Monday, April 6, 2009

Notes To Self

If you decide to vault from the top of the stairs in your socks, and your feet slip out and make a thunderous, guest-frightening sound, and all you can do to prevent catastrophe is to panic-clamp your right hand to the banister like a disc brake, do not be surprised at the friction burn on your palm the next day.

If you send your characters sprinting away and leaping off things because you can't figure out how else to end a scene, you will only get away with it once per book. Maybe not even then.

Figure out some way to invent a fireproof apron for the stove so that when frying, the grease spatters on the apron instead of everywhere else, such as tea pot, face, burners, counters, cat, salad, wall, clean dishes, guests.

Do not spend five minutes "practice-lifting" your heavy centerboard and then fail to understand why your shoulders feel like you've been attempting Wing Augmentation Surgery in your sleep.

Warm spring days are meant for being outside. Brook no argument to the contrary.

Keep boatbuilding. The river isn't going anywhere.

Keep writing. Otherwise your characters won't go anywhere.

1 comment:

Babs said...

Use that apron boy! I have the broken tooth to verify the predictable outcome of speeding on slippery floors wearing socks. I can't help you with the new "wing"development, but I do know that good weather, sun, and a positive outlook on all things will improve future outcomes.