Where Ideas Come From--Mole Removal 101

While I'm writing I pop up now and again to do household chores. This morning I was moving clothes from the washer to the dryer. First I had to pick off all the pieces of tissue that had partially dissolved in the wash and where stuck all over the pants and shirts.

Sigh. No matter how carefully I search every pocket, I still miss a tissue or two.

Ideas are like that. They pop up in the most unexpected places. They get all clingy and refuse to go away. After they go through the wash, they don't look much like they did originally, but you can still tell what they were. Sort of.

Over on Cozy First Mysteries, a yahoo group, the members are doing a "buddy read" of Cut, Crop & Die. I've been following the comments of Julesy (their leader), Angie, Shannon, Shala, Mare, Vicki, Katie, Shauna, Mary C, and Melissa (did I miss anyone?) with much interest. (Oh, and the yahoo group owner is Beverly.)

Here's how it works: Julesy and Angie(as co-leaders) would post a short synopsis of chunks of the book as they read it. Then the leaders would solicit opinions from the others. It's almost like someone is doing a transcript of a real-time book group. And I love it. Seeing how readers react about my choices is incredibly enlightening. I'm improving my craft by taking note of their responses. And did I mention it's good for the ego? Oh, yeah. On days when I can't get anything written, seeing these nice ladies' responses makes me want to work doubly hard to create books worthy of them.

Of course, sometimes they don't like what I've written. That's okay, too. It's a great learning experience, and usually they have good suggestions. (In fact, one was so good, I wished I'd had it BEFORE the books were printed, but...)

Recently, they read the portion of Cut, Crop & Die where Kiki goes to the spa. Julesy said she was laughing so hard she could barely type her synopsis. My heart soared with joy. Someday, if I'm a really good kid, maybe I'll get nominated for an award for humorous writing. I'd love that because I totally ascribe to Minnie Pearl's comment that laughter is God's hand on the shoulder of a weary world.

The group also wondered where I got the idea for chasing moles away with vibrators. Here's what I wrote:

My husband was doing a “Sheila” about the moles in our yard. As I am wont to do, I started chatting with the pest specialist we hired. (I like to ask people questions about their work. He was initially very quiet, but once he discovered I was really curious, he opened up. I thanked him in the book. His name was Scott.) Then I went online. To my shock, I discovered some online place selling vibrators to get rid of moles. I wondered, “Do the vibrators just make the moles so crazy-happy they stay in their beds all day? What’s the deal here?” A short time afterwards, we were coming home from the airport in St. Louis and drove past all the adult sex toy shops on Lindbergh Ave. I guess every big town has such places. Usually they’re close to where lonely travelers might be.

I put two and two together. I mean, really, does a mole care what the shape of the vibrator is?

Remind me to post the photo of my freeze dried mole someday. I used to travel around the country giving humorous speeches, and that mole was a real highlight. I can't count the number of times I've had my picture taken with him. And no, as far as I know, he's never had a close encounter with a vibrator.

But then you never know, do you?

Tools for Overcoming Writer's Block

Last night I posted 15 essays on writing at www.youpublish.com/joannaslan

These were originally monthly columns for an online magazine called "Graceful Bee," but I'm now making them available for a short time for anyone who needs a gentle boost to get writing.

Although written for scrapbookers, the ideas and concepts could inspire any writer. Often, when I'm working on a book, I dig through my personal bag of experiences to find raw materials. I then take a situation that I observed or participated in and RESHAPE that situation as a scene in my books.

For example, in Cut, Crop & Die, Kiki Lowenstein has a nearly disasterous visit to a spa. She's covered with a mud paste, wrapped in plastic, and left for the goo to do its work. As she lies there on a table, newly cut grass from an open window drifts in and sets off an allergic reaction. But, because she's wrapped tighter than an Egyptian mummy, Kiki can't move. She can't get up and close the window. In fact, the more she wriggles, the more she slides on the table. Eventually she's headed for scooting off the table and out the open window.

It happened to me.

I kid you not.

I was at the Heartland Spa in Illinois. I'd been "exfoliated" by a woman who must have had a second career polishing furniture. I was slathered in a mud skin product. The woman left me there to complete the skin treatment, and outside a man started mowing the lawn. I cried for help but no one came. I started a slow slide--the table was slanted with my feet lower than my head--and I was aiming for that open window.

I won't tell you how the situation resolved itself, but I will reiterate my point: recycle your life experiences. If you don't have enough of them, well, maybe you are too busy playing it safe to have a cool life!

How to Doodle

What is doodling? It’s playing with your pen on paper. You can’t do it wrong.

What are the “secrets” of doodling?

1. Pencil-in first—You can always erase. Even if you don’t follow your pencil lines exactly, you’ll have a better end product. Soft, number 2 lead is best. 2. Create a shape--Use pre-cut shapes such as templates for a more controlled outcome. Pencil around the shapes—and then use ink. Wobbly lines look great! You can also trace around the outside of chipboard letters or inside any negative shape from a punch.
3. Add filler—These are the doodles within doodles that fill up the empty spaces. Start a collection of fillers, covering enough space so you can see how they look, how much density and visual weight they have. I suggest you put this collection in a small notebook, preferably one with blank pages. You can also keep samples and clippings in the notebook for reference.
4. Consider visual balance—If you have too much fill or too much thickness at one end of a shape, your doodle might not look “right.” Give your work the squinch test: Squinch your eyes nearly closed and look at your work. You’ll see what stands out and what looks right.
5. Use pens in differing thicknesses—This’ll give you variety in the filler and the outlines. But…please note that some inks smear. The best pens for doodling seem to be the Sakura Micron and the Zig markers. Let them dry a few minutes first before adding any color. Flair markers make a lovely line, but…they definitely smear. So read # 6 and # 7 carefully.
6. Scan your doodles before you add color—Once you do, you can add any color you want. If the color smears, or isn’t to your liking, simply print out your scan and start over.
7. Thicken or extend depth—Thicken some of your lines, or add background, or add a “drop shadow” (Best done AFTER you color in your doodle and let the color dry.)
8. Cut it up—If you cut out your doodles, you’ll have more control over them. You can always cut away parts that aren’t as pretty as you’d like. Also, if you doodle several of the same letters, you can cut out the ones you like and leave behind those that aren’t as satisfactory. Use a fresh blade in your craft knife and cut out the CENTER of your letters first. Instead of a cutting mat, cut on a glass surface. (I use an old kitchen cutting board of tempered glass. The self-healing mat surfaces are often uneven, and your knife can get caught in the “scars.”)
9. Practice! Here are a few ideas to try:
* Doodle a phrase inside a box—This will force you to alternate shapes and sizes of lettering to make the phrase fit.
* Snuggle the letters up to each other so they nearly touch—or fit one letter almost inside the other.
* Trace around a photo and doodle a frame! Cut out the inside and put the photo behind your frame.
* Outline a border on a die cut or a punched embellishment.

Here's a list of great resources with examples of doodling:

http://scrapbookideas.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/technique-doodles-as-background-paper/

http://www.scrapjazz.com/topics/Techniques/Penwork/907.php


http://scrapbooklady.typepad.com/katie_the_scrapbook_lady/2006/07/oodles_of_doodl.html

http://www.craftsupplies.ie/shop/chat/viewtopic.php?t=10017

http://www.craftsupplies.ie/shop/chat/viewtopic.php?t=4425&highlight=doodling

http://www.craftsupplies.ie/shop/chat/viewtopic.php?t=8255&highlight=doodling

http://www.scrapfriends.us/articles/doodling.html

http://www.faithsisters.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/29794

http://www.aussiescrapbooking.com.au/article.php/how-do-you-doodle-part1

http://www.aussiescrapbooking.com.au/article.php/how-do-you-doodle-part2

http://www.scrapjazz.com/topics/Products/761.php

http://scrapability.squarespace.com/scrap-rants/2005/12/13/digital-doodles.html#followup325979