2020: Failure and Hope

This time last year, my head was full of dreams and goals of all the things I intended to accomplish in 2020. “The Year of Clear Vision,” I called it. And yet, as is so often the case, it turns out, only hindsight is 20/20. There was no anticipating what this year had in store. Even now as it comes to an end, the impact of the year’s events are not fully realized. And may not be for years.

My life personally, has been turned on its head.

Reading:
It took me more than half the year to finally finish the last few books from the 2019 reading challenge. And while I have read more than 150 books, I still haven’t completed my 2020 reading challenge list. Sounds crazy, I know, but a good chunk of that 150 were short audio books I was able to listen to at work, or in the car.

Writing:
I lost my first National Novel Writing Month challenge this year. It would be easy to say, “well, it’s 2020,” and just leave it at that. But if I’m honest with myself, I know that I could have won the challenge if I had exercised a little more self-discipline.

On another writing front, my blog completely fell apart this year. It felt like I was forcing myself to write words I no longer had faith in. Still, I continue to have visitors to the blog. In fact the past two months traffic to the blog has exceeded all other months this past year.

Life in General:
COVID’s biggest impact on me this year would be my employment status. Effective the end of this year, I am resigning a position I’ve held for fifteen years. The longest I’ve ever been with a single employer. But the demands of keeping three elementary aged children engaged in online learning simply became too much to attempt while maintaining a full time job.

If this is the worst 2020 brings me, I will count myself fortunate. Blessed, even. I have read and witnessed story after story of others for whom 2020 has taken a much deeper toll. Hundreds of thousands of people sick and dead from this virus. Countless others jobless, homeless and hungry.

I’d like to say that I’m on my way back to some form of normalcy, but the truth is, I’m not all there yet. There is still a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty. Even so, I hold on to this hope: things will get better. A vaccine is coming. The virus will be brought under control. Children will go back to school. Workplaces will reopen. And while it can never be the same as it was, I have hope we will find our balance again.

Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon – October 2020

In less than eight hours, the Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon begins. I’ve decided to participate again in the hopes of getting caught up on some reading. I’m not holding out much hope that I’ll actually accomplish my goals, but I’ll give it a go regardless. I thought I’d share what I plan on reading.

Most nights I read to my boys, so I have one book for each boy. Currently, I’m reading The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien, Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke, and Spirit Animals: Wild Born, by Brandon Mull.

Read aloud books: Inkheart, Spirit Animals: Wild Born, The Hobbit

For myself, I’m in the middle of several books at the moment. I usually have at least one in each format (print, ebook, audio), and sometimes (okay, frequently) I have multiple books going at once. Right now I’m working on Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, by Jeremy Scahill, Blood Rites, by Jim Butcher, Shadow of Night, by Deborah Harkness, and an as yet to be determined audiobook.

Currently reading: Blood Rites, Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, Shadow of Night

While there’s no chance I’ll finish all of the above, I still like to be over prepared. So on deck I have Dead Beat and Proven Guilty, by Jim Butcher, The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov, and The Power of Six, by Pittacus Lore.

Up next: The Foundation Trilogy, The Power of Six, Dead Beat, Proven Guilty

Overambitious as always, but it’s all about the fun, right? It just so happens that it’s just as much fun choosing books for the readathon as it is reading them!

What are you reading this weekend?

Unlock the Muse – February 26, 2019

I went to see How To Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World this week with my children. They were all excited to see it, and so was I. I love these movies, and without giving anything away, I think I can say this movie is a great ending to a well done series.

I read a lot of series fiction, and I tend to write it as well. The How To Train Your Dragon movies are an excellent reminder of what it takes to put together a good series. I’m currently in the middle of writing a series of novels, and my hope is that I can bring the overall story to a satisfying conclusion such as the Dragon series.

Inspire
Here’s your writing prompt for this week:

Begin a short reflective essay with the phrase ‘I remember…’ and continue as far back as you can. Be descriptive.

Memories are elusive, changeable things. Capturing them can be tricky, especially the older they get. Explore this exercise with a partner, someone who shared an experience with you. Separately write down everything you can remember about the event. Compare notes and see what’s the same, and what is different.

Encourage
It’s play week! Here’s a roll of the Rory’s Story Cubes to get the fun started. Try focusing on one image at a time. What ideas do each one evoke?

Happy writing!

The Rules for #140Line

Twitter just gave us 140 EXTRA characters per tweet! It’s madness I tell you! Whether you’re a fan of the extra long tweets or not, here’s a new hashtag game that actually encourages LESS! So, get ready to tighten those lines and share your very BEST!

Read the rules for #140Line here.

100 Posts – Time to Celebrate!

I’ve been at this blogging thing for about a year and a half. I’d like to say I’ve got it all figured out. That I’ve found my place in the blogosphere, and I’m happily working away at creating good and consistent content and that my little blog is growing.

The truth is, I don’t have it all figured out. I haven’t found where I really belong in the blogging world. And I still struggle with creating consistent content. I do, however, believe that my blog is growing. Slowly, to be sure, but growing just the same.

This is my 100^th post. I’ve written about words. Words I’ve read and words I’ve written. I’ve read a lot of books and shared my thoughts with you. I’ve written about my progress on my own novels and even shared some short fiction.

There are also nearly 100 fine folks who have decided to follow my blog. I’ve decided to celebrate by offering a giveaway to you, my faithful followers. Once I reach 100 followers, I will randomly select one of you and I will send you a copy of one of the books from my reading list. The winner gets to choose which book! I will also have a special thank you gift for everyone who enters.

Looking through those who have followed my blog, a good number of you are other book bloggers. You are, like me, readers. Therefore, I will have a special bookmark as a gift for each of you.

If you don’t wish to participate in the giveaway, you don’t need to do anything. If you would like to be considered for the prize, just send me an email to let me know that yes, you’re in.

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I’ll need an address to send you a special thank you gift. I promise, I won’t send you anything else!

If you know anyone who might find my blog interesting, please spread the word! I appreciate each one of you. Thanks for sticking with me through this learning process. Here’s to many more posts!

If Writing a Novel Was Like Baking a Cheesecake: A Recipe for Success

I was making a cheesecake the other night instead of writing, as I frequently do when there’s a pot luck at the office the next day. In fact, I’ve become almost famous among my coworkers for bringing in these rich, delectable desserts.

I like cheesecake because it is a beautiful, decadent dessert with a sort of mysterious reputation for being difficult to make. They can be challenging. Making a perfect cheesecake might be difficult, but in truth, a delicious cheesecake is not that hard to make, just follow the recipe and trust your instincts.

As I worked on the cheesecake rather than my novel, the thought occurred to me, if only writing a novel could be like baking a cheesecake. Mix it up, put it in the pan, bake it. An hour later, done! Sadly, I can’t write a novel in an hour. I don’t know if I’d trust anyone who said that they could.

Then I thought, why not? Why can’t writing a novel be just like making a cheesecake? So, here it is, the recipe for writing a novel. Maybe not a perfect one, but a good one.

Ingredients:
Crust:
-flour: genre
-sugar: time
-butter: place

Filling:
-cream cheese, softened: plot
-sugar: theme
-eggs: characters
-the extras (vanilla, caramel, nuts, and so on): your own voice

Directions:
1. Start with your chosen genre and blend in all elements of your setting. Press the mixture into your pan. I recommend an adjustable pan, one that can stretch or contract to fit the needs of the story you’re trying to tell. A “one-size-fits-all” pan will only generate cookie-cutter fiction. Bake the crust for a predetermined period of time allowing your world to become real and solid. Remove from the oven, set aside and allow to cool.

2. Combine the plot with your theme until smooth. The cream cheese is the essential ingredient in a cheesecake. Without it, it isn’t really a cheesecake. For a novel, this is the plot. Essential and pervasive, you don’t really have a story without plot. The sugar is your theme. Apparently, every story has one. This will sweeten the story and soften the edges of the plot, and if mixed well, becomes undetectable.

3. Next, add your characters slowly, one at a time, beating only until blended. Beating the mixture for too long will remove too many hard edges and soften the inevitable friction between characters. Add as many characters as it takes to achieve the right consistency, but not so many as to turn it into a souffle. Don’t forget to throw in at least one bad egg—every story needs a villain.

4. Blend in any unique, personal elements, adding your own voice, or flavor to the overall story. Pour over the prepared setting. Bake until the edges begin to brown and the middle is just set.

5. Return it to the oven because the center isn’t done yet.

6. Maybe just a few more minutes will do it.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Run a knife around the edges to loosen it from the pan. Allow to cool completely.

8. Refrigerate several hours, or overnight. (Translation, cool your heels while you wait for your manuscript to be accepted somewhere.)

It turns out, baking a cheesecake is a perfect analogy for writing a novel. But it’s not done yet. Now, you share it. The cheesecake is a dessert made for sharing and doing so, is much the same as sharing a novel. There is the same sort of fear, the giddy anticipation when you serve the cheesecake, or reveal the book. Is it really done? Will anyone like it?

In order to be complete, every novel needs to be read, just like every cheesecake needs to be eaten. And like a cheesecake being eaten, a book can be read much faster than it can be written. In the end, after all the hardship and toil, the consumer gets to enjoy your end product. And it takes mere moments in comparison to the time you put into your beautiful work.

Ultimately, a cheesecake will not be left untouched. I can almost guarantee that. Someone will cut into it. And the thrill that comes from watching people enjoy your efforts is unparalleled. As I’m sure, is the thrill of receiving a good review on your writing. A good book, like a cheesecake is made to be enjoyed.

Happy writing!

If you’re curious, here’s the cheesecake I made the other night. It turned out great!