Merging

I’ve dabbled in blogging for a half a dozen years (ever since I was assigned to write one for a class). That original one hasn’t been touched pretty since the day the class ended but I have started three others. Yes, three!

Over on Blogger I have two. To Read or Not to Read? where I post reviews of books I’ve read and Writings and Musings which you're reading now.

And in late 2014 I started up a Tumblr where I post short story fiction because I need to practice being more succinct in my writing.

But having so many different things going on on different sites is driving me crazy so I came up with the perfect idea to consolidate them all into one! And not only that but I found the perfect way to do that because, here on WordPress, there’s an option to do categories so over there on the right hand side is a drop down menu. The new site can be found here: https://readwriteink.wordpress.com/

Below is how things will be arranged over there:

The Short Story category is pretty self explanatory. If you’ve read/want to read my fiction, you can find it there. To Read or Not to Read? is what you’ll want to click if you only want my book reviews while Writerly Musings will be where you’ll find the kind of random hodgepodge of other ideas. Or you can choose to read it all, I won’t complain.

Book Challenge Entry Six: A Book You Hated

Entry Six Prompt: A book you hated.

My Answer: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I love to read fiction and will likely try anything that sounds remotely interesting regardless of the genre. I do gravitate towards fantasy stories and young adult fiction more often than anything else but I’ve also enjoyed mysteries, slightly naughty romance stories, dystopians, and books with historical settings and that’s just been in the last few months. But I’m also guilty of following trends, meaning that if I hear that a book is to be turned into a movie I will most likely read it.

So that is why I picked up “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn a few months ago. Not only did I know it was going to be a movie but I had also seen it go out at the library again and again. And it looked like an interesting mystery series.

Now the gist of “Gone Girl” (for those that don’t already know) is that it starts with the disappearance of Amy Dunne. Soon enough evidence is found that suggests that she was killed by her husband Nick and the story is told through Nick’s point of view and through past diary entries of Amy’s. The good part was that the mystery really did keep me guessing and was fairly well thought through. What bothered me were the characters.

Here is where I’m going to spoil everything for you so don’t read if you don’t want to know/don’t already know what happens.

When it comes to a book I need someone to root for. That person doesn’t necessarily have to be good but there has to be something redeemable about them. No one in this book is redeemable. Nick is a cheating twisted man boy. Amy, both in her so obviously faked diary entries (I thought they were suspicious even before I found out they were fake/planned because nobody would write diary entries like that unless they are meant to be read. I’m a writer and I didn’t even write entries like that back when I kept a diary) and when we actually see her return and hear her methods. She’s a psychopath and by the end of the book I literally hoped Nick and Amy would just end up killing each other.

And, even worse, there was no justice and no resolution. Months later I still don’t get it.

The Importance of a Word

You know how sometimes you hear a word and it just sticks with you? It's happened to me and it truly makes me realize just how important words can be. So I'm going to share with you the story of that one word that I always seem to notice nowadays.

Back in 2008 I was just beginning a relationship with the man I now man to marry and we were talking mostly via online messaging. On one evening he used the word "reticent" to describe me which was interesting because I didn't know what the word meant which hardly ever happened (not to be a word snob but I've always been pretty good with words and context clues to find out what words I don't know actually mean).

When one is reticent they are quiet, restrained, so on and so forth which is a perfect example of me. I'm good with the written word and I can talk your ear off once I've gotten to know you but when you first meet me? I'll only talk in short awkward sentences or go hide on a couch and play with any animals you may have in the house.

But to continue on with the importance of words. I'm not entirely sure why it stuck with me so much but it has and I notice it every time I read it and now that I'm writing this article I really wish I had written down every instance where I noticed it because it would be interesting to see exactly what context it was always seen in and what type of books.

Some instances I found just by a search though my Kindle:
- Thirteen uses in the Sherlock Holmes series.
- Used in two of the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, set in a steampunk Victorian era.
- Used in four of the Goddess Summoning series by P.C. Cast each of which retells a myth with a modern twist.
- In four of the thirteen books I have received and reviewed for NetGalley. Each of those books had a historical element to them.

Just looking at that list makes me wonder if most of the books I've seen it in are of a historical nature. Is reticent an old school word that authors use to make modern books seem more time period appropriate?

Either way I find it interesting that just a simple occurrence, a simple mention of a word, made it so that I pay so much attention to said word.

Playing With History

I have written, outlined, and jotted thousands of words since I started writing a decade ago. And most of my novel ideas have a certain theme to them.

So here they are in all their vague glory! (Because I am not revealing all my creative details on the internet. Who would pay for a copy of my books, when I hopefully get them published, if all the details are free on my blog?)

Book Idea 1: The book I say is a female version of Lord of the Ring.

Book Idea 2: A book about teenaged mermaids who, during a certain birthday, get to choose whether or not they stay underwater or grow legs.

Book Idea 3: A period piece set in the early 1900's. Think Titanic meets Twilight only not as cheesy.

Book Idea 4: A story of fairy godmothers and the classes they must take to reach that status.

Book Idea 5: Werewolves and prophecies and a group of young campers who get stuck in the middle of a turf war.

Did you catch the theme? Did you? Obviously it's fairy tale creatures and epic journeys.

But what is my most recent story idea? A historical/supernatural mix up. Not only do I want to add supernatural elements to a time period that I'd have to research even more in depth than the random movies/internet searches/class work that I've already done but I also want to use characters that really existed.

That means I'll have to do even more research because I know I've read historical fiction about people like Anne Boleyn but what things do I have to worry about when I write about someone real? Would someone be offended if I added supernatural elements to a certain time period/situation? I really like my idea, and I already did some research and outlining, but I'm honestly not sure I'm up to the challenge.

Writer Problems: Too Many Ideas

I've realized over the years that I work better when I set myself writing goals so that's what I've been doing since the beginning of the year, making a list in my monthly planner of what I'd like to accomplish during each month be it writerly goals or otherwise. Sometimes I struggle to reach those goals while other times I fly by my goals. Last month I struggled, not exactly meeting my June goals until quite a few hours into July (but I counted it as meeting my June goal in the hopes I'll be able to overcompensate in July).

So one evening last week I was happily writing along, going back and forth between working on a fanfiction piece and one of my unfinished novels (unfinished in this instance meaning not fully written...other blog posts may mention an unfinished novel that is written but not edited enough for any attempts to publish; confusing I know). I work better when I hand write things before I type them (plus hand writing and then typing gives me a chance for a first edit) and I had just counted up how many lines I'd written so far this month and was happy to discover I was ahead on both projects. Minutes after discovering that happy little fact an idea niggled its way into my head. The best and worst possible idea at a time like this.

The idea for another new novel!

Why is that both good and bad at the same time you may ask? It's good because I always have to have something to write but sometimes coming up with a place to start is the hardest part. It's bad because I already have three epic fanfiction ideas to work on, two completed novels to edit, and two half finished novels! And when I get an idea I want to work on it right away, naming characters and doing research, but with everything else going on I can't.

(Well I probably could but then it would mean I'd have another half finished novel which is never good because it's so hard to get back into something after I've put it on hiatus for months or years. Believe me, it's happened before and it's awful. If you can I suggest you always finish a project even if you finish it horribly. At least you'll have an idea of what you wanted to do with it instead of having to figure it out all over again because the outline you wrote years ago doesn't make any sense anymore).

That's where I am, and have been since last week, too full of ideas. At times like this I wish something would fall into place and I could just be a full time author.

Book Challenge Entry Five: Favorite Classic

Entry Five Prompt: Favorite Classic Book

My Answer: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I first read "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen back in eighth grade. I don't know why because it wasn't part of my required school reading (not that those were the only books I read because they weren't). But I do remember finding a lonely little copy of it in the middle school library, a copy that probably hadn't been checked out for months or possibly even years. I don't think I was purposefully looking for it (it has been about twelve years since the event so maybe I just don't remember it) but the book went home with me nonetheless.

And I loved it. I've probably read the book, and watched the Keira Knightley version of the movie, about a half dozen times or more and if I read it again today I would still love it. But I probably won't because I have a massive "to read" list and I'd like to get it some new things/finish up some series I started awhile ago before I re-read other things.

Now onto why I loved it so much.

And even though the internet is full of women and memorabilia honoring the love of Fitzwilliam Darcy I honestly think the main reason I loved the book was Elizabeth Bennet. She's smart and loves books, she doesn't subscribe to the rules and restrictions of her time period and gender, because of that she wants to marry for love. Those are the makings of a strong heroine to me, a woman who isn't afraid to be intelligent and who doesn't really give a damn about societal conventions and it was even more interesting that she was a character in a book written by a woman who had published her books anonymously because of exactly what Austen was writing about, societal conventions. I have always thought that was both interesting and ironic.

And the love of "Pride and Prejudice" has led me to read several other of Jane Austen's works and buy a collection which I have yet to finish (but will most likely work on in the near future).

Rant #1: Mockingjay Trailer

I've decided something. This is my blog so I think it is my right to rant about things on occasion, but since this blog does have a theme (since quill's in the title and all my posts have been about writing and books I think you can probably figure out what that theme is) I am only going to rant about things to do with books and writing. So I'm thinking that movies based on said books should be allowed. Let's just go with that, okay?

One of my friends, one who went with me to see Catching Fire back in November, knew I'd been waiting for the release of the trailer for Mockingjay so she posted it on my Facebook wall. I watched the teaser trailer several times yesterday and, of course, had to look at the comments about it because I thought it was amazing. I was surprised to see so many people complaining! So surprised that I even created a Facebook status about it. That status read as follows:

Personally I think the new Mockingjay teaser trailer is perfect even though it doesn't give much insight into the movie like people expect a teaser trailer to do (I saw complaints around the interwebs). That's kind of the point of the promo and is a major point in the books/movies themselves. In Panem the Capitol controls the media...at least until Beetee gets involved.

(That was a pretty insightful post for a late night Facebook status, don't you think?)

Because it's so true. I actually like that they chose to promote it like that. If you've read the books or even just watched the movies you should understand that the power of the Capitol to influence the media is so very prevalent that that is how the rebellion is really fought for the first half of the book. The Districts in Panem really only get their news from the Capitol so that's why Thirteen keeps fighting to interrupt the broadcasts with some of their own, with symbols of the Mockingjay, because they want the Districts to know their side of the story. 

So bravo to the makers of that teaser trailer. Instead of catering to the expectations of the masses you created something that perfectly reflects the spirit of the books your movie is based on.