September 29th 2004
I guess it’s a cliffhanger.
Go read Roommates: Part Five.
For those who aren’t in the know, Echo and Afterimage is my online serial story, published every Wednesday.
I welcome any comments (particularly on how the story flows so far, ’cause frankly, I’m too damn close to see it.)
September 28th 2004
The new questions are up over at the Witches’ Weekly
Do you believe dreams are ever symbolic?
A better question might be “when are dreams ever not symbolic”? I think dreams are partly a brain’s way of working out stuff that’s happening in our lives, so everything that’s in them comes from somewhere.
I have noticed that I have very elaborately plotted dreams, probably due to me being a writer and a storyteller. I’ve talked to friends who are artists and their dreams are very visually complex, so I think personality has a lot to do with how you dream.
How do you interpret dreams? Do you feel some are scenes from past lives? Future premonitons? Hidden thoughts and feelings?
Dream interpretation is a sticky thing. I was dream journalling for a while and that was really helpful. It made me aware of all the things that were on my mind and how I was putting them together and what I was stressed about. However, some stuff I would look at and think “Where in the world did THAT come from?”. It’s likely that distance would give me some idea, though I never did go back and look at the journal like I intended to, so I can’t say for sure.
I think it’s a lot of hidden thoughts and feelings that show up in dreams. I don’t think I’ve ever had a past-life dream. As to premonitions, I do have deja vu every once in a while (I think everyone does) but I can’t say I’ve ever had a dream that turned out to be prophetic.
What do you feel was your most symbolic/meaningful dream?
I once had a really weird dream about totem animals. After journalling it, I realized that it had told me my totem animal. That was kind of cool. I guess that would be the most meaningful dream I ever had.
September 23rd 2004
I’ve posted my essay on “The Difference Between Samhain and Hallowe’en” to the Spirituality page. I thought it deserved a little section all its own.
September 23rd 2004
I know how Echo and Afterimage ends.
I don’t mean this story arc. I mean the whole thing. I know where it’s going now and what happens in the end and what the last issue will be.
No, of course I’m not going to tell you.
And no, it doesn’t mean it’ll be ending any time soon. But I know what will happen to make the story complete, and to a certain extent how it will happen.
That kind of frightens me.
September 22nd 2004
Is right on time this week.
Check out Roommates: Part Four.
The plot thickens. At this point, I doubt anything you’re assuming about how this is going to go is correct.
But feel free to speculate in the comments. I like to know if I’m predictible.
For those feeling confused, Echo and Afterimage is my weekly online serial story, published every Wednesday.
You can find past issues here.
September 21st 2004
I’m enjoying writing again. Not just liking what I’m writing, but feeling that deep internal joy, the utter contentment that comes when the writing is going well, when I hit the place in my soul that knows this is what it wants to be doing. Forever and ever.
In complete contrast to last week, when I had to call in the Cleansing Inferno to help me write the serial, this week I’m really excited about it. I have an idea of where I want to go. I like my characters. I’m excited about different plot elements.
I’ve even been writing about characters you haven’t met yet, and who you won’t meet for a while, in a subset of the series I’m calling “Interludes”. They may run in November, and they may not. I haven’t decided yet. But I am excited for you to meet these characters, because I love them.
I’m also excited about expanding on characters I’ve already introduced, bringing out some of the nuances of their various personalities. They’re revealing themselves to me during this whole writing process too, and that’s making me very happy, too.
Part of my excitement, of course, is due to all the positive feedback I got last week. But some of it, I like to think, is also due to genuinely liking where the story is going, and the fact that I’m getting it out, down onto paper. (This may also be where the praise comes from, because loving what I’m writing makes the story better, thus making this whole thing a lovely circle. Or spiral. Or something.)
Folks, this story has been in my brain, constantly evolving and unrolling itself, since the very early days of my relationship with Scott. In March of 2005, it will be 10 years since we started dating. So yeah. It’s high time I got this out.
I’m so happy, I could weep.
September 20th 2004
…and because I don’t think Blade believed me when I told him the name, I present…
Tory Pudding with Liberal Sauce
A recipe my Mom used to make.
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup raisins
Mix these ingredients together and put them in a greased baking dish (I use a small corningware dish). Then mix the following syrup…
2 cups boiling water
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla or nutmeg
Pour the syrup over the pudding. Bake the pudding at about 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
Voila! An election-day treat!
September 20th 2004
So a gay guy on the New York subway has scared away the preaching fundamentalists by singing show tunes.
Me: “Excuse me, Ma’am…but I must warn you that there has been a 12 subway stop donnybrook regarding the unwanted intrusion of religious beliefs into our morning commutes.”
Preacher Lady 2: “I got freedom of speech! And GOD TELLS ME THAT THE GAY DEVILS ARE CONTROLLING NEW YORK.”
Me: (standing up) “If you do not cease and desist fouling the air with homophobia, I must sing…SHOW TUNES.”
This story made my morning.
(via BoingBoing, of course.)
September 18th 2004
So if you need a serial writing fix, Montreal seems to be the place to get it. The Penslingers have all jumped on the serial bandwagon and we’re writing up a storm.
I love it. The creative juices are flowing; I’m a muse in my element. Plus I’ve got a lot of great stuff to read.
What I love most about the Serials is that everyone is writing something entirely different. Baker’s 12 is nothing like Echo and Afterimage which is nothing like Squirrelman.
So…
On Saturdays Sandman7 brings you the brand new Hunter’s Tales.
On Sundays, set your browsers to Tal’s LiveJournal, for Squirrelman!.
On Mondays, TS will be your host for Baker’s 12.
On Wednesdays you will find the latest in my very own Echo and Afterimage.
On Fridays Miseri will treat you to another installment of Shifting Strands.
Go forth and read. And be inspired to create.
There’s thirty people in the kitchen, and there’s always room for more.