Thursday, July 8, 2010
Play with Yourself
Aye, get yer minds outta the gutter, ya scurvy dogs! There be many nuances ta the idea a’ playing wit’ yerself! Not all involve the Nasty Duck. (Just the funner ones…)
Nah, I’m talking about taking time off in the midst of the summer, which I understand is truly testing the patience of many pirates seein’ how it’s really hot most places. Now…me? Sitting in a friendly band of fog and cooler temps. (Ah, the Monterey Bay in the summer.)
Now that you all hate me, let me continue.
So, play with yourself! Take yourself out on a playdate! Take your characters out on a playdate. Toy with them! Have them do something totally unexpected that makes you smile. At a local RWA meeting a few months ago, we did a short exercise where we wrote a scene where the hero/heroine has to wear an item of clothing they’d never put on for any logical reason, ever. And see what happens.
So, my heroine is a bit of free spirit and though I can think of things she’d put on that wouldn’t fit her personality, I had to find something that fit the genre and location I’d placed her in. So, I had her get naked for the first time in front of the man she was involved with. Usually they were in the dark, or near dark. I had her strip in daylight. She’s 53, she’s not Angelina Jolie, she’s more like…Shirley MacClaine… So, I had to write all her objections, insecurities… I played with her. And let my hero ease her fears and make her laugh about all those bumps and marks and skin, etc. But later, not in this exercise.
It was fun and it made me laugh.
Granted, my entire Kraken’s Mirror world is one big twisty turvey play ride. But even within the world there is room to just be playful.
Lately, life has been tossing a lot of grey rain on most of us. Job stuff, family stuff, weather stuff…sunspots, oil spills, elections… Crew, we need to play more. The blog has fallen off a bit, and I’d like to see it return to a bit more playful mayhem and madness. Because we need this. We need to tease and flirt and drink and get rollicking. Plan playful bits of nonsense and wicked plot twists.
Sex in the crows-nest, swimming with dolphins, swinging through the air in the midst of a fight sequence. (Caught PotC III the other night on TV and the scenes where Captain Jack is riding that line all up and down and here and there above the fight and fury on the Dutchman? Fabulous! Totally insane!)
Great bit of insane play.
We all need to play more. Get out on those swings, under a full moon, with fireflies flirting through the monkey bars. And if a little bit of adult play ensues, all the better!
How do you like to play with your characters? (Sin, I don’t mean torture.) I mean playful stuff. How do you like to play? You drive by a playground and think of sweet and wicked things to do with the swings? (Sin, not as murder weapons.) You see a pair of bright red flats in the store and imagine dancing in the moonlight with a red polka dotted dress shining in the lights of the dance floor? (Polka dots, Sin, not targets.) You see your main character dropping ice cream all over herself? Accidentally biting into a habañero pepper? (No poison, Sin. Just too hot to handle.)
Friday is official play day for the rest of the summer. No serious topics, just playful goofiness! Write a joke! Write a pratfall! Write a dog that talks and a cat that talks back! SQUIRREL!
Your turn…go on… PLAY WITH YOURSELF!
Hands off my nasty duck.
I’ll go first…this was the no clothes scene…
She’d been naked in front of her husband, but that was the years ago. As they aged, those times came less and less. But now, with Alan… He stood before her, gloriously naked and she wanted to be naked with him. But…she was old! She had droopy boobs, and stretch marks and her belly sagged and her thighs dimpled and…she just couldn’t do it. He sat back on the side of the bed, tilted his head at her. Totally relaxed with his nudity.
“Last time it was dark. I want to see you, Emily.”
So easy for him to say. Sure, his body held some flows. Wrinkles, scars, gnarly ropy veins and even a bit of a belly. But he was a man. He had a cock and it was ready and that was all men needed to feel confident.
She needed more. She turned away, knowing she couldn’t hide behind the towel forever. She wanted to be in that bed, with him. She needed to be in the bed. Slowly, she let the towel drop. Her back wasn’t unattractive…maybe she could slide to the bed backwards. Not face him.
But her ass! It drooped as bad as her boobs. She sighed. The deep longing buried inside pushed her to let go of the fear of rejection and move. The last time in his bed, none of this mattered. Or in the water, at the island’s pond, she didn’t feel naked there. He’d bathed her minutes ago! Why now?
Let it go, let it go!
Holding her breath in some vain attempt to keep her flesh tight, she dropped the towel to the deck. She stepped from that puddle and raised her hands, trying to hide her belly, her boobs…she simply didn’t have enough hands.
Turning, she covered her face. She wouldn’t watch his reaction. Moving slowly, she approached the proximately of the bed as he chuckled. Could she peek? Was he chuckling at her, at her boobs, her belly, her flaws?
He didn’t chuckle, to say the least.
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42 comments:
Chance, I love that scene! You portrayed her fears so perfectly -- and I died laughing at the source of HIS confidence. LOL That was just wonderful.
You're very right about needing play, and playdates. I've been feeling particularly stressed the last few days, and the heat just intensified those feelings. So thanks for giving me an officially sanctioned play day. I'm going to enjoy it.
Would you believe we are still offline at work?? Means i'm on my phone and I can't possibly read all this on my tiny little screen. But I will as soon as I can!!!
Actually I keep seeing the commercial for the new Cats & Dogs movie and it makes me laugh. I bet it'll be a hoot. Of course, the only talking dogs I plan to see soon is a revisit with Eclipse.
No, I haven't been in a playful mood for months, it seems. (But I've had this rash for months too, so I haven't been feeling particularly good either. I think part of my problem is that I just don't feel good.)
I also haven't listened to the radio lately--so I have no inspirational songs to parody. *LOL* But perhaps I could dig around for one. I could use a parody, since I haven't had anything particularly brilliant to blog about in months anyway. :)
Yikes, Terri. Didn't you stay late recently so they could fix the computers there?!
Hellie, sorry you're not feeling good -- I'm sure that has a lot to do with the lack of playfulness. (I know mine has disappeared with the increased stress, which also increases the not feeling good aspect. Gah.)
I'm off to go have breakfast with a friend -- something fun I haven't done in a long time. And then I need to come back and work on some revisions, and my resume (gag). I'll check in on everyone soon!
DRD - Glad to provide inspiration fer play. And aye, don't it seem that if the cock be willin', the man be confident? It do seem unfair... I guess if we were born with a compass point, we might work that way!
I do think we fergit ta jus' be playful, wit' ourselves and our creations. I find when life be particularly stressful that a glance at the sky, a lift of the eyebrow ta remind the great author ta ease up on me can sometimes lift the mood...
Everyone needs a reminder now and then! Glad ya liked the scene. Now, how ya plannin' on playin' wit' yerself?
Bo'sun! Say it ain't so! But ya said it were so last night, so I suspected today was goin' ta be that way fer ya.
I know the Bo'sun been playin' wit' her pitch and it ain't been much 'bout home runs and flyballs... Oh! Actually, since 'er book be about ballplayers, it's been 'bout that exactly!
Suddenly, me head be full a' "Hot For Teacher" ...
Cap'n...it be hard ta be playful wit' somethin' like a plague toyin' wit' yer skin. I'm sorry 'bout that!
But, the two could be linked. Try ta find somethin' ta jus' be playful 'bout this weekend. Look over yer Hogwarts pics, arrange 'em in an album, put up a slideshow on Facebook...remember how ya played then!
And yer brilliance will shine 'gain on the blogs. It be hard, what wit' oilspills and unemployment figures and the news be nothin' but bad...
Go see "Dispicable Me" ... I know that's on me agenda!
Don't worry, Chance, I've never paid that close attention to the news. Who needs that much bad news when you know they're just spinning it to be the worse sounding thing possible? It's fiction with some reality thrown in to confuse you.
It's fiction with some reality thrown in to confuse you.
That actually sounds like most aspects of life lately! Not just the news!
If life were a cartoon, which cartoon would it be? Scooby Doo? Josie and the Pussycats? (Damn, I'm showing me age again, aren't I?) How about Johnny Quest? I always liked that one!
I liked Looney Tunes. I always sided with the coyote. And Bugs Bunny--he was a riot. Clever fellow.
Ah! What 'bout Warner Bros? Life is one big Mojave Desert and we be either the Road Runner or the coyote... Wait! Wasn't that Warner Bros? Wile E. Coyote and Acme?
Now I got ta go google it!
Ah! Yes, Looney Tunes was Warner Bros...don't know why, but I didn't see that connection this morning. But I had a nearly sleepless night, so I hope I can be forgiven...
See, I've been a Warner Brothers fan from a very young age. *LOL*
I liked Pepe le Pew too, even though my friend said she loathed that cartoon because it encouraged rape.
Pepe le Pew encouraged rape? Oh, and Scooby Doo encouraged teens to drop out and ride around in a van, with a dog, solving mysteries...
This friend needs a life.
Pepe was more a stalker anyway, he never actually got further than a heck of a lot of intense wooing.
Pepe was always more in love with love--which I thought was adorable and could completely understand.
Could Pepe be the first romantic hero for scads of young women?
Sorry, my first romantic hero was Bo Duke.
And...we're off at a snail's pace! Good golley, Friday be in a slump!
Well, fine. I'll take meself off in a snit and walk the dog. Least that will make her happy. Then see if I can find a seat at Starbucks. Bloody cafe made the internet free for everyone and now it's hard to get a table.
*grumble
And if the blog stays comatose, I'll go ta the movies and see "Despicable Me".
So there!
Well, Pepe did set high standards... I think mine was Haj, from Johnny Quest.
Ah, the innocent days, when a lad in a turban was considered interesting in a good way!
Chance, I liked Haj from Johnny Quest too! I thought he was exotic! LOL
And I was a fan of Heckle and Jeckle, and Top Cat (that's old, isn't it? LOL) Clearly I like the ones that don't even attempt to stay within the bounds of civilized society!
I'm back from breakfast, but now that it's finally a nice day, with a lovely breeze, I may have to go work on my chores outside. Hopefully it'll take my mind off my worries. :)
But stock up the bar, Chance, because I may need something later! LOL
DRD - Here, take a nice iced bit a' hard lemonaid out wit' ya ta the yard...
Worries?
Ah, I be a big fan a Heckle and Jeckle...they were like the total lovers of anarchy... I think those magpies that advertise Windex on the television be related ta them.
Ya do know they were magpies? Real North American Native tricksters!
Always loved how Haji used the ruby from his turban to send SOS signals! What an argument for always having something shiny on you...the days afore we all had cell phones, 'course!
I forgot about the ruby and the SOS signals. That cracks me up. LOL I need to go look at that cartoon again. :)
But what I really need to do is go work on polishing my manuscript. So I'm doing that. Right now.
After a sip of that iced hard lemonade. LOL *quaffs it in one swallow* Aaaaahhh. Thanks!
Surely, that be why I'm here.
Boy, sure gets lonely aboard this ship when the Bo'sun be landlocked...
It does feel like you're sailing this boat all by your lonesome!
BUT, you did tell everyone to go play! LOL So it's nice to know they're paying attention to what you say. :)
Uh huh. Sure. That's what they are doing.
Uh huh.
All those Sin jokes and she doesn't even climb aboard ta harrass me.
*sob
I am going to the movies this afternoon, hang it all! I need movie popcorn and 3D glasses.
I finished my revision of my first book yesterday. Well, as far as I'm going to take it for a few weeks. Did it during the class the Bo'sun was talkin' 'bout last week. Good class. Wonder if I'll ever use the technique again? ;-)
Ahhh, Ninja Sin. Wonder what she's up to? (Probably best we don't know! LOL)
Good for you finishing revisions! That's such an accomplishment (at least I always feel like it's harder than the drafting stage). I'm doing more of a polishing on this particular manuscript, and then it'll be sent out -- eeek. I'll have two books out there to worry about. LOL
Aye, that's about right wit' it. It be ready fer polishin', but I'm not.
I'm workin' on the second Kraken book. Back to the maniacal mayhem of my i-pod populated Tortuga. I need the distraction.
Bonnie was off romping on her walk yesterday and she was having such a grand time, I enthusiastically hugged her when we got back in the van...ignoring the very real possibility that she'd brushed up against some poison oak... Now I have a spot above my right eye that feels like...
Sh*t. Orlando in two weeks and I never get over it that fast. Great, I'm gonna look like some refuge from a leper colony...
Hope it ain't really...but is sure feels right. And I know the feelin' a' the stuff...
I like to play with ideas and story lines. No time to come up with anything original today but the following 'flash fiction' reminds me of Miranda so much that I changed the witches name ... hope you don't mind!
“This kind of certainty comes, but once in a lifetime.”
Aubrey was a reporter with special responsibility for investigating paranormal and extra-terrestrial phenomena. He was currently in a seedy bar in down town Washington, chatting to locals about reported sightings of a witch on a broom stick orbiting the White House at night. It was claimed that these events occurred whenever there was a full moon and the witch was always naked with a man in tow. An old gentleman with a crooked walking stick and carrying a half empty scotch bottle had suggested that it would be to Aubrey’s advantage to attend the next Quaker meeting on Sunday.
At the Friends meeting place on the Sabbath, Aubrey sat in silence waiting for something to happen. Eventually a young man pronounced “Mother Miranda makes a mighty fine cup of tea. The Lord be praised.” Ten minutes later another man proclaimed “She also makes a splendid fruit cake. The Lord be praised.” The meeting continued in this fashion and after an hour Aubrey crept away, convinced that Mother Miranda would be worth a visit.
After googling on his hotel computer, Aubrey found an advert stating
Love potions, herbal remedies and alternative medicines
First consultation free
Free samples available
Appointments at Mother.Miranda@witches-brew.com
He made an appointment and on the following day he was knocking on the door of a broken down shack in the corner of some allotments. A black cat with a twisted tail appeared, purring loudly and rubbing against his leg.
As he stood waiting, he stroked the cat and admired the array of strange plants, herbs and odd looking mushrooms and fungi. The door opened and the cat tugged at his trousers, urging him to enter.
Inside the cottage a table had been laid and there was an inviting cup of tea with a slice of fruit cake. The cat jumped on to the table and sat gazing enquiringly through glittering green eyes. Aubrey felt sure that it was smiling at him.” Hello young man, why not finish drinking your tea, then we can get down to business.” An old crone had entered and was grinning at him, revealing a single yellow tooth. After gulping down the last drop, Aubrey felt faint and drooped forward in his chair.
“Let me help you to my parlor where you can rest a while” she said. “That magic mushroom tea is a little strong for the uninitiated.” Taking his arm she helped him stagger to a large comfortable couch.
As he looked at Mother Miranda, her outline seemed to blur and she gradually changed into a beautiful woman. As she came nearer, Aubrey felt a powerful stirring in his loins as the woman undressed. Next she was mounting him as though he were a broom stick and they soared through the window and high into the night sky.
An observer in the White House happened to glance up as the clouds parted and was riveted by the sight revealed by a full moon. Aubrey’s passion had reached cosmic proportions and he was making love to the witch with his whole being.
Later, back in the bar near his hotel, he assured people that he had definitely seen a witch on a broom stick circling the White House. He kept repeating, as though in a daze, “This kind of certainty comes, but once in a lifetime.”
LOL! Oh, Q! That is priceless!
Feel free to play with Miranda whenever you want. She'd totally appreciate the compliment!
*skidding to a halt on deck, wiping baby vomit off her corset*
Cripes what a day.
Usually if I play with my folks it's wordplay, my favorite kind. But there isn't a lot of lightness in this book. I need to think about that.
I hope you don't have poison oak. Is there anything you can do? I'm not allergic to any of that stuff but my DH is insanely allergic to poison ivy. Even if it's just in the breeze. Poor guy.
I have a real good scrub that works like a charm...but an eyelid? I fear I'm goin' ta be stuck with an itchy spot and goin' nuts not touchin' it. But I do have willpower!
From decades a' fightin' the stuff... And now I am surrounded by it. The only drawback a' livin' here!
Sorry 'bout the baby vomit. Ain't that what those things specialize in?
OK, crew. I'm off fer a' space. Play nice now. And if'n ya can't play nice, play safe!
*wink, wink
Q, that was fun! Thanks for sharing. (Well, I'm still kinda gagging over the "one yellow tooth" -- LOL -- VERY descriptive!)
Marn, too bad about the baby vomit, but hey, at least you're wearing a corset! LOL
Chance, sorry to hear about the poison oak. I've never experienced it so I don't have any solutions, just sympathy.
Okay, I think my HOA is calling to me, even if I've got my fingers in my ears to block it out!
HOA - Well, I may avoid the writing and work on stuff for Orlando...
No movie. The sun came out.
Why would that stop her, they wonder...
Well, when the dog stays in the minivan while I'm in the movie and it's foggy, it's fine. But if the sun comes out...I can only leave those windows down so far and even though I live in a mild climate...it might get too hot.
And though she does tend to like to frolic near poison oak, I do love her.
So, no movie today. I'm sure they'll be some fogbound days next week...
Now, I need to take some measurements and sew some buttons...
I am finally at home and reconnected! What a freaking mess of a day. I am only one person! This bit of detail will be sent around in a memo next week as my coworkers haven't seemed to figure it out.
Now, I still haven't read the entire blog. LOL! And I'm too fried to write something,even for fun. I did have one cool thing happen this afternoon - a brush with celebrity.
Tracy Morgan is in town at the local comedy club this weekend and chose to spend his afternoon sitting at the mall by himself. Talk about drawing a crowd! I didn't talk to him, but sat on my own bench not far away and watched the hooplah. :)
Oh, and then I bought a new laptop case to take to conference. So I did accomplish something today!
Terri, boo for useless coworkers, but yay for brush with celebrity and new laptop case!
Can you believe Orlando is only three weeks away? Well, a hair over that. Not nearly enough time for me to get over poison oak totally, but mostly.
Have a drink, Bo'sun, plenty of time to read the blog later!
Chance, I saw this and had to put it here for you. Some Boston restaurants made up some specialty sandwiches this month (not sure why, they just did! LOL) Anyway, here it is:
The Kraken: Flour I, South End (Corey Johnson)
The dude at South End's bakery/cafe draws his inspiration from the sea with a grilled brioche hot dog bun stuffed with Maine crab salad, tarragon aioli, and butter lettuce, whose head is almost worse than its face.
OMG! They're putting the Kraken on the menu?! Say it ain't so!
Chance - Try TWO weeks away. I fly out TWO weeks from Tuesday. Freaking shoot me now.
See, I'm not looking at calenders... Two weeks? you sure? Oh, hell...yeah, two weeks on Monday night for me... Hope I can sleep on the flight this time.
Chance - I had to open this blog, after seeing the highlight on Savvy. Play with yourself... I do! Often! LOL!!!!!
I love your excerpt, I want to read more! Although... EW PARENT SEX!! My DAD is 53, you know. That's just gross. I'll have to picture them a bit younger. I tt my dad today, hHe asked what I was doing, I said I was at Walgreens getting tampons, and he freakd out! LOL!
Dads have sex, too...really. Even after you're born. I know, it's a hard concept to get used to... If it makes you feel any better, the lifespan on my alternate Tortuga is approx 150...so being 53 is the equivalent of being 30 or so in our world.
Better!?
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