Meandering on Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor #Poem #Writing #Contests

Meander 1 Poem - A Patient Death

At night, I used to slip into his room.
My flashlight casting dimples in the dark.
This dying man had made me more than friend.

I was a child with frightened view of death.
He seldom spoke, and yet I felt at ease.
His eyes were mirrors of his knowledge deep.

A gnawing pain was always at his side.
My needle was conqueror of his pain.
We grew to understand each other's ways.

In that darkened room, we cared and listened.
He of my life and me about his death.
Then late one night, I slipped into his room.

The breathless silence held me quiescent.
He never spoke.
Blank eyes, mirrors of death.

Meander 2 - Contests - The last two months of my life have seen me judging contests for writers. I really enjoy doing this. Each contest is different. One is just a few pages with a sheet of questions to answer and a critique to write. This year, the contest brought a lot of writers and some good and some bad. What I found was openings that didn't draw me in and a lack of the use of the senses to show character and setting. That's a shame. The second contest had three levels. The first was just reading three chapters and deciding if the story could move on. These were all published books. I didn't pass along too many. I'm not sure why since there's nothing i like more than a good story. The second level is reading the entire book and deciding which books were to be among the finalists. This was easier and harder. Some books were really, really good and some where ordinary. The final level is also to read the whole book but in a different category than I read before. Among these books, I found a writer or two who will become one of my buys. That is part of the fun of judging a contest, finding new authors. There is another contest I could have judged but I didn't. Why? Because what I receive is paper copies of the books. I seldom read a paper book these days.

Meander 3 - Writing - Still working on The Leo-Aquarius Connection and now have 3 chapters looking good. Soon to have a fourth but there are still eight to whip into shape. The deadline looms ahead but somehow I will make it.

January 31 - My writing life

The computer came back on Tuesday afternoon and was able to get back on schedule. I felt so deprived for the days the machine was missing and the limited internet access frankly was the pits. Hard to imagine how much our lives resolve around a machine. For a writer the computer has been a real savings in time and money. The days of typing the manuscript and making sure you had a carbon since you were typing the script to send out to publishers. Usually you could get away with sending it out twice before you had to retype. There was also white out what fun that was. I graduated to a typewriter that allowed you to make the changes without using the liquid. Finally the computer. The first one I had was an Apple with the large floppy discs and I had to load the writing program every time I sat down to write. The machine only saved chapter by chapter. Does anyone remember the continuous paper and how sometimes the tear was right and sometimes wrong? Those were the days.

This week also found me involved in contests, not enterine but judging for three. Two were relatively easy since there were only a few pages to read. The other required books. I do like judging contests of both kinds. Finding someone who has talent and might become published is a real treat. Also finding a new writer who's prose sings is always fun.

Now to my own writing. I;m moving along on Confrontations and hopefully I'llhave it finished by mid-March. Sure hope so. I do hate endings and I've been living with these characters for about six or seven years. Writing the end to a series will be a great moment. Then I have another series to conclude but it is a quartet of novellas so that's not too bad.

Have been also reading on my Kindle, two chapter members mss and they were both interesting and fun reads. Also have been sorting through my shelves of books and re-reading many. Sometimes I wonder why I kept some books. So the shelves are dwindling once again.

My Writing week - Nov. 29 -- Plus a contest

First, I've decided to hold a contest that will start December first. Those faithful followers of my blog will get first pick and if they don't bite, I'll let other people who sign the post of the day have a chance. I have sixteen paper copies of my books to give away. A different one will be the book of the day. All one has to do is put their name in the hat by leaving a note. The second day I'll announce the winner and then post the next book on the giveaway. The winner can email me and I'll learn where to send the book. Unfortunately because of the shipping costs the books will be given to those United States and Canada winners. Hope you enjoy.

Now to the second news. I've joined a group giving away kindle editions to our men serving in the military, I believe on foreign soil. More about this when I hear more.

Now to the writing. I'm continuing with Confrontations and hope to see the end to this in the next two months. Hard book to write since there are a lot of loose ends to be tied up from the previous three books. At times I feel as if I'm in a time warp that won't release me. There are two stories chaffing in my head waiting to be told. I've been putting a bit about them on paper so I don't lose what the characters want to say.

My Writing Life -- Judging contests

Writing is going well, Part 3 of Confrontations is blocked in though there are some changes to be made. Part one is reaching the tinker phase and I'm working on Part 2.

Now about contests. I seldom enter contests. The EPIC awards are the only one and this year I didn't have one to enter except for an anthology entered by my publisher. This year I can read and judge just for fun. I've judged this contest since the very first one. I judge three other contests. The second is one for young writers -- New Voices and it's a great one and I enjoy giving advice to budding writers. Then there's Hook Line and Sinker, the HVRWA contest. This is fun in another way and giving advice to adults who want to write. The fourth is the RITA contest. I've already signed up for next year.

Here's what I look for when I'm judging full books. Do I like the characters, is the plot solid and would I want to read this book again. Being a re-reader that's important to me. In the Hook, Line and Sinker, to me the most important part of the score comes when I decide if I really want to read more. In whole book contests one is always seeking a new author to try and contests are a good way of doing this.