7 Random Facts... and an Award!

And suddenly from out of the blue sky it comes… a blog award!

But when you gets yerself a blog award from @ThatGirlAni you jump up and down and shout your favorite new word: frawesomesauceness









The rules for this award are:

* Thank and link to the person who nominated me. (That’s Anime)
* Share seven random facts about myself.
* Pass the award along to 15 new-found blogging buddies.
* Contact those buddies to congratulate them.

7 Random Facts In No Particular Order

1) I used to take my lunch breaks in a graveyard. I’m not even goth (at least I don’t think I qualify, having too much color in my wardrobe) And hey, I’ve even slept in a graveyard. (On a grave, but that was mostly so I could look at the stars uninterrupted for several hours. There’s just something really peaceful about graveyards.

2) I can mimic really useless things… like Gollum and Bobby from Bobby’s World (which is also Gizmo the Mogwai, so I guess that’s cool). Also harmonica, wookie, Tie Fighter flying by, and I did voiceover work as a bear. Seriously. Actually, 20 bears. Rawr.

I also did this voiceover… it’s very silly:



3) I’m Mexican. Half counts right?

4) I went to school in a castle in England. No it wasn’t Hogwarts… ok, yes it was Hogwarts.

5) I can play slide blues guitar. It’s an annoying party trick… haha!



6) I read mostly “literature” but write mostly “genre” fiction. *shrug

7) I almost got killed by lightning whilst standing on a grassy hill holding a plastic trashcan lid. (We were sliding down the buffalo grass in the rain, when BOOOOOM) It seemed to me a particularly ignoble and inexplicable way to die, so I’m glad I didn’t.


but as for passing on my blogging friends, I'm going to share this award with those who have my favorite blog titles!

A Broken Laptop
you are the unicorn of my dreams

Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits

Literary Coldcuts on Toasty Buns

Is It Hot In Here Or Is It This Book?

Ink Runs From the Corners of My Mouth

Constant Revision


Yeah.... I don't follow instructions... :)

Scheduled Post FAIL!

Somehow I managed to NOT post the last few posts.

i'd scheduled them a few days apart... but somehow they just languished in the "drafts" folder.

Technology is great until it don't werk.

bah!

What ARE You, Strange Thing On My Porch?

I live on a hill far from the ocean in Hawaii (ok, so I live far enough away from the ocean for the purpose of my story).

So when I went outside this morning only to find these little critters in a plastic dish my daughter'd left out...

I can only ask: What ARE they?????

Land Shrimp? Baby aliens? WHAT?!?!?!?!?!

Anyone got any idea?

Creativity Myth #1: Waiting for Inspiration to Strike

Ok.

But if you ever find yourself sitting around waiting for inspiration, here's a little tip: you'll do more waiting than
writing.

Which brings me to the first myth about creativity: Waiting for inspiration to strike.

Waiting for inspiration to strike is a little like waiting for lightning to strike.

Sure it happens--but if you want to make it as a professional writer you can't bank on waiting for it.

Boy, when inspiration strikes, all bets are off. Pen goes to paper and you feel as if you've touched live electric wire. (or fingers go to keyboards, or paintbrush to canvas, or hands to guitar neck... you get the idea)


But what about all the other days when inspiration seems far away?

One trick you hear about is to seek out things that inspire you. Sure, this works sometimes. There's nothing wrong with trying to induce creativity by shaking things up or listening to Sigur Ros or Florence + the Machine. You don't wait in one spot for lightning to strike. You go out and chase storms.

But, there is something deeper than just scouring Youtube for creative videos to spark your imagination (besides, time spent online is time spent NOT writing).
Why not make inspiration a habit?

"What do you mean, Mason? What is this secret of which you speak?"

Ok, so no real secret. Making writing a habit makes inspiration a habit.

As you learn to express yourself more clearly, with less affectation or bad writing habits, the easier it is for any glimmer of inspiration to be seized and nurtured and developed.

You become a clearer conduit for your muse. You learn to fan into flame that little spark, instead of stifling it.

I love my critique group (The infamous Illiterati) because they always tell me when I'm clouding up the waters. And they challenge me to go farther, deeper, and swim in dangerous waters where inspiration lurks like a sea serpent coiling just under the surface.

But let me make one thing clear: You have to be able to write under duress.

Life doesn't slow down. Life doesn't pause or go on vacation for you to write.
You do it in spite of life sometimes.

Anyone who has children under 5 and who's written anything coherent recently can attest to that.

But now let's hear from you.
What things inspire you? Music, videos, blogs, people, thingamabobs?

~mason

So to spark some inspiration here's Florence + the Machine tearing your face off under extreme duress (outdoor festivals, electric instruments and rain = no bueno)