I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to use this week’s quote. Honoring International Women’s Day is that time.
Celebrate the amazing women in your life (and maybe not just today)! Women often don’t say they need help. They hide their feelings. They struggle in silence.
Let the women in your life know you’re there to support them. Help them be a force to be reckoned with!
As I scrolled through the thousands of images I have on Pinterest, I found that none of them really spoke to me today in the way of a writing prompt. Then I saw this:
As I continue to let my mind wander in a hundred different directions about the various plots and intricacies that I never could have imagined when I first developed this idea for my pilot, I can definitely see my protagonist saying this, probably before the end of season one.
So I will take on the challenge. Who’s with me?
Happy Writing!
I have mixed feelings about this week’s quote:
I like it, but it makes me think. Creatives, in general, often create in solitude. There are many opportunities for collaboration, but when we begin our artistic path, it’s usually just us and our work.
Social media allows creatives a number of avenues to boast of their accomplishments, no matter how great or small, and this, to me, seems a ploy to seek outside encouragement and gratification even if it’s not quite warranted.
This quote also makes me wonder how long we should “suffer in silence”? The creative path benefits, I believe, from networking with others who understand; mentors who have come before and have knowledge and experience and the beginners who may see the ever-changing world differently. We all benefit from both youth and experience.
I’ve been rewriting the space pilot, and because I love the work, I don’t find that it’s “hard”. Obviously, some days are more difficult than others, but when you find something you love, the ‘hard’ in hard work, I don’t believe means the same thing anymore.
Maybe this quote is similar to the old adage, “let your work speak for itself”.
What do you think about this week’s quote? I’d love to hear your ideas and interpretation.
Have a great week!
*I don’t think this piece could have been written any more disjointed. It’s how my mind was bouncing between ideas, and that seems to have translated directly to the page…enjoy. 😉
With the arrival of the Leap Year, we get to officially celebrate the birthdays of our furkids who are 4 today.
As rescues, from the same litter, we weren’t sure what they were going to grow up to be. We call them Chiweenies. They are hilarious little monsters with lots of personality who have maintained the appearance of perma-puppies – they’re both under 10 lbs. Loki and Phoebe, aka Chicken and Sausage, are among the best things to ever happen to me, and to feel that unconditional love is one of the great pleasures in life.
Happy Birthday, my little lovebugs!
My little dog – a heartbeat at my feet. Edith Wharton
When I was in my teens, my mother introduced me to romance novels as a way to spark my interest in reading again (I think school had sort of sucked the fun out of it and it did work, so thanks, Mom). One of my favorites was called A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux. In short, it was about a medieval knight who travels to the present and a modern day love interest who then travels back in time.
This book had a big impact on me in my youth, and thinking about it now, besides wanting to read it again, I think it played a major role in the creation of my first screenplay, and probably a few others. I’ve always liked the idea of time travel (Hello, Doctor Who), and people out of time, the quintessential good guy, and tragic love stories, which is probably why I fell for Captain America.
And I mean fell hard.
It didn’t happen during the first film, it’s not my favorite, but in subsequent fanfiction that I was introduced to by a fellow blogger. That was it – that was the spark (and I have the swag to prove it). From there it was more fanfic, comics, cartoons, and finally Captain America: The Winter Soldier – it really is one of the best of this onslaught from Marvel.
Of course the stories vary, comics vs. movies, but at the heart of it all it’s about a man who never thinks of himself, only what’s right, no matter the cost. He’s a tragic hero, and I’m not sure any of his colleagues really understand this. He never thinks he’s good enough. He didn’t get the girl. He thought his best friend was dead, only to learn he’s a brainwashed super-assassin. He sacrificed himself to save the world, only to find out it was for nothing. The world changed while he slept, and all he has is “the fight”. I just want to give him a hug.
And now he’s finally going to get his friend back and you think I’m not going to be on his side?! Scoff. And side note, I totally ship it!
Chris Evans has really grown on me in the role, I swear he gets better (looking) every movie, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky is just fantastic. And that’s why I squealed like the fangirl I am when I saw this: Exhibit C:
Is it May 6th yet?!
There is so much more to talk about on this subject, but I’ll leave it at that…for now. I’d love to meet other Cap fans, so comment below and let’s chat!
SIW (self-indulgence week) is drawing to a close…just a couple more days to geek out over things. What will be next? Hmm…stay tuned. 🙂
As I continue my week of self-indulgence, this week’s Writing Prompt is an image I recently discovered, and immediately loved, that falls into a certain obsession category. So I’m really just using my birthday as an excuse to post swoon-worthy Dragon Age visuals.
Exhibit B:
I quickly made this the image on my phone’s lock screen, and it’s stirring ideas for the continuation of my Dragon Age fanfic. Squee!
I can’t look at it and see anything other than what it is, but what do you see? Are you inspired?
Happy Writing!
*I’ve tried finding the source of this image, in part to give them credit, but also to send them a huge thank you!
My birthday was sort of a bust this year so I’ve decided to indulge, wherever and whenever I can, until the end of the month. Yes, this is a forewarning that my blog may be transformed into a steady stream of my favorite things for at least 7 more days. 😉
Exhibit A: this week’s quote. I used it on my university graduation announcements, and it’s something I need to remind myself of, often.
Have a wonderful week, my friends!
I am so thankful for having such generous friends, like “D”, who let me borrow his XBox One in order to complete the Dragon Age Inquisition story line.
I still have a 360, which is by no means a bad thing, except to the multi-billion dollar gaming industry that dictates my game play. I love the Dragon Age series, for many of you, this is not new information – just type in “Dragon Age” into my search bar to see all of the devotion. I’ve already done a number of posts on the series, and so much more…
When it was announced that the DLCs for Inquisition, the extra content that gaming companies release that sometimes add a number of extra hours to enjoy, or not depending on the series, would not be released on older consoles, like my 360, I won’t lie, I was on the verge of tears.
Deep breath.
I had invested money and lots and lots of time to play the new game and then I was told I wouldn’t get any of the extras. Nope. Not having it. It was kind of a slap in the face. If the gaming companies are moving forward with the technology that comes with the newer consoles, then why did they even bother to release the game on the older ones? I’m not going to rant about this now, but know there is a rant a comin’.
Needless to say, the DA:I extras did not disappoint and playing on the One was superior; the graphics are amazing, the details crisp, the subtitles and codex much easier to read. I had one concern, moving over my character from the 360 to the One. I read a number of articles that all said the same thing, but they were all incorrect. I tried a variety of tactics to import the data, but they all failed, so if you’re like me, behind the times, let me give you a tip I received after talking directly with EA.
*If you started your game on the 360, you need to download the free version of The Black Emporium on the 360 before you can advance. If you have all the DLCs for the One, you will obtain The Black Emporium in the pack. Using the character you want to continue playing with, visit the emporium and create a new save. On the screen there will be an option for exporting via the emporium to the One. Nowhere did I ever find this information; most sites suggested using the cloud which, according to EA and my own findings, is incorrect.
You do need to have XBox Live in order to save this information to your account which is how the One will find it when you load it. Now, on the One, under Extras there is the “Import from 360” option. Character info will pop-up to ensure it’s the correct import and…Voila! I wasted hours trying everything else. Footnote, your character won’t import exactly, although it is pretty close, so I had to make a few changes which is why it’s good you start in the Black Emporium.
The first DLC is Jaws of Hakkon, a new region to explore in the Frostback Basin. There are a number of missions to complete while you search for the remains of the last Inquisitor, who is believed to have died in the area hundreds of years ago. You will learn a great deal of history during this time with tales of the Avvars, the creation of the Seekers, and the previous Inquisitor and his political ties, lineage, and reasons for being in such a remote location. The map is a bit confusing, as it is a place of peaks and valleys, so travelling from one location to another sometimes takes a little effort finding that one path.
With the new DLCs, you obtain new weapons and armor, but if you play these after the initial game, the armor ratings will be much lower than anything you currently have equipped, so use the schematics to build yourself something new, although most items remained of a lesser value than my current stock. My favorites were both of the Qunari armors; they show a little skin and really are nice looking on your female Inquisitor in particular, and Dorian, because everything looks good on Dorian.
There are a lot of things to fight, so I think I ranked up twice before leaving the area (one must have been a carry over from Descent which I played first, because so much fighting), and there are loads of crafting items to utilize. There are also more ocularum shards to find that will open a specific door in the area, useful before the boss fight. Lastly, instead of runes, there are now sigils that have both positive and negative effects. I didn’t use any, not yet anyway.
DLC number two is The Descent which takes place in the Deep Roads. If you’ve played the previous two games, you’re probably like me and sort of huff at the thought of traipsing through the Deep Roads yet again, just as the Wardens must. Wink wink. Those blasted darkspawn! And there are just. so. many and it is difficult. Even at my high rank, I had to drop down from hard to normal in some areas because the enemies were just relentless and never ending. I’m having nightmarish flashbacks just typing that.
I played Descent first, I’m not sure why, but if you’re early on in the game play, I would suggest visiting this area sooner than later because there is a ton of money to be made. I think I ended up with 100,000 gold in addition to some great new armor and weapons. You do have to be in Skyhold to access this mission from the war table, so you have a little time to rank up beforehand.
The Descent is a long, winding mission to solve the mystery of these random earthquakes that have started affecting the area. This is of great importance because the dwarves mine lyrium, the whole of their economy, which both mages and Templars rely on. You end up travelling further than anyone has before, and the landscape is quite beautiful and a little reminiscent of Blackreach in Skyrim.
The final DLC is Trespasser. This is the one I couldn’t wait to get to – the end. You cannot go back to anything unfinished once you begin, and you will receive a little pop-up at the war table with this warning. The story takes place two years after you have defeated Corypheus, having been summoned by the council to the Winter Palace to defend whether there is still a need for the Inquisition. After the events, you will have the opportunity to make this decision.
All of your friends have returned and you can interact with each, so make sure you talk to them multiple times to instigate cut scenes. I played first as my female mage who romanced Cullen. Great cut scene, fyi. There is also a great scene with Dorian, as well as a couple of fun things with Vivienne and Josie. There are dog treats to find which you will give to the mabari Cullen has taken a liking to that add perks such as cunning and magic, etc. but as this is the last DLC, I was confused as to why this was necessary. Your rank will be high, your armor and weapons will be top notch, and you will have so many abilities you won’t know which ones to choose from most of the time. This is one thing I wish they would have included from the previous two games, the ability to open the wheel of choices for all those abilities you have acquired so you can actually use everything in your arsenal.
This DLC is a great story for a number of reasons, one of them being that it continues to tie together other topics from the previous games. The eluvians, the elven mirrors that have played a role in each game, are your means of travel in Trespasser while you try to stop a pretty big threat. I won’t give anything away, but will only say that this paves the way for a great Dragon Age 4, which is years away, if at all, since it hasn’t been announced yet, and the creator of the series left Bioware a little while ago. 😦 So, wait, there’s a job opening?! Bioware, please announce at least the promise of a new game…there are still so many story lines that require closure!
I freely admit it that I will play these DLCs at least two more times with my other characters I’ve created so I can see the endings for each, or at least until my friend asks for his XBox back. This is the same friend I was able to encourage to play the game in the first place because of my (great) interest in the series. For gamers who like RPGs, start at the beginning with Dragon Age Origins, forgive Bioware for Dragon Age II, but still enjoy it, and then find your way to Inquisition where all these stories converge. You won’t be disappointed.
Game on!
I can’t believe it’s been a year since I wrote my post about being 40. Gasp.
*Today I’m not quite sure what I’d like to talk about. I’m not really in reflection mode. I wasn’t dreading this birthday, but I also haven’t made any plans. I’ve never really been one to celebrate. I had a nice birthday last year, but it was a big one, so it was sort of necessary to commemorate the event, but not this year.
I was thinking about reminiscing about where I am currently and where I’d like to be by next year, but I think I talk about that kind of stuff enough regularly. I was thinking that maybe I would talk about my favorite things at the moment, as those things tend to change, but most of you already know about some of my fixations (sure, let’s go with that), many of which will never change – see above image.
Honestly, at the moment, I don’t feel like doing much of anything.
What to do? What to do? Hmm…how about a little flash fiction that encapsulates the moment…
She sat on the floor cross-legged tapping her fingers to a beat that only she could hear. Her mind wandered to and fro, mainly between fantasy worlds she desired to be a part of. That’s how she preferred to spend her time. The rational part of her brain spoke loudly about all the things that required her attention while the frivolous side reminded her that this was the one day she didn’t have to follow convention. Perhaps it was all those activities she had taken part of in her youth that had caused her to become reclusive. There was no willing herself today. She remained inactive, despite the rising volume of her inner responsibility.
She thought of the time wasted, the gift that she had allowed to go unopened, and hoped she would be lucky enough to do better tomorrow.
*I started this post earlier in the day, but the nothing I indulged in interrupted the flow.
Anyway, Happy Birthday to me. 🙂 Thank you all for being a part of my journey and here’s to a new year that will hopefully be better than the last!
As writers, and creatives, in general, we tend to overthink every. little. thing. We can create an entire novel or screenplay in our minds, so it’s no wonder that we are capable of making great leaps with just a tidbit of information.
We see the world differently, and that’s a good thing. We also tend to be extremely hard on ourselves. Nothing is ever good enough; not us, not our work.
This is simply not true.
We, each, have a voice and we have chosen this difficult path because of the passion we have for storytelling. Yes, everyone has a story to tell, but not everyone can write a compelling tale. How many times have you said you’re a writer and been met with the “I have a story for you” response? I’ve had people call me out of the blue to ask if I’d be up for writing their life story.
First of all, that’s not my genre. If we were actually friends, you’d probably know that. I’m good, by the way, mind overflowing with characters and backdrops, but thanks for thinking of me…?
How about you keep that story for your next cocktail party.
I believe being a writer is a calling. If you can’t give it up, then keep at it! This is why we have to do our best to remain positive. It’s takes a great deal of self-confidence and optimism to follow such a dream, so when that little voice in the back of your mind starts to get a bit mouthy, remember this quote, and keep working until you silence it.
Happy Writing!
A Writer's Discrepant Memoirs and Other Tales 