I’m a little behind. (Ba-dum-bum.)
Hindered by feeling yucky, and the fact that people need clothes ironed and lunches packed and bathrooms cleaned, yada yada, and the fact that in all this mess, somehow I’m actually expected to go to work, I haven’t been working as hard as I should.
Not to mention that I got mad at one of my characters and didn’t want to write about him at all, and I got bored with the other major character – she was too nicey-nice. Well, I fixed that all right, mwah ha ha! She’s going to do a few questionable things, and that’s fun to write about. And I started fleshing out an uninhibited minor character, so that should help too. Tonight, the 18th, I should be at 30K words, and I’m not – I’m sitting on 29,213. But it’s still doable. In fact, if I stop blogging right now, I could probably go write another 1000… okay, probably not.
Scents worn in week two:
Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur – stupid name, lovely scent. Plum, white flowers, and a milky, ambery base that is sweet and smooth without being sugary. In fact, the drydown reminds me of creme brulee. One of the few that lasts and lasts on me. Makes my sweaters smell great.
Teo Cabanel Alahine sample – Wow. This freebie sample is a favorite of Abigail’s – see her review at IsmellthereforeIam blog here. Smells like, for some reason even I cannot pinpoint, Christmas. In fact, what it’s reminding me of is the Madrigal Dinners we chorus students produced at college: clove oranges, curried fruit, dusty music books, lit candles, slightly-musty costumes, evergreen branches hiding the Federal style mouldings on the ballroom walls… not that I actually smell all of that, but I think I’m getting olfactory illusion here. Which is nice, actually. Mad Dinners were so much fun.
Sonoma Scent Studio Tabac Aurea custom blend – I had this huge, head-over-heels emotional reaction to the standard version, only slightly marred by the patchouli it contains. It’s nice patch, actually – grassy and fresh-smelling, not dusty and not the synthetic-y “clean” patch that seems to inhabit so many mainstream scents lately. But patchouli has a way of simply hijacking my nose away from the whole composition, so that all I smell is patchouli. Laurie Erickson was kind enough to make me a few custom samples to choose from: one with no patchouli, one with 50% patchouli, and one with a different grade of patchouli. I think the 50% patch is winning, at this stage. I love it.
Just like last week, I highly recommend that you go smell something good, read something good, and hug someone you love. And I’ll add one more: eat something good.
Image is Butt by Shooting the Kids at flickr.
Muse in Wooden Shoes 
I was curious how your customized Tabac Aurea would turn out. Do you find the less patchouli/lack of patchouli versions detract from the honeyed tobacco effect at all? I love this one, and wouldn't want to change a thing myself, although I don't have a bad reaction to patch.
Have your characters gotten out of control yet? Mine have been doing that, and now I don't think I can kill off a character that I actually introduced for the sole purpose of dying!Sounds like you're beating yours into shape, though. Is it because they've been bad?
Patty, I'm really really sensitive to patchouli. I don't generally like it, although I do like this version of Laurie's. It just TAKES OVER MY NOSE, and I can't smell anything else, once I've noticed it – so once the patch shows up, I get less honeyed tobacco and more earthiness.I found the no-patch version far less exciting than the original – you get your pipe tobacco and leather chairs in the study sort of thing, but not the outdoorsy, dry-leaves, golden sunshine I get from the standard version. I haven't given the alternate patchouli version enough road testing yet, but I don't think it'll beat the 50% version.
Deirdra, they're not out of control… that's why they've been boring me. I just decided yesterday that a friend of my FMC is going to incite her to do some stupid things, and that ought to shake up the action a bit.So how are things going? How's the doomed character working out for you – are you catching lots of good reactions from your other characters? That's a good idea, by the way. I know where this story is heading, so I didn't want to get too far off track – which I suppose was limiting me. I'm just getting the "off track" stuff out of a minor character now.
Good luck! Let us know in your next post how things work out!Doomed character's heart's still beating strong. The character that was going to kill him is planning to run away instead, so I suppose I'll just let her and see what happens from there! She may have a better plan than I do; we'll see.