Esther Spurrill Jones's Blog, page 22

OctPoWriMo 5 - My Heart has Always Known

Today's prompt asks us to write about love and relationships. As always, I must write about my husband Mark. I actually cannot remember the first time we met, and sometimes it feels like I've always known him. I've tried to capture that in a triolet.

My Heart has Always Known

I can’t recall a time before
It seems my heart has always known
We two are halves of but one soul
I can’t recall a time before
Without you I was never whole
With you I am so much more
Nevermore to be alone
I can’t recall a time before
Without you I was never whole
It seems my heart has always known

OctPoWriMo 4 - Embrace the Darkness

Today's prompt is magic. With such a broad, open-ended field to play in, I decided to limit myself with a strict form. I settled on the Kyrielle Sonnet because I love sonnets.

Embrace the Darkness

Welcome to the time of year when
Spirits wander in broad daylight,
We all embrace the darkness, and
Magic thrills us all day and night.

The sun is losing all his hold;
He no longer has any right
To prevail o’er all as of old.
Magic thrills us all day and night.

We glory in macabre and grim,
In spooky and weird we delight.
Cobwebs, spiders—ghoulish is “in.”
Magic thrills us all day and night.

Welcome to the time of year when
Magic thrills us all day and night.

OctPoWriMo 3 - Call My Name

Today's prompt asks us to think about what makes us not want to write, what makes it difficult to sit down and create. There are so many things in life that can make me busy, take my attention, that I started to get overwhelmed just thinking about it all. I had to take a step back and I realized it all boils down to what I make time for, and then it just came to me. So, here's a haiku about what distracts me and takes up my time.

Call My Name

Work, tv, and books
Call my name, demand my time.
And yet, I must write.

Image by George Hodan from PublicDomainPictures.net 

OctPoWriMo 2 - We are Returning

Today's prompt asks us to write something inspired by a favourite movie or music video. I chose something that's kind of both: the Misty Mountains Cold from The Hobbit (click the link and scroll down to read the lyrics and watch the music video/scene from the movie). I read the book as a child, watched the movie(s) as an adult, and have always been inspired by the story.

I did something a little different with the poetry form today, something I have done in the past and really enjoy: I made up my own. Today's poem is a bit like a villanelle, a bit like a ballad, but all my own thing. I hope you enjoy.

We are Returning

The mountain is on fire;
Our home is burning.
Blood is in the air;
My heart is yearning.

Now years and years have gone:
Uncounted turnings.
And every single moment
My heart is yearning.

Today we stand as one:
The dragon spurning.
Blood is in the air;
We are returning.

Far over the mountains
We are returning
To caverns deep and old,
The dragon spurning.

We leave ere break of day—
My heart is yearning.
Today we stand as one:
We are returning.

The mountain is on fire;
We are returning.
Blood is in the air;
My heart is yearning.

OctPoWriMo 1 - Clouds

Today is the first day of OctPoWriMo 2015, and today's prompt is clouds. I've decided to write an acrostic about the different types of clouds, and I've attempted a bit of rhyme as well.

Clouds

Come and watch the clouds with me.
Light and fluffy cirrus—lie back and float away.
Oncoming storm: we watch it grow, filling all we see,
Uncaring cumulous, huge and dark and grey.
Darkness falls: silent, cold, and bleak;
Stratus creeps across the sky, ending day.

International Literacy Day

GrammarlyFor me, the ability to read is a privilege I often take for granted. I learned to read when I was four years old and read my first novel at seven. It was Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, and I loved it. Today, I devour everything written I see. Reading is a great pleasure for me, and I cannot imagine my life without it.

However, there are millions of people around the world who cannot read (32 million adults in the US alone) and, as today is International Literacy Day, I believe it is appropriate to promote awareness of this.

Being able to read and write is more important than ever in our world of smartphones and computers. It can quite literally change lives.

For information on how you can get involved and help out the cause, check out First Book and Reading is Fundamental or talk to your local librarian.

Because everyone deserves the chance to read.

I Write Because...

Sometimes—no, often—writing is much harder than my day job. And it doesn't pay nearly as well. Okay, it doesn't really pay at all right now. So, why do I do it? I spend all this time and energy—and blood, sweat, and tears—on an activity that produces very little measurable worth.

The easy, pat answer is that I write because I love it. And, while that is true, it doesn't begin to cover why I write. I'm not sure I can really articulate it, even though words are my tools of trade. But I'll try.

I write because it's the only time I can truly and fully be myself. While I'm creating fiction, I am the most truthful. Woven into the made up worlds and characters is the most honesty I can articulate. My characters can say things I could never say and, while I don't always agree with everything they say and do, there is ever an undercurrent of my most authentic, genuine self.

I write because it's an outlet for my deepest feelings. When my parents broke up, I wrote poetry. When I fell in love, I wrote poetry. When I lost my mother to cancer, I wrote poetry. In everything in my life that has affected me deeply, writing has been there: a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on.

I write because I must. In some ways, writing is a partner, a significant other, a best friend. If I don't write, I'm betraying one of the closest relationships I've ever had. I don't always want to write, but I have to write. It's not a choice for me.

I Love My Dad

For the first time in years, my dad is going to be in the same town as me for Father's Day, and I am excited. I don't get to see him as often as I would like to, and he usually doesn't stay long when he comes to visit, so this is exciting. This time, he arrived today (Friday) and will be staying until Sunday afternoon. Yay! :)

Living 3 provinces away from my dad is sometimes hard for me. But I love Saskatchewan, and don't regret moving here, despite missing the mountains of BC. I never did anything with the mountains anyway, not being into mountain climbing, skiing, snowboarding, or any of that other stuff BC people are supposed to be all about.

My dad, on the other hand, loves the mountains. He grew up in Manitoba and will never live in the prairies again. So I have to drive a day and half to see him or he has to drive that long to come here. So having him here this weekend is really awesome.

How are you celebrating Father's Day?

Scroll down to see how much you know about Father's Day grammar! (Found on http://grammarly.com/grammar-check)

Review of The Dragon King and I by Adrianne Brooks

The Dragon King and I by Adrianne Brooks

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


There were things about this book that I really liked, but so much more that I didn't. I want to give it 2.5 stars, but it's not good enough for 3 so I've given it 2.

First off, I want to give a warning that wasn't given in the blurb. This book contains a lot of references to rape: fear of rape, attempted rape, possible rape. It wasn't clear if Alex was ever actually raped, but the threat is there on nearly every page. See, Alex is cursed: every man she comes in contact with falls under her spell and wants to be with her. This affects them in different ways: some want to protect her and just be near her, while others want to possess her, body and soul. This means that some of them want to rape her. At least one tries to do so in the text, and there is reference to this happening to her in the past as well.

Now, for what I liked. Adrianne Brooks sometimes really has a way with words. I really feel a connection to lines like "The main thing that I loved about living alone was the silence. Sometimes simply talking to people was like listening to white noise." I'm an introvert, so I strongly relate to this.

Unfortunately, even though I started off relating to her, I didn't like Alex very much. I can understand why she is antisocial and hates leaving her house—every time she ventures outside, she feels like she is going to be raped—but I don't understand why she fights Flo to get inside Clarabell's house. What the hell changed? Also, Alex's voice is very annoying. Maybe other readers would like the "modern" feel, but I just wanted to slap her or choke her or both.

And, you know, there's a reason why writing advice tells writers not to have a character look into a mirror and describe themselves. It's stupid and feels really forced and unreal. Yes, there is a such a scene in The Dragon King and I. Ugh. So annoying.

While reading, I kept wondering if an editor had even looked over this manuscript. If so, Adrianne really should hire a better editor next time. So many grammar errors. Yikes. For example: 'jealously' is an adverb; 'jealousy' is a noun. They are not the same word and cannot be used interchangeably. Also, continuity is important, kids. In one scene, Alex is gripping Sam's shirt with both hands, and then she tightens her arms around him. When did she go from one position to another? This kind of thing is really disconcerting.

Oh, and this book is in first person from Alex's POV so we really shouldn't be seeing lines like, "My eyes (view spoiler)[began to glow and I knew that they were neither the white of my mother’s power nor the purest black of another supernatural’s. They (hide spoiler)] were gray, like my father’s" since, how the hell would Alex know what colour her own eyes are? She's not even looking into a mirror in this scene!

This is definitely not the worst book I've ever read, but it's not very good either. I wouldn't recommend buying it, but if you find it for free like I did, you might want to give it a try.



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Review of Before Midnight by Jennifer Blackstream

Before Midnight by Jennifer Blackstream

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I really want to give this book 2.5 stars, but since that's not an option, I went back and forth on whether to give it 2 or 3. I finally settled on 3 to be nice.

It's not a terrible book, but it's not very good either. The writing is quite repetitive and tell-y (and full of so many typos), with sentences like, "he opened his mouth to bare a mouthful of sharp teeth too sharp to be human." Ok, so they're sharp then? Wait, are they sharp? I'm guessing they must be sharp. And it really feels like I'm being told to feel sorry for this girl who constantly feels sorry for herself. Well, I do what I want, not what I'm told. So there.

And, ugh, Loupe is so annoying. She drives me nuts. She acts pathetic and, though we're told she's really tough and won't give up, we don't see that; we see her giving up. Then she goes from weak and pathetic to strong and determined with nothing in between just because she's in love. It's the Power of Love! Give me a break.

Speaking of giving me a break, what's with all the purple prose? Like this: "Her jaw dropped. The most gorgeous man she’d ever seen was standing at the edge of the lake. From her angle, she couldn’t tell how tall he was, but he radiated strength. His soft brown hair and clear grey eyes, paired with a lean, muscled body, conspired to heat her blood. She wondered that the lake wasn’t boiling around her." So, I guess he's hot? Oh, and also, "Arabelle’s red hair fell like curling fountains of blood to the puffed sleeves of her dress." As a redhead, I think I might be offended or something (since Arabelle is EEEEVIL).

Why oh why is it always love at first sight? (Or, lust at first sight, maybe.) Loupe and Etienne don't even know each other—they've spoken twice!—when he confesses his love. I don't wanna say love at first sight never happens, I just don't think this is a very good way to begin a relationship. What if she doesn't like the way he chews his food? What if he doesn't like the way she rearranges the furniture?

And everything is so emotionally overdone, overwrought, and exhausting. (view spoiler)[The sex scene wasn't even sexy it was so overdone. (hide spoiler)]

Am I allowed to request some realism even though this is fantasy? For example: (view spoiler)[Loupe's stepsister shoots her with a crossbow while Loupe is in wolf form and shoots her toe off. This is her actual line: “Wow, I really shot your toe clean off. What a shot. There isn’t even any bone from the toe left, just a hole. I must have taken it off at the joint.” (hide spoiler)] Are you kidding me? I don't think that's even remotely possible.

But I did enjoy the plotline, and I couldn't actually abandon it since I wanted to know what happened next. So it wasn't all bad.



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