Monday, August 2, 2010

Write Away

Things you can't do when you're writing a novel:
  1. Sleep
  2. Talk on the phone
  3. Cook dinner
  4. Surf the net
  5. Go shopping
  6. Put on make-up
  7. Read a novel
  8. Pay your bills
  9. Make your bed
  10. Write a decent blog post.
Things you can do when you're writing a novel:

Have so much fun writing a scene that you forget to eat.


“So, what’s your real name, Turk?” Ruby said.

“Ain’t you ever heard of courtesy, girl?” Turk asked, surprised.

“Laws, I was raised on courtesy! When I was a girl and a stranger showed up at our ranch, Ma always offered food. And my daddy gave him tobacco. In fact, he tacked a note to the door when we was gone that said, ‘Help yourself to grub—please feed the chickens.”

Turk smiled. “What if they was on the dodge from the law?”

“Most of ‘em probably was, but my folks allowed them their privacy. After one cowboy had finished his dinner I asked him what his name was. ‘Jones is the name,’ he said. As soon as he rode off, Ma laid into me for being so ill-mannered as to ask any man his name.”

“So why you askin’ me, if you know it’s an impoliteness?”

“Because you’re not a stranger—you’re a friend.”

The old man looked at Ruby fondly. “It’s ‘cause you’re a friend that I’ll keep it to ‘Turk.’ Don’t want you influenced by my past.”

“You think I’d judge? After all the mud I’m draggin’ through? Come on, how’d you turn into a cook? Just tell me that.” She got out a cigar and handed it to him. “Let’s set outside a bit,” she said, knowing he couldn’t resist a smoke and an audience at the same time.


"The secret of success is to get up in the morning,
and go to bed at night,
and in between do something you want to do."
Bob Dylan

*Homework:

~Make a list of ten things you want to do.

~Do one of them today.

~Enjoy success!


4 comments:

The Grandmother Here said...

I want to read a book. And I'll get to do that today as we drive to visit my mother-in-law. I also like to knit and I can do that in the car too. Now I have to choose between two of my favorite things. My third favorite pastime is hunting for dead relatives on the computer. Did that yesterday.

Kay Dennison said...

I have an ongoing "to do" list -- sometimes I get a lot of things done; sometimes nada. Sigh.

marta said...

mom, i like hearin' the folks you is writin' about. keep up the good work. you're the real deal missy.

The Grandmother Here said...

4. Buy a new bed.
5. Assemble the doll house furniture that I bought in 1986.
6. Do something with boxes of photographs.
7. Lose 10 pounds -- just to begin with.
8. Grow tulips on my balcony.
9. Yikes. It's all about ME. I'd better do some service.