2015 What I'm Reading #5

Time for Round 2

This round, my goal is to start a daily writing practice.  I am starting by completing Blogging University's Writing 101 through The Daily Post.  I will be posting on my blog daily using the prompt and twist provided.  I will also be continuing to work on my reading goal of 30 books this year.

Here is a glimpse at my e-library bookshelf:

I just started Wicked by Gregory Maguire, and next on my list is The Night Circus.

I've also been reading a lot of interesting blogs.  Here is one post that I found particularly interesting and useful:
An interesting blogpost about how to write a negative review on Lost in Literature

What are you reading this week?

A Room With a View: Writing 101, Day 2

Today’s Prompt: If you could zoom through space in the speed of light, what place would you go to right now?

Today’s twist: organize your post around the description of a setting.

Our blue and yellow tent sits amongst the trees near an almost-dry streambed.  The mosquitoes have awakened and they swarm me furiously until I locate my Deet bug spray and send them searching for another prey.  We begin the walk along the narrow forest path, over roots and rocks, around the other tents and people.  The dusty pathway leads us to a vast meadow.  The grass is lush and soft beneath my feet.  Ghosts of summer swarm the meadow; they tumble, juggle, toss frisbees, salute the sun through a series of yoga poses.

As we exit the meadow, the dusty path begins again.  It leads us through the trees and between the rows of abandoned storefronts, a summer marketplace that blends into the woods, not yet in business.  We climb to the upper level of the closest booth and look out across the dusty stillness.  The emptiness and stillness belie the crowds that will fill the site in mid-July, but there is a spark in the air that promises magic.

We kick up dust as we walk the path alongside the river.  The banks of the river are lush and green, yet the dry and dusty path makes to hard to believe that the river floods this site every year, drowning the dust and trees, submerging the meadow and shops, completing a natural cycle that has repeated itself over the centuries.

We approach a wooden platform flanked by rows of worn wooden benches.  Ghosts of acrobats tumble and dance across the stage.  A strange music wafts in.  I sit and sift through the memories of years past.

Reflection on Day 2:  Half way through this post, I almost gave up.  My self-doubt almost stopped my writing.  Maybe that is why I have such a difficult time completing a story.  My self-doubt creeps in and decides that it is not worth finishing.  I had to fight the doubt in order to finish this piece.  I'm still not sure if I like it.

The Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby

My first attempt at taking a picture of my Kindle screen.

Not my favorite :(

What it's about:

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step inside Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show, a menagerie of human curiosities and misfits guaranteed to astound and amaze! But perhaps the strangest act of Mosco’s display is Portia Remini, a normal among the freaks, on the run from McGreavy’s Home for Wayward Girls, where Mister watches and waits. He said he would always find Portia, that she could never leave. Free at last, Portia begins a new life on the bally, seeking answers about her father’s disappearance. Will she find him before Mister finds her? It’s a story for the ages, and like everyone who enters the Wonder Show, Portia will never be the same. -Amazon.com

What I thought:

Who hasn't dreamed of running away with the circus?  There is something magical about being part of a traveling show, especially one with a carnival and "freak show."  Unfortunately, that is where the magic ended for me.

I feel that a lot of the story in this book was glossed over and ignored.  At one point, at the end of a chapter, Portia finds herself locked in a dark, scary trailer.  She realizes that no one can help her.  She must find her own way out.  Turn the page to begin the next chapter and she is no longer trapped.  How did she get out?  Did she scream and yell until someone found her?   Did she break a window?  Did she cause damage to the trailer that she would have to pay out of her wages?  We will never know.  There were many moments like this in the book, where I was left with more questions than answers.

Also, the ending wrapped up too neatly and too quickly for me.  Don't get me wrong, I love a happy ending as much as anyone, but this one happened too easily.  I don't want to give too much away, in case you plan to read the book, but it was much too neat and tidy for my liking.

I did really enjoy the short chapters written from the point of view of the different characters in the book.  It gave more depth to their personalities.  After reading the question and answer section in the back of the book, I learned that the author had not originally intended to include these chapters in the book.  They were merely a character exercise for her.  I am glad that her editor encouraged her to include them.  Without these chapters, the book would have had very little depth.

Overall this book was an enjoyable read.  The story and the characters were interesting.  I just put it down feeling a little unsatisfied, like something was missing.  

Have you read The Wonder Show?  What did you think?

Writing 101: Day 1

I am currently participating in Blogging University's Writing 101 through The Daily Post.  The challenge is to write every day, using some combination of the daily prompt and daily twist.  I'll be posting my progress here on this blog and hoping to reboot my daily writing practice.  Wish me luck!

Today's prompt:  To get started, let’s loosen up. Let’s unlock the mind. Today, take twenty minutes to free write. And don’t think about what you’ll write. Just write.

Today's twist:  And for your first twist? Publish this stream-of-consciousness post on your blog.

I don't know why I have such a hard time sitting down and writing.  I received the email with today's prompt and twist around noon today, but I have waited until now, 9:10pm, to actually sit down and just write.  I have done everything possible to avoid writing for just twenty minutes.  

I worked out this afternoon when I got home from work.  It is the first time I have worked out in months but this is also the first day in months when I have felt obligated to write.  I have updated two other blogs this evening.  I have spent time with my husband and my kitty cat.  I went grocery shopping.  I bought some dinner.  I created art.  And now as I am finally running out of other things to do, I am finally sitting down to write something.  

Why is so hard for me to carve out time to write?  I enjoy writing.  I have about a million ideas swimming around in my head, just begging to be put down on paper.  I have always enjoyed the act of writing by hand and I always have a notebook nearby to jot down my thoughts, but I find it difficult to set aside a chunk of even 20 minutes for some serious writing.

I think one of my issues is that I lose confidence when I get close to the end of a story.  I have two novels that are approaching their final scenes, and part of me just wants to start a new story.  I am the same way with my craft projects.  I do a lot of knitting and crochet and I often find myself with just a few rows to go... just a few more stitches... just a little sewing... and then I put the project aside and start a new one. 

Can I force myself to complete a writing project?  Maybe if I just forced an ending out of my brain and onto paper, then no matter how bad it is, I can always edit it later, right?  I can always rewrite.  Maybe it would be cathartic to complete a story, wrap it up and move on. 

I have already tried telling other people that I am writing a book, to see if it would motivate me to follow through and finish.  It has not worked so far.  I am really hopeful that this daily practice will shake me up and help me get back into the writing habit.  I want to write.  I want to complete a story.  I want to improve.  I want to stop writing the word 'just' every other sentence :)  And I really want to go back and edit this whole post, so I'm just going to click publish right now.

2015 What I'm Reading #4

Every Wednesday of ROW80 I will write an update of my reading goals and each Sunday will be an update of my writing goals.  I am also tweeting daily updates of my writing goals. 

2015 Reading Goal:  30 books                                  

Current Progress:  6 books

The list so far:

January

1. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
2. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
3. The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Schaffer
5. Blue Bloods: The Keys to the Repository by Melissa de la Cruz
6. A Million Little Things by James Frey

Well, I have not made any progress since last check-in.  I have checked out 3 books from my e-library and 1 book from my school library, and I have not read very much at all.  From the looks of it, I have about two weeks to finish these 3 e-books.  I better get to work :)

What are you reading this week?  Any recommendations?

Writing Update (2/9/15)

 

2015 Goal: 250 words per day/1750 words per week, both new handwritten and old typed

Weekly Progress: 454 words

Every Wednesday of ROW80 I will write an update of my reading goals and each Sunday will be an update of my writing goals.  I am also tweeting daily updates of my writing goals.   This post is one day late :(

Ok, so yesterday I read an article about fighting writer's block.  It seems like a reasonable strategy. . In fact I have tried similar strategies before, so I started with a prompt from the Writer's Digest.  It was going great.  Ideas were flowing.  Then it was gone.  After 454 words, I had nothing more to write, even though there was still a lot of story to tell.  I left my friend hiding in her closet from a home invader.  

So I did not meet my goal this week.  That makes three weeks in a row that I have not met my goal.  At least this week I wrote.  Next week will be better.

Writing Update 2/3/15

 

2015 Goal: 250 words per day/1750 words per week, both new handwritten and old typed

Weekly Progress:  0 words

Every Wednesday of ROW80 I will write an update of my reading goals and each Sunday will be an update of my writing goals.  I am also tweeting daily updates of my writing goals.   This post is late and I have not been tweeting anything :(

Ok, I have been slacking on avoiding my writing update posts.  Why?  Well, basically, there has been no writing going on.  None at all.  For this reason and others, I have decided to adjust my goal. 

When I write, I always write by hand first and type later, so I have decided to adjust my goal to include the handwritten words and the typing of those words.  That may seem like cheating, since I am technically writing the same words twice, but when I type, I also do a little editing.  It has taken me some time to accept this as part of my goal, but I think I am finally ready to cut myself some slack.

I also find that there are some days when I like to write and some when I don't want to write at all, so a daily goal does not make much sense for me.  On the days I want to write, I can easily write 1,000 words in one sitting.  If I don't want to write, I have a hard time even getting out a sentence.  This realization has me changing my goal from 250 words daily to 1750 words weekly.  Now I will no longer feel guilty if I am not in the mood to write.

I am going to try my hand at A Month of Letters again.  Maybe that will help me get started.  My first letter was a birthday letter to my hubby, number two is a birthday letter to my mom, and the third is a birthday card to my BIL.  Next I want to write a letter to my granddad and my godmother.  I hope I can follow through with the whole month this time around.

I think that this new goal is going to work so much better for me, and I am excited to get back to getting back to writing :)  Have you had to adjust your goals yet?