Dec 20 update

I have read the following

            I started reading the screenplay for Bad Moms.

I read Nancy drew #45 California Schemin’   I first want to say this is a different series than the original Nancy Drew books I grew up with.  It was clear this book was written by a ghostwriter and likely quickly edited.  There were points in the book where the scene descriptions were contradictory.  I do however want to applaud the writer’s ability to always end and start the chapters on a high note.  I would actually use these chapters of examples of how to end each chapter on a dangler that makes readers want to continue on.  I also noted how the author didn’t have an unexplainable ending.  The author let Nancy see something which would explain how the ending happened without telling us HEY THIS IS HOW THE END IS PLAUSIBLE. 

            I am still working to read a short story a day.  I’ve found some I really liked and others not so much. The holidays did mess up my routine and I haven’t quite gotten back on track.

            Mystery at Malachite Mansion (Nancy Drew: Girl Detective, #46; Malibu Mayhem Trilogy, #2) by Carolyn Keene. This was the best of the three books in the trilogy.  There were real unexpected surprises.  This book didn’t have discontinuity issues or grammatical errors. The end of this book made me want to continue on the third book immediately.

            Stalk, Don't Run (Nancy Drew: Girl Detective, #47; Malibu Mayhem Trilogy, #3) by Carolyn Keene.  This was the worst of the three books.  This issue had the most grammatical errors.  The story started out slow compared to the others and didn’t pick up where the other left off despite the huge cliffhanger.  Questions were left unanswered and people didn’t seem to be in character.

            Slave Narratives: the Journey to Freedom by Elane Landau.   While this can be a tough topic to learn about and hard to teach to children this book does a great job without being too graphic.  The author carefully picked excerpts which were powerful yet digestible by children.  I highly recommend this for any classroom and every home. 

I have worked on the following

            I finalized chapter three of The Adventures of Gwen and Brooke and posted it to my Fictionpress.

I’m working on the following

            Mapping out my goals for 2017 and more specifically for January.

Dec 6th update.

I have read the following

             

Ghostly: A Collection of Ghost Stories

by Audrey Niffenegger 

Absolutely wonderful collection of stories.  This collection is diverse and full of surprises. When i picked this up i was expecting more horror, instead i was pleasantly met with horror with a purpose.  Stories examined death, grief, mourning, descent into madness and much more.  There are numerous stories in this collection i would recommend and others i plan on studying for my own writing.  A must read for aspiring writers, especially those who want to send powerful messages through or about ghosts, death, and the mindset there of.

I have worked on the following

            I did in fact fail NaNoWriMo.  What I did accomplish was 30,000 words some relative to the plot and others pertaining to my other projects.  I did however get the plot of my November project out on paper.  Revision will add more details and crisp images.             

I’m working on the following

            I am finishing up my December Adventures of Gwen and Brooke which will be posted on my fictionpress shortly.