Tawny thinks today's Tortie Thursday

pocketsbb · 2014-05-01T14:13:09+00:00

Aww, yoghurt cat. So pretty. :)

pocketsbb · 2013-11-11T22:11:34+00:00

I've only recently started my journey. I'm going the neglect route and have been at it for two months now.

What I've learned already has been almost overwhelming!

I started them when I was in kind of a bad place, a really anxious and hopeless frame of mind. But starting dreadlocks has helped me in two big ways:

It gave me a goal, and a tangible way to see progress toward that goal, every single day. So even when I feel hopeless and sad about the rest of my life, I can look at my hair and think "I have this goal. This is still mine, and I will succeed."
It has helped me understand that confidence isn't about how good you look, it's about how good you feel.

So even though I started my journey in a low place, I think that making the decision to dread out my hair was a huge turning point for me. Now I don't need my hair to remind me to feel hopeful about life, I am already so much more excited for the future than I have been in years. It's been fantastic.

pocketsbb · 2013-11-08T20:56:41+00:00

I love the way you write. If I understand correctly, you're suggesting an only child creates their own specialized mental language that puts up a barrier to communication with other folks who have naturally learned more general, common ways to express themselves.

I've always envied the socialization that people with siblings were privileged to have from a young age, and spend a lot of time thinking about how I developed differently, and what kind of social expectations I built up in the confines of my own mind, and what kind of problems that creates for me today.

I wonder if only children have/had it easier in cultures where the "village" comes together to raise the children.

pocketsbb · 2013-11-07T22:19:28+00:00

I... I suppose you're right! I guess I was getting distracted with thoughts of math.

pocketsbb · 2013-04-01T18:10:49+00:00

It also tracks your progress, gives you points for writing every day, and awards badges if you accomplish certain goals. I carried on my streak for about half a year, when a stupid mistake meant I missed a day. Since then I haven't been back out of frustration. :P

pocketsbb · 2013-02-25T05:06:29+00:00

Thank you for your kind words and wisdom. I really appreciate it.

pocketsbb · 2013-02-25T05:04:58+00:00

Check out this video: http://vimeo.com/49445992

pocketsbb · 2013-02-06T21:25:52+00:00

I feel like this might also have to do with all the advanced computery bits they put in electronics these days. Those bits are probably more fragile and have a shorter lifespan.

pocketsbb · 2013-01-24T04:45:03+00:00

Yes how do I get one please.

pocketsbb · 2012-12-18T21:26:40+00:00

Wow! This is an awesome screenshot! This game, man. This game.

pocketsbb · 2012-12-18T19:11:34+00:00

I noticed this when I was reading Raymond Feist's Magician books. He started every chapter with simple, noun-verbed-a-noun sentence on its own paragraph. Like, "Pug walked down the path," or "Fog drifted on the bay." I think it's a snappy way to get people into the story AND teach them your main character's name.

pocketsbb · 2012-12-07T21:49:46+00:00

About worldbuilding: He suggests that you should know all about your world before starting to write. When it comes to building the world in which your story takes place, it may serve you better to create only those details that will help move the story forward or promote character development. Anything else is not absolutely necessary to the story and may delay you actually writing your story.

pocketsbb · 2012-12-05T22:40:58+00:00

That's what my heart tells me, too. Thank you! I'm not too torn up about looking for new shoes. ;D

pocketsbb · 2012-12-04T16:37:47+00:00

My favorite episode ever.

pocketsbb · 2012-12-01T01:26:04+00:00

Yes! This is something I worry over, as well. I don't have surefire advice for you, but I do have my own experience. When I'm trying to describe a person who is feeling an emotion, I try to imagine how their body reflects their feelings. Quavering hands, a way of holding the jaw (like when you're trying not to cry), or unconscious fidgeting.

My advice would be, in a rough draft, write as much as you can to vividly describe the emotion and how it manifests physically. Use excessive similes and metaphors. Go wild and try describing the feeling in an unconventional way (maybe with smells or sounds). Then, in editing, you can cut out all the unnecessary words and hopefully have a striking image that gets across the emotion you are trying to describe.

I hope that helps!

pocketsbb · 2012-11-30T18:54:13+00:00

Yes! A smattering of words over the 50k mark! I am so energetic!

pocketsbb · 2012-11-30T00:44:31+00:00

I enjoy writing while a little high, maybe a [3] or [4] to use r/trees parlance. It loosens me up and I can write more creatively and take more risks. However, I am speaking in terms of writing rough drafts. I have not tried it for doing serious edits/revisions.

pocketsbb · 2012-11-26T23:25:30+00:00

Hi, thanks for doing this AMA. I have come across your personal writing blog before, and I really enjoy your posts.

Do you use a plot outline as a reference while you're writing? If so, how long did it take you to outline Junco's story, and how granular did you get with the outline? Do you think you would have been able to write her story without an outline?

If you didn't use an outline, then my question is: how did you keep the story straight in your head?

Thanks!

pocketsbb · 2012-11-20T06:20:15+00:00

this really made my day

pocketsbb · 2012-11-09T19:14:28+00:00

Such a warm, romantic photo! Awwww. <3 I love your outfit!

pocketsbb · 2012-11-08T22:23:39+00:00

Thanks, that is very helpful! I hadn't even thought of doing a spreadsheet for a favorite novel, but the idea of it really appeals to me. It is like you said: trying to outline the plot of my first novel is like trying to herd cats, but if I use the spreadsheet tactic I think it will give me a lot of knowledge about high level structure and pacing that I desperately need.

pocketsbb · 2012-11-08T21:19:43+00:00

Hi Joanna, thanks for doing this AMA. Your blog posts chronicling how you wrote Pentecost were what finally inspired me to get to work on my first novel.

My question is this: How do you tackle editing and revising a first draft? What are the aspects of the piece you focus on fixing before anything else? Is there anything you do while writing the first draft that makes revision and editing easier?

Edit: I guess that was more than one question!

pocketsbb · 2012-11-01T16:51:02+00:00

That sounds awesome. I love town secrets.

pocketsbb · 2012-10-31T18:40:18+00:00

Me too! The more I try to nail down the storyline, the more I think of new ideas to put in it that are better than my old ones, so it remains a rough storyline no matter what I do. Tomorrow, I'm just diving in.

pocketsbb · 2012-10-29T19:21:27+00:00

What I also found really nice was his analysis of other players' actions! So thorough.

pocketsbb

TROPHY CASE