Category: my life

  • Just Finished: Quiet-The Power of Introverts

    Just Finished: Quiet-The Power of Introverts

    I wish someone had told me what this book talks about when I was I kid. I would have known it was okay to be who I was. Recommended for introverts for understanding themselves. Also recommended to parents, educators and managers, whether an introvert or extrovert, for understanding that segment of society that is constantly…

  • And We’re Off: First Day of NaNoWriMo 2023

    And We’re Off: First Day of NaNoWriMo 2023

    I belong to the writing community of Writing Mastery Academy online and I wrote this in the National Novel Writing Month discussion group this morning: “I woke up about 10 minutes before midnight, and figured I should go ahead and do a couple of word sprints. I got about 800 words in one hour, which…

  • Spooky Reads for a Spooky Season

    Spooky Reads for a Spooky Season

    A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City If you liked Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, you will like this true crime story. Set in the neighborhood of Old Louisville, one Victorian mansion has a sordid history. Author David Domine follows the murder investigation and trial of two men who lived in this…

  • Friday’s Findings: Books on Writing

    Friday’s Findings: Books on Writing

    I’d like to share two books on writing I’ve recently purchased: Save the Cat Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody Brody expounds on the Save the Cat beats with young adult novel examples. Even if you don’t write YA novels, or even if you are a pantser, you can probably mine out some…

  • Friday’s Findings: Two Column Method to Drafting

    Friday’s Findings: Two Column Method to Drafting

    I’ve discovered a way to create a rough draft more quickly and conveniently. Sometimes, I’ll have a page of notes about a scene I want to write. But going back and forth from the page with my notes to the page where I’m composing my rough draft slows me down. I tried a split screen,…

  • Should I Do NaNoWriMo?

    Should I Do NaNoWriMo?

    Should I do NaNoWriMo this year? Whether or not I do is in question. Here’s why: I’m currently working on three novels. Yes, I’m crazy. Currently, the momentum I have working on all three is going well. I don’t want to break it. I also have three or four outlines of potential novels. I want…

  • Friday’s Findings: Can AI Write a Novel?

    Friday’s Findings: Can AI Write a Novel?

    Apparently, Artificial Intelligence can write a novel. The question is: can AI write a good novel? To me, good novels require human emotions. Characters need to make decisions in their fictional exploits. And decisions, even those based on just the facts, require emotions to be made. Can AI make decisions as complex as humans? Can…

  • Friday’s Findings: Screenplay Writing with Tony Acree

    Friday’s Findings: Screenplay Writing with Tony Acree

    Last week, I attended a short workshop on screenplay writing. Tony Acree, author and publisher, has turned his novel, The Hand of God, into a screenplay. He talked about what he has learned as he gets it turned into a movie. With his permission, I’ve summarized his main points: Video of Acree’s presentation. Here are…

  • MY FAVORITE SF&F SHOWS, PART 7

    MY FAVORITE SF&F SHOWS, PART 7

    Much to my chagrin, I’ve been doing more watching science fiction and fantasy shows than writing lately. But, thankfully, I’m back to writing now that these three shows have concluded: Shadow and Bone, Season 2 I just finished reading all of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaworld novels before watching season 2 of Shadow and Bone. If you…