What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever collected?
My daughter made a rubber band ball.
Rubber Band Ball courtesy X-Chromo
At one point in my unexciting childhood, I collected the tags from Tetley Tea Bags. I believe the brand was Tetley. The tags were printed with clever sayings. The one I remember–and still quote–is “To make a long story short adds six words.”
Nowadays I collect and share the sayings from my Yogi tea bags.
How about you? What odd thing have you collected?
Today is National Encourage a Young Writer Day.
It is also X-Chromo’s birthday.
She recently graduated from college with a degree in creative writing.
This is what happens when you encourage a young writer.
I couldn’t be more proud of her than I am.
Today is National Pencil Day, which got me to thinking about how my preferences in writing implements have changed over the years.
When I first joined RWA, I ordered something called The Prescription for Plotting by Carolyn Greene. (Unfortunately, I can’t find a working link to share here.) It was a 3-ring binder with lots of pre-printed forms, a mechanical pencil, and a Clic eraser. That’s when I came to truly appreciate a good mechanical pencil and learned that I will never ever ever again be without a Clic eraser.
Being an organic kind of writer (some people call us pantsers), I never did fill out all of the forms, although I did give it my best shot. The beauty of using a pencil was the ability to erase something that wasn’t working. Making notes in pencil makes plot point more fluid than writing in ink.
Pencils are for pantsers.
Two of my critique partners are organized writers (some people call them plotters). They fill out index cards by the thousands. Color coded. In ink. And the process works very well for them.
Pens are for plotters.
When I wrote in long-hand, I used a fountain pen. Then I switched to an Alphasmart. To a laptop computer. But sometimes, when I want to fill out those charts to try to get a handle on a plot point, a character, or just to “think on paper,” I use a pencil.
Do you prefer a pen or a pencil? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Fortune Cookies, the freebie you get with your Chinese food; the food you get from the little smoke filled shop with the little girl at the front, who is so tiny and beautiful, and yet can boom her voice in a tone that seems ever so condescending to the cooks behind her – of course not being fluent in any language other than English, I image what is being said.
Wait for the food, wait for traffic – WAIT.
Like Veruca Salt, I wanted it now!
I want to go home; inside my head rattled around all the things I had placed upon my own plate; working at the law firm, updating my Facebook pages, what to make to donate at a benefit I agreed to, researching, writing, housework. (insert scream here) Can I eat and type? Probably not effectively!
The fortune cookie seemed to mock me. I took it and smashed it with my fist. The “POP” of the bag fulfilling; pulling the papery goodness from within, prepared for mockery, it simply read:
“Always remember to have patience.”
RIGHT! Stop and smell the roses! My dog and cats sat patiently, waiting for their turn with me, I thought – this should be my New Year resolution. Confucius even said, “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” So, I will let my fortune come from patience – why rush perfection? Thanks cookie for reminding me to breathe!
K. Angello-Mayfield is the author of The Visionary -Series Parts 1-5 available at:
Yes, I still read my daily horoscope. I even save some of the “better” ones.
I keep the best one on my desk at Day Job.
9/21/10
It’s hard to imagine you lacking imagination. Actually, it’s impossible to imagine. So now, don’t worry–there’s no need to imagine you lacking imagination, because you’re so imaginative. You just won’t have time for anything else (like imagining lacking imagination). You’re fielding great ideas left and right, and the ones you like you’re holding on to. You’ll implement them all in good time. Yes, all in good time.
Have you ever read your horoscope and just loved it?