Interesting conversation last night ladies. It’s nice to see you both into your zones. When I wrote it was always first thing in the morning and when I say morning, I mean morning. I’m always awake by 5. Most times earlier. I never slept past my alarm in all the years I taught. In fact, I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I actually woke up to my alarm. I always beat it. I’m not sure why I even set one. How often was it that we’d end up posting on here or LD at the same time as you were all still awake and I had just woken up? lol
Were you always a morning person, Mare, or did you become one? Teach me your ways if it's the second one, lol. I need a million alarms to wake up or I'm asleep until some time between 8am and 11am and never know which one it will be.
I believe it was all the time and you were always surprised that we were all still up. At least for Rose and I, it was slightly earlier, closer to 2/3am and not Julie's 4am! Except for the few times when we were all up until it his 9am the next morning. Those were wild nights, lol.
I am always amazed by morning people like you! Waking up without an alarm?? What is this sorcery? I have multiple alarms set on my phone at full volume in case I sleep through the first or shut it off and accidentally fall back asleep, which I have been known to do. I also have an alarm clock called the Sonic Bomb that buzzes super loud and has flashing lights and a vibrator thing that goes under the mattress to shake it. It's ridiculous, but being a heavy sleeper and not having anyone around to wake me up I oversleep makes me paranoid. My parents are like you, though - they never need to set an alarm. They also go to bed at like 8 o'clock, which I have tried and cannot do. If I go to bed early, it's usually at like 5, and I take a nap for two hours and then get up again. I have terrible sleep habits LOL. I wish I could be a teacher on a second shift schedule because my summer schedule, where I stay up all night and sleep until early afternoon, is my natural circadian rhythm.
This is all me except for that Sonic Bomb. My last effort alarm clock is my husband saying "your alarm went off again." And that doesn't always work. I can only fall asleep at 8pm if I'm absolutely dying. I don't even know what my natural circadian rhythm is because I inevitably end up thinking I'm tired, then lay awake in bed for hours.
I agree about the sad versus dark thing. There’s a lot of fanfics that made me uncomfortably squirm, but not cry.
Thanks for the Broken mention! I still remember writing that scene because it was the last thing I wrote before moving out for college, so I was in a pretty emotional headspace myself.
About depressing vs. dark - exactly. That is a good way to differentiate it. Does it make you cry and feel sad, or does it make you squirm and feel uncomfortable?
These are all good points.
Also, what does everyone think, is it easier to write in an emotional headspace (sad, angry, whatever) when you're feeling that way yourself or more difficult?
Many books have done it to me. I absolutely refuse to read books about animals. Especially damn dogs because no matter what, they end up dead. Dead kids? Fine. Dead pets? No! The latest book that made me weepy was the end of A Man Called Ove. I also always ugly cry during The Five People You Meet in Heaven and when Beth dies in Little Women.
I totally agree about animals too. I will cry over human characters dying if I care about them enough, but an animal dying always destroys me, even if it's just a small part of the story. The most heartbreaking death in the whole Harry Potter series for me was Hedwig. I shed a few tears over other characters' deaths, but I sobbed for that poor owl. And don't even get me started on dog books. I still remember reading Where the Red Fern Grows in my 7th grade literature class, where the teacher had us round-robin read it in class, and the day we read the end, she only called on boys to read aloud because all of us girls were crying. Such a sad book, but a great bonding experience.
This is why I try to avoid dead animal books, I'm always sobbing. Where the Red Fern Grows destroyed me in fifth grade. I even cry at sad animal commercials, or happy animal commercials. Really, if there's an animal in it, I'm crying. Even if they're cute dogs wearing bow ties. It's ridiculous.
Also, yes, Beth dying gets me every time. Even though I know it's coming!
Masked Singer has been eh this season, although after last season with Nick, I knew it wouldn’t be the same. I always watch it on Fridays. Ever since dvr, I don’t watch any shows in real time anymore lol
But the Russian Doll being multiple people has given me hope that the Boys could all be on it together some day. They have some sort of costume, unmask them, and it's Nick in the crocodile suit, lol.
I’ve only watched the BSB doc twice I believe, although I do own it. That fight disturbed me but I hate watching real life confrontations . I do think it was brave of Nick to bring up the vocal issue. I’m not surprised that behind the scenes Brian is a jerk. I’ve always said that and blurry Brian was the proof I needed. I do think at one point or another each one of them has played the one with his shit together and also the one who was a complete mess. That’s how life goes.
I don’t think I ever written Kevin, Nick or Howie too far out of their perceived stereotypes. I was never a huge fan of boy next door Brian and I guess I never really wrote AJ as a bad boy either.
Being present for confrontations isn't my favorite either. Ugh, blurry Brian. I'd completely forgotten about that until it came up last time.
When was Kevin a complete mess? When he left? He's the only one I can't see being a complete hot mess.
How could you be a fan of boy next door Brian if you think he's a jerk? lol