without Castle!

Ok, I have a weakness... crime shows.  But what draws me in like a moth to a flame... Castle and he's a writer!  He is a sharp dresser, a charmer and... did I mention a writer?


I remember some time ago I was trying to track down movies that involved a writer as one of the characters.  One of my favorites is Romancing the Stone.  Then came Jewel of the Nile... it was good, but not as much as Romancing the Stone.  Another one I've watched repeatedly is Under the Tuscan Sun.  Most recently, Eat, Love, Pray.

So after a quick internet search I found these articles ...

http://www.geekweek.com/2010/02/20-greatest-movies-about-writers.html
http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2010/03/top-25-movies-for-writers/
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20177571_20406883,00.html
http://tv-movie-reviews.knoji.com/18-movies-with-writer-characters-featuring-michelle-pfeiffer-jennifer-aniston-anne-hathaway-and-more/

...My thoughts after reading all of them most of the movies were dark and gloomy. *sigh*  Although some I'm going to track down are The Muse,  Finding Forrester, and Miss Potter. I know I've missed others... please share them in a comment below!

Without writer's block!

Normally I sit down and something during my long days has been the inspiration for my blog posts. Although, probably by the time I finish this post I would rename the title "Without rambling!"

Well let's see I could write about the vanilla cupcakes with vanilla and chocolate frosting I bought today at a church bake sale. They weren't plain vanilla cupcakes--they were lemon flavor and frosted with lemon frosting AND vanilla cupcakes with sprinkles in the batter frosted with chocolate frosting. How did I find out? One of the kids tried one of each and was sadly disappointed.

Or I could write about how I dislike finding a great movie and then having to suffer through the unusual-not-necessary-needed-item info-commercials and trailers for how-did-they-get-someone-to-buy-such-a-horrendous-idea-and-make-it-into-a-movie. So CHEESY some of them are--It's a wonder I can sit through them to watch the movies I love!

Or I could write about the fact that I am extremely but slowly making progress around the house... I did manage to clean out two cupboards. It's a start! And every time I open them to grab something--I stop, admire my hard work and SMILE!

Or I could write about laundry, yeah, I'm still knee-deep in dirty clothes! I want to know who boosted their reproductiveness--oh that's easy that would be my family and the pups. Perhaps the weather too!
Someday, I'll catch up.

Speaking of weather, oh my gosh... we received a cold blast of arctic freezing winds. So the snow we received--yeah we got yet another dusting--it's frozen and crunchy. But this too will pass, and melt again... the temperature is going up oh 40 or 50 degrees in a week's time.

So next Sunday, when I sit down to write I should have ample material... I mean there is always something the pups or the kids have done to supply me with a long list of topics, right? Right!

without the ticking clock!

I did it!
I beat the deadline!
I made it in!
And you can too!

Now I only have to patiently wait six weeks to hear the outcome.

I asked several fellow writers, friends and family
how I should fill that void...

Write Sam and Jacob's whole story!

Why did Grandma MacEntyre take Jacob?
Why would Chief Johnson believe Sam?
Who was Jacob's father?

So on Monday a new challenge begins...
Lost and Found!

time slipping through my fingers

Ok, so the room transformation wasn't completed.
I didn't fail though. Nor did I quit.
Time ran out the door and didn't give me a second glance.
I spent two days slaving away and I did make progress.
What I put on the curb on trash day is evident of that.

Additionally, I tackled another task and managed to find
many items while ripping down the prickly ivy
that encompassed a section of our back yard.
Three frisbees! Parts of the old swing set.
The peddle-go-cart my youngest child thought he'd
take apart and build his own "new" go-gart design with.
And lot of half-dollar-size spiders and ones larger! (UGH! EEK!)
In the end, though, I felt invigorated because I succeeded!

This week, I hope to make more.
But the return of school, sports, and scouting has me
wondering when I'll truly get to eek out time
to complete this project.

The other is revamping my website.
I've been reading, yes, Virginia writers read--
that's how they become better writers.
Years ago I had a degree in computer programming.
I loved being able to tell a computer to do something,
and it would do as I instructed.
Now with website design the sky isn't even a limit!

So perhaps, in a few weeks from now,
my office will be dining room.
Nor will my website won't look like a generic template
from a nameless-corporate-software-company.
And both will reflect my preference for colors
this time of year as does my blog...
hues of reds, oranges and yellows.

without characters talking to me

Long ago when I started down the path
of attending writing workshops
a speaker once said that some writers
could hear characters speak to them.
Almost everyone laughed when they heard that,
but there were a hand full I can bet that didn't laugh.

I was in that hand full.
Yesterday, after a long absence I heard one of my characters.
She wanted me to know more about her.

Usually, the characters wait until I'm doing some mundane task
to begin a conversation...
Nine times out of ten, my hands are wet and/or soapy.
Then I have to scramble to dry them, find a pen
and begin to write feverishly fast to keep up
with the dictation on some scrap of paper.

Yesterday though I was fortunately lucky enough
to be standing in a long line at the deli counter...
The character whom I have been struggling with
decided then and there to let me know something
about her... and then more "what if questions" came to me.

Before I knew it, the line at the deli counter
had dwindled down ... and it was my turn.
As soon as my number was called...
She ended our conversation, and I was left standing there
with a grocery list covered with notes...
wondering what I was suppose to order.