rhi | May. 6th, 2018

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May. 6th, 2018

Many years ago, I read the Callahan's Crosstime Saloon books, and some years after that, I took up writing fanfic. (No, not of the Saloon. I enjoyed the books, but they don't reread well for me.) Anyway, there was a term in them that I mangled without realizing it, after Stephen King's On Writing annoyed the crap out of me a few times. Which is hilarious; I love a lot of King's advice in that, but I am firmly convinced that some of the book is intended to provoke young writers into deciding where they think he's wrong.

Anyway, caterpillar syndrome. There's an old joke in which a centipede or a caterpillar* gets asked a really odd question: "You move along so smoothly, but how in the world do you manage all those legs at once?" And the caterpillar slows to think about it... and promptly tangles up its legs and falls over.

So any time I've tangled myself in myself --- usually in writing -- I just sigh about "Fucking caterpillar syndrome again." But I tend to use the term and hadn't realized it wasn't universal, so um, oops. Herewith, the explanation. Writing books, man: not to be trusted.

* If it's me telling this, it's always a caterpillar because I don't mind them, but centipedes seem to creep me the hell out.

(Why don't I have a Losers icon? Oh, yeah, because Jensen is hilarious but Cougar's the one I keep wanting an icon of. Can we put him and Bucky in one movie to have entire silent conversations with face alone?)

And now I've killed breakfast and stalled for 30, so back to yard work. Later!

Current Mood: cheerful

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You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by ... some of them are golden only because we let them slip by. - James Matthew Barrie,

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who only dream by night. - Edgar Allen Poe

I often warn people: Somewhere along the way, someone is going to tell you, 'There is no "I" in team.' What you should tell them is, 'Maybe not. But there is an "I" in independence, individuality and integrity.' - George Carlin

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