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Rated: 13+ · Book · Other · #1908951
Random thoughts, inconsistent posting
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My meandering thoughts



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June 14, 2014 at 6:28pm
June 14, 2014 at 6:28pm
#819697
Tell us three things that you absolutely love about yourself?

I'm taking a leaf from Charlie's journal. This came to my mind the minute I read the words to this prompt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqnw5IfbZOU


"Just belt it out I'm listening"

June 13, 2014 at 3:04pm
June 13, 2014 at 3:04pm
#819618
What is superstitious and what does it mean to me?

I am not superstitious. I've been aware if the phenomenon since I began to read scary stories. Most are based on fear. I found this in Wikipedia Greek and Roman polytheists, who modeled their relations with the gods on political and social terms, scorned the man who constantly trembled with fear at the thought of the gods, as a slave feared a cruel and capricious master. Such fear of the gods was what the Romans meant by "superstition" (Veyne 1987, p. 211).
With this thought in mind we can safely say most superstitions are based on fear of retaliation.

There is also the fear of the unknown. The fear of black cats is based on the fact in Bible times warns not to have anything to do with witches or their familiars. At the time witches kept cats as pets so the two were the same. From then on Black cats were avoided. If by some circumstance a bad event happened after a black cat cross their path, it reinforced the superstition.

Fear is what drives superstition. Fear of failure. That's why sport stars will go through a ritual to ensure the do they same thing and it will bring good luck in their game. However we know someone has to lose. What does that tell the more rational people about rituals?

The segue to rituals just brings us back to religion. Most religions have their traditions and customs. Some are based on doctrine others on man made traditions. Its the doctrine of God and Jesus we must up hold. It is in direct conflict with superstition. Jesus is the fear breaker. He doesn't want fear in the sense of retribution. When His word says Fear it means respect, uphold and honor. I know the power of an ocean waves. I love to run right at the base of a wave while its building and hunch down. When the wave breaks on the sand behind me I push up into the water and pop out in the safe zone and lit it take me back to shore. However once I wasn't paying attention. I wasn't dressed for swimming and my interest was picking up shells. A wave broke right at my feet and knocked me over rolling me in the sand and the grit. That never happened to me again. The result was the worst 3 mile walk back to the car I've ever had to endure.
I have a fear of the ocean. I'm not afraid of it nor am I superstitious of its power.

June 10, 2014 at 9:50am
June 10, 2014 at 9:50am
#819255
Procrastinate Now! Are you a procrastinator? What is your attitude toward procrastination?

This is my favorite word except when it comes to writing. I can ignore almost anything. I just don't see it. If it doesn't bother me then its fine.
I don't have that problem with writing. I will put everything aside when the muse weaves her magic. I don't know how to control it. There is something inside that resists and rebels against the adage "just do it."
I can tell others, "If you get it done right away you'll have more time to do what you want." Then a little voice says, If you ignore it you can do what you want anyway and its still here when you come back.
What is important is subjective. To my husband and others like him. Perfection, or the need to see clean, clear countertops with minimal appliances on them is what they want. They love model homes where it looks like no one lives there. I don't have the same attitude. I get uneasy when I'm in a model home or an open house where people live and it looks so pristine.
I have no idea why, but I just like having things around. I like my coffee machines, vitamix, toaster and such out. Now I have very little counter space because of it, but I don't have cupboard space to put it away. Its me, I know its me and I'm comfortable with my procrastination.

June 6, 2014 at 11:06am
June 6, 2014 at 11:06am
#818872
Prompt: Do you have a secret place now you go to avoid real life?

Why does it seem as if every prompt is digging into my ugly past? I never had a fort or place I ran to get away from life. I escaped into books. I was a voracious reader. I didn't want to deal with life, I didn't have a lot of friends so I read. I can't tell you all the books I've read in my younger years.

I signed in to goodreads and started to list the books I can remember reading. There were just too many but when I remember one I add it. The list would be twice as long If I listed every book.

I read even if it got me in trouble. As soon as dinner was over I'd grab a book and head to the bathroom. As soon as I heard the belt buckle jingle (since my sister and I were supposed to do the dishes) I'd run to the kitchen. Sometimes I'd make it sometimes not.

All through my life books were my escape. I could ignore everything around me, house cleaning, laundry, vacuuming, anything I didn't want to do, I read instead.

In the last three years, my reading has slowly died to almost non existent. I have no idea why books no longer hold my interest. I have a stack of them to read and I can't stay interested long enough to read them. I joined a book club thinking it might help. I've read a couple of the books and the rest I couldn't get through, mostly weren't interesting to me. I'd rather write or watch TV.

It could be I can't turn off the editor. All this time I've read for plot. The story would just take me away. Now I find it takes me forever to get through the first chapter because words like was, that, gone, went and filler words pop up at me as I'm reading and I think, "They should have found a better word here. What editor let this through to be published? Now I'm not the perfect writer. When the muse flows I write it down as fast as I can. I go back and read it over and over and still think, "Why didn't I see that before? It was right there."

I'm trying to get past that, or could it be there are so many self-published authors who have no idea what editing means and just have their friends proof read it. Proof-reading and editing are two entirely different people. Each has what they do and most don't do both. Edit, then proof-read.

I'm reading a book on my e-reader and its written in First person. Its as if the character is sitting at a campfire telling you this story as their mind remembers it. Its jerky and I keep mentally screaming at the book, "The obvious question anyone would have asked by now is: "What year is this?" Yet this young man never asks. He sees they seem to be dressed and acting like the past, but he never asks the question. So far, I can't say it holds my interest. I can put it down for days then pick it up and go on. I know the woman he's just met is his grandmother when she was younger. Eventually he'll realize the man is his grandfather. The MC is a little dense and the time line isn't quite right. But its okay.
Maybe I just haven't found a book that drags me into it like I used to. Is the quality lacking or am I just going through a phase?




Tina Weaver

** Image ID #1988770 Unavailable **



June 5, 2014 at 2:08pm
June 5, 2014 at 2:08pm
#818793
What is your favorite rainy day movie?

I don't have to wait for a rainy day. I live in Oregon where it rains from Sept-June more times a month than it doesn't.
I have a number of movies that I like to watch, but like my books I when I read or see them once I don't visit them again. However, there are movies that come on the TV or are featured on cable. When those movies are playing, I can't pass by. I end up sitting down and watching to the end or just to my favorite parts.

Pretty Woman I will sit until the part where she goes shopping with Louis. Where she walks into the store she was kicked out previously and blows them off. I've experienced the same situation and I so wanted to go and find those snarky sales ladies and say "You work on commission don't you ? Big mistake. Huge. Go ask Mr. Rogers what we just bought from him." We spent a lot of money on a high quality bedroom set along with an armoire and cedar chest. Those women just pointed to the stairs and said, "Beds are down there," then turned their back on us.

Hunt for Red October
I love almost all of it and will sit and watch it to the end wherever I start watching.

Shooter I love the part where Louis (I can't remember his character's name) is tied in the boathouse and Bob Lee Swager shoots all the bad guys.

Trading Places "Lookin' good Billie Ray", "Feelin' good Louis." I love the end where they get the two old guys back.

Blind Side I love the part where Louanne walks across the field to talk to Michael about protecting the family. I love the part where Miss Sue tries to find Michael something to write about and Mr. Touey recited "The Charge of the Light Brigade." I never understood that po-em (as Miss Sue says the word) like I did when he explained it to Michael and then as the teacher read it and Michael did the voice over. I hated the woman from the NAACP. In fact, after I saw the movie I saw her in a couple of commercials and walked away or changed the channel because I didn't like her. I associated her with the character. Even though I know it was a character, I didn't like her.

Now you see me "Now You See Me-The movie Here is my review of the movie. I've watched it a couple of times.

Devil This is a horror movie (there are parts I close my eyes), not very long but powerful from a writer's POV. You have to watch it all the way through. I love a story told so when you get to the end all is revealed and the Characters are connected in some way. This is one of them. The second time I watched it the clues were more pronounced as I knew what to look for. Shutter Island is similar. There are parts I can't watch but the ending blows me away. The crafting of this story. Dennis Lahane is a skilled writer and I'm amazed by the intricacy he crafted in this brilliant story.


June 4, 2014 at 2:19pm
June 4, 2014 at 2:19pm
#818697
The question is what is to be worn for Summer footware? I've made my thoughts known on Charlie ~ blog I don't want to repeat it here.
I wear flip flops as we are forced to call them. At one time the original denotation for this footware was THONGS. Who on this earth decided to name a type of women's undergarment the SAME name because it fits in the CRACK? Who would have thought this popular piece of underware would out sell the longstanding name of a footware, forcing those of us who wore THONGS for footware now have to change the name.
After FIFTY years of calling this item THONGS do you have any idea how hard it is to break the ingrained word change to a two-syllable of 'FLIP FLOPS'
I have a number of pairs of FF's made be Nike, Crocks and other cheaper brands. I can no longer wear the old rubber ones. I wear sandals most times even though I've had foot surgery and I'm not supposed to wear them. I only do it for a few days at a time and then back to the supportive type sandal or shoe.
June 2, 2014 at 11:33pm
June 2, 2014 at 11:33pm
#818527
Tell me about a personal experience with violence, either one you experienced personally or one you witnessed (or even choose a violent scene you watched on television or film that affected you) Can violence ever play an effective role in problem solving?


Violence is an attack of vicious nature by one individual to another. It doesn't matter what the reason is, its the act itself that is the violence.
Since the beginning of movies and some books, there is a desire to surprise, scare, shock the reader or viewer. The writer demands some kind of reaction. Like a drug, the more desensitized to certain actions the more detailed, zoomed in the action must become.

As years have come and gone the censors have been forced to release their stranglehold on the movie industry. Writers in a effort to keep affront of the demand began to write more violent actions, then followed the actual detailed comencement of these actions. After that it was the close-up makup artists who created the wounds and spilling blood.

Coming in close behind are the reality shows. COPS that showed people being beat up or the victims who had been shot, or actually maimed in some way. Very real people caught in the real lift drama of domestic violence or gang violence.

Neck and neck were the TV shows that involved the doctors, hospitals, and of course CSI (Crime Scene Investigation). In these instances the computer could generate a very real scenario of going into a wound, or organ and seeing evidence being removed. Up close and personal.

Sexual violence has always been around but at the shame of being caught and outted forced most perpetrators to do it behind closed doors. Not so any more. They know how to manipulate their prey into mental situations and keep them in plain sight but so terrified they do not call for help or run away for many years.

At one time suspense, thrillers, mysteries would keep the viewers on the edge of their seat. Sudden moves might cause the entire movie theater to jump and scream. The level desensation will determine the shockablitly of the event. We almost always know its coming from the musice. If you were deaf, most of the the time everyone would be surprised.

It isn't just the movies and TV but our news media has the job to capture the interest of the viewer. To make them choose a particular station. Some have over dramtic reproters or use words like; "Only on Channel XX will hear you this exclusive story. They will fire out the most detailed and closeups of the victims, blood dripping from their heads, parents greiving over their wounded or dead family members only to have some driven reporter shove a microphone in their face and ask "What are you feeling?"

What has the media done to compassion, sensitivity to the enjoyment of being scared or screaming. It just doesn't happen. Violence has become so commonplace we don't even glance at a reportor who says "Next a shooting of an innocent young boy by a neighborhood watch." Then we weigh in on who was at fault first, not the person who is dead. Give the family time to morn.


June 2, 2014 at 12:26am
June 2, 2014 at 12:26am
#818429
What are your Summer Goals?

My summer goal is to work quickly with my publisher to get my manuscript ready to publish.
I need to look at getting it ready for print on demand.

I have a few plots in the file. I'm. Not sure which one to get ready for this year's NANO. Do I do the paranormal, the thriller, the second chance romance or look for a new plot?
I reviewed a short story that has great potential as a novelette. I may just have yo ask permission to use it. That's how I got the idea got this novel.
May 30, 2014 at 11:38am
May 30, 2014 at 11:38am
#818220
I think I'll use this time to update my publishing journey. A couple of weeks ago I was on a facebook page for authors/writers and one of the women there has or is involved with a publishing company.

The line of posts followed the age old question "To self-publish or Not?" There were many thoughts on this subject and posts for and against. My point is self publishing is great if you have a high standard. My issue with self-publishers is there is no watermark to guide the author. If you don't belong to a wonderful group like Writing.com or something similar who keep you in your place and working toward perfection (professionalism) the ego gets in the way.

This being said one of the poster's put another poster Elizabeth on to me and we conversed. She gave me what their requirements were and they didn't charge the author. But! it was only e-book versions. We IM'd back and forth then to emails and finally I sent in my pitch, query letter and sample of my MS. She told me up front if she thought it good enough to pass on she'd do so but it had to pass her first.

I waited and waited and finally got an email back that she thought the story had merit and the first part had been edited well enough. I sent the whole MS to her and then waited another two weeks (almost) for some sign.

Wednesday May 28, 2014 I got an email they liked the MS and would be sending a formal contract. I asked about POD and she said she'd look into seeing what that opportunity would cost. (I don't mind paying or doing it for free with one of the other publishing houses.)
Last night I got a note about what I was thinking for a cover. I gave her some ideas and some photos from the internet and hope to see what their cover designers can do. I have an idea but putting it into words with no drawing is tough.

I want to put this out there. I appreciate those on Writing.com who take time to show you what you need to do to make your work better. All the time, I have reviewers who cut wasted words I put in and dead words I forget and write. They show me and in turn I see those words pop out of work in other writers.

I just purchased a couple of e-books that were self-published. The plot sounded interesting and if they were good I'd suggest the story to my book club. As I begin to read I am slammed with the word "was", "went", "got", and the dreaded, over used words of "The" and "That." When I pointed this out to the author there was an immediate reaction of resentment.

"I had it edited by a reputable editor." I didn't tell her, but her editor sucked. I understand we all need help. I've had wonderful people here read and edit my first three chapters. When I sent them in for a sample edit by their editors, they came back with all kinds of markings that needed to be fixed. That's not saying the people here didn't do a good job. It takes more than a few people to read and see what needs to be done. Even re-reading this I had more the's and that's than I should and deleted them, writers need to set aside EGO, your personal attachment to your work and see it through the eyes of the reader.

In saying that I've seen readers have no idea, as they read, there are too many of those dead words in the work. To be honest, when I gave the rough draft to my beta readers and they loved it, I said it needed editing. They said there was nothing wrong with it that spell check and grammar check on WORD couldn't deal with. That made me feel good for a moment. Sadly I realize, at one time I would have said the same thing. I read for plot. I wouldn't know if there were too many dead words in a book or not. Now I do, and it makes reading a book, especially self-published ones a bit harder to finish.

I'm also realizing when one writes, the author needs to turn off the conversation or voice. When you write, you aren't "talking" to your reader as you normally talk to a friend. In conversation you can use all kinds of slang, short cuts and dead words without even thinking about what you're saying. When you write you can't. Maybe I should say "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."

Writer's don't be lazy. In WORD there is a neat program that lets you LOOK-UP words. You can quickly search out words you might use too often. If you can't rework the sentence leave it. As I said before, I went back and re-read what I'd written above and found I'd used three "the's", "that's" and a "just" I deleted. Sometime I write the word and realize it isn't needed and delete it. I'm learning, an I hope that shows in the work I post here.

May 29, 2014 at 10:27am
May 29, 2014 at 10:27am
#818136
What show from your childhood would you love to bring back?

When you've lived as long as I have and seen many great TV series, its hard to pick one. I gave this a lot of thought. Many TV shows can be watched on the RETRO TV station. I haven't seen this one and it was one of my favorites, even though it scared me most of the time.
FRIDAY THE 13TH SERIES This TV show was the best! It had great writers and fantastic story lines. Each week they would hear about some crime or some odd event they would check out. It always turned out to be from some cursed item stolen from the shop. The three would have to find it and remove it before it did more damage or killed again.
There was a tea cup with the handle fashioned like a vine. The vine would kill the person who drank from the cup. Now that is the pitch. Its who had the cup in their possession and why they wanted the person dead in the first place that was the story. There was a "Chuckie type doll, a jack-in-the-box that lets a girl see her dead father for a short time, an antique pen a father uses to test his children to see who is worthy of his fortune and many more.
Here is the link to the episodes. Many would make great plot starters. I know I've used a few and made up different stories based on the article or the storyline. http://www.tv.com/shows/friday-the-13th-the-series/episodes/

I would like to add a HBO series that started out with a great plot line, had fantastic characters and creative writers that kept me hooked. The casting in this series was flawless. As weird and twisted as this storyline was, as a writer I couldn't stop watching. It premiered 9/14/2003.
I am fascinated by plots and characters that twist, intertwine and have back stories that aren't boring. Carnivale is a series that has the ability to drag you into a freak show and keep you there. After the second season the writer went off the deep end, in my opinion. Maybe he get a little crazy and tried to push the envelop too far. I read a lot about the writer and his ideas for this show. I felt he pushed it too far. His personal beliefs and concepts crushed this series. It had to end, because he wrote it with the end in sight. To continue would have stepped into the bizarre. He'd already crossed the line.
I know we have watched many distorted movies and series that portray the fight of good against evil, but there are some lines that even though its HBO should not be crossed. When the writer began to touch on the unbelievable and bizarre, he lost his audience.
I suggest you put your writer's cap on and watch this series from that point of view. You will be amazed at his creativity with the characters and their story and the plot line. Get a pen and pad out and write down what you think about each character. I know there were times I would have written it differently. This is a must see for anyone who had trouble with characters or wants to see how to write paranormal with a twist. I would have loved to read this as a book with more detail. Having the actors in mind when I read it would make this book a hit!

Here are a few links to check it out http://hbowatch.com/a-look-back-at-carnivale/
Here is a link I found interesting as Daniel talks about Characters. His concept is spot on. You will be inspired by the story of his father and how he wrote his characters. http://www.avclub.com/article/daniel-knauf-tells-us-his-plan-for-the-end-of-icar...

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