Blogging – Page 52 – Linda Nelson

Hmm… interesting, my last post was at Halloween. Thanksgiving is only two days away, where’d the time go?

I know what happened. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) happened. By the way, how did you do with your word count this month? I got mine. Did you get yours?

Now that we’re done with that absurd writing challenge, what’s coming up next? Christmas? This is the craziest time of the year. It all starts with NaNo, then turkey in the oven, followed by hordes of Black Friday Shoppers heading out to the stores right after eating their Family Holiday meal. They should remain home to sleep off that bird but no, they run right out and join the crowd so they can fight over that $100 flat screen TV. See this is just the beginning of the craziest time of the year.

We fought with our word processors for nearly 30 days straight, forcing word after word on that blank white screen. They said write a 50k word story in 30 days or less but don’t worry if it is a mess. You will have the rest of the year to try to fix the thing. That is if it is fixable.

I wrote as though I was in brainstorming sessions. Now I have to drag and drop the chapters into different orders in hopes that I can get the timeline correct. Still that isn’t as silly as standing in line for a Black Friday ticket at the local Walmart. It’s the only time of the year when they are crazy enough to break every fire code rule.

Have you ever taken part in that absurd holiday tradition of shopping right after eating turkey? I did one year. The crowds didn’t bother me too much. What did bother me was how hard it was to find the items listed in the Black Friday flyer. Everything was scattered about the store. I thought they were kidding when they were handing out maps. What was I thinking?

Besides NaNo and Black Friday, I find the rest of the season pretty tame. I’m the one who puts up the tree. I’m the one who decorates it. I’m the one who tries to keep the spirit of Christmas alive. Oh wait, I feel a bah – humbug moment coming on. It will pass. I’ll inhale the scent of green pine needles, apples and cinnamon and most of all, chocolate fudge.

Oh, Fudge, the straw that broke the diabetic diet. I have to make several batches each year. This is hard to do without having a sample or two. Then there are the cookies and pastries. Don’t forget the eggnog too.

So, are you ready for the absurdity of this jolly time of year? No wonder people become stressed and angry; look at how crazy we become trying to take part in those traditional activities each year.

[/media-credit] What makes the first American Thanksgiving noteworthy is, for the first time, turkeys were actually consumed after they were sacrificed to “God” (the Christian version of the Babylonian turkey god). duckglow.wordpress.com

In response to a blog post I read today via Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Author Duos You’d LOVE to See Write a Book Together | The Paige-Turner , I’d like to say how much I would love to see J.K. Rowling join forces with George R. R. Martin. What a story that would be. Her magical way of creating a fantasy world and his story writing skills would be amazing. It would be a tale for both teens and adults.

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You’ve probably watched the HBO series and don’t agree because of all the explicit content in the TV show. His books are not as explicit as the TV series. I think his character building is his main strength and J K Rolling’s strength is in world building. If they wrote a book together it would be an incredible story that would come alive without the help of movie or TV.

I do have other favorite writers as well. In fact, there are too many to list these days. Right off the top of my head is Madeline Hunter. I do enjoy reading her historical fiction. In a sense, it is kind of like reading fantasy only she doesn’t use any mythical creatures in her works.

Sometimes I’m in the mood for Contemporary Romances. That’s when I pick up a book by Rachel Gibson or Stephanie Bond. Other times I will select a mystery. Nora LeDuc is one of my favorite crime writers. She has a new release coming out at the end of the month which you can pre-order now on Amazon. The Devil Wore Sneakers is her latest.

For the past five months, I’ve been reading Game of Thrones. I’m reading book 4 which I believe coincides with Season 5 on HBO. Don’t worry, I won’t give you any spoilers. All I can say is that he is a very good story teller. If you’ve only seen the TV series, you’ve got to break down and read the books.