SUGARRRRRR!!!

[cleolinda]

So last night, I have to dogsit. Again. You know, even though I theoretically get weekends off. But my stepfather has a Celebration Winds concert--he's a non-profiteer by day, a drummer by night--my mother's the, uh, groupie, and Sister Girl's at work, so I'm the only one left home. So I'm trying to sack out and watch Spider-Man II on TV, which (amazingly) I had never seen, despite having put the first Spidey in the book, but forget that, because the puppies decide to surpass themselves in badness. My mother calls on her way home and is laughing at my rants/reports, and then she gets home and actually sees the damage.

"What were you doing, exactly, while they were wreaking havoc?"

"Well, they divide and conquer, is the thing. You're chasing one around over here and the other one's eating the plant in the kitchen. Also, that plant outside in the green pot? You don't have that plant anymore. I found Scout and Shelby playing tug with about a foot's worth of root, and then an hour later I found Scout digging in the pot and eating the dirt."

"But how does it happen, exactly? It's like a tornado came through here!" She's standing in front of me while I'm (finally) getting to eat dinner, two large garbage bags in her grip. "Am I just better at this, or something? Because it never looks like this when I'm--"

"Hey, what's Scout eating there? Behind you."

There's some kind of--dirt? dark crumbly stuff?--spread out on the carpet behind her, and Scout's shaking something.

"Oh! That's a tea bag!" my stepfather says helpfully. Scout has houdinied it right out of the garbage bag, somehow, right under my mother's nose.

"Scout! You know better--SCOUT! STOP POOPING, SCOUT!"

Thank you, by the way, for all the condolences for Meko. I think my stepfather's doing a little better now. I cried a little, and I miss her, but it's hard to think about anything for very long these days, what with the Puppy Rampage going on 24/7. I thought I was hoarse from yelling at them, but I woke up this morning with packed sinuses and the sore throat from hell, and somehow, my stepfather's come down with it too. (Sister Girl's gracious well-wishes: "AAAAAHAHAHAHAHA, you have what I had!") So I spent the day wrapped up in blankets with Advil and Allegra-D and 10 cc's of homemade milkshake and TWO COKES, which is important when you realize that I kicked Mountain Dew back late last summer, and the only time I have caffeine, usually, is when I get a frozen Coke at the movie theater. And I have not been to the theater since... Damn, I don't even remember what I saw. The Namesake? Something like that. So now that the medicine's also had a little time to kick in, I am SO VERY, VERY ALERT.

Also, I have realized something about myself. I am really, really good at world-building and creating casts of thousands and engineering all these complex sagas. I am really, really bad at following through with any kind of finished story or novel. I've come up with two complex premises--characters, settings, storylines, the whole shebang--in the last month, and I am getting absolutely nowhere with them. Woe.

Comments

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

it's hard to think about anything for very long these days, what with the Puppy Rampage going on 24/7

Yeah, I noticed I hadn't seen much of you on SF lately either. I hope they calm down soon.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Gah, and I meant to say, I hope you feel better soon.

[morgan-c-hoax.livejournal.com]

Also, I have realized something about myself. I am really, really good at world-building and creating casts of thousands and engineering all these complex sagas. I am really, really bad at following through with any kind of finished story or novel.

You and me both. Woe.

[evilbearhunter.livejournal.com]

Word. Of course, I stopped trying long ago, but whenever I have an idea to write, it's always like, "What if Jackie Kennedy had been hit instead of Jack?" and then all the world building about alternative history but no real storyline.

[thunderphoenix.livejournal.com]

My first rule of narrative writing: Always know where you'd like to go before you start. It gives you some indication of where to go, but frees you up to change the destination midway.

[lylassandra.livejournal.com]

I had that problem for the longest time, and eventually it turned out that my brain seemed to think that since it had already told itself the story, it didn't really see the point of writing it all out. Whereas if I sit down the moment (metaphorically speaking) that the idea comes to me and just start writing with only a vague idea of direction, my own desire to know how it ends will drive me to finish it.

Of course, I'm only 23, a young and immature writer, so I'm hoping to be able to move past that eventually (especially if I ever plan on writing whole books). But it might be a starting place.

[kelcea.livejournal.com]

I'm having the same problem right now. My mystery is death scene upon death scene, and the subplot is overshadowing the main plot. Woe.

[greyduck.livejournal.com]

...my brain seemed to think that since it had already told itself the story, it didn't really see the point of writing it all out.

You know, I think you've hit the nail on the head for my particular problem. I have the world. I have the characters. I come up with a story, work it out in my mind, and then... "What?" my brain asks, "you want me to run through that whole thing again, and at snail's pace? As if! Let's go watch some anime instead!"

Ugh.

I know how that feels...

[mollyblack.livejournal.com]

Also, I have realized something about myself. I am really, really good at world-building and creating casts of thousands and engineering all these complex sagas. I am really, really bad at following through with any kind of finished story or novel. I've come up with two complex premises--characters, settings, storylines, the whole shebang--in the last month, and I am getting absolutely nowhere with them. Woe.

Puppy destruction lessens ... but my husband and I would definitely do that with each of the pets and training them eg "No, I'm better at it than you are!" "No, I am!" But now they're trained and happy doggies. We still don't let them roam the house free though. The two cats are evil enough at night. We do NOT need to add two dogs to the mix.

And I managed for the first time in ages to write a straight 1500 words. And they came out fluidly and look just right. I think that I am what Kurt Vonnegut would call a "Basher" ... I don't want to spend time going over and over what I wrote. I want to think about it and then have it just right when I go over it. I hope I can do another 1500 this week. They're a batch of connected short stories based on my nightmares. My nightmares are very disturbing and I even wake up with songs I've created in my head a lot. Once Shawn finishes his book on Advanced Ajax and the publishers have it printed we're going to take the noises I wake up with and make those into songs in the real world.

I was sorry to hear about your dog loss. My dad is a Veterinarian and my mom breeds Pembroke Welsh Corgis and Munchkin cats and has about 30 horses so I have grown up with loved pets dying my whole life. When our ferrets died within two weeks of one another it was immensely traumatizing. Glad you have the puppies to distract you.

Re: I know how that feels...

[word-herder.livejournal.com]

Just had to say--your icon is awesome.

[wtfbrain.livejournal.com]

Also, I have realized something about myself. I am really, really good at world-building and creating casts of thousands and engineering all these complex sagas. I am really, really bad at following through with any kind of finished story or novel. I've come up with two complex premises--characters, settings, storylines, the whole shebang--in the last month, and I am getting absolutely nowhere with them. Woe.

That is exactly the case with me, too. I've got enough stories to write a whole series of full length novels, but to actually sit down and write them is a huge struggle. World-building and plotting things out is a lot more fun.

[christwise.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear that the grieving process has made it to the moving on stage. :)

I've had the same issues with writing; I've only really finished things because they were for a class. Meanwhile, other students are having trouble coming up with anything to write. Damn, I wish I had that problem. I also wish there was a commune I could lock myself in until I finished the myriad of stories that I've got rolling around in the noggin.

[maggiebloome.livejournal.com]

If you're awesome at worldbuilding but not at follow-through you could make RPGs. Or just multiple-author universes, or whatever. They're fun!

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

For writing help/kicks-in-pants, I highly recommend sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com --the people there are mostly awesome, particularly once you get to know them in AIM chat and on LJ. It's how I know cool folks like matociquala, katallen, dlandon, truepenny, and bunches more. There's a yearly fee, but that helps keep the non-serious out. Let me know if you ever want to meet them in AIM chat and find out more about it. My AIM handle is "wintryplum".

Sorry if this is all old news to you. :)

Puppy woes

[christigilly.livejournal.com]

Have you ever seen "The Dog Whisperer"? It's on the National Geographic channel. AThe show's name is a little hokey, I'll admit. It sounds like he's a dog psychic or something. But he's not. He's purely an expert in dog behavior and psychology, like pack leaders, submissiveness, etc. nyway, this guy is amazing at explaining dog psychology and why they do what they do, and how humans can make them do what humans want them to do.

Ooo, found the link to his website:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/

Watching some of his shows might help you with your puppy woes. And if it doesn't, you could always call him to come out and help you, I guess. This guy works wonders.

[3hours.livejournal.com]

Ever read that Stephen King novel, 'The Tommyknockers'? If not, one of the characters, Roberta I think her name was, invents a new kind of typewriter. It runs on batteries, and you control it with your mind. It basically types what you think, enabling her to write a bestselling novel while doing all sorts of other things (she's sort of... being eaten by an alien from within, and this gives her massive amounts of energy to do many things at once, including inventing things).

Wants.

[firei.livejournal.com]

lolz! pretty much the best comment ever. :)

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

Your icon just made me splurt orange soda on my cat, who had been sleeping peacefully in a cardboard box up until just then.

[greenwitch.livejournal.com]

World Building is the best thing ever... I used to have a dozen binders and notebooks full of character descriptions, world descriptions, politics, religions, languages...

The actual writing part, I feel ya :)

[eyemage.livejournal.com]

greetings to fellow kicker of the green dew monster...

( never mind that i have a liter of the stuff in the fridge...dont judge)

perhaps if you did audio records of said world building?

yes its another cheap request that you start podcasting your wonderous ideas.

I hear ya...

[purpleivey.livejournal.com]

I am just like this: "I am really, really good at world-building and creating casts of thousands and engineering all these complex sagas. I am really, really bad at following through with any kind of finished story or novel." So if you ever figure out the trick to getting it done, let me know ; )

[aria624.livejournal.com]

In regards to your last paragraph, I totally sympathize. I have been brainstorming and character building a 5-book series for months, but I can't get further than a few pages into the beginning without hitting walls. I've even make myself a PB Wiki. Woe indeed.

[dramedy.livejournal.com]

Also, I have realized something about myself. I am really, really good at world-building and creating casts of thousands and engineering all these complex sagas. I am really, really bad at following through with any kind of finished story or novel. I've come up with two complex premises--characters, settings, storylines, the whole shebang--in the last month, and I am getting absolutely nowhere with them. Woe.

I am the opposite. I can maybe create characters, but I love delving into already established background and expanding and expounding it. That's why I like fanfic. You know the world, here are the characters, come up with a plot and write it.

[edda.livejournal.com]

Hello, me!

[morganwolf.livejournal.com]

Since I was late yesterday, my condolences on your doggy-loss. I always wind up feeling so awkward when these things happen because I know it's awful, and it breaks my heart to see other people going through it, but there never seems to be anything useful to say. So, in short, I really do feel terrible for you and your family.

Also, I have realized something about myself. I am really, really good at world-building and creating casts of thousands and engineering all these complex sagas. I am really, really bad at following through with any kind of finished story or novel. I've come up with two complex premises--characters, settings, storylines, the whole shebang--in the last month, and I am getting absolutely nowhere with them. Woe.

Yeah, you and me both. Suckage.

[dianesoprano.livejournal.com]

I have the same problems getting novels completed. I'm about 6 chapters from the end of the first one and I can't seem to figure out what to do with my cast of thousands now that they are all in the same place. As for the other two, one refuses to settle into a cohesive story and the other has a cast of too many thousands, so I can't figure out who to focus on as the protagonist.

I just keep promising myself that if it all sucks, I can rewrite it, but right now even that isn't getting me motivated.

[soleta-nf.livejournal.com]

**sends you good writing mojo** I know how very important that is.