Nuts
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Do you have any idea how annoying it is not to be allowed to quit?
You suck.
And I love you. I don't actually
like any of you right now, but I do love you.
I mean, what is it with friends who just poke and poke and poke at you until you stop acting like a big baby?
Geez.
Do you know how I got to be so good at pitching fits? Practice! It takes a lot of practice to be the Queen of Hissy! And here y'all are trying to knock me off my throne.
And so,
Bernita and
Kristen and
Julie and
Mary and
Raine and
Jen and
Michelle and
Buffy and
Alexandra and
Karen and
Jorie and
Jaye and
Anna and
Briana and
Barbara and
Dee and everyone else I've somehow left out. Oh, and Shriek, even though she doesn't have a blog and for some reason can never leave comments so she e-mails me and still loves me even when I always forget to e-mail her back.
Thanks.
I'm still writing.
Thoughts
Saturday, February 25, 2006
So. Dammit. Went to Jenny Crusie and Bob Mayer's class yesterday on Writing Action: Sex and Fight Scenes. Great class, very informative. Boils down to keep only what's necessary, make every scene count, and make them all do double duty -- not just what the scene does, but make it move character forward, move plot forward or both.
They also talked about the character's journey (she's a big Vogler fan -- I couldn't have been more bored by that book). I figured to apply this to my own work and the block I seem to have hit. I needed to get Simon and Tessa from point A to point B, but the travel time was killing me. How could I maintain tension on this journey to save her brother from killing himself? Then they said something that knocked me flat. The journey's the thing. Literally, figuratively, metaphorically -- the journey's the thing.
Well DUH!
I boggle at my own thickheadedness.
They're absolutely right. But it gives me a much bigger problem now. I've been balking at writing that scene. I knew there was something wrong with it. The trouble is that it's a systemic issue. Everything has to change to support a journey -- a literal journey -- of that magnitude. So ... so ... everything has to change.
Being a pantser sucks rocks sometimes.
I am wicked discouraged.
I don't want to start over. I want to quit. I really do. I hate this part. Where it turns out that for starting in the wrong place, I have to scrap 95% of my work and do it all again. It feels very much like this whole writing gig is a colossal waste of time. It doesn't matter that when I get the words down, I do it fairly well. I can't seem to get the whole story out. And if I can't finish, then why start?
I'm not even moping. I'm not in a bad mood and I'm not hormonal. I'm looking at this with a completely clear head. This is a HUGE waste of time. There must be something else I can do with better results.
5 Guilty Pleasures
Friday, February 17, 2006
Julie tagged me with this one and I'm having a hard time coming up with 5 Guilty Pleasures. Not that I don't have them, I'm just trying to decide how lame I'm going to sound admitting them.
1. Watching any Bond movie any time it comes on. I've seen them all innumerable times, but there's something about a Bond movie that draws me. Frankly, it's kind of pathetic.
2. Peanut butter melted with sugar in the microwave. O.M.G. I just eat it with my fingers. Maybe that's more gross than guilty.
3 AND 4. The first few days of a TDY. I camp out on the couch with a stack of novels, my DVD collection and a caffeine IV. We order pizza for dinner and I'm a complete slug. This is of such decadent, slothly, guilty pleasure that it counts for two.
5. And, like almost everyone else, turning up the heat when I'm alone and turning the house into a sauna.
Hmmmm, who will I tag for this one?
Briana,
Kristen and
Sasha, I think. Although Sasha's guilty pleasures might get her arrested!
Not sure
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Whether I should be dismayed or amused.
Let me preface this anecdote by stating that I am a Plant Killer. Sad, but true. I have killed almost every plant that has come into my possession. The only ones I haven't killed are the ones that I gave away before they succumbed to my black thumb.
I received two dozen roses for Valentine's Day. They're opening today and they're gorgeous -- all different colors and they smell amazing. Ds took a look at them and said, "Are they real? Because I've never seen real flowers in our house before."
Yikes.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
| Your Candy Heart Says "Get Real" |
You're a bit of a cynic when it comes to love.
You don't lose your head, and hardly anyone penetrates your heart.
Your ideal Valentine's Day date: is all about the person you're seeing (with no mentions of v-day!)
Your flirting style: honest and even slightly sarcastic
What turns you off: romantic expectations and "greeting card" holidays
Why you're hot: you don't just play hard to get - you are hard to get |
GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH
Sunday, February 12, 2006
I'm an idiot!!!
GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Imagine me running around, tearing my hair out and screaming in frustration as I realize that I must not have hit save the last time I worked on HTBH. There wasn't much I lost, but I'm so mad that I lost it!
Cleansing breath.I'll get over it. I'll rewrite and move on. It will be better than it was.
Oommmmmmm.......
I Did It.
Friday, February 10, 2006
I finished something. I finished
Daughter of Privilege.
It's unbelievably rough. My world building is for crap and I know I'm somehow missing a scene near the end, but the last words have been written. It came in slightly under word count, but that's ok. I'm actually happier that it ended up under 12,000 words. It's my first attempt at erotic romance and I'm not sure I did it right. I'm not sure about a lot of things. My characters are uneven and the plot -- well, I think it came out awfully thin on paper, though I have all this backstory in my head. I have to find a way to beef it up within the story.
Now I'm going to let it sit for a while before I try to fix all of its mistakes. There are so many, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the idea of repairing and polishing right now.
But I did it. I finally finished my second ms.
Here I Am!
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Sorry Anna. I wasn't ignoring anyone. Well, anyone in particular, at least. I haven't even called my mother in five days. I am officially out of my slump, but then things got busy.
Sorry!!!
But, I did a bit on the blog yesterday as you'll see if you cast your glance over to my sidebar. Those are the current wips. Well, not so much
Big Bad Wolf, but the other two. You remember
Daughter of Privilege? No plot at all, but very steamy. Well, I may have discovered a framework of a plot for it. Still nothing heavy, but with the way the story is going, it doesn't need a ton of depth.
Healing the Baron's Heart is still percolating. They're actually getting ready to swing into a big action scene, so I'm trying to figure out the mechanics of it.
Love you all! You've no idea how I smile when I see your comments here. Thanks.
Tagged by Michelle
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Michelle Styles tagged me with this meme some time ago and I forgot about it until just now. Naturally, I didn't get the 3 or the 5 version. No, I got the 7 version. So...
Seven Things To Do Before I Die1. Kiss more puppies.
2. Kiss a grandchild or two. Or more.
4. Go back to England.
5. Go back to Italy.
6. Go back to France.
7. Go back to Honduras.
Seven Books I Love Most1. To Kill A Mockingbird. You knew I was going to say that, didn't you?
2. Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
3. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
5. Dracula by Bram Stoker
6. The Once and Future King by T.H. White
7. On Writing by Stephen King
* I could go on and on, but I'm sticking the theme here.
Seven Movies I Love Most1. El Dorado
2. The Fifth Element
3. Guys and Dolls
4. The Princess Bride
5. LOTR*
6. Star Wars 4-6*
7. Young Frankenstein
* Yes, I know they're trilogies. I'm stretching. And I could still go on and on, but I'm trying here.
Seven Things I Can't Do1. Concentrate on almost anything for more than an hour or two.
2. Dance
3. Remember 7x and 8x. Very frustrating.
4. Break bad news to my mother. She can't tell me bad news either.
5. Drive a stick shift.
6. Touch an arachnid, an amphibian or most reptiles. I've held snakes, but that's my limit.
7. Travel without books.
Seven Words or Phrases I Say Most Often1. Because I'm a mean mom.
2. Keeping track of your ... is not in my contract.
3. Why don't you go tidy up your room?
4. Why is your ... in the living room/kitchen/my bedroom?
5. I have a dinner plan. I just can't remember what it is.
6. Why are you asking me? I wrote it down so I wouldn't have to remember.
7. I forgot. I didn't write it down.
