Inked

Isn't odd how once your mind is preoccupied with a certain idea that it keeps popping up in your daily life?

I've taken more notice of tattoos because of Noah in CBG and I'm surprised just how prevalent they are. The thing that has struck me most is there is no longer a "type" of guy who has them. The guy running shirtless--thanks for the view. The yuppie-ish dad pushing his toddler daughter in a stroller during a grocery store run. A lot of the patterns peeking out from shirtsleeves seem to be the result of the nineties barbed-wire armband craze. I wonder if they regret commiting something that's so prevalent now that it's no longer "cool".

It's funny how fashion and styles evolve in that the projected image changes. When I was growing up, tatoos were a rite of rebellion, now it's body art.

Where I'm at

I was up until 3am. Got into the second scene of chapter five. I didn't fall asleep until after 4am and had that groggy, I've-just-woken-up feeling for the first three hours of my day. I felt like I was coming down with a cold or something. Most likely it's my messed up sleep schedule that's got me feeling lethargic.

I had the idea of getting up a few hours earlier in the morning to write because the ideas come to me often during the day. By the time I do get to sit down and write, it takes me a while to get my head in that mode. Also there might be less distractions in the morning.

Alas, I'm not a morning person. But I want to give it a go and see. I'm going to have to reset my sleep clock and start going to bed earlier so that I can wake up fresh to do a morning write.

The Wings just won the Western Conference. Ugh. Not unexpected though. I thought the Stanley Cup would be a rematch of last year's, despite hoping the Ducks would've eliminated the Wings. The Pens really came out strong this year and have looked better as a team as they advanced. I'm hoping for a reverse of last year's outcome.

Okay, I better work on the chapter.

Escaping into the open.

I don't like the word Writer's Block. Part of me believes that if a writer uses that term, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I can only speak from my experience, but in that funk that other folks call a block, I'm actually writing. And thinking about what I want to write. And turning ideas over in my head. The problem? It's the inner voice of judgment, that rejects the ideas and words as not good enough. But I'm right there at the keyboard tapping away or scribbling in my myriad notebooks.

I've been in a funk throughout Cherry Blossom Girl. Or maybe I'm just a slow writer. Really slow. It started towards the end of Kismet and its continuation was quite unexpected. The idea for CBG had been drafted and stored in a Word file since February 2008. I'd learned from my mistakes in Kismet and was really gung-ho about starting Sascha's story. But then I got into knit-picking and agonizing over every word. So from late September to March, I got about 2 1/2 chapters done.

In the last month or so, I've come to the realization that I needed to give that up and just write out my ideas. I guess I'm anal or stubborn, take your pick, because it's like trying to quit smoking.

During the peak of my frustration, I got Escaping into the Open by Elizabeth Berg. I haven't finished it yet becauseI focused on finishing chapter four, but it's a supportive conversation. It's not a tutorial per se but there are anecdotes and shared wisdoms that are comforting. It's like sitting down and spending an afternoon having tea with a wise friend. She did address the whole WB issue (notice I'm not using the term) and she doesn't call it that either. She made it feel like a natural part of the ebb and flow and that one should just have faith that the creative energies will return.

The wonderful thing I've gotten out of Literotica is the support and encouragement from readers and especially from other writers I've become friendly with. You don't feel like a nut when you go on about a particular scene, your struggles and concerns have merit.

Berg gave a story about a book she was contracted to write, one she had reservations about. Then she got a sign, can't remember what it was, and it turned out to be great. I do believe in those things so it made me smile that a bestselling author as believes that the universe sends about it's signs. Last week, Oprah had a guest named Noah. And some other things have appeared as well.

I came upon an interview Nora Roberts did for Borders that came as a cosmic nudge. She doesn't believe in muses. Well, no wonder I always feel like my muse is on the train I keep missing. In writing this all down, a thought just dawn on me. Labels and constructs can be very confining. So I'm doing my best to escape into the open.

Lit Awards.

I noticed that Lit has added a new story series feature and changed the layout of how stories appear in their respective categories. The story series feature is helpful because it's visually easier for a reader to find a story, especially if the author has a big catalog.

Also the 10th annual Lit awards wrap up this week, if I'm not mistaken. Some of my writer friends are nominated and I hope you'll check them out--along with the other nominees-- and vote!

A quickie

Need to do some final editing on chapter four. It's 95 per cent done. I hope. I've started outlining chapter five to get the momentum rolling foward. Been busy. I've been trying to do better with my shedule but I can't say much has changed. Still had some late nights/early mornings, now being one of them. The computer is giving me problems. It's about seven years old so what can you expect? I'm trying to hang in with it.

I should've been in bed hours ago. C'est la vie. Yawn.