Scott, I love the way you're looking at the book, as if you're sizing it up. "Are you going to be good, Monarch? Because you'd better contain literary elements or I will have nothing to do with you!"
No worries, though, since Scott read the book long before it was published and liked it. I think the best thing about being part of the Literary Lab is the relationship we've been built between the three of us. I'll admit that a few months ago we were wondering if we wanted to keep everything going on over here. I was super busy with getting Monarch launched with my publisher, Davin was moving, and Scott was knee-deep in work and writing. I wasn't even posting anything over here. But then we stopped to think about it, we realized we'd miss what goes on over here - even if a post mostly contains conversations between the three of us.
My favorites, though? That the Lab has become something beyond the three of us. And I love learning more about you, our readers. Some of you have been hanging out here since we began two-and-a-half years ago (or even longer if you hung out here when Davin ran the blog by himself). We love that! I think that's what Davin first envisioned, and I hope we continue to gain friends over here. The Internet cannot lose a blog dedicated to literary elements in writing. It. Just. Can't.
So, as far as filler goes today, that's that. What do you love about the Lab?
Well, for me it has to be all about the insanity.
ReplyDeleteChuck, that's what I was hoping to hear. :)
ReplyDeleteInsanity? That's crazy talk.
ReplyDeleteI must confess that the reason I appear to be looking down my nose at Monarch has to do with my new prescription, which is to say, with Progressive(tm) lenses, which is to say, with bifocals. Which sucks.
Scott, that sucks about your prescription, but I love the way it makes you look in that picture. It makes me smile. :)
ReplyDeleteSuck it up Mr. Bailey, I've been wearing bifocals for a year now. We're at that certain age you know.
ReplyDeleteI love the lab because it's so literary. It's not all genre-y like. You guys discuss literature, from mostly old dead guys.
And judging by the way I talk, I need sone cul-tchah in my life.
Yes, we're all close-minded here, which is our Eternal Strength! A good heavy lock keeps the riffraff out, as my old gaffer used to say! Stay tuned for more genre-bashing, pro dead-white-guy posts guest written by our friends:
ReplyDeleteMr V. Woolf
Mr F. O'Connor
Mr J. Lahiri
Mr E. Strout
Mr U. le Guin
Mr A. Carter
Mr A. Christie
Mr K. Chopin
Mr C. McCullers
and too many more to mention! Also, V.S. Naipul and M. Davidson Argyle discuss why women can't write! YouTube video to come (a sword is involved at the end of the interview)!
Scott: I have multifocals, so bite me.
ReplyDeleteLet's see, what I like about the Lab...well, mostly it's that you don't just talk the talk, you also walk the walk. You all put a lot of hard work into what you do, and boy howdy, it shows!
I like that you give a voice to fellow writers via your anthologies.
I like that I can make bad jokes here and live to pun another day.
I like that Scott works down the hall from me (though it's a REALLY LONG hall) so if I get irked at something he says (which I'm sure is a RARE occurrence), then I know exactly where to find him. Heh.
And I like Friday Fillers.
And photos and stuff.
And that chocolate you're planning to send me for Christmas.
Cheers,
Alex MacKenzie
"I know exactly where to find him. Heh."
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't designed to make me feel comfortable. Dark or milk chocolate?
Happy Friday Filler Michelle and everyone else! I think in the picture Scott is just trying to read Monarch without opening it. Really that would save a ton of time.
ReplyDeleteAnne: We try very hard to talk only about mostly old dead guys... *cough* I think Ms. Chopin, however, would be quite irritated at being called a guy. Which I've always meant to ask you if you've read The Awakening? It's SO up your alley! I'd love to know what you think of it. :)
ReplyDeleteScott: That was funny. :)
Alex: Punning another day is our daily punishment for our readers.
So this means if I ever make it out there to see Bailey, I get to see you, too, right? We'll just have a party with Rhemalda and you and Scott and Mighty Reader and Davin if he decides to come. :)
Davin: Yeah, say good bye to the eBook! Because that would be way cooler.
Scott: There is only dark chocolate. Other things claiming to be chocolate are an abomination, unless they are free leftover Halloween candy from the coworkers.
ReplyDeleteMichelle: It would be lovely if you could visit the Emerald City! Oh, and yes, not only do I know where Scott works, I also know where he and Mighty Reader *live*, so if you visited them, I could track you down...er...hope to be invited, too!
*DARK* chocolate.
Cheers,
Alex
Dark chocolate is the only way. It is the force.
ReplyDeleteI might also add that GOOD dark chocolate is the only way. You know, stuff actually made in Europe.
ReplyDeleteI like how fun it is here. You talk about literature and it can be serious but you're all friends and you get along well.
ReplyDeleteMichelle: We have a place here in the Emerald City called Theo Chocolates -- they make their chocolates from scratch ("the only organic, fair trade, bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the United States") and it is a fine, fine place to visit, especially when they put out free samples for the holidays.
ReplyDeleteScott: HINT for Christmas gifts: THEO CHOCOLATE.
Nobody ever accused me of being subtle.
-Alex
You can have all the Theo Chocolates you want; I have no interest in them. I like the sea salt caramels from Fran's.
ReplyDeleteSubtle you ain't, Miss M.
S.P.: Thanks! We try to make it fun here. Chocolate helps. :)
ReplyDeleteAlex: Can we pretty please go there when I visit? That sounds amazing. They need to open a shop here.
Michelle: Sure, we can go there -- it's in the heart of a wonderfully funky neighborhood and also, they do tours.
ReplyDeleteScott: I do like Fran's sea salt caramels but my teeth do not. Sigh.
-Alex
Are they in Fremont? I'm ashamed to say I don't know.
ReplyDeleteCome in the spring and we can all have tea in the back yard.
$100 question:
ReplyDeleteWho invented the bifocals?
HINT: There's a clue in the value awarded to this question.
BTW...it's payable in Mon only money, so don't get too excited.
Oh, and what I like about the lab is the community of writers that group here. I get as much from the comments as I do from the posts.
ReplyDeleteBenjamin Franklin invented the bifocals.
ReplyDeleteTheo Chocolates is in Fremont.
-Alex
And Benjamin Franklin's picture is on the $100 bill.
ReplyDeleteAnd while we're talking about Ben...don't forget to set you clocks back this weekend.
Ben did propose Daylight Savings Time...and he has his own stove, too. The guy got around. I think he also started an ice cream company with some guy named Jerry....
ReplyDelete-Alex
You know, I didn't mean to start such a bru-ha-ha over the mostly dead guys. As a feminist forever, I wasn't in my right mind when I made that comment. Lack of chocolate. I was trying to be funny, but it didn't work.
ReplyDeleteI just meant you all talk about writers that WRITE, and discuss things in this creative venue that MATTER, not just if Edward or the other one is sparkly, or does my profile pic make me look fat.
I like it here because you TEACH me the stuff I want to LEARN about.
That's what I like about the LAB.
Anne, I thought it was funny. My reply was just to keep the joke going.
ReplyDeleteScott: go for the multifocals that are computer calibrated. They sound fancy if nothing else. I bypassed the whole bifocals step and went straight to them. Didn't have any trouble getting used to them
ReplyDeleteAs for what I like about the Lit Lab. Let's see, three smart people who love writing share their passion with grace and generosity. Yeah, don't know why I like it at all.
Eels. And Thai aunts with washing machines. And random jokes taken to their logical ends and beyond.
Oh, that list? Naipul says he loves being on it. Honored.
I like the Literary Lab posts because they exercise my mind, which I'm depending on to stave off dementia.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if the times you make me laugh that's great too. Either way, I'm glad you're still here.
Aarrgghh typos! See my brain needs all the exercise it can get.
ReplyDeleteAnne: I figured you didn't mean just dead guys, and like Scott, I was just keeping the funny going. Hehehe. :) We love to have you hear! We learn from you, too, you know.
ReplyDeleteYat-Yee: We love having you here!
Linda: I'm not sure I'm up to exercising posts these days, but I'm going to try my best to keep up with Davin and Scott with the deeper posts. :)
I love that I just found you guys and immediately felt at home. XD You're all interesting and personable, and I hope you don't mind me sticking around. ;)
ReplyDelete~Ashlee
http://ashleesch.com
http://theDragonsHoard.bigcartel.com
I love the warm, welcoming community and the way you geek out on writing stuff! Keep it going folks. (And yeah, I'm way behind on the conversation here but I feel like pregnancy can claim its entirely own time zone, if not dimension.)
ReplyDelete