Absent

I am absent today, so I have attached a facsimile of myself to represent me (see right).

I have a good excuse though. I am a mere two chapters away from finishing my first complete draft of a novel. That's right folks, after three years of writing it and many more years formulating it, that sucker is almost d-o-n-e. Well, as we all know, it will not be done, but at least it is written down from beginning to end.

My goal is to have it finished by the time the Inkers meet Tuesday night, so I cannot afford to spend any time here ruminating this week. I'll be back next week, when I hope to be deep in the editing process (but will save a little time to ruminate).

Distraction = Fear?

I read this interview with debut author Jennifer Shaw Wolf and the following Q&A from it really spoke to me, so I wanted to share:

What is the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?

My biggest distraction from writing any book is my own lack of confidence or fear. It takes different forms; my family, my house, the internet, my own to-be-read list, whatever. What I’ve learned (and am relearning all the time) is that distraction is another word for fear. As a writer, I get distracted most when I’m afraid to move forward. What if this doesn’t work? What if I spend all this time and it’s is no good? What should I be doing instead of writing? What if I’m wasting my time? (This thought is usually followed by a couple of hours on Twitter or Facebook, looking for some self-affirmation.) Finishing a book (no matter how rough) is a triumph over distractions and fear.

To read the whole interview, click here.

Merry Christmas!

As a reminder (mostly for myself) to remember to keep Christmas simple. Here is a passage from Laura Ingalls Wilder:

But Ma asked if they were sure the stockings were empty. Then they put their hands down inside them, to make sure. And in the very toe of each stocking was a shining bright, new penny!
They had never even thought of such a thing as having a penny. Think of having a whole penny for your very own. Think of having a cup and a cake and a stick of candy and a penny.
There never had been such a Christmas.

—Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1935)

Hope you all have a shining bright penny-esque Christmas!

Thursday Mash Up

Since my fellow Inkers are slacking, I'm posting again!!

Here is the mash up for this week:
Dan Wells VS Rob Wells (literary mash up, I'm sure they fought enough as kids to make a cage fight almost too predictable.)



So who will kill more people in their next novel? Rob or Dan?





Cartoon Mash up
Who does Christmas specials better?
Phineas and Ferb or Charlie Brown

Post Highjacking in progress!! Sorry, Debbie.

Hey there Inkers and followers,

I highjacked today's post because I finished, "Clockwork Prince" by Cassandra Clare last night and the ending left me needing to vent.


So here I am venting: I hate that book 3 is not out and I want to slap at least three of her main characters!!!
[SPOILER ALERT-although I will not be specific you will glean spoilers from this rant. Especially if you are unfamiliar with Cassandra Clare and her tactics when it comes to romance and therefore unprepared for the tempest.]

I know that the romantic tension of the story needs to carry through 3 maybe even 4 books, but really does the heroine have to make the stupid, sappy choice with the secondary sypathetic guy while the REAL HERO is on his way to profess his love for her? It's annoyingly short sighted of her and after a book and a half I am mad at all of them. The sappy guy for being so nice and vulnerable and likeable, the Hero for taking so long to overcome his issues, and especially the heroine for choosing the lesser of man at precisely the wrong moment. (Granted, there is hope that she can change that decision with only minor bloodshed and mayhem.)

I know that it isn't a new tale of wo for a romance to take this turn. I can see that there is hope for book 3 (if I can just wait to see what happens, which at this point is unlikely.) BUT really, I feel like I've been toyed with by Ms. Clare's machinations. I know who the real hero is and I know that he is more noble, strong, true, sexy, and awesome than the other guy. WHY oh WHY must the girl in the story be such a dunce? I wanted to throw the book. I hoped that somehow it would not go exactly the direction I saw it going--like watching a train on a collision course with a truck and hoping that it will somehow magically stop in time, only to witness the horrifying train wreck you knew was coming. (Don't get me wrong I have faith that she will pull this twisted mess apart in book three and I'll leave the story relieved and happy. I liked the City of Bones series.)

So here is what went right: The author managed to evoke high emotion in me as a reader. She left a window of hope and a lead into book 3. She made her characters so real that I wanted to slap them sometimes and kiss them other times, and she gave the reader a nominal happy ending with some secondary characters as a breadcrumb.

However, even though I usually enjoy a good romance, even if its formulaic, the forces behind Clare's romances are frustrating to me. The worst part is that I can't put my finger on the exact reason it annoys me so much.
End of rant.

What books drive you crazy, the good and the bad?

Bringing the Funny

I am in love with a TV show. It's okay, my hubby loves it too. It is New Girl. Watching this week's episode I literally almost died laughing. Tears ran down my face and I could not catch my breath. It is a perfect mix of great writing and great comedic acting. Definitely still holds the number one spot as my fave new show of the season.

Whether you've watched it before or not, I think you will enjoy some of these quotes from the episodes that have aired so far. Although I will say the selection from "Bad in Bed" do not do it justice...

Billy Wisdom

One of the best screenwriters of all time is Billy Wilder. My personal favorite of his is Some Like it Hot.

I saw this list of Billy Wilder's ten screenwriting tips and wanted to share some of his sage advice:

1. The audience is fickle.

2. Grab ‘em by the throat and never let ‘em go.

3. Develop a clean line of action for your leading character.

4. Know where you’re going.

5. The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer.

6. If you have a problem with the third act, the real problem is in the first act.

7. A tip from Lubitsch: Let the audience add up two plus two. They’ll love you forever.

8. In doing voice-overs, be careful not to describe what the audience already sees. Add to what they’re seeing.

9. The event that occurs at the second act curtain triggers the end of the movie.

10. The third act must build, build, build in tempo and action until the last event, and then—that’s it. Don’t hang around.