High on cold meds...

When I take meds they have an odd effect on my body and mind. The drowsy ones make me alert. And the stimulant ones make my tired. Overall I react differently to common day situations and my thoughts become well you see....

I'm very upset because because my cat tried to touch my gluten fee chocolate chip cookie. She touched it with  the same paw that she used to kill a hornet with earlier today. Doesn't she know to use Purell?

Yesterday, I completed my third attempt at my second synopsis of WIP #1. Make sense? Natalie Whipple broke it down into Cinderella terms. She made it look doable.

I also am itching to go pick up my copy of Hush, Hush today. But, I don't really feel like leaving the house because of this nefarious cold.

I am also wondering what would have happened if Eragon ran into Frodo in the Hadarac Desert... Would Frodo be like: "Man, can I use Saphira to fly this ring to Mordor?"  OR would Eragon be like "Dude, what are you?"

You've probably heard, Nathan Bransford is hosting his annual first paragraph contest. I've submitted mine and have thoroughly enjoyed reading the others posted on there.

Lastly, I am wondering what you guys think of authonomy? (Those of you who are unagented) Would you post on there?

I don't review books...I gossip about them

I'm one of those people who mentally shut down when I'm asked to summarize, synopsize (that's a word right?), review, or write essays. BUT I do like talking about books. Talking is a bit of an understatement. I GOSSIP about what I read.

Most of my friends at the ice skating rink enjoy reading or are of the type that enjoy the flamboyant, spectacular, and dramatic (I guess that is the essence of our sport). So we gossip about books amongst other important things (each other, celebrities, you tube videos, etc...). I can singlehandedly say that I spread the Twilight Fever at the Pelham Skating School and the Wings Plague and the Great and Terrible Virus...I mean Beauty.

So...I'd like to gossip a bit about books that I just read (City of Bones) and listened to (Lost Symbol).

WARNING: SPOILERS WILL BE DISCUSSED. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THESE BOOKS AND PLAN TO IN THE FUTURE DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER

CITY OF BONES
Valentine being Clary's Dad really wasn't much of a surpise. I mean come on. Jocelyn Fray didn't seem like the type that got around that much. As soon as we find out that she was married to Valentine, which was somewhere in the middle of the book, I already knew then that Valentine was Clary's dad.

Hodge and his avian partner always seemed a bit dodgy to me, so when he betrayed everyone- it was quite fitting.

Jace is HOT. I like the fact that Alec is homosexual and is in love Jace. I like that fact that Simon has been in love with Clary his whole life. My heart goes out to him, because I soooo know what that feels like.

It took me awhile to understand what a Stele really was and the fact that the Shadowhunters actually tatoo runes on themselves with the stele. Perhaps, I'm just a bit slow.

I think Clare built up the brother/sister thing pretty well. That's a difficult thing to do.

Overall, the writing is great. And I really like the way that Cassandra Clare describes things. Awesome metaphors and similes.

LOST SYMBOL
This was good. Dan Brown you are the man. After reading one of his books I feel so intellectual and educated. I learned about the circumpunct, Noetic science, and sensory deprivation chambers. I probably would have never heard of these things if it weren't for Mr. Brown.

My heart goes out to Peter Solomon. Lost his son. Lost his wife through divorce. Lost his mom via murder. Almost loses his sister. Thinks he loses a good friend. Think his brotherhood will be destroyed. Then loses his son AGAIN. WOW. Amazing man, that Peter Solomon to pull through like he did.

OMG. The part where Robert Langdon died. I was like in mega denial. No. It can't be! Does this mean Dan Brown won't write another intellectual adventure with the world's favorite Symbologist ever again!!! Seriously these are the things I worry about.

Great listen (I can't say read, cause well I didn't). Highly recommend.

Anyone else want to gossip about City of Bones or Lost Symbol?

AHHHHHH!!!!!

I AM SO FRUSTRATED.
Why is it that when there isn't time to write the ideas rush at you. But, when you have an entire afternoon FREE, there ain't nothin' in my head to work with (that's a little Alabama talk for ya'll).

To be honest, I'm at a point in my plot where the action could go like ten different ways. And i don't know which way to go. Because the anal perfectionist side of me wants to choose the BEST way. And I know it's wrong. And I know I'm just suffocating myself; perpetuating this block.

Sigh.

On a bright note, I did reserve a copy of Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush today. It's getting great reviews and has a bad ass cover.

Outline versus Go with the Flow

I am often torn between outlining what I write versus just seeing what happens. A few weeks back I read a post here, which basically said you should have fourteen chapters outlined before you start writing. So since I am re-writing a YA with a pretty complex plot, I thought I'd give it a try. I opened up my journal, found a pen that seemed to glide across the paper (if you didn't know, this is a must; if the pen ain't smooth, it's automatic writer's block), and went at it.

The problem is that when I started writing, nothing that I outlined actually happened. When I write, I'm watching a movie in my mind. Except that it's better than a movie. I actually jump in and out the bodies of all the characters. I feel what they feel. I react how they react. If they are making a facial expression or clenching their gut, I actually do that. It's the ultimate experience. So I don't really know what's going to happen. I have to wait and see how it plays out. Sometimes, something happens that I don't expect.
Now, that I think of it, I bet I look pretty funny when I write.

Anyway, I'm wary because I used the "go with the flow" method when I wrote my original manuscript and I ended up not being happy with the pacing or the plot. I do spend a lot of time thinking/imagining before I write, so I do have a direction in mind. But, I'm afraid that if I keep going with the flow, I'll end up writing another no go.
What do you guys do? Outline? Or just see how it unfolds?

IMPORTANT HYPOTHETICAL

So if you eat Fruit Loops do you end up with rainbow stripes in your pants?

A little inspiration...

 A few years back I purchased the book How I Got Published. It was enlightening to say the least. I highly recommend reading it, as it contains essays from famous authors sharing their story of how they got published.

Clive Cussler's essay, entitled I Decided to Take a More Devious Approach, tells the cunning story of how he created a fake agency to woo another agent to read his work. Remember folks, this was back in the day.

Marian Keyes' essay shares the low points of her life and how eventually her writing helped turn everything around.

It's an excellent read, especially if you're an aspiring writer. Almost 350 pages ranging from quick luck to years of persistence. No, I'm not getting paid to plug this book or anything. I was just dusting my bookshelf and I came across it. I read it and it energized me (as well as gave me a good reality check) about writing. Just thought I'd share.

Chicken is ready to go in the oven

So the WIP has been marinading for about 7 days now. Between reading City of Bones and listening to Lost Symbol I haven't given my peeps in Product of an Illusion a second thought. I tried to think about Maya and Fabian when I was at the allergy doctor getting stuck with 50 needles in my back- BUT I wasn't quite able to make it there (perhaps it was the needles).
Does that disturb me? No, not really.
It's kind of like when you go on a vacation with your significant other and you see them EVERYDAY, ALL DAY long. You still love them, but you just need a break, some time apart so you can miss them.
I've had my time apart and I'm ready to jump back in. So if I disappear for awhile, I'm working on my WIP.