Farrow and Hoffman - What's the big deal?

It’s been a strange week news wise, at least from my perspective.  We had the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman due to drug overdose and we had the open letter from Dylan Farrow to Woody Allen regarding his sexual abuse of her when she was a child.  These are two very different stories and yet both very tragic at the same time.

However, it bothers me all the media attention and events and play that these two stories are getting.  Why all the hype? 

If Joe Blow, down the street ODs on heroin, he doesn’t even warrant a story in the local paper.  He leaves behind a family and friends just as much as anyone else, but we don’t care in general.  We don’t even think about it.  He’s just another junkie off the street.  But we get an actor, someone famous, and we get a police investigation into where the drugs came from.  We get action, we get arrests (four is the current count).  Why does it have to be someone famous to get action on this war again drugs?  Why?  I don’t care who or what PSH was.  He was an addict that finally succumbed to his addiction.  It’s not news.  It happens every single day in this county and all over the world.  I’m sad for those he left behind, but then again I am sad for every single person that has to deal with this or live through it.  They don’t have to be famous for me to care. 

Then we have Dylan Farrow’s letter.  There is “PROOF” and “FACTS” both for and against this allegation all over the place: internet news, radio, tv, etc.  The reality is that no one knows what’s true or isn’t, but for Miss Dylan herself and Woody Allen.  The shear fact that so many are talking about her lies and her bitchery and how she is just a jealous vengeful woman is shameful.  How can we do that to a girl that is obviously screaming for help?  But then again, who knows why she waited until now.  Maybe its because no one listened to her before and its eaten away at her.  Maybe…maybe.  This is not a case for the media to decide.  It’s a case for the proper authorities to decide.  Are they still able too?  I don’t know what the statute of limitations on something like that is.  Maybe an open letter is not the way to go.  To me, it sounds like a desperate plea for someone to hear her.  But again I get stuck on the why do we all care so much about this one event?   If she weren’t famous would we even give it a second thought?  Some of us would.  Most of the others, wouldn’t.

Maybe we as a nation need to care about people.  All people. Not just the famous ones.  It might make this world a better place.  Maybe. 

Check In

I need one of those signs that says:  Writing in Progress that I can post everywhere in the world.  That way when I am MIA for a bit, they realize I'm not dead, just buried in my fantasy world enjoying the words and the struggle of fiction rather than reality.

That being said:  I'm writing.  I'm having fun with what I am writing.  That's what matters to me anyway.  So if I am short or scarce the next week or so, you will know that I am working hard at getting something new and exciting out into the world.  I'll be back once I surface.  Hopefully at least once a week to say hello and give you and update.

On a side note, have you ever read the book, Chasing Lincoln's Killer, by J. Swanson?  My daughter (age 12) is reading this for her class required reading this quarter.  I like to read the books along with her, so that we are able to talk and discuss it together.  This gives her another point of view besides the schools.  That being said, this book is terrible to read.  It's a book on the events leading up to the assassination of the president and the manhunt that followed to catch the people involved.  This book could be so interesting and fun to read, instead it's a convoluted mess.  On one single page you can change points of view three times, or change dates just as many.  You are back and forth between people and events so fast you don't even have time to digest what is going on.  It's a struggle for me, an educated adult to stay on top of what is going on, how can anyone expect a child to?

Then I get stuck on the reality that this book is published...by a reputable publisher.  How in the hell did that happen?  Did they even read it?  I spend half an hour reading it and I end up with a headache.  All I can say is, it's a good thing I really like history and I know the basic events they are writing about as otherwise, I am not sure I could understand or would even continue reading it.  Maybe I'm being to hard and harsh.  Maybe it's just a style I don't enjoy.  Maybe.

On the good side, my daughter and I have plenty to discuss as we read this book.  Usually it's me explaining what she is reading, but any discussion is good when it comes to books right?  The book also has some great photos, prints, newspapers, and mementos from the day.  I really enjoy poring over them and trying to glean what was meant or what is trying to be portrayed.  That is well worth my time.

Have a great week everyone.

New Year - New Genres

This week is a writing week for me.  Yay!  What am I writing?  I am writing a horror story.  I got into writing because I love a good scary story.  I love telling a good scary story.  Somewhere along the way, I got side tracked through.  I have been stuck in the paranormal fantasy realm for several years now.  Not that it’s a bad thing, but it is a stuck thing.  I missed the horror and gore.  Surprised?  Me too.  But it also got me thinking.  I write several genres.  I write horror and paranormal and anything fantasy, but I also write humor and real life, and even stories for small children. 

I’ve always liked that I am a versatile writer, but I also wonder if it holds me back.  What I mean is, does it keep me a good writer, instead of making me a awesome writer? As I am not focused on one area and learning in one area, am I missing out on getting better in the one area?  It’s a very good questions and one I am not able to answer myself. 

I want to be an excellent writer, but I’m not. Oh, I will be.  I keep learning and I keep adjusting and I keep getting better.  I work very hard on the grammar.  I work very hard on getting good dialogue and making it better every single time.  I will be excellent one day.  Maybe getting back to my horror roots will do me some good.  It’s done something all ready, in that it’s getting me excited again to write.  I’ll take it. 

We will see how the week goes, and I will report back to you next week.  This is goal number one for the year.  I want the first draft of this novel done by end of the month.  At this rate, it’s only about 1,500 words a day or less depending on how long it actually ends up being.  That’s not too rough.  I know I can do it, if I just sit my butt down and do it. 

Have a great week.  Oh and, by the by, A Brave New World, was an excellent read. I am so very glad that I picked it up and finished it. 

A New Year - A Brave New World

Yes, I know.  I am supposed to be writing.  I have a lot of writing to do and plans for the new year, but…I have to finish the book I am currently reading so that I can focus better.  

I am currently reading, A Brave New World, by Huxley.  Have you read this?  This is one of those books, that I always “meant” to read, and has, in fact been on my TBR pile for years.  Yes, years.  The book was one of those classics that just everyone has to read, which is most likely the main reason I have not read it until this point.  I don’t like to do what everyone else is doing, just because they are doing it.  Did you follow that?  At any rate, I finally picked it up.

If you have not read it, maybe you should.  It was a bit confusing the first chapter or two, and it took me that long to get into the writing style, but after that little bit of “WTH?” I have to say; it’s a very good read.  Darker than I thought it would be.  More in depth than I imagined.  Insidious at times?  Yes.  That too.  I’m entranced.  I love that.

Don’t know the book I am talking about?  Here is a link for you to explore.  http://www.huxley.net/ 

Until next week…

ctny

Our World of Mythical Beings

I like the idea of magical things.  The Yeti, the Abominable Snowman, Bigfoot, and yes, even Mermaids.  It’s not that I believe in them, but it’s not that I don’t either.  I caught the Mermaid – Body Found and New Evidence event on Animal Planet and I have to say, the idea really interests me.  Really gets my brain wondering.  That’s a good thing, by the way. 

I am fascinated by the idea that they might, maybe, possibly could be out there; we just haven’t yet found them. Are we “Humans” so vain and conceited that we believe we are the only intelligent life out there?  Are we so egotistical that we can’t believe in something we haven’t seen?

I personally have not seen a million dollars, but I do know it’s out there.  I have not personally seen the planet Mars either, but again, I know it’s out there.   I could laugh at most of the things shown on the mermaid show as made up fantasy, except for one small thing.  The cave paintings:

They had images of cave paintings in Egypt said to be from 30,000 or so years ago.  They depicted a struggle or a war between two legged humans and a human-like form with a long fin tail.  It was very well done and very interesting.  Is it real?  Can’t tell. I have been trying to find the real source of it since watching it (which is why my post is a bit late this week) but all I can find are blogs, such as this asking the same question.  Here is a photo of it that I found at least.  I hope it loads.

It was a well thought out productions, and yes, at the very end of the show, there in small type was a short disclaimer by the editor that the production was a work of science fiction.  Does that make it unreal though?  The ideas they put forth, and the reasons we haven’t found them, were good points.  One being that they travel constantly.  They don’t just stay in one place for long.  They also travel with whale packs to camouflage themselves.  Further, because they are slowly but surely dying out, there are not many of them left to even find. 

The conspiracy theory though made me laugh at first.  That the governments from all over the world, but especially in the U.S.A., were hiding the existence of mermaids.  To what end?  I was not buying that at all, until _____, felt the need to put out a statement stating that they were NOT hiding anything, and that no evidence exists of mermaids.  Hmmm…what was the point of denying it?  If there was nothing out there, why were they so worried as to feel the need to put out a memo?  Here is a link to the very short statement just for your reading pleasure. 

NOAA Statement

Interesting BBC Article

Then you have this little beauty that was entertaining at least:

Government Conspiracy Discussion

Again, I don’t believe in mermaids, in the here and now, and yet…I don’t not believe in them.  I like the idea.  The magic of it.  The fantasy of it.  I would love to come upon one some day, even if they are evil killers as depicted now and then.  Humans can be as well, from what I see every single day on the news.  Maybe I should take up deep-sea whale watching…just in case. 

December 2013 - Update

December 2013 – Update

You will be happy to know, I was able to complete NANO this year.  However, it was quite the struggle.  I started out writing a romance type of story.  It was going along all right the first week.  The second week, I decided I wasn’t enjoying my Main Character.  By the beginning of the third week, I didn’t like my main character or my main guy character at all.  I realized I was just going with the motions and putting down a story and words.  The writing was horrible, as I didn’t care anymore.  I finished the story out on the 21^st, but it only came to 41,990 words.  I didn’t know what to do, as I didn’t want to waste anymore of my time on that crappy book!  Yes, I hated it that much. 

So I read a bit of the rules for Nano and decided to begin a new novel to tack onto the crap one.  But I didn’t start it right away.  I was a bit bummed about how the first story came out and procrastinated.  There is definitely something to be said for connecting with your characters in order to have a good book.  So, I put off beginning.  Then Thanksgiving hit and I didn’t have to time to write.  Finally, the last day of Nano hit and I was still 8,000+ behind and only one day to do it. 

I whined a bit to my family about failing Nano.  I have to say I was a bit surprised by their response.  They said, to finish dinner, then go and write. Do what I am always telling other writers to:  Sit your butt down and just do it.  So, at 7:00 p.m. I sat down in my lovely quiet office, turned on a bit of Fleetwood Mac, and began a new story.  I wrote for an hour, then took a break.  Sometimes it was just to clear my brain a bit, sometimes it was to rock a small baby to gain a moment of peace, and sometimes it was just to snatch a snack or take a hug from my Seren.  At 11:00 p.m. I had 800 more words to go.  My fingers were flying.  The story was spewing from my brain in a flood.  It was great.

At 11:30, I uploaded what I had:  The first crap novel of about 42,000 and the new pretty good start and decent story of 8,000 all totaling 52,020 words.  I made it and I got a banner to prove it.

I am pretty excited about my new story.  Of course after Nano, I didn’t feel like writing at all, so it has stayed set at 8,000+ but I am very happy with this one.  I will get back to it very soon.  I think I deserve a bit of a break, so for the rest of December I will be reading.  I have a load of ebooks on my Kindle that need my attention. 

What will I do with my crap novel?  Trash can it I think.  I will hold it for a while to see if I change my mind, or if I think I can salvage it somehow.  I think Romance just isn’t for me.  There are good moments in it, but all in all, it sucks.

Ctny

November Quicki

A quick mid-ish way point in November, to say hello.  Nano is moving along at a nice clipped rate.  I don’t think I will any problems making my 50,000 + word count for the month. What of my story?  I hate it.  I am trying something way new and way out of my comfort zone and that may be the reason I hate it.  I think the revision and review process is going to be a dozy for me, but I will prevail in the end.  It will either be an exercise in bad writing or it will be a door opening to another genre.  I will just have to wait and see how it turns out. 

Baby Bear did arrive on October 30, 2013.  He weighed in at 9.1 lbs and 21.5 inches long.  He is a nice big boy and thankfully healthy.  Mom and baby both are doing exemplary.  I promised a few photos, so here you go.  Isn’t he the cutest thing ever!