Yes, it's the third week of the month. It's the week B.J. Anderson calls 'Unplug Week'. It's the week I call 'I'm Hanging Up My Shoes Week'. Unlike B.J., I don't unplug from blogging completely, I just take a step back. I don't scramble to find interesting shoe pictures to go with my posts, and I don't spend a lot of time coming up with a topic to write about. So, please, accept my apology in advance.
Before I get on with the rest of this post, I'd like to thank Donald Maass for stopping by here and leaving a comment on my post about hyperbole. (Who says agents and editors don't read our blogs?) He was one of the last to comment that day, so if you missed it, you can read it here. He was the anonymous commenter toward the end. He offered some additional insight that I think you will find helpful. If you get a chance, go take a look.
Okay, so this week, I'll be blogging about five words that my friend Deb at Ranch Girl Ramblings gave me. Today's word is: RAIN.
Rain reminds me of the days when I first start writing a manuscript. (You knew I'd take the writing angle on this, didn't you?) The words just seem to fall on the page effortlessly. Ah, if only the rain would last forever.
What part of writing does rain remind you of?
Tune in tomorrow for what happens when the sky dries up.
Monday, November 16, 2009
I'm Hanging Up My Shoes! November, Day 1
Yes, it's the third week of the month. It's the week B.J. Anderson calls 'Unplug Week'. It's the week I call 'I'm Hanging Up My Shoes Week'. Unlike B.J., I don't unplug from blogging completely, I just take a step back. I don't scramble to find interesting shoe pictures to go with my posts, and I don't spend a lot of time coming up with a topic to write about. So, please, accept my apology in advance.
Before I get on with the rest of this post, I'd like to thank Donald Maass for stopping by here and leaving a comment on my post about hyperbole. (Who says agents and editors don't read our blogs?) He was one of the last to comment that day, so if you missed it, you can read it here. He was the anonymous commenter toward the end. He offered some additional insight that I think you will find helpful. If you get a chance, go take a look.
Okay, so this week, I'll be blogging about five words that my friend Deb at Ranch Girl Ramblings gave me. Today's word is: RAIN.
Rain reminds me of the days when I first start writing a manuscript. (You knew I'd take the writing angle on this, didn't you?) The words just seem to fall on the page effortlessly. Ah, if only the rain would last forever.
What part of writing does rain remind you of?
Tune in tomorrow for what happens when the sky dries up.
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44 comments:
Hmm. How about this:
I like that is has rained, but during the rain it isn't much fun. :)
That was a good comment by Donald Maass in your previous post. Cool!
Happy writing this week, and I'd prefer to think of snow over rain right now.
I can't believe you found a way to turn the words into writing analogys LOL!
It works though, some days my creativity sprinkles down on me and sometimes it pours down in a flood.
Great comments from Donald Maass on Thursday!
What an amazing comment from Donald! You should print it as a post here on your blog.
Love the rain/writing analogy - really, really love it!
SO COOL!!!!!!! Donald Maass posted on your blog! AHHHHH!!!! Can I scream for you? :0)
I write so much on rainy days, because I'm not distracted by sunshine! They are the best!
Have a great day!
It's not gonna rain up here for a while. Right now it's 20 below zero.
But rain with writing reminds me a character that gets into my head and won't leave--relentless. Thanks for all the great posts these last few weeks. I bought the book yesterday!
On my post about being grumpy, rain and cloudy days are suppose to sharpen our thoughts. They also remind me of the setting in my book.
Wow! Donald Maass posted on your blog!!! He's like the rock star of agents who blog and write books about writing!!!! Go you!
(Wow. I'm such a writing geek that I'm so seriously impressed. LOL.)
I live in the PNW so rain reminds me of slogging through days when you just aren't "feeling it." We're entering our rainy season so from now until March--we can expect a lot of rain.
Hopefully, we have a lighter season because there is a levy near Seattle (Green River Floodplain) that will flood an entire valley in its flood plain if it happens. So, we're praying for both a lighter season or snow. I'm not over there, but our city is on notice for being "hosts" for people that might be forced out of their homes. I have no comparison to rain--other than to be scared on behalf of thousands of people who are dreading rain this winter.
Rain always makes me want to snuggle up with a good book and a cup of tea in front of the fireplace. But when I'm writing, rain makes me think of tears and the release of getting in all on the paper.
I love the analogy. That's exactly how I feel when I start writing!
Wow and congratulations, girl!!! So excited that Mr. Maass took a look at your blog and commented as well.
The smell of rain in the air gets my imagination going. The best stories in my life, I have heard while it was raining.
How freaking cool is that, Susan? Just, wow! :)
Rain reminds me of the end, actually. I have a self-admitted thing for storms. They add tension, methinks.
How cool about Donald Maass?! Whoop! =)
Have fun unplugging, I think it is a great idea.
p.s. I love rainy days. They are some of my favorite days. =)
Enjoy your semi-unplug week, Susan. That's cool Donald Maass stopped by and he did have some insightful additional advice. Thanks for pointing that out!
Great analogy. I love rain and I think it makes a great device in scenes. There is something so symbolic about rain--like it cleanses my characters or breaks them down in some way.
Rain sometimes pours so much that it is hard to see. Sometimes I have so many ideas coming for my WIP that I don't know which to pursue (and I often choose the wrong ones).
Rainy days, low lights, scented candles, hot coffee. . . and endless writing! (In my dreams, of course!)
Rain is kinda depressing to me, so in terms of writing I guess rain would symbolize words not making me too happy on the page.
Rain reminds of the process right before I start writing, when I'm first blessed with the idea of whatever story popped into my head, when all the characters and dialogue and scenes are coming at me like a torrential downpour.
Wow. That'll teach me for forgetting to look through the comments on here.
Have a good unplugged week.
Thanks for pointing out Maass's comment- I would have missed it. I wrote myself a note- my last set of revisions before submitting is going to focus on hyperbole and tightening the tension on each page. Your blog has been super helpful as I'm waiting to revise!
"Before I get on with the rest of this post, I'd like to thank Donald Maass for stopping by here and leaving a comment on my post about hyperbole"
How cool is that!!!!
I've really enjoyed your Donald M. posts. I'm excited to go back and see what he wrote.
Rain? When doubt comes, it usually pours.
I love the idea of having 5 words to write about.
Rain. It feels like today it should be raining, but it's not. What do you do with days like that?!
I liked what Donald Maass wrote. Very cool! And that series of posts were great. I'll be going back and reviewing them as I'm writing and rewriting.
Have a great week!
Rain - I love writing and reading when it's rainy outside. Nothing better than a good book on a rainy day! I also like characters who get caught in a rain storm.
Rain...I picture people kissing in the rain for some reason.
I wish it would rain. Because if it rained that would mean that it wasn't cold enough for it to snow. And there'd be no ice on the roads or yucky white stuff that I have to drive through.
I hate rainy days. My kids are usually climbing the walls, and I'm nearly doing the same - not much writing gets done. However, after the rain there is a chance for growth, for beauty - and creativity pours out of me like an exploding dam!
Very cool about DM stopping by to comment!
Oh how wonderful it is that Maas stopped by. Everyone needs to unplug for a while. Ironically, blogging is my unplugging from my life. =)
Rain...firstly I think Madonna's song "Rain" from years ago. Then I think about how every time I'm down it somehow rains that day or the next. It's weird. It's like the sky is trying to wipe away everything for me. I love the rain for that reason.
Rain and more rain. That is exactly what we are having today. I wish it would inspire me to write, but all it does is distract me.
Rain reminds me of home since it rains most of the days here in Washington. :) I love the rain--perfect writing weather. It can be cleansing or gentle, it can seem ominous--it can be so many different things. It also depends whether someone is out in it or watching it through a window from the coziness of home.
I like your analogy. I love those rainy days too! :)
Holy Shnikeys (confession- I have no idea how to spell that word)Batman! Mr. Maass stopped by. His advice was great. He's awesome.
Hmmm. Rain and writing. To tell you the truth, I had to read that sentence like three times...
Rain reminds me of the middle. When it rains it pours... LOL, no really. Middles go on forever like a loud rain you can't escape, even with the largest umbrella.
Enjoy your unplugged time :o)
Rain and writing...oh I just want some rain...I'm from Seattle and I'm drying up here in LA, LOL!
much love
Okay, how flippin' cool is that? Mr. Maass. I'm reading his book right now. Nice. And I liked what he had to say to boot...to boot. HA! Oh, I need to turn in. Really though...using hyperbole to ratchet up the inner lives of your characters. Good stuff.
~ Wendy
The rain makes me think. I think that it can be a good inspiration. I find it to be calming as long as I don't have somewhere to be or if it is not thundering and lightning! Then it gets a bit scary. lol. Ok, I must go read this comment now! Congrats girl! This must be major! :o)
Ok, I am back! I read it and I wanted you say YAY! That is so awesome girl! So happy for you. I did not know that you were blogging about his book! Let me tell you that the same thing happened to me - I wrote a review on this book called Sunday Brunch by Norma Jarrett and do you know that she googled herself and found my blog and left a comment! I could not believe it! So, I know how you feel! Yay!!! We are gonna be famous! lol! You ca check out the comment - It is in the August post! I sent her and email soon after! Congrats again Susan, you are on your way! :o)
I guess there must be something in the rain that just inspires us. Just cloudy days here, where is my rain? Congrats on Donald's comment Susan! I breezed right thru his comment, how awful am I?! xo
For me, rain represents security and peace. Is there anything nicer than staying in bed on a rainy day to read and maybe write? I can't think of anything! Maybe it's nice on those days because those are the days you don't feel guilty about not being out in the world!
Rain reminds me of words that flow from my finger tips desperate to meet the soil of the computer screen and take seed. Rain reminds me of how dry my bones feel when I can't write because I can't see that the skies are building and that it will rain again. Rain reminds me not to lose perspective and to long for the things in my heart even if I can never see how they will grow.
Enjoy your week taking a step back. :)
Very exciting that Mr. Maas himself stopped by! When you mentioned rain I didn't think of analogy, but that I just find rainy days inspiring. Maybe because they force you to stay inside and listen and look.
Rain... Ah, I love to write while it's raining, or better yet, storming! It's harder to write in the sunshine!
I'll go check out that comment...
BTW... check your mail
Ooh, I'm with, Lily. I love writing when it's storming outside. Something so inspiring about that. And I love writing rainy scenes, too. Rain is such a soothing entity for me, so I suppose it reminds me most of the quiet parts of my novel... typically, my favorite parts.
There is something seriously magical and calming when it rains. For me, I find no better time to write.
When we are children, we yearn to play in the rain. As adults, most of us cringe at the thought of getting caught in it. Is it because we lose a certain sense of excitement in ourselves as we grow older?
Not long ago, I went off on a bike ride, alone, while the sun was shining, only to find my return trip home was in a torrential downpour. My husbands words "you'll get caught in the rain" had indeed come true. I’ll admit, as I got soaked- and muddy from the tires kicking mud up my back, I had never laughed so hard or enjoyed myself so much (for this reason, I purposely took my time going home.)
I was quite certain that to most of the passersby that day, and to my family when I returned home, that I looked like a mad swamp woman, but I didn't care. I allowed myself to accept the situation, hence the rain and I became closer.
I believe that if just once this year, we each let our inner child reappear, and dance in the rain; make a snow angel; create a mud pie; build a sand castle, chase a butterfly, love an animal, a certain sparkle will return to our hearts that was there all along, but somehow hidden by that thing called maturity.
It's raining; it's pouring.
The old man is snoring....
I dunno rain reminds me of a fresh start. Just thinking about how sometimes we get stuck and bogged down. I know it is good to step back allow the storm to pass and come back with fresh eyes.
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