creative

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. 🙂