TopNotch
Well-known member
I'm so hoping this is hyperbole!
You need someone who understands what criticism is. That it's not just about dragging down but suggesting how things might be changed (if necessary, of course). Good luck with that.
To Forge an Ironmaiden...
- Thread starter Nevetharine
- Start date
You need someone who understands what criticism is. That it's not just about dragging down but suggesting how things might be changed (if necessary, of course). Good luck with that.
Nevetharine
Well-known member
It's not hyperbole, actually. He reads textbooks, but no fiction. He writes what I call screenplay-dialogue.
: This can't be happening!
: Do people really write like this?
: Who's that guy?
And without naming characters or describing scenes. My plot-hole expert. I feel sorry for the guy. His grammar is terrible (I'm not saying mine is perfect. English is also my second language) and I would have absolutely no idea how to help him.
Nevetharine
Well-known member
Hi Bees!
I did a lot of thinking this week (and a lot of sneezing) and sprinkled some crying in there, too.
I contemplated why I'm putting in all this work to write. It's not like I'll be able to turn it into a job and make an actual living off it. I'm just not that good and even if I were, it's not exactly seen as a job in my household; more like a hobby that takes up too much time and concentration.
I grappled this week (and probably will in coming weeks, too) with WHY I write? Why put in the work when nobody will read it? And this is the place to tell you all that I DESPISE editing and revising - so why torture my soul when nobody sees it but me? It literally sucks the joy out of creating for me. I'm a sucker for the discovery phase of writing.
I got told this week someone's grandmother in my family wrote poems all her life and nobody ever saw a single one of them. That may be my future.
I write because - it's an escape from reality; because there's a story in my mind that wants to come out in some way. Maybe I learn something through this story by the time I'm done writing it, or I fall in love with the characters.
And then people will come and tear it apart. "This must be like that; that must be so; you didn't do enough research here..."
Why? Who are YOU to tell me how to write MY story? Just because you want to hear it a certain way? The only explanation could be to put it out there in a market where 90% of novels never make back the money that was spent on editing them. To follow some arbitrary rule someone set of what a book should be in order to be 'readable' or 'good' or NO ONE will ever enjoy it.
It needs to be understandable - that much I'm not arguing. After all, I have to paint a picture in your mind with enough accuracy that you can see what I'm seeing.
And on research: There's a place for it in fiction. It's true. But only so much as is needed to move the story forward IMO, to make people feel 'grounded' in a sense. Because it's a story... it's fiction... it doesn't exist... and it's not a research paper.
My new reason for writing (the one I still have to get used to) is writing for the same reason I read: to escape the world. And I'll try and make peace with the fact that nobody ever has to see it but me. It may be safer for my characters that way. I love them just as they are without conforming them to society's views of what they should be.
It's sad; I liked having one other person comment on my work. But she doesn't care anymore, either, hasn't read my stuff in ages.
I suppose one day when I'm dead someone who thinks it worthwhile can publish all my stuff. Maybe I'll be critically acclaimed for them, then. Hah. I'll give'em a thumbs-up from beyond the grave...
I still need to get back into some routine with exercise.
✴Physical Activity:
》 Random Push-ups
✴Reading:
Dreamcatcher - Stephen King : 33%
Leviathan Wakes - 5%
Have a great week, Bees!
I did a lot of thinking this week (and a lot of sneezing) and sprinkled some crying in there, too.
I contemplated why I'm putting in all this work to write. It's not like I'll be able to turn it into a job and make an actual living off it. I'm just not that good and even if I were, it's not exactly seen as a job in my household; more like a hobby that takes up too much time and concentration.
I grappled this week (and probably will in coming weeks, too) with WHY I write? Why put in the work when nobody will read it? And this is the place to tell you all that I DESPISE editing and revising - so why torture my soul when nobody sees it but me? It literally sucks the joy out of creating for me. I'm a sucker for the discovery phase of writing.
I got told this week someone's grandmother in my family wrote poems all her life and nobody ever saw a single one of them. That may be my future.
I write because - it's an escape from reality; because there's a story in my mind that wants to come out in some way. Maybe I learn something through this story by the time I'm done writing it, or I fall in love with the characters.
And then people will come and tear it apart. "This must be like that; that must be so; you didn't do enough research here..."
Why? Who are YOU to tell me how to write MY story? Just because you want to hear it a certain way? The only explanation could be to put it out there in a market where 90% of novels never make back the money that was spent on editing them. To follow some arbitrary rule someone set of what a book should be in order to be 'readable' or 'good' or NO ONE will ever enjoy it.
It needs to be understandable - that much I'm not arguing. After all, I have to paint a picture in your mind with enough accuracy that you can see what I'm seeing.
And on research: There's a place for it in fiction. It's true. But only so much as is needed to move the story forward IMO, to make people feel 'grounded' in a sense. Because it's a story... it's fiction... it doesn't exist... and it's not a research paper.
My new reason for writing (the one I still have to get used to) is writing for the same reason I read: to escape the world. And I'll try and make peace with the fact that nobody ever has to see it but me. It may be safer for my characters that way. I love them just as they are without conforming them to society's views of what they should be.
It's sad; I liked having one other person comment on my work. But she doesn't care anymore, either, hasn't read my stuff in ages.
I suppose one day when I'm dead someone who thinks it worthwhile can publish all my stuff. Maybe I'll be critically acclaimed for them, then. Hah. I'll give'em a thumbs-up from beyond the grave...
I still need to get back into some routine with exercise.
✴Physical Activity:
》 Random Push-ups
✴Reading:
Dreamcatcher - Stephen King : 33%Leviathan Wakes - 5%Have a great week, Bees!
Sólveig
Well-known member
from
One of the lessons that I've learned from Rebecca Sugar is that, when dealing with criticisms, you should show your work by putting it at the side of you instead of before you. That way when the bullet comes, it doesn't hit the heart. It is difficult to do because it's your work, it's your blood and sweat, and everyone is defensive about their projects as they are their babies. I'm no different, and by the sound of it, neither you are. I actually remember one piece of comment from an anonymous that praised my style, but found my story to be unrealistic, and probably written by a man. You know what I did? I did a sequel to that story, slandering their comment by pretty much saying the genre is called "fiction" for a reason, and it performed better than the story before it. I don't chase realism, I chase authenticism.
In the world of publishing people are always saying that you should please standards, write and publish every single hour of the day, write like this, and that, and I've seen the stories that are selling: many of them are only one step from being a copy and paste from one another. Mine were on the way to do that, until I stopped and decided to follow the Mickey Spillane approach of never writing for critics, but writing for an audience. Mickey very rarely edited and rewrote, and he actually wrote his first book in 19 days. According to the Chicago Tribune, there was one time an editor took out 168 commas off his manuscript, only for Mickey to put back every single one of them, and said "no commas, no book." In your case, if you're writing to escape the world, it means that you are already writing for one audience that you know better than anyone else: yourself. I've done that before (as per my VtM session from two weeks ago, I believe), and I can tell you it feels much better to do so that way, regardless on publishing plans.
Just keep the Rebecca Sugar way of showing your work if you end up showing it to someone else.
In the world of publishing people are always saying that you should please standards, write and publish every single hour of the day, write like this, and that, and I've seen the stories that are selling: many of them are only one step from being a copy and paste from one another. Mine were on the way to do that, until I stopped and decided to follow the Mickey Spillane approach of never writing for critics, but writing for an audience. Mickey very rarely edited and rewrote, and he actually wrote his first book in 19 days. According to the Chicago Tribune, there was one time an editor took out 168 commas off his manuscript, only for Mickey to put back every single one of them, and said "no commas, no book." In your case, if you're writing to escape the world, it means that you are already writing for one audience that you know better than anyone else: yourself. I've done that before (as per my VtM session from two weeks ago, I believe), and I can tell you it feels much better to do so that way, regardless on publishing plans.
Just keep the Rebecca Sugar way of showing your work if you end up showing it to someone else.
Nevetharine
Well-known member
I can totally vibe with that guy you're talking about. My "editing" consists of fixing sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation, and adding body to parts where the story feels thin because I tend to underwrite especially in suspense.
But I've never myself felt a need to remove a part of the story to "improve pacing". It's a story. It happens in a sequence of ABCD. So what if a character spends a good deal ruminating? That's part of them.
The only thing I DO try to do, is copy technique that I read from published authors. I am stubbornly trying to get it right on the first draft everytime. And I think each time I write something, I get closer and closer to what seems "right" to me.
It sucks that I had to use an AI chatgpt to come to this conclusion but, I think the reason I write is simply because it's my form of art. It's more expressive than painting or drawing - a purer distillation. But it's art nonetheless. It's just me telling a story, to myself in this case, as a way of escaping like someone else escapes via their painting or crocheting.
I don't remember who said this, but I read a quote somewhere (and this is not exact): "I am a writer. And my notion of this stems entirely from the fact that I am inclined to write."
I wonder sometimes if there was such strict standards on what makes a book 'good' in the 1800s. If any authors who later became 'famous' ever wrote just for the pleasure of it, just for themselves, with no notion of publishing or meeting some industry standard, and maybe someone else published for them because they thought it ought to be put out there.
Nevetharine
Well-known member
Hello Bees!
I might've started out sad about the whole writing thing but there has been a shift this week and now I think it's for the better - for me anyway. It's liberating, really. I could choose to plan, not plan, write copious amounts of description or very little at all. If I choose to experiment with different techniques and narratives, there's no fear of failure. It's nice to see it as art again.
I'm going to celebrate the stories I finish (for myself) by eventually creating a printed copy of them with a self-designed cover. A dream for now, because printing is pricey. But I'll continue prepping them as ebooks. Draft2Digital has some nice formatting and I don't *have* to publish them after downloading a copy.
I've settled into a routine of writing every afternoon, sitting in the sunroom. Five hundred words a day minimum, and before that I revise the previous day's work. I write using the bluetooth keyboard and my old phone. It's like my own makeshift laptop. (Because my real laptop's motherboard failed catastrophically.)
And I spend the day looking for work as much as my data plan allows and then reading. Some of my monthly data allotment I spent on downloading new music. Yipe. So now I have to be extra frugal until the 9th when the bundle expires and I can purchase a new one.
One thing that needs work now is my sleeping. I wake up at 03:30 for no reason. Maybe my subconscious mind thinks that's a hip time to do yoga, because that's what I resort to, then.
That's all I have to update for now...
✴Physical Activity:
》 I did yoga every single day of this week! **proudly puffs out chest**
✴Reading:
Dreamcatcher - Stephen King : 38%
Leviathan Wakes - 5%
The Gold Trail - 21% [This is an old Western. I'm trying to write a paranormal western with UFO's so I'm counting this as research.]
Have a great week, Bees!
I might've started out sad about the whole writing thing but there has been a shift this week and now I think it's for the better - for me anyway. It's liberating, really. I could choose to plan, not plan, write copious amounts of description or very little at all. If I choose to experiment with different techniques and narratives, there's no fear of failure. It's nice to see it as art again.
I'm going to celebrate the stories I finish (for myself) by eventually creating a printed copy of them with a self-designed cover. A dream for now, because printing is pricey. But I'll continue prepping them as ebooks. Draft2Digital has some nice formatting and I don't *have* to publish them after downloading a copy.
I've settled into a routine of writing every afternoon, sitting in the sunroom. Five hundred words a day minimum, and before that I revise the previous day's work. I write using the bluetooth keyboard and my old phone. It's like my own makeshift laptop. (Because my real laptop's motherboard failed catastrophically.)
And I spend the day looking for work as much as my data plan allows and then reading. Some of my monthly data allotment I spent on downloading new music. Yipe. So now I have to be extra frugal until the 9th when the bundle expires and I can purchase a new one.
One thing that needs work now is my sleeping. I wake up at 03:30 for no reason. Maybe my subconscious mind thinks that's a hip time to do yoga, because that's what I resort to, then.
That's all I have to update for now...
✴Physical Activity:
》 I did yoga every single day of this week! **proudly puffs out chest**
✴Reading:
Dreamcatcher - Stephen King : 38%Leviathan Wakes - 5%The Gold Trail - 21% [This is an old Western. I'm trying to write a paranormal western with UFO's so I'm counting this as research.]Have a great week, Bees!
Nevetharine
Well-known member
Hello Bees!
So, I dreamt up a new plot bunny! It happens in the universe of I am Max and The Leap. On a different alien world, maybe in another part of Civilized Space.
Funny, the first two books also came to me in dream-format. I'm started off having a ball writing it, but now it's stalled a bit. Seems difficult for me to decide how to go forward.
I'm wondering if I could try writing a short story instead... but man... 7500 words is quite the limit. The first two chapters are already 6000 words. But it may good to chart the course with it, and then extend on it later. Hm.
And then I'm busy with another one that happens in my fantasy world. I've renamed it from Thalor to Valdaren. This story starts in a city called Vinterheim.
✴Physical Activity:
》 I did yoga most days of the week
✴Reading:
Dreamcatcher - Stephen King : 56%
Leviathan Wakes - 5%
Finished the Gold Trail, started on a 'A Plain Man's Romance' (also a classic). I have to say, I loved the Gold Trail!
Apart from the obviously flawed societal views of the 1920s, the story had a lot of substance to it that I feel is lacking in most modern books of that genre.
There is a sort of dogged persistence and grit in a gold prospector. Sleeping with a single blanket in cold, wet snow, climbing mountains on an empty stomach for several days and living off nothing but green tea and crude flapjacks made over the fire with flour, water, and the unglamorous ancestor of bacon - salted pork - for weeks on end.
Man, that guy made me feel like a feeble human.
But the story gave me plenty of ideas for the fantasy one I'm busy with now.
Have a great week, Bees!
So, I dreamt up a new plot bunny! It happens in the universe of I am Max and The Leap. On a different alien world, maybe in another part of Civilized Space.
Funny, the first two books also came to me in dream-format. I'm started off having a ball writing it, but now it's stalled a bit. Seems difficult for me to decide how to go forward.
I'm wondering if I could try writing a short story instead... but man... 7500 words is quite the limit. The first two chapters are already 6000 words. But it may good to chart the course with it, and then extend on it later. Hm.
And then I'm busy with another one that happens in my fantasy world. I've renamed it from Thalor to Valdaren. This story starts in a city called Vinterheim.
✴Physical Activity:
》 I did yoga most days of the week
✴Reading:
Dreamcatcher - Stephen King : 56%Leviathan Wakes - 5%Finished the Gold Trail, started on a 'A Plain Man's Romance' (also a classic). I have to say, I loved the Gold Trail! Apart from the obviously flawed societal views of the 1920s, the story had a lot of substance to it that I feel is lacking in most modern books of that genre.
There is a sort of dogged persistence and grit in a gold prospector. Sleeping with a single blanket in cold, wet snow, climbing mountains on an empty stomach for several days and living off nothing but green tea and crude flapjacks made over the fire with flour, water, and the unglamorous ancestor of bacon - salted pork - for weeks on end.
Man, that guy made me feel like a feeble human.
But the story gave me plenty of ideas for the fantasy one I'm busy with now.Have a great week, Bees!
Nevetharine
Well-known member
Hi! Peeks around corner. 
I'm here because @Laura Rainbow Dragon dragged me back to the Hive by the ears.
I've been focusing a lot on my writing and reading. And, well, winter just put me in sloth mode. Now it's summer and I still haven't found my groove yet. I initially didn't think to come back because I felt, feel, too "old" to do these exercises.
In body, I mean. My body wants to slow down. Thinking of Darebee exercises makes it want to cry. I suppose that's really because I haven't been doing them. I have been walking, only 1.7km per day. And now and then I did yoga. And the last week I've cycled for half an hour on three days.
I also told myself I don't have the time to exercise when I'm writing/reading to write. I don't have the energy. Most days I really don't. My energy and stamina are dismal. I sit around all day writing and then I still need a nap, but writing stories is a different kind of brain olympics.
So there you have it. The reasons why I haven't come back in some time. I was really questioning if I want to, had the time to, the energy to.
Then came Laura. Where are you! Come back!
The problem may be too much screen time. Not enough alone time. If I'm not on Discord I'm stuck between a bazillion characters in my head, either my own or someone else's. And a good deal is just feeling tired because of sitting a lot, which means sitting more and being more tired.
So I suppose the answer is to start with something not too strenous. I've toyed with TEN, with a monthly challenge, and with the WotD. Maybe keeping a thread again will help me get back into it. And the Christmassy thingies are coming up. Not sure if I'll be able to handle the tree this year. Not sure if I want to participate in Secret Santa. But the snowball fight I can definitely get behind. Maybe even the December program.
I think my gameplan needs to be easy-ish workouts, followed by a few minutes of quiet meditation. Hah. I'd like to see if I can even still do that.
I hope you've all been well, and have fun getting ready for the festivities! Sorry for ghosting. (But you all knew I would at some point)
I'm here because @Laura Rainbow Dragon dragged me back to the Hive by the ears.I've been focusing a lot on my writing and reading. And, well, winter just put me in sloth mode. Now it's summer and I still haven't found my groove yet. I initially didn't think to come back because I felt, feel, too "old" to do these exercises.
In body, I mean. My body wants to slow down. Thinking of Darebee exercises makes it want to cry. I suppose that's really because I haven't been doing them. I have been walking, only 1.7km per day. And now and then I did yoga. And the last week I've cycled for half an hour on three days.
I also told myself I don't have the time to exercise when I'm writing/reading to write. I don't have the energy. Most days I really don't. My energy and stamina are dismal. I sit around all day writing and then I still need a nap, but writing stories is a different kind of brain olympics.
So there you have it. The reasons why I haven't come back in some time. I was really questioning if I want to, had the time to, the energy to.
Then came Laura. Where are you! Come back!
The problem may be too much screen time. Not enough alone time. If I'm not on Discord I'm stuck between a bazillion characters in my head, either my own or someone else's. And a good deal is just feeling tired because of sitting a lot, which means sitting more and being more tired.
So I suppose the answer is to start with something not too strenous. I've toyed with TEN, with a monthly challenge, and with the WotD. Maybe keeping a thread again will help me get back into it. And the Christmassy thingies are coming up. Not sure if I'll be able to handle the tree this year. Not sure if I want to participate in Secret Santa. But the snowball fight I can definitely get behind. Maybe even the December program.
I think my gameplan needs to be easy-ish workouts, followed by a few minutes of quiet meditation. Hah. I'd like to see if I can even still do that.
I hope you've all been well, and have fun getting ready for the festivities! Sorry for ghosting. (But you all knew I would at some point)
NancyTree
Well-known member
Welcome back!
You don't have to commit to the big goals, just start small and add small things. The most important thing is to start.
For me sometimes it helped to promise myself that I only had to do 1 set of a workout, and that was okay. And sometimes, when I had done that one set, I figured I could do one more.
You just find out what works for you.
Good luck
and good to have you back!
You don't have to commit to the big goals, just start small and add small things. The most important thing is to start.
For me sometimes it helped to promise myself that I only had to do 1 set of a workout, and that was okay. And sometimes, when I had done that one set, I figured I could do one more.
You just find out what works for you.
Good luck
and good to have you back!
Maegaranthelas
Well-known member
from
Welcome back, lovely person!
There is nothing wrong with easy workouts, they get you moving and that's what counts!
Yeah writing is one of those beasts that takes all your energy but also doesn't challenge your body in any way except posture and back pain :')
I hope you find the things that work for you
There is nothing wrong with easy workouts, they get you moving and that's what counts!
Yeah writing is one of those beasts that takes all your energy but also doesn't challenge your body in any way except posture and back pain :')
I hope you find the things that work for you
from
Mamatigerj
Well-known member
So lovely to see you again! 
(i just came back myself, so i get it.)
(i just came back myself, so i get it.)
Yeah! Welcome back @Nevetharine !
I think you have the right idea: start with stuff that's not too strenuous. Make it as easy as possible to get out of your chair and get started. Because getting started is the hardest part. Make the commitment to yourself to do a little, and it will build into more over time. (But let it take the time it needs.)
One thing that helps me (that I have not been doing lately and really should get back to--my whole training plan at the moment is set up to facilitate my doing this!) is to set a timer when I am at my desk, and when the timer goes off I get up and do something physical. I like the Pomodoro protocol for this: write for 25 minutes, then get up and be physical for 5. The 25 minutes I find is enough time to get meaningful work done without sitting for so long that everything gets stiff. The five minutes is enough time to squeeze in a micro-workout without being away from the writing for so long that it takes my head out of the story.
But you need to find the right time balance for you. I'm in an online writing group in which many of the members like to work with a ten minute timer. They will do a writing sprint for ten minutes only, and then stop. That's far too discombobulated for me. It can take me ten minutes just to get into my story in the first place! And then to stop right away? That would pull my head back out of the story again, and I'd be starting from scratch with the next far-too-short ten minute stretch. (Even with my 25-minute writing sessions, I need to keep the break to no more than 5 minutes in order to keep my head in the game.) But it works for them.
If your plan is to do 3 physical things a day, you could maybe even try setting alarms to do them at specific times. Like at 10AM you do TEN, at 2PM you do the WotD, and at 7PM do the Challenge. Something like that.
Your cycling is on a stationary bike, yes? I like certain repetitive exercises for being times when I can be in my head, thinking about my story, working out plot points, etc. Walking used to do this for me. But now that I walk with Shelby, it's become far too social of an experience. (We're constantly having to stop to visit with her many friends!) But running? I can still get into my writing head space zen while running. (I should definitely be doing this more too!) The idea is to find a physical exercise that gets you up out of your chair but doesn't feel like it's stealing time away from your writing, because you're still thinking about the writing while you're doing it. Then you prioritize your sitting time for the actual typing part of writing.
Anyhow... these are just ideas. It is hard to fit everything in! And it's extra hard to pull yourself away from the one thing you have been doing a good job of focussing on and being productive with to do something else. It's worth the effort though, I think. In the long run, maintaining our physical health helps to keep our minds sharp for the writing.
You can do this!
(And we can do this!)
I think you have the right idea: start with stuff that's not too strenuous. Make it as easy as possible to get out of your chair and get started. Because getting started is the hardest part. Make the commitment to yourself to do a little, and it will build into more over time. (But let it take the time it needs.)
One thing that helps me (that I have not been doing lately and really should get back to--my whole training plan at the moment is set up to facilitate my doing this!) is to set a timer when I am at my desk, and when the timer goes off I get up and do something physical. I like the Pomodoro protocol for this: write for 25 minutes, then get up and be physical for 5. The 25 minutes I find is enough time to get meaningful work done without sitting for so long that everything gets stiff. The five minutes is enough time to squeeze in a micro-workout without being away from the writing for so long that it takes my head out of the story.
But you need to find the right time balance for you. I'm in an online writing group in which many of the members like to work with a ten minute timer. They will do a writing sprint for ten minutes only, and then stop. That's far too discombobulated for me. It can take me ten minutes just to get into my story in the first place! And then to stop right away? That would pull my head back out of the story again, and I'd be starting from scratch with the next far-too-short ten minute stretch. (Even with my 25-minute writing sessions, I need to keep the break to no more than 5 minutes in order to keep my head in the game.) But it works for them.
If your plan is to do 3 physical things a day, you could maybe even try setting alarms to do them at specific times. Like at 10AM you do TEN, at 2PM you do the WotD, and at 7PM do the Challenge. Something like that.
Your cycling is on a stationary bike, yes? I like certain repetitive exercises for being times when I can be in my head, thinking about my story, working out plot points, etc. Walking used to do this for me. But now that I walk with Shelby, it's become far too social of an experience. (We're constantly having to stop to visit with her many friends!) But running? I can still get into my writing head space zen while running. (I should definitely be doing this more too!) The idea is to find a physical exercise that gets you up out of your chair but doesn't feel like it's stealing time away from your writing, because you're still thinking about the writing while you're doing it. Then you prioritize your sitting time for the actual typing part of writing.
Anyhow... these are just ideas. It is hard to fit everything in! And it's extra hard to pull yourself away from the one thing you have been doing a good job of focussing on and being productive with to do something else. It's worth the effort though, I think. In the long run, maintaining our physical health helps to keep our minds sharp for the writing.
You can do this!
(And we can do this!)
Sólveig
Well-known member
Hello! I hope you're having fun in your projects!
Nevetharine
Well-known member
Morning!
Just a short update. It's something.
Exercise:
- Completed Day 2 of TEN ✔
- Completed 5 minutes of Meditation✔
- EotD✔
- Walked 2km✔
Just a short update. It's something.
Exercise:
- Completed Day 2 of TEN ✔
- Completed 5 minutes of Meditation✔
- EotD✔
- Walked 2km✔
Syrius
Well-known member
Valkyrie
from
The Sonoran Desert
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 994
from
The Sonoran Desert
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 994
"Energy and persistence conquers all things. -Benjamin Franklin"
Welcome back!!! Missed reading you! I like to get up and stretch or walk (pace) when I am stuck on something in my story. Look forward to throwing snowballs with you again this year!
Nevetharine
Well-known member
Hi! We’ve had some problems with electricity today. A few clever loons plundered a substation not too far from here, left a broad area in the dark since 3 a.m. this morning. Nevertheless, I managed to do my workout. It wasn’t much, but it’s something. I’d also like to share something I’m proud of.
For the past few months, I’ve worked on my books every day in some form. Maybe it’s not always the same book, and I’m not always writing. Sometimes I revise and change words around. Some days I just think of them or scribble out plans and scenes and do no writing at all. But the point is, I’m in a solid habit of working on them, even a little, daily.
I’m also in a solid habit of reading at the moment. I read every night, without fail, for two or two and a half hours. If I can apply this to fitness…
Maybe I ought to make a New Year’s resolution to not ghost Darebee next year. Also, is it just me, or do I ghost every year at roughly the same time? No need to go back in time. We’ll assume it’s some weird subconscious habit.
Physical Activity:
- Completed Day 3 of TEN at full blast.
- Completed the Exercise of the Day
For the past few months, I’ve worked on my books every day in some form. Maybe it’s not always the same book, and I’m not always writing. Sometimes I revise and change words around. Some days I just think of them or scribble out plans and scenes and do no writing at all. But the point is, I’m in a solid habit of working on them, even a little, daily.
I’m also in a solid habit of reading at the moment. I read every night, without fail, for two or two and a half hours. If I can apply this to fitness…
Maybe I ought to make a New Year’s resolution to not ghost Darebee next year. Also, is it just me, or do I ghost every year at roughly the same time? No need to go back in time. We’ll assume it’s some weird subconscious habit.
Physical Activity:
- Completed Day 3 of TEN at full blast.
- Completed the Exercise of the Day
Nevetharine
Well-known member
Hi!
We still have power outages: off for two hours at a time while they fix the cables. I managed to get some writing done, longhand. Just a couple of paragraphs, but I carefully planned out the sentences before I wrote them. It took a while. Managed to edit almost a whole chapter too between power cuts.
I've turned on the Christmas tree lights! Then hubby broke the tree
. So now I guess I'm getting a Christmas tree for Christmas instead of Lindt chocolate truffles. 
Physical Activity
- Completed Day 4 of TEN ✔ (I'm hating on this ab-day)
- Completed 6 minutes of Meditation✔
- EotD✔
- Walked 2km✔
We still have power outages: off for two hours at a time while they fix the cables. I managed to get some writing done, longhand. Just a couple of paragraphs, but I carefully planned out the sentences before I wrote them. It took a while. Managed to edit almost a whole chapter too between power cuts.
I've turned on the Christmas tree lights! Then hubby broke the tree
. So now I guess I'm getting a Christmas tree for Christmas instead of Lindt chocolate truffles. Physical Activity
- Completed Day 4 of TEN ✔ (I'm hating on this ab-day)
- Completed 6 minutes of Meditation✔
- EotD✔
- Walked 2km✔
Maegaranthelas
Well-known member
That ab day was intense, I was also a bit grumbly over it xD
And oh no for the broken christmas tree!
And oh no for the broken christmas tree!
Nevetharine
Well-known member
It's late! Here the shops start decorating in October.
Nevetharine
Well-known member
I am an old lady. (At 31)
Don't laugh at me.
How do I get it so that I actually receive notifs when you guys update your threads? I'm following most of you I think, but don't see when you update?
Don't laugh at me.
How do I get it so that I actually receive notifs when you guys update your threads? I'm following most of you I think, but don't see when you update?
Sólveig
Well-known member
By presidential decree, all towns in my country had to be decorated for Christmas since October this year.
I wish I was joking. Then again, some stores had Halloween decorations up, so Halloween still took over (in spite of the Venezuelan Evangelicalists that tend to have an unhealthy amount of hate for Halloween because who knows why; they just hate fun I guess).
I am an old lady. (At 31)
Don't laugh at me.
How do I get it so that I actually receive notifs when you guys update your threads? I'm following most of you I think, but don't see when you update?
Interacting with those threads like leaving reactions do help, but posting fixes it better.
I visit DAREBEE via a web browser. You'll see some things in different locations if you're visiting on your phone. So you might need to hunt around for it. But at the top of a thread there should be text that says either "Watch" or "Unwatch". If it says "Unwatch" you're already watching that thread and should be receiving notifications when it's updated. If it says "Watch" just click on the word and now you will be watching it. (It will give you a choice as to whether you want to receive an email when the thread is updated or just be notified on the site.)
If you go to your profile and select "Preferences" you can choose which actions on the site will automatically generate notifications for you.
I have mine set such that if I comment on a thread, I'm automatically subscribed to watch that thread. (But if I visit a thread and only react to it, without posting a comment, I need to remember to manually subscribe if I want to follow that thread.)
Maegaranthelas
Well-known member
If you are already watching the threads but not currently receiving updates, going to your 'watched' threads (top of the page in the hive) might show you some in bold.
As far as I understand it, those are threads that you missed a notification for, and it therefore doesn't send you a new message.
I go in there every few weeks to check if I missed someone so I can catch up on their thread =)
As far as I understand it, those are threads that you missed a notification for, and it therefore doesn't send you a new message.
I go in there every few weeks to check if I missed someone so I can catch up on their thread =)
Nevetharine
Well-known member
South Africa doesn't do much (anything?) for Halloween. This year though, there were some cute vampire fluffy toys at our local grocer.
Here Hallowe'en is starting to rival even Christmas in some respects. Not on total dollars spent--the Christmas gift-giving frenzy still takes the cake there. But more and more houses are starting to put up Hallowe'en decorations, and there are certainly more elaborate displays set up for Hallowe'en. My neighbourhood had a vendor fair, music in the park, a scavenger hunt, a haunted house (set up in a church, no less), a costumed dance party (licensed, also in a church), carnival games, pumpkin carving (I almost went to that just to get the free pumpkin) and a parade with prizes for costumes and floats. (People make costumes for their dogs too!) There was also something called "the Witches of Wortley" which I think is a choreographed dance people do in witch costumes. (I didn't see this, but I think it's a dance performance. There were rehearsals for three weeks before hand for people who wanted to be in it.) There was also a "Terror Tour" which was walking around the village, visiting some of the decorated houses where they had QR codes on display which one could scan to listen to a spooky poem or short story. Handing out candy at one's door is almost de rigueur. (My upstairs neighbours wanted to sit out on our shared front porch to hand out their candy. Which was awesome because it meant I didn't have kids ringing my door bell all night.)
But the Christmas lights? We definitely have them up in November. Pretty much as soon as the Hallowe'en decorations come down, the Christmas ones go up. When I was a kid it used to be stores and shopping malls would wait until after Remembrance Day to put up Christmas decorations and start playing Christmas music. But not any more. Now the Christmas kitsch goes up on November 1.
But the Christmas lights? We definitely have them up in November. Pretty much as soon as the Hallowe'en decorations come down, the Christmas ones go up. When I was a kid it used to be stores and shopping malls would wait until after Remembrance Day to put up Christmas decorations and start playing Christmas music. But not any more. Now the Christmas kitsch goes up on November 1.
Nevetharine
Well-known member
Got the new tree setup! It’s green with white tips. Added some colorful tinsel and some glossy balls, some flashing multi-colored lights, and I dare say it looks better than the old one! Well, I suppose anything would look better, because the old one was going on three decades…
Had a busy day in town, wanted to bake rye bread and never got to it. On the bright side, I had enough energy for more exercise!
Physical Activity:
TEN Day 5
EotD [This was so fun done to this song! Maybe that’s why I had more energy. I suddenly got a very Pennywise-like idea for a fantasy novel involving a psychopathic ringmaster who kidnaps little children and mind-controls their nasty parents into performing deadly tricks in his circus!] 
3 sets of Slay, rested until I caught my breath
5 minutes of attempted meditation. Tee-he-he
Writing: 0 words
Editing: Finished 1 chapter
Reading: Nora Roberts – Northern Lights : 11% completed
Had a busy day in town, wanted to bake rye bread and never got to it. On the bright side, I had enough energy for more exercise!
Physical Activity:
TEN Day 5 EotD [This was so fun done to this song! Maybe that’s why I had more energy. I suddenly got a very Pennywise-like idea for a fantasy novel involving a psychopathic ringmaster who kidnaps little children and mind-controls their nasty parents into performing deadly tricks in his circus!] 3 sets of Slay, rested until I caught my breath 5 minutes of attempted meditation. Tee-he-heWriting: 0 words
Editing: Finished 1 chapter
Reading: Nora Roberts – Northern Lights : 11% completed