Bad commute, good research [Wednesday 30]

Just took a warm, refreshing shower. Read a couple of pages of On Writing earlier. Three lessons I absolutely need to take on writing from King (and others):

1) Don't bore the readers with your descriptions and other bullshit. They're paying the twenty bucks to have the story mooove. Get it going then.

2) Don't write 'negative' stories. As in, don't have someone in present remember about the past through description. Instead, go to the past, describe as if it was just happening, and then come back to the present. Instead of "he had been dancing with her in the bar when his nemesis had dumped a gallon of petrol on his head", do "He was doing the tango with her. He saw his nemesis above the stage, fiddling around with a bucket. Before he had time to react, he found themselves drenched in a gallon of petrol." Make the readers feel as if they're there, don't make it sound like they're reading a third-hand story from a second-rate narrator, written by a third-grade writer.

3) Adverbs are bad, that we know. But in the hurry to avoid adverb words, don't fill up on adverb phrases. Anything modifying a verb or verb clause is an adverb, it's just words ending in '-ly' only.

Moving on....

Watched 20 minutes of the Weekenders with roommate PK and semi-roommate I, roommate BB has finished watching the series. Roommate SM has been quite busy lately, coming in late and retiring to his room whenever he's in the house.

The previous post was a pain to write because I had no clue what I'd write about. I spent a long time coming up with a writing idea, and settled on that one inspired specially by this page: http://www.writing.upenn.edu/library/Mayer-Bernadette_Experiments.html. Good inspiration that.

I was eating yogurt and fruit before the sad writing attempt. The whole-milk yogurt was filled me up good, the tartness was well countered by the sweetness of the grapes. They were not as meaty-juicy as the globe grapes I had at SS's place (last weekend? Seems like ages ago now), ah such is life. I was also writing the post on Rudra as I ate. That was all researched stuff, there's very little original content there. I'm excited about the direction that angle might take, because we're beginning to see more and more conflict in that Universe. I didn't move the plot forward at all, still in the worldbuilding phase there and we're getting to know our characters and their angles better. Even if those words and sentences don't make it to the final product, we have a sense of what our characters are going to act like and why.

Youtubed for an hour after coming back from work because I didn't feel like doing anything. The commute had given me a headache. It took me 65-70 minutes to get home from work, which is insane because on good days it takes me half as that. My commute wasn't a strange one particularly -- green to park, walk to dtx, orange to sullivan, bus home, but the wait at dtx, the crowdedness, the slowness in getting to sullivan, and then the 20-minute wait for the bus was frustrating. It's pretty clear there's something up with the orange line today, not clear what that is.

Work was semi-productive, need to get my changes merged in, but people haven't had the time to review them yet, have waited a long time on that. Hopefully that will be done soon and I can get a clean start on new issues.

Almost skipped lunch today since I'd snacked so much on the granola that I have in my snacks drawer. Realized it wasn't a good plan, and I'd rather eat lunch and get extra unneeded calories than go the day on breakfast and granola. Need to get rid of the granola actually so that I'm never tempted again. Went to the Greek place and got stuffed tomatoes with rice and veggies. I liked it though I wouldn't call it the best lunch I've ever had. I'd definitely try it again at other places and would eat it regularly if I knew a good recipe for it. Everything was drenched in olive oil and dearie it was great.

Morning was sad and gloomy at work until I ate the apple I'd taken and drank two cups of water, after which I got in considerably better mood.

Roommate BB had warned us through text that the Orange line was seriously effed, so walked to Davis and took the red line from there. Red line is generally quite empty at Davis, and it was insanely crowded this morning, so pretty sure something was up with the MBTA train lines in general today. I'm so glad I got on the first train both the times. Listened to podcasts all the way to work and back, thank podgods for saving my sanity.

Need to go back to wegmans to return the shit light that they sold me, and bring bike back from work. I haven't brought it back yet because it's getting darker earlier and the brakes aren't working well. Had brought the lights to fix that, but oh well.

Earlier this evening talked to LP's bf L on his job application for a similar position to mine. He said the call was helpful and I said everything he needed to know, I was a bit weird because I started right off with the point at hand, without asking him what was up etcetera etcetera. He said he appreciated it that way, I fear he may have gotten the impression that I'm a to-the-point kind of person. Sigh. Hopefully things progress well here so I can earn that sweet sweet referral fee.