Sherlock Holmes and ADD

I've been putting together a collection of posts on my own blog on my experience of ADD. I don't meet the hyperactive markers that one might typically think of.  I identify with the "excessive daydreaming" kind. The attention to the outside world deficit.  In me, that translated--some five decades later--as Psychic according to the local community college career center.  Imagine that!

I was watching the PBS special on the new Sherlock Holmes series with Mssrs. Cumberbatch and Moffat.  It traced the history of the character and his peculiarities. But it's not the historical Holmes that got my interest.  It is how he is being presented in the current production--how his attention flits from element to element as he puts the whole picture together. 

I got to wondering what that might have felt like as a kid. As a kid in the American school system that asks for right answers based on step-by-step movement through a series of programmed movements. At least that was it when I was growing up.  I just waited until everyone else got to the end of the steps before I joined in.  I'd most of the time got to their conclusions already. Put it together from other pieces having nothing to do with the current lesson.  Weird.  And I didn't get it right all the time, but I had fun getting there.

In another PBS special I discovered how much the story of Sherlock Holmes inspired modern forensics.  That means there are a lot of people who identified with him or thought that how he behaved was alright.  I mean their teachers. Yes, Holmes was logical and studied.  But how much of how he started out was the more daydreamy kind of behavior, taking in information and putting it in a new context? 

Anyone else have new insights into odd behavior?  This is spec fic.  Seeing the world through the eyes, the perceptions of those whose perceptions are considered faulty.   Sometimes they are called artists.   Do you know anyone who perceives the world so differently that you are encouraged to change your own perceptions?

Fast Edits

At this moment, I’m going crazy participating in Savvy Author’s Editpalooza.  I picked an old draft from NaNoWriMo 2010. While not officially complete, there is enough material to finish it once I iron out the trouble spots. The problem is those spots after the first three chapters. It's  going to be painful to work through it in one month, but I’m willing to learn how to edit fast.

I haven’t touched the draft since that NaNo, so it opened my eyes to my three main problems:

1.  A classic moment of pantsing. It started great, and then it went downhill after my main character left home. The original idea devolved quickly, and the scenes shifted  my original ideas. The plot left in the fifth chapter and never returned.
2. I hate my characters.
3. Somehow my novel turned into a fantasy romance novel instead of a high fantasy novel.

Unfortunately, approaching writing as a pantser can spell doom when you realize there isn’t much to work with. I wrote 71k, but how many good words are there? If I’m lucky, probably not more than 20k. I lost touch with the reality of the world I created. It’s painful to read and more painful knowing I wrote it. The first draft is meant to be this way, but I still didn’t want to believe it. Yet, I accept them to move forward.

Participating in Editpalooza isn’t going to allow me to think long and hard. The push to finish the next assignment is pressing against my forehead. Now they said, each assignment may take longer than others. I’m treating this event as a request from a real editor. If you want your book published on time, then you must meet the deadline. If I want a good 2^nd draft, then I will work hard to complete it by the end of the event.

How about you? Do you think you can edit fast?

SNOW DAY!

I'm avoiding the Snow Queen. She won't find me under the comforters.  Hehehehe!

Till next time,

Elizabeth

Gorging on Urban Fantasy

In my last post I mentioned that cleansing can be a nice thing to focus on as part of making a fresh start in the new year. I was referring specifically to the plan for hubs and I to do a fruit and veggie cleanse some time in January, and I was very pleased with the healthy feeling that came from it. Now, some people will do this kind of cleanse for a week or more, and more power to them. I can't go without coffee for that long, LOL. So while it may not seem like a huge stretch, I think going two days eating nothing but fresh foods and water is a worthy accomplishment.

Of course, a little dietary cleansing isn't the only way to clear the cobwebs and get energized. Cleaning out all the junk and unused items around the house, emptying all the old folders and bookmarks on the computer you'll never look at again, or just organizing everything so it's not such a hot mess. I decided it was time to purge more books to make room for all the awesome new reading material I want this year, including getting rid of several ebooks on my Kindle (and I so wish we could donate those to the library too).

I couldn't help but notice that there are quite a few urban fantasy series that I started reading over the last few years but have not kept up with. It might be my short attention span, or my attraction to shiny new objects, but I tend to jump from one series to another only managing to read one or two books before moving on. I'm also super anal about reading any serial story in order, so there you go. Very occasionally I'll keep up with each new release, but not often. Which means I have a lot of catching up to do, so I'm planning a good old-fashioned gorging of some of the series I loved but didn't get the chance to continue. Here's my list so far -

The Walker Papers by C.E. Murphy - loved the first book (thanks for the recommendation Melanie!), but never went back to it

Horngate Witches by Diana Pharaoh Francis - I actually reviewed Bitter Night for the Witches and Witchcraft reading challenge last year

The Hollows by Kim Harrison - I know this one is really popular, and I made it 3 books into the series before I got distracted

Descendants by Jenna Black - again, only read the first one and really enjoyed it

Cal Leandros by Rob Thurman - I don't even know how many are in this series at this point, but I've only read the first two

Dresden Files by Jim Butcher - another long series that I can't wait to get back to

In addition to these (as if it weren't enough to keep me busy all year), I've got a few series I've been meaning to start and haven't yet - October Daye and Incryptid series by Seanan McGuire, Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep, and the Sabina Kane books by Jaye Wells.

Yep, I've got a long and glorious UF road ahead of me this year, but I always have room for more. Which urban fantasy series do you think I should add to my list? Do you have any favorites you desperately need to catch up with?

Cheers!

Ella

Why I Read Spec Fic

Some of the satisfaction I get from reading speculative fiction, the reason I put on a favorite book when I am feeling low, is practice.

 

Huh?

Think of it. We read stories so that we can practice the consequences of our thoughts and feelings through the characters, without risk. In speculative fiction we get to practice getting through the murk, the barely nameable ilk and irk of our day. That energy-sucking co-worker. The weight of an upcoming storm. The creep of clutter.

Mainstream writing doesn't help me much. It doesn't help me name the ick. Not the way Jim Butcher does when Harry is being poisoned by vampire spit. Not the way Kristine Kathryn Rusch lets me identify with the pervasive dust of the moon, the constant threat of the bubble being breached, letting the breathlessness of living on a strange planet overwhelm. How does it feel living among aliens, trying to make sense of their rules?

None of this is obvious when I am reading or listening. Only when I ask the question, recall that this is what we want stories for, do I recognize the connections. This is also what our favorites are for. They take us into a world that some part of us recognizes, that encourages our hearts to listen more closely. This next year, 2014, I look forward to discovering more landscapes that feed my spirit, hold my heart, give me comfort when the world around me becomes just a bit more weird and whelming. 

What are you go-to stories, novels? Do you have a world that you would like a passport to? OK, just for a day, maybe. One that is more than just an escape?

New Year, New Beginnings

I always love writing each year about a fresh start and fresh beginning, but unfortunately by March (if that), my fresh start is stuck in the mud and I'm back to the place I was the year before whether it was for weight loss, working out or pursuing writing. This year, while I try to kick start my pursuit of publication, I have something new that I am pursuing and one that I can't fail at - a healthier lifestyle.

My two-year-old son has some nasty allergies that we discovered just before his first birthday, but him being so young we were able to just feed him "baby" food and my husband and I continued to eating all the foods that we loved. My son is allergic to wheat, oats (anything with gluten), eggs and dairy. This has been a real challenge for me to find things that don't taste like garbage to give to him because toddlers have a hard enough time eating when they don't have allergies.

I did a ton of research and checked out cookbook after cookbook trying to find some recipes that would be suitable. Finally, I found four really great books that allow him to eat pretty much everything from bread to cookies, cakes to ice cream and even a homemade nondairy cheese. This Christmas, I took on the challenge of cooking and baking dinner for my very picky inlaws. Thankfully everything turned out reasonably well.

To start 2014, I cleaned out my pantry and fridge of everything that isn't safe for my son to eat. If he can't have it, neither can we. There is no better feeling than when he can just pick at my breakfast, lunch and dinner plate. It's been a little rough at times, since I absolutely love cheese and chocolate. The dairyfree cheese has a different taste, but I'm adapting and chocolate...well, it's a love that I will never get over. I have learned to cook and bake. And although it takes a lot more time of preparation than popping in a pizza or chicken nuggets, I feel good because I know what I am feeding my little guy.

So changing my eating and my family's eating is my fresh start. I've also started the new year with another bundle of joy. My second little guy was born in late September and a family of four is more to adapt to than three.

My writing has taken a beating since baby #2 came, but it is so worth it. And although I am back to being that sleep deprived mother of a newborn, I wouldn't change it for the world. Now when I look at my little guys, I have a little more motivation to write and seek publication. I also make better use of my writing time because when the boys are napping at the same time (virtually never), I focus so hard on writing as that window doesn't stay open for very long.

I am thankful to be back at the Salon and back with the Scouts. I have a feeling that 2014 is going to be the best year yet! Happy New Year! And if you have any websites or cookbook recommendations for gluten, dairy and egg free recipes, please feel free to post!

RJ

New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year

I originally posted this on my blog, but it fits well for the Salon theme for this week. So here it is:

It’s one of the most popular topics this time of the year: New Year’s Resolution. It arrived before we finished the ones from last year. It isn’t my favorite subject because of my track record, but the drive to win pushes me to make New Year’s resolutions. My resolutions don’t differ from most people. I want to lose weight with exercise and healthy foods. Most of you want to finish your first or tenth draft. But this year, my three resolutions are different, because if I can’t keep making the same ones. I never finished, so I will keep working on them and make new ones. 

1. It isn’t easy for me to speak of my flaws. I strive for perfection in everything I touch. I’m harsh on myself when it doesn’t meet my high standards. I can be just as harsh on someone. But I shouldn’t judge, because I can’t hold the same standards in others. Their wants and needs are different from mine. I can’t expect them to do the same as me. The world travels in a different way. I should honor that.

2. My second resolution stems from my first. I am harsh on myself and expect the best always. If the first time doesn’t come out perfect, then it isn’t right. Again, I need to step back and realize first tries are not perfect. I can’t write the perfect draft in 30 days. It can’t be unless you practice writing all your life and know the 30-day formula for publication. My mind needs to slow down and not expect perfection in the first round.

3. This year I want to be happy and enjoy what life has in-store for me. No matter what happens, if I’m not happy, then my dreams will never happen. My happiness spreads across to everything I touch. I’m an unstoppable force when I can’t beat myself down. Therefore, no one else can bring me down.

Now, I am ready to take on the New Year. Please leave your comments with your resolutions, or if you are not planning to make any. If you aren’t, let me know why. Until next time!