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Monday 30 May 2022

GALATEA by Madeline Miller

 

GalateaGalatea by Madeline Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This hardback book is much smaller than usual, but it's so lovely.

Galatea is a feminist retelling of the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. It still shares a lot of the horrid misogynistic traits with the original because everyone treats Galatea so poorly and rarely listen to her, but in this version she has her own opinions and thoughts. She learns how to behave and treat others so that they won't punish or disregard her, without them realising what's happening.

I especially enjoyed the cunning conclusion because although it was sad, the way this story ends is very satisfying.

Thursday 26 May 2022

May Revision Update!


Hey! How's everyone this week? 

Well, the world is still a dumpster fire but at least the shittiest Prime Minister in Australian History & his Dodgy Crew of Bastards have been voted out. Or should I say, booted? YES!! That's right, Australia now has a Labor government at the helm, and a Prime Minister who actually lives up the road from us. LOL.

It's great to see/hear politicians talk without mistrusting every word they say because you know they're screwing the country and only taking care of their friends/donors. The LNP caused a lot of damage. Fascists always do. 🤬

Good riddance to those selfish bastards!

Anyway, if you read my blog updates then you know I've been working on another Revision Project this month. And this week, I read the story on my Paperwhite one last time. 

After a full rewrite, I knew there were going to be some missed sentences, typos and other stuff. And although I did find plenty of things to fix/delete, at least the flow of the story was just how I wanted it to be. I didn't find any inconsistencies in the plot either, which was awesome.

Here's how this week turned out:
  • Monday: 42/93pgs (29,969w)
  • Tuesday: 73/93pgs (29,714w)
  • Wednesday: 93/93pgs (29,573w)
  • Thursday: 93pgs / 29,549w
So... Summer is finally done. Yay! 😊🎉

I'm VERY EXCITED about this WIP. After I came close to chucking it during the second draft, I worked hard on fixing everything during the third. I wasn't happy with the POVs and there was a key element missing. Luckily, because I'm stubborn, I decided to keep going and think about what wasn't working. In the end, I took some notes, made a plan, and fixed everything.

I'm extremely happy with how my latest horror novella turned out. 😁

I wrote this novel back in March 2019 and it clocked in at 57,476w. But now that I've cut 27,927w, it's a novella.

Between this novella, the one I revised in March (-24,600w) and the one in February (-25,203w), I've cut a total of 77,730 words this year!!! That's a whole novel. 👀

Another awesome thing about completing this project is that I can update my Revision List:
  • April 2021: Full edit of Wall of Dolls
  • May 2021: Full revision of Destiny
  • June 2021: Full revision of Victoria
  • August 2021: Full revision of Possess
  • September 2021: Full revision of Monsters
  • February 2022: Full revision of Cosmic
  • March 2022: Full revision of Madness
  • May 2022: Full revision of Summer

This list is looking really good. I now have only two old drafts (one from 2017 and another from 2019) and last year's NaNoWriMo draft left to revise.

The plan is to clear all these first drafts by the end of this year.🤞

Well, it looks like I can take Friday off and have a bit of a mental break. I'll probably take next week off too because my brain is mush at the moment and I need to read! I haven't read anything for a few weeks.

Have an awesome day!

Friday 20 May 2022

The Revision Continues...

 

Hey! How are you today? After so much shitty rain, it was nice to enjoy a streak of sunny days.

But guess what? The rain just couldn't stay away and returned today. 😕

Anyway, this week I got stuck into the third draft of my latest Revision Project because this story has been eating my brain since I finished the second draft.

As you might remember, I wasn't entirely happy with how the story turned out because there was something missing. So, as soon as I started the next draft, I cut paragraphs, chapters, an entire POV character, and moved things around. A lot of things. I also added a bunch of new stuff to strengthen the plot. Of course, that also means that this novel has now become yet another novella. 

Yep. This seems to be a running theme this year. But if it makes the story better, I'm happy.

Here's how this week turned out:
  • Monday: 21/117pgs (38,857w)
  • Tuesday: 35/113pgs (37,545w)
  • Wednesday: 58/96pgs (31,992w)
  • Thursday: 76/92pgs (29,758w)
  • Friday: 93pgs / 30,097w
As you can see, it took me all week to complete the third draft but I'm not surprised because this turned out to be a complete rewrite. Seriously, I ended up replacing and changing SO MUCH! The bare bones of plot and character is still the same, but it's very different now. Much better!

Phew.

I feel like this is how I originally envisioned this story. Man, that first draft was quite a mess, but it's always exciting to turn a story around.

Anyway, the third draft is (finally) done! Yay. 😊

Now I'll put it aside until Monday and read the whole thing all over again on my Paperwhite. Can't wait to see how all the changes fit together.

Asides from working on this, I finally got the chance to catch up on some washing. And that's about it, because even when I wasn't on my laptop working away, I spent ages thinking about and taking notes for this story.

Like I said, it was eating my brain. 😳

I need a few days off so I'm looking forward to the weekend. We actually have the Federal Election tomorrow and I'm hoping Australians do the right thing and vote these crooks out.

See ya!


Thursday 12 May 2022

It's Time to Revise!

That's right! After completing an edit last week, this week I got stuck into another Revision Project. 😁

So, how are you? It's been a while since I blogged because hubby had annual leave in April and I took a small writing break. We had a great time together, but now it's time to get back to business. 

Here's my progress:
  • Monday: 64/153pgs (56,333w)
  • Wednesday: 117/145pgs (51,639w)
  • Thursday: 136pgs / 48,049w
I'm actually (really) glad I reached the end of this one, because I felt like putting it aside several times... 😟

I wrote the original draft of this story back in 2019, so it's another one of those projects that I've had lying around for too long. And that means I was able to look at everything objectively, which is why I spotted what didn't work pretty early on. Even though I decided to cut one of the three POVs, I read and revised the whole thing. 

On the one hand, this certain POV provided some cool insight into a particular character. But mostly, it ruined the mystery/intrigue/horror and softened the creepier parts of the story. So, it had to go, but I waited until I was done.

Working on this draft reminds me of my March revision. Like that one, I continually found myself wondering if this story was going to work at all. Although I like the main darkness and the sheer weirdness of this small town, there seemed to be something missing. And after catching up with everything, I know what that is.

I'll now spend a few days pondering how to fix all the things I didn't like during the third draft. And I'm actually looking forward to it. 😁

Well, that's it for now. 

Have a great week!!


Wednesday 11 May 2022

MY EVIL MOTHER by Margaret Atwood

 

My Evil Mother: A Short StoryMy Evil Mother: A Short Story by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I grabbed this short story the other day, decided to check it out tonight, and read it in one sitting.

The story is set in Toronto during the 1950s and is narrated by a girl with a single mother, who was anything but conventional. Actually, her mother insisted she was a witch and that the girl's father was a garden gnome. But as she remembers her life with and without her mother, some of the truths slowly reveal themselves.

What I especially loved about this wonderful mother-daughter tale was how whimsical it was. Her mother wanted desperately to protect and teach her how to survive in a gossipy world in hopes of making her life easier by filling the days with magical terms, characters and situations. Yet, as the story wrapped up and everything slotted into its comfortable place in reality, I still couldn't help but wonder... ✨


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Tuesday 10 May 2022

THE SURVIVORS by T.C. Weber

 

In a calamitous future, runaway climate change has made the planet nearly uninhabitable. Civilization has collapsed, and every day is a struggle. Lucy, a young mother of two, dreams of a better life by bringing back vanished knowledge. But the rest of her group, headed by her brutal aunt Irma, is focused only on day-to-day survival—at any price. When a deadly hurricane destroys their home, Lucy’s group is forced on the road, where they must cope with hunger, searing temperatures, and vicious rivals. And their nightmare is just beginning.


The author of this novella reached out to me a few weeks ago and because the blurb sounded interesting, I decided to give it a go.

Climate change has decimated the planet. Every single day is a struggle for the new generation of humans. Lucy is a mother of two living with a small group of fellow survivors. After a really bad storm destroys their tower, the group is forced to move to find another home, which turns out to be a lot harder than expected...

Yikes! This is not a happy story. It's bleak, unsettling, and totally brutal. The people living in this apocalyptic world constantly struggle against an erratic climate and other territorial groups determined to keep strangers out. Even those within their own group are often a threat. Scavenging and hunting are the only way they can eat, which isn't easy while trying to avoid other people.

Having young kids, a baby and a pregnant woman in their group makes things harder, but Lucy is determined to keep her children safe.

I liked Lucy because she desperately wanted to do the right thing, even if she was scared about speaking up and going against the others who were a lot stronger/wilder than her. She also wasn't as vile as Irma, or as deluded as Angelica. But I did get frustrated by her constant silence. She wanted a real future for her kids, dreamed about a better place to exist without all the fighting and death, but survival meant she had to keep her mouth shut. 

Still, I enjoyed her unpredictable tale of survival during such a dark time, and really liked that ending!

The Survivors is an ultra violent story about people living during the aftermath of what the Vanished Ones (you know, the humans who could've made a difference but chose greed and laziness) left behind. It's not pretty. It's raw and full of characters who are willing to do whatever it takes to survive. 🤢



Trigger warnings: 
This book contains scenes with violence and gore, and may not be suitable for all readers.



SURVIVORS IS NOW AVAILABLE: 


Sunday 8 May 2022

THE RED ROOM by H.G. Wells

 

The Red RoomThe Red Room by H.G. Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved The Time Machine, so checking out a horror story by HG Wells sounded like a cool idea.

A skeptic man, in the company of three peculiar old people, has come to a creepy castle to investigate the Red Room. A place where some awful things have happened...

Well, this turned out to be a psychological tale full of imagery that might be there, but might not. I liked how the nameless narrator is so determined to prove everyone wrong and then finds himself in a peculiar situation he can't explain. Because what lurks inside our minds can be so much darker and scarier than what is actually there.

Watching as he loses himself in the frenzy of keeping the candles lit was quite an unnerving display. And the ending pretty much confirms the truth about this 'haunted room'.

This is a psychological gothic horror story with an undercurrent of dread strong enough to make one wonder if it was all in fact in his head. Or was it so much more?

I enjoyed this.

Friday 6 May 2022

HARLEY QUINN: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki & Steve Pugh

 

Harley Quinn: Breaking GlassHarley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When we go for long suburban walks, not only do we stumble on a bunch of Street Libraries along the way, but also randomly find boxes full of books and/or movies outside people's houses.

This graphic novel happens to be one of them.

Harleen is on her way to stay with her grandmother in Gotham City, but when she gets there, she finds out she's passed away. Her apartment now belongs to Mama, a lovely drag queen who runs some pretty awesome drag shows. Here, she makes a family, starts going to school and even makes a friend. Ivy introduces her to the unfairness of the city, and when Mama is kicked out of her home, Harleen is determined to help...

I REALLY enjoyed this! I honestly didn't know whether I would, but it turned out to be an excellent modern take on the DC universe that deals with some very familiar current issues, while still including some well-known DC staples. I mean, I didn't expect the guy in the shadows to turn up.

It's all presented in a very cool way, where the characters and city are very much diverse.

My favourite thing about this book, asides from the absolutely fantastic artwork, was Harleen. I love how hard she tries to help others, and how her desire to do the right thing always gets her in trouble because she wants a quick outcome without really weighing out the options. She's also funny, quirky, creative, and doesn't care what others think of her attitude.

Yeah, this graphic novel has a LOT of heart, plenty of great characters, and a great message.


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Thursday 5 May 2022

SAGA, Issue #58 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

 

Saga #58Saga #58 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this issue!

So many small and interesting things happen, and all of them are going to lead to a VERY bad place. And OMFG, that last page was so: 😳

Noooooooo!!

Can't wait to see what happens next...
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