Updates February 28 – March 04

Hello

Thanks for the likes and follows.

Today is the last day in February, 2/3rd of the first quarter is done. I am trying to feel better about my lack of productivity. I want to say that I experienced something like a mini-burnout but I don’t know if I am allowed to have something like that happen to me when I don’t have a lot to show for it. I muddled through it and I actually feel better. In spite of the state of the world.

In the last update, I mentioned that I would be reading my works-in-progress. I had several in mind but only really worked on two. I have been reading newsletters by other writers and am convinced I must be doing something wrong with these updates. Some talk about their writing projects in various stages other don’t. I am considering writing more about what I am working on. With that in mind, the story I did the most work on last week is called Connection Lost. The title and idea came from Reedsy writing contest # 264. Reedsy is a writing platform, where you can find people and tools to help you complete a writing project.

I have been developing a character and her world for years. When I read that prompt my mind went to this character. The story was paranormal and my character came from a large magically mixed family. She is a middle child with an odd ability. What do I mean by magically mixed? In this case, her father follows one kind of magic and her mother follows another. Their styles are unique and the abilities have developed in their children differently or not like my character. She does have an ability, but it is passive. She is not Mirabel Madrigal from Encanto. Her immediate family has tried to make her feel normal but her lack of ability has affected how people in the community have treated her. This lead her to a situation that resulted in supernatural jail and similar to what has been done in Suicide Squad is done to the supernatural inmates of the facility. This character for her protection had a familiar and her imprisonment buffers the connection to the creature.

Connection Lost was planned out to be a short story of about 3000 to 5000 words. I was thinking two or three scenes and close. I have come up with short stories and novella ideas featuring this character. A part one of the story is on Wattpad, that working title is called Lucky Thirteen. It is mainly about a younger version of this character acknowledging that she is not going to be like her siblings and accepting herself the way she is. I like to write the best things about my characters, it is extremely difficult for me to kill my darlings or give them a hard time. But this character is one of the few that does bad things and has consequences for it.

I don’t know when it started but the story kind of petered out. I am in the doldrum middle and that has annoyed me, a little. Fortunately, I have no intention of waiting for inspiration. I will be working on this story, reading the other projects, and making notes this week. I have to make a new book review list. There are several audiobooks that I have started that I will attempt to complete this week. I also need to post something this Wednesday.

I have nothing else to write for the week. I hope you all doing well and continue to find positive opportunities. Remember to be kind to each other.

End

Updates February 20-25

Hello,

Thanks for the likes and follows.

This is a late edition and I really have no excuse. Time got away from me and my energy was low. This has been my struggle for many years. There are times I have actively fought against being unmotivated and then there are times I let the feelings win. I don’t know if those are signs of burnout or what but that was how last week was for me.

I watched two episodes of the Legend of Vox Machina on Amazon Prime Video. I didn’t pay much attention to the commercial about the series. My initial thoughts about it were that it was a Dungeons & Dragons, Rat Queens mash-up and drawn a little better than Disenchantment on Netflix. Then I find out later that it is a D&D-based story. So my bad. I like the animation. It is a lot gory, similar to Invincible also on Amazon, it is a little cliche since we all know the story of the ragtag losers who could do better when they are determined. It is still entertaining.

I also watched the first episode of Naomi on the CW app offered by Roku. I don’t know what to think about it. I might wait until the season is complete and binge-watch it, once it is on HBOMax or Netflix. Naomi is based on a DC comics character Naomi. I have the comic series on my TBR and I think I should take time to read it before I give my opinions on it or the show.

This week’s writing goals are slightly different than usual. Last year I stated that I wanted to incorporate short stories into this blog. Then I started to have thoughts about copyright issues and I realized I needed to clear that up before I post. I know I am the smallest of fries in the writing world. However, over the years I have come across so many plagiarism horror stories. Many are fought and won with copyright. I do believe that WordPress is safe for intellectual property but I will feel better once the copyrights are taken care of. Instead of writing, I will be reading my fiction. I have several short stories in various stages that need work. That is what I will be working on this week. Yes, I am writing this for accountability.

I hope this update finds you all doing well. Please remember to be kind and leave a comment if you feel inclined. Have a great week and be open for positive opportunities.

End

Updates February 07-18

Hello,

Thanks for the likes and follows.

For the last two weeks, I have been off track. It is annoying because thought I was getting my stuff together. I got my second covid vaccination on the 3rd of February and suffered flu-like symptoms. I slept for like 3 days, I was seriously fatigued and I was thirsty. I drank a lot of water, ginger ale, and Gatorade. It was a different kind of sick than when I had covid in 2020. By February 6th I thought I was good enough to continue with my life and make this blog/website an interesting place. Unfortunately, I was wrong, as a result, there was no Monday post on February 7th. I apologize for that because it has been a goal for me, to be consistent. I miss Wednesday’s post all the time but I feel bad when I miss Mondays. It is like I am breaking a promise. Despite circumstances that might be the reason.

I’ve been watching Youtube videos on burnout. It seems like the new term for the writing world but it has existed for some time. It feels more universal because the condition is happening in many professional fields since 2020. It is quite possible it was a thing before that we weren’t acknowledging it because of the hustle culture we had established. I have some more things I want to say about this issue but I am not quite ready. So stick a pin in this and maybe I will come back to it in another post. I have written a few short essays on the benefits of health and wellness in the past on another blog. I may repost what I have written with revisions or post something new.

This will hit on Valentine’s Day. I don’t have a traditional valentine person. I don’t think I have ever had a boyfriend during this time of the year. It is a strange thing when you think about it. However, over the years I have come to terms with being single. I also wish we could celebrate other kinds of love along with the love we generally associate with Valentine’s Day. I read an article that spoke about seven kinds of love and the seven distinct Greek words that described them. It would be great if we can bring those terms back into general use. The actions themselves have not gone away just the terms we used for them all fall under the umbrella of the world love. This also feels like something that should be discussed in detail in another post.

This week the writing goals are the same, 8,000 words by the end of the week. I have started to read and listen to paranormal urban fantasy stories. Many of the series started in the early 2000s. I don’t know why I didn’t find these series then but I’m kind of glad I found them now.

In conclusion, I hope everyone’s week is great. Don’t miss an opportunity to be kind.

End.