Random Bits

• I found this guy, Rene Gruss, on MySpace I loved Bellatrix (free download this month.) I bought the whole album, right now Bellatrix remains my favorite.

• I found this other guy, Brian Gleason, on MySpace, he has the most amazing natural country voice I've heard next to George Jones, George Strait, Josh Turner (Jeremy Camp, outside of country)--I mean one of those voices you hear and you know who it is, not because they've been played non-stop, but this guy has a I-have-to-listen-to-more voice. He's incredible. He just sits down with his guitar and sings, he's mostly put up requests. I'm not one who likes to stray from the original artist, I listened to him sing The Dance (Garth Brooks) and Anymore (Travis Tritt)
  

• I'm behind on my word count because I was helping Kimmie by taking care of her kids, her husband's in the hospital. I decided that even if I didn't hit my target every single day, as long as I wrote, as long as I moved the novel forward on days like these past few, I'm good.

• Yesterday, I didn't write words, but I pulled out paper and pencil and drew. One of my characters carves canes and I needed a visual, but nothing exists like Orville's walking stick, so I had to create it. If you know about Orville's canes and you want to see the drawing, email me. Now, what I need is a real artist to make my elementary drawing into something beautiful. Any one out there?

• So, I contradicted myself because I didn't write words yesterday, didn't "move" the novel forward. But that's not the truth, I moved the novel forward more than if I'd written 10,000 words. Drawing that whittled cane moved the story forward and I discovered a theme I kind of knew was there, but the cane drawing made it POP for me.
  

• I don't have to be like everyone else when I create. If drawing a cane helps me wrap up an important theme of the book, I give myself permission to pursue those creative endeavors.

• I like reading good books. If I don't like a book, I give myself permission to put it down even if the whole world loves it. (Faulker, As I Lay Dying) I can't read it anymore. I'm done. I don't like it. at. all.
  

• We're going to see Jeremy Camp again this weekend! If you haven't listened to him, you should.

• I've been remembering a lot of dreams lately. So far, two of them will be stories. Don't know if they'll be short stories or novels, they both have the potential to be either. We'll see what comes out.
  

• I got some really, really, extra super cool news a little while ago but I don't know if I can say anything yet. It's pretty much killing me to keep secrets.