tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post2751089845540591818..comments2023-10-28T04:50:55.216-05:00Comments on Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: Vertical wordsNancy Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05429062957063032872noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-42541781208191745122008-08-01T23:14:00.000-05:002008-08-01T23:14:00.000-05:00Anonymous, you've given me my post for tomorrow, t...Anonymous, you've given me my post for tomorrow, thank you kindly.<BR/><BR/>If anybody wants to answer Anon's question, please do it in the next thread. Thanks!<BR/><BR/>Night, all.Nancy Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05429062957063032872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-91672690322616908282008-08-01T23:13:00.000-05:002008-08-01T23:13:00.000-05:00Katiebird and Kelly, I love your descriptions of h...Katiebird and Kelly, I love your descriptions of how it happens to you. Katie. . .the other sentences coalescing around it. And Kelly, horizontal!! And hammers!! But that's only because we writers can be so blockheaded sometimes that our muses have to resort to desperate measures.Nancy Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05429062957063032872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-85105471726488157462008-08-01T20:22:00.000-05:002008-08-01T20:22:00.000-05:00Oh, btw, cute pic, Andif.Beth, let us know when th...Oh, btw, cute pic, Andif.<BR/><BR/>Beth, let us know when the housewarming party is! :-DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-72954188508342653032008-08-01T20:21:00.000-05:002008-08-01T20:21:00.000-05:00OOOO. Does it hurt? The physical sensation when on...OOOO. Does it hurt? The physical sensation when one of those things in the picture drops in?? Ouch.<BR/><BR/>Crunchy? Paul Newman's microwave popcorn (the original one), and nuts of most any kind.<BR/><BR/>I was awake at 3:00 A.M. thinking about a question I'd like to ask the writers in the group. I was reading a book when 1/2 through a main character did something totally out of character. I know, how could I know what's out of character when I only spend a couple of days with the characters and you writers spend months (?) with them. Anyway, it felt inauthentic and manufactured, and I totally lost interest in the story. So, the question I had was: why would a writer do that? is it just a device to move the plot along? was the writer just stuck and couldn't think of anything else? Totally ruined the book for me. (btw, this author has many books out and has been on the best seller list, so it wasn't a newbie.)<BR/><BR/>Thanks for any insight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-82269776919191865192008-08-01T15:14:00.000-05:002008-08-01T15:14:00.000-05:00Good idea, Kelly. She'll take her final bow in a f...Good idea, Kelly. She'll take her final bow in a few episodes, now that I think of it, so it's all good.Larry Kollarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08317037795075278427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-71086933907533665982008-08-01T15:12:00.000-05:002008-08-01T15:12:00.000-05:00LOL, yes, eating chicken (a genetic descendant of ...LOL, yes, eating chicken (a genetic descendant of T.rex, remember) is part vengeance and part nutrition. But my favorite crunchy goodness is honey-roasted peanuts.<BR/><BR/>KB, I set one of the "shortcut" keys (the arrow keys) on my phone to fire up the audio recorder. If there's something I want to remember, I just have to push two buttons & start yapping. [Of course, I have to remember to look at the recordings later. You could do the same thing with voice mail.]<BR/><BR/>For really short bits of text, there's Jott (jott.com) - call the number, speak clearly (up to 30 seconds), and it emails you the text. It can also send reminders.Larry Kollarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08317037795075278427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-46624793124902060272008-08-01T11:51:00.000-05:002008-08-01T11:51:00.000-05:00Love the picture. Soothing.Everyone talks about su...Love the picture. <BR/>Soothing.<BR/><BR/>Everyone talks about such cool thinking processes. <BR/><BR/>My Ah Ha moments just seem to light up whole in my brain. <BR/>More like a neon sign.<BR/><BR/>Andif I am surrounded by 2 cats and 2 dogs in that same horizonal position. I envy them their ability to let it all go.<BR/><BR/>Beth--walk towards the light at the end of the tunnel. A new life awaits.<BR/><BR/>A fabulous Friday to all.<BR/>I've got to go rummaging in the kitchen for something crunchy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-27676418932640913712008-08-01T11:36:00.000-05:002008-08-01T11:36:00.000-05:00Nancy, that's a lot like how I feel when I dream p...Nancy, that's a lot like how I feel when I dream plot--someone's found a bunch of stuff I need and stuffed it into my head for me. Though it's a more horizontal thing for me, as though someone had hammered through the back of my skull to write the sentence on the inside of my forehead where I can read it by looking up.<BR/><BR/>Beth, good luck with the move.<BR/><BR/>FARf, you don't have to bump _her_ off, you just need to make sure she understands that the next character to meet with an unfortunate literary accident could be her;-) That actually sounds much more brutal than my process actually is. I tend to just fire the character and hire a new one who will do all the stuff the last one did except for the thing that irritates me.<BR/><BR/>Maria, hope you feel better soon.<BR/><BR/>Andi, what a cutie!<BR/><BR/>KB, I call that plot walking and do it often when I'm stuck.<BR/><BR/>Paul, I haven't read the Jayne book but I think I've got a copy of it around here somewhere, it was once one of my mother's favorite books.Kelly McCulloughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06399122960869198042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-72891187650736231492008-08-01T10:40:00.000-05:002008-08-01T10:40:00.000-05:00I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the whole w...I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the whole world who has read it, but Julian Jayne's book <I>The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind</I> (really, it exists!) posits that the ancients didn't have what we would call consciousness and when their subconscious spoke to them in this same way, they thought they were being spoken to by gods.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-53430290166845137422008-08-01T08:58:00.000-05:002008-08-01T08:58:00.000-05:00Hi Nancy,What you describe happens to me (luckily)...Hi Nancy,<BR/><BR/>What you describe happens to me (luckily) all the time. I have ideas for what to write but 5 or 6 possible thesis sentences are flying around fighting for power.<BR/><BR/>Then I go for a walk and just as you describe, a sentence (or phrase) falls right in front of me and all the other sentences align around it.<BR/><BR/>Since it usually happens when I'm walking, I have to memorize the sentence (chanting it in my mind) until I get home.<BR/><BR/>I think I like your illustration of the event more than Andi's this time. Andi's would work if you could see some movement. If Tetrus was an Ice Nine sort of thing maybe.<BR/><BR/>Andi, I was just playing Tetrus! I have it on my cell phone and yester I played it while waiting in the car for mister. <BR/><BR/>(<EM>Waving</EM>) Hi Paul, Beth, Maria & FAR! -- Oh, and Nancy & Andi of course :)katiebirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17262129879015590898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-6906619914238052012008-08-01T08:23:00.000-05:002008-08-01T08:23:00.000-05:00Or maybe it is, Nancy - you know, revenge and all ...Or maybe it is, Nancy - you know, revenge and all that. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-90991690284508945422008-08-01T08:16:00.000-05:002008-08-01T08:16:00.000-05:00Andi, that's adorable.Morning, Far! Oh, I don't th...Andi, that's adorable.<BR/><BR/>Morning, Far! Oh, I don't think there's anything scary about it at all. I love it. I'm grateful. Could indeed be my subconscious--that's what I've always believed--but I don't actually know that, so I'm open to aliens. :) Although, who knew they liked mysteries?<BR/><BR/> Far, what's your crunchy goodness? I'm guessing it's not fried chicken.Nancy Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05429062957063032872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-29597153704450826102008-08-01T08:01:00.001-05:002008-08-01T08:01:00.001-05:00I'm with Paul, in that the subconscious is working...I'm with Paul, in that the subconscious is working on things while you do the heavy lifting. I don't think trying to understand it will kill the creativity, though… I think they come from somewhere that the human mind isn't capable of understanding, so it's safe.<BR/><BR/>Thanx for the the support yesterday, all. Kelly, thanks for the idea, but I can't help thinking bumping off a 12-year-old girl over some poetry is a bit churlish, even if she's a fictional character. Sounds like a WWSKD (What Would Stephen King Do?) moment.Larry Kollarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08317037795075278427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-66914276227201113082008-08-01T08:01:00.000-05:002008-08-01T08:01:00.000-05:00OTOH, enlightenment can arrive on the horizontal. ...OTOH, enlightenment can arrive on the horizontal. [<A HREF="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b25/AndiF/critters2/bebo2008-07-30-2.jpg" REL="nofollow">LINK</A>]AndiFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07767389458803503532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-84796118573860879122008-08-01T07:49:00.000-05:002008-08-01T07:49:00.000-05:00Baked pita chips! Kettle corn! This is shaping up ...Baked pita chips! Kettle corn! This is shaping up to be a delicious crunchy day at the coffee shop.<BR/><BR/>Ach, Maria, be well.<BR/><BR/>I should emphasize again that it's not the epiphany that's changed, it's the manner of its arrival. Next time you get one, check out the physical feel of it and report back. :DNancy Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05429062957063032872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-83852857023744077472008-08-01T07:47:00.000-05:002008-08-01T07:47:00.000-05:00It's different though, somehow, than it's ever bee...It's different though, somehow, than it's ever been before for me, Paul and Beth. Or else I'm more attuned to the physical feel of it than I used to be. That's possible. It's a feeling of insertion into my brain, like somebody dropped in a capsule.And I feel it in a very particular spot on/in my head.<BR/><BR/>Lime-flavored tortilla chips! A fav of my friend Sallhy, too. Me, I'd make it plain chips plus lime-flavored gin and tonic. :)Nancy Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05429062957063032872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-25532129584399011762008-08-01T07:45:00.000-05:002008-08-01T07:45:00.000-05:00I love those "aha" moments! Oftentimes, they come ...I love those "aha" moments! Oftentimes, they come to me in the car, too. :)<BR/><BR/>Morning all - still sniffly and cruddy and home from work today. Less need to sleep - I ended up sleeping most of the day yesterday with a couple of lucid moments.<BR/><BR/>re: crunchy: baked pita chips, kettle corn (both from Trader Joe's)Maria Limahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11100001743076902535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-59347092584379863092008-08-01T07:43:00.000-05:002008-08-01T07:43:00.000-05:00Actually, Andi,that's close, if there were just on...Actually, Andi,that's close, if there were just one row of blocks.<BR/><BR/>Not a pretzel fan, but maybe Snyder's could change my mind. Loove crunch bean curd.Nancy Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05429062957063032872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-57233444352206559872008-08-01T07:40:00.000-05:002008-08-01T07:40:00.000-05:00Morning folks! I know what you mean, Nancy and Pau...Morning folks! I know what you mean, Nancy and Paul - I'm just thankful that whatever gods sent the idea, did it. And am even more glad that we're the happy recipients of Nancy's vertical words (or will be!).<BR/><BR/>Good pic, andi - it DOES explain it!<BR/><BR/>Lime-flavored tortilla chips.<BR/><BR/>Have a great weekend, everyone - I'll be back as I can. The end is in sight!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-86156539580151296862008-08-01T05:59:00.000-05:002008-08-01T05:59:00.000-05:00Not weird at all. I get that kind of epiphany all ...Not weird at all. I get that kind of epiphany all the time. It seems likely that your subconscious was working on the plot point while you were busy living life.<BR/><BR/>Personally, I take these kinds of things as gifts. I'm afraid if I try to hard to understand them, I will kill the creativity behind whatever the mechanism is.<BR/><BR/>Coincidentally, I have a post coming up today in which I trace the origin of a minor motif I plan to use in a story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-86792222862907802992008-08-01T04:33:00.000-05:002008-08-01T04:33:00.000-05:00Hmmm, I think this is the image I would have chose...Hmmm, I think this is the image I would have chosen [<A HREF="http://i37.tinypic.com/2rnd3pc.jpg" REL="nofollow">LINK</A>].<BR/><BR/>Snyder's Multigran Pretzel Sticks.<BR/>Szechuan Bean Curd Stir Fry.<BR/><BR/>Morning all and happy almost weekend (and even happier end to packing to Beth).AndiFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07767389458803503532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9004909290975090333.post-22877502907061846002008-07-31T22:31:00.000-05:002008-07-31T22:31:00.000-05:00Seymour the velociraptor has a hard time with fict...Seymour the velociraptor has a hard time with fiction. He prefers crunchy facts.<BR/><BR/>What crunchy things do you like?<BR/><BR/>(Hersey Kisses with Almonds.)Nancy Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05429062957063032872noreply@blogger.com