Writers are a bit touched.

One fairly consistent thing about writers is that we tend to talk about our characters as if they're real. Not all writers, not always, but pretty often. I can tell you that AJ hates oatmeal and loves bagels; that he'll say snarky things about wanting a drink, though he's a teetotaler; and that if he'd stayed home instead of going to a fancy school, he'd be a nicer person. Did  I invent all this? Absolutely. Will I talk about him with more detail than if he were my boyfriend? Definitely.

Can I distract myself from my original topic by talking about him? Ta-da!

I have a really lovely critique group. There are six or seven of us, at different stages of writing abilities and story points, and our personalities show most clearly in our critiques. Kheper, for example, is enthusiastic, funny, and ADD. Vanessa is very sweet, and tends to give her critiques with an air of "you don't have to listen if you don't want to." Missy is straight-forward and fun; Ken (who is a chemist in real life) tends to be accurate and cut-and-dry.

The variety in the critiques is marvelous. Vanessa points out everything she loves and asks about phrasing choices and some points that seem unclear. Kheper pounces on anything from grammar error to potential world-building, relates it to gaming, distracts himself, and bounces back to the original point. Ken points out solid phrasing and big picture problems, like asking why AJ got taken out so easily.

My point? It's all helpful. Vanessa and Kheper compliment fairly liberally, and tell me when I make them laugh. Ken is more reserved with compliments, and the plot hole he pointed out means some major work. Missy is balanced.

Compliments are wonderful. Compliments keep me writing, help me say, "I can do this." Criticism is wonderful. Criticism shows me where to improve and gives me something to compare. I write dialogue better than action and quips better than logic. Therefore, I will worry more about action and logic when I write.

Writers need feedback. We're so wrapped up in the worlds we create that we lose objectivity. Some become terrifyingly egotistical and cannot take criticism. Critics are either hateful or stupid. And others cripple themselves with doubt. "I thought this last piece was good, but now I see it's flawed. Who's to say this current work is any better?"

100 things!

The only reason I'm doing this is that I thought of snarky answers and wanted to use them...

1. Real name: Siobhan McTavish. 2. Nickname(s): Danielle. 3. Favorite color(s): Are you asking me to be a racist? 4. Male or female: I'm half and half, actually. My dad was male, my mom was female, so... 5. Elementary: dear Watson. 6. Middle School: For dwarfs. 7. High School: For giants. 9. Hair Color: Currently, striped. 10. Tall or Short: Middling. 11. Sweats or Jeans: Jeans, they're more versatile. 12. Phone or Camera: Phone; I leave the photos to the paparazzi. 13. Health freak: I once thought I was having a heart attack. 14. Oranges or Apples: Yes, thank you. 15. Do you have a crush on someone: No, the rock missed. 16. Eat or Drink: Neither dehydration nor starvation is particularly high on my to-do list. 17. Piercings: Yep. 18. Pepsi or Coke: Yep. :P19. Been in an airplane: Yep. 20. Been in a relationship: Yep. 21. Been in a car accident: Nope. 22. Been in a fist fight: No, she didn't punch back. 23. First piercing: I was very little. 24. Best friend(s): Inside or outside the family? 25. First award: I've been told I'm an award-winnning slacker. 26. First crush: I killed ants with a pebble. 27. First word: This morning? Probably "coffee...." 29. Last person you talked to: I said "hmm" to Molly. 30. Last person you texted: My brother. 31. Last person you watched a movie with: First I have to remember the last time I watched a movie. 32. Last food you ate: Mac-n-cheese. 33. Last movie you watched: It might have been "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", but I keep thinking I've watching something else since then. 34. Last song you listened to: Live piano. 35. Last thing you bought: Book. 36. Last person you hugged: Probably Christie. 
FAVORITE:
37. Food: Edible. 38. Drink: I'm not 21 yet; I'll let you know this summer. 39. Music Genre(s): Variable. 40. Sport: I've turned procrastination into a sport. "How long can I get away with not doing this task?" 41. Animal: I'm quite fond of chicken. So many delicious dishes... 42. Color: I'm a WASP, if you must know. 43. Movie: Quite a few. Texas Chainsaw Massacre impacted me hugely. 44. Subject: My favorite is Sam; he does whatever I tell him to do. 
HAVE YOU EVER:(Put an X in the brackets if yes) 45. [/] fallen in love with someone. (Strongly liked.) 46. [] celebrated Halloween. 47. [] had your heart broken. 48. [] went over the minutes/texts on your cell phone. 49. [x]had someone like you. (If I were vain, I'd put an x for each one.) 51. [] went skiing 52. [] jumped off a cliff 53. [x] did something you regret. 54. [x] broke a promise. 55. [x] hid a secret. 56. [x] pretended to be happy. 57. [x] met someone who changed your life. 58. [] pretended to be sick. 59. [] left the country. 60. [x] tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it. 61. [x] cried over the silliest thing. 62. [x] ran a mile. 63. [x] went to the beach with your best friend. 64. [x] got into an argument with your friends. 65. [x] disliked someone. 66. [] stayed single for 2 years since the first time you had a boyfriend/girlfriend. (Come back in two years and I'll give you an update.) CURRENTLY:67. Eating: No 69. Listening: I detached my ears. 70. Sitting/Laying: Sitting is for people; laying is for hens. 71. Plans for today: Sleep. 72: Waiting for: Godot
 YOUR FUTURE: 73. Want kids: I may in the future want kids. 74. Want to get married: You got those questions majorly backward. 75. Career: Diva. 
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL:76. Lips or eyes: I find it disturbing if I look and they're not there. 77. Shorter or Taller: I do notice whether I look down on someone or look up to them. 78. Romantic or spontaneous: How about charming? 81. Hook-up or relationship: I didn't write this questionnaire. 82. Looks or personality: Wealth. 
HAVE YOU EVER: 83. Lost glasses/contacts: Yep. 84. Snuck out of a house: Nope. 85. Held a gun/knife for self defense: Nope. 86. Killed somebody: I'll get back to you on that. 87. Broken someone's heart: Information redacted. 88. Been in love: Nope. 89. Cried when someone died: Yep
 DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 90. Yourself: Some days I think I'm imaginary... 91. Miracles: It's a miracle I haven't killed my sister yet. 92. Love at first sight: The first mirror I saw, I was a goner. 93. Heaven: Yep. 94: Santa Claus: Why risk the coal? Yep. 95. Aliens: If I say no, will I get abducted? 96. Ghosts: If I say no, will I be haunted? 97. Zombies: And if no to this, will my brains...Haha, forget that one. TRUTHFULLY: 98. Is there one person you really want to be with right now: Yep. 99. Do you know who your real friends are: The voices and I are still arguing about whether Marcie is real or imaginary.

I like writing.

I really do. Think up a fun character, put him through crazy/stressful/funny things, have him meet crazy/stressful/funny people, pretend I'm the next Newbery Medal winner...

And then I hit a transition scene. Big scene A: Main Character and Da Boss have a conversation, which is going to wind up with MC getting into a fight with That Jerk. But between chat and battle must be a transition. He can't just leap from one to the other. I really really hate that.

He strolls down a street, he's got to stop for a meal, he notes passersby and city sights and waxes philosophical about life, the universe, and everything.

It bores me. It's necessary, which means I need to figure out how to write it so that it'll be short, decently interesting, and MAKE SENSE. And not turn into a description of different bricks in his fireplace wall. And instead of figuring it out, I'm whining on my blog. Nice.

Know what's really pathetic? I know what these transitions need to be. They need to be integral to the story, preferably give a little more sense of this guy, this MC whom I am trying to turn into a guy interesting enough to hold people's attention for 70,000 words or so. I feel like I must have read transitions somewhere that were brilliantly interesting and succinct and brisk. They're just not coming to mind.

Well. I am doing one thing halfway right. I will not write my next scene until I have written the transition leading up to it. Even if Da Boss is going to reveal that he knows the Main Character's big secret, and the MC in return is going to tell him a sad truth about Da Boss's loser son, which will kick off the major plot of the story....

Who am I kidding. That stupid transition can wait.

Grey Days

Sunshine and pines trees
go very well together.
Springtime and soft rain's a
perfect kind of weather.
Beach and blue skies and
windy days for a kite;
but grey days and adventures
somehow seem right.
When the wind's in the trees
and the sky lowers down,
when the colors are muted
and the leaves overblown,
when you feel gypsy restless
and the stars seem too near,
then the day must be grey
and adventure be near.

Who am I 

that you know my name?

What am I 

that you know my being?

What causes you,

ineffable giver of life,

to cast your eyes on a filthy clod

of dirt, breathing dirt,

like me--

and raise me up

and cry 

to turn me from mud

to clay

to pristine vase?

I fear the fire

I fear the molding,

I fear the forming of my soul.

But I know--

deep inside I know--

the joy of the potter's own.

I have seen, I have envied,

I have not dared to grasp.

But I don't need to.

You grasp.

I need only to be pliant

and to know that you are God.

Song of the Hermit

“Come home, come home!”
They call to me.
But I have wandered far too long
To give up being free.
“Return, O child,
And sit at home!
Return to the arms
Of our glad company!”
But I am used to being alone
And find I’m sufficient for me.
What need have I of mortal men
When I have found the mystic glen?
Why venture where the mad crowds dwell
When I have found the hidden dell?
“Return! Come home!”
They call to me,
But their voices grow so dim.
I do not heed, for I wander on,
Far from the haunts of men.

I would say this is the lazy way to post

but this blog post by another young lady (total stranger, sadly) was far too good not to share. I know some who stop by this blog (if they haven't given it up as defunct!) aren't on Facebook, which is where I found the post.

http://gracefortheroad.com/2012/02/03/idontwait/