  Noticing Newbies
This week: Edited by: Cubby  
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 Welcome to the Noticing Newbies Newsletter! Our goal is to showcase some of our newest Writing.Com Authors and their items. From poetry and stories to creative polls and interactives, we'll bring you a wide variety of items to enjoy. We will also feature "how to" advice and items that will help to jump start the creation process on Writing.com.
We hope all members of the site will take the time to read, rate, review and welcome our new authors. By introducing ourselves, reviewing items and reaching out, we will not only make them feel at home within our community, we just might make new friends!
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Amazon's Price: Price N/A
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** Image ID #1116905 Unavailable **
 ~ ~ What Clicked for Me! ~ ~
It finally happened. I started to write again! After quite a dry spell, the floodgates have opened! And so, this week, I'd like to share how it happened.
As many of you know (and many newbies do not, of course), my main writing goal lies in the children's genre. I also work in a small library and order all the books. Well, last week I decided to take home a few children's books that are in a series, such as Junie B. Jones in a Little Monkey Business by Barbara Parks, The Littles by John Peterson, Fairy Realm: The Charm Bracelet by Emily Rodda, and Franklin Stays Up by Sharon Jennings.
I ended up reading only one of these books: Junie B. Jones in a Little Monkey Business. I was so shocked by the attitude of this little girl that I was surprised she was so popular. She talks back to her parents, her friends, her teacher, and her grandparents. She repeatedly uses the words stupid and dumb, and calls a classmate ...you big fat Jim. Perhaps these books have no or little effect on the children who read them, but I was not impressed at all. I told my oldest daughter about this book and she mentioned that my nine-year old granddaughter didn't care for them either. But I must admit, they do get checked out from the library often enough, so maybe I'm missing something here. Anyways,, reading this book sparked something inside me. I thought, Why can't I write a series of books that doesn't have a rude little character in it, but something that might still grab the littles ones to want to read? I read through the beginning of the book once again to see how it began. Again, I was sparked! I began writing about a boy, who started out at nine, who has a very, very immature friend. But the relationship works quite well since neither one of them are social. Anyhow, a story develops and I change my mind about the boy's age. I think he will be eleven. As I'm writing, he seems to take over, and is more mature than a nine-year old. My story is nothing like Barbara Park's character, but that rude little girl sure got me going! In fact, I've written seven chapters right off the bat! At this point, they are all hand-written. I'll be camping this first full week in August and again in September, so I'm not sure when I'll put it in my portfolio. I'm excited about this though. I read it to my husband and he said, "That's pretty good. You really are a good writer if you would only finish something."  And then he gave me some great suggestions on some possibilities for the story. 
Anyway, I just wanted to share this tidbit of information with you all this week. It's really amazing what can jar a person back into writing.
I'm so glad to be back!
Have a great August!
Love, Cubby ") |
~ ~ Got questions? Look for answers here... ~ ~
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~~~And Now... For Our Featured Newbie Presentation!~~~
Excerpt:
The wind blows up and scatters leaves
And rain begins to fall
The rooks rise up with full alarm
It’s time to leave here now
Excerpt: Stumbling out of bed at the crack of dawn, I sleepily find my way into the bathroom. Flicking on the vanity light, I am startled to see my mother looking back at me! Awake now at that revelation I splash my face with cool water and smooth back my tossled hair. Seeing my usual reflection in the mirror I am still taken aback at the similarities noticed in that moment of twilight vision.
Excerpt: Sometimes you can see the future coming; it’s all laid out with it’s stops and passages, pre-formed and routed, like a train track. Sometimes that future gets predicted a long time ago, but people still don’t see it coming. Only very rarely does it catch you off guard. But then, when you’re given the luxury to look back on it, you think to yourself, you really should have seen that one coming a mile off.
Excerpt: Mrs Pettigrew realised the man was simple so tried explaining without bombarding him with information. “My home has become overrun with rats. Not my rats, obviously brought here by… by some other party. A rat is an animal, you supposedly know about animals so all I want is your advice. Or poison if you have it.”
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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| ASIN: B000FC0SIM |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.99
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karabu
What intimidates you most about writing?
The thought of trying to express the pictures in my head and the feelings in my heart into the mind and heart of someone else - maybe someone I don't know and have very little in common with.
Yes, that could be very intimidating, I agree. Hopefully you won't be so intimidated though, that it keeps you from expressing your true feelings in your writing. I believe that what comes from our heart will touch others, though not everyone will respond in the same way. 
Caren Rose 
~What intimidates you most about writing?
The middle. I always have these great ideas for beginnings and ends of stories, then when I start writing them i get stuck because I have no middle . . . then trying to come up with a middle is a huge task . . . yikes!! (Maybe I'm just lazy . . . still it's hard)
I am exactly the same way!!!  I have so many 'beginnings', but it's in the middle where I get stuck, too. I wonder if there are any good writing books that could help us out on this!? Thanks for sharing!
Breezy-E ~ In College
What intimidates you most about writing?
Mostly things I'm not good at, like writing fight sceens. So far, I've written two, one (which accidentally got deleted) wasn't very good, and the other (it's in an item in my port) I really like, but I can't use that style all the time because it's not traditional and is probably more impressive as a novelty. In case you're wondering, it's more of a comic view of the fight, low on actual details.
Breezy-E
Oh, my! I would be absolutely terrible at writing fight scenes. And I am impressed with anyone who even tries. Perhaps I'll visit your port soon and read your 'comic' view of a fight. 
SilverValkyre loves YOU!
The price structure you provided is totally useless. It is wrong, as a matter of fact. Please redo it and reissue the newsletter PRONTO. Yikes!
A concerned new unnewbie (6 months and 2 days)
I have to sit back and laugh at my first reaction to your feedback from last month's newsletter. I am so glad we emailed back and forth over this. It was quite upsetting that the numbers came up all screwy. In my draft, they are just fine. When I get more time, I will be redoing that issue.... not quiet sure how I'm going to manage it yet, since it won't take those numbers with the dollar signs. I'll figure it out though. It sure was frustrating seeing it like that though. All that work...
Nighala a.k.a. Doxie Do-Right
Cubby,
For me the greatest intimidation about writing is that which I don't know. Grammar has never been my strong suit, so when faced with a complex grammar issue I quiver in fear. I think my own uncertainty about my abilities is what intimidates me the most. Guess I need to get myself some grammar books. :)
Nighala
Grammar books aren't a bad resource, for sure. Also, if you type your work in 'Microsoft Word' first, the program will automatically give you suggestions on corrections for not only spelling errors, but grammar, too!
bymydesigns
Hi Cubby,
I enjoyed your newsletter...as always. But your pricing for the memberships apparently had a problem. (since they were all .95/9.95 or 0!) You might want to clarify in a future newsletter!
Thanks for taking the time to do this, and share it with us!
Yes, wasn't that weird? I was flabergasted when I found out. And of course, I will make corrections at a future date. I'm just so gosh darn busy right now, it's crazy. Thanks for your kind response!
Naomi Verhan 
The most intimidating part of writing for me (and probably many others) is getting started. Some days, it really takes some forcing to get me to sit down and start. By the way, I just wanted to say I've always loved the bird theme in your newsletters, so thanks, Cubby!
Thank you. I know the feeling. It's like a car that has a bad starter connection, eh? Just keep on cranking, and take advantage of any spark available!  Thanks for the feedback...
Queen Sheba
im new here,but i find it troublesome when i cant enter some of the campfires that are realy interesting and i realy want someone to add to my interactive titled "this is WHACK!!" so plzz add,i beg you coz i juz joined up here and dont know that many members to invite.
plz help
frm a very troubled
salemcatdj
It will happen, I'm sure of it. Sometimes it takes a while to get to know other members. If anyone else is reading this, they may want to check your campfire out!
Here's the link: "Invalid Item"
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Quote: A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.
~Thomas Mann
Cubby's Question(s) of the Month
After accomplishing a grand beginning to a story, how do you go about the middle?
Is the middle the most difficult for you, or is it the ending?
See you again on September 7th!
** Image ID #1083450 Unavailable **
Love, Cubby ")
Next week's editor will be... Puditat |
| ASIN: B01DSJSURY |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 5.99
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Noticing Newbies: August 09, 2006 Issue [#1194]
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