Writing Prompt Sunday

Write a scene where one of your characters faces a struggle with freedom. What is keeping your character from achieving this freedom? With which freedom is your character struggling? How do you resolve this conflict? Or do you? How does this change your character's outlook on his/her current situation?

Dear Mr. Creepy Guy

Yeah, so, I was at the bookstore writing in the cafe. This really creepy guy sits at the table next to me. Out of the side of my eye I think that he might be reading what I'm writing, so I moved my laptop (Oh yeah, I need to post about that) a bit closer to me. He adjusts his chair almost immediately. So then I turn my screen a bit and he moves his chair again. I keep trying to tell myself that it is all in my head until he tells me that I used the wrong word! No I am not kidding. I wish that I were. He said, "I think you mean the word propagate." I turned and looked at him and said, "Excuse me?" He says again, "I think you mean the word propagate. You used propagand." I said, "I know what I used. I meant to do that. Would you stop reading my work?" Then he says, "It looks interesting." So I said, "Fine. Buy it when it's published." I closed my laptop and left. I am totally dumbfounded.

OK, that is all. Just had to get that off my chest. Off to go to a different bookstore's cafe for a while.

On the reading table and movies

(Because even though it is beside my bed, let's face it, the primary purpose of that table is not just to sit by my bed but to hold my reading lamp, glasses and my stack of books.)

I just finished reading the first two books in Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series namely Uglies and Pretties. I found both these books a tad intriguing i how an entire society (world?) could be controlled by the idea that being beautiful only fits into a boxed criteria. "This is pretty and this is only pretty and if it isn't this then it isn't pretty it is ugly." Individuality is frowned upon and uniquenesses aren't admired. Of course there is much more to this society than just looks. There were quite a few things about these books that I found very believable and other things I found a little hokey, but then that happens in just about any book where the far future is explored. These would make excellent books for a young adult reading group (or an adult one for that matter).

Last night (after coming home from the midnight release party of the third Twilight Saga movie, which isn't always the best time to start a new book, but I had to let my mind unwind a bit through literature) I picked up Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci. I read the firs two chapters before my eyes screamed to be shut. My brain still wanted more, but the physical overtook the mental last night and it was probably a very good thing. Absolutely loving the set up in this book and am intrigued enough to continue. I'll post a better review later.

I also picked up The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I seem to be drawn to post apocalyptic stories these days. I haven't seen the movie, but probably because I have a teen who hates post apocalyptic movies (especially those with Kevin Costner). I might rent it after I read it. (Never before).

As I mentioned above, we went to see Eclipse at the midnight showing. It was me and my fifteen year old daughter. The twelve your boy didn't want to go and the seventeen year old boy feigned that she didn't want to go. I've read the books (good plot, not-so-great writing) and seen the first two movies (not impressed and don't get me started on the lack of acting). Last night was impressive though. It was fairly complete to the way things happened in the book (albeit some things were greatly compressed, but I've come to expect that in movies made from books) and the acting was much better than in the last two movies. For fun my daughter and I did a scream girl poll to see if we were in a Team Jacob or Team Edward room. Final count was Jacob: 6, Edward: 3, Seth: 1 (although it was more "aw cute" than "OMG HAWT").

Tonight is the opening of The Last Airbender. Unfortunately there is no way my body will allow me to do back-to-back midnight movies and I think that Mr. KCW would kill me if I actually went and saw it without him as he has to work very late tonight. We will go on Saturday and hopefully I will be able to stay away from any spoilers (even though I *know* what the story is and have seen all the trailers.)

What I love about finding really good movies and books is that it feeds my creativity. I thrive off good stories. Lately the Word Fairy has been blessing me and hitting me upside the head with a good dose of logophilia. I am greatly enjoying seeing daily word counts of four and seven thousand words. Thank you Word Fairy!

Writing Prompt Sunday Strikes Again!

Have a conversation with your MC. Do your personalities mesh? Do you even like your MC? Does your MC like you? What part of you do you find in your MC that you don't like? Is that in anyway a reflection of you? What do you talk about? Where do you meet? Are you in your MC's world or your own?

Busy keyboard and a possible laptop

The past two days I have had a flurry of good writing going on. (Why does the inner editor in me go, "Gah! You ended your sentence with a preposition." Happens when you are writing in a teen's voice. So let's try that again.) The past two days I have had a flurry of really good writing happening. Yeah, I added a word. I have managed to get out over 9,500 words in the past two days of a new book that doesn't feel like crap. Amongst all the wordsmithing I also have run errands, gone to knit lunch, and remembered to eat. I'm very pleased with the way my writing has energized me this week. It's so much nicer than last week when I might as well have just sat at the computer and written the word crap again and again.

When we were at the office supply store today getting paper for the printer I went to the laptop display just to have a look. They had several nicer full laptops that were priced very economically. I had considered a Mac, but they are just so expensive and as nice and as sleek as they are I just can't justify it. Plus I told myself that a MacBook was going to be a gift to myself when my first book finally is published. I need something now though. I have also looked at the little netbooks as they are very affordable and quite cute and light weight. The only thing is that most of them don't have a CD or DVD option and while it isn't a deal breaker, I'd like to at least have that option. I think I am going to get a Toshiba, though. It's what Mr. KCW has almost always had and they seem to have held up through all he has put them through. The price is also very right (right at $400). So hopefully soon I will have a laptop and be able to escape to the coffee shop or bookstore or other retreat and be able to take my writing with me. It will save some frustration too as I can always type much faster than I can write and I loathe copying what I've written by hand into the computer. I've already written it once and that pesky little inner editor tries to fix things.

Oh, and for all you foodies: raspberries and Gruyere.

Sunday Prompt

Yes; Sundays are much better days for prompts for me than Saturdays. So here is this week's. Let me know how it worked for you.

Your MC is sitting down to his/her favorite meal. What is it? Who is with her/him? Describe the ambiance, the location, and even what s/he is wearing. Go!

Doldrums

It seems as though these doldrums that I am in in regards to reading I have also fallen into in my knitting life. I have two projects OTN that I have so little interest in doing. They are going to be fantastic projects by the time I am done. People are going to ooh and ah over their brilliance and beauty, but intellectually they are just not stimulating enough for me to have this undying desire to get up every morning and knit. The first are the Hexagon socks. This is a marvelously wonderful creation of genius in construction. the entire sock is made out of nothing but hexagons, one worked on to the other until you have a sock. Some hexagons are stretchier than others (by design) so that they contract or stretch to accommodate things like heels, arches, and ankles. Made with self-striping yarns and they are just a delight. I have the foot and part of the leg done on one sock. It's going to be a fun sock in the end, but I can't convince myself to continue.

The other project is a sweater that I saw at Stitches South. It's from the Berroco Origami book (but I'm making it with a silk rayon blend instead). It has a gorgeous drape to it and is in a beautiful blue colorway that is going to look marvelous with the rest of my wardrobe. But it has become tedious as every other row is exactly the same. K1, P1, K1, P1 ad naseum. Then just to shake things up and make it interesting we are going to purl back. Yawn. Again, though, this had a unique construction and will make for a lovely sweater.

I'm looking for something that will at least inspire me. The worst thing is that I can't find that engaging pattern. I see lots of lovely patterns out there and have tons of gorgeous yarn (trust me on this one). I'm considering doing a Summit in a beautiful buttery yellow and mango lace weight yarn I was recently gifted or Maja in Malabrigo worsted. Both of these have "easy to remember" patterns which I am afraid will translate into "you will get bored half way through and want to pitch this project across the room where it can sit until the cats make it into a bed." I don't know what is stopping me from doing a full lace shawl. It's not like I don't have the yarn or the expertise. I just can't make myself do it. Maybe I'm afraid of committing. Maybe I'm afraid that it will disappoint me part way through.

I truly need a nice wind that will blow me out of my literary and knitting (knitterary?) doldrums.