I’m Alive! + Monday Mashup

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It’s horrifying how cooking your brain at 102° for three days can completely turn it to mush. Fortunately, it’s a temporary condition.

I think…

Alack and alas, I got clobbered with the flu, which was quickly followed by a sinus infection, and then other assorted and unpleasant Uglies that decided to take advantage of the situation. I am wildly grateful for antibiotics, health clinics that are open in the evening, and for Hubby & Co. taking care of the household stuff for the first three days. I am also pleased to report that after nine days I am beginning to start feeling human again. For a while there I was wondering if I was going to have to convert my citizenship to zombie status – and what are the legal ramifications of that?

In the face of my inability to process anything more complicated than hydrating and medicating, I spent my down time reading Brent Weeks’s new novel The Black Prism. While the story itself was pretty good, I was disappointed by the whole. If you’re interested, you can read my review over on Goodreads: The Black Prism. When I read, it’s not just for entertainment, but to learn what works and what doesn’t. I want to be able to implement my lessons in my own writing. “What? Lesson assignments are to read all kinds of fantasy novels? Oh, DARN.” What a burden…

On to the mashup!

I’m going to begin with a quote about writer’s block. I have been lucky not to suffer the affliction too badly, but I know what it’s like to be unable to proceed logically or reasonably with certain passages of writing. This particular take on the subject from one of my favorite fictional writers just makes me laugh:

I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe in writer’s embarrassment. That’s when you’re so embarrassed by the horrendous drivel you’re writing that you can’t bear to see it on the page. After all, you can always write something. I’ve discovered that giving yourself permission to write poorly is the gateway to writing well. It may not be good, it may not make sense, but that’s okay. After enough pages of meaningless drivel, your brain will uncover something interesting, and before you know it, you’re off and writing again.

A Writer’s Guide to Getting the Most Out of Twitter, by Michelle V. Rafter

And for those of us that sometimes find it difficult to post comments on blogs: Why Staying Silent Can Cost You, by Jody Hedlund

There are lots of useful goodies here: 40+ Free Tools For Authors

Happy Monday!

Posted in book review.

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