MMWUC for July 30, 2007

EXERCISE: Jason flies into the classroom on his Nimbus 2000. Curly loose brown hair dangles out of control beyond his collar and a well-worn copy of Harry Potter adheres to his hand. He lands wearing a hat with two coffee cups on either side and sucks on the double-tubes seeking the life of morning after a night of passion. He has been reading. He syphons the last drops from the cups like a Hoover, and the resounding gurgle echoes in the cathedral room like a restrained rocket ready to launch. The 3.14159 mega-watt smile indicates readiness. "Okay, let's get started." Writers grab pens, pencils, crayons, laptops, and chisels. "Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax. For the next ten minutes, write from the protagonist's POV, 'I never thought I would see...'"

MUSINGS: I wrote a measly 3,791 words last week while tweaking the blog almost daily (Austin Carr thinks I'm a control freak), adding only those links that have strong writing merit or a dose of humor. On Monday, the NCDOT tore up the road leading to my house to replace a pipe under it. It's 31 days of detours. (Good thing I work from home.) The work disrupted my walking and interfered with my dieting regime, which affected my sleep, altered my dreams, and caused me to wake up the other morning mad at my sister-in-law for booking the next family vacation in Fallujah, Iraq, because she got a deal on the five scythe hotel. Hint--five scythe does not equal five star. Iraq's not funny, but the camel limousine ride from the airport was rollicking fun until the camels decided to have a spitting contest. Yech! We each had our own straw mattress and wooden box for storage along with hot and hotter running water. The bullet hole ventilation system kept the air moving, but at times, we wish it didn't. The local goat market opened for business at 6 a.m. next door. The dream lasted only until I recognized our bell hop, Dick Cheney. "The horror; the horror."

Everyone needs inspiration, stimulation, and perspiration to complete their novels. Jennifer Cruisie and Susan Goodwill's collages qualify on many levels. Need to jumpstart your writing, check out what these professionals are doing. It may not be for everyone, but it's impressive to look at nonetheless.

Really, I'm not a control freak. It's not my fault that I'm anal retentive with German roots born under the Capricorn sign and worked for years as a project manager.