Category: Just Life

Updates April 02-07

Hello,

Thank you for the likes and follows.

Last week was full of day job work and not enough writing.

Last week was full of day job work and not enough writing.  I wanted to write that I powered through negative thoughts to act 3 of Connection Lost but I got stuck and kind of wallowed in it, until the weekend.   Over the weekend, I vegged out and slept a lot.  The day job is actually a night job.  I am required to be awake from about 7pm to 7am.  Some days it is easy and others are hard, without fail I get a sleepy wave at about 5am every early morning.  It takes a toll on motivation and energy.   There is also the packing.  Every time I move, I think I need to truly consider minimalism.  The simplistic lifestyle of only having what you need to live.  There may be more to the lifestyle that I am saying but I think that is the gist of it. 

My weekend rest could be construed as laziness, or I can think of it as gaining energy to start the second quarter.    The goals for this quarter are to complete act 2 and act 3 of Connection Lost.  The plan for those parts of the story is that there might be two recurring characters and two brand-new characters to be introduced.   That sentence might need more clarification.  All I can say is that Connection Lost is a middle story. The main character is at a turning point.  To some, it may seem negative but to others, it will be positive. The final decision will go to the main character. To be honest I have not decided what she will think.  This might be the flaw of this story. There should be a definitive end, although I know my main character will be escaping with her life.  She won’t be escaping the situation where the story started.  This week’s goal is to write out the definite ending of Connection Lost. What is gained and what is lost? How will this affect my main character?  What is the status quo? 

Gothic will also need some work.  This story is a paranormal romance but the scene where the two main characters meet annoys the crap out of me.  I’ve decided that if I don’t like it.  I don’t always have to wait for revision.  Sometimes paragraphs and whole scenes must be chucked for you the author’s peace of mind.  This is sad but true.  

I need to figure out the best method to get various tasks done on the writing projects.  This platform and the Medium platform need some attention as well.  I dedicate one post to that site a month.  I want to make them more interesting and hopefully, by the end of this year, I can be partnered with them and attain some monetization.  Every stream of income counts. 

In reading news, I have not completed the Dragon Blood omnibus nor have I started the book tested.  It could be that I have Lindsay Buroker-burnout.  I did attempt to keep track of what I’ve been reading.  Ms. Buroker has an extensive bibliography.  This means I will be working on my reading journal.  I wanted to start posting reviews this Wednesday but to other circumstances that may not be able to happen this week.   

Camp Nanowrimo started on April 1st.  I will not be participating. However, I will donate and buy a mug.  I really like their mugs.  I have put up the banner and badge in support of those who are taking the challenge.   For me, reading is just fun and writing is essential.

That is all for now.  If any of you participate in Camp, I am rooting for you. The flowers for this month are daisies and sweet peas.   The image of the flowers was generated by Midjourney AI.  Remember to be kind. 

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Updates March 27-31

Hello,

Thank you for the likes and follows.

Last week was an interesting week.  We all waited for a prediction that didn’t happen.  I am not saying any names, but we all know what I am typing about.  Historic times we are living in. 

We are still in the process of moving.  My room is almost painted.  My daughter and dad will start to paint the living room next.  Our major project will be the kitchen.    This process kind of took over the weekend. 

Besides keeping my eye on the news last week and working at the day job, I watched Invisible City on Netflix and worked on Connection Lost.  Getting back into the story took some time.  It is a mindset I didn’t even know was missing until I tried to pick up where I left off.  I found myself stuck on various character’s motivations.  Where certain characters should be introduced into the story and how their importance to the main character differed.  For example – Somer is a classic middle child.  She has 3 older siblings and 3 younger siblings.  The six all displayed their manifest will at an early age, they are considered prodigies.  However, Somer does not have that type of ability.  Her ability cannot be displayed, her Djinn godfather bonded her to a familiar.  This is an outdated practice. In the present-day supernatural world, you either have the ability/skills or not.  I didn’t consider what kind of relationship Somer had with her older siblings.  Her incarceration did change things for everyone.  But what was it like before that?  By the third novella, Somer is supposed to be comfortable as a “gray sheep” of the family.   As a younger sibling myself, I know that an older sister and brother, I have both, may perceive their shared history differently from the younger person.  There are times when the younger sibling is living in the older one’s shadow. It can be a frustrating place.  I wrote down thoughts on how admiration and love can turn to annoyance.  Or how harmful neglect and overprotection can be even from a sibling. I must make some decisions and they probably should’ve been there already. 

A quick word on Invisible City.  The show was interesting.  I binged it in one night, the season just five episodes.  It was good but did not pique my interest the way that the first season had.  The characters’ development seemed plausible, but I felt like I was misled.   It does make me want to research into Brazilian folklore.  My mother is from Guyana, it shares a border with Brazil, and I wonder if there is folklore transfer, in one country the entity is called this but called something else in another country.  Like how cassava is also called yuca.   If there was a season 3 I would watch it but I think the story ended the best way the writers could do it. 

This week, I will continue to work on Connection Lost, specifically on the characters.  I will be completing the Dragon Blood Omnibus and then decide if I want to continue with the series.   As research I will be looking up articles on antagonists.  There is also the first quarter review and the set up for the second quarter.  I have all the stickers and washi tape; I think I need.  That is all for now.

Please feel free to leave a comment.  Remember to be kind and be aware of positive opportunities.

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