Tag Archives: writing

Lame Post Before Drama

Posted on February 20, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

My life for the foreseeable future is going to be DRAMA!  No, I’m not going to be continually having Wrist-to-Forehead whatever day it is (although I suppose it could happen).  I mean my life is going to be theatre, Theatre, THEATRE!   (Yes, I must spell it with with “re”.)  I led with the first sentence for the sake of being, obviously, dramatic.  Who could blame me?

First, however, I shall make my weekly Friday Lame Post.

Earlier today I met with a lady from the Morningstar Methodist Church regarding a murder mystery dinner theatre fundraiser they are presenting in conjunction with Ilion Little Theatre.  Guess who’s writing and directing?  No, I’m not starring as well, although I expect I shall play a small but pivotal role.  It is very exciting for me.  I haven’t done a murder mystery in a long time, although we did them quite frequently in the North Country during the 1990s.

I shall write more blog posts on that project as I continue to work on it.

Additionally, auditions approach for Leading Ladies, Ilion Little Theatre’s spring production, which I am directing.  I must talk with the fellow who promised to build my set and with the lady who agreed to work on costumes.  I must pick out scenes for actors to read at auditions.  I must come up with a sheet for auditioners to fill out, including contact information, availability, etc etc.  And that is only a few of the things I have to think about.

Again, more blog posts will be forthcoming.

I think the first, most important thing I ought to do is to get my act together.  Yeah, I know, good luck with that.   That would be worth a blog post!  In the meantime, happy Friday, everybody.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

On with the Murder Mystery!

Posted on February 18, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

It looks as if the murder mystery dinner theatre I’ve been working on is going to happen.  That is good news, since I finally know who the murderer is.  I was working on it today instead of writing a blog post.  So instead of my usual Wuss-out Wednesday, I thought I would write a little about how I create these murder mysteries and call it a Mid-week Mental Meanderings.

I often start with the setting.  Obviously the setting is the dinner the play takes place at, but why are we all there?  Just a dinner party?  A hoity-toity fundraiser for some some charity beloved by rich folk?  Rich folk are often involved.  For one reason, it gives us actors a chance to wear our most fabulous outfits.  For another reason, it’s fun to make fun of rich people.  I often have a few false starts, but that’s OK.  No mental effort is ever wasted.

What finally got me started on this one was a glimmer of a character.  I wanted to include a woman who was somebody’s aunt and preferred to be called by her full name:  Awnt Theodora.  That is not a misspelling; she pronounces it “awnt.”  Naturally there must also be a character who insists on calling her Ant Teddy (again, that is not a misspelling).  This is the sort of thing that goes over much better in a play than in a book.  In the play, we’ll all just say “ant” or “awnt.”  I won’t have to explain anything.

I decided Theodora and her niece must be hoity-toity rich people of the Old Money variety.  The character who keep mispronouncing her name would be the niece’s fiance from the wrong side of the tracks, perhaps the son of a nouveau riche cattle rancher.  The reason for the dinner could be their engagement party.

And so it began.  Soon I had the number of characters I wanted and I began to add the details.  Who dislikes whom and why?  What secrets are people hiding?  This part is a lot of fun.  The rest of the process is pretty fun, too, only it’s not as easy.  I have to make choices and figure things out.  There is a lot of brain work, a lot of sitting and thinking, a lot of writing and crossing out, and quite a bit of blank-page staring.

I fear that to go through the whole process will be longer than, well longer than I feel like writing right now.  However, I think what I have so far will be an OK post for today.  I’ll write more about the Murder Mystery Process in future posts.  And I have made a discovery: writing about writing is even more fun than writing about not writing.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, Mid-week Mental Meanderings, personal, writing and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

But It Was a Truly Excellent Sandwich

Posted on February 17, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

It is Tired Tuesday, folks.  I went to work with the firm intention of writing my blog post on break, in order to avoid such a thing, and instead, well, I read a play.  In my defense, it was Leading Ladies by Ken Ludwig, the play I am soon to direct for Ilion Little Theatre.  I MUST be prepared!

After work I thought to put together a creative dinner utilizing leftovers.  Then I could do a cooking post.  Oh, that seemed like so much trouble.  Instead I asked Steven if there was enough cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches.  I knew he had purchased tomato soup the last time he shopped.  Not only was there enough cheese, my wonderful husband agreed to cook.

Oh, that was the best grilled cheese sandwich I ever ate in my life.  The cheddar was extra sharp, the bread was perfectly toasted.  I dipped it into the soup.  I don’t think anything ever made me quite as happy as eating that sandwich.  Yes, I am indulging in hyperbole.

It would have been nice if the soup and sandwich had revivified me (I know, “revived” is probably the more proper word to use, but I wanted to use the other) so that I could have written a more better blog post (YES, “more better” is bad grammar; it amuses me).  As I often observe, one can’t have everything.  Hope to see you all on Wuss-out Wednesday.

 

3 Comments

Posted in blogging, humor, personal, Tired Tuesday and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

My Local Valentine

Posted on February 15, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody.  Somebody on Facebook (really an invaluable source of information) said it was Galentine’s Day, when women can appreciate all their female buddies.  Imagine my disappointment to find out it had nothing to do with my favorite TV show, Galavant.  But I digress.

Digress from what, my inner critic huffs (that is, says in a huffy tone of voice; it’s not like snorting fumes or something),  you haven’t written anything yet.  Too true, too true.  Then again, this is Wrist to Forehead Sunday, is it not?  Yes, my friends, it is.

It is dreadfully cold in the Mohawk Valley today.  We were remarking on it to the fellow at T & J’s Fruits and Vegetables earlier.  It has really been not a bad winter so far.  What I really like about the frigid temperatures is how balmy 20 degrees feels afterward, because perspective is a wonderful thing.

We were at T & J’s at my suggestion to purchase eggplant for a yummy Valentine’s Day dinner, which is currently baking in the oven.  We also got a red and a yellow pepper, some sharp cheddar cheese, a bag of MacIntosh apples and a loaf of bread from  Star Bakery in Utica, NY (see, all kinds of local in today’s post).

In addition to the eggplant and peppers, the dinner features some sausage I purchased two weeks ago at Melrose Market in Frankfort, NY. They have quite a good butcher department.  And, yes, the sausage has been in my freezer since I bought it; I’m not cooking rancid sausage (Sheesh!).  Oh, I also used some garlic purchased at the Mohawk Valley Garlic and Herb Festival in Little Falls NY, last September.

With or after dinner, we will enjoy EITHER a nice champagne we got at a wine tasting at Vintage Spirits in Herkimer OR some Cayuga White from Villa Verona Vineyards, in, of course, nearby Verona, NY.  I got that at Valley Wine and Liquor in Herkimer (I like to spread my alcohol dollar around).

As a matter of fact, I just heard a cork pop.  I think it’s time to start sipping the champagne now. Once again, I wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, local business, personal, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

What’s In A Name?

Posted on February 14, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Today’s post is under the heading This Is Embarrassing.  I suppose the Shakespeare quote headline is a little obvious and perhaps overblown, but sometimes one can’t resist.  At least I shall refrain from ending my post with “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”  Then again, no promises.

For the February 2016 issue of Mohawk Valley Living Magazine, I visited the Middleville Free Library.  My articles are headlined “The Everyday Adventures of Mohawk Valley Girl,” and the blurb at the end invites readers to follow my “frugal fun” at my blog (you know, here).  What could be more frugal and fun than a library?  Oh, I suppose some people would consider other things more fun.  For more frugal, I suppose you could stay home.  But that was not my point.

My point was, I got the library manager’s name wrong.  I said it was Sandra Zaffara and it should have been Sandra Zaffarano.  I did not realize this until a reader made a comment under my About page here at WordPress.  I was mortified.  I found the notebook I had with me the day I had visited the library.  I had written “Sandra Zaffara.”  What was that all about?

This morning, I called the library and apologized to Sandra.  She could not have been nicer.  She said it was no big deal about the name, a mere typo.  One friend had asked if she was in the Witness Protection program, which I thought was pretty funny.  Sandra had liked the article in spite of the mistake.  She invited me back to the library to see a model made of popsicle sticks she had forgotten to show me.  I positively must get the ability to post pictures, so I can include such things in my blog.

My takeaway from this is twofold:  Don’t just double-check names, triple-check them (although, in my defense, I think I got any other names I’ve used in MVL articles right).  And don’t get bent out of shape if the local newspaper misspells my last  name, as it has been known to do.  Be like Sandra Zaffarano.  Be nice.

By the way, if you get a chance, visit the Middleville Free Library, 1 S. Main St., Middleville, NY, phone number 315-891-3655.  They have some cool stuff there.  You can read about it in my article in the February article of Mohawk Valley Living.

 

1 Comment

Posted in humor, personal and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Anything New on Wrist to Forehead Sunday?

Posted on February 8, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Welcome to another edition of Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I’m your host, Mohawk Valley Girl.

Some feminists find it unbecoming for a female in her 50s to refer to herself as a “girl” and not a “woman.”  I fear I use the terms interchangeably.  To even things out, I do not hesitate to refer to males of any age as “boys.”  I usually do not use more derogatory terms than that for either gender.  That is just an aside, to up the word count a little.  I don’t like to publish too short a post.

Yesterday I bragged about how many blog topics I have as a result of our adventurous Saturday.  I even meant to start using them today.  Then I got my usual hesitation over starting:  I’m afraid the posts will not be good enough.  For example, my logical first post was going to be our first stop: Westmoreland Winter Farmers Market.  Well, I can’t do that off the top of my head.  At the very least I have to dig through some of the business cards I picked up along the way.  I won’t  be able to include all the vendors or even all the vendors I talked to, but I would like to mention at least a few of them by name.

Part of my problem is that I am oh, so tired.  Steven and I stayed up later than usual last night watching my beloved World’s Dumbest.  Then we were up by six, because he had to work at nine.  Of course that is sleeping in for us, so I did expect to be a little more peppy by now.  Perhaps it was the delicious Chinese New Year dinner I had at my niece’s house.  Full disclosure:  I had dessert too.  For anybody keeping track, that is three days when I violated the terms of my diet.  However, this is not a nutrition blog nor even a cooking post.  So there.

I had thought to write a few words about the Super Bowl.  One might think nothing new could be said about that, especially from someone who does not follow football, but I have hutzpah enough to try.  Valentine’s Day is also approaching.  I could definitely say a few things about that.  Before that is Ash Wednesday.  That is a more solemn day, of course, but I’ve shared enough laughs with priests to not fear writing about the church.

However, it seems the best I can do is another post about How I Can’t Write a Post Today (previously Why I Can’t, but I don’t really have any good reasons, I admit it).  Have I thought of new things to say about that?  In fact I think I have, but, for heavens’ sake, what is this obsession with novelty?

 

Leave a comment

Posted in blogging, humor, Wrist to Forehead Sunday and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Hit Publish and Drive On

Posted on February 4, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Sometimes it doesn’t work.

After yesterday’s blubbering about how I couldn’t write, I got a little stern with myself.  I left my puzzle book home and when it was break time, I sat down, took out my notebook, and started to write.

I had been thinking about what I was going to write before I sat down.  That usually helps.  Very often after I have been going through a dry spell or putting off a particular writing project, I sit down and I write it.  Just like that.  I spend some time after that wondering what my problem had been in the first place.  I make a mental note of the results, reminding myself that next time perhaps the operative thing to do is to, damn it, just sit down and write the thing!

Well, I’m rarely as prompt as I ought to be about any given chore, be it laundry or writing.  Still, after several episodes of finally sitting down and writing something, I do try the Dammit-Just-Sit-Down-And-Write method a little sooner than I used to.

Aaand (you saw this coming) sometimes it doesn’t work.  Maybe I don’t try it soon enough?  Maybe I tried it too soon?  Maybe I didn’t sit in the right place.  Or work on the right project.

Full disclosure:  I do have a mostly finished blog post about a cheesy movie we recently viewed.  It is just too long for me to type in right now, and I would like to edit and perhaps add a few things.  It was just too much trouble to do that tonight.  I have a baby afghan I am finishing for a co-worker (don’t say anything; it’s a surprise).  I need to sit and crochet.

So we’ll call this a Wuss-out Wednesday, hit publish and drive on.  I hope you’re having a lovely middle of the week.

 

2 Comments

Posted in blogging, humor, personal, writing, Wuss Out Wednesday and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

The Groundhog Day Connection

Posted on February 3, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

I am going through a MAJOR dry spell.  My brain just does not want to write.  Does this happen to other writers?  I would imagine it does, but I know for a fact that many writers and especially non-writers are quite impatient of such nonsense.

On the one hand, they have a point.  What am I doing right now but writing? (Technically I am typing, but let’s not be didactic, shall we?)  It’s been said before, even by me: sometimes you just have to sit down and WRITE, even when you don’t damn well feel like it.

Unfortunately, that does not mean one can progress on the project at hand (I say “one” instead of “you,” because I’m sure some of you are huffing, “I ALWAYS can!”) (fat liars).  What I forget is that I can always write SOMETHING.  Then I do things like read, watch television, work on cryptogram or anacrostic puzzles (my two favorites), anything but clean the house.  Or write.

Sometimes I remember that I can always write something, and I do.  Often a letter to a loved one.  Often a very foolish blog post (YES, like this one).  Today, you may have guessed, was not one of those days.  It was, if you are interested, a cryptogram puzzle day.  I did not write a foolish blog post till, um, yes, right now.

Would this have been a better post if I had managed to squeeze some words out of my brain and onto the page earlier?  Quite possibly.  Perhaps I can try that tomorrow, and we can compare/contrast.

In the meantime, I would point out that today is Groundhog Day.  In the movie of that name (which I never saw, sue me), Bill Murray lives the same day over and over again.  I can’t help feeling that this is kind of familiar:  I’m living the same blog post over and over:  “I can’t write, I didn’t write, this is a foolish blog post…”

And you, dear reader, are living it with me.  Once again, thank you for playing.

 

4 Comments

Posted in blogging, humor, personal, writing and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Blame Edith Wharton!

Posted on January 28, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

My nice husband gave me a volume of novels by Edith Wharton for Christmas. I’ve been reading House of Mirth, and tonight I just could not put it down till I finished it.  So I have a very literary reason for this week’s Wuss-out Wednesday post.  Doesn’t that sound higher class than “I’m tired”  or “I’m drinking wine”?

In fact I am tired, and I have to admit that it is for no discernible reason.  I worked for a mere eight not very strenuous hours and did not go running after work.  I obviously did not write a blog post while at work.  Did I write? Oh my, yes, I did.  Just not a blog post.

I am working on the actual script for the murder mystery Ilion Little Theatre is putting on for a church’s fundraiser.  I started it yesterday, dragging one sentence at a time out of my brain. I knew how I wanted it to start, so I wrote that.  Then what?  Another line. What next?  Another line.  Then a line that gave me a few more lines after that.  Maybe this would work.

Today it was different.  I had ended yesterday not exactly sure where to go next, but thinking in a vague sort of way that I would figure it out.  While I worked I just sort of let the characters float around in my head.  Full disclosure:  I’m not even sure who the murder is yet.   Soon a few lines of dialogue magically appeared.  Then a few more.

When it was lunch time I wrote like a maniac, quickly getting down everything I had been composing in my head.  Then I came up with a few more things.  The only problem was, what I came up with does not follow consecutively with what I wrote yesterday.  This is a problem I shall easily solve in editing.

Ah, now I must get to editing, mustn’t I?  I came home and fired up the desktop to type in what I wrote.  Then I was overcome with fatigue. I called my mother for a pep talk.  I told her how tired I was, but when I got off the phone I said I would try to do something useful.  She said I should do something fun,  “like read a book.”  So I picked up Edith Wharton JUST FOR A MINUTE.

And that brings us to the present.   Ooh, and it’s 400 words.  That’s pretty good for a Wuss-out Wednesday.   Hmmm…. would that have made a better headline?  “Pretty Good for a Wuss-out Wednesday.”  Discuss amongst yourselves.

Or do you suppose I used it before?  I’m too tired to check.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, writing, Wuss Out Wednesday and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

This Writer Thing

Posted on January 22, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

As the weekend approaches (VERY slowly), I begin to think about what sort of adventures (if any) I might have.  And before I go further, my apologies to anybody who does not have weekends off and is jealous of anybody who does. Don’t hate. I’ve been there. I may be there again.

To continue, I say “if any” regarding my potential adventures because I really might be best served by NOT going adventuring but by staying home, off the phone and the internet, and WRITING.  I have a murder mystery to finish.  I have a novel flapping in the breeze.  I have a million other ideas on hold.

On the other hand, I also have a blog and a standing commitment to submit articles to Mohawk Valley Living magazine.  For the blog, I can and do limp along publishing nonsense like yesterday’s post or lesser adventures such as what I fixed for dinner (as you see, I take a broad definition of the word “adventure”).  For a classy magazine like Mohawk Valley Living (and it is a wonderful publication; check it out if you haven’t already), I must be more selective.

Another consideration is that I cannot repeat myself for the magazine as I do in the blog.  For example, this Saturday (Jan. 23) is Coffee and Conversation with a Cop at the Baptist Church on the corner of Washington and Green streets in Herkimer, NY.  This monthly program promotes healthy relations between the community and the police force.  I mean to attend and write a blog post about it.  I wrote an article about the program for Mohawk Valley Living some time ago.

So I have one blogworthy but not magazine-worthy adventure planned.  The question is, can I have another adventure, worth writing about for the magazine, and still have time to progress on my other projects?  The answer has to be yes.  Now there are other questions such as What adventure?  How will I find time? Am I just kidding myself with this whole Writer thing?  Wait a minute, don’t answer that last question.

 

2 Comments

Posted in blogging, humor, personal, writing and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →