Could You Define That?

Found here

Writers sometimes have a language all our own. On one level, we use terms that define the parts of speech and sentence structure that most ordinary people would understand. Words like nouns, adverbs, adjectives, subject, and verbs. Then there are those tricky words like gerund, infinitive, prepositional phrase, and other such labels that cause most non-writers/language enthusiasts to become glassy-eyed.

Then there's the second level--our own (not-so) secret code: WIPs, MS, MC, MMC, FMC, POV, revisions, 12 pt. NTR, the list goes on. These words, save for revisions, tend to draw perplexed looks, which is a step up from the first level. ;-)

But what do they all mean? Today, I'll discuss the first--that mysterious creature called the WIP.

WIPs: \'hwip, 'wip\ Not to be confused with what one does with cream--unless one is writing a cookbook.

A WIP is a feral creature that is the concerted result of one's conscious and subconscious working together in tandem to create a more interesting reality. The subconscious, sometimes referred to as the Muse, can overpower the rational creature that is the conscious which results in one spending hour after hour tapping at the keys to one's computer. Far from tame, the WIP can turn, transform, or transmogrify into something completely different from what one first envisioned.

A WIP, if one were to compare it to a domesticated creature, would be much like a common house cat that is capable of turning into a panther at will. It does not run or fetch things, and it requires that the time, temperature, wind chill factor, and the alignment of the stars be just so before it is willing to budge--and even then it only moves forward if it feels like it.

It can curl up in one's lap, grinding pepper in its happy dreams, or it can sulk in the shadows, refusing to come forward into the light. Its silent stalking can lead to restless nights and daytime despair as one wonders where that cute little ball of fur wandered off to.

So what is it about this WIP-creature that so many people are willing to brave the hissing, the snarling, the silent looks of reproach (not to mention the kitty litter) for those moments when they can run their fingers through the thick, warm fur?

One word: it is their PASSION. A passion that is equal parts hardship and triumph. There is nothing (that doesn't come with a fatality risk, like skydiving) quite like holding that small bundle of fur that was a quivering monster only moments before.

It requires time and patience and practice to brush the fur so that the stickers (and whatever else it is that gets stuck in cat hair) glide out, leaving behind a trail of silky sleekness rather than an electrified creature that is about to draw blood.

Because WIPs answer to no one--unless one smells of tuna and fish. And even then, one could be taking one's life into one's hands.

What are some of your favorite writerly phrases or words? And what does WIP mean to you?

Annnnd We're Back--er, I am, at least. :)

We're finally here, even though "here" is a good 2000+ miles further from the "here" we originally had in mind. Life is crazy and good, and I will be glad to get my furniture back in the near future. *crosses fingers* I had my priorities straight and insisted on bringing most of our books, and both of our computers. :) And the kitchen table.

To all who gave me awards a while ago, my deepest apologies for taking so long. But we're all here now, ready to pass them on. So without further ado:

The Heartfelt award from Nisa. This is for those that have helped you along the writing path. This is free for all of you, because you've all helped me in some way or another, but there are three particular people I'd like to highlight:

Yuna--you have been a wonderful cheerleader, friend, and beta. Thank you!

Inky--for perserving my sanity, aiding and abetting in my adoration of frogs, and being a great beta. Thank you!

Elana--thank you for your writerly help and advice. It has been very valuable, and I appreciate it very much.
The Heartfelt award from Lynnette. This is for making your blog warm and welcoming and home. I'd like to give this to each of you, because that's exactly how I feel when I visit your blogs. (Which will be a lot more often now that we have the Internet again.)
And the Blogman award from Eric. The rules:

1. Tell us your favorite hero/superhero (it doesn't have to be Batman, after all) and why.

2. Copy the badge and post it on your blog.

3. Present the badge to five (the number of points on a Batarang) other worthy bloggers.

4. Post links to the five people you nominate.

5. Comment on their pages to let them know they have been nominated.

My favorite superhero is Elastigirl from The Incredibles. Perhaps it's because I can so relate--not to mention that I also have a baby with the ability to teleport, and all of them have super speed and can become invisible when they want to "explore" the rules. >.<>

And because I'm really, really super curious (nosy) I'd like to nominate the first ten of you who reply. I'd love to know what heroes you all admire and why.

So, since I missed about two weeks, anything interesting or wonderful happen? I'd love to know. :D

Taking the Plunge

Image found here

Okay. Life wasn't happy with its efforts at assisting me in making lemonade, and has now moved on to an odd combination of carrot-tomato-grapefruit juice.

But, as with all things, this too shall come to pass.

We'll be on the road tomorrow afternoon, leaving behind the flatland we called home, to the rolling hills of the place that will become home--for a little while at least. That fact that we're leaving tomorrow afternoon is something we learned earlier today. It was one of those moments where the shock and dismay kept the tears at bay while I tried to figure out how I could possibly manage all of this, and get the house ready for its final inspection.

What I learned? I can't do it all, and the Lord does answer prayers. His answer came through some very wonderful people in our ward, one who has helped me clean house before moving twice. They may never know how much their act of selfless service meant to us, but it was truly an answer to some very fervent prayers. All of the cleaning got done. It will be interesting to see how things go tomorrow. Everything has such close deadlines, that one getting thrown off could shatter all those carefully balanced appointments and schedules and check lists we've had to stack precariously. But I've also learned that I can either spend my time worrying about What Might Happen, or just trust in the One who's been helping me through this all along.

We'll be without Internet for a few days at least, evidently it takes 3-5 days for the service to reach us AFTER they've flicked the switch. I miss all of you already. It's going to be hard being away from my friends (that would be you, yes you. The one reading this. :D) for a few days, but I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

To those that have given me blog awards, thank you so much. I'm sorry I haven't posted yet. Life has been coming at me with a vengeance, but I will soon.

And thank you to all of you for being such awesome friends and wickedly cunning and hilarious people. The world is a better place because of you.

~Dani

Collections

Image found here

Apologies for going MIA last week. Life was hurling lemons, and it takes a while to squeeze them while dodging the incoming citrus. I did find it ironic that this all happened AFTER I put up a post about lurking. Let this be a lesson to those who would tempt fate: Fate doesn't fight fair. I'm getting ready to move this week, but shall be around as often as possible--even if I'm invisible.

Humans seem hardwired to collect things. Some collect stamps, others rare coins. My grandmother collects dolls, my family collects books, and my son collects rocks. Perhaps its just a family thing, but I've noticed that other people tend to collect things as well. People make good money off of collectibles. Anyone remember Pokemon? Baseball cards? Comic books? DVDs? Music?

As writers, we definitely fall into the group of People Who Collect Things, but we're a little different. See, we collect imaginary people. People that exist solely in our own minds, yet seem to be interwoven in the tapestry of life. Some go so far as to collect worlds and planets, strange creatures, and even monsters. Normal people would probably do something about these imaginary people that sometimes try to take over their host's life, and in a way, so do writers. But instead of seeking expert advice on how to make the voices go away, we seek to do the opposite. We encourage those voices to keep on talking while we're busily scrawling down everything they say, how they look, what they dress like, and even their thoughts. Like butterfly collectors, we take our specimen and spread it out on paper, unfurling its wings and pinning it down so the world can look on with wonder. (Caveat: personally, I'm not a fan of pinning bugs down like this, but when the imagery works, it works.)

Some of my favorite people are imaginary. This doesn't mean to say that I let real life wilt by the wayside while I chase dreams in the shadow of a face or the turn of a phrase. People that collect imaginary friends have a special need to make sure they keep their live ones. Life is real and vibrant, and meant to be lived. People get dusty if left too long to their own devices, which is why it is so important to continue to cultivate both family and friend-type relationships. If our real world withers, our imaginary world dulls and cracks, leaving only a dried up husk of what had once been a promising future.

So, as one collector to another, how do you find your imaginary friends? For me, I need to be 1) conscious, 2) some part of me needs to be still enough to hear the voice that starts out as fragile as a moth's wing, and 3) willing to play along.

Some voices are softer than others, and last only a few hours or a day. They fade into my life and back out again with little fan fair, and leave behind very faint footprints. Others come blaring into my life, full of color and personality, gripping my attention and refuse to relinquish me until they've had their say. These characters are going to be written regardless of what else I might need to be doing. Laundry and dishes have been stood up on more than one occasion due to these characters that streak across my consciousness like falling stars so close I could almost reach out and touch them. And then there are those imaginary friends that fall somewhere in the middle, that would fade if I left them alone, but would flourish if I gave them a little time and attention. These usually take more time to get to know, but they are very much worth it.

As a child, I strangely had no imaginary friends. Perhaps a part of me knew what was coming, and had decided that it was going to prize the blessed silence while it could. Because once the first one got talking (a girl who's father became the president of the US and had to fight an evil fairy named Dillweed), they haven't been quiet since. As collections go, my characters ebb and flow with life, but I've found that the more I practice the listening sense, the more I realize that I'm not alone--even when no one else is in the room.

So how about you? Are you a life long collector, new to collecting, or someone who prefers to admire other people's collections? How do your collections and real life work out? What is your favorite part about collecting?

Celebrate a Lurker Day

With NaNo just beginning in full swing, I thought it hugely appropriate to celebrate the Lurkers in our lives.

In order to fully appreciate Lurkers, we must first understand The Urge to Lurk.

As a part-time Lurker™, I can only speak for myself for the following. (You have my solemn oath that no lurkers were hurt in the production of this post.)

• Time: There just isn't enough of it. I am usually able to snatch a few moments in the morning when I'm groggily staring at the screen while I wait for my neurons to shake themselves awake. This is generally when I try to get most of my comments in, because I'm only able to snatch a Moment™ here and a Moment™ there during the rest of the day. I also lacked the proper foresight and came up with a long email address and a longer password. But the password is very pretty, even if Webster doesn't acknowledge it.
• Brain Power: All of you have such lovely, thought provoking blogs. I love reading them. I've never learned so much nor laughed so often as I have since meeting all of you wonderful people. My problem is that I lack sufficient brain power sometimes, and I prefer for my comments to be at least semi-coherent at the least. Otherwise, people start giving me funny looks through the computer screen, and before you know it those nice people in their crisp white uniforms start knocking on my door. I don't know how many times I've had to tell them that I don't buy things from door to door salespeople no matter how comfy their jacket-sweater things may be.
• ?: Sometimes I find myself wandering into a brilliant post like a fly heading towards a particularly bright light. The topic and delivery is beautiful, but I have no knowledge (not even a little) in which I could communicate anything meaningful besides, "Wowsers!"
• Shyness: I am one of the shyest people I know. Words flow from my finger tips like honey running from the comb, but lay like bricks on my tongue. I'm one of those people that sometimes admires from afar while hiding underneath a rock or a bridge (both of which are much more comfortable than the Tales™ would have you believe.) Part of the problem is the way my brain is wired. My brain seems to speed through certain points the way a rock might skip over the surface of still water. I see points A,B,C, and D, but only manage to comment on points A and D. This is especially bad when I put my Sense of Humor on a leash and take it out for a walk. Awkward Pauses™ and Looks of Befuddlement™ often accompany me and Humor on our daily strolls. This is especially hard when all I'm communicating in is abstract symbols devoid of anything else to color its meaning. Well, besides Text Color™.

As a Lurker™, sometimes I worry about making people feel bad. It's hard when comments are slow to trickle in, which is why I'm creating an Inter-galactic holiday celebrating People and the Lurkers™ in their lives. Even though they're generally invisible, it's always good to know they're somewhere. Waiting. Watching. Reading. And if you're very lucky, smiling at something you've written. Sometimes we change people's lives, and never even know it. :)