Sick of Sarah “Bittersweet”
I admit, it took me a minute to get past their name to give them a listen. This video makes me want to go back to Minneapolis, like right now. “Bittersweet” is one of the best songs on the album.
Don’t “Leave Home” without her
If you’re a fan of graphic novels, drugs or lesbian sex, I suggest you pick up Cristy Road‘s Bad Habits. The queer artist/writer makes some really amazingly sexy, political and sometimes grotesque work.
I bought a print of “Never Give Up” recently from Women and Children first and put it in my bedroom.
If you’re in Cristy’s home borough of Brooklyn tonight, hit up her group show, Leave Home, at Death By Audio. It’s a collaborative with three other female artists (Kate Wadkins, Lauren Denitzio and Tamara Waite-Santibanez) with a focus on the changing landscape of Brooklyn and how they maintain their identities while living there.
Ms. Road is also in a band called The Homewreckers (aka greatest name for a band I’ve heard in forever). They play house shows and venues described as “anonymous dirtyqueerpunkparty.” If I were in NY, I’d be trying to get invited.
My Top 10 Hot Gay Ladies in Music
It’s list time, and everyone has their 100 Hottest Hotties. Here are 10 women whose music is just as hot as their physiques, and in no particular order:
Melissa Livaudais (Telepathe)
Sara Quin (Tegan and Sara)
Molly Siegel (Ponytail)
Maja Ivarsson (The Sounds)
Kelly Harris (Von Iva)
Kim Ann Foxman (Hercules and Love Affair)
Kate Cooper (An Horse)
Jen Markowitz (Dance Yourself to Death)
Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney)
Hannah Blilie (The Gossip)
How do I get you alone
I’ve never really used writing prompts, unless it was part of an assignment. I’ve been quite lucky in not having trouble coming up with my own starting points, and quite often the prompts I do read in magazines or on sites I come across feel phony or like something I would never be able to work with.
Blessing or a curse? Possibly neither.
I do find photographs a little bit different. I am more inspired by a wordless moment, such as the one I wrote about today. I was reading The Rambler when I noticed their Your Stories section, prompted by pictures, such as this one:
For some reason, I instantly felt like it should stand for loneliness. It could be a glass half-empty/half-full thing. Some writers might want to fill up the seats, utilizing them for their intended purpose. I chose to keep it empty, save for one person who was unsure about what it felt like to be alone, and put herself in that situation to find out why.
If only it were that easy.
Hook, line and sinker
It took me weeks for these words
Word count: 8533
Location: My apartment, though not in my office. I’ve been in my dining or living rooms writing so far. It’s mostly because my pugs are quite jealous when I’m not available to them. My desk chair makes them feel like I’m unaccessible, apparently.
Music: So far, Wilco and Bound Stems.
Steam lost: None, but I’m not getting ahead of myself.
Don’t regret a thing because it was fun at the time
Day one of NaNoWriMo and so far I’ve accomplished 5400 words. My goal was 4000, so I’m glad to have surpassed it from the get-go. Unfortunately, I know things only get more difficult from the beginning.
Since my neighborhood is a large part of my inspiration, I don’t have to go far or out of my way to find details or ideas to add in. They’re actually appearing all the time, and Jamie and I discussed it at length before the Von Iva/Girl in a Coma show at Bottom Lounge last night. (Side note: I love the new venue. I’m pretty much down for any show there, ever.) She actually gave me some great feedback on my general ideas that came before putting any ideas down on paper (or Google docs).
One of the things I’ve had to get over (and seem to be doing well with so far) is fearing what a reader might think. I think that’s something any writer has to get over, but for some reason, fiction is much more difficult for me. Maybe because I’m so used to dealing with the facts. I told Jamie last night that it’s almost like I’m playing with Barbies again, making one say something else to the other, dress up like this, etc. It’s interesting how a novel can be different from a short story in this way because it’s so much more involved. There’s so much behind the characters that almost needs to be explained in a way that a short story is only a brief glimpse, and yet that’s all you need.
Maybe 10 days from now, I’ll think this is ridiculous. Maybe I’ll be tearing my hair out trying to figure out what’s next. Here’s hoping I’m well on my way to 25,000 words and having no issues at all. That would just be too easy, though. I say this because I realized the other night that two of my favorite scary movies were on. Coincidentally, both are based on Stephen King novels, and both are based on fiction writers: Misery and The Shining. Neither of those authors fare too well.
What am I getting myself into? I am not sure, but it’s fun (so far).
Just throw it against the wall and see what sticks
Tonight at midnight, I should be writing. I won’t be (because it’s Halloween), but I will be at some point tomorrow and every day for the next 30 days. My goal is 2000 words a day. I’m going to try and blog about my progress, but on top of my job (writing/editing) and writing the book itself, I might just be ready to throw my computer across the room at the end of each day.
Or maybe writer’s block will not be a part of my vocabulary and I’ll be gloating with my ability to keep the words pouring out. Wishful thinking!
Jesus, is it really November?
trish bendix 
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