Hello, darklings!
This month in the writing server, we’re doing a Reading December challenge.
I’m finding it particularly hard this year only because my writing bug has hit me so hard for the latest rough draft. But I’m finishing up Harrow County (it’s so flocking good!), going to hit one of my beta projects that I’ve super enjoyed thus far. (It’s fun, because I get to litter it with all my squeeing comments for the poor author!) And then I have to decide what’s next to tackle on my unread shelf.
December is a nice time after the frantic writing challenge of November. The time to sit back, breathe, and reabsorb from the muse pool of others.
Yeah, muse pool. That’s what I think of it as. Writing is inspired by other writers. It started with verbal stories and scratches on cave walls. That tradition flowed generation to generation. People created monsters, gods, and heroes, even drenched those mythos into their daily lives. Humanity as a whole has this vast imagination, the ability to suspend disbelief and listen, read, and watch, and, for a moment, believe.
And it’s like this magic sea we all get to dip our toes in. These millions of stories in this vast dreamy pool of adventures, horrors, romances, and mysteries. Some of only partake of the mystical drink. Some of are crazy enough to add to the muse pool. But that is harder to do if we don’t immerse ourselves in it from time to time.
You gotta replenish that pool in yourself.
So go get your feet wet, y’all. Read hard!
Working On:
Same one!
Research History This Week That May Have Put Me on a List (or confused whoever monitors me):
Different electric plugs used in different countries
Hungarian accent, features, and dishes
Austrian dishes
ICP lyrics (Chop, Chop!)
Types of cowboy hats
Ancient Egyptian names
More death by insanguination
Writing Whoops:
So, while Americans can say “on accident” or “by accident”, a British character would always think/say “by accident”.
“Askew” and “eschew” are different words, and “eschew” is truly pronounced with the ‘ch” sound.
Things my AI bot has overheard:
“Do I need to muzzle you?”
Beasties Update:
So my cats are all in and out cats since I foster so many rescues. I am well aware of the risks of this and can only hope the cats are, too. Unfortunately, sometimes cats do disappear when they’re allowed in and out, and often cat care-takers like myself don’t know their fate.
So when Nandor the Relentless disappeared for a few days, no big deal. He does that at least once a month. Pretty sure he shacks up with the neighbors for fun. I have collars on them all, but the neck gear has safety features to unsnap in case they get tangled, so at times I’m sure neighbors do think they’re strays when they roll up without collars on, seeing as they lose them quite often. So, disappearing for a bit? Not coming home some nights? No big.
But two weeks missing is far, far more concerning. We’ve been hearing coyotes out here. There was nothing on the local pet finding group concerning him. So when he trotted his butt up the other day, I was incredulous, and he entirely ignored me, per usual, when I asked where he’d been.
Nandor was missing his collar. He has a new one now, a pretty green one. I told him to stop losing them.
He probably won’t listen. What cat does?
Watching, Reading, Playing:
Harrow County
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