creative energy

atthequillsmercy

A HUGE Thank You!!

I am a little ashamed to admit it but, I had completely forgot I set up a Patreon. Nobody ever donated and I am financially in a place where every penny is pinched so I can’t donate to anyone else. But I get an email the other day and I got my first patron!!!

A big, heartfelt thank you goes out to Natalie C., who has honestly been a fan of my work for some time. You are so awesome, Natalie! And I can’t thank you enough for putting me one step closer to my dream. It’s just what I needed as I’ve bene feeling a little down about my creative endeavors lately.

Thanks to that pick me up, I am gearing up for NYCC and I’m excited to see some awesome programs as well as cosplay with the kiddo Saturday and Sunday. Don’t worry, I will take plenty of pictures.

Again, more super gushy thanks and I hope this is a portent of more awesome things to come!

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atthequillsmercy

A Writer And Her Vices

I spent my weekend watching awesome movies and one of the movies I watched was Reaching for the Moon. It was a beautiful movie but the poet; Elizabeth Bishop (played by Miranda Otto) has a drinking problem. I see a lot of that in movies and it really got me wondering what is it about writers (or creative types in general) that lends itself to substance abuse. This article from The Guardian talks about how prevalent this is and us creative types seem to really have issues with trying to drown our demons.

So, what is it about the creative process that drives us to drugs and alcohol? Personally, I don’t have issues with drinking (I’ve often said I’m too cheap to be an alcoholic or drug addict… That shit COSTS!) but man, the creative juices flow easier when the wine flows with it. Is there so much going on in our heads that to calm it down, we use (or abuse) drugs or alcohol? Are there so many people, places, and plot lines all slamming against the day to day bullshit we have to slog through to keep the lights on and the roof patched that to just free the muse and get him/her to focus, you have to ply inspiration with a shot of bourbon? Is non-creative life so abysmal to us that a line of cocaine is the only way to push it completely out of the way to let us work?

Its an odd thing to afflict so many of us; and the best of us at that. What is haunting us? What’s haunting you?

atthequillsmercy

Stress and Writing – Why Lenni has been MIA

I’m a worrier. It drives my husband batshit crazy because I will mentally review a problem till I am in a full on panic, (like in this video) brainstorming solutions till you can SEE my brain smoking from a good distance away. And while I am in this m0de, I am complete shit creatively. I couldn’t write a decent piece of fiction if you put a gun to my head.

So, I didn’t.

If I can’t be at my best in terms of writing, I stay away from it. It’s just not worth dragging out horrid prose only to have to completely re-write the thing later.

This is not to say I’ve been idle. I’ve unloaded a bunch of soul crushing bile into my written journal and also finished up another book review for Otakus and Geeks. I have another on deck for this book (which I’m almost finished with).

Don’t think of me as on a hiatus. Think of me as healing from panic. 🙂

atthequillsmercy

Feeling JAZZED

Maybe because it was 11/11/11 but yesterday, I felt PUMPED! I cleared up all the work left over from my vacation, had Drawing Club with the kiddles, and drove at night without killing anyone. It was a good day. 🙂 I made good headway on a sketch of Auris and Darjeeling (characters from my book for you newbies to my site) and with a short story I’m working on for an anthology. My muse is high on life and doesn’t wanna come down. XD

Lately, I’ve been reconsidering all these anthologies and erotica contests I’ve been writing for. Capitalizing on all the good vibes I seem to be filled with, I’ve been making the moves to try and be as prolific as I possibly can. XD Plot and plan, plan and plot… GODS, it feels good.

In other news; aka: The Continuing Saga Of Me Seeing Movies After Everybody Else Has Seen Them Because I’m A Cheap Bastard Who Waits For The DVD From The Library (longest title ever? Maybe…) I finally saw Thor and Green Lantern. Both good movies, shiny and loud in all the right places. Nothing I can really complain about as a comic fan but keep in mind, I’m an X-Men gal. Those were the main super hero comics I read so if there are discrepancies between Thor the comic and Thor the movie, I have no idea.

I have also seen X-Men First Class. Although I liked it, and I understand the timeline here, I still have this emptiness left by a decent movie version of my top three favorite X-Men: Rogue, Gambit, and Storm. I don’t think I’ll ever be completely happy in that area though. :p

That’s all I have for today, kids!