Stylish Blogger Award

Thank you so, so much to Misa Buckley for passing this wonderful award on to me!

In order to accept this award I need to...

1. Thank and link to my nominator (check ✔).
2. Share seven things about myself.
3. Present the award to a few bloggers I've recently discovered.

Seven things about me:

1. I can't sleep with a clock ticking but I can sleep with a fan blowing.
2. When I write I spend a lot more time thinking than I do actually writing.
3. I don't sleep with my windows open because I'm afraid someone might put their hand through during the night!
4. I teach students who are 15 to 18 years old, but I still give them a lollipop on their birthdays -- and they still like it!
5. I drive a little white Citi Golf.
6. When I try to sleep in the middle of my big bed I always end up diagonal somehow.
7. I put things away in special places for safekeeping and then totally forget where the special places are!

Passing it on...

• Roxy Haynie @ a woman's write
• Danielle @ Frenzy of Noise
• Holly @ Good Golly Miss Holly
• Michelle @ Perfecting the craft...
• Elana @ YA Author Elana Johnson
  

Go check out these bloggers' stylish blogs!

~ ~ ~

Also, before I forget (again!), Rach, Marieke and Tessa are holding a Trilogy Contest! There are some great prizes to be won, but you need to enter before January 31st...

Photo Friday (4)

Yup, that's me! When I was in Cape Town I visited the Protea Hotel Fire and Ice and on one of their decks upstairs they had this big panel of red light. My friend immediately saw the silhouette photo opportunity, grabbed my camera and told me to go pose in front of the light! (She took a whole lot more than just four, but I didn't want to bore you!)

Writing Tip (5): Feeeeel It

Feeeeel It

I'm reading a book at the moment (I won't mention the title or author) that I'm kind of struggling to get through. It's got fantasy, mythology, action, it's well written... and yet I'm not desperate to pick it up at the end of each day. After pondering this for a little while I think I've realised why.

I'm not feeling anything!

I'm in the character's head, since it's written in the first person, but all I'm getting is an explanation of what's happening. And there's a lot happening! It's descriptive and there's plenty of dialogue, but what is she feeling?

I read a YA fantasy last year that I thought would be brilliant. It had such an awesome and original idea -- and yet it turned out to be, well, boring! I felt quite detached from the character and so it was just one event to the next event to the next event...

Bottom line: make sure you incorporate enough emotion to help your readers care about and relate to your characters.

Inspiration for Your Novel Set in the Winelands

The second part of my holiday was spent in Stellenbosch -- home to the grapes of some of South Africa's best wines. Hmm... I think I could come up with a good family saga set in the winelands... Wealthy family, forbidden love, secrets kept hidden for years...

Inspiration for Your (Creepy) Beach Scene

I'm back from holiday! And back at school! (And tired already... And wishing for another holiday already...)

While I was in the Eastern Cape -- for the beach part of my holiday -- the weather decided to be mainly uncooperative and instead of giving me a sun to tan under, it gave me clouds, rain and mist. So these aren't your conventional "beach holiday" photos, but I hope they can inspire some of you :-)