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I love the new cover, too!
You can read an excerpt here and find purchasing information here.
Remember, Mystic writes "for the shadier sides of our desires." This book is not for the faint of heart!
The official site of Diana Hunter, author of erotic romances, short stories and historical fiction.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
I love the new cover, too!
You can read an excerpt here and find purchasing information here.
Remember, Mystic writes "for the shadier sides of our desires." This book is not for the faint of heart!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
no workshop today
Sorry, folks. I often write these posts a few weeks ahead so I don't get stuck the night before trying to think of something to write about (I pretty much kicked that habit in college). Except this time, the last advance one posted last week and I'm just not ready.
While I'm getting my act together, check out some of these other cool sites and I'll be back next week with new writing prompts and observations about the process of writing.
While I'm getting my act together, check out some of these other cool sites and I'll be back next week with new writing prompts and observations about the process of writing.
- Please consider donating to the Red Cross. They are going to be quite busy over the next few weeks.
- Tonight I'm involved in the JP Morgan Corporate Classic. My team can always count on me to come in last. I'm in Rochester tonight and my goal is to get a personal best (which means coming in at under an hour)!
- Need a new game to play? I'm loving GeoGuessr.So far my highest score is just a little over 9K. If you beat me, put your score in the comments!
- And, if you haven't seen the great work of Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choirs, go listen to VC1, VC2 and VC3. Then sign up for VC4!
Play safe,
Diana
Diana
Sunday, May 19, 2013
VC4
For those of you who have never heard of Eric Whitacre, he's a composer of modern choral music. That's the nutshell version. You can read a longer version and a lot more here.
Why am I writing about him today? Because this past Friday, he launched Virtual Choir 4 and I'm a part of it.
Yep, I'm singing in a virtual choir with thousands of people all over the world. Why? Because it connects me. Because it makes me feel a part of something larger than myself. Because I love to sing and haven't in far too long.
I sang in last year's piece, Water Night. The music was the hardest I'd ever sung (with the possible exception of the Hallelujah Chorus) but I sang the alto part, alone in my room - just me, my microphone and Eric Whitacre on the computer screen. If you'd like to see the end result, the video "we" made is here (and if you want to read what I wrote about the process, click here). (NOTE: if you watch the credits, I'm in the Alto section, but not under this name. Next year I'll divulge that secret. :) )
This year my husband intends to join me, submitting his own video. I expect he'll sing the bass line, possibly the tenor 2. I'll submit an alto 2 line and, if I can, an alto 1 line as well.
What's especially cool about this year's choir is the fact that our singing tracks are only part of the piece. There will be a techno/dubstep/dance track that runs under it. After it's released, he's hoping others will take it and do remixes and create something new from what we provide as the base. This is so very, very cool!
And, as icing on the cake? It premieres at the 60th anniversary ceremonies for Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. I'm going to sing for the Queen even though I'll never leave my study to do it! Ya gotta love technology!
Off to practice...and you should think about joining us!
Diana
Why am I writing about him today? Because this past Friday, he launched Virtual Choir 4 and I'm a part of it.
Yep, I'm singing in a virtual choir with thousands of people all over the world. Why? Because it connects me. Because it makes me feel a part of something larger than myself. Because I love to sing and haven't in far too long.
I sang in last year's piece, Water Night. The music was the hardest I'd ever sung (with the possible exception of the Hallelujah Chorus) but I sang the alto part, alone in my room - just me, my microphone and Eric Whitacre on the computer screen. If you'd like to see the end result, the video "we" made is here (and if you want to read what I wrote about the process, click here). (NOTE: if you watch the credits, I'm in the Alto section, but not under this name. Next year I'll divulge that secret. :) )
This year my husband intends to join me, submitting his own video. I expect he'll sing the bass line, possibly the tenor 2. I'll submit an alto 2 line and, if I can, an alto 1 line as well.
What's especially cool about this year's choir is the fact that our singing tracks are only part of the piece. There will be a techno/dubstep/dance track that runs under it. After it's released, he's hoping others will take it and do remixes and create something new from what we provide as the base. This is so very, very cool!
And, as icing on the cake? It premieres at the 60th anniversary ceremonies for Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. I'm going to sing for the Queen even though I'll never leave my study to do it! Ya gotta love technology!
Off to practice...and you should think about joining us!
Diana
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The vanishing infinitive
Language lives.
There is no doubt about it. Between the idioms each generation coins and the regionalisms that mark our speech, language is alive and thriving.
And changing.
Sometimes those changes are all for the good (did we ever really need a comma between the month and the year when no specific date number was given? And is dropping the he/she for a brand-new singular "they" is starting to make sense, especially when repeating he/she more than two times in a sentence just sounds stupid.).
But some changes drive me insane, one in particular: hooking a preposition to a verb when the person really should simply use an infinitive verb. For example:
Actually, the first sentence has two errors: 1) the present progressive form ("I'm planning") clutters up the sentence and 2) "on going" is mixing the preposition with the verb.
Prepositions don't go with verbs. Period. They partner with nouns on occasion, but never with a verb. The whole definition of a preposition is to show location (think pre + position).
A good way to remember prepositions is the hollowed out tin can.
You can go in it, you can go out of it, you can be on it. You can be on top, below, beside, inside, outside; you can go around it, through it, under it, above it (you get the point).
All those words are prepositions -- they show position.
Of course, this is English, so there has to be an exception or two. The word "to" is one of them. "To" can be a preposition ("I went to the store.").
"To" can also be part of the infinitive form ("to run," "to walk," "to join").
And therein lies the problem, I suspect. Saying "I plan on running later" gets rid of the awkward progressive form, but keeps the preposition/verb mix-up. It's a phrase that tries to make a prepositional phrase out of a verb.
But prepositional phrases have nouns at the end of them, not verbs. In the above mentioned example, "to the store," to is the preposition and store is the object of the preposition. Together they make an entire prepositional phrase.
Here's one for you to try: find the prepositional phrases in the following sentence:
So, what does this rant (and grammar lesson) have to do with today's workshop? Let it serve as a reminder that knowing the grammar rules are important...because only if you know them do you know when to break them.
Misusing the language is a great way to show the education level of a character. If the words, "plan on" (or worse, "planning on") come out of a character's mouth, that let's the reader know about the person without any further description.
No specific activity today. Just take a look at your manuscript and make sure you've used the infinitive form and not the sloppy one -- unless you meant to!
Play safe,
Diana
There is no doubt about it. Between the idioms each generation coins and the regionalisms that mark our speech, language is alive and thriving.
And changing.
Sometimes those changes are all for the good (did we ever really need a comma between the month and the year when no specific date number was given? And is dropping the he/she for a brand-new singular "they" is starting to make sense, especially when repeating he/she more than two times in a sentence just sounds stupid.).
But some changes drive me insane, one in particular: hooking a preposition to a verb when the person really should simply use an infinitive verb. For example:
People say, "I'm planning on going to the party,"
when they should say, "I plan to go to the party."
Actually, the first sentence has two errors: 1) the present progressive form ("I'm planning") clutters up the sentence and 2) "on going" is mixing the preposition with the verb.
Prepositions don't go with verbs. Period. They partner with nouns on occasion, but never with a verb. The whole definition of a preposition is to show location (think pre + position).
A good way to remember prepositions is the hollowed out tin can.
You can go in it, you can go out of it, you can be on it. You can be on top, below, beside, inside, outside; you can go around it, through it, under it, above it (you get the point).
All those words are prepositions -- they show position.
Of course, this is English, so there has to be an exception or two. The word "to" is one of them. "To" can be a preposition ("I went to the store.").
"To" can also be part of the infinitive form ("to run," "to walk," "to join").
And therein lies the problem, I suspect. Saying "I plan on running later" gets rid of the awkward progressive form, but keeps the preposition/verb mix-up. It's a phrase that tries to make a prepositional phrase out of a verb.
But prepositional phrases have nouns at the end of them, not verbs. In the above mentioned example, "to the store," to is the preposition and store is the object of the preposition. Together they make an entire prepositional phrase.
Here's one for you to try: find the prepositional phrases in the following sentence:
The firetruck screamed down the street, around the corner to the fire.
(answer at the end of the post)
So, what does this rant (and grammar lesson) have to do with today's workshop? Let it serve as a reminder that knowing the grammar rules are important...because only if you know them do you know when to break them.
Misusing the language is a great way to show the education level of a character. If the words, "plan on" (or worse, "planning on") come out of a character's mouth, that let's the reader know about the person without any further description.
No specific activity today. Just take a look at your manuscript and make sure you've used the infinitive form and not the sloppy one -- unless you meant to!
Play safe,
Diana
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Interview at Sizzling Hot Books
Did you see my interview over there? Sizzling Hot Books asked some great questions and I had a lot of fun answering. Leave a comment under the interview for a chance at at free ebook!
Play safe,
Diana
Play safe,
Diana
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
If music be the food of love...
Some people swear music is necessary for their creative juices to start the words flowing. Others prefer silence. Still others need the background noise of everyday life in order to focus on the story taking shape under their fingers.
Today we’re going to focus on the use of music to create story. Next week we’ll deal with the other preferences.
Some authors choose a particular song that embodies either the theme of their book or perhaps is a signature of one of the main characters. They'll put it on repeat - and then play the song continuously as they write, letting both the rhythm of the beat and the lyrics of the song sway the way a character speaks or a scene flows.
Other authors have a song for each character - or a piece of music for each scene. The smart authors publish their playlist so readers can listen along as they read the book!
Music can also act as inspiration – the lyrics of a song come on the radio and a new story starts in your head. Or you hear a beautiful motif that perfectly captures an emotion and the next thing you know, you’re expressing that same emotion in words.
It’s this last that we’re concentrating on this week: using music to inspire a story.
Activity
Tune into an Internet radio station that allows you to create your own channel (I like Pandora, myself). Create a station of New Age instrumental music. Alternately, choose a film composer (Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, Ennio Morricone).
Why these two types of stations? Because they often evoke emotion – and that’s what you’re looking for today. Music that moves you. Direction doesn’t matter, movement does.
Then minimize the screen and don’t look at it again. Don’t look to see what film the music is from or what the name of the piece is. If you do, your thoughts will be “tainted” by the information.
Instead, just listen and write. Let the sound enter your ears as music and come out your fingers as words.
Use either your journal and a pen/pencil or write right at the computer. Whatever works best for you. But keep writing until the last note fades away.
Then stop.
Put the piece away.
Do another if you wish. Maybe even one more after that.
Put them all away.
Give them a few days before you pull them out to read again. With fresh eyes, did you capture the emotion the music expressed? How can you use this piece of writing? Will it fit a current work in progress? Does it start an entirely new story?
Music can inspire us. Let it.
This blog will soon need to be a source of income in order for me to justify spending time on these workshops. Please consider donating to keep it active.
Diana
Saturday, May 04, 2013
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