Hey there! I just wanted to let you in on a little secret of mine, because I want as many people to know about it as possible! One of the most important rules you can follow as a writer is to always backup your work! Nobody can ever tell you that enough times. For any of you who have lost some of your work, you know just how painful it is to lose something you have written. So, I want to tell you about what I do to prevent losing my work.
In June I purchased my very first Android. Woohoo for awesome smart phones! One of the free apps that was included on the phone was Dropbox. I just let it sit there for a long time, but once I tried it I was amazed! You may have heard about Dropbox. You seriously need to check it out! It blows my mind! You can download it on all your devices (computers, phones, tablets, etc.) and have access to your work on every single one of them. As you add content using one device your Dropbox folder is automatically updated on all your other devices! You can also access all your work from the web. The best part about it all? It is completely free! You don't ever have to worry about losing your work again! If you one of your devices fails, no worries! You can still access all your saved work online and re-download it all!
Dropbox is seriously a glorious thing, and I am so glad that I found it and that somebody out there decided to make it! I have seen some other programs like this as well. Do you use something like this? What do you do to make sure you never lose a single word? Hopefully this will be helpful to somebody out there :)
-Heidi Nicole Bird
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Look Out World, Here it Comes!!!
Hey everybody! Welcome to my new blog! For those of you who were following my much neglected blog "Antonyms of Reality" my blogging has moved here! I plan on using this as a main center of operations to keep all of you up to date on what is going on in my writing world. To help you out there are some super handy dandy tabs up there! Things are still at the bare bones stage right now, but soon I will have all of those pages full of information for you. I can't wait until this more organized and centralized blog is up and running completely how I want it to. It is exciting!
So, obviously I haven't written in a while, which you should be able to tell if you look at the dates of my previous posts, which I imported from my old blog. I'm turning over a new leaf! Why? First of all because I love writing. Second, because it is nearly November, and for me that means NaNoWriMo!
For those of you who don't know, let me introduce you to the madness! NaNoWriMo was created by Chris Baty and it stands for National Novel Writing Month. It is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days during the month of November! Crazy? Maybe. Fun? YES! The other eleven months of the year I spend wishing that NaNoWriMo were here again, and finally, it is only within hours!
NaNoWriMo changed my entire world and my life. I was first introduced to the program by my long time friend and then roommate Rachael. She brought it to my attention and we did it together in 2009, and ever since I have done it ever year. I was instantly hooked, and I doubt I will ever be able to get out of this one!
NaNoWriMo is one of the programs that is run by the Office of Letters and Light, a non-profit that I will talk about under the "Sites I Follow" tab. I owe much to this organization and it is one of my dreams to be an intern with them during NaNoWriMo some day. During the months of June and August many people also participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, which is the exact same concept in the summer "smack-dab in the middle of your crazy life." This year I joined in on the fun and participated in August.
Before I was introduced to NaNoWriMo I had started many stories, too many for me to even think back on and remember, but with a clear goal and a definite deadline I finally finished a story. So far I have finished four books and I am a little more than half way finished with my fifth. All of these have been written for NaNoWriMo or had something to do with it, and here I am, about to start my SIXTH novel for yet another Nano!
If you can't tell, I am excited! Why? Because I love writing, and I love NaNoWriMo! I love how it has expanded my world. I love how many friends it has given me, and how many I gain each and every day! I love what Nano has taught me and continues to teach me about myself. This year I will be tackling a story unlike any I have done before. It is going to be a challenge, but it is going to be awesome! I'll tell you all about it in another post, ideally tomorrow!
So, for those of you who have been following, thanks for tagging along, and for those of you who are new, come join the wild ride! I hope you follow my blog and keep up with what I am up to! Soon under the "Contact" tab I will have information including email, twitter, and Facebook ways that you can follow along as well. Here's to a great month ahead!
-Heidi Nicole Bird
So, obviously I haven't written in a while, which you should be able to tell if you look at the dates of my previous posts, which I imported from my old blog. I'm turning over a new leaf! Why? First of all because I love writing. Second, because it is nearly November, and for me that means NaNoWriMo!
For those of you who don't know, let me introduce you to the madness! NaNoWriMo was created by Chris Baty and it stands for National Novel Writing Month. It is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days during the month of November! Crazy? Maybe. Fun? YES! The other eleven months of the year I spend wishing that NaNoWriMo were here again, and finally, it is only within hours!
NaNoWriMo changed my entire world and my life. I was first introduced to the program by my long time friend and then roommate Rachael. She brought it to my attention and we did it together in 2009, and ever since I have done it ever year. I was instantly hooked, and I doubt I will ever be able to get out of this one!
NaNoWriMo is one of the programs that is run by the Office of Letters and Light, a non-profit that I will talk about under the "Sites I Follow" tab. I owe much to this organization and it is one of my dreams to be an intern with them during NaNoWriMo some day. During the months of June and August many people also participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, which is the exact same concept in the summer "smack-dab in the middle of your crazy life." This year I joined in on the fun and participated in August.
Before I was introduced to NaNoWriMo I had started many stories, too many for me to even think back on and remember, but with a clear goal and a definite deadline I finally finished a story. So far I have finished four books and I am a little more than half way finished with my fifth. All of these have been written for NaNoWriMo or had something to do with it, and here I am, about to start my SIXTH novel for yet another Nano!
If you can't tell, I am excited! Why? Because I love writing, and I love NaNoWriMo! I love how it has expanded my world. I love how many friends it has given me, and how many I gain each and every day! I love what Nano has taught me and continues to teach me about myself. This year I will be tackling a story unlike any I have done before. It is going to be a challenge, but it is going to be awesome! I'll tell you all about it in another post, ideally tomorrow!
So, for those of you who have been following, thanks for tagging along, and for those of you who are new, come join the wild ride! I hope you follow my blog and keep up with what I am up to! Soon under the "Contact" tab I will have information including email, twitter, and Facebook ways that you can follow along as well. Here's to a great month ahead!
-Heidi Nicole Bird
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Deep Sludge
One of my all time favorite movies is A Goofy Movie, and one of the most memorable quotes, at least for me (there are MANY!) is after Max tells a major lie to Roxanne. As he walks away from her doorstep he looks down and states "I'm in deep sludge."
That is what I feel like right now. I've hit a rut. A bump in the road. This is probably obvious considering how little I have posted this past while. The problem now though is that the bump in the road has inverted itself and created a hole. A sort of bad, sort of awesome hole. See, the problem is that all I want to do is write. That's it. All day, all the time. I don't want to do anything else. I just want to work on my two current novel projects and get into the published world!
Unfortunately I live in the real world (even though I prefer not to, and I try not too, hence my love for writing fantasy). Since I live in the rather dismal world that this is, I need money, which means, I need to get a job. Like now. I'm literally at the end of my rope, so much so that I canceled my cell phone! Annoying? Yes.
So, lately I've been checking out the online freelance circuit. There is definitely a lot out there, but there is also a lot of competition and a lot of places that don't pay very well.
So, my question for you is, have you ever done freelance writing? Have you been paid for your writing in some form? Last week I did score getting paid for an article, but not much. Still, it's a foot in the door!
- Heidi Nicole Bird
That is what I feel like right now. I've hit a rut. A bump in the road. This is probably obvious considering how little I have posted this past while. The problem now though is that the bump in the road has inverted itself and created a hole. A sort of bad, sort of awesome hole. See, the problem is that all I want to do is write. That's it. All day, all the time. I don't want to do anything else. I just want to work on my two current novel projects and get into the published world!
Unfortunately I live in the real world (even though I prefer not to, and I try not too, hence my love for writing fantasy). Since I live in the rather dismal world that this is, I need money, which means, I need to get a job. Like now. I'm literally at the end of my rope, so much so that I canceled my cell phone! Annoying? Yes.
So, lately I've been checking out the online freelance circuit. There is definitely a lot out there, but there is also a lot of competition and a lot of places that don't pay very well.
So, my question for you is, have you ever done freelance writing? Have you been paid for your writing in some form? Last week I did score getting paid for an article, but not much. Still, it's a foot in the door!
- Heidi Nicole Bird
Thursday, June 7, 2012
For Real
Ok people, I have returned to put you at ease. No, I have not died, I am still here and pumpin! And this time I intend to be back, FOR REAL!!! Crazy, I know, but lately I have been so gung-ho about writing there's just not much to do about it. I have created three more blogs about other things that I love to research/write about and I am determined to keep up on this one as well! I have also started to write in other places online, and I will also be getting back into my novel writing. Woohoo!!! My goal is to finish my current project and get going on making a second, MUCH more polished version of my first book. Here's to posting, writing, and editing! I hope the rest of you haven't been slacking like I have been, because it really isn't fun. Let's do this thing!
-Heidi Nicole Bird
-Heidi Nicole Bird
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Fighting for Breath
OK guys, wow, I feel super beyond lame! I feel like I've fallen off the back of the truck. Got dumped on the road. Really, I feel like a fish who was having just so much fun in the ocean that it didn't realize how close it was to the beach and inadvertently flopped right out and is now gasping for breath and trying to get back to the water. Yep, that sounds about right. Remember my last post, how I basically said the same thing and that I was going to get back into the swing of things? Yeah, hasn't really happened. EXCEPT! I did officially start Script Frenzy. That being said, I have only written about six pages, and it is already the fifth of April. Not off to such a hot start. I've found that I really love script writing, but that it is DANG different than writing a novel and that I am nowhere near as good at it. Even so, I am going to persist! I will push through! I am super mega determined to get back into my writing groove. I was seriously in a great one before I got off track. The book I stopped writing is seriously, in my opinion, the best I have ever written, and it is about time I got back to it. I miss my characters! Hopefully they miss me.
SO, this time, FOR REAL, I'm jumping back in. The very second, OK maybe minute, that I post this, I am going to go back to writing. Probably working on my script. Hopefully the rest of you are in a better state than I am. If you are, what are you working on right now? If you aren't, hey let's find our way back to the water together!
- Heidi Nicole Bird
SO, this time, FOR REAL, I'm jumping back in. The very second, OK maybe minute, that I post this, I am going to go back to writing. Probably working on my script. Hopefully the rest of you are in a better state than I am. If you are, what are you working on right now? If you aren't, hey let's find our way back to the water together!
- Heidi Nicole Bird
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Writing and the Language Barrier
At the moment I am supposed to be reading "Legal Rights to Land in the Early Chancery," by Edith Henderson for my English Paleography class, but focusing has become futile. Just like every other school day I finished my classes and then headed to my usual spot in the lobby of my Dad's building. Today, however, has been different than most days.
My Dad just happens to be the head of international travel here at the university, and so, the building who's lobby I so often utilize is also the Center for International Study. As one of the resources for students and other people who may wish to come, this building houses many speakers from all over the world. I have attended one myself - an ambassador from France - and quite enjoyed the experience. That was back when I was still a beginner with French, and I was so proud when I could raise my hand when the ambassador asked who in the room could speak French. I'm happy to say that had he decided to speak in his native language, I would have done very well if he were speaking today!
Funny enough, the speaker today was also a French-speaker. BUT, he wasn't French. He was Mongolian. From what I can tell from the poster over there he was talking about "The 25th Anniversary of Mongolia-U.S. relations." I caught a few little bits of what he was saying, but I wasn't paying that much attention. My attention was hopelessly grasped, however, when the speaker finished, and from the room came not the group of students I was expecting, but a few students and a lot of other Mongolian people! Suddenly the lobby was filled with them and they had literally surrounded one other girl and I who had chosen the best chairs in the room. That was probably over a half an hour ago, and they are still here! I love foreign people, and I am thoroughly enjoying listening to them speak their language. They are, however, making it impossible for me to read any of my homework!
So, let's take this international theme and add in some writing bits, just to make things even more fun! Like I said, I love international things, especially French things. I have greatly enjoyed using my reading and writing skills to understand and create things not only in English, but also in French. I feel like I have access to a whole other world that the rest of my family members and friends do not. Of course, many of them have access to even more worlds that are unlocked by other languages. It think that it is a beautiful thing to be a part of both of these worlds, and I try to incorporate things from French culture and language into what I write.
What about you? What do you think about when an author has quotes in another language in their book? Does it annoy you because you can't understand? Does it give you a fiery desire to learn the language solely so you could understand? If any of you have read the Hourglass Door Trilogy by Lisa Mangum, you may have experienced this feeling just as I did!
If you are bilingual, what language to you usually write in? Do you only write in your native language? If you write in more than one, why? For enjoyment? To expand your audience? To hide things from your siblings? I would love to hear about it!
My Dad just happens to be the head of international travel here at the university, and so, the building who's lobby I so often utilize is also the Center for International Study. As one of the resources for students and other people who may wish to come, this building houses many speakers from all over the world. I have attended one myself - an ambassador from France - and quite enjoyed the experience. That was back when I was still a beginner with French, and I was so proud when I could raise my hand when the ambassador asked who in the room could speak French. I'm happy to say that had he decided to speak in his native language, I would have done very well if he were speaking today!
Funny enough, the speaker today was also a French-speaker. BUT, he wasn't French. He was Mongolian. From what I can tell from the poster over there he was talking about "The 25th Anniversary of Mongolia-U.S. relations." I caught a few little bits of what he was saying, but I wasn't paying that much attention. My attention was hopelessly grasped, however, when the speaker finished, and from the room came not the group of students I was expecting, but a few students and a lot of other Mongolian people! Suddenly the lobby was filled with them and they had literally surrounded one other girl and I who had chosen the best chairs in the room. That was probably over a half an hour ago, and they are still here! I love foreign people, and I am thoroughly enjoying listening to them speak their language. They are, however, making it impossible for me to read any of my homework!
So, let's take this international theme and add in some writing bits, just to make things even more fun! Like I said, I love international things, especially French things. I have greatly enjoyed using my reading and writing skills to understand and create things not only in English, but also in French. I feel like I have access to a whole other world that the rest of my family members and friends do not. Of course, many of them have access to even more worlds that are unlocked by other languages. It think that it is a beautiful thing to be a part of both of these worlds, and I try to incorporate things from French culture and language into what I write.
What about you? What do you think about when an author has quotes in another language in their book? Does it annoy you because you can't understand? Does it give you a fiery desire to learn the language solely so you could understand? If any of you have read the Hourglass Door Trilogy by Lisa Mangum, you may have experienced this feeling just as I did!
If you are bilingual, what language to you usually write in? Do you only write in your native language? If you write in more than one, why? For enjoyment? To expand your audience? To hide things from your siblings? I would love to hear about it!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Vacuum of Time and Script Frenzy
OK, WOW, IT HAS BEEN WAY TOO LONG SINCE I'VE POSTED!
Sorry if that felt like I was yelling at you! Mostly, it is you who should be yelling at me! I've been neglecting you wonderful followers of mine, and any of you who are newcomers. If you are a newcomer, welcome! If you are a follower, welcome back! Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here! See, the thing is, there's this thing that I like to call "the vacuum of time." All of us have experience it. We plan to do things, but time decides otherwise, and before we even realize it, all the time in the day has flown by, and we have no idea what we've done with it!
Unfortunately, this has been happening to me a lot lately. Only a short while ago I was gung-ho, all out ready to hit the world with my writing skills! Not so much as of late. I was steadily working on my fourth novel (which has quickly become my favorite), and I was proud of how I was keeping up on this blog!
So, thanks to the past little while of spending way too much time on my favorite French musicals and way too little time on my writing, I have not been progressing very much at all. BUT! The cool thing is, I've decided to pick myself up from the dusty old floor and get back up to the writing table! Hopefully if you have been lagging behind, you'll join me in this! We all need each other's support, and that is what the writing community is here for! At least, that's how I see it. So, here we go, back into the wild fray that is the world of writing! I hope you'll join me. I look forward to having you along for the ride!
If you are needing something to get your inner writer back into shape, you should try Script Frenzy, one of the programs offered by the Office of Letters and Light. It begins April 1, and you have the entire month of April to write yourself the 100-page script you have always dreamed of! Ok, so maybe you haven't always dreamed of writing a script. I, for one, had never considered it at all until this year. And you know what? I have no idea what to write, or even how to write a great script, but I'm going to do it anyway! I'll also be dealing with finals and graduation, but hey, when do we ever not have something going on. If I can write a 50,00 word novel in a month, three years in a row, then surely I can handle this!
Maybe this will be a crash-and-burn sort of thing. Maybe not. Either way, it will be fun, and I hope you'll give it a try. Remember, I'll be trying it out, right along side you! If you have been a good little writer and have been keeping up with things, I say to you BRAVO! For the rest of us, here's to getting back on our chargers and riding triumphantly into the future!
Sorry if that felt like I was yelling at you! Mostly, it is you who should be yelling at me! I've been neglecting you wonderful followers of mine, and any of you who are newcomers. If you are a newcomer, welcome! If you are a follower, welcome back! Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here! See, the thing is, there's this thing that I like to call "the vacuum of time." All of us have experience it. We plan to do things, but time decides otherwise, and before we even realize it, all the time in the day has flown by, and we have no idea what we've done with it!
Unfortunately, this has been happening to me a lot lately. Only a short while ago I was gung-ho, all out ready to hit the world with my writing skills! Not so much as of late. I was steadily working on my fourth novel (which has quickly become my favorite), and I was proud of how I was keeping up on this blog!
So, thanks to the past little while of spending way too much time on my favorite French musicals and way too little time on my writing, I have not been progressing very much at all. BUT! The cool thing is, I've decided to pick myself up from the dusty old floor and get back up to the writing table! Hopefully if you have been lagging behind, you'll join me in this! We all need each other's support, and that is what the writing community is here for! At least, that's how I see it. So, here we go, back into the wild fray that is the world of writing! I hope you'll join me. I look forward to having you along for the ride!
If you are needing something to get your inner writer back into shape, you should try Script Frenzy, one of the programs offered by the Office of Letters and Light. It begins April 1, and you have the entire month of April to write yourself the 100-page script you have always dreamed of! Ok, so maybe you haven't always dreamed of writing a script. I, for one, had never considered it at all until this year. And you know what? I have no idea what to write, or even how to write a great script, but I'm going to do it anyway! I'll also be dealing with finals and graduation, but hey, when do we ever not have something going on. If I can write a 50,00 word novel in a month, three years in a row, then surely I can handle this!
Maybe this will be a crash-and-burn sort of thing. Maybe not. Either way, it will be fun, and I hope you'll give it a try. Remember, I'll be trying it out, right along side you! If you have been a good little writer and have been keeping up with things, I say to you BRAVO! For the rest of us, here's to getting back on our chargers and riding triumphantly into the future!
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