Writing Update 4/12/15

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.

This round of ROW80 has just begun, so I don't want to sound too optimistic, but I am meeting my goals so far.  I have been writing every day, thanks to Blogging University's Writing 101.  I have even been sharing my writing on my blog which is something new for me.   

My reading has been going well too.  The number of books I was reading had slowed way down, but all of a sudden, I am reading again and dealing with my usual problem of having too many books checked out at once.  I'm loving it!

Here's hoping that I continue to make progress on my goals as the round continues.

Stuck in my Head: Music Lost (Writing 101, Day 4)

Today’s Prompt: Write about a loss: something (or someone) that was part of your life, and isn’t any more.
Today’s twist: Make today’s post the first in a three-post series.

Today I have decided to take the twist a little bit further.  Instead of making this a three-post series, I am making this a weekly serial post on my blog.  I enjoyed the Day 3 Prompt so much that I have decided to post about music on a weekly basis.  Today I am posting about music that I have lost over the years.  

"Gepetto" by Belly

I remember when my cousin gave me a dubbed copy of his Belly tape.  It was a transparent cassette with yellow stickers.  I listened to that cassette all the time.  I loved it.  I knew the words to every single song.  Belly were an instant favorite.  But somewhere along the way, I lost that cassette tape.  I haven't heard Belly in a very long time but this song brings back memories of listening to music with my cousin in his kitchen.  I remember one time he even tried to teach me how to dance to different types of music.  

"Fisherman's Blues" by The Waterboys

The last time I heard The Waterboys was at Irish Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I remember how surprised I was that they would be performing.  I was even more surprised when I saw how many people showed up to listen to them and when I realized how many people were familiar with their music.  I, personally, had almost forgotten about The Waterboys at that point in my life but I quickly found that all the lyrics to all the songs were still floating around in my brain.  This song was always one of my favorites.

"Happy Hour"  by The Housemartins

Another lost cassette tape.  I have moved around a lot and my huge collection of tapes got smaller and smaller with each big move.  This song was on a double cassette from the Now That's What I Call Music series from the 80s.  I had never been a big fan of The Housemartins but I always liked how upbeat this song is.  It's also a good reminder to stay away from drinks with the boss or, oftentimes, coworkers.  And how adorably dorky are these guys??

Do you have songs that you loved but that you never hear anymore?

The Importance of Music: Writing 101, Day 3

Today’s Prompt: Write about the three most important songs in your life — what do they mean to you?

Today’s twist: You’ll commit to a writing practice.

"Cure for Pain"  by Morphine

During my senior year of high school and freshman year of college, I spent a lot of time at a local coffee shop named Lava Java.  That is where I was first introduced to Morphine (the band, not the drug) and the song "Cure for Pain".  The song still takes me back to that place and time.  Lava Java was my version of the bar in Cheers.  I met a lot of interesting people there, including my husband.  The coffee shop had bar seating, which made it easy to go there alone and to meet new people.  There were couches and comfy chairs.  The art was always interesting, and one show in particular drew outrage from the local church.  They especially hated the life-size photograph of a nude woman doing a headstand that hung right by the front window.  One of the co-owners was always grumpy and even instituted Mandatory Tip Night.  In fact, his grumpiness helped me to meet my future husband when the owner kicked a group of us out of the cafe because we were laughing too hard.  I read my first poem publicly in Lava Java.  I later went to see Morphine live.  A.May.Zing.  Unfortunately the lead singer died, so the band no longer exits.

"Desesperada" por Marta Sánchez

This song takes me back to my student exchange to Chile.  I made some amazing friends there, and this song was the bees knees.  I seem to remember my friends and I making a video of ourselves singing this song together, but I have never been able to view that videotape and now I no longer even know where it is.  Well, it might be better if proof of that incident were lost forever anyway.  I learned all the lyrics to that song, even though I spoke very little Spanish.  By the end of my six months in Chile, I was pretty much fluent in Spanish and I cried and cried when my parents made me come home.  Oh how I wanted to stay.  Now I am a Spanish teacher and I listen to music in Spanish on a daily basis at work.  Who knew one little song could lead to a career?

"Missing You" by Christy Moore

Christy Moore.  Anytime I hear him, he takes me back to my childhood and my birth country, Ireland.  My mom made Irish soda bread for Christy Moore once.  He performed a concert in my village and he had very specific backstage request, one of which was homemade brown bread.  So cool.  "Missing You" is an especially powerful song for me because it's all about emigration, and my family is still dealing with emigration.  My cousins live in many different countries:  Canada, U.S.A., England, Germany, Australia.  I have friends and family all around the world because jobs are scarce in Ireland.  This is one of the few songs that can make me cry.

Reflection on Day 3:  This was a really easy post to write.  I thought I would have a hard time thinking of important songs, but they just came to me.  Fun prompt.

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.