Thursday This n That

Facebook was actually useful this morning...

- Here's a pdf booklet on the care of wildlife so veterinarians can keep them alive while waiting on transfer to a rehabber.  (Never keep wildlife yourself.  Just keep them alive and as healthy as you can, but get them to someone who knows how to care for them ASAP.)  I saved it down because I never know when I might have to use the information.  I don't even know where there's a rehabber within 3 hours of here or whether any of my local vets take wildlife.  

- And here's the link to the YouTube videos of a child piano prodigy performing.  Definitely inspiring.  

I sat down to read a book last night and ended up DNF'ing 4 in a row.  I hate when that happens.

Trying to maintain a positive attitude is not an easy thing these days.  So, if you don't see me here or at your blogs, it's because I'm in a negative place and don't want to spread it around.  Negativity is a social disease, doncha know.  And penicillin don't help.

We had a death in the family.  It wasn't totally unexpected... I mean, the first part was kinda unexpected, but after that, we had a timeframe, so the very end wasn't a surprise.  It wasn't anyone close close to me.  I mean, I loved her and I remember her fondly, but it's not a deep hurt.  More like an 'aw, damn'.  Our moms and sibs and the kids are all fine and all that.  Sympathy cards have been purchased, flowers will be sent.  It kind of put me in a frame of mind to think about certain things, though.  Like not letting things, no matter how bad they may have been or may seem, keep you from communicating with the people who matter.  Unfortunately, it's a two-way street and both parties have to be on board with staying in touch.  But, yeah, dead is too late to repair the rift.  

We got like 2.3 inches of rain over the past few days.  Sploosh.  April showers bring May flowers.  And Mayflowers bring pilgrims. LOL

Amazon keeps trying to get me to sign up for Amazon Business.  Like that would be a thing for me.  Sure, I'm a business, but I don't really need business type stuff.  I'm down to the point where my expenses are almost nil.  Some printing costs - paper, ink.  Both of which I get at Wallyworld so I don't have to worry about shipping costs or time.  

Speaking of shipping, I ordered pesticide for the start of Tick-ma-geddon 2022.  The stuff was supposed to arrive from GA on Monday.  The tracking finally updated and it's headed this way from the hub in KS, but still no delivery date.  :shrug:  Why it went from GA to KS, passing MO entirely only to come back east, I have no clue.  The logistics is a nightmare.  Seems like a waste of fuel to me.  Eh, if I ran the world, it would've dropped into St Louis and then come here.  Like shipments out of TX always go past us into Kansas City and then come back south.  One would think if those dropped into Little Rock and then continued up, it would be so much more efficient.  :shrug:

And that's all I have to say about that.  I suppose I should get to doing something productive this morning.  But first! more coffee!

What say you on this fine morning?

Today is Another Day

Yesterday on Outside the Box, I talked about getting myself back into the right mindset to work.  I had big plans for yesterday and it started out pretty good.  I got the edit notes completed first thing and then sent it to my Kindle for final proofing.  Then I planned on sitting down to write the blurb.  

Unfortunately, I then made the mistake of turning on the TV.  Watched an hour's worth of Grey's Anatomy while I wrestled with myself about whether to go grocery shopping.  I finally sucked it up and went to Wallyworld.  If that doesn't drain the gumption out of you, I don't what does.  

Gumptionless, I continued the slide back into my old routine by eating lunch and then sitting down for poker.  While I was waiting for a tournament to commence, I did start my blurb, though, so not a total loss.  And after I finished the tournament (17th out of like 275, by the way), I finished the blurb.  I haven't looked at it again.  It most likely sucks. 

Last night was a lost cause.  I planned to write.  Really, I did.  But we dined late and then there were things on TV to watch.  

I'm not kicking myself.  Today is another day.  A fresh time to get back to work.  If I fall down, I need to get back up again and not kick myself until I can't get up.  Lord knows, the world is kicking us all enough that we don't need to do it to ourselves, too.  

So, today I will hit that blurb again.  And I had a dream last night that gave me some additional insight into Justice Served - and :gasp: I got up and wrote it down.  So, I've got that going for me.  Onward and upward.

And here's a little inspiration for y'all... Harber Row - Shine On

Keep shining, folks.  

HAPPY Mix

I mentioned my HAPPY mix on yesterday's Outside the Box post, so I thought I'd share it here today.  It's comprised of music from CDs or songs I own that I've downloaded to my computer for easy mixing. 

In no particular order (because I put it on shuffle anyway)...

Keep Your Head Up - Andy Grammer
Fine by Me - Andy Grammer
Lunatic - Andy Grammer
Biggest Man in Los Angeles - Andy Grammer
Good to be Alive (Hallelujah) - Andy Grammer
Honey, I'm Good - Andy Grammer
Back Home - Andy Grammer
Masterpiece - Andy Grammer
Red Eye - Andy Grammer
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen*
Good Time - Carly Rae Jepsen
Brighter Than the Sun - Colbie Callait
Think Good Thoughts - Colbie Callait
This - Darius Rucker
Comeback Song - Darius Rucker
Southern State of Mind - Darius Rucker
Love Will Do That - Darius Rucker
I Don't Care - Darius Rucker (and Brad Paisley)
You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon
Carry On - Fun
Tonight, Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae
I Like It Like That - Hot Chelle Rae
Radio - Hot Chelle Rae
Downtown Girl - Hot Chelle Rae
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson
Everything - Michael Buble
I've Got the World on a String - Michael Buble
Good Life - One Republic

And that's it for right now.  I have some CDs I haven't loaded yet and a few songs I want to buy that I know I'll add to this, but this'll do me for the time being.

And after building this post Sunday morning and watching the videos I linked to, I was pretty damned happy.  Have fun clicking and listening and watching.  =oD


* The US Olympic Swim Team video of this.

Sleepy Braining Again

So, last night as I was trying to fall asleep, my brain was off doing its own wacky thing.  You know.  Sometimes you're just on the edge of sleep and a whole new book idea will pop into your head.  If you don't get up and write it down, it'll be gone.  (At least it will for me.)

Last night wasn't a book.  It was a whole complete idea for starting an epublishing company with my closest writer friends.  Raise your hand if you've read at least one book from a critique partner that you're shaking your head about why no one has snapped it up yet.  I could raise several.  So my sleepy brain decided it would do something about all that and my homeless books, too.

I wrote the letter inviting them to join in the idea.  I created marketing materials.  I knew exactly which books could go to print immediately and which other authors we could invite.  It would be a company designed for writers who have awesome books that no one else wants because they don't fit the mold somehow.  It would be a publishing house for those people who would turn to self publishing but are either afraid of going it alone or don't have the funds to get started.  It would be a publishing house for the already self-published who want a crew to back them up with editing and marketing, etc.

It's not like the people I was thinking of don't all have unique traits to bring into a business like that.  

Needless to say, I had a devil of a time falling asleep last night.  All the sleepy-braining going on.

But this morning the idea is still there and even though I told myself I was a whack-job last night, it's really not that far-fetched.  Is it?

Would you do something like that if the opportunity presented itself?

I Should've Taken That Left Turn at Albuquerque

Okay, so there I am working on my WIP, trying to keep to the path when I look up and I'm at a totally different place than where I thought I was headed.  I'm not lost, per se, but I did not intend to end up here.  Seriously.  And I'm not quite sure how to get back onto the original path - or if I even want to at this point.  I do love where this new twist has dropped me, but it kinda craps out a lot of what I kinda had planned for later.

I love it when that happens.

And I hate it when that happens.

What about you?  I mean, if you're a plotter, this probably doesn't happen to you, but if it has, drop a comment.  And for us pantsers and plansterers, how do you feel about getting lost on the way to what you thought the end was?

Trying Something

As if life wasn't busy enough - especially this time of year, right - I decided to try something else new.  I don't know if y'all have ever stopped by my branded blog - http://besanderson.blogspot.com (aka Tabula Rasa) - but I started something new over there. 

I shamelessly borrowed an idea and twisted it to suit myself.  Yeah, I'm that kind of person.  Can't just come up with blog ideas on my own.  Have to borrow and twist. 

Anyway, I'm calling Lucky Sevens Sunday Snippet.  If I can manage to keep up with it, I'll be posting a short snippet from one of my books every Sunday.  The only rule is it has to be from some page ending in 7.  This week I picked a snippet from pg 87 of Dying Embers. 

If you want to play along, let me know in comments over there.  And please, if you like the place, become a follower.  Follow me here, follow me there, follow me at The Unpublished Writers' Guide - it doesn't cost anything and it lets the industry people know I'm not out here in blogland talking to myself.

My Happy Playlist

Yesterday I picked up a new CD - All of You by Colbie Caillat.  Hard to be grumpy when you're listening to Colbie.  So, I figured I'd make a new playlist on my hard drive - Happy.  The only other ones I have are Girl Power and Harsh, so let me tell you, finding happy songs to compile into something I can listen to for longer than a few wasn't easy.

Or at least I didn't think it would be easy.  I guess I had happier stuff than I thought.  Anyway, here's what I came up with:

Brighter Than the Sun - Colbie Caillat
From the Clouds - Jack Johnson
Change Your Mind - Sister Hazel
Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
Love Will Do That - Darius Rucker
Good Life - One Republic
How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty
Keep Your Head Up - Andy Grammer
Everything - Michael Buble
Uncharted - Sara Bareilles
What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - Kelly Clarkson
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Some Fantastic - Bare Naked Ladies
You and Your Heart - Jack Johnson
This - Darius Rucker
Dream Life, Life - Colbie Caillat
Lunatic - Andy Grammer
Walk - Foo Fighters
Southern State of Mind - Darius Rucker
Brown-Eyed Girl - Everclear
Hanging by a Moment - Lifehouse
Marchin' On - One Republic
Biggest Man in Los Angeles - Andy Grammer
Long Song - Sara Bareilles
Think Good Thoughts - Colbie Caillat
Don't Know Why - Norah Jones
I've Got the World on a String - Michael Buble
Alcohol - Bare Naked Ladies
Baker Street - Foo Fighters
I Do - Colbie Caillat
Make it Mine - Jason Mraz

I don't know what else I'll end up adding, but right now it's the perfect mix to listen to while querying.  ;o)

What are you listening to today?

Like a Band-Aid - Right Off!

I know this is my blog quote for today, but it bears repeating...

"After rejection—misery, then thoughts of revenge, and finally, oh well, another try elsewhere." - Mason Cooley

Kinda poignant considering yesterday.

There I was typing furiously on my WIP when I happened to reach a pause point, and what I do when I reach those points is... you guessed it... check my email.  Here's how that went...

Wow I have an email in my Agent box. I open my Agent box, but for some reason it's sitting on the last email I read and not the new one.  I can see who it's from but not what it says yet.  Okay cool, this guy who everyone on QueryTracker seems to get immediate helpful feedback from has written me back.  Of course that thought occurs to me and then I immediately get nauseous.

What if it isn't as good as everyone else has gotten?  But I make myself open it anyway, because what the hell else am I doing this for, right?  If you never open mail because you're afraid of rejection, you'll never get the acceptances.  So, I opened it...

And it was bad.

Misery.  And thoughts of ice cream sundaes danced in my head.  The sweet siren song of something gooey and chocolatey and carmely - maybe with crushed cookie bits...  But I digress.  Needless to say, I felt like dog doo.  Especially since there I was, actually writing in the middle of the day of my own free will.  I was being a good little writer.  Besides, what he said was just mean.  And so wrong.  I mean, who the hell does this guy think he is???

Thoughts of Revenge.  Or in my case, getting pissed.  (Angry for those of you in the UK, not drunk.  Although that was a thought at the time.)  I whipped myself into a fine fury.  All thoughts of sundaes danced away.  I did what any fifth grader would do in a situation like this.  I said "Oh yeah, well I'll show you."  And I immediately whipped out a new query letter, showing him exactly why his estimation of my work was so damn wrong.  After all, he was basing his whole damn decision on the query letter for petesakes...

Which meant he wasn't condemning my work.  He was condemning the version of my work I offered him in those 250 words.  And he was right.

The moral of this story and, I hope, the happy ending is that the query letter I churned out in my little melodrama is ten times better than my old letter.  (Yes, I've had outside objective confirmation of this, so don't think I'm going off half-cocked.)  It will be going out in today's round of queries.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

And to the above agent (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons)... Thank you.  You were blunt and to the point, and while your words might've stung like ripping a band-aid off a particularly hairy patch of skin, in the end they helped me.

To the agents who're still considering that other letter, the story really is better than that lame ass thing represents.  So, I'd really appreciate it if you gave me a shot.  Read my work and then decide.

P.S. The above is an example of something we all could do when we get what we feel are hurtful comments.  Blow off steam, vent to a friend, and then ask ourselves if the comment really was hurtful.  Sometimes the most hurtful comments are pointing to things we need to change.

Have you ever gotten a hurtful comment that in retrospect was actually helpful?

And for your reader pleasure, hop on over to my other blog Tabula Rasa where I've posted the first three pages of Dying Embers and see what All The Hubbub is about.

* Bonus points if you can name the sitcom I got this post title from.

Egrets, I've had a few.

I changed the post but not the pic.  The words were lame.  The pic isn't.

Okay, so the words are still lame...but they're funny lame now.

Still, have a great weekend, everyone.  =o)

Patience Pays Off

Okay, so I'm a bird nerd.  I love watching birds, looking for birds, adding new species to my life list.  (Oddly, don't like parrots - but that's a story for another day.)  A week or two ago, I was driving past a nearby lake and saw a big bird I didn't recognize.  I mean, I thought it was a cormorant, but there are several species and I couldn't be sure.  So I sped home to grab my camera.  Sure enough, the feathery bugger was nowhere to be found when I got back.  Here and there since, I've been taking the camera over to the locale to try and catch said feathery bugger.  No luck.  I caught part of him flying away once, but other than that, nada.

This morning I was in a particularly foul mood (no pun intended), and since I couldn't get ahold of my mom to vent it out, I grabbed the camera.  I got some really nice flower shots and a few good duck shots, but the cormorant was nowhere to be seen.  Shrugging it off, I got ready to go to my other favorite place to bird.  If the cormorant wasn't going to show, I could probably catch an American Avocet or some other nifty bird.

As I got close to my car, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.  Something big was landing.  Probably just a Canada Goose or some such common bird.

Lo and behold, it was the elusive frickin' cormorant.  And of course, it was in the middle of the lake, with the sun at an odd angle for taking pics.  So I walked around the lake and used my zoom to get some middlin' shots.  Several times when I went to take the pic, the damn bird dove under the water.   I took as good a shots as I could and then headed for the car.  At this point, the cormorant took off.  He circled the lake and my head several times, flying just fast enough to make it really hard to get a pic.

Finally, he took pity on me.  He landed in a tree.  On the opposite side of the lake from where I was standing - he couldn't make it easy for me - but he stayed in that tree until I got right up underneath him.  And took this:

Pretty damn cool, huh?  I left there feeling pretty good about life in general.  Went over to my other birding spot and got a shot of four little Phalaropes getting chased off by a bully Avocet.  Good birding day.  It sure changed my crappy mood, let me tell you.

And it served as a reminder.  Patience pays off. 

Which reminds me.  If you haven't entered last Thursday's contest, head on over there.  I mean, I'd love for one of the people who have already entered to win, but the more the merrier.  You have until this coming Thursday (5/10) to comment.  Still haven't decided on a prize, but I've got some ideas.  Swag acquired.  Whoever wins is gonna love it.  So enter while you still can.  ;o)

Wicked Awesome Author Wednesday

Wow, the best laid plans of mice and chicks...  It's been a while but here we are again with WAAW (pronounced wow - because I said so).  The last time we were here, I was chatting up my buddy, JB Lynn - who btw is having an awesome Twitter event from 3-5pm today (hashtag #neurotic).

This week, I thought I'd change it up a little and go with an author I have a big huge writer crush on.

I've never met this person.  Hell, we've barely even chatted online.  But I love her like I love the sound of geese flying over the house, the smell of lilacs on a spring morning, and a brilliant sunrise.  She inspires me and makes me want to be a better writer.  I'm talking about Seanan McGuire.

Under the Seanan McGuire name, she's written countless short stories and, of course, the reason I discovered her in the first place, the October 'Toby' Daye urban fantasy series.  From the first few chapters of Rosemary and Rue, I knew I was in deep authorly love.  With every subsequent page I read, I fell deeper.  And then I read FEED published under her pseudonym, Mira Grant - the first in her Newsflesh Trilogy - and knew what I felt before was puppy-love.

I mean, OMFG.  You ever read something that makes you simultaneously a) question why you ever thought you could write anything and b) light a fire under you to get as close as you can to writing with that level of awesomeness.

Aside from being a WAA, Ms. McGuire is also a furparent to some awesome kitty-babies, and she's an accomplished musician.  (Although to be honest, I'd never listened to any of her Wicked Girls stuff until this morning when I found this video.  If you watch the video, I think that's her third from the left.)

ETA: I totally forgot about her brand new series - InCryptid.  The first book - Discount Armageddon - releases on March 6th.  (And I'm not linking to where to buy it because Seanan is having some issues with certain sales outlets shipping early, which kills her first week sales figures.  Please buy her books, but don't buy them early.)  PS.  Isn't that a wicked awesome cover?? 

We may not always have the same viewpoints, but as far as her writing goes, she's Wicked Awesome in my book.

*Disclaimer: I don't know Seanan.  In fact, she doesn't even know I'm doing this post.  She didn't ask me to, she never gave me any goodies, and all of the above is my opinion alone.  (Seriously, though, if you aren't loving her already, why not? She defines 'wicked awesome'.)

Snippets of Wisdom From the Movies

Thinking about something I was discussing with the daughter the other day got me to thinking about wisdom I've found from movie quotes.  So, I thought I'd pass certain ones along today.  In the comments, feel free to contribute any movie wisdom you use.

"Be nice until it's time to not be nice." - Roadhouse

"Never give up.  Never surrender." - Galaxy Quest

"Never say die, but very frequently say 'Ouch'." - The Thief and the Cobbler

"An ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure." - Steel Magnolias

"Stupid is as stupid does." - Forrest Gump

"Have fun storming the castle." - The Princess Bride

"There is no try.  There is only do or do not." - The Empire Strikes Back

"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Lyric Tuesday on Thursday

I know I haven't been keeping up with the Lyric Tuesdays and this is two days late, but I thought we could all use these words today.

Without further ado, I give you...

Keep Your Head Up 
by Andy Grammer.

I've been waiting on the sunset
Bills on my mindset
I can get deny they're getting high
Higher than my income
My income's breadcrumbs
I've been trying to survive

The glow that the sun gives
Right around sunset
Helps me realize
This is just a journey
Drop your worries
You are gonna turn out fine
Oh, you'll turn out fine
Fine, oh, you'll turn out fine

But you gotta keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh
You gotta keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh

I know it's hard, know its hard,
To remember sometimes,
But you gotta keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh eh eh eh

I've got my hands in my pockets,
Kickin' these rocks
Its kinda hard to watch this life go by.
I'm buyin' in the skeptics,
Skeptics mess with, the confidence in my eyes

I'm seeing all the angles, starts to get tangled
I start to compromise
My life and the purpose
Is it all worth it,
Am I gonna turn out fine?
Oh, you'll turn out fine
Fine, oh, you'll turn out fine

But you gotta keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh
You gotta keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh

I know it's hard, know its hard,
To remember sometimes,
But you gotta keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh eh eh eh

Only rainbows after rain
The sun will always come again.
Its a circle, circling,
Around again, it comes around again
I said

Only rainbows after rain
The sun will always come again
Its a circle, circling,
Around again, it comes around,

But you gotta keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh
You gotta keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh

I know it's hard, know its hard
To remember sometimes,
But you gotta keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh

Keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh

Keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down, eh eh

Keep your head up, oh oh
And you can let your hair down

ETA: lyrics pulled from the YouTube video page I link to in the title - with a wee bit of proofreading by me

Bird Geek: Harpy Eagle

As some of you may know, I'm a self-proclaimed bird geek.  I feed the birds, watch the birds, and take pictures of them whenever I can.  I also tend to stop during my channel surfing on any program that might be about birds.  Last night on PBS, I saw a Nature program on the Harpy Eagle.  OMG.  They were magnificent. 

First off, they're HUGE.  To give you an idea, here's a picture I borrowed from the blog Bill of the Birds:  **Image Deleted**

And that's not even a big one.  The female on the show last night flew past a man and her wingspan had to be close to 7 feet.  She blotted him out entirely.  Wow.

Anyway, near the end of the show, there was this one shot of the immature male, where he looked directly at the camera, that will stay with me a while.  Hauntingly beautiful. In fact, I think he needs a story of his own.  I could totally imagine him shape-shifting into a man and sweeping some lucky gal off her feet.  If I wrote paranormal romance, I would totally do that.  Since I don't, feel free to snatch the idea and make it your own.

Inspiration comes in so many funny ways.  Anything odd inspire you lately?

Just Get It On Paper

Surfing around the web recently, I've seen a lot of people talking about NaNo - lamenting their progress, discussing the merits of prologues, wondering how they should begin...

It's NaNo, folks.  The idea here isn't to get 50K perfect words on the page.  It's to write.  Just write.  Get those words on the paper and worry about them after.

Everything else... all that stuff I put up there in the first paragraph?  It's just things we throw in the road ahead of ourselves.  Stumbling blocks and distractions.  Sound and fury signifying something or other.

Just get it on paper.  That's all you need to do this month.  Word after word after word.  Sure, those words all have to work together to make some kind of sense.  Otherwise, you could type 'I hate myself' 16668 times and be done with it.  But those words do not need to be perfect. 

If what's in your head is a prologue, write the damn thing.  Next month, you can decide whether it's necessary or whether it can be absorbed into the other chapters.

Started in the wrong place?  Take a friggin' machete and chop your way to the right path.  You can work it out in December.  (Or January, or February... whenever you're finished and ready to red-ink that puppy up.)

Seriously, folks, let it go.  This is the perfect time to just write for the joy of putting words on paper.  The headaches (or the joys) of editing will come at you in a few weeks.  Now?  Not so much.

And yeah, I know I'm not doing NaNo this year. But I know what it's like.  And I'm telling you right now...

Just get it on paper and quit getting in your own way.  When you hit 12/1 with 50+K added to your WIP, you'll thank yourself.

You can thank me later by sending chocolate.  ;o)

Doubting Yourself? Read This

I mean it.  Go read this and then come back and tell me you're still letting that bitch get to you.  (Yeah, my self doubt is female.  And she really is a bitch.) 

Or better yet, read that up there and go kick her narrow ass.  If you don't come back, I'll assume you're opening a whole case of bitch-slapping on that French chick.

Happy writing.  =o)

(BTW, this link came to me through Elizabeth Craig via Twitter.  If you're not following her tweets, you're really missing out on some awesomeness.)

Lyric Tuesday

Today's lyrics are brought to you by One Republic - a band I discovered from their seeing their video of All the Right Moves on VH1.  (It's very steampunk-ish.)  So, when I was waiting around for Daughter to get done with her ACT exam last year, I nabbed the CD at Walmart and drove around listening.  I loved the CD all the way through, but this song immediately drew me in.  (and yes, their incorrect use of 'hopelessly' bugged me for a while.  I got over it.  The song's worth letting it slide.)

Good Life

Woke up in London yesterday
Found myself in the city near Piccadilly
Don't really know how I got here
I got some pictures on my phone

New names and numbers that I don't know
Address to places like Abbey Road
Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want
We're young enough to say

[Chorus]

Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh

[Verse 2]

To my friends in New York, I say hello
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Col-or-ado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out
Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e
What there is to complain about

[Bridge 1]

When you're happy like a fool
Let it take you over
When everything is out
You gotta take it in

[Chorus]

Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh
A good good life Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh

[Bridge 2]

Hopelessly
I feel like there might be something that I'll miss
Hopelessly
I feel like the window closes oh so quick
Hopelessly
I'm taking a mental picture of you now
'Cuz hopelessly
The hope is we have so much to feel good about

[Chorus]

Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh

To my friends in New York, I say hello
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Col-or-ado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out
Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e
What there is to complain about

Don't It Just Figger

I'm up to my ass right now.  In the next month, I have a vacation planned - an actual one where we leave the house and junk, I cart my kid off to school... Okay, those are the only big things, but there's so much prep work beforehand, I'm feeling a little like I'm drowning in a sea of lime jello (and I hate lime jello).  I've got to clean the house, sort through boxes of stuff, help the kid pack. Plus, I decided to reorganize and do an inventory on my store. 

Anyway, I'm up to my ass in alligators and the swamp is rising.  So what happens?  After months of totally not feeling creative at all, and not being able to write new words, I got a flash of inspiration last night.  The beginning of a new book sprang into my head like Athena rising out of Zeus's noggin.  I jumped out of bed to write it down, of course, and in the clear light of day, it's pretty damn good.

But I don't have time for this right now.  I want to sit down and writewritewrite, but I have to cleancleanclean ('cuz like who wants to come home to a messy house and I've left some of it too long anyway).  :headdesk: 

Don't it just figger.  I swear my muse has it in for me.  Silly trollop.  Where was this inspiration when I was sitting around watching my dust bunnies grow?  Absent, that's where.  But today, when I had promised myself I would tackle washing that big bag of old clothes so I can get them out of the basement, I get inspired.  Sunuva...

What do you do when inspiration strikes but you're already committed to other things?  You know, like rewriting this NaNo novel I've been typing away on for the past month... 

(Note:  I am not complaining.  Not really.  This post was meant to be funny griping.  I'm just happy to feel like writing again.)

Where Does Inspiration Come From?

Seriously.  Sometimes I can go for weeks without feeling the least bit inspired and then WHAM, I get a flood of inspiration when I'm trying to fall asleep. 

Like last night.  I was pooped.  I needed to sleep.  But could I?  Oh hell no.  First, my brain went off on a tangent and rewrote my query letter, which I then needed to get up, pad through the dark house in my skivvies and write down because my brain wouldn't let me sleep until I put this on paper.  Afterwards, I fell into a dream-filled snooze for about an hour, awakening to realize the dream itself was an incredible idea for a totally different book than I've ever written (more pure fantasy than urban fantasy - with elves or gnomes or some other small magical species).  One more semi-clothed trip through the house to my desk, so I could write the general premise down.

Don't get me wrong.  I love inspiration.  I'm willing to lose a little sleep to get it.  But where does it come from and why can't it visit during the day when I'm not doing anything of importance? 

I mean, if I knew where it came from, I could potentially tap into it at will.  Bored?  Tap the inspiration and find a short story to while away the time.  Waiting in the doctor's office?  Access the muse and jot down copious notes on how to fix that plot hole.  Seen today's Grey Anatomy a thousand times?  Hit that creativity mother-lode and get a thousand words out. 

But I don't know how to find it.  Not when I need it anyway.  It just comes and goes as it pleases.  Bitch.  Life would be so much easier if I knew when and where it was going to strike.  But even then, I'm screwed.  I know it usually comes while I'm trying to fall asleep but if I anticipate it, it never shows.  If I put a pad of paper by the bed, it sees it and runs away. 

No.  It wants me to have to stumble through the bedroom, across the living room, into the dark dining room we use as an office, turn on a light and scribble hasty notes while my butt slowly freezes and my head longs for the pillow. 

I think I need to build an inspiration trap.  A little box, a stick and some string, so I can catch it and harness its awesomeness.  If only I could figure out the bait. 

Where does your inspiration come from?  Is yours as sneaky as mine is?  What would you use as bait?

The Drought is Over

I have good news...

But I don't want to jinx it.

And no, it's not agent related or publication related or family related.

Okay, fine.  I'll talk.  But if typing this jinxes me, I'm going to scream.

You may recall me mentioned that I was dry.  Every time I went to dip into the well of creativity, my bucket came up empty.  Nothing sparked me.  I was out of new ideas.  Hell, I couldn't even get a few good paragraphs to replace the lame beginning of Nano.  I tried everything I could think of (and a few things you people suggested) to get the juices flowing again, and nada.

Well, earlier today a kinda creepy thought came to me as I stared into the pregnant clouds*.  A 'what if' that I really hope never comes to pass.  Tonight I sat down with an unused steno pad and started writing the beginning of what I'm currently calling "Untitled Post-Apocalyptic".  I only got a couple pages down and they're godawful, but the point is: I had an IDEA!  I actually started something new!  Not only that, but starting the new story something gave me the spark I needed to hit the beginning of Nano again. 

Now, I'm not a huge believer that I need inspiration before I can write, but when the flow becomes a trickle and the trickle turns into a drip that quickly dries up, I know I'm screwed.  Frankly, it's been driving me frickin' crazy. 

Here's hoping the tap doesn't dry up again any time soon.

Do you need inspiration to write?  Has your muse ever deserted you? 

*And oddly enough those clouds poured rain here in the high desert this evening.  Sure, it probably didn't stop the drought** we've had for years, but how's that for a freaky coincidence?


** Is it just me or does the word 'drought' seem silly for a place called 'the high desert'?  Doesn't a drought in the desert seem a smidgen redundant?