~ An Epic Concept ~

So I wanted a new blog header, one that was more than just a nice picture, and one that was related to writing, obviously…though I have been enjoying the “Baby and the Wolf” temporary header.

I had a few ideas about taking photos of Polaroids of my laptop and stuff like that — there was even a few test shots of dinosaurs — but in the end, I liked the idea of having something beautiful across the screen of my blog that embodies my…well, my word.  I don’t know what else to call it.  It’s like my lucky token…you know, my word.

Anyway, don’t laugh, but my word is “epic.”

I know.  That seems like a cheesy word to lay claim to.  I get that it conjures up the image of a couple of stoner garage rats making horns and swinging around their guitars.  “We’re gonna be epic, duuude.  Billionaires!”

I can’t help that.  In fact, I embrace it.  I embrace the cheesiness!  I cheer on the stoner dudes mooching off their parents trying to break into the music industry, the television industry, the whatever-they-know-they-were-put-on-this-Earth-to-do industry, so long as they’re doing their work.  Too many people out there have convinced themselves to be safe and set reasonable goals anchored in reality instead of risking exposure of their tender underbellies while reaching for the stars.  It’s hard to stretch and grow in the fetal position, dude.

But “epic” is not just about dreaming big.  To me, it reminds me how you always get what you give.  This writing thing I do is one of the most important parts of me, and every day I thank my lucky stars for letting me have this need to make stories and being in such fortunate circumstances to fulfill it.  It’s that sticky-sweet part of my bone marrow, and if it were gone, I’d be hollow and empty inside.  Hell, I could write the sweetest country western song that would make your dog bawl, that’s how much I love writing.

So why would I ever give it anything less than an epic effort?

This is a truth that I wish I knew when I was younger.  People don’t ever become epic in their pursuits, they just get recognition for it.  I think they were always epic to begin with, in their practice, in their work ethic, and in their spirit.

This is how I want to be epic.  And I hope that my blog encourages folks to be epic too.

See?  Now you feel bad for thinking me corny.

Now a serendipitous thing happened this New Year’s.  A friend brought over this special beer.  It’s the only beer I drank, and at 9.5 percent alcohol, it was the only drink I needed.  He was nice enough to let me keep the bottle.  Why was this beer so special?  Let me show you.

Yes, it’s Stone Brewing Company’s Special Edition Vertical Epic Ale.  The epic part is special enough, but this beer also happened to be produced on 10-10-10, my 37th birthday.  That’s pretty darn cool, but when you flip it over…

…the very definition of epic.  Perhaps it’s a silly little coincidence, but when I first saw it, I had a sense of magic, of things shifting into place.  I don’t know how to explain it better than that except that it happens from time to time, and it’s never failed me before.

~ Test Shots in the Kitchen ~

So, how to translate this concept into a usable blog header?  Well, I got lucky.  I was making tea in the kitchen one day when I noticed the light was rather lovely cast through my tea.

Mostly I was playing around with the camera on my iPhone 4, and I got this shot, which gave me an idea…

Being that tea leaves are often read as part of someone’s fortune, what if you could create your own fortune?  Drink Epic Tea.  Something along those lines.  I thought it might be fun to maybe type up the epic definition and fashion it as part of the tea brand.  I wasn’t sure exactly how I wanted to do it honestly.  I just knew I wanted the epic definition from Stone Brewing Company (these people have the absolute best copywriters in the biz), and I wanted the prettiness of the tea, both things that fill me when I write.

 

~ Prop Design ~

I believe in starting with the basics.  I am no graphic designer, and  I don’t have any photo editing software beyond Paint.  I have OpenWriter, and that’s what I ended up using.

First, I gave it a shot with one of those free online logo makers to see if I could make something that would look nice on the end of a tea bag string.  This is what I got:

Pretty cool for free logos, but too small to be picked up on camera.  (I’m sorry I don’t remember where I generated these, or I’d link it.)

Ah, well.  Then I thought maybe I should just try typing it out and play around with fonts and see what I could finagle.  I used the epic definition from the bottle verbatim (because it’s perfect and I give Stone Brewing Company both credit and props).  It looked a bit like the shape of a heart, so I laid a lined heart over it to see what it would look like.

I thought it looked pretty ugly, but I liked the idea of it being heart-shaped.  So I tried again and ended up with something better.

Now all I needed was some hot water, a tea bag, good lighting, and great company.

 

~ The Shoot ~

Location:  Behind the Pink House on a Butcher Block Table

Conditions:  Southern California (Yes, it’s a “condition,” a good one.)

Assisting:  Toddler and Dinosaur

 

~ Conclusion ~

Conceptual photography is fun.  I think what made it even more fun for me was that it was simple, no fancy stuff.  I spent maybe an hour in the backyard with my camera phone, and I ended up with a handful of very usable blog headers — yay! — which I will post tomorrow.  Come back and help me decide by voting for your favorite!

What’s keeping me on track with the daily blogging is…well, the daily deadline.  If the challenge were to write 30 blog posts a month, then chances are, I’d be hurting every 29th day of the month.

It’s great that I’m signed up for the Write1Sub1 Challenge…except that we only have to check in once a week and no one comes round to kick down your door and drag you naked through the streets as punishment if you don’t check in.  At least, so far they haven’t.  Maybe they’re backed up.

Anyway, I have noticed lots of other writers post not only their daily word counts, but their total word counts for particular projects.  Some even have widgets that display a bar graph showing the percentage completed of their current Work In Progress.  (Very snazzy, I might add.)

Since my goal is to build up my 3,000-word-a-day writing muscles, I thought that it would help if I had to report my word count each day in Ye Olde Blogge…you know, establish a daily deadline for first draft words, accountability, all that rot.

The Infamous They say that it takes around 16 repetitions to develop a good habit.  In other words, if you want to make the gym a habit, it will typically take you about 16 consecutive workouts before it becomes habit.  Yoga Sutra 1.14 says only “a long period of time.” I think I’ll go with the 16 days first and see where that takes me. 🙂

On January 5, 2010, I wrote 3,481 words of story.  This was by far my most productive day first-draft-wise for the entire year.  Due to the lack of supporting historical documentation regarding a 10,000-plus-word-day back in my early 20s, 3,481 words stands as the current record to beat.

I figure it’s not so different from lifting weights.  I’ll start out small, work my way up, then start hogging up all the mirrors with my aggro posing.  The goal is 16 consecutive 3,000-word-days.  This is my plan, and it is Good.

So starting tomorrow, at the bottom of each blog post will be an update on my quest to develop a 3,000-word-a-day habit.  Should I fail in my duties, then…I don’t know.  Public floggings are a hassle.  You’ve got to get city permits, clearance from the fire department, then there’s parking — it’s a mess.  I know they’re popular, but it’s just not in the budget.

Let’s just say that if ever I show up empty-handed, then you are welcome to start a good old-fashioned cyber stoning in the Comments section.

Which reminds me…I better go dust off my cyber armor, just in case. 😉

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P.S.  The light was gorgeous today, so I thought I’d go ahead and shoot some test pictures for the new blog header while I was waiting for the Glif to arrive and…well, I think I’m done.  I’ll be sharing those with you tomorrow.  I’m still looking forward to playing with the Glif.  That little gadget ought to eliminate most of the blurries I get.

Now that I’m settling into a groove with the blog and the Post-A-Day Challenge, I am turning my attention to Part 1 of The Plan:  write as much first draft as I can.

My first summit sighted:  3,000 words a day.

This sounds like a lot, I know — and no, I’m not there yet, by any stretch — but I think it’s a necessary practice to cultivate if I want to build the writing career I imagine for myself.  I doubt there’s very many professional writers out there who are publishing with any sort of frequency who aren’t hitting this number day in and day out — or even better — and I think it’s really just a matter of deliberate practice.

Rachel Brice, probably the most famous contemporary belly dancer in America, if not the world — who also happens to be a total sweetheart and wonderful teacher — has a beautiful, almost equally famous tattoo that arcs over one hip.  It’s Yoga Sutra 1.14 of Patanjali in Sanskrit, and it says:  “In order for your practice to be grounded in the Earth, it needs to be done consistently, for a long period of time, with devotion.”¹

If you follow this tenet in any endeavor you pursue, I challenge you to not become better at it.  If you have any doubts as to what kind of results you can achieve with this principle, then watch this video.

I’m willing to lay down some green that for every minute of amazing performance given by Miss Brice, there’s a thousand hours of deliberate and consistent practice, committed to with love.

I accept that for every published word I produce in my life, there will be hundreds, even thousands of words that had to be written before that one was chosen.  I also accept that writing these thousands of words must become my daily practice.

If I could write a short story that was as lovely and compact and nuanced and innovative and just — God! — so perfect in its own way as Miss Brice’s performance above, I would be a happy writer.

So I go now to my practice, with love and devotion.

Happy writing, friends.  Namaste.

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¹ This quote is taken from an interview with Rachel Brice included in the extras section of “Solos from Monte Carlo.”

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Update:  I ordered the very clever Glif today for my iPhone 4, and so I will most likely wait until that arrives before I do new header pictures.  But I did spend some time last night making props, which was kind of fun…though it probably sounds more interesting than it actually was.  So please forgive me for the delay on the photo shoot post.  We’re almost done with BLOG OVERHAUL 2011…thank goodness!  We’ll get there before the month is up.  Ya know, just in case it was keeping you up at night.

Okay, so there was really only one jazz club and one art show Saturday night, but who cares?  It was the first time I’ve been out to an adult function past “night-night time” in two years without diapers in my purse.  (Thank you, Mom!)

The art show was fab, as I knew it would be.  It was held at the Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown, a great little venue.

I hope it wasn’t too obvious I hadn’t been let out in a while, but damn I had a good time!  The vibe was wonderful!  All smurpy love, positive energy and synergy, great art, bumpin’ music, lots of baggy knit caps, and some crazy fun dancers.  And yes, I did have that third drink.  Yum!  (But it wasn’t like I was out of control.  I did make some adult-like decisions, like deciding against that sidewalk hot dog.  Yay for restraint!  They were bacon-wrapped even.  Iron Will, they call me.)

My brother’s paintings turned out awesome!  His style is so distinct and funky, I and all my friends recognized his stuff from the door.

This one’s my favorite of the three.  You can see the rest of them here at his blog.  And feel free to pester my bro to start making prints available…the lazy scuff!

Jon also collaborated with his costume designer girlfriend Amanda Ellison on the design of some funky monster character hand puppets, which she constructed.  They were so cute!  I’m surprised she didn’t sell them all.  I can’t wait to see what else she makes.  Sounds like there’s a few more monsters queued up.

I even bought my first piece of original art!  I’m so excited!  I can’t wait until it arrives.  I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture of it.  I actually didn’t take any pictures once I went inside.  I got caught up in the fun and completely forgot!  But I’ll share a pic once I get it up on the wall.

The cherry on top of the art show was seeing my cousin Italix tear it up on stage.  He opened up with an a cappella piece — that’s balls — and pulled it off beautifully.  Then he just did his thing.  Great set!  His passion was infectious, and people were calling for an encore and lining up afterward to get a copy of his EP.  Me, too.  🙂

The tiny diamond fairy sprinkles on top of the cherry was going to Little Tokyo afterward (at 1:00 a.m.!) and having noodle bowls, fried gyoza, and spicy tuna rolls at Daikokuya.  Hold me!  I hadn’t been to this place since I quit working in L.A. three and a half years ago, and oh, man, how I’ve missed their noodles.

And who would think that we would run into friends from high school there, but we did…and we all got to do the, “Oh, my God!  How are you!” which I love.  And then they reminded us our 20-year high school reunion is coming up this summer.  Egad!  I hope I’ll be in town for that though.

Anyway, fun night!  Got back to Mom and Dad’s at 4:00 in the morning — it was a long, long drive — pulled out the futon and my laptop and tried to figure out what story to write.  Yes, that’s right.  I hadn’t yet written my story submission for my writer’s meeting due the next morning.  Ugh.  So I poked around some story idea files and fell asleep when I accidentally blinked.

A little while later, Mom came in holding a very sad little toddler, who was then greatly relieved to see her mama.  This was the first time she had to go to bed without me in like her whole entire life!  Very dramatic.  But at that point, all I wanted to do was take her back to bed and curl up around her…which I did.

So the next morning, punctual as always, my friend and fellow Third Ninja Omniscient came round to collect me for the writer’s meeting.  I wrote most of a flash fiction piece on the way to the meeting and finished it up on our friend’s kitchen counter.  She was nice enough to print enough copies for everyone.  Horrible, I know.

It crossed my mind repeatedly to forfeit this month.  We each get one “free pass” on submissions, and I was tempted to use mine.  But then I thought about the post on confidence I wrote the other day and wondered if any of them had read it…and if they had, how I had better not show up empty-handed.

I liked the story though.  It’s nice to write a short piece every once in a while.  And although it was completely undeserved, my dear, wonderful, and new favorite friend 😉 said one of the lines I wrote in my story reminded her of Neil.  I welled up, I swear I did.  True, I was eye-vibratingly tired and a little carsick from composing fiction at 65 miles an hour looking down, but that’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever received on my writing and I really had to squelch the waterworks.

Whew!  Anyway, as you can imagine, the tot and I slept in late and spent all day hanging out at home.  I did a lot of catching-up-type activities, and she did a lot of making-a-mess-type activities.  Then we took a great big bubble bath and declared ourselves recovered.

It was a great weekend, but today was a Good Day.

With the exception of Tanith Lee’s enjoyable “Black Fire,” a story told through excerpts of witness interviews, this week turned out to be Flash Fiction Week…which was fine with me.  Lots of good stories out there available in tasty, bite-sized pieces.  Brain Harvest and Every Day Fiction are new to me, discovered through comments at Write1Sub1, and both are great markets dedicated to that strange-beautiful, miniaturized literary animal we call “Flash.”

So without further ado, I give you this week’s short stories read in chronological order.  Good stuff.  Please to enjoy.

10.  “In the Deep Deep Sea There is an Even Deeper Susurrus” by Ben Godby (Brain Harvest)

11.  “Serapis” by Fritz Swanson (Brain Harvest)

12.  “Today’s Fish is a Very Fine Fish” by Nancy Stebbins (Brain Harvest)

13.  “Flowers, Secrets” by Kristine Ong Muslim (Every Day Fiction)

14.  “The Last Station” by JR Hume (Every Day Fiction)

15.  “Snowman” by Shaun Simon (Every Day Fiction)

16.  “Black Fire” by Tanith Lee (Lightspeed Magazine)

So Thursday was my first day back “on the job.”  Naturally, I was up late the night before having a mild stress attack.  After all, it had been over a year since I last reported a deposition proceedings, and now here I was diving headfirst into an assignment with only one day’s notice.¹

I had to first find appropriate clothing…no small feat, I assure you.  I have spent the last two years in sweat pants and jeans…happily, mind you.  Once I found something decent, I had to wash it to get rid of the mothball smell.  You think I’m kidding.

Then I had to deal with The Equipment.  It is astonishing how much crap it takes to convert spoken words into written words…and they usually want us to take down all of the words.  Sheesh.

So I had to reset the date and time on my stenomachine, which had been collecting dust on top of my desk; find and double-check my storage cards (which I had been using for photos); recharge the battery and back-up battery; check the batteries for the mics; locate my realtime cables (which I found in the baby’s closet); remind myself how to use my software…you get the idea.  The list is insane.

Not surprisingly, it wasn’t until 2:30 a.m. that I finally got around to actually writing on my steno machine, freaking out that I might get some heavily-accented doctor witness or something similarly horrible after being off the machine for so long.

So I sat down, took a huge, weary, caffeine-vibratoed breath, adjusted the height of the machine, placed my fingers on the keys, and started practicing with some dictation videos I found on YouTube.  As my fingers started to warm up and fall into familiar cadence, I looked up at my bulletin board and saw my court reporter’s license hanging there.

That’s when I realized I would be fine.  I am a certified court reporter, I reminded myself, licensed by this fair State of California.²  I have been plying this trade for 14 years.  I have reported kidnapping cases with emotional witnesses.  I have reported civil cases with cocaine-propulsioned attorneys in final argument.  I have passed the 240-wpm leg of a national certification test (just need to pass the 260!).  What’s one weenie little ol’ deposition to me?  I had this.  I knew what I was doing.  We’re talking about me here, Miss Handling-My-Business.

Bring.  It.  On.

So how’d the job go?  I’m glad you asked™.³

When the witness walked in, the first thing he did was chew out opposing counsel for his choice of venue before plopping down into his chair with a glare.  Off to a good start.

Not only was he angry (angry people talk fast!), he had an accent, and yes, he was a doctor…even better, a specialist.  Can you say “biventricular defibrillator device” five times fast?  No, me neither.  But the witness could…and did…repeatedly.

How did I do?  Great!  It wasn’t a perfect job, but I handled my business.  No stuck gears, the fingers knew what to do, it was on.  Da-da-da-dah!  Neptune forgive me, but I had fun.  They probably thought I was goofy, sitting there so happy to be back in the midst of things, but I was enjoying myself.  My job is very much like being a fly on the wall, only I get to sit at the head of the table. 🙂

In the past, I would have griped and complained and stressed and worried.  This day, not so much.  That’s because I went in there knowing that whatever was thrown my way, I was going to handle it like the professional I am.

And I did.

What’s the point of all of this?  Confidence, man.  You’ve got to have the confidence.  And if you don’t, you gotta look inside and squeeze it up from your guts somehow.  This applies to all human endeavors, it seems to me…especially writing.

Despite what you see in movies like “Wonder Boys,” Robert Downey, Jr., is not going to come knocking on your door (dammit!) wondering when your novel is going to be done.  No one’s going to come and pick you up off the floor, sit you back up in front of your computer, and feed your ego until you feel like you can do it.  No such thing…at least, not this far south of the NY Times Bestselling List.  (Man, I can’t wait until I’m on the other side, and they have to send some poor, overworked publishing assistant to “handle” me.  Won’t that be fun?)

So right now I am working on a science fiction Japanese noir piece that is apparently Part 1 of a 5-novella series, and it’s been kicking my ass for the past five months.  Seriously.  This thing has grown roots and is trying to suck water from the wood of my desk.  Every month I tell myself — and my fellow Third Ninjas Omniscient — that I will be bringing it to the next writer’s meeting, and every month, I bring something else.

This month will be no different as tomorrow is our next meeting.  I’ve got until this afternoon before I shut down all word-manufacturing operations for several hours while I go to Chinatown and witness the funky awesomeness that is Pirate Bubblegum. That means I’ve got to write a new story sometime between now and high noon tomorrow.

[Cue “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” theme music.]

But I ain’t skeered.  See, I’ve been writing stories since I was 7 years old, longer than I’ve been a court reporter, that’s for sure.  I may not be licensed to write short stories by the State of California, but when it comes down to it, I know ain’t nobody who can write my stories better than me.  Ain’t nobody knows where my characters have been and where they’s going and what the hell they’re up to.

I have produced some of my finest work under tighter deadlines.  I can do this.  So I’m strapping on my gun holster belt (with the cute little Bedazzles on the side), checking the safety on my ivory-inlaid water pistol, and making sure my panty line isn’t showing above my faux-leather chaps.  Oh, and I’ve made some tea.

So, Future Fabulous Short Story That Has Yet To Be Written, choose your weapon, be it tantalizing clichés, bringing up failed stories, or introducing characters who have no business on the set.  Bring.  It.  On.  Ten paces at high noon.  You are about to be schooled by a professional.  And when I’m done wiping up this town with you, I’m gonna take down your buddy, Mr. Scifi Miyagi Noir.  This desk just ain’t big enough for the three of us.  You suckers are going down.

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¹ My Native American name should be “Trial By Fire,” or “Jumps Outside Pan into Flames,” or “Flies Headlong Off Cliff Repeatedly.”  Maybe “Bursts Suddenly Into Flames.”  I like that one.

² For those who aren’t familiar, to work as a court reporter in California, you have to be certified at 200 words per minute.  But court reporters know you need to be faster than that if you want to keep up.  Los Angeles Superior Court administers their own test at 225 wpm.

³ “I’m glad you asked,” is a trademarked catch-phrase (not really) licensed by Danny “Arrr!” Medina, and therefore attributed thereto.  I owe you $.25 in licensing fees, Danny.  😉

P.S.  You guys nuclear-blasted my best-day stats yesterday, dethroning my previous busiest day, which was way back in January 2010.  Thank you!  You guys rock!

"WTF?!"

“Surprise!  Ft. Drum, NY.  The nearest big town of 26,000 people is Watertown, NY.  In 2 weeks, they got 146 inches or 12 feet of snow.  We move in April.  At least the avg high temps in August is only 78.  Love, Fat Cat.”

My Southern Californian/pre-Hawaiian-resident brain does not know how to process this information.  My sense of adventure says, “Rah!”, and my sense of common says, “Wah!”

After musing out loud the other day how I wouldn’t mind a meaty bit of deposition work fall my way, a two-day gig has fallen right in my lap, which means snack money.  Yay!  I like snacks.  So for those of you who are following the “Blog Overhaul” melodrama, this means I will most likely resume that on Monday.

Why Monday, you ask?  Because I’ll be playing career woman the next two days (while trying to finish my story for the writer’s group), Sunday is my writer’s group meeting, and Saturday night I will be embarrassing relatives at Diabolical Mechanism, hosted by Pirate Bubblegum Collective Art Show.

My amazingly talented brother, Jon McConnell, will be exhibiting some awesome paintings, as well as his wonderful girlfriend Amanda Ellison.

Also, I get to see my “little” cousin, hip hop artist Italix, perform for the first time!  (My first time, not his.)  Yeee!  (Could this be why he’s been a little shy to invite family to his shows?  Nah.)

So if you live in the L.A. area and are looking for something cool to do this weekend, check it out!

Today’s photo shoot for the new blog header had to be rescheduled as I was helping my mom with yard work. 🙂  So I thought this would be a good time to share with you the best ad copy I’ve ever read for a free cat, as promised back in June.  [GEEK ALERT!] This kind of stuff just makes me so happy.  Here it is:

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LUXURY CAT NEEDS NEW HOME

Elegant male cat seeks new home.  Loves to give and receive affection.  Neutered, front paws declawed.  Approximately three and a half years old.  Shots current through January 2011.  Samsonite carry-bag and all necessary accessories included.  No adoption fee.  The cat is exceptional and extraordinarily beautiful.  He deserves a loving home.  (909) 319-xxxx

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Whoever wrote this ad knew what they were doing.  The adjectives used to describe this cat were well chosen:  elegant, affectionate, exceptional, extraordinarily beautiful, deserving.  Even the title refers to him as a “Luxury Cat.”

This cat isn’t free to a good home; he’s seeking a loving home, and he’s available without an adoption fee…implying you would be lucky to have him.

He’s neutered, declawed, and his shots are good until a given date (nice touch), which means a lot of the vet bills have already been shouldered.  He’s also a young cat, so he’s likely healthy and won’t croak soon, but not a kitten, which means that he’s probably over the chewing-through-your-laptop-power-cord phase.

He also comes with his own freaking luggage (Samsonite, no less!) and accessories, meaning you don’t have to go out and buy a new litter box, cat carrier, collar, dish, food, litter, brush, et cetera, inferring it would be both convenient and cost-effective to adopt this cat over any other cat.

Word choice is everything, and this ad is nothing short of awesomeness.  It could have read, “Free cat to good home, fixed, shots.”

I should mention that this ad also included a picture of a truly handsome white cat that could have easily stepped off the cover of Cat Fancy.  The orange cat in the above picture is actually ours.  Please to meet Mr. Orange Julius Sneezer.  Doesn’t he look like a fuzzy roast chicken with a cat head?

Hmm.  If I were to write an adoption ad for his mug, this is what it would say (subtext is in red):

Ruggedly handsome cat (one ear is folded over from a drained hematoma, and he’s missing one fang because he got schooled in a fight) available for adoption to a non-Satanic home (ya know, just in case).  Self-sufficient (he drinks out of the toilet and will climb your leg to the kitchen counter to steal food), full of character (he’s a cat — they’re all full of it), mellow temperament (he sleeps 23 hours a day), and good with kids (because he runs away from them).

Me loves words!

Today has been productive.  I got eight hours of sleep last night, and Mom’s got the little one for a couple of hours.  So here I am at Starbucks, bopping to Beats Antique and Lady Gaga — I know, odd mix — and handling my business.

I must confess, I did rather enjoy it when the toddler begged to “go night-night” last night after I let her stay up with me while I worked. <heehee!>  I told her she wasn’t missing anything.  Now she knows there’s no party going on after hours in Momma’s office…just endless boredom.

So, today I got my welcome mat up, that lovely all-important upper right-hand corner that the eye naturally travels to at first glance on websites and menus.  This is where you put your 800%-marked-up drink specials…or your cyber marquee.  (Note:  in WordPress, this is the text widget.)

Here is my first draft.  Don’t laugh.  Most of my editing is about dealing with the cheese.  I can’t help it.

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“Welcome to Casa de Ang, where the floors are gritty and the dishes piled high, but the beer is cold and the food is salty. Welcome all you working writers, the ones who get up early before their family awakes to capture the perfect verse, the ones who use the internet at work to search for markets for their stories, and all those glorious night owls hunched over their keyboards, eyes close to the screen focused on Martian landscapes and princess warriors. Grab a beer, a seat, a cookie. Not only is it okay to talk shop, it’s what we do here. So how was your day, dear?”

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As you can see — ahem — in the upper right-hand corner, I smoothed out the main paragraph, took out the goofy, “So how was your day, dear?”, and gave the most important basic information about me in the context of the blog, that I write speculative fiction.  I realize it is still cheesy, but that may just be because I am cheesy.  Like I said, I can’t help it.

I wish it were a little shorter.  I should probably lose the first paragraph, but then it negates my clever coaster remark at the end.  Har-de-har.  Anyway, don’t be surprised if I pull the cold beer and the salty food.  But hopefully, it does what it’s supposed to do…let people know what My Blue Screen is all about.

Moving on, I also finalized my “About Me” page…finally.  I smoothed out the rough spots and mostly just fiddled with it.  I also added a new picture, a real picture.  I’ve decided to step out from behind my cartoon-pixelated cloak of mystery and reveal myself for what I am…human!  I think mostly I’m shy about pictures, but it’s time to get over it.  I’m not that ugly. 😉  Besides, I like seeing other bloggers’ pics, so fair is fair.  And I’ll probably update this one sometime in the nearish future.  I know this one is a little fuzzy.  That’s because of the fog machine.  You think I’m joking….

Whew!  Well, almost there!  All that’s left is shooting a new header picture and cleaning up stuff, two more “Blog Overhaul” posts.  Then we can move on to more fun stuff, like space ninjas, magnetic whiteboards, and roast chicken cats…but not necessarily in that order.

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Update:  The first paragraph in the welcome mat did go by the wayside, and I changed my coaster remark…though I can’t really explain why.  Word choice, word choice, word choice.  I’ve fiddled a bit with it, and I may poke at it a little more.