Monday, November 13, 2017

A Curmudgeon on Caffeine

Here in the trenches of NaNoWriMo, I'm a little busy trying to figure out a couple of things, like why a secondary character has suddenly decided she'd like to be the antagonist (I mean, seriously?!) and how many cups of coffee can I drink before I start acting like Kramer from Seinfeld.




So, as you can see, my mind is not very focused on marketing or social media at the moment. But when I saw this quote in Writer's Digest (Nov/Dec 2017), I chuckled - okay, so it was more like caffeine-tinged-maniacal laughter - because not only is it an excellent strategy for social media but also for life in general.


"EVEN IF YOU ARE A NATURALLY CRANKY,
SNARKY, SOUR-TEMPERED PAIN IN THE ASS,
FOR GOD'S SAKE,  SHARE THAT 
WITH YOUR THERAPIST OR PRIEST. 

WHEN YOU GO ONLINE TO PROMOTE YOURSELF
AND THEREFORE YOUR PRODUCTS,
TRY NOT TO ACTUALLY SCARE
PEOPLE OFF YOUR LAWN."
(Jonathan Maberry)


As someone who, in real life, straddles the line between pleasantly polite yet keeps-to-herself and curmudgeonly crazy lady who peers through the blinds absolutely certain those kids on tricycles are up to no good, I really hope I'm at least keeping my digital lawn welcoming and well-tended.

*****

Are you running on caffeine right about now? Is your digital lawn full of weeds? How about your real lawn? Do you chase kids off your property or do you join them in a rousing game of hide-n-seek?

30 comments:

  1. You might have to let that character run with it.
    I still don't want people on my lawn...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that character might be more of a frenemy than a full blown antagonist. We shall see....

      Delete
  2. I am somehow always the person trying to scare others off her weed-filled lawn. And I gave up caffeine a little while ago. I miss it.

    Best of luck with that secondary character (and your entire NaNo project!)...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm thinking of cutting back/giving up caffeine, too, but not during NaNo. It's already pretty ugly around here, don't want to make things worse. :o

      Delete
  3. You're doing a great job!! I never would have guessed you were worried about your lawn at all. In real life, I have a potty mouth. I edit that out when I write.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My characters tend to curse a lot more than I do. Hmm, maybe that's how I get out some of my anger? :)

      Delete
  4. NaNoWriMo pressure has forced me to hijack my own outline. It's a mess! Organic writing is both exhilarating and such a pain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear you, Jay! I keep going back and forth - writing words, working on scenes cards, back to words, etc. I'm also making notes for when I revise because I am NOT going to go in now and delete any words - no way!

      Delete
  5. I'm playing the cheerleader this year, albeit the mostly absent, invisible cheerleader. Let me pile some cheese next to your coffee along with a note about how awesome you are and slink away to my hidden stand. Thanks for the chuckle. =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As a cheerleader, you'll probably enjoy next week's post. :)

      And thanks so much for the cheese and the note!

      Delete
  6. I'm cheering you on! I scowl at the kids outside. I used to be the one to join in the games, but I don't have the energy any more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have to watch the scowling - I know I don't need any more lines on my face. :)

      Delete
  7. Digital lawn. I love it.

    I keep my digital lawn neat and clean...my actual lawn is another matter entirely.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jonathan Maberry is one of my favorite authors. He is a great speaker and talks common sense to other writers. Keep on chugging at NaNo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've read a few things by him, mostly articles and interviews. This quote just totally cracked me up AND made so much sense.

      I'm chugging! :)

      Delete
  9. I'm drinking coffee as I read your blog post. I can't wait to hear the results of your experiment - exactly how many cups of coffee can you drink before it all goes nutso over there?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think my husband - or the tortoises - really want to see the results of that experiment. The tortoises can hide in their shells, sure, but not my poor husband.... :o

      Delete
  10. Definitely in the 'naturally cranky, snarky, pain in the ass' camp. My real lawn is good, thanks to the lawn guys. My "digital lawn"? You crack me up! Maybe I need lawn guys for that, too. Bwahahaha.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I hope that when I go a little loopy, it's safely behind the blinds; I hate the thought of scaring anyone away. Hey, I even leave crumbs so others can find me...

    Anna from elements of emaginette

    :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What's that line - something about not paying attention to what's happening behind the curtain? :)

      Delete
  12. Aw, Jonathan is awesome. I've been talking to him lately about anthologies and he's a really nice guy. Very funny.

    Lately I've had to be a bit of a vigilante on social media, but I try to always stay calm and not name call or do anything else that looks childish or mean-spirited. And I've kept all of that stuff away from my author page. I'm very happy things seem to be quieting down in that regard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've heard lots of good things about him. And that's excellent you're talking to him about anthologies!

      Delete
  13. LOL I haven't read this issue yet but now I want to go find this quote at once. Perfect. I also cracked up about Kramer and the caffeine. I hope you haven't gone that far yet LOL.
    Good luck with the second half of the month. You've got this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not acting like Kramer in that clip. Yet. :o

      And thanks! :)

      Delete
  14. I can relate to that quote!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hope NaNo is going well! It can certainly throw you down some interesting routes.

    ReplyDelete