Book Meme

The lovely David Maybury has tagged me for a book meme. Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

At the moment I'm reading Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley.

"Uh-uh, no. I been paid already an' I guess that comes from you anyway. But what I need is for you to help me understand what's happening. You see, I don't trust your man Albright at all and you can forget the police."

I don't usually read crime novels but this one came recommended. So far I'm enjoying it; the writing is fresh, fast-paced and intelligent. Mosley tackles racial and cultural issues through his protagonist Easy Rawlins, which gives the genre a new lease of life.

I know this meme has been making the rounds for a while, so I tag anyone who fancies giving it a go.

Six Word Memoir

Holler tagged me for a six word memoir. I am:

Loud
Optimistic
Impatient
Ambitious
Opinionated
Perceptive

I tag: JJ, Jen, Karen, Alix and Debs.

Now that I have run out of reasons to procrastinate, I should finally get some writing done. Hopefully.

Tagged

Little bird eats... (which has now been shortlisted for the Irish Blog Awards, have a look at her blog it is delicious) tagged me recently. The rules are listed in Jen's post.

Five random/weird facts about me:

1. When I was thirteen years old I predicted that I'd have five kids by now and own a flying car.
   
2. I'm addicted to diet coke but have cut it down to one can a day.
3. The bear is my favourite animal. When I visted Yosemite I wanted to spot one but was terrified of having my cabin ripped apart.
4. I stopped growing when I was fourteen. (I'm five foot nothing)
5. I'd watch every foodie programme on tv but hate cooking.

Five places on my 'want to see/want to see again' list:

1. Tokyo, Japan. The Ours and I love visiting cities and Tokyo is next on our list.
2. Australia. I lived in Sydney for five months and travelled around Oz for seven. It is a beautiful country.
3. Barcelona, Spain. I am sick of everyone harping on about it and not knowing what they're talking about! Oh yeah and to see the architecture of course.
4. South America. The Ours and I are planning a three to six month trip there in hopefully two years' time. Before our backs seize up for good and we can't hack the nasty buses.
5. Small Town USA. I'd love to rent/buy a car in New York and drive it through the US someday.

And...you are all now it! Honestly I have no idea who has done this meme already so please adopt it if you're interested, I would love to read your take on it.

Writing meme

I've been tagged at Shenanigans for a writing meme about 5 of my strengths as a writer and 5 pieces of writing advice.

1. I'm able to motivate myself quite effectively, whether it's by imagining myself getting stuck in or, if all else fails, thinking about how guilty I'd feel if I didn't write that day.

2. I approach writing as a job rather than a hobby. This has also helped me remain focused and motivated because if I saw my novel as a side activity to work I would never get it done.

3. I enjoy writing more than any other job I've ever had. 'Nuff said.

4. I am never complacent. I write at least 1500 words a day and monitor my overall word count.

5. Being a bookworm since I can remember has really paid off. I seem to have an instinct for what is good, bad, cliched and original. That doesn't mean that I don't make mistakes when I'm having a bad day or I'm tired - but it does mean I am not afraid to change it later.

And here is my writing advice:

1. Find out what motivates you the best, then stick to it. There are many writers who can treat writing like a hobby, who don't have to motivate themselves by leaving work or by setting themselves high word count goals. But this has worked for me so far and I've only found it out by trial and error.

2. If you want to write, just sit down and do it. Even if it's only 300 words a day it will add up.

3. Try not to let the negative in. I don't mean constructive criticism, which is essential. I mean people who criticise you for no good reason at all, who tell you the statistics are piled against you or even just a fellow writer who doesn't hold much truck for your method. If something works for you, stick to it. And if everyone listened to statistics then we'd never get anywhere.

4. Develop thick skin. (I'm working on this one myself by the way.) Learning to take constructive criticism is vital to becoming a good writer. If you want your work to be published you cannot write for yourself, you must write for the potential audience. Receiving negative feedback can be hard but if you toughen up, your work can only benefit.

5. Focus on the rewards. When I first started my novel it seemed like a mountain to climb. But when I finished my first draft it felt like an amazing achievement. When you are thinking of becoming a writer it's just too easy to let your insecurity prevent you from putting words to paper. But it is all worth it in the end.

And now onto the tags - I'm not sure who has done this meme already or not, so if you would like to give it a try then go ahead!

I rock!

I am now officially a Rockin' Girl Blogger - the lovely Beccy nominated me for an award:
W00T! Thanks Beccy! I always hoped to be vaguely rockin' but now it is confirmed.

Now comes the part where I tag five blogs that are rockin' my world at the moment:

1. I regard Angie as my partner in crime in the writing-blogger world - I enjoy reading her daily updates on the slog that is writing, and her dry sense of humour.

2. Redders' Ramblings is a writer who bravely posts her daily word count, inspiring me to keep going even when I'm having a wobble.

3. Tinned Tomatoes is a Scottish blogger who not only posts delicious vegetarian recipes but tries them out first - and takes fantastic photos of the results. It's easy to get stuck in a cooking rut so I heartily applaud her endeavor.

4. Flirty Something's blog is not only incredibly funny but also beautifully written - the girl has masses of writing talent. Here's to her writing a novel...

5. And last but definitely not least, Macoosh for being so incredibly honest in her posts, for living in the same city and for liking the same pubs I go to!

'8 Things' meme

I'm not really into memes...

...but I'm doing this one because I've been tagged for the first time (by Verging Writer, thank you!) and because it lets me take part in my favourite activity, talking about myself. Here goes...

THE RULES
1. All right, here are the rules.
2. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
3. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
4. People who are tagged write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
5. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to tag and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. I can speak Luxembourgish - that's right - it's a real-life language. Completely useless outside of Luxembourg but it's a conversation starter...
2. I'm not a fan of chick lit but I can't get enough of chick flicks. The cheesier and cliched, the better.
3. I hate speaking to people on my mobile, so I let most of my calls go through to voicemail. Then I send a text message back.
4. I don't like burdening people with my problems, but I like it when people confide in me.
5. I can't drive, don't own a license or a car and have no intentions of ever taking that test.
6. Before I go on holiday my boyfriend and I research all the restaurants listed in my guidebook, then we plan our sightseeing around our meals.
7. I'm always, always on time. And if someone I'm meeting is late, it drives me mad.
8. I like to have a number of short, middle and long term goals in place at all times, because my greatest fear is to drift through life in automatic, wake up one day in the future and have regrets. (Have I mentioned that I'm a control freak?)
   

I won't tag eight people, and please ignore if you don't want to take part or have already done this meme, but I tag Beccy, Angie, Macoosh, Laurie and Holler. Take it away girls...