Are you an essential grain?

[greygirlbeast]

1. I slept almost eight hours. Sure, I had to take half a Seroquel (which would be 12.5 mg) to get to sleep, but then at least I did sleep. I hate how I've become dependent on sleep aids again. And pills like Seroquel that aren't actually sleep aids, but allow me to sleep. I'm still very tired, but at least I know my body rested.

2. Very cold today. Presently 17˚F, with the windchill at 6˚. The still white world. Which is to say the world that is both white and still.

3. Yesterday, I made that big push to find the bottom of Chapter 4 of The Drowning Girl: A Memoir. I wrote 2,515 words, and I did indeed reach it. But by the time I did, I felt as if I'd kicked my own teeth out. The manuscript is presently 218 pages long, which amounts to 48,218 words. I got a bit angry yesterday, I will admit, that it took me two years to work this novel out in my head, and now I'm having to rush to get it written in only a few months. Clearly, I'm putting the cart before the horse (that would be sarcasm). When I was done writing yesterday, Spooky read all of 4 to me aloud. And it works. But it's not what people will expect.

It's not what many people expect from me, and, sadly, it's not something most people will expect from a novel. And the prose is very simple, direct, not quite (but almost) stripped down. Surely, I have long since demonstrated my ability to write lush, lyrical prose to any reasonable person's satisfaction. And now I'm trying to do something else.

4. Please have a look at the current eBay auctions, because this whole "shit costs money" thing isn't going away any time soon.

5. I very almost apologized, just now, for sounding so glum and pissy. Which is funny, and which should serve as evidence of changes wrought by the meds since April.

6. Last night, after so much work, I was too tired to sit up straight, so naturally we played WoW. The instruments of time displacement may destroy me yet. We descended into the Maelstrom, literally. And I gotta say, Deepholm is beautifully designed and, so far, I love the quests. It's quickly making up for the sad mess that was Vashj'ir.

7. Just this second, I came very near to sitting on Hubero's head and killing him. No, by accident. So, I'm going to take that as a sign it's time to wrap this up.

Yours in Simmering Disbelief,
Aunt Beast

Comments

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

I like to think so.

[sovay]

But it's not what people will expect.

I look forward.

[mizliz13.livejournal.com]

If this novel needs stripped down prose, then so be it. Also, one should never have to apologize for feeling what she/he/it feels -- if you're glum and pissy, then, again, so be it.

I thought that after Mount Hyjal I went to Uldum, but, clearly, I had to do the quests in Deepholm first. That area is really neat. I still haven't been to Vashj'ir yet. Hit 85 last night/this morning, though.

Hubero lives! Huzzah!

[miakodadreams.livejournal.com]

Your work is already proof that "more words" does not equal "more impact."

And honestly? Unexpected novels are the best.

No, wait. Unexpected novels by someone who has proven her ability to convey more imagery/action/emotion into a simple phrase than most writers manage to drag into a paragraph -- those are the best. Yes.

Regarding being glum and pissy: Tis the season. This time of year, I'm always a little confused, initially, when I encounter someone who's not in a grump. And that's just among the normal, non-sleep-deprived populace. The lake effect shroud is extra stubborn this winter, and there's no January thaw in sight this year to make it all bearable for a few days.

[ulffriend.livejournal.com]

One night, in the middle of some night when our Sasha was a very tiny kitten, my husband woke me up angrily demanding that I take my fist from out of the small of his back. When I'd finally convinced him that it wasn't me (I'd been sleeping with my back to him and had to show him both of my hands), he asked, "Then what the hell is THAT?", rolled over, and a tiny black bullet shot out from under him. Thirteen years later, she loves him madly...but sleeps between me and the edge of the bed.

Just FYI, I'll buy "The Drowning Girl" gladly and immediately, and I don't expect anything of you other than something intelligently written. If it's something new and unexpected, so much the better!

Sleep...I've never really commented on this, but I do appreciate what you say. I go to sleep just fine pretty much every night, and about 1:30-2:00 a.m. almost every night I'm wide awake. Nothing helps - warm milk, drugs, laying in bed, getting up, drinking, not drinking, none of it makes the slightest difference. And then the alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m., and as I drag myself through my morning and then my day I console myself with the idea that my exhaustion will allow me at least one precious night of real sleep (Hah!)....wash, rinse, repeat....

[jdack.livejournal.com]

But it's not what people will expect.

Optimism isn't my strongest suit, but who knows, maybe this will be your "break out" book.

Stranger things...

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

I'm very curious to see what you write in a stripped down style. I think of your works like a dense cake, full of cherries and covered in ganache. Evil, possibly madness inducing and yet delicious ganache. Perhaps the spareness of your next piece will be like a steak, cooked with just salt and pepper? Clearly I need to cook dinner before I make any more ridiculous food/writing comparisons.

[jacobluest.livejournal.com]

I read Alabaster last night/morning, and it was Very Good.

Did you hear about the article on the photosynthesizing sea slug (http://www.livescience.com/animals/green-slug-animal-plant-100112.html)? Or the research done on a hornet possibly being partially solar powered (http://www.springerlink.com/content/w657861740333733/)?

~Jacob

[spank-an-elf.livejournal.com]

I'd like to be an grain of sand creating a pearl which I could sell. It's fun being an irritant needing pretty coating.