I'm working on a chapter that reminds me of this photo by Andif. Everything is clear on the surface, and it's easy to see what's happening in an "action" kind of way. But the emotions below the surface are murky and indistinct. I can't seem to connect with them. I'd like to be able to plunge my bare hand into the cold water and jerk them up where I can see them. Maybe I'll get lucky and feel them tonight in my dreams. That happened. Once. Until I can feel them as being real, they'll continue to taunt me by staying just far enough away so that I can't tell for sure what they are, and everything in the chapter will feel forced and false. It's like being with a person who's giving you a smile that doesn't reach their eyes. Or like seeing murky leaves through the deceptively clear surface of a stream.Massive put-upon sigh.
41 comments:
Coffee and tea are served. By whom, I don't know. Ghost of Katiebird? Whom I will get to see today (Tues.) when we meet Traveling Beth for lunch.
Hmmm I like this photo. Almost reminds me of melted marbles... but they don't melt, they crack (one of Danni's science fair projects... don't ask) It's like a Nature Abstract. Kinda like a Pollack Goes to Iowa.
Must be lots of salamanders, frogs and other juicies in there for me and the kids to check out.
Look, but don't touch.
Psst I found an incredible nature journal/artist's sketch book for Danni. She's going to totally freak. :)
She'd have to come with me as I check out the lovely haunts of the Andi Acres. :) She's totally into the outdoors and she'd keep the dogs watered and running.
I actually dig the countryside... it's just I have a way too active imagination for all things creepy, horrific and obscenely scary. And most of the mystery and horror novels I own are set... IN THE COUNTRY or some remote location.
Oh And... I'm buying a certain someone's book for a co-worker who went to school in Boston who married a man from... KANSAS. Bum Steer. My first "Kansas" book. And that sucker was actually autographed. Found it in Powells while we were waiting for the house deal here. It was a very good omen finding Nancy's writing in a book. "Yes there really is a Kansas" Was like it was written just for me.
I love you lady!
Late dinner here because I came home late. Online because everyone here was giving me the hairy eyeball. Like they couldn't heat up the clam chowdahhhh.
What a relief -- at last a photo of mine that doesn't make Janet think of a slasher movie. ;)
And to finish off the metaphor for that picture ... and just when everything comes into focus to give the perfectly clear picture, the dogs come running through and destroy everything.
Morning everyone.
Good morning. It's 4 a.m., and the coffee's on. I'll probably be drinking it alone for a little bit longer.
Nancy - I love this post. Such a nice analogy between trying to find the heart of the scene's emotional content and Andi's great picture.
Janet - I like the idea of melting marbles, even if they don't really melt. And I wonder why they don't.
Is it just that we don't have a strong enough heat source and marbles crack but don't make it to liquid form?
As I recall, one needs a special furnace to melt glass. (I saw glass-blowers work with molten glass in Venice and thought it might be a cool occupation for a character, so I did a little research.)
Hugs and warm cinnamon rolls to all who stop in later.
Oh, Kimber, thanks for the hugs, I could certainly use one right about now. I've succumbed to the travel cold: headache, sore throat and bonus cough with laryngitis. Achy, too.
Really rather tired of getting sick. :(
::snuggles up to hot toddy and lovely friends::
Hope everyone else's day is grand.
Nancy--Those elusive emotions have been taunting me beneath the surface. Your words fit so well, I feel like you've been sitting in my seat.
Enjoy lunch with Beth and KB.
Andi--you give us the beauty but keep us grounded with the running dogs.
Morning Kimberly.
Glass blowing always fascinated me.
Coffee and cinnamon rolls --yum.
Janet, Melted marbles is a great visual description.
Danni will love the journal. Outdoors IS great.
Maria--tucks in bright quilt and fluffs pillow.
Drink plenty of Vit. C.
Terrific Tuesday to All.
Kimber, I immediately had to go find the melting point of glass, which according to WikiAnswers is 2600-2900°F. So we're definitely not going to do this at home.
Hi Maria. I hope you feel better soon.
Morning Lisa. Sorry about the boring day waiting to not get chosen. Hope you tush has recovered.
Maria - Instead of coffee and rolls, it's 600 mg ibuprofen with a hot tea with honey chaser for you, my dear. So sorry you're sick. :(
Lisa - good morning!
Andi - thanks for that wiki info on the temp for melting glass.
Nancy - please give Kb and Beth really huge in-person surrogate hugs from me. I wish I could be there. :)
Pollack Goes to Iowa.
Lol, Janet. And Iowa is never the same again. (Cool you found the book. I must have signed it years ago, lol, and it's been patiently waiting just for you.)
Andi--I wouldn't mind the dogs running through at this point. Hmm, that's odd. I actually added a couple of dogs to that chapter recently. Hmm. Maybe I'll let them off the leash, metaphorically, and see what they can stir up. Won't it be funny if that does the trick?
Kimber, thanks for the hot rolls!
Maria, you get too many colds. You need to get rich so you can quit your day job and just write all the time. ::Nancy snaps fingers, waves magic wand, stomps foot when it doesn't happen just like that::
Hey,Lisa, I'll let you have your chair back. :)
Ghost! You haint, you.
Hi, all. Love the photo - Nancy, what a great take on it.
Maria, so sorry to hear you succumbed. I hope you feel better soon. Sending chicken soup to you.
Morning, Dina. Thanks.
Alas, I didn't have the dream I needed last night. The one with Johnny Depp. No, no, the one with the emotional depth. Wait, they could be the same, couldn't they?
Nancy, wouldn't that be a Johnny Depth dream? :)
Sickie Season? Two Words:
Echinacea
Probiotics
OH yeah and WASH YOUR HANDS. Not with antibioticwhatevermiotic crap. Just use regular old soap and good old fashioned hot water. It's amazing. ;)
I'm so effing frustrated I could effing SCREAM. In all these years, with millions of people helping, I cannot master pretty little links. Could somebody please please please start all over again with me? And please, for the sake of all that is schmoly, give me the plainest and simplest version of it that exists. If you manage to do this, I will. . .I don't know what I'll do. Not kill somebody, probably. And since katiebird is the next person I'm going to see, you'd better act fast. Provide Links for Dummies, Save a Life.
Kim, when my daughter was in elementary school I think it was 1st grade, her science fair project was to try and explain why marbles crack and not "melt" and.... how to do it.
Everyone who looked at her project got to take home a cracked cat's eye marble. She won a 1st ribbon.
Lisa, the journal is wicked cool. It's by Clare walker Leslie - a wildlife artist, naturalist, educator and author. She guides young people in how to observe and depict. A how to on keeping a nature journal. There's even a note from Jane Goodall. It's not a "children's" book at all. In fact, I wish I could give this to everyone I know. There's no real age limit to this one.
ISBN: 978-1-58017-296-7
Nature Journal
A Guided Journal for Illustrating and Recording Your Observations of the Natural World.
gingerly takes the double strength Stumptown Coffee away from Nancy and gives her some decaf as I await the links for dummies, too.
:D
Oh wait... I don't "believe in" decaf. Decaf is like having sex with no intention of climaxing. It's pathetically pointless.
Do Over!
Bravely suggests to Nancy a juice glass of some awesome Apple Pear Cider from the Columbia Gorge and gives her a nice back scratching to mellow her out whilst we await Mrs. Andi to clarify how to do linkies....
Much better.
And no deaths or depths. :)
Chews nails. But laughs while she does it.
Get it right this time, Pickard!
Morning all.
I didn't get to the story that Olga was pinging me about, but I *did* figure out why I hadn't started sending out a different story earlier this year… I had to tie an event in the story back to its cause earlier on. Maybe it's ready now.
I agree, Maria, you get sick much too often. Since Dr. FM isn't here, I'll prescribe you a day of slack time in a warm sunny room with lots of hot tea and a warm laptop.
Yay Nancy, you got it! puts away tutorial
Janet, the way I'd heard that was drinking decaf is like masturbating & faking the orgasm.
Practice makes perfect.
Trying another way, this time without the quotation marks.
Oooh Farf that decaf line is a goodie :)
Hmmm will Thursday really be considered a fast if I pig out all week up untill Thursday? :)
Hi, alive but busy. Cats to vet today plus much writing that needs doing. Back later.
Well I see my "linky" help isn't needed but I was inspired to add some links to the post anyway because yesterday's snow gave me a nice an irresistible deja view.
So, Nancy, remember the "citrus" trees you liked [LINK] ... well the fruit has fallen from the tree [LINK].
Okay, so I just wrote this piece of description:
...and his aloha shirts are loud enough to violate most urban noise ordinances. The current one showed a complete luau scene, only all the participants had tie-died octopuses where their heads should have been, making for a sort of Jerry Garcia dropping acid with Don Ho and H. P. Lovecraft vibe.
And now I really really want the shirt. Is that wrong?
I want the shirt too Kelly. A long time ago we used to have Hawaiian shirt day at work from time to time. It was usually in the spring after a long winter and someone would just decide and announce it. Back in the days when I worked with fun people .... sigh.
My day started with waking up in pitch blackness wondering why I was awake and then realizing that the sound of all electric objects turning off must have done it. Power outage. For a lot of people. But fortunately they got us back on the grid by about 7:00 am. Then after I warmed up and got dressed for work I went out to find I had a flat tire. sigh. And my timesheets are due today. double sigh.
Hi everyone - too many to name.
Look what Andi found when the leaves fell off that citrus tree.
Maryb, today was a day to go back to bed. Too late?
Kelly, cats okay?
Katiebird and I had the pleasure of lunch with Traveling Beth today, and it was so good to see her. Then she motored on to St. Louis, from whence she'll probably check in tonight.
The cats are all good. It was just a routine maintenance visit. Check the fluids, fill the tires, that sort of thing.
Glad to hear it, Kelly. Just don't ever get confused and kick those tires! (You knew I'd say that, didn't you?)
It WAS fun, Nancy. I just wondering what was in the secret envelope.....
Katiebird!
You're alive. Hooray!
Your description of identifying the underlying emotions fits how I feel sometimes when I am overwhelmed. Can't make heads or tails of what's going on. sigh.
Get well wishes for all those in need. My back is feeling better today. Thanks for the magic chiropractor loan, Nancy.
Lisa, I can't imagine sitting on a jury for a child molester. I think I'd be too upset to be objective. I'm glad you don't have to sit thru it.
The new picture of the tree looks nekkid, Andif. lol
bono, you know what? Your saying "overwhelmed," may have helped me. That's exactly what my heroine would be feeling and I hadn't thought of it in that word. Hmm. Between Andi's dogs and your word, I may get some help with the murky thing. Thanks.
Hey, kb. Thanks for driving!
Checking in, as predicted. Made it to St Louis safely. Crawling into bed early - a 12-hour driving day tomorrow, but Pensacola and my friend Jolee wait at the end.
We had a GREAT lunch - and talked about all of you. Wish you could have joined us. Guess you'll have to go back in January to find out what's in the black envelope, KB!
Thanks, ladies, for a lovely traveling break - and waving to everyone as I crawl off to bed, road-weary and sore. And ready to stop driving.
Get well hugs to Maria!
Hi all. Umm, remind me to stay away from decaf.
Hi to KB!
Glad you made your destination, Beth.
No mouse yet. :-(
Cool! Hope it helps, Nancy.
Sweet dreams and safe journey, Beth.
Good luck with the mouse/moose, Boran.
Stay away from decaf, b2.
Sweet dreams, y'all. That's an order.
Post a Comment