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Welcome to Elizabeth Delisi - Guest Author for Valentine's Day!

2/13/2015

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Please welcome Elizabeth Delisi to my Blog! Not only are we going to be treated to a blog from her but I'm also uploading my review of her collection of short stories - The Midnight Zone. We're cross blogging today so I'll be appearing as a guest on Elizabeth's blog!

The Effect of Coffee and Walking on Writing - Elizabeth Delisi

     There are a few things one needs to be a writer. First and foremost is a story to tell, and an unquenchable desire to tell it. Without the story, without the drive, nothing else matters.

    A writer needs to be a diversified reader, soaking up whatever is available. It’s all grist for the mill. Yet the majority of the reading should be in the genre the writer writes in. This is the best way to learn what works and what doesn’t in the chosen genre.

    Also necessary is a good grasp of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. And no, spell-check isn’t an adequate substitute for knowing how to punctuate dialogue, where the comma goes, or how to spell “judgment” or “judgement,” depending on your country.

    Useful but less indispensable is an office with a computer, desk, printer, and any reference materials desired. A designated office is lovely to have, but a corner of the kitchen or bedroom works just as well.

    There are two more items that many writers swear by. They may not be strictly necessary, but writers who make use of them will swear otherwise.

    The first of the two is coffee. You knew this was coming, right? Coffee serves several purposes in a writer’s life. First and foremost, coffee and the caffeine jolt it offers help the writer go from the dreamy, disconnected early morning state to the rapid-thinking creative zone where good writing happens. Second, pausing for a sip or getting up to refill the pot gives a legitimate excuse for a much-needed break. And third, coffee gives you a boatload of energy for washing the kitchen floor or folding the laundry when taking a guilty time-out from writing. In the hare versus the tortoise story, an author on coffee is the hare—speed is everything.

    The second item is, believe it or not, walking. Walking helps with everything coffee does, but with different results. Taking an early morning walk wakes up the writer’s mind without inducing the zippy, highly caffeinated state of coffee. Sometimes all that’s needed to get over a tricky spot in the prose is a quick walk up and down the stairs or around the kitchen. Walking also serves as its own excuse for taking a break…after all, walking is healthy, right? An author on walking is the tortoise, slow and steady.

In my unscientific, subjective opinion, you can tell when a writer is on coffee, and when he’s on walks. See what you think.

***

From “Killing Bernstein” by Harlan Ellison

I was, on the spot, in an instant, a pariah.

I was the despoiler of the children’s crusade.

I was the lurking child molester.

I was the lizard piper of Hamelin.

I was, with the good offices of Netta Bernstein, at the end of an auspicious career with the MyToy Corporation.

***

What do you think? Coffee or walking?

Try this one.

From “The Taking” by Dean Koontz:

In the tides of the storm, the luminous windows of Harry’s house seemed like the running lights of a distant vessel on a rolling sea: one of those fabled ghost ships, abandoned by passengers and crew, yet with lifeboats still secured. Untouched dinners would be found on plates in the crew’s mess. In the wheelhouse, the captain’s favorite pipe, warm with smoldering tobacco, would await discovery on the chart table.

***

Walking or coffee?

This is just a little game I play when I need a mental break. You can do the same. Maybe you’ll decide your favorite writer use coffee, or walking. Or perhaps you’ll decide a particular writer goes with chocolate…or rap music…or heavily scented candles. It’s up to you. What do you think?


The Midnight Zone
A Collection of Short Stories by Elizabeth Delisi

Picture
When Cassie buys an antique compact, little does she know it can foretell the future--her future. Marjorie, a Florida girl unwillingly transplanted to Vermont, learns there's more to fear from the alien snowfall than just the cold. Neil Dallas's jagged descent from rock and roll singer to drug-addicted has-been is unstoppable . . . or is it?

Travel deep into unknown territory, where life and death are not as they seem; where you have to be careful what you ask for, because you might get it. These stories will take you beyond the realm of the solid and real, into the deepest, darkest corner of your imagination. Don't forget to bring your flashlight . . .

You can find out more about THE MIDNIGHT ZONE, or order your own copy, here:

http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Delisi_Elizabeth/midnight-zone.htm

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CIB8UL0/

Visit Elizabeth on her blog: http://elizabethdelisi.blogspot.com/

Or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edelisi


My Review

I really enjoyed reading The Midnight Zone by Elizabeth Delisi. It’s a series of short stories ranging across genres. Clearly the author gets her love of the “Twilight” style from her great-grandfather, William Cummings Gegenheimer, who penned the first story in the collection. All the tales are delicious and often quite creepy. Unlike a lot of short story collections, which are good to start with but feel like a mission to finish, The Midnight Zone is an easy read. Each story keeps you anticipating the next one. If you like short stories with a twist then The Midnight Zone is the book for you.

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    Loving the writing life!

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  • HOME
  • BOOKS
    • Harcourt's Mountain Excerpt
    • Harcourt's Mountain Excerpt - First Impressions
    • Harcourt's Mountain Radio Interview - with 1st Chapter read by Elaine Dodge
    • The Device Hunter Excerpt - The Wheel House
    • The Device Hunter Excerpt - Chiller
  • Blog
    • Second Chances
  • Award Stories
    • Award Winner - Harcourt's Mountain
    • Award Winner - That One Night
  • Short Stories
  • Read ME Ink Books
  • IN PROGRESS
  • CONTACT ME
  • Other Authors
    • Charlene Raddon
    • Author Interview - Christy Nicholas
    • Guest Blog Cynthia Woolf
    • Valentine's Day Guest
    • Inge Saunders Blog
    • Maya Tyler
    • Guest Blog MK McClintock
    • Susanne Schemper Guest Blog
    • Sue Coletta talks writing, murder and a crow named Poe
    • WF Ranew