For those of you who haven't had the privilege of getting one of my MANY book 2 related emails and/or IMs, I thought I'd put together this visual representation--via lolcat (yes, really!)--of some of the roller coaster highs and lows I've been riding as I battle through this bad boy.
Most days start out like this:
I love my job--and I'm VERY lucky to have it. But yeah... it's also WORK. And no matter how much I may wish I could leave cupcakes out and the magic writing elves would finish the book for me:
So I grab some caffeine....
(and for the record, no, I am NOT taking caffeine pills. Those would make me bounce off the walls)
And then I get to work.
(Um... I couldn't find a work related lolcat, so...BATMAN!)
And I work. And work some more. Until the plot takes yet another unexpected turn and I realize:
Flight of the Polar Bear
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Smarter than the average bear, waiting for fur seals to emerge from under the ice takes too long so a new approach is called for. This enterprising polar bear seems to have discovered a new source of nom-noms if he can just figure out how to get to them!
Amazing Drinking Bird
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The bird that never stops drinking. When I was a pre-teen I had a clear plastic bird that drank from a cup of water. You wet its beak and position it in front of a cup of water, and it did the rest. Science-theme toy shops had these. The colored water (which contains ether) would rise up the clear neck of the bird and cause it to tip forward and come into contact with the cup, as if drinking. The wetting of the beak caused the fluid to rise, tip over and the bird returned to the upright formal position to repeat itself endlessly. Because of the ether used inside of the glass bird (ether is flammable) these are not considered toys but are science tools. It is like a relative humidity indicator.
Monkeys Have Feelings Too
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These monkeys are taking a nap or maybe a break from each other. This image looks rather sad but I’m sure it’s just our human platitude telling us wrongly.
R2-Kitty Sez to Luke “Replay Message? What Message?”
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“Help us Obi-Wan! You’re our last hope!” This cat looks a little like R2-D2 android from Star Wars. This would make a kewl Halloween costume even if it isn’t very comfortable to wear.
She’s Dating Who?
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This reminds me of lyrics from the Joe Jackson song “Is she really going out with him?” The lyrics continue with “…for if my eyes don’t deceive me there’s something going wrong around here!” The Joe Jackson song came out in Sept. 1978 and was the feature track on the album called “Look sharp!” which debuted the following year.
Swedish pop star duo “Roxette” breakthrough album also named “Look Sharp!” which came out in June of 1988 but that was a coincidence of naming the albums.
Evil Trees in the Park
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Have you ever felt that some trees are evil? This one I have no doubt about it.
What are You Going to Dress-up as for Halloween?
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I have friends that dress-up their pets for Halloween. The most-oft seen costume for dogs is of course, a hot dog. Another favorite is a body suit with large dinosaur scales and plates along its spine and spiky tail. –It’s …Dogzilla! Run, – Dogzilla!
Just Washed Your Hare?
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Washing one’s hair does this, it gets all poofy. Blow-drying just makes it worse. Rabbits can make a good pet but there are misconceptions about rabbits as pets. One is that they are low maintenance. This is not true; they require a certain amount of commitment and expense.
Did you know that rabbits can be litter-trained just like cats? They are in fact, better at being litter-trained than ferrets which I know first-hand, is a chore. Ferrets occasionally ‘forget’ to use the litter box.
Read about rabbit myths and decide for yourself.
Pets Must Wear a Collar But…
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Poor kitteh! -Must wear collars.
Some larger cities in Canada like Edmonton, Alberta in an effort to prevent pet homelessness have mandated that cats must wear collars with a City-issued license tag or be permanently marked with a tattoo or microchip. Licensing is cheap, but having an unlicensed dog or cat can be a $250.00 fine so, get used to that collar, kitteh!
You Wanna Go for a Ride?
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This reminds me of a visit to my brother-in-law’s homestead in Missouri. I was on vacation and during the day while they were at work, I did yard work for them. Cutting firewood, burning leaves tree stumps, mulching their garden, etc. I was a filthy mess at the end of the day when they came home. I needed a shower and clean clothes, seriously.
My brother-in-law came down to the end of the yard where I was working and said ‘Hey, d’you want to go for a ride? We’ll go get some fast food.’ I had thought ‘Great! -McDonald’s Drive-thru and come home with it so yeah, I’ll go.’
I rinsed my hands and splashed my face with the garden hose and we all got in their car and, surprise! We drove for nearly two hours to Springfield, MO. to a very large Bass Pro store. I looked like a logger at the end of a workday… covered in dried mud, sweat, ashes and dirt on my shirt, holes in the knees of my pants, -it was embarrassing. Had I known I could have quick-showered and changed into something a little more acceptable for the public setting. But I should have known better because “Hey, you wanna go for a ride?” is a trick question with them and it is the same one they used on the family dog to get him into the car to go to the vet to be neutered!
Still, it’s Good to be the Pet
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Our animal pets really have it good you have to admit. To be fed, cared for and protected.
Caption Everything!
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Sometimes the funny does not have to be exclusively from animals, it comes from us.
The time has come to announce our Caption Contest Winner! Contestants were asked to provide a caption to this picture…
It was a tough decision so let’s go through the finalists:
Jamie Rouse was our first entry and possibly the most artistic. Jamie’s caption offers the reader several insights into the photo, most importantly the psychological state of the cat:
Black cat nine lives
Short days long nights
Livin on the edge
Not afraid to die
(Lyrics from Janet Jackson’s Black Cat)
Bryan Osborne’s was perhaps the cleverest turn of phrase and also offered a plausible back story:
I said that I wanted your “Cat food” not your “CATFU!”
Our second song reference, Dee Bell gets points for creating a Pun that is actually funny:
Everybody was Kung Fu fighting, those CATS were fast as lightning…
W.B.’s caption is a shout out to the LOLCATS and scores for simplicity:
Aggressive Cat be…Aggressive.
And the winner is:
Bryan Osborne! Congrats Bryan, you will be contacted in one of two ways: either a Publisher’s Clearinghouse style Prize Patrol or by email… prepare yourself.
Thanks to all our entries and stay tuned for the next contest!
…
I think i am experiencing post-project-body-implosion. By mid-day Saturday (halfway through my Figure Drawing Workshop weekend) I started seriously feeling the ick - so much so, (and after a full night of no-sleep-due-to-raging-sore-throat-and-incessant-coughing) that I didn't even attempt the third day of it. Have been mostly drinking medicinal tea and garlicky chicken soup and reading in bed, but am still totally dragging and using up my supply of Kleenex boxes...
I think the zombie kitttehs haz eaten mah BRAINZ! (or at least my immune system. going back to bed now...)
Page-a-Day calendars are a blatant waste of paper. I’m shocked. Shocked, and very very covetous of this Cute Overload Calendar
.
I’m buying two. One for me, and one for my grandma. That lady needs more cute in her life.
…from Cute Overload
“We start every Ten Update Friday off with a LOLcat.”
more cat pictures
“I’m donating.”
“Me too after we beat this Super Mario Galaxy level!”
SPOILER ALERT!
Continue to the discussion after the jump only if you have already read the book.
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Some times pictures of cute animals really do help. I have to give a presentation in March and included pictures of dogs reading books-- they really do make everything better! Good luck with today!
Love the pictures. I need one of those caffeine pills sometime. Can definitely relate to the head on the computer. Good luck today.
HA.*still laughing*
Thanks for a peek into your day as told through the feline community.
If only I looked as cute and lovable as these kitties when I'm drafting! I can assure you I look scary, yeesh!
Good luck, Shannon!! Keep it up!
This was adorable!!!!! Nothing like lolcats to save the day (and make a point).
Good luck, Shannon!
(And I'm with Laura. I don't look anything like these cats when I'm drafting--okay maybe I look a little like the grumpy one when my kids disturb "my flow".)
That totally sounds like my day, including the state of the cats fur on my head. This post is sooooo cute and funny! Just what I needed.
When in doubt - Batman.
Ha ha ha! That was way too much fun, #1!! :-)
LOL. For the record, I never email Sarah behind your back to make fun of you :)
Ha--maybe you should. It would make the "putting up with Shannon's neediness" so much easier! ((hugs her awesome CP)) :)
I have a feeling if Sara were to make fun of you in an email, she'd also distribute it on Twitter. She seems like the kind of girl that shares :).
Great post, Shannon :) Happy book 2ing.
LOL, I love the lolcats! Good luck with your drafting! You can do it!
Ha-ha! Yup, this pretty much sums it up. Fun post.
I'm right there with you Shannon. I'm drafting the sequel to City of a Thousand Dolls and sometimes I think I may be losing my mind. I don't have a writer group right now so I tend to talk things through with my husband, poor thing.
*looks at remaining words to write* *sighs*
Back to work...
What a fun post! Glad you got to do the waves with Mittens! Good luck finishing your draft!
Oh the happee pic is the cutest!
I'm firmly convinced that drafting is one of the major reasons most classically awesome writers were alcoholics and/or bat-crap insane. The other reasons are rewrites and edits.