The thesis proceeds apace (see word count meter in the sidebar). I've written around 3000 words this week, which is good. My goal today is to finish the chapter on Mrs. Dalloway. Monday begins To the Lighthouse, which should be easier for me (I hope) because I already know exactly what I want to do in this chapter. Orlando and the conclusion come next.

And now you're wondering, with so much hanging over my head, what I'm doing here. Well, quite honestly, I've discovered that one needs a break from all this intellectual stuff. I can immerse myself in my fiction and write non-stop for hours and hours, but academic writing tires me out. So, I don't begrudge myself a break. 🙂 It's needed for sanity.

An amusing post today over at Miss Snark (what's new about that!).

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year's winners…..

Just a few of my favorites are:

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

You really have to go read the rest. Some aren't bad at all, and some are hysterical.

You should also check out Alison Kent today. Seems as if an unpublished writer went and wrote a nasty review of a published novel on Amazon.com. Never, ever a good idea. Yes, writers are readers too, but if you want to have a career in publishing, you simply MUST realize what a small community it really is, especially within genres. This woman wants to publish romances, but she publicly trashed a romance and didn't hide her identity when she did it. Not good, because now this post is making its way around the cyber-community like a house afire. And as we know, editors and agents blog too. Ahem.

Does this mean that writers can't have opinions? Of course not, but there are better ways to say you didn't like a book. Just state the reasons why it didn't work for you, without insulting the author, editor, and readers. But, if you want my advice, don't say anything if you can't say anything nice. There are plenty of non-writer reviewers out there for that. And just remember, if you DO sell a book one day, it'll be up for review. If you wouldn't want it said about you, then don't say it about someone else.

Live aloha, baby.