Monday, March 15, 2010
Pirate Idol!
Spotlights come up revealing a large stage on the top deck. Four pirates sit at a table before the stage, a large red cup bearing the name Captain Morgan sits before each of them. The curtain opens and a well-dressed, scrawny, little man strolls to the center.Hello, Everyone. We’re coming to you live from the Romance Writer’s Revenge and I’m your host, Ryan Seagull. It’s coming down to the wire this season and we have aspiring writers fighting for their chance at the big time. Raise you rum and tighten your hammocks, this is…..PIRATE IDOL!
*Hottie crew members roar with applause, one holding a sign that reads BO’SUN IS THE MOSTUN!*
Before we get started, I want to introduce our esteemed panel of judges. On the end, bringing the rain, it’s the Coxswain herself, Haleigh!
Yo, Ry, what up dawg?
Uh, yeah. Okay, moving along. Next we have J Perry Scuttlebutt, bringing the sunshine.
Blow it out your ass.
Nice. Always spreading the love, Scuttle. Good work. And then we have our special guest, this guy came a long way just for The Revenge, it’s Mark Twain! How did you manage to get here, Mr. Twain?
Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today. (Direct quote, pirate’s honor)
And last but not least, or maybe least, it’s Simon Crow’sNest.
Shut up.
Right, and we’re off and running. Our first contestant is a member of this crew. *looks offstage* Isn’t that a conflict of interest? *a Ninja star flies past his ear* No! ah, no conflict. We’re good.
She’s been trying her hand at this writing thing for a few years and claims her biggest problem is her follow through, give a warm pirate welcome to Bo’sun Terrio!
*Bo’sun slowly makes her way to center stage, ducking as a pair of Speedos whirl by her*Thank you very much. Sticking with the advice, don’t bore your readers, I’ll get right down to business. I call this one, Sibling Rivalry.
Emma finished pouring the coffee for Bridgit, who preferred it black when hung over, then set it on the table. To her sister she said, “You, drink. I’ll get the aspirin.” To her son she said, “You, go check your book bag for the sketch pad and get ready to leave and don’t roll your eyes or say another word, we both know you haven’t looked. Now go.”
Mornings like these made Emma long for a time when she might not always be the only capable adult in the room. Life could be exhausting when you found yourself in charge of everything all the time.
Pain pills in hand, Emma informed Bridgit, “I’m already running late this morning and now I have to drop you at your car. You can take Jordy to Mom and Dad’s with you and I can go straight to Catherine’s luncheon.” Setting her own mug in the sink, she asked, “You are sober at this point, right?”
“Do you ever relax?” Bridgit said. “I swear you were born with a broom handle up your ass.”
Emma swiped the mug of coffee off the table. “Feel free to walk to your car, I don’t need your crap today.”
Bridgit lunged for the mug then winced at the movement and cradled her head. “What is your problem? God, you’d think I pissed in your cereal or something.”
“No, just puked in my flower bed, as I mentioned.” Emma spoke again the words she’d asked a million times. “When are you going to get your life together, Bridgit? When are you going to act like a grown up?”
“If acting like a grown up means acting like you, then I’ll pass.” The sarcasm came as no surprise, but was no less irritating for being expected. “How I live my life is none of your business. Why don’t you go out and find yourself a man? Getting laid has got to make you less bitchy.”
Emma thought of all the men who had passed through her sister’s love life, most for a very short period of time, and didn’t see how getting laid had ever improved Bridgit’s disposition. Already tired of the fight, Emma said, “Your spare toothbrush is in the medicine cabinet. Just be ready at the car in fifteen minutes.”
*Bo’sun bows as the Hotties erupt once again in applause*
Thank you, Bo’sun, now let’s see how the judges felt about that excerpt. Hal?
I don’t know, dawg. It was kind of cliché in places. I liked it, it was okay. But I didn’t love it. But I’m still a fan!
Okay, I’m sure that was helpful. Scuttle?
She knows I love her and she’s fucking awesome and I wish I had tits like that.
Uhm, something to work with. Got it. How about you, Mr. Twain?
Barring that natural expression of villainy which we all have, the man looked honest enough. (Another direct quote. The man was full of them!)
*Ryan whispers to someone off stage* No more rum for Mr. Twain.
And now we turn to you, Simon, what did you think?
You don’t know who you are. Are you trying to be funny or serious? Is this drama? A comedy? For me, right now, it’s just a tragedy. Self-indulgent. An unmitigated mess.
*Bo’sun grabs the mic and addresses the crowd*
He’s right. I know it. This is my problem. What the hell kind of writer am I? Should I go for the joke or go for the angst? Or can I do both? I’m torn!
What do you think? Do you know exactly what kind of writer you want to be? Do you walk the line between two worlds? Or are you firmly planted on solid writing ground? And more importantly, do you think you could win Pirate Idol?!
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101 comments:
The only way I'm settin' foot on that stage is if they replace Simon with Johnny, wearing his Mad Hatter tophat.
Terrio - Why can't the angst be funny? Be greedy, have 'em both! Angst is always more palatable when it comes seasoned wit' some sweet humor and hot sex. Or even hot humor and sweet sex. One a' the best ways ta react ta angst is wit' humor.
I'm finding hot sex and humor be the cherry on my sundae. Had a discussion wit' Jane-o 'bout the need we both keep hearin' bout...for deep emotional connection in every flippin' love scene. I can't do it! I want me couples ta laugh. Laugh while they be f*ckin, laugh while they be havin' sex, laugh while they be makin' love.
And I'm not writin' humor. I'm writing fantasy! But humor is the best deep emotion I know.
It be the deep emotional connection fer me! Humor can be deep! With or without angst!
Yes! Terrio - Be funny with the angst! Be angsty with the fun!
Simon sucks! Come on, hotties! Join me in a rousing cheer! Simon sucks! SIMON SU-U-U-UCKS!!!
Humour without pathos can easily become slap stick, and I hate that.
On the other hand, angst without humour can chill the extremities and I do like to keep warm.
As in the Three Bear's story, Father Bear was too hot, Mummy Bear was too cold but Baby Bear's soup was just right and Goldilocks gobbled it all up!
Terri baby, you don't need to spice up your writing, you're saucy enough already. :wink:
Just be yourself. That's plenty for any man .. err reader!
I think you could be similar to Sophie Kinsella without even trying. Just think yourself into slightly outrageous circumstance and react as you always do through the writing. You could be great!
Totally agree with Chance
You could learn a thing or two from her as well! 8)
I absolutely love the excerpt, Ter. What struck me is how much it reveals with so few words... Relationship between the sisters, Emma's responsiblities (maybe overwhelming most of the time), Emma's relationship with her son, Bridgit's lack of responsibility/direction.
I seem to have the same problem you do with the humor and angst mixed, but I guess I don't see it as a problem. I hate to sound cliche but I do think the combination is real. Life isn't black and white, at least mine isn't. It isn't all sturm & drang (been waiting to use that saying) or happiness & light. Most times it is the combination of the two.
I can't tell you how many wakes/funerals I've been at where there are laughter and smiles through the tears. I suppose I wouldn't know any other way to write. Add to that the fact that the sarcasm gene runs rampant in my family.
Terri, I loved the whole Pirate Idol presentation. And the excerpt was delightful -- I knew who the sisters were immediately, from the dialogue, as well as the conflict between them. (And I'm still cackling about her telling her son she knows he hasn't looked for his book bag already -- very accurate!)
I know that advice, no matter WHAT the topic, can be interpreted zillions of ways. So you always have to sift through and find what works for you, and your stories.
The "rules" start out as somebody's opinion, which turns into advice, and next thing you know, it's the gospel that all of us are expected to follow.
But then somebody (maybe US?!) does something different, which becomes the NEW rule. . .
I say do both angst and comedy if that's what works for you. It will make your stories richer because it's a reflection of you.
Thanks for being in my corner, Chance. LOL! (Though I usually agree with Simon and he hit it on the nose here.) This was my effort at entertaining while I whine a bit. Hope it worked.
I know I can do a mixture of both and it would work. But it's how far in one direction or the other do I go. Basically, I'm still searching for my voice. I've seen myself as one type of writer, but am finding I might be something else.
*sigh*
I've hit writer adolescence.
Ah, Q, you think I'm saucy? Really? Are you sure you don't mean to say sauced? LOL!
You're so right about needing a little of both no matter where I fall on this issue. I'm not big on stories that are all fluff and floating along the surface, but who wants to read dark and serious with no comic relief to bring in the light?
Definitely need both to make it work. I totally agree.
Oh, and I'm no Kinsella, but I am working on finding more twists and my heroine does have a funny scene where she passes out cold. It's been fun to figure out silly or odd scenarios to put her in.
Nice use of the fancy new terms, Irish! LOL! You get the gold vocabulary star of the day.
You said: What struck me is how much it reveals with so few words…
This just made my day. That's what I was trying to achieve. The one thing I do know about my writing is I'm a minimalist. Which means I could easily leave the reader in the dark. Thank goodness I at least know this passage works.
And I *might* have taken inspiration from my relationship with my sister. Fights like these are something I know quite a bit about. :)
Kudos to you for knowing exactly what kind of story you write. I think I was better off three years ago when I didn't know nearly as much as I know now. LOL!
Donna - You got it too! Man, you gals are great for me ego.
This one is less about rules and more about voice confusion. Basically, I've pictured myself as an SEP kind of writer since I started. But I'm finding my voice and style leans more toward the funnier stuff. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't leave out the angst, but the scale seems to be tipping more toward the funny side than I ever thought it would.
I find myself debating quite often. It's like I have two muses (yes, I just said I have muses - mark this on the calendar) and one is poking me in the ear going, "Go for the joke!" while the other is rolling her eyes and saying, "Keep it straight, this is a serious moment."
OMG, this cracked me up. And I hate Idol. Simon Crow'sNest. *ROTFL* Self indulgent.
Okay, I just have two words for you, Bo'sun, not that you'll listen because we've discussed this before and I told you then (so clearly you don't believe anything I say anyway): Anne Gracie.
The woman is a GODDESS, and she blends angst and genuine humor in such a manner you think it's completely effortless. One minute you'll be crying; the next you'll be laughing outrageously--and at the end when you close the book, you think it was the best book ever.
I can't stand novels that indulge in nothing but angst. As if life is nothing but misery--and then by some miracle, there's a HEA. How the hell can that happen? How would you even recognize happiness or fun if you didn't create some within your angst? Life is absurd; it always has been. And it deserves to be made fun of and poked at. And it's also tragic and we should also shine a light on that as well.
You can have both. Once upon a time, no one would have considered Peanut Butter and Chocolate together as tasting good. Where would Reese's have been if he didn't think he could have both? We'd all be miserable; and there'd be a little less in the world.
Oh, and awesome use of foil characters.
Terri, I write funny stuff, because it's how I view the world. It's also how I manage to keep the angsty parts of life more manageable. When I started writing, I didn't know that's the direction I would go, so I think it's good (and necessary) to experiment.
PLUS -- jeez, I'm on a roll here! Just because you do something once, doesn't mean you're committed to doing that forever. Maybe later you'll want to do something angsty, while humor works now. It all depends on the characters, and what their story needs.
First, congratulations on your courage. I would not go on Pirate Idol if a million dollars and a contract with my dream publisher were the promised prizes.
I loved the excerpt, Ter. Even from this one scene, your protagonist is real. I can hear the mix of affection, concern, and exasperation in her voice. And I'm with Donna on the bookbag line. It's perfect. You've set up rich contexts for your character. More! More!
Obviously Hells is going to hate everything I write.
I said this at the writer's meeting we had this weekend, I want to be somewhere between Tara Janzen and Janet Evanovich for my adventure/suspense/mystery writing. I don't know what kind of writer I am. I'm still a fan fiction writer inside my head.
Ter, I think you have the ability to do both angst and comedy. Just because you haven't sorted who you are as a writer at this second doesn't mean that it won't develop naturally as you keep writing.
I’ve pictured myself as an SEP kind of writer since I started. But I’m finding my voice and style leans more toward the funnier stuff.
Ummm, SEP is hilarious. What's the problem?
Obviously Hells is going to hate everything I write.
I laugh during funerals. I don't think there will be a problem. I find things funny that you didn't see.
First of all, this was great. And I think Hal should start saying "dawg" all the time.
:)
Second, I think when it comes to voice that you kind of have to let it come out on its own. I honestly think that's the best when it comes to something this organic. I think voice is the key to great writing, but I don't think it's something you can try to shape.
The problem with all of it is that when you try too hard to be one thing or another, it feels forced. Too dark, too funny, too angsty, too light.... All of it. I think the key is to tell the story the way you hear it in your head and let it unfold on its own.
I don't see a lot of shit since I'm blind as a bat.
Ter, if you see yourself as SEP then go for it. Balls to the walls go for it. We have faith in your ability to do it. Now you have to find yours.
BTW - I picked up a bag of these Reese's Select yesterday? Have you tried these? OMG! Awesome. Not as awesome as the Coca-Cola cake at Cracker Barrel, but damn close.
I have Anne Gracie books on my shelf. Just need to get to them. LOL!
I know! I want to do both. It's that damn scale. I can't find where it balances for me. And the two voices really so war with each other.
"Make her throw something at his head. That would be funny!"
"No! This is an emotional moment. Make her say something personal and then walk away."
Seriously, one voice I'd be happy with. These two are freaking killing me.
What is Coca-Cola cake?
See, Donna, I didn't think of that. This story will be different from the next and the one after that could be totally different. This is probably where it would help to know my characters better. LOL!
It would probably help if my heroine wasn't such a stick in the mud. But I'm cleaning her off. Or trying to.
Janga - You'd be a shoe-in on Pirate Idol! The front runner everyone was trying to beat.
Thanks for liking the excerpt. Is it that obvious I've maybe had that conversation with my kiddo? LOL! The boy in the story is 12 and my kiddo is 10. Which is 12 in girl years. LOL!
SEP! Exactly. You know how much I love her. And what I love most is that she makes her H/H angsty/real without turning them into complete jerks. Or I should say they are complete jerks but she finds a way to make us love them anyway. that's what I want. I want real people - flawed, insecure, maybe a bit neurotic (okay, a lot neurotic) but lovable anyway... at least by that one special person.
Here you're worried about doing either/or and I struggle with incorporating both. I actually think it is harder to do both. I mean it's easy to do drama - take a little boy, run over his dog and have him witness it all - simple tears. Comedy - An irishman is driving home from the pub, blah, blah, blah...- simple laugh! The Irishman is stumbling home from the pub and accidentally falls on the little boy's poodle - sad and kinda hiliarious, maybe?
And I love the Reese's Peanutbutter cup analogy, Hellie!
Marn - Find a Cracker Barrel and go there right now. It's some Double Fudge Chocolate Coca-Cola cake and it's TO DIE FOR.
Really, go now.
Sin - It's okay, you're going to hate everything I write so it all balances out. LOL!
And you're right, of course. Stop whining, keep writing, and it'll all settle out in the end. The good news is, I'm liking what I'm writing more now than ever. I just need to get more twisty. Less vanilla.
:)
You made me Randy???? Ah, dawg, that ain't cool, you feel me?
lol. This is great Ter, really great. I was just thinking about SEP books, how they're so funny at the beginning, but as you get further in, as you know the characters better and the stakes go up, they get more serious. It's almost like a natural progression. Julia Quinn's "The Lost Duke of Wyndham" did the same for me.
So my advice is to let it come naturally. Use Emma's mood as your guide - if she's coming out serious, go with serious. If she finds something silly and absurd and hilarious, go with that. The push and pull between both ends of the spectrum will come out natural, and more than likely, as you progress through the book and the stakes go up, you'll naturally get more serious and angsty.
Well, pirates, I'm loving this discussion, but I have to go hunting/gathering for groceries. LOL
I can't even predict where this thread will be when I get back. I just know it'll be interesting!
Marn - Another excellent point. You all are full of great points today. (Or it could be the rum talking, but I'll take it!)
When I let go and let the characters tell the story, it always turns out better. And they are better at finding new twists and natural moments. At this point, I should just take myself out of it altogether.
It's a common factor in my life. I often get in my own way.
Hal - I thought about the person I would least expect to talk that way, and you popped into my head. LOL! I could even see you doing the hand movements.
Dawg.
A natural progression. *Adds another brilliant note* That's what I'm shooting for, I just need to let it happen. Take a breath. Fingers on keyboard. Just let it come.
OHM......
Double Fudge Chocolate Coca-Cola cake and it’s TO DIE FOR.
sweet lord on a stick, I have to find a Cracker Barrel. Now!
Seriously, Hal. That cake does sound beyond sinful.
Dawg.
I agree with Marn about voice. Your voice is your voice is your voice. It's why if we forget to put our signatures on our blogs, it doesn't matter because everyone can tell who blogged anyway.
You can correct grammar, plotting, character, and setting, but your voice is what it is.
I long to be Sophie Kinsella or Hester Browne, or God love me, J. K. Rowling, but I'll never be close. I'm not a woman from Great Britain, raised in Great Britain, grown up on tea and Cadbury and every pudding known to the Prime Minister. I'm from the USA, specifically Missouri, the Midwest, and I grew up on Pepsi, twinkies, and beefsteak.
I say things like "Yer shittin' me" and they say things like, "Bloody hell."
We're just different. Now perhaps if I moved to England and lived the rest of my life there, eventually my voice would acquire more Rowling or Kinsella British qualities, but beneath, I think the Pespi-swilling, beef-eating hick would remain.
Dawg.
I could totally rock those hand movements *g*
Just take yourself out of it altogether. I think this is the best advice for a writer. Too much analysis on how it's coming across isn't good. Focus on character is good, though.
Have fun storming the Food Lion, Donna!
Hal - Yes, find one. Now.
There were other questions at the end there. This can't be all about me, I'm not that interesting.
Do you all know exactly where you're going? Do you ever come to a point in the story where you know it could go either way and you struggle to decide?
And I don't mean to take anything away from SEP. She definitely makes me laugh, but when I finish her books, I remember the angst more. The heartbreak and how she pulled me along and made me love the characters.
Shockingly enough, I might not be as sweet as SEP. ME! Who'd a thunk it?
And what kind of voice does a milktoast from Ohio whose spent 16 years in the south have?
I. Don't. Know. LOL! Therein lies my problem.
but beneath, I think the Pespi-swilling, beef-eating hick would remain.
But that's what makes you unique.
I think the best comment I heard about voice was in last month's RWR magazine -- I can't remember now for the life of me what author they were talking about, but said, "After reading one of her novels, you start talking with a West Texas accent."
How perfectly does that voice have to come across if you not only hear her voice in your head while reading, but you're actually *talking* that way afterwards. Now that's a strong voice!
So hellie, here's to your readers talking with a pepsi-swilling, beef-eating, hick accent after reading your books!
Over-analyse? Me? LOL!
Surely you jest.
Funny enough, I never hear "hick" when I read Hellie's stuff. I hear "sarcastic as hell", but not "hick". LOL!
I had this problem a bit -- when I first started writing, I was writing Stephanie Plum fanfic, which is, at it's core, hilarious. So my voice was very light and funny.
My first original novel, I specifically tried to make it dark and serious, and everyone reading kept saying, "It's so funny!" which pissed me off, because I was trying *not* to be funny. lol.
But I think now my voice has sort of settled into something dark and spare, very blunt and minimalist, but with a sarcastic wit that keeps the characters from ever taking themselves too seriously.
at least, that's what I'm going for. Who knows if I'm making it *g*
Ter, that's what I love about SEP books. It's the humor that hooks me, draws me in, and makes me fall in love with the characters. But it's the heartbreak and angst that I remember later, and pulls me back for the next book.
I can handle Hal being Randy. She totally rocks the hand motions and "Dawg!"
I'm just happy I wasn't made into Simon, which is totally where I thought this was going. (Though it might have been worse. I could have been made into Paula, back as a surprise guest judge.)
Gah, what kind of voice does this hick from western PA have? Who knows? LOL!!
And no, I don't know if I ever come to a point in the plot/character development where I can't see where it's going. If I were more of a pantser, maybe I would, but it hasn't happened yet.
Awesome snippet, Terri! Just enough to make me want the rest. Love the bookbag line, with my 12 yo son it's his lunch box-suddenly he can't remember to take it out of his backpack and put it away. I hate not being able to find it in the morning when I've made his lunch. Argh!
I have an idea of where my story is going for now, I can only see a little way ahead, but my characters are taking over more frequently.
I was afraid my tone was going to be to heavy, but I get words like "upbeat" and "lighthearted".
Di
yes, but if you were Paula, you'd have happy pills *g*
Hal - Exactly!
Marn - See, I know what scene is coming, and what I want to achieve in that scene. But once I'm in, it could go so many ways. I think I might be fighting my natural tendencies, which is not good for anyone. LOL!
Hells - I considered bringing more pirates in as judges, but then this blog could have gone on forever and I needed Simon so he could tell it like it is. LOL!
No idea how Mark Twain got in. He just sort of showed up. He probably would have come out if I hadn't written this at 10 last night and took the time to edit it. *shrug*
Hal - I think that's exactly how your voice comes off.
And Hells, I know we've never met but when I picture you I immediately think Paula. *cough cough*
Hells is only like Paula when she's had about six rum runners. Yes, I've seen it. Trust me.
Di - See, I don't think we can see our own work like others see it. I'd never read my stuff back and think, "I managed to say a good bit there with very few words."
I'm more apt to look and say, "That's boring."
Oooh Terri. THANK YOU ! I needed that!
Funny Blog. Great Excerpt. So what’s up with all angst over the angst verses humor?
You said I know I can do a mixture of both and it would work. But it’s how far in one direction or the other do I go.
The answer is: That depends. It is that simple. There is no magic formula. It just depends… upon the scene. On how you feel when you are writing. On how you want the reader to feel after they‘ve read what you wrote.
So Quit worrying about your abilities.
It is a waste of time and energy. Concentrate your efforts instead upon getting comfortable with your natural writer’s Voice. And learn to trust the direction your muse takes you.
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - J. K. Rowling
Is anyone else cracking up at Bo'sun's assertion that this blog was not really about her? (Inserting the "other" questions to remind us.)
I mean, she only featured HERSELF and her excerpt, with the whole "I'm torn about my voice" at the end.
But in the spirit of answer of her questions, no, I'm not that worried about my voice. I established my voice years ago in my writing. Sarcastic as hell is pretty much how you termed it. Which doesn't appeal to all parties. (You'd be amazed at how many people actually find sarcasm to be a poor man's wit. Actually they find sarcasm to be a deflector for what should have been done: focus on the angst. But I think sarcasm can showcase angst much better than just dwelling on angst because your average person isn't going to shine a light on their angst and reveal the pain they deal with everyday--they're going to flip you off with a big sarcastic comment and leave the room.)
It makes me feel better that Sherrilyn Kenyon's voice was misunderstood for so long--because I totally identify with her voice (and she's ANGST and HILARIOUS, usually on the same page too). Her critic partners, she said, used to call her voice or her writing style UOTY (OOO-TEE), or Understatement of the Year. A sort of sarcasm that not all of her CPs embraced. I think lots of well-meaning people were constantly trying to correct her voice, to make her more acceptable.
It doesn't work.
It like your looks; you have to work with what you have. No boobs? You can get a pushup bra, but we beneath, we still know you're flatchested.
Julie - I do so adore you. The angst over the angst. Genius!
It does depend. And I need to trust it. That's a problem for me, trusting myself and my voice and my abilities.
From now on, when my brain starts this tug of war with doubt, I'm going to think of you and let it go.
Wonderful quote!
And learn to trust the direction your muse takes you.
Bo'sun is a self-professed control freak. When she started writing, she refused to admit that character voices existed and could "control" the story--she said this was ridiculous.
About a year or so later, she finally admitted her characters were bugging her long after she put the computer away. And they weren't doing what she asked.
A YEAR it took her to admit this.
Anytime the word "muse" is brought up, she blows it off as whatever, because you sit and write. You don't wait for muses. Which I agree, but I also know that muses exist.
Good luck waiting for her to put her trust in something she doesn't think exists. And letting it run control of the show. I'm sure that smacks too much of predestiny.
People who don't recognize the truth seeping through the sarcasm just aren't paying attention. Usually, if I let myself go and don't think too hard, what comes out is funnier and smarter and wittier than anything I could have planned ahead of time.
This is how it worked on the radio. People must have asked a million times, "How do you know what you're going to say when the microphone comes on?"
And the answer was always the same. "I don't." I guess I was a pantser DJ. LOL!
I need to trust that I'll say the right things in the writing too.
I need to trust that I’ll say the right things in the writing too.
Well, you've also confessed you have trust issues.
Amuse yourself first. If you're amusing yourself, then roll with it.
As Bull Durham said, "Don't fuck with a winning streak."
And I didn't mean it wasn't about me, it just can't be about me all day as I can only take so much of a beating. LOL!
The truth is, most of you have done a lot more writing than I have. Even Sin, even if she's trashed a lot of it. I guess I was hoping someone else would have this problem.
But no. LOL! That's okay.
If you think any of us are willing to get on Pirate Idol, you're crazy!
So I have trust and control issues. Beating me up about them is NOT going to make them any better.
Just sayin'...
I admitted right up there ^ that I have not one muse but TWO. Leave it to me to have evil twin muses.
Gah!
Y'all are no fun. LOL! Look, Ryan Seagull is right there to hold your hand.
Here he is! Janus is your muse. No wonder you're confused!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janus
I don't think it's that the rest of us don't have this problem, it's that the rest of us have given up on trying to fix this problem and just let it ride *g*
I know you hate wasting anything--so I know secretly you hope this book will sell (don't we all) but writing only improves with writing, and you only figure out what you're doing after you keep writing.
Actually you have the same muse, but with two heads, like that monster in the Percy Jackson books. What was he called?
I must google. I'll be back.
Look, Ryan Seagull is right there to hold your hand.
That is not a selling point. I have had my fill of holding hands with flaming attention hogs.
Oh. And I saw that Pepsi is in Heaven comment the other day, Hellion.
All I have to say is ... Ten bucks to anyone who wants to hit Hellion in the Head with a bag of Dorito's every time she says that! Gawd.
Ter - I worried over my voice when I first started writing. After I wrote my first book and people read it and said, I felt like it was trying too hard here or too hard there, well, I realized that I was. I'd sweated and sweated that I wanted it to be amusing. But I forced it, I pushed to hard.
That's why I said, don't push too hard. My advice: just keep writing, focus on how the story is in your head, how your characters "are," and what you're hoping to accomplish with your plot/what you're trying to "say." Your voice will figure itself out. I swear.
I love Doritos!! They'll go great with my Pepsi! Thanks, Jules!
Ok, Hal said it better than me. "Just let it ride." Sheesh, I'm way too wordy.
Exactly. What Hal says. *LOL* Essentially *I* have bigger fish to fry than to worry that I sound angsty one second and too funny/slapstick the next. (Even Friends, which was funny by reputation, had its share of angst. It can co-exist. It has to.)
Meanwhile I have to worry that I have no bloody idea how to transition my story to my next step. That I'm still doing the same crap I always am, pretending I'm writing a story using the method of 24, telling every single moment of the day. This slows the pacing dramatically.
*in her best Paula voice* We know, Marn, but it's why we love you!
Hellion said You can correct grammar, plotting, character, and setting, but your voice is what it is.
It is? Oh man … I’m screwed…
Hellion said and you only figure out what you’re doing after you keep writing.
I will? Oh man … so is … what was her name? JayRayFaye?
Let it ride.
I'll put that somewhere around my computer so I can see it while I'm writing. Oddly enough, I'm really a laid back person in my normal dealings. I'm only uptight in my head.
Marn - I'm sure I'll feel better when I finally get to the end of something. Mixing control and trust issues with insecurities is not a pretty recipe.
Would this be the appropriate time to insert a sex analogy?
Isn't worrying excessively about your voice like worrying that your cellulite is too visible or too pale? So then you start trying to pose yourself where you think you'll be most flattering and totally lose the point of what you should be concentrating: how great sex feels, and then you end up not having a good time.
And when you don't have a good time, it shows to your audience. Just like when you're trying too hard also shows to your audience.
The sex analogy only works if I can remember what that's like so as to compare the two situations.
So no, that analogy isn't helping.
Julie - Are you sniffing household cleaners?
Do you know exactly what kind of writer you want to be?
Yes, actually I DO know what kind of writer i want to be. I want to be ... am in fact ...A Gia C!
"I am writing my life to laugh at myself, and I am succeeding."
-Giacomo Casanova
Oddly enough, I’m really a laid back person in my normal dealings. I’m only uptight in my head.
Hmm. I know this is true. Clearly the solution is get out of your head.
Julie – Are you sniffing household cleaners?
Hey Terri, THANKS for reminding me that I have to scrub the bathroom. Kill Joy!
And no chemicals, I always get reminiscent this time of year. That or it could be a sugar high from all of that Pepsi I’ve been drinking.
I will. As soon as I can find the exit. LOL!
Man, sleep in and miss everything!
Terrio - get out of your head but take it with you. Take it on a tour of all that is absurd and fascinating. Trade heads now and then, it's good for the spirit. Take your head to a carnival and fill it with helium, or cotton candy, or popcorn...let it float...
And don't force the voice. You have a voice and it's loving, not strict. Don't confuse the two!
Julie - Back away from the Pepsi. Slowly now.
Chance - You needed the sleep! Feeling a bit better now?
I now have this image of me walking around with my head tucked under one arm, pointing out all the fun stuff for it to see. I do love carnivals. And it's almost that time of year.
Not sure who I'd trade with. I doubt anyone would want to live in my head even for a short period of time.
Does anyone else get the feeling that "2nd Chance" is incognito name for "Tim Burton"?
I can see that.
Dang! Me secret identity be revealed! Excuse me while I whip out me new memory erasing ray gun, powered by a teenie tiny steam engine, and make ya all forget that bit about me Tim-self.
You know, if 2nd it really Tim, then we have an in with Johnny. Right?
LOL! Tim Burton? Gosh I thought that she was a member of ... I mean really? She calls herself Chance? She likes to go for walks. Sings and listen to some music, maybe just talking...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_MPeUlhSHM
Julie - Yer me new favorite. I needed that!
If you're all alone, When the pretty birds have flown...
Wonder if that was why fate gave me a ticket back when my heart went all a flutter...took a chance on me...
An in with Johnny...oh, if only! Maybe I should check me little perch mad hatter hat...mayhaps there be a small Johnny hidden inside?
OMG! I love how that dance goes perfectly with that song. LMAO!!
That was an awesome video -- thanks, Julie! (Now Chance has a new earworm to replace the one--never mind!)
There's something SO sexy about a man who can dance. Sigh. Mebbe I need to go watch that one more time!
And Bo'sun, I am DYING over here, at the thought of you walking around with your head under your arm, giving it a tour. LOL Make sure you don't set it down somewhere and forget where you put it! LOL
Or pick up the wrong one...if you set it down... What was that song in Labyrinth...?
Wow, Donna, you know me all too well for not being on the ship that long. LOL!
And picking up the wrong one might not be a bad thing. I could trade up!
Oh yeah, this one! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU_6l1kwu7Y
Bo'sun, setting it down and forgetting it is more my speed -- LOL -- so I thought I'd put the warning out there!
And I agree about ti being a good thing to swap out my brain for a different one. Like today, when I'm at the grocery store and I of course forgot to bring my shopping list, so I "wing it". I came home and discovered I have three jars of mayo in addition to the one I just bought -- because I was SURE it was on the list -- NOT! LOL
Chance - I'll have to check that out at home. I can't play it loud enough here to understand what they're saying.
Donna - I do that same thing with spaghetti sauce. Needless to say, I never run out of spaghetti sauce. LOL!
I do the same thing with chicken broth -- LOL -- so I can have it on hand when I make risotto. Which happens like maybe ONCE A YEAR! I've got half a decade's worth of chicken broth. LOL
Honestly I had to watch the Dirty ABBA Dancing video twice. I couldn't beleive how well that dance goes with that song.
And I had to go shopping too. Anything to avoid scrubbing bathrooms grumble grumble ...
Glad that you liked it Chance. Now I'm going to wonder what other movie scenes can be ABBAfied!
With me, it's pickles. Isometimes have six jars of opened pickles in the frig. Back in the day when I'd eat a jar a day. Loves me pickles.
But they aren't as good as they once were, so I keep buying new jars hoping to rediscover the magic of a good pickle.
Sigh.
My life is strange.
Chance, sounds like what you need is a little song, to lift yer spirits.
*clears throat*
Do re mi fa so la ti doooooo.
Do re mi fa so la ti doooooo.
Okay, now I'm all warmed up. . . :)
Row da boat...or is it sink the ship? What is the name of that song?
OMG, she's going to sing the pickle song. I'm so outta here!
And yes ... I am still avoiding my chores!
Why someone eats a Pickle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIm1A9x85lI
Talks about the Significance of The Pickle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g266Uwp6ZnI
What happens when you eat toooo many Pickles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXIDFuOH_II
I totally respect the avoidance of chores.
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