Category: Distractions

These posts are just distractions from the stress of writing. They include funny stories, photos, jokes, puzzles, book recommendations and reviews, etc.

Janus and a Writer’s Endless Possibilities

Greetings, readers and writers! Today I am going to give you an exclusive glimpse into the chaos which is my mind. Namely, I’m going to walk you through one of my random tangents in which I connect two seemingly-unrelated subjects: the Roman god Janus and the endless possibilities available to writers.

First, a brief mythology lesson. Janus is the Roman god of beginnings, endings, doorways, passages, gates, time, and duality. He is depicted with two faces, one looking to the past and one looking to the future. Janus is an uniquely Roman god, meaning that the ancient Greeks had no equivalent.

Before you ask, no, the month of January was not named after Janus. Many people attribute the month to him–and it would make perfect sense–but ancient Roman farmer’s almanacs claim that it’s named for Juno.


Image retrieved from Wikipedia

Now that you know more about Janus, you probably have a rough idea as to why I’ve connected him with all the opportunities available for a writer.

I’ve been thinking a lot about choices lately, especially choices I’m having to make regarding my career and education. I’m busy, overly tired, and have way too much to do. It forces me to prioritize and make tough decisions. I’m even having to decide how to use my writing skills. These sorts of decisions are common among writers.

Everyone faces numerous choices on a daily basis, and this is especially true for writers when handling their career and craft. Some of the most basic choices writers have to make include:

Prose or poetry?

Fiction or non-fiction?

Short story or novel?

Traditional publishing or self-publishing?

Maintain a conventional job while writing or become a full-time writer?

This list just barely scratches the surface. We have to decide what to write, when to write, how to publish our writing, how to market it, the choices we have to make just go on and on. Janus really has his hands full with us.

Just as there exists a duality to Janus, so there is also a duality to having all these choices. On the one hand, having to make so many decisions is draining. Sometimes it feels like we will never reach the end of the tunnel–or worse, we’ll make the wrong decision and throw our careers entirely off track and force ourselves to start all over. On the other hand, so many opportunities means that when one door closes, another one opens. Even when we feel like we have no other option, we can find another way if we just look.

Janus is the god of beginnings and ends. The two concepts are virtually inseparable; everything that begins must come to an end, and everything that ends once had a beginning. That’s why choices are so overwhelming, but it’s also why they are so good for us. We end a chapter with each decision we make, but we also begin a new one. The possibilities are endless, and so are the paths we can take in order to fulfill our writing ambitions.

That’s my mind for you: a little bit random, a little bit pointless, and way more complicated than it needs to be.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Which Famous Writer Do You Write Like

Have you ever wondered if you’re a Nicolai Gogol or Dan Brown? James Joyce or J.K. Rowling? Well, one of my fellow writers in my Master’s program has brought my attention to an interesting program which tells you which famous writer you write like.

This program is called, simply enough, “I Write Like” and can be found at this website. All you have to do is paste or type a sample of your writing (preferably a few paragraphs or more) into the text box and click “Analyze”. The program does the rest, analyzing your word choice and writing style and comparing them to those of famous writers.

You can use any text so long as it is in English, whether it’s a short story, novel chapter, blog post, or even a diary entry. Don’t worry–the program doesn’t store your writing or do anything with your writing other than the comparison advertised.


Image retrieved from eBay

I must warn you, this program is quite addictive.

I’ve used the program to analyze some of my short stories, blog posts, essay abstracts, and even a short chapter from a fantasy novel I’m working on. The results have been very interesting. The program has compared my writing to David Foster Wallace, Anne Rice, and Stephenie Meyer. (Admittedly, while The Twilight Saga is one of my many guilty pleasures, I wasn’t too happy with that last comparison.)

However, there is one writer whom the program has compared me to much more often than the others: British detective fiction author, Agatha Christie. I’ve never gotten the chance to read her work, personally. Still, she’s known as the “Queen of Mystery” and the “Queen of Crime,” and The Guinness Book of World Records lists her as the best-selling novelist of all time. Needless to the say, I’m quite happy with this result.

Whether you think the program is accurate or not, it’s still loads of fun and a great way to procrastinate when you really don’t want to do something (even writing). Try it out for yourself! And let us know which famous writer you write like in the comments below. I’m eager to see what everyone gets.

Do you know of any cool distractions or neat tools to helps writers be more productive? Drop a line in the comments or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com, and I’ll make sure to discuss it in a future post. You can also leave a comment on The Writer’s Scrap Bin Facebook page or tweet at The Writer’s Scrap Bin Twitter account (@writersscrapbin).

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

2017 Reflections: Year in Review

Well, 2017 has been quite the year. I don’t really want to spark any political debates on this blog tonight, so I’ll refrain from commenting on what has happened in the United States–and the world–in general during 2017. Still, I think it would be worth my time to reflect on how this year has gone for me personally and this blog.


Image retrieved from Whatsapp Status

I can’t believe that I only launched this blog in March. It feels like a lifetime ago, and it has, arguably, been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, along with deciding to apply for my Master’s in Creative Writing program. This blog has provided me with a way to share my wisdom and opinions with other writers, connect with more of the publishing industry, and vent in ways which I just can’t achieve through normal social media outlets.

This blog isn’t the only major change to happen to me in 2017. I’ve gained a steady stream of freelance writing, reviewing, and editing jobs (mostly through Fiverr), and I started working for MeowShare part-time. I joined OnlineBookClub.org and experienced Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party for the first (but certainly not last) time. I was even long-listed for the CWA’s Margery Allingham Short Story Competition. Best of all, my new puppy, Bubba, danced his way into my life!

Not all of 2017 has been good, though. Unfortunately, the toxic socio-political climate in my country isn’t all that caused me stress this year. I’ve been up to my eyeballs in work, both paid work and for school. I’ve been deprived of crucial sleep lately. My beloved, geriatric cat, Hunter, passed away in October. My performance in grad school has slipped below my standards (although I’m still passing). 2017 has also decided to leave my mother’s side of the family with a two-fold low blow, which is all I want to say about it on my blog.

Have the good changes outweighed the bad? It depends on your perspective. From my point of view, things could have turned out a lot worse. They could have been better, but they also could have been a lot worse, too. In that way, 2017 has been just like any other year.

Overall, I’m kind of relieved that the year is over. The year “2017” seems to be so tainted now that I’m ready for a new beginning. But do I think 2018 will be any different? Again, it depends. It depends on the way we decide to look at this coming year. It depends on how we choose to view our own lives and the paths we can take. The outcome of 2018 all depends on us.

Until we’re further into the year, though, 2018 has the potential to be much better than its predecessor. It’s a new year, after all, a fresh start. We just have to take it.

Happy New Year, everyone!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Special Announcement: Free Fantasy eBooks on Instafreebie

Hello again! I got a tip about a promotion for some free fantasy eBooks on Instafreebie, and I wanted to share the news with my readers. Most excitingly, one of the books involved in the giveaway is Sister of Echo: The Making of a Villain by our very own Ameel Koro!

The promotion began Decemember 22, 2017, and ends January 11, 2018. All you have to do is follow this link to Instafreebie during this time frame and then choose which books you want to download. The list of possibilities is a mile long, and there are no limits to how many you can download so long as you do it before January 11th.

I’ve only read Sister of Echo, but one look at the list tells me that I’ll be wanting to download most of them. (I am a huge fantasy nerd, after all.) Some of the eBooks are only previews, not the entire books, including The Lion Prophecy by Alexander Grant and Wyvernette: Hatchling by Kaye Fairburn. Still, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed if you check those out as well. Most of the covers are also impressively professional, including the new cover for Sister of Echo.


Image retrieved from Instafreebie

If/when I read any of the other books on this list, I’ll let you know and provide a full review of the book(s). If you read any of the books, please let us know in the comments what you think of them and which of the books you would recommend. I’d love to hear what other fantasy lovers–or even non-fantasy fans looking to read more diversely–think about these sorts of novels.

Do you know of any special book giveaways or discounts? Is your own book currently discounted/free or will be in the near future? Drop a line in the comments below or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and I will mention the promotion(s) in a future post.

Happy holidays, beloved readers!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Special Announcement: Temporarily Discounted Book

Happy Thursday, everyone! I have a special announcement today regarding a book I am reading to review on this blog. It’s called Implicit: Soul Invictus by Mark Tiro and it is temporarily discounted until the end of today.

Implicit: Soul Invictus follows Maya as she hunts down the secret to the meaning of life and revenge. However, it doesn’t just tell her story as she goes from place to place or even throughout the years–this book takes the readers on a journey through the many lives that Maya’s soul has lived. Fans of reincarnation will love this book and won’t want to pass on the discounted price for the e-book, $0.99 on Amazon for today only.


Image retrieved from Amazon

Now, I don’t want to give away much about the book or my opinions on it ahead of the review, which will be coming out in a few days. Nevertheless, I can say that I am genuinely enjoying this novel. It’s gripping, exciting, and worth each of its 402 pages. I have a hard time putting it down to attend to my other responsibilities.

Normally, I would have waited until I was finished with the review before saying anything about this book, but I couldn’t pass up letting my readers know about the discounted price. I strongly suggest that fantasy/science fiction readers, as well as readers with a more spiritual side, consider taking advantage of this opportunity before time runs out.

To take advantage of this discounted book, follow this link to Amazon.

Keep an eye on this site the next few days in order to catch my review of Implicit: Soul Invictus.

Do you know of any good books that are currently discounted? Want to let other readers know about smell-press books that they cannot afford to miss? Drop a line in the comments below or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and I will make sure to feature the book in a future post.


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Sporadic Posting Schedule, or Puppy Jail

Hello everyone, here’s to another week. You may have noticed that I didn’t post anything this week. I had planned to, but a couple things got in my way. The first is that I have an assignment for grad school due on Wednesday (and I’m still trying to squirm my way through that). The second is that I got a new puppy on Saturday, hence the subtitle “puppy jail”.


Bubba sleeping in his kennel

My new puppy, Bubba, is only nine weeks old. He’s also a Toy Fox Terrier mix (probably mixed with Pomeranian but we don’t know for sure), so he needs extra care and attention to make sure that his blood sugar doesn’t drop, he doesn’t get too cold, and, of course, no one steps on him. He’s still too small to be fixed (that’s planned for December) and we have to take him in for some shots, so that’ll keep me busy. Raising a puppy takes a lot of time and energy, especially in the beginning.

Between my critical response and Bubba, I’m going to be even more sporadic about how often I post for the next couple weeks than usual. I do have a couple posts planned for this week, including some information on a new Honeycomb story by Wren Cavanagh and a book review for The Art of Winning by Matshona Dhliwayo, but I can’t guarantee when those will be up.

Thanks as always for your understanding. I’m sure that most of you are busy with your own personal lives and NaNoWriMo anyway. For my American readers, Thanksgiving and Black Friday are also coming up and that’s always…fun? Busy? Horrifying?

Good luck to everyone on your current projects, and I’ll see you later this week. And here’s an extra “good luck” to those still cranking away at their NaNoWriMo goals.


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Special Announcement: Honeycomb by Wren Cavanagh

Happy Hump Day, readers and writers! Today I want to bring you a special announcement about a writer whom I’ve reviewed on this blog before, Wren Cavanagh. You may remember her as the author of The Last Flag and Of Cats and Sea Monsters or as the editor/co-writer of the Summer of Magic anthology. I’m happy to say that Cavanagh has a new novelette out called Honeycomb: Revelations.

A science fiction novelette, Honeycomb follows Quint, a level seven cyborg, as attempts to solve the mysterious of the disappearances plaguing the debtor colony on the planet of Honeycomb. Monsters, mayhem, and guilt-ridden struggles for survival unfold.

What–or who–is behind the disappearances? What sort of beast lies waiting beneath the surface of Honeycomb? And who will survive to make it off that God-forsaken rock?


Image retrieved from Amazon

This story is published through the small press Notch’s Publishing House, which dedicates its efforts to “creature-feature” type stories.

Cavanagh has put a lot of thought and imaginative energy into the world of this novelette, and I’m very excited to see her take it further. It’s an exciting piece of classic science fiction, although it certainly does not feel played-out or like anything I’ve read before. As a bonus, Cavanagh has added the story “Goblin’s Amends”, her piece from the Summer of Magic anthology, to the end of the Amazon copy.

I will provide a thorough review of Cavanagh’s new work sometime next week. Until then, I recommend Honeycomb: Revelations for fans of science fiction, particularly those who appreciate colonization elements and don’t mind a few grotesque descriptions with their mystery and speculative fiction.

Honeycomb: Revelations is available as an e-book on Amazon for $0.99.

Do you know of any small-press/indie books that are coming out? Want to help extend their reach? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and we can discuss featuring the release in a future post.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Welcome to NaNoWriMo 2017

Well, writers, we’re one week into NaNoWriMo 2017. I should’ve talked about it sooner but, hey, I’ve had a lot on my plate. Point is from now through the end of November, I will be bringing you posts about NaNoWriMo success stories, tips on how to best make it through those 50,000 words, and distractions to keep you from going entirely insane from this process. (Of course, we’re writers; I’m not sure many of us were sane in the first place.)

If you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, here’s a brief explanation: National Novel Writing Month (shortened to NaNoWriMo) is a sort of writing sprint. Every November writers, both novice and experienced, dedicate their spare time (and then some) to writing a 50,000-word novel in thirty days. To some, it sounds easier than it actually is; to others, it’s a petrifying prospect of monumental proportions. All I know is that it’s not easy and it’s not for everyone.

If you want to learn more, follow this link to the official NaNoWriMo website.


Image retrieved from Whim Online Magazine

A confession: I have never participated in NaNoWriMo and I don’t plan to this year. I have a feedback session and a critical response due before the end of the month. I’d rather not hold myself to a deadline of 50,000 words in thirty days if I don’t have to.

But that leads to my first word of advice: if you don’t succeed this NaNoWriMo, it won’t be the end of the world. Whether you run out of time, run low on steam, or decide that you just can’t do it this year, it’s no big deal. It’ll boost your self-esteem and put you ahead of schedule on your next book if you finish, but it won’t break your career if you don’t. Just have fun with it.

Here’s some more advice: if you simply can’t fit NaNoWriMo into your busy life this month, make your own Novel Writing Month. You won’t have the community and virtual badges that you get when you participate in the official national event, but the badges aren’t the point, are they? The point is to kick your writing rear in gear and finally put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard). You can find your own community in friends who write, forums, and, as always, this blog.

For those who are taking part in the official NaNoWriMo 2017, I suggest checking out these inspirational quotes from published writers gathered by Writer’s Digest for the occasion.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more of my tips and success stories as the month rolls along (when your hands start cramping from all your writing). Until then, good luck to all participants!

Have you taken this challenge before? Do you have any personal NaNoWriMo successes to share? Advice for newbies? Drop a line in the comments below or e-mail your thoughts to thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com for a chance to have them featured on this blog.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Welcome Home

Zut alors! You miss one week, you miss a lot. I’m home now, and that means I can frantically catch up on all the reading, school assignments, writing, blog posts, and Fiverr orders that I’ve allowed to build up while I’ve been having a blast at Disneyland. (Well, there are some exceptions to the “having a blast” part, but that’s for another post.)

Now that I’m back home, I’ll be able to catch you up on my Disney adventures, the works I’ve been reading, and the launch of NaNoWriMo, which started this past Wednesday. You can look forward to some insider glimpses at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (more so if you subscribe to my newsletter, The Scrapbook), my tips on taking a Disneyland vacation, and some news about a story recently launched by one of the writers reviewed on this blog, Wren Cavanagh.


Pardon my horrible pictures; I have a shaky hand and it was crowded.

I have one tip about vacationing I want to share in this post: leave your work at home.

As tempting as it seems, bringing work on vacation does not help you keep up with demand. Sometimes it only slows you down. Most times it serves as a downer to your vacation. I not only fretted over getting the work done, which dampened my fun, but I was often too tired to get anything done once I was in the hotel room. (That’s why I have to scramble to finish both schoolwork and freelance jobs now.)

Trust me, it’s no fun to have a great time at a theme park only to get back to the room, exhausted, and discover that a client didn’t like what you submitted to them and you have to start all over again. It’s draining. So, unless you’re planning a full-on working vacation in which you stay in the hotel room and focus on writing, reading, or freelance gigs, you’re better off planning to not have that time to work and enjoying yourself while you can.

I’ll leave you with that nugget of wisdom and get back to you with more tips, tricks, and reviews later in the week. In the mean time, wish me luck on catching up! Also, good luck to all of you pursuing NaNoWriMo; you are braver than I.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Greetings from Disneyland!

Hello readers, and happy Halloween! This year I’m spending my favorite holiday at my favorite place on Earth: Disneyland. Tonight my mom and I will be going to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party. 

I’ll show you my costume before going to the party tonight, but I can give you two hints: it’s Disney-themed and will make you say “Bonjour!” It’s a pretty easy guess, I know, but it’s probably no secret that this character is my favorite anyway.

I will also be posting content, including pictures, video, and tips, before and after the party. (Please forgive any blurry or shaky images. I don’t have a steady hand.) You’ll also want to sign up for The Scrapbook, the official newsletter for The Writer’s Scrap Bin, to get access to exclusive tips and peaks at the parks that I’ll only be sending out to newsletter subscribers after I return from vacation.


I didn’t get to do much today except explore Downtown Disney and eat some Ralph Brennan’s take-out (their beignets are the best, so try your best to get some the next time you’re in Anaheim). 

I did some Pokémon hunting, too. Seriously, Downtown Disney alone is crawling with stops and there are a ton more and some gyms in the parks.

Here’s a tip for my fellow Pokémon Go players: head straight for World of Disney. You’ll be able to reach about 4-5 stops just going from one end of the store to the other.

I’ll get back to you with more tips and images later today.

Anything you want to know about the Disneyland Resort (or Pokémon hunting there)? Leave your questions in the comments below and I’ll answer you ASAP.

Have a great Halloween!