A rose by any other name...

I just have to say it one more time. Sha-zaaaam but I'm feeling so much better. It's touching every part of my life too, because I'm quite perky and happy. GG is getting a kick out of it because he hasn't seen me like this for a while and he likes it when I'm "feisty".

Now I don't particularly like being referred to as "feisty". It reminds me of a poorly written book blurb telling me a heroine is kick-ass or a fire brand or a wildcat, or any of those other things word that are supposed to be telling us that this is a woman to be reckoned with. The words I've used here make me think of a heedless selfish bitch-y sort of person. Not a strong one.

My favorite heroine of late is Sirantha Jax. She's strong, tough, self-contained and hell on wheels when she's ticked off. Feisty? Wildcat? Not so much. At least not in my opinion.

So what's a word or words that is used to describe a character that you just can't stand? Is there something in a book blurb that will send you running in another direction? Tell me. Tell me.

Envy...it ain't pretty.

Ironic that I find myself on this topic when the week has been hot on the topic of plagiarism in our little corner of the world. No. Don't worry. This isn't another post about that topic. Not really.

At least once a week I find myself in the position of having several posts to read around the blogosphere. Thanks to google reader this is amazingly quick and painless. Sometimes during this process I encounter a series of extremely well written posts and I'm just amazed and, yes, I admit it, jealous of the writing talent.

People of all ages, gender, backgrounds, sizes, shapes...you get my drift. Lots of different people, a rainbow of different people, are all writing and expressing thoughts, opinions, pictures, music, and movies. Any topic that touches their lives can make its way into their blog.

Today was one of those days where I read posts on a wide variety of topics and came away again amazed and a little bit green...with envy. If I was reading this on anyone else's blog I'd tell them not to worry. Stick to your own voice and style. Just be yourself. I get that. I really do.

But...

You knew there was one, right? But I just wish I had that something extra. Why it's so important to me I couldn't say. Okay, that's not true. I CAN say, but it's pretty superficial and shallow. It's important because I want to feel relevant. I want to be understood, and, since I'm on my "I" fest, I admit it, I want to be liked.

As a reader I'm pretty confident when I read something that I know is going to connect with a lot of people. Not due to the subject matter, although sometimes that is the case, but because the writer choses their words in such a way that it is accessible to a lot of people. Geez, I admire that.

There are quite a few people that just seem to be able to write like they talk. In some cases I've met the people so I know their true personality comes out in their writing. It's like being in a conversation with them. You feel like they wrote and are speaking directly to you. I dig that, I really do.

The hard part is not to think about that when I write. I have to make a conscious effort not to "borrow" from someone else's style of writing. While tempting I know it just won't work. It's dishonest, and I think it would be incredibly difficult to try and write in someone else's shoes.

While I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't represent themselves honestly on the internet, (Duh!) I don't want to be one of them. But I'm going to have to work on the envy thing because sometimes I hear myself sigh aloud and think...I wish I could write like that. The consequence of that sort of thinking is paralyzing. I don't want to write anything.

I guess it's a good thing I have a healthy ego and keep plugging along in spite of myself. Isn't it?

Envy...it ain't pretty.