Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Every Wednesday, the writers at YA Highway ask a reading or writing related question, aptly named Road Trip Wednesday. This week's question:

What are your writing and publishing super powers? -- and what's your kryptonite?

Sticky notes. Sticky notes are my secret weapon and my writing super power. I use them on plot boards. I use them on the edge of my monitor. I have a stack with a pen beside my bed, to write down ideas from dreams. I have a set in my purse in case something hits me while I'm out and about. Some of them have a single word, like a character's name, or "mustache." Some have a random simile. Others have major plot points or scenes crammed to the edge. And some remind me that my son has cub scouts this week. I may single-handedly keep the post-it industry in business.

I have plenty of sources of kryptonite, but the strongest is objectivity. I struggle to read my writing with fresh, objective eyes. I skip over editing mistakes because I read what I meant to say. I have trouble seeing the story as it exists on the pages, unclouded by the way I imagined it in my mind. Thank goodness for critique partners and beta readers to combat that problem!

I love the analogy for this post; my female dog is named Lois Lane. I wanted to name our boy chihuahua Clark Kent, so our dogs would be Lois and Clark, but the husband wasn't having it. We ended up with Lois and Indiana Jones instead. How about you? Do you have any superpowers or kryptonite, writing or otherwise?

Until next time...

Music for today: Loving on Adele's 21 this week!

12 comments:

  1. hehehe "mustache." I love it! Yeah, sticky notes are pretty awesome. I have them all over the place, too.

    And thank goodness there's an antidote to your kryptonite. CPs really do make the world go round :)

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  2. Love the secret weapons...post-its and beta readers...perfect.

    I use spiral-bound note cards because a pen can fit in the spiral...because my kryptonite of dysorganization would leave me with tons of post-its and nothing to wite on them with.

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  3. Every superhero has secret weapons. And yours sound perfect ;)

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  4. *slaps hand to forehead* Can't believe I said catching repetition was one of my superpowers then I put one in my comments...oh, hubris...it will get you every time.

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  5. I think we all struggle with objectivity, that's why it's good to have those secret weapon betas in our back pocket!

    Great post!

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  6. I have a post-it obsession too :) I'm sure it makes me look like a crazy person, but then it would seem I'm not the only one. We can maybe form the Justice League of Crazy Post-It People :)

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  7. beta readers area a great secret weapon, and i'm with you on the dog names, lois and clark would have been super cute.

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  8. I had this great visual in mind of me in a Spiderman pose shooting a spray of post-its from my hand :) I've loved reading all the super powers today! I think I might have to strengthen my justice league and add some new cps to the team!

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  9. I <3 post it notes. They are the best invention ever.

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  10. My toddler won't share our post-its. I would love a smartboard where I could touch everything and just move my MS around a bit.

    Also, I have friends with two golden retrievers who are Indi and Anna. I wanted to name my 2nd dog Xena, but got vetoed to Maggie. Oh the things that could have been.

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  11. Aah, I hate sticky notes. Those little bastards always get lost and then stuck in the wrong places.

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  12. @Yael- lol! I finally started a notebook where I put them all when my desk gets too cluttered.

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