squeequeg | (no subject)

I succumb to the meme! (You know, it seems that recently all of my entries have either been memes or David Hasselhoff nightmares. There's probably something in that, but I don't want to pursue it.)

I like this meme. I've been able to do small things for a few friends with it, and since a lot of what I want this year is intangible, this also gives me the chance to ask for some things I wouldn't otherwise receive.

Step One

- Make a post (public, friendslocked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.")

- Make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two

- Surf around your friendslist to see who has posted their list.

- If you see a wish you can grant, do. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure. You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.

(This part of the instructions I copied over from ltlbird, since I agree with a lot of what she says.) I've left out the part of the original instructions about posting your list to the master wishlist. I believe in the kindness of strangers and all, but I'd rather keep the giving and receiving among friends. I have kept mostly to free or really inexpensive items, since I am uncomfortable asking for more pricey things.

My wishlist:

1. New and weird icons. Ones with a writing or rejection theme would be good, as would geeky ones of a gaming or fantasy stripe. If you can animate icons, then I'd like to see either of the following: a) the hatch from Lost with a boxing glove on a spring coming out of it or b) any icon involving assactivity. (Ask

sigerson what that means if you're curious.)

2. A chance to read Tarot for people. I know I'm still a neophyte, but I'm starting to get a handle on it and would like some more practice. Who wants to be a guinea pig?

3. Advice on writing query letters. I'll have the last revision done by Christmas, and then I want to try to get it out the door. The thing is, I'm not so good at queries. Whatever sounds fantastic and exciting in full-novel form always sounds so lame when I condense it down to a synopsis, and I've always been terrible at selling myself in prose. Which may be why it took me so long to get a better job.

4. Backrubs. My neck often feels like steel cable, and I probably shouldn't hear all those popping sounds when I stretch.

5. Interesting music. Especially mixes or recommendations of strange stuff. Bring on the Russian punk viols and the chanted Scandinavian curses!

6. Fashion advice. I'm only now starting to like my real body rather than the image of my body minus twenty pounds. I know I can look damn good. So even if I can't look damn good every day (due to budget constraints) how do I go about looking darn good on a regular basis?

7. On a related note, I'd like some assurance that dressing in a scandalous manner at one con will not mean that I cannot look professional and writerly at another con. This may be impossible.

8. Recipes. Especially slow cooker meals, scones/quick breads, or simple meals. Muffin recipes are welcome, but be aware that I possess at least 650 muffin recipes at the moment.

9. Weird nonfiction (recommendations or books). I love me some fiction, but historical events are a lot of fun to read about, even in dry-as-dust form. For example, I recently finished a study on the trial of the Templars which looked at the evidence with clear eyes untouched by conspiracy theory. Perfect source material...should I ever decide to build my own conspiracy theory. Histories of Samarkand. Unheralded inventors of the 1920s. WWI and WWII stories. Just the sort of stuff to set my brain fizzing.

10. Patience. Others' patience with me as I fumble my way through trying to sell this novel and starting the next one, my own patience with my sometimes-slow learning curve, patience and the peace that comes with it.

What I'd also really like is for you guys rather than for me. A lot of my friends have had bad years, or lousy things happening to them in this year, and since I've had some good luck, I want to pass that on. Aside from the usual midnight ritual, though, I can't think of a way to do that, and anyway I'm out of marmosets.

I'll try to post an update on job, life, writing, family, etc. early next week. Honest.