She totally kicks!

I wanted to share the accomplishments of my award-winning niece, Marita Grover! She totally rocks the karate world. After winning a silver medal in TEAM sparring and a silver in individual sparring at National Competition, this past weekend she took a silver in kata and a bronze in sparring at the Junior Olympics! Look at this perfect punch!

She promises to always protect me if I receive ANY threats. So beware. :~) This is one gutsy girl. Congrats, MARITA!

July 27th, 2008

Today is my 23 year anniversary! How sweet is my husband to encourage me to go on this writing retreat? Here we are on our big day quite awhile ago.

I'm still loving that guy oodles! We'll celebrate together on my return. :~)

It's been two days now, and I've rewritten one novel, and completed the draft of another. Success! In between the writing I've:

• had a hummingbird fly right up and check me out, twice
• had a deer stroll past me as I typed away on my laptop
• saw a shooting star
• crossed paths with two deer on my walk
• plunged my entire body into the glacier fed river
• made a collage in my journal of nature bits from my walks
• delved into both Foolsgold by Susan G. Wooldridge and Marcus Aurelius Meditations. Perfect compliments.

The sights, sounds, and silence have been rejuvenating. And I still have five days left!

The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even
a blade of grass, it becomes a
mysterious...indescribably magnificent
world in itself.
-Henry Miller

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded
to stay out till sundown for going out, I found,
was really going in.
-John Muir

So I'm getting ready to go on a writing retreat with Justina Chen Headley and Dia Calhoun!

Since I'll be working on my novels, I decided to load my collages of each work. I learned this awesome exercise from Justina. Make a visual representation of where you are going in your writing.

Here's my map for my next verse novel and my fantasy.


















Now I'll have both images with me as I write. Much easier than transporting the canvases.

Hopefully, I'll have good access to roll over the new month for rgz. If things shift slowly, just know I'm out among the sage brush type, type, typing away. And I hope to be back soon!

On the Verse Novel

I just answered an email about verse novels and thought to share my musings here with you all. If you write verse this might get your mind moving.

First off, definitely read everything written in verse. There are so many YA verse novels available now. We have carved out our own genre! Woohoo!

As you read, do you see a difference, say between, True Believer and What My Mother Doesn't Know and Your Own, Sylvia?

There's a wide range of how poetic verse novels feel. I think I've mentioned the three in order of poetic overtones. Virginia Euwer Wolff refuses to call her work poetry. Whereas, I'm sure it's high in the thoughts of Sonya Sones and Stephanie Hemphill. I guess I'm saying there's a bar that slides between narrative and poem. My work is closer to Virginia's, narrative.

If your work is more narrative, I suggest reading straight poetry that you enjoy. I love Janet Wong's work, Langston Hughes, and Walt Whitman.



You'll find poetic elements dropping into your writing. Your ear will pick them up and place them into your work.

If your novel is closer to poetry, definitely study books on how to write poetry. Know those structures, play with them, read other poets, rewrite your poems in various forms.

I tend to return to Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge's work Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words. I just ordered her Foolsgold as well.



Just a few thoughts on verse. That form that holds intense emotion with the barest language. I love it!

~Lorie Ann Grover, rgz diva/author

A New Beginning!

So the rgz divas are hounding me to start my own blog. One outside of MySpace. Here I am world! Thanks for making a moment for me. I hope to stay on point!

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Lorie Ann Grover, co-founder of rgz/author