I'll be honest, I don't like swearing. It's just not for me. But sometimes it does slip out. oops. When it comes out by accident, it can be really funny. For instance, my daughter and I were driving down the road and we saw a police had pulled someone over and was in the process of writing them a ticket. I started to say, "I bet they're just kicking themselves." But in my mind the word "shooting" was also there. So, of course, something else came out that combined the two words. It started with "sh" took on the vowel sound of "i" and finished with "ting". My daughter's eyes bugged out and I thought she wouldn't stop laughing for the rest of the day. (I must admit that I was right there with her.) Funny, funny, funny.
I honestly don't mind if other people swear. It really doesn't bother me until they drop the "f bomb" or take the Lord's name in vain. That is what I find offensive. In fact, after my nephew read my first book (he is one of my alpha readers), he said to me, "How in the he__ did you think of this? Holy sh__ your characters have cool powers." hahahahaha So funny!
Stephen King in his book "On Writing" stated that in order to make credible and believable characters, you have to have them in their setting by talking like them, dressing like them and acting like them, even if that's opposite of how you personally are. (Think sophisticated, high society lady and how she would talk, dress and act and put her as a fisherman in the ocean, hauling in nets of fish, gutting them, being smelly etc. It doesn't fit.) But I still struggle with saying the words that I find truly offensive. And let's face it, most "bad guys" don't have clean language.
Here's my dilemma - how can I have my "bad guys" swear in my books without having underlines to finish spelling the words that I can't force myself to say, even if it's in character? Aauuggghhhh!!!!!
So here's what I did - I made up my own world, it is a fantasy afterall, and I've come up with my own form of swear words. How could I possibly be offended with "motherless donkey" or "Holy shades of heaven" or "you dog-licking..." or "sour goat's milk in a bottle"? You get the picture. And you know what? It's been really fun. Who knew swearing could be so entertaining?
Just remember that if you see me walking down the street and I stub my toe on a rock, don't be surprised if you hear a stream of profanity spilling from my lips. It would probably sound something like this - "Why you baby drooling piece of horse dropping, what the rancid piece of bacon do you think you're doing?" Just don't wash my mouth out with soap. That stuff tastes like curdled dog vomit. See? Fun, huh?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Perfect Day
When is the ideal time to write? Morning? Afternoon? Evening? I guess it all depends on whether you're a morning person or a night owl, and when you are the most productive and energetic. Don't forget your work schedule, that also affects your writing time, and after all, you've got to eat!
In a perfect world, my day would go something like this: after getting the kids out the door at 6:45 for school, I would curl up on the couch or snuggle down in my rocking chair with my pencil and notebook and write for an hour. Yes, I write longhand. If you want to know why I choose that over the computer, check out my previous post. Then I'd fix breakfast for myself. No, I don't eat with the kids, that's just too early in the morning for my stomach to deal with food. Then comes exercise and showers and another two hours of writing. Next is lunch and doing the household chores: picking up around the house, laundry, errands, work a bit, plan and fix dinner etc. No writing in the afternoon for me, because honestly, if I sit down for any reason, I lose all energy and would probably fall asleep. If that happened, because of my insomnia, I'd be awake all night and the next day I couldn't function properly. (Though on those nights, I do take advantage and write for most of the night)
After dinner at 6:00, while the kids are doing homework, I'd write some more before and after my t.v. shows. I admit there are some shows I like to watch and I schedule my time accordingly. Then at about 10:30 I'd brush my teeth and get ready for bed.
But this is not a perfect world and things rarely go as planned. For one thing, my husband and I run our own business from home and our work schedule is never the same one day to the next. Some days our appointments start at 7:00am and on those days I do have to eat breakfast early. YUCK!!! When I meet with clients, I work around their schedule and location, though sometimes they do come to my place.On production days we are in the shop for hours at a time, sometimes days at a time, until all orders are completed. Some days that goes until bedtime, or later, breaking only for meals and family obligations.
My husband is such a sweetie that he takes the brunt of the workload, allowing me to squeeze in more writing time. (It also helps that he doesn't mind the computer, and you KNOW how computers and I get along - not very well!). He does all the lay-out of artwork for products and apparel and runs the embroidery machines, which are controlled by computers, whereas I do all the trimming and work the heat press for the heat applied graphics.
On days where it's a heavy workload - with either appointments or production - I feel lucky to squeeze in 15 minutes of writing time. Please don't think that I am complaining, because I'm not. I love my life and feel very fortunate that I am able to work with my husband. I'm finding out that most people couldn't work with their spouses and I find that very sad. I love the time I'm able to spend with John, working side by side, because we have so much fun and get along so well.
Besides work, there is family and church time: carpools, music lessons, band concerts (between my two kids in band, there are 7 bands/orchestras they are part of), grocery shopping, cooking and church work (I work with the teenagers so I meet with them for lessons on Sundays and have a weekly activity with them). Forget about cleaning, I gave that up long ago; the kids are responsible for that. Plus throw in a writer's meeting/conference once or twice a month, and you have an average life for yours truly.
With all that going on, it's hard to have that "perfect/ideal" day that the schedule just falls into place. But when it happens, wow! Those are the days to make the most of.
So whether it's the morning, evening or the occasional afternoon that I can work on my craft, I feel is the ideal time to write. Because let's face it - if it's writing time, it's the perfect time. Life doesn't get much better than that!
In a perfect world, my day would go something like this: after getting the kids out the door at 6:45 for school, I would curl up on the couch or snuggle down in my rocking chair with my pencil and notebook and write for an hour. Yes, I write longhand. If you want to know why I choose that over the computer, check out my previous post. Then I'd fix breakfast for myself. No, I don't eat with the kids, that's just too early in the morning for my stomach to deal with food. Then comes exercise and showers and another two hours of writing. Next is lunch and doing the household chores: picking up around the house, laundry, errands, work a bit, plan and fix dinner etc. No writing in the afternoon for me, because honestly, if I sit down for any reason, I lose all energy and would probably fall asleep. If that happened, because of my insomnia, I'd be awake all night and the next day I couldn't function properly. (Though on those nights, I do take advantage and write for most of the night)
After dinner at 6:00, while the kids are doing homework, I'd write some more before and after my t.v. shows. I admit there are some shows I like to watch and I schedule my time accordingly. Then at about 10:30 I'd brush my teeth and get ready for bed.
But this is not a perfect world and things rarely go as planned. For one thing, my husband and I run our own business from home and our work schedule is never the same one day to the next. Some days our appointments start at 7:00am and on those days I do have to eat breakfast early. YUCK!!! When I meet with clients, I work around their schedule and location, though sometimes they do come to my place.On production days we are in the shop for hours at a time, sometimes days at a time, until all orders are completed. Some days that goes until bedtime, or later, breaking only for meals and family obligations.
My husband is such a sweetie that he takes the brunt of the workload, allowing me to squeeze in more writing time. (It also helps that he doesn't mind the computer, and you KNOW how computers and I get along - not very well!). He does all the lay-out of artwork for products and apparel and runs the embroidery machines, which are controlled by computers, whereas I do all the trimming and work the heat press for the heat applied graphics.
On days where it's a heavy workload - with either appointments or production - I feel lucky to squeeze in 15 minutes of writing time. Please don't think that I am complaining, because I'm not. I love my life and feel very fortunate that I am able to work with my husband. I'm finding out that most people couldn't work with their spouses and I find that very sad. I love the time I'm able to spend with John, working side by side, because we have so much fun and get along so well.
Besides work, there is family and church time: carpools, music lessons, band concerts (between my two kids in band, there are 7 bands/orchestras they are part of), grocery shopping, cooking and church work (I work with the teenagers so I meet with them for lessons on Sundays and have a weekly activity with them). Forget about cleaning, I gave that up long ago; the kids are responsible for that. Plus throw in a writer's meeting/conference once or twice a month, and you have an average life for yours truly.
With all that going on, it's hard to have that "perfect/ideal" day that the schedule just falls into place. But when it happens, wow! Those are the days to make the most of.
So whether it's the morning, evening or the occasional afternoon that I can work on my craft, I feel is the ideal time to write. Because let's face it - if it's writing time, it's the perfect time. Life doesn't get much better than that!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Why I Write in Long-Hand
Yes, I write in long-hand. My family and writing friends always laugh at me when they find out. They say it's so much faster and easier to write while sitting at the computer, and they're probably right, but there are a few really good reasons why I don't change. First of all, I learned to write in long-hand. Yes, I know you can always teach an old dog new tricks, but I'm fighting this one. It feels fabulous circling whole paragraphs at a time and moving them with an arrow to where you want them to go. Crossing out entire sections can be exhilirating! And it's really fun moving things all around on paper and seeing all the changes taking place as you polish your work. Before you say anything, I do know about, and have done, cut & paste, delete, and other computer stuff; it's just not as fun. You see, I can curl up on my couch, or rock in my rocking chair with my notebook and write away! I have also been known to write while sitting in the sauna. Talk about heaven! Then after I make changes on paper, I type it in the computer, making small changes as I go along. Then, after I print it all up, I check for typos the computer didn't find, and make more changes. Back to the computer to make the next set of changes. I do this over and over until I am happy with my work.
Secondly, if you look at my very first thing I wrote in my blog, technology stresses me out! I can't seem to think while sitting at the computer. Things flip around so fast and things pop up that I don't know what they mean and I get flustered. Now, computers are wonderful, and I really like what they can do, I just don't want to have to use them to do everything. Besides, if I sit at the computer for longer than an hour, I tend to get a headache. I have tried all kinds of positions for the screen, chair and keyboard, nothing seems to help.The reason, I think, is that I have overly sensitive ears. The steady hum of the fans start to pierce into my brain and it feels like my head is in a vise. That is the true reason I can't think while sitting at the computer. I've even tried earplugs. Talk about horrible! I don't know how people can wear them. Besides, I like to lean back while I read or write, but if I sit at the computer, I tend to lean forward. True, my computer chair leans back, and I use it when I have to take a break. I lean back and stretch, popping my back in the process, and reduce the sound of the computer fans searing into my brain.
So, like it or not, until I get an absolutely silent computer, I will be writing long-hand and then typing it into the computer in short 45 minute bursts. And I'll be taking my notebook with me where ever I go as I wait for the kids: car pool, lessons, games etc. Hey, it works for me!
Secondly, if you look at my very first thing I wrote in my blog, technology stresses me out! I can't seem to think while sitting at the computer. Things flip around so fast and things pop up that I don't know what they mean and I get flustered. Now, computers are wonderful, and I really like what they can do, I just don't want to have to use them to do everything. Besides, if I sit at the computer for longer than an hour, I tend to get a headache. I have tried all kinds of positions for the screen, chair and keyboard, nothing seems to help.The reason, I think, is that I have overly sensitive ears. The steady hum of the fans start to pierce into my brain and it feels like my head is in a vise. That is the true reason I can't think while sitting at the computer. I've even tried earplugs. Talk about horrible! I don't know how people can wear them. Besides, I like to lean back while I read or write, but if I sit at the computer, I tend to lean forward. True, my computer chair leans back, and I use it when I have to take a break. I lean back and stretch, popping my back in the process, and reduce the sound of the computer fans searing into my brain.
So, like it or not, until I get an absolutely silent computer, I will be writing long-hand and then typing it into the computer in short 45 minute bursts. And I'll be taking my notebook with me where ever I go as I wait for the kids: car pool, lessons, games etc. Hey, it works for me!
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