Day Nine: Focus, For the Love of God, FOCUS
I’m trying to write this book, bask in the Democratic convention where for once the Dems are getting it right, paint all the stuff in the house that still needs painted, clean up my kitchen, and write this blog. It’s time to just focus on the book. Once the conventions is over, the house stuff is painted, the kitchen is clean and I’ve finished this twelve days thing.
Bob and I met in Campfire again today, and I offered to let him redesign the whole cell concept (aka prison cell, the amusement park is a demon prison) but he said no, he could make it work. Right now we have the demons in ancient wooden chalices from early Rome that are sealed and put inside iron statues that are locked by symbols on the park’s five Star Attraction rides. It was my idea but it seems . . .complicated. I’m afraid it’s one of those ideas that we’re going to regret bitterly in the coming weeks, and it’ll be my fault because I designed it.
But we’re getting a lot clearer on the book now. I’m holding terror at bay by telling myself that I can write the scene in front of me, so that the vast wasteland stretching out beyond that is meaningless for the moment, but the truth is, I have big chunks of that wasteland written in rough draft and I’m still not clear about where I’m going. You know what looks good right now? You Again. Maybe I should just cycle through the three books, do Wild Ride until I panic, switch to Always Kiss Me Goodnight until I panic, move to You Again, until I panic, at which point I return to Wild Ride, which is looking do-able again.
As for where I find this stuff, I surf when I get tense. It’s amazing what you find once you start aimlessly following links to see what turns up.
But now I must go toss that second scene I wrote because it’s worthless and do it again with a different setting and antagonist. I think I can rock this one. And if not, there’s always You Again.
Don’t worry. Nothing but good times ahead.
If you’re looking for inspiration (or at least amazement) regarding Wild Ride, I may have just the place for you…http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/carnaval.html. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s “Carnaval Diabolique” is leaving town in September, but while it’s here, well, you’ve got to see it. Check the artwork, imagine the scents, and if you’re really into it, try a few. Be sure to click the thumbnails — they’re insanely good. BPAL makes the most amazing perfume oils I’ve ever encountered, and this lineup might be just the thing for Wild Ride, demons and all.
I’m all for cycling round tasks. I do it all the time.
Most of all, a huge YES PLEASE for more work on You Again. I think you need to come to England and stay at Greenway
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-greenway/w-greenway-history.htm
I see your chalices and raise you a pomegranate… fun, isn’t it? If anybody can do it, you can babe.
I keep thinking about that vampire book you wanted to do (before Charlene Harris and Stephanie Meyer et al)…even though I notice it’s not in the picture anymore.
And here I thought the cells were your graphs, you know, writerly stuff. These cells are much more interesting. Have fun writing those demons.
Have you started a collage for Wild Ride yet? Can’t wait to see what that looks like. Cells, demons and Ferris Wheels, oh my!
Ah, productive procrastination. Take several scary deadlines/expectations (no worries about acquiring these: the Universe will provide) and use each in turn to avoid the rest. It combines righteousness with rebellion.
Oh, yeah. Sometimes switching to another task can free up the subconscious.
Chalices AND iron statutes? Wouldn’t that be awfully bulky?
McB wrote: “Chalices AND iron statutes? Wouldn’t that be awfully bulky?”
Couldn’t you use tupperware? Just make sure no one has put it in the dishwasher and warped it.
Living the Dream - again.
Um, this was probably covered at some time, but just out of curiosity, what’s the concept of “Twelve Days”? Just wondering how the “12″ came about.
McB wrote: “Chalices AND iron statutes? Wouldn’t that be awfully bulky?”
Then Slave Driver wrote:
Couldn’t you use tupperware? Just make sure no one has put it in the dishwasher and warped it.”
And that it has the right lid!
Actually, your demon prision cells aren’t complicated at all. Wood, iron and magic - just what I’d use to bind demons.
I’m not big on displaying inspirational quotes on my desk, but I just had to put this one where it occasionally catches my eye: “If you start a task enough times, you will eventually finish it.”
I found that when I was Googling “procrastination.”
You googled “procrastination”? Seems a little redundant.
Check the Tupperware.
Polish the Chalices.
Check the woodpile.
Dust the iron statues.
Wonder if any pomegranates are ripe yet.
Tupperware! Yes, if that doesn’t boggle demon minds, what will? Instead of a key turning in the lock, you can burp the lids.
I feel about Google the way I used to feel about library stacks: if you wander around in there somewhere in the vicinity of your subject matter, you’ll find some cool stuff you can use.
The Twelve Days is from the Twelve Days of Christmas. It’s a LONG time so I have to actually do something during those days since I have to post blogs.
The collage for Wild Ride consists, at the moment, of a box of cool stuff and five toy amusement park rides. I’ll be getting to it soon.
As for bulky, that’s the point. Don’t want somebody shoplifting a demon from the park.
Or winning one at the arcade
Or winning one at the arcade … wow, that could lead to a great adventure.
This is a great essay on procrastination: http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/index.php
While I plan to read the procrastination essay, I was just using http://www.engrish.com for that purpose, myself.
I’m having a problem with the wooden chalices: I think of a chalice as a cup (the Holy Grail, the communion chalice). You can make cups out of wood, and presumably seal them so they won’t leak; but it seems an odd choice. Perhaps wooden caskets instead?
You wrote: paint all the stuff in the house that still needs painted….
Is “painted” a typo for “painting,” or an idiom? I ask because we had a discussion about this over on dictionary.com.forum and concluded that it was a western Pennsylvania idiom.
RfP wrote:
You googled “procrastination”? Seems a little redundant.
More like desperate.
Tal said: Is “painted” a typo for “painting,” or an idiom? I ask because we had a discussion about this over on dictionary.com.forum and concluded that it was a western Pennsylvania idiom.
Not necessarily. I’m from Idaho and I would have said “painted.” DH is from California and he says “painted.” I think it’s pretty widespread.
I get called on that from copy editors all the time. I just assumed it was a Southern Ohio-ism. Everybody in the town where I grew up used it and I still use it constantly.
needs painted
I’d never heard it until I visited Ohio. But knowing it’s a regional usage, I enjoy it when it crops up in Crusie books.
The glorious Wikipedia says that leaving out the “to be” is found in the “North Midland dialect region” (small cities in central and southern Ohio, central Indiana, central Illinois, Iowa, and northern Missouri), but mostly in southwestern Pennsylvania/Ohio. However, I’m not surprised it’s traveled. It’s sort of charming. The mortgage needs paid. Poor mortgage!
Office Wench Cherry wrote”Actually, your demon prision cells aren’t complicated at all. Wood, iron and magic - just what I’d use to bind demons.”
Duct Tape!!! For Bob’s sake, don’t forget the Duct Tape!
(for those times when you can’t find the correct Tupperware lid and you’ve a Demon that needs keepin’)
Wow, the Wikipedia even had that? What did you look under, RfP, “Weird Syntax in the Heartland”? (I’d say Midwest, but then I’d get mugged, although you’ll notice Wikipedia called us “North Midlands.” We’re not the Midwest, we’re the Midnorth.)
Talpianna mentioned western Pennsylvania so after a couple of googles I tried “Pittsburghese”. Heh. Apparently it’s its own language. Yinz got gumbands n’at? The city chicken’s kinda slippy.
Google results for Pittsburghese
If you want to see a short film (about an hour long) on American dialects, I recommend “American Tongues,” a 1987 film by Louis Alvarez and Andrew Kolker, and produced by the Center for New American Media in New York. It’s a little dated, and doesn’t back away from either race or socio-economic class issues, but those are important aspects of dialects so it shouldn’t. Some parts are also very entertaining, including a section on words like “schlepp” and “schnikelfritz.”
The 2005 Robert MacNeil documentary “Do You Speak American?” produced by PBS goes into more detail with each of the hour long DVDs covering one of three sections of the country. If your local public library doesn’t have them, try a nearby college library.
I am learning a whole new way to avoid work. I have packing to do. The dh packed the TV/DVD/Video player…I can just surf all of your suggestions and avoid all that nasty packing. LOL Thanks so much for the suggestions
Have you collaged Wild Ride yet?
There’s a rather charming Scottish idiom I learned from D.E. Stevenson’s books: “Are you wanting in?” meaning “Are you coming in?”
Story to scare Jenny; video to put her in a coma:
http://www.propeller.com/story/2008/08/28/giant-spider-bit-pet-dog-to-death/?icid=100214839×1208565574x1200481965
And here’s another fun thing I found at another forum: The Romance Novel Title Generator:
http://facstaff.unca.edu/pbahls/TitleGenerator.html
Here are some I got:
The Mayan Paper Company Sales Representative’s Robust Mistress
The Mesopotamian Prince’s Insatiable Captive
The Turkish Sadist’s Virgin Girl Friday
The Indian Outlaw’s Feminist Virgin
The Assyrian Thousandaire’s Tasty Princess
My last post (2 links) is apparently being moderated.
And a couple more:
The Highland Communications Major’s Virgin Marquess
The Strongbadian Dragon Emperor’s Supine Countess
Jenny,
If you like to surf when you’re stressed, I highly recommend getting stumbleupon if you don’t already have it. It’s highly addictive though.