Idle Hands

        I've been seeing some posts lately about things writers do when they need a break from writing. You know, when you need a half an hour of something different so your fingers can catch up with your mind?

        Might I offer up the art of zentangle? If you search for it online, you'll find countless pattern ideas. And the wonderful thing is: you don't have to be an artist to create crazy-wonderful art via zentangling.

         Zentangle books are popping up everywhere, but if you snag the ideas off the internet, they're free. Once you're completely addicted, then you can get your fix satisfied by purchasing a book now and then.

a zentagle I'm working on for my son...

             See? Everybody can doodle. Everybody can draw curvy lines and squiggly lines and straight (or semi-straight) lines.

             At least for me, breaks from the writing are necessary. Pee breaks (because I try to drink a lot of water when I'm in a writing groove). Breaks to read for 20-30 minutes. A zentangle break.

             Do yourself a favor and check it out. Your next break could be zany amounts of fun. (Zentangling can also make unbearably long meetings bearable.)

It's All in the Eyes

          I've been resistant about watching the series Game of Thrones (GOT), in spite of all the hype over the past few years. George R. R. Martin wrote one of my all-time favorite books--Fevre Dream--and it's very different from the series of books that GOT sprang from. I felt like I'd be betraying Fevre Dream if I slummed and watched the Martin television series. 

         I finally succumbed, and now am playing catch-up. (I'm into the 2nd season, so don't tell me what happens in the 3rd, 4th or 5th season, although my son jokingly texted me "Spoiler alert: everybody dies.")

        The character that keeps me captivated is "the imp" played by Peter Dinklage. He provides the most levity, so that accounts for some of his appeal. However, he has expressive eyes that speak volumes. 

        As I work on my WIP (or think about working on my WIP), I hope that I'm making my characters appealing. I hope they will someday captivate the reader's attention. I hope that at least one of them will be memorable.

        Are you into Game of Thrones? Have you ever read Fevre Dream? (Yes, it's a vampire novel, but unlike any vampire novel you've ever read.) And if you avoided a book/series and finally surrendered, what was it--and what was the result?