What Makes You Laugh

My brother has a knack for saying funny things off the fly. For instance, my family got together on Sunday, and my dad asked one of my nephews to be careful not to break something. My brother said to my dad, "It's your fault for having kids who had kids." We all started laughing. Alright, maybe you had to be there... *shrugs*

Another example: Likewise, on Sunday, we were talking about my family helping me move next month. Funny bro said, "I'll be sure to schedule a colonoscopy on that day." I don't have that much stuff. Really! Haha My dad ended up saying, "I'll be scheduling a nap that day."

Anyway, there are parts of my books that crack me up every time I read them. Sometimes I wonder how I came up with those scenes. But when I'm in the thick of writing, my stories speak to me and tell me what to write--be it funny or sad or horrific.

I make myself laugh sometimes. Ok, that sounds funny and quite possibly crazy, I know. For example, a few weeks ago, I was working out at the gym. I decided to watch the pilot episode of a series I've watched before: Stargate SG1. As I was running on the treadmill, I was smiling so big and giggling quietly from remembering just how much I LOVE that show.

Whenever I see a Beagle, giggles find their way out of my lips. That's my favorite type of dog. Sigh!

The other day, I had a nice chat with a fellow Twitter/writing friend, Rob Weidmann. Somehow we got on the subject of Star Wars. He informed me that May the Fourth is the official Star Wars Day. Get it? May the Fourth be with You! haha I still laugh about that one.

So, what makes you laugh? Does it take a TV show or a book to bring to laughing tears? Do you have a family member or friend who keeps you on your chuckling toes? Do you laugh at yourself? Do your own books crack you up? What's something funny you've heard recently?

Writing. Jewels.

PS: The comic above cracked me up way too much, I think.

Once Upon A Time: Are You Sucked In?

Have you ever watched an episode (yes, one episode) of a TV show and couldn't stop watching it. You think about it for days afterward. Then you start dreaming about it. That has happened to me with a few TV shows. IE: 24 and Stargate SG1. I'm a dork, I know. It's happened to me with many a book, too!

Anyway, my sister suggested me check out the new show Once Upon A Time. I ended up watching one episode and was trapped in the story (no pun intended--you'll understand that if you've seen the show).

Basically, the premise of it is fairytale characters like Snow White, Cinderella, Prince Charming, etc... have been banished into the real world. It all happened because of the Evil Queens rage against Snow White. She casts a wicked spell that sends all of the characters to a city called Storybrook, a place in the New England area. The catch is they don't remember who they were before, only the Evil Queen does.

Awesome, huh?

Possibly Once Upon A Time has me wrapped around its finger because I'm a writer and fancy stories. Or maybe because its a freaking awesome way to weave Grimm Tales into a sitcom. Pretty clever if you ask me.

This shows that stories can come from anywhere. You can very well use something already in existence to form a solid writing idea. Re-imagine it with your own twist. You never know, it may suck someone or many people into the thick of your story.

Have you ever re-imagined a well-known story or Grimm Tale for a book? What TV shows are inspiring to you? Do you have certain shows you watch every week? 

The shows I love are NCIS, NCIS:LA, The Closer, Unforgettable, & Rizzolli and Isles.

Writing. Jewels.

Dreams to Ideas

As a prelude to this post, an explanation must be given. I have seriously twisted, vibrant dreams. They sometimes stick with me for days; sometimes I wish they wouldn’t. Occasionally my dreams make me exhausted all day. Sometimes, they are all about me being a character in “24” (yeah Jack) or “Stargate SG1” (yeah Jack). Wow, both those TV shows have a Jack as the lead character. Tangent, anyway…
Having expounded upon that, my novel was inspired by a dream I had back in December 2009. I couldn't get the dream out of my head for weeks. I told my parents and sister the dream’s content, saying I would like to write a novel about it. I didn’t think I actually would start writing it. One night, I was trying to sleep, but my body would not succumb to the rest I desperately desired. The dream popped back into my head as it had numerous times over the past couple of weeks. I gave up on sleep to start formulating the plot. That sleepless night, I had the end of the novel completely outlined in my mind. The following day, I turned on my bright green Dell laptop and began the eager process of typing away the idea that had plagued me for some weeks. The idea still plagues me—the gift of being an author. I wrote the end first, then the beginning, and then filled in the rest as I wrote. It took me five months, some writer’s block, and long evenings and weekends to complete the rough draft. Now I’m working on the technical process of editing.
I tell the background of how my novel became a reality in order to offer you a way to come up with writing ideas. Pull from your dreams. Really. Sometimes the oddity of dreams can become great ideas for writing material. I have another book idea that derived from a bunch of my reoccurring dreams. Just last night I had a dream that I have toyed around with today for another book. Keep a notebook by your bed just in case you wake up from a dream that is brilliant, so you can jot it down. You don’t want to forget it.
I hope that this will give you a way to get ideas for writing. Welcome to the world of an author—in that world you just need an idea you can run with. Make sure you run with it, otherwise, you’ll never know that 300 pages later you’ll have a novel. Of course, a novel that needs lots of tweaking and editing, but hopefully in the end, you’ll have a finished product. I am eager for that day to come very soon!