From Jen F.’s lovely idea of lumping the littles together in their  beautiful, interconnected randomness.

~ ~ 1 ~ ~

I read a book Monday, took Tuesday off, read a book Wednesday (I had a *completely* different ending mapped out for the book you sent me, Bluestocking.  Couldn’t help feeling mine was just a bit more logical/realistic.  If nothing else, intense.)

Jay walked in on me starting a third book Wednesday morning and was a rather efficient wet blanket to my smoldering enthusiasm.  I gave up the new book and returned to a book that was already at “favorite” status with only one read.

~ ~ 2 ~ ~

While on my way home from Bermuda last week I finished Stephen King’s On Writing.  I loved how right he was about being encouraged by what you read.

He basically said that no matter what you read it’s good for you: either as a model to emulate/aspire to (though he repeatedly emphasized dreaming was the most we mortals can do with the really high caliber stuff), or as an encouragement that there’s stuff published that’s worse than what you’re currently producing.

~ ~ 3 ~ ~

That said, I felt encouraged by both “new” books I read this week.  I felt that I am writing solidly at the level both these books were at, and it really gave me confidence to dive back in…as corny as I sometimes feel.

The what (and flaws I noticed as a writer: i.e., the biggest things I would have tried to revise):

• The Hound and the Princess (the story was engaging, but quite a few talking-heads scenes.  Gave me hope that my own tendencies might not be as dangerous as I thought).
• Dream or Destiny (head-hoping and minute description of clothing choices.  Got used to it, but the quick-changing POV is a no-no in my writing circle/according to my training) D or D was a murder mystery/romance, and the jumps from leading man to leading lady are an understandable device of the writer to make it clear neither one is guilty.   Though she could have been sneaky and revealed one of them as an unreliable POV….

But then it wouldn’t have been a very satisfactory romance.

~ ~ 4 ~ ~

At the dog class last night the teacher asked what tricks I was teaching Joule.

Taken aback I said we weren’t don’t anything special– she can’t jump up, and has to lay down before she gets her dinner.  She *loves* to retrieve.

That’s not enough, I was informed.  She needs to be able to bow or wave or something. 

Get to work lady.  Don’t waste a brain.

~ ~ 5 ~ ~

I have a challenge looming over me that has given me some kind of emotional flu.  It’s resulted in my being less-kind than (honestly) I can ever remember being before.

Any prayers will be appreciated.

~ ~ 6 ~ ~

Have I mentioned here that one of my creative outlets (though not recently) has been making stuffed animals?

This would be of the distinctly-identifiable variety.  Not the make-a-blob-and-call-it-cute type.

I started making Teddy Bears (that’s my book review on Amazon) when I was 17.  Jointed and un-jointed.  Big coolness points.

Creating stuffed animals is something related to noveling and giving birth.  There is a moment when you see the spark of life and *other* in the thing taking shape under your hands: both of you and different from you.

Perhaps pathetic, but I am picking up the scissors again in an attempt to battle my “flu” and hope to finish designing my own pattern.  It is not a bear.  It combines what I learned from that book and this one about dinosaurs to mesh what I found to be the best elements of each.

I made my prototype two Mays ago and it only needs the head and tail modified.  Body spot-on the first time.

Comfortably pleased with myself.   Yes, I really do leave projects to sit for years at a time.  Less-pleased about that, maybe, but not enough to change.

~ ~ 7 ~ ~

Fascinating place, Bermuda; everything that’s not a a bar or restaurant closes at five.  And the sun goes down within the next hour.  The warm dark was quite as surreal as expected.

And I *loved* the warm rain.

I was sitting in a hotel room writing while Jay was in a conference most of the day, and wrestled my way to a clean 3/4ths mark— before I had a whole flop of revision assert itself and create 5 new sections to write.

Yes, I might now be procrastinating a bit; but at least I have reasons.