How Forgetful Am I?
I was tagged by Robin in a writing meme ages ago, but her answers were so hilarious, I got stuck. So you can click on over to her blog, and skip mine today. 
*now imagine a month has passed, in which I answered half the questions and left this post in my drafts folder*
Oh wait, I went back to my archives to link to an answer, and found I’d already done this meme before.
*now imagine me deleting 1,000 words (I tell you, it’s a curse!)*
My new answers were basically the same. Except I composed a haiku. This was a month ago, and I’m not sure why this seemed a good idea at the time. I’m with Virginia Woolf, in that I think poets magical and mystical creatures possessed by mysteriously bestowed talent, and thus don’t dare attempt writing poetry on my own. Except haiku.
rhythm left to right
emotions black, setting white
soundless melody
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I’m pretty sure I’m mixing my metaphors. Or something. I’m pretty sure there’s some rule that states that if you’re not a poet, you get to leave your darlings intact.
Thursday is Border’s day, and I’m letting myself play with my YA WIP all day long. I can’t wait. It’s still simmering, but it’s getting closer to the boiling point. I think I’ll be able to write some words that I won’t have to delete. Yay!
And finally, Bernita and Writtenwyrdd awarded me the Prolific Blogger Award. This first made me feel proud—then guilty because I’ve been a delete freak lately—and also pleased—then unworthy as my blogging has been suffering from the affliction that we will not name.
I think there are a few of you who don’t frequent the blogs below, and I thought you might enjoy them. I figured you all visit the ones I left out, but who very much deserve many awards and much applause. Here are my seven nominations:
- Bernita Harris: I know she gave this award to me, but she rocks. Her posts are brief and beautiful, with the most lovely, evocative prose. And I’ve been inspired to write whole stories from the artwork she posts.
- Alexis Grant: A journalist-turned-memoirist who is charming and interesting and helpful.
- Erica Orloff: Y’all know Erica, right? If not, run to her blog. Right now.
- Charles Gramlich: Posts made of awesome.
- Shrink Rap: Posts made of hilarious.
- Dean Wesley Smith: Posts made of smart. heck out his Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing series. Your career will thank you for it.
- Paul Greci: Made of Alaska cool. He has a treadmill desk. I am jealous.
—Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to shall, if they choose to participate, pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love!
—Each Prolific Blogger must link to from which he/she has received the award.
—Every Prolific Blogger must link back to This Post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.
—Every Prolific Blogger must visit this post and add his/her name in the Mr. Linky, so that we all can get to know the other winners.
Clearly, I need to fix the css on my lists. I’ll put it on my… list. *blushes*
And finally, am I the last writer on earth who learned that if you hold down the Control key when you hit Backspace, it deletes a whole word at a time?
Way cool.
How’s your writing going? Whatcha working on?
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Natasha Fondren is a writer traveling the U.S. in a camper with her four cats. She is currently enjoying the lizards and desert heat in Arizona.
And finally, am I the last writer on earth who learned that if you hold down the Control key when you hit Backspace, it deletes a whole word at a
ooo cool! Now you’re the next to last!
Awesome, Eric!
No, I didn’t know if you hold down the control key and hit backspace it deletes the word.
I am not the only one. Yay, Laura!
Natasha, you just dropped to third place and Eric to second – I didn’t know that either.
And you are a dear and generous girl!
Am plodding along on the Lillie story – the one I put the opening page up on my blog a few days ago.
That rocks, Bernita!
I love Lillie.
I knew that about the backspace. You probably know you can press ctrl & delete to delete the next word forward.
I’ve caught your delete disease! Take it back, please. I’m on my third revision and I’ve been cutting whole paragraphs. I sweat over every word, so it’s a slow process. The stream-lined scene I did yesterday is much better, so I suppose I’ll keep it. But now I’m worried that my word count will be too low.
No, I didn’t know that, Edie! Wow! That’s cool!
Sounds like your deleting is more productive than mine, though!
I both hate and love you for sending me off to Kill Those Sacred Cows, ’cause they’re both absolutely enlightening and eating away at time when I should be doing work. >.__> <__< Probably time for me to go accomplish something. ^-^;;
This is an example of a WordPress fail. Or…moreover I just forgot that one can use real HTML when writing comments?
LOLOL, Joey!
I both hate and love you for sending me off to Kill Those Sacred Cows, ’cause they’re both absolutely enlightening and eating away at time when I should be doing work. Thanks, and nothanks! XD
As for the haiku…erm…it’s…interesting.
okitsucks.
I really think it would help your prose writing if you were to dip your toe into the pool of poetry more often, especially as I already know from reading some of your flash fiction that you do know how to turn a “poetic phrase” (whatever that is, LOL). However, I would not recommend that you start with haiku, because——and this is something non-writers tend to find incredibly difficult to understand, though I’m sure you won’t——haiku is all about lyrical compression, and lyrical compression is one of the most difficult aspects of poetry. Consider these examples:
Do not feel lonely.
The disappearing world longs
for you to touch it.
–Jim Moore
In a Station of the Metro
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
–Ezra Pound
Mountain
stars
eyes
in the
open
do
–Cid Corman
Oread
Whirl up, sea—
Whirl your pointed pines.
Splash your great pines
On our rocks.
Hurl your green over us—
Cover us with your pools of fir.
–H.D.
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
–William Carlos Williams
Oops. Probably went overboard there a bit. My point is that it’s not very easy to condense imagery in such a way as to write a truly masterful haiku (which is why they’re nearly impossible to translate effectively, as is demonstrated here: http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/basho-frog.htm ). Of course, I know you’re only writing these haiku for the pure pleasure and release of it, which is fine and all…but I feel you could have more fun playing around with some longer work. (Do it as a break from writing! Instead of Facebook! XD) The way of the poet isn’t ALL that different from the way of the novelist………IMNOTAFREAKISWEAR.
Probably time for me to go accomplish something. ^-^;;
This is an example of your own template failing. I don’t understand why you want every new paragraph
to be automatically indented. Doesn’t the break of space
indicate that a new paragraph has been started? And just look what it did to that beautiful poetry!!! X____x
ROFL, Joey! You’re a teensy-tiny bit of a freak but in a very, very cool way.
And I want you to be my critique partner someday.
I’m scared to try anything else, LOL! But it’s worth working on. I need a dictionary. A paper one. I miss reading the dictionary. And that relates, I swear.
My template is perfect! I love my typography.
Except for the lists. But here, I have a solution. Not tonight, but sometime this weekend, I will make a p class just for poetry. So you can write *p class=”poem”* and close the tag and it won’t indent.
Does that sort of html work in the comments?
I’ve got nothing, but am contemplating writing a rantful blog about Tiger Woods’ “press” conference. Oh PUHLEASE! The three major networks are interrupting regular programing to show it LIVE. Apparently his situation is considered national importance (although possibly international once the hooker/sex-hungry British Open groupies surface.) lol! The State of the Tiger Address…
Weird, really? That’s just weird. That’s weird. Can I say that again? That’s just weird.
Oh, Natasha! I can’t believe I tagged you and you had already done it! I can’t help laughing, though. That is just too funny. I could see myself writing an entire book again, and then realizing I already wrote it. Oh, dear.
Thank you for my award! Thank you even more for laughing at my jokes. I’m going to check out the other ones, too. They sound fun. I always enjoy Bernita’s comments on your blog.
Speaking of which, I can’t believe I haven’t heard Tiger’s press conference. I’m on pins and needles.
OMG, Robin! Can I tell you? Last year, I was writing a serial story, and I submitted Chapter 9. The next week, I re-wrote the same bits and submitted that as Chapter 10.
Talk about a BRAIN FART!
I was so embarrassed.