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Muddling Through Monday


I’m already frustrated with NaNoWriMo. What started with energy and ideas at 12:10 am November first, is now pulling teeth.

What has helped are the Inktober prompts. My randomly generated characters and their development resulted in a mermaid. Is it due to the fluid in her IV when she was brought in due to extreme jaundice and fainting or something that was innate just waiting for the right combo of chemical, genetic,or circumstances? We don’t know yet.

And another character was needed. Her random name is America, like the actress.

Sunn (the suddenly evolving mermaid) is running for safety when she meets America.

Quickly they are separated. Not knowing what else to do, America ends up at a family restaurant preparing and eating tacos. Yeah,I guess I was hungry.😂

This occurred as the prompts ‘shredded’ and ‘drink’ came up. Here’s my quick sketch:

Today I knew I had to include ‘trunk’ and ‘ragged’

How these will fit in the story escapes me. But that’s the challenge, right? I think it is stash from previous merfolk.

How do the stories of the reunion class picnic apply to the discovery of mermaids? I don’t know So far these are people in their 70s. Some at the picnic are smoking, so? I’ve never smoked weed. So I can only go by the stories I’ve heard. But I do love to swim. I love tacos… Trying to write what I know. Yes, arthritis and bad eyesight get a chance here.

Ah, but I still need 1,036 before I can go to bed.

Keep swimming…


Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time ContinuumFuture Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum by Michael J. Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun book to listen to. It brought back memories of my children enjoying the Back to the Future franchise.

I was lucky to pick this up through Libby. It surprised me that Michael J. Fox did his own narration. I had to slow down the audio because I sometimes didn’t quite catch what was said. That may just be because I was busy doing other things while listening. Still, Michael talks fast, so it helped me concentrate better.

If you want a little flash to the past, this is a great read/listen.

View all my reviews


Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “company.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Though writing is a lonely task, by necessity, it is nice to have company in the process.

I have an overactive imagination and writing helps harness that mess of the muses. Still, I know anywhere from 1 to 30 days I will long for human contact.

Sadly, it is hard to help my family and friends to know when they can help and when I need solitude. Sometimes the muses make me work for every letter, sweat and swearing can apply here. The fam and friends can wave in passing, just don’t feel hurt if they are ignored.

Then there are the desperate days, company helps open the mind from the hurricane of the deserted brain. But whereas in normal days I can luxuriate in the glow of love, in writing times, like NaNoWriMo, I have to limit myself to people, even the well-meaning, can stifle the process.

When there are folks accompanying my creative pursuits, I cannot look at other’s fantastic works. I think I have hypochondria to other people’s musings. Sorry, everyone for not peeking. We’re all safer that way. I can’t wait until my Inktober and NaNoWriMo fuse is finished so I can check out all the glory you all have created.

This past couple of weeks my energy has been low. I worried whether I’d feel up to NaNoWriMo (I certainly lost the Inktober during October) but I plan to incorporate the Inkprompts with the writing. I have enjoyed drawing my characters.

But after three 20 minute naps I was still tired and went  to bed around 10.

At 12:10 I woke with enough energy to skip into the living room to open my laptop and write! I managed 1,684 before sleep call again. I’m so happy with the story so far. I can’t wait to see what happens!

By the way, I think my title is Folie à Plusieurs (the madness of the masses). What would you expect from a reunion of old hippies?

Happy National Novel Writing Month flock!

Friday


The lower half of the balloon is nearly done.
The yarn my daughter gave me is becoming toes.
Here’s what the skein cakes look like.
The yarn my son gave me is becoming the finished toes.
This is how the skein and cake look. The cake was made because the dog made yarn vomit out of one of the skeins while I was gone for a day.
Yoga socks are nearly finished but I lost interest as it’s getting cold.
Arch ribbing starts soon. I still love these colors.
This is what the yarn looks like. Not much left. I hope I have enough for at least shorties.
Nearly to the heel. I like this color, too.
Close up off the yarn.
Mid arch ribbing.

Musically I’m enjoying sight reading a lot of songs from one of Sondheim’s books.

Three more hours until No Plot becomes my problem.

Thursday


This has always been me. ADD. I had the answer but forgot under pressure.

One-Liner Wednesday


No plot, no problem, possible?
A part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesday.

Toon Tuesday


https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17YysJmq7i/

How I’ve felt these past few days. Thanks, Cuz!


Bad MonkeyBad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’m at 77% into this book. I have sped up the audio because I am bored with this book. I have read other Carl Hiaasen books, and I always feel like I want to quit. I wonder why I tried. This isn’t up my alley. The humor is not funny. Maybe my gender? My age? I just find it a bit vulgar and misogynistic. And I am sad to hear bad things about the Johnny Depp monkey from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. All of it may be true, but still… it is a monkey, ya know?

I’ll finish the book before I sleep tonight. If the last bit changes my opinion, I’ll come back and change the review. Obviously, others love this book —try it and see what you think. A plus was that Arte Johnson was the narrator.

Thankfully, I picked this up on Libby.

View all my reviews

ReReview:


A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6)A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reading this the third time has felt a lot like the first time. I stick with the other two reviews below. What I noticed this time I didn’t take note of before was the story arcs for Jocasta’s slaves. I have to admit I like the stories in the television series more.

The other thing I noticed this time is Arch Bug and the part he has played from the beginning, and his sad ending.

I’m still in love with these stories and the magic of Diana Gabaldon and narrator now character on Bone of My Bone, Davina Porter.

***

Below is the review from the last time I read/listened to this book. I have re-rated this and given it five stars. I think this reading aligns with the latest episodes of the show. The last episode I watched was exactly what I had just listened to that day. I love following both the book and the show and seeing how they translate the written word, especially a long book like this, into an excellently done show.

Though I stay with the thought that the narrator, as excellent as she is, for the most part, had a hard time helping the listener to know whose point of view she was portraying. Still, I followed better this time than I did the last time I read.

I highly recommend these books. Like last time, I have already started book 7. Yay, William as a grown-up!

***

Wow! Am I finally finished with this book? It is the longest book I think I have ever read. I don’t think it needs to be that long, either.

Look. Don’t get me wrong. I still love the story, the characters, and the concept of time travel. I just found the length unbearable with the thousands of books on my TBR shelf.

It is fun to explore the early days in America with the characters. I have to admit that I loved the time in Scotland the most, so this book is missing that aspect.

The other problem with this book is that our magical narrator, Divina Porter, couldn’t handle all the characters. Now that Brea is an adult, she sounds like Clair. Now that Roger is an adult, he sounds like Jamie. All the children sound the same. Maybe if I could read simultaneously as listening, I could sort them out. But that is not possible for me and my eyes.

The last thing I need to point out, in case it counts for your reading the book, is that I am already reading book 7, so…

It is worth the read. Stay with it. There are rewards in the story. And in this crazy world, a sweet time-travel romance can calm the worries that like to strike at bedtime.

View all my reviews


Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “alarm.” Use it as a noun, use it as a verb or an adverb or an adjective, use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Alarms are ringing in my head. The night most people feel as exciting fright for Halloween, is my deadline for prep for the night of writing dangerously. Midnight after the trick or treaters have counted and downed much of their bounty, I’m drinking tea and hoping for words to count. But I have to wait for that moment. Five more days! (Only 5!)

This last week my reality was so much better than playing with my imaginary friends, but that time away made these characters as flimsy as paper dolls.

Wait! What?

Draw a story

Well, my stream just found an idea! Maybe I’m playing with my new friends this next few days. That is IF I can put down the yarn long enough to create a yarn. By the way, NaNo2.org is the new site, thanks, Yvensong. Still checking it out.

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