Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts

I've received another entry in the 80s Junk in a Box Competition !  This is a splendid 80s diroama from two young gals who weren't even born until the mid-90s.  But they got in the spirit and when they came to me for guidance,  I explained that if it's bright and slightly obnoxious---it's 80s!  So here's what they came up with: Note the Pac-Man backdrop and the Rubik's Cube flooring. Nice job, ladies. The entrants don't have a website or blog, so I've linked their image on the sidebar to a related You Tube video one of the girls made with her cousins...it's got a slightly darker theme than the diorama: Barbie's Bloody Dreamhouse .  You've got until January 31 to get your 80s junk in a box!  Please send photos to: elson.nicki@gmail.com. You will make my day---who am I kidding, my entire month!---if you do. :D  The prizes are a One Hit Wonders of the 80s CD, a signed copy of Three Daves , and your book or blog or whatever you want featured in...

Well, it happened. Thanks to all of you... I hit a triple-digit follower Trifecta! 1 0 0 ! ! ! And so, I introduce my 100 follower Junk in a Box Competition Not this kind of junk in a box. Minds out of the gutter now,  I'm talking about dioramas! There is only one qualification to enter, and that is that you follow me on either Blogger , Twitter , or Facebook . Didn't see that one coming, did you?  The idea hatched as I watched my daughter build this stellar *award winning* Peter and the Starcatchers diorama for the local library. I had the same thought that got me into this writing thing to begin with: Why not? Do you remember these from grade school?  If not, here's a definition: diorama (ˌdaɪəˈrɑːmə)   a miniature three-dimensional scene in which models of figures are seen against a background  THE THEME The Awesome 80s THE RULES Create an 80s-themed diorama and e-mail a photo of it to elson.nicki@gmail.com by January 31, 2011.  Ent...

In celebration of me finally landing on a description for this blog, Ruminations on the 80s and writing , I'd like to point you in the direction of two wonderful websites that make the 80s and writing even more fun.  First up Goodreads .  My first thought about Goodreads was that it's sort of like Facebook for writers and readers.  But different.  Like Facebook, you friend people and get a feed on their Goodreads activity, but everything here is focused on literature.  You  fill bookshelves with all the books you've read, are reading, and want to read, and you can rate and review them all.  Also, there's space on your profile for a blog, for samples of your writing, for videos, and for exhibiting your favorite quotes from an enormous searchable quote library. If you like, you can become a fan of your favorite authors and join various groups to engage with readers/writers with similar interests. Additionally for writers, you can list your books and pub...