Lettermo Day One: Thanks for Being My Inspiration

I’m participating in lettermo, and having a lot of fun:

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Mary Robinette Kowal says, I have a simple challenge for you.

1. In the month of February, mail at least one item through the post every day it runs. Write a postcard, a letter, send a picture, or a cutting from a newspaper, or a fabric swatch.
2. Write back to everyone who writes to you. This can count as one of your mailed items.

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To be honest, I didn’t know what it was until I saw a writer I greatly admire post about it. Following the breadcrumbs back to the site, I found out that not only was this a very cool project for somebody who loves using real pens and real paper, but that by participating, I’d be able to send that writer something directly, a shout-out “thank you!”

So I did.

On a postcard that has my BRAND NEW COVER on it.

That you can’t see yet.

But that writer will see it. Which kind of makes me happy.  So with no further ado, day one. I’m showing you the postcard! [Okay, without the cover.]

I am sending out a thank you to somebody for inspiring me to write the story in my heart instead of the one agents told me to write. It’s a postcard, one of a bunch I had made with my new bookcover on them. So here it was, waiting for me at the exact moment when I needed it. [Cover reveal hasn’t happened, so this will be the first time my cover has been out into the wide world. Think the letter carriers will appreciate the honor I give them? Probably not!]

And I earned my First Letter Badge.

The Page 77 Meme

So, Gwenda is doing this and Steph Burgis is doing this and evidently a lot of others, and I thought it looked like fun.

The Meme:
1. Go to page 77 (or 7th) of your current ms
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they’re written. No cheating.

 

So, here is it, from my W-I-P:

 

Soft, cool dustings of crystalline snow shimmered in the air.

What have I done? she asked in wonder. What have I done?

It was beautiful, reflecting lamplight and candlelight. The air danced with magic, and could such magic truly be Shadows? Could anything so shimmering and bright be Dark?

Music swelled in her, music like she’d never heard, music that vibrated through her veins.

So… who is next? Leave a link!

PS I will reply to everybody, but you may not get a notification so check back!

The Song Meme

So, Brett tagged me but it’s taken me this long to deal with it.

So here is your assignment for today, dear readers. Find a song that inspires you to write something, whether it gives you an idea for a script or just puts you into a better frame of mind. AND/OR (don’t you love choices) peek into the lyrics and find a stanza that sums up the theme of whatever script you’re working on. It’s quite uncanny how the two circumstances go together.

If possible, post a video of the song to really get people into the mood. (Yep, I’m aware of the irony of using Internet clips during the pissing contest. I like irony as much as bitchiness.)

Then, send the assignment (by e-mail or posting to one of their blog entries) to 5 other writers to do.

Music has pretty much always done that for me. The Eagles’ “Desperado” pretty much played nonstop when I was writing my western.

And Miss Dolly’s wonderful, “Here You Come Again” was the inspiration for the hero of a book I wrote called Razzmatazz, and the script I adapted from it. A guy who was a charming scoundrel and the practical, no-nonsense Texas girl who fell in love with him was putty in his hands.

Right now I’m totally into angst, and this frothy little ditty by Evanescence is one of the songs that’s haunting me and my writing.

Totally.

So I’m going to tag some people. I don’t know if any of you are inspired by music in this way, but here goes — I’m hoping to hear from Kitty, Max, Candace, Mystery Man, and Nic.

I hope y’all have fun with it!

And by the way, who has an iPod that doesn’t mind getting tagged for a fun meme?

Eight Things

It’s a meme, thanks to Candace.

***
1. We have to post these rules beore we give you the facts.

2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

3. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
***

Here are eight random facts about me. I’m including some that some of you know, because some of you don’t know them.

1. I once made a pumpkin pie from scratch, meaning, from taking a whole pumpkin and cutting it up and baking it and scraping the pumpkin stuff out instead of using canned pumpkin — and I don’t even like pumpkin pie.

2. I am the only person in the history of the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting who was a finalist twice with two different scripts, and won.

3. An early version of the script that won once had Sissy Spacek, Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina attached with Melanie Mayron to direct, and still didn’t get produced. Sigh.

4. If someone has a few million to toss our way, we could rectify that error. Ahem.

5. My favorite Cowboys are Harvey Martin (may he R.I.P.) and Michael Irvin.

6. My father was at Dealey Plaza when President Kennedy was shot.

7. I have an older sister.

8. I married my high school sweetheart.

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I don’t know 8 people who would want to be tagged or wouldn’t mind being tagged, so I won’t tag anybody. But if you want to be tagged, please respond here and let me know and then do the meme!

Tagging Nick!

123-Tagged again!

Another book meme tag. (I think I’ve missed some stuff I got tagged for, oops, but this one is fast and easy.) So, since Christina tagged. me, I’m game.

Here’s what I’m supposed to do:

1) Find the nearest book
2) Open to page 123
3) Type lines 6-8 of said book
4) Tag three others

From an old library copy of Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer —

… finished up his epic speech by a pungent and Rabelaisian criticism of the whole race of leeches.

Whereupon the doctor, who had listened rapt to the…”

Tagging Candace, cinema gypsy and poke.

And apologies to those who have tagged me and I’ve not followed through. This one was easy, required no thought, caught me with a couple of minutes to kill!

Also, apologies to those I tagged. If you don’t have time, no prob!