Yesterday I got some bad news. In fact, it's been kind of a crappy week for a lot of my friends. Especially some of the evil ladies here... but at any rate, it's a rough week. Life isn't going exactly the way I wanted it to, but you know, that's life. (That's also why this post is late... sorry!)
On the other hand, Today I left for vacation with some of my favorite people, so I get to spend a week hanging out in Yellowstone and hiking and kayaking and playing board games. Yeah, hiking and kayaking maybe not my first choice of vacation activities (which include reading and drinking fruity cocktails), but I'm being brave :)
So, I'm trying to find the balance. Yes, yesterday sucked, but today should be great. And the coming days will also be great (assuming I don't get eaten by a bear, but my friend didn't put death by bear on the itinerary, so I'm assuming it won't happen).
I think that's sometimes just what you have to do. Acknowledge that sometimes, things suck. But try and keep in mind that things get better.
Unless it's your characters and you're controlling their lives. In that case, torture the crap out of them and then burn the bridges. Eventually they get a happy ending, but make them work for it.
And cross your fingers that who ever is writing your plot is more generous than you are.
So I'm off to go hang out with some fun people I don't see often enough and distract myself from the other crap.
I hope you all have a great weekend, and if it's not great, there are probably great things coming.
Showing posts with label perspective. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perspective. Show all posts
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Turn around, bright eyes
I picked the title of the post for no other reason than to inflict "Total Eclipse of the Heart" on all of you, because it's been stuck in my head all day and I don't want to suffer alone.
What? It's not like you didn't know we were evil around here. The name gives it away.
So grab a hairbrush and join me in a rousing chorus of a damned annoying song.
Right, now that we've got that our of our system, let's talk about writing. Or not. Whatever. It's Friday and I'm killing time at work before I can head home and then hang out with my nieces this weekend. They're 8 and 7 and have ridiculous amounts of energy, but despite all that are super fun. Or maybe because of that. Who knows.
I like hanging out with the girls because they always offer a totally fresh perspective on anything. After 31 years on this planet, I may have gotten a bit set in my ways. Certainly, I've gotten used to looking at things from my perspective as a lawyer, a writer, a wife, whatever defines me. And these girls... they don't have any of that. They aren't tied down to any one perspective and often change their minds and points of view several times in one conversation, much less in a day.
Although tough to keep up with sometimes (they have a LOT of energy), it's a refreshing change to see things through their eyes. Not only are they young, so a lot of things in general come new to them, but they live in Germany most of the year, so I get to hear their perspectives on a lot of American things. For instance, 4th of July. Now that was entertaining.
Of course, they may go away with the impression that Americans are crazy (and I may or may not be adding to that impression), but I'm enjoying my chance at seeing the world through a different (much shorter) pair of eyes.
And I think I can use that in my writing. I mean, your readers aren't always going to be exactly like you. So you need to take a step back, look at your work with a different set of eyes, and see how people who aren't your twins will see it. A beta reader or critique partner can help you do this.
But that's all I'm saying. For now, I'm to go party with a couple adorable Germans.
What? It's not like you didn't know we were evil around here. The name gives it away.
So grab a hairbrush and join me in a rousing chorus of a damned annoying song.
Right, now that we've got that our of our system, let's talk about writing. Or not. Whatever. It's Friday and I'm killing time at work before I can head home and then hang out with my nieces this weekend. They're 8 and 7 and have ridiculous amounts of energy, but despite all that are super fun. Or maybe because of that. Who knows.
I like hanging out with the girls because they always offer a totally fresh perspective on anything. After 31 years on this planet, I may have gotten a bit set in my ways. Certainly, I've gotten used to looking at things from my perspective as a lawyer, a writer, a wife, whatever defines me. And these girls... they don't have any of that. They aren't tied down to any one perspective and often change their minds and points of view several times in one conversation, much less in a day.
Although tough to keep up with sometimes (they have a LOT of energy), it's a refreshing change to see things through their eyes. Not only are they young, so a lot of things in general come new to them, but they live in Germany most of the year, so I get to hear their perspectives on a lot of American things. For instance, 4th of July. Now that was entertaining.
Of course, they may go away with the impression that Americans are crazy (and I may or may not be adding to that impression), but I'm enjoying my chance at seeing the world through a different (much shorter) pair of eyes.
And I think I can use that in my writing. I mean, your readers aren't always going to be exactly like you. So you need to take a step back, look at your work with a different set of eyes, and see how people who aren't your twins will see it. A beta reader or critique partner can help you do this.
But that's all I'm saying. For now, I'm to go party with a couple adorable Germans.
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