I sympathize with you, Justine. Owwy.

Hiya!! I finished reading Liar by Justine Larbalastier last night. It was a fantastic read. YA. Unique. Hilarious. Witty. Shocking. Just darn good. I've never read anything like it. It was one of those books that makes you smile every other page and has you thinking how clever! how fun! A dynamic family history. An intriguing mix of country and city settings. Plus, where you end up is nowhere near where you think you might at the start...So you know, I recommend it. Just don't let anyone ruin the "truth" behind the lies for you before you read it.

Like a good fangirl, I went on over to Justine Larbalastier's blog. Her newest post says this:

The RSI in my hands and forearms got worse.
I took four weeks off from the computer entirely. I have reorganised my computer setup. I’ve been doing a vast amount of physical therapy. I’m improving. Slowly and frustratingly but surely.

Dang girl. Four weeks! That kind of freaks me out...a lot. As you know, I rewrote my book on paper. Now I'm typing it in. (I'm at 82 computer doc pages btw). Lemme tell ya that it hurts. Typing this much sucks. Writing hurts no matter what I do though. Type. Write on paper. Its just straight up painful. And I haven't been doing this all that long. So I wonder, will I have to take four weeks off someday? Go to physical therapy?

It wouldn't surprise me, but its not something to worry about, since its probably inevitable. In an effort to slow down the process, I always:

1) Put pot butter on my wrists before and after writing (before you get all offended, its pot cocoa butter, like a massage oil and does not have any...mental side effects). It calms my wrists down quite nicely.
2) Wear supportive wrist bands/guards. I wear both when I'm typing. Just the right one when I'm working by hand.
3) Use an ergonomic keyboard.
4) Keep my chair at the right height so that my arms are mostly bent at a ninety degree angle.

It just doesn't seem to be enough though. I'm on the computer probably...eight hours a day, and that is being pretty conservative. At night, I'm still in pain.

Are you plagued by wrist pain? What do you do to prevent it and heal it?

And, don't you just love Liar? I totally can't wait to read the anthology of YA short stories that she and Holly Black (author of Spiderwick) edited called Zombies v Unicorns. Plus, did you know that Justine is married to Scott Westerfield, author of the Uglies trilogy? Oh yes, what a good fangirl I am. Indeed.

Interview with Natalie Whipple: Happy Writers' Society

Happy Friday, folks! Today we have an interview!!! With Natalie Whipple! On a topic near and dear to my heart!  ...Being a happy writer...
Two weeks ago, Natalie Whipple at Between Fact and Fiction created the Happy Writers' Society for those of us who are sick of angst. The post filled my head full of questions. I will be subject to self reflection for...oh...I don't know...the rest of my life. I was also wondering about her own experience and struggles, so A BIG THANKS to Natalie for

1) Creating the Happy Writers' Society
2) Answering my questions!

Here are her superbly helpful and encouraging answers:

When/how did you decide to take the challenge to be a happy writer and what led to that decision?

I feel like I'm constantly renewing my determination to be happy as a writer. This year in particular has been a challenge, and whenever I start to feel really down I try to snap myself out of it. I don't have time to waste feeling sad right now! I barely have time as it is. I've found when I concentrate on the important things, the stuff that make me sad don't matter as much.

What difference, if any, is there between being a happy writer and being a happy person?

Not much, I don't think. Crap happens to everyone, and it's up to us to decide how we're going to deal with it. Don't get me wrong, I think it's totally appropriate to mourn and regret and all that stuff. Just not forever. I definitely have my rough days, but when I do I try not to let them last long. I have a good cry, eat something awful, and then pick myself up and keep going.

When is it the most challenging for you to be a happy writer? What gets in the way?

I think the worst for me is comparing myself to other writers. I don't have this yet. When will that be me? It won't ever be me. That kind of stuff. It's totally stupid, but there it is. It's hard not to compare journeys, but then I realize my journey is my own and things will happen when they do. Just because there are people further along doesn't mean I haven't made progress. I should be proud of where I'm at, not constantly looking ahead.

When it comes to actual writing, revisions tend to get me down in a big way. For me, the first draft is a total free write. It's my chance to explore the world and figure out the characters and just enjoy the ride. Revision is taking all that and ripping it to pieces so it actually works. Most of the time that means lots of rewriting, which makes me feel like an idiot because I can't seem to get the story right. I know revision it necessary, but it totally brings out the mean perfectionist in me. I often wish my process was different, but when I try to be more organized I get down too! So I remind myself that this is just how I work, and that's okay. Luckily, there's no one way to write.

How does being a happy writer actually improve your writing?

I don't know about others, but my productivity suffers a lot when I'm down. I get into a really negative thought pattern that prevents me from getting words on the page or finishing edits. But when I'm happy? I feel like I could write all day! I want to write all day. The words flow, and if they don't I know they'll come. I know revisions will improve my work and do them quickly and confidently. I attack my ideas with passion, instead of poking at them tentatively with a stick. I like what I'm writing, and I think it shows. Basically, everything goes better when I'm happy, thus I try to be happy as much as possible.

I really enjoyed that interview!! Didn't you? It hit me on a super personal level. The beginning of the week, I was doing so well, but then once I finished my rewrite, I hit a bout of bummed-outness. Here are some of the things that I've been thinking about/learning/struggling with...

The need
I joked with hubby: "Why can't I be like a chill hippie chick who's like oh I just write all day and then you know I go to the beach. Sometimes I write at the beach. And I just cook and hang out and relax and write some more and just enjoy it. Instead of, oh my gosh am I going to write today? Is it going to work? I think I have to write today, but I have to cook. Oh my gosh I have to catch the bus. Oh my gosh, but I have to cook. Should I go to the beach? I don't know if I can write at the beach today. On no I have to eat. Ok yes. What am I gonna eat? Oh my gosh, I have to write."

Making the choice
I don't want to buy into the whole being a writer equals icky drunkenness and continued sorrow gambit. The crazies ain't goin' nowhere, but perhaps me and my Muse can entertain each other instead of engaging in hair-pulling and name-calling during that lovely little thing called my bedtime.

Not being afraid
All writers feel something when they look at a blank page. Something BIG. A jolt of electricity. A buzz. A high. Its up to us to decide how we're going to react to that feeling. Do we classify it as fear? This results in worry, feelings of inadequacy, and labeling oneself things like Crazy or Nuts. Or do we classify the jolt as excitement? With this option, we can smile and be in love words. We can feel good about the passion.

How to trust
My step-father-in-law/spiritual guru said to me, "Trust your heart. You know your heart is good." Everyone says to trust your process and give your self-permission and forgive yourself for your mistakes. These classic pieces of writing advice are valuable, but Trust your heart. You know your heart is good is so much more helpful for me. Whatever I do in life, this phrase can keep me from worrying, about the past and the future. This advice is all-encompassing to me.

Writing and life are not so different
We all know that it is no good to walk around wishing you had some Loeffler Randal pumps. (Instead I must be thankful for my Target flipflops.) It is no good to sigh in front of mansions or swoon over Ferraris. And so it goes with writing. We have to be thankful. I'm good. I'm pretty good for my age. I like what I write. I can do it. We all fall into the wishing well sometimes, but we have to "snap out of it" and give thanks. The simple act of writing is a blessing (in an angst-filled disguise.)

THANKS AGAIN NATALIE!!! Writers or not, you've given us all something to think about.

So what about you? Are YOU a happy writer?

down in the dumps

Dang it! I bit off wayyy toooo muuuuuchhh with this book. Yeah, that much. Really. I wish I could say what exactly, but I'm the sort of narcissist that thinks all of her ideas are the best in the world and that everyone, Everyone, will want to steal them.

And so I must hoard. Anyways, I got 80 pages into the first draft and then freaked. Yesterday, I came to a stand still. I'm not putting scenes on the time line they should be on. Why? Because of my just-go-for-it attitude. As I writer, I think its mostly a good thing. I shove my feet into my writing boots (there is no cap) and make a run for it.

Well, I think I ran too fast. Again, I know that's vague, but I can't bait the idea thieves, or they'd be in for the hunt. So I'm stopped now, looking down the path that is my novel. Only its obscured. Its overgrown, and I can't get through. I must run backwards. But how far back will I go?

I'm considering starting over. Gasp! The shame! No. Ya know what? No shame. I'm standing up for my writerly kind write here write now! We are sooooo misunderstood.

Singers get to have songs they never perform. Painters get to screw up and cover it up or start over. So writers get to too! I don't want to, trust me I really don't. But because this book is one big ol' bite that I just can't get down, I'm gonna have to slow down my walk.

Ohhh...maybe I should get flip flops! Maybe my path should be on the beach. That's right. I'll do this island style. Except that this island fires me up/recharges me/sparks me (you get it). Whatever it does, it does not slow me down. This will have to be a conscious effort on my part.

So with that, I'm donning my bikini and flip flops and goin with my baby to the beach. Literally.

on drunken writers

For the performer, body form and facial expressions are essential tools. The painter actively twists caps, mixes exact shades, and creates life out of brush strokes. The composer must play or hum, or put his ear to the floor. Oral storytellers have bright eyes and intuitive tongues. Only The Writer is without more than his brain, except maybe layout-his eyes weigh the density of white versus black. He writes pen to parchment in his woodsy cabin and his words are copied by someone with a finer hand. He sits at his chair and types. The font is then changed. He has no physical finesse. What matters to him is purely thought, memory and imagination.

All artists' tools need to be rested and relaxed. Dancers must massage and soak. Actors take off their costumes and wash their faces. Painters rinse their brushes and let them dry. Singers must be silent.

Alcohol might make the others sloppy, but with it, the writer has reined in his thoughts. He has confidence and hope where before, only infinity applied. A writer rubs his aching wrists, but what he needs is a tall drink of hazy gray.

Might I suggest a walk instead?

why I love James Waterfall

I have lost complete track of time, but I think it was a week ago that my sleeping schedule went like this.

4hrs of sleep one day. Then 4hrs the next. Then no sleep. Then 12hrs. Then no sleep again.

During the sleepless hours, the whole emotional trope and main plot of my new book came to me. So weird. I've never preplotted before. (Guess I should add that to my list of new behaviors.)

I was writing like a mad woman, developing characters, the rules of the world, going from one event to another, naming chapters I had not written. My brain was on such overdrive that not even 60wpm could keep up. I had to type trigger phrases in a word document instead of ideas, and then fill in the thoughts when my brain had paused.

And since I hadn't been sleeping, I was really wacky. You know the look.

Towards the end of the ordeal, I called up my stepfatherinlaw, James. I told him my dilemma.

Now, most people would tell you that voices in your head, or rather ones that come on misty wind through open windows, are a sign that you need medication.

Not James. He advised that I talk back. Brilliant!

He framed the issue as my relationship with my Muse (I just really can't help but cap it). I must tell my Muse that we can work together, but only so long as I stay healthy and happy, physically and mentally and in my relationships. (That means you, babe).

That I must tell my Muse straight up about my demands. And I did. I wrote my Muse a letter, in my journal. And it didn't feel silly at all.

Why? 'Cause I had James' seal of approval, and its a mighty fine seal to get.