armanya

Life: Temperatures are freezing here, but apparently nothing compared to the 'killer storm' across the pond. I ordered way too much tea, both black tea and fruit tea, because I need to make winter cozy somehow. January is, as every year, the only month that's a hundred days long. I made lentils Hamburg style (the city, not the food), which means they're cooked in water mixed with vinegar and plum juice, with a slice (or several) of pork belly (in celebration of Veganuary), and a side of flour dumplings. It's so filling that I'm skipping dinner - a true winter dish.

Crafting: The shawl is still not done, because for the whole past week, I was too tired after work to knit. It's about 3/4 of the needed length, so maybe I can finish it until next weekend.

Reading: I'm trying to get past the first chapter of Michael Rabiger's Developing Story Ideas (because I spent so much time writing this one series that I'm drawing a blank when it comes to writing anything outside it). But he's very clearly teaching Litfic at some college, and assumes that you have 'peers' who'd want to work through the exercises with you. Clearly, he developed his process in a classroom setting. I had to laugh at some of his claims, like this one:

(...) you can e-mail outlines to interested friends around the globe and get feedback almost immediately.

Yeah, that hasn't been my experience. I only get to have a conversation with my writer friends when we have our bi-weekly video chat, and the rest is tumbleweeds. I mean, we all have demanding jobs and etc.

And then I came across this gem:

An important part of writing is showing it to others for their reaction (...) the object and gratification of all artistic endeavors - acting upon your audience and considering all the ways they react.

Clearly, the good professor needs to get his head set straight by the fandom Karens that infest Reddit and the like, for the audacity of expecting an audience reaction. I dunno, maybe I should just skip to the exercises - the ones you can do without the help of your 'peers'.

Writing: I drafted two more scenes for my WIP; tomorrow, I'll have completed the first act.