Doree Anderson

Boogerbutt, scrud, and dag-na-bit. Those are words, right? Yet, they lighten right up with 'spell check.' Even shows up with one of those, vicious little pointer fingers going back and forth...no, no, no. But when I type in the most horrendous, nastiest, scum at the bottom of the pond, word in the world, query - nothing. No lights, not bright red lines, nothing. Good to Go, wouldn't you know?  But, in my heart, that diminutive word causes pauses in my pumper. Terror in my ticker. Why am I whining about it? Cause I have to write one. Yep, I forgot all about slapping one of those puppies together for good'old Ante Up. And now, I have to. Yet, nowhere in this house is there a crash cart available. My nucleus is critical and there isn't a flippin' thing I can do about it. Well...except write one. At critique today, Krissee wears this sweet little smile and says "GMC, Doree.  GMC." So, I think okay... I'll get my crowbar. No? Okay, Gobble more cho

Our fourth grandchild is four today? This sweet little redhead is anything but docile. He can wrestle with the best of them and almost always wins. Of course, being the fourth means that if he cries, others are in a bucket load of trouble. "don't mess with the baby" is his title words. Unfortunately - this darling little man has a heart-stopping addiction: fruit snacks. This child begins his daily whine for them promptly upon waking and continues until his eyes are closed at night. It's quite the heroin fix for this action-filled, constant in motion cu-tie who celebrates his fourth big boy birthday today.  Happy Birthday, Nodin.  

When will I join the world and learn?  Right after you've lost not 100, 200 or even 1,000 words. But, after a whole chapter has been lost, gone bye bye, is now floating out into the wide world of never to be seen again land. While I was visiting with my sister, I decided to spend a few precious hours writing the next chapter to my YA. After I was done I decided to copy it and paste it into a composed e-mail that I sent to myself. (No, I did not save it. Why? Because I was being so smart and using the brain I was sitting on.) The next morning, I was locked out of my e-mail account because it was hacked. So, what becomes of the e-mail I sent to myself? Good question. I should have taken the time to send it to my drop-box and then back it up on a flash drive. But, I didn't. (Why? because that would have been the non-butt thinking thing to do). So, I have finally learned my lesson. And what is that? That it is hard to remember the words that you wrote in the chapter yeste

OMG, IMHO, I wish that we could speak in the old fashion, everyone knows what the #@%^& you are talking about, English language. I am old, therefore, I have been taught how to spell out, add vowels and pronounced everyone letter as I read. This new age of get your point across in five lets or less is wigged out. Yes, that's right, I said wigged out. It's like taking a head sweating, nauseating test every time I try and decipher it. Acronyms are hard enough. Let's evaluate what I mean. NCIS: Navel Criminal Investigation Services or No, Can't. Infant sleeping.  CSI: Crime Scene Investigations or  Career Suicide Idiot, FLA, Family Leave Act or Four Letter Acronym, FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigations or F***ing Brilliant Idea. FNG Federal Networking Group or Freaking Nice Guy, and IMHO: International Medical Health Organization or In My Humble Opinion. The list goes on and on and on and.... You get the idea. When I receive a text, I almost need some sort of a

The Grammar Divas graciously treated us to a 'Grammar' workshop on the 5th of February. The all day workshop at the SLC Library was awesome. And not just enjoyed by URWA members, we had several writers from the Utah League of Writers join us as well. Yeah! The audience questions seemed to be about what the editor wanted and what the writer wrote. Do you follow each 'suggestion' because the editor said to, or do you 'the writer' get to decide. Its our voice, right? This is our story and we should be able to write it our way. Sometimes it is a Grammar problem that needs fixed and sometimes it is simply the editors preference. So, as a writer, we need to weigh our options. If it fixes the line or paragraph, then you take it and say, 'whew, thanks, sounds a bucket load better.' But, if it changes the 'author's voice' then the author has to decide. There are so many ways to repair a sentence that doesn't touch the voice at all. And

Does anyone ever say to you, "Huh? I don't get it? Maybe you see confusion printed across their faces as well!   I hear you, I just don't get it. I've read it, but....   Kids love to have their parents read to them. Why, because they might use different voices for all the characters, even act out a incident or two. This way, children could comprehend what the writer was saying. As a writer, we should make it self-explanatory. I'm an adult, I don't want my kid to have to tell me what I just read. So...Plotting your story becomes essential to your audience. Each event should show progression. Like in Science class, if you do this, this follows. If I read this happening, then.... MaryAnne shivered as her toe made initial contact with the icy water. Each step was excruciating but she would make it. The last thing she wanted Lane to think was that she was a wimp. The idea of a hot shower weaved in and out of her thoughts. Standing below the pulsing spr

Does your character have Character? When you read a story, do you walk away with the feeling that you know the character? Is she the little girl next door, or the high school Cheerleader that you envy? I finished reading a book yesterday (YA, As You Wish) and came away from it remembering a friend of mine from when I lived in Missouri as a Junior High Student. It was such a great feeling to take a walk though my memories. I applaud the author. She did what I, as a writer, strive for; that character that you can relate to or remember. My grandson (pictured here in his grandfathers glasses and baseball cap) is a little character. His teachers tell his mother that this little four year-old is cute. He always has a funny story or says something funny that makes his teachers laugh. He gives them a reason to 'remember him.' Your characters should do the same. From the DunMiller's Mansion series, I introduce a teen (fifteen) that has been pulled away from her childhood fri