come forth.  Poetry has a charm, and it rarely likes to get comfortable with uptight people.

Abstract Ground Work and Advice for today...

Just Write.....

Peace, Love & Light,

By René Allen

© Copyright - René Allen - 2016 - All Rights Reserved 

   

 

Today is Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

Are you ready to write?

I hope so, because this is an inbetwixt day for you.  You haven't quite stepped into the year 2016, but you're almost there -- believe it or not.  And, just so you know, you probably just happened to land here on this Blog today because you need to be motivated, inspired, or shaken up slightly (take your pick)...

You see, either you want to write something amazing, or not.

Even if you just decide to sit down and jot down your thoughts for today, that would be better than just staring into space, or letting words twirl around in your brain without ever making a note of those magnificent words.  And, after all, many a genius Novelist created something from a scribbled line on a sheet of paper while sitting and drinking coffee in the middle of doing something off the beaten path.

Every now and then, you'll reach up and grab a snippet from a flash thought that comes barging into your mind.  Or you may catch a glimpse of inspiration while you are simply living life and going about your business.  You know, like the time you heard someone saying something so funny that it just slammed into the middle of one of your oh so-serious moments, and made you realize that it's really not that serious.  [You might want to write down the funny moments of life as a reminder to you on the days when you forget how it feels to laugh].  Just imagine how many people might want to read some of your funny moments.

If you like writing, it really isn't that hard to get going.  If you yearn to write, you will feel the nudge of the "gift of writing" every moment of every day, when you aren't clicking keys or writing in Journals or scribbling down thoughts on various pads of paper.

Here is my advice to you for today...

Go back into the catacombs of your mind, and remember, once upon a time, you had a dream -- you would write. And, more importantly, there is something within you that yearns to be put on paper right now.  So, my friend...

            Just Write.....

Peace, Love & Light,

By René Allen

© Copyright - René Allen - 2015 - 2016 - All Rights Reserved

This is for all Authors & Novelists with ink...

Whether you have been writing for years, or are just beginning your journey as an Author or Novelist, one thing is for sure -- you'll need to have plenty of ink as your companion.

As you already know, writing can be done at any time, and in any place.  As soon as a divine idea pops into your head, the best thing you can do for yourself is to write it down.  That one single thought or idea can lead to a Masterpiece!

You are never too old or too young to get started on your journey as an established Author.  The first step begins by picking up your pen, or clicking the keys on your keyboard.

If you need inspiration, be sure to purchase a journal that motivates you to get your mind into motion to create a writing that means something not only to you, but to the many Readers awaiting the arrival of your literary genius.

Your soul knows what you want to say.  Your spirit knows just how to say it.  And your belief in your literary ability is the KEY to success.

WE can't wait to read one of your Excerpts!

By René Allen

All of the many Readers of this Blog would love to know what you've been up to lately.  Are you...

Writing a Newsletter?
Writing an Article?
Writing a Novel?
Writing a Poetic Reading for an Event?

Did you happen to participate in National Novel Writing Month in November this year?

Share your thoughts, questions or comments here at any time, we look forward to hearing what you have to say...

  

EYE ON...

Once Upon a Time...

by René Allen

 

Epic times ahead with all of the wonderful NaNoWriMo Authors, aspiring authors, writers, and poets gearing up for National Novel Writing Month that will take place online next month in November 2015!

      NaNoWriMo.org ~ Love, love, love it!  You must try writing for a month straight, if you have never done so before, and find out what you're made of.  I've participated for many years writing online for National Novel Writing Month (affectionately known as, NaNoWriMo), because a good online writing friend of mine urged me to do so many years ago (Jen~bless your Writer's heart) -- and I've been participating ever since....

      When I first heard of NaNoWriMo, (thanks to my friend Jen), I said to myself, (and out loud),  "what in the world is that about?" ... and, "what kind of name is that?" -- then I patiently listened as Jen explained why she enjoyed participating in this month-long writing phenomonom.  You'll really enjoy meeting other Authors & Writers (both online and in person) -- depending upon the area in which you live, you can meet up with other NaNoWriMo participants at Writing Events in your area.

      If you love writing, and/or are an aspiring author, do participate, because you'll also receive advice about your literary creation as you're working on it; you'll get plenty of tips if you seek them; you'll be able to obtain pep talks; you'll be able to join in on the Forums inside; and you'll also enjoy plenty of helpful support.

      Here's the good thing about striving to reach a goal that involves writing a Novel in a month's time -- it means you'll have to FOCUS.  Whenever you focus on the story (or stories) that live inside of you, then you open the pathway that leads to the birthing process.  And, my oh my, what a beautiful baby you'll make!

      If you plan to participate in National Novel Writing Month this year, don't think too hard about what you are going to create.  In fact, try to remember that focusing and thinking are two different things altogether.

Here ~ Let me help you, get yourself a Journal ...

      Of course, when you first open up your Journal, there will be blank pages.  The Journal then begins to take on a life of its own once you focus on putting your pen to the paper.  Notice that I did not tell you to think about what you were going to write.  Simply FOCUS on putting your pen to the paper.  Let your hand do what it does best ~ WRITE...

      Once upon a time, you never would have found so many beautiful and gifted people writing Novels in a month's time online.  Well, we are about to step into November 2015, and together we've got our EYE on National Novel Writing Month...

See YOU there!

 

Writer's Insightful Tip for OCTOBER 2015:

If you stop and place your hands on a keyboard and create a story that makes you do a double-take because of the power of the words; and if your story causes your emotions to stir, and your eyebrows raise in amazement, then I suggest that you cherish the "gift", because YOU are a Writer!

Peace, Love & Light,

René

You'll find more about my experiences with NaNoWriMo here on my Blog.  Do check out all of my Blog posts.

 

EYE ON...

Once Upon a Time...

by René Allen

     Once upon a time there were typewriters, REAL typewriters.  Think back...Remember when you had to exert pressure, and press really, really hard to make the keys hit the paper?  (Some of our young Writers and Authors may not remember that, and that is okay -- just pretend).  Let us compare that to times when we have to think really, really hard to make the words come out of our souls in just the right sequence for our perfect Novels.  Ah, now I must rest a second, because this month you'll hear stories from me about pulling the words out of my soul and laying them down on this Blog just for you.  There is no better way to spring into action with our writings than to have company that knows how to press really, really hard when there is a delay with flowing words.  Imagine the fun we'll have together!

Smile, and get ready, 

René Allen

EYE ON ~ TWISTED SHORTIES II ~ A.F. Stewart and Pam Brittain by René Allen

+René Allen
EYE ON…

TWISTED SHORTIES II ~ An Anthology

A.F.Stewart, Formatting Editor and Publisher

Pam Brittain, Chief Compiler

An Anthology is a collaborative work that involves putting together short stories and/or poetic works for publication.  Bringing together a collection of creative Authors and Poets to create a published work requires the hand of a very talented Editor, and a gifted Chief Compiler.  We all know what the job of an Editor is.  There were three additional conscientious Editors, Len Maxwell, John Beck and Greg Schiller, who all assisted with the editing of TWISTED SHORTIES II, in addition to A.F. Stewart.

What is a Chief Compiler? -- you may ask.  A Chief Compiler is a person who with the cooperation of the Authors involved and at the direction of the Editor involved, collects, reviews, assists with edits, and compiles the literary works ensuring that they are made ready for publication.

One such Anthology that I was asked to participate in, along with many other very talented Authors and Poets from the Gather Community, is entitled TWISTED SHORTIES II . . .

The Formatting Editor, and Publisher for TWISTED SHORTIES II, A. F. Stewart has an impressive collection of published books.  She is a very inspiring Author, whose books are well worth the read.  You can find out more about her by visiting her BLOG:  http://afstewartblog.blogspot.ca/  and you can also take a look at her BIO PAGE:  http://about.me/AFStewart

A. F. Stewart BIO:  A. F. Stewart was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, and still calls it home.  The youngest in a family of seven children, she has always had an overly creative mind and an active imagination. She is fond of good books (especially science fiction/fantasy), action movies, sword collecting, and oil painting as a hobby.  Ms. Stewart is an indie author with several published novellas and story collections in the dark fantasy or horror genres, with a few side trips into poetry and non-fiction. She has a great interest in history and mythology, often working those themes into her books and stories.

The gifted Chief Compiler for TWISTED SHORTIES II, Pam Brittain, is currently working on many other projects.  Pam Brittain was a key person who brought all of the Authors and Poets from Gather together to do this project.  Pam is a very interesting and inspiring woman of great passion for helping authors to stay focused and on track.  She is a lot of fun, and she is a very creative Writer, (even though she’ll deny it) ~ smiles Pam… Take a moment to read Pam Brittain’s BIO, and you’ll know what I mean about how much FUN she is…

Pam Brittain BIO:  Pam Brittain grew up with a family that often sat in the backyard mentally calling in UFOs.  Pam says, ‘I was thinking, don’t come in UFO.  Heck, I didn’t want to have my belly poked with alien needles!’

As Pam grew older, she became a Real Estate Foreclosure Specialist, Founding President of the Association, and she worked on various other projects.

Later, at the age of “over the hill and older than dirt”, as Pam says, she shares how she began to write and post on a Site called, Gather.  Within a few months, Pam became one of the Editors for “Gather Writing Essential”, which is a Gather Group that she had joined within the Gather Site.  Through this Group, Pam developed a new passion -- editing books!

“Drather read and edit than write” ~ Pam Brittain

We give Connie C. (Gather Writing Essential Group Owner on Gather.com) accolades for all she does to keep the Writing Essential Group inspired and motivated to be a lively place for Authors, Writers, Poets, and those who would like to learn more about writing.

From the very beginning, this collaborative work on the publication of TWISTED SHORTIES II was a joy to participate in.  Each and every Author and Poet who participated in the TWISTED SHORTIES II Anthology offered very unique styles of writing.  Their backgrounds and literary accomplishments vary and are individually impressive.  Those other talented Authors and Poets who provided interesting short stories and poetry for the publication of TWISTED SHORTIES II are as follows:

René Allen

Michael David Anderson

Joann B

John Beck

Pam Brittain

Barbary Chaapel

Jeanne Clarke

Bernard M. Coldwell

Stirling Davenport

Sheila Deeth

Irina Dimitric

Elsie Duggan

Michael Robert Dyet

William Earl Estes-Dotani

Kevin A. Ewing

Tracy Fabre

Janice Farnsworth

Michael B. Fishman

James Fox

Patricia Gilliam

Boris Glikman

Lord Gregory

Alice Grimes

Liz Husebye Hartmann

Jan Hersh

Jennifer Lafferty

R C Larlham

Aaron Paul Lazar

Vicki Lynn

Richard Lynn Livesay

Magi

Len Maxwell

M. Bradley McCauley

Terry McDermott

Pat Moore

Clifford Neal

Franklin Newman

Ms Lee P.

Priya Patel

Peter Rogerson

Douglas Raymond Rose

Greg Schiller

A.W. Sprague II

Ashleigh Spurgeon

A. F. Stewart

Karen H. Vaughan

David Wainland

Doug Westberg

Debbie Whittemore

(Authors listed in Alphabetical order)

Cover Designer: James Terrell

Editors:  Len Maxwell, John Beck and Greg Schiller

MAIN EDITOR & PUBLISHER:  A. F. Stewart

Look forward to more upcoming interesting stories on Book Publishing, Editors, Authors, Poets, Artists, Photographers, and Book Cover Designers.

You are invited to BOOKMARK this BLOG, and you may press the G+ button to pass this BLOG along.  You are invited to “Follow” my BLOG by clicking on the G+ button, or adding your email address where it says, “Follow by Email”.  If you are a G+ member, you may become a “G+ Follower”.

Be sure to visit the links listed above for A.F. Stewart and Pam Brittain, you’ll be glad you did!

A.F. Stewart’s publications inside TWISTED SHORTIES II:

Two stories: The Paranormal Assistant Agency and A Tale Told in Winter, plus three poems: In the Mirror, The Rising, and Song

Pam Brittain’s publications inside TWISTED SHORTIES II:

Mary Fairy

Gramma and the Skunk

The Dawning of the Aged

Catlin

My short-story, published in TWISTED SHORTIES II is entitled, “HouseCapades” by René Allen.  You are being offered a free gift from all of us...You may read the entire TWISTED SHORTIES II Anthology (featuring short stories and poetry by all of the Authors from Gather.com listed further up in this BLOG post) Online for free by clicking here ~ TWISTED SHORTIES II - Free Online Read (Smashwords).

Have a wonderful and enjoyable 2014!

Thank you for reading ~ Lots more to come!

René Allen ~ Author

© Copyright - René Allen - 2014 - All Rights Reserved

It is a brand new year glorious year, and a great time to get your Noveling ideas rolling.  If you are an Author, an Emerging Author, or an aspiring Author, this year is the year for you to create something that has been percolating in your mind.  It is time to stir up your "gift", pick up your pen and start writing.  And, if you are like me, then you'll just decide to sit yourself down at your keyboard and start typing.

If you participate in National Novel Writing Month each year, then you are already familiar with creating a Novel in thirty (30) days.  It is possible to do so you know, and it gets easier if you take on the challenge every year.  If you really want to write a Novel, then you'll at least give it a try this year.  You have until November to get yourself in gear for the challenge if you've never done it before.

This year, I plan to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo once again.  In 2012, I managed to complete two Novels in the Camp.  And I was pretty happy creating two Novels that year versus just one.  Although, if I had pushed a bit more, I would have created three by participating in regular NaNoWriMo in November.  But, as we all know, two is better than none.  And, you don't really realize what kind of Novel you have inside of you until you create it.  I was pretty pleased with what came out in the Summer of 2012.

For some of us, writing comes easily.  And, some of us get Writer's Block every now and then.  Not to worry though.  If you have spells where you can't seem to get the ink flowing, just relax your mind and meditate a while in silence.  You'll find that the scenes for your Novel will appear before your eyes.  Maybe you'll even dream about your characters.

Take a little time to think of what Genre you'd like to work with for your Novel this year.  Fiction?  Romance?  Mystery?  Or maybe you'll even come up with a Genre that is brand new!

In November 2013, I created "UR" during National Novel Writing Month.  The Genre I chose was Historical Fiction.  It was a joy to create my intriguing Novel.  I took a moment to create a Cover before I started typing away.  That always seems to help to get the writing flowing in the right direction...

UR by René Allen

"UR" turned out to be fascinating.  Once the first paragraph was put on the page, the Novel took off running ~ so, needless to say, there will be an "UR II" created.  The cover that I'm showing you here in my Author Blog is the first cover that I created.  I tweaked it a bit more, and then more...

I made the cover fatter, then thinner, changed the height, changed the width, and then I kept playing around with different fonts...

UR by René Allen 

At any rate, the visual just seemed to focus my mind for where I needed to start out.  It is like flying overhead, and then landing to get your characters on the page.  And just like a travel adventure, you never know where you'll end up.

There's a bit of editing to do yet.  This novel, more than any of the other Novels that I've written, just didn't want to end.  Sooooo ~ I just need to look at it afresh this year, and make it travel the route I'd like it to.  That way, "UR II" will pick up right where I'd like for it to.

When you come back to visit again, and I do hope that you will, I'll share more about this Novel, all the others before it, and so much more!  My Author's Blog is meant to be a place to share insight about the Author's life, and to serve as a literary therapy of sorts.  Writing is very therapeutic, even when you don't plan for it to be.

Until next time, may this year be a joyful adventure.  You can even practice making sure it turns out that way by creating a Novel laying out your 2014 vision.

Peace, Love & Light,

René