small life

I don't like September. It's one of those months that has a bad reputation--the beginning of the school year, the end of summer--just like Mondays.

If we got rid of September and Mondays (as in, eliminated them. I don't know where they'd go. Check with the missing socks and the last original plot), I wonder if it would make people happier. Sure, maybe the psychological effects would last for a week or so, but then we'd move on to hating October and Tuesdays.

I was reading a blog post over at Book Bound (which is just fabulous, and really entertaining) where they talked about finishing your first drafts. What they said, though much more eloquently than me, was that you should finish all your first drafts. You don't have to publish them of course, but you'll learn so much that, trunk them or not, it'll be worth it.

Soooo, I'm back to my novel about super heroes. Novel might be a stretch--it's 12 pages and counting... Slowly counting... I'm just rereading what I already had, and I'm not stuck yet, but I'm afraid I soon will be.

So: September, Monday, writer's block. What else do I extremely dislike?

Canteloupe, shrimp, basketball. Swallowing so much salt water your throat burns. Incoherent blog posts. Grey's Anatomy. The fact that not everyone's life can be an Urban Fantasy novel.

In other news, have a great Friday.

Erika

sicksicksick

Hello,

The band, Port O'Brien, has a song called I Woke Up Today (weirdly enough, O'Brien is my gym teacher's name. Coincidence? I think not). It's a pretty good song, in my opinion. They're a folkish band who, according to their website, have been heavily influenced by the ocean.

If it was written about my life, though, I fear the song would go more like, I woke up today... and then I went back to bed.

I stayed home from school today because my head felt like someone had chosen it as the convenient location to blow up and twist around party balloons. This marks my First Cold of Fall. Wow, only six days into it and I'm sick. Pretty impressive, really.

Yesterday, I was outside in the pouring rain for about three hours because my town had it's first ever Graffiti Fest. There are a few big, abandoned buildings around town, and during the Graffiti Fest, the Arts Council and Skeena Diversity Society got permission to completely spray-paint over one of them. I left my mark on a concrete road barrier that was off to the side of the building.

Here I am, with my finished work:


Ugh, lovely rain-soaked hair and I-wasn't-planning-on-leaving-the-house clothes. So, I painted "Je t'aime" (I love you in French). Then it pretty much washed away in the rain, so painted it again.

At least being sick has given me lots of reading time. I finished Paranormalcy yesterday and The Demon's Lexicon today. Now I'm torn: I Am Number Four or Clockwork Angel? It's so hard to say.

So, what are you doing today?

chicken soup Monday

Soundtrack: December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) by The Four Seasons
Words: +100 because I cannot for the life of me write a good opening scene

Hello!

It's Monday, and a what glorious Monday it has been. Today was good.

I decided to go on a walk, not really sure where I'd end up, and found myself at the library. Okay, to tell the truth, I had planned on going to the library to pay for the book I lost (eek! I know, horrible, terrible, no good thing to do. Do not steal from libraries!). But, when I got there, I lost my nerve. Oh, and I was a bit distracted by a book sale!

The library in my town holds book sales a few times a year. All fiction is twenty-five cents, or five for a dollar. It's pretty much the best time of the year, besides Christmas :)

Anyways, I left almost an hour (and several books) later with a borrowed copy of Fallen by Lauren Kate that I can't wait to read. Next, I bought carrots, chicken and different colored pasta. Why? CHICKEN SOUP MONDAY!

I've been craving chicken soup for weeks. I have a bit of a cold and I've always believed in the healing power of good, hot food. Maybe it's a mindset thing. Whatever. If it tastes good, I'm happy.

Now, to tie this all back with a poor writing analogy!

The soup I made was good, but it wasn't great. And I think I know why. To begin with, I simmered the carrots and onions together with the chicken skins. But, in hindsight, I should've seared the meat, too. And I should've let them cook for long enough to be really delicious and crispy. I didn't push it far enough.

I think, in writing, cooking and life, you have to know where to draw the line. When things start to burn, everyone can smell it and it's time to turn off the heat. But you've got to go right to the breaking point--right to the edge--in order for the flavors to come out strong enough.

Yeah, when I said poor writing analogy, that was a major understatement.

All I wanted to say is that the first draft is all about going for it. Toss everything in pan, and watch it simmer. Even if it doesn't taste good, you can always go back and edit.

Oh yeah, and don't add your garlic too early. That's a big no-no.

Love,

Erika