Wednesday Words: Stephen King's The Shining

 

I'm actually back, I think! Happy 2nd Wednesday of the month! On this day, I share with you all what I am reading, and this month is a fun one. If by fun, you like being scared out of your wits.

A few weeks ago, my younger sister said she had never seen all of The Shining, so I said we should watch it. As we were watching it, I realized I'd never seen the whole thing! Before then, I had only seen from the point where Wendy was speaking to a therapist, but also, I'd only ever seen it on cable, so there were several scenes that were cut. I'm not a fan of Stanley Kubrick's movies. I think he butchers and over-sexualizes books when he adapts them, and that's going off of the two I've seen. So, the only important scene that was really essential that I'd never seen but had heard my older sister always talk about was the old woman in the bathtub. She was featured heavily in Doctor Sleep, which was a GREAT movie. Maybe we'll read the book next, as there is an excerpt at the end of this one.

But anyway, I say all this to say that after we watched it and told our older sister, we decided to read the book together, so that's where we are. I haven't read a Stephen King novel since Full Dark No Stars, which wasn't really scary, just super dark. I know how The Shining ends, and it doesn't end with Jack frozen in the maze, eyes rolled back for no reason. But if you haven't read it, I won't give it away.

Here is a bit of dialogue about the creepy old woman, cutting out the rude misogyny in this. It's excessive here:

"...a chambermaid, Delores Vickery...she gives out with a helluva shriek while she's makin up the room where those two stayed, and she faints dead away. When she comes to she says she seen the dead woman in the bathroom, layin naked in the tub. 'Her face was all purple an puffy,' she says, 'an she was grinnin at me.' So Ullman gave her two weeks' worth of walking papers and told her to get lost. I figure there's maybe forty-five people died in this hotel since my grandfather opened it for business in 1910."

All the big hotels have secrets and superstitions. I'll stick to Days Inn then. haha

What are you reading this month?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

 

Happy April!

I'm currently on a blogging break, but I did want to pop in to answer this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question! You can visit the website and our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, for the list of co-hosts for the month and other participants, as well as join us by signing up!

This month's question is: Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?

I don't know if I'm a huge risk-taker. I probably have a darker focus in my work than other YA/NA writers. I've never been afraid to have more gruesome scenes or imagery in my stories, even when I was a kid. I grew up in a Stephen King-loving household, so I'm sure that has something to do with it.

Actually, Style/POV-wise, I decided to write the Shattered Chronicles series in present tense to pull myself more into it emotionally, and I know present tense might be considered a risk. I hardly notice the tense in books when I read them unless it suddenly changes, so it's not something I consider a risk, but I know others don't like it. Makes no difference to me. :)

What about you?

Quarterly Goals - Am I On A Break?

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm a couple weeks early for my quarterly goals post, but that's because I need to take the next few weeks to decide what I'm doing with the blog. I'm not really reading at the moment, and my writing has been slow, so I haven't been able to do my weekly posts.

If I'm still in a rut in April, I'm going to need to reevaluate my blogging schedule, which, if you've been with me since my blopsot.com days, you'll know that's on brand for me. I really like this schedule, though, so maybe I just need to take an also-on-brand-for-me break until I can get back into the swing of things. I'll make a decision by the April IWSG post.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

 

My day has been so busy I totally forgot to post. And who can believe that it's already March?? That means it's time for another installment of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Please visit the website, as well as our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh to visit the co-hosts and other writers to connect with!

So, I had to write a 5-paragraph bio for my publisher, and whew! I hope it wasn't trash. I felt like I gave them my life story, and that I was back in college writing the weakest but still C-able essay. HAHA. We'll see if I need to fix it. I need to finish looking back over the second half of FP before the editor needs it.

What I really need to do is take a couple of days off (which, let me go ahead and ask my boss now) and try to break out of government and secretary work. I'm over both. I'm in my mid-thirties. I need to do what I love, and this isn't it.

Anyway, this month's question is: Everyone has a favorite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?

I usually read whatever the wind blows into my view. I've read fantasy, mystery, romance, horror, thrillers, adult, YA, children's books, manga, comics, graphic novels, sci-fi, etc. As long as the premise is good, I'll give it a try. If you can give me a fantasy with romance, you have hit my sweet spot. :D

How about y'all?

February Writing Update & Wednesday Words

 

Happy Wednesday!

We're halfway through the month, so I thought I would pop in on the 3rd Wednesday like I was supposed to last month and say hi.

Last month, I did a preliminary edit of the first half of Fractured Princess. I know when it's my time in the edit queue I might not have the time I need to sit down and get all my edits done, so hopefully what I did will help when I send the original to the editor. The day I had at work yesterday, though, I might just take days off when it is my time. Why not?!

I came across a tweet a week back that really hit hard. It said: "'My child is neurotypical,'" and the line under it said, "Your child used to read all the time but can't focus long enough to do it anymore." Good God, I'm the child. But I'm trying! So, this week I started Chase Bolling's The Road Of Resistance, First Book of The Vanguard Series.

After weapons technology is mysteriously knocked back to the dark ages, America is plunged into chaos! Shades of the Black Wall Street Massacre, and the Trump Riots ensue when the president consigns everyone but the elite to mass incarceration, and forced labor! As martial law strikes a night of protests leads to riots, looting and revolution!

Chessed, an S.C.A loving ex-gang member, dons his armor, hefts his weapons, and declares war on corrupt cops, hate groups, and the nefarious powers of a hostile government! He and his allies must fight to survive if they are going to carve a post-apocalyptic Camelot from their embattled inner-city community!

Chase is the flagship author and Managing Editor of SF/F For the Culture and was the one who pulled me into the mix for Wahida Clark Publishing's Sci-Fi Fantasy imprint. I'm a few pages in, and when I realized what was happening, I thought, "Oh. Oh, wait. Oh, no!" I'm excited to see what happens next. It's swords and shields in modern-day America, and I'm here for it.

In January, it reached #15 in Black & African American Sci-Fi, #84 in Black & African American Fantasy, and #89 in Arthurian Fantasy in the Kindle Store, and that's huge! So, if you're looking for something new to read, I strongly suggest checking out this book.

Have a great rest of your month!

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Happy Black History Month!

Please support black authors not just in February, but every month.

We exist 365 days of the year.

It's the first Wednesday in February, so it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group's first post of the year. Please visit the website and our great founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, as well as the co-hosts for the month, which can be found on Alex's website.

This month's optional question for IWSG: Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?

There are people whose blogs I visit every month, but I don't think I've made friends through blogging. I don't frequent the blogosphere like I used to, and I'm an introvert so it's not something that really crosses my mind.

In other news, I've slowly started getting back into reading, and I did a pre-edit of Fractured Princess's second edition with some tips my editor's already given me, so I won't have to rush through fixing things when she finally gets to my book. I'm happy with the changes, none super big, but certainly an improvement, in my opinion.

I hope you all have a great day! See you around the blogosphere.

January Review

 

© Creative Commons Zero (CC0)

Well, here I was thinking it was the 3rd Wednesday in January and contemplating if I wanted to put in a blog every other week instead of weekly, aaaand it's the 4th Wednesday. I've failed. But that's okay! Now I get to review the month, what I read, what I wrote, what this month has been like.

This week, I read "Emergency Skin" by N.K. Jemisin, It is Book #3 in the Forward Collection, and I forgot that it wasn't a collection by itself but part of one. That said, I need to go back and at least preview the other stories.

This one is in kind of in 2nd person? It's more like dialogue. Someone's talking to "you" as you're moving along, but then real dialogue starts. You never hear what you're saying, just the responses. It was very interesting, and in this day and age, when I realized what was actually happening in the story, it was very timely. I especially love the last few lines. Please read it.

I started writing in one of my romances. I can't remember if I've mentioned it before, but I do remember saying once that I want to revamp fan fictions I wrote but into standard contemporary fictions. I'm really excited about this one. It's emotionally charged, and I get to play with writing songs for it, which I did the first time, too.

I also started looking over my NA urban fantasy. There are some things I need to change, and it might be shorter than I expect it to be. I'll see how it goes. As for my sequel to Fractured Princess, I need to look through that again, too. FP itself is next in line for editing, so that will have to come first. I've already talked to the editor about a few things, so while the book won't totally change, there will be a couple of significant tweaks in the re-release. I'm excited about it.

This weekend, DVPit is having a virtual convention. Registration might still be open, so if you are a marginalized writer, I suggest peeking over there if you have time. The website is: https://www.dvpit.com/dvcon.

Enjoy the rest of January!

IWSG: Happy New Year!

 

And we're back! Happy New Year! It is the first Wednesday of January 2021! I can't believe how 2020 felt like the longest and shortest year at the same time, but I'm grateful that it's over.

We are jumping right back into the swing of things with the Insecure Writer's Support Group's first post of the year. Please visit the website and our great founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, as well as the co-hosts for the month, which can be found on his website.

After NaNoWriMo, I took an unexpected break in December. Trying to write over a thousand words a day for 30 days is not something I like to do, or was even able to do, especially having a full time job and a lot of other responsibilities. But it was good to know I could write every day. My goal this year is just write more, and get back into reading. I certainly acquired enough e-books to get me through a few years.

Each month, there is an optional question for the group, and this month's is: Being a writer, when you're reading someone else's work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people's books?

I want to say one of the big reasons I don't finish a book is because the writing is bad, but I have 15 unfinished books on my Goodreads list, so let me look through some of my reviews on why.

-problematic tropes towards minorities (stumbled on that a few times, looks like)

-stagnant plots (I gave one book 3 stars and still didn't finish it! I'm almost sure it was moving too slowly.)

-inactive main characters (why are the supporting characters doing all the work?)

-implausibility

-forced romance

-and yes, bad writing (clichés, redundancies, info dumps, awkward/bad sentence structures)

If there is a combination of the above, as there was in at least 3 of the 15, then I definitely don't finish.

I'd love to hear some of your answers, too!

Taking A Short Break

Hello! I don't have much to say. My book is going into editing soon. I've taken a small break since NaNo, so I'll get back into the swing of things soon.

For now, enjoy your holidays, and I'll see you again in 2021!!

Wednesday Words: Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell

 

Happy Wednesday!

It is the second Wednesday of the month, which means I will share with you what I am reading. As I post these ahead of time, I may have reached #9 by now, but I wanted to share the awesomeness that is N.K. Jemisin's Far Sector, which comes to us from the Green Lantern Universe.

First off, the artistry by Jamal Campbell is *chef's kiss* BEAUTIFUL! I love the colors and the character models. Secondly, N.K. Jemisin continues to outdo herself with her writing! I love these comics. I don't think I've read comic-comic books since I was a kid. I've read manga and graphic novels since, but this is my first comic book since old X-Men comics my cousin had. There are tie-ins to our world, even though it takes place across the galaxy. You get to ask yourself the existential and moral questions as you read, which I never mind in writing. There's a lot of action, great character interactions, and a solid main character in Jo Mullein. I am on currently on #7 as I write this, but #9 was released over the weekend, so I will be catching up this week!

What are you reading?

IWSG: NaNoWriMo Update & Productivity

 

My cousin said it best: we are finally at Level 12 of Jumanji. Happy December! It's the first Wednesday of the month, so that means it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. As always, thank you to Alex J. Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts for doing the hard work of visiting us all. This platform has grown so much since I first joined. It's wild.

So, this was the first year I did NaNoWriMo and STUCK WITH IT! Back in the day, if I didn't hit 1,667 words, I immediately gave up and just watched from the sidelines. This year, I decided to give it a try, as 1) I have a publisher and 2) I have a story I need to work on. The first 6 days, I actually overshot the 1,667 words a day. By the 7th day, I got stuck and needed to rearrange some things, so I only hit 242 words, and I decided that that was okay. I even got some encouragement on Twitter from other writers who told me it's not that you reach 1,667 every day but that you write every day. So after the first week, some days I might've written only a hundred or few hundred words, and other days I wrote over 1,000 words. The most I wrote in a day was 2,243 words. I reached over 2,000 twice! On the 30th, I wrote 1,868 words, ending my NaNoWriMo with 30,575 new words for my urban fantasy WIP, totaling an approximate 33K words altogether. I think that's pretty good, and now I know I can write every day if I put some time in, even just 20 minutes. I was in a writing group, and we did sprints together, so having the support definitely helped, too. I think I can say for certain that I might finally be back in the writing groove. =D

Okay, the monthly question really quickly, so this doesn't get too long: Are there months or times of the year that you are more productive with your writing than other months, and why? 

Um...I don't think so? I mean, I could easily say November, but that was "by force." ;) It's definitely a little easier to write in my office, because work is easy going, and I don't have my tv or video games to distract me, so this "COVID season" has definitely not been productive for me.

How about everyone else? How did you do with NaNo? Do you have months that you're more productive with your writing?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I'll post my monthly review with my IWSG post next week. That way, I can report my final progress report for NaNoWriMo.

I know Thanksgiving is going to look different for a lot of people this year. My family's too big to get together for the first time in a while, so immediately families are getting together. If nothing else, find reasons to be thankful, and if for nothing else, be thankful we're still alive.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

November Writing Update

 

Can you believe it's already the middle of November?! It's crazy. I have successfully written every day for NaNoWriMo, and I've passed the 20k words mark! I had to tell myself this time to just not worry about hitting 1,667 words every day. Those first few days, I was passing that, and I even passed 2,000 words a couple of days. I didn't think I could write every day anymore, so I'm excited that I can. If not by the end of November, I will have a completed first draft of my urban fantasy in December!

How is everyone coming with their NaNoWriMo goals?