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Monday, December 24, 2018

Book Dragon's Ideal Christmas

I'm generally awful at celebrating holidays. Half the time I forget them. But I thought I'd take a stab at it today. 


Sherlock


What is a book dragon's [translation: nerd's] ideal Christmas like? 

-a book tree strung with lights to brighten the cave a bit, but not too much

- games of bookish trivia


Garden of The Guild Inn, Scarborough, Ontario, by sigma. on flickr. A beautiful and sad and magical place.








- Christmas dinner with their favorite bookish food be it traditional Dickens' Christmas fare, Hunger Games style with bread and lamb stew with plums, chocolate cake from Dauntless, perhaps a Game of Thrones theme, blue food fit for a demigod, or perhaps you prefer Hogwarts style with feasting accompanied by awful bouts of singing

- conversing solely in book quotes










-gifts from your favorite book characters [perhaps least favorite if they're prone to being the evil fairy that ruins the party] 

-Christmas cookies in the shape of bookish emblems: the Howler's symbol, a Vatican cameo of Sherlock or maybe a death frisbee, Poseidon's trident, Achilles' shield, Hamlet's poor Yorick

- all to end with a nice reading session and maybe conversation with your favorite book character in front of blazing fireplace in the labyrinth library





Bookwyrm by ~PhantomSeptember on deviantART



snow


What fictional character would you want over for Christmas and what would you do? What would you add to this list?


Christmas with Sherlock... merry...


Merry Christmas, everyone.

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Discussion on Reviewing Books // life update // video time!


I present to you another video post. The transitions are a little rocky since I'm still unaccustomed to video editing, but I hope you enjoy it despite that. 





Also, I recorded this video a month ago [yes, yes, the update is a little outdated, my bad]. My foot is doing much better. It's still sore, but I can manage walking about without my crutches now. I'm hoping to return to work next week [really, praying that I can]. My mom was trying to tell me I should use a cane until I'm 100% better. Not sure if she was joking or serious?


oh shit


How do you write reviews? Or approach reading reviews? Are some books harder for you to review than others? 

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

a chill December Saturday // yes, this was written days ago

waking up to a storm / the strangest dream / Patrick Verona was your boyfriend / well / that's not weird / also, your mom didn't like him / that's expected / drifting off again / re-awaking to silence and 55% phone battery / the power's out / so sorry phone / what if it's tech-less day? / how lovely / too bad you can't light a bunch of candles / tell Christmas ghost stories / read Beowulf aloud / with the flickering light / bring Hamlet's haunted soul to life / the power returns / drat



lightning drive



TEEN TITANS - Raven by verotzard.deviantart.com on @DeviantArt

rather like this one

Because I need to pin this every time I see it...



breakfast / too much light / cranberry walnut bread and cheese / but mostly cheese / chocolate almond milk / yes, you're that person / reading about editing / phone as dictionary and extra open tab / it's 91% now / erratum / solecism / pretentious and pointless / plans getting canceled / wishing you could drive / wishing you could go home / but you're where you live / what's home






RIP King of Cameos. The most Marvelous hero in any universe. Excelsior!



Spidey #11



wanting to write / wanting to research / wanting to blog / you need to work / wanting to read / wanting leave / wanting to change the present / you need to work / work is uncertain / but everything is / you open a blogpost / you need to work / in a second / why is Comatose stuck in your head?



...







10 Things I Hate About You



typing in the dark / rain droning / thunder shaking the room / old, old Skillet songs on shuffle / you need something new / work is new /     you don't work      / a world of grey and blue / you like blue



Sherlock | Cumberbatch | shoot the wall




☁︎ @priscillaloser ☽



10 Things I Hate About You



"No eres mía por decreto eres mía cuando a mi lado amaneces sonriendo" @almaprosista  #CulturaColectivaLetras #letras #escritoresdeig #writingcommunity #book #booklover #PinCCLetras #booksandcoffee #coffee #CulturaColectiva



still blogging / a little nauseous / a little miffed / at what, who can tell / rubbing eyes / dwelling in the dark / wondering what / what's next / what if / what's wrong / just what / sporadic text messages / trying not to be discontent / turn on some worship / quiet / think on peace / calm down / a strange wonder mingled with the discontent / a little smile / a little sad / it's ok



Aesthetic Dark Blue








cat






How's your day?


when you're supposed to be writing and working and doing deep thought things but instead. . .

Saturday, December 1, 2018

On Writing by Stephen King // review with quotes

Look at me reading non-fiction. Wow. I must be growing up.



via GIPHY um no



Does this mean I've read any of Stephen King's fiction? Ha, no. For starters, I'm a wimp, and I know it. So I've never picked up a horror book. For enders, most of Stephen King's books are massive monsters that will be probably eat a reader alive very large. Large books scare me [again, wimp here]. I've heard many good things about King's writing/writing style, so when I grow up, I want to read one of his books. But for now, I've at least read this one.

On Writing begins like a memoir. King discusses his growing-up years, what led him to become a writer, some of his pitfalls, and so forth. He also refers to a lot of his books, so sometimes I just had to wing it and pretend like I knew what he's talking about. It wasn't a bit deal, but in retrospect, I probably should've realized that was going to happen. 



via GIPHY yes of course



But you know. You live. You learn.

I love his approach to writing and being a writer.

"why shouldn't writers be able to go bonkers and still stay sane?"



Sherlock and Mycroft



You can write weird things, crazy things, soul-dark things and still be an everyday human. Writers, fantasy writers, horror writers, contemporary writers, are not psychos; they don't have to have any kind of disorder.

Writers aren't special cases.

[Not that we mind people thinking we are sometimes.]



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"The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time."

King is open and vulnerable about his addictions throughout his life. He's very honest about the lies he originally believed about them and his later realization that these addictions weren't helping him be a better writer. They were just helping him be an awful person. He kicks those myths aside and tells us that writing is not the product of substance abuse. Writing is the product of your sitting in the chair and actually writing. I appreciate Stephen King's honesty on this topic. I respect him for writing it despite how difficult it might have been for him.  It really is a lie that many people believe, writers and non-writers alike, and needs debunking.



The Lying Detective, sherlock in trunk



"stopping a piece of work just because it's hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position."

Writing isn't all rainbow bridges to creative worlds and epiphany unicorns and world-changing glitter. 



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Writing is work. Sometimes it feels boring and tedious, but that doesn't mean you stop. You don't stop because you want to. You don't stop because the feels aren't coming. And just because it feels bad doesn't mean it is actual bad. Like in any job, you hit ruts. But hit ruts like a bulldozer: just keep going.

"put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn't in the middle of the room. Life isn't a support-system for art. It's the other way around."

This put things in perspective for me. If you're writing but not living, then you're doing a bad job at both. Living isn't about writing. Writing is about living, so you've got to put life, your health, your family and friends, your beliefs, etc., first.

"Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story"



"It's Christmas!" (From the original, unaired Sherlock pilot.)



Stephen King has a practical approach to the mechanics of writing that I appreciate so much. The latter half of the book focuses on writing advice. I agree with a lot of his points especially those about grammar, dialogue, and plot.

"I distrust plot for two reasons . . . our lives are largely plotless . . . plotting and the spontaneity of real creation aren't compatible."



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"Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation."

"All the arts depend upon telepathy to some degree, but I believe that writing offers the purest distillation."

I love the way King describes writing as an art. Yes, writers are normal people, but we still like to think we have superpowers or magic, pretend that we're wizards or dragons. [Don't normal people do that too?]



cute sherlock sherlock holmes my stuff Benedict Cumberbatch sherlock gif his smile naww cumbergif



If you're a writer, I would definitely recommend this book. It's informative, funny, and down-to-earth. It's still enjoyable and helpful even if you've not read any or much of Stephen King's other works.


What are some nonfiction works you've read recently or would recommend?

"Words have weight. Ask anyone who works in the shipping department of a book company warehouse, or in the storage room of a large bookstore."







Thursday, November 29, 2018

Any typos? // Yes, I live

I'm sitting on my bed with a sore foot propped up. The house is silent. The lighting is dark. My room is a regular wreck. Clothes are draped everywhere. A suitcase lies open and unpacked from last weekend. Wadded tissues clutter the floor as do random shoes. Books are stacked without strategy in convenient and inconvenient places. 



loading...



Photo



I want to be like, "Oh hi! I know exactly what to say. I have so much to tell you. What do you want to hear first?"

But really, I don't know what to say. I never seem to anymore. Creating blogposts is hard, harder than it used to be. And so much has happened since I posted regularly, I don't know what to say, what not to say, or just where to start and how. 



Reid








Grunge Aesthetics



Don't get excited. You'd think I'd have a little mercy and let this poor blog die, but nope. This isn't a farewell post [as I now realize that's what this is sounding like].

You in the back! I heard that groan. Shut up. 


I do want to start blogging regularly again. I miss it. I miss you all. It's just time consuming among other things. . .



theonewiththevows: “ Matthew Gray Gubler (Spencer Reid - Criminal Minds) * 11x19 - Tribute ”









I want to start my own editing business. To be honest, it's got me locked into more fear than I anticipated. Before I started researching and taking steps toward actually owning a business, I was very nervous and scared. As I started though, a lot of that fear went away. I grew more confident. And, sorry not sorry to admit, my confidence in God and the fact that He would be with me every step of the way grew as well, and that's really where my own confidence came from. 

But now I'm on the brink. I'm standing at the water's edge, and I have yet to get my toes wet. I'm scared again. All the fear has come back. What if I miss something? What if I can't turn out high quality work like I thought I could? What if the services I think I can provide aren't worth charging for? What if I mess up? What if I can't be organized, structured, and disciplined enough? What if I can't handle the financial and business aspect of it? What if I can't find enough work?






Choir boys



Entangled with all of that fear is this blog. What if my clients or potential clients read this blog? What if they judge how I function as an editor with this blog as their basis? This blog is just for fun. It's silly, not professional. I talk conversationally. I overuse certain words. I go over the content for typos and mistakes before I post, but I always miss something. Since it is just for fun, I don't ask for an outside opinion on a post before it's published, so I'm aware it's never going to be perfect. Many of my older posts are awful. Even ones that I've edited for months on end still contain mistakes. 



Thomas






This fear has paralyzed me for the past couple months. I'm not saying that to be dramatic. Inaction and stagnation are byproducts of fear, and that's where I've been the past couple of months. I've made excuses. I've procrastinated. I've ignored it. But it still exists. It's still the truth. I've let fear stop me for a long time. I'm trying to do something about it now. 






Sorry for the mushy stuff. I honestly don't know what to blog about, so I went with what's on my mind. Expect later posts to have their normal, abnormal and weird tone. 



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On a completely unrelated note, I've been writing two stories, fairy tale retellings mixed with Norse mythology as Christmas gifts for my siblings. They're poorly polished and silly little stories under 5000 words. [They're also not half as heavy as this post.] If you'd be interested in reading them, send me an email. 

Later!



Singing in the rain




What have you been up to lately? How are the holidays going?