Category Archives: writing

Silly Writer Tricks

Posted on by

A la David Letterman’s Stupid Human Tricks — I hear that a lot of writers write to thematic music to get them into the mood. I’m totally the opposite. Just like with work, I need something to disrupt my thought patterns. Back in the day, it was NIN. Nowadays it’s pop music.Totally the opposite feel of what I’m writing.

I download something that’s already being played on the radio incessantly and play it on REPEAT.  That’s the only thing that seems to work. The part of my brain that wants to do or think about anything but writing gets shut off by the radio ga-ga and the addictive beat just sinks into my bones.

What’s playing on repeat now? Akon’s – Right Now (Na Na Na). I swear I’ve listened to it about 50 times.

I wonder what silly tricks other writers use?

A slice of happiness

Posted on by

book_cake

I was going to blog a little about how writing is perhaps is supposed to be this hard (A thinly veiled rant), but instead my uncle sent me this picture from Little Sis’ wedding showing the stack of books wedding cake that Natalie made for her. Little Sis is the cutie in the Jane Austen-style wedding dress. Unfortunately, her husband is blocking the view. Oh well, she’s a little camera shy and it’s all about the cake anyway.

I’m still going to say — this writing thing is tough right now. Maybe I’m missing Little Sis. I’m not going to bug her in her early days of wedded bliss though this book needs her desperately!

But maybe it should be this tough. Maybe you should never be quite confident in the book you’re writing. I don’t know if I can write these characters. I don’t know if I’m making them more complicated than they have to be! But perhaps that’s the exact level of paranoia you need to keep writing?

I have a Write-In today and I hope to bang out another scene. Sometimes the words flow and it’s euphoric. Right now, it’s just work. 🙂

In case you’re wondering, some books in the stack:

  • Wonder Boys – the book that Little Sis’ hubby was reading when she first came up to speak to him
  • Oliver Twist – An orange-striped book in homage to Oliver (aka Ollie cat), their tabby beast

I have to find out what the other titles were. The groom’s cake was a bunch of cupcakes with pirate flags. Very cute.