OFF with you.

I know, I know, I know, I know, I know.

I know.

I said I would write every day. It's been a few more than that.

I'M SORRY.

I had a daughter who was sick. I was sick. Laundry and dishes and housework piled up. My son decided that since he is now cutting teeth he is excused from being a happy, content baby who sleeps all night.

Life got hard. But I've been thinking about all the blog posts I didn't write. I suppose that's something.

I have a really good post about essential oil uses that will be forthcoming. It's my new favorite hobby. But before that I've decided to join the movement called "October Flash Fiction," orchestrated by fellow blogger Jared in order to get us all writing and reading. I know this is a little unbelievable, but this idea was pretty much exactly what I was thinking about a few posts ago when I said I had a dare for you, then I decided not to try it. Well, with the strength of my fellow bloggers, I invite you to join the craze, a little late like me.

I had strep.

So, if you have a blog and would like to try your hand at flash fiction, here are the details. Add your address as a comment on Jared's blog and finish out the week with us. If you don't have a blog or flash fiction (simply just fiction that is under 300 words) isn't appropriate for your blog, you can add it to mine. Just let me know and I'll post it as long as it is reasonably non-evil.

Here's the info: http://thefallingaction.blogspot.com/

Again I apologize that I have not figured out how to make my links clickable. Someday I will figure that out.

So I look forward to hearing from you. Don't be afraid. Just write. With 300 words, you don't have to have a plot or a setting or even much of a character. Just write something down.

Only five days to go.

Dare You

This is my toddler. Hugging a gravestone. Laughing with glee. She comes by her weirdness honestly, at least.

I've been inspired. I was thinking over all the recent weighty discussions (haha, no pun intended...) and trying to think of moving on with something a little easier. If you have no interest in trying something new, you better leave now. Because I've got quite the challenge for you.

The first part. A debate. This is a sort of fun debate, because there is really no wrong answer, it being a simple preference based mostly on personality. (I think??) Simply put, which is better, Fiction or Non-Fiction?

You might name the two camps thus: Fiction is for people who have Attention Deficit Disorder and have to be tricked into thinking. Non-fiction is for people who have absolutely no imagination.

Which position do you subscribe to? Why? Anyone living a double life and catering to both equally?

I shall give my position, since this is my blog and I can say whatever I want. I read 95% fiction. Now, my 5% of nonfiction may actually be a larger quantity than someone else's 100% due to my actual volume of reading, but still, you are far more likely to grab my attention with a story that isn't true, or at least one that's written that way. For example, if you want to teach me about growing a good potato, it's best that you make the potato farmer a beautiful yet misunderstood young woman living in 1734 in Ireland who meets a really strong, yet sensitive and good looking guy who at first spars with her but ultimately falls madly in love with her. You'll do even better by me if they end up getting married and inventing the time machine together and go back in time to save the lost city of Atlantis where they find a colony of aliens who have been living in cognito on planet earth for three hundred years. Now that's a potato book that I will stay up all night to read.

Sorry. Can you tell I love to write fiction? ...Any kind of fiction?

How about you? What floats your boat? What sets your sails? Tell us about it. Tell us why you feel that way. Pretend its the most important debate you'll ever take upon your humble soul. Feel free to be snarky, sarcastic, opinionated and hotheaded, as in the end it's all in good fun and we'll all pretty much keep reading whatever we want to read regardless of what anyone says.

Then the challenge. A little more difficult. I dare you to read whatever it is that you don't usually read. Expand your horizons. For me, this requires that I actually take a look at "How to Sell Your Novel" which has been patiently waiting at the bottom of my library bag for a few weeks. What does it mean for you?

Oh, and in all your snarkiness, make sure you advertise the best book you ever read.

And tomorrow I have an even scarier challenge for you!

And just so you know, spell check doesn't think snarky is a word.