Monday, October 27, 2008

So Many Ideas, So Little Time

I'm in serious trouble. See, my friend Skilli went to Japan and brought me back a gift. Is it a doggie bag of leftover yellowfin maki? A complete collection of El Hazard cartoons? Some of those funny tabi shoes that make you look like your feet were stolen by aliens in the night and replaced with turtle feet? Nope. None of those things. He got me a book called "Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide."

To me this means a couple of things. First, Skilli really gets me. He understands my weaknesses. Second, I've got a serious problem, because now I've got another book idea. To many people, this would be a good thing, because apparently some people actually sit down at the computer and ask themselves what in sam hell they want to write. This never happens to me. When I sit down at the computer to work on something new, it goes something like this:

"I've always wanted to write a book where a bunch of Japanese monsters start rampaging through the world and stomping on cities... oh, cities! If I've got cities, then I could work in some urban werewolves with lots of scruff, and I'll call one Oargarn, which is a thinly veiled anagram of Aragorn... oh, and then I'll need to have Gaslole, the Legolas wannabe vampire... and then I should put in some girls with weapons hidden in their high heels, because I like shoes... and then the world could be saved by a tribe of urban Smurfs, only that's probably copywritten, so I'll have to call them Snorks... er... Smorfs. Yeah. Oh, and I like popcorn. Bow down before my scary eyebrows!"

That Smurfette was a killer, you know. She was all smurfy this and smufy that, but she had to be kickass to keep all those guys in line.

But I think you begin to see my problem. Too many ideas many of which make no sense whatsoever. Anyone want to start ghostwriting for me? Just so long as you leave the Smorfs to me, because that's a killer idea.

Anyway, thanks Skilli for putting another idea into my head. Not like it wasn't full enough already!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: PJ Hoover is celebrating the release of her MG book The Emerald Tablet! If you haven't heard about it yet, neiner neiner neiner. I'm taunting you. Of course, you could go to her website and remedy the situation, and then you could join me in taunting the rest of the plebes who aren't kewl like we are...

25 comments:

Lina said...

The smurf thing was always kind of weird thou. I mean why was there only ever one girl? And what happens when they all grow up and want to get married an stuff? You either get one very happy smurfette with like 10 husbands like some kind of reverse muslim or lots of gay smurfs and then the spieces would eventually die out! Yeah I do actually think of theses things and yes I know that makes me slightly...odd.
Oh and I like your book idea. I would drop the women with weapon in there shoes thou because that just makes me think of that rubbish Pamela Anderson movie Barbwire or whatever it was called.

Tiny T said...

Or the women could have weapons hidden in their hair :) You know the usual, poison darts, etc.... Hair brushes that transform into knives.

When I have many ideas revolving in my head at once, I sit at the computer and type a summary of sorts for each idea. Then when I have the time I come back and work on each idea. Sometimes I have to take a break from some until I have inspiration to finish them. Some I delete because I honestly have NO idea what I was thinking at the time that I wrote it.

Anonymous said...

Perfect timing for a nanowrimo project, eh? Consider giving all monsters names from the sushi glossary - linked below:

http://homepage3.nifty.com/maryy/eng/sushi_glossary.htm

"Chuu-toro rose from the ocean, a fat monstrous sack of blubber, roaring at the terrified denizens of Tokyo. They stared at him, frozen with fear, unable to run partly because of the threatening shadow he cast over the skyscrapers of the glittering city, and also partly because he was the largest howling tuna fish they had ever seen..."

C.R. Evers said...

I hate to tell you this, but i think the "urban wearewolf meets girl with weapon laden footwear/town saved by urban smurf" is a triffle bit overdone. I mean really. Doesn't it have it's own section at Barnes and Nobles and stuff?

chrsity

Adrienne said...

I have the same problem. I think it's called ADD, but I like to think it's something more creative than that!
How lucky to have a friend who understands you so well. Sounds like a cool book.

Aaron Polson said...

Smurfs...scary. That's about all. (shivers)

Papa Smurf must have been really busy.

Keri Mikulski said...

Are the Smurfs still on tv? ;)

PJ Hoover said...

Thanks, Carrie, for the mention! I so appreciate it!
And man I loved Smurfette! She was THE GAL!

Samantha said...

Just look Smurfette's picture! Short dress, high heels, provocative pose...

Makes me wonder if she worked for Heidi Fleiss?

And I think I need that Japanese Monster Survival guide - or at least a couple of pointers.

Cate Gardner said...

I hear you, I hear you... And every new idea seems so much more exciting than what you are already working on. Darn work, sleep and my DVD player.

Carrie Harris said...

Lina: I know. It comes off kind of pervy when you really think about it, doesn't it?

Tiny T: You don't have any of those weapons, do you? ;)

Jeremy: The funniest thing about this is that I learned that some sushi is named after the monsters rather than the other way around. Snarf.

Christy: I know, I'm totally derivative. HAH!!! :)

Adrienne: Oh, yeah. We're not going to call it ADD. Unfortunately, I can't come up with a comedic acronym right now that I like. But we'll manage. LOL

Aaron: Yeah, but wasn't Smurfette his daughter? It's all very weird.

Keri: I wish they were. It used to be my favorite cartoon.

PJ: You're welcome! I'm so happy for you!!!

slhastings: Yeah, I would totally be Smurfette for halloween except that she looks like a hooker and I don't like the idea of blue body paint.

Cate: I'm so glad I'm not the only one who does this. Although it helps to explain your long and distinguished pub list! :)

TerriRainer said...

Adrienne was spot-on (and beat me to the ADD comment)!

I have the same problem....too many story-lines, not enough time to focus on them all!

:) Terri

Fox Lee said...

I have a Smurf in my bathroom.

K.C. Shaw said...

I do so totally want to read that book. Please write it! The Legolas-wannabe vampire nearly made a whole tuna salad sandwich come out of my nose just now (well, one bite of the sandwich, anyway).

Ray Veen said...

Too many ideas: it's a killer.

I'm almost sad that things are starting to happen for me - it means I have to focus on the one series and let all the other wonderful ideas languish.

Carrie Harris said...

Terri: We need ghostwriters. That's all there is to it.

Natalie: Bathroom Smurf? I've never heard of that one. :)

KC: Oh, the Legolas vampire wannabe has a serious aversion to tuna now. Because that's funny.

BPV: Says who? Diversify, dude. I'm all about diversification.

TerriRainer said...

How about snorting Smurfs? I spray-painted a float a few eeks ago for the Home-coming parade, and for two days I was blowing blue snot outta my nose.

When I mentioned that I had been snorting Smurfs to the receptionist at my Dr's office, I thought she was going to fall out of her chair laughing.

Maybe it could be the latest drug craze with the teens...Gargamel could be the sleezy drug-dealer!

:) Terri

TerriRainer said...

***WEEKS.....I HATE typos!

:) Terri

Tiny T said...

....maybe... -_-

Bringerofbrains said...

I'll ghostwrite for ya....got crayons

that issue with the smurfs.... new book idea... all the female smurfs were taken to monster island where they were forced to worship Mothera until Godzuki (son of GODZILLA (as if you didn't know))comes to the rescue..........

Rena Jones said...

How funny! Snarfing Smorfs?

Brenda said...

NaNo is coming quicker then I want it to and I have no idea...and you have Smurfette...if only I could be that lucky...grin...

Michelle D. Argyle said...

Wow. I like the Aragorn name morph. That's awesome!

Sounds like a good book to me. How's your other book coming along???

Carrie Harris said...

Terri: I inhaled blue pixie sticks once on a dare, so we have something in common. I was snorting Smurfs for a while too. :)

Tiny T: Which means Yes. Heh.

brains: Only you would come up with a book idea centered on the quest for female Smurfs, complete with Japanese monsters. This, my friend, is why I love you. In a completely non-ick way, of course.

Rena: I think you've given me a title. Thanks!!!

Brenda: Maybe I should start selling my ideas... I'll be the NaNo Pusher.

Glamis: I've just come up with a great idea for the new book, which unfortunately requires some major rewrites. But it'll be 20 times better in the end, so I'm pleased. Thanks for asking. How's your WIP?

sruble said...

I write the same way you do, so unfortunately I can't ghost write for you. However, I do want to read your monster book - how kewl is it? (drool)