Tuesday, October 28, 2014

NaNoWriMo 2014

Excuse my brief pause in blogging this week as I prepare to throw myself, wholeheartedly, into NaNoWriMo this year. November is right around the corner and I plan to do even better than last year.

My final word count for November 2013 was 53,055. Let's see if I can do better this time around!

I've already got my concept in mind and a few notes here and there to refer to. I've got plot points I want to hit. All in all I'm way more organized this time around, so I'm hoping that this year's novel is infinitely better than last year's.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Things I Remind Myself ...


First and foremost I am allowed to say NO.
No is a complete sentence and I do not need to explain it or justify it.
I do not need to make someone else’s problems my own. I can be supportive without taking on problems as my own.
I have my own life, my own wants and my own needs that need to be attended to. It is okay to make time for myself and I should do so without guilt or reservation.
Just because someone wants me to feel guilty does not always mean that I should. Have I caused you harm? Did I hurt your feelings? Did I apologize?
My friends are the people in my life that make the effort to be in my life an I in theirs. My friends are the people that know my wishes and my dreams, they do not try to steer my life for me.
My friends are my support system. I make the effort to be apart of their lives because they make the same effort for me.
I do not need to carry a friendship all on my own. It is okay to step back and say “I will not alter my life to fit theirs. My time is of value too.”
My family is important, more than anything else.
It is okay for me to drop everything for family when they need me.
I will give the respect that I receive. I am a human being deserving of being treated as such and respected as a person, an equal.

These are a few things in life that took me a long time to learn. Little mantras I chant to myself through the day when I need them. But most importantly these are the things in life that allow me to live a happy life.


These are the types of reminders I need every now and then when I find myself between a rock and a hard place in any given relationship. Because while I would do anything for the people I love I will not prioritize my life when I am only an option in theirs.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

The Mortal Instruments ... TV?

The Hollywood Reporter: Full Article Here
Okay so at full disclosure when I first read City of Bones, the first in The Mortal Instruments series, it was when there were previews and trailers all over the place for the movie. Now it had been recommended to me when it was first released back in 2008/2009, or somewhere around there, but I just never really saw the appeal in it. And I would be lying if I said seeing the trailer and getting a glimpse of that world is what really drew me in and made me finally read the books.

I read City of Bones, flew threw the next few books in the series, and saw the movie in theaters ... it was good. It wasn't the greatest film adaptation I've ever seen, but definitely not the worst either. I of course was upset by the delay in filming the next portion of the franchise, the stalled release of City of Ashes but time has passed and I've finished City of Heavenly Fire.

I'm torn between whether or not I want it to continue on screen. If they continue as movies the ending to the final installment will leave me just as satisfied as the book did. The story itself in that final part will leave me unsatisfied. City of Heavenly Fire is a book that I, and many others, waited over a year for after reading City of Lost Souls. To me the ending just fell flat and there was almost nothing redeeming about it, it took me a month to read because the desire and the drive just weren't there.

Six months ago I would have loved the idea at attempting to continue the series and maybe a switch from film to TV would've been the right move to keep it current. But now I just don't see any move being the right one. There are a number of fans that are over the moon by this change of pace, fans mourning the fact that there will need to be a recasting, and then there's me. I'm not happy and I'm not angry I'm just indifferent to the whole thing. If Cassandra Clare had given me an ending that made me mourn the end of her primary series I would be more excited about it, she's failed me as an author in my mind so I can't get excited. I just can't.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by, James Dashner

Today a review! No complaints, no nit picking, just a straight up reader review of a book I recently finished. Now bear in mind I have not yet seen the movie, I do plan to, but as of right now all I know is the novel. That being said ... not one of my favorites.

I will respect and give praise to James Dashner because it was quite the concept he had. He came up with a very intriguing world; a

world that is in shambles and essentially experimenting on children in an attempt to fix it. Their memories wiped the Gladers must rely purely on their own human nature and desire to survive, to escape.

The memory wipe I think impacted my opinion on the characters. Since they did not remember the outside world they were never really sure what they were fighting, struggling to return to. The Gladers were essentially like mice in a cage being forced into certain situations. Their lack of memories made me question why they didn't try harder to remember? In my opinion knowing as many facts as possible, having as many memories as possible, would be essential to a successful escape.

Barnes & Noble
Let's recap, they only figured out how to solve the Maze after Thomas's attack on the Grievers. His pure need to remember and his willingness to do anything to get his memories back are what the Gladers ultimately needed.

The book; not one of my favorites! I will probably continue reading the rest of the series and I am planning on seeing the movie while still in theaters but I don't know that I will recommend it. I have my hopes for the movie, particularly in regards to the environment in that I hope it is visually stunning. I hope the casting and the actors draw me closer to the characters. And as always I hope the essence of the book, the life's blood of the story, seep off of the screen to the viewer because that's the most important part of any adaptation.