Friday 1/28 – Imperial Legions of Rome and Brickbats @ Mars Bar
Saturday 1/29 – Pure Country Gold and The Fucking Eagles @ The Funhouse
Friday 2/4 – The Blow @ The Crocodile
Yes!
First set of eyes
19 JanI had the first set of eyes go through 50 pages of the Mermaid book and got back a lot of great feedback, most of which I haven’t had a chance to look at yet. I had an initial sense of panic after skimming through edits, but not because I thought the remarks were harsh or unreasonable. I nearly lost it because it reaffirmed what I already knew: I have a lot of work ahead.
To calm myself down from being overwhelmed, I did two, well, three things. First I went to yoga and sweated myself into exhaustion. Second, I bought a netbook to keep with me at all times in an attempt to get more writing done throughout the day. Third, I brushed the dust off my copy of Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass and got to reading.
I think the full moon got the best of me yesterday. I don’t doubt my abilities as a writer, and I know it will take time to get where I want to go, but sometimes I just want it to happen now! Being reminded that I’m not superhuman hurts; there are only so many hours in the day and sometimes reality t.v. is all I can muster.
But today is a new (moon) day and I’m feeling much more relaxed with the situation. Taking it a day at a time is the best I can do, and honestly, I know I’ll get where I want to go.
“Of Teddy Bears and Other Monsters” puppet art by Emmett Montgomery
13 Jan
Opening Reception today at 5:00pmHanging until January 30 at 7:00pm
CakeSpy Shop!
415 E Pine Street
Seattle, WA
Emmett Montgomery used to live in a strange and lonely town. He started making friends using the paperbags from the excessive gift packages his mother would send him. He doesn’t live in that town anymore and has real human friends but he still makes puppets and likes to find them homes. His puppets are all creatures that frighten and/or fascinate him; clowns, children, birds, teddy bears, among other things and he would like you to meet them.
http://www.emmettmontgomery.com/
Puppets on display in upstairs gallery the rest of the month.
Tags: Emmett Montgomery
Who’s your Role Model?
12 JanI finally finished Role Models, by John Waters. Not because it was not a great read, but solely due to lack of time. I guess I can say thanks to the snow for the opportunity to finish, and if you know me at all, that’s saying a lot because I HATE snow.
Anyways, I loved the book. Mr. Waters presented an entertaining, if not disturbing, depiction of the people who influenced, inspired and sometimes disappointed him. He described how meeting your role model is not always all it’s cracked up to be. He or she may be living, aka squatting, in what could only be described as a rat-infested burnout. It’s too sad.
Or you may be pleasantly surprised at the vigor and charisma still splayed out in front of you. I guess it depends on who your Role Models are. As the book progressed, Waters developed a voice so strong it was as if I was sitting at the Egyptian, listening to him talk about Cecil B. Demented, all over again. He has a way of coming off the page that was enjoyable and eerie (depending on which part you were reading).
If art, bars, movies, celebrities, culture and life stories intrigue you, read this book.
Tags: John Waters
Mermaids, round two.
5 JanFirst off, Happy New Year! I feel like I’m getting back to real life after holiday parties and travel and that means back to mermaid land. I read through the last 10,000 words of my NaNo project on Sunday and was pleasantly surprised at how awesome it was aka that it didn’t totally suck. I wrote an 1,800-word scene and set a couple goals.
Here they are (because if they are in print, it means they are real):
1. Finish the 1st draft by end of January
a. Use NaNo-type structure to chug through needed scenes
2. Start editing February 1, regardless if goal #1 is achieved
3. Finish editing end of May
4. June – Agent Hunt!
Yay mermaids!!!
Dreaming of your pencil stach
29 DecMatt got me Role Models by John Waters for xmas and it is great. I have been reading it before bed and it’s like John Waters is telling me bedtime stories. His soothing voice comes of the page and before I know it, it’s late and I have to tell him to go to sleep.
What could be better than drifting into dreamland than images of Charles Manson and the Divine shit-eating incident? More to come once I finish the book.
Tags: John Waters, Role Models
I win!
29 NovNaNoWriMo = Brandi gets 50,257 words in 29 days
More on the process later…for now I’m basking in the afterglow.
Tags: NaNoWriMo
Words for days
3 NovAfter two days of NaNoWriMo I’ve got 5094 words. I’m pleased with the output, but I’m more pleased and the easy with which I got to this number. My writing sessions have both been about two hours. In and out before the ass goes numb and the brain tweaks out.
I’ll try to keep this pace and bank up some extra words before my birthday weekend away, but I’m guess I’ll want to write a little while I’m gone. It feels good to be getting back in the habit.
I created a new sub villain and a new conflict yesterday–can’t wait for edits next month when I can really make it all come together!
Tags: NaNoWriMo
Water Bound
5 Oct
I just finished Water Bound, by Christine Feehan. It’s the first book of her’s I have read and I’m not sure why she has had so much success. Maybe I need to read another one of her titles, but I don’t really have time to waste on another 450 pages of disappointing text.
Now, I didn’t hate the book. I did read the whole thing. I have a compulsion that drives me to finish books even if I simultaneously want to rip my eyes out. To that point, Feehan gives great sex scenes. They are vivid and erotic and fun to read on the bus. Dirty little secrets in a crowd of commuters is a treat. But the first encounter didn’t happen until well into the book and there were only three, maybe four. Three or four sex scenes is usually plenty for me, but when they start deep into the book, it’s kind of a let down if the plot isn’t great.
Which brings me to my main complaint about Water Bound. The plot was boring and the point-of-view was off. The book is set up to be about Rikki, the high-functioning, autistic, sea urchin diver with a tragic past. All is fine and good with that. Until the Russian secret agent is introduced and the plot gets convoluted.
If the book is from Rikki’s perspective, don’t you think we should be following her story line with more excitement that that of the secondary character’s? The last line of the book is a reflection from the Russian. Not Rikki. I was disappointed. The plot ends and I’m left felling like I never got strong resolve for my main character.
I will probably read another of Feehan’s books, but it will most certainly be an earlier work. One that was edited properly (I found at least 10 typos) and written when the author had time to sink passion and talent into her work.
