Writer's Rule #1 : Save Your Work

So, my friends, I was writing an entry about music stores. Something I have wanted to explore for a while now and tonight seemed like the night to do so. I was really getting into it. The creative juices were really flowing and I felt like I was on fire. (In a good way.)

I worked on it for 25 minutes before I accidentally hit the "Back" button on my keyboard and "poof" my entry disappeared.

I had commited one of the writer's deadly sins: Always save your work or risk losing it -- Forever.

Don't you HATE it when that happens?

So, friends, what entries have you lost due to a power failure, hitting the wrong key or just having your computer eat it for lunch?

Imagine what could have been. Sigh.

What the hell am I doing up still?

I'm hanging over this computer, attempting to fix this damn blog.

I realized yesterday that Blogger updated their way blog services, so naturally I thought it was only right go along with upgrade.

Yeah, no.

It was a whole new set-up. I wasn't used to any of it and I spent a good two hours trying to get everything back into working order.

I'm still not happy with everything just yet. That's the profectionist coming out. She's makes occasional visits inbetween napping and staring at distractingly beautiful things at Amazon.com.

So with that, I'm off to bed.

CineMassacre's Monster Madness #23

I Heart Freddy.. The Real Freddy..

Ahh.... Writing we will go..

It's amazing what one can accomplish when you have no choice.

I finally made an another DMV appointment for my written test.

Yes, boys and girls, I will be a licensed driver and soon. I cannot handle the thought of turning the Big "30" and still have to ask someone for a ride home.

So I made two appointments. Yes, two. Two at different locations. I figured I rather be safe than sorry.

If I happen to totally space and fail the first two weeks later, I already have another appointment for the second one.

I also managed to return my borrowed CDs to the library and check out a ungodly amount of books.

Every time I go to the library, it becomes a compulsion for me to check out as many books as my hands can carry, like as if I think that the library will cease to exist by my next visit.

I placed my nine books on the counter as the librarian just kinda looked at me like I was nuts. I just smiled. That's what we good crazy folk do.

And for those that are morbidly curious as what books I simply had to get this time:

1. Kiss the Girls - James Patterson

I had developed an odd obsession for the "Alex Cross" novels. Not so much for Alex Cross, but the creative clever bad guys the author projects in his novels. I can't wait to read their chapters, while I basically skim through Cross' parts.

I always found that the bad boys are more interesting. Their motives behind their crimes and violence fascinates me and I get hooked. Also rooting for them, even though they happen to do such horrible things.

2. Lucky - Alice Sebold

It's a memoir based around the author's experience being raped as a young adult. I read part of this book while stocking novels at Target. I couldn't stop reading it. I felt so bad for this woman who had to revisit this horrible thing in her life to expel the demon. That somehow, if she wrote about it, revisiting it, she could be free of it.


3. Odd Thomas - Dean Koontz

My wife has this on audio book and said it was a great read. She encouraged me to read it, since Koontz has created a world full of unique characters that might benefit me and make me feel slightly more confident on writing my own set of misfits.

4. Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay

Ah, Dexter. One of the greatest shows on TV right now.

I figured I would give the books a read since they do differ slightly from the show. Plus as a writer, I'm curious as to exactly how true people stick to novels and what they feel the get rid of when it comes to making them into shoes or movies.


5. How I Write - Janet Evanovich
6. On Writing: A memoir of the Craft - Stephen King
7. The Writer's Book of Hope: Getting from Frustration to Publication - Ralph Keyes
8. Writing Down the Bones:Freeing the Writer Within - Natalie Goldberg
9. Writing and illustration a Graphic Novel - Mike Chinn

The last five additions were to help me channel the writer inside and to give her a good slap on the ass for being lazy and making one too many excuses not to write.

I consider them "Writing Boot camp" for the Lazy Soul.