So here I am on an amazing Thailand and Cambodia with two of my best friends, soon to be joined by my brother and what am I doing? Waking up at like five a.m. to write lol. Writing on the plane. Thinking about my novel on bus rides.

Now give me a break, I did have kind of a major plotting/characterization breakthrough the week before we left and it’s just really bothering me not to be able to work on it. I’m having a fabulous adventure to be sure. Making the most of my Southeast Asia adventures…hanging out on beaches, playing with elephants, attending ladyboy shows, eating lots of amazing food, seeing things like this….

But my novel’s still working through my brain. And then I see things like this in Chiang Mai…. Not going to lie, I wanted to go here…

The first step is to admit you have a problem, right?

Are you addicted to writing? Do we need to start Writer’s Anonymous?

 

So as a writer, I must admit that Google is one of my best friends (apart from all my awesome writer friends). Google Maps Streetview was essential to my writing Hooligans In Shining Armour (as I don’t live in where it’s set). I could plop that little yellow dude down on any street I wanted and just “walk” around the neighborhood. Amazing! Pretty much any question I ever have, all I need to do is type it into Google and–like magic–I get the answer. Being able to connect to writers around the world is also awesome.

I can’t imagine how difficult writing must have been before the wonder that in the internet was invented. Going to libraries, using card catalog to find books, probably having to hunt through many libraries to get all the books you need, sitting at those for hours sifting through newspapers on a microfiche reader (yup I did Google “whats the machine called you use to look at old newspapers.” Yes, I have used it before, I swear!). Though I will say, it may have been a bit easier to stay focused on writing without Monty Python GIFs and a plethora of “Evolution of Dance,” Epic Rap Battles of History, and 139239450442345 videos beckoning.

Here’s one more treasure from my wasted time tonight:

Old Hamster Dance:

 

Versus new Hamster Dance:

Anyway, I have to say my search engine has some PRETTY interesting things that pop up in the history. Here’s a sampling:

1. Places to hide guns
2. Expensive black high heel shoes.
3. How big is a coffin (my husband still talks about this one! I was working late one night, trying to see how long a coffin was for my character to mention, my husband comes out of our room to get a glass of water and sees this…. Needless to say there were many jokes with friends about how I may be plotting his demise :P))
4. healing from a kneecapping belfast
5. Axe body spray
6. mixing alcohol and tranquilizers
7. can you re-take A-levels
8. Four Loko
9. Gauging your ears point of no return
10.hipster jeans
11. Justin Bieber profile photo
12. kinds of punches in boxing
13. lyrics to billy boys
14. Minging meaning
15. naff
16. oh ah up the ra
17. pointer finger (because someone told me that was an american thing to say…)
18. Riot July 1 2011
19. sensations of fear in the body
20. tall boys
21. up the duff
22. what is the color of the sky right before the sun comes up
23. you’re a geg

What’s the most random thing you’ve Googled for a novel?