I guess I'm a little late wishing everyone a happy 2012...I haven't sent out Christmas cards yet either.  Must be I'm not the only one, as I saw an ad yesterday for boxes of "2012 Cards" to buy and send.  Still, there's something fun about sending "peace on earth" cards in early February, when the winter blahs have set in.

It's only the third of January.  What else are folks already behind on?

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Lately, I'm finding I'm too darned busy.  Doing what, I'm not sure.  But it seems that way.  One of the things that has gone by the wayside lately is meditation.  I used to do it three times a day, ten minutes at a time.  Then a half hour once a day.  But now, it has been months since I've really even tried.

A friend sent me a link to this nifty little website:  The Mindfulness Bell, inspired by the bell and short meditation practice of Thich Nhat Hanh.   You hear the bell, breath in and out, pausing to appreciate the present moment, wonderful moment.

You can set the bell, the tone, the timer.  I've been using it during my timed writings lately!

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So, I'm solidly enjoying the fact that July 13 is National French Fries Day and Barbershop Music Day.  Of course, how can one not use that as your writing prompt of the day?  Four Fabulous French Fries (I'm seeing each wearing a spiffy french chapeau and red and white striped jackets) singing Barbershop to fainting condiment bottles?   Or perhaps four bedraggled singers, done in after some head-to-head songfest competition, drowning their sorrows in fries.  Could a battle erupt over the use of ketchup versus malt vinegar?  Think I'll go write.  Anyone else want to try it--go ahead.

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I, for one, don't do as "good" a job as I should about writing every day, no matter what.  When I'm in the midst of drafting a novel, I write for hours every day.  I'm a NaNoWriMo-style drafter--I can usually complete the first draft of an 80,000 word novel in about 5 weeks.  But when I'm not in that crazy-fun drafting mode, I tend to let the writing falter.  Which I shouldn't.  Because, like a pianist doing scales, a writer needs to write to stay fluid and loose.

Here's a tool I recently found that I just love:  Story Praxis.  Founder Andy Meisenheimer simply puts a new word up each day to serve as a story prompt.  If all you want to do is write on your own, you can.  But if you are interested in share, the Story Praxis site allows for that too-with shareable postings and even an online magazine version of people's works.

Check it out!

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July 6 is the anniverasry of Frida Kahlo's birth.  In 2010, Google did a cool doodle of it.  Worth another look.

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My keyboard.  I was just thinking this morning how much I see it as a place of promise,  sometimes a great thrill ride.  But I also see it as a place of terror and frustration.  Rarely on the same day, though.

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Seriously, one could get the most delicious novel out of this.  The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is looking for someone to live there, full time, for a month.  How cool? 

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Hmmm... with the candidates getting weirder and weirder, will this election season be hilarious--like a bad reality show?  Or will it be terrifying?  I can't decide yet.

This article on candidate Bachmann's husband and his reparative therapy practice for homosexual "barbarians" who need to be "educated" and "disciplined" is a case in point.  HIlarious or terrifying? I mean--REALLY?? 

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This article details the decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to document discrimination against LGBT persons.  Evidence like this will only help us educate!

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Great little online booklet on drawing comics and cartoons.  I'm working on learning to draw, so I love little helpers like this.

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Here's the floor speech by NY state Sen. Mark Grisanti, who changed his mind on same-sex marriage, and voted to pass the NY same-sex marriage bill last week.  His story of his change--of his growing wisdom--inspires me.  We must all continue to educate ourselves on questions that trouble us--this issue and others.

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I just finished reading James N. Frey's book How to Write A Damn Good Thriller.  This is his fifth book on writing.  I've read all of them and found them all valuable, particularly from the point of view of getting a good solid handle on plot structure.

Anyone else read them?  What favorite bits worked for you?

What other favorite, useful writing books have you discovered?

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