Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Reviewing A Coffee Mug For Writers

Gift Idea For The Writer...

writers desk
Writing Center image courtesy of Pixabay.com
I have mentioned before that I like to drink my coffee in whimsical mugs. Recently I have been looking at gift ideas for the coming holidays and found one that is perfect for myself and really all of the contributors here on Review This. 

Most of my time of late has been spent working on my first novel. Over the years I have started several but I would give up; realizing that they just weren't ready to be written yet. Last month a thought popped into my addled brain, I let it sit there for a day or two. To be honest I was reluctant to do much with it because I wasn't sure that I was up to it. A bit of insecurity, perhaps; whispers from those unwritten ones taunting me that I wouldn't get far so just let it go. One would be surprised what goes on in a head filled with stories that refuse to come out! 

Without going into a lot of detail, the characters and the story just wouldn't go away. It was like this group was insisting to be set free. (They probably got tired of the crowded living conditions in my head!) So, I sat down and worked on an outline of the possible plot. The story has flowed...

So, what pray tell does this all have to do with a review on a coffee mug? It is just a little back story to explain why I was looking for gifts for writers. It also explains a little as to why this particular mug appealed to me.

When I first saw the saying on the mug, it made me giggle. The whimsical statement reminded me of another woman that I knew years ago who was an author. During a conversation that the two of us were having, I made a sarcastic remark about something. Her eyes lit up and she said, "Oh I love that! I'm going to use that in my next book!" She preceded to write my comment down. Being a "wanna be" author myself at the time, I was intrigued at her observations of every day life to incorporate into a story. What I have come to realize as I have worked on my book is that IS exactly what a writer does. We take past experiences and make them funny or mysterious or tragic. Our characters are combinations of people that we know. My main character looks like a female celebrity that I have always admired, her personality has a little bit of myself combined with other women I have known. She isn't a replica of any one of us but a melding of traits from several people.

Anyway, I've digressed a little here. I think that the coffee mug above would be a fun gift for anyone who writes. I know I would love to have it! I think that if you have a writer or even a budding writer on your gift list it might work for them, too.

On a side note: my book is finished and in the editing phase. My characters are so strong in my head that they still have more to do and say. I'm working now on the second book of what will be a series. I will accept no more taunting from those unfinished books in the peanut gallery of my brain....




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12 comments:

  1. Congrats on getting the book out of your head and onto the pages! Hope you sell millions! I love the coffee mug too. Have thought that a few times when people did things I wanted to put in a book. :)

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    1. Thank you, Heather! Selling millions would be awesome. I think my biggest desire is that whether it is 50 people or hundreds of people who read it...that they like it.

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  2. Oh, I am so excited for you Bev! I can hardly wait to read your book when it is published. Wonder which Contributor will grab it first to review. The mug is also awesome, but I admit, I was most interested to learn that you have finished your first novel. Fabulous! And, congratulations!!! What a huge accomplishment.

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    1. Thank you, Cynthia! It is pretty exciting. I have always measured a book by how I felt when it ended...in my opinion if I am going to miss the characters then it was a good book. Hopefully my readers will feel the same way...a series seemed perfect because I am not ready to say goodbye to these folks yet.

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  3. Wow Beverly! I am so happy for you that there is more space for rent upstairs than you had before. What a great accomplishment. Congratulations on that score! I love the mug too, it gave me a chuckle when I read it so I think I will have to put this on a Christmas list and see who fits it best. Thanks for the great review and I am looking forward already to your next book being in the editing phase and your first one published....

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    1. Thank you so much Olivia! I will be sure to let everyone know when the book is release.

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  4. How exciting, Beverly. Congratulations on completing the first stage of your first book -- the writing! I fully agree on the sentiment expressed on that writers cup. I've spent years writing down things I've heard (or even things I've read) that sparked an idea for a story. Sometimes they come out in a blog post. I don't know if I could ever do a book, but I admire your perseverance. Let those words that are so strong out. :)

    One of my favorite writers from years ago (Elizabeth Linington) did a prologue to a 4-story omnibus book about the character that became the strongest one she'd ever dreamed up. She said that he was supposed to be simply a one-time minor character in the first book of a new (mystery-police procedural) series. But as she began the 2nd book in the series, this character kept popping up. She said she found "she was now in possession of an egotistical, sharply defined, inescapable Character who was clamoring insistently to occupy another book." As it turned out, this character suddenly "was, he existed, and he refused to be ignored." He ended up becoming the central character in her Luis Mendoza series that ended up being 38 books long.

    As you write the 2nd installment of YOUR strong characters, perhaps they will decide to stay around for several books. I wish you great success!

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    1. Thank you Pat! I'll tell you that it is amazing how strong some of these characters are in the mind. They just kind of take over for a while. Oh my...38 books. That was one strong presence in her psyche!

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  6. I love the mug. It applies even to those of us who only write nonfiction. I wish I had characters living in my head that wanted to come out. I'm afraid I'll never be a fiction writer, but I'm anxious to see what your characters have to say when they make their debut.

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    1. Thank you Barbara. The fun thing is that a character can say things that I would never let slip out of my own mouth. Yes, the mug applies to a whole range of writers, I think.

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  7. Congratulations on finishing your book, what a wonderful feeling that has to be. Ignoring nay sayers and pushing forward with your dream is inspirational. Funny what you say about the lines of you hear generating ideas for writings, it's so true!

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