January 2019 the next five

Be Yourself, everyone else is taken

Oscar Wilde

A new week, another journal entry mashup. It is possible that in February, I will do something different with these prompts. I don’t know yet. The week is getting busy and I almost forgot about this goal. Here’s to keeping up resolutions.

1. A trip you want to take this year
In October a colleague and I will be going to Miami, Florida for the West Indian Carnival. We will most likely all play mas because that was the plan. The trip I am looking forward to is all in my hometown. My plan to is to visit the New York City Museums. One or two from every borough. I have been inspired by the Art Assignment on YouTube.

2. Your top three priorities
1. Complete then edit the short story Punch. Develop the short story Idle Hands. Continue to work on another story with the working title called the Returner.
2. Podcast – work on the Red Mushroom Podcast; it is a dream and near creative goal to have a podcast. The episodes will be about writing and the writing business.
3. Maintain this blog with at least a weekly post.

3. A list of places you have visited Places I have been to London, England; New Amsterdam, Guyana South America, and Mount Pleasant, Trinidad and Tobago.
All these visits occurred years ago. The England trip is over 10 years old. The Trinidad and Tobago trip, happed when I was a small kid. The most recent was New Amsterdam Guyana but at least 4 years ago. I went down to Guyana with my mom. It is her birth country. The last time I visited Guyana, I was a small kid. It was interesting because it was December and there were all kinds of Christmas decorations in 80-degree weather. It is probably normal for people who live in warmer climates in the United States. Since I am from the Northeast, when there used to be snow in December, it felt a little strange. Like a Christmas in July advertisement. The trip was a special one of the last things I did with my mom. I didn’t stay longer than 7 days and I always regretted that I didn’t call my job and tell them I was stuck in a foreign country.

4. Do your actions match your words?
I am making an effort with these journal entry mashups. There is so much going on in the world. Answers to these questions seem like the most trivial. I’m doing them because I need to write. Sometimes writing is difficult. A journal prompt can help the mind focus.

The podcast is still in the developing stages. It always feels like two steps forward five steps back with the Red Mushroom. I want to blame the outside world but I know the buck stops with me. I have yet to control my creative life and everything else, because of this imbalance, I either get too much done – burst of creativity or too little done – blocked days or hours. It can be frustrating. If my day is pie, where are the slices going? I might have an answer in a future entry

In the previous entry, I wrote that I have an exercise routine, I should perform at 6 days a week for 30 minutes. I have only been able to do that twice. Becoming healthy is important for me. I don’t work hard on it enough. I think if I write it here. I might feel a little guilty and produce positive results.

5. One thing you learned about yourself last year.
Last year I realized I don’t value my time enough. I am always willing to give my time to others for their purposes. However when I want to use my time for my own tasks. They are not given any regard. One of my many goals for this year is to value my time. It is the reason I am taking the time to write this entry. I know that I am the one who will have to put my foot down for my projects. Some people are going to have to get used to hearing the word no. For the sake of my precious time, I am going to have to limit by binge time. I will have to do an essay on that as well in the future.

In conclusion, I encourage anyone who reads this to take one of these or all of the prompts, think about your life and what is going on and answer them. The results are always surprising.

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January 2019 – The first five days

I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you. – Joyce Meyer

A year ago, I came across some journal prompts called the Life of Lovely created by Elizabeth McNair. At first, I thought I would go through them daily however circumstances of my life had me combining five prompts per blog entry. To continue with the practice here are the first five days.

1. What are you most looking forward to
I’m looking forward to finishing the short story I’ve been struggling with for about two or more years. It has been a journey working through this story. It has been put aside more times that should be counted but always finds its way into my backpack. It is the roughest draft, that might be a blog essay in the future.

There is also the reinstitution of my health and wellness plans. It has always been my concern but circumstances have diverted my attention in the past. I have committed myself to an exercise routine, a moderate meal plan and time for reflection.

2. Three goals for the month
Maintain exercise routine 6 days a week for 30 minutes. It will vary because of my work schedule, the day job.

Write at least two blog essays a week. Each essay should be 750 words. One for the JC Henry Universe blog and the other for the Jo Experiment Blog. This will be difficult since I am out of practice. Often I lose motivation with essay writing. The one thing I learned from NaNoWriMo 2018, is that progress only comes from making the time.

Start spring cleaning early. I admire people who can live a minimalist lifestyle or are expert organizers. Full disclosure, I am none of those things. I do see why these methods are important for life. I am not a hoarder but I will admit that there are items in my home that need to be let go. Wish me Luck.

3. Describe your day in ten words
I would prefer my days to be more creative instead I have a job.

It is impossible for me to describe my day in ten words. I’m not sure if what I wrote can be called a description. It will be something I will work on how to describe my day in a logline.

4. Something that you’re looking forward to
I don’t understand how this prompt is different from the first of this entry. Not sure why this prompt is part of this month’s list. I look forward to completing my goals.

5. A time you don’t want to forget
On December 31, 2018 – New Year Eve’s Party. A relative acquired a karaoke machine. We sang all kinds of songs, from the ’70s to the present. The most fun was when the group sang Bohemian Rhapsody and I did my rendition of Someone to Love by Queen. It was great laughing and singing together. Most of the previous week, I was battling a cold. I had a cough, itchy throat, my voice was hoarse. I had no voice for Christmas. My voice had gotten better I was able to sing the high note in Somebody to Love, to the applause and adoration of my friends and family. It was a wonderful way to welcome the oncoming New Year.

The plan is to continue with journal prompts in groups. If one requires an in-depth exploration that could be done. This New Year is full of possibilities. A writer working on the business aspect of her writing. There should be specific plans and goals. There is some and posting on this blog is just one part of it.

#8

In life, what you really want will never come easy-Anonymous

As every year comes to an end. I always tell myself and write in one of these blogs that I will treat this blog JC Henry Universe and the Jo Experiment Blog Review better. I apologize for not being consistent with reviews or interesting fact and entertaining anecdotes in my essays. I promise in the new year things will be different. Sometimes for a week or two, they are. I create. I post. I feel accomplished. Sometimes the next day everything – which means the motivation to create, post and feel accomplished goes. Some might call it the muse leaving, some might say the inspiration has left and the fear of failure won. I call it my life in vicious cycles.

The majority of my family does not understand why I write. Their logic is that I am not making money from it. If can’t take care of my personal needs from it. It is a useless hobby. A published writer is a once in a lifetime career, like dancing, music, acting and sports etc. My logic is that I am always making stories up in my head, I feel better when I write them out. I have no desire or intention of explaining to who won’t understand what I am doing. I write because I believe writing it is creative and it is my skill. Believe it or not, I forget that sometimes myself. I have given up on it a couple of times in the past. I come back to writing because it the best way for me to express myself. Apologies if this sounds redundant.

As a writer, I get caught in the craft and art of the words. Sometimes I run across a published story that is similar to my developing idea and the ideas leave me. I forget that writing is also a business. The business of writing is as important as the art of it. In the near future, I will be producing a podcast about writing and the writing business. I almost have everything I need. Then while doing a random search on writing podcast, I come across so many. It can make a person think why bother? The thoughts that save me, for my story idea and podcast is that I am an individual. No one has lived my life, and no one can tell stories or create a podcast like I can. These thoughts keep me positive. Yes, there is fear but there is also the unique characters and interesting plots that only I can come up with. It is difficult all the time, but like the saying “nothing good comes easy”, I continue to write.

The plans for the week are as follows post a review on the Jo Experiment blog, there has not been a review posted since July. There are several books and animes, I have made note of and believe are worth discussion. Write a podcast script and record it. My recording set up is not great, but I have decided not to be intimidated by sound, after listening to some great podcasts with bad sound quality in time, these podcasts have improved, and I plan to as well. I have a few more experiments to try out for the podcast and then the launch, which will be determined at a later date. The podcast is called the Red Mushroom Podcast. I have reasons for calling the podcast that name, even though it is about the writing craft and the writing business, not mushroom or gardening. I will write more about the podcast at a later date. There is also the completion of a short story I have been struggling to finish for a time I don’t want to admit here. But when I have completed this essay, I will continue with that short story. It is an urban fantasy, that has a triad of witches, a djinn and a werewolf. Another topic for a blog essay is the genres. I have my favorites and I have no clue what is popular these days. This essay may include research before it is posted.

A writing goal that will continue into the new year, is the word count of 750+. Many years ago, a word count goal of 500+ was implemented and my writing had improved. Whenever I feel myself slipping, I give myself this challenge. Starting out is always difficult however it is not even noticed when the word goal is reached or passed.

There are some intriguing ideas that are developing for the last days of December and the beginning of 2019. I look forward to what I have planned. Any comments to improve this blog will be appreciated.

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July Combini

Don’t wait for success, start ahead without it

Fortune Cookie

This is the second attempt for a blog prompt combination essay. The first was started in June however real life interrupted and that entry has been put on hold. These blog prompts were found on the July page created by life of lovely. They are interesting because they are insightful, sometimes answers to them could be quick and glib. However, with time and thought anyone could find out compelling things about themselves.

20. What do you need

This question annoyed me a little bit. Many of my needs are wants. The basics are covered for the time being. I won’t starve any time soon and there is a roof over my head. There is clean potable water. The machine I’m using to write this asinine paragraph is also still working. Need is defined as something that is essential or important.

After ranting about this blog prompt, it was decided that what was needed was a space to work without distractions or doubt.

There was a time where it was believed that work could be done anywhere. That was proven to be false. Work is one thing, creativity is another thing. Both are important, one is essential. Virginia Wolf’s a room of one’s own comes to mind or Lorraine Hansberry’s to be young gifted and black. The search continues for that space. In the meantime this essay.

21. Your Summer Playlist

My summer playlist is complicated. I listen to music from various distributors. Pandora, Spotify, Amazon and Google Music. Instead of a list of songs, I will try to list the performers and the songs that have moved to me listen and sometimes buy their whole albums.

Andrew Belle; In My Viens(single), Black Bear, The Ladder, Dive Deep; The Enemy, Static Waves, Drought
Sleep at Last; Atlas– Arctic, Saturn, Neptune
Dawn Golden; Still Life– Last Train
The 1975; The 1975/ I like it when you sleep…– Falling for you, Somebody Else
James Arthur; James Arthur- Certain things, Impossible
Rag’n’Bone Man – Human
Jacob Banks – Chainsmoking
Portugal, The man – Feel it
Jaymes Young – Moondust
Aquilo – Good Girl

For about 4 or 5 years, I only had 4 songs from Andrew Belle. I was introduced to In My Veins, while watching an episode of Castle. The main characters were getting married and realized they both really loved the song they were swaying to. I describe Belle’s music as laid back and mellow. I was able to continue with the stories I was working on while listening to these songs.

I made a station on my Pandora account to find music similar to Andrew Belle. The results are what is above. I’ve bought a song or an album from the top five. At first, I wanted to write about how I felt about each song but that is a little more difficult. I found these other songs and artists because of Andrew Belle. I was looking for ambient, go with the flow like songs that still had a beat. Drawn to love/like songs and break up songs. There were recommended by the Pandora music algorithm.

I realized that while compiling this list, many of the songs are performed by men and if I investigate it further I won’t be surprised if they are also European as well. James Arthur, The 1975’s are from the UK.

22. What inspires you

Inspiration can be found in many and unusual places. For this writer, it was found in music and other media that was read or watched. Recently this writer found the plays Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest inspiring two distinct stories. Another thing that inspires is hanging around people who are also creatives. Creativity like yawning is contagious. The desire to start a podcast was formed by listening to podcasts. The inspiration to write came reading stories and realizing the ones that were made up in the imagination were equally entertaining and worth sharing.

23. What do you want less off

Less negativity. Pessimism, doubt, and just ill feelings ooze into everything even while trying to keep things on a positive path. It happens to me when I am not writing. I have also been exposed to it many working (side jobs) environment, everyone is miserable and would rather be somewhere else. It is true that overall, the state of the world is precarious. However, the effectiveness and the desire to for positive change is based on how we feel and if the we feel nothing is worth it, then aren’t we only putting in half the effort.

24. What is holding you back

Myself. I am holding me back. I don’t know when I will be able to stop getting in my way. Every writer who talks about this states that their own doubts never leaves them, despite their success. Until then the Lit song My own worst enemy is on my all of time playlist.

25. A tiny step towards your dream

The tiny step toward my dream is this blog account and these essays. Being consistent is always a trial but writing with these questions in mind help. I have set up the JC Henry Universe on WordPress and Facebook. The plan is to continue on Twitter and other social media. The most important step is to always write. I sometimes forget and it not until I’m writing do I realize why I was feeling crappy.

More could be written on these prompts however there is a time concern and another blog essay to complete. For readers consider these questions in your own life, leave a comment, answer all or just one. Share them or don’t one of the most fun things in life is understanding yourself. In time will help in creating a better future.

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Not so Easy Peasy

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.

–Confucius

Trying to get my writing life back in order is a Sisyphus punishment, that is not going to be written about here. However, attempting to keep up with a self- assigned blog challenge is as frustrating as my writing life. Just like many things in this writer’s life it is a juggle to work. With this knowledge, I will attempt to complete a post, started in March, in the middle of June.

Five books Everyone Should Read

The pithy answer would be the holy books of the known religions. This would include the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, the Vedas etc. This writer works in speculative fiction, so the five books offered are in that genre. These books may not be on the top of anyone’s list. I found them to be fun, entertaining and intriguing.

Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede

The first book in the Frontier Magic series. It is the first-person account of a young woman Eff Rothmer, the circumstances of her birth and the big move her family made to the Midwest. The story is one of the first historical fantasy novels this writer came across, set in the United States.

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

The first book in the InnKeeper Chronicles series. It is another first-person account and interesting writing exercise made by writing team Ilona Andrews, narrated by Rene Raudman. Dina Demille seems like an average all American girl runs a reasonably sized bed and breakfast that had seen better days in small-town Texas. The Gertrude Hunt is actually a hostel for interdimensional travelers, who wish to visit Earth. Dina’s guests are few and far between but when they come something exciting happens. There are vampires and werewolves from space need I say more.

Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

The first book in the Patternist series but not the first book published. It tells the story of Doro and Anyanwu. Two immortal individuals with a complicated relationship. It was the gateway book that allowed me to be the speculative writer I strive to be.

Saga by Brian Vaughn and Fiona Staples

This is a comic book series or graphic novel. The story is Brian Vaughn and Fiona Staples did the artwork. Marko’s homeworld The Moon Wreath and Alanna’s planet Landfall have been at war for generations. The war has lasted so long; it has expanded to other worlds in their known universe. It looks like a weird occurrence but somehow Alanna and Marko meet, agree on something and fall in love. Their bold star-crossed move to together change their lives and many others. It makes them criminals of both their planets and fugitives for life. Their daughter Hazel who we meet before she is born b/c she narrates much of the story is born a crime. She has her father’s horns and her mother’s wings, she is a unique being hunted by both governments wanted dead or alive.

Even though the story begins with Alanna, Marko, and newborn Hazel, we are introduced to so many others, a diverse galaxy. Everyone has questionable loyalties and reasons to search and find the small outlaw family. Nevertheless, Marko and Alanna find a way to travel the universe and maintain a marriage and family life with and without the strain of being fugitives.

One of the weird and wonderful aspects of Saga is that it is extraordinary in its ordinariness. The universe created by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples is diverse, with humanized animals, as well the impossible to imagine beings with TV for heads. Creatures that appear to look like plants, Cyclops, elves etc. However, everyone lives their lives accordingly. I have five volumes of Saga and will be making a budget to get the next three available volumes.

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

Jessamy is an athlete.

Court of Fives is an alternate world fantasy loosely based on the Ptolemaic Egypt and Louisa May Alcott Little Women, that is according to the author. The land of Efea has been colonized by the refugee people including the royal family of the Saro Urok. They fled their country across the sea on pain of death. For 100 years or more the Saroese have dominated the native peoples, the Efean, destroyed their royalty and forbade their customs. Made them third class citizen in their own country. They have categorized themselves as Patrons, the Saroese and Commoners, the Efean. The Efean are described as dark skin people and the Saroese as described as golden skin.

It is told by Jessamy a young mixed raced woman, who once lived a privileged life with her mother, an Efean woman, father, a Saroese man, a Captain in the military, and sisters. It was all taken away by the machinations of one vicious megalomaniac. Jessamy uses her knowledge and skill about the Court of Fives, the national game, to save the lives of her relatives and gain popularity. There are many issues in COF, racism, colonization, misogyny, colorism, identity are the big ones, non-are resolved in this one book.

There are also hard choices, self-awareness and hero worship. Jessamy was once living with blinders, when they are taken off she is forced to act and sacrifice. It was not all decided in one book, it continued with the Poisoned Blade and Buried Heart. There is also Night Flower, a novella, a prequel that is interesting and bittersweet.

This book gave me faith in the genre of YA again. In my case oversaturation of the genre made it difficult for me to enjoy certain books. I’m glad I was introduced to Ms. Elliott’s work. I also look forward to the second book in the series.

Those are the first five books, I can recommend. Some are more detailed than others. I have a book review blog called the Joexperiment.com or the joexperiment.wordpress.com. The Jo-ex is treated as badly as the Universe, which means it too needs a schedule. However at least two books in the recommendation have been reviewed on the Jo-ex. At the end of this exercise I am thinking in a few months I should try it again. Cross your fingers and the post will be up before next year.

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