High Maintenance

I hate nail polish.

I love the way nail polish smells, fresh from the bottle.  I love watching the lively color glide from the brush to a bisque nail, empty and ready for some pizazz.  Some oomph.  Everything looks wonderful for the first 6 hours.  Maybe, if I've got a great top coat, my nails might last a day or so.

It's all over when the first chip happens.  Then they look like exhibit A.

That's 24 hours later.  All that hard work of getting the polish on perfectly for such a temporary pleasure.  Now they look terrible and I can either leave them plain or do it all over again.

As I sat here looking at my ruined manicure, I realized I'd probably have longer lasting results if I went to an expert.  They do something that makes the polish stick better or stays chip resistant longer.  But, if I did that, I wouldn't have the satisfaction I get when I do decide to paint my nails.  That first second when everything is new and shiny and it's because I did it myself.  Even if a couple of hours later I have a flaw in the works and the frustration of not being good enough sets in.

My approach to writing is just like that.  When I read published books, sometimes I wonder if I'm going to get there, if I'm just throwing away the words on paper, deleting them when I find the inevitable flaws.  Whole sections started chipping and needed to be wiped clean.  When I look at books written by those who've broken through, I wonder if I should leave it up to them and simply enjoy their perseverance.  It's far easier to read an enjoyable novel than it is to write one.  But then I wouldn't have that moment.  And I write for that moment above anything else.

Writing is high maintenance.  Lots of chipping.  Lots of effort swept away in a moment to make room for a better polish.  One of these days,  I'll be able to make the words last longer.  And all shiny.  Red optional.

Hi June, Bye June...

Kelly's Great Big Distraction List!

June is nearly over and I needed to get a post on the map.  I can't leave a gaping hole in the sidebar - even if mother nature has decided not to bring any summer to Seattle until nearly July.  I'd obsess about my missing month of June for the rest of the year and we can't be having that.

In terms of actual writing, I edited up to and some of Chapter 3 in Wishful Thinking.  Passed it to my beta/husband/amazing guy and he gave me some great feedback.  I'm waiting until the next chapter to see if he still thinks the same way about one of the characters.  In the meantime, I've been writing new ideas in the "idea file" for future use.  How fun it would be if I could mix the ideas up.

I've also dabbled with writing by the seat of my pants - no outline, no plan.  Just a story I've started and will keep going until I see where it wants to go.  If nothing else, it's consistent writing and flexing the spontaneous muscle I let stiffen up most of the time.

But enough of the stuff I've done that counts as productivity - the fun stuff was, well, fun.  And needed.  Started the month off with a good dose of camping fun.  This year, I've learned that late spring/early summer is just too volatile for tent camping out here.  So off I went to a heated cabin with a futon bed and table/chair set.  Oh, and electricity.  That's a must.

Dance recitals, end of school year activities, planting/gardening, Alan Wake for the XBox 360, way too many blogs to follow, IronMan2, Green Day:Rock Band.... it's been a fun month.  A nice break.

Now, bring on the summer.  I'll be writing out in the sun.