she had known it was a terrible plan

[aamcnamara]

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Today: one of those days where I did not want to work on the novel. Mostly because I seem to have overrun my headlights, and so although I wrote a page, I don't know why she is doing what she's doing or what she hopes to get out of it. And I think I'm in what the technical term for is "the horrible middles", wherein you believe that there is not possibly enough material left for the rest of this whole novel. So.

I also got distracted by writing Diana Wynne Jones a message telling her how much I love her books. Diana Wynne Jones... I've been reading her books since I was a kid. I love her characters. Her writing is splendid, her ideas are often really neat, but her characters are the best. Which was why I dressed up as Chrestomanci last year for the geek dance. (It is also, indirectly, why I still kind of want to write feminist Chrestomanci fanfiction--even though I'm usually not one for writing fanfic.)

...okay, so now I feel the need to correct myself. My other favorite thing about her books is the moments that just... resettle the world, a little. I'll namedrop Homeward Bounders and Year of the Griffin as two that had those moments for me; spoilers may exist in comments, for these or other books. You have been warned.

At any rate, awesome characters and that sort of world-resettling moment are pretty easy to win me over with.

(Of course, considering these facets of her work, I want to see now how I can apply that to my own. This particular novel I'm working on doesn't quite have either, yet, but I am learning the characters as I go and their representation will improve in further drafts. Moments that resettle the world, though... I'm not sure that it will ever have that. Considering, though, it's possible that I could work one in there. Or at least, that resettles the characters' worlds. Hmm.)

Anyway, just in general it has been a day in which clouds of various fluffiness turn out to have linings approximately the color of algae-choked ponds.

However, I went to an event at the Walker, which did much the same thing except they also gave me a free tiny laser pointer. It is on a keyring. I could carry it around on a keychain or a carabiner if I wanted to. I want to take it apart and put it back together, except I'm not sure if that's advisable, so maybe I'll just point it at things and whisper, "Physicssss."

Lesson of the day: I will forgive much for free lasers.

Comments

[aliseadae]

I love the phrases "the color of algae-choked ponds" and "resettle the world". I also love the concept of you pointing lasers at things and whispering "Physicssss." You are awesome.

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

Physicsssss.

(Yesterday was a day in which it was good to be told I'm awesome. Thanks.)

[csecooney.livejournal.com]

Cat Chant! Chrestomanci! His peacock dressing gown! Howl! Flying carpets! OH, EVERYTHING!

Although, I have to admit, I never finished Dogsbody.

I bloody LOVE those books. "Howl's Moving Castle" was one of those rare books I reread immediately upon finishing. Literally finished the last page and started reading the first again. Love, love, love, love, love!!!

Whoops. Got a bit carried away. BUT DIANA WYNN JONES! And you WROTE to her! Oh, I admire that.

I wrote to this author I've admired for years just a few weeks ago, but didn't tell anybody, because I felt silly for liking her.

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

Yes--EVERYTHING is exactly right. (I sewed myself an egregious dressing gown for the Chrestomanci costume. There are pictures somewhere back on LJ, I think.) So many of her books are fantastic! I've always wanted to meet her--from her books and what I've heard of her, she seems like a fabulous person--and since that now looks even more unlikely than it ever did, well, I figured I had better write her.

Congratulations on writing to her! Telling people about it is, in my mind, optional.