How To Get Hit On at the Supermarket in Six Steps

1. Take six walks with six dogs. The hotter the day, the better.
2. Be certain to you've been sweating... a lot! I mean, sweating so much that your eyelids are sticking to themselves when you blink.
3. Make sure you got sloppy kisses from no less than three of the dogs you walked so you smell like dog breath.
4. Wear your most bedraggled work-shirt. The more stains and holes, the better!
5. Wear a big floppy hat over your very messy hair.
6. Make eye contact, 'cause you always do, and smile.

This should allot you at least a, "hey!" from a strapping young man and maybe even wink from a lovely young woman.
But if you're lucky... if your very, very lucky, you might even get a, "how ya doing? You're looking sexy, baby!" or maybe even a stocker telling you about a deal at another store on something you're about to purchase.

New Persona

With the intent of eventually setting up a YouTube channel where there's a bit of theater (which I miss) combined with my writing, I created a new persona. I have yet to do much with the YouTube channel. (But lo, much will be done!) I have given her a facebook page, a twitter account and she now has her own blog. The idea behind the blog is for it to be the testing ground for new writings. I'm also updating that blog daily. So some of it may just be, well, natterings. Today's only the fourth day, but so far... Yeah, it's only the 4th day.

Nin Nyx Natterings

A Writerly Day (with very little writing)

Today, Saturday, I went to the Hinsdale Public Library where they were hosting one of the seminars from a series a few libraries are doing called, "Inside Writing & Publishing". The seminar I went to was called, "A Writer's Guide to Tech Tools". This is something I'm deeply interested in so, while I was sad I couldn't make it to the other seminars, I was excited that this one fit into my schedule.

The presenter had a lot of interesting point. Only the seminar should have been called, "The Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing" because that's what it focused on. If I had known that it was going to be about self-publishing, I wouldn't have taken time off work. I am interested in self-publishing, but it isn't what I was hoping to spend my Saturday afternoon on. She did touch on some tech things, but I already knew all of the things she had to say. Then, when asked about some of the tech aspects, she said, "I don't know." (I even knew a few answers to some of the questions she couldn't answer.) But when asked about self-publishing, she gave more info than what the person necessarily wanted.

It was disappointing. But I refuse to let it be a waste... I took from it a deep conviction to always be clear about what I'm teaching or presenting.


In the evening I went to the Tamale Hut for their reading series and Open Mic. There was some good writing! I was especially pleased with the readings of a few very talented writers whose stories just blew me away! Sheila Johnson wrote an eerie story about how the past can rip someone apart. Michael Penkas had me rolling with his reimaged version of the conversation between the christian god and Moses and how that god really wished he could have used more plagues in Egypt. Jenny Seay once again made wrestling interesting through her depiction of young wrestlers finding their place in the wrestling and the world. There was other good writing, but these were the three stories that really grabbed me.

Meta: Posting on Posting

So my plans to update twice a week has been an abominable FAIL!!! Then, the longer I went without posting, the harder it was to kick myself in to posting again. (Stupid loop of stupidity!)


BUT!!! That's not to say that I have not been writing... I HAVE!!! Here, let me catch you up on all the things I have been doing in my writerly life:

• I dubbed 2013 "The Year of Rejection"! (I was going to post about that closer to Jan. 1st...)
• I FINISHED my story, "High Priestess of Roadkill" AND sent it off to be published!
• It was rejected, but there were some helpful comments that came with that rejection
• I have sent it to two friends for critique
• I am working on two new stories:
• "Why I HATE Dragons!" (working title)
• The Birth of Squid Shoes: A Cautionary Tale
• I have started research on a Secret Project... (Oooooooooo!)
• After working on a map and timelines for Tech Forsaken (maybe working title?), my Jurispherian novel, I have set it aside. I got lots of very helpful critiques from my friends, but I was getting waaaaaaay too bogged down and need some time away from it. I plan to pick it back up again in March.

I have also, sadly, hit a glitch in the "and now I must purchase a computer" department of my life. This is partially due to finances, partially due to indecision and partially due to the demands of the "Secret Project... (Oooooooooo!)"

I'm also going to give myself a specific day of the week to post to this blog. So since today is Monday, that is the day it will be! (I thought this through quite a lot... can't you tell?)

Postings every Monday! Aaaaaaaaand GO!!!

Deadlines, Accountability & How Social Networking has Helped Me with My Writing

I tend to write better when up against a deadline. It's something I've been trying to fight (and failing) for several years now. Finally, with mounting evidence that I'd get stuff done for school 'cause I HAD to or for a project where others were counting on me, I gave in to this being a part of my nature as a writer.
I started giving myself arbitrary deadlines. I would even research deadline schedules of places where I wanted to submit my work and use that as my deadline. This helped... a little. But it didn't quite do the trick. If I was coming up to a self-imposed deadline and I wasn't done or didn't FEEL like working on the piece, I would simply move the deadline. After all, it was just me, right?

But that was the problem. By themselves, the deadlines were too malleable.

So I looked at the other factor that played into me getting collaborative projects or school work done. ACCOUNTABILITY... A small part of me crossed her arms, pushed out her bottom lip and stomped her wee foot. (It was a little part of me.) She screeched about how NOBODY should have to check in on her 'cause she's an adult, dammit! (Funny how the side of me that claims adulthood with such defiance, is the very side that throws a childish temper tantrum.) A quieter voice asked, but who would want the burden of being accountable for our deadlines? This was a conundrum...

I had / have no desire to be a burden on anyone. But then I thought about the ways I could spread the accountability. It isn't about someone hounding me, but about me believing that my failing to finish affects more than myself.

Here are the places where I am accountable along with a few that I'd like to use:

• A Writers Group would be good, but I'm between groups right now. (I have an open invitation to a newish one, but it meets at a really bad time for me.) I LOVED when I was part of the Chicago Writers' Coven!!! Perhaps I'll gather a faction of that and get it started again. 

•  Open Mics kick my booty into getting things to a sharable place! I attend two pretty regularly: 

• Top Shelf Books Open Mic - meets on the second Thursday of the month  
• The Tamale Hut Cafe Reading Series - meets the third Saturday of the month

Even though they each have their issues, Top Shelf is far and the Tamale Hut isn't at an optimal time work-wise for me, since they meet once a month it usually works out. (There are a few others that I'd like to attend, but they are far AND at not so great times for me. I can rarely do that combination. Oh well... I do what I can.)

• Then there's Facebook... I've found that it helps if I post my writing plans. I've been advised that a Twitter account can have a similar effect. (I'm holding off on getting one of those for when I'm less dependent on the hours of the Libraries and the availability of their computers.) When I post about my plans, I get lots of encouragement and friends who are eager to see how my writing is going. 

• This blog is to be another accountability tool. In my sidebar, I've listed the writing I'm currently working on and what my deadline is. I plan to keep this list current and to add where I'm submitting as well.

•  The final accountability for me is teaching. I've just recently started doing workshops again and I get so much out of them! I'm going to work on doing more.

Notes on The Humor panel at the World Fantasy Convention

Over the weekend (Nov. 1-4), I was given the opportunity to go to World Fantasy Convention Toronto, Canada. This was an AWESOME present from my best friend!!! I met and reconnected with so many people and learned so much!

The Humor in Fantasy Panel was the first one I went to. I'm so glad I did! Here are my notes about the insight that spoke to me:

(I don't have the program with me, so I'll fill in the details later.)


Humor in Fantasy

"Humor often defines who we are."  ~ Tanya Huff
"[writing is] sharing a dream with someone you have never met."  ~ Sarah Beth Durst

Laughing with characters you love
Humor can start with the premise and/or it can come in the editing process... word choices based on "is it funny?"

Some forms of humor:

• Situational
• Premise
• Unexpected or "pie in the face"
• discovery - giving the audience something they can perceive before the the character gets it.
• banter
• unintentional character revelation - done usually through dialogue
• splash of the absurd
• embarrassment
• coping mechanism

BALANCE - do not sacrifice what feels true for what's funny

Be aware that to a certain extent, much humor is generational
Universal humor is much harder to attain, but carries through the years

Make sure the humor doesn't deflate the tension/stakes of the scene
(be sparing with humor that makes fun of the characters)

Be aware of:

• Where there is the anticipation of humor (from the characters or the audience) and use it!!
• Humor that makes the reader uncomfortable so you can decide if that's what you want to do
• how humor can create a bond with the reader

Symphony of humor....

• sprinkling the humor throughout
• pacing it appropriately throughout the piece... i.e. a little Oboe goes a long way!!

Humor often comes from the outsider viewpoint. Since Fantasy / SciFi is already looking at the world askew, it's often a good match.

Draw from the people who make you laugh. inspiration

My gift to myself

Today, in celebration of my birthday, I decided it was time to start a blog that focuses solely on my writing. I would very much like for this blog to be updated every day, but until I get a new computer, that may not happen. As it is, I plan to at least update twice a week. Aaaaaaand I'm off!