Sarah over at Musings of a Steampunk asked me to do a guest blog; a very nice compliment. Check out her blog to follow her journey into the world of a first-time novelist.
Posted in Writing | Tagged creative writing, discipline, novel writing, Writing, writing schedule, writing techniques, writing tips | Leave a Comment »
Last week was trying. The day-job seriously got in the way of my life. A big project I have been building for six weeks went into production. I was up late, shepherding it through deployment, and then I was up early, converting six years of historical data. Pretty standard stuff, except that it all went in flawlessly, performed much better than expected, applied all the edits, and successfully moved everything to where it needed to be.
Then the users showed up and said, “Oh, that’s not what we wanted.” Typical example of a rookie mistake: I gave them what they asked for, not what they wanted.
So, today is a stress management day. It’s early, and the day has yet to grow warm. I’m out on the deck, sipping coffee, listening to the birds call through the trees. Moisture glistens on the leaves, and the slanting rays of morning sun give everything a pristine, contre-jour brilliance. The shadows are long, but welcoming, and even the street sounds are gentled, muffled, as if the modern world has yet to fully awaken.
Here, in my bower of leaves, I dream of distant days where this becomes my every-morning, where spiders spin their nighttime webs to catch the sunrise light, and flowers lift their sleepy, dew-spangled heads in preparation of the day.
In cool sunlight, I dream. And I am refreshed.
k
Posted in Gardening | Tagged gardening, nature, quiet living, simplification, stress management | Leave a Comment »
I’m wrapping up my second month on this blog (boy, do I wish there was another word for this thing; “blog” just sounds so…indiscreet), and I thought it proper to do a little retrospective on the process.
First, a big thank you to all those who have visited, read, and decided to follow this “scream of consciousness.” It’s always humbling (and not a little surprising) when complete strangers from around the world take an interest in what I write. Your attention is noted and greatly appreciated because, after all, writing is only half the process; readers are key. Continue Reading »
Posted in Writing | Tagged blogging, creative writing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips | Leave a Comment »
Ages ago, when the crust was cooling and TV was funny, there was an episode of M*A*S*H where Hawkeye was looking through the files for the map to the minefield and Radar says it’s right here. Under “B”…for “Boom.”
An acquaintance over on another blog recently told us that she’d joined a writers’ workshop, and my immediate reaction was “Uh oh.” I’ve had some bad experiences with writers’ workshops. While I don’t want to discourage any writer from joining a workshop, they can a minefield. Luckily, I have a map. Continue Reading »
Posted in Writing | Tagged Clarion, creative writing, novel writing, writers workshops, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips | 1 Comment »
As a follow-up to my No-Knead Bread recipe, about which I cannot say enough, this addition.
I tried a new variation last night. I replaced all the water in the recipe with beer. I didn’t want to go overboard, so it was just a nice Canadian Pilsner, but it added a lot of depth and character to the flavor. I’m going to try it again, this time with a stronger choice, like Lagunitas Lucky 13 (one of my favorites) or some of our local Fremont’s Unlimited IPA (that’ll be interesting).
But it again proves how versatile this recipe is.
Loving it!
k
Posted in Food, Recipes | Tagged beer, bread, cooking, IPA, Lagunitas Brewing Company, no-knead bread, recipes | 2 Comments »
I got a severe case of déjà vu today. It lasted 89 minutes.
I was getting ready for my workout. I pulled up a “Anthony Zimmer” from my Instant Queue and got going.
A woman goes into a restaurant. She waits. She’s being stood up. A messenger enters, sees her, and gives her an envelope. She reads it, crumples it, burns it, and leaves.
I knew I’d seen this movie before. I knew what she was going to do next, I knew where it was going, but I also knew that I’d never seen this movie before. And it wasn’t just the Bernard Hermann inspired score (equal parts “North By Northwest” and “Vertigo”) or the scenes of Paris and the Riviera that I’d seen in a dozen movies from “To Catch a Thief” to “Ronin”. No, I’d have remembered Sophie Marceau in this movie. I remember Sophie Marceau in every movie I’ve seen her in (call me crazy). The damned thing was…I couldn’t remember how it ended. Continue Reading »
Posted in Movies | Tagged deja vu, French cinema, Movies, Sophie Marceau | 2 Comments »
I’ve often heard actors say that they really prefer playing bad guys to good guys. Good guys are generally so…good. They’re simple, where bad guys are complicated; straightforward, where bad guys are conflicted.
I can understand this view and, based on how characters are written in most movies these days, I agree with it. In books, though, I think we have to do better than that.
Posted in Writing | Tagged Beneath a Wounded Sky, Characters, creative writing, Fallen Cloud Saga, FC:V, novel writing, novels, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips | 1 Comment »
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 