Tag Archives: holiday celebrations

What’s your writing resolution?

by Gail Z. Martin

If you’re a writer,  what’s your writing resolution for 2012?

Is this the year you’re going to finish your manuscript?  Find an agent?  Self-publish?

Whatever your resolution, when are you going to get started?

I know, things are busy right now.  But here’s the truth—things will always be busy.  There will always be some reason why you can’t work on your book—unless you decide to make it a priority.

The truth is, writing a book based on your area of expertise can be a fantastic way to promote your business.  Just by virtue of the fact that you actually wrote and finished a book (and published it), you can claim the title of ‘expert’.  You can promote your book (and your expertise).  You can even give away your book as an expanded calling card.  You can package your services or products as an extension of the book.  But that only works if you actually sit down and write the book.

So here’s my 30 day challenge to you:  Write something every day.  And by this, I mean a good faith effort, not just jotting down a single word or a single sentence.  Set aside just 30 minutes a day and use that time to outline, to write a few paragraphs, or maybe even, on a good day, a whole page.  My bet is that by the end of 30 days, you won’t want to stop.  It will be so much fun, such a creative release, so invigorating, that you’ll want to keep on going.  Or maybe, you’ll even have a draft completed.

Remember that there is no official definition of how many pages (or words) it takes to make a book.  Your book could be 10,000 words, or 50,000 words or maybe event 75,000 words.  It doesn’t matter.  It’s all about how long it takes to say what you want to say.  And it all begins with the commitment to begin.

So how about it?  I want to know what you do, so please comment and let me know what you’re going to do in the next 30 days to get started on that book you’ve always meant to write!

Go for it!

“Like” my WinterKingdoms page on Facebook and enter to win a prize package of signed books, foreign editions and rare Advance Review Copies  https://on.fb.me/yRGfHD

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What to buy with those holiday gift card? A geek guide.

by Gail Z. Martin

So you got a gift card.  Why not get your geek on and buy what you really want?

Like an iPhone skin that turns your phone into Han Solo encased in carbonite, or a remote controlled R2D2, or even a Star Wars movie poster skateboard?  (Because you already got the BluRay DVD set of Star Wars, ‘fess up.)

It’s late in the season, but you could probably grab a Star Wars Lego Advent calendar so you’ll be ready next year.  Or the Lego Deathstar with over 3,800 pieces.  How about Star Wars Mighty Beans?

Brighten your holidays with a Dalek Christmas tree?  (I’m not making this stuff up, honest– https://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/12/gift-guide-giveaway-2011/)

Or what about a pizza cutter shaped like the Enterprise?  (You know, I never realized the similarity before, but now that they point it out….)

There’s always Klingon Monopoly or a Spock Mr. Potato Head.

Of course, you already have a Jayne hat, right?

Everyone’s got Harry Potter Clue, don’t they?  But how about your very own Mirror of Erised?  A “Team Neville” t-shirt?  How about a wand that lights a candle? (Now that’s a twist on The Clapper.)

Of course, there’s always a copy of William Shatner singing Bohemian Rhapsody  https://youtu.be/cKo4FMzt_hM

 

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A Sci-Fi Fantasy Kind of Christmas

by Gail Z. Martin

If you’ve missed your invitation to the holiday dinner at Hogwarts, here are some seasonal selections that should warm every fennish heart.

Doctor Who Christmas Filk  https://youtu.be/OY3yJ7rCH8g

I Want a Doctor (Who) for Christmas https://youtu.be/gZnqLehMjtc

It’s Voldemort Outside https://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2005/12/harry-potter-christmas-filk-its.html

A Cthulhu Christmas Chorale https://www.khaosworks.org/filk/cthulhuxmas.html

I Saw ‘Nara Kissin’ Cap’n Mal https://squidge.org/~peja/cgi-bin/viewstory.php?skin=eFiction&sid=44271

A mash-up of fandom in “My Favorite Things: https://eeknight.livejournal.com/210981.html

Don’t forget A Christmas Carol—the version with JonLuc Picard (I mean Patrick Stewart).

Or, just pop your VHS copy of A Star Wars Christmas Special into your VCR and enjoy!

Enjoy!

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Merry Winterstide to All

by Gail Z. Martin
If you’ve read any of my books, you know holiday celebrations in the differing traditions of the Winter Kingdoms are a big part of the story.  I had a lot of fun with this, but I also thought that readers could gain a lot of insight into characters and kingdoms by seeing how their celebrations differed.

Of course Winterstide is the mid-winter solstice, and in The Blood King, my main characters are in exile in Principality for the holidays.  While they’re guests of the king and invited to celebrate in style, there’s a lot of tension as they remember holidays past with loved ones who are now dead, and wonder whether or not they’ll live to see future holidays.  It’s also natural for the characters to reminisce about the foods and celebrations that they miss from back home, which is especially bittersweet because “home” has changed irrevocably for all of them.

Winterstide crops up again in Dark Haven, a year later.  The world has completely changed for all the characters, and most of them are celebrating in places and in ways they never thought possible just a year before.  Once again, Tris passes both his birthday and Winterstide away from home, this time, besieging a fortress.  Jonmarc discovers that vayash moru bring a whole new perspective on holidays.  But for all of them, Winterstide is a light in the darkness.

Wherever your holidays find you, I hope that there is light in the darkness.

 

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