Verbally Yours

As long as I'm doing nothing, why not blog? Weird how that word has been verbalized. To blog, Has blogged. Will blog.

I've got one more fiction-writing class to teach, and I think, among other things, I'll talk about verbs. If you write you tend to use a lot of them.


He ran off.
He dashed off.
He raced off.
He careened away.
He jolted away.
He hurtled off.

Very cool how a single word can increase or decrease intensity.

Verbs. Gotta love 'em.

Do you keep a list? Hate to admit it, but I do. Since I write a fair amount of action it's good to know you don't have to have your heroine "run" away constantly. She doesn't even have to jog or sprint. She can jolt, careen, or charge.

So, any listmakers out there?

If not, got any favorite verbs you'd like to share?

Red-Faced and Ashamed

Yes, I'm embarassed. It's been, what, a century since I last posted? Did you think I'd been captured by aliens? Had all my figers chopped off?

Wish I could say it was one or the other. Alas. It was only that I'm trying to write a new book (grrrr) and also teach a fiction-writing class, plan a retreat, and a wedding. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say I'm too busy to post. It's just that there's only so much room in the brain pan and most of it's already spoken for. Do you have a closet in your house where all the odds and ends, not to mention vital winter coats, boots and hats get stuffed? That's my brain.

Yada, yada, yada, whine, whine, whine.

I hate decisions. Do you? Making choices just about drives me crazy. Maybe it's the pisces in me--you know the 2 fish who insist on staring in opposite directions... Or maybe its the crazy person in me (hubby would vote for the latter...) but I'd rather do anything (okay, not folding laundry, but anything else...) than make a decision.

And the sick thing about writing--blog or book--not to mention planning--retreat or wedding--or even teaching is you HAVE to make decisions. Like every five minutes. What should I write about? What happens next? Should we have have cake or pie? Should we start at 5 or six? What the hell am I going to talk about in class today...

AAAACCCCKKKK!!!!!!

So I spend a lot--A LOT--of time doing nothing (re: knitting/watching TV/playing Collapse) rather than making important choices.

You see where this leads me. Nowhere. Which is why, I assume, you'll be seeing less and less of me here. At least until some of the above gets done and out of said brain space.

Or...maybe there's someone out there who wants to take over. Be Annie For A Day.

No, I wouldn't wish that on anyone...

But if there IS some hardy soul who wants to do some ghost writing....

She's Baaaack

Yes, I know, it's been a while. Y'all get tired of looking at that word of the week?

I have an excuse or two. I was in Florida last week. Blue skies, warm temps, ocean waves... yes, sigh, it's a dirty job but someone has to do it.

And I do have to write occasionally. There are such things as D-E-A-D-L-I-N-E-S. Shudder...

Anyway, enough with the past. Let's move on. Today I was at the doctor's for a routine appointment and shallow person that I am, I used the time in the waiting room to flip through a copy of Elle magazine. There was one of those celebrity interviews--celebrity fashion designer, that is--and the questions inspired me to do the same. So, here goes:

If you could morph into a heroine of one of your books, who would it be?
Well, who wouldn't want to be kick-ass Margo from Blackout--even without her memory? On the other hand, Rachel from Like a Knife really does good in the world. Alex from Tell Me No Lies is rich and beautiful, who wouldn't want that? Hmm...

If you could morph into a heroine of someone else's book, who would it be?
Probably Clare from Outlander. She's smart, confident, resourceful. AND (big plus here) she has Jamie.

What's your favorite color?
What's that got to do with anything? Okay, okay. Um...green. Pink. No, green.

If you could have someone else's body whose would it be?
Hugh Jackman. No contest.

Oh, you mean---yeah, yeah. I get it. Scarlett Johanssen. But only if she dyed her hair brown.

Who are your fantasy dinner party guests?
Flo Nightingale, George Elliott, Jane Austen, and Charlotte Bronte. We'd have tea.

Okay, now let's have dinner with some people who aren't dead.
Stephen Nichols, Ben Browder, Hugh Jackman, Joss Wheden and J. J. Abrams.

Hmm...dead are all women. Alive, all men. Some kind of hidden message there?

Whose wallet would you most like to steal?
Nora Roberts or John Grisham.

Whose diary would you most like to read?
My mother's. It might explain a few things...

What current trend would you like to see disappear?
Skinny jeans. Yes, I'm jealous.

If you weren't a writer, what would you be?
A slug. Or a cop. But probably a slug.

Favorite trend of all-time?
Going bra-less in the 60s.

Worst trend?
Sorry, guys, but I gotta say erotica. Not enough plot or characterization for me.

Always
Be kind.

Never
Use the phrase "we have to talk" in dialog. If someone is saying this, they ARE talking.