Dominoes

If I were talking about the little tiles with dots, life would be great. No, I'm announcing my new curse word for writing.

Dominoes! I shout it when I realize that I've tweaked something in chapter three, and now I have to change not only chapter four, but six, eight, thirteen, nineteen, twenty, and argh! Dominoes!

Revisions are really hard. I just made another decision. A big one. Like main character big. It's going to be a long month of D-O-M-I-N-O-E-S aka revising-until-my-eyes-bleed.

Symptoms of Dominoes include, but are not limited to, constant muttering while cooking, showering, driving, or other mundane activities, frantic copying and pasting to compare drafts, frequent distractions (see My Writerly Addictions on the sidebar), insomnia as stewage over a certain scene just won't go away, and staring off into space for long periods of time. Of course, sometimes the occasional curse word escapes, even when things are going well. Dominoes!

This curse word should not be confused with Crickets, a well-known ailment many authors suffer through the querying process. No, the symptoms of Crickets are obsessive email checkage, heart palpitations while opening the mail box, increased patience, major writer's blockage, increased weight gain due to increased chocolate intake, and helium inhalation to keep the spirit from sinking into the depths of rejection.

Both of these diseases are real, people. Do not treat them lightly. Consult your writerly friends if you feel like you are experiencing symptoms of Dominoes or Crickets. Some patients may also experience a need to blog excessively about their experiences. Be kind. Comment. You never know when you'll experience your own case of the Crickets or go through the horrible ordeal that is Dominoes.

That is all.