Deadline and Line-by-line

< gloat >
I wrote a novel in 6-7 months, within my deadline! Woo-hoo!
< / gloat >

Now, however, comes the hard stuff: translating my handwriting to legible pixels. Then editing. And editing again. And again. Questioning each scene, each sentence, each word and my very existence, until finally producing something fit for an editor or agent to tear apart. Yeah! I can do it!

What's playing on my metal mp3 player: Spread Your Wings, Queen

He said, she said

“Everything inside quotations is the character talking. Everything outside of them is the author." --Matt de la Peña

This excellent statement is on the subject of dialogue tags, namely not using them. I usually use the preferred and almost invisible 'said', but this quote reminds me to make the dialogue more character-unique so that we know who's talking, even without using 'said'.

I love warm weather. You don't have to wear six shirts and a winter coat, or walk around the house in blankets. I love it, just love it. Says me.

What's playing on my mental mp3 player: Happiness, Ai

Roses and Rowling

Nature and exercise: a great combo for inspiration. When I just don't want to write or can't get past a certain part, taking a walk--preferably in the mountains or forest, at the beach or on the moon--revs my creative engine, and by the time I get home, I want to rush for a notebook.

Another source of inspiration is the success of other writers, and imagining some of that success for myself. The fact that people will read and love and hate something I wrote. They'll talk to me about it and ask questions and that's also terrifying because I'll have to know everything inside out and backwards, yet so, so sweet because the readers are so excited by my world that they want to know more. Sigh...someday. I watched a documentary on J. K. Rowling last night and thought it was so cool that, the night of the Deathly Hallows release, she signed autographs until almost 8 in the morning.

What's playing on my mental mp3 player: The Rose, Bette Midler
***Note that I have no control over said player, nor do I always like the song that is playing. I recently watched Napolean Dynamite, hence the above tune, which is not on my real mp3 player.

Freight trains and worms, among other things

Today, riding freight trains from the 50s, running from wild dogs and dealing with fears. Boy, I'm tired.

Truthfully, I just wanted to write a post so I could post what's playing in my head now. :D

What's playing on my mental mp3 player: Guess I'll Go Eat Worms, ?

One year later...

Just taking a moment to remember Japan's horrible quake/tsunami last year and to be thankful it wasn't worse.