What's Laundry Got to do with Writing?

What’s Laundry Got to do with Writing

Or even blog postings.

Maybe not much you’d think. But that isn’t true if you like clean/clean-ish clothes and you find yourself standing by the washer in a puddle of water.

And then like the conscientious spender of money consumer you try to be, you go off to the internet to research …and get sucked up and spit out in a dozen different directions and ways to Sunday – as my dear southern mama used to say. Or variations of it.

Talk about headache inducing.

This one LUVS this machine, that one Hates it and thinks it’s a piece of crap.

Okay so You tell me. What’s a sane wise spender of money to do?

I need a washer.

At some point clean clothes become a necessity right? At least to all the people you have to be around at some point I would think?

We had to replace the dryer a few years back already so it’s okay. I guess. Now it’s easy to start to get paranoid about appliances, you know. Wasn’t there some old saying about that? Although how old a saying could that be come to think of it.

Okay, well this obviously isn’t getting a washer bought/replaced or even researched. And all the research is Seriously impacting my writing time with my obnoxious characters. [they’re teenagers – what can I say -- as Laurie Halse Anderson puts in her book ‘Catalyst’ --- main character running late trying to get around school security guard following the rules – the main char. /teenager has pulled out her license trying to use that instead of school id. Security guard looks at it – “She studies it and crosses her arms over her bosom. “There is nothing on that license that says you are a student here. You could be disgruntled. You could be hostile.” “Do I look hostile?” “You are a teenager.”

So please help with my washer research. I don’t want my teenagers getting more….teenager, while they are waiting.

Do you have magic?

Do you have magic?

Do you have magic in your life? Somewhere? Anywhere in your life?

Sure seems like there’s a proliferation of books that are about magical or fantastical things. So that would mean there’s a lot of people thinking about it. In some form or way.

Whoever would have thought wizards, vampires, and werewolves would be mainstream and you would have such talked about love stories forged about them. Well, from the vampire and werewolf stories anyway. We didn’t exactly get to see much of the wizard love story did we? Whether talking about Gandalf, which actually I wasn’t thinking of him but of a much younger wizard a lot of people grew up with called Harry.

But the Very popular themes that seem to be abounding now seem to be saying we are missing something in our everyday lives. That we long to escape those everyday lives, to find something somewhere. To find and fill what we feel we are missing in them. A magic something perhaps?

As a prolific reader I can recognize those themes, as a writer, as yet unpublished, I realize recognizing is not necessarily being able to write them. And while I don’t really see myself writing along the fantastical elements contained in such books as Maggie Stiefvater’s ‘Lament,’ ‘Shiver,’ and her coming book ‘Ballad,’ I do feel a magic of words sometimes. Where the words just seem to flow right across the page. And the Right words. The Perfect Words. But there are also the times where it’s just day-to-day slogging thro’ the pages stuff, where it’s merely a longing for and a memory of the magic while being down somewhere in the trenches looking up and wishing. And wishing is okay I think, as long as you back it up with action and work to show the universe that you are doing more than just sitting back wishing or ‘wanting’ with a little ‘w’ as Maggie talks about in one of her posts. Doesn’t wishing show us where we really want to be? Just as magic shows us who and what we can be. In our dreams for now, and for real later when we’ve made our dreams come true. Which is really what magic is all about anyway, right?

So what magic do you have in your life right now?

What are you wishing for?

And more importantly what are you working for and toward?

That really creates the magic in our lives. Doesn’t it?

Maggie Maggie Maggie

Maybe this is why the music and lyrics keep popping up in my head? No, surely can't be, because they aren't the same as these. At all.

But the prolific and super-multi-talented Maggie Stiefvater has done it again. Writing, music - writing, composing And playing of course - and various art forms. And she just keeps on displaying them - check this one out for her book out in October called 'Ballad'

And no this is Different than the music and art and film she did for her phenomenal book out Now called 'Shiver.' So you Should check that out too.
But here's the one for 'Ballad.' Enjoy.

and if that doesn't work the way it's supposed to - try this. cause it would be a shame for you to miss Maggie's really great creativeness, just because I'm trying to focus on all things writing instead of all things blogging and how to really do it.

And here is the plain old link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooq9ioOgcmY

Does Anyone Else

Have music and lyrics popping up in your head? As a writer I mean, not a musician. And not like songs you’ve heard on the radio or anything.

I’m not a musician. Don’t even play the ‘radio’ all that much, so I don’t really listen to music much. I have been thinking maybe I should change that since Maggie Stiefvater uses music to help her write. And seeing her success maybe there’s something to be said for that right? I was wondering if maybe it would help my writing. If nothing else maybe help my characters stop running amok and doing their own thing. Sort of a musical chairs writing game or something. Maybe. Okay, so yeah, I’m getting a bit desperate to get these characters on their own and out of the house already so I can make room for all the others that have intentions on moving in. There’s only so much space in one’s brain to hold characters after all, and some are getting downright snitty at having to wait.

So thinking about writing to music isn’t exactly a new thing I’ve thought of, I’ve just not spent the time finding music I didn’t get annoyed with after awhile. Sometimes a really short while.

And it isn’t the first time I’ve had a tune and lyrics show up in my head and demand to be written down.

But it is rather annoying being treated by songs the same way as by characters.

I mean, why me? I could sort of understand the lyrics part since I have always jotted down poems and such, but the music part? I’ve not exactly ever been all that musical. So I’m not sure why they are showing up in my head more and more. Is it leakage from someone else’s brain? Like music/song waves in the atmosphere or something, and I just happen to be picking them up?

Darn if I know.

But hey. I can hear the music in my head, although that’s not going to help you very much, even if you do want it. But if you happen to be missing lyrics I might be able to help you. Call me.

The Highs and Realities of Writing Life

For those that are keeping track of Maggie Stiefvater’s phenomenal success with her latest book ‘Shiver’ – which debuted at #9 on New York Times bestseller list last week!

It is now #5 !!!

Congratulations Maggie!!!

And don’t forget she’s going to be at the James River Writer’s Conference in October so you all can sign up and come talk to her – before the rates go up on the Conf.!

For those that follow Maggie’s blog, she generously shares writing advice, and other practical things, such as how she manages to fit in writing with everything else she does [don’t forget she’s also an artist And a musician. Which is what I meant in my previous post that she is a bit scary. She’s So darned talented! ‘Shiver’ her latest book is written So darn well!!! And she’s darn cute. And incredibly nice. What’s not to be scared of! ;) ]

And such wonderful ‘real life’ adventures of parenting while finding out from her super-duper editor that her book that Debuted at #9 on the NYT list, is Now at #5 !

It’s too funny not to read for yourself –

http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/121026.html

Funny how reality comes in to keep us all centered and grounded huh? ;-D

Maggie reports that Things have settled down now. And yeah, that is a fun play with Maggie’s words. You’ll have to go over and read her post to get it.

Oh, word of warning, do Not be drinking anything while reading her post. Several comments said beverages were spewed over keyboards over it. Yeah, it’s pretty funny!

Come back here and tell me what you thought. You can type while you’re laughing can’t you?

Advice on How to Write a Novel

Maggie’s advice on how to write a novel - it's not to be missed for any writer -

http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/120688.html

This is also Fabulous Great advice from Maggie, from when she had her art blog [it also has some of her lovely pictures]

It is certainly worth checking out for her pictures, but do Not miss the advice!

http://greywarenart.blogspot.com/2008/07/virtual-sketching-and-butt-kicking.html

Yes she truly is wise beyond her years. [and a bit scary. ;) ]

Contest for Viola Book

If you've read my review and want to win an ARC
[ Advanced Reader's Copy for those that wonder what that means, it means a soft cover copy of the book, that publishers send out to generate interest before the 'real' book comes out. It's a preview book, so sometimes there are errors and things. But I didn't see any in 'Viola' ]

go here and follow the instructions -

http://www.libraryloungelizard.com/2009/08/new-contest-viola-in-reel-life-by.html



Sorry I can't offer my ARC copy up, I am a writer trying to figure out how to write the best I can and get published, and I've already taken pen, pencil, and post-it-note to it to mark all the things I like about it and Adriana's writing.
I was serious about all the colorful post-notes making it so colorful. Inside and out.
You can't ask for my 'Shiver' ARC for same reason.
[Thank God for the ARC, since I did buy a 'Shiver' book at Maggie's book launch too, and the 'real' 'Shiver' book is Way too pretty to mark up! And my husband is currently reading it. ]

So check out all the contests going on at different blogs. This one happens to be for 'Viola.'

'Viola' and 'Shiver' are both worth trying for - and if you have the money - certainly worth buying. Different books, yes. But both well written and well worth reading.

So Good Luck!

Two Words - Meet Viola

As in Adriana Trigiani’s new YA book coming out September 1^st ‘Viola In Reel Life’

Without a doubt this is Adriana’s best book yet.

Seriously! Yes my opinion. But yes I Have actually Read ALL her books!

I had the honor of interviewing the lovely, lively and vivacious Adriana at last year’s James River Writers Conference [Thanks Emyl!] and I wasn’t about to not do all the research I could. And of course that meant reading all her books. She does have quite the distinguished list. Most probably noted for her Big Stone Gap series [also to be a movie she has written and is directing, starring Whoopi Goldberg, etc….- and I heard Ashley Judd? ] the books Adriana wrote about a character in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. And where Adriana actually lived growing up.

I know a lot of people love that series, and that a lot of people are crazy about and prefer Adriana’s ‘Lucia, Lucia’ book.

And that is a good book. Deserves their raves. I did enjoy it. I still think my favorite was ‘Queen of the Big Time’ though, although ‘Rococo’ had a certain charm as well.

Then Adriana sent me the arc of her newest series she’d just begun ‘Very Valentine’

[which just came out this year so you can read it too]

And that was her best work to date.

But then she sent me the arc of her newest book – ‘Viola in Reel Life’ her first in her new YA series.

This is Definitely Adriana’s best to date! And you will fall in love with Viola. Or Really Really Like anyway!

And as with a Lot of YA books now – such as Maggie Stiefvater’s ‘Shiver’ – you don’t have to be in that category to enjoy a Great read! And while Maggie’s descriptions are so colorful they drip poetry and music into your head, Adriana’s snarky teenager from Brooklyn is no less descriptive, just uses bit different phrasing.

“I pivot slowly to film the fields around the school. The land is the color of baked pizza crust without the tomato sauce. There are no lush rolling hills similar to the ones that appear on the school website. The babbling brook on the home page gushes crystal water, but when I went to film it, it was a bone-dry creek bed, with gross stones and tangled vines. Besides being marooned, I’ve been had—duped by my own parents, who, up until now, have made fairly intelligent decisions when it comes to me.” ….

Viola does earn that title of ‘Princess Snark’ her father gave her. And after laughing out loud again, and reading yet another passage out loud to my husband, I shook my head and exclaimed ‘I Really Really like this girl so much!”

There is so much to like in this book, there is a Lot of snark [which I Really liked], but there is also a lot of heart, and learning lessons, including about boys, and friends, and best friends that are boys and how that changes when boyfriends and girlfriends enter the picture. Along with ghosts and film competitions and ….. well, you Do need to pick this book up and read for yourself.

The only thing I will say that I thought Viola lost a little too much snark at the end of the book. And I really missed that. I hope when we see Viola again in the next book she’ll have her Princess Snark tiara up high on her head.

Adriana does a great job of keeping you so engaged in the story you don’t want to put it down. I admit I probably got a little snarky when I did have to put it down to run needed errands. But I got back to it as soon as I could and finished up Viola's tale as soon as I could. Definitely a favorite book. Hope it becomes one of yours too. Let me know!

Meet ‘Viola In Reel Life’ – you’ll be glad you did.

[Thank you Adriana, and Kelly, for the arc, so I could post-note and mark and underline the great descriptions to my writer’s heart’s content. It’s very colorful book now in more ways than the ones you intended. ;) Thank you so much!]

JRW Conference Has Another NYT Bestseller!!! Maggie Strikes Again!

The oh-so-multi-talented Maggie Stiefvater, hereby just referred to as "Mugnificant Maggie" - oh second thought, maybe just Your Highness, since she has said she wants to be Queen ;) -- and is probably getting pretty close to that!

She's the author of the much acclaimed new book 'Shiver' which has debuted #9 on the NYT Bestseller List!!!

Congratulations Maggie!!



[See yesterday's post for my Blog Interview with Maggie. And previous post for my book review of 'Shiver']

And Yay! James River Writers Conference in October has another NYT Bestselling author!!!! Be sure to come meet her and all the other writers and agents and editors! And me. ;) http://www.jamesriverwriters.org/




Check out Maggie's reaction here: http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/119747.html

Cool Interview with Maggie Stiefvater - author of 'Shiver'

First of all, A Big Thanks to Maggie and to Samantha Wolfert!

I will apologize now to Maggie and any that regularly visit her blog for this pretty plain no-frills version of her blog interviews. She’s given a lot of great information to a lot of great questions so be sure to check them out – http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/118873.html

But do stay to read the great information she gives here first.

And if the questions could have been a little better, come to the James River Writers Conference and ask Maggie questions in person. And then come back here and tell me what she said too, in case I wasn’t able to be right there listening. ;)

For those that don’t know, Maggie Stiefvater is the author of the new book ‘Shiver’ – just out, check out yesterday’s blog post for my review of it. And, well, just check out some of the other entries, not like I haven’t made a lot of blog entries about her. She’s hard ‘competition’ for any writer, but she’s also incredibly generous with encouragement and great advice. Take a read here:

What do you feel got you published, and published well, that the other writers could do?

Characters, for sure. I am a firm believer that you could tell the same story over and over again as long as you had quirky, three-dimensional characters for each one. I mean, look at fairy tale retellings. How many times have we heard Cinderella? It’s not the plot that matters -- well, I mean, it does, but not as much as new writers think it does. It’s the players on the stage.

I always use the TV show House as an example for this. It always has interesting plots about people with gross diseases that nobody else can figure out, but nobody cares about that. What everyone cares about is what snarky thing House said in this particular episode and whose personal life he is lambasting these days. Character is king.

Assuming you have had ‘bad’ times as a writer – doubts, questioning, etc.. – how do you deal with that?

Actually, I had the opposite problem. Especially as a teen, I thought my writing was great. I had to grow up and shove that aside to improve, because deep down inside, I really didn't think I needed to. Now, the doubts I have aren't in regards to my writing, but to individual projects. Is this plot working? Are these characters likable? Is this going to be a good follow up to my last novel? I usually work these things out by brainstorming (this is a nice way of saying lying on my floor staring at the ceiling and listening to music) or by talking with my two critique partners. Getting perspective is a wonderful thing.

What inspired you to write Shiver?

I would like to say that I was inspired to write Shiver by some overwhelming belief in true love, but here’s my true confession. I wrote Shiver because I like to make people cry. I had just finished reading The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger for the second time, and I cried for the second time. I should tell everyone now that I am not a big crier at books. I am kind of a serial career non-crier actually. If you look up ‘schadenfreude’ on Wikipedia, you’ll see a picture of me with a snide smile on my face. And so the fact that this book had made me cry not once but twice, and not just cry but storm around the house doing the seven stages of grief, it really kind of inspired in me this desire to do the same thing to other people. With Shiver, I wanted to write a book that would make someone sneak a peek of it in their cubicle, and then mascara would run down their face, and they could shake their fist at the sky and curse me to the heavens.



About how long was the process from your idea, to the writing, to editing, until you saw Shiver in your hands?

Timeline:

Month 1: Idea! Whoohoo! Working on the logic. Writing the first fifty pages all in a rush.
Month 2: Who are these people? Why are they in my book?
Month 3: I love these people. Although there may be more nookie than I anticipated.
Month 4: I think I just cried at my own book. I have to put this down now.
Month 5: Finished. I think this is the best think I have ever written.
Month 6: Waiting for my agent to read; finding out that she cried as well; tweaking some scenes with her.
Month 7: Submission time. Chew fingers down to fists. Wild auction for book! Maggie is never sleeping again!
Month 8: Editors working on edit letters. Maggie is happily cheating on SHIVER with another book while waiting.
Month 9-14: Intensive edits and line edits. Maggie longingly imagines rough-drafting again.
Month 15: Page proofs! That almost look like a book!
Month 16: Advanced Review Copies! Finally . . . this may be a real book some day. Maggie feels compelled to read her own novel again. Hey, it’s better when it looks like a book!
Month 17: Rumors of finished copies floating around . . .
Month 18: Release date and a real book. Ta-Da!

Was the process harder than you thought it was going to be?

The editing process was a lot more rigorous than I had gone through with my previous books, but SHIVER was also going to be under a lot more scrutiny as a lead title for one of the big publishers. It had to go out with zippo plot holes and tight, tight prose. I have never worked so hard, scrutinizing every word -- but it was worth it.

What was the hardest part for you?

Whoops. Did I already answer this? The editing was tough. I love drafting.

And what did you do to deal with it?

The old butt-in-chair routine. Especially with edits, that are more hard work than creativity, the only way they get done is by . . . well . . . doing them. I also was writing weekly short stories for Merry Sisters of Fate at the same time, so I got to keep my creative juices flowing too.

I hear you are working on another book with the Shiver characters – Linger? – are there plans for more books?

Yep. It’ll be a trilogy. I can’t tell you anything else about it!


Do you feel Shiver is going to be compared to other books in the marketplace now?

I think it’s inevitable. Every paranormal romance is compared to TWILIGHT these days -- even LAMENT, my debut, which has homicidal faeries rather than vampires, got compared to TWILIGHT. And SHIVER has werewolves, which TWILIGHT also has. I don’t think it’s a terrible comparison, mostly because I can see readers of TWILIGHT enjoying SHIVER. But I think, thematically, they’re wildly different. In TWILIGHT, the danger comes from a forbidden love where the relationship itself is fraught with the threat of death. SHIVER is a love story as well, but it’s not love that can hurt them -- it’s the oncoming winter and the wolves in the woods. The fact that the threat is external instead of implicit in the relationship makes it a completely different kind of book.


What inspires you to keep writing?

Oh man, this is like asking a dog why it chases cars. I have always written, ever since I was a tiny little munchkin. I’ve wanted to be a novelist for as long as I can remember. I don’t think I can not write. I used to go for a few months without writing a rough draft, and after awhile, it would just bust out of me like an itch I needed scratch, tens of thousands of words that had been waiting to come out.

So . . . compulsion? Psychosis? Neurosis? A manic muse? One of those.

What would you like to have known, do you wish someone had told you, when you first started this writing journey?

“You’re only as good of a writer as you are a reader.”
“Don’t let ego get in the way of a good critique.”
“Character, Maggie, character.”
And “stop revising that horrible book, The Winding River, that you started when you were 14. It’s never going to go anywhere, it’s just a bad idea. Just put the manuscript down slowly and back away . . . “

Shiver your way through August heat

Take a break from the sweltering August heat and pick up a copy of Maggie Stiefvater’s new book ‘Shiver.’

You won’t regret your reading experience.

From the beginning to the end, Maggie brings you into the world of Grace and Sam. With sight, and sound, texture and feel, Maggie weaves you into the world they inhabit that will satisfy readers whether they normally read fantasy genre or not. For those that do regularly read fantasy there’s enough out-of-normalness to keep you entertained, but for those that don’t read fantasy she keeps it real enough and so plausible to make you want to look around at people and wonder.

Maggie’s first book, “Lament – The Faerie Queen’s Deception” is also a good book along those lines. Yes, it deals with homicidal faeries which I mostly hope we don’t really encounter that much, but Maggie does a good job of keeping it ‘real’ enough to believe it could be possible.

As you read them you will see Maggie’s growth as a writer. And makes you anticipate seeing her new books in both of the series.

As a writer I admired her writing for its vivid use of sight, sound, and feel. As a reader I was caught up in the bittersweet story that had its moments of humor and heart.

As both a reader and a writer it is easy to get caught up in Maggie’s easy flow of words and characters that are so well written that even the secondary characters stand out and make it hard to wait for the next book to tell you what you didn’t find out here. And Isabel will manage to kick you if you don’t agree. She will be peeved that you are ruining her expensive shoes but she won’t be afraid to use them on you. Okay, so obviously you need to read the book to see what I mean. But Isabel also offers the humor needed to give a bit of relief from the taut tension that Maggie seems to effortlessly create.

And since the hard thing about reviews is to talk open and honestly about a story yet not spoil the fun for the new readers, I’ll just say that I think a Lot of people will enjoy this book. Maggie’s expressive taut writing will captivate the writers, her descriptive imagery will captivate the reader. This book will touch the heart of both.

And like this passage in the very early pages of the book demonstrates, it did:

“…. Behind the counter, I slouched on my stool in the sun and sucked in the summer as if I could hold every drop of it inside of me. As the hours crept by, the afternoon sunlight bleached all the books on the shelves to pale, gilded versions of themselves and warmed the paper and ink inside the covers so that the smell of unread words hung in the air.

This is what I loved, when I was human.”

For those intrigued enough to come back tomorrow I will be posting an Interview with Maggie!

So do come back tomorrow and also be sure to visit the James River Writers website and check out the Conference where you can meet and talk with Maggie for yourself in October. And have her sign your very own copy of Shiver. So pick it up and have it help you stay cool until then.

http://jamesriverwriters.org/jrw_programs/conference/

We sure hope to see you there!

Storytellers weave life as a story

Tell me a story.

That’s what people really want to hear. Something beyond their own day to day existence that clicks by without even an audible sound. Would it be easier if the days clicked off like the pieces on a game board with a resounding snap? Even if not a loud sound, would that feel more real somehow than the mind numbing sameness of days flowing by without end? Quicker than what we can grasp and hold in our hands, flowing through our fingers faster than liquid thinner than tears.

I think people want to be transported some way. Out of the humdrum sameness of what they know and live and into someone else’s life, universe, or mind. Not that we actually want to be there, or can even be there. But that’s okay, we can stay safe in our own homes, curled up, comfortable and secure. Or be in a place where we want to escape, need to escape, and the only way is through our dreams, and other people’s dreams, and stories.

Yes, people want to hear stories. Whether told by master storytellers by writing on a page or whispered directly to the ear, the words they use should end up somewhere near the heart. A true storyteller transcends the form and goes directly to the heart, soul, and mind.

Tell me a story. It doesn’t have to be yours. It could be a character that’s shown up and won’t leave. I certainly have plenty of experience of those kind myself, peeking out at me from inner recesses of my brain, they brush their teeth and glare at me because I am taking so long to get to them and the story they want to tell me so I can tell it out. They reluctantly shuffle off muttering balefully at my slowness in getting to them and their reluctance to believe I will eventually get to them, and their marvelously compelling story they began to tell me.

Tell me a story. No, it doesn’t have to be yours. It just has to seem real enough to transport us from where we are, and entertain, amuse, or move us in some way.

A true storyteller does all these things. And there are some Great storytellers in the Richmond area, including a lot that volunteer and keep James River Writers going, such as, to mention just a few, Emyl Jenkins, Gigi Amateau, etc…. And they have new books out so be sure to take a look and immerse yourself – place yourself in their very capable storytelling hands. And then come to the James River Writers Conference this fall and meet them, and other wonderful storytellers, such as area hit, Maggie Stiefvater.

Maggie Stiefvater started her storytelling skills with her first book “Lament” – after honing her well developed art and music skills - and continues in her latest book “Shiver” about Grace and Sam and cold and heat. Of all kinds. Join me this week as I dish my review of her book “Shiver” and post an interview of Questions and Answers and all things Maggie. Okay, so she’s just Way too talented to be confined by that sentence even, so let me just say I’ll be posting a review of her new book ‘Shiver, posting some Maggie Answers, and …well, we’ll have to see what else Maggie shows up, won’t we. Stay tuned.

Are We Writers?

Are we still writers when we haven’t had time to really write?

Of course I’m not talking about writing out checks and bills and such, although that can be a creative endeavor all itself nowadays with the economy such as it is, can’t it?

I’m talking about the pull of everyday life on the creative time of a person either choosing, or being compelled, to write, and trying to do it for a living. And couple that with trying to also be a part of the writing community of James River Writers and helping with that --- which I will put a plug in here, if you are not a part of it, consider joining And volunteering to help JRW. There’s a Lot of good writers here willing to help, but it is Volunteers we are talking about, and we all have ‘real’ lives as well, filled with overgrown to-do lists and economic concerns. From those that are published that are so generous with giving their advice and help to the rest of us, to the ones like me still working toward that goal, we all are, writers. Well, as I was saying at the beginning of this, most of us are. I’ve been struggling with the things that have to be done lately so much the only really creative writing I’ve really done lately has been in my head. [I swear all my reports and bill paying have been accurate, not ‘creative’!]

Course writing in the head only works so far. Or in my case, in my head, it has. Afraid I’ve dozed off in mid-character rant sometimes. I get still to think, and thunk, head down eyes closed. Hey, it’s not like those characters have been all that cooperative with me! They’ve stalked and pranced and growled away from me often enough with me trying desperately to write down their story. – and I use the term growl here just as a descriptive term, my characters don’t really do that. But Maggie Stiefvater’s characters from her new book “Shiver” do! And you’ll have to stay turned to this week’s blog posts to read more on that. I Promise there will be more blog posts this week! There might be more writing on blogs than character story telling-writing, but hey, they’ll just have to live with it. I’ve lived with their finicky snarly behavior much longer than I thought I was going to. Hmmmm, wonder if Maggie has a cage big enough to constrain my characters too? Maybe I should go check. :::grin::::