Idea Factory

I have an idea factory in my head that works at all times of day and night. Like any writer, I have dozens of stories I want to write someday. Sometimes I forget the ideas I have until they resurface, with a new plot element, or character, or a specific scene. I don’t know how it happens. I don’t think any writer really knows how it happens, for all that we might talk about inspiration or writing what we know.

I do my best thinking when my mind is wandering. When I’m doing some sort of mindless behavior, like walking or showering or waiting to fall asleep. Sometimes when I listen to music, a scene plays in my mind to the beat of the song, following the lyrics. It’s just something that comes out of nowhere.

Recently, the idea factory passed a new idea through for my inspection, a bit of depth to a previous plot line. I like it a lot and I think there’s real potential, but I probably won’t be able to get to it for a while. I have too many other projects going on, so this idea goes back into the factory to see if it might have a little more growing to do. It should. There’s always room to blossom further.

That is, coincidentally, how I feel about Agenda 21, which is the book I said I was reading last week. I finished it. I would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of post-apocalyptic stories. However, this isn’t a book full of zombies, or bloodshed. It’s a quieter sort of collapse. A collapse caused by order. It’s an interesting story and it had my attention all the way through, though I feel like there isn’t as much detail as I would have liked. That’s understandable, seeing as the main character has no real power and wouldn’t know much of anything, but still.

There is a sequel, which I hope to read soon, but this week’s book is Phantoms by…Dean Koontz! I seem to remember liking this book in the past, so hopefully it goes well.

I think that's all for now! Be sure to check me out at www.facebook.com/authoremilyblue, or follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @Miss_Emily_Blue.
Until next time!

~Blue

Valentine's Day Thoughts

Another week gone! Valentine's Day is past and I have to say that I really enjoy that day. I don't really understand the obsession society has with relationships. Who's dating and who isn't, and the need to keep from being single. The animosity towards those who are in relationships. I don't understand any of it. Worth shouldn't be defined by the presence or lack of a single aspect of life.
But Valentine's Day, I love. It isn't the pressure to make it a special day. It isn't the fact that it's the one day where you show your significant other how much you love them, because you're supposed to.
I do that all the time. I love my partner. I try my hardest to make them happy every single day. I don't need a holiday for that.
But, I love special days with them. I love making them feel even more special, and planning for that day. It gives both of us something to look forward to.
But, that's enough of that. Time to hop off my soap box and get back to business as usual.
I've been trying to get back into going for regular walks and I have been very sore and tired as a result. It's something I really enjoy though, so it's worth it. It gives me time to clear my mind and just enjoy the weather. Damp, a little chilly. Hardly anyone else is around. Perfect.
I have started editing the novel that I wrote a few years ago, called Black Ink Rose. I printed out the entire manuscript awhile ago and made notes through the whole thing with a green sharpie -Green is my second least favorite color, the first being orange. I let it sit for a short while and now I'm getting back into it. I honestly can't wait to see how it develops.
As far as what I'm reading, the current novel of the week is Agenda 21 by Glenn Beck. It's about, well, Agenda 21! Agenda 21 is a sort of set of guidelines, a plan that actually exists in the real world, detailing sustainable human development. Some of the aspects of the plan might seem drastic, but it's nonbinding. No one has to agree to do it unless they want to, and it is not as extreme as it seems.
The book version is a fictional, post-apocalyptic-esque of what would happen if Agenda 21 was indeed taken to the extreme. The story follows Emmaline, who is a young woman who has spent much of her life in a strictly-regulated compound. Her experiences with the way things are makes her realize that this not how they should be.
Will she fight back?
I have no idea, because I haven't read that far!
I think that's all for now! Be sure to check me out at www.facebook.com/authoremilyblue, or follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @Miss_Emily_Blue.
Until next time!

~Blue

Preparedness

I'm just going to get right into it. I still don't like Dean Koontz very much.
For an example of my dislike for Koontz, I started reading The Taking a couple weeks ago, on January 26th. I only just finished it this part Thursday. The next book I started reading, The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan, was the day after, Friday. I finished reading it Sunday.
That's quite a bit of a difference, time-wise. The difference is that the Koontz book felt more like a chore, while the Shan book was something I wanted to do. It's disappointing, because I really did try to like the Koontz book. It had some interesting parts to it and the premise -an apocalypse which appears to be the result of aliens terraforming the earth- is right up my alley. However, I still felt like there was something lacking.
I usually feel that way with a Koontz book. However, that usually happens at the ending. But this time, I liked the ending. I wish there had been more of the ending throughout the rest of the book, more hints that this was being led up to. As it was, these interesting resolutions came out of nowhere.
Overall, disappointing.
I don't really recommend it unless you're a Koontz fan, and then you'll probably love it.
Otherwise, it's just been business as usual over here. Work, personal projects, leisure activities, and so on.The only thing that changes from day to day is my mood.
And lately I've been thinking about preparedness. About being prepared. For the future, for anything that might happen. There wasn't even something that caused this, not the state of the world or even something on a more personal level. I've just been...wondering.
For awhile now, I've carried around a little baggie of bandages and aspirin and ointments in my purse, for just in case. For some reason, I've been feeling like this isn't enough. If something happens, if push comes to shove, if I am in an area when something is occurring, what use is my little baggie going to be?
I've just been thinking about making sure I'm prepared at home, in my car, and wherever I might be. You never know what's going to happen.
Maybe I think I'm a character in a novel! When it's my time to enter into a story, will I be equipped to handle it or will I be one of the people who gets eaten first by a zombie? Although, I'm not sure what having a First Aid kit in my car would do for my chances of survival against the undead. Maybe I can bandaid them to death.
That's all for now, I think. Be sure to check me out at www.facebook.com/authoremilyblue, or follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @Miss_Emily_Blue.
Until next time!

~Blue

Sick and Discouraged

I've been sick and feeling very discouraged lately, sleeping too much and not getting enough done throughout the day. It really sucks, especially when there's so much that I want to do. I just finished making notes on a 300-page manuscript I wrote several years ago. I got two more rejections and I want to send those stories to other magazines, and I want to get to work on editing another story. I have artwork I want to do, in a variety of mediums.
But, when I'm sleeping all day, I barely have enough time to get finished with my work and maintain a relationship.
Poor me, right? Working a job I love, at my own pace.
I'm aware that I have privileges others don't and I won't deny that I'm lucky for the opportunities I have. However, struggles are subjective. Not having a certain difficulty doesn't mean I don't have difficulties at all.
It can be rough to be motivated, carving out a simple existence in a world that favors big businesses.
It can be tough to get going when your own mind works against you.
I think I'm getting past it, though. I'm leaning towards a more positive outlook in general so I believe this, too, will pass. Things will get better, and they'll get worse, but I hope that the overall trend will be upwards.
I've been reading a novel by Dean Koontz, The Taking. I'm not a big fan of Koontz. His stories just don't hold much interest for me. This one especially has a lot of purple prose that just doesn't seem like it fits the story being told. There's not enough substance for me. Not enough forward motion. I have a feeling the ending is going to disappoint me too, as his books usually leave me wanting. I hope I'm proven wrong because a bad ending is going to make me reluctant to read another book of his that I plan to get into.
That's all for now, I believe. I've been posting more on Twitter, and I definitely post on my author page on Facebook.
My Twitter handle is @Miss_Emily_Blue and my Facebook author page is www.facebook.com/authoremilyblue
Until next time.

~Blue