Friday, November 16, 2007

What to Say ...


Man, my blogging's been lousy lately. (Yeah, you're saying. Tell us about it.) Especially this week. I'm too busy writing. I've had too many outside appointments, which always messes me up. I've had some kinda stomach thing all week. And I'm fresh out of post ideas.

Actually not totally out. Just stalling. There's something I really want to blog about--in fact, for about five days--but it'll take getting permission.

I suppose I could just go days without blogging. But I feel guilty. Worse, I'm afraid you won't love me anymore. (You know us writers--so full of self-confidence.) So here I am, exhausted, wanting to go off to bed (yes, I actually post these things the night before), and instead of doing that, I find myself blogging about not having anything to blog about.

I wonder if this is the most blogged about topic on earth.

What have you blogged about lately? Anything exciting? Perhaps you should just direct all the BGs to come to your site. It's bound to be more entertaining.

Maybe this mood of mine is also due to the fact that I'm four weeks from deadline and just sure this time--as I am every time--that I'm writing a total bomb. That the book's so bad even this post will look great in comparison.

Somebody tell us a joke. Somebody write a limerick. It's Friday. Somebody save me.

-------------------------------

This week's CFBA blour: Try Dying, by James Scott Bell. Read the Forensics and Faith interview with Jim about this book.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey Brandylin, long-time lurker, first-time commentor (er?). Anyway, I'm a writer still waiting for that first fiction contract. I got a great agent and she's shopping two of my novels. Getting good response from some major houses. Yet, I wait and wait. Anyway, here's a question. How do you feel about coming-of-age novels for an adult readership, ala Secret Life of Bees, Mockingbird, etc.? Would you read a fabulous coming-of-age novel now? If so, why? or Why not? Thanks, Joyce

Eileen said...

Hello Brandilyn, Here's a topic that's out of orbit: The moon landing - Did it really happen? Is it fact or American fiction? *Over here* I've met several Russians who think it was fabrication. That's what I've been blogging about lately.

How about you? Do you believe Apollo 11 really happened? Why? (http://russiawithlove.blogspot.com)

Timothy Fish said...

Actually, I think it is the second most blogged about subject. I think it is just behind My kids [grandkids, nephews, students] are so great; aren't they cute? and just in front of I have this really yucky medical condition; here are the pictures. I'm not sure where it fits, but among authors there is also the one buy this book; I haven't read it, but I met the author.

Marjorie Vawter said...

Can't help you out. It's been two months since I've blogged about anything other than blog tours. However, I have something I want/need to blog about and haven't gotten up the courage to be that vulnerable yet :). I know this next book will be great—God isn't going to let you down!

Jason said...

Sometimes circumstances conspire against us. With work I've only posted once this week. As a regular BG, I figure you must have a good reason. I'm relieved that it isn't an ankle injury, but since you and snowmobiles are no more, I have confidence that you won't have any more problems that way.

T. Forkner said...

I think I broke my toe, or at least jammed it really bad. This happened right before a sales meeting about my new book...just my lucky streak I guess... I blogged about it.

TF :)

~ Brandilyn Collins said...

Joyce, congrats on coming out of lurking. And on getting your work out there to agents.

Yes, I would read a good coming-of-age novel. They're hard to write. I think of Leif Enger's novel in this way, and that book was wonderful.

There are different ways to handle coming of age novels. You might pick up my Color the Sidewalk for Me, a womens fiction I wrote before going into suspense full time. It's a past/present story--the teenager and the 30-something returned home. It's coming of age in the sense that the 16-year-old never quite made it, and the 30-something is now catching up, after all the tragedy of her teen years. Just an example to say this kind of story can be treated more broadly than we might first think.

Eileen--I'm not big on conspiracy theories. So I'm apt to believe Apollo 11 was real. Good grief, doesn't this nation have more important things to do than faking a trip to the moon?

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Brandylin. I'm actually pretty hopeful about this. My agent has sent it to an editor who was looking for a coming-of-age book. I'm curious about the readership as I'm thinking ahead a little about marketing. My agent said a young narrator is a tough sell, yet there are so many wonderful books in this genre--Peace Like a River for example, that were extremely popular. And what you said about your novel is interesting. I actually flirted with a similar idea for my book.

Rebecca LuElla Miller said...

Well, see, you and the other BGs just aren't opinionated enough, Brandilyn. :-D

I've had no problem with topics. In fact, this past week, I wrote about Antony Flew's book There Is a God which opened up some interesting discussion with ... folks who don't usually visit my blog. ;-)

OK, if I tell the whole story, that post came about as a result of a "what shall I post" day that led me (by God's prompting) to copy something from my journal. It snowballed from there.

But I had to come up for air. These discussions can make working at other writing tasks hard to accomplish.

Becky

Southern-fried Fiction said...

Yesterday it was windy here in Suwanee, GA. Very windy. And I had asked my worship pastor to pick up some closed-cell styrofoam and lunber at Home Depot for me to make a stage prop for our Christmas services. He has a pick-up truck and I don't.

Closed-cell styrofoam is used in building houses. When you walk holding a sheet, it can act like a parachute or perhaps wings to para-sail.

I told him he could wait until next week, so don't blame me. He'ds the one who decided to pick it up yesterday. In the wind.

Have you ever walked with a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" closed-cell styrofoam? It's bad enough with no wind. That stuff could carry a 150 pound person to Savannah and back.

I hear he picked up an audience in the parking lot of Home Depot as he tried to remain rooted to the ground and tie down the sheet to his truck. Every time he let go to grab a rope, he nearly took off.

Finally a couple of guys, with tears of laughter streaming down their faces, helped him. But the minute they got it tied down, everything in the back of the truck blew out.

I wonder if I dare ask him to help me build the prop, too?

~ Brandilyn Collins said...

Ann what a riot! Definitely worth a blog post. :)

Anonymous said...

your book is gonna b awesome cuz all ur books r, i havent read one i didnt like. u r one of the best writers on the planet (k, so maybe i'm a little biased but still, ur awesome!) -someone who went to pcc w/ u a long time ago

~ Brandilyn Collins said...

Anonymous--thank you. :)

Pam Halter said...

I read your blog and I lurkey,
Loved the picture of the turkey!
I hope these few lines
Will make you feel fine,
And next week your blog will be perky.