The Dastardly Dungeon of Deliciously Devious Drinks

JeanGenie said:

Are you working from home as a writer, or do you have another job as well? If I had to work from home it would only work if it was purely as a writer. Until I have the financial means to stay at home and write, any other job I have I need to go to an office, or I'll never get anything done ;-P And if I do eventually get where I don't have to do anything but write, I'll probably procrastinate too, but at least I won't be exhausted all the time.

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I'm not a full-time author. I'm a freelancer which means I do a little bit of everything from editing, writing SEO articles, transcription, publicist and personal assistant. It gets the bills paid AND I've gotten a very well-rounded view of the world of small press and publication in general. I don't know if I'd ever start up my own publishing company or ezine but now I know how I'd do it and why.

Cliff Face said:

Okay. I'm looking for some honest opinions from you all (if you feel like responding, of course). Basically, I'm trying to figure out my motivation for writing.

So... Why do you write? I'm not saying that the ideas that don't work for me aren't valid, mind you. To each their own. But I'm just looking for alternate perspectives.

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I write because there's all these little stories and ideas in my head and they have to go somewhere. Seriously if I didn't have an outlet for them I think I'd explode! lol I love creating, whether it's writing, beading or crochet. There's a grounding effect and a sense of accomplishment. And seriously--I don't know if anyone else gets it but I do--sometimes there's a high that lasts for days when you've finished something. It feels like leveling up kinda.
I'm a ploting pantser meaning that now I kind of plot things out but go with the flow when something else pops up in a story. (Like the one I'm working on now.)

JEANGENIE!!!!

*smooshes JG in a bear hug*

I just finished one of your chapters and came on here for a teensy break before the next one.


(Cobalt Jade, I also finished one of your chapters. I'm on a beta-roll today!)

(Beta roll. Bagel roll. Mmm... Is it lunch time yet?)

greendragon said:

And you still must come to DC some day. Seriously Maybe when the kids are big enough to do their own prep.

I was just down in Jersey City for work last month!

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Jersey City is not too far from me! Mr. Dragon did a half-marathon there last fall, and I sometimes take the dragonlets to a sprinkler park there in the summers.

greendragon said:

Speaking of DC, just got the annual call from the Dragoncon Art Show Director, making sure my Art Show application was full of what it needed. He seemed rather certain I'd get accepted, so crossing fingers. It's a different jury every year and a different set of applicants. There have been several years where I was high enough on the list to get a panel (silent auction) but not high enough to get a bazaar table. I make about $1500 on just the panels. I make about $2500 MORE on the table (plus what's on the panel). So I much prefer having both, even if that means I'm working the table from 10am to 8pm each day. Of course, that means I get to write the trip off on my taxes, too! And party all night long!

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Good luck! Got my dragon claws crossed for you!

kuwisdelu said:

I avoided Facebook and Twitter for a long time before coming out. Back then, I absolutely hated the idea of the internet and real life intersecting. I had accounts, but I never used them. I hated being the version of me people knew in real life on the internet. The version of me I preferred to be online was much freer in who she could be. Even though she wasn't out either. I liked the idea of not being burdened by my real-life persona online, and I hated being forced back into that person anywhere on the internet. I hated that Facebook intersected real life with a space I considered wholly separate, and valued for that separateness.

After coming out, I changed my name and pronouns on Facebook and started using it more, to get in touch with old friends and relatives again. It didn't feel so wrong and constrictive anymore, because I finally actually liked the person I am in real life, and finally felt like I could be an authentic version of me in both real life and online, and she could be the same person. It was incredibly liberating.

Looking back, I realize now: I didn't use Facebook, because it reminded me of real life, and real life meant depression and dysphoria. I didn't want to touch that online; I liked the internet because it freed me from that baggage.

I also thoroughly pruned my friends list before coming out on Facebook. Both for my own sanity, and because of their name policy. If anyone reported me, then Facebook would've changed my name back to my deadname, in which case I would've just deleted my account and not bothered with it anymore until I got my ID changed.

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tiddlywinks said:

Holy crap, I forgot how much strep throat sucks. Plus a cold on top of it. :/


Also, I have started binge-watching Vikings after reading a LOT of Scottish highlander romances these past five days. I know they don't go together, but somehow in my mind, the brain said "go watch bloody Vikings" after swoony Scotsmen. In my defense, I'm still slightly sick and on meds.

I'm sure this all bodes well for the pirates.

Time for ice cream!

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*hands some ice cream to TW for her throat*

Vikings is good, but as I've posted on here before it gets bad later on. Bjorn is one of my tv sons, btw. I have tv sons that I care very much about in a maternal fashion. Bjorn makes me proud.

Aggy B. said:

For those that like scary things, there's a new trailer for It out.

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I like scary things. But not clowns. So I'll pass on IT, kthxbye.

tiddlywinks said:

Also, random question, Cantina. I'm kicking a number of my shorts out of the nest again on another round of subs. Trying to figure out the anthology bit. A number of the anthology calls I see pay pretty minimal and an author's copy. Worth a go? Or continue my steady yet blergh "working my way down the paying markets" list to see where my stories land process?

~Winks, who bites her nails trying to figure out yes/no/anything below semi-pro on her grinder lists, yet dreams of having something published somewhere someday relatively soonish that isn't just her blog because she'd like to get paid?*

*note that this is only my personal philosophy/approach and not to malign anyone who decides to put their stories on their blog

*bites nails again*

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Two of my shorts are in anthologies. It's neither here nor there, really. It is what it is. One story was written especially for that anthology, and because I was living in NYC at the time the publisher paid for my pass to attend BookCon as an author. I still have my author's pass from that because I was so proud. The other story was written for something else and never got accepted anywhere. When I read the open call for this particular anthology, my story fit and it got in. I never expected to make money from these, and it's not like there are any famous names in either anthology, but at least I have a couple of titles I can put in my bio and amazon links I can send people to.

E.F.B. said:

I'm not sure of the exact count, but words did happen today. I connected a new scene with one I wrote possibly a good two years ago (I remember I was still taking my college courses at the time and I remember handwriting the first draft of that older scene in my story notebook one day when I took a break after lunch. So yeah, it had to be at least two years ago.) I'm happy because this is building up to the introduction of one of my favorite characters. I actually first wrote that introduction scene two years ago too, but it'll be interesting to see if it needs editing now that some details have changed. It seems many of my scenes need at least three edits before they REALLY match what I originally had in my head. Not sure why, but at least when I'm struggling with the first iteration I can always remind myself that it really does always get better in edits.

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Yay!

Cliff Face said:

Okay. I'm looking for some honest opinions from you all (if you feel like responding, of course). Basically, I'm trying to figure out my motivation for writing.

I've decided that I don't want "need money" to have anything to do with my creative efforts - writing or music.

With music, there's an easy replacement motivation. It is physically fun, pleasurable to my ears, and incredibly rewarding when I make progress. That is, music is all about "in the moment" to me. Makes sense, given that music is fundamentally a performance art.

With writing, though, I don't have that same "in the moment" motivation. Typing at a keyboard can be pretty boring. While I do enjoy a story coming together word by word, the fact is, I can get the same enjoyment from reading. It may well be rewarding when I look back on how much I've accomplished (entire novel, for instance). But yeah... The "in the moment" is lacking, and I can't figure out how to make it better.

The only ideas I've been able to come up with are 1) writing to entertain others, and 2) writing to work through ideas (ie. self-therapy). Neither of those is motivating me to actually write at this point, but have worked in the past to some extent.

So... Why do you write? I'm not saying that the ideas that don't work for me aren't valid, mind you. To each their own. But I'm just looking for alternate perspectives.

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I write because I love stories. They are air to me. I love reading them, hearing them, writing them, watching them. I will (and have) put up with an enormous amount of terrible writing for a good story. I think in stories. I dream in stories. If I had my way, I'd do little else with my life other than reading, writing, and watching. Stories stories stories.

I just realized we're only a few days away from April 1st and the weirdness that comes with it.

And then I realized I'm not gonna be around much for the fun because guests. *sob*

Well. I didn't expect that, but that's what I get in The Zone... 3200 words today. So far, and it's only 1pm. I have one meeting today from 2-3, and the rest of the time is my own. Though I may take a break to edit Turlough's Tale...

RedDragoness said:

JEANGENIE!!!!

*smooshes JG in a bear hug*

I just finished one of your chapters and came on here for a teensy break before the next one.


(Cobalt Jade, I also finished one of your chapters. I'm on a beta-roll today!)

(Beta roll. Bagel roll. Mmm... Is it lunch time yet?)

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Bagel rolll.....mmmm....or perhaps you should try a pirogue? I've heard they are very good

Huh. My phone just did a system update and it looks like one of the things it added was one of those blue light filters. Now if I can just figure out how to use it...

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, nevermind. I just tapped it and it turned on, LOL. Kewl.

Updated and edited Turlough's Tale (Thank you, Dammy!!!!) I added 800 words. Now it's 4K. I can't do short short stories I am still not convinced I can do short stories at all. This still feels like flailing in the dark for me.

I just realized I've been working in the Dropbox version of my WIP doc all day, not the one on my computer that I copy and then save the copy to Dropbox as a backup. *facepalm*

*transfers all the changes to the correct document*

Cliff Face said:

So... Why do you write? I'm not saying that the ideas that don't work for me aren't valid, mind you. To each their own. But I'm just looking for alternate perspectives.

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I write because there are people in my head who have stories they want told, and if I don't get them out they keep running through my mind and sometimes that makes it hard for me to concentrate on other things. I also live half the year without internet, tv, or cell phones. Writing is one of those things I can do that not's drinking.

Cliff Face said:

So... Why do you write? I'm not saying that the ideas that don't work for me aren't valid, mind you. To each their own. But I'm just looking for alternate perspectives.

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For me personally, it's the therapy thing. I have inextricably tied writing books and making words of any sort as often as I am physically and mentally able to do so to my good mood. If I don't write, if I stop for anything more than a couple days at a time, I hit a downward spiral comparable to a show-plane's victory roll; only it rarely has the same upward ending as a well-performed victory roll might. In fact, I can correlate nearly all the darkest days of my life (including the days before I learned to read and write) with not having ingested or puked up a story of some form or other.

In contrast, all the good days, all the BEST days I remember, are the days in which I wrote like a mad woodpecker, tirelessly tapping away at my keyboard until the keys wore out. Like, actually, my keyboard is wearing out!

I don't finish often enough, or conclusively enough, for the sense of accomplishment many others get. Actually, when I do finish things (or really, just stop one thing and move on to something else) I feel lost, uncomfortable like a sheep in the jungle, or a goat in the ocean. And I don't have narcissistic people sitting behind my eyes, shouting at me to talk about them. I don't automatically spew these worlds into existence, and this doesn't come naturally to me. I used to think that writing was like a specific, secondary bodily function that had to be performed daily... Talkin' 'bout poop here!

Nowadays, I see writing as something more closely related to eating than, er, the other thing... It nourishes me and helps me be kind and friendly and caring; let's me work out all my problems and fears, and provides company when I'm alone. Unlike eating, I write not as a passive means of survival or a coping method, but as an active means toward thrival. (most def not a real word, but whatevs!)

tl;dr: I write to make myself happy.

Cliff Face said:

So... Why do you write? I'm not saying that the ideas that don't work for me aren't valid, mind you. To each their own. But I'm just looking for alternate perspectives.

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Once upon a time...it was just...fun. I could create worlds where all kinds of mystifying and wondrous things existed, where good triumphed over evil, where ladies could have cute romances with other ladies. It was this thing where I thought about fascinating ideas and I could bring them to life, no matter what they were. And perhaps someday I'd make others happy like my favourite works made me happy. I could create worlds that not only immersed and enraptured readers, but could stoke their imaginations.

I assume that was how my brain worked back then. Wish it still worked that way.

Mmm. *strokes chinbeard* Thanks for all the responses, everyone!

For what it's worth, at various points I've experienced the things you all are talking about. The whole "need to write so the characters will shut up" or "just need to get this story out of me so I can stop thinking about it" thing, been there. Not lately, though... While I have loads of WIPs, none of them are really occupying much of my thought, and haven't in quite some time. Writing the stories I wish existed is something I've also experienced in the past... Lately, though, I haven't felt that urge very much. I've been more focused on making my own life something I wish existed. That is, trying to work towards my ideal life (even if "ideal" is probably impossible).

So yeah... I still don't have a personal reason for writing. Honestly, I kind of blame studying creative writing at uni. I think I reached a point where I had completely over-thought the whole thing. Like, focusing overly much on how to create a certain effect, and how a story is situated within society and norms and stuff, rather than just writing for fun.

Damn you, university! *shakes fist*

Today is officially the best. day. ever. Granted, I was the last one to leave the office tonight, but I got a raise!!!! I love my job.

After being sick sick sick to start the week, things are lookin' mighty fine in the Winks household tonight. So I'm having steak and wine. Yes yes. Adulting doth not sucketh tonight.

Oh, and Dammy posted such nice comments about my Sisyphus that I'm beaming from ear to ear. And one of my dear CPs has just informed me I didn't break the pirates from my medicine addled tweaks earlier in the week, so...

I believe this weekend should involve playing with TEH SPARKLIES...after I finish our taxes and send off a bunch more queries. If I finish anything, I'll take crappy phone pictures and linky to the new jewelry.

I reiterate. Best. Day. Ever!!!!!

Cliff Face said:

So... Why do you write? I'm not saying that the ideas that don't work for me aren't valid, mind you. To each their own. But I'm just looking for alternate perspectives.

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Well, I always loved writing and plotting out stories when I was younger. But I didn't actually sit down and WRITE anything, really, until my Grandad passed away 4 years ago. I'd lost my Grandma to the day almost 2 years prior and it hurt so much to lose him, too, especially as we'd become super close since her passing. He was also in Colorado, which made visiting him a lot harder, but my husband and I were out there all the time, sneaking in time with him.

So, I ended up dealing with my grief by writing out a 280K fantasy novel in the span of about 3 months. It was insane. And I enjoyed every minute of it because I was wording for the first time, rather than endlessly planning and never writing...and I FINISHED A NOVEL. Granted, it needs serious work before it's ever going to see the light of day. But from there, the monster was born and I've been writing non-stop and conjuring new plot bunnies ever since. And I'm bound and determined to make it happen because I know my Grandad believed in me, and I'm pretty sure he's the evil being behind all those plot bunnies I keep getting. *shakes fist at evil Grandad ghost lurking and laughing*

Since the floodgates opened, I can't not write. I have so many stories to tell, and I want others to read them. I want to make people laugh and cry and feel and fall in love along with my characters. If at some point, that results in Winks being able to retire at an early age and write, cool. But not banking on that Seriously though, I have so many fun people and stories lurking in my head that I want to get down on paper and really tell their tales. And the sense of accomplishment from finishing stories and getting what I had in my head out there, even if it's nowhere near where I originally thought it would start, that is pretty darn cool. I love it.

I love other creative things - I design jewelry, I play my clarinet still on a regular basis for my own enjoyment, I sketch, I do one time art and craft projects that often result in me vowing never ever ever EVER to grout again, among other things - but writing is my go-to. Other things are relaxing. Writing is almost a compulsion. Even when I'm having writer's block or editing on loud sighs, it still feeds that need. Because I'm thinking about writing.

Meh. That's me?

But someday, when I get that first book published in the world, Grandad is getting a big thank you in the credits.

~Winks, who might be getting just a little teary-eyed

Cliff Face said:

Mmm. *strokes chinbeard* Thanks for all the responses, everyone!

For what it's worth, at various points I've experienced the things you all are talking about. The whole "need to write so the characters will shut up" or "just need to get this story out of me so I can stop thinking about it" thing, been there. Not lately, though... While I have loads of WIPs, none of them are really occupying much of my thought, and haven't in quite some time. Writing the stories I wish existed is something I've also experienced in the past... Lately, though, I haven't felt that urge very much. I've been more focused on making my own life something I wish existed. That is, trying to work towards my ideal life (even if "ideal" is probably impossible).

So yeah... I still don't have a personal reason for writing. Honestly, I kind of blame studying creative writing at uni. I think I reached a point where I had completely over-thought the whole thing. Like, focusing overly much on how to create a certain effect, and how a story is situated within society and norms and stuff, rather than just writing for fun.

Damn you, university! *shakes fist*

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I learned the hard way (with video game art and design, that thing I tried to get into because it looked just as good as writing but more lucrative) that trying to force yourself to do creative work you aren't wholly motivated by is tortuous and painful and your output will be poor and limited. I started studying in the field with the initial goal of doing plot/character writing for games and somewhere along the way forgot about the writing part. What pro work I did get out of my education was in 3d graphics, then a friend invited me to do the IT for his small software business with the lure of a possible game project. (The IT work was cushy as such goes but the game projects never materialized and I was having no success getting game projects off the ground on my own.) I ended up having a brush with major depression and everything falling apart.

Things are not all ok yet but rededicating myself to writing fiction has been one of the few positive things to come out of this mess. I am bitter that it took me a decade to figure this out after having intended to dedicate myself to writing in the first place but letting the whole "starving artist" thing scare me off. Making a living is great, but if you really like something, you need to be willing to do it even if money never comes into it. (Don't apply then when considering gigs! Insist on getting paid! But the love has to be a consideration too.) It's slower than I'd like but I've made more progress with two years of writing than I have with ten in games.

University dulling interest in the actual creative work: I totally get that. Supposedly even Einstein didn't want to look at math for a while after having endured what he needed for his university studies. Some of all that "proper" stuff is what revisions are for though.

Ultimately, all writing is at some level personal. I keep hearing "Theme From English B" in my head:

Go home and write
a page tonight
and let that page come out of you:
Then it will be true.

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It's hard to articulate exactly why I write but when it came to art and games, I was having "imposter syndrome" out the wazoo but when I'm writing, I'm in control.

tiddlywinks said:

Today is officially the best. day. ever. Granted, I was the last one to leave the office tonight, but I got a raise!!!! I love my job.

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Yay, Winks! That's awesome news! I'm glad your week has improved so dramatically.

About writing: I don't know why I write. A lot of what others have said rings true, but none are The Reason by themselves. I can be terribly anxious and uncertain, but this is something I have zero doubts about. So I go with it. I'm really just glad I have it.

Thanks, JJ! I decided, since I'm in such a good mood, I'd try to kill myself again in SYW.



And yes, yes there are new pirate tasties in there now...*watches sharks circle*

Thanks for the extra perspectives.

I think the issue I'm dealing with boils down to one thing: I have plenty of reasons to write *what* I want to write (ie. fun stories, stories that help me learn about myself, stories that will help others deal with shitty situations, stories that nobody else seems to be writing), but no reason *why* I should write... Like, the *what* is what I would do if I wanted to write (and what I've done in the past), but right now I'm lacking the *why*, which is the necessary precursor to actually engaging with the *what*. Does that make sense?

zanzjan said:

Hmmm. I fell into writing somewhat accidentally, like a big pit trap concealed with palm leaves, and got stuck there?

I have a degree in fine art but my art always had strong narrative elements. I got dared by a friend to do NaNo in 2001, very much needing a major time-sink distraction from 9/11 (I lost people that day) and I just kinda never stopped writing afterward. I keep going because it's a good creative outlet that doesn't take up a lot of physical space (I have a 6' tall griffin in my garage being a perpetual object lesson on practicalities of scale) and is very portable, it's fun, and there's a great community of people that writing has brought me into. I don't imagine I'm likely to stop, although it would be nice at some point to start making physical art again too.

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Random question - how did you get into the computing/IT side of things if you're educational background is in fine arts?

Cliff Face said:

Mmm. *strokes chinbeard* Thanks for all the responses, everyone!

For what it's worth, at various points I've experienced the things you all are talking about. The whole "need to write so the characters will shut up" or "just need to get this story out of me so I can stop thinking about it" thing, been there. Not lately, though... While I have loads of WIPs, none of them are really occupying much of my thought, and haven't in quite some time. Writing the stories I wish existed is something I've also experienced in the past... Lately, though, I haven't felt that urge very much. I've been more focused on making my own life something I wish existed. That is, trying to work towards my ideal life (even if "ideal" is probably impossible).

So yeah... I still don't have a personal reason for writing. Honestly, I kind of blame studying creative writing at uni. I think I reached a point where I had completely over-thought the whole thing. Like, focusing overly much on how to create a certain effect, and how a story is situated within society and norms and stuff, rather than just writing for fun.

Damn you, university! *shakes fist*

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I enjoy doing the whole "what effect am I after" ect, but only after the first draft. It's a different perspective. Different pay of my brain.

Cliff Face said:

Thanks for the extra perspectives.

I think the issue I'm dealing with boils down to one thing: I have plenty of reasons to write *what* I want to write (ie. fun stories, stories that help me learn about myself, stories that will help others deal with shitty situations, stories that nobody else seems to be writing), but no reason *why* I should write... Like, the *what* is what I would do if I wanted to write (and what I've done in the past), but right now I'm lacking the *why*, which is the necessary precursor to actually engaging with the *what*. Does that make sense?

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I would try it for 15 minutes (just for fifteen minutes), and see what happens. If nothing happens, then nothing happens. I went for 2 years without writing squat. I started up again. Sometimes it ebbs. Sometimes it roars back into your life. I don't think there really needs to be a why for many things.

tiddlywinks said:

Today is officially the best. day. ever. Granted, I was the last one to leave the office tonight, but I got a raise!!!! I love my job.

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Congrats!

But someday, when I get that first book published in the world, Grandad is getting a big thank you in the credits.

~Winks, who might be getting just a little teary-eyed

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That's sweet...and sad...and sweet.

Cliff Face said:

I think the issue I'm dealing with boils down to one thing: I have plenty of reasons to write *what* I want to write (ie. fun stories, stories that help me learn about myself, stories that will help others deal with shitty situations, stories that nobody else seems to be writing), but no reason *why* I should write... Like, the *what* is what I would do if I wanted to write (and what I've done in the past), but right now I'm lacking the *why*, which is the necessary precursor to actually engaging with the *what*. Does that make sense?

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I write because I can't quit. I've tried. Twice. I have no idea what actually compels me. My imagination? My stubbornness? My love of stories? Do I want others to live in my world? Do I have some reoccurring theme or message I'm unknowingly trying to get across? I'm not sure. I just know I've tried to wash my hands of it, but my hands are stained with the need to fill pages with words.

Cliff Face said:

Thanks for the extra perspectives.

I think the issue I'm dealing with boils down to one thing: I have plenty of reasons to write *what* I want to write (ie. fun stories, stories that help me learn about myself, stories that will help others deal with shitty situations, stories that nobody else seems to be writing), but no reason *why* I should write... Like, the *what* is what I would do if I wanted to write (and what I've done in the past), but right now I'm lacking the *why*, which is the necessary precursor to actually engaging with the *what*. Does that make sense?

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Hos long has it been since you studied creative writing? I had to take a 2-year break after that, I studied for a year at a university. Very good program and hard to get a spot, but it's not for everyone I think, and it was very uninspiring for me. It took out the "writing for myself"-part of writing. And it wasn't like I got a lot of bad feedback either, I just lost my joy in the process. If you've enjoyed writing for the sake of it before, it will probably come back, so I wouldn't worry too much about it

Btw I loved the Girls-episodes when Hannah is at a creative writing-school, and it doesn't work out for her at all

Jean, I did 3 years as a creative writing major in 2012-14, took a year off, then did Honours in creative writing in 2016. And yeah... By the end of my honours year I just didn't care anymore. Like, slacking off, handing in things with only a bare minimum of editing, that sort of thing. I still passed, but yeah... At the time, I thought it was just uni I was sick of, but now I'm not so sure... It might also be a lack of enthusiasm for writing, too.

I'm trying to disentangle the academic approach from the writing-for-fun approach. Like, academically, it's all about understanding things and furthering knowledge. The fun approach is obviously different, and I'm assuming it's a little different for every writer. I just can't pinpoint what it is that made me have fun writing in the past. I'm sure there is an answer somewhere inside me, but I just can't grasp it right now.

May have to try Sian's idea, and just write a little and see how I feel about it. It's difficult, though... When I'm writing, my mind is focused on the story, and so I have trouble analysing what writing as a whole is like.

Camp NaNo starts tomorrow, and I think I'll try to give it a shot. Probably won't sign up on the actual website, but will just try to write.

That said, the idea of ebbing sounds about right to me. Possibly it's something that will come back eventually.

Oh, and I was going to say... Writing as a form of escapism is something I've experienced before. Ties in with the mental immersion comment above. However, at this point, I don't want to seek escapism. I'm trying to deal with the problems I'm facing, rather than running from them. That could be linked with not having the urge to write.

It seems to me you just have to wait and see...and not try to analyze so much. Analyzing your writing, urge to write, and too much focus on it is probably what got you here in the first place. One of the things writing-school did to me was that I started analyzing what I wrote at the same time I wrote it. So it kind of took the joy out of it. Among other things. You could just try to write a little now and then and see how you feel, "check in" so to speak, because even though you don't really feel it right now, it obviously means something to you.

tiddlywinks said:

Today is officially the best. day. ever. Granted, I was the last one to leave the office tonight, but I got a raise!!!! I love my job.

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I believe this weekend should involve playing with TEH SPARKLIES...after I finish our taxes and send off a bunch more queries. If I finish anything, I'll take crappy phone pictures and linky to the new jewelry.

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*anticipates the viewing of teh sparklies*

I'm actually quite pleased with a choker I made recently, but I've had trouble photographing it. It's pink and white, but the pink is so pale, the camera has trouble picking it up, even though I put it on a perfectly white background. (Also, the camera decided during my last photo session that the background should look more blueish than white, which just made things worse. My mom got one good picture of it on me because it wasn't sitting right on the neck form, but for my Etsy, I need pictures of it from different angles and it...it's just not cooperating. :/


ETA: Oh look, I FINALLY found where the pre-installed photo editing software hid the tint and warmth adjusters. Maybe now I can get rid of that blueishness.

But someday, when I get that first book published in the world, Grandad is getting a big thank you in the credits.

~Winks, who might be getting just a little teary-eyed

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Awww. That's really sweet. I'm sure your Grandad would be honored.

JeanGenie said:

It seems to me you just have to wait and see...and not try to analyze so much. Analyzing your writing, urge to write, and too much focus on it is probably what got you here in the first place. One of the things writing-school did to me was that I started analyzing what I wrote at the same time I wrote it. So it kind of took the joy out of it. Among other things. You could just try to write a little now and then and see how you feel, "check in" so to speak, because even though you don't really feel it right now, it obviously means something to you.

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These^ are my thoughts on the matter too.




ION: It is a grey, rainy, gloomy day here today, Cantina. There's possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Thankfully though, the grey rainy isn't bumming me out and I actually feel very much like writing, so hopefully I'll continue my good progress.