Category: general

general

anticipation-ville

abby mumford

i was going to call this post great expectations, but it turns out i’ve already written a post entitled that. not to mention, there’s a very well known book by that name. so instead of plagiarizing myself* and that book, i called this masterpiece anticipation-ville.

and that’s today’s theme.

anticipated event: the release of MOCKINGJAY, the third book in the hunger games trilogy.

payoff: i know there are people who haven’t yet read it, so i’m not going to spoil anything, don’t worry. i will say that an interesting thing happened while reading it. usually when i read a book, it’s just me and the pages. and sometimes i think about the author and why they chose to go this way instead of that way with the plot, but usually, it’s just me and the characters. but this time, i wasn’t alone. i knew that everyone and their mother and their mother’s cousin’s twin’s stepsister’s brother was reading it and i couldn’t stop wondering what everyone else was thinking when they had read this chapter or that passage. it was weird in the sense that it felt like a house guest who isn’t taking the hint and leaving, but also, kind of nice in a “if-i-need-to-talk-about-the-ending-i-know-i-have-half-a-dozen-people-i-can-count-on-to-talk-to-me-about-it-right-now.” and trust me, you’re going to want to talk about this book.

anticipated event: joining twitter and gaining access to hollywood by following celebrities’ comments and quotes.

payoff: today, almost a year and a half later, twitter continues to surprise me, as we have an entirely different relationship now. the only celebrities i follow anymore are those of the authorial variety. that’s authors for the laymen. i’ve joined a book group. i’ve gotten to know friends of friends better. i’ve gained a vast amount of knowledge about publishing, querying, and writing. i’ve encountered support groups and cheerleaders and allies all associated with writing. i’ve found new favorite authors. i’ve added to my TBR list so much that if i had each of those books stacked on top of each other, it’d reach the moon. (hey, i’d like to visit the moon, maybe i should look into this stack-able walkway. and spacesuits. and time travel. and, anyways…) i’ve learned more about the city i live in. i’ve found new restaurants to try and bars to hit up and stores to shop in. i’ve had my ego boosted. i’ve laughed. i’ve been blessed to have the kindness of people on twitter leap off the interwebs and land in my real life.

anticipated event: upgrading my normal phone to a smartphone.

payoff: after going into the store to have them activate my new DROID, i was very confused for about a week. and unable to properly answer the phone. i still have trouble with the phone portion and usually answer with a tentative “hello?????????” but i’m getting it. i am. except for the part where i am very upset i’ll have to buy a bluetooth as my hands free device. it’s impossible to hear people on those things, but long car rides are a part of life when you live 300 miles away from your closest family members and talking during that drive makes it bearable. on my previous two phones, i had a plug-in head set (sassy, i know) but now, they’re funneling me down the path of a bluetooth. i must resist. actually, it’s really easy… anyways, ANYWAYS, two weeks into my new phone? now i’m a whiz. well, more of a whizlet. i’m still learning. but i am getting to know little tricks and tips and how to conserve battery life. but the best part? other than the first weekend i got the phone, i’m not nearly as addicted to it as i thought i would be. i can still go about my life and interact with human beings and look around and enjoy the sights. but, if there is no one nearby or nothing good to look at, i have the option to explore the digital world that’s in the palm of my hand, yo. cause that’s how i roll. nowadays. i am so hip to getting jiggy with it. yeah, just like that.

does verizon offer a monthly plan for maturity upgrades?

*is it still plagiarizing if you are copying something you yourself wrote? or is it just lazy?

general

write on con

abby mumford

i know, i KNOW, it’s thursday and i’m posting. it’s practically illegal, but i felt compelled to write because there’s some amazing stuff going on in the kid lit community and i wanted to express my gratitude (in a manner that’s longer than 140 characters).

even if you’re not part of the kid lit community (and i mean, i’m only a peripheral part), please join me in extending a HUGE thank you to the founders of WriteOnCon: Jamie Harrington, Elana Johnson, Casey McCormick, Shannon Messenger, Lisa and Laura Roecker, and Jennifer Stayrook for providing this amazing opportunity for all writers.

note: click on picture for instant access to amazing advice, talks, seminars, and vlogs.

the gist is this: these ladies gathered the most fantastic and smart and funny and influential and talented people in the industry to provide talks and speeches for an online writer’s conference. and the best parts? because it’s online, it’s FREE and there weren’t any room reservation squabbles or bad hotel coffee or flight delays. all you had to do was pop over to the blog (august 10-12), as each “seminar” and “keynote speech” and “talk” was posted there. oh, and also? everything is archived on the blog, so if work was too busy or you got sick or your kid turned into a butterfly and you had to chase him across the neighborhood or your car broke down or you fell asleep or you converted the time zone difference wrong, you didn’t miss anything! you just have to click and bam. instant access to a vast array of literary and humorous treats.

judging from the fact that i find it difficult to plan dinner 7 nights a week not to mention it takes me about 5 hours, i can’t even begin to imagine how much time it took to plan something of this magnitude. which is why i am SO grateful they did. because i’m a prime target of a conference like this. i am on the bottom rung of the ladder and the only way to climb is to learn. and one way to learn is from the benevolence of others donating their time and wisdom. and to think so many people offered to do just that? well, i can’t help but thank them and slurp up all the goodies that are flowing out of their brains.

that makes me sound like a zombie.

trust me. i’m not.

yet.

so before the zombies attack, get thee over to writeoncon.com and partake in the literary feast.

general

blogging 101

abby mumford

i’ve been doing a lot of forward thinking lately. (forward in the sense that i’m thinking of the future, not that i’m working out the complicated math problems teachers leave up on their chalkboards overnight.) this thinking has lead me to make changes in both my blog and twitter sites. most of these changes involve my name because that’s the most simple step i can take right now and, after all, doesn’t a journey begin with a simple step (after you’ve showered, dressed, eaten, and put on your shoes)?

what’s my journey? the path to publication.

which is why i’m known as myself on twitter and now, here, if you look up at the URL, what does it say? yup, abigailmumford.com. i did have to give that one a little thought because since i’m now known as abby everywhere on the interwebs, should i have made that domain name? well, my thought was this: IF i ever reach that elusive holy grail of publication, i’m going to use my full name. the name my parents bestowed upon me when i was a wee tot. (and boy, do i mean wee. i was premature and weighed in at a mean fighting weight of 2lbs, 6ozs.) so anyways, that’s why i registered my blog as abigail. but don’t be skird, just because my blog is getting all dressed up and looking spiffy doesn’t mean it’s going to be all serious and stuffy and boring. just sometimes. when necessary. but not usually.

another thing i can/have begun to change is the content. i’m sure you’ve already noticed the differences (what? you’ve haven’t read EVERY SINGLE POST from 2003? i’m shocked.) so, umm, for the laymen, i originally started cataloging my digital thoughts as a blahg. (a what?) (oh, sorry, read this post by kiersten white, which includes a very important quiz about one’s blogging style). so it started as superficial, but when i moved the O.L.D over here to wordpress, i started to whip it into shape. to whittle its waist and fine tune its tummy so that when it steps on a scale, BLOG is the read out instead of blagh. i’m not entirely sure i’ve always been successful, but what rookie is?

and so the research continues. and since i’m nice and stuff, i figured i’d share my findings with you:

*how to get more followers

*every post by tawna fenske from the week of August 6, in which she celebrates her 6 months of blogging by telling all us schmucks how she’s so darn successful. except, she does it in a much nicer and yet, dirtier, way: friday. thursday. wedneday. tuesday.  monday.

*make sure you create signature content by giving your readers YOURSELF. cause there are a lot of blogs out there, but only one YOU. so infuse your blog with eau de ME (except the me isn’t me, but you, you know?)

*natalie whipple’s take on HOW TO for social media (blogs are a part of that, you know).

in semi-related news (the news referring to growing up and stuff), i got an email from a friend (hi, hoss!) who is preparing to change apartments. she’s moving into a place where she’ll be living on her own. a very adult move, if you ask me (and her). but the most awesome part? how she ended her email:

“i hope you are well and on the verge of a life upgrade yourself.”

a life upgrade. i like it. and, you could say, i’m working on it.

general

new schedule: a dialogue

abby mumford

me: hold onto your hats, ladies and gents. i’ve decided to get organized.

reader: WHAT? you’re not organized?

me: well, not really. not when it comes to my blog.

reader: WHAT? how so?

me: ok, i lied. i’m organized. it’s just that i’m not consistent.

reader: ok, phew. that makes more sense. we KNEW we knew you. and you’re one organized monkey. now what’s this consistency you’re talking about?

me: i’m going to post twice a week. tuesday and friday. i’ve had a lot of fun (and have been getting way more page views) as i’ve been posting more frequently over these past few weeks. i don’t know what led to the increase in posting by me, but i did, and you read, and i like feeling all warm and fuzzy and full of viewers.

consider yourself warned.

i’m going to start posting regularly, which means you don’t have to check back haphazardly to see if i’ve added new content or if it’s still the same dreary post as the day before. although, hmmm, if i’m posting only on two days, everyone will be pushing and shoving and clamoring to get to the front of the line to read the new post. and then the blog server might go crazy. so, umm, you don’t HAVE to come only on tuesdays and fridays. you should always feel free to stop by any day of the week.

*lays out red carpet.*

and make sure to play nice, you guys because you know what happens if you don’t.

general

confused at the car wash

abby mumford

because the present has been given, i can now share the story of how i bought roommate’s birthday gift.

there’s the saying “it’s just like riding a bike” and if you’re me, that means you end up embarrassed or slightly injured or confusing the guys at the car wash. let me explain. oh, but first, some background. (i’ll make it quick.) i’ve changed my breakfast eating habits and as a result, i’m MUCH slower in the mornings. i’ve had to get over my (somewhat unfounded) fears and ride my bike to work. because when i ride, it takes a whopping 10 minutes to get to work vs. the 30 minutes it takes me to walk. and let me tell you, other than horrible helmet hair, i am loving this mode of transportation. especially since i’ve been working late. do you know how nice it is to be home in 10 minutes instead of 30? cause then i’m that much closer to my comfy clothes. and all i want after a long day at work is to be comfy.

i digress.

so on wednesday, i decide to forgo the gym and ride my bike around town as i check some errands off my to do list. i told myself i’d keep my bike in a higher gear, thus forcing my legs to work harder because this was my only exercise for the day. one of my stops was at the car wash to buy a gift card for my roomie’s birthday. she is kind to her car. she likes to treat it right. me and my bike can respect that.

i pull up to the opening of the car wash and hop off my bike. there’s one car in the garage, one lined up behind it. there’s no employee that i can see. there’s nowhere to lock up my bike, so i stand and wait. i mean, there are two cars there, a guy has to come help soon. plus, i hate it when i don’t know what to do. i get shy. so i wait. and i watch. and i hope the answer will come to me. i’m a patient person.

the driver of the second car gets out and runs inside, speaks to a guy and then returns to his car and leaves.

hmmmmm.

i poke my head into the doorway because (a) i feel really weird WALKING into a car wash. (b) i want to signal to the guy that i’m there waiting. (c) i want to make sure they’re still open because why did that car just leave? (d) i don’t want to leave my bike because, as i said, there’s nowhere to lock it up and i’m paranoid that someone will steal my beauty of a bicycle. i spot a man and yell “are you still open? do you sell gift cards?” and the guy gives me a confused look and holds up one finger. no not THAT finger, the one that signals he needs one more minute. i continue to wait patiently. cause that’s how i roll.

he goes over to the car that’s also waiting patiently and does that pre-wash thing where he washes the car before it heads onto the automatic belt that’ll roll the car through the big wash. (that always struck me as odd. it’s sort of like washing the dishes before running the dishwasher.) with that car taken care of, he turns to me. i repeat my question about them having gift cards and he says “yes, autos.” i nod. he studies me and then says, “cars.” i realize i’m still wearing my bike helmet and have blonde hair and what? does he think i want to ride through the car wash? i laugh and say, “yes, cars. not my bike.” he smiles and we complete the transaction. (note to self, they only have one type of card. and it includes 5 washes. so don’t ask for anything more or less.)

happy with that mission accomplished, i return to my bike and ride off into the sunset. that was thwarted because, well, this is real life, and people like me don’t ride off into the sunset. not when you forgot to down shift the gears and you’re attempting to start your bike on 2.7; it’s like pedaling through peanut butter. and not when you’re biking down somerville ave which has all these new speed bumps. for the .5 miles i was on that road, i had to go over, no joke, 17 of them. they are those long, sloping up/down, flat top in the middle bumps that aren’t fun in a car and really aren’t nice to ride over on a bike. i had to perch atop my bike over each one. i was having flashbacks to horseback riding lessons where you raise in the stirrups as the horse goes over the jump. except my bike’s not nearly as handsome as a horse. (sorry bike, you’re not.)

no one ever said gift giving was easy.