[Caelum's Scrapbook] Use Your Words.

[Elysium]

Lord, I feel your pain. I too, am in the process of quitting. I'm about five months in. It gets easier around month two, trust me. The cravings are honestly the worst during month three, where the smell makes you nuts and you remember every reason you started in the first place, but if you stick to your guns, you'll be home free at month four. And you do feel great, but like Jen said, it is like boiling a frog. You won't notice until one day, you just do. I know it may not have helped, but it is the bald truth. I don't like it when people sugarcoat things. Just know I'm rooting for you!

[Caelum]

Thank you, guys. I'm having a melt down over here. Day Six Without Cigarettes: - I can't write. I've tried and it was horrid. So I graded. That's good, right? - I just tried to make chocolate chip cookies. Only then I realized that I didn't have brown sugar. Or vegetable oil. So I tried to pretend my way through the recipe. Um. Don't try that at home. I have a baking sheet with something on it that doesn't in the least bit resemble cookies and I want to cry. God. Damnit.

[Caelum]

The evidence of all the shit that went wrong today. There's raw egg in the leftover dough, and I don't even care. Who's eating it? This girl.

[Elysium]

Aw honey. That blows. Just blame it on Monday...

[Vanator]

Even in the throes of misery and debacle, you are the coolest, evidenced by the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Skeleton thingy next to the cookie sheet. Hang in there Katie! You can do it! Next we will work on the glue sniffing...

[Taylani]

*offers another round of hugs this morning* It's officially tuesday! Things will get better

[Caelum]

That’s a Day of the Dead oven mitt, a gift from a Mexican friend of mine, in fact. I think it’s pretty awesome too. And yes! It is now Tuesday. I have a beautiful cup of coffee and delicious apple cinnamon yogurt and my own personal space heater at my desk. This day is totally going to be better. Now if I can just stop sniffing glue...

[Eanos]

I can't write. I've tried and it was horrid. So I graded. That's good, right?

Ah! That explains why you were desperate enough to go back and grade that last thread of mine! Well thank you very much for that. I didn't think that anyone was going to be brave enough to work their way through those and had been contemplating splitting them up into more threads so the posts would be shorter.

You deserve a medal for that, and for your efforts in giving up. Well done on the latter by the way. I hear it's hard work and not to sugar coat it, it's a lifetimes work too, or least a decade or two to fight off the temptations to take it back up again.

[Caelum]

Day Eight of Being a NonSmoker It sucks. Continuously. But! I am somewhat improved all the same. With any luck, I'll be able write again soon. I have plenty to respond to. lol. Also? I'm just going to quote myself and, uh, leave it here. No reason. First and foremost: Give your character a goal. Seriously. For the love of all that's holy. Before you do anything else. Give your character a goal. Big or small. Ridiculous or sobering. Sweeping, irrational, epic, selfish, tiny, plain. Obtainable or not. Worthy or not. It fails to matter insolong as it is a goal and it is theirs. This is necessary for a multitude of reasons, but primarily for the fact that: Goal + Conflict = Plot = Story The formula is that simple. That is how any decent writer in the history of the world has achieved success. One of my favorite novels, The Curse of Chalion by Bujold, has a protagonist with a clear, concrete goal that he is striving for the duration of the book. You know what that goal is? To sit down. I kid you not. This is a tale of faith and politics, sweeping histories, intricate world, resonate characters and it is built entirely upon: Protagonist Want to Sit Down + Everything Continually Keeping Him From Doing So = Plot Skeleton = Awesome Story Built Off Of It Frodo wanted to get into Mordor and destroy the ring. Gatsby wanted the girl. The Count of Monte Cristo wanted vengeance. Hamlet wanted to bring his father's murderers to justice. Cersei Lannister wants unthreatened autonomy. Sam wants to eat green eggs and ham. Give your character a goal. Whatever it is. It will keep you moving with them.

[Favchean Hronis]

You can do it Katie!