Updates March 21 – 25

Hello,

Thanks for the likes and follows. Please leave a comment if possible.

Last week, I fell down a YouTube dark hole. It was about The Vampire Diaries and its many problematic issues. I believe most of it was taken out of context. To make a fair analysis, I thought I could watch it, all 8 seasons are on Netflix. I don’t know what it is that show but I just can’t do it. And I love to read paranormal romance. I write paranormal/urban fantasy romance. It just didn’t have the pull

I read that executive producer Julie Plec also works on Roswell New Mexico TV show. The updated version of WB/UPN/CW Roswell 1999. It should be still streaming on Hulu. Both shows are loosely based on Roswell High books written by Melinda Metz.

I was not prepared to like Roswell’99 but I did. I was also all for the reboot. It was based on characters I cared about and they planned for it to be more diverse and inclusive. What could go wrong? I also wanted to see if the concerns of fans about problematic issues on TVD were fixed in Roswell NM. Again I would like to reinstate (because I think I’ve said it before) that no story is perfect, some issues can be ignored for personal enjoyment and some are blatantly outrageous and deserve a rant. I am not doing that here. I will say that I couldn’t watch Roswell NM when the show premiered in 2019. The writers broke up my favorite OTP and I am not going to talk about what followed in that series. There is a feeling one gets when being condescended to, I am processing. I found that I enjoyed Roswell, NM better than The Vampire Diaries. I think it was because they were adults and acted that way a few times. Personally, I believe the show deserves a rant and a couple of drags but I have better things to do with my time.

In writing news, Connection Lost is still in development. I realized that the antagonist(s) are not as clear as they should be. They are 3 obstacles for my main character, two of them may be deadly. She is given a task. Once it is accomplished her status quo will improve. But I need to think about her opponents more. I will be looking into Sacha Black’s 13 steps to writing an evil for tips and suggestions.

I’ve spent more time on the non-fiction essay about adaptations. It is one of the roughest drafts I have worked on for a while. The most popular adaptation that I know of is the Rings of Power. It will be posted before that starts to stream on Amazon.

In Reading news, I have completed listening to Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Grant. It was an enjoyable listen and I was inspired to continue with the second book in the series, Hollywood Endings. I will be reviewing both books together. The status of the other books mentioned in previous posts are still the same. I have not been in the right mind to listen to them.

That is all for this update. Please remember to be open to all positive opportunities and let us all be kind to each other.

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Accountable Wednesday #2

This is going to be quick and dirty. I think the title was called something else last week but I can’t remember. I didn’t procrastinate, I am working on an essay that is actually taking longer than expected. It is going to be posted on a Wednesday post because it is about books and their film adaptation. Some are great. I am talking about the bad ones. The good adaptations get their accolades but the bad ones, burn and fester in the hearts and minds of fans. They wish to erase it from existence but that is impossible, it is part of the Canon. Like diamonds, they are forever.

As a storyteller, I find that fascinating. I plan to shed some light on the unlikable media and show their benefits. In September a Tolkien adaptation is coming. People are already strolling into their camps of not like the book haters or not like the movie haters. Some Tolkien enthusiasts on YouTube have claimed neutrality but shared their hopes and fears with the upcoming project. I will also like to be neutral. I know that the producers of the show want to can’t the high that other successful shows have had. I feel everyone needs to lower their expectations. We are getting a story in the Middle Earth Universe, it won’t be what JRR Tolkien wanted. He is a person of a different era and mindset. What I hope that the producers are able to express is that in every era or age of middle earth the free people were tested. Some failed and some persisted, there is still good in the world.

In Reading News, I am almost finished with Hollywood Homicide. This west coast cozy mystery is funny and irritating at the same time. I will elaborate on the review. I have not started the Fated Sky. Night Song is problematic for me. The Kindred is a YA book. I like where it is right now and feel a little wary of where it is going. Next week I will be adding a comic book graphic novel list.

I hope this finds you all doing well. Keep positive and remember to be kind.

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P.S. L. Penelope let her listeners know that her indie-published book Savage City was on Netgalley. I requested to get it. Wish me Luck!

Updates March 14 – 18

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Thank you for the likes and follows.

Last week, was an okay week for me. I was able to post all the days that I’ve wanted to and scheduled. There were some hiccups but we shouldn’t expect everything to go smoothly.

I have a problem and I am open to suggestions. I have this problem that when I am working on one writing project, another one will start worming its way into my mind. Then I get distracted. Does this mean I am leaving the Connection Lost alone? No. However, I have finally realized that one of my main characters in Star Crossed has been lying to herself. Which is writing advice other writers have told us before. There is always a lie the character tells themselves. I’m relieved and a little bit annoyed. Star Cross is a difficult story for me. I can’t say exactly when the idea came to me. I tossed it around in my mind for a year or two, before I decided to rough draft it during NaNoWriMo. I didn’t win and I am ok with that. I planned to spend most of the first quarter of this year completing it. But I got stuck somewhere in that story and I could not find a way out of it. I felt I didn’t know enough about my characters and their work life specifically. One of them is a celebrity and I didn’t want the representation of that life to be typical. Now that I’ve had the epiphany about my character. I can continue with the story. However, there is Connection Lost. I started writing about it for accountability and it is still slated as a short story. I have come to the realization that for me, developing a short story takes the same amount of mental energy as a novel. Sometimes, I will have to be realistic with myself and what I can do with the time I have. I made a note about what I needed to do for Star Crossed and kept with Connection Lost. I will be looking to add Star Crossed into the second quarter, by the end of March I want a complete draft of Connection Lost.

I posted a short reading list, last week Wednesday. I will write about that in-depth in this Wednesday’s post. This is just a reminder for you guys and me as well. Yes, there is also a procrastination-read/listen and that was Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh. I don’t remember if I have ever written a review about the psy-changeling series, so they can go on the To-Be-Reviewed list.

This week there are some personal appointments that I have to keep. The writing goal is 500 new words in Connection Lost. Other stories are in various stages of development and I would be working on them as well. There is also the short reading list to complete as well.

That is all I have to write for this update. I hope the week is full of opportunity for us all.

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Updates March 07-11

Hello,

Thanks for the likes and follows. Please leave a comment if inspired.

This is a late edition. I planned it hit a goal and I missed. This is a no-fault miss. I am working on accepting days like this. Overall last week went well. I feel odd typing that because I know that was not the case for everyone. I am sending positive thoughts and encouragement to everyone that needs it. By all means, readers pay it forward to anyone else.

Last month in the first quarter. I should be able to see a path to a better writing process and improved business strategy. I have notes and we will see how things go. It is also Women’s Month and all I have done is make an all-woman music playlist. The next four quotes in the QFW will be by talented, intelligent women. Even though I believe these events are important I think that we should be celebrated and supported all the time.

Last week ProWritingAid had a free Fantasy Writers Week. It was four days of webinars and virtual networks. It was fun. I plan to get subscribe to the service. I have Microsoft Word and Google Drive, Scrivener, Reedsy, and other tools, each one has helped develop a different story. When given the chance I will subscribe to ProWritingAid. I learned a lot from the people they invited to speak. I didn’t always agree with everything said but I understood where they were coming from. Some might say I don’t have a right to disagree with these authors and creators, but they are not icons and what works for them will not work for us. It doesn’t mean we, the unpublished or unrecognized writers, are wrong on more than one occasion, there were writers typing in the chat that they were tanking their whole book, based on what the speaker was saying. I don’t think they were serious but could’ve been. I also don’t think the speaker meant that their way was the only way. There were questions from writers, that were in a tone of asking permission. Overall the speakers were positive on all the questions and encouraged the fledgling fantasy writer to go forth and build vast luxurious worlds and intriguing characters. What I learned most from the week of webinars is that “all was permitted, it is the execution that is important.” Yes, I borrowed that from Assasin Creed, where I heard it first.

In writing news, Connection Lost, I started talking about it so I must continue. I like the idea of writing small stories to connect to a larger saga. As part of the conflict I will be introducing some characters who will have more influence later on in another story. What is the conflict? This is question has stumped me many times, there are so many possibilities. What can happen to a seeming magic-less person in a supernatural world? There is a window of exploitation. If that is possible, why can’t she rely on family for protection? Connection Lost’s conflict will have something to do with her passive ability. The resolution will have something lost and something gained. I don’t know which one will be better for the character. Sorry if this sounds confusing. This is why execution matters. I don’t want to share a story that has plot holes wide enough for an 8-lane highway.

This is a late edition, typed this morning. I know what I wrote previously, I will do better. Writing goals for this week, are to come up with a believable conflict for Connection lost; decide what will be gained and what will be lost. There will be no word count goal this week. But I will be writing and that is a good thing.

Again I hope everyone who reads this post is doing well. Let’s try to be kind to everyone when it is possible. Be open for positive change and great opportunities. That is all for now.

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Wednesday’s Post

On the Update posted on Monday, I stated that I would be posting today. I re-read the update and although I am generally happy with the post, it needed to be tweaked a bit. I am not a perfectionist, I’m a procrastinator. It has been decided that I need to give my interesting post some time before sharing it with the world.

The post has been left up with all its flaws. The goal is to do better next time. I don’t know if I mentioned it before but I started a reading journal. Almost everything that I read or listen to gets a book cover copy and I paste it in a composition notebook. I write some notes on the item and move on to read or listen. Another thing I kind of struggled with is if listening to a book is the same as reading it. Overall I have concluded they are different but they get similar results. The audience enjoys the story and experiences something new or expected.

I came across several books that I didn’t like. They had interesting elements, the tropes and characters were ones I love to read/listen to all the time. However, after going through the story I was annoyed. Generally, I don’t like reviewing books I don’t like I am making an exception with this series because I am curious. Does it get better or worse? Can it justify the elements that I have issues with? It is quite possible that by the end of the series it could be rated a meh instead of an ugh. My reviews are on books five to 10 years old, any new release book will most likely be a month or two old. My thoughts on their books will not interfere with sales or destroy careers.

These are my random thoughts on reviews and posts. Thank you for reading, please like, follow leave a comment.

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