"Write now is good."

Clip art: What's going on here?

What's going on here?

Has his muse run amok, or is this a typical writer's nightmare?

Perhaps just a bad meeting with his editor?

Anyone? Comments, please! They do not have to be of a writerly type.

Election 2006: Voting feels really good (but only if you DO IT).

The fact that readers from all over the globe visit my blog is the sweet, delectable icing on my wordy cake (make it chocolate, please!).

So if you are joining us from a place that is not having elections on Tuesday, November 7th — please bear with me while I make an impassioned plea to all those with the opportunity and ability to vote today.

Please VOTE! The health of your democracy depends on it. Why? Because, in the words of former U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith, "Freedom unexercised may become freedom forfeited." In other words, if you don't use it, you may lose it.

If you are a writer, think of voting as another way of expressing yourself — anonymously, yet with ripples that will be felt throughout the country (and the world).

*** Here's an important link on what to do if you have trouble voting. Read this and be prepared — in some states, you may need to produce i.d. to be allowed to vote. Other states feature new electronic voting machines which will be unfamiliar to many voters — make sure your vote is counted.

Here's an interesting discussion on why the U.S. has such low voter turn-out rates — among the lowest in the entire world, in fact (yikes). But read this ONLY after you have voted!

Did you vote today? If so, what was your experience like?

ADDENDUM: Want to know where to vote? Go to the League of Women Voters' site, and enter your zip code. Then enter your street address and zip again on the next screen. It will then give you your polling place's location and a sample ballot of all candidates, featuring links to find out more about them and the issues.

Clip art: The Writer

My occasional blog feature "CLIP ART" returns.

In honor of writers everywhere, especially those currently preparing to start National Novel Writing Month 2006 next week, I present the following:

What is this Writer doing? Leave your answers in the comments. Ignore my suggestions and add your own if you'd like!

a. Giving two "high-fives" to her muse after an inspired, brilliant creative streak.
b. Steadying herself to receive caffeine and chocolate infusions tossed at her by her family members (who are staying out of her way until "The Project" is finished).
c. Doing the physical writing warm-up exercises, before the mental ones, to jump-start that whole mind-body-unity thing.
d. Frantically waving down an approaching support technician who will resuscitate her broken computer so she can GET BACK TO WRITING!
e. Admiring her new motivational knuckle tattoos that spell out "WRITE" (on the left hand) and "IT NOW" (on the right hand).

You all may be seeing more clip art while I take on NaNoWriMo again. It'll give my brain a much-needed break from the writing, and bring on some laughs, which will keep us all in good spirits as we climb our latest literary mountains.

Clip art: SOLD

My irregular blog feature CLIP ART returns. This one was impossible to resist...

This beaming couple has just sold something. What is it? Here are my suggestions:

a. One of each of their kidneys to put their daughter through another year at a private college
b. The exclusive naming rights to their next litter of human-chihuahua hybrids
c. Their life story, tentatively titled Knock-Knock: Eternal Happiness IS Behind Door #3
d. A ride, auctioned on eBay, in their virtual "rocket ship" to a wealthy, ecstatic virtual "space tourist"
e. Their votes in November's upcoming elections

Which do you think it is?

Clip art treasures discovered

I have a lot of clip art collections. Not that I've used that many images from them over the years, but I believe I've gotten my money's worth from the ones that I have.

Every once in a while, I like to look through my clip art to see if anything catches my eye. Today something really grabbed me because it directly appealed to my ongoing passion for the "word-image combo." I can't believe I've missed them all these years.

But then I think about it. Adding all of my clip art collections together, I possess more than ONE MILLION CLIP ART IMAGES — and that may be conservatively estimated. Of course I've missed them. And I've missed hundreds of thousands in addition. I'll be discovering clip art hidden gems for years to come. Yeah!

So I proudly start a new feature on my blog today: CLIP ART! Occasionally I will present some choice clip art. I aim to add hilarious, side-splitting commentary to the featured clip art. I will make this a laugh-out-loud, look-forward-to blog section. And you, The Reader, will benefit.

Welcome to the first installment of "Clip Art." These celebrate the onset of autumn, which is now...

I've always wondered about clip art creators. Who are they? What drew them to the clip art industry? What inspires them? I really want to know the answers to these questions sometimes, especially when I see something like this:

 

Is it their desire to attain easygoing lifestyles by choosing the lucrative, stable, well-respected profession of artiste, as whimsically suggested by the adornment of leaves?

If my neighborhood is any indication, the summer's easygoing lifestyle will soon be thoroughly washed from everyone's palettes. Because at any moment, lawns and yards will be filled with the constant refrain of

A brand new bag of RAKED LEAVES, that is. Ha!