Quote for the Day

"It is necessary to write, if the days are not to slip emptily by. How else, indeed, to clap the net over the butterfly of the moment? For the moment passes, it is forgotten; the mood is gone; life itself is gone. That is where the writer scores over his fellows: he catches the changes of his mind on the hop."

Vita Sackville-West (March 9, 1892 – June 2, 1962)

The WriteMuse

Being among the millions of unemployed, I've managed to keep my head above water by starting my own freelance writing and editing business which I call The WriteMuse. One of the best ways to promote a business is to write blogs that provide information people are interested in and – hopefully – encourage them to avail themselves of my services.

To that end, WriteMuse's blog will focus on topics related to writing and editing, which pretty much consists of things I've learned about such over the years. So if you are interested, I invite you to read my first topic: The Fundamentals of Fiction: Show Don't Tell. If you'd like future updates, fill in your email address in the box to the right or subscribe through your favorite RSS feed.

Thanks!

--->Susan

Quote for the Day

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."

Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963)

An Amusing Anecdote

I just wanted to share with you how, after literally over 30 years of writing fan fiction, my interest in a fandom has finally paid off. The monetary kind of pay off, nothing weird or kinky. For this tale, the fandom in question is The Devil Wears Prada.

I'm a freelance writer and today I had to write an article about buying homes in Beverly Hills. Nothing too big, just a 250 word blurb on the benefits of buying a property in Beverly Hills. Simple really, I do stuff like that every day.

Alas, about halfway through I was writer’s block struck. I’d already used almost every synonym for “luxurious” listed in the thesaurus and nothing more was coming. What could I possibly have to say about Beverly Hills? What do I have in common with the people who live there? I’ve never even been there; much less will I have a chance in multiple lifetimes of being able to live there.

In desperation, I started casting my net around the ’Net for ideas until finally I came across a list of shops on Rodeo Drive. And there they were. All of Miranda’s favorite designers: Versace, Tiffany, Hermès and more. All the wonderful gods and goddesses of fashion that we adore through our beloved characters even if we wouldn’t be caught dead in a designer dress if our lives depended on it. At last I felt like I had some connection with the lofty residents of Beverly Hills. I could relate. I was one of them! The dreaded blockage dissolved and I was able to finish the article within the deadline.

I guess the moral of the story is this – never feel guilty about being a fan. You never know when it’ll pay off.

--->Susan