Monthly Archives: April 2012

Apr
23

What Comes Easiest

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First up, just wanted to mention that I’m being interviewed over at Red Hot Books today as part of the AAD Spotlight series. If you’re interested in learning a little more about Brystion’s motivations, I suggest you check it out. (I don’t talk about him much usually, so it’s a nice change.) Anyway, the main point to this post was just something I observed at the grocery store the other day. I’m trying to lose a few pounds, so I’m trying to watch what I eat a little closer. (Although I have to admit many days have been a rather large fail on that part when it comes to the revisions – I can’t help it – it’s stress, pure and simple.) Anyway, I keep noticing how so many food packages announce 100 calorie versions of their snacks. Which I guess is nice in theory – 100 calories doesn’t sound… Read more
Apr
20

Don’t Be a Dick

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Last night was Lucy’s kindergarten concert. I only know this because I was there – not because I actually saw her perform. Even though she was in the front row of her group. I was sitting about 10 rows back from the stage, so I should have been able to see her just fine. But I couldn’t. Because for some reason, a huge chunk of the parents in front of me decided it was more important for them to stand during most of the performance. Or to hold their cameras up to film it in its entirety, arms blocking everything. (Including one father who basically just stood up holding his iPad.) And you know – I get that this moment is important for some people. But that doesn’t give parents the right to be dick-bags. We’d all like to see our kids perform. (And thanks to those parents who stood… Read more
Apr
19

Word Whore Thursday

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I’ve actually pulled in another guest poster for my normal weekly Word Whore blog. (And there will be another one next week as well.) I was lamenting that fact a bit last night because this week’s topic was foreign TV shows and I would have loved to talk about anime…but the deadline continues to loom and I have to streamline my time. (And I totally screwed up this weekend – I was supposed to have done my monthly League of Reluctant Adults post on Saturday and completely forgot.) Anyway, in the meantime, have a shiny – this is a sketchcard done by Aimo for the winner of the sketchcard contest Jeffe held for me on her blog during A Sliver of Shadow’s release week. (Such pretty colors!!) (There’s another shiny coming, but I can’t post it yet because the person doesn’t know about it. Ha ha.)  … Read more
Apr
18

Doodle Me This

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I’m not an artist and I don’t play one on TV. But when I’m stressed or distracted (or attempting to do revisions and feeling overwhelmed, *ahem*) I tend to doodle. And I doodle eyes. A lot. And little squiggly vine things. I’m not entirely sure what the eye thing means – I’ve done it for as long as I can remember. It’s almost always just one eye. And vine things. Sometimes cat faces or dog faces or snakes, but it always comes back to eyes and vines. I’m sure there’s some esoteric meaning or process to explain it. I’ve heard doodling eyes means you’re paranoid or feeling like everyone is watching you. (Possible). I don’t know about the vines – maybe I’m feeling trapped? Or maybe I just like drawing eyes and vines. (Incidentally, I’m also a rabid gum chewer when I’m writing. Or stressed out – I’ve been trying… Read more
Apr
17

Review Advice

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I get a lot of questions sometimes about my writing methods, such as they are. I always feel vaguely uncomfortable answering them because there isn’t any real big secret. The way I do things may not be the way you do things, and there certainly isn’t any sort of magic pill. Except the Ass-In-Chair-Fingers-On-Keyboard sort. Because really, having all the writing rituals in the world isn’t actually going to write your story for you. Rituals are all well and good if they help you get into the proper mindset to work, but if you’re using them as an avoidance technique? That’s no good. (“I can’t write, right now! I don’t have my special candle/footwarmers/chocolate jellybeans, etc.”) But one thing I can say that I don’t do around revision time? Read reviews. Reviews can be a bit of a mindfield at the best of times, particularly on a site like GoodReads… Read more