I have a migraine, so instead of writing a post, I'm sharing a favorite cartoon. And as the month of November draws to a close, I want to wish good luck to those of you participating in NaNoWriMo!

I don't like the term "writer's block". It fails to capture the real suffering we writers go through when we experience it. Non-writers hear "writer's block", and they think, "Oh. It's just a wanna-be writer griping about a lack of ideas." Or all the non-writers share their ideas for overcoming writer's block. Or they just don't see the problem. That because "writer's block" doesn't even begin to describe the issue. It falls short. And this thing called "writer's block" is much worse than the term implies.

I'll admit it. I didn't read the Twilight books. They're on my list of books to read, but I haven't read them yet. That being said, my reaction to last night's "Breaking Dawn Pt. II" is based largely on the commentaries of those who have read the books. In Part II of my adaptations rant, I'll touch on the final installment of this saga (without spoilers), and I'll look at another well known, well loved set of adaptations.

As a one-line summary of Part I of the rant, my theory is that a movie adaptation of a book can be successful if it stays true to the intention of the story and the integrity of the characters.

Tonight, I'm one of those crazy people who will be going to see the final installment of the Twilight saga, "Breaking Dawn Part II" in theaters. Yes, it's opening night. Yes, it will be nuts. No, that doesn't deter me. Why? Well, partially because my sister invited me to a friend's super awesome private theater showing. And partially because I have a thing for book adaptations.

In the NaNoWriMo procrastination station, there's a thread all about the things you should never say to a writer. I found it entirely inspiring, and I thought it deserved a post of its own. Following are some of my pet peeves in a long rant format. Thank you Denny's coffee refills...

In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I'm posting a nice, distracting video. Take a break from your writing and enjoy! This has to be one of the funniest videos I've ever seen. If you take your writing seriously and have ever run into a non-writing writer (someone who talks a big game but invests no time at all in the craft), you'll get a kick out of this.

I was thinking about dialogue today and decided to share what I believe are the seven deadly sins of dialogue writing. Please feel free to add your own in the comments section. I'd love to add #8 to the seven deadly sins.

After church Sunday, I went with some friends to a sports bar, where everyone chatted about their favorite football teams and rooted for their favorite players.  I'm not a football fan (or a fan of any sports, for that matter), but the whole situation got me to thinking about teams in terms of story... specifically "the good guys" versus "the bad guys".  Today, I'd like to touch on the subject of "the bad guys," because I think that's where it's easy to fall through the cracks.

We’ve all heard the question before: if you could have dinner with any five people, who would they be?  Well, today I’m asking that same question, but with a small twist.  If you could have dinner with any five authors – living or dead – who would they be?

A friend of mine recently published her first book, an autobiography called, Emma’s Journey. (Available as an ebook on Amazon. Get a copy today!… a shameless plug, but what are friends for?)  It’s a great story of her childhood dreams becoming reality and of that reality being tested as her son fell deeper into substance abuse.  A heartening tale about relying on God and never giving up, you’ll be inspired and possibly a bit teary eyed by the end.  Honest and easy-to-read, Emma’s Journey is a book I’d highly recommend.