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Okay my candle-of-the-day is almost burnt out. I had some long dry spells because I had to think up some important plot points--since these 50 000 words are going to be part of the novel I'm working on, I can't put down just any old crap. I don't mind if I write stuff that I later decide will need changing, but I need to make the best momentary decisions I can.

When I did this same story two nanos ago, the goal was just to get a bare bones backstory worked out for my heroine, so all I needed to do was generate ideas. Now that I'm re-writing it, and it's going to actually go into my book, it's got to be a fully workable draft.

Anyway, I got past some of the humps, and I think the last 8000 words should come easier-ish. I've left my heroine in the California Hospital in LA, the Jacobs are about to flee to Europe, and Pearl is going to bring about the next important plot point. We're just getting into the thick of the stuff that will drive my Henry V character several generations later. Yay! I can safely get to bed, then.

(Look, once I got around 39 000 words my progress bar went from yellow to green. So cute!)

KITTY PICS: Minion Helps With Word Count

"Hm yes. You definitely need some padding."

"I put big bum on keyboard."

Song of the Day: There's another Canadian Justin! I better one! -> Justin Nozuka "Swan in the Water." No idea how this song got into my library--must have been an iTunes song of the week that I downloaded and then ignored.

I loved this soundtrack

Was probably my first real exposure to good rap music. John Singleton and Spike Lee always had the best soundtracks. But I can't listen to these songs for long cause they remind me of the movie (Boyz N the Hood) and then I get all sad. And then I have to think about how gorgeous Lawrence Fishburne was in that movie, and that makes me happy. Also I wish my name was Furious Styles.

You treat me like a child and THAT's why I can't come.

Sorry that blog title has nothing to do with this post, other than it's spoken by Sarah Jessica Parker's character in State & Main, and I just watched a movie with her in it.


Tonight I watched The Family Stone on tv (for some reason the trailer below cuts off, but you get the point.) It was much better than I expected. Everyone ends up with someone at the end, which I like. :-)  (Okay everyone but the child.)


A couple days ago Fernando and I rewatched Arsenic and Old Lace--about a couple of sweet old ladies murdering people. It's on youtube.


I've been in a movie mood lately, but that's all I can remember. I need to start tracking what I watch...

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Alright, it's almost 1 PM and I hit my goal of 40 000 words. I've got my heroine on a rooftop with only half a ladder and a bratty 14 year old to help her down. Seems as good a place to leave her as any.

I brake for youthful heart felt enthusiasm

Minion came to sit on me a moment ago, when something outside the window caught her eye so she went rushing over.

Her first snowfall!

Just like the kids in my grade 6 classe d'acceuil -- the immigrants from warm countries would all run to the window when we got the first snowfall, if it was their first winter in Canada.

I opened the window for her and she tried catching a few flakes.

So I had to stop and take pics for you. Haley, as you can see, is a little more jaded. She's a West Coast girl so this snow thing--she can take it or leave it.

First Snowfall, Marx, Headaches and Spots

Slept on and off today, and otherwise sat at the computer and did research. Took breaks by watching the Marx Brother's Night at the Opera in pieces. Opera, and Day at the Races were more popular than their earlier films, cause Thalberg slowed down their humour and interspersed it with a traditional romantic comedy storyline. The earlier ones are probably a better reflection of what they were like in vaudeville--complete mayhem and nonsensical mile-a-minute jokes, so they're my faves. (And  But it was fun to see Opera again, and to watch something inspiring when writing.

(My fave part is that the boys put "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" into the musicians' papers, so the orchestra suddenly goes into it partway into the overture.)


It's almost 9 AM. I slept so weirdly on and off today that I'm determined to just keep working, now that the writing is finally coming again. Problem is my sleepy time pill WILL try to take over at some point. We shall fight it! In the air, on the seas, fight fight fight!

Here are my writing buddies egging me on: The brass fish my grandfather used to have on his desk; the kitty clock my step-mother gave me; Writer Smurf that Ms. Li gave me for Christmas one year, the Alex Ross Wonder Woman my husband bought me, and of course Yoda.



Now we are all gazing at the snow. You can see by my headphones that I've had headache troubles again today.

And my period only came today (er, today that just passed--Friday) and not even fully. For most of my life it's always come on a Tues. Then it would sometimes come Wed. In the past couple years it sometimes came as late as Thu (scaring me, I might add.) And now Friday, and only spotty! I must be going into pre-mini-peri-perimenopause.

Alright, back to work. I have to set a fire in the film studio.

Who'd have thunk it?

Hm. I wouldn't have guessed that Fall Out Boy would sound better done by a very big band full of 50 year old guys. (Except for the background vocals, which I don't care for.)