I've got a secret

Well I didn't want to mention it because I was afraid I would jinx it. Everyone knows how that happens. But don't get too excited it's not about publishing or agents. I'll keep dreaming.
The last few weeks I've been meeting with a writing group. I'm one of three people. One of the writers is an old acquaintance from high school. The other was/is a teacher at my old high school, although I didn't realize it until the other group member pointed it out.
Every week I worried that one or both wouldn't show up. Leaving me alone again or in awkward conversation with someone I didn't know. But it worked for a few weeks so I've been pretty lucky.

And I just want to say that my meeting with this group does not mean that I have given up on a writing group with my southeast pals. Writing is my life and the more I get of it the more I'm thriving. Plus it's always wonderful to have more opinions. Not to mention that I hold back a little with the work I bring to this group because one of the writers seems a bit more conservative (not in a political sense) so I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. It's not like I'm writing erotica but some of the content of Human Decency might be a little harsh.

Besides the only reason I dared to mention the writing group today is because I'm not certain it will be around much longer. Both members are teachers, one that will be on vacation for the next three weeks and soon after that school will be starting so I imagine time will be limited. And the member who I went to high school with is also a teacher. She's going to Maryland next week to interview for a job that I hope she gets. Not because I don't want her around but she's been looking for a job and Michigan is pretty much out of them. So I'm fairly sure that it won't be long before the group is no more. We've been trying to get a few more people. There have been potentials and still are but so far not much has come of it. With as hard as it was to get it started in the first place I'm not holding my breath.

Anyway, I've gotten a few stories reviewed by my group so far. The first one is my story about companion animal abandonment. The second was a story that I just recently submitted to a somewhat prestigious magazine and to be honest I probably wouldn't have done it had I not had advice and proofreading from others. The third was a dark comedy of sorts about a somewhat unfortunate girl that my group wanted to make even more unfortunate.
I've gotten positive but constructive feedback. And I've gotten a lot of tips on grammar. I worry more about the story than the technical aspects so it's been a super bonus having two teachers read over my work. I've also greatly enjoyed reading their work. Second to writing, reading is a big chunk of my life and I love to read works in progress.

So I'm bummed that it may come to an end but glad that I had it for the short time I did. And I'm optimistic that I'll maybe have a writing group with others, no pressure though. I know everyone's busy having lives and careers.

**Oh and I just want to sincerely apologize to the person that was directed to my blog today while searching for "allergic reaction to paper and ink". In my last entry I did not mean that it was weird to have this type of allergic reaction but more that it seemed unusual to be allergic to the combination of the two. If this is a serious allergic reaction, I am so sorry for my idiocy.**

*BTW: On the subject of weird searches, in the last two days I've gotten two searches about whining. I've never had any searches about whining before but apparently the past few days have brought on people who wonder "why do people whine?" and "do I whine?"
Wouldn't it be awesome if it turned out it was two people fighting and one said the other whined. So why they were trying to calm down one went searching for why people whine and the other didn't think they were a whiner so they went searching to find out if they did. Oh the possibilities there.*

I have moved on for now so no Harry Potter but there's Kreeg, Batman, Snoopy, Family Guy and Behind the Naugahyde

Well I've got to move on with my life and my own work so for the first time in a few months I will be blogging with no mention of Harry Potter, other than to say that I won't be mentioning it.

Now that I've got that out of the way. I've been slacking off due to other things I said I wouldn't be mentioning so I've really got nothing to say about what I've been writing but I feel I should post because I hate going too long without posting. Since it's Friday I decided I would do a pointless yet possibly mildly amusing Friday Five.

Friday Five: The five weirdest searches that have brought someone to my blog.

I don't really get very cool searches like other people I know. I think this is my caused by my not mentioning enough body parts. It could also be that my blog is rather boring and only interesting to me. But the following are the craziest I've found since starting my site meter.
Before I get to the craziest but not really that crazy search topics, I will say that the searches I get most often in some form or another are people looking for 'ways to get ink off of paper', Snoopy writing/rejection comic strips and the Stewie to Bryan "how's that novel comin'" episode of Family Guy.
I don't have any of those Snoopy comics on here but I'll look into it. Also, I don't have the actual episode of Family Guy available for viewing but I do have the dialogue about the novel progress. And if anyone ever figures out how to get ink off paper, and it doesn't involve those crappy ink erasers that wear a hole in the paper, please let me know so that people's search can end here.
In short, if you're looking for the comic strips, to watch the episode or need to get ink off of paper, you're in the wrong place because I can't help you. But I'll work on it.

And now...

Friday Five (in no particular order):

crazy shoe stores in Michigan-I'm pretty sure this person was looking for stores that sold crazy shoes but I like to think that this person is trying to figure out what crazy shoe store inspired Behind the Naugahyde.

allergic reactions to ink on paper- I'm not entirely sure that this is all that weird. True, my blog doesn't actually talk about ink being on paper. It's just a name I gave my blog because I am a writer who occasionally puts ink on paper. Well, it's more often words on a monitor or something. Anyway, what I do find to be weird is that someone is having an allergic reaction to ink on paper. Not paper or ink but the combination of ink being on paper. Or maybe it's a metaphorical allergic reaction to words that were put on paper by ink.

"Lansing Community College" vampire graduate- To be honest I have no idea what this could possibly mean. Yes, I have attended LCC but I have never heard any rumors of a vampire graduating. To my knowledge vampires do not exist. Of course, there are people who claim to be vampires but are not in fact the immortal vampires that everyone thinks of. So maybe they were looking for someone like that. No clue but it is unusual.

sci-fi short story about evil squirrels- During a post about scary hotels I mentioned my dog, Kreeg, saving me from evil squirrels and then in the comments it started to develop into a story idea by D.B. Echo. If they were looking for a story about evil squirrels perhaps they can talk him into writing it. However, if they were checking to make sure that no one else had written such a story, I'm not sure about others, but I have not. And there are no plans in the works on my part but you may want to check with D.B.Echo .

someone who would get invited to Batman's wedding- I imagine that a lot of superheroes would be there. Obviously, all the Batfamily, Alfred, possibly a bunch of socialites if he got married as Bruce Wayne and not Batman. The list of potential guest is just too vast, especially knowing that Bruce Wayne would have enough money to invite a ton of people.
I am going to hope that this person's search was directed here because Google thinks that I am a person likely to be on the guest list. I'm not sure if that really says anything about me or my blog other than that I just mentioned the right random combination of words, but I'm going to pretend that my writing and insight are so awesome that Batman would want to be my friend and invite me to his wedding.


And now that I have some of the crazy out of my system I am going to go write, edit and submit some work so that hopefully my next post will be a report about all the work I got done.

One more Harry Potter post before I get back to the real world.

I have finished. Of course, I won't be discussing it. I'll wait until more people have read it. What's best is that I made it without hearing any spoilers. There was a moment when I was worried that it was going to be ruined for me.
When I was standing in line at 11:30 some jackass drove by and rolled down his window. Then he yelled that someone died. Of course, rather than be devastated, everyone in line broke out in laughter. One, because he said the name wrong and also because that person died in the last book. So whether he meant to ruin it for us or just thought he was funny, it didn't matter because I avoided the ruiners. I hope everyone else was just as lucky.
I will say that while it is not at all happy( I'm sure it's no secret people die in this book), I felt okay with what happened because it just needed to happen to show the severity of the situation. There's no point in fighting the ultimate evil if everyone can just live happily ever after regardless.

I'll reread it again. This time I will take my time and won't put most of my life on hold. And even though it seems Pottermania is over, I'm sure in the years to come the obsession will come with more movies, the planned theme park, conventions will pop-up similar to Star Wars and Star Trek, fan fiction will be everywhere, books about theories and studies will be around. And of course the toys and the collectibles will be out there. So it's not really over, not for the true fans. And, maybe, we'll find out the things that J.K. Rowling knew but never told us.

When I read the last sentence of the book I said goodbye to a part of my life. Something I enjoyed and anticipated for a good part of my life. No matter what, I'll never step back into Hogwarts with Harry, Ron and Hermione for a new adventure again.

Only one more day. Hopefully, I can avoid all the spoilers until then.

Not that anyone would probably notice since I don't post everyday anyway, but I'm following in a few other Harry Potter fan's footsteps and will be avoiding the Internet until I finish reading the book. In fact after today I have to avoid the radio, T.V. and newspapers because all of them are shouting out spoilers with no warning. Part of me wants to not go out tomorrow because I feel like someone is going to try to ruin. I'll still buy it and read it either way but I would rather not know until I get to it in the book. And of course people could be yelling out the wrong thing because not all the spoilers are true but still.
It's weird I can't remember another instance where people saw a movie or read a book and just started purposely trying to spoil it for others. I'm not entirely sure why this is an exception. I guess there are always going to be mean spirited people in the world and you just can't let them get to you.
So until I'm done with the book, I'm offline. Good luck to everyone else trying to avoid spoilers.
CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

A blogger award for me? You've got to be kidding.

No way! I can't believe I won an award for blogging. Now I feel like a bum for being a blog slacker lately.
Thanks to D.B.Echo for giving me this lovely award. And now I have the task of passing it on to someone. To be honest I'm not entirely sure what the criteria is. My interpretation is that it should go to someone that give something to the blogging community so I gladly give this award to Tiffany.

Tiffany writes an entertaining blog, If I Were Queen Of The World, that makes me laugh. I particularly enjoy her stories about the customers that wander into her bar. However, the thing that I admire most about Tiffany and her blog is that she is very honest about how she feels. She'll tell you if she thinks someone is an idiot. And she is not afraid of people not liking her for it. If Tiffany has something to say, she says it. To me that action itself is louder than the words she writes, which are thoughtful, intelligent and funny.

**Honorable mention goes to D.B.Echo and Whim, who both have great blogs but already won the award!**

I think that anyone who writes has to be willing to put themselves out there. I do try to keep my opinions to myself because I want this blog to be about writing and not a fighting spot for people to disagree with me on politics or comic books. But I think everyone that blogs (because they have something to say, not those who do it just for profit) has to have a bit of courage because they are putting some small or large piece of themselves out their for anyone to find and potentially criticize, no matter what the subject is. So every blogger brings their own little something and should all get an award.

It's quite nice to receive this award, although, I'm not entirely sure I deserve it. If anything it has got me to make a post today, which I probably wouldn't have done otherwise. So thanks for the award and the motivation to make a post!

Reading done ahead of schedule and now the waiting begins

I've finished rereading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Now I just have to sit and stew for a whole week while I wait for the Deathly Hallows. And during this time I have to avoid all "rumors" because I will be so pissed if I know what happens before reading it. Last time I had heard that in the area where the book was being printed they stopped taking bets on Dumbledore dying and then I pretty much knew what was going to happen. I held out hope.
I was thinking of writing down all the things I think are or aren't going to happen but there's just too much to think about. Although, I do think it's amazing that J.K. Rowling is able to keep quiet about what's going to happen. If it were me so much stuff would have accidentally slipped. And of course I would be bursting at the seems to tell people.
Aside from keeping all the details a secret, I couldn't imagine having that much pressure on me to write something. Not only did people want the book as soon as possible but they are expecting so much. She has to answer all the questions that people have had for years and no matter how it ends someone won't be happy about it.

Speaking of writing, now that I'm done rereading all the Harry Potter books, it's probably about time I started actually getting some work done. I haven't actually written any new fiction in a few weeks and I haven't worked on submissions in quite a while. So, hopefully, my next post will be about how I actually got something done.

It's a great movie. I was not disappointed.

I went to see the Order of the Phoenix on Monday and it was awesome! They cut out a lot of the book out but the action, especially the last 20 minutes in 3D at IMAX, was bad ass! It was the shortest movie, I think, for the longest book but they did a good job of fitting the major parts of the story into the movie. And while I did want more it was kind of nice that it wasn't three hours long like every other summer blockbuster usually is. Although, it would be nice if they eventually came out with longer director's cut DVDs like they did for the Lord of the Rings.
Now we wait for the book!
I didn't finish the Order of the Phoenix before going to see it but I finished yesterday. I guess I'll just have to see it again now that I'm done. And I started on Half-Blood Prince today. It's a bit ahead of schedule but my reading time at work has dwindled down due to the huge sale and absence of employees. So it's good I have extra time.

Speaking of work there is some scandalous stuff going on that would make great book material. I hope to have news to report on the progress of Behind the Naugahyde soon. No promises.

So with an even crazier schedule at work and Harry Potter mania going on I don't have much to report about writing. But both things should be over with soon and then I'll get back on track.

I never thought this week would end so needless to say I'm ecstatic!

This week has made me so tired. I haven't gotten anything done. I made it through the wedding and that's all I'm going to say about it. There's just too much to tell.
I'm still working on my Harry Potter books and I'm still behind. I had planned on reading all day at work yesterday but I had to rearrange the whole store for a surprise huge clearance sale, which has me worried.
I did go see Transformers earlier this week. I liked it. I spent all day yesterday listening to my boss complain about how he hated it because the robots were silly and ridiculous. They're talking robots! And Transformers were made to entertain children. Stop taking everything so seriously. I thought it was a fun movie.
Well that's the recap on my week. When I'm more awake and I have more to talk about I'll write a nice, long post. Until then I'm off to fall asleep while I finish Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

The mania begins!

To be honest I'm going to be a complete blog slacker this week. I'm the maid-of-honor in a wedding on Wednesday which requires a lot of pre and post wedding obligations.

Also, I'm trying catch up on my Harry Potter schedule. Yes, I had it perfectly planned out and I'm on track. However, my plan included reading Order of the Phoenix the week before I saw it in the theater. Originally, the opening date was July 13 but then they changed it to July 11. Of course, I was totally depressed that because of my financial situation, which was so grim my electricity got shut off, I didn't get tickets to the first showing at midnight on the 11th (for the first time ever!). Don't feel too bad for me because then I got tickets to an exclusive sneak preview on the 9th! I'm so excited!
Of course, that means that I have to finish the book a day after I planned on starting it. Not that I'm upset because it can be done and it's not like I'm going to not go to the sneak preview just because I'm not done rereading the book.
They gave me a list of everything I can't take to the theater so that the movie won't leak. No phones, ipods, blackberry's, purses, fanny packs, coats, loose clothing. Everyone is subject to be searched and will have to pass through a metal detector. Isn't that crazy?!

Get tested for HIV, no matter what day.

It was such a short time no one probably notice but I got my power shut off yesterday. That's why no posting, e-mails, comments or blog views from me. I managed to get things worked out and it's back on now. I'm just disappointed because I didn't get to post on my blog, livejournal and myspace about the importance of getting tested for HIV since today is National HIV Testing Day. It's not too late though you can get tested any day. And you should. If you have it you can live a long and happy life but you have to know you have it so you can fight it. And it's important to keep yourself and the people you care about safe.
For free and anonymous, testing near you visit www.hivtest.org . If you're in my area got to www.laanonline.org

Doesn't it seem that these things always happen at the worst time? Like when I got my Internet shut off the day NaBloPoMo started.

Today has been madness between trying to get my power back, promoting HIV testing day and work. I'm so tired I could fall over. Sorry for the lack of good posting.

I have a nice, long nine hour day at work tomorrow in which I hope to turn my old sci-fi/western comic script into short story form so I can enter it into a contest. The deadline is July 1, which means I better get working on it. My flash drive will be put to the test since I need to get the story off this computer and to work.
And I'm still working my Harry Potter books but I'm still behind on my schedule.

currently reading: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Another post that mentions a crazy hotel

I went to see 1408 today. It's based on the short story by Steven King. I've only read the short part of it that he put as a writing example in On Writing so I have no idea how it compares to his story. However, I can tell you that it was quite scary, at least for me. I get freaked out real easily so who knows for sure.
The guy's a writer investigating paranormal activities for cheesy haunting books. I do think it would be interesting to go to places that are supposedly haunted and see what happens. Not by myself of course but I would never have went into that room after hearing everything about it. No matter how good of a story it would make.
I used to work in a bar that I was convinced was haunted. I'd go into detail but everyone I tell thinks I'm off my rocker and I don't need anymore people believing that. I ended up writing a story about it but it was more a crime mystery than a horror story.
Someday I should try to actually write a horror story since I do like them. Of course, when I read Stephen King books, or most horror books, I have to sit with my back against a wall. I'm always afraid that something is going to come up behind me. And I'd probably only be able to write it during the day. Although, I do feel safer with Kreeg around but I'm not sure how he's going to do against evil spirits. Now if it were an evil squirrel, I'd have no worries.

More stuff about music and writing

In my last post I talked about songs that inspired characters or story ideas. So I thought it would be cool for Friday Five to give five examples. It's not as easy as I thought it would be. I'm even having such a hard time remembering these things that I've busted out the idea cards. My giant stack of index cards that each list a story idea that I've had.

Hotel California by the Eagles- I know this is really a story itself but there are so many unanswered questions. Like why this guy is out wondering around? Who are the people in the hotel and why are they there? So my story came to me when I started imagining the answers. It didn't really turn out all that similar except for the crazy hotel part.

Wicked Game by Chris Isaak- To be honest I wasn't really familiar with this song until Jenni and another co-worker were talking about it. And if you would have heard what the co-worker said about it you would have wanted to know exactly what was so "great" about it.
It didn't inspire a new story but it inspired parts for a story I was already working on. Why would someone not want to fall in love? Why would making someone fall in love with you be a wicked game? More questions that needed answers.

Deny by Default-Most people probably have no idea what this song is. It was a hit the year after I graduated and they played it like every hour on the hour so it really got drilled into my head. It's really only the first lines that inspired me. "Today I woke up and you were gone.The whole day wondering what I did wrong." For some reason that made my mind drift to what would happen if that someone had been so devastated that the person was gone in the morning that they committed suicide. Then later you find out the person had only went to get breakfast. Kind of like a Romeo & Juliet of one night stands.

Dragula by Rob Zombie- Really it's just about any Rob Zombie song that gave me this idea. They remind me of people that I knew in high school that thought it would be cool to be zombies, vampires, witches or undead and evil in anyway. The song(s) made me start to wonder what those people would have done if they were faced with real vampires and witches and what the undead would think of people pretending to be them.

Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper- When I was about 4 I was obsessed with Cyndi Lauper. And I remember her saying in this song "If you're lost, you can look and you will find me..." During this phase of my life I was with my parents at Sears and I got lost in the clothes racks. When I found my way out my parents were no where around. I didn't know what to do but all I could remember was what Cyndi Lauper had said in her song. So I ran through the store in extreme excitement realizing that I was lost and if I looked I would find Cyndi Lauper and I could go home with her. I was so mad when my parents found me I thought they had totally ruined my chances to meet Cyndi Lauper. I thought it would be interesting and kind of experimental to write it from the little kids point of view, how they don't realize that songs and movies aren't real.
Or it could make a children's story. Like the Wizard of Oz where you go off looking for something better but find out what you wanted all along was in your own back yard. Of course, mine would have a different kind of ending because I have no idea why Dorothy ever wanted to leave Oz.

There are five examples of how I come up with my story ideas. I haven't actually made a complete story out of any of these. They're just ideas in different stages.
I would have went and found the links to all these songs but my computer keeps randomly shutting stuff down. I think it needs a break. Plus, I'm a slacker.
Besides I started Friday Five as an easy, effortless way to update my blog more often. How simple? A quick list and I'm done. Yet, this post has taken me over a half an hour to write. No wonder I never get anything done.

Just watched: The Virgin Suicides
Currently reading: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Who doesn't love a mix tape, really?

I finished Love is a Mix Tape today. And it's not just a book about mix tapes. It's about music, mostly, 90's rock. It's a also a memoir about how music brought two people together and how it helped the author through the loss of his wife.

Each chapter starts with a song list for an actual mix tape that the author was given or made. And then the chapter goes on to tell what the significance of the mix tape was in his life.
I think a lot of people relate to how a song defines a time in your life. How you think the song was made just for you because it describes exactly what you're going through and you're convinced that it can't possibly mean as much to someone else, even the person who wrote it, as it does to you.

I know mix tapes are completely out dated. It's been MP3 play list for a while and in between it was mix CDs but it's still the same idea. I remember a few months ago Jenni thought she might be in a mix CD battle with a fellow teacher. And for the wedding I'm in next month, the gift for the guest is a mix CD of all the couples songs that are being played at the wedding.

When I was young I used to make mix tapes by recording songs off the radio because we didn't really have money to buy actual tapes. When I finally got my first job CDs were it and I would make mix tapes from CDs. Tapes for dancing to, driving to, being mad at your parents, liking someone, being dumped. Then my friend and I actually bought a CD burner. Not a computer but a machine that did nothing but burn CDs.

I used to make mix tapes for when I would write. I like to set the mood for what I'm writing by playing music that I think a character would listen to or music that I could see on the soundtrack if the story were a movie or the music that inspired the story. I no longer have a functioning tape recorder so now I just program my CD player. Maybe one day I'll get an MP3 player but after reading that book I really want to go back to making mix tapes.

Music can tell you a lot about a person, including how their feeling. I think a new writing exercise I should do is make a play list for each character to help develop their personality.

I have this poster above my desk with a little kid wondering what Batman dresses up for on Halloween and who's on Batman's pajamas. I wonder what's on Batman's mix tape?

They should make soundtracks for books not just movies. Wouldn't we all like to know what some of our favorite characters are listening to?

Complain and you shall receive

For some reason a letter I posted on this blog that I had written to Wizard magazine (that never got published) was linked on When Fangirls Attack. My site meter showed I got over 100 visits yesterday. I don't think many of them stuck around since my blog isn't mostly about comic books but if you can't get your letter published in Wizard, having over 100 people stop by your blog to read it is pretty kick ass.

I have tomorrow off. I don't usually have Wednesdays off but my boss is about to come back from vacation to find out that we had a negative Saturday (it's suppose to be our busiest day), the plumbing is broke and that the only assistant manager he has left to run nights and weekends is done at the end of the month. So I'm going to let someone else deal with that anger. I'm taking a vacation day.
The whole point to that little story is that, hopefully, I'll get a lot of work done tomorrow and I'll post something more substantial and by that I mean longer.

Currently reading: Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield
Song playing on the radio: "Funky Cold Medina"- Tone Loc

Getting up to date

This weekend has been pretty boring. I finally stepped into this century and bought a USB flash drive. My disk drive doesn't work so I haven't been able to type any of my writing up while I'm at work. And I also bought an ink jet so that I can get back to printing out submissions. Of course, I guess now I could just use the flash drive to take it to work and print it out.

Speaking of submissions, I'm happy to report that I am still receiving rejection notices despite the postage rate change. All the literary magazines have been graciously adding a $.02 stamp just to let me know that my writing stinks.

On a happy note, Jenni is now officially done with her first school year of teaching. YAY! So when she gets back from her vacation in the Smokies, I'm hoping we can get back to work on Behind the Naugahyde and maybe finish before her summer break is over.

Also, I'm thinking of taking a few days off of work at the beginning of August and going to Wizard World Chicago since it doesn't look like I'll be able to vacation in NYC like I had hoped. Chicago is much closer and if I go to the convention I can take some time to chat with independent publishers and maybe talk to some artist or fellow writers. Plus it would be nice to spend some time at the Art Institute and lots of other places. Mostly I just want to get away.

And since I spent all my money on flash drives and ink jets I still haven't gotten around to buying any comic books in over a month. So I have no idea what's going on.
I thought selling shoes for a living would provide me with enough money to make all my wildest dreams come true but I guess not.

I think that's enough random thoughts for now. I need to get some work done.

Geez, do I whine a lot or what?

Sorry I haven't been around. I really don't have a good reason why I haven't posted. I've been consumed with trying to finish the 1153 pages that is The Stand which has already put me behind on my Harry Potter reading schedule. That's why I gave myself a week for each book even though I knew I wouldn't need it.
Mostly, I've been a little discouraged lately. My writing group didn't work out. I got a 'can we change the time', and a 'can we change the place', then when I e-mailed the other few possible writers they weren't sure if they could make the new time if I changed it. Not that they were positive they could make the original time either and the person wanting the time changed wasn't sure they could make either time but was more likely to make the newly suggested time. So I'm pretty much just running around in circles trying to pull teeth and a bunch of other proverbial cliches that have something to do with getting no where and having a difficult time doing it. Or something like that.

Then, there's the wedding thing. I'm going to be the maid-of-honor in a wedding at the beginning of July. I know, how exciting my best friend is getting married but that is not quite the case. While I spend my time and money running around trying to make sure that she has the best day(s) possible, for the second time I might add, I think to myself, would she do the same for me? Then I think wow, this person who claims I'm her best friend has never, to my knowledge, read my blog. I know, big deal it's just a blog but it's not. It's about my writing and that is my life. It's what I do in my spare time and my not spare time and it's something I want to do and will do for the rest of my life whether I make money doing it or not. It's one of the most important things to me and this person and a lot of my other so called "friends" have never taken the time to stop by even once in the last two years. I know they have Internet access because I talk to them on-line all the time and I mention my blog all the time. I just think that if it was important to my best friend I would stop by occasionally.
They haven't even stopped by the Behind the Naugahyde website. And I sent out an e-mail to everyone I had an address for announcing that.
It just makes me sad. If I can't get people who consider me their "best friend" to read my blog how the heck am I going to get anybody to read it? Or does it just really show how pathetic my life is that random strangers and people I've only met through the Internet read this more than people who want me to be in their wedding.

Not to mention that my number of visits drop in the summer. My few regular readers are there but a lot less people randomly stop by. Probably because they are all outside living life. Not that it matters because most of them probably don't stick around to read it anyway. It's just nice to feel like I'm not talking to a wall sometimes.
For those of you that do read this, whether I've met you or not, thank you!

Alrighty, self-pity party over. I'm off to finish the last hundred pages of The Stand so I can finally got on with my life. Curse my horrible need to know how something ends right away. I just can't handle not knowing.

An interesting, yet slightly depressing Friday Five

Well Friday's almost over but here is still a Friday Five. This week I'll list five writing related projects I would like to do or have an idea for but have yet to start. This one is hard for me because you know how I hate giving away details about my work before it's completed.

1. I would love to write a children's book. I have an idea for it and I think if I kept the art pretty basic and practiced a lot, I could even do the illustrations. It would feature a dog very similar to Kreeg, some kids and it would be about not fitting in.

2. I always thought it would be fun to do a comic strip. I have an idea for it and the idea would involve very minimal art so I could possibly do that too. The few ideas I have for it would make it a political cartoon but in a subtle way that only clever people would get.

3. There is a mini-movie script that I wrote. I would love to get it made. I've had two other three minute movies made for a contest and those were a lot of fun. This one is longer. Since the writing is actually done it's not technically a writing project but I would never try to get it published in script form. I would need to produce it as a movie. It's something like Mean Girls meets comic nerds.

4. One project that I've been planning for a while but I am seriously afraid of messing up is turning some of my writing into a piece of art where it would hang on the wall.

5. While I hate public speaking in anyway, I always thought it would be interesting to read some of my work out load. Kind of like a poetry reading, except probably not poetry. Sounds weird for someone who hates public speaking but I love performing. Little known fact, in my school days I performed in various dance recitals, choir concerts and in school plays on a regular basis. My plan, once I graduated from high school, was to move to New York City and be on Broadway or move to Vegas and become a flare bartender. But my plans didn't really work out, obviously.

Anyway, enough about that. I'll only depress myself.

On a side note, I heard from one of my writing group no shows. Apparently, 'something came up' and she was only in town for one week so she won't be there next week or ever. I did get another reply from another person but I'm worried that now it will only be me and one other person.
Also, I got another rejection with only $.39 worth of postage. Is the post office slipping up or being nice?

Just finished reading: A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
Currently reading: The Stand by Stephen King
Just watched: Stick It

The start of 'Human Decency?'

Today I finally got over being afraid of doing an awful job of writing my current novel and forced myself to write the first and second section/part. I've been putting this off for so long that I can't believe I actually did it.
I say sections/parts, rather than chapters because it's going to jump from character to character and I don't feel the parts are full chapters.
Anyway, I'm always scared to write the first part, especially on this novel. Even though, I've had the scene perfectly plotted in my head for sometime. It's weird though because once I actually started writing it, it just flowed and turned into something completely different. Something better. It's a lot more harsh than I had planned but if you want to hook a reader, I figure you gotta come out swinging. I think it will definitely capture people and they will connect with a character. My only worry is that it might be a bit much but I can't worry about it now. I have to push forward.
The second part I didn't really have planned out in as much detail as the first but I think it was strong maybe not as strong as the first but it definitely keeps up the intensity. I think the next part will be more mellow. Sorry for the crypticness (I know, not a real word). I don't want to give anything away but I feel like if I don't talk about it I'm going to explode. I will share something about it though.
While writing that part I actually found one line that made me think of an interesting title and to my knowledge there isn't a book or movie called this yet. I'm thinking of calling it, at least for now, Human Decency.

I'm ready to put my novel on paper. Plus I have a potential title, which if you've been reading this blog a while you know that I'm horrible with naming novels. Take my first and second Nano novels for example, because that's what I call them. And thank goodness Jenni came up with Behind the Naugahyde. I wanted to call it Retale. Get it? Probably better for a sequel anyway.

Writing group hopefullness

Thanks everyone for wanting to come to my writing group. Everyone reading this is invited to stop by. Maybe one day we can have a meeting near Tiffany and Jenni's corner of the state. I'm not sure about a writing group road trip to Pennsylvania but anything is possible.
Seriously, though, anyone that wants to come by just let me know and I'll give you all the details. I have a feeling the details may vary week to week in my attempt to have people actually show up, otherwise I'd just post them. For now the meetings will be on Monday evenings but that could change. And I've already got one person that I kind of sort of know that might be able to make it next week.
To me a 'might' is better than a 'will be there' followed by a 'no show'. If that makes any sense. A 'might' doesn't get my hopes up to have them smashed. Anyway, I got to thinking that maybe someone did show up but didn't approach me or didn't know it was me because I was solo and not a group as they had expected. Of course, I did give them plenty of ways to know who I was and one of them I had a class with a few years ago. Besides they should know that a group starts with one person and isn't a group until some else steps up. I don't know. I e-mailed them all saying no hard feelings and feel free to stop by next week. I haven't heard anything from them. With the two that answered my ad, I just don't understand it's not like they would say they would be there to spare my feelings or to help me out. They contacted me about it. Oh well, no time to dwell.
According to Jenni, I got a cool post out of it yesterday and I have people potentially coming from out of town and out of state. I have to love that! Even if they don't stop by it's still a very nice thought.
So despite the pitiful writing group yesterday, I feel good today. I've got hope that the writing group will get better and that's good enough for me.

So exciting you'll laugh, you'll cry. Oh, wait, that was me.

So...what's the exciting news I mentioned yesterday?

Well, remember how I've been trying to find a writing group with no luck?

And then how I asked some people if they wanted to start one and they never answered me?

I got tired of that b.s. so I put out an ad and a few people answered. I sent notes to a few people and one of those people answered.

The result?

I started a writing group! And the first meeting was tonight!

I was nervous, anxious and excited to meet new people and to finally have someone to talk to about writing. A little worried as always that they wouldn't like my stories (remember class workshops) or that they wouldn't like me.

And there I sat looking around the room trying to find my fellow writers I had yet to meet and one that I hadn't seen in a while. I was proud of myself that I hadn't sat around and waited for some else to start a group or to be invited to one or to hope that someone would answer my request. I had taken action and it had worked.

So I sat there waiting for them to arrive...

...for a whole hour before no one showed up.

There I was with a drink I had only bought so I could sit in the cafe with my writing group, with a stack of copies of my stories, with my spirit crushed, watching the rain fall outside, completely bummed.

So much for exciting. See why I didn't say anything. I knew if I got my hopes up I would jinx myself.

Maybe more people will answer my ad. There's always next week, I guess.

Nauga research, library book suggestions and some goals. That's about it.

Sure I promised a much more exciting blog post this weekend but I'm just too boring. I have gotten work done on the "what the heck is Naugahyde?" page for BehindtheNaugahyde.com, but really that's about it. I miss not having worked on Behind the Naugahyde in a while so every time I get a chance to do a little side project it fills me with joy. I'm also excited that Jenni will soon be done with school. Then we can write like crazy!
Also during my research I found out that Naugahyde is actually a name brand of pleather/vinyl-coated fabric. I'm not sure if that is going to be a problem. So far everything I've found says we can use the name just not the logo, which would not be a problem at all.

I did go to the library this weekend as well. And I checked out a few books that seem to switch from one character to the next, which is what I had been looking for. I checked out A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby and The Stand by Stephen King. I looked for Lost books based on the t.v. show but they didn't have any. I'm not sure if they even made them. Those were all the books suggested to me by various people. Thanks everyone!

Since I haven't really done much work on writing lately I thought I would list a few of my short term goals and plans. If I write it out then I might actually have to act on it.
First, I would like to have another sci-fi story completed and ready to send to a contest by the end of this month.
Second, I'm thinking of submitting something to Glimmer Train magazine. It's quite prestigious to get published by them but also very difficult. They take mostly literary short stories. I have a few of those that need some editing and their next submission period ends on July 31. This is excellent because Jenni will be on summer break by then and will hopefully be able to help me out with some suggestions and editing. I will definitely need it.
Third, I would like to have my current novel, that I've barely made a dent in, done by the end of August.

There are a few other things that I have in mind. Comicspace.com is attempting to have a contest for writers, pencilers and inkers coming up soon so I'll have to keep my eye on that.
And I think tomorrow I'm going to do something really exciting regarding my writing but I don't want to say what yet in case I jinx myself.

Just saw: Knocked Up
Currently reading: Batman Year One and Batman Year Two (TPB)
Just read: The Kite Runner-Khaled Hosseini

Another Friday Five

I'm so glad it's the weekend. So here's another Friday Five.
This week is the last line from five of my completed works.

1) They deserved each other.

2) It had gotten her through the mess that had been her life and she could never abandon it now.

3) How cool is that?

4) She had hope that she might find something better.

5) I realized I would never know as I fell asleep.

Once again my two NaNo novels but three different short stories this time. Hopefully, I'll get a longer, more exciting post up this weekend.

A little update for now

Uh-oh! I've started slacking on the blog post again. Sorry 'bout that. I'm trying to fit in as much writing as possible.
The last few days I tried working on submissions but without ink and stamps I'm limited to e-mail submissions which aren't accepted by everyone. It doesn't help that now we're in summer vacation time for colleges and a lot of the reviews are ran by college literary departments. So they aren't taking submissions right now.
I did start my work on the history of Naugahyde now that I've gotten the go ahead from Jenni. And Jenni's school year will be over soon so hopefully we'll finally get the time to finish Behind the Naugahyde. I can't wait!

So that's what I've been up to. Nothing exciting. Although, I did go to a cold and rainy baseball game Saturday where a clown schooled me in Harry Potter trivia. And I'm trying not to get annoyed by the mass surge of pop-ups I've been having lately despite all the pop-up blockers that are on.

The search for naugahyde

Crazy cool madness! I just stopped by BehindtheNaugahyde.com to check the guest book,which you need to sign if you already haven't (How do you expect us to impress agents with a demand from the public to publish our book when only 8 people have signed the guest book? Come on now!), and the site meter.
When I checked the site meter it had a quite a few visits so I checked the details and apparently lots of people have found our site while searching for "naugahyde", "nauga", "nauga collections" and "naugahyde shoes". Apparently we are result number 15 in a Google search for "naugahyde" and 24 in a AT&T Yahoo search. We're 47 in the AT&T Yahoo search for "nauga" but we're 35 in a Google search. Here's where it gets super impressive. If you're looking for "nauga shoes" we're number 3 on Google and AT&T Yahoo. If you're looking for "naugahyde shoes" you'll find us in the #2 spot on both searches! Yah baby! We're almost famous!
It's my goal now to not stop until we're number one in at least one of those searches. My proposal to Jenni is going to be that we add a page to BehindtheNaugahyde.com that tells the history of Naugahyde and that we even have a section on saving the naugas.
Why would we put so much effort so that random people could stop by see that our website has relatively little to do with actual naugahyde and then quickly navigate away from our page? Because one day a literary agent or even a book publisher is going to be in need of a fake leather-looking couch and in their search they will happen upon our website. It will be history in the making. Or maybe it will just generate some interest in the book. At the very least it will explain what the heck naugahyde is to all those people out there scratching their heads.

Let the three day weekend begin!

WooHoo! Three day weekend! This is the first time I've actually had a job that involved three day weekends. Now I get it.

Anyway, here's another things I stole from other writer's blogs. It's the Friday Five. This week is the first line from five of my completed works.

1) 12:00, October is over.

2)The minute she picked up the phone she knew they were done.

3) I hate my life.

4)The cold made Casey's fingers completely numb.

5)I had been an angel once.

There they are. My two Nano novels and three short stories, none of which have ever been published. Although, I wouldn't really call them completed stories. These are all more or less still in the editing process so these are actually tentative first lines.

Creative Differences

It turns out that my writing partner in crime, Jenni, and I have some creative differences. And I'm not using creative differences as a nice way of saying we can't stand each other. I mean we have different processes for creating stuff.
Obviously, we have such an awesome friendship because we do have many things in common. However, it seems that when it comes to writing we can't agree on anything. Although, writing Behind the Naugahyde actually goes rather smoothly.

And yes I did post this same quiz yesterday but today it's new and improved. However, since I did post my own answers yesterday I put them in a smaller font today. That means that the smaller font on the red words is not because red is an inferior color to green, which is another subject Jenni and I do not agree on.

1. Do you outline?

Jenni: No, not really. I, sometimes, have the gyst of how I kind of want things to go in my head, but I don't write it down. I sometimes outline lessons plans for school but they are such bare bones that I will even forget what I meant by them.

Ash: Yes, most of the time. Occasionally I do just go on a whim and sometimes I write an outline but don't stick to it at all. I mostly do it because my mind works faster than I type and I think if I write down general notes, like an outline, I won't forget anything.

2. Do you write straight through a book, or do you sometimes tackle the scenes out of order?

Jenni: I kind of like to do things out of order and figure it out later.

Ash: I've always written straight through.

3. Do you prefer writing with a pen or using a computer?

Jenni: Computer, all the way. If I have to write by hand, then with a pen but not a smeary one. Pencils are ok if I'm in the right mood (and they can't be smeary either!).

Ash: I prefer writing with a pen but I hate having to type it in again later. Although, it is a good way to reread and edit what I've already written.

4. Do you prefer writing in first person or third?

Jenni: I do mostly third because so much of my writing has been focused on Behind the Naugahyde or my one-act plays, but often the first person stuff (even if the character is not me at all) can be better (see Six Months to the Day).

Ash: Most of the stuff I've written is in third person. I did do something in second person once and it's my only short story to get published in an actual literary magazine.

5. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, do you create a play list, listen randomly, or pick a single song that fits the book?

Jenni: No! I can't concentrate and write in English if it's anything but silent. I can do German, grading, and puzzles with music. If I had to pick a song to fit Behind the Naugahyde though, I would say "Footloose." LOL

Ash: YES! I always listen to music when I'm writing. Sometimes I pick just one song that fits the book. Other times I pick a few CD's that work. I don't really make a play list though. I don't have the technology to do so unless I want to get up every four minutes and put a new song on, which significantly cuts down on writing time.

6. How do you come up with the perfect names for your characters?

Jenni: For my one-act plays, I take the name of the person in real life who inspired me and mix up the letters to form a new name. Mostly this is why all of the characters in my one act plays have dumb names like Reic or Evest (based on students' names).

Ash: Sometimes I think of names that are similar to the people the characters are inspired by. Not necessarily names that sound or are spelled similar but names that have the same characteristics like short, rare, common, simple. If I'm writing at work sometimes I use the names of shoes or shoe companies.

7. When you’re writing, do you ever imagine your book as a television show or movie?

Jenni: I know exactly how the one-act plays will look on stage, and I have already figured out how Behind the Naugahyde can be made into a movie.

Ash: Not necessarily that it would get made into one of them but I picture them in my head as if they were one and then I write what I see.

8. Have you ever had a character insist on doing something you really didn’t want him/her to do?

Jenni: LOL! Ditto Ash's answer.

Ash: If you count being boring, yes. Otherwise I can't really say that has happened to me.


9. Do you know how a book is going to end when you start it?

Jenni: Usually not, I'm finding out. I like the Frederich Duerrenmatt concept of taking things out to the farthest permutation of what could possibly happen and I try to infuse some of that into my own work but sometimes I get too silly to make it happen.

Ash: Sometimes. Both of my Nano novels, I knew how they would end. Jenni and I kind of had a general idea when it came to Behind the Naugahyde but we've come up with more and more as we go. The novel I'm working on now I have no clue which makes it even more scary.


10. Where do you write?

Jenni: Usually my office/closet/living room area. Although some of my best work off the computer has come from journaling in my college dorm room or at the beach and especially up north.

Ash: Usually in my office. Sometimes I write at work. Other times I write at the library or a coffee shop if it's too hot and I need some free air conditioning.

11. What do you do when you get writer’s block?

Jenni: I don't write. Jacqueline Woodson says there's no such thing as writer's block, only fear. I don't know if I believe that or not, but I don't feel like I get writer's block like not knowing what to write. I more-so get writer's blah, as in, I don't feel like writing (so I don't). It's only a problem if I'm on a deadline. Incidentally, I feel the same way about grading papers (hence posting).

Ash: I go for a walk, watch T.V or a movie, read, listen to music. I do anything but write and hope that something pops in my head.

12. What size increments do you write in (either in terms of word count, or as a percentage of the book as a whole)?

Jenni: It has a sound effect like BLEURGH! It pretty much just comes pouring out when I feel like writing. Poor Ash leaves one chapter up to me and gets sent 27 pages back!

Ash: As much as I can at once. I don't usually get the luxury of writing for as long as I want.

13. How many different drafts did you write for your last project?

Jenni: I wrote two drafts under durress and hated the second. (I was urged to forgo some swearing in my first one-act play - ultimately, I liked the swearing better and tossed the 'clean' version.) I'm typically a one-draft type of gal.

Ash: My last project would be my last Nano novel and so far I've only written one.

14. Have you ever changed a character’s name midway through a draft?

Jenni: Not on purpose. I get so attached to the character via their name that it's difficult for me. It's like changing the whole character.

Ash: In Behind the Naugahyde, Jenni and I decided on a name for a character. Then I realized half way through that I had been using the wrong name. And there were a few times I changed names on purpose either because I had already used them or they just didn't seem to fit anymore.

15. Do you let anyone read your book while you’re working on it, or do you wait until you’ve completed a draft before letting someone else see it?

Jenni: Even when I get stuff done, I don't normally show it to anyone unless I'm trying to get it published. We tried to do a focus group on BTN and it was a huge flop. However, Jacqueline Woodson mentioned at Bright Ideas that it was never a "bright idea" to show someone your work while you were still working on it because if they criticize it you might feel too vulnerable or influenced to finish it. Other than putting myself out on the line for someone to critique it, I find it annoying when people are all "ooh ooh, here's how you should end it" and their ending is LAME!

Ash: I usually wait until it's finished but there was one exception. It didn't really go like I thought it would so I doubt I'd do it again.


16. What do you do to celebrate when you finish a draft?

Jenni: Send it to Ashley since it's usually my way-late part for BTN?

Ash: Announce it on my blog!

17. One project at a time, or multiple projects at once?

Jenni: Multiple, for sure.

Ash: I try to focus on one project at a time but occasionally, when I'm having writer's block or procrastinating, I'll work on something else for bit. Usually just editing.

18. Do your books grow or shrink in revision?

Jenni: Unfortunately, grow. It's like a one step forward two steps back thing. If I shrink it at all, that's usually overshadowed by the dramatic growth that I put someplace else in the draft.

Ash: I have yet to fully revise a book so it's hard to say.

19. Do you have any writing or critique partners?

Jenni: Ashley is my writing partner! If I actually wrote some more junk, she would be called upon to critique it. (Just wait until summer!)

Ash: Jenni is my writing partner and has often critiqued my work as well.

20. Do you prefer drafting or revising?

Jenni: Drafting. I'm kind of a revision-hater, even though I know it's totally necessary and can sometimes (especially with Ashley) be a ton of fun!

Ash: I've always done revisions.

**These answers were reposted without the consent of Jenni. She's probably going to sue me now. Oh well, it was worth it.**

Writer's quiz

Dancing with the Stars is now over. I thought Laila, Joey and Apollo were all awesome from the beginning so I didn't care who won as long as they were the final three.

Since I spent tonight, my final night since the season finales are over, glued to the television here's a little writer survey that I found and saved in case there was ever a day or two when I didn't have a lot of time to write a post.

1. Do you outline?

Yes, most of the time. Occasionally I do just go on a whim and sometimes I write an outline but don't stick to it at all. I mostly do it because my mind works faster than I type and I think if I write down general notes, like an outline, I won't forget anything.

2. Do you write straight through a book, or do you sometimes tackle the scenes out of order?

I've always written straight through.

3. Do you prefer writing with a pen or using a computer?

I prefer writing with a pen but I hate having to type it in again later. Although, it is a good way to reread and edit what I've already written.

4. Do you prefer writing in first person or third?

Most of the stuff I've written is in third person. I did do something in second person once and it's my only short story to get published in an actual literary magazine.

5. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, do you create a play list, listen randomly, or pick a single song that fits the book?

YES! I always listen to music when I'm writing. Sometimes I pick just one song that fits the book. Other times I pick a few CD's that work. I don't really make a play list though. I don't have the technology to do so unless I want to get up every four minutes and put a new song on, which significantly cuts down on writing time.

6. How do you come up with the perfect names for your characters?

Sometimes I think of names that are similar to the people the characters are inspired by. Not necessarily names that sound or are spelled similar but names that have the same characteristics like short, rare, common, simple.

If I'm writing at work sometimes I use the names of shoes or shoe companies.

7. When you’re writing, do you ever imagine your book as a television show or movie?

Not necessarily that it would get made into one of them but I picture them in my head as if they were one and then I write what I see.

8. Have you ever had a character insist on doing something you really didn’t want him/her to do?

If you count being boring, yes. Otherwise I can't really say that has happened to me.

9. Do you know how a book is going to end when you start it?

Sometimes. Both of my Nano novels, I knew how they would end. Jenni and I kind of had a general idea when it came to Behind the Naugahyde but we've come up with more and more as we go. The novel I'm working on now I have no clue which makes it even more scary.

10. Where do you write?

Usually in my office. Sometimes I write at work. Other times I write at the library or a coffee shop if it's too hot and I need some free air conditioning.

11. What do you do when you get writer’s block?

I go for a walk, watch T.V or a movie, read, listen to music. I do anything but write and hope that something pops in my head.

12. What size increments do you write in (either in terms of word count, or as a percentage of the book as a whole)?

As much as I can at once. I don't usually get the luxury of writing for as long as I want.

13. How many different drafts did you write for your last project?

My last project would be my last Nano novel and so far I've only written one.

14. Have you ever changed a character’s name midway through a draft?

In Behind the Naugahyde, Jenni and I decided on a name for a character. Then I realized half way through that I had been using the wrong name. And there were a few times I changed names on purpose either because I had already used them or they just didn't seem to fit anymore.

15. Do you let anyone read your book while you’re working on it, or do you wait until you’ve completed a draft before letting someone else see it?

I usually wait until it's finished but there was one exception. It didn't really go like I thought it would so I doubt I'd do it again.

16. What do you do to celebrate when you finish a draft?

Announce it on my blog!

17. One project at a time, or multiple projects at once?

I try to focus on one project at a time but occasionally, when I'm having writer's block or procrastinating, I'll work on something else for bit. Usually just editing.

18. Do your books grow or shrink in revision?

I have yet to fully revise a book so it's hard to say.

19. Do you have any writing or critique partners?

Jenni is my writing partner and has often critiqued my work as well.

20. Do you prefer drafting or revising?

I've always done revisions.

So there's a little more insight to my writing technique. I hope no one got hurt when they jumped out of their chair from the excitement.

Heroes is over and the Harry Potter schedule is soon to begin.

Yes, I should not have been neglecting writing to watch t.v. again tonight but it was the Heroes season finale. I'm so sad it's over for now. Of course since it's going to be back next season they didn't wrap everything up but the big stuff got answered. I'm satisfied.
So now that every show I usually watch on a regular basis has had their season finales, except Dancing with the Stars which is tomorrow, I will no longer be sidetracked by t.v. Of course, now we're getting into the summer movie season so I'll probably be a the movies a lot, paycheck permitting.
Then there's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows coming out. Am I the only one that has a schedule made to read each of the previous books before the last one comes out?

Tentatively it goes like this:

June 10-16 The Sorcerer's Stone
June 17-23 The Chamber of Secrets
June 24-30 The Prisoner of Azkaban
July 1-7 The Goblet of Fire
July 8-14 The Order of the Phoenix (the movie comes out the 13th)
July 15- 20 The Half-Blood Prince
July 21 The Deathly Hallows ( and yes I will read it all in one day)

It usually doesn't take a week for me to read a book especially if work continues to be super slow. I just like to factor in things that may come up and I'm the maid-of-honor in a wedding on July 4 so I imagine the wedding and wedding related things will mess up my schedule a bit.

Comments, non-readers and animated t.v. show season finales featuring politics. That's if you're still awake after reading this title.

Wow! When I checked my e-mail this morning my mail box was full of blog comments. It's nice to know someone is reading.

Not that I'm being a whiner about not having any blog readers but I realized today that Jenni is the only person that I didn't meet through this blog that actually reads this blog. That means all my other family, friends, acquaintances, and co-workers don't read my blog. Can you feel the love? I'm sure a few have stopped by before but none of them have returned.

Well enough whining. I must admit that I took time off from writing to watch the Simpsons 400th episode and the Family Guy season finale.
First may I say that the alternative world in Family Guy where Lois marries Quagmire is awesome!
Second, I was almost disappointed with the Simpsons until Lisa asked the question I've being wondering about for quite some time. How can FOX be the channel known for airing controversial shows like Married with Children and Family Guy, yet FOX News is known for being the most conservative news? And they actually answered it.
Since the things I liked about both shows were rather political, I'm not going to give more detail because I don't like to discuss politics on my writing blog. But if anyone reading doesn't usually watch the shows, *cough* Jenni, then I can fill you in later.

Tough decisions

Okay, I lied. I got another rejection today and it only had a $.39 stamp on it. That made me wonder why it is that the old stamps can't be "forever stamps" if the new ones are going to be. Maybe it's something to do with processing them.

Anyway, I'm super bummed because I had to work today so that meant no Motor City Comicon for me.

On a whole other boring topic, lately, I've been thinking a lot about how in some books and movies it's so easy to make the right choice. Everything is obvious. This person is completely good or completely bad. Good beats evil, happiness wins over money. It just always seems so easy. Everyone knows what's going to happen because there is only one choice that makes sense. I know not all book and movies are like that and I really know life isn't like that.
I think most often I write characters that are completely good or bad. It's easy for me to decide their fate. I need to learn how to break away from that and make the characters more complex. But if I never know what to do about those tough situations in my own life how will I know how to deal with them in my writing?