Category: Writing Life

Updates June 20-24

Hello,

Thank you for the likes and follows. Happy Belated Father’s Day and Juneteenth.

On Sunday I thought I knew what would be written in the entry. I didn’t write an outline or anything. I’m a bit at a loss now that I am typing. I spent most of last week reviewing my various writing projects, avoiding the reviews I promised to listen to and write up, and working on an essay I started in May. It was an okay week. I started to watch YouTube videos about the Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Style. I wanted to get a better understanding of both styles and possibly place an ad on a service app like Fiverr. Writing for the love and art of it is great but so is writing to keep a roof over my head. The AP style is very straightforward and easier to understand than the Chicago Style. I feel like that I should have learned some of this in High School but I can’t remember. I have also been collecting newsletters from other successful authors. They all tend to have something interesting to write about, a beautiful cover of a book to debut, and useful tips on the writing life experience. These updates are supposed to be a less formal type of newsletter. It is possible in the future I will be trying a new format. Not next week, but at the start of the 3rd quarter which is literally weeks away.

I have not exactly been writing but I have been trying to find my mind on the stories I’ve started. It probably started as a procrastination scheme but the more I look at the stories I started I want to complete them. Some I might keep just for myself and the others I will definitely share at a reasonable price. This storyteller has to live and eat.

The goal for this week is to get some writing done. There are three projects that will be in focus, a short story, an essay, and a review. There will also be research on how to improve this website. The reading goals are to complete the two audiobooks I have mentioned previously. Work-life is always changing so I have to prepare for it and adjust accordingly. I haven’t watched anything that I want to comment on yet. This includes the January 6th Hearings.

That is all for this week. I hope we are all able to be kind to each other and be open to new opportunities. Enjoy the National holiday.

End

Updates June 13-17

Hello,

Thank you for the likes and follows.

This is a late and special edition, posted on Tuesday, June 14th. I am keeping the date title as is. Consider it consequences for non-action.

Last week was another bare minimum week. I am annoyed with it but will continue to persist, I think I use the other word too much. This is the last month of the 2nd quarter. I need to show some reasonable progress on the writing projects I have in development. This is the second week of the month and I am nervous about it. I make plans when writing these posts and I rarely follow through, the fault is 50/50, sometimes it is me and sometimes it is outside forces. Most times I feel like an idiot, I don’t have the money to take a course like HB90, a course or workshop intentionally created for writers to be more productive, at least that is how I understand it. It was created by author Sarra Cannon, she has two YouTube channels, one called HeartBreathing and the other Sarra Cannon. I follow her and glean what I can when I can. Not sure how effective it is.

I didn’t watch the Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+ or Miss Marvel either. They are on the To-Be-Watched List (TBW). I haven’t really watched anything but really quick recaps on K-dramas and other movies on YouTube. I don’t have a reason why except that they are quick and can drop them at any time to take care of a kid, and don’t feel any guilt. I did watch the next episode of Spy X Family. I like this show enough to consider buying the manga. It is not in the budget yet.

In writing news, I am doing an overhaul. That is the best way I can describe it. I am looking at various writing projects in stages of development. Looking over these projects has been my “Sisyphus rock” for the last couple of weeks. I take it with me to Brooklyn with plans to work on it. It does happen sometimes, and then I take it back home with plans to work on it. When I am home, I go to bed. I am usually coming home at 11:30pm. I am only a night owl when I can sleep all morning the next day.

I am also in a holding pattern for reading. I am annoyed with myself as much as you all are annoyed with me. A goal for this week, recognize the issue and strive to do better by doing something different. This special post is not proof of that at all.

That is all for now. I hope I have a good week and pray the same for everyone. Remember to be kind and open to opportunities.

End

Updates June 06-10

Hello,

Thank you for the likes and follows.

Last week there was no update.  There wasn’t much to update anyway.  I’m in the same quandary that started at the beginning of this second quarter.  I have a work/life unbalance.  The writing and this website blog are suffering.  I take full responsibility, I always knew this would be a problem.  But I am a prime procrastinator.  The things I want to do and the things I need to do are rarely the same, which is frustrating. 

Recently I watched a YouTube video, the content creator is a writer.  She spoke about many things in her life but she also mentioned the heinous incidents that have plagued us these last weeks.  She stated that her vlogs were writing orientated, she was aware of other things but felt that other people were talking about it with better incite and information. I understand and agree with her. I am the same.

I am a black woman, a mother, and a Christian. I am getting more upset when people use Jesus to justify their violent words and actions. I don’t agree with any of them and I am tired of them taking the Lord’s name in vain. However, that is not what my blog or this website is about.

This website is supposed to be about writing and the writing life which includes reading, listening and watching all types of media. There are so many stories out in the world. It can be overwhelming and fascinating, especially when the truth is stranger than fiction. This is the last month of the second quarter and I was hoping for improvement in certain parts of this website/blog. It is possible that my effort was not enough. However, I will persevere and plan to do better.

Writing news is about the same. I am kind of stuck in a scene. I am reading up on some writing craft books to see what can be done. So the goal for this week is to get this done and complete the scene. I am also looking at shorter writing projects that I thought would be easier to produce. There is some difficulty but it is slowly being sorted out.

The new Disney+ show is out, which is of course Obi-Wan Kenobi. I will have to give it a look. I haven’t yet because I want to get certain writing projects settled. The other show that I’m keeping tabs on is the anime Spy X Family. It is a wild action almost slice-of-life show, about a Spy, the husband/father, an assassin, the wife/mother, and the child, an esper(telepath); The two adults are trying to keep their other lives separate from normal life but the daughter who can read minds already knows. She is also down for whatever her adopted parents do. It is hilarious and I wish I had invested in the manga.

There are two book reviews in the works. But this week by the crook, I will be posting an essay on adaptations. It is a subject I have been juggling for months. It is something I have been thinking about for years. A large amount of our visual media are adaptations from a previous story. Some are loved and others are viscerally hated. I have an opinion.

That is all for now. These are trying times, please remember to be grateful for the little things, and to be kind, when it seems impossible. I am hoping for the best for all of us.

End