by mizwrite on January 25, 2012
Rene auditioned for Orange County’s High School of the Arts today. She scored two auditions — one for the Fine Arts Conservatory, and another (later in Feb) for TV/Motion Picture Conservatory.
I was so proud of her as I saw her trudging toward the high-rise city school, toting her huge portfolio at her side, with all her paintings and sketches in it. It’s hard to put your work out there when you’re in a creative field — hard to be judged, especially when you’re young. (You create a thicker skin as you get older, but still it’s hard.)
And her odds at this school are slim, since she’s coming in so late to the four-year program (she’d be coming in as a junior). There has to be a spot open, and there’s no telling if there will be or not.
But … she trudged along anyway, that huge portfolio at her side, looking pretty determined about walking into her first art audition.
Even if she doesn’t get in, I’m really proud of her for trying.
That girl’s got grit. …
by mizwrite on January 22, 2012
It’s that time of year again …
Here’s how Rene asked her date:
by mizwrite on January 19, 2012
Over at Jenny Crusie’s blog, Argh Ink, she’s chatting with her friends and writing partners Anne Stuart and Lucy March (a.k.a. Lani Diane Rich) about various writing challenges.
I thought last week’s discussion and this week’s were particularly excellent — about writing the hero and writing the heroine in romance. (And then deciding which is your protagonist, which is a discussion my writing partner and I have all the time!)
Check them out if you’re interested:
The Three-Goddesses Chat: Heroines
The Three-Goddesses Chat: Heroes
She also has a great picture of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ uber-clean writing desk! (That entry is just called “Thank God My Friends Don’ t Gloat.”) 
by mizwrite on January 17, 2012
So I’ve covered my newest obsession with two TV shows: Breaking Bad and The Bachelor.
Here’s my other guilty pleasure:
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Yes, I’ve been a housewives fan for a long time. (I’ve even blogged about it before, here and here.)
Orange County was always my favorite – Not so much because I like the women but simply because I KNOW ALL THOSE PLACES THEY’RE SHOWING! They film in Coto de Caza (right up the street from me), Rancho Santa Margarita (my town), and Ladera Ranch (down the street from me). So I know all those restaurants, all those shops, all the freeways I can see in the backgrounds, all those park benches, all those beaches, the schools they mention, and that lake they walk around is my lake. So that’s why the show is fun. We’ve seen them filming around town, and we’ve seen quite a few of the housewives out and about – I saw Vickie and Don in the parking lot at Lowes; Tamara and Simon at Target; Chris has seen Jeanna on a few occasions at Starbucks and Pavilions; and Ricky sees one of the sons at the gym. So that’s what makes that show exciting for me. But … [click to continue…]
by mizwrite on January 13, 2012
Of course, Breaking Bad isn’t the only TV show I was hooked on this week. Superman and I have an embarrassing lineup.
I’m supposed to be writing fiction every night and getting my 4,000-words-a-week in, but instead I find myself in my PJs at a frighteningly early hour, snuggled under a chenille blanket next to Superman, handing him the remote so he’ll show me our long list of shows recorded and coming up. … oh joy, oh joy. … We even have a carefully choreographed routine to get HD shows early on a downstairs DVR while we record other shows at regular time on our upstairs DVR. …
Gah. It’s embarrassing, really.
So what are we watching?
I think they might deserve separate posts!
This one will be about The Bachelor. …
So I’ve seen about half the seasons of The Bachelor/Bachelorette. Sometimes I like them and sometimes I don’t. I can’t quite pin down what specifically makes me like a certain season and why I can shrug my shoulders at another, but I suppose it has to do with the outside drama, how hot I think the bachelor really is (or contestant bachelors are), and how much I think of the bachelorette (or contestant bachelorettes) as someone I’d be friends with, and therefore someone I’d want to find some kind of happiness in love.
(In other words, all the same criteria for a great romance novel!) [click to continue…]
