The Happiness Thread

Took my first two exams and got a 92% on one and aced the other! I ended up with a 95% in one class and a 98% in the other. Then to celebrate I went to see Captain America: Civil War.

 

I never received scores like that in my entire life.

 

Yeah I guess it helps that I'm old now and I lived a lot of the history I'm studying!

It is pretty gratifying though to get those kinds of scores in 300 and 400 level classes.

 

I just started Dark Tower #4 and I'm really, really hyped about it.

 

Excellent books. I listen to the entire audio book series once a year.
Dada chuck dada chee who's got the key?

I wasn't sure if I should put this in the happiness post or the not-happy post. I'm going with happy. Because fuck it.

Yesterday someone returned their assessment of my chapter two. It wasn't pretty. He complained about entirely too much info-dumping and Tell vs Show. This wasn't exactly news to me. But since several people have already read it without complaining about those issues I pretty much blew it off as being my own insecurity. Now... Not so much.

Then right after read his email I began my editing of a chapter that's deep into the novel and what did I start right off with... The same thing. So shit fuck god damn mother fucking cock sucker my WIP is nothing but a big pile of crap that is never gonna see the light of day.

Two hours of depressive funk later, I started rewriting chapter 44. I'm not sure how much better it is, but I took all the important points I was trying to convey in the info dump and turned it into a conversation between two characters.
I'm not sure how having two characters having a discussion about government problems really turns Tell into Show but I guess it's better.

Oh hell... I don't know. Where's that tequila?
Gonna need to get drunk before I go back and look at chapter 2 again.

 

After job hunting for 3 years finally found something at FedEx. I start work next month.

 

I have a 1,277/1280 in my screenwriting class. It works out to a 99.7%. I'm actually kind of upset about this, because I bugged out of two assignments. Otherwise I'd have a 102%

Also I have a job, where the boss doesn't care if I spend my downtime writing!

 

The wife and I are off to our local used book store tomorrow. There treasures we will seek and so shall find will be very fine indeed.

 

Opportunity knocked on my door today. Not in the writing realm, but we have a public access channel, and there`s a program that`s a community form of sorts to discuss varying topics, and there looking for crew. They`ll train you for free, and it`s good on a resume and experience is what gets your foot in the door now a days anyway. The community college and two 4 years around here offer strong programs in that type of video and media production and I've always had an interest. I`m young if I like the work I know what to do if not I can still use the skills and experience somewhere I'm sure. Now if I can just get a story accepted somewhere maybe I`ll crack open some champagne. .......well I probably can`t afford that so champagne poppers then.

Oh I`ve also thought up a pen name that I'm fond of, Simon F. Alexander. Not married to it yet but there`s a high chance I`ll end up using it. Need to look into the actual logistics of using one.

 

I was thinking I should make my pen name Steven Kingly
At least I know it will show up on people's search results.

 

It will. Your site? Not so much.

 

Today I went into some of the forested areas nearby to where I'm currently living in the pursuit of May beetles, which have finally started coming out. This has been the first year I've seen them before, which is rather annoying bearing in mind that I've lived in perfect areas to find them for almost my entire life. Sadly we didn't find any during the walk, but we did find some stoneflies, which was pretty interesting.

On the way back from this walk, my friend jokingly said they were so hungry that they were going to eat my arm. I jokingly responded that I'd replace it with a mechanical crab claw, and half an hour later we had developed a character that we (for lack of a better title) named Meaty Metal Claw Man. I doubt I'll do much of interest with him, but I'm pretty proud of what we came up with.

Is there any thread on the forum for just posting half-developed characters and brainstorming them a bit? If so, I might shove MMCM there and see what happens.

 

I got a job! I got a job!

Well, not yet. They're waiting for my background check to clear (which it will) then I'll be signing my job offer.

But I got a job! I got a job! No more boring housewife! But also no more writing every day first thing in the morning..... Maybe I didn't think this through.....

 

You could always do an "Octavia Butler." Get up at 2:00 AM, write until leaving for work at 6:00 AM or so, rinse and repeat

 

Ah, yes, I remember being excited when I got a job. It was oh so many years ago...

But jobs get stressful. At least, mine did. Retirement is nicer.

 

I haven't worked for since I moved to this state. lol And it's really hard to meet friends when you don't work. My entire social life has revolved around my husband and roommate, who are not great at being social.

I'm more excited to just be out of the house and have a purpose, though I'm sure I'll regret it eventually.

 

Ehhh, I don't know about that. lol I'll just have to take advantage of my days off and try to focus at night. I'm getting this second draft written if it kills me!

 

Hey everyone, just wanted to let y'all know that I've landed myself in a sweet part-time gig working in a soil lab; so I'll be spending most of my time getting very acquainted with different types of soils and learning what they're made of, etc.

Wheeee! I'm a very happy person right now.

 

Calm down there buddy. Don't soil yourself.

 

It's with dirt. Y'know, gravel, concrete, sand, mud, that sort of thing.

 

You could do a specific thread about this character on the character development section. Although people will be expecting a specific question of some kind. Maybe we could make a character brainstorm thread. OUR CREATIVE JUICES MUST BE COMBINED!!

 

I just bought my niece a very nice laptop I absolutely can't afford! And now we can play games other than minecraft!

 

Congrats! I actually work for one of your competitors. Training employees. It's easier than teaching high school kids, so I'm pretty happy about it.

 

So you decided not to be a teacher after all?

 

Yeah, you can. Just that your 'first thing in the morning' will be much earlier than at present. I used to get up at 4am to do my writing before leaving for work around 7.30. Gave me at least two and a half clear hours every day, while allowing plenty of time to get showered, eat breakfast, etc. All it meant was that I had to go to bed a couple of hours earlier every night. Writing happens in your time. You organise it the way you need it to be.