One of the readers, from my last blog, posted a comment that made me ponder a question: When is it okay to whine?  To me, habitual whiners are annoying.  I hate my job.  I don’t have enough money.  I need to lose twenty pounds.  Blah, blah, blah, but they never try to fix the problem.  But, “venting” doesn’t bug me.  So what distinguishes a whiner from a venter?  Hmm, let’s try a few scenarios and see.

If “Peggy” wants to drop twenty pounds and complains about it through a mouthful of Snickers (yum), is she a venter or a whiner?  Or what about “Jessica”, who is complaining for the third time that she can’t stand the twenty pounds she put on, but has started going to the gym three times a week and is eating a healthy diet?  Which is the venter?  Which is the whiner?  For me, there’s a big difference.

I’m cool with friends venting about stuff as long as it’s not the same complaint over and over if they aren’t doing a thing to improve the situation.  That’s when venting turns to whining in my book and my tiny violin starts playing.

Certain ”big balled” people are tough as nails, plow through anything with the power of positive thinking, and get annoyed with whiners and venters alike.  What do you think?  Are you okay with whiners?  Venters?  Or are you just big balled? 

PS:  During that time of the month, all bets are off.

PSPS:  I’m off to listen to Daniel Powter’s You Had A Bad Day and this one goes out to you, JenJen.

I’m in Revision Hell. This is not a place I’m enjoying, but I can’t escape. I love to write. Seriously. There’s nothing better. But how many times can I REwrite the same story over and over before my brain explodes? (If I stop typing suddenly, you’ll know I’ve reached that point).

Mind Reader is the baby I gave birth to last year (no drugs, only lattes) and now I’m revising it. Creating a new character, adding a few scenes, deleting some unnecessary stuff (they seemed like good lines at the time, okay?). Harumph! I know these revisions are improving the story, but I want to work on my NEW book. I do, I do, I do.

Okay, I’m done ranting. I’m fine. I’m a professional (ahhhhhh!), so I will go back to work on my revisions. I mean, that can’t last forever. Can they?

What part of your job drives you insane?

No, I’m not talking about a red bra. I’m talking about friends who “get it”. The Scarlets.

They get me, get my writing, and I lean on them daily. Writing is awesome. The best. In fact, I’m gonna get a license plate frame that says “I’d rather be writing”. Where I can I buy that online? Do I want silver or black? Yeah, anyway . . . writing’s hard work, filled with brick walls (which I like to bang my head against), and is just a rocky road if I ever rode one.

In theory, writing a book sounds easy. Get an idea, envision it in your head from beginning to end, piece of cake. Not. There’s the brainstorming, the writing, and the rewriting, the rewriting, and oh yeah, the rewriting. Then, when you feel like throwing the manuscript against the wall so it’ll explode and you don’t have to work on it anymore (not that I’ve done this), that means the book is complete. Ahhhh.

With all the above-mentioned angst, you can probably see why I’m thankful to have The Scarlets. Misa is The Glass is Half Full Girl. She’s always ready with the “big picture” talk and could seriously put a positive spin on dropping a diamond ring down the drain (not that I’ve done this, either).

Kate is Crack The Whip Girl. She takes pleasure in it, actually. It’s a little scary. But, she gives me that kick in the pants I need when I reach a funky spot in my wip (work in progress) and get the urge to start a new book.

Nina, is Gung-ho Girl. Honestly, the girl doesn’t slow down and has enthusiasm up the wazoo. She’d cheer me on if I wanted to pick my wedgie (not that I’ve done this, ever. Er, lately. Since they invented the thong, okay?).

The Scarlets rock. They give me a lot of much needed support. Lacy red bras are great, but who gives you the support you need?