Monday, January 6, 2014

Dotted Lines

The wind is howling, the ground is a treacherous ice rink, and the windchill below the donut would freeze eyeballs in only a few breaths, so it's only natural to be dreaming of summer vacation. 

When I was a kid, we would load up the Oldsmobile and cruise out to the mountains or Lake Superior for two weeks every bloomin' summer. That meant two solid weeks of my brother reaching across the backseat and pounding charley horses into my thigh. The reward was typically an ice cream cone. We're not talkin' soft serve in a drive-thru. Our destinations were always these really cool mountain tourist towns, that smelled of leather and horses, and there would be REAL ICE CREAM there. I vowed that when I grew up, I wanted to live in a tourist town like that. Horse neck is one of my favorite smells. Take a whiff. You'll sense what I mean.

Maybe, while I'm huddled up under three blankets and trying to finish the next book, I just really, irrationally, want ice cream. Perhaps I want to move to some Wild West town that smells of leather. I'm not too worried about the ice. After all, it always gets warmer. Eventually.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

#onit

"Get to work!" were my friend's words.

And I obliged. I opened the file, scrolled down, got caught up in my own story for a bit, then... THUD.

Concrete wall. Now what? Well, I shimmied into the kitchen to warm up my coffee, swung by the office to restart the Yanni CD, and threw a napkin in the garbage. Put my hair in a ponytail, applied some balm to my lips, since the air has been so dry, and while I was at it, some lotion to my hands and neck.

Writer's block.

I wondered what was happening in another of my tales? I opened up Book #6? Whoop, sure enough. That heroine needed some attitude, and I had HAD IT. After about 500 words or so, I was ready to return to Book #2, which is still pretty sweet, but has some spark.

There are people who read several things at once, and keep them all straight and separate. I write that way. You'll see. Besides, when one main character needs strength, I like to think she can get it from another, as if they are all friends. I can call up my friends and tell them when I need strength, or coffee, or a prayer, and they will most likely show up at my house with any of these things, and some extra thrown in.

I have the best people on earth within my reach and whisper, it's only fitting some of them make it onto the page.