Hmmm, is it Monday? Surely not! (My brain is slightly pickled from celebrating my only brother's wedding into the wee small hours last night and then getting on a plane at 9 a.m. today and flying home). Therefore, bear with me if this topic isn't particularly inspiring (though I really think it could be).

Challenge #69 (green) is now closed.

Challenge #70 is currency. Please note that I very specifically did not say "money." (Of course, "money" is one definition of "currency," or perhaps vice versa, but "currency" is a lot broader of a word than mere greenbacks and quarters.)

As always, please feel free to suggest future topics to avoid the curse of Teppy's Pickled Brain.

Amy, that reminded me a bit of Eleanor's drive from NY to Hill House, in "The Haunting of Hill House." How she nearly stopped forever in front of a cottage with stone lions at the front and giant poisonous oleanders rioting all over the front garden, and the green hills behind.

Amy, that reminded me a bit of Eleanor's drive from NY to Hill House

Oh my! Cool. I'm waiting for Halloween-ish to read it again.

Jackson is my idol. You've read her books about her family, yes? "Life Among the Savages" and "Raising Demons?"

Because your Sara and her Sarah seem to possibly have a few personality traits in common....

You've read her books about her family, yes? "Life Among the Savages" and "Raising Demons?"

I haven't, actually. I must remedy that!

Is her Sarah adorable and bright, with a will of pure steel and a deep streak of demon imp?

Is her Sarah adorable and bright, with a will of pure steel and a deep streak of demon imp?

Her Sarah is the textbook illustration of Triple Scorpio. She's kicked out of kindergarten for putting a hex on the teacher. And she takes baby brother Barry to places - well. Go read. Brilliant stuff.

Out the door, for now...

Do you guys always follow every idea you get? If not, why not? Allyson, I think I still have the drawing...

erika, nope, not if you're referring to story ideas. If not, mostly because the feel of it is wrong for me, no matter how much it pinged me to begin with.

I follow every idea I get. Sometimes it leads me to the end of a very bad paragraph, but it's never a waste of time, in my head.

Heh. Allyson, nope, I don't think any idea is ever a waste of time. But I've been doing this for so long now that I've learned to sense, usually, what's going to eat a chunk of time and slim energy reserves and then peter out, because it just isn't where I'd go as a writer, or do well.

So, with those, I extract the bits that ping me hardest, and try to use them. The rest, I salute and send on their way.