Scary Edition 2020

Originally, I had intended to title this post "Hello October," but we have officially passed the midpoint of the month. Halloween will be here in two weeks, followed by, well, everything else. That being said, I wanted to share how I've been spending the spookiest month of the year.

The Book Two Posts, Episode 10: Fixing Broken Chapters

As I've pointed out in previous blogs, I've been having issues with one of my plot lines. For one thing, I just didn't enjoy reading Chapter Eight at all. It was almost painful to read, and I wasn't sure why. When I would reread what I had written to get back into the flow and reached Chapter Eight, I felt like, "Oh, that chapter. Not again." I just hated it for some reason.

The Book Two Posts: Ep. 9: Over 100,000 Words and Counting

I managed to nail down the beginning of the first chapter. For months, I wasn't entirely thrilled with it. I would take it apart and rewrite it, and still didn't feel like it was right. I started deconstructing again and added another paragraph that I feel is somewhat foreboding and sufficiently sets the tone for the story. I finally had that moment where I felt like this is it.

Vintage Heart Rabbit: A Doll Story

When my sister and I were small, our grandmother gave "us" a doll. The doll's story went that my aunt had traded a little girl a handful of candy for it. We figure that this took place some time during the Fifties. This aunt was the youngest of my dad's sisters.

Vintage Heart Rabbit: Antique? Painting & Antique? Frame

I will be your night in shining armor, riding across the desert
on a fine Arab charger... (The Rolling Stones "Emotional Rescue")

I'm a collector of things both old and new, from Skylanders and Sailor Moon to paintings and cameras. Some of the things may have value; some of them I just think look pretty neat.

Bunker Tour Post: Hostile Living Room Makeover

August will be my third anniversary living at this place, and I'm just now getting around to making it look like a home. It's difficult to buy big items when you don't have a truck or free labor, but I am figuring out ways around it. Hopefully, once I have everything in its place, I'll have enough white space in my head to start creating again.

The Shelter Chronicles, Part II

What's up? I know it's been a while. I've been deep undercover here at the abode, working from home and thinking it's time to try a work-from-home hair color. 😸 Because it's the first time in my life that I've felt that it's acceptable. Seriously, a couple of decades ago, we were told at work that we were not allowed to have blue hair. I didn't have blue hair, but some did, and it was frowned upon. I will not have blue hair, and it will be much more subtle. Just dipping my toe into the river of unorthodox hair colors.

Gimme Shelter

Hello, Reader.

I had begun to wonder how much the world had changed since I've been in the bunker, and I was curious about venturing out further than the mailbox or the sidewalk to make the no-touch hand-off with the DoorDash or Uber Eats delivery person when I felt like splurging for a tempura bento box or Chili's chicken enchiladas. Gotta keep those restaurants going! We're in this together!

The neighborhood sounds just as busy as it did before and even more so. Even from the first announcement concerning social distancing, people were still out and about walking dogs with a friend or relative. It had stopped raining, and the weather was pleasant. Flowers were blooming in all of the yards. One cheermeister drove around the neighborhood singing, and the next day, she was joined by a small parade of singing, cheering women, all in their own cars, keeping their social distancing.

March Madness: 7 Favorite Middle Grade Books

(Video mashup by Ridiculous Chicken)

In a previous blog post, The Binge Review, Ep. 2: Netflix and Books, I mentioned that I was reading 100 Cupboards for the second time. Interestingly, author Shannon Kaper talked about the same book on her YouTube channel in a vlog about Middle Grade March. I can promise you I was nearly finished with the book when I saw her video because I can't read that fast! 😹

Inspiration, Part II

On a recent YouTube video, self-published author Kristen Martin talked about falling back in love with life (+ writing). Since I had just written my blog post "Time and Inspiration" a couple of days earlier (I'm writing this on February 24, and that blog post is scheduled for February 28, so we're time-traveling here), her video struck a chord in me. In that blog post, I talked about trying to organize my office/studio and placing paintings on my brand new drafting table to inspire me to get back to painting. This blog will be a reflection and response to Kristen's video, as well as a follow-up to my previous blog post.

The Binge Review, Ep. 2: Netflix and Books

I thought I would talk about a few things I've watched on TV and read lately. In case you wonder, I'm writing this about two weeks in advance of posting.

The Witcher

It has probably been more than a month since I watched "The Witcher" on Netflix. I had been saving it to give myself something to look forward to and fill that post-Christmas void. I loved it. It's more magical and funnier than "Game of Thrones" but seems to satisfy the same need, if that makes any sense to you. Don't quote me on this, but I am thinking that the series might be inspired by a video game that was inspired by the books. I think.

Time and Inspiration

When I got to work this morning, I was actually entertaining the thought that I might have a chance to work on the book since I knew I had very little work when I left the night before. Unfortunately, that never happens. Every Friday, I get slammed. If there was no work the day before, they send me everything else all at once. So, instead of a possible relaxing afternoon where I could work on the book, I was busy looking at actual work. But that's okay. It was Friday.

The Book Two Posts, Ep. 8 and Organizing

The book is at nearly 98K now, and I'm currently in the process of rereading, editing, tightening, polishing, and moving things around in a way that makes sense.

There are still a few problem areas to be fixed before I'll think of it as anywhere near complete. I think that it flows well in most areas, and I'm still struggling with one or two plot threads. I'm hoping that moving things around will help solve some of the issues. It's like I already had a solution to the problem, but I wasn't making the most of it.

About Writing: Ep. 4 Taking My Time

I've listened to a few authors vlogging and blogging about writing fast or writing more slowly, and the pros and cons were discussed. I will not be rehashing their material here. This post will be mainly about my thoughts that rose to the surface as I mulled over what works for me.