It's Been Awhile

I haven't felt like writing in awhile. I have a long "to do" list and I was getting very discouraged. Plus, I felt stuck, paralyzed, afraid to move ahead. Instead, I was focusing on work and places in my life where I felt I was more successful and could see instantly my goals being met. Ugh! But now that RWA Conference is coming up and after having spoken to a fellow writer, who was very encouraging today, I'm getting back in the swing of things again. I'm getting my mojo back. Whoo Hoo!

And to celebrate my mojo being reawaken, I'm copying some quotes from one of my favorite silver screen actresses. More to come later on the writing front...

From Mae West, the queen of the double entendré:

A dame that knows the ropes isn't likely to get tied up.

Ten men waiting for me at the door? Send one of them home, I'm tired.

A man has one hundred dollars and you leave him with two dollars, that's subtraction.

A woman in love can't be reasonable - or she probably wouldn't be in love.

Any time you've got nothing to do and lots of time to do it come on up.

Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.

Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.

Cultivate your curves - they may be dangerous but they won't be avoided.

It is better to be looked over than overlooked.

Don't keep a man guessing too long - he's sure to find the answer somewhere else.

She's the kind of girl who climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong.

Don't marry a man to reform him - that's what reform schools are for.

Every man I meet wants to protect me. I can't figure out what from.

Say what you want about long dresses, but they cover a multitude of shins.

Opportunity knocks for every man, but you have to give a woman a ring.

Save a boyfriend for a rainy day - and another, in case it doesn't rain.

Give a man a free hand and he'll run it all over you.

He's the kind of man a woman would have to marry to get rid of.

His mother should have thrown him out and kept the stork.

One and one is two, and two and two is four, and five will get you ten if you know how to work it.

Love thy neighbor - and if he happens to be tall, debonair and devastating, it will be that much easier.

I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it.

I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.

I like restraint, if it doesn't go too far.

I'll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure.

I only like two kinds of men, domestic and imported.

When I'm good I'm very, very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better.

I've been things and seen places.

Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.

When women go wrong, men go right after them.

Inspiration

I've haven't been feeling very inspired lately to write. Usually, I get inspired by reading books or critiquing others' stories. I've been feeling blah and can't seem to shake it. Hence, the not blogging for whole month thing. Geesh ... has it really been over a month? Time is going by way too quickly.

One of things I've been doing with my spare time to get inspiration is to read Discover magazines and watch the Science Channel. They tend to dumb-down the discoveries and breakthroughs so even I can understand the concepts. :) Writing about people with special powers and adventures in the unknown, I've found a lot of inspiration from watching and reading about developments in science. Here are a few tidbits that may get you started:

1. Some people are chimeras. They have two different sets of DNA in different parts of their bodies. For example, a person's blood may test with different DNA than strands of their hair. This discovery could potentially shake up the world of DNA paternity testing and testing criminals for guilt. It's a small percentage of the population, but wouldn't it be interesting to have a villain who gets away with the crime because he is a chimera?
2. There are people who truly have "special abilities." Many people can see and taste sound. Different sounds, whether it be a person speaking or a piano playing, form bands of color variations which they can see. Likewise, these sounds can produce a sour, sweet, or even bitter taste in their mouths. There is a man who can survive extreme cold by actually heightening his body temperature to withstand the cold.
   
3. Currently, scientists in other countries are working on chimeras—cross-breeding species. They hope to enhance the abilities that certain animals possess and breed those genes into humans to help them overcome diseases. Can we say also see potential military use here?
   
4. Scientists are playing around with the theory of programmable matter.
5. They have now implanted a microchip into a mouse's head, which allows someone to control the mouse's movements via a remote control. They hope to use this technology when a building collapses to find anyone trapped, since mice can maneuver in tight spaces. Hmmm ... I wonder if this can be used on a human?

I've been clipping a ton of articles and assembling a binder of ideas. You never know what you might learn.

25 Random Things About Surefire

So my CP Karmela challenged me to write 25 random things (from the insanity that is Facebook) about my character Surefire in the story I'm currently revising. So here goes ... I'm channeling Surefire as I type. :)

1. My mom is a former Olympic gymnist and my father is a retired general.
2. At 16, I broke my nose and leg and dislocated my right knee when I missed on the balance beam during the Olympic trails.
3. I have a twin sister Heather.
4. I have two different colored eyes: one green, the other blue.
5. I don't like cats, especially my sister's.
6. I graduated from University of Maryland College Park with a degree in Criminology.
7. For the first time when I was 18, I played a shooting game at a carnival and didn't miss a shot. I then tried out the dart game and the watergun balloon game and won everytime. It was then that I started to realize I had a special talent.
   
8. My talent is that I can hit an object with a gun or any weapon. I never miss my mark.
9. After college, I was recruited by Ultra Security (U-Sec)—a private security company specializing in preternatural crimes.
   
10. I hate health food, expecially grapefruit, yogurt, and spinach salads. When I was in gymnastics, I wan't allowed to eat any sweets or fast food to stay thin and in shape. Now I splurge on fast food and Mexican food in particular.
    
11. I love chips and queso dip.
12. If I could date any Hollywood celebrity it would be Gerard Butler. I've seen 300 about 15 times.
    
13. I'm 5'2" and people underestimate me because of my height, which I use to my advantage.
14. I love action and mob films.
    
15. Secretly, I want to be a Bond girl.
16. CSI is my favorite show.
17. I love challenging men that I meet to play against me in shooting games at the arcade or on the Playstation. I love watching their faces when I beat them.
18. I was brought up on classical music and opera, which is what my parents prefered. After my accident, I started listening to grunge, rock, and some alternative music.
19. I love to dance, but mostly I do it in my room by myself. I hate going out to clubs and haven't had the time since I started working.
20. My favorite book is The Outsiders.
21. My favorite movie character is Trinity from The Matrix.
22. Right now, I'm focused on my career and don't have time for a relationship, so Heather please stop trying to set me up with your "friends."
    
23. I want a Great Dane someday.
24. I punched the creator of Girls Gone Wild when he asked me to show my breasts at a bar during college.
25. I was in jail overnight for stealing a CD at a mall when I was in high school. My father made them hold me overnight. I never stole anything again. It was the worse night of my life.
    

Vote, if you please ... Part 2

Hey, Jessica Darago, local girl makes good, made it to the next round of RT's American Title contest. If you can, pop on over to their website and check out The Serpent's Tooth. She does an excellent job with dialogue and builds up heat just by a seemingly "innocent" touch. So hot! A little really can go a long way. :P

Okay, so I've been on Facebook way too much lately which has taken my time away from this blog. I really need to get back on track. I'm working on revisions to my latest story and working with a writing coach, which has been interesting. I feel like I'm back in school again. I spent about 8 hours on Saturday (missed a WRW workshop) to go through and figure out my character bios, story and character arcs, and themes. Of course, I spoke with her today and I still have much to hammer out, but the good news is that I believe everything is there. I just need to flush it all out. I'll write more about it in later posts. Hopefully, what I learn can help you as well. It's nice to get a different perspective and view your story in a different light.

A friend tagged me in Facebook with 10 songs I couldn't live without. It's really hard to narrow it down to 10, but many of these songs have also inspired me when I'm writing different scenes. A good friend will actually create soundtracks for his stories. I can't listen to music while I'm writing, but in the background I'm always wondering what music my characters would listen to. What would be their favorite songs? I'm a bit of a split personality when it comes to the music I love. But here's my list of songs I would be loathe to live without, in no particular order... maybe I might add this item to my character sketches.

1. Hazy Shade of Winter (The Bangles)

2. You Spin Me Right Round (Dead or Alive)

3. One (Metallica)

4. With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles)

5. The Ballad of John and Yoko (The Beatles)

6. Come Undone (Duran Duran)

7. Why Can't I Be You? (The Cure)

8. Heart Shaped Box (Nirvana)

9. Never Let Me Down Again (Depeche Mode)

10. Die, Die My Darling (The Misfits)

Gosh ... I'm such an 80s child!

What about you? What are you favorite songs? What kind of music would your characters listen to and what does that say about their personalities?

Vote, if you please ...

Had a very energetic and fun time at WRW's workshop on Saturday. Kathy Seidel, an excellent speaker and teacher and a writer as well. We discussed Pride and Prejudice and picked apart the different characters and relationships and what they meant in the book. It's interesting how perspectives can change, even after I've read the book a few times and seen the movies (particularly A&E) many, many times. Ahhh...

What's so great about these local workshops is catching up with fellow writers/friends and talking about our writing and where we're heading in our careers. It's so wonderful to chat with people, who understand what you're going through and to whom you can talk unabashedly about your writing without the obigatory, "So, are you published, yet?" or "That idea sucks. Maybe you should write something like Twilight." Or whatever someone who has not written a book and suffered the heartache and frustration of finding a publisher or agent would say.

It's always exciting to hear of fellow writers who have news of successes. Jessica Darago is one of those authors. Her book, The Serpant's Tooth, has reached the third round of American Title V, the Romantic Times unpublished author's contest. Readers vote on the best summary posted on RT's page: http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle3.php.

She's an fun and amazing person, and her story is unique and compelling. If you get a chance, pop on over and vote for a local girl and show your support for a new author. Help make an author's dream come true!!!!

A Horse is a PITA of Course

Well, I can cross off another thing on my "to do before I die" list. I went snowboarding with my hubby this week and actually did pretty good and even learned the technique of stopping myself with my butt. It's one the pros won't even attempt (bunch of wusses). Especially on ice and slush. I have the war wounds to prove it and I'm finally able to sit without a cushion. :)

I've been putting off my revisions. I'm just stuck. Stuck on revising the first chapter. Stuck on how much work it's going to take.

I was listening to these self-help CDs (Self-Discipline and Emotional Control) with my husband. For something that was supposed to teach you how to be calm, the author was somewhat spastic in his teaching methods. However, what I did get out of it was how everyone has a horse (a stubborn part) which is adverse to change and in avoiding change will make you feel uncomfortable about anything new and even lie to you to make you stay on the well-worn path he's used to. We're supposed to take the reigns of the horse and force it off the beaten path and into submission. We're supposed to take control of our emotions and not let them lead us down the wrong trail.

But it's not as easy as it sounds.

The one and only time I went horseback riding, my horse walked over to the corner of the fenced area and stood staring at a barrel of water at the other side. No matter how hard I tugged on the reins or tapped my heels into her side, she wouldn't take her eyes off of the water which was just out of reach on the other side of the fence.

I can feel that with all my stories. Every time I get a rejection and every time I am criticized, I hear the horse telling me that I'm a failure, that I am not good enough and that I will never be good enough, and that I will never live my dream of becoming a writer. I can physically feel myself being held back and unable to move.

And that is where I am now—immobile and hoping someone will move the barrel of water closer to me.

Slacker

Yes, I'm a total slacker lately with this blog. Christmas and all its festive activities came like a snowstorm in Las Vegas—sudden and catching me completely off guard in the midst of downing my third vodka tonic next to the pull while playing video poker.

So to all my friends out there I wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

To have a good send off to the old year, I wanted to point out how I'm hoping Evil Dead the Musical will come to my neck of the woods because that would really make 2009 for me. Yes, I'm a total sucker for musicals and horror movies, so this one really slays me both ways.

Also, my friend and fellow writer Karen turned me on to this site called The Editing Room. Essentially, people write and contribute scripts to movies—some are for horrible movies, some are just hated by the watcher—and they condense the movie down into a shorten version that gives you a true (and somewhat cynical) perspective of what the movie really is about. Think of it as a movie synopsis on crack. There are a few that I think pretty much nail the gist of the story, which is sad and funny at the same time. It doesn't say much about Hollywood's (or America's) taste in movies. I'll let you formulate your own opinions which ones those are ...

Enjoy!