Dear Shell,
http://www.examiner.com/x-35797-Flint-Cooking-Examiner?showbio
I have recently started writing for Examiner.com. My first two articles needed to have some changes done to get them set up the way they wanted them, but now I am considered a regular Cooking Examiner! I just posted my third article today. From what I understand from the information that was sent to me and the training videos, I need to try to post at least 3-4 articles per week, the more the better. And they need to be local whenever possible.
Unfortunately, the "local" is Flint, and I do not know Flint all that well, especially when it comes to food/ingredient shopping. So I'm having to research the different grocery stores and such to try to include them into my articles as places to get ingredients. In my research though I did find a grocery store in Flint that caters mostly to Indian ingredients, so I may have an article about that store next. I did get permission to write about some of places in the towns around Flint, but they'd prefer I use Flint mostly.
Another unfortunate thing is, they frown upon first person writing, which makes it hard to write about an experience with a recipe and the results if you have to write it in third person. But I shall prevail!
Pay rate depends on page views and length of session on the page, although they are making a change next week. Starting next week, there will be a small bonus included for local articles, up to 5 local articles per week.
This won't be a high paying job, I'll be lucky to make enough for a nice dinner out each month, but every penny helps. I love writing and this lets me get some exposure as a writer, and experience doing it.
Keep those pots and pans ready!
Shell
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Green Glowing Eye
Dear Shell,
Time for a short short. Rough draft, has not been edited.
The Green Glowing Eye
What is that? I jumped back several feet, my hand creeping up to rest at the base of my throat. Heart pounding, I took two steps down the long dark hallway. Nothing. Just my imagination working overtime again. Sighing, relaxing again, I took another step.
Wait, there it is again. Halfway down this pitch black hallway. Glowing green and suspended in the air. Oval shaped, like an eye. Not blinking, just staring at me. What is that eye attached to? Some sort of monster waiting to pounce?
I can’t move. I want to run but I can’t. The breath is caught in my chest, sweat gathering on my forehead. My hands, I can’t even move my hands to protect myself. That green eye has paralyzed me.
It moved. I swear it just moved. Closer? Please tell me it didn’t move closer. The trapped air in my chest released, followed by several rapid shallow breaths.
What is it, what is that monster? What does it want with me? What is it going to do to me?
I have to be strong. I took a deep shuddering breath, closed my eyes to break the monster’s paralyzing stare. One step forward. Then another. I opened my eyes again and jumped forward, fingers curled like claws ready to gouge that glowing green eye out of the monster’s head. My fingers wrapped around the eye, ripped it out of its socket.
I held that eye in my hand, no longer glowing, no longer staring at me. With my other hand, I reached out and turned on the light. Looking down, I could only shake my head at the nightlight resting in my hand.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Shell
Time for a short short. Rough draft, has not been edited.
The Green Glowing Eye
What is that? I jumped back several feet, my hand creeping up to rest at the base of my throat. Heart pounding, I took two steps down the long dark hallway. Nothing. Just my imagination working overtime again. Sighing, relaxing again, I took another step.
Wait, there it is again. Halfway down this pitch black hallway. Glowing green and suspended in the air. Oval shaped, like an eye. Not blinking, just staring at me. What is that eye attached to? Some sort of monster waiting to pounce?
I can’t move. I want to run but I can’t. The breath is caught in my chest, sweat gathering on my forehead. My hands, I can’t even move my hands to protect myself. That green eye has paralyzed me.
It moved. I swear it just moved. Closer? Please tell me it didn’t move closer. The trapped air in my chest released, followed by several rapid shallow breaths.
What is it, what is that monster? What does it want with me? What is it going to do to me?
I have to be strong. I took a deep shuddering breath, closed my eyes to break the monster’s paralyzing stare. One step forward. Then another. I opened my eyes again and jumped forward, fingers curled like claws ready to gouge that glowing green eye out of the monster’s head. My fingers wrapped around the eye, ripped it out of its socket.
I held that eye in my hand, no longer glowing, no longer staring at me. With my other hand, I reached out and turned on the light. Looking down, I could only shake my head at the nightlight resting in my hand.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Shell
Friday, January 1, 2010
2009 Recap
Dear Shell,
2009 was a fairly good year. I got a lot of writing done, but I know I could have done more. I learned new crochet patterns and actually branched out into playing with crochet cotton and making doilies. I participated in NaNoWriMo again and won for a second year in a row. And I'm really liking the novel I wrote for NaNo this time. Not that I hate the first one I wrote, but I didn't make as many mistakes this time around.
The end of 2009 saw us buying a new home and starting to move stuff in. Stress, panic, joy, fear, happiness... we saw all the emotions flying in the last month of 2009. I have a lot of the smaller stuff moved in, but wow do we still have a lot of stuff to move! I think we have the guys lined up for the 9th to get the furniture moved in, so i have a few more days left to get the rest of the small stuff moved before hand (need to reuse some boxes so i need to move what i can now so we can use the same boxes for more stuff).
In 2009 I also started using coupons more for grocery shopping, and tracking how much I saved, which helped keep me going with it. From March to December, I saved us $528.96, which was 23% savings. So we went from an average of $232 per month grocery bill to $178.50 average bill. This is not counting the occasional trips up to the local meat market to pick up meat, which this year I plan on tracking better (no savings there, but need to track how much is spent). Since we're moving though and wont be practically next door to the meat market, I don't think we'll be having as much spent there now. I'll have to either get a meat bundle from them, or buy more meat from the grocery store. We're thinking of eventually getting a deep freezer for the basement or garage and then we can buy a half a cow or pig or something and stock up that way.
Well I should get back to packing,
Shell
2009 was a fairly good year. I got a lot of writing done, but I know I could have done more. I learned new crochet patterns and actually branched out into playing with crochet cotton and making doilies. I participated in NaNoWriMo again and won for a second year in a row. And I'm really liking the novel I wrote for NaNo this time. Not that I hate the first one I wrote, but I didn't make as many mistakes this time around.
The end of 2009 saw us buying a new home and starting to move stuff in. Stress, panic, joy, fear, happiness... we saw all the emotions flying in the last month of 2009. I have a lot of the smaller stuff moved in, but wow do we still have a lot of stuff to move! I think we have the guys lined up for the 9th to get the furniture moved in, so i have a few more days left to get the rest of the small stuff moved before hand (need to reuse some boxes so i need to move what i can now so we can use the same boxes for more stuff).
In 2009 I also started using coupons more for grocery shopping, and tracking how much I saved, which helped keep me going with it. From March to December, I saved us $528.96, which was 23% savings. So we went from an average of $232 per month grocery bill to $178.50 average bill. This is not counting the occasional trips up to the local meat market to pick up meat, which this year I plan on tracking better (no savings there, but need to track how much is spent). Since we're moving though and wont be practically next door to the meat market, I don't think we'll be having as much spent there now. I'll have to either get a meat bundle from them, or buy more meat from the grocery store. We're thinking of eventually getting a deep freezer for the basement or garage and then we can buy a half a cow or pig or something and stock up that way.
Well I should get back to packing,
Shell
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