Here I am now, entertain me!

[rj_anderson]

I'm stuck home on a Sunday morning. I'm sick and I'm bored.

Ask me anything.

ETA: As my sick son watches Scooby Doo cartoons in the background -- did you know Shaggy's real first name is "Norville"? Like, I had no idea!

Comments

Questions

[vdansk]

OK--these may be too esoteric depending on how sick you are!

What do you think is the most reprehensible of human qualities? What is the best?

What, to you, is the essence of evil? How do you define good?

If you could give one quality or attribute to a child (a "fairy gift", if you will), what would it be?

And if you're still bored, I recommend taking the Reincarnation Placement Exam on HelloQuizzy, first as yourself, and then as various of your characters. :>

Re: Questions

[rj_anderson]

Wow, you don't fool around, do you? Let's see if I can answer these briefly without doing them a total injustice:

Most reprehensible: self-centeredness (because it leads to every other kind of reprehensible behavior -- there's a good reason that "pride" is the worst of the Seven Deadlies). Best: self-sacrifice ("Greater love hath no man...").

I don't think I'm up to debating the nature of good and evil in less than 5,000 words, so I'll just say that I believe good is that which conforms to and flows from the character of God and leads us back to Him, whereas evil is a rejection of God's order and authority that leads us farther away from Him.

One quality or attribute to give to a child: Wisdom.

Re: Questions

[vdansk]

Very nice! I hope you feel better soon!

Re: Questions

[kristin_briana]

Agreed. :D And I hope you don't might that I've abruptly become a rabid reader of your blog, hoping to steal some writing tips. :)

[rj_anderson]

I've actually finished the sequel to KNIFE and it's with my editor at the moment; I'm waiting for her to give me her revisions. So since November I've been working on the synaesthesia book, but it's been tough going -- I'm still not entirely sure why. Love the concept, love the characters, got a nice solid plot outline to work from... and yet getting the words down is like pulling teeth.

Which makes me feel really bad, because my agent is totally in love with the synaesthesia book and can't wait for me to finish it. And I'd love to see what he (and editors) think of it, too!

[olmue]

Sending you lots of colorful synaesthesia vibes... Sounds like you're having a hard time getting back inside? You say you have an outline--would it work to pick a random spot later in the book and write a scene from there? Sometimes spitting out an emotional turning point of the book out of order, without looking at what I've already got on the page, can pull me back in.

[rj_anderson]

Yeah, I think what I need most is to find a way to stop treating it like work and start having fun with it again. And since forcing myself to write in order doesn't seem to be working... jumping ahead may be the only way to shake my creativity loose. Thanks.

[fpb]

I am thinking of rewriting CASABLANCA as a Harry Potter fic, with Draco in the Ricky Blaine role. Am I out of my mind or just stupid?

[rj_anderson]

Uh... since I have never watched Casablanca nor have I ever considered Draco Malfoy at all interesting as a character, I feel myself ill-equipped to answer this question. Next! :)

[fpb]

Well, there is one thing you can do immediately that will fill your day with enjoyment and possibly change your life: watch CASABLANCA. Really, it is the best advice you will get all day.

[camillofan]

Fabio is right-- Casablanca is well worth watching. Not sure I see Draco as Rick, though.

[rj_anderson]

LOL, I'm getting my Sunday morning workout here, aren't I

[ljrags]

Sorry you are home sick!

Questions, questions...

Is there any dish you really want to learn to cook and have not yet tried? Have you read anything that is not amonth the young adult/theology/part of your research for new book reading of late? (Always love your book reviews).

[rj_anderson]

Hmmm... I would really love to learn how to make good bread, but that whole yeast thing and the kneading and rising and whatnot scares me. I'd like to have somebody walk me through it who knows what they're doing, rather than having to try and figure it out myself. (I tried making hot cross buns once but the results were... discouraging.)

I'm not sure I know how to parse your second question ("amonth" is a typo for...?) so maybe you can clarify for me?

[ljrags]

*Red faced* Yep. Typo. It was suppose to say "among."

I guess what I want to know is have you read anything lately outside of the the books you normally blog about? :)

I tried hot cross buns once. The resultes were... disappointing. I can do an ok loaf of bread every now and again. Kneading is actually quite fun!

[rj_anderson]

Hmmmm... well, other than the categories you mentioned (theological/young adult/research) I'd have to say... nope!

I've got a bunch more book reviews on my GoodReads account (and different ones) than I've posted here, though. Mostly YA and MG.