MMWUC - Silence is Golden

I knew this day would come, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. I have nothing to say. I'm too busy writing about the affect of snow on the perception of the perfect Christmas. But I guess to be politically correct, it would be a perfect "holiday" season. I do like snow, and miss it here in North Carolina, despite the fact that the average kid gets 7 snow days a year. Want a snow day? Just get the forecaster to put it in the forecast three days in advance. But expect to lose some playing time being dragged to the store for milk, eggs, bread, and maybe some poptarts. Where was I at? Oh, yeah. It is a darn shame though that there are so many holidays jammed together in the cold of winter, right when we have the shortest days of the year, and the seasonal temperatures are still battling so that the snow is probably slushy, or icy in the south, or just a damn, cold rain. Religious leaders should get together and sprinkle these holidays out during the warmer months, so we can enjoy them more and pay attention to the message a bit more without freezing to death in a snowbank. I didn't have much to say, and like most pundits on radio and television, I guess I proved my point.

Holiday Stocking Stuffers

Try these new books in 2011 from mostly new authors to stuff stockings:

* Beneath the Dunes by Walter Ramsay - Mystery
* Child of My Heart by Shelia Rudesill
* Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite
* Hungry and Naked by Ashley Memory - Mystery with a touch of humor
* The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman
* Little Mountain by Bob Sanchez - Mystery
* Marina Melee by Lynne Hinckley - Mystery with a touch of humor
* Penelope and the Birthday Curse by Ron D. Voigts - YA
* Penelope and the Christmas Spirit by Ron D. Voigts - YA
* Penelope and the Ghost's Treasure by Ron D. Voigts - YA
* Random Violence by Jassy Mackenzie (Shamus Award nominee)
* The Gospel According to the Romans by Robin Helweg-Larsen
* The Stasi File: Opera and Espionage by Peter Bernhardt
* The Teaching Man and Other Tales by Nell DuVall

* The Unhewn Stone by Wendy Laharnar - Historical Fantasy

* Trail of Destruction by Linda Johnson - Political Mystery

On Memories These Days

There was an old man who wrote a book.
And an old lady who took a look
She got a surprise
And widened her eyes
The story was her life that he took.
 
Did I write this or just imagine it? Sometimes you find things on your computer that no longer remain in the brain. Be careful what you read, it can kill you.

Nothing from Nothing is Nothing

Sydney is asleep on my knee, deeply asleep for a 20-year-old cockatiel. But alas, I have to go to the bathroom, really bad. Those seven diet cokes are catching up to me. His current peacefulness is that of a child after a long day of sickness, and he had a rough day yesterday. I accidentally pulled out a tail feather. It had blood on the end of it. He screamed. Hollered. Howled. Shook. He even flew a few feet before turning around and looking at me, cocking one head to the side, accepting, but questioning.

I had to hold him for hours on my chest as he cuddled up under my chin--the knowledge of how he ended up in agony long lost by his simple forgiveness (and short attention span) and superseded by the pain that hurt whenever he moved. I could hear him, 'Daddy, help me.' How can I disturb him now for my own sake? I'm in discomfort now; he's in peace. He's so innocent; I'm an ogre. I need to make him some comfort food: mashed potatoes and cheerios. I just wish I would have put on some Depends this morning.

Do you make your protagonist dig or feel so deep? If not, why not?

MMWUC - Back to Writing Basics

Writing basics - having an idea, inspiration, or thought about what you want to write. Just read an interesting tidbit. The oldest canned food ever opened and eaten was meat. It was 114 years old. It's sad that the article didn't indicate where it was canned or kept all that time or the type of meat (probably SPAM), or who the lucky person was who had the honor of eating it. At nearly the same moment, there was a NOVA story on the difficulty of various aspects of a manned flight to Mars. Fuel, air, water (very yucky), and food. Food seemed to be a particularly difficult issue to overcome. Not sure why. I had some great twenty year old WWII rations when I was in the army. But then again, I imagine the astronauts might get a bit bored of their food. These people should have consulted with the people who had the 114 year old can of meat. Oh, the secrets they could have shared.

Now, I'm thinking of a dystopian novel where a cache of really, really old food is found and what my seven survivors might do with it.

What weird ideas have slammed together in your head that lead to a story.