Too Many Books

Sometimes, the overshare gets me virtual raised eyebrows and general disdain, but not this week. This week, ol' Honest Amb came away with chocolate covered Twizzlers. See, there are these really cool author/sister gals,  Lisa and Laura . Some people think they are attached in a siamese way, and just call them LiLa. It's easier than tying out two names, I guess. Anywin, they had a fantastically appealing contest over at their (hilarious) blog this week --    Best, most shocking, most hilarious, most entertaining truth wins the [chocolate covered] Twizzlers. Beyond excited to see what you guys come up with. *drumroll* Well, who else did you guys think would win?! (If you say Simon Larter , I'll punch you in the face.) In the realm of shocking, hilarious, entertaining truth-telling... I will never let you down. Here's my first-place comment. Please enjoy reading it while I go toot my own horn some more. Amber Tidd Murphy said... ...

My middle is sagging. For all you non-writerly types, I am not referring to my recent affinity for (nor the obvious repercussions of) Panera Bread breakfasts. No, instead (or, in addition) it's the middle of my book that is sagging. (Sadly, it's not even quite the middle. It's chapter four.) I've written subsequent chapters already, because chapter four is a cruel and an unusual beast of a chapter. Nothing very interesting is happening to my main character, Laurel, during her freshman year while she's away at college. She's acting miserably depressed and spending the majority of her time mooning over a boy who still lives in her hometown. I'm just so ready to get through this section -- things pick up when Laurel goes home and her first year of college is behind her. But, I'm frustrated. If I'm picking my way through this part of the story -- bored to tears while writing it -- then how will my readers feel when they are re...

While stumbling around this blog  called The Elegant Variation, I discovered a really great article on autobiographical fiction  written by Melvyn Bragg. I'll quote the same passage from the article that Mark Saavas did: It is often thought that autobiography cannot reach into the core of fiction; that the author’s own direct experience is too limiting a factor. That only if you step wholly outside yourself can fiction be formed. But why not step inside yourself? The brain, we now know, is more complicated than the universe, and we are just at the beginning of the exploration of what happens in there. What better laboratory for fiction than the brain that writes it? The more I write fiction, the more I see it as the best way to get at the truth and the only reason for writing it. Autobiography can be a high road to that end. Yes, it might be nine months old, but the article really speaks to me...What do you think?

I did it! I wrote 1000 words today, give or take 139 words. I also enlisted over at the new Writer's Digest Community , which I learned about from Lydia over at The Sharp Angle.  In her post today, she wrote that "the site is being coined by some as the "facebook for writers.". " Um. Maybe they can teach me how to quote someone who has already quoted a quote. You should check out the community (as well as Lydia's blog) and join the groups that suit your fancy. I joined The Writer's Edge as well as Fiction Writing . And, I must say, I am quite proud that I got some writing completed before wondering about the website. Now, I am going to do just that! I hope it hasn't been a total snooze fest over here at musings of amber murphy this week. Please, keep coming back to my blog; I promise that my next post will include something that will make you pee your pants  (more professional blogging, amber, remember?!) witty. In the meantime, answer me...