Tatiana Caldwell

13 Things I Was Hesitant To Try – But Am Glad I Did

** Tatiana Caldwell ** — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:35:18 +0000

I’d like to consider myself a very open-minded person. There’s very few (legal) things that I wouldn’t try at least once.

That doesn’t mean I never have any hesitations, however.

Here’s a list of things I was hesitant to try at first, but I’m glad I did!

Ice Skate. Because I’m deaf in one ear, my equilibrium is a bit off and I have terrible balance. I feared that I would do nothing but embarrass myself trying to move on ice in shoes with knives on them. But I picked it up quickly, and even learned to ice skate backwards! Doing this in gave me the courage to also try roller-blading out in public.
Eat sushi. Under-coked and raw fish? Wrapped in seaweed? Eww is what I thought at first. But sushi now happens to be one my absolute favorite foods.
Buy an eReader device. Wasn’t 100% positive I’d enjoy reading anything other than a physical book – but I love my Nook!
Write a book with publication in mind. I’ve loved reading and writing since I was a kid, and wrote many novellas, short stories, roleplays and screenplays before I even became an adult. But no one ever really saw them but me and those closest to me, and that was all I’d wanted. But now that I have my first book coming out soon, I’m excited, and I don’t think I can stop trying to publish more.
Fall in love. I don’t completely open my heart easily, simply because I didn’t trust easily, and didn’t think anybody would truly understand me, anyways. I’m so grateful that somebody (not saying any names ) convinced me to try otherwise …
Ride the world’s tallest rollercoaster. I’m a thrill-seeking dare-devil … who’s afraid of heights! I mean, this particular coaster shoots you over 400 feet straight into the air – and then tosses you back down at 120mph! CrAzY! Even though I almost died, I’d never felt more alive. (And I’d do it again).
Jet-ski. I’ve ridden on the back of a motorcycle twice and I was thoroughly terrified both times. So I was quite hesitant to get on a jet-ski – which is a lot like a motorcycle but on water. But I loved it! (Maybe because I was the one actually in control, perhaps)
Rock Wall Climbing. First off, it’s even harder to do than it looks. But what a workout, and a thrill.
Jump off a boat into the ocean. I really didn’t think this was a good idea (especially considering that all of the speed boat’s passengers were intoxicated – shhh!), but I gave in to beer – er, peer pressure just that once. It was definitely a memorable experience, though.
Go camping. Real, rugged camping, on a mountain with no plumbing. I’d never been interested in even play camping in the backyard before that. But I did have a naturally good time! (Don’t need to ever do it again, though)
Live completely alone. In a state I’d never lived in before, with no one I knew (except my new co-workers) within thousands of miles. I think it was the first time I had to completely take care of myself. For a sheltered, spoiled girl like me, this was a valuable experience, and one I intentionally repeated.
Divulging my kinkiest secret fantasies. I was hesitant to share them with hubby because some of them just … ain’t right. I have some that I STILL haven’t fully expressed, heh. But if I’d kept them to myself, none of them would have ever been fulfilled.
Running. I didn’t think I was built for running. I have flat feet (fallen arches) and jiggly parts that would protest whenever I tried to move at a speed faster than a brisk walk or light jog. But then I switched running shoes and began doubling up on the sports bras for better support, and started giving running a full go a couple of weeks ago. And I must say, I’m really enjoying it and it’s benefits!

What about you? Was there anything you were hesitant to try, but glad you did give in and try it?

How I Write: Revision – How To Begin

** Tatiana Caldwell ** — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:11:25 +0000

This is the seventh installment in the “HOW I WRITE” series I’m participating in every Wednesday with several writers, where we all discuss how we approach writing a book. Every writer has a different process and this project gives us a chance to share and compare ours. Click on the “How I Write” image to find a list of the participating writers and links to their blogs.

Last week we talked about Getting Through The Middle. This week we’ll discuss Revision – How To Begin.

So, I’ve finishing writing the first draft from the beginning to end. And boy is it rough. It’s now time to get ready to revise what I wrote! Honestly, I’m still discovering what does and doesn’t work for me when it comes to revising. I’ve approached the revisions to each of the five books I’ve worked on in the past few years, five different ways. I suspect that as I continue to hone my writing skills, I may modify my revision process further still. But regardless of how – and how many times, exactly – I revise a book, I like to prepare for revisions using the same two steps.

Step 1: Revisit the outline / storyboard I came up with back when I was just starting to write the book. At this point I update it to reflect the story I’ve actually written, instead of the one I thought I was going to.

Since it provides a high-level snapshot of the entire draft, I then analyze the storyboard. Do I think that I captured the themes I wanted to? Did my characters grow as I intended? Did I show any character growth at all? I make note of any major issues identified and scenes/chapters that I know will need a lot of work.

Step 2 : Print out the story. Recently I discovered I can catch errors faster and easier when I first read through a hard copy of the draft and make notes with a pen, than when I try to just dive into typing revisions directly into the book.

I think for a long time I worried about wasting ink and paper on rough drafts. But I have since found that ink and paper are dirt cheap when compared to the cost of the vodka, the medical attention required for the forehead I’ve been banging on the desk, a new desk that hasn’t been banged up by my forehead, and the wigs to replace the hair I tore out while trying to force myself through initial revisions on-screen.

So that’s how I begin to revise. Next week I’ll talk more about the actual revision process. Check out the other participating blogs to see how more writers get ready to revise their work.

SAY MY NAME Release Date Set for August 9, 2010

** Tatiana Caldwell ** — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:06:34 +0000

The official release date has been set! SAY MY NAME will go on sale on August 9th, 2010 with Liquid Silver Books. 08/09/10, that’s a cool date, eh? You see that? 8.9.10? **bites lip and snorts at my own geekiness**

But not only is the date cool because it’s in sequential order, but August 9th also happens to be my birthday. Very nice, right?

I’ll post more about it in the coming weeks, but in the meantime here’s the blurb for the book. Also, I’ve created an info page that includes an excerpt from the actual story – check it out!

Blurb for SAY MY NAME, by Tatiana Caldwell. Coming 8.9.2010 to Liquid Silver Books.

There’s much more to the fable of Rumpelstiltskin than you’ve been told …

Due to her father’s constant bragging, word of Anna Miller’s beauty and virtue piques the interest of King Thomas. Upon taking the boasting of her father too literally, the king of Grimbros imprisons Anna and threatens to kill her and her father if she fails to spin straw into gold.

A mysterious and sensual magical being finds himself drawn to the castle – and the beautiful Anna. He offers his help in exchange for the most intimate, precious gifts she could possibly give. Soon Anna finds herself wanting far more than just his help. But he threatens to consume her and all she holds dear.

Unless she says his name.