(1) One of my characters had an argument with another. Her comment was: "Great, I get upset, I swear. You get upset, and you use big words. Yeah, we're really getting somewhere now." Not. I've got a habit of extreme verbosity when I get on a roll, and sometimes, you're right. Throw out a few big words and they usually back down. :) (2) Ouch. Now that's too familiar. My health is in the toilet, I can barely walk, and I feel both helpless and useless. I try to counter that with meager attempts at art and stories, just so I can feel like I've done something right and well for a change. I got thrown to the wolves over an image I posted yesterday, and I yanked it from the gallery. Ouch. (3) Network, baby, network. My partner was gone for a year and a half (Navy JAG, yeah, I know how to pick someone with time to spare, huh?), and most of my work lost something in the process. We think inside each other's heads, finish the other's sentences, and sometimes when we're writing, rough drafts don't show half of what is really going on because most of the time, we KNOW what is happening, and so don't need to initially waste space with it. Without him and that chemistry, my writing showed it. It always seems easier when you have someone to bounce a concept at. And though sometimes the response is harsh, it usually results in progress and a refining of skills. I discovered that thought sometimes working alone can be satisfying, it's a lot easier to work with another person. Gimme a keyboard, and I'll converse, and do it well and usually come off as relatively intelligent. But the connection from brain to mouth short circuits, and I stutter and stammer and can't even complete a thought. Just don't ever ask me to talk.