BronxWench

Wishing @DemonGoddess a very Happy Birthday, from one cranky old thing to another!       

It's Thanksgiving. My mother-in-law invited herself over for dinner and will be here around five. I barely managed to get the place clean. My husband is cranky, I've got cooking left to do, and Woozle just tried to pee on his sister.
...at least the apartment smells like orange cupcakes.

It’s been a hell of a year, right?
I hope everyone has come through it okay… so far…
And, well… I just thought I should warn you all, I’m planning to be around a bit more.

Wishing @DemonGoddess a very Happy Birthday, from one cranky old thing to another!       

Wishing @DemonGoddess a very Happy Birthday, from one cranky old thing to another!       

Wishing @DemonGoddess a very Happy Birthday, from one cranky old thing to another!       

17104, not as good a day, butu I usually have a three or four day cycle during Nano.
I kind of miss the widgets, it takes too many clicks to check on a writing buddy’s progress and compete...

Happy about a SW RotS fic for Nano.  Here’s what I’m proud of today: (see if you can guess the other inspiration)
Polli went to help Mirran. The stairs up must be blocked, let the attackers think they were hoping for air rescue. Carting furniture with service droids and the Force clogged the old wide spiral stairs, pulling out or destroying the lynchpins would not solve tons of equipment falling.
Enthan arrived at the desert garden with a grin. “I got the emergency stairs into the Council chamber. Like a ton of compressed fire suppressant foam will expand to cut off air in the shaft. They’ll need days to cut out and remove it if they think to find anyone there running defenses.”
Polli asked her friends, all sweaty and sore, “What else do we have that’s heavy but easy to clog lift shafts?”
“Water or sand from the gardens. I need help finishing the poppers. If we can break the electronics in their armor… it won’t help against the Sith, but he must be a coward to bring an army against the injured and younglings...” Kotton was finally showing anger too. “They have not left, lethalities are necessary now. Can we handle that?”
Polli blinked, this was opposite why she worked so hard to become a Padawan. The Living Force made her weep with interconnected joy in deep meditations. She wasn’t really for the field, but the harsh balance of healing. Every hour they distracted the clones was that many fugitives who might get away. “To save a life, we kill the cancer.”
Adus and Mirran nodded in synch, while Enthan spoke darkly, “We won’t have to handle it long, a few days at most.”

That moment when you go to “Edit Story Info” and change the “WIP” tag on a story to the “COMPLETE” tag.
Kind of mixed feelings, I suppose, especially when it’s something you’ve been working on for a long time.

R.I.P Alex Trebek! 

The level of rage when you’re writing in the zone and some fricking idiot on their phone smashes into a transformer and takes out the  power of three blocks is just
Now the powers out and the groove is gone.

Amazing! <3

Usual slow start for NaNo: blaming insurance stonewalling, politics, and agencies’ incompetence! 5779 (1k behind)  they don’t seem to have the widgits anymore
 

Doctors advise that any participants of No Nut November who reach the stage where “50 Shades of Grey” becomes arousing should seek release immediately.

Next year, I really need to create a trick-or-treater bingo card. Items would include
at least 3 girls dressed as Elsa at least 5 boys dressed as Batman a whole family in themed costumes a mom wearing a decidedly inappropriate costume while escorting her kids around (This year’s was a slutty cop.)

So, it’s been a rough few days. My mom is in hospital with congestive heart failure, exacerbated by COPD, atrial fibrillation, and Parkinson’s. It’s been one step forward and two steps back for the past 4 days, but at least I’m allowed to see her for a couple of hours each day.

So, if I’m a bit more absent, or crankier than usual, I apologize in advance.

So, it’s been a rough few days. My mom is in hospital with congestive heart failure, exacerbated by COPD, atrial fibrillation, and Parkinson’s. It’s been one step forward and two steps back for the past 4 days, but at least I’m allowed to see her for a couple of hours each day.

So, if I’m a bit more absent, or crankier than usual, I apologize in advance.

So, it’s been a rough few days. My mom is in hospital with congestive heart failure, exacerbated by COPD, atrial fibrillation, and Parkinson’s. It’s been one step forward and two steps back for the past 4 days, but at least I’m allowed to see her for a couple of hours each day.

So, if I’m a bit more absent, or crankier than usual, I apologize in advance.

So, it’s been a rough few days. My mom is in hospital with congestive heart failure, exacerbated by COPD, atrial fibrillation, and Parkinson’s. It’s been one step forward and two steps back for the past 4 days, but at least I’m allowed to see her for a couple of hours each day.

So, if I’m a bit more absent, or crankier than usual, I apologize in advance.

So, it’s been a rough few days. My mom is in hospital with congestive heart failure, exacerbated by COPD, atrial fibrillation, and Parkinson’s. It’s been one step forward and two steps back for the past 4 days, but at least I’m allowed to see her for a couple of hours each day.

So, if I’m a bit more absent, or crankier than usual, I apologize in advance.

So, it’s been a rough few days. My mom is in hospital with congestive heart failure, exacerbated by COPD, atrial fibrillation, and Parkinson’s. It’s been one step forward and two steps back for the past 4 days, but at least I’m allowed to see her for a couple of hours each day.

So, if I’m a bit more absent, or crankier than usual, I apologize in advance.

So, it’s been a rough few days. My mom is in hospital with congestive heart failure, exacerbated by COPD, atrial fibrillation, and Parkinson’s. It’s been one step forward and two steps back for the past 4 days, but at least I’m allowed to see her for a couple of hours each day.

So, if I’m a bit more absent, or crankier than usual, I apologize in advance.

So, it’s been a rough few days. My mom is in hospital with congestive heart failure, exacerbated by COPD, atrial fibrillation, and Parkinson’s. It’s been one step forward and two steps back for the past 4 days, but at least I’m allowed to see her for a couple of hours each day.

So, if I’m a bit more absent, or crankier than usual, I apologize in advance.

I think my phone is trying to get rid of me. The other morning, I took it out of my pocket and found that one of my airline apps was open and had gotten a couple of steps into booking me a ticket to Amsterdam.

Writing Advice from my former professors
largely paraphrased
If a point can be delivered with a pinprick, avoid substituting a sledgehammer unless the situation really calls for a sledgehammer. In that case, illustrate the fallout from said sledgehammer. There are good writers, and there are popular writers; rarely are the two the same, but overtime, they may become viewed as the same. CoughcoughSHAKESPEAREcough. If your narration has to include “somehow,” you’ve probably got a plothole. Get a shovel and fill the damned thing. Books aren’t gardens – take it easy on the flowery prose or your readers may start sneezing. Hook them in the first sentence or you’ll have to fight to reel them in; land them in the first paragraph, or all you’ll have is a fish story. Know your audience and choose your vocabulary accordingly; learned middle age Brits may know what it means to dandle a baby but teenagers will assume you’re a sex offender. Dickinson never said anyways. Austen never used the word orbs. Orwell didn’t write bugged eyes. If you’re going to emulate someone, pick someone who knows what they’re doing, not a teenager who just discovered twilight and writes in emojis. Mark Twain. You either love him or you hate him, and if you love him, chances are, you also kinda hate him a little bit. Avoid the monologue – your characters need to breathe! They need to process things! They aren’t standing alone on a stage bitching at a bleached human skull, let them be interrupted! Adverbs. Know when they contribute to the story, and slaughter them when they don’t. It’s okay to gate-keep parts of speech. Sheep is already plural, you bloat-brained mindless self-important turnips. Pluralizing plural words will earn you a failing grade and a sound brain-dusting. Keep a hard copy of common references handy while writing, especially a decent dictionary. It takes a minute to flip through pages; checking online leads you to Facebook which leads you to Twitter, then your favorite blog, then five or six click-bait articles, then next thing you know, it’s one and your assignment was due at midnight. English is bullshit. Next question. We’re taught that Paragraphs need to be 4-6 sentences, but guess what? Paragraphs aren’t prescriptions. Sometimes they need to be smaller. Sometimes, larger. Always, they’re prescribed for one speaker at a time except in extenuating circumstances. Start a new one for each new condition and each new patient, or you’ll never break down the text walls. You can’t apply the same rules and fixes to every single situation. Learn what to apply and when, otherwise you’ll just confuse yourself. Vary your fucking sentence structure and length, you filthy rotten philistines. Don’t line the entire page with rows of naked uncut spaghetti noodles and olives and expect the reader to call it delicious! Syntax! Variety! Don’t leave your readers lost and hungry! Do! Your! Fecking! Research! You! Lazy! Impudent! Brats! Don’t write about high wind warnings on planets with no atmosphere or gravity or you’ll look like an out of this world idiot.