Lauralynn Elliott's Blog, page 26

Sunday Update 5/19/13

Happy Sunday, everyone!

As many of you know, I’ve been having problems figuring out what to do about my hero. There’s a horrible secret in the town where he is sheriff, and I’ve been trying to decide whether or not he could be forgiven if he knew about this secret. Could we forgive him? Could the herione forgive him? But I was sitting down for a session of writing Thursday evening, and instead of jumping into the story, I took out some paper and started jotting down notes about the town’s secret and why it happened, etc. And I realized the hero didn’t HAVE to know what was happening. He suspects some things, but they are so unbelievable that he denies to himself what’s going on. It’s going to work this way, I think! I didn’t exactly do an outline, but I wrote down some major points of things that were going on. Next, I’m going to write down some things that need to happen. My biggest problem now is how to explain to the reader what has happened in the past without an info dump. In this case, it’s going to be hard. I think part of it will be explained in dialogue where someone has to tell the story. Doing that is close to an info dump, so I’m going to have to be careful. There are just some things that can’t be revealed any other way than to tell the story.

Well, I wrote three days last week, but not the three days I originally planned to write. Instead of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I wrote Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. But it was still three days! I wanted to post a word count, but I can’t get Microsoft Excel to work this morning. I’m going to reboot my computer and see what happens. I’ve never had trouble with this program before.

My Thoughts On Iron Man 3

A good word to describe this movie is “awesome”. But I’ve felt that way about all the Iron Man movies. What makes this one a little different is that it focuses on Tony Stark as a man, not just Iron Man. I’m not sure how I feel about all his anxiety attacks. They just kind of happened at random, and they were kind of unbelievable to me. Some humor was actually added to these scenes of his anxiety attacks, so that made them interesting. They did make him seem less of a self-involved jerk, although I feel like most of us could always see a little of the nice guy behind the bluster. I love Tony Stark. I love his quick wit, his self-confidence. But I always like the side of him who cares, especially how he cares for Pepper. I also am not sure how I feel about the ending. I can’t say what it is, or it would be a big spoiler for many of you, but I was kind of surprised. I hope Iron Man returns for Avengers 2. We shall see. Oh, and on a side note, I loved the character of the little boy that helped him. That was a nice touch in the movie.

So, is this my favorite of the Iron Man movies? I don’t think so. Hubby didn’t like it as well because there was too much Tony Stark and not enough Iron Man. I don’t think that’s why it’s not my favorite. I love all three movies. I just think I like the first one the most. I usually like originals better than sequels. Not always, but usually. Each movie had its good points. It’s really close, but I vote for original Iron Man.

How about you? Have you seen all three movies? Which one was your favorite?

Fitness Friday – I’m Baaaack!

I haven’t done a Fitness Friday post since April 26. There has been so much going on that I just didn’t want to post my gains. That would be kind of depressing on top of all we’ve been through the last month or two. I got up to 175 at one point in the last couple of weeks. Anyway, it’s time to get back on track. This has to be quick because I’m at work and I have NO idea how I’m going to get everything done today. Here’s the stats.

Stats for this week:

Beginning weight: 193

Today’s weight: 171.5

This week’s loss: .5 lbs.

Total loss: 21.5 lbs.

Happy weekend, everyone!

My Thoughts on Les Miserable

I just finished watching the newest Les Miserable movie a few minutes ago. I’ve had the original Broadway soundtrack for a long time and have always found it beautiful and emotional. The wonderful voices of Colm Wilkinson (who plays Jean Valjean) and the ones who played Javert, Fantine, and Eponine (sorry, I don’t remember the names) always send shivers down my spine. However, the voices in this newest movie lack that ability. I will admit, I felt the emotion of the movie mostly because of the story and the acting. But not really because of the singing. The thing that bothered me the most is that many times when they should have been singing from the heart, they were “talk singing”. I don’t know how to explain what that means, but I think some of you might know what I mean. It was frustrating because it wasn’t done that way in the original. I think they wasted Hugh Jackman’s voice in many of the songs. There were a few songs, though, where I wasn’t disappointed. “On My Own” is my favorite song from Les Mis, and I was afraid the woman portraying Eponine (Samantha Barks) wouldn’t be up to the challenge. As she belted out the tune, I said to my husband, “Yes, she nailed it!” It wasn’t as strong as the original, but it was good. Then when Hugh Jackman sang “Bring Him Home”, he was able to show us that he does have a wonderful, strong voice. There were a few other songs that were okay. The guy who played Marius (Eddie Redmayne) was pretty good as well as the one who played Enjalros (Aaron Tveit).

Now to Russell Crowe as Javert. As an actor, he was a good choice. As a singer, not so much. It’s not that he doesn’t have a good voice, because he does. But it’s not STRONG enough for this type of musical. The one who plays Javert on my original soundtrack has a VERY strong voice, so it was hard to hear a weaker voice in this role. He didn’t do a bad job on “Javert’s Suicide”.

I think the worst ones were Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, playing the Thenardiers. What they did wasn’t really singing. The original soundtrack was really funny when these two were singing, and the WAY they sang made it funny. This movie failed with this couple. Their acting was spot on in these roles…just not the singing.

All in all, I enjoyed this movie. Of course, I cried. This is a sad and depressing movie, but at the same time, it shows that people can be redeemed. The cinematography was good. The acting was good. The singing just wasn’t up to par. Not terrible, just not up to the standards of the original Broadway musical.

Of How Much Should We Forgive the Hero

Although my plan is to write on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays for now, I wrote about 1200 yesterday during lunch because I’m having a problem with my foot, hence, no exercise. The story is coming along nicely, but I’m having a bit of a dilemma. Without giving my whole story away, I’ll try to explain. This book, which was originally going to be a paranormal romance about a ghost, has turned into a horror novel. The ghost has become a secondary character instead of one of the main ones. The sheriff has become the main male character/hero of the story. And that’s the problem. There is murder and mayhem (of the supernatural type) going on in this town. I haven’t quite decided if the WHOLE town is in on it, including the people the heroine likes, or if there are a select few. Due to the nature of the horror, it makes more sense for the whole town to be in on it. But, then, what about the sheriff? What about this man who is basically good? If he knows about what’s going on, doesn’t that make him an accomplice to the atrocities being perpetrated in this town? Of how much would a reader be willing to forgive the hero? There’s something that has to do with the sheriff’s brother, so that might make him have to know SOMETHING. I just don’t know how far to go with his culpability concerning the events. What do you think? Can you forgive the hero of a lot or just a little? What if he felt he had no choice? Should the heroine forgive a sheriff that KNEW about the murders and who was committing them? So many questions!

My Mom (Why I Am Nice)

People tell me I’m nice. They tell me I’m kind and generous. I don’t see myself as anything but a normal, flawed individual, maybe even a little selfish, but my heart fills with joy when I see and hear things said about me that I didn’t realize people thought. I WANT to be that kind of person. I just didn’t realize so many people see me that way. It brings tears to my eyes that I have touched people in a good way. I have to admit, I love people. I try to see the best in them, even when it’s hard.

I know exactly WHY I am nice. It’s because of my mother. I grew up in a single parent home; my dad and mom divorced when I was very young. But I never lacked for love. My mom showered love and care on my brother and me every day of our lives. We didn’t have much money back when I was a child, but my mom never let my brother and me know that. She just did the best she could, and we never lacked for anything, even though she sometimes wondered how she was going to buy groceries. My mom taught me that we shouldn’t judge people because they were different. I had a friend in school who was made fun of by others, but I never shunned her because of it. I remember my mom telling me how proud she was because I befriended this girl. Didn’t Mom realize that it was because of HER that I didn’t judge people? I never cared if someone was cool or popular. I chose my friends because I liked them. I learned that from my mom.

I feel so bad for people who didn’t have a happy childhood or people who say they don’t get along with their mothers. It’s so sad, and I wish I could change that for them. Because I know what it’s like to have a mother who is kind, loving, and generous. A mother whom EVERYONE likes. And yet a mother who will NOT let someone walk all over her. Believe me, no matter how nice she is, she WILL speak her mind. She’s honest to a fault. She’s a lot of fun. She’s done so much over the years to help my brother, my sons, and me.

I get so busy sometimes, that I don’t see her as often as I should, even though she just lives through the woods from me. Yesterday was great because I got to see her for two meals. And I also got to spend time with my husband, my sons and their families, and my mother-in-law. Yesterday was a wonderful family day. I am truly blessed and thankful.

Sunday Update 5/12/13

Well, I’m still off my game. I only exercised two days, and I didn’t write at all this past week. I had big plans to do a lot of writing yesterday, but I had lots of company, and sometimes company is just more important, you know? Writing will wait, but the people in my life have to come first. That’s just the way I roll. And it seemed like every time I had plans to write during the week, something came up. It was just one of those kinds of weeks.

On another note…hubby and I watched Jack Reacher Friday night (maybe that was one of the things that came up, LOL). I really, really loved that movie. I had qualms about seeing it because of the casting of Tom Cruise. Jack Reacher is suppose to be 6’5″ and between 220-250 lbs. All muscle, of course. You can see why Tom Cruise wouldn’t have been my first choice for the role. When I found out who they had cast, I was ALL bent out of shape. But I will admit, he didn’t do a bad job at all. I still would have cast someone bigger and tougher, but Tom Cruise did fine with the acting. I really enjoyed the movie, and hubby did, too.

It’s only two weeks until my vacation. Luckily, we had already paid for everything before hubby’s hospital stay, so we’re able to go. We’ll just have to pay for food, but since we’re staying in a condo (shared with friends), we can buy groceries just like we would at home instead of going out for every meal. We REALLY need this vacation. I need to just let go of all the stress and just enjoy myself for a little while. One thing we’ll have to be careful about is going too long without stopping on the way. We usually stop at least three times during an eight hour trip, but hubby needs to stop more often this time. Long car rides can actually CAUSE blood clots, and we have to make sure the one in hubby’s leg doesn’t get worse. We don’t want any more breaking off and going into his lung now that his lung is getting better. Life seems to be looking up a little now. I want to keep it that way for awhile, at least what we can control.

Fun with Balloons

My husband was blowing up balloons for our granddaughter. He found this balloon in the pack. He said “I can’t blow this one up.”

(P.S. On a serious note…isn’t it so cool that after having the blood clot in his lung, he can actually blow up a balloon? I think that shows he’s almost well.)

Nook Press

Apparently, B & N has listened to authors’ concerns. One of the reasons I haven’t moved to Nook Press from PubIt is that you had to create a new project if you wanted to edit your manuscript, which meant you would lose all your reviews and rankings. I have a book that I know needs a couple of corrections, and I wanted to get that done before moving over. The last email I got about Nook Press says that you can now edit current books without taking them off sale. This makes me feel better.

One thing that I’m concerned about, though, is that we can no longer upload a Word document, or at least that’s what I’m understanding. We have to either create the manuscript on their site or upload an epub file. To me, creating an epub is a pain. I’ve always uploaded a Word doc to B & N, an html file to Amazon, and a Word doc to Smashwords. Epub is a little more time consuming. When I’ve had to make epub files (for All Romance), I’ve used Sigil. It also lets you create other formats.

So my questions are: How many of you have already converted to Nook Press? Has anyone used their platform to create or edit your manuscript? Any issues with Nook Press? What program do you find easiest and most effective to create epubs?

Anybody have answers?

Sunday Update 5/5/13

Finally, I wrote one day last week! Saturday, I wrote 2038 words. So I’m breathing a sigh of relief. I was beginning to think I just couldn’t write anymore, but I think it was just all the stress worrying about my husband, worrying about finances, worrying about everything. Well, I shouldn’t use the word “worry”, I guess I should say concerned. Worry shows a lack of faith. But none of us are perfect, right? So, yeah, I guess I was worried. But hubby is feeling SO much better. He’s pretty much back to normal, at least on the surface. I know the clots are still there, but his last chest x-ray was better, and his blood is finally thinning like it should. That was a real concern. The doctor made him do some things like walk briskly up and down the hallway to see if he had shortness of breath, and he passed that test. So he is definitely much better. Yay!

Next week, I plan to get back to the gym for weight work. Then, in the evenings, I’ll either walk on the treadmill at home or ride my bike (if I can find the pump to air the tires!). I want to combine the weight and aerobic exercises and get back to healthy living. And I’m going to try to get back to writing at least three days a week, then go up to four. Hopefully, life will get back on track!