Debra Garfinkle ([info]dlgarfinkle) wrote,
@ 2008-07-18 11:47:00
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Friday Five
1. Twice in the last few years, my mom played Bingo on a cruise and won the grand prize, which was a free cruise. She was on her second free cruise last week, played Bingo, and won another free cruise. Yes, she has won three free cruises in the last couple of years. The cruise line must hate her. Meanwhile, I can't win a free paperback at an SCBWI conference.

2. I don't like to waste my time. I have watched about five hours of TV all summer. That frees me up to surf the Internet sixteen hours a day.

3. My eight-year-old wanted me to make him a ham and cheese sandwich yesterday. Don't tell my rabbi. I was fine with that, until he said he wanted strawberry jelly on it too. I told him he'd have to make his own sandwich. He made two of them and ate them both.

4. Humor isn't easy to write. My revisions the last few days have consisted of struggling to make my young adult manuscript funnier.

5. The main character in my new manuscript has a dead mother. I might kill off the girl's dog too.

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[info]thunderchikin
2008-07-18 07:31 pm UTC (link)
Go for the cat. They're less sympathetic, especially if they have dandruff.

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[info]dlgarfinkle
2008-07-18 10:41 pm UTC (link)
I think my dog has dandruff.

I probably won't kill her though.

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[info]artistq
2008-07-18 07:43 pm UTC (link)
ewwwww

oh yeah, killing off the dog would make it funnier!

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[info]dlgarfinkle
2008-07-18 10:41 pm UTC (link)
I could never kill off a dog! Mothers, however, no prob. ;-)

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[info]artistq
2008-07-19 02:44 am UTC (link)
what a terrible joke, of course I don't want you to take out the dog!

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[info]beckylevine
2008-07-18 08:37 pm UTC (link)
I still haven't figured out how I do get my humor (assuming I do!) into my writing. It seems more to have to do with some kind of writing "zone," than careful thought. And, then, of course, there's the just putting anything that might, in some galaxy somewhere, be considered having funny and listening carefully to my crit group when they tell me that galaxy is not ours.

You are funny. Just reading your #5 right after #4 made me laugh. But perhaps you're not trying for sick humor in this revision. :)

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[info]dlgarfinkle
2008-07-18 10:44 pm UTC (link)
Yeah, most of my humor just kind of comes in. Though once I started giving some humor writing workshops, I learned to identify what kind of humor I was using: "Oh, it's the rule of three," etc.

And, yeah, some things are so funny to me, but everyone else just kind of scratches their heads and wonders if I need meds.

Actually, they're two different manuscripts.

But sick humor would be fun.

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[info]d_michiko_f
2008-07-18 09:00 pm UTC (link)
Um....the thought of that sandwich makes me gag! LOL

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[info]dlgarfinkle
2008-07-18 10:45 pm UTC (link)
So gross! I never thought he'd actually eat it.

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[info]tamarak
2008-07-18 09:51 pm UTC (link)
Don't forget to add these things to the new ms!!!

Vegetarian teens with unsympathetic meat-eating parents

Shy or withdrawn characters that take refuge in the school’s art room/ compassionate art teachers

A token black friend among a group of white friends - usually it’s a girl, and she’s always gorgeous

A tiny scar through the eyebrow, sometimes accompanied by an embarrassing story

Using the word ‘rents for parents, but not using any other slang

A beautiful best friend who gets all the guys but doesn’t want them

The wicked stepmother who turns out to be simply misunderstood and it’s all cleared up in the climax

(stolen from: http://joelleanthony.com/my-non-fiction/red-hair-is-not-as-common-as-you-think-by-joelle-anthony/)

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[info]dlgarfinkle
2008-07-18 10:48 pm UTC (link)
I've seen this. I am guilty of some of these sins.

Now I must get back to my shy redhead art student with the eyebrow scar and her beautiful African-American best friend.

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[info]tamarak
2008-07-19 02:17 am UTC (link)
I so hope you get that wicked stepmother thing figured out by the book's end.

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[info]christine444
2008-07-18 10:33 pm UTC (link)
I haven't noticed token black girl as much as token Asian-American girl.

Your dialogue in SRC 1 & 2 made me laugh. Ed's one funny chicken. :>)

My dad likes peanut butter and bologna sandwiches... *gag*

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[info]dlgarfinkle
2008-07-18 10:50 pm UTC (link)
Ack! I have an Asian-American girl in my YA manuscript! She's a pretty major character though. Does that still count?

Thanks for reading SRC 1 and 2!

PB and B? GROSS.

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[info]christine444
2008-07-19 04:45 am UTC (link)
Well, it's your story, so you can do whatever you want. :>) I'm just noticing it more with all the ARCs I've been reading. There IS a very large Asian community in the OC, so I can see how you'd be inspired.

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[info]kymbrunner
2008-07-18 10:37 pm UTC (link)
Your mom sure is lucky! I once won $5000 at a parish picnic. I arrived as they announced, "Last call to buy raffle tickets." So I gave them five bucks, threw my little ticket into the giant hamster wheel contraption, and lo and behold - I was the grand prize winner five minutes later. It was awesome walking up to the mike while people threw darts at me with their eyes.

I haven't won anything since so I think I used up my lifetime supply on that one ticket. I'm starting to think the only way I'm going to get published is if one of the houses hosts a raffle...

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[info]dlgarfinkle
2008-07-18 10:52 pm UTC (link)
5,000 dollars is a nice chunk of change!

The biggest thing I ever won was twelve years ago. Funny, it was our temple picnic and hubby and I bought one of the last tickets. Truly it was! Isn't that weird that the circumstances were so similar? We won the grand prize of $1,000 to spend with a travel agent. We went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was heavenly.

After that, it's pretty much been zilch.

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[info]kymbrunner
2008-07-18 11:17 pm UTC (link)
Let's hear it for the lazy guy who picks the ticket off the top instead of digging in to find one! :D

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(Anonymous)
2008-07-18 11:05 pm UTC (link)
1. I want to play bingo on a cruise ship with your mom. (Okay, I just want to go on a cruise ship.)
2. TV is a giant time suck. Except for "Weeds."
3. Boys are weird. Mine once made a garlic, mustard sandwich. Mmm. Pass the strawberry jelly.
4. Sometimes trying to write humor is very unfunny!
5. How about a dead hamster, too? Or maybe a dead goldfish? Very funny stuff. Really.

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(Anonymous)
2008-07-18 11:06 pm UTC (link)
1. I want to play bingo on a cruise ship with your mom. (Okay, I just want to go on a cruise ship.)
2. TV is a giant time suck. Except for "Weeds."
3. Boys are weird. Mine once made a garlic, mustard sandwich. Mmm. Pass the strawberry jelly.
4. Sometimes trying to write humor is very unfunny!
5. How about a dead hamster, too? Or maybe a dead goldfish? Very funny stuff. Really.
Donna
www.donnagephart.blogspot.com

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[info]onegrapeshy
2008-07-19 06:32 pm UTC (link)
I hope it's not a dead lesbian mother. I may have started a trend. :) :)

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[info]nancy_v
2008-07-20 12:36 am UTC (link)
I'll killed off a gerbil for good measure (smooshed.....eeeew). Does this count?

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