i should get more coffee. hmm.

I--did this thing? Which we will discuss another day, when I'm far, far less ashamed of myself. But.

His name is--oh God, I can't believe I'm writing this--Mr. Waffles, he's a Lion-head, apricot, and he might eventually like me. He's also, compared to the rest of the Seperis Warren, huge.

Seriously. I'm just--not going there. But yes, where there were three rabbits there are now four. Pictures forthcoming--I have them on my computer, but I dont' have an editing program, so I'll look for one tomorrow and try to get decent cuts. He *sat in my lap*. I cant' say he liked me but he sat in my lap and I have no new scars! This is indeed celebration time.

musesfool's Meme

I have no idea where she got it, but it looked cool and so, there you have it.

Ten Things I've Learned About Writing (The Lazy Remix): A Completely Impractical Guide to How Jenn Functions

1.) There's no such thing as a stupid idea. Ever. We prove that *every day*.

2.) Love what you create. Love that you can create it at all. It's you, your word processing program and/or notebook, pen/keyboard, and a universe to explore. It can be great or it can suck. But it's yours and you *made* it.

3.) It's fun. Wallow in it. Revel in it. Take it for drinks and molest it if that's what it takes, but never forget that it's writing, and it's art, and it's the best high you will ever have.

4.) Take incredibly stupid chances. Style, pov, narrative voice, hell, *verb tense*, plot point, characterization, whatever. Go crazy. Say you'll write a story without the letter e. I dare you. You might fail a lot--hell, you *will* fail a lot. Don't give a shit. Do it anyway.

5.) Spellcheck will always be your best friend. So not kidding.

6.) Write once about a character you hate sympathetically. Then kill them in the next story to make up for it. We call that therapy. Helps. Or at least, it's really fun to try, don't you think?

7.) Ignore the thick skin thing on critique. Take it personally. Cry to your best friend online about it. Hate the critic for as long as it takes for your ego to unbruise. Apply chocolate and porn. Compose a scathing reply. Then DELETE IT and move on. Trust me. This works.

8.) You will never write the perfect story, no matter what you do. But sometimes, you'll get it *right*. That's better.

9.) Call them muses. Say you hear voices. Tell everyone about your conversational stuffed animals that tell you what to write. Talk about your process like a relgious experience. Because sometimes, it is. And it's a lot more fun that way, don't you think?

10.) There are people better than you, whatever. There are many who are *so much worse*. Seriously. Go read them when you get discouraged. It helps.

Now this set.

Here are the things I never forget.

When I'm online, I remember; two messageboards I wish I'd never seen, ten hate threads I'd give almost anything to forget, one nightmarish mailing list thread I will neve forgive, more pure negativity that I can count, every fucking *second* of my last three months in X-Men, and the chick who taught me how to hate someone so much that I would flame her off the internet if I had the chance. The friends I lost. The betas I lost. These are the things that taught me what my ethics had to be and how thick a skin I had to create.

I never stop hearing my worst critics. No one does. They are there with every word I write, every story I post, every time I open an email, every time I read feedback. I will never stop hearing these things: my tense choice sucks, my characterization sucks, my plotlines suck, my style sucks, my tone sucks, some English term I dont' even know what the hell it *means* sucks. I write badly, I can't write at all, I should stop, I should go terrorize another fandom, I should stop writing.

I haven't stopped. You won't, either. That is the only thing I've learned that's worth knowing.