Each Moment is the Universe

Life moves on without a pause.

Each Moment is the Universe from bruce thierry on Vimeo.

Everyone's Got An Idea...

"The ideas aren't that important. Really they aren't. Everyone's got an idea for a book, a movie, a story, a TV series." 

-Neil Gaiman

I think this is something we all need to remember... You must act on these ideas, write the stories you think of, mold and perfect your art-- never stop creating!  (That being said, I really don't think I'm going to get to the 50k for NaNo this year.  Dammmmmmit.)

Also-- has anyone else noticed this?  When you tell someone that you're a writer, 8 out of 10 times they will remark that they have the "perfect idea for a book," and that they can tell you "the idea and you can just write it for me."  Um, no thank you-- I'll write my own books, thank you very much.  You can't make this stuff up.

Memes & "Temes"

No... not memes as in the hilarious internet sensations-- though this is where the name originated (I am ASSuming.)  I'm talking about memetics- the theory of mental content which is capable of being copied from one person's memory to the next and so on.  (Somewhat evolutionary.)  Anyway-- after taking a break from writing, I stumbled across an anazing TED Talk with Susan Blackmore,

"Susan Blackmore studies memes -- those self-replicating "life forms" that spread themselves via human consciousness. We're now headed, she believes, toward a new form of meme, spread by the technology we've created."

Anyway-- I found it to be mind blowing/thought provoking/perfect for keeping the mind stimulated whilst partaking in a novel writing break.  (I'm at 20k + for myword count for NaNo-- means I'm projected to get to 50k by December 7th if the same pace continues.  AKA- Not making me a NaNo winner.  Hopefully I'll just have a day when the kids decide to nap and let me write for a solid 12 hours straight.  HAHA YEAH RIGHT.)

Anyway, here's the video.  (Which I ironically viewed from my iPhone.  I must get rid of this temptress.  It's the work of the devil I tell ya.)  Hope it rocks your socks off.

Blogspiration : Everything in Life is Art

Blogspiration is a new weekly meme hosted by GrowingUpYA and Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers and writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video  is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation or just a little SOMETHING.

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Being a writer, you find yourself paying attention to the little things about people; their character "quirks."  The way the cashier at the grocery flares his nostrils with each vowel sound, the three stray hairs that reside between your brother-in-laws very prominent set of eyebrows, the way your best friend always smells of Zest bar soap and maple syrup.  

Sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed at the sensory overload that goes hand in hand with being a writer and living life--  you don't just see things like sunshine, you note the way it feels on your skin (a bit warmer on the top of your head), the shadows it creates on certain buildings and not others, the way you emotionally respond to it....  It never ends.  

Each life experience is valuable when it comes to writing.  It is something to fold up neatly, place in the pocket of your brain and use at a later time.  I hope to never stop experiencing life on such an intense, microscopic, emotion-driven level.  I need to do a better job of reminding myself of this when it seems like my brain just won't shut off.  Because it is quite the gift, no?

Five Sentence Fiction

I decided to participate in Lillie McFerrin's Five Sentence Fiction this week!

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week I will post a one word inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word. The word does not have to appear in your five sentences, just use it for direction.

This week: BUSINESS

source

Kim clenched her fists, inhaling and exhaling with quick, deep breaths.  It was just a matter of time before her mind would talk her out of it, convincing her that the dangers were far too great.  She counted backwards from five, her mouth tasting each syllable with slow delicacy.  Without hesitation, she jumped from the bridge-- a small wire separating her from life and death.  The cord passed inspection.

Get it?  She's in the business of testing bungee cords.

Weeeeeeeeee.  Told ya, NaNoWriMo ate my brain.

NaNoWriMo Zombie

BRAAAAAAAINS.

I am a NaNoWriMo Zombie-- NaNoWriMo ate my brain.  Rrraaaaaaaaaaah.

I'm a couple thousand words behind as of today-- and, I'm not sure if I'll make it.  (Fuuuuuuk.)

Why?  Well, my beautiful daughter turned 5 years old today!  (Time goes by so very, very fast!)  And-- my Mom (whom I hadn't seen in nearly 2 years!) is also visiting.  So, finding time to write over the next few days will be quite... impossible.

Hopefully I'll have a few moments of quiet like I've had tonight.  (Everyone in the house was in bed by 9:30 = over 2 hours of solid writing time!)  But, now I'm pretty freaking exhausted...  As in, staring at the screen, no longer writing anything productive.  Though my brain is still on overload and I'm now in insomniac mode.  Ugh.

I saw this on Pinterest-- and I loved it:

Source: amandaonwriting.tumblr.com via Azia on Pinterest

It's those conversations that keep me up at night!  AHHHH!

I think I'm going to lay in bed and attempt to count sheep!  Baaaah!

Wanted : Virtual Book Discussion

Hey guys!  Last year I read this awesome book:

source

The book is about what its title suggests-- a close examination of the "girly-girl" culture and the effects that it is having on our children.

"With the keen perceptions of a seasoned journalist, the emotional investment of a mother, and a wittiness that’s all her own, Orenstein ventures to the land of Disney and American Girl Place, visits the toy industry’s largest trade show, even braves a Miley Cyrus concert. She talks with historians, marketers, psychologists, neuroscientists, parents, and children themselves. She returns to the original fairy tales, seeks out girls’ virtual presence online, and ponders the meaning of child beauty pageants. In the process, she faces down her own confusion as a mother and woman about issues that rearing a girl raise about her own femininity." (source)

Interesting stuff, right?  Well, when I  previously read it, I read it on my own and I desperately wanted someone to talk to as I went through it.  I am in a mood to soon revisit it (after NaNo of course and after I've finished The Bible According to Mark Twain.)

My question is this: is anyone else interested in also reading the book?  We can discuss, dissect, and bounce ideas off of each other.  Andie @Inspiration Strikes in the Kneecaps and my friend, Krista have already decided they'd like to read the book-- it would be awesome if you'd join us.  Depending on how many people show interest- we can either create a message board, email chain, etc.

Shoot me an email or leave a comment if it's something you'd be interested in!

Insecure Writers Support Group (Blog Hop)

Today I'm participating in the ((Insecure Writer's Support Group)) -- click the image above to check out other people's entries!

Since it's November- it's also NaNoWriMo-- and boy oh boy!  If the task of getting 50,000 words down in one month isn't enough to make you an insecure, nervous wreck-- I don't know what is!  Being a writer takes work-- it takes WRITING.  When you have two kids, finding the time to write isn't as easy as it sounds.  

On the days that I don't get the chance to write a smidgeon of my WIP (writing for my 2 blogs does not count as "writing" time for me)--I feel like a failure.  Thoughts of doubt race into my brain, "How am I going to do this?"  But, then I remind myself-- I'm 26 years old.  I have a lot of time in my life to dedicate to writing.  A lot of time.  And, not everyday is going to be a day that I can get down everything I want.

You can't write a novel overnight- and like Hemmingway said- "The first draft of anything is shit."  But, I want to hit the 50,000 word count for NaNo BADLY! (Is it for gratification purposes?  I don't know-- but it would be pretty awesome to see a NaNoWriMo winner badge over on that side bar!)  

Plus-- I just want to get all of these words out of my head!  Somedays I'm such a terrible listener because I'm working out dialogue or plot ideas... I just need to find the dang time to get them out.  Luckily my friend Sarah gave me a tape recorder-- so the days I can't sit down and write it out, I can talk into the recorder quickly and listen to it later.

Not only am I afraid that I'll never find the time to finish a novel-- I'm also afraid that my story will be completely uninteresting/horrible.  I'm currently writing a dystopian YA Adam & Eve story for NaNo-- and after that, I plan on writing a dystopian story about the split of the USA.  Gah.  (Yes- I was a Creative Writing major with a minor in Political Science for this very reason!)

Writing makes me nervous and anxious-- yet, also makes me feel alive.  Now I know why they say all writers are crazy.  

“So what? All writers are lunatics!”  -Cornelia Funke

(embrace it)

Tenth Post? Ever?

Welp-- last night after working on my NaNo novel, Garrett and I had a looooooong talk.  It was very much needed.  It was mostly focused around social media, anxiety, etc.  Then, we started talking about this very blog.

I realized that this blog really had no purpose, it was mostly up for self gratification purposes... And, well... that's pretty lame.

I want to use this blog to connect with other writers and discuss more art and literature based content.  That's it.  None of that other stuff I sometimes wrote about.

So, I archived all of my previous posts- minus a few I think stick to my main focus and, I'm starting back at square one..  Yay for new beginnings!