Hobbit Birthday?

The book Celestial Wisdom for Every Year of Your Life says that for my 33rd birthday*, I should party like a hobbit, which means lots of friends, food, drink, and music. Since I'm a broke satyr, who would be up for a late lunch/early dinner at Mama's (Bitchin') Mexican Kitchen in Belltown, followed by drum circle at the Olympic Sculpture Park* the weekend of Sept 16th?

Let me know if Saturday or Sunday** afternoon would work better for you, or if you have better ideas of cheap eats near fun parks. Seriously, I welcome a good, inexpensive wheat-free friendly restaurant that's close to a park and easy for everyone to get to; I want lots of people there so that when we get together to make music, it'll be heard by the gods.

*Fun fact, in case you forgot, hobbits are considered adults at 33.
**Free parking on Sundays! Better bus trips Saturdays!
+For you cosplayers and fairy folk, hobbit, fae, or other realms attire is totally welcome.

My tweets

• Tue, 17:04: Vote for Ana so she can experience one of her dreams: http://t.co/BIyU5yx
• Wed, 07:11: Hobbit Birthday? http://j.mp/o5qFJQ

In Defense of Adverbs

(Cross-posted on WordPress.)


Several months ago, I read among many, a scathing review of the Twilight series in which someone had actually counted the number of adverbs in a given chapter. There were an appalling 26.

Reading famous authors' books on writing, including Stephen King's brilliant On Writing, mentions again and again how writers should eliminate any and all adverbs. At least, that's the impression that's stuck since reading said books.

I've become paranoid about adverbs. I feel guilty when I see one, give an internal groan, and berate myself for using them as a writer. When I churn another one out, I assume I will only need to find some more inventive way to write the same phrase without the offending word. It's as though the use of adverbs is seen as a form of laziness in writers. I'm starting to have nightmares that soon they'll be coming after my adjectives and commas next. DMS is especially unhappy with my standard usage of commas, double spaces after periods, and character in my writing voice. I do not conform to their AP style!

At what point do I cross the line into an obscene and unforgivable number of adverbs? Is Meyer's 26 a number to avoid? Or is the cut off a bit earlier, say, around 15 or 20? Is there a ratio of adverbs per page that's acceptable? And how will I be viewed by readers who count adverbs in any given chapter and find I've come up with a surfeit of such descriptive words?

So, here I am reading through Eila, Book 1, during what I hope will be our final editing pass before we send off query letters (and stalk) editors to get in good with some big-named publishing house, and I've been circling and keeping count of adverbs. The introduction is ok, there are only three. The first chapter has a more worrisome number: 17. But chapter two has an unacceptable 37 adverbs, and the third contains an obscene number: 43.

Near to hyperventilating over these numbers, I began thinking about what I had read through. The content is standing much stronger than it did in draft zero several months and two previous editing passes ago. I am able to see the characters and their actions better due to the clarity of the writing. What's more, as I circled adverbs and considered them in context, I began to realize that not every adverb needed to be removed. Oh sure, there were the superfluous words ending in -ly that did not add to the flow of the text, but there were, as I found, good reasons to keep a number of adverbs in their current places. They supported and enhanced the text rather than detracting from it.

I questioned why adverbs were considered so heinous by a great number of people, and started to see the good adverbs from those that tugged at readers eyes and hindered the enjoyment of the story. Why do we have adverbs if they are considered malignant to effective storytelling?

It dawned on me, as I am certain others have discovered, that like profanity, every word has its place. Some may have spawned from the laziness inherent in verbal communication, but when used in a way that gives a story greater vitality and nuance, how could we not use them?

And in this mindset, I picked up Zero History by William Gibson on the paperback shelf at the library and read two pages, engaged in the complexity of his language. I stopped at the end of page two and counted: ten adverbs in two pages. There were two adverbs on the first page--a sin to have any in those first, crucial paragraphs--and here he has two! Eight on the second, with two so close they might as well be in the same sentence together. Ten adverbs in two pages.

If the father of the cyber-punk novel can use adverbs, deftly and in moderation, then so can I.

Adverbs in this post: 4

Yep, Another Birthday Post

Hey, I'm turning 33, so cut me some slack on this. 3^3 is the number of the goddess to some people. 33 is the age hobbits reach adulthood, and thirty-three is one third of Ana's current age. Nifty, no?


I posted this the other day, mostly as a happy flag of wishful thinking and a full and complete assumption that I would need to save up for and buy these things myself over time. I know that there are only a few people in my life that have the funds to buy me high priced items, and they do so when they can; it helps keep my ego in check. ;)

However, I've been thinking that I need help in ways that don't require money, but rather time, energy, and expertise. Usually I have a policy of "presence over presents", but my with my health getting worse and my to do list piling up, I could really use help in certain areas of my life. If you are willing, able, and have the time to assist me as a birthday gift, I would be eternally grateful.

• Web Design & Simple Graphics: I have a web site and blog I want to start--feel an imperative to start--but my skills in both graphic and web design are extremely rusty. Outside of HTML and a smattering of CSS/JS code, I don't know much of what's in current use (I hate Flash, btw). I know what I want, I just don't have the physical wherewithal to spend the time relearning and coding by hand as I used to. Sitting at my desktop computer for more than half an hour causes physical illness. If I still had the software I used to, I could probably throw something together in a day, but I've not been able to sit for long and work on either. I can add content remotely when they're both up, but getting them done and on line is a big deal. Anyone who can help me with this will get credit and links from the sites in question.



• Gardening: Not only do I not have much gardening experience, but there's a lot of reclamation work to be done in the back yard. I have a design, I've studied how to do what I want to do, but I need help with the labor. At the very least, I want to start with an herb spiral and a simple path. I can source the materials for free or for very little money, and already have a lot of what's needed on hand. Ana's been doing a lot of clearing, but a day's work out back would be a huge help in getting us started toward my long-term goals and help me put some of this permaculture research to active use.



• Re-Organizing: There's a lot that needs organizing, and I could use a hand and an objective opinion on clearing clutter, especially in my office and craft spaces. Four hours of intense, focused time could significantly improve the disorganized feeling I have all around me. (I can't believe that I, a quadruple Virgo, have come to ask for this.)



• Fact-Checking: If you don't organize but you're a great fact checker, I could use your help finding out some things for my fiction writing. Despite all the reading and research I do, I hate formalized research, and I especially hate having to cold call people or organizations to find out the information I need because they don't bother putting it on a web site. The last time I tried to call the Atlanta police department on a non-emergency line to ask a simple question, I had a panic attack afterwards and never called to follow-up when I realized I didn't get the information I needed most. Sad and pathetic, neh?

If not for a birthday gift, then perhaps for trade. I'd be willing to support you in efforts to which I am capable in exchange for time spent helping me with what I need. Of course, anyone who comes to my home and assists me in any capacity will be fed a tasty meal (or meals depending on length of time visiting). I like to feed people, and I like to show off my 133t skillz in the kitchen when I can.

Ana does a lot more than people realize to help me get the basics done around here, and so much doesn't get done because she's only a kid, not an adult caretaker, and I have such limited energy and physical abilities at present that my lengthy to do list only gets longer no matter how manic or productive I am on a given day. Once something is completed, it tends to be replaced by three more items that have been waiting their turns to be addressed, and eventually, I've got nothing left.

So . . . if you feel compelled to give something to help me celebrate my birthday, there's good food and gratitude in your future. Thanks.