Wednesday Writing

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't been posting like I used to. I have suddenly become inundated with work - which is pretty funny because it was projects I came up with on my own.

Anyway, while working (I was, I swear) I found this lovely infographic about Old World Languages and a Ted-Ed Original lesson about fictional languages - something people really enjoy (like me, though I am currently only fluent in one language - and I even consider that a stretch).

Here's the link to the presentation: Are Elvish, Lingon, Dothraki, and Na'vi real languages? - John McWhorter
And here is the lovely infographic (from dailyinfographic.com/)

Tuesday Tech

Found on  imgur through Daily Infographic

Enjoy!

(I'm really tired, in part because of the weather, in part because I stayed up late to watch the Sony press conference for the first time. It was interesting.)

Monday Musings

It's a big week in the video game industry as E3 kicked off yesterday.

I love the excitement that generates around major events like championship games, conferences, and conventions. They also give me something to look forward to in the upcoming months/year.

Of course, there could always be an announcement that is made too early, or fades into oblivion leaving fans questioning if they ever saw it in the first place.

In honor of E3 and the hype it generates, here are some games you can play, courtesy of Google.

1) Atari Breakout
Go to Google Images> Search Atari Breakout

2) Zerg Rush
Go to Google and Search Zerg Rush

*Links lead out to the search (hopefully).

Friday Fun

I enjoy when people create playlists for books, movies, or characters. I had to create one for a summer reading assignment in high school (of course the teacher informed us he just wanted the free music...)

I did this recently for the characters in the MS I am currently working on. It started because I was listening to music (on Pandora) while working on the MS. Suddenly, a song came on that described the male's POV (point of view) on his eventual romantic relationship with the female protag.

It was crushing, emotional, and so lovely, I wrote down the song name and artist. The feels I get for my characters when that song plays is too much sometimes.

But it gave me something I needed. I had been struggling with character voice and feelings, but finding a song I feel represents that character helps me understand them a little better.

I definitely recommend trying it. It at least helps when you're overcome with feels about a book, TV show, or anything.

Feels can kill.

So here's the song I'm talking about:

 



Confession: I'm a wordsmith and I struggle with words.

Thursday Travels

I know a lot of these Thursday articles end up being about uncovered graves of the ancients, and today is no different. (I really need to find something a little more uplifting for Thursdays. I mean, it is almost the weekend).

The article, 2,000-Year-Old Roman Artifacts Unearthed in Ethiopia, contains an interesting mummy, one I would like to know the story of.

The woman in the grave has been dubbed "Sleeping Beauty," and maybe because of my lack of knowledge of mummies, but the way she was laid was interesting.

They said she was on her side, her hand under her chin, facing a bronze mirror.

This could mean so many different things, though I guess the root of all of it is that she was considered very beautiful in life.

The poses people are buried in usually signify what the culture believed of death (I guess the case is still true), but why was she posed in a leisurely pose, looking into a mirror?

Anyway, happy Thursday!

Wednesday Writing

Last week I wrote about going the traditional publishing route - not in detail because I would be terribly misinformed - but I touched on thoughts and work I believe would need to be done.

Today is about self-publishing.

There are a lot of benefits to self-publishing, but a lot of set backs as well. There is an overwhelming desire, no matter what publishing route you are going, to get your writing out there before it's ready. I did that, granted I went through it at least three more times then I felt it needed because I knew it wasn't ready.

The problem with self-publishing is that there is no one to tell you "No, you're not ready." This then leads to many ebooks becoming available that are less then favorable. Of course, this then leads to a stigma that all self-published books are bad, which just isn't the case. As I have said before, I have read some self-published books that were great, maybe even better written than some books on the market today. Being a subjective industry, it's a plausible statement.

Self-publishing also requires a lot of work AFTER your book is available for public consumption. Yes, traditional publishing will ask you, as an author, to promote your book, but if you miss a day or two, who cares? But for self-publishing, this is even more like starting your own business because it is you, you, and yourself. You miss a day of promoting your book? That's a few sales or views your book doesn't get.

Your book, when you self-publish, is out there on its own, unsure of who wants to spend time with it. You will have to find your target market, how to reach them, and when is the best time to do so. Yes, there are some self-published books out there that received some royal treatment and have help with promotion, but you can't count on that to get the job done for you. There are many other self-pub books that are trying to get your sales, using the same methods as you.

A bright side of self-publishing is for the people who write as a hobby, and strictly a hobby. A lot of writers have full time jobs where they are away from the homestead. This isn't their sole source of income, they have that covered already. These people though may want to make a few extra bucks (because who wouldn't) or may not want to do the upfront battle of traditional publishing.

But I just said self-publishing is work after the book is in the wild!

People with other paying jobs may either 1) not mind too much if their book becomes the next bestseller and 2) it's still not their sole source of income. They put it out there for public consumption because it was written, they edited the MS into oblivion, and thought people may want to enjoy their work (because isn't that what this is about - at least in the beginning).

Another thing people love about self-publishing is that it eliminates a lot of the Wheel-of-Stress that comes with traditional publishing. There are so many gates your book has to pass through before it can sit on a bookstore shelf, and any one of these gates, for any reason, can shut you down and throw you out. With self-publishing, it's you and the company you are going through that are the gatekeepers.

A branch to this is the money. The company publishing your self-pub book and you are the ones that get the money (well, and the government, but they always get our money) vs. your agent, an editor, the publishing company, and who knows who else when you go with traditional.

Publishing is not as glamorous as it may seem, but it's still a worthwhile endeavor.

Tuesday Theories

Tuesday is Pretty Little Liars (PLL) day, a day devoted to driving fans mad with theories on who A is.

I've come up with numerous theories, adapting some I've read by other fans.

But this isn't (solely) a PLL post, it's about an article I found on Business Insider:

The 'Ferris Bueller Fight Club' theory and other fan conspiracies sending people on Reddit into a tailspin

I love hearing fan theories as they show just how in depth, or detail oriented, people are when it comes to their favorite shows.

My favorite one, a crossover theory, is that "George Weasley from "Harry Potter" becomes Willy Wonka."

My first thought was "oh, cause of his crazy candy, right?"

Well, the little except of the discourse goes further to say "The scene where Willy has half of everything in his office kinda hints that he lost his better half, that is his brother who died." (from PM_Me_Your_Asian_Self on Reddit).

That's kind of deep. Yes, Roald Dahl wrote Willy Wonka years before Harry Potter, but I have a theory that could dismiss that time conundrum (something I am using in my book series).

What I enjoy about this is it calls some details to attention that I never would have noticed. "He lost his better half," was Willy Wonka ever married? What if he was in love. I don't remember much of the book series, as I read it in grade school, but it does make the mind wonder.

Anyway, enjoy the link (which links out to the Reddit discussions). Feel free to post any of your theories, ones you have thought long and hard about, or ones you even think about as a joke. Who knows? Maybe it's true.

Monday Musings

It's a rainy day here in the cave, and I'm several hours behind in work because of a hiccup.

So, here is a rabbit:

This is how I feel trying to play catch up, a bunny running around before a rain storm. *Cue Beatrix Potter opening song from the animated series*

Friday Fun

My rabbit did this too.

Happy Friday!

For Better or For Worse

Thursday Travels

Goodness I'm behind today!

I mentioned I would talk about my trip.

Let me just say, I can see where people get inspiration from.

We were supposed to land in our destination around 2 in the afternoon, plus a 2 hour drive, we would be at our inn at 4 PM.

First, our flights got delayed.

That wouldn't be such a big deal if our connecting flight wasn't leaving before the first flight landed. We spoke to the airline and they insisted it was ok. So, we left for the airport several hours early because clearly everything wasn't ok.

Then, while driving to the airport, we got a notification our flight had been delayed again. We shook our heads and kept on until we got to the check-in desk. The woman was already not too thrilled to be working, so our frustration mixed with hers wasn't a good combination.

Eventually, we got a new route to our destination. We'd arrive at the inn two hours later than planned, but that's life.

The plane we were taking to Chicago was late. The airline, being a business, was determined to make up the time, they threw the people off the plane and shoved us on the plane. That's fine, we all want to make up lost time.

We made our way to Chicago, and had to circle the area due to "weather." It was sprinkling on the ground in Chicago, though someone said because of a funnel cloud we weren't allowed to land. Well, because we were in such a hurry to leave for Chicago, the plane wasn't re-fueled and we had no fuel to circle, so we landed in another state.

Sitting on the plane for about an hour, we finally made our trip to Chicago, of course missing our connecting flight.

The next flight, in which was over booked by one person, wasn't for a while, so I finally had lunch at about 5 in the afternoon.

We finally made it to our destination, and were ready to face a two hour drive to the inn. Unfortunately, someone had other plans for us, and we encountered an accident on the highway. It took two hours to go two miles, and it wasn't until midnight that we were speeding away, hungry, thirsty and done with the trip.

Because of the late hour drive, a location people normally call beautiful will always be plastered in my mind as something straight out of a horror movie. There was fog everywhere, and there was this marsh that was illuminated by the moon. The marsh had dead trees poking out and I was just waiting to hear the moaning of the dead.

Needless to say, the three or four hours of sleep we got that night were not enough, and we failed to enjoy our time.

I'm just thankful the return trip wasn't a repeat of the trip out and we made it home safely.

Wednesday Writing

I have been away, and due to poor planning, didn't have blog posts scheduled for Friday, Monday, or Tuesday. The good news is I have a travel story to tell for Thursday.

While I was away, self-publishing became a major topic for people. I was surprised how many people I know are acquainted with people who self-published a book. The person who was talking about me and my publishing journey, was confused as to why I want to go with traditional publishing and why I am going to fight a long fight for traditional over self-publishing.

Self-publishing is a blessing and a curse (like so many things in life). For people who write in their free time and just want to put their writing out, and make some money for it, self-publishing is wonderful. I have read many great books that were published through Amazon.

My decision in what publishing route I wanted to pursue first was solely based on the work load. Publishing is by no means easy, but when you put in your work varies on which route you take. Let's assume you have polished your MS to beyond the best of your capabilities and your ready to journey into publishing.

For traditional publishing, you have an uphill battle up front. You will most likely need to find an agent, who may need to/will find an editor, and then the agent will find a publisher. Each person in the chain to publishing your MS needs to be found through research and luck. As I've learned from other blogs about writing, at any point your MS could be dropped. It's a helluva rollercoaster, but from conversing with success stories, it's worth it. I don't know all the ins and outs of publishing and all the strange things that can happen between signing with an agent and your book sitting in Barnes and Noble.

The other bright side is that you have a marketing team on your side to promote your book. No, they aren't solely for you and your career, but they will work on getting your book in front of people as part of their job. They do this for the benefit of the publishing company, because when the company makes money from your book, you will make money from your book.

Of course, self-promotion doesn't hurt and is recommended. If your book becomes popular, fans will hope to be able to connect with you via social media. So, yes, there is more work to do after your book is released, but if you miss a day or two, the world won't end for you and your soon to be best-seller.

These are just things from my research and my time working in marketing for a publishing company. I'll cover self-publishing next week.

Thursday Travels

Dementor wasps sound like fun, don't they?

They are part of the 139 new species that were discovered in the Greater Mekong Region in 2014. That's a lot of new species, especially when a mammal is among them.

Another species is a Crocodile newt, which sounds adorable.

Here's an article about the new species:

'Dementor' wasp, giant stick insect among new Mekong finds.

The bat picture they use as the main image is cute as well. It smiles with it's pointy teeth and says "I'm ready for my close up."

I love hearing about new animals being discovered. Some are extremely cute, others are so poisonous you get sick reading about it.

What's even better is that these aren't from someone's imagination, they're real, and they're here.

I've been trying to create some creatures for my fantasy adventure novels, and there are some, in the heat of a scene, that come out as the most ridiculous things I've ever thought of. I need to plan better sometimes. Or maybe I should take a trip to Mekong and discover a new species for myself. (Only joking. Though it would be fun to discover a new species).

Wednesday Writing

Today I'm going to link to two topics from Janet Reid's (Literary Agent) blog (again) on something that has given me trouble since it was introduced in grade school, the synopsis.

I could never grasp what was important, what was filler, and when to add the emotion (well, the latter was something I've only had to deal with now).

I found some pretty good sites on the internet that detail out how to write a short synopsis, but if I'm teaching myself, I need to see it multiple ways.

So, here is another way: Query Question: What the "deuce" is a brief synopsis? and the follow up, How to Write a Brief Synopsis.

I am certainly no expert when it come to a synopsis, I can tell you they need to have the conclusion of the story and some emotion, but besides that, I'm not a good source. I recommend checking these links out.

Tuesday Tech

Goodness! I almost titled today "Monday Musings." As you can see, the weekend swallowed me alive, only to spit me out at work, wondering what day it is.

Here are two articles for today:

Something fun: "Iron Man" Phone by Samsung

Something professional: 15 Body Language Secrets of Successful People


I just got a new phone, but it's no where near as snazzy as the Iron Man phone (the one in the movies or the one Samsung is releasing). I did try to find some cool cases that cover part of the front, making the shell and the empty space on the front look seamless, but alas, I'm just not that cool.

The second article is pretty interesting. I know I have a slouching problem (something that is considered disrespectful), a lot of people my age do. For me, I don't mind when people slouch because I do and it never means I'm not interested or engaged, that's just how I sit. It's when people lean back in their chair and put their feet on the table do I cringe (in a meeting that is).

The second article would be good for writers, and artists, since body language is a good way to tell the characters attitude or interest in a situation without having to spell it out for people.

Friday Fun

I apologize now for the swearing in the comic (and the gesture. Nothing else is inappropriate on that page). I don't usually post these things, but sometimes you need to know why you're frustrated with your work:

once-again-spite-conquers-all comic by 3DMatt (link goes out to the post's page on Tumblr).

Have a wonderful weekend, and don't let evil space wizards hold you back.

Thursday Travel

Genetic Study Identifies Young Paternal Lineages in Europe.

It says that 2 out of 3 modern European men came from 1 of 3 paternal lineages.

Let's see if I can recall high school genetics: It's hard to trace female DNA like this because the X chromosomes split and connect with another half, mixing together the parent's DNA. However, the Y chromosome is just passed from father to son.

There is mitochondrial DNA in hair that can determine maternal lineage, but we never got into too much detail about that. Besides, hair from centuries old skeletons is probably hard to find.

Anyway, I just thought this sounded inspiring for a story or a plot.

I'm still posting tomorrow, but wanted to say: Have a good weekend! And if you are celebrating a holiday, have a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Here's a map from the article:



Map from archaeology.org

Wednesday Writing

It's an editing day for me, I hope. I guess what I really should say is "it's editing day if work doesn't get in the way," which it will.

One of my favorite things from editing my first MS was when I learned about "crutch words," those words that you tend to use over, and over, and over again. I know I have a ton of them, "I guess," "Anyway," "so," and others.

Here is a blog post about clutch words by Michelle4Laughs: Crutch or clutch words. Throw them in the trash. (A blogger blog).

My first question was "How can you even tell what word is a crutch word?"

I don't remember who first suggested it, but what is recommended is to copy your whole MS and paste it in a program to create a word cloud. The word cloud will find repeated words, tally them, and show you, in an image, what your most used words are. It's fun, funny, and sometimes a little depressing, to see what words pop up often.

Character names came up a lot, which I figured. "I" also came up a lot, but the MS was in first person. But between the very large character names, hid words that were frequent enough to show up in the cloud. I don't remember what they were, but I can tell you, I went back to the MS, did a "Find" command, and took as many out as I could.

I believe this is the generator I used: Wordle.

This is just another way to look at your MS, because we all need a new perspective on occasions.

Tuesday Tech

Today is actually a techie day because I found an interesting article about 3D printing: 3D-Printed Exoskeleton Hands Could Augment Human Bodies (Link goes out to PSFK).

3D printing has really taken off in the past few years. On Etsy, there are many customs, creatures, and add-ons that were printed using someone's 3D printing. It's really fascinating to see what people are using the technology for.

This article shows yet another facet of the printer's capabilities, helping humans do more, better. The main image, a hand with an exoskeleton that looks like claws or talons, is a pretty cool sight. While it's awesome we may be able to do work differently, I think it looks like a pretty awesome addition to a costume.

But I wonder what else people will be making with 3D printers. With everyone who does good, or really cool things, there tends to be people who create more nefarious things (right now all I can picture is all those Scooby-Doo badies having an easier time with their costumes).

Yes, I'm leading to a theme/idea/inspiration for writing. It may be cheesy, it may be brilliant, but imagine an antagonist who utilized 3D printing for, well, whatever they do. Of course, you can flip this. Imagine a Batman-esque superhero, minus the wealth. Instead they use their skills to create something to increase their normal, human abilities.

Just an interesting thought.

Anyway, I don't actually own a 3D printer, but one day, I know I'll be getting one.

Monday Musings

Have you ever finished a series, be it book or television, and felt like your hollow inside? As if the story, the characters and their antics, filled a void?

I finished several stories this weekend (not written by me), and boy is today rough. Not all characters make it to the end of the story, so I'm usually still mourning their death for a few days, whenever I think about the story.

I'm sure I posted about it here before, but it warrants saying it again, all of my favorite characters die. All of them. Ok, yes, there are some that survive, but an unnatural percentage die. It got to the point I would say "I like so-and-so," and the next scene, they died. Sometimes I would go back and forth on my opinion on a character and I would end up liking them, only to have them die five minutes later.

A joke on the Talking Dead, the talk show after the Walking Dead, is that the moral compass on the show tends to die. I think that can be said about a lot of stories. In the first Avengers movie, was Coulson's death not used to rally the Avengers to action? In Pacific Rim, was Raleigh's brother Yancy's death not meant to stir something in him? (Nerdy references, but they were the ones that jumped out at me first that many people know of).

Death often propels a character into action. As in the cases above, we learn that not all death is permanent, but it's pretty safe to assume you won't see the character again. This finality is what forces a decision to be made to take action against the zombie invaders from the dark realm. It's a powerful tool to use, but it has to be done right.

Someone has to care about the character, be it the audience or the main character. This character should also be a turning point. Their death means there is no legitimate claim to the throne, or that now humanity's last hope is gone. Or, the character's death frees the MC - or antagonist- from what tied them to normalcy. Now, they are free to do as they please, and that will have consequences for someone.

Just some thoughts on a not so pleasant topic on a Monday. But, it's something to think about as I continue to mourn the loss of another beloved character.

Friday Fun

Here is some interesting trivia: Disney has been recycling the same animation footage for years.

Ok, it's not really news, but it is interesting, especially when someone puts the scenes next to each other.

There are also clips of the filler animation where there may be a funny image hidden in the changing emotion of a character's face. It's so split second that the human eye can't catch it. I don't remember where I saw it, but it was interesting.

Have a wonderful weekend and maybe watch a movie or two.

Thursday Travels

To continue with last Thursday's post about  China, here's another article that will hopefully spark some inspiration for a character or scene: Epitaphs From Ming Dynasty Translated.

The title of the article is a little on the misleading side, as they only discussed an epitaph of a woman called Lady Mei.

She lived more recently compared to the late doctor from last Thursday's post, but what bits of the epitaph they quoted made Lady Mei out to be an impressive person, or at least beloved.

A writing prompt idea with this story in mind: use your character's voice (or a voice you want to practice) to describe this woman, like they knew her. What was Lady Mei like? What hobbies did she enjoy? Or even, what were the days of mourning after her passing like?

Wednesday Writing

For this Wednesday, a guide for writers or an insight for readers on what part of the publishing process looks like.

This was posted on Janet Reid's (the literary agent) blog last week, but I thought it so fantastically amazing, it needed to be linked to this week:

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/05/query-question-withdrawing-query.html.

The question, as the link suggests, was about withdrawing a query. However, the editing advice for people who want to submit their stories was fantastic. It bluntly tells you the steps and if you (should) consider yourself ready to submit to agents.

Like anything you put your name on, you want to make sure the work you are sending out is the best you can possibly make it. I'm sure the first time I submitted my MS to agents it was the best I could possibly do at the time. Now, I'm sitting on it again, working on another story, and making plans to learn more about writing so that when I face that MS again, I'll be ready to make it even better.

Tuesday Tech

One of the big stories of the day, according to the numerous articles I saw about it, is that Verizon is acquiring AOL.

But, that's not what I'm talking about. Yesterday, I kind of switched things up, posting about younger people working on their dreams and how they inspire others.

I should re-label today as "Muesday" and yesterday as "Tonday" so I can keep my alliterations.

Anyway, today it's all about being productive. Writers, like anyone else who is working on anything, have moments (you know days, weeks, years) where it's hard to be productive. It could be a marvelous Spring day outside, but you're wired to your desk, or you could be excited about an upcoming trip and all you can think about is what to pack. It could even just be a "I don't feel like doing this" kind of day. Thing is, you've gotta do the work. It's needed if you want to succeed.

In comes the article: Naturally successful people do these 5 things at work every day.

The one I want to bring to your attention is item three, "They focus for 45, then break for 15."

I've never tried taking breaks this frequently as I've always been the kind of person who "takes a break when I need it." And I know when I need it. Otherwise, frequent breaks cause me to lose focus because my mind thinks we were done with task A.

However, this is worth a shot. As the article talks about, a teacher moved to Finland to teach and discovered the 45 minutes of instruction followed by 15 minutes of freedom kept the students energized. Energy is definitely something I could use.

Yesterday I was successful in moving towards a second completed MS, so, I'm going to try the frequent breaks today. Perhaps I'll be able to figure out some of the issues with the MS as I move forward.

Who knows, maybe this will help a lot of people succeed in their work.

Monday Muses

Going through my normal weekday morning ritual, I read some articles while eating my granola bar breakfast, and I found a very interesting pattern in the articles I was drawn to, they were all about young 20-somethings who jump-started their career or found their passion.

24 was the repeated age in most of the articles I was reading. 24 when I realized I was comparing myself to everyone else who had amazing careers or were earning their degrees. 24 when I found my passion to start my business. Even a recommendation to live cheaply in your 20s.

But the article I really enjoyed was: Meet the 13-year-old CEO who built a $200,000 business and is mentored by Daymond John.

I do enjoy Shark Tank (both the show and the blog) and remember when the boy came in to get a deal for his business. It was a wonderful sight to see that Daymond John offered to be his mentor - something extremely invaluable.

Many of the articles I read this morning, and people who enter "the tank," seem to touch on the fact that many people are still looking for guidance. We spend out entire childhood having people tell us what to do and when it's our turn to do what we want, we freeze.

So, take some inspiration from this young CEO (in the article, not me) and do something towards reaching your dream (or at least one of them) today. Even if it's only fifteen minutes, you'll be that much closer to realizing a dream, and you'll be better for it.

Me? I'm hitting the books - both the ones I've written and the ones that help writers improve.

Friday Fun

One of my earlier memories is when I was at my Grandma's house and I asked her if she could staple papers together for me so I could write a book.

I'm pretty sure that book was about a unicorn, as was most of my tales when I was younger. I wrote a novella to go with my first MS and it has a unicorn in it too. I guess not a lot changes.

In honor of Mother's day and my family indulging in my "books" I "wrote" when I was younger, here is a fantastic book binding tutorial, for books of all sizes.

James Darrow Bookbinding Tutorial - Deviantart.

Go and create my friends!

Thursday Travels

Tomb Raiders is the topic of the day. More specifically, tomb raiders in China.

This isn't about the video game or the book series, though the latter was mentioned in one of the following articles.

700-Year-Old Doctor's Tomb Excavated in China - is short and interesting, led to a longer topic about tomb raiders, Tomb Raider Chronicles.

I tend to use Thursday's blog post as hopes to inspire writers and others with articles about real life things I find interesting. Today is no exception. There is so many different scenarios these articles spur: the life of a tomb raider (which has been done, but who says it can't be done again?), the ancients who put things in the tomb, this 700-Year-Old Doctor Wu Jing and his life, among others.

On another note, tomb raiders do break my heart. I've said this multiple times before, but I am fascinated by ancient cultures all around the world. So when I hear chances to learn more about the past have been foiled, I can't help but be upset. There are other sides to the issue that I don't want to get into, because that's not what this is about. This is about new ideas, learning new things, and hopefully a spark to create something amazing.

(Side note: I really need to put more pictures in these blog posts. Text is good, but if only broken up by images, videos, gifs, etc.)

Wednesday Writing

Today some people were talking about words that teens use in everyday conversations. Some of them are abbreviations or derivatives of words, while others are completely out of nowhere.

I don't remember using any strange words in high school, but I'm sure I did. I do remember a time my mother heard a word on TV, a word people used at school all the time, but I had never said. I had to define it for her and that was not an enjoyable experience. I don't remember what the word was, but I did tell her not to bother using it.

Some of the words mentioned today sounded strange, but am I really one to judge? I'm writing of a fantasy world - full of strange sounding, made-up words. I combine English words with extra letters, mash Finnish and Spanish words together, or put a string of letters together that seem to sound good. I usually do a search on the word to make sure it isn't something already - especially if it's something I shouldn't use in a sentence, ever.

Of course, then there are those who invent their own languages in books and movies. I received an email from Duolingo, a language app, and they were advertising that they added more languages. Under coming soon, Klingon was added. Not a useful language in everyday conversations, but I can think of a few benefits of learning a language so few would know.

I would love to create my own language in my MS, but I always joke that I'm not even fluent in English (I'm positive there is a Professor I had who would vouch for that). However, if I'm determined to master English, become fluent in at least Spanish, Japanese, and conversational German, why can't I create my own language? Why can't you? Teens - and industries - do it everyday.

Tuesday Tech

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Because yesterday was Star Wars day, a lot of information about the future of the Star Wars franchise was released and rumors spread.

I grew up watching the Star Wars movies, never really sure which movie came first, but non-the-less enjoying them.

Now three more movies are coming out - and that's only in relation to the main story line. Spin-offs have been announced, like "Rogue One."

And now, another is rumored, and it's one people have been speculating about since the character first made an appearance - Boba Fett's origins.

Some information was detailed in the prequel trilogy about this bounty hunter, but not much is known about him.

Of course, this is "rumored," but the story I found on it is here: Fan favorite Boba Fett is reportedly about to get his own 'Star Wars' movie.

This brings up an important topic: Fanservice.

The first time I heard a TV show incorporating a fan-named background character into their regular programming, I thought that was awesome, "people are actually listening to the fans." Well, this was probably not the first time I heard or have seen this happen, but it was the first time I truly recognized what was going on.

This didn't end well for the TV series and they quickly renamed the character as the fan name wasn't entirely PC (politically correct) or sensitive.

I know other series, both TV and otherwise, do fanservice to appease die-hard fans, but at what cost?

Don't get me wrong, when I "ship" two characters, I live for the 30 second moment they share on screen together, be it just a look or standing next to each other - and I know a lot of people feel the same way. What bothers me is when creators, writers, directors, whoever, incorporates largely accepted fan ideas into their original work.

I'm glad they are listening to the fans, but so often when people do this, they sacrifice what they originally had going for them. Stories take bizarre turns, characters become less like themselves, situations become forced, none of it is really healthy for a story.

Personally, I believe listening to fans, maybe arranging positioning and team-ups so that fan favorite characters are seen together more often works. It feeds the fans, the artists, the fan-fiction writers, without compromising the original story. And fans seem to be ok with this. As a business person, I fully believe in listening to your customers. However, sometimes they don't know what they are asking or wanting.

As a fan of shows and series, I trust what the creators have envisioned for their series and I don't want anything to steer them away from the natural growth of their story. As a writer, I appreciate that stories grow on their own and changing them too much - just to incorporate fan ideas - can become detrimental to the story.

Just some thoughts. Remember, trust your vision and ideas, interact with your fans. If a fan idea seems organic to your story, then incorporate it. If it's not, well, maybe a side, "non-canon" story may be in the works, just to show your appreciation. :)

Monday Musings

May the Fourth be with you.

After a weekend of celebrating - eating my weight in all foods - I am tired and sure I've gained twenty pounds.

What a weekend it was though! There was so much going on, which is the best way to kickoff the "start of the summer blockbuster" season.

The 141st Kentucky Derby was on, a major match, playoff games in two different sports, people were getting free comic books, others were getting free Big Boy sandwiches, and others were paying to see super heroes kick butt.

And on Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, Taco Bell will be giving out free breakfast biscuit tacos (I think that's what it is).

What a way to start a month! I recommend all months take a note from May and get their act together.

Now, it's back to the grind stone and back to planning. :)

Friday Fun

A bit of nostalgia from my younger years:

Something cheerful and fun for the first of May.

(I also wanted to make a .gif of part of an episode, but really shouldn't be doing such things at work).

Thursday Travels

I wandered beyond the river of death, forgetting the pain it was to be me and looking forward to the excitement it was to become "me" again.

Going back to Latin America (not physically, but article-wise), I found this short article: Liquid Mercury Discovered Beneath Teotihuacan Pyramid.

My first thought was "how many people got sick putting the mercury there?" That wasn't the point of the article, but knowing what we know about mercury now, I can't imagine how many people became sick interacting with the mercury.

Anyway, one of the cool theories behind why mercury may have been there is because "it may have symbolized the river of death." (That's an image/prompt for sure).

Also, my favorite take-away from this article is that they also found "metallic spheres dubbed "disco balls"." I guess they wanted to make sure the person had everything they needed to party in the afterlife. :)

Writing Wednesdays

While writing, even just side stories or prompts, about my characters in my WIP, there is one character who is fighting me every step of the way. He is not meant to be the MC's love interest, but that's what he is becoming.

I usually let my characters do what they want, so long as the story progresses and hits the points it needs to, but this is going against the larger picture. The character is a loveable guy, but he keeps inserting himself into situations where he comes off looking like an amazing guy and a fantastic match for my MC.

This will be an on-going battle, where I am either going to have to be conscious of what he says and does around the MC, or make sure to establish a platonic relationship between the two.

We'll see.

Tuesday Tech

Despite there being loads of things happening in the world - which is usually the case - I actually struggled with finding an article for today.

So, in honor of the people who will be graduating college this weekend and next I thought I would share Business Insider's story: 13 Qualities Google looks for in job candidates.

The best one of the attributes, based on the name given, is "Google wants Googleyness." The article goes into what exactly "Googleyness" is, a summation of a bunch of different qualities, and I love that they made up their own word.

One of the qualities I appreciate, as I believe not many companies do (from my experience), is "role-related knowledge." Role-related knowledge is that you have the background and the aptitude to do your job, even if it means you need to teach yourself a few things. A lot of the jobs I have interviewed for seem to expect you to come in knowing everything. But studies show, people don't stay in those jobs long. People like challenge, be it small or overwhelming. Yet, it almost seems companies expect you not only to have the qualifications, but be able to come in knowing how to do most, if not everything, listed in the job duties.

One key thing from this article is that Google wants people to have the willingness to learn. They want you to be smart enough to know that you don't know everything, you could be wrong, and have the willingness to learn (because it's ok to make mistakes!)

That's the short and sweet of it. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Monday Musings

Last week I (finally) had the chance to finish Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran. So, here are some of my thoughts on it. I know there are plenty reviews on it, but I like to recommend books to people and my two cents are free. I'll try to avoid spoilers.

She is my favorite historical fiction author and I was thrilled when Rebel Queen came out - and it did not disappoint.

Ok, yes, I was disappointed it was on the shorter side, since I ate it up way to fast, but that's life.

I am unfortunately ignorant on most details of history, despite my love of it, so historical fictions are great reads for me because I'm never sure who is going to die and who's going to get married. This was continued for me in Rebel Queen, about the Rani Lakshmibai, told in the point of view of Sita, a guard in her personal all-women army.

If you have read her other books, Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen, Cleopatra's Daughter, and Madame Tussaud or The Second Empress, this book falls closer to the first four as it doesn't switch POVs. I usually like different POVs, but with Michelle Moran's writing and choice of characters, I usually want to stay with the main protagonist.

The difference is - which might be a spoiler, so be forewarned - it's told after the fact. Sita is actually retelling the events, so there are moments when her older, experienced voice reflects on things she didn't understand when she was younger. It was nice though, to see Sita's hindsight on the events of her life that got her where she is at the end.

In addition, I adore the introduction of words, like purdah, that people are generally not familiar with. If there was ever a question about a words meaning, there was a glossary in the back of the book, defining certain words. It needs to be said that while reading I could see the depth of knowledge and research that went into Rebel Queen was intimidating - and greatly appreciated. The world really came to life and I am happy to say I have an expanded view of what was going on during the Victorian Era in England.

Anyway, to the story itself, I always love Moran's choice in people who are telling the story. Sita is a magnificent character - strong, thoughtful, witty, and very human. Her horizon is expanded from her village beginnings to knowing the Rani and Raja. Sita is a relatable character and has a wonderful voice.

Here is a minor spoiler about the ending, if you know nothing about the mid-to-late 1800s in India and English involvement then it probably isn't, but it's a sad/tragic ending. I told someone it's bittersweet, but more on the bitter side. So, if you are looking for a happy ending, you may want to stay away from historical fictions.

The good news, though, was I wasn't wrecked over the ending, but it did put things into perspective.

Well, anyway, check out her books if you like historical fictions, Ancient Egypt, Reign of Terror France, or English East India Trading Company India time.

Friday Fun

I was going to look for another comic to post today, but I have another idea, more like a challenge. Ok, another prompt, but this one works for art as well.

Some background: In my eyes, I am a far better artist than writer - confidence I've gained from years of working on my art. Years ago, I found myself struggling to create my own characters. I was always drawing other people's characters, maybe in new clothes or different situations, but it was always someone else's characters.

So, I thought of a challenge - a challenge I have yet to truly accomplish in all its rules.

The challenge: Go to your iTunes (on shuffle), YouTube, Pandora, or turn on the radio. The first song (or to mix it up, the fifth song) you hear, take it and create something with it. Use it as inspiration for your character, or to create a character. The song can create a new scene for your character, it can define your character's attire or attitude.

This really expands into any medium used to express yourself. Sew an outfit, create a hairstyle, throw a new pot, paint a scene, write the actions. Use the song to stir your imagination and emotions and let it guide you to create something new.

Two of my characters in my first MS, actually five of them now that I think of it, grew from this challenge. Most of the characters in my first MS were just OCs (original characters) that I created so I could wholly own the rights to the art (you know, no permission needed for using someone else's creation). But as their designs grew, so did their demands to have a whole world to unite them.

Just another thing to think about if you are suffering from creativity block.

If you want a song, here is the one that reminded me of this and inspired this post (NOTE: I haven't watched the video, but it shouldn't be inappropriate): Rodney Atkins: If You're Going Through Hell (Keep on Going)

Thursday Travels

Through my usual reads, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, Archaeology, I came across this: Iron Age Owl Clasp Unearthed in Denmark.

It's a short article (with a picture!), but in the writing  mindset I was in when reading about this iron owl, I thought it would make an interesting prompt.

A while ago I mentioned I was doing writersedit.com "weekly" prompts to get into the practice of writing in my MC's voice. The prompt I was working on (#3 I think) mentioned your protagonist finding something strange in their pocket. So, reading this I thought "what if my MC received this as a gift?"

So, here is a writing prompt for people looking for something to write based on the article:

What if your character (a MC, the protagonist of your latest work, even favorite characters from TV shows, movies, books or video games) received this owl (or even found it)? Why did they receive it? Is it a reward for a long journey? Or is it a gift before the hero goes into battle? Explore your character's reaction to the gift, physical and emotional. Does it stir painful memories or excite them to action?

I'll be working on this as well. Maybe Wednesday I'll post it (seeing if I can finish everything else before then).

Writing Wednesday

Writing update time!

I decided yesterday that I enjoy writing in first person, maybe because it's easier, or that I just like to take on the character's personality when I'm writing.

This means that I am rewriting my MS in first person. Good thing I was short about 30,000 words. That's 30,000 words I don't need to rewrite.

It was a tough choice, since it goes against the whole reason this "prequel" series is in third while the "main" series is in first, but that's the breaks.

I don't think many people would have caught on to the convolutedness that is my brain anyway (sometimes I wonder why I like to make things complicated with deep, deep symbolism and connections).

Well, have a fantastic day all! I'm off to rework this MS.

Tuesday Tech

I found this article yesterday: Step 1 to Selling Your Book? Don't Pretend It's 'Free.'

I had mixed feelings about it. At first it read like "How to Cheat the System," with some good advice on how to promote your book.

Then, well, it still felt wrong to me. I had to read the article several times to find what was missing: the writing itself.

One thing this article didn't express, which I feel is essential in any business, it the quality of the work you are producing. Yes, you can produce garbage, and people may by garbage, but like so many of my business professors have said "garbage in, garbage out." Basically, you don't put forth your best effort going into the process, you can expect less than stellar results.

This article focuses on promoting your book, something absolutely essential in this day and age, but it fails to highlight that one key detail of actually having something to sell. It almost read like "you want to make some money, write a book, promote it, and then you can go on to your next idea."

I agree, building your audience is crucial, but passion is a MUST if you are going to do anything the "hard way." Writing a book, and having it published, is like starting your own business. I wrote my first MS as a way to challenge myself while I was looking for work. I found that I love writing and I'm willing to work at it to improve my craft.

This article does focus on entrepreneurial people who are writing books (by the sound of it), but again, write something good. Just like in business and query letters, you need to have what makes your book special compared to all the others out there.

Anyway, take my thoughts, and the article, for what they're worth. I do recommend reading the article - or at least skimming through it - for ideas on how to promote your work (writing or not) that are outside the usual Twitter and Facebook.

Monday Musings

Wow! April is going by fast!

Between work, editing, reading, and writing prompts, plus life in general, this year has gone by fast.

It's so strange how the concept of time changes as we age. I remember how an hour long TV show felt like forever and how school almost never ended.

Now, hour long TV shows are no where near long enough and, well, a work day still feels like it will never end.

It's interesting how perspective changes as we age. Yes, we have more experiences and knowledge when we are older, but at least for me, it feels like my perspective changed over night.

Just a random thought for the day since I'm still really busy. But tomorrow I found something for the writers and authors out there (just an article, so don't get too excited). Stay tuned!

Friday Fun

Ever since I can remember, I loved miniatures. My family enjoys telling stories of how I would walk around the house all day with Polly Pockets in my hand (well, more of a fist).

So, in honor of miniatures, dolls, and all things young and toys, here are some links to interesting craft sites with printables and tutorials:

myfroggystuff.blogspot.com - doll accessories and prints - yours for the making.

gabbidisney.tumblr.com - Monster High, Ever After High doll crafts. Plus some lovely drawings made by gabbidisney.

For something more advanced: wasting-gold-paper.blogspot.com - creating your own flocked animal with clay.

There are so many wonderful craft sites out there with amazing freebies and tutorials! You just have to know what you want.

Thursday Travels

It's been about a month since I started this blog and I haven't ever discussed any of the books I've read.

However, today I came across an article about an ancient civilization that was introduced to me in Amy Raby's Fire Seer. It was an interesting read, and if you like historical fictions that lean more toward the fiction, you should check it out. I believe the age group is Adult (for the people who want to know). (Edit: She notes that the evidence of the Harapans was a jumping off point for her book and not to regard it as historical. Still interesting though.)

I love learning about ancient civilizations, the older the better, so I was thrilled when I read the Fire Seer and learned of the Harapan. Now, I want to note here that I am in no way considered an expert on history or the Harapan, or any civilizations in the Indus Valley (or anywhere really), so some of what I'm about to say may be a little off the mark since I'm piecing together the little I've read about them (two articles and Raby's notes). I'm also not sure on the spelling since I've seen "Harapan", "Harrapan", and "Harappa", so I'm just going to pick one and stick with it.

The Harapan were contemporaries of the Ancient Egyptians, but less is known of them. The civilizations in the Indus Valley served as a trade route and gateway between the east and the west. They probably thrived from their resources of stones and metals, and from trade. Often civilizations that host traders tend to thrive becoming the most advanced and diverse of civilizations as they have the opportunity to be exposed to cultures and items from across the land.

At the end of the Fire Seer, Raby writes about the Harapan and what she knows of them. She notes that "The Harapans had the world's first flush toilets!", showing how advanced the civilization was in the second/third century B.C.

Because of the harsh climate of the desert, it's difficult for people to do excavations, but it sounds like progress is made every month or so. In addition, Raby notes that we haven't been able to translate the language the Harapan's used, so we are missing out on a lot about them. It's also unknown as to why many of the civilizations in the Indus Valley fell and were left uninhabited for almost 1,500 years.

Here's an Archaeology article about the Indus Valley Civilizations if you want to read more.

And here's a blog post about the fall of another ancienct civilization: Thursday Travels 3/19/15.

Writing Wednesday

Hooray for Wednesday!

I was finally able to piece some time together and get some writing/editing done. While I was reading the opening of my latest MS, I realized, I hate my voice. Have you ever been recorded for a video and when someone plays it back, you cringe?

That's what reading the opening was like for me. The voice would work if this were a Middle Grade novel, and if I wasn't so dead set on the plot and events, I'd be happy with Middle Grade.

That being said, I don't really hate my voice, just that voice for the character.

So, just like my last MS, I bit the bullet and started rewriting the opening scene. (The pacing was too fast anyway, so it helps to rewrite it).

I seem to end up rewriting large portions of my novels for any variety of reasons. For my first novel (MS, not a published book, yet), I rewrote over half the book. And let me tell you, I'm better for it. The first half moves faster, lame scenes were deleted, and the dialogue is snappier. I learned a lot from completing the novel the first time, so I needed to apply what I learned to the beginning (and parts of the end).

What I'm getting at is sometimes scenes just need to be rewritten. Sometimes the entire MS needs an overhaul. It's ok, I know it's rough. Just save your first version, and then work on the second. You'll always have the first version to go back to if you want to.

(Sorry for the short posts, I'm swamped with work for the next few weeks).

Tuesday Tech

Rejoice authors, writers, and readers!

HarperCollins and Amazon have finally reached a deal. (Link goes out to Business Insider).

That means HarperCollins books will still be available on Amazon. Great news for readers who love their Kindle (or Kindle App in my case), and for writers/authors because any additional channel to reach readers is a good one, especially when they are big like Amazon.

I guess this could be good news for investors, but the financial people can talk about that.

Besides Barnes & Noble, and the occasional book from my local grocery store, I buy most of my books from Amazon. It is also one of the top places I learn about new books, besides the lovely agents and authors I follow over on Twitter.

I can't imagine how many amazing books might not reach people if this deal didn't go through. One of my good friends reads only on her Kindle (and books from the library), so imagine all the others who would miss out.

Yes, if I knew of a book I really wanted to read, I would go to other stores/libraries to get it, but I also wonder how many books I would pass on because I just don't have the time for other stores (so sad, but true).

Anyway, cheers! Anything that benefits writers and readers, the better.

Monday Musings

Are we sure it's Monday? Because last I checked, it was Friday.


I didn't get half the amount of stuff done that I was planning to, but such is life.

I'm starting a new creative project at work, and while I was enamored with my idea on Friday, working on it today has left me not so enthused.

That is when it's break time - or an excuse to read for a few minutes. I have been dying to read Michelle Moran's latest book, Rebel Queen, it's even on my desk, but I haven't been able to read more than a paragraph.

I know this sounds like a whiney post, but it actually isn't. I just wanted to say, whenever you get stuck on writing, a creative project, or any project really, you should take a step away from it and do something else.

Distancing yourself from your project will give you fresh eyes and even a new perspective. Whenever I get stuck with writing I will either read or draw. It might be a few days before I go back to writing, but by then, whatever problem I was having seems a lot smaller.

The other suggestion for when your stuck: eat something. Seriously. I become a defeatist when I'm hungry, and I know I can't be the only one.

Just don't over do it. :)

Friday Fun

In the spirit of exercising the mind and procrastination (not that I'm encouraging procrastination), I thought I would share two online games that seem to lean more towards enhancing the mind, or "enhancing" eyesight.

The first one I came across this morning called Kukukube. The goal of the game is to see just how perceptive your eyesight is in regards to color. Squares of the same color appear on the board, but one is a shade off from the others! You need to find the different square to move on to the next puzzle.

It starts off pretty easy, but then gets to the point you begin to question if the game is tricking you. I played it once, so far, and got a score of 33.

Click here to play Kukukube!

The other one is the 2048 game. The goal of the game is to get your numbered tiles to "2048". You start off with two squares, each with the number 2 on them. Using the arrow keys (or directional swiping on tablets and smartphones), you slide the squares into each other. Combining the two "2"s will get you one tile with a 4 on it.

To get to 2048 you need to continue combining the numbered squares. However, the only way the numbered squares can combine is with a square of the same number (16 can only combine with 16). Each move you make generates another square, usually with the number "2" or "4" on it.

Warning: It's pretty addicting. And you may learn to quickly double numbers up to 2048.

Play 2048 here!

There are even other versions of 2048. For the people who prefer images, some people have recreated the game to feature images of characters from games and TV shows.

I love games like these :)

Thursday Travels

I scheduled yesterday's post for yesterday, and it didn't post. Strange.

It's there now, but I'll have to figure out why it didn't post. (Late thought: maybe I didn't hit publish).

This isn't too much adventure and exploring, but it's historical. Anyway, here is something I found for the book/history lovers: Technology Recovers Marginalia from Medieval Manuscript (link goes out to Archaeology).

I had never heard the term "marginalia" before, so for those who haven't either it's writing in the margins.

They said there were doodles and notes taken in the margins of the oldest surviving medieval manuscript. The writings a doodles were later erased by a later owner of the book.

It's great to hear that they can read them as, like the article mentions, we can get an insight into what our ancestors thought of the text - or if they, like so many students in class, wrote other notes in the margins.

Pawn Stars had a book come into their shop that was from the library of Isaac Newton (I believe). There were notes in those margins as well (though they were said to not be in his handwriting).

I can tell you I have books from English classes full of class notes, my thoughts, and notes from friends sitting next to me. I was also fortunate to buy a used book for a History class and find the pages full of notes from a previous owner. The notes were so great that I looked like a genius during in-class discussions, despite not actually reading the book.

Even J.K.Rowling had two paperback books, about Quidditch and Mythical Beasts, where Ron and Harry wrote notes to each other. Those were a great read, even if it was just for the notes.

Normally, I cringe at writing in books - that's what notebooks are for - but in the case of the Marginalia in the Medieval Manuscript (sounds like a title for a crime novel or TV crime show episode), I am thrilled.

Wednesday Writing

Writer's Voice

I finished writing my second MS about two weeks ago and have since been working to edit it. Then I came across a huge problem (for me) that people mentioned about my first MS. Now, I see the problem is me.

It's my writing voice. I generally take a casual, hopefully accessible, voice when writing. Even college papers I preferred to write in a more casual voice because I believed anyone who can read should be able to grasp the concept I was proposing.

Even with my family, my voice tends to settle more on childish. It's something I've always been aware of. When I would talk to teachers or professionals, my voice would change without me thinking, to one that exuded professionalism (at least I hope).

So, what is the problem? The ideas, themes, plots, and characters I wrote are one age range and my voice is another. I want to do what works for the book, and my gut still says go with your plot and characters.

That means, the voice needs to change.

I can change the voice for character's dialogue, but the overall narration is the problem. I researched voice and tried to find a way to change it. What technical clues was I missing? What makes a voice sound young or old?

I then figured it was time to really get to know my main character. I wrote character descriptions for my primary characters, with what I, as a person, saw of their personalities.

Then, I went back and wrote the character personalities as if I was the MC, writing to friends or family about the characters she met. The voice was different - and I'm glad.

Something I'm going to be doing is the writing prompts found here: Writers Edit Weekly Writing Prompts.

I really want to be able to slip into my character's voice without much thought, and the only way to do that is practice.

Tuesday Tech

It's an Amazon kind of day. Yes, the website, though with these April showers, it could be the jungle area as well.

A while ago someone brought up covers of self-published ebooks on Amazon and how some aren't quite what people would expect.

Well, now Business Insider interviewed the blogger who posts some of the more interesting ones: Amazon Kindle eBook covers.

Before clicking the link, I do warn that some images may be disturbing and may not best be displayed on a full screen window at work or school. Business Insider put up ones that are PG-ish, but it's still a precautionary warning. (Just a heads up because I like to keep things relatively family friendly - depending on your family, I guess).


I did chuckle at the ones Business Insider chose to feature, but the people deserve kudos. They got their book out there. Sure, the ability to self-publish has spawned some less than stellar books (at least in the world of grammar), but there are some real gems out there. There are also some nightmares. (So Amazon does have a dark side).

Another type of written gem found on Amazon hides in the comments for some products. Now, a lot of wrtiers/authors recommend to NOT read the comments on their books. People, in general, tend to focus on the negative comments over taking everything as a whole. Especially when the negative comments are childish and unconstructive.

But, then there are those other comments, like the ones found here: Most hilarious Amazon reviews (2014).

Again, another warning that some of the comments may be inappropriate. However, I did really enjoy the Horse Mask comments. I worked at a costume store where we sold that Horse Mask and I can say, it sold out, fast.

Anyway, these are just some of the fun finds on Amazon. The company seems to be doing a lot lately, from these "press-to-order-product" buttons to making same day delivery available in some locations.

These are crazy times. If we aren't careful, it may just be Amazon that takes over the world. An, unfortunately for the adventurous spirit in me, it's not the rain forest.

Monday Musings

I missed my Friday post. I am sad over this. I had started planning a post that was going to have two recipes in it, one for cookie dough truffles I found, and a fruity lemonade (pink in color).

Well, that was last week, and this is the first full week of April 2015 (in case you wanted facts).

I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend. There was much chocolate to be had and plenty of pictures of bunnies and chicks to change any sour mood to warm and fuzzy.

I have always lacked the ability to recall full definitions of words. I can use them properly in a sentence (most of the time), but often there is nuance that I miss.

Anyway, I saw some people I follow on Twitter talk about how they don't understand how people could ever be bored when there is so much that they can do/need to do.

People can clean, read, write, draw, do other housework/(or work work), exercise, play with pets/family, etc.

But here comes my problem. Whenever I'm bored, I can list all the stuff I could do, but none of it interests me. I would say "I'm bored", and my parents would list such things as I mentioned, but none of the tasks sounded remotely interesting. I even shouted, in my sleep, "I'm bored!" (which I rarely talk in my sleep, so it must have been a serious matter for me).

According to merriam-Webster, boredom is: (n) the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest.

So, boredom doesn't sound like the lack of things to do, like many people seem to insist, but a state of mind or being where we lose interest in things. Suggesting things for the bored person is helpful, it has helped me once or twice, but it might do better to suggest a change of thinking for the person to get them to see the dull tasks as interesting.

Thursday Travels

The world seems to be filled with a lot of dark stories recently, but there has to be good out there, right?

I wish it was a requirement for news stations, and media in general, to post about inspirational topics or talk on acts of good will. Why do we need to restore our faith in humanity in small bursts? Why can't we be reminded on a daily basis that there are good people in the world?

I found 25 photos that will restore your faith in humanity (goes out to MSN).

I don't care about the place, time, age, gender, religion, political leaning, or anything. I just want to see people, or animals, doing good for others. It does the heart good to see something that doesn't make it feel bitter or cold.

(I had to stop halfway through the photos in fear a coworker would ask me why I was crying.)

These were great photos. There was one I had a hard time reading (or two actually). But, beneath the photo it explains the gist of the image.

I want to laugh at the first picture. The woman's reaction is fantastic, and expected, but the face of the lady behind her makes the picture a whole other kind of fun. I really hope she got the job.

Anyway, if a Scientist wants to beam the internet into space, then I hope more of the good (and funny) comes through.

Writing Wednesday

Well, I was trying to think of something April Foolsy for today, but I got distracted by the Google Maps April Fools Day "celebration." maps.google.com

If you search an address, you can turn the streets into paths for a game of Pac-Man. I played a few games and was reminded why I don't play Pac-Man that much.

So, a topic that came up during one of the many Twitter parties I was participating in asked if you plot your writing or if you make it up as you go along.

My first MS was at least a year of planning in my head. Like I mentioned before, I didn't know what I wanted the story to be. A comic? A script (not really)? So, I would just figure out the events in my head. Then, I outlined the story multiple times. I had a general outline, with just the major plot points. Then I outlined from one point to another (to help with pacing and to make sure the words I used were actually progressing toward something).

My second MS, which I finished drafting last week, was less planned. And it shows. Round 1 of editing is going to be killer. Not only is my word count short (not something I worry about because I know a few scenes that weren't written yet), but it is out of order. I'm going to have to rearrange everything and make sure references to events occur at the appropriate time.

I started planning another book, using post-its of many, many colors, mapping plot points, character introductions, reveals, and everything else imaginable. I like to have a plan when I'm writing, but I also like the characters to dictate what really happens (I mean, it's their story, right?)

I have notebooks full of scribbles, ideas, facts, and everything imaginable for the stories I'm working. I call my progress "organized chaos." :)

Tuesday Tech

So, once again I am late. I'll get on a scheduling system sooner or later. Of course, then again, the relevancy of the articles I read will be a little out of date.

Anyway...

I found an article with the most employable careers 2015 (Link goes out to MSN).

A piece of advice I have for people pursuing a degree, look at what jobs you want, not what topic interests you. If you like creativity and social media, look for jobs in those areas. Often, a specific degree is required, and a bunch of knowledge you need to have to do that job.

Then, major in the field that will get you the jobs you want. I linked to the employable careers as a starting point, but really get to know what kind of job you're interested in. It can be broad, like design or utilities. Then look at the related jobs and their descriptions, it interests you, then look at the qualifications.

If you want to be a writer, then look for jobs where you can write. It may not be creative writing, but writing something in general (and the editing practice that goes with it) is important. But, like so many people suggest, don't forgo the day job so you can write (unless you have the means to do so. Even then I still recommend a part time job).

1) You need an income. Living (and dying) isn't free. So, make money doing something else you enjoy, or at least can sharpen your writing skills.

2) You need to live life. I'm not saying that people who just write or don't have a job don't live life, but for so many people, work is a big part of their lives. At work you can listen to other people's experiences and learn about other cultures so easily. This can provide inspiration for characters or stories.

The other part to the "living life" is that it often costs money to go places. Sometimes, companies will send you places for work (San Diego Comic Con anyone?) It's a good opportunity to get some other perspectives.

3) You need a break from writing. This is more for me and people like me. I need a balance in my life. I need to do some technical and analytical thinking or my brain starts feeling like mush. When that happens, my creativity goes on the fritz. It's not pretty. But, working, though it's been taking time away from writing, has been helpful for me. It gives me distance from my MS, it gives me other experiences, and I can work with a bunch of interesting people.

So, the keyword of the day is "jobs". I just wanted to throw this out there. Unemployment isn't fun (believe me, I was there for a long time), but it can give you the time and space you need to discover things you love (like writing).

Well, that's my two cents, soapbox, pamphlet advice.

Monday Musings

So, this post is late for a whole variety of reasons.

1) I fail to schedule posts.
2) Life is starting to calm down again
3)My keyboard was utterly disgusting (and it has been that way for 9 months).

Just look at it:

It was disgusting. In the left hand side you can see I had cleaned a little of it.

Now, I am not saying I am perfect and all my keyboards are dust and grime free, but this was not me. It had been bugging me for these past 9 months and I finally decided to do something about it.

Needless to say, 2.5 hours later, not only was my keyboard clean(er) my whole desk was as well. Nothing like a good spring cleaning sometimes.

Of course, the entire time I was cleaning the keyboard I pondered why companies provide disgusting keyboards? I know other people left them that way (and my desk is near a vent that seems to spit a fresh coating of dust every night). But it's gross. I would hope companies would have a little vac or something to suck out the dust and stuff.

Do all companies give keyboards like this? I really hope not. This is the third time I've received a keyboard for a job and 2 out of the 3 times it was dirty (and I don't remember the other time).

I know I'm not the only one who "procrastinates" by cleaning their work space. Someone mentioned it to me once, and it's like they seared the idea into my brain. Now, if my workspace is messy, I can't work.

Sorry for the complaints. I'm actually really proud of the work I did. I even got other work done while I was cleaning the keyboard. Too bad it wasn't writing/novel related.

Friday Fun

Is it Friday already? Goodness, where did the time go?

Well, today I'm talking about time savers or you know, life hacks. They aren't necessarily crafts, though it does take some pretty crafty people to discover the tricks.

I read a really good one on Pinterest a while ago, but I can't seem to find it. There's no loss though, because there are many other sites and lists of life hacks.

Here is a pretty good one of 16 Life Hacks (note, it goes out to buzzfeed.com).

The one I really needed was using a post-it to clean between the keys on a keyboard. When you start a job somewhere, they often give you a keyboard that is utterly disgusting and full of dust and crumbs. You can clean the top of the keys as much as you'd like, but unless you have a mini vacuum, the in betweens will stay dusty.

I also like the one about using a dustpan to fill a bucket that doesn't fit under the faucet.

Anyway, some of the life hacks there are pretty good. They don't list some of the easier/interesting ones.

Like:

You know the tab on a loaf of bread? The color of the twist tie/bread clip indicates the day of the week it was made.

They then said you can use that bread clip to fix a flip flop that has pulled through it's base (useful for Summer, eh?)

Another one, from when I was younger: when figuring out the difference between right and left, bend you middle, ring, and pinky finger, leaving your thumb and forefinger pointing. The one that makes an "L" properly is your Left hand, and the backwards "L" your right.

For you Downtan Abbey fans (and fancy luncheon goers) you can then use this to remember which fork is yours at a fancy dinner. Your fork (with four letters) goes on the left hand side (left also has four letters). Your knife (five letters) goes on your right hand side (right also has five letters).

Does anyone else have any good life hacks? I could use all the help I can get.

Thursday Travels

A photo of an animal that is said to be closely related to rabbits and hares (lagomorphs) has been floating around.

The Ili pika:



It's adorable and looks like a cross between a rabbit and a mouse. One reporter even called it an Ewok.

Unfortunately, for us and them, they only seem to reside on a specific mountain in China. Plus, they are extremely endangered.

The reason the critter is so spectacular, besides being cute, its because it hasn't been seen for 20 years. The photograph is actually from early 2014, but only recently has become a big deal in the media.

Personally, I love it. I adore rabbits and I want to hug one of these. If my plot bunnies looked like this, I would welcome them with open arms.

Now, I'm going to return to my cave and get some work done. Enjoy the cuteness!

Writing Wednesdays

So I've never been a master of vocabulary. Memorizing the definitions of words has always proved difficult. I'm more of an application kind of person. Show me how it's used, and I should be able to use it correctly in the future (if my brain remembers it).

I am often on Google or Dictionary.com, searching or checking the definitions of words. Most of the time my brain surprises me and it uses words, I rarely use, correctly.

The words and phrases I spend most of my time looking up now are genre definitions (high fantasy, epic fantasy, space opera) and other industry terms (query, shopping, submission).

I finally looked up one of my favorite terms, plot bunny (or plot bunnies as the case may be). I think it sounded cute, but apparently they can be nasty boogers. If you are unfamiliar with the term, plot bunny is essentially a plot that gets into your head and it won't leave you alone until you write it.

If you haven't guessed, this isn't a post about remembering vocab words, it's a post about plot bunnies. :)

For me, like any bunny, these plot bunnies multiply, quickly. It gets to the point that I am inundated with these bunnies to the point I can't write anything.

To battle this, I knocked out a few queries so that these plot bunnies can relax and let me focus on the WIP at hand (52,000 words and I reached the climax...whoops).

This is helpful in several ways, if I do come back to one of those bunnies, I can (hopefully) recall the plot ideas, AND I have a rough draft of a query - a query that didn't have to be whittled down from the many thousands of words MS.

This leads to the advice I read: write your query and synopsis BEFORE your manuscript, and you will be happy. Believe me, I am. This WIP is going better than I thought (though Round 1 of edits is going to be "rewrite/reorganize/edit).

Unlike Raj (from The Big Bang Theory), I like rabbits, I know how to own plot bunnies, and I won't eat the world's supply of lettuce in front of them.

Tuesday Trade

I changed the name for Tuesdays. It's a (fun) business day and isn't necessarily technology related, though it is most of the time.

Actually, I'm changing the topic for today. I was going to post about an Entrepreneur article about how creative people are (often) undervalued and underemployed. But, while I was looking for the link to the article, I found 10 Motivating Quotes to Help You Spring Into Action. I'm really in need of motivation at the moment. I've got 8 days of extreme stress left, the kind where you just have to wait it out. It drives me nuts not being able to do much. It's also very disheartening.

I didn't really post about the start of Spring. Instead, I encouraged the creation of Nutella stuffed cookies. So, to make up for it, let's discuss moving into action.

Spring cleaning is something I have been doing for the past month or so. This is the first thorough cleaning I've done. Of course, a lot of this cleaning has been cleaning up after the tornado that is my week.

But what's more, people are coming out of hibernation and starting to do things again. While New Year's resolutions are probably, mostly, broken, here is another new beginning to start a new habit.

My favorite quote from the article is number 6:

Being defeated is only a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. -- Marilyn von Savant

 The publishing industry, and life in general, throws a lot of rejection our way. It's only those who don't keep fighting are the ones who are truly defeated. So keep going! Keep writing, jogging, painting, studying, what-have-you.

I'm still moving. It might be at a snail's pace right now, but it's still movement. Besides, a snail's pace is normal for a snail.

The motivational quotes article didn't have my favorite, so I thought I'd share it:

To succeed you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality. -- Anita Roddick

It goes back to my insistence that persistence and determination really make the difference in life. So keep working toward your goal(s) and I'll work toward mine.

Does anyone else have good motivational quotes that weren't in the article?

Monday Musings

What a weekend! I achieved nothing that I needed to do, but I did a little what I wanted to do, except read.

I did watch TV though. Season/mid-season finales always put characters' lives on the line, hoping to entice you to watch on. Sometimes, they go so far as to kill off a beloved character.

That character? Well, they're usually my favorite character. It says a lot about the show if it can kill off my favorite character and I come back to watch anyway (bitter about the loss, but still holding on).

This always leads me to think about favorite characters, how fandoms mourn them, and why it's always my favorite character that is offed.

I call it a curse. Be it books, movies, or TV shows, as soon as I mark someone as my favorite character, it's a death sentence for them. Even in a video game, after going back and forth about my opinions about the character, I decided I liked him, quite a bit. Not a second after I finished the thought that an assassin took aim and fired, killing him.

Every. Time.

The same happened in a TV show. I think "oh, I like this character," and in the next scene, they're killed. Oh look, a movie, boy the older brother is a good character, well, he was.

It's a curse really. Either that or like people have noted on The Walking Dead, the "moral compass" is the one that gets killed first, and I tend to like characters with a moral compass, which still leads me to believe it's a curse.

Only once, in my memory, did my favorite character defy all odds and made it to the end of the book (well, play). Way to go, Horatio, for defying the odds of being my favorite character in a Shakespeare tragedy. *throws confetti*
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Anyway, the way people mourn over the death of characters makes me wonder, does it affect us the same way as the death of a loved one? (You know, someone we actually know in real life). I'm sure the attachment has some sort of emotional toll. There are still character deaths I get a little teary-eyed over a while after they are gone. Mostly though, I'm just bitter, especially towards the writers who thought it was ok to kill off the character.

But, life moves on. More stories, games, movies, and shows are created and I set my heart up for more pain when I see a new character I like.

Does this happen to other people? Or am I just an odd duckling? (I guess both options are possible, but in this scenario). What favorite characters are people still upset about? (I just realized this post could have been the mother of all spoilers for all things entertainment, but it wasn't. Except for your Hamlet readers, I'm sorry to tell you, but Horatio did live.)