Penguins and Avacadoes
Monday, August 22, 2005 by Mel
It's about time for something new around here.
I can't say that I have any big news to report. I could say that, but it would be a lie. I could redirect you to a few more interesting blogs. I've picked up the habit of wandering from blog to blog in search of interesting or amusing thoughts of people I'll never meet. (If you're here for that reason, you may be disappointed.)
While on one such search Friday, I checked up on the NaNoWriMo and NaNoEdMo sites, which I haven't visited in several weeks. Nothing new on those sites, but I followed the trail of blogs and read some things posted by NaNo participants. One thread had a discussion by one author who always snuck a penguin into his stories.
Why a penguin? I think the first time was just a whim or a dare, and afterward it was a challenge, like the time in a creative writing workshop when we had to include Amelia Earhart and avacadoes in our conversion stories.
I have had a fondness for penguins since I was a kid. I had a book about penguins with full page pictures of parental birds towering over their babies and trekking across the ice. Mary Poppins is one of my favorite Disney flicks ever-- thanks in part to the penguin waiters in the chalk painting who get to dance around with Dick Van Dyke. And the stuffed penguin who sits beside my bed-- a gift from someone who didn't even know how much I liked them-- travels with me on long trips. In fact, I had already snuck my own stuffed penguin into my novel.
I think I'm hitting a rough patch in the editing process. All major editing attempts over the last few days have been moderately unsuccessful. In an attempt to avoid the potholes in the road, I'm issuing a challenge, both to you faithful readers and to myself. Here's your chance to sneak a penguin into the story. I'm accepting any suggestions for random objects to put in the novel. It could be anything from a rottweiler to a coconut, a shrunken head to a lifejacket. (There are no water or tropical scenes in the book thus far.) If you can think of something obscure, leave it in a comment, and I will do my best to put it in the book.
Totally unrelated...
I'm trying to convince myself not to pick up one of those prepaid iTunes cards I keep seeing. I have a feeling that once I start, I will be addicted to downloading random music that I like but would otherwise not purchase. My resolve is slipping quickly.
The sign that I may already have lost all resistance: I've picked out the first song I'm going to download. If you can correctly guess the song, I'll buy you dinner. No kidding.
Enjoy your day.
I can't say that I have any big news to report. I could say that, but it would be a lie. I could redirect you to a few more interesting blogs. I've picked up the habit of wandering from blog to blog in search of interesting or amusing thoughts of people I'll never meet. (If you're here for that reason, you may be disappointed.)
While on one such search Friday, I checked up on the NaNoWriMo and NaNoEdMo sites, which I haven't visited in several weeks. Nothing new on those sites, but I followed the trail of blogs and read some things posted by NaNo participants. One thread had a discussion by one author who always snuck a penguin into his stories.
Why a penguin? I think the first time was just a whim or a dare, and afterward it was a challenge, like the time in a creative writing workshop when we had to include Amelia Earhart and avacadoes in our conversion stories.
I have had a fondness for penguins since I was a kid. I had a book about penguins with full page pictures of parental birds towering over their babies and trekking across the ice. Mary Poppins is one of my favorite Disney flicks ever-- thanks in part to the penguin waiters in the chalk painting who get to dance around with Dick Van Dyke. And the stuffed penguin who sits beside my bed-- a gift from someone who didn't even know how much I liked them-- travels with me on long trips. In fact, I had already snuck my own stuffed penguin into my novel.
I think I'm hitting a rough patch in the editing process. All major editing attempts over the last few days have been moderately unsuccessful. In an attempt to avoid the potholes in the road, I'm issuing a challenge, both to you faithful readers and to myself. Here's your chance to sneak a penguin into the story. I'm accepting any suggestions for random objects to put in the novel. It could be anything from a rottweiler to a coconut, a shrunken head to a lifejacket. (There are no water or tropical scenes in the book thus far.) If you can think of something obscure, leave it in a comment, and I will do my best to put it in the book.
Totally unrelated...
I'm trying to convince myself not to pick up one of those prepaid iTunes cards I keep seeing. I have a feeling that once I start, I will be addicted to downloading random music that I like but would otherwise not purchase. My resolve is slipping quickly.
The sign that I may already have lost all resistance: I've picked out the first song I'm going to download. If you can correctly guess the song, I'll buy you dinner. No kidding.
Enjoy your day.
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