Originally posted at
My Dreamwdith account. I also post on my site, The Process
Comments welcome. :)
discussion time
Happiness – A Strafing Run of Links & Things
One of the things I have noticed about writers is that we tend to be interested in a bit of everything. Many have held down multiples of jobs, often in varying fields. I think this is because many authors are a touch ADD. Not to say we cannot focus but ….
But, um.
Well, we tend to get distracted. And the internet has made that distraction lots easier. I don’t know about other writers but for me? I am often pulled away from my own thoughts by the wormhole of the world wide web.
I will be writing along and back myself into a corner because I don’t have enough information. As a random example, I might need to know about voodoo veves for a story I am writing*. Somehow, just from that wee research, I am now looking at Halloween cupcakes. Which, of course, leads me on to shrunken apple heads. While I am bopping around there, I see a link for Halloween bathrooms.
It just deteriorates from there. (And that is all on one site.**)
It isn’t just during writing that this sort of thing happens. This morning, as I was going about my normal Facebook/coffee/email routine – I happened across a picture of this amazing sculpture. Which made me recall that Austin has a sculpture garden, Umlauf. I haven’t been in over three years, which is a shame. I really should expose the Girl to more artistic endeavors. Like galleries, museums and such.
I can get sucked into a whirlpool of “OOH!” and “Nifty!” and “Whoa, honey – did you know about?” that lasts for hours. I suppose it isn’t a bad thing. But, thank god I’m not on any sort of deadline.
* – may or may not have actually happened. *shifty eyes*
** – Squidoo? Is crack for information ho’s. Just sayin’.
What is love?
According to that video, love is badly dressed people running amok in a castle while an emotionless man lip-syncs his own song. Which I gotta believe, ain’t the truth of anything, much less amour. So. What is love?
Now, that’s a serious question meant from a writer’s perspective. What does love, being in love, loving your mate…what do those look like to you?
I’m pretty sure that it doesn’t look like what you see on television. Here’s proof: those people kiss (passionately, even) first thing in the morning.
BLECH.
I don’t know what happens in your house? But in mine there is teeth-brushing before there is tongue wrangling. Morning breath. Ew, ew, ew.
ANYWAY.
I know that for me, love is this constant, low hum of content. It is coming downstairs to find Mister Man stretched out on the couch and laying down on top of him to snuggle. (If I can get an “OOOF!” out of him, so much the better.) It is giggling together in the morning. It is nomming on his eyebrow – zombie camel kisses. Cheering when either spies the other naked. Talking about life – school, work, the Girl, bills. Bringing him a cup of coffee while he showers. It is always trying to resolve arguments before we go to bed.
Are all those things “normal” expressions of caring? Are they things that I should include in my stories? I have an extremely difficult time writing love scenes. I would much rather write about tentacles and murder and potentially undead bosses and drug use.
*reads that last sentence again*
…Maybe I can’t write a love scene because I am disturbed in some way.
I figure that there must be some sort of learning curve on writing a believable (note I didn’t say “realistic”) love story. Where and how do you pick that particular skill up? Are there lessons taught by descendants of Rudolf Valentino? Does Cary Elwes show up in a black mask and a semi-attached mustache to be your Love Muse? Why the hell not?
The Process 