It's Monday again! And I'm in another blog-hopping mood. If you haven't checked out KarenG's Blog BBQ that's going on this fine Labor Day weekend, you should head over there too before you miss it--today is the last day. But first, you should stop by my awesome critique partner's blog and join her hop.
If you're wondering what a blog hop is, here's the deets:
What is a blog hop?
A blog hop is a linky list that is SHARED ON MULTIPLE BLOGS. When several blogs put the same linky list code on their blog, the exact same list appears on each blog.
Blog visitors can submit their entries on any blog that contains the list. The entries will appear on each blog where the list resides.
Blog readers see the same list on each blog, and can "HOP" from blog to blog seeing the same list of links to follow: BLOG HOP!
So get to it! Visit some new blogs, comment and follow along and I'll be right behind you! *grin
What an interesting idea, don't you think? (Thank you KarenG!) What a great way to meet new writers, authors, readers, book bloggers, or maybe some people who just like skipping from blog to blog in cyberspace.
Joining the Blog BBQ...(totally just mistyped it as Blob BBQ...I'm thinking it's a Freudian slip...If this were a real BBQ with all the glorious food listed I'm thinking I might look like the Blob when I leave)...like I was saying, joining the B-L-O-G BBQ is easy. All you have to do is travel over to Karen's blog, leave a comment saying what you might bring, and what you'd talk about with others if you were there. Visit, comment and follow at least three other blogs. That's it!
What a great way to stimulate activity on writers' blogs out there. I've already followed so many and every single one is interesting and inspirational and...well, get out there and you'll see what I mean.
Oh, and if you came here from Karen's BBQ, WELCOME!
A Whiter Shade of Pale (the Annie Lennox version) has always been one of my favorite songs. As you may know (if you've been reading my blog since last April), I'm obsessed with anything, everything Titanic and have been since I was little. This morning I was in need of some new music to write to. I set up mixpod.com with an all Annie Lennox playlist and, of course, A Whiter Shade of Pale linked up first. As I started writing, my mind started wandering...what on earth do these crazy lyrics mean? I've included the lyrics from azlyrics here so you can take a look:
"A Whiter Shade Of Pale" Originally produced by Procol Harum This version by Annie Lennox
We skipped the light fandango Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor I was feeling kind of seasick The crowd called out for more And the room was hummin' harder As the ceiling flew away And when we called out for another drink But the waiter brought a tray
And so it was later As the miller told his tale That her face at first just ghostly Turned a whiter shade of pale.
She said: "There is no reason, And the truth is plain to see." But I wander through my playin' cards Would not let her be One of the sixteen vestal virgins Who were leaving for the coast And although my eyes were open They might just as well been closed
And so it was later As the miller told his tale That her face at first just ghostly Turned a whiter shade of pale. A whiter shade of pale Turned a whiter shade of pale A whiter shade of pale
Then I spent about an hour sifting through random yahoo! answers to find a reputable source for the meaning of the song. I found this:
"The song explores what it means to be wrecked, in more than one sense of the word. A nervous seducer sustains his courage with alcohol. As he becomes more drunk, his impressions of his unfamiliar partner become confused by stray thoughts, fragments of childhood reading and his own faint-hearted aspirations. The song's recurring metaphor is of maritime disaster, and a parallel is drawn between romantic conquest and the allure and peril of the sea. The hero is a callow juvenile, far happier with a book than risking the emotional bruising of relationships. This ambivalence is underscored by frequent allusions to nausea."--The text is excerpted from Tim de Lisle's Lives of the Great Songs.
So you can imagine my surprise that one of my all-time favorite songs happens to be about a romantic encounter...and a maritime disaster...and mentions my name in it. (Hello Miller's tale!) Oh, I'm swooning.
If it's at all possible, I love the song more. Ever had a song speak to you? Ever feel like you were going along just fine, only to be stopped in your tracks and diverted down another path? A walk down memory lane, maybe? Yeah. Me too. Happens all the time.
Now I'm going to enjoy the video over and over again. I know I said it already but hope you have a great Labor Day weekend! And I hope sometime in the near future you have one of these moments. A moment where, if only for a split second, things make absolute perfect sense.
I decided to leave my brand new desk setup (which I'll post pictures of next week--I tried yesterday but they didn't come out right) and seek writing shelter in a local bookstore. I thought delving into Chapter 2 might flow easier away from home.
Not to mention I just HAD to buy Kiersten White's Paranormalcy
(Edited to add: just look at these covers! How could I resist?)
How's my writing going, you ask? How thoughtful of you...
Dark Tide Rising is still waiting on a release date and final edits from The Wild Rose Press.
Enemy, Beloved is still on submission in New York. (And believe me, as soon as I hear ANYTHING I'll post here.)
Immortal, Beloved is...well it's...um...let's just put it this way: I've written three different versions of Chapter 2 and none of them feel right. Something is missing. And as long as something is missing I'll keep reworking it.
I don't know why, but the first three chapters are always the hardest for me. Some people write like a top. (Remember those little spinning toys?) They get an idea, spin that story and are off at super-high speeds until they fall off their chair from exhaustion 400 pages later.
I'm kind of like a train. It takes a whole lot of effort to get up to speed, but once I'm going, I'M GOING. From there, top speed is within reach and I can speed through the ending rather smoothly.
Speaking of a train and smooth writing, I have to get back onboard and write!
A childhood friend of mine (who happens to be 2009's Mr. Romantic Times {hello Mr. Paz!}), linked this on his Facebook page a couple days ago. (He's also agreed to be the Spotlight Interview for September.)
I watched the video. I listened. Something about what the Fresh Prince said struck a cord within me.
Take a look.
Did you hear what he said? When you decide what you want to do, and who you want to be, the Universe moves out of your way. It realizes this is war and you will get what you want at all costs. Suddenly the road becomes smooth. The clouds part. New goals take shape.
The difference between those who reach their goal and those who fall short are the ones who give up along the way.
So break through that rough spot. Re-prioritize your options, deciding what you will not compromise...and what you will. Re-work that problem scene. Get to it. Challenge the Universe to stand in your way.
I know I am. *grin
If you're interested in reading the book Will Smith mentioned as his favorite and beyond inspirational, click here to be carried away to amazon.
