Updates October 03-07

Hello,

Thank you for the likes and follows.

Last week was a murphy’s law or razor, it felt like I was cut, and it was bad.  Not only bad for me but worse for my dad.  The day after the last update was posted, he was in the hospital again.  He is elderly and they admitted him these days as a precaution.   There were some complications with the procedure, but it was handled with antibiotics.  He was released on Saturday, October 1st.   There has been some improvement, but we are keeping a closer eye on him. 

Since the IRL was up in the air, writing took a backseat.  Despite, all my previous words about getting deep into writing.  I didn’t write much on plans the last update.  I wrote mostly about adaptations and character analysis.   All that led to me watching the first 4 episodes of Rings of Power.  I am a sucker for the underdog.  I will say that there are parts of the story that is different from how I understood it. My level of irritation is very low.  I like the actors playing their parts.  My biggest complaint is even though I like Arondir.  I kind of prefer long-haired Tolkien elves.  I also think that certain characters should have developed differently.  When I mean certain characters, I mean Galadriel.  If this is after Morgoth was defeated, Beleriand and Doriath are no more.  Galadriel should have already known Queen Melian and I was led to believe that her apprenticeship with this Maiar helped temper her ambition.  However, I find it interesting, to see restless elves. There are other things that break suspension of disbelief but there are not enough to make me not watch the story.  I noticed that the action kicked up a notch, but I don’t know what happened because my brothers and I talked more than we watched that show at that point.  Overall, I am interested to see what happens next. 

As mentioned in a previous entry, it is now Preptober.  I am following Sarra Cannon on her Heart Breathings channel on YouTube. She has a whole October setup and daily vlogs planned for November.   The 2022 Preptober planner has been downloaded and printed.  I would’ve preferred an A5 option for print, but it did not happen this year.  Just when I decided to make my A5 binder planner the works-in-progress notebook.  This also was not mentioned previously, in this last quarter I am trying out a 90-day planner, instead of trying to stuff one into a binder.  There is no real explanation for how casual disorganization became dysfunctional chaos real quick and it took most of the 2nd and 3rd quarters for me to find a solution. I am not even sure this one is going to work. I’m doing it anyway.   NaNoWriMo also offers a Preptober hand out free of charge.  You can get it as long as you are a member, I think. Participation is not a requirement, and it is free.  Next week will be all about the preparations for November and the story.  Right now, everything is too new.  There is also the non-writing life that is more important.

I wanted to write more but other priorities took precedence.  The result is this entry posted on Tuesday.   I hope everyone has a good week.  Rember to be kind.  

Updates September 26-30

Hello,

Thanks for the likes and follows.

Last week went well. Life outside of writing has improved. My dad was in the hospital for about a week and a half.  He did have to go through a procedure. It was successful and he is home now.  Which is great. I am still sifting through my feelings about the whole situation.  It is very complicated and has too much information to share.  

When I wasn’t writing I watched some exciting vlog essays on characters from various fantasy series.  GRR Martin’s Game of Thrones/ A Song of Ice and Fire and JRR Tolkien’s Silmarillion/Lord of the Rings series were prominent because of the prequel streaming shows on HBOMax and Amazon Prime.  I watched these discussions on YouTube and according to the Content Creators there, House of the Dragon is a hit and Rings of Power is a miss.   I am still on the fence about these shows.  I understand their appeal to audiences who are not fantasy readers and I know the frustration of those who are.  A showrunner and writing teams interpretation of the same book that fans read, extrapolated, and developed settings, situations, and characters that are different from what was imagined.  It can feel like an insult or an attack. A way to deal with negative feelings that may arise is to step away from the “offensive material” and recognize that this fiction may not be for you.  Remember the original material is still there.  Also remember that especially with JRR Tolkien’s work, he wrote from his experiences and of his time.   I am writing this from a perspective of a Black Woman.  He may not have meant to write things that now sound and are offensive, but they are still there.  I don’t believe it was his intention to insult anyone.  So, in general, I ignore it.  I also consider that adapting anything for the large or small screen, needs to be inclusive.  I refuse to take offense to original works or adaptations.  Distancing oneself is better than a vitriolic rant.  There is a thin line between dissent and insult.    These methods may also be successful with GRR Martin’s work but since he is alive. He has the option to comment on live-action productions and the agency to establish the canon.  The audience has a chance to pick a side. 

This is the last week of September.  My original goal was to finish Connection Lost by this time.  Then I could leisurely prep for National Novel Writing Month in October. Nano fans call it Preptober. There is also an Inktober, but controversy kind of killed the event. Preptober is the time Nano writers prepare for the event.  It is also where Content Creators also share tips and suggestions for participants to win.  This is all voluntary and free.  I usually decided to participate in Nano, in the last week of October or the first week of November.  I wanted to use Preptober as the time to really develop the frame of the story.  I have been thinking about it for two years and I have written some notes on it and a few character profiles.  It is an experiment to see if this kind of planning can help me win. If it doesn’t help, I will still have the words and learned that this method did not work for this story.  A side goal is to get as many badges as possible. They are meaningless in the long run, but they are so much fun to acquire.  There is a sense of accomplishment when I see the 7-day or 10K badge light up.

I have been dividing the year into 3-month quarters, gleaning tips and suggestions from others with similar planning methods.  This last quarter I am challenging myself to do better.  I wrote this before, and I will continue to do so until it is so.  There is a lot of work, I would like to complete to improve this website and other social media spots.  It is true that I’ve been neglecting them, and the result is I don’t like the position it has put me in.  Every day is an opportunity to do better.  The mantra for the week. 

That is all for now.  I didn’t plan to write as much as I did but I am glad to get the thoughts out.  Now to focus on my own stories.  Enjoy the rest of the week.  Please remember to be kind. 

End.