To Beginnings.
June is glorious in New York City, and this year was no exception. The temperature was a gorgeous seventy one degrees – warm but not as humid as the next month would be, and the sky was a cloudless blue. There was a frenzied excitement in the air with all the children on summer holidays and couples plotting their excursions to the Hamptons.
During the summer months the women of New York transformed into vibrant and seductive stiletto-clad goddesses roaming the busy streets. Men would stop and stare at long legs protruding from tight, short skirts and follow plunging necklines. Each breeze was full with the scent of perfume, luring in unsuspecting men to shoe stores and quaint cafes. On every street corner stood ten beautiful women rushing to Pilates or gabbing away on cell phones.
In Midtown West, just below 51st street a car horn sounded causing a biker to veer in to traffic. A minimum wage worker attempted to stuff a bag into an over full garbage bin on the side of the road. Someone’s Jimmy Choo slingback was trod on by a large burly man sweating through his cheap suit on his way to a job he hated.
Just down the street, seated in a small coffee shop sat Samantha Wakefield, surreptitiously studying a group of men at a nearby table.
Nanowrimo 2009
With Nanowrimo 2009 on the horizon (yep, I can almost see November first) I decided to do the easy thing and post my updates here, as opposed to designing a site for it like I did last year (I absolutely don’t have the time for that this time around).
I have this sick obsession with needing my novel to be titled before I begin writing on November first, and not only that – it has to be something really, really cool. I have absolutely loved the names of some of my past Nano novels (The Lies We Tell Ourselves and My Stupid Mouth), so this October should be interesting…
A “Confidants” Course
Who do you think it is easier to talk about your problems with: your friends, your family, or strangers?
I can argue three ways on this one.
If you want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth then you go to your friends. Chances are that they know you extremely well and know how you will likely react to certain situations. Therein lies the advantage (or the disadvantage if you’re not really looking for the honest truth) of confiding in your friends.
Your family, if they are anything like mine, only see a few sides of you and therefore can only go so far in helping you out (this is, I imagine, a whole other topic for a whole other day). There is also the concern that by going to a family member with your problems, you leave yourself open to the possibility of your issues becoming a topic of conversation at Easter dinner. Not good. Not good at all.
“I Used to”
This morning as I was considering revisiting a novel that I started last year for Nanowrimo, I had a thought: “I used to…”
My thoughts began with “I used to paint and sketch.” In high school I never went anywhere without my sketchbook, yet when is the last time I put brush to canvas or used the middle finger of my right hand to soften the charcoal lines? Years. Years! It’s an absolutely depressing thought.
Why Everyone Should Keep a Journal
I won’t try to force you to do something you may not want to do. I cannot make you keep a journal. But that doesn’t mean that I won’t stop trying to convince anyone who will listen to start one of their own. My friends have had to listen to my speech many times, and now it’s your turn.
Memories
You want to ’save’ the positive times in your life. Photographers do this by taking photos while I do this by writing them down. Human memory is often fragile and what a great way to remember not only what actually happened, but how you felt about it too.
A Novel Conundrum
How do writers know what they should write about, what genre they should write in? Do they simply know that they can write an exciting fantasy novel, or a thrilling detective novel, or perhaps they know that their writing might appeal mostly to young adults?
Is it what they read – the genre – that dictates the direction of their writing? Or maybe they just grow up with an imagination that leans towards one direction?
Did J.K. Rowling grow up with stories of wizards and broom stick sports buzzing around in her head?
Regrets: The Thorn in many a Persons’ Side
“Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.” – Jonathan Larson
When I think about regrets that I have in life my mind does not immediately turn to a particular event. Instead I find myself dwelling on emotions that I should or should not have lost control of, or circumstances that I should be looking at more closely than I have been in the past. The past – that’s what regrets are all about, right? Yet the past is in the past, so why not let it go?
The Importance (or not) of Family During the Holidays
For most, the Christmas season is full of food, presents and laughter, celebrating with family and continuing long-held traditions. While creating another series of great memories to share for years to come, all of this family closeness can also be stressful.
I’m young enough that I can still remember how magical Christmas was as a child: all the gifts from Santa showing up under the tree on Christmas morning, the endless array of chocolates and salty snacks and watching Christmas movies with my cousins. My childhood memories of Christmas are picture-perfect.
But it’s different when you’re an adult, isn’t it?
