Archive for October, 2019
When is a novel not a novel? On Halloween Eve, and Halloween also known as NaNo Eve.
EDIT: Oops. I forgot to pingback. One-liner Wednesdays are a product of Linda G. Hill. Come join the fun! This the easiest prompt out there!
Finished this toe-up sock today.
I figured out how to do the Kitchener cast on using the KB Sock Loom!
I’ve posted the YouTube how-tos earlier in this blog. But I might not have shared the super stretchy bind off. I really like this hack!
Anyone else getting ready for NaNoWriMo? Yeah. Me, too! There have been very few years since I heard about it that I haven’t tried. And most of the ones I attempted I finished (won) I believe what has helped me most is the Sprints/Sprompts that you find on Twitter or Facebook, and the numerous Virtual Write-Ins on YouTube. The first one for this year will be October 30, 2019, for a prep.
I love the excitement of writing a story. Even when it feels like crap. I love the thrill of the 1,666 word-goal a day. Even when you think you don’t have one lying around in your head.
What I don’t like is facing NaNo with a computer that has a screen that seems to go all white unless I fix the lid just so, and finally, I might get a couple of minutes.
My husband is the best! Hands down! He knew how frustrated I was about all this, so he got on the phone and made sure that by Thursday, I will have a working laptop! And I don’t have to relinquish this piece of @#$@#!@. I can face midnight on Halloween with courage and a bit of an idea what the story is about and a way to move it all slowly to the newer machine. I’ll write more about that as it becomes a reality.
So I played with my characters a bit and now have a few. Even a semi-working title Balter’s Dance Studio. And it does seem to be in Haven’s universe on Crim. Where we learned about Dusty’s Love Lair. Yeah, not exactly what you might think. Mostly sci-fi with fantasy and lots of imagination. Sorry I haven’t brought that novel onto the website. Yikes! I haven’t even finished uploading the first book. Dusty’s is about five novels since that one.
I always start prep with WriteItNow. I like its prep-ability. Character development works well in that program. Especially when I use:
The Writer’s Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon
I play random numbers on the characteristic to build the physical and then the personality of each character. My writers’ group back in Reno and I would call out numbers and then write down the results. Now without them, near I have numbered the items on each page then use the random number generator to select the characteristic. So now I have Walter Balter nearly standing in front of me. I know a lot about his mental health just from the physical. I will continue making him live and then work on the rest of the family. Hopefully, the characters and a minor outline will be ready for Midnight Thursday.
How do you prepare? What are your methods of writing NaNo or other novels?
The 100 by Kass Morgan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
What a disappointment! I couldn’t afford to buy the Kindle and Audible versions of this book, so I looked it up in the e-library. I’m glad I didn’t spend money on this book.
What I wish is that those who took this book and made the fantastic series on Netflix would take a look at my on writing.
The thing I usually like about reading a book over watching a show is the depth of character you can enjoy. Instead, blathering emotional teen angst.
Oh, and I checked out the audio version thinking that real voices would help my reading experience. NOT! Justin Torres (Narrator), Phoebe Strole (Narrator). For some reason, the main character, Clarke, who is supposed to be the medical team leader of sorts, sounds like a five-year-old. Instead of having a space adventure or a new Earth adventure, we tripped about in romantic lunacy. Yes, the show did take more of a Lord of the Flies take on the loosed teens on Earth, but that was preferable. I wish more time would have been spent exploring and learning. I don’t think most teens are that immature as the book or the show portrays.
Anyway, after I gave up on the narrators and went with my text-to-speech. So much better. I can’t wait to see more of the 100 on Netflix, but I am not at all interested in reading more. That makes me sad!
Per Linda: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “dress.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
Dressed with the transparent reflective pearls, our new picture graces our Saturday pages. Only Nature can put on a spread appropriate to every day of the year. She is the dictator of our clothing. This weekend we will be donning bulky sweaters in the day and an extra blanket at night. Dress with less, and you are sure to be nipped by Jack Frost.
Speaking of dressing, our trees are completely naked. Just two short weeks ago, they were full of mostly green leaves. The yellow of Fall came and went within that quick season. And though I love the blue sky of Summer, blue sky Winter is ferocious! Without cloud cover, the temperatures dip to the teens and below. Without rain or snow, the landscape is prickly, yellows, and browns. Our desert doesn’t have cactus or those wonderfully spooky Joshua Trees. We have just a landscape of sagebrush and sky. Both beautiful in all seasons, but at times best seen from the comfort of shelter.
Playing around with words with ‘dress’ I found this humorous and somehow applicable to the subject: With the addressability of ambassadresses in sweaterdresses, this climate only works for the rich as they can slip into vehicles or homes well heated. Even with the ankles left undressed frostbite won’t attack them due to less exposure than the poorly attired. (Where were Google Words when I played Scrabble?)
Ah, but I bore of the subject of the weather of my address. Ennui, sweats is my dress. Guess I had one more thing to readdress.
Okay. nothing got finished for today. It may be in part due to the binge. My hubby and I are so addicted to Blacklist that we have gotten behind on all our other shows. The part that made us nearly lose our minds was the season one finale We had to go to bed, it was midnight after all! So we didn’t get started until after lunch the next day. No, I am not going to spoil it for you. But it was a very difficult time through the next few episodes. \
If you get the chance we highly recommend this show. James Spader is, well, James Spader! Here’s the trailer.
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
If my mind has not been very focused. This book may be the cause. Lack of sleep. Not because of worries. Nope, I just couldn’t stop reading/listening to the book.
I had the Audible Whispersynched with the Kindle version. Davina Porter did a marvelous job of narrating the story. Hers is not the sweet voice of the actress who played Claire Randall in the TV series. But Ms. Porter has the versatility to play all the characters perfectly.
The show did a good job following the books. The only thing I miss in the reading is the music.
That’s okay. I can Sing Me A Song of a Lass That Has Gone…
This story is captivating either way. I love getting involved in the history presented. I wish I were better versed in world history, especially France, and the British Isles. I know the next book will bring me into the founding of the United States of America. So that gives me a timeline I know, somewhat.
Since I read the book after watching the show, I wish I could have read it first. Not that the show is missing anything. I just like visualizing the story for myself. Now the people and places are fixed by the show.
At any rate, it is a good read, even if you’ve seen the show. It will keep you engaged in the story. I can’t wait until I can afford book three.
Darswords 
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