Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Kimberly A. Cook

Do You Edit On Screen Or Paper?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                    (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Love the smell of school supplies in the morning. This time of year I buy school supplies to re-stock my writer gear, not that I need more but it makes me happy. Got me to wondering about how other folks edit their work. Since I am of the “every manuscript in a three-ring binder” persuasion, in case all the tech goes belly up, hard copy-edit is my preference.

It's school supply time. Stock up your writer supplies. Bet I need more pens, I'm getting low on my stash.
It’s school supply time. Stock up your writer supplies. Bet I need more pens, I’m getting low on my stash.

No matter how many times I look at something on the computer screen, my tricky brain can fill in words that are not even there until I see them in a finished manuscript. Argh! The weight and heft of a binder also lets me feel like I have accomplished something important instead of fonts in space.

When I first started writing fiction I worried about manuscript format, margin width, how many words the book should be, how many lines on a page, how many pages it took to make that many words, double spacing the manuscript, etc. Now I worry about the story. Seems to be the main reason people actually read what we write.

Binders require no batteries, USB ports or charging plug-in to cart it to a quiet spot and focus on editing. In the best of times editing is grunt work, tedious and requires a clear mind. What better way to let your inner critic loose than on paper with a purple ink edit pen – no red ink allowed; too many bad memories from corrected school papers.

So if you haven’t tried the three-ring binder method of manuscript editing, now is the perfect time to get out and purchase some fabulous new school supplies at bargain prices. Patterned binders. With zippers! You might need some paper too. And pens. And erasers. Cute pencil boxes. Not that I have an office supply addiction. Really. Glue sticks. Composition books.

Got school supplies?

Are You Ready For The Polar Bear Swim Cam?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Seems one of our polar bears at the Oregon Zoo, Tasul, is sporting a new fashion accessory. Even the zoo animals have jobs here in the great state of Oregon. Tasul is helping scientists study polar bear behavior. Such a good girl!

Not only is she wearing a fancy motion detector collar, but the zoo staff added a camera, so we have polar bear swim cam! Go for a dive with Tasul without getting wet. Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

Are We Being Good Blog Buddies?

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by Kimberly A. Cook        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

WordPress recently wished me a happy second anniversary.  September 2011 is when I started posting on a regular basis. First it was family and a few die-hard friends following my blog. Then other actual real people started reading and commenting. I find that amazing. Real people! Obviously they are all brilliant.

Sending roses out to all my blog readers. Thank you so much for your time and attention.
Sending roses out to all my blog readers. Thank you so much for your time and attention.

My goal is always to educate and entertain. A lifelong learner, sharing information is a passion of mine; works out really well-being a writer. There is so much fun and interesting stuff out in the world for my creative brain to chase. Squirrel!

Recently I came across some “blog rules” all bloggers should follow. (First red flag – I never do what everyone says I must do.) One rule is to reply to every comment you get. Egad. I have not done that. Shame on me. Between working full-time and other commitments like family, eating and sleeping, I’m doing good to get the blog out twice a week. Then there is that whole pesky trying to write books time challenge.

I do not mean to be rude to my fabulous readers. I would love to reply to all comments and likes, but the best I can do is a few snippets here and there. That has to be okay for me, since there are only so many hours in a week and I keep running out of clean spoons and underwear. (Why do those two go together, by the way?)

But I would like to thank Steve at http://imagineerebooks.wordpress.com for all his likes – read he was not feeling well recently, but he appears to be better and back on deck at the keyboard. He, of course, is brilliant. Then there was my first actual real person comment from http://marlajayne.wordpress.com She must be fun and brilliant. Checked out her blog and she had chosen a “word of the year.” Liked the idea and decided I would choose “quality.”

So, you happy few, you happy band of blog readers – yes, I just edited Shakespeare from Henry V – thanks for reading my blog. I may not always get a chance to respond to comments and likes, but I appreciate you all and know – you are all amazing, beautiful and fabulous writers and/or artists! Wanted you all to know that. Thanks for being in my blog land!

Are Those Knitting Needles On Fire?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                                (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Going with the knitting theme this week, I want you to know this wonderful lady from Scotland has me beat by miles. I have never seen someone knit so fast and that is why she is the champ! Forget that I only do simple projects and couldn’t knit a pattern to save mankind, this woman rocks the yarn.

Have a Happy Quirky Friday and see if you can keep up with the winner from Scotland!

Creativity Or Knitting – Which Came First?

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Back at the desk. No sooner had I stuffed my second edition non-fiction book in a box and stuck it in the corner than my three other manuscripts in process started yelling from the cheap seats; “Pick me, pick me!” It’s enough to drive my creative muse around the bend and over the edge.

Deep inside my yarn drum. This is yarn drum 2, yarn drum 1 is at the day job. It's an addiction!
Deep inside my yarn drum. This is yarn drum 2, yarn drum 1 is at the day job. It’s an addiction!

Checking my options, I informed the three projects I am knitting now. Knitting! That worked for a while, but my romance fiction book is calling to me like a siren from the sea.

So, I may work on it when my hands cramp up from knitting so much. Of course, my subconscious brain and my muse are going full steam ahead with rewrites for the fiction book while I try to focus on knitting!

Now this seems a very healthy thing to me. Since my creative frontal brain part needs to be relaxed to create, obviously the knitting is just what it needed, a complete break. I must say it is also quite happy to be the cool kid in the pack now that I’ve kicked the non-fiction book to the curb. Manuscripts do get jealous that way, sibling rivalry.

While I am buying yarn on sale and stockpiling bamboo knitting needles, my muse is getting a bit too happy; this is the first book in a three book series and my muse is working on all of them! It’s like trying to direct a toddler away from sticky candy while trying to remember what brilliant prose fell out of my mind for book three.

Who knew knitting was creative crack for my exhausted muse brain? It seems the best thing to do is let it percolate and write down snatches of what I can grab and stuff those items in their correct book box. That is my goal. Stay tuned. Mama’s don’t let your writers grow up to be knitters….. or something like that.

International Seagull Dance Off Is On!

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by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

For those of you who follow my Happy Quirky Friday posts, I must alert you to a new trend sweeping the globe. Seems that avid tap dancing seagull we witnessed a few weeks ago is not the only foul feathered dynamite hoofer headed for stardom.

Seems a young Irish bloke has his sights set on making a name for himself in “Riverdance” style. Check out this talented two-footed hoofer and see what you think about his moves. I’m sure a tv series is next! Happy Quirky Friday!