amberglow’s Neighborhood

book advert NYT: November, 1909

Book advert: 1909

Get this lift!

thegrumblebunny
2 hours ago

Oh My. LIFT!? Just what is that supposed to mean, lift?

December 4, 1939 Life magazine ad.

Get this lift - ad photo

Turn of the Century girl's outfit

middy blouse

walking skirt

open drawers

IIRC, all items from Garments For Girls by C. L. Schmidt... found at chestofbooks.com. I'm not quite sure what the difference is between open and closed drawers, I mean use-wise, I can figure out the difference between open and closed, but I mean what is the advantage of open vs. closed.... anyway... I want a pair.

blooming red flowers from the garden

jeffington
16 hours ago
2 comments

last bloom

it snowed this morning and its supposed to ice up a little so this is likely the last bloom this bloom of flowers is gonna have

Okay so I lied

I didn't write anything last night. I decided to sleep.

I wrote the last 40,000 of the 50,000 novel in about... 4 days. Not a lot of good writing, but I think besides being busy as hell at work and weekends being filled (first weekend - NYC marathon, second weekend - drill, third weekend - High School reunion) I didn't give myself any time. And to be honest, of the time I had I was a bit daunted about writing the second book to the 'trilogy' that's in my head. Why? Everyone knows that most second books are so - so. You don't have to build up the context and world (done in the first book's premises), but you have to continue the arc from the first book and leave yourself room to write the third book. I've never written a book before, let alone a trilogy, but I get an overarching sense that that I'm just reflecting a lot on how a screenplay is written. The average screenplay (per Syd Field) has three acts and two big plot points that mark the transition from Act I to Act II and Act II to Act III. At least, that's how I've approached these books. I've changed something at the end of Book 1 that sends Book 2 in a new direction, which (hopefully) will send Book 3 into another direction (or more or less come full circle).

Plus, sequels suck. You have a great ending for the first book, but you just KNOW you're not done with the story. How do you give your next book a treatment that doesn't feel like you rubberstamped the first or went to boringasshitvillewith200extrapages? I think the problem is that you try to rework things in the first book using the second book. I know I did, but I think writing the second book is going to give me plenty to do on the rewrite of the first. Time to amplify and dampen subplots (or, in the case of the first book... write subplots that didn't exist until the second book).

I think I'll have a lot to contend with on the final book. It'll have a lot of baggage from the first book. Loose ends to tidy up (that need tidying. Not everything in life is a neat little package and I'm not going to bother resolving things that were never meant to be resolved as a part of the story), and end with at least a profound finish, if not a big one (with fireworks and end credits and more stuff blowing up).

Of course.. what do I know? I'm not a professional writer. I'm making this up as I go.

FYI both books are written from women's POV. Not sure I succeeded, but I don't try to write women as 'feminine' I write them as they are. Or rather how I feel they write themselves.

QotD: Rockin' around the Christmas Tree

The holidays are in full effect, so tell us: What's your favorite holiday song? Bonus points if you share it with us!
EDIT 2: As I went through my collection of Christmas Carols I was going to post Sleigh Ride, by the Ventures and then I saw this and had an Aha moment and this is the one - Santa Claus by Thee Headcoatees:

Santa Claus

Thee Headcoatees

EDIT: I take back my answer, first I almost posted Sinterklaas Kapoentje, then decided on "The Misers" but I re-decided, and I really hate to admit it as I stopped liking REM years ago, but Christmas Griping has to be the best Christmas Carol ever....

Christmas Griping

R.E.M.

I am a big fan of the MR. MISER brothers...

I have a few songs tagged Christmas Carol in my library...

Christmas Carols

crossing the trinity river in the train

jeffington
2 days ago

crossing the trinity river in a train

yep ... that big open area fills with water sometimes and what would be a great video would be when its full and near the end of this video theres a very long coal train all the way into the horizen ... most cool

November - Busy beginning, middle and end

Zen Ken
2 days ago
4 comments

NYC Marathon

Nanowrimo 2009

November 1: NYC Marathon

November 2-29: Work like crazy

November 30: Finish nanowrimo under the gun.

I'd say I'm back, but I've been saying that for a few months. Since I'm done writing for a bit, I'll just say 'will write more tonight'.

fall colors from the train window

jeffington
3 days ago

train view of fall

its a little blurry but just like in japan most passengers would rather go fast between stops and dwell at stations longer

Time travel is cool

Sarah
4 days ago
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National Lampoon's Vacation was on TV, and Youngest and I were sitting on the couch watching it, when I said, "The 80's had some good music." He nodded noncommittally, staring at the TV, where a young Anthony Michael Hall was paging through a nudie mag. Then he asked, "You know what would be *so* cool?"
"What?"
"If I could somehow travel back to the time of the 80's."
"Ah. Yeah."
"And if I had like, 80's clothes and all the 80's stuff, and knew how to talk like they did in the 80's."
"Mmhm."
"Because then, maybe I would know what it's like to like 80's music."