I'm Back. . .

Ah. . . Well. . What do I say?

It all started with that Kony 2012 post. While I was posting it, I knew I shouldn't post it because I never post about things like that on my blog. But I put it up anyway and found out that there was some shady stuff about the Invisible Children Organization. And then I think I heard something on the news about it too. I decided that I would take the post down and put a quick comment about why in my next post, but I kept putting it off.

And it was cause I was embarrassed. 'Oh no! I posted something wrong! I'm going to have to delete it!' And so I kept putting it off and kept procrastinating and the longer I was away the less I wanted to post anything. I wanted to put it in the back of my mind and never think about it again.

But I still wanted to blog. And so finally, today, I'm doing what should've done months ago.

To everyone who read my blog I apologize for just leaving you hanging without a word. If I ever find myself away from the blog for too long I'll leave a note next time.

For now, I think I'll start blogging again, probably next week though. And I won't be posting about things like Kony again unless I really know what I'm talking about.

Using Writing as an Excuse to do Anything

Seriously. I do this all the time. You probably do it too. You see some book in a store about some kind of questionable content that you're curious about but wouldn't want people to know you're curious about it because they'd give you funny/worried/disgusted looks and question you're sanity/morality. But you get it anyway, firmly telling yourself it's research for your book.

Or maybe you decide to take karate lessons, not because you're just interested but because that side character in your book that shows up for one scene does some pretty awesome kicks and stuff and you need to know how to describe such things! So you have to take lessons!

Or you know that place in New Zealand where you're book takes place? How are you ever going to describe such scenery without having been there first!?

And that stuff you read on the internet in the name of research for your book. . .  Goodness help you and the poor soul who decides to look at you browsing history. They'd be sure to send you to a mental hospital despite your pleas of, "It was for my book!"

And it is for your book, really. A little. But not wholly. Lots of times it's purely excuse, others it's only part that. Like my reading up on witchcraft and alchemy. I had found myself wanting to glance around at those two subject in the bookstore but never did. Until I found the perfect excuse. You see, having trouble coming up with a magic system I saw that section of books in the book store and it hit me: witchcraft. Alchemy. Those might help me with my magic system problems!

See? The perfect excuse. I really am reading them for that purpose, but not wholly, some of me is just genuinely curious about it, and I'm using writing as the excuse to not get those funny looks.

But hey, it works.

So what have you used writing as an excuse for? Vacations? Musical instruments? Some really really old and expensive book so you know what paper and book binding was like back in the day because of that scene where you have to explain that?

:D