Let's Talk Villains / Happenings In The Outhouse 29-Oct-2021

A few weeks ago, I watched the latest installment of the Halloween franchise on the big screen.  It was bloody fun and full of lovely gore, which you'd expected from a slasher flick.

It did not disappoint.

And the box office numbers showed too.

On the drive home, I pondered other fictional villains, such as Hannibal Lector, Darth Vader, Freddie Krueger, Pinhead, and Jason Voorhees, just to name a few.  I did a deep dive into the top villains from TV and the big screen, and the list was quite massive.

Do they have elements in common?

If anything, they're downright evil.  Their characteristics host a wide range from the clever and sinister to a single-mindedness of brute force.  On a side note, the same could be said about the side of good too.  Heroes and Heroines come in many flavors.

Another common element is that, by and large, they are not easy to destroy--the exception is the ending of Dracula.  The fabled vampire's death was so minimal, covering only a few sentences, that I almost threw the book in the trash.

The last element (okay, I'm sure there are others, but that's all I'm covering right now) is that they are unique.  No one can mistaken Hannibal Lector with other run-of-the-mill serial killers.  Or Freddie Krueger with other rules of our darkest nightmares.

So, many of the great and infamous fictional villains are pure evil, difficult to destroy/kill, and unique.

Routines And Impulsivity / Happenings In The Outhouse 22-Oct-2021

Everyone has routines, whether they believe it or not.  Some have more than others.  Even if you seem to do little each day, that's still a routine of accomplishing little.

Being impulsive is acting against those routines.

So imagine the lazy bum who sits around all day, watching TV, accomplishing very little.  One day that bum decides to change it up and read a book.

Okay, maybe this is a little extreme, but you get the idea.

If you are a routine-minded person, how well do you take to change?

Adding a sense of impulsivity can make life a bit more interesting.  Or maybe a lot, depending on what it is.  It is easy to get into a rut, to do the same things over and over again.  Try it.  Be impulsive.  Go for a drive.  Someplace you hadn't planned on going.

Go to a restaurant you've never been to.

Go to a movie you would never go to.

Do something to get yourself out of a rut.  You may not even realize you're in a rut.

My life pretty much turned for the better about 2-3 months ago, depending on where you point.  This person pointed out my routines, which she admired, but at the same time I had to break myself out of.  And that's a good thing.

Life is about change.

Change can be good.

More Progress / Happenings In The Outhouse 15-Oct-2021

I am making decent progress with my latest novel.  I have surpassed the 48,000 word mark, and I still have plenty left to write--honestly, I'm not even at the halfway mark.

It's interesting, looking over what I had written decades ago as an outline.  I am enriching the story so much more this time around, expanding storylines here and removing storylines there.

I don't have much more to say at this point.  Between work, writing, stuff at home, and juggling a new relationship, my time is precious.

And so is yours.

Don't waste it.

If you are overwhelmed, it's okay to start small / Happenings In The Outhouse 08-Oct-2021

 Imagine being tasked with cleaning up a hoarder house.

Where would you begin?

Start small.  Start somewhere.  It doesn't matter where, but start.

Writing a novel is the same way.  It's a daunting task that most people won't even try.  But start writing.  It doesn't matter if those words are going to stay when it comes time for publication.  Just the act of writing it down, practicing your writing, is enough to get the creative juices flowing.

Starting a new book, or even a short story, can be difficult.  But slap some words onto the page.

Do you expect to look like the muscular men or women who grace the covers of magazines if you haven't stepped into a gym before?  Of course not.  But all great things have to start somewhere.

Don't be afraid.  Just do it.

The Old College Try / Happenings In The Outhouse 01-Oct-2021

Since last week's post, I've been writing more and more.  As of this post, I am at the 46,000 word mark on my current work-in-progress.

I recently told someone that I probably won't finish this by the end of the year.  She asked why.  I didn't have an answer.

Having recently set my next five accomplishments for the last quarter of 2021, one of the biggest ones is finishing this novel.  It's possible I can get it done.  I have roughly 90 days to do it, minus a few days here and there for vacation, deer hunting, and holidays--okay, it might be more than just a few days.  If I say 60-65 days and write a minimum of 1,000 words a day . . . can it be done?

Maybe.

I'll give it the old college try, as they say.

And if I don't, I gave it one heck of a shot.  I'm estimating this novel to be around 100,000 words, give or take.