Liz's Looming Lunacy

'Tis the Season

2011-12-24T08:17:00.002-05:00

Too bad Aeris is so skittish. Otherwise, I probably would take my neighbor's cat for a while - but I'd probably never be able to find a home for it, and I need to keep The Felnie Wonder happy. She got $25 from me to take the cab to Social Services and she had to go into emergency housing.

Happy Christmas. :p

General to-be-read later"...

2011-12-21T10:50:00.002-05:00

...When my eyes don't hurt as much.

Taniwha (fanfic) Moby Dick, from Queequeg's perspective.

NetFlix

2011-08-03T10:36:00.002-04:00

NetFlix: please add a way to contact you via email. I have seasons one and two (partially watched) of Torchwood on my queue, and I notice that at least part of season 3 is available. I also notice that I cannot add these new episodes to my queue.

Oh, and please, stop asking me for my credit card number or cell phone number on Facebook. I refuse to give out the former, and I am not in possession of the latter.

I laugh, I scoff at spammers!

2010-09-14T11:21:00.002-04:00

Spambots know nothing. If they did, then they would realize that I moderate comments, and mark "Spam" as "Spam".

Heh. Now I need to get a can of Spam, some cloves and brown sugar. It makes a passable baked, ham-like entrée for a single person. That, string beans, and potatoes. Meal deal. Speaking of which, I'm going to make lunch. Baked hot dogs on buns, with cheese. Open the buns, slice the dog right down the center (not the barking variety, you peons, but the pre-packaged variety), and maybe some cheese. They turn out very well at 450 degrees, baked, for 5-8 minutes.

Still pondering the opener for the rewrite.

The End

2010-08-17T13:41:00.002-04:00

When a "relationship" dissolves without the other person telling you, until months after, that their feelings towards you have changed; they're essentially lying to you. At least, that's how it feels. Maybe you can remain friends with them; but you still feel betrayed: and you wonder, can you ever trust them again.

Other than that, life goes on, and one must adapt to altered circumstance.

Fan Comics (A:TLA)

2007-10-08T18:24:00.000-04:00

Tea House of the March Moon | Gaia Online

2007-09-21T09:17:00.000-04:00

Tea House of the March Moon | Gaia Online

[Review] GOBLIN HERO by Jim C. Hines - Spam on A Stick - by Elizabeth Anne

2007-09-20T19:48:00.000-04:00

[Review] GOBLIN HERO by Jim C. Hines - Spam on A Stick - by Elizabeth Anne

Alexds1's Sketchjournal

2007-09-20T19:35:00.000-04:00

Alexds1's Sketchjournal

Weekend Novelists (WEN) :: Index

2007-09-20T19:34:00.000-04:00

Weekend Novelists (WEN) :: Index

AH! All these bookmarks, because I'm getting a new system tomorrow! EEK!

Lazette Gifford

2007-09-20T18:46:00.000-04:00

Lazette Gifford

NaNo for the New and the Insane

This site created and maintained by Lazette Gifford
All content Copyright © 2005, 2006, 2007 Lazette Gifford. All rights reserved.

Weekend Novelists (WEN) :: View topic - Spam on a Stick

2007-09-19T16:34:00.000-04:00

Weekend Novelists (WEN) :: View topic - Spam on a Stick

Martha Wells -

2007-09-19T14:53:00.000-04:00

Martha Wells -

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

2007-09-19T12:40:00.000-04:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Fwd: Sometimes, It's Just So Easy To Get Stuck ...

2007-09-16T12:00:00.001-04:00

I do not remember ever visiting the site, but I went there and liked the affirmations. I figured it was worth hanging on to, but I don't think it suits LinksAPlenty, which I've tried to make over for writing links. This relates for the mental fortitude that we writers must strive for in ourselves, in order ot work; but it is applicable to more than writing.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sunny Hills, Maui Hawaii
Date: Sep 16, 2007 2:49 AM

09-16-2007
Elizabeth Anne Ensley

Hi Elizabeth

Sometimes, it's just so easy to get stuck ...
to be stopped by the smallest of things.

GO HERE TO GET AFFIRMATION #41 of 105:

http://www.sunnythoughts.com /105/041n452.htm

Have A Super Day!
~Sunny :)

Sunny Hills, Maui, Hawaii
The Affirmations Genius (TM)

P.O. Box 1093
Lahaina, HI 96767

Want To Tell Me What You Think Of My Work?
To Report On Your Improvements & Progress,
Go HERE: http://tinyurl.com/ezzvs

--
THE PARASITORIUM II: PARASITIC SANDS
http://www.lulu.com/content/643131

http://www.myspace.com/snapes_angel

It is rare for a moose to kidnap a bank president.
- Janet Elaine Smith
BANK ROLL: A MAX STRYKER MYSTERY
http://2url.org?43174

Sprint Record #1

2007-09-09T01:48:00.001-04:00

Sprint #1: 0484 words, 02 pages.
Sprint #2: 0991 words, 04 pages.
Sprint #3: 1619 words, 07 pages
Sprint #4: 2000 words, 8 pages.

--
The yellowed "Going Out of Business" sign, frayed and crackled, seemed as if it would crumble into dust if you breathed on it. Most of the storefronts shared the same dilapidation.
- Elizabeth Anne Ensley
Shadow Play
THE PARASITORIUM II:
PARASITIC SANDS
http://www.lulu.com/content/643131

It is rare for a moose to kidnap a bank president.
- Janet Elaine Smith
BANK ROLL: A MAX STRYKER MYSTERY
http://2url.org?43174

History Channel Thing

2007-06-24T16:52:00.000-04:00

On the History Channel, they were talking about the Antichrist. They went "Here he comes," and I continued;

♪

Walkin' down the street
He gets the funniest looks from
Everyone he meets
Hey, hey, he's the Antichrist
...

♪

Why go for an existing song? Why not a new one? Growl. WIP

2007-05-17T20:31:00.001-04:00

Republicans and Democrats, they rarely get along
We need a new example to teach them to get along
The Fathers of our country, in another regal snit
No matter how they angle it, the pieces never fit
We need a different symbol, and the start of something new
To aid our fresh recovery, we need a different view
To keep our country brave and strong, our hopes and dreams all free
We need a different President, say, Clinton Hillary.

#

They are talking about Hillary Clinton's campaign song. We have had enough of Fathers running the country. What we need now is a true Mother of our country. And yes, I know her detractors will say that she's a real Mother, but what's wrong with that? Soemtimes you need a Mother to get things done.

--
Elizabeth Anne Ensley
It is rare for a moose to kidnap a bank president.
- Janet Elaine Smith
BANK ROLL: A MAX STRYKER MYSTERY

Build Your Own Computer Tips

2007-05-17T10:51:00.000-04:00

I signed for the newsletter. I was looking for a kit you could buy to assemble one at home, but this might be the next best thing. ;-) With my computer woes, I need all the tips and tricks I can get. *sob*

They say to read this entire page, it's important but that's only when they send you there, after signing for the newsletter thing. Forum info. ;-)

Character Development Exercises

2007-04-20T17:11:00.000-04:00

# Your protagonist and antagonist are each required to write a letter of introduction for your reader, describing themselves, their goals and motivations, and you. (This exercise gives you valuable insight into the way your characters think about and describe themselves)

Letter the First (Protagonist):

Greetings, Elizabeth:

        The dreams, though they have decreased in frequency, seem to have increased, with intent to my father. You should well think that I would be over them, and him, by now: but at times it's all Sunshine can do to comfort me in those diminutive hours of the morning.
        Perhaps as a counterpoint to this, we have had a visitor from Keyon. He was part of the skirmish that out Freylissian army fought two days ago, with the enemies' side; but you have to feel as sorry for him, as for our side.It's those accursed brigands, who feel as if they own the woodsland between our kingdoms.
        If there were only some way to negotiate a truce, for the purpose of routing out the brigands, perhaps it would open a path towards peace between out realms.

Good day, madam.

        The Freylissian hostage who ran on to our lands the other day has been most uncooperative. I think that His Majesty entertains the idea of using him to negotiate a minor truce to route this—distraction—and get back to the serious business of warfare. Freylissia is a strategic location from which to expand out base of operations and defense. We can use it for a satellite and an addition to take charge of the front on other kingdoms. They also have resources that we lack, and that are sorely needed if we are to continue to thrive and grow.
        I've gone to the Celestial Chamber a lot for meditation upon our difficulties. It contains portraits of all the older kings of the realm, plus their souls, which are ensorcelled into carnelian stones. There is a pair for each king, actually. the left of each pair contains the soul of the king who was magicked into it before being lost to death, and its opposite is the control which ensures that the soul of its respective king will return to its sto0ne, rather than overshadow the soul of the person possessed by the soul, when it is released from its bounds.
        If there was only a way to call the soul back after death, in much the same fashion: we could recall old allies that way, ones who might not like the directions in which their countries currently lead...

Five Steps to Writing A Synopsis

2007-03-24T14:35:00.000-04:00

I'm posting this link here, so that I can find it more easily again. yes, I know, that's what I have LinksAPlenty for. I'm still working on maintaining order. *grin*

Archive of 'Bobbing Around'

2007-03-24T11:14:00.000-04:00

Archive of 'Bobbing Around'

Worlds of Imagination

2007-03-22T23:38:00.000-04:00

Worlds of ImaginationI'll have to check this site out at more leisure, but it looks like it can be a good resource, and not only for the gamer.

Ellen Ashe, author at New Concepts Publishing - Great Books for Less

2007-03-22T10:59:00.000-04:00

Ellen Ashe, author at New Concepts Publishing - Great Books for Less

This might be worth a read--once I have some money again. ;-)

Popeye Fresh

2007-03-11T14:58:00.000-04:00

Popeye Fresh

All about writing: The Rule of Three

2007-03-09T21:52:00.000-05:00

All about writing: The Rule of Three

Search Street

2007-03-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

Search Street Alternative search engine

Writerisms and other Sins: A Writer's Shortcut to Stronger Writing by C.J. Cherryh

2007-03-08T09:33:00.000-05:00

Writerisms and other Sins: A Writer's Shortcut to Stronger Writing by C.J. Cherryh

Paperback Writer

2007-03-05T15:23:00.000-05:00

Paperback Writer

Midnight Moon Cafe

2007-03-05T13:10:00.000-05:00

Midnight Moon Cafe

Which Warrior angel Are You?, and Whose Side are You On

2007-03-01T07:33:00.000-05:00

Which Warrior Angel are You and Whose Side are You On? (With Anime Pics)

UndecidedClass: SeraphAlliance: UndeterminedIt's difficult to say where you would stand in the war between good and evil because you are at war with yourself. There is both light and darkness within you and you have not made up your mind about which side to follow. There are many roles that you might play, spy, mercenary, but it is always hard to tell whose side you are on.Your Angelic Name: Geminus
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Writers of the Future

2007-02-28T13:55:00.000-05:00

Writers of the Future

[FAQ] Lyrics for The Birthday Dirge

2007-02-24T13:09:00.000-05:00

[FAQ] Lyrics for The Birthday Dirge

Synopsis

2007-02-24T13:06:00.000-05:00

Synopsis

GameSpy:

2007-02-24T13:04:00.000-05:00

GameSpy:Flintlocke's Guide to Maiming Meat That Walks

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know published by Houghton Mifflin Company

2007-02-24T08:38:00.000-05:00

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know published by Houghton Mifflin Company

Series Information: Mage Winds Trilogy, the :: Internet Book List :: A database of book information and reviews

2007-02-22T11:57:00.000-05:00

Series Information: Mage Winds Trilogy, the :: Internet Book List :: A database of book information and reviews

Masterpiece Theatre | Dracula

2007-02-10T19:18:00.000-05:00

Masterpiece Theatre | Dracula

[Review] BEAR DAUGHTER by Judith Berman

2007-02-06T13:53:00.000-05:00

The Free Dictionary.com

From The Desk of Liz Ensley:

Here is the review--comments are welcome. It's the first time I've written anything like this in twenty-five years. ;-)

      Cloud has spent the first twelve years of her life as a bear, the happy daughter of a human woman called Thrush, and a bear father, called Lord Stink, who is one of the First People. The book opens at some point after her stepfather, Lord Rumble, has killed, and eaten the heart of, her father, and taken her mother for his woman.

      A lot of people are surprised that Cloud became human. No one expected it. Cloud's lost her memories, too. The only things she remembers are glimpsed in dreams and images. There's an empty place in her, one that no food will fill. Her mother's forced to reject her, and Lord Rumble wants to kill her. I mean, what's a girl to do, but run away from home when her stepfather tries to kill her?

      Thus begins Cloud's journey, a travel among and between the mortal and immortal worlds, in a search to find the bones of her father and brothers, and take them to the Edge of the World so that they can be born anew, even though she doesn't quite feel up to the task laid before her. It is a journey where she will learn to accept herself, her origins, and embrace both her past, and her future, while trying to learn how to live as a human girl.

      With Native American mythology as its base, Cloud's story engages you from the beginning, as you follow her quest, which is as much coming to terms with who and what she is, as to save the spirits of her father and brothers.

      On a more focused level, this is a story about one young woman's struggle to come to terms with herself, a voyage of discovery to find out who she is, what is her purpose in life, to stretch and surpass her limits. It is a story of acceptance, and self-acceptance.

      And, quite frankly, it's a good read.

      Bear Daughter is available on AMAZON.COM, and can also be found at, or requested by, your local bookseller.

The Parasitorium: Parasitic Sands

2007-02-02T01:54:00.000-05:00

AN EXCERPT FROM MY STORY, SHADOW PLAY:
      Frank let Gazelle drag him into the dark alley between the Celtic Bar and her father's mall. All things considered, it was a small price to pay for being engaged to an heiress and the wealthiest girl in town. Not that she wasn't a looker, though that helped; the point was that she had money and he didn't, not until after the wedding.
      The storefront looked like the shop had been abandoned for years. The yellowed "Going Out of Business" sign, frayed and crackled, seemed as if it would crumble into dust if you breathed on it. Most of the storefronts shared the same dilapidation. No wonder they were condemned. The hand-scrawled sign over the door read "Granny's Place." From what little he saw past the sign and the boards, the store had been closed for quite some time.
      "Are you sure it's open?" Frank asked. "This place looks like it's been closed for years."
      "Peggy told me about it." Gazelle smiled at him and put her hand on the doorknob. It seemed to open even before she turned the knob. She drew him behind her into the shop before he had a chance to take a breath. The door closed behind them with a final click.

Mine is one of nineteen tales of terror at the beach, available in the anthology. For more information, visit Lulu.com. http://www.lulu.com/content/643131

Creating Fantasy Worlds - One Of Us Creative Writing Workshop, Features

2007-01-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

Creating Fantasy Worlds - One Of Us Creative Writing Workshop, Features

Writing

2007-01-29T19:40:00.000-05:00

SFWA TOC About Writing linkage

Robert Jordan - tips on fantasy writing

2007-01-29T19:35:00.000-05:00

Robert Jordan - tips on fantasy writing

It's useful enough, and is also an endorsement of FD (Fast Draft), where you write twenty pages per day, come Hades or High Water, for two weeks (or until you finish your first draft). Just write it.

Yet Another Day, Revisited

2007-01-29T10:15:00.000-05:00

     Trackback to the original post is above. The wireless worked for a short time. However, now we're connected via cable from one to another computer, as well as via Cablevision. This is the way life works.
     I need to get dressed, too. I'm the adult: and someone has to handle the lease. Well, technically, Terror's an adult too, now: but I'm stil lthe H-o-H here. Not that I am a perfect, H-o-H, far from it: but I am the responsible adult in the flat, lol. Yes, the responsible one, sad to say. ;-)
     Anyway, even if there's no true fiscal recompense for them, I have two stories out. One is in The Parasitorium: Parasitic Sands, avail;able in either paperback form for around $18-19 or as a $2.50 download from Lulu.com; and Crow's Feat, which is coming out in the ezine Free Fall in February.
     But, still, I have no bananas. T_T

FWD: STROKE SIGNS -- with one new addition!]

2007-01-27T15:47:00.001-05:00

READ & REMEMBER

STROKE: Remember the 1st three letters of the word stroke... S.T.R.

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE .

(If the smile is lopsided, a stroke is likely to have occurred.)

T * Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(If the speech is slurred, a stroke is likely to have occurred.)
(Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)

R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
(If he or she cannot raise one arm, a stroke is likely to have occured.)

*NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this :

Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately !! and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. !

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

Marilynn Byserly

2007-01-26T20:47:00.000-05:00

Articles and Short Stories Index

There are some bits here that seem both interesting and useful.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel...

2007-01-23T22:20:00.000-05:00

...may be an oncoming Swedish Short Snout .

The final book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be released this summer. It's the end of an era.

A number of people have speculated on the title's meaning. Let's see if we can explore this a bit.

Harry Potter has a scar on his forehead which traces directly back to Lord Voldemort's attempt on his life. What we know about Harry Potter is that he is, or was, a student at Hogwarts. He resides with his none-too-friendly relatives; aunt Petunia Evans Dursley, who was the sister to his mother, Lily Evans Potter; his uncle, Vernon Dursley, director of a drill company, called "Grunnings"; and Dudley Dursley, a spoiled brat of a bully who is overindulged in all things, edible or inedible, by his parents. None of them are all that nice to Mister Potter who, for all intents and purposes, was the Muggle equivalent of a House Elf before his acceptance letter--rather, acceptance letters--from Hogwarts. Apparently, Petunia disapproved of Lily's going to Hogwarts and coming home with the equivalent of frog spawn in her pockets. This paints Petunia who (other than with Dudders) is a rather fastidious person. For that matter, Vernon is a Muggle (non-magical person) through-and-through. They both disapprove of Harry's "father's sort", gallivanting around and doing magic.

Deathly, hm. Let's see what an online dictionary has to say about it.

death·ly (dthl)
adj.
1. Of, resembling, or characteristic of death: a deathly silence.
2. Causing death; fatal.
adv.
1. In the manner of death.
2. Extremely; very: The night was deathly cold.

Taking the first example--of, resembling, or characteristic of death; a deathly silence.

There are at least three things that can cause a deathly silence. One is, of course, that spell that you use when you don't want someone to speak. The second is, of course, death. The third option is the Draught of Living Death, which might also be used to good effect.

The final definition offered might also apply, considering the Hallows, if it refers to an Hallowed ground: Extremely, or very.

Now, let's look up Hallows, shall we?

hallow - render holy by means of religious rites
tr.v. hal·lowed, hal·low·ing, hal·lows
1. To make or set apart as holy.
2. To respect or honor greatly; revere.

Deathly Hallows. In the manner of death, to render holy. Ah, the Religious Right is going to have a field day, with that one. Still, consider that, should Mister Potter take the draught of living death, he might just manage, under certain circumstances, to come up on Voldemort unawares, if he wanted to sneak in and conk him over the head with a Hungarian Horntail--no, wait, that's too large, how about the troll's club, from the first book.

If the Draught of Living Death makes the person only seem dead, and if Potter's covered by the cloak, then any spell sued to detect a living, breathing presence in a location would presumably be ineffective, thus enabling him to sneak up on The Dark Lord for a Secret Ninja Attack--er, sorry. I am spending a bit of time among anime fans, lol.. Still, if Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Order attack from the outside, and Potter's holed up on the inside, that means a face-to-face confrontation with the Dark Lord, uninterrupted.

By the way, "neither lives while the other survives"--I take that to mean that one of them will come out from this, alive, and live on, whereas the other will snuff it. There's nothing about both of them dying, at least that I can see from both the title and the prophecy. In a way, can you call Harry's life outside Hogwarts living? A family that despises him, Voldemort gunning for him--what kind of life is that for anyone, much less for Mr. Potter?

I vote for the Draught of Living Death. other than Sluggy, the best man positioned for the job is already inside Voldemort's ranks. Who? Your friend and mine, Professor Severus Snape. There's also another witness to hear from and that's Albus Dumbledore. We know that the portraits can speak, and we know that the images are busy, and can at times travel from one portrait to the next, so long as their images are within the alternate portrait. We know that Albus did not want to be taken off the chocolate frog cards. Ask yourselves why, and the answer is obvious: they are the eyes and ears of the Order.

Take into consideration what Hagrid saw Severus and Albus doing, in the forest. A memory charm might well have been placed on him, because he might have overheard more than they wanted to let on, at the time.

Professor Severus Snape might not be the most trusted, favoritest, well-liked person on the planet, but Albus trusted him, and I see no reason to deny that trust in the face of what seems to have happened, but would rather wait for the finale, when we actually might find out for certain what transpired in the forest, that day.

Resources:
==========
The Free Dictionary by Farlex
H. P. Lexicon
Wikipedia

Lunacy VI (200 Words)

2006-12-13T18:59:00.000-05:00

     Josaaph Heath Gwalthney strapped herself onto the G-Forces Simulator. "We might as well get this over with," she said, wincing. Every single day, for the past week, she had been strapped on to this stupid thing, and it had made her sick each and every time. She would never be able to go into space for next year's National Novel Writing Month, at this rate.
     "Are you sure that you really want to do this, Miss Gwalthney?" August Mir asked, scratching his thinning, mustard-color hair. Watching him, Josaaph felt pretty sure that she knew how he was losing his hair, now--it had all come off in the fingernails.
     "I have to," she said. She looked around the ops and then sighed. "I don't want to be just another face in the NaNo crowd, I want to stand out in some way. This would even get me into Guinness, too, if I play my cards right. I will be the first person to write the first draft of my novel, in orbit, around Mars. It might take a little longer, but I can tell the guys later. It will take me longer to get to Mars than one year, my dear.".

Lunacy V

2006-11-25T09:42:00.000-05:00

          Martiin turned the warmer off under the chicken. "Ah, it's probably overdone, anyway," she murmured.
          Valeron sighed. He looked out the window at the holiday traffic. "Some Thanksgiving, huh?" he said.
          "Well, at least we know we can start eating now. Josaaph's a definite no-show." Martiin took down a large palte for the chicken, then went beneath the sink to pul lout a small pot in which to make the gravy. Every year, she made the fresh, like her Nana used to make. "Some families are just like that," she said.
          "What?"
          Martiin flashed him a small smile. "Some members of the family make it a point to get together for holidays, and others don't consider them so important as what they feel called to do. It doesn't mean that they love their families any less. It means that they hear what they think is a higher calling, or a psychotic urge, or whatever you want to call it. You know, wanting to do something crazy."
          Martiin measured out the flour, then put the larger pot aside from the flame. She ladled some of the juices from the larger pot into the smaller one, then turned the heat to simmer.

Lunacy IV

2006-11-23T21:16:00.000-05:00

          From the lonesome chicken in the pot, and and potatoes in the oven, to the extra setting on the table for a person who was preoccupied with doing next year's National Novel Writing Month on Phobos and choosing to give a last minute press conference, rather than eating a last meal with friends, at least for a year. Josaaph had made her choice. All that Martiin and Valeron could do was to try and support her.
          The long distance relationship would be even harder for Valeron. From the time Josaaph had decided to write her novel during NaNo one year on the summit of Mount Everest, to the top of a post for another year, Valeron was left to spend his holidays alone. If it hadn't been for Martiin's steadfast friendship, he would have succumbed to complete and utter sanity, many years ago.
          Not that he wasn't close to that point, and had been, many times, over the past several years. Valeron was proud of her but, sometimes, life without Josaaph to raise the roof with smacked of a solitary lifestyle just a bit too much for poor Valeron's tastes. At least, it wasn't as if he was a widower.

Lunacy III

2006-11-22T10:39:00.000-05:00

When the phone rang, both Valeron and Dariin started. They stared at it. Once, twice, three times, it rang.
“Why don’t you get the phone, Val?” Dariin turned back to the stove. Four rings. “I have to check and make sure you didn’t mess up my supper.”
Five rings.
“Ha, ha. Very funny, Da,” Valeron said. “Let’s wait for the machine to pick up before we do. We don’t need a telemarketer telling us what we need, right now.” Six rings. “Not that they’d know, of course, but it’s annoying.”
Seven rings.
“Not a telemarketer, then. They usually stop at five.” Still, Valeron made no move ot pick up the phone. Dariin rushed to get it. “They really need to sell you a sense of humor. Hell, I would buy it for you. Just point me to the website.”
Valeron smirked. Everyone knew he hated getting the phone anyway. Better to let supper overcook, or burn, rather than answer it.
Dariin snarled at him and then picked up the phone. She checked the Caller ID. It was Josaaph’s cell. “Jo, hi!” Valeron moved to take the phone from Dariin, but she slapped his hand away. “What? Press conference? I understand.”

Lunacy II

2006-11-21T13:42:00.000-05:00

          Valeron pushed the sandy-blond hair from his eyes. He tasted the soup, made a face, and then put it aside for the microwave. “When am I going to learn to actually let the water boil before pouring it?”
          Dariin snickered. “When you’re not preoccupied with what whack scheme your girlfriend’s going to pull, next. Anyway, she doesn’t plan to go till next year.”
          “They don’t even have Holiday Inn TM on Phobos!” Valeron said, wailing.
          Dariin put the soup in the microwave. “You do have a tendency to forget what you’re doing when Josaaph’s involved, don’t you?” Her long-suffering query ended with a tortured sigh. “Phobos isn’t the end of the universe, is it?”
          Valeron stuck out his lower lip. “It might as well be, for all that I’ll get to see her for close to a year.”
          “Well, you know what they say,” Dariin chided him. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Then she seemed to think better of it. She scratched her head. “Or was that ‘Abscess makes your tooth grow weaker’? Dan it, I can’t remember, now.”
          “Either way, it’s foul.”
          “Speaking of fowl, I wonder how the chicken’s coming along?” Dariin went over to the cooker

Lunacy

2006-11-20T16:23:00.000-05:00

“I hope Josaaph makes it in time,” Dariin said. She looked in the mirror over the phone table to make sure that her dark brown hair stayed bound, so it wouldn’t get into the food. When she saw Valeron going to check the chicken, she said, “Stay away from that! We don’t want you shedding in it.” Valeron didn’t tidy his mop for cooking, and she always had to remind him of it.
Valeron put the kettle on for tea. "Are you sure that's what she said? It seems an extravagant thing to do, just for National Novel Writing Month."
"I'm sure. She's plotting to spend next year's NaNo on Phobos. " Dariin smoothed the tablecloth, then went to pull the dishes out so that she could set the places for supper. "Personally, I think she would have been better off sitting in a Barnes and Noble, wearing a bunny suit."
"What, no chicken suit?"
"That's been done already."
When it whistled., Valeron pulled the tea kettle from the stove. He poured the water on to the pills in the bowls,. Each one reconstituted itself into a bowl of Boston clam chowder. "I think she'll miss the soup," he mused.

A Morning Sunset? o0;;

2006-11-17T13:58:00.000-05:00

The weather caster on News 12 just said something about the sun setting at 4:33 in the morning. Talk about a double take!

What Kind of Punctuation Are You?

2006-10-13T15:23:00.000-04:00

Dash

You scored 23% Sociability and 52% Sophistication!

There's no denying that you have a certain flair. You don't mind being around others, especially your little brother, the hyphen, but you rarely emerge except when needed. You respond well to those who know how to treat you, but have only contempt for those who don't--you tend to embarass them every chance you get. Your only enemy is the colon--he will sometimes try to move in on your turf.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on Sociability
You scored higher than 99% on Sophistication

Link: The Which Punctuation Mark Are You Test written by Gazda on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

11 October 2006

2006-10-11T15:24:00.000-04:00

To Loosen Up Those Typing Fingers: Touch Typing. It's for a warm-up pracrice session. WArm-up exercises for National Novel Writing Month.
After today, I am posting the countdown to NaNoWriMoNatter, and nowhere else. Part of this is to leave me more time for writing by not taking time to cross-post it; and it can also segue into a countdown for National Novel Finishing Month in December.
I do not know the website address as of yet (it might already have been posted on the NaNoWriMo site), but don't forget that, next June, will mark the first National Novel Scriptwriting Month. Aside from other writing I'll be doing, I plan to participate in it, because I want to write a script, using a story that I wrote some years back for a framework. A friend of mine and I were talking about getting together a group of friends and putting together a production for the local cable channel of that short story (horror). I think those talks fell aside, actually; but it might be fun to write, and then shop, the script around, and see if there are any takers. The storyboarding can wait for when it's finished. ;-)

Writing An Artist's Statement

2006-10-06T09:54:00.000-04:00

Taken from the four viewpoints that I wish to use in my November's novel:

SAGE OF JUSTICE VALHOOR
Well, I'm an Advisor to Richel, King Tavitt. That's because of the Valhoor Gift, my family's Talent. It's referred to as The Sight, and it is a way to See; not only into the past, but also, into the future. The latter, though, is uncertain at best, and you can only foretell the future with any degree of accuracy when you are aware of all the main factors which impact upon it. Sure, you can get hints here or there, but nothing is one hundred percent certain; still, it has made a Royal Advisor of me, which also means that I have to sit in on sessions of the Coucil.

ORTH
I help Master Warren with his research into the society and habits of my people. I speak both my people's tongue, and that of the humans who come to visit us. Bezn has offered to try to teach me the tongue of the Prydewing. I have asked Master Warren's advice, but the tells me that it should be something I want to do, if I want to do it, and that it is my decision to make, and not his. I know that a human child at my age would not apprentice to a scholar, only because Master Warren has told me so; and none of my own people, save for certain ones like our leader, would not be able to assist Master Warren with his scribal records. Garroste, a friend to my older brother ad son to one who would rival our leader, Koprrh, dislikes all humans, though he, like the rest of us, is half-human. He goes out of his way to torment me; but he cannot touch Master Warren, who lives among us under Koprrh's protection. In my native tongue. in the ogre's language, my name means "fortunate one". I don't know as that I am really all that lucky: but if Master WArren had not helped Dame when I was born, neither Dame nor I would be here today. Still, I never wanted to be different from other ogres. I never asked for this to happen. But, I am different, so I will have to "make do" with what I have before me.

BEZN
I am the one who ferries messages and upholds the tenets of the Treaty between the Ogre and Prydewing clans. I manage to speak (and to read) three languages, though the learning of them has not been easy, save for my own. I did not want this task, but it has proved to be an enjoyable and informative one. Our Prydewing's Elder, Quda, believes in the Treaty which lets us live in peace with our neighbors, the ogres. Fyrrh, and certain of the Prydewing who follow him, disagree, and despise both the human-balanced Treaty and the ogres; but since succession is decided by either appointment or challenge, and he is unworthy of the first, and too cowardly for the second, we are in no trouble from him at the current time.

WARREN DANAU
Orth is so fortunate, and in in many respects. After my brother Garth negotiated the Treaty between the ogre and Prydewing clans, I chose to remain, and continue work here: I have no talent with steeds of any sort, though I am adept at chronicling events and analyzing situations, so we agreed that learning about our neighbors, and writing about them, was more important than that I help to deliver another foal; though strange to say that the one thing I have managed to do well, delivering a foal, also carried over when I helped Ayla deliver Orth. It was a difficult pregnancy in the last days, at best, and with a breach birth--well, with nothing to help the mother or child along, I had to do the best I could, with what I knew; and, strange to say, what I knew was horses, though not very well. I was fortunate that I managed to help deliver Orth in one piece, and that his mother also survived, though a great cat later killed her, and Orth's father. Strange to say, that I hardly remember his name now. Perhaps he wasn't quite so important to me as mother and child, though it will slip back into my mind unexpectedly, and unbidden, at the worst possible time--Akan, that's right. His name meant trouble, although he didn't exactly ask for it, himself.. Anyway, I've taken care of Orth for six years now. His elder brother, Alva, moved in with Garroste's family. Anyway, some months ago, I sent word to my brother, Garth, that I thought Orth had a Talent. I mean, I have none, myself, but it seemed that quickly, and so readily, and for some reason, despite Alva and Grroste, and despite losing both parents so early in life, that he has been uncommonly ortunate, that I was here to help deliver him, and that he has a palce here that would not have existed, had it not been for him; I was undecided about remaining here, but Orth's birth decided me. I have asked Garth to forward to the Council my request that Orth be tested for Mageability. If he has a Talent, then it should be recognized and trained, and not set to wither in some back-roots community.

[NaNoWriMo] 29 Days & Counting

2006-10-03T15:13:00.000-04:00

Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say.

- Sharon O'Brien

[NaNoWriMo] 33 Days & Counting

2006-09-29T09:46:00.000-04:00

I moved my countdown to NaNoWriMoNatter: But, for the last one here:

The demonic paradox of writing: when you put something down that happened, people often don't believe it; whereas, you can make up anything, and people assume it must have happened to you.
- Andrew Holleran

[NaNoWriMo] 34 Days & Counting

2006-09-28T10:09:00.000-04:00

NOVEL, n. A short story padded.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)
American satirist, journalist, and short-story writer The Devil's Dictionary, 1911

~ * ~

We're getting there: and in a few minutes I'm going to write today's installment of my pre-NaNo. I actually have a reasonable idea for today's writing, I merely hope that I can achieve and maintain momentum.

[NaNoWriMo] 35 Days & Counting

2006-09-27T07:56:00.000-04:00

I heard Sinclair Lewis say to his son, "Don't write what you know-you'll run out of material!" It always fascinated me.

- Fay Wray

Trying to keep up with some things and catch up with others, during the days preceding NaNoWriMo, is going to be the death of me; especially with people who want to argue the possibility of detectives in Harry Potter. I'm going to concentrate more on my pre-story, and try to deal with things as they come up, because they will inevitably come up in the NaNo itself, and the minimum of 1,776 words per day (though I'll aim for more, since I plan for two free days per week--I inevitably need them) won't leave much time to gather these details; if I do it now, that leaves more free time for writing. Not revising, though, that only comes after the month's done.

[NaNoWriMo] 36 Days & Counting

2006-09-26T09:46:00.000-04:00

"I am a pretty good writer, and a pretty good editor, and a pretty good businessman.
But I find it difficult to be all three at once."
- Ford Madox Ford

[NaNoWriMo] 38 Days & Counting

2006-09-24T20:54:00.000-04:00

I am not awake. Thank you. (I've written noe paragraph of my preemie, offline, and on lined paper. I'll see if I get any more done tongiht, I've been trying to post it, as written, to Works in Progress.)

[NaNoWriMo] 40 Days & Counting

2006-09-22T08:34:00.000-04:00

By the calendar I linked, it's 40 days to NaNo. I was off by one day.

#

The turning point in the whole cycle of growing is the emergence of a focus or a theme.
It is also the most mysterious and difficult kind of cognitive event to analyze.
It is the moment when what was chaos is now seen as having a center of gravity.
There is a shape where a moment ago there was none.
- Peter Elbow, Writing Without Teachers

NaNoWriMo Countdown: 41

2006-09-21T07:51:00.000-04:00

According to the counter that I downloaded, it is now 41 days to National Novel Writing Month.

Unprovided with original learning, unformed in the habits of thinking, unskilled in the arts of composition, I resolved to write a book.

Edward Gibbon (1737 -1794) English historian

NaNoWriMo: 42 Days and Counting

2006-09-19T09:55:00.000-04:00

Hypergraphia, the inability to stop writing.

I can think of a few NaNoers who wish they had this type of affliction. ^_^

Ar, it be talk like a pirate day, me 'earties. Avast, ye parrots. Hoist the crackers, we be chompin' off.

43 Days and Counting

2006-09-18T11:48:00.000-04:00

43 Days and Counting

Words are, of course, the most potential drug used by mankind.
- Rudyard Kipling

I am catching up on mundane matters before November. It's taking a bit of self-encouragement; but procrastination never wrote a bestseller. ;-)

Possible things to do, while preparing for November:

          Pre-cook things like stews and soups, and freeze them. This can also be done with pre-prepared meals, so that you don't have to resort to things like TV dinners. ;-)
          Stock up on snacks/brain food. When you're on a roll, you're not on a bagel. (Sorry: I can't resist a bad pun, or even a good one.) Same goes for beverages--or make sure you have enough coffee/tea to last for a bit. Basically, it's like stocking up for a fall-out shelter, only this time it's for NaNoWriMo, rather than radiation levels (I know: to some folks, there's little difference, lol).
          Carpool arrangements for getting your child to school.
          Don't worry about hiring anyone to walk your dog or cat, or ferret, or aardvark: getting away for a walk might actually help you write, when you're stuck on something; it gives you a chance to mull events over, at least subconsciously.
          Above all, have fun with what you're writing. By this, I mean, torture your characters to tell a story. Wait, that didn't sound right... lol. Character conflcit is rather important to tell a good tale, though; give your character things, obstacles, to overcome. Sometimes, thinking about these can actually be fun, and can be gratifying when your character does finally win out, in the end.

Interlude

2006-09-16T13:15:00.000-04:00

Before I continue my pre-NaNo Pre-Story, I need to do a bit of thinking; because the next big scene is dinner, and then, the post-dinner scene with Alexandra. I have a few ideas, especially since this looks like it will lead to some conflict/argument. I'm glad to play around with it, though; it's actually fodder for future books in the series.

46 Days and Counting

2006-09-15T09:11:00.000-04:00

One of life's quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself and watch yourself softly becoming the author of something beautiful, even if it is only falling ash.
- Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

47 Days until National Novel Writing Month

2006-09-14T14:18:00.000-04:00

"Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with,
it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes
a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it
becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just
as you are about to be reconciled to your
servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him
to the public."
- Sir Winston Churchill

Works in Progress

2006-09-13T10:37:00.000-04:00

I finished catching up with my GMail and my prominent journals, not to mention the moderation of my Yahoo groups. Now, I plan to have a cup of coffee, and then I'll try to do somethin today for my pre-NaNo pre-story (getting me from there to the start of my planned NaNo). Hopefully, I will manage to write more than 6 paragraphs today. I hope I can find some Tylenol TM, too--I've had this headache since yesterday.

EDIT:

NaNoWriMo:
What I did wrong last year? I let the plot grow backwards while I was trying to write it forwards, because a few things needed extrapolation for them to make sense. I put that one on the back burner for this year, and I'm going for a story that I already have pretty well plotted out (having had, like, 13 years to think about it, lol: last year's was older, but I hadn't put quite so much into it as I'd had the other, which i gave a break for NaNo '04, where I worked on a story in the same universe as the one I did for last year, and I won NaNo, but still haven't finished the story). At least this year's has finished growing backwards (a prequel is in the plotting stages, but I'm not writing it until this series is finished), I know exactly where the events begin, and I am posting a pre-NaNo pre-story to one of my blogs which will help me get from point a to point b (where the word first comes to where my story actually begins).

Sometimes, though, I wish Blogger had a spell check. *sigh* Since it's refusing my email and I have to post on site (and I noted that one post finally got there, but it's a redundancy *sigh*).

50 Days and Counting

2006-09-11T13:20:00.000-04:00

It's only been three days since I started my pre-NaNo writing (the events leading uop to the point at which my novel will begin on 01 November 2006). I'm not posting the NaNo on-line, but the pre-story, I'm posting to my WIP blog. Still, that's three day's worth of writing, even if I'm not in the middle of the pre-story yet.

Now, all I need is a good night's sleep. *sigh*

The Novel Outline

2006-09-01T08:18:00.000-04:00

Story Outline
Sample Story Outline (for general tips. It's for a shorter work, but it's one example of a basic outline.)

The elements of fiction from the Fiction Writing page of Wikipedia has some tips on forms of outlining. I haven't seen all of them used for any given outline, but I have seen some parts recommended, like plot, for outlining. Heck, outlining is plotting, essentially, so... ;-)

How to Write A Short Story By Paul Saevig He mentions in passing at the end of the article that much the same method is useful for writing novels.

The Synopses A synopsis is the bare bones of a story, an outline at its most essential, sans subplots and side stories. These are some examples of bare-bones synopses.

How To Create a One-Page book or Screenplay Outline by MaxiiJ
This seems to be a concise method, which incorporates some of the other methods of outlining that I've read, over the years.

Effectively Outlining Your Plot by Lee Masterson is an excellent resource.

Synopsis Vs. Outline by Vicki Hinze is an excellent guide and supplement to the task at hand.

Using Index Cards to Plot A Novel by Marilynn Byerly talks about the method of using index cards as a tool to help you outline scenes for your novel; the theory being that an index card is the proper size for outlining so that you don't write, say, a 10k-word scene summary. ;-)

Finally, Building Novel Templates by Rob Parnelli seems as if it would be particularly useful for outlining.

~#~

I think that the novel template and the index cards would be the most useful; what do you think? With the other links for use as supplemental material when we need additional help with outlining?

--
Regards,
Elizabeth Anne Ensley
LiveJournal: http://tinyurl.com/aa9jh
http://tinyurl.com/hk4so
http://tinyurl.com/8wh8w
http://www.livingdead.co.uk/

From quotationspage.com:
--------------------
Mustard's no good without roast beef.
- Chico Marx

Obligatory NaNoWriMo Posty

2006-08-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

I've decided this year to aim for 3k per day, for a grand total of 90k for the month. I'm working on an outline where I put the chapter number, lsit three things I want to accomplish in the chapter, and then list three reversals/obstacles which will delay or negate completion of those accomplishments. Hey, outlines can change while you're writing anyway, so this should prove intersting. I only jsut started on chapter two's outline, but I'm thinking I'll have a prologue and then a few interludes. Yes, I know prologues are usually unnecessary and annoying; but the prologue and the interludes will be from my antagonist's point of view. The story itself needs that PoV to flesh things out, and I feel that the prologue, interldues, and perhaps an epilogue might be in order. both for a segue into the next book and just because I feel like it. ;-) I want to use the terminology for bits that I feel are essential to furthering the plot of the story, but which cannot be told in the main portions.
Also, I feel that it may well amuse some readers. I do have an unovened sense of humor. ;-)

Statute?

2006-08-25T09:01:00.000-04:00

CAIRO, Egypt - Engineers on Friday moved the giant statute of Pharaoh Ramses II from a congested square in downtown Cairo to its new home near the more peaceful Great Pyramids.

Err... Do you think they need a proof-reader?

Wiki?

2006-08-15T04:28:00.000-04:00

Synopsis
Writing a Selling Synopsis
--
Regards,
Elizabeth Anne Ensley
LiveJournal: http://tinyurl.com/aa9jh
http://tinyurl.com/hk4so
http://tinyurl.com/8wh8w
http://www.livingdead.co.uk/

Buudhism: Your Daily Meditation 06 Aug 2006
--
By becoming attached to names and forms, not realising that they have no more basis than the activities of the mind itself, error rises and the way to emancipation is blocked. -Buddha

Some Fun I've Been having, The Past Few Months.

2006-08-08T21:48:00.000-04:00

My computer's not supposed to break down until November.
Seriously.
For two years running, during every single year I have been an official participant in NaNoWriMo, I have had computer problems. This year, they started way too early, and have been well-nigh continuous. My ex-husband Fred even came out a couple of weeks ago and managed to get one of them working, but it died two days later when the lady upstairs (love living in flats, love, love, love the buffalo herd in the middle of the night) vacuumed her rug.
There are one (Terror's, working), two (cheap little old laptop which writes very unreliable text files) three (Fred's old computer, which he gave me when he got a new one when mine died) four, five, six, seven--at least seven computers and one AlphaSmart in the house. So far, the AlphaSmart's been the most reliable, but I can neither print, nor save to floppy on it.
You know who killed Fred's old computer? Bill Gates. Of course, Windows Media Player 10 (Curse you, Evil Windows Media Player 10!) killed it, downloading to my computer. I really should have known better, I think the same thing happened to my old system too.
No longer will I trust anything that comes out of Microsoft, unless it has impeccable references and a computer repair guarantee.

Update Central

2006-07-02T10:33:00.000-04:00

Boy, has it been awhile. I spend little time online because my daughter's been on disability leave,and she's a computer hog.

I have the time line for my latest project about a third of the way done. I had to switch back to Swain's World (Don't complain! That's the working title! Honest!) from TLGM because, though I've spent the past two years on the latter, it needs more perc time. See, research (what you need to do of it for fantasy, esp. using RW critters) is one thing, but keeping the sequence in order is quite another one altogether.

Sequence, or the time line, is what I'm working on right now for SW. I'd already constructed the basic genealogies, and the time line that I'm working and reworking now (noticing glaring inconsistencies) is half-way based upon those; although it hit me that I'd do better to switch it to reverse chronological order, at least at first. Luckily, that's all still in the drafting stages. I will commit the final working version to a notebook (not a loose leaf, and it's college ruled). I'll try, of course, to leave enough room for later additions, if necessary.

I will be glad, though, when the wireless network is back on-line, so I can check my email on my own timr instead ofd someone else's...

--
Regards,
Elizabeth Anne Ensley
LiveJournal: http://tinyurl.com/aa9jh
Liz's Looming Lunacy: http://tinyurl.com/8wh8w
http://www.livingdead.co.uk/

---The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot.
- Mark Twain

It's been a long time, hasn't it?

2006-06-13T10:46:00.000-04:00

          With all my computer problems, it's really put a crimp in my writing. I don't even have a proper word processing program on the computer I'm using, which happens to be Terror's old one.
          I blame Bill Gates for this, since Windows Media 10 killed XP, and XP itself is kind of sucky and buggy. Shame, though, because I was finally starting to get used to the operating system. *sigh* How am I supposed to go onlnie from my own computer if Bill Gates keeps killing it?
          I mean, really, Bill, you need a new hobby.

Living Dead

2006-02-07T11:25:00.000-05:00

I can't read German so well, so I'll take awhile to figure it out, but I think it's a movie house or something. Other than that, there's an UK link too, http://www.livingdead.co.uk/ I don't think it's for the same thing, though. ;-) Yes, I get in these random moods.

World of Warcraft

2006-02-07T06:27:00.000-05:00

          World of Warcraft is down for maintenance. I've been playing that almost obsessively for about a month or so, studying the way they managed the worldbuilding. The one thing that bites is, when you go to the major capitols, like Stormwind, Darnassus, and Ironforge (or the Undercity). the game suffesr major lag; the worst offender is Ironforge. Still, it's worth the effort. The animations for Ironforge are gorgeous in detail. The Dark Elf town's ain't half bad, either.
          Yes, gaming can too count as writing research. They had to write at least a basic storyline, didn't they? Quite a bit of work went into the storyline development, and they keep adding to it. Even if they have to take the system down once a week for maintenance, and have software problems.
          That's the funny thing about spending so long writing, you tend to compare story arcs and details in everything. Not to mention you add quirks for characters. I have one Dark Elf who bows to the Ancient Protectors and stuff, and another one who salutes them.I'm adding character quirks. Although the male, I don't think I'll try it again, but the female, I like having hr make the train noises while dancing. It's cute. It makes little sense, but it's cute. Why does it make little sense? Because there are no darn trains, unless you count the underground run between Ironforge and Stormwind. I don't hear it making trainy noises, though... Also, the jokes could use some improvement for the 'silly' bit on vocal emoting.
          The Dark Moon Carnival is setting up by Goldshire. I can hardly wait to see what that's going to be like! Is that a dungeon, or is it like the Monlight Festival, for fun? Thasnks to the Coins (from talking with the Elders), my Dark Elf Rogue, male, is running around in a pink festival dress.
          Remember what I said about character quirks. ;-)

Quotes of Interest

2006-01-10T09:59:00.000-05:00

The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it.
- Benjamin Disraeli

Quote of the Day on Google

2006-01-10T08:01:00.000-05:00

The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it.
Benjamin Disraeli

One Writer's Thoughtforms

2005-12-30T13:53:00.000-05:00

          When I belonged for a short time to Al Manning's ESP lab (while the ESP lab was still in Karloffornia and not in the Midwest somewhere), they sent me a thoughtform called Charlie. Now IMO, a thoughtform is basically a thought that may start randomly, but grows to take on a life of its own. From a disembodied name, Charlie has a nickname now (Chas), has not-too-short, dark brown to black hair, brown eyes, and smokes a pipe. He's become the stereotypical writer's thoughtform (albeit in a starched white shirt and dark slacks, which he tends to favor).
          As writers, we give a form to our thoughts, so for me a thought form might have quite a different meaning from, say, yours. It's probably different from that of the ESP lab as well, since Chas was supposed to be a formless glob of unfocused positive energy.
          Another thoughtform I'll have to work on at some point is Terror's fault. See, she was still rather young then, and liked bedtime stories, and I started making them up on the fly. The protagonist was named Carrot, because he really loved to eat carrots. He was an orange dragon. ;-)
          For Chas and for Carrot, the essential roots are obvious: I'm a writer, and I happen to like dragons. At some point I'm also going to write about my red headed unicorn too--well, red maned, actually, but it amounts to pretty much the same thing, lol. No, he doesn't have freckles (at least, not yet).
          For every Yin, of course, you should really have a Yang in opposition. I tried that with Carrot, via the Evil Wizard, but Terror insisted on co-writing, and you know how kids are at a young age--she had Carrot become his friend and then the Evil Wizard became the Good Wizard because he'd not had a friend before, but now he had one. *grin*
          Silly, right?

"what's the reader's goal?"

2005-12-29T16:02:00.000-05:00

And the most important question is, "what's the reader's goal?"

When a non-fiction book (especially a tech book) doesn't sell, or a training course isn't successful, it's often because the reader was on one end of the graph while the writer/course developer was on the other. Or because the author/teacher believed that giving information was the way to communicate knowledge and understanding.

This can also apply towards fiction.

--
Regards,
Elizabeth Anne Ensley
LiveJournal: http://tinyurl.com/aa9jh
Liz's Looming Lunacy: http://tinyurl.com/8wh8w
My Yahoo 360 http://tinyurl.com/a6l7l
---
quiddity: the essence or nature of a thing.

Yet Another Day

2005-12-17T09:41:00.000-05:00

Ah, yes. As usual, Fred couldn't come out. I'm glad I didn't tell Terror. Well, we'll get that wireless card in, eventually, on our own. I just have to figure getting the screw loose without completely destroying the exterior framework of the computer.

My Big Test

2005-12-16T19:32:00.000-05:00

Guess what?

I switched over my email address.

Now I just have to test it, and see if it's working properly.

That's the second time this happened.

2005-12-16T11:16:00.000-05:00

               I received a telephone call from someone telling me that I won a five hundred dollar gift certificate to a mall. This was supposed to be a random prize for shopping at a mall. And of course, when I start asking questions, they hang up on me.
              *sigh*
              No, I don't know if they'll ever ask for my bank account or credit card number, because I never let them get that far into the conversation. The calls are annoying though, because they always occur when I'm in the middle of something online.
               Spam, spam, spam, telephone spam, spam, spam. *sigh*

It's settled, then

2005-12-12T15:08:00.000-05:00

          We now know why Aeris the kitten has a watery eye. She came beck from the veterinarian's office today with two medications for pink eye. Because of this, she can't receive her vaccinations this week. Assuming all goes well, she goes back for her shots in two weeks; and if she has a discharge of any kind, if the eye shows no signs of clearing up, then she goes back next week.
           Even without a proper word processing program, I managed to get the summary sentence and the one paragraph outline done (if not revised) for the first trilogy that I plan to write starting in January. The next phase will be the three page outline for each book (sticky, since I don't have a proper word processing program) and then the six page outline for each one. You know I'm going to BS my way through at least part of each one, but I can revise the outlines later, at need.
            And how was your Millenium, so far?

Surprise!

2005-11-28T17:17:00.000-05:00

I'm happy. Terror's treating me to dinner tonight. She just called to tell me she has a chicken Parmesan with my name on it. *grin* So we'll save the spaghetti for tomorrow night. It'as a happy surprise. ;-)

Fwd: [THE PARASITORIUM] do you

2005-11-26T18:09:00.000-05:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Anne Ensley
Date: Nov 26, 2005 6:07 PM
Subject: Re: [THE PARASITORIUM] do you

All of the above, whether I'm writing the horror (this is a horror group, you know), fantasy, or even SF. Some humor, some non-humor, but the humor tends to seep into the darker stuff. Have you ever noticed that a bit of humor in a dark story tends to give it that edge that makes it more human--and therefore, more plausible?

Er, although I write more from my keyboard then from my heart and soul. See, the only way I could use my heart to get the words down is if I cut it out to sue it on the keyboard, but then I wouldn't get the words out because--well, you know. And if I tried to write with my soul--well, the ancient meaning of soul was what folks think of as the human body.

As for involving one's self in what one writes, that's two-edged at best: you have to be dispassionate enough to realize that the words you so frantically work to get down on paper, in a computer file or on a tape recorder will need editing, or at the least a good once-over. You have to be passionate enough to care about what you write and to keep sending out your stories, despite rejections, because you believe in them, but dispassionate enough about your stories that if you've made a mistake and an editor points it out to you (an act of supreme kindness), that you will not get upset over it and you will perhaps even look at your story and decide if you really should change it, or if changing it would change the tone of your story, and then you look at the surrounding prose to see if there's any way you could justify or clarify your decision with a little judicious editing--painting a new line here, painting over an arc there.

And I think that's the longest response I've given to anything in this group in quite some time. *grin*

On 11/26/05, L. U. wrote:

write from ur heart and soul... putting part of u into what u
create...writing from the experiences of ur life.... writing of the things
that piss off others but that u know u can get away with in a work of
fiction?

Or do u write of the fanciful, far removed from self?

Or do u feel there is no way to not leave part of self in ons craft?

Lator gators
Lis

--
Regards,
Elizabeth Anne Ensley
LiveJournal: http://tinyurl.com/aa9jh
Liz's Looming Lunacy: http://tinyurl.com/8wh8w
My Yahoo 360 degrees thing: http://tinyurl.com/a6l7l

--
Regards,
Elizabeth Anne Ensley
LiveJournal: http://tinyurl.com/aa9jh
Liz's Looming Lunacy: http://tinyurl.com/8wh8w
My Yahoo 360 degrees thing: http://tinyurl.com/a6l7l

scratches head

2005-11-22T11:37:00.000-05:00

PAISLEY f & m English
From a Scottish surname which may be ultimately derived from Latin basilica "church".

--
Regards,
Elizabeth Anne Ensley
LiveJournal: http://tinyurl.com/aa9jh
Liz's Looming Lunacy: http://tinyurl.com/8wh8w
My Yahoo 360 degrees thing: http://tinyurl.com/a6l7l

Updates on Auntie NaNoWriMo's Old Blues

2005-11-20T14:55:00.000-05:00

               My blurty and LiveJournal profile pages are constantly updated with my count total, just FYI, but so far it stands at 8571. Yes, I know it's pathetic, but at least I finally started writing again.
               Now I think I'll go eat something before I croak. I'm getting offline now anyway, got more to write.
               TTFN!
--
Regards,
Elizabeth Anne Ensley
LiveJournal: http://tinyurl.com/aa9jh
Liz's Looming Lunacy: http://tinyurl.com/8wh8w
My Yahoo 360 degrees thing: http://tinyurl.com/a6l7l

3.141719...

2005-11-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

You Are Apple Pie

You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional
Those who like you crave security

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Cats: Mighty Hunters of the Jung--err, housefold.

2005-11-17T12:57:00.000-05:00

        Well, the cat is on its way.
        Just when I thought Terror had forgotten. *grin*
        Actually, the shelter called here to make sure I was oaky with the cat. Snice Coral already asked me, I'd think that was a moot point, lol. They also got the number for the main office too.
        Why would I have a problem? Terror's the one who will pay cat support. XD
        Oh, and yes, Rachel promised to bring her digital camera so we can get a picture of the furry bundle of joy to share with y' all.

        Cat carrier.
        * Check.
        Cat toys.
        * Check.
        Cat food.
        * Check.
        SCratchnig post.
        * Check.
        Litter box.
        * Check.
        Food and water dishes.
        * Check.
        Kitty litter.
        * Check.
        Kitty litter mat.
        * Check.
        Kitty food and water dish mat.
        * Check.
        Kitty snacki-poos.
        * Check.
        Mom's approval.
        * Check.
        Tranquilizer gun.
        oo;; Tranquilizer gun?
        In case it tries to eat someone.
        Hey, it's a kitten, not a tiger.
        You've played with a kitten?
        Yes, but--
        Small difference, sometimes.

Zodiacat.

The Secondary Inversion of the Return of NaNoWriMo

2005-11-11T19:37:00.000-05:00

          [rant]

          5705 words. That's pathetic. I should have had quite a few more of them by now. I know what I want to write, I know what happens, so why am I not getting it written?
          I miss my manual typewriter.
          You know what I mean: a nice, big, clunky, non-electronic device, one that you have to use Ko-Rec-Type or Spell-o-Tape on when you commit a major typo or seventy-billion, and that's only when you're on the second-to-last draft of your manuscript, when you're ready to tear your hair out when your fingers strike the wrong key, or several keys at once, so that the hammers get all stuck together and need to be pried apart with the diminutive equivalent of a crowbar. The feel of paper, of proper keys (and not this keyboarding/number pad/function key crap that you get with a computerized system--Damn the shortcuts! Full speed ahead!
          Has technology, in a way, become the ultimate nemesis of the writer's productivity? Has the creative spirit been quelled by a ready access or overdose--an overabundance of sites where people post fiction that has been un-proofed, un-spellchecked, where the author of the piece does not want to trouble themselves with a revision because "it's too much trouble to write it, it takes too damn long, it's too much work..." Granted, there are also many, many writers who genuinely care enough about their work on the 'net to put forth their best effort and constantly strive to improve their prose.
          Sometimes, you just miss the tactile sensation of inserting a paper into the carriage, hitting the carriage return several times in rapid succession, and the clatter of the hammers hitting the paper, the raised and sometimes faded lettering on the keyboard of the manual typewriters.
          Damn it, where's the love, people?

[/rant]

NaNoWriMo Day Two

2005-11-02T16:13:00.000-05:00

Over 3k words form yesterday. My totals will be posted on my profiles both at the main site and on my LJ profile page. Fun! My NaNoWriMo mug arrived today. I have that, and my tee shirt, so I'm all set for the month.

Sleep? What is this 'sleep' that you speak of? *smile*

Cybernetic Requiem Again

2005-10-30T20:48:00.000-05:00

NaNo lost all my bookmarks and even my registration so I had ot go and sign upp all over again. *sigh*
THe computer is also, if not quite dead, then undead. I have na alternate, but it's not online and the wpp on it sucks. It insists on being on the internet before it will work. Bill Gates, why did you have ot create such a quirk=ridden system? *sigh* XP stands for "Extra-Peculiar".

National Novel Writing Angst

2005-10-28T15:16:00.000-04:00

     Well, Samhain's around the bend. Hallowe'en (or Halloween, depending on your geographical location) is Monday, and at the witching hour... I don't know if I'll be awake to start to write, but you never know.
     We Have Candy; We Have Candy. We're prepared this year. I hope that we don't run out of candy again before the day is done. I felt so bad last year, having to post that note on the door before nightfall. With luck the two meager (large) bags I managed to buy will be suffucuent. I should have bought a third, though, jsut in case.
     I also managed to get a 26 oz. can of Chock Full O Nuts coffee. With the 13 ounce Maxwell Huose can, perhaps that will see me though November. That, and the very, very large box of powdered milk. My story changed again on me earlier today, so it now looks as if the prequel will also be a trilogy. Why can I not think of a simple story, rather than long and involved ones? I wonder if I should put this aside and work on Swain's World again instead? At least I have that story organized enough, that I know what the first book will be about without having it grow backwards on me (a lot of my story ideas tend to do that, you see). It's finished maturing so at least it will be wasier to begin writing without mutating on me.
     Why can't life be simple? See Spot run. See Spot run to the dragon. See Spot bite the dragon. Does the dragon bite back? The dragon does not bite back. Does the dragon shoot fire? No ,the dragon does not shoot fire. What does the dragon do? The dragon runs away. The dragon is hiding. The dragon hides from Spot. The dragon is scared of Spot. Why is the dragon scared of Spot? Spot bit the dragon.
     Grr... Brain rot. XD
     Alan Rickman, I do hope you're oaky. I don't know if you intentionally lost a spot of weight for the role of Severus Snape this year or not, but you are quite noticeably thinner. We do need you for the movies, you know (not jsut for the Harry Potter ones [I despise changing actors in the middle of a series if it can be avoided] but you're also quite funny. Yes, I've seen Galazy Quest and Dogma [and every time I think of the latter, I want to say "I'm Sorry My Karma Ran Over Your Dogma--tooo used to the button at the cons lol]).
     Well, that's all for this update, my droods. O My Brothers. It's been Horrorshow.

Seven Days and Counting

2005-10-24T17:02:00.000-04:00

          Seven days, approximate, until the start of National Novel writing Month.
          Seven more days until the insanity begins.
          Six more days to try to stock up on Hallowe'en candy.
          I should go offline soon. I managed to write approximately 2.5k yesterday and I want to do the same today.
          I don't want to see GoF in the movie theater. I am pampered by the books, which have richer detail then the theatrical releases, and this movie looks to be the worst offender yet. This is nothing against Alan Rickman, or against Dan Radcliffe or Rupert Grint or Emma Watson or any other actor in the movies. This is a matter of personal preference. Give me a few years to get used to the idea of Severus Snape not showing off his Dark Mark like he does in the book first, then I might be able to watch it on the telly (the one with the non-exploding ceramic penguin atop it) without flinching.
          Have a pleasant day.
--
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