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Category: General Posts

My Internal Monologue Fuels My Stories

Silhouette of a woman thinking

I stumbled onto an awesome Twitter thread about internal monologues. I absolutely have an inner monologue. I love it. It’s one of the things that has kept me out of trouble, usually. Also, it’s great for fueling stories. “I won’t do [X] in this situation, but if my character did…Hmmm.”

I didn’t realize there was a more formal name for this phenomenon for quite a while. Also, I believed it was something everyone did. It seemed to help me imagine a variety of scenarios and pick the best option. Usually, that worked out well, though I sometimes wonder if I was too cautious and missed interesting opportunities. Regardless, it’s an ability I’m glad I have.

Finding that thread sparked a series of revelations. I recommend reading it. The conversation is fascinating and I always enjoy insights about how people think.

"Wait there are people out there who [have] an actual internal monologue going on in their heads? Like in the movies?" - @Lady_Gagnon on Twitter

Attack on Titan: Eren’s Decisions

I’ve continued watching Attack on Titan, an action/dark fantasy/post-apocalyptic anime. While the series has many compelling characters, Eren Yeager is the center of attention. See my previous post.

The below video, by WordyBlerd, is an excellent analysis of Eren and how he handles Paradis. The Surveys Corps‘ largest mistake is not understanding Eren’s fundamental core. Much of that is typical in a militaristic structure. And, in general, even when you’re valuable to an organization, it can crush your spirit. As a result, you might cling to it and crave approval. That method of control, however, doesn’t work when someone has a strong compass, regardless of the person’s ultimate goals.

Love Is In The Air

A series of hearts are layered on each other, with the largest hearts being side by side.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Here are some of my favorite romantic books, dramas, and movies that feature incredible and loving relationships.

Books:

  • Drag Me Up – This is a bold and vivid retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, written by R.M. Virtues. See my full review here.
  • Slippery Creatures – K.J. Charles, who writes historical romance, brings us Will Darling and Kim Secretan. See my full review here.

Drama Series:

  • The Rebel Princess – Back in May 2021, I made a post about this fantastic drama. The couple in this show navigate daunting challenges where so many people around them are scheming.
  • You Are My Glory – I’ve enjoyed other dramas with Dilraba Dilmurat and Yang Yang. Seeing them act together is sublime.

Movies:

  • Love Jones – The chemistry between the main characters is undeniable, even as their stubbornness threatens to derail their love.
  • That Touch of Mink – This is a great romantic comedy starring Cary Grant and Doris Day. You really can’t beat a classic.

Happy New Year! It’s 2022!

Happy New Year 2022

It’s 2022! I’m so excited about what I have planned:

  • Publish The Agitator’s Code: Tildari Sunrises this fall.
  • Finish revising The Architect’s Guardian: Awakening.
  • Keep revising The Balance Series.
  • Prepare other tidbits. 😉

Winter 2021 Story Updates

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Winter of 2021 is here already! Here are my plans for this season.

The Agitator’s Code: Check out Vaironian Tides and Ledani Moons! I plan to publish Tildari Sunrises in November 2022. Most of the writing I do this winter will be for the third and final book in this series.

The Architect’s Guardian: I’m revising Awakening, book one of this series, and fleshing out details for the other books.

Balance: This series is on the backburner, while I work on my others.

Reading Challenge 2021

I keep my yearly reading challenge between 20 to 30 books. That gives me time to enjoy quite a few stories, while also writing my own books. Here’s some of what I’ve read!

My Stories: Common Ties

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Fountain pen laying on paper that has writing and some flower petals

I usually work on several stories at a time. Regardless of which story has most of my attention, they all have a few things in common.

A Set of Twins:

Twins, dressed in bug costumes, one wearing blue and the other wearing pink.
  • Darion and Liana are twins
  • Kouta has a twin nephew and niece

A Character with a Sweet Tooth:

Cupcake in a blue holder and covered with pink frosting
  • Armando
  • Darion
  • Renzo
  • Tolrek

Drama: The Rebel Princess

When I’m not writing, I love watching dramas. One of my favorites this year is The Rebel Princess, a Chinese costume drama, starring Zhang Zi Yi and Zhou Yi Wei. I’d first seen Zhang Zi Yi in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Zhou Yi Wei was a new actor to me. Together they portrayed Awu and Xiao Qi, two individuals with strong convictions.

There were so many wonderful elements:

  • Acting – Stellar. The characters were complex. I found myself even feeling remorse for some of the villains.
  • Cinematography – Each episode was like a gorgeous movie.
  • Costumes – Detailed and exquisite. There are so many beautiful pieces.
  • Soundtrack- The intro alone is fantastic. Each part of the soundtrack is rich and memorable.
  • Writing – Incredible. I was often on the edge, eager to find out what would happen.

This was a spectacular drama. The competition was fierce. I could tell because by episode 65, so many characters featured in the intro had died. ??

Fortunately, the show wasn’t difficult to locate because all the episodes were officially on YouTube. While it consisted of 68 episodes, it was well-worth the time. Don’t worry. This drama had a happy ending.

Perfect Writing Playlists

While I’m writing, I listen to a little bit of everything. Check out my Soundcloud playlists!

Music for Chilling 1 – Electric Rock, Dream Pop

Music for Chilling 2 – Electric Rock, Ambient

Music for Chilling 3 – Trance, Progressive Trance

Music for Chilling 4 – Trip Hop, Ambient, Down Tempo

Attack on Titan: Eren and Gabi Analysis

As of today, I’ve watched all available episodes of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin), an action/dark fantasy/post-apocalyptic anime. While the series has many interesting characters, the best discussions have taken place about Eren Yeager and Gabi Braun. The below video, by WordyBlerd, is an excellent analysis of Eren and Gabi. I understand why these two operate as they do but, in complicated circumstances like the ones in the series, the reasons for their actions matter.

My perspective is that, with all the horrors they’ve had to endure, Eren is more confident. Gabi, however, is brash and loud, which can look like confidence. Most societies cater to people who are extroverted and confuse being loud with being confident/informed/right.

In terms of strong character similarities, I believe Reiner Braun and Eren are the most alike and in more than superficial ways. Both Reiner and Eren are driven, but that doesn’t make them ignore the circumstances. They’re able to pivot and accept new truths. By the way, it’s interesting that Reiner’s name encompasses Eren. Maybe that’s an accident, but it still fascinates me.

At any rate, there are still more episodes in this fourth and final season. I’ve been watching the anime, but I’m planning on diving back into the manga. A show with this much conflict and depth must have more layers to explore in the books. When it’s all said and done, who knows how I’ll feel?