Yesterday I met with my awesome and talented friends the MoMos. We had a blast! You can check out some pics here. Anyway, while we were waiting for lunch and chatting, the amazing Natalie sketched my main character, Jetta! 
Does it get any more awesome? I was positively giddy with delight. Thanks again, Natalie! You rock!
Last night I finally saw the new Star Trek movie. Say what you will about it, I was completely blown away. Fan-freaking-tastic. I will say, in full disclosure, that while I regularly enjoyed Next Generation and Voyager, I've seen only a few episodes of the original season. So I don't qualify as a true Trekkie.
Regardless, I completely adored the movie. And do you want to know my favorite part?
Spock. 
I think I'm in love. A brilliant, yet tortured Vulcan--does it get any better?? (hey, I did give you a nerd alert.)
Writers: A Field Guide
Today we continue with the study we began last week of the many species of writers flitting around there in the world. In this concluding session, I will disclose my own personal breed. So, stay tuned to the end. (Also, I want to give a big thanks to all those who gave me ideas last week!)
The Narcissist
Ah, haven't we all known a writer of this variety? There are many of them. They can be easily recognized by their loud praise of their own work, and their talents as a writer. They refuse to edit. Good heavens, why would they??? It's perfect as is! Alas, just as Narcissus did in the Greek myth, many a Narcissist has perished, unpublished, as they marvel at the glory of their own work.
The Cynic
Listen for ranting and raving, or snide remarks about Agents/Editors/publishing companies/etc., etc., and you will find The Cynic. They are writers who have felt the worst and hardest parts about the biz, often again and again and again. They are jaded, angry, and one can't really blame them, I suppose. A Cynic should be treated with kindness and understanding, however, an aspiring writer might want to disregard a lot of what they say.
The Dreamer
This breed of writer is not to spot, though it might confuse the careful writerwatcher. Mostly because The Dreamer does not technically fall in the same family as writerus maximus, or the average writer. The Dreamer is filled with ambition, hope, and of course, a brilliant idea. They mingle with writers, might even start a blog. But when all is said and done, their stories remain in the dreamy glow of their minds, and never actually to the black and white glow of a Word document.
And last of all . . . (my breed)
The All-of-the-Above,-just-Depends-on-the-Day Writer
(by the way, is that a creepy picture or what?) On any given day, this writer can be any of the previously mentioned breeds. Her moods shift from one to the next, dictated by any number of reasons. Maybe she's feeling frustrated with edits. Maybe her first draft is going along so awesomely! Maybe that pile of other things to do are striking her as much more important than some book. Whatever the reason, the writer shifts like the four winds. So bear with her. She's trying. ;)
Scaffolding. Know what it is, and how to recognize it? If you're a writer, you should. Now, if I were a different kind of blog, I would give a long, helpful definition of what scaffolding is. Like this.
I strongly recommend that you read the article, because seriously, I'm not planning on going into much detail in defining it. To offer a very brief summary, in my own words: Scaffolding are the words and phrases that we insert into our writing (often without realizing,)as a way of keeping the action moving and the story flowing. They are crutch words, fillers. Know what I'm saying? No? That's why I linked to the article. Read it.
At any rate, I have been editing PAMR again, and I have some amusing stats on my own personal scaffolding. I made a list of words that I've noticed in various rounds of editing that I use a lot. Then, I used the Find function on Word to discover just how many I was dealing with. It's rather entertaining.
-stare/staring: 108
-gaze: 126
-glance: 130
-heart: 108
-breath: 178
(and best of all)-unnecessary usages of the word "that": 283
So in summary, one of these six words was used 2.731 times on every page in my story! That, my friends, is scaffolding.
Writers: A Field Guide
You are wandering through Internet Forest, enjoying the sunshine, the gentle breeze, when you hear the clacking sound of keys on a keyboard. Imagine your thrill. A writer is nearby! This guide is designed to help you identify the various breeds and varieties of this elusive and beautiful animal.
The Hobbiest
I begin with this breed of writer, because it is perhaps the least neurotic of the group and therefore it blends into an average crowd quite easily. This species enjoys occasional writing as a hobby. They may or may not have a blog. You can recognize them by their relaxed nature and the way they casually shrug when publication is mentioned.
The Gung Ho
Many who spend time in the Internet Forest will call this the most recognizable of writer breeds. The Gung Ho pursues publication with the ferocity of a predator. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. Note the hunger in it's eye, the frantic tone in it's blog posts/tweets/Facebook status updates, and the calloused fingers--worn from endless pounding against a keyboard.
The Mystic
This breed is another of the more common species. The easiest way to recognize the Mystic by analyzing their words. The Mystic speaks of writing as a "Calling," as if from birth, some were touched by the golden finger of the Muse, charged with telling the stories of mankind. Note the calm acceptance in their eyes, the understanding that it is only a matter of time before their destiny is fulfilled.
The Lucky S.O.Bs
These writers are easily recognizable because they actually make money. The Luckys have achieve prominence in the forest, due to their brilliant stories, their published status and, again, the fact that they actually draw a paycheck. When identifying for this breed, just look for the grins, the easy laughter, the humble acceptance of fanmail, and the joyous displays of their novel covers in the sidebar of their blogs. (*siiiiiigh*)
Come back next week for the second installment of Writers: A Field Guide. (Have a suggestion of a breed? Please let me know in the comments section.)
Today, I finished my first short story (well . . . novelette, but let's not get too technical) since High School. Can you believe it? And I'm wondering, what have I been doing all this time???
Short Fiction is awesome! I had no idea. It's instant gratification, people! I feel just as attached to these characters, just as involved in my world, and just as satisfied to finish as I ever have with a novel. And it took me basically FIVE DAYS*.
Let me repeat: five days!
Not only that, but I feel all of the giddy "OMG, this is the best story ever" feelings with a completed draft on my hands. I can't wait to polish this baby till it shines. And then, submit! I'm very excited.
So to all you out there who are feeling the stagnation/frustration that can burden one writing a novel, I say, write a short story!!
*Disclaimer: I feel it perhaps important to mention that I have had this idea for an entire year. Every once in a while I would scribble down a few thoughts about it in my Moleskine, and I actually started it two separate times, though I never got more than a few pages. So yes, it's not exactly as swift as five days, but you get my point. :)
1001 Quasi-Legitimate Ways that I Avoid Editing
Okay, there won't really be 1001 reasons. Not in this post anyway, but let me assure you, in my head . . . oh yes. This will be just a random sampling.
Also, when I say "quasi-legitimate" I mean all the obvious (and genuinely legitimate) ones aside, like family, sleep, food, moving, etc. These are the ones that get me when I finally carve out a moment of time to work on edits.
Watch the subtle digression.
#236
I'm writing this cool new short story!
#56
I have an awesome idea for a new novel! I just need to sketch some details out in my notebook.
#644
Gotta catch up on those writer friend's blogs . . .
#89
And don't forget the Agent blogs. (Note: the hearts are intentionally sappy/fangirlish.)
#363
And the writing forums.
#715
Hmm . . . I'm just going to quickly Google: *fill in the blank with legitimate, writing related thing, like books, authors, agents, publishers, etc.*
#920
This is an interesting, writing related article . . .
#116
I'm going to take this quiz: Do you have what it takes to be published??
#967
*sigh* Neil Gaiman is so dreamy.
WAIT!!! IT'S ONE IN THE MORNING??? Where did my night go? I was going to get so much done on my edits! *headdesk*
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