Author: JC Henry

This isn't my first time at the rodeo. Well, actually I have never been to a rodeo. I'm an east coast girl. I write fiction and I want to post it here. In between, there will be essays on other subjects of interests. This is what I tell you all, I'm a mother, a daughter, a feminist, a Christian all these things allow me to write.

Updates August 22-26

Photo by Secret Garden on Pexels.com

Hello,

Thank you for the likes and follows.

Last week, I should have written about skipping this week’s update but that didn’t happen. This entry is late, my week works a little better for me when I post. I did write about my birthday on Sunday on this site and on Medium.com. I invite you to give me some claps over there. August 22nd is my sister’s birthday. We usually celebrate together and for two days we did. It wasn’t a grand birthday blitz. It was still a good one, I went to some new places, met some new people, and reconnected with some old friends. I enjoyed myself and I am glad about that.

Looking into how to spruce up the website. I am aware that most of what I write can only be of interest to me. I do it because writing about the struggles of writing clears the mind. The need to share with others who might be going through the same thing, I believe is helpful for my mindset and can be helpful to others. There might not be tried and true solutions; the suggestions are optional. As well as the acknowledgment that you are not alone. It is often said by authors more successful but I doubt it is ever understood by us on the lower tiers. I know we go through the same writing woes as successfully published authors but they break through in places where we haven’t yet.

I haven’t decided on what I am going to do. But I found the Midjourney app and others like it promising. I have ideas for my characters what they look like, where they live etc. Pinterest can only do so much. There are times when one image has the right hairstyle but the earrings are off. There are times when I need an obviously Black character but all the aesthetics are on another person. It can defeat my visual purpose, AI’s like Midjourney and artbreeder seem like fun exersizes that can help the writing projects along. These sites cost about $10 or more to have a subscription. I don’t have one officially yet but there are friends who really like them.

I don’t have any words to say about the craft books I planned to read. I haven’t really started them. It had to do with the work part of life and the fact that my birthday was coming up. I have started to read some comics on comic apps, like Tapas.io and TappyToon,com. I might a list later on this topic and share. I was pleased to learn that about half of comics I am reading are also being read by a well known author team I follow. The craft reading will happen just not last week.

The writing goal for this week is to complete the fast draft of the scene I started about 2 weeks ago. Not sure if it was mentioned in the previous entries, but I realized something about a character I didn’t notice before. It is not the main character but his actions effects her life. Taking some time to explore his GMC will help the story.

That is all I have for this week. I hope these words finds you in a good mindset, remember to be kind and don’t miss any opportunity.

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Updates August 15-19

Photo by Rajesh S Balouria on Pexels.com

Hello,

Thank you for the likes and follows.

Last week there was no update, because of the weekend. It is true that I should have the majority of what I will post every Monday. For example the progress or regression on the writing projects. The books I find that are interesting. Shows on cable and streaming services. There is usually an outline of sorts to follow. But last weekend I had no time to do anything. Over the weekend I went to some events and did not have the energy to post. I apologize if anyone was expecting the Monday update. I would love to say that it won’t happen again but that would be a lie. This is also a busy month.

August is my birthday month. In fact next week Sunday will be my birthday. I was okay with the birthday coming up but as the day draws close, I’m reflecting on my life and I don’t like everything. I don’t have regrets. I feel for the missed opportunities. These feelings won’t send me into a rut but my awareness of it is what I feel is important. Being aware should help me either make better decisions or accept consequences when I don’t. I will share a photo of the birthday cake if I have one. The birthstones for August are sardonyx and peridot. The flowers of the month are gladiolus and poppies. I also read somewhere that marigolds as well are flowers for August but I am not sure. If anyone definitely knows leave a comment. Thanks in advance.

I watched the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman on Netflix. It is a great story to watch. I suggest watching them in two episode batches, to process. However, if you know about the comic binge away if you prefer. Neil Gaiman is the type of storyteller I want to be. Even though the story was great, I still have questions. I will look for them when all the accolades about the series have died down. Until that time I suggest to everyone reading this to also watch Neil Gaiman host a quick mythology Q&A for WIRED on YouTube.

In writing news, I have moved on to a new scene in Connection Lost. It also introduces a new character. At first, I thought he would be an ally to my character instead I get the feeling that he might be an open antagonist. There is a hidden antagonist and some clues are left. I feel good that I have moved on. Adding this in early, the goal for the next two days will be to complete that scene. It may be difficult, due to birthday things.

In reading news, I have gotten into the sub-genre of dark romance. It is a guilty read and I hang my head in shame. I think I mentioned author Jamila Jasper in a previous entry. I admire her marketing strategy. Since she has many books published, most are on Amazon Kindle Unlimited. I did find her on the romance reading apps, Kiss and Radish. I was able to read her backlog. I was able to see how her writing has improved. I am a nerd for that kind of stuff. This author does need an editor to help with consistency but overall unique reads. After reading two of her stories, which have things in them that should often be reported to the police instead of being a catalyst of everlasting love. I was uncomfortable with myself because I was fine with how the story proceeded. Is that a skill or something wrong with me?

Reading goals, I have decided that I have to read something more edifying. The two books I am looking at are Goal, Motivation, Conflict by Debra Dixon and The Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chester. Both books are highly recommended by many authors and writers at every level of success. Despite still working on my writing project, I feel that looking at these books will help me with future drafts.

That is all I have to write for this week. I hope you all are doing well. Don’t dwell on missed opportunities and remember to be kind.

End