What I do while washing the dishes Ep.3

This is my notebook. That is not my cat.

     I received a reprieve this week. I got two thirds of the way through the first Writing Excuses assignment and hadn't touched the next one. When I started playing episode 10.3 over sink full of bubbles.  It was like walking into class and discovering the paper is due next week. Instead I got to listen to a wonderful interview with Cherie Priest. The delightful author of Maplecroft. Which is a tale based on Lizzie Borden and Lovecraftian creatures.

It drives all the other toys mad.

     The podcast was awesome as they discussed H.P. Lovecraft and his works. Lovecraft had a multitude of flaws, racist, sexist and overtly xenophobic. I wonder if there was anything that didn't terrify him. Priest had this keen observation that stood out to me. "Nobody hates anything they're not afraid of." This does not justify Lovecraft's views or opinions. It does helps me to understand where the author was coming from and the intention of his pieces.

     Last winter I got to sit in for the lecture part of 318R at BYU taught by Brandon Sanderson. The course for me was incredibly helpful. The great thing about this semester was that it was being recorded by Earl Cahill and the first lecture went live recently.

     If you look in the notes I get a mention for helping review the videos. It was nice to be useful. (I worked in my Uni's production studio in my undergrad days.) I love that this information is being shared with the public. These lectures along with Writing Excuses are a wonderful resource for writers who may not have access to formal education or training. 

    In the piece I'm currently working on I have one major scene to write and then of course the edits. (I do not recommend this next course of action. It's to easy to become distracted.) I took a break last night from that project and outlined my next project. My outlines tend to be general and they are a great starting point. What happens next is I'll write and something completely different starts to emerge. I see what else can I get out of the structure as I'm writing. 

Keep writing.