Eva Pasco's Blog, page 8

Eva’s Byte #472 – An Avenue of Escape

“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.” Marcel Proust

The Wonderful World of Oz by L. Frank Baum, springs to mind as one of my favorite childhood books. Considered the first official American fairytale and fable, I recall signing it out of my school library week after week in third grade so I could read it over and over. I loved it that much—still do. For me, it symbolizes the imagination’s unbound flight to magical realms where dreams come true on wings of belief and determination.

In the here and now, my time spent reading a book is tempered with adulting and writing my own books. At this juncture, I’m drafting the close of chapter 57 (1710 words thus far) along my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us find our avenue of escape inside the wonderful world of a book.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #471 – The View

In view of a marsh from my dining room window, I often get a glimpse of wildlife on the move. One of my spur-of-the-moment glances rewarded me with a view of two white geese making a landing as three whitetail fawns sprinted in the background.

A Kodak moment!

And, then:

An incident reminiscent of a 2020 occurrence when a baby chipmunk (kit) was on the loose in the corridors of my place of residence until finding its way out the front door into the wild by the week’s end. The other day, I espied a chipmunk scampering past me in a corridor. Unlike its predecessor, I don’t know if this critter made its way outdoors.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m scampering toward the end of the writing journey along my Contemporary work in progress. I’m currently in the throes of drafting chapter 57 (916 words thus far).

*May each of us find time to enjoy the views in our surroundings.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #470: Much To-Do List

No doubt about it, to-do lists can provide focus, direction, and purpose for accomplishing goals. The satisfaction of checking off each completed item highlights a sense of accomplishment and boosts self-confidence.

Do you make use of to-do lists?

Other than composing a weekly grocery list as I go along—generally, I really on my memory of an elephant.

However, at this juncture, in the capacity of a writer, I happen to be checking off plot points on a short, scribbled to-do list.

With only a few chapters left to fabricate in my Contemporary work in progress, I want to be sure there are no loose ends, barring what I leave to the reader’s imagination. I finished drafting chapter 56 at 1328 words, and began the draft of chapter 57 (243 words thus far).

*May each of us attain our goals using whatever method works to our advantage.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #469 – Revisiting Gothic Fiction

Conjuring elements of fear, horror, and gloom, as well as romance packed with emotion plotted against the backdrop of Gothic architecture—you have the makings of Gothic fiction.

Having settled in to watch Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940, black-and-white film version of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, published in 1938, I was transported back in time to my middle-school years when I became enamored with reading Gothic Fiction. Unique to the book and film, where Joan Fontaine portrays the second Mrs. deWinter, the character’s first or maiden name is never revealed.

Besides this classic, two other Gothic novels left an indelible impression in my mind at a time when holding a book in your hand was the only way to read:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, published under her pen name, Currer Bell, in October of 1847.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, published under her pen name, Ellis Bell, in November of 1847.

In the capacity of a writer, in the here and now, I finished tinkering with the draft of chapter 55 (1153 words). I’m now architecting chapter 56 (687 words thus far) along my Contemporary work in progress.

*May those of us who are writers create stories worthy of leaving an indelible impression in the reader’s mind.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #468 – How Long?

“How Long Has This Been Going On?”
(Title of the debut single by the English band Ace, from their 1974 debut album, Five-A-Side).

A published author who writes at a snail’s pace, I’m in awe of the prolific fellow Indies among us who churn them out. Out of curiosity, I tracked down some famous authors and the length of time it took for each of them to write a book:

Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451 = 2.5 weeks.

Anthony Burgess – A Clockwork Orange = 3 weeks.

Stephenie Meyer – Twilight = 3 months.

Charles Dickens – Great Expectations = 8 months.

Mary Shelley – Frankenstein = 1 year.

J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone = 6 years.

J.R.R. Tolkien – Lord of the Rings = 16 years.

Since the publication of my last novel in 2021, I’ve been journeying along my Contemporary work in progress for 2.5 years. Having finished drafting chapter 55 at 1069 words, I’ve begun drafting chapter 56 (43 words for starters). I can see the light at the end of the tunnel via chapter 60—no more, maybe less.

*May each of us bide our time and savor the journey along our creative endeavors for however long it takes.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #467 – Zipper Dee-Doo-Dah!

Why are handbag zipper extenders needed in the first place?

You’d think these high-end designers would have enough pull to add a leather tassel for good measure.

Transferring all of my purse paraphernalia to a brand new spring-shade handbag, sliding the tab from one end to the other to close the deal was—get ready for it—like pulling teeth.

Call it writer’s ingenuity for relying on one’s noggin to pull the zipper out of a jam:

To the rescue, a complimentary Juicy Couture cherries bracelet charm I happened to save. I must say the adapted extender I’ve linked to the zipper opening works like a charm. Not only functional, but aesthetically pleasing.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m zipping along the draft of chapter 54 toward the light at the end of the tunnel (1432 words thus far) of my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us stay on track for achieving our creative goals.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #466 – The Mend

“Neither a sew-and-sew nor a mender be.”

That’s been my mantra ever since the importance of being earnest to write books took precedence. My previous days of crafting when I’d create my own patterns for designing and sewing clothes for various block dolls are long gone. That includes my sewing machine, stockpiles of fabric, and accessories after the fact.

Neither am I of the mindset to mend. Nevertheless, I do have one of those traditional tomato pin cushions with various sized needles jabbed into it.

The other day I removed one the size of a turkey basting implement. After slipping the thread through the eye of the needle, and knotting the double thread, I proceeded to actually mend a patchwork quilt mallard whose neck had sustained a tear.

Like bowing a violin with much effort to poke the needle through material and stuffing, I got my suturing done.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m stitching the draft of chapter 54 along my Contemporary work in progress (1072 words thus far).

*May each of us mend our ways as needed.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #465 – Faces

There are faces I remember. Some have gone and some remain.

(Paraphrased from “In My Life” by the Beatles from their Rubber Soul album, released in 1965)

Kodak moments—some preserved in black and white; others in color. Snapshots developed from rolls of film. I couldn’t wait to rifle through the envelope to check out photos commemorating special occasions and family get-togethers.

Over the years I’ve amassed a slew of envelopes, each one its own time capsule. I got the notion to sort through all of the photos and put them in plastic bags. During this emotional process of categorizing, one becomes acutely aware of changes the passage of time has wrought.

In the face of time, this writer is in the process of drafting chapter 54 (428 words thus far) along the tail end of my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us maintain a healthy balance between holding on and letting go.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page:http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #464 – Mother of Invention

"The true creator is necessity, who is the mother of our invention." Plato

Throughout the years, out of necessity, my elderly mother has proved herself an unconventional inventor.

Last week, she slayed me:

As customary when I take my mother back to her residence after our weekly get-together for breakfast or lunch, she heads in with a couple of bags containing supplemental provisions. In one of the bags I had put a few spring decorations for her room.

Touching base with her later on, she proceeds to tell me that out of necessity, she cut the string on a medical face mask to make a tie for a vintage-style teddy bear so she could hang it on one of the wall hooks.

Hoo-ah!

In the capacity of a writer, aren’t we all mothers of invention?

Out of necessity to get to the finish line of my Contemporary work in progress, I just completed drafting chapter 53 (1268 words).

*When in a pinch, may each of us rely on our resourcefulness to get ‘er done.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #463 – You Can Never Have Enough…

An open-ended query, my own answers range from:

The high-minded - kindness, compassion, selflessness, integrity, generosity, independence, self-reliance, and books.

To the quirky – shoes, gnomes, pieces of sea glass, rocks, bird feathers, and bold jewelry.

It never fails to come to my attention during fall or spring cleaning of closets, cupboards, and cabinets—I have more than enough hand sanitizer and disinfectant spray. Begotten during the pandemic panic when purportedly there was a shortage of germ-fighting products to be had, I apparently made out like a bandit.

In the capacity of a writer, I can never have enough time to get down to business. Nevertheless, I’m in the throes of drafting chapter 53 (747 words thus far) along my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us have an abundance of self-confidence to succeed on our own terms.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco