Why do I keep writing novels that involve numbers? I am spending today going through the Great Australian Cricket Mangosteen Fairy Monkey Knife Fight Elvis YA novel and counting things, many different things, because sadly it is a vital part of my plot.
Why?
Why do I keep doing this to myself? I am borderline inumerate (and deeply ashamed of it). Hmmm . . . Maybe that’s why? My shame keeps prodding me towards numeracy. Stupid shame. Stupid numbers.
Let this be a warning to anyone still in school and inclined to slack off in maths class. It will bite you in the bum later. Study hard! Pay attention! This stuff is important.
In other news Maureen is handing out the best advice ever on dealing with a crappy Amazon review. It’s official: Maureen is my favourite comic writer of all time.
One of my favourite Amazon activities is to go to my fave books and order the reviews from lowest stars to highest. I then go through hitting the “no” button. “No, your stupid review is not remotely useful! No! I say, No!” It’s remarkably cathartic.
Speaking of comic, scary brilliance. You should all go see The Host. It’s so fabulous that even the New York Times noticed. Best monster movie ever.
Also Diana seems to agree that the relaxation poses in yoga are excellent for solving plot holes and other problems with your novel. Meditation? What’s that?
Okay, I have procrastinated enough. I must return to counting. (Stupid novel!)
Juggling with numbers can be successful, if the author keeps it simple:
42 !!
😉
“why?”
mmm, numbers. yum.
“Maureen is my favourite comic writer of all time.”
mine too. i believe her advice here works well in many writing situations, even outside of publishing novels.
PS. yes, the irish movie was good.
I hate math!! This news of “Let this be a warning to anyone still in school and inclined to slack off in math class. It will bite you in the bum later. Study hard! Pay attention! This stuff is important.” is something I did NOT want to hear!
Oh i sympathise greatly (though mine was physics.)
Maureen is one funny lady.
Excuse me while I giggle about your numbers trauma. I think I reached a point reading the draft where I decided that the inconsistent counting was actually some deep and highly innovative symbol in the plot and that it wasn’t a mistake, that I just wasn’t cool enough to *get it.*
Perhaps you should go with that approach?
Rebecca: It makes me so happy that there are people out there loving the numbers. I so wish I could. One of the cool things about writing the MorM books was sometimes getting glimpses through Reason of how amazing numbers can be.
Rachel: So now I have to go search to figure out what the Irish movie is called because I have the memory of a goldfish.
Dawn: I’m sorry, but tis only the truth.
Penni: Maureen is teh crack.
Diana: Only you would think that. Sadly no one else will. I’m finding it so brain destroying that I’m starting to wonder if I have number dyslexia or something. I mean it’s just counting. Anyone can count!
It helps that after reading the MorM thing that I imagine you as some sort of math genius. So naturally counting issues are a failure of my imagination, not your skill with #s.
ps: next you’ll have us all believing that your love of cricket is put on, too… and your hatred of unicorns.
“the wind that shakes the barley.” not yet out in the usa except in special screenings, but was in theatres in the uk.