Bullet Points!

May. 1st, 2025 04:17 pm
valkryor: (Default)
Some things:
  • I had a dental appointment today, a cleaning and exam. I got told that I should be going more often - every six months instead of every nine - and I declined. Yes, I can go twice a year, get in two cleanings and one exam, OR I can not push my dental anxiety anymore than I already do. My last appointment - three small fillings - was fucking traumatic, and cleanings are bad enough as it is. Yes, I should go more often, but I will not. Paying for mental torment is no kink of mine, thanks ever so much.
  • I think Sunny is lonely. He's been super affectionate lately and has dug out his favourite springs so we can play fetch, something he hasn't done in over a year. The spouse isn't ready for another cat, but only having one just doesn't sit right with me. Will we get a second (and possibly third) cat? Yes. When will this happen? *shrugs* I have no fucking clue.
  • We continue to be precariously housed. It is...not a great situation to be in. There's a lot of "hurry up and wait" and the uncertainty is a mill stone on my chest.
  • My reading and writing have fallen off the face of the planet. My brain has not been kind and there has been more than enough nonsense to distract me from the things that I love. Hell, even my crochet and knitting projects have been languishing lately.
  • To that end, I started something I consider a "mindless" crochet project. The pattern is simple, doesn't require counting, and is a number of two-row repeats. I was gifted some yarn and decided that it would make a nice scarf. It wasn't enough, which is fine, so I dug in my stash to find a very similar colour to finish it off. It wasn't enough again, which is less fine; I have one row left.

    So I went to my stash, hoping to find a cream or off-white that would work with not just this scarf but the second one I started today (a just started project is much more public transportation friendly than an almost finished one) and came up empty. I have a lot of different colours, lots of different weights in two garbage bags, an underbed bin, and two tote bags, AND NO CREAM. I need to buy yarn so I can finish these. *le sigh*
  • It is cold and wet out there, but I have tea and a cozy sweater and comfy pants.
  • Okay. I have a personal bugbear: the use of 'entrance' during sexytimes in the books I read. Since I read a lot of Regency romance, I see it much more than I would like. It throws me out of the story because I find it So. Fucking. JARRING.

    When the pairing is two men, I've taken to muttering, "it's anal, not architecture."

    I first encountered it reading fanfic, where gay boys are imagined everywhere and hook up with abandon. And you know what, that's glorious, but 'entrance'? Not so much. It's now in romance novels for reasons(?). I don't fucking know why. Is there a dearth of appropriate words? Do we need to go back to pork swords and love grottoes? Inquiring minds something something.

    There is no dearth in appropriate words. I write erotica/porn for the D&D games I'm in for funsies and have had a fair amount of practice writing effective, affecting, HOT sex, with no entrance in sight. It's possible, it's good, and I've found, with that practice, that less is more. Letting the reader do the heavy lifting makes it more personal, more impactful. (At least for me. Your mileage, etc.)

    And now that I've sung my own praises without providing any examples (something akin to this VERY NSFW one that I wrote a decade ago here), I've decided to fix my 'entrance' problem in a way that I find amusing. It's like this: if I'm going to be forcibly ejected from the narrative by an author's word choice, then I get to do what I will with that word choice.

    To that end, I'm going to lean into the architecture with synonyms.

    If you're going to use 'entrance' for vaginal penetration, whether that be by fingers, penis, or other phallic object, then I'm going to mentally change 'entrance' to 'foyer' or 'antechamber' or 'vestibule'. Typically, in palatial homes, a foyer consists of marble columns, expensive flooring, that lone table in the middle holding a vase of hothouse flowers, and so on. It's the guest entrance. It's made to impress and decorated as such. Now, when I read "the entrance to her body beckoned him inside", it will now be "the foyer to her body beckoned him inside". There. That's better; much more jarring and much more amusing. Perfect.

    Now, for why it's anal and not architecture, I've gone with something else that will work much better than 'entrance': mudroom. It's often at the back of the house, is more function than form, and was designed in days of yore as a pass through from the muddy outside to the clean inside. I have also read a startling amount of anal sex scenes with zero lube and fewer condoms. Mudroom, indeed. "Eric lined himself up with Archie's entrance and pushed in" will now be "Eric lined himself up with Archie's mudroom and pushed in". If I'm going to be ejected from the narrative, then I want to be EJECTED FROM THE NARRATIVE. No more weak attempts to get me to leave the story's flow, oh no, just one great heave into the nothing outside the wordy embrace that I've sunk myself into.

    Yes, I know that this is a very silly thing to get my gitch in a twist, and I also know that it's a 'me' problem. And yet maybe this little rant will change someone else's mind about the word, and they'll find something better in their own writing, or even drop it completely. Until that happens (if it happens), I'm going to amuse myself, as it's a damn sight better than being annoyed when all I want to do is enjoy the time I spend reading.

    (no subject)

    Aug. 21st, 2022 09:31 am
    valkryor: (Default)
    My reading drought continues as I continue to write. Is what I'm writing good? Don't know, don't care. It's entertaining and that's all that matters to me at the moment. I've also written myself into a corner, so now I have to write myself out of it. Part of the process, for me at least, is adding in characters and then discovering that I made space for that character later on in the narrative. It's kind of neat.

    I also bought a new-to-me phone. It's twice the size of my old one and doesn't fit neatly into pockets. I can read comfortably on this thing (and yes, I did make the text size as large as it would go because I am old now and that's a thing that old people do). I feel like I now have a grown-up phone. I even created a new gmail address to use for it. I have no intention for that email to be used for anything else, which is why I'm not going to record it here.

    I still need to sort and post my North Bay Adventure pictures. My motivations are kind of shit right now. I will, though. Later.

    (no subject)

    Aug. 5th, 2022 09:04 am
    valkryor: (Default)
    I still need to post pictures and more commentary from my vacation. I'm halfway through a book that I started on that vacation. I've been writing and yesterday, I got 1700+ words down.

    When I focus on writing, there's not a lot of mental capacity to consume. It's often easier, for me, to watch something here, something there, and to pour my creativity into making things up and writing them down. I did manage to watch Lightyear, which felt like a movie made in 1995, and I'm looking forward to The Sandman, which dropped today on Netflix.

    I am trying to get this next chapter knocked out before my game on Sunday. Although... *ponders* I could cut the chapter earlier, given that there is a natural break in the text and the tone. Maybe I will do that and then that's this chapter done.
    Tags:

    (no subject)

    Feb. 19th, 2022 09:46 am
    valkryor: (Default)
    (This is something that I find incredibly annoying. Your mileage, etc.)

    Okay. Writers, you gotta stop doing this. When you have two people getting nekkid or otherwise ready to fuck, you build up this hot scene and then use that word and it just pulls me out of the story and makes me grit my teeth.

    Entrance is NOT SEXY. You might as well be using foyer or vestibule. YOU ARE WRITING SMUT, NOT DESCRIBING ARCHITECTURE. Please stop using architectural words to inform the reader what is going on. It's jarring; bodies are not buildings.

    If you cannot think of another way to set the scene, try rewriting the passage without it. Instead of using 'entrance' or 'opening' or 'hole', let the reader fill in that blank. I guarantee it will still be hot.

    Sincerely,
    A Reader who also Writes Smut.

    PS - If you do find 'entrance' sexy, more power to you. I do not and wish that particular use would be consigned to the dung heap along with 'love grotto' and 'pork sword'.
    Tags:

    (no subject)

    Jan. 13th, 2022 08:34 am
    valkryor: (Sludge Lagoon)
    So. I've done it. Last night, I finished the first edit of my novel.

    In doing so, it went from 52,718 words to 91,864. I had figured, when I started this process, that I would be able to add about 20, maybe 25k words to add some bridging scenes, a few extra bits, that sort of thing. I did not expect to add 39k words. I guess that's what you get when you add in a little more sex, a lot more family dynamic, and a drunken meet-cute that is fucking adorable.

    Oh, and a new beginning and a completely reworked climax (ha!) to boot.

    I still need to add chapter breaks and the like, something I've not done as of yet. Yes, that does mean my novel is a 173 page document that's damn near a wall o' text. Today's job is getting that done.

    It's not ready to be sent off into the world, not by a long shot. It's getting there, and I'm ridiculously pleased by that.

    (no subject)

    Dec. 29th, 2021 10:21 am
    valkryor: (Default)
    My reading has really dropped off. Between my old tablet going fuckobazoo and my new one taking time to arrive, I just...stopped. I'm still half-way through Cinnamon and Gunpowder, and although I was enjoying it, I've lost temporary interest in reading.

    Why, you might ask?

    I've been editing. I'm not great at it, but reworking a 50+k NaNo novel is hitting that sweet spot right now. I've written new scenes, deleted others, and added over 25k words. O.O

    I am not done, but the end is in sight and I'm pushing myself to get this done before the new year (not likely, but I will settle for early January). I have two new scenes to write, one from each POV, and another portion to edit/rework/cannibalize. All of that should be it for this book. Hopefully. I want to add a kind of epilogue from a completely new POV at the very end, linking this book to the next (that I have yet to write). I have loose plans to write a trilogy of superhero romances. I know the heroes involved, I have a common villain, and I know who the next pair is going to be. (The last pair is a bit more nebulous. I know one, but the other is a WIP.)

    So, yeah. I've been busy creating. I'll get back to that book. I swear. I still have to set up my ereader app, after all. :D

    (no subject)

    Oct. 7th, 2021 08:07 am
    valkryor: (Default)
    I'm trying to find some inspiration or oomph for NaNoWriMo next month. To do this, I've decided to do some editing on my previous NaNo attempts. I read Shepherds (the bulk was written during NaNo 2015) and I have to say: it's good. Okay, it's totally a first draft and rough around the edges, but damn, if I had picked it up cheap somewhere, I wouldn't be mad at it.

    I can see where the gaps are, mostly feelings and thoughts and expressions, but the bones are there. You know, for a book I never intended to do anything beyond write, I'm pretty proud of myself. It doesn't suck, the story flows relatively decently, and the narrator is perfectly unreliable, which is what works here.

    Go me. :)

    (no subject)

    Feb. 22nd, 2021 05:45 pm
    valkryor: (Pathetic Graffiti)
    My mood tanked. And I know why.

    I finished the Last Emperox by John Scalzi, and while the entire trilogy was very enjoyable to read and I would highly recommend them, that ending? Oof. Parts of it were fucking fantastic, while others kind of kicked me right in the face. I have both a good book hangover and The Sad.

    It's the kind of Oof where you have no choice but to turn to fanfic to make it better. I didn't expect a tonne of entries when I turned to Ao3. One decently written, HEA that I needed would have sufficed. What I found was one. ONE.

    https://archiveofourown.org/tags/The%20Interdependency%20Series%20-%20John%20Scalzi/works

    *sigh* I guess if I want that HEA (or HFN), I might have to write the damn thing myself.
    Tags:
    First off, Imma just gonna put this here:



    I technically finished my word count on Sunday, but I finished my actual novel yesterday. It's 52k words, needs a lot of polish, but it's done. If I do edit it (and I think I should), I need to set it aside for a while and read/do other things. I've been putting off quite a bit over the month, focused on getting my daily word counts in while moving the story along.

    Enemies-to-lovers, mistaken identity, hero/villain, m/m romance set in 2025 Toronto written. I already have another pairing in mind, this time f/f, still hero/villain, but no idea what the conflict will be. It needs a think, but I also need a break, so this is a good one to put on the back burner and let it simmer for a bit.

    So that's the goods.

    The very very bads? I slept for shit last night. I went to bed about midnight, which is earlier than usual, then woke up at 3am. Between indigestion, hot flashes, and spikes of anxiety, I tossed and turned until about 5:30. Because indigestion that does not resolve itself can also be a symptom of a heart attack in women, and my hot flashes often make themselves known as radiating warmth that starts in the middle of my chest followed by a spike of anxiety, another heart attack symptom, I was fucking miserable.

    I monitored my heart beat, which was the best I could do, made sure I was laying down in such a way to deal with the gas/indigestion, it was still too damn long to be dealing with anxiety and exhaustion.

    I'm okay, if a little grumpy and a lot tired. It's also a snow day. No, wait, it's a Weather Impacted Distance Learning day. *barf* At least Declan seems super excited by it and isn't fighting me tooth and nail right now. OMFG, you guys, he just said, and I quote, "I've never been so happy to do school." If only it was this easy in April.

    (no subject)

    Apr. 30th, 2019 10:02 pm
    valkryor: (Hip Deep in Evil)
    HOLY FUCK, YOU GUYS, IT'S FINALLY FUCKING DONE!

    I wrote a motherfucking book. It has a beginning, a middle, an end, and an unreliable narrator (that I love). I just finished it moments ago. I have finally put in the last 6000-ish words and it's fucking done. It's an 80,000 word beast.

    I don't care if it never gets published. I don't. It's a first draft of something that might be utter garbage for all I know. But it's done and it's mine and NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME.

    I wrote a book!

    (no subject)

    Apr. 27th, 2019 09:15 am
    valkryor: (Default)
    Holy crap, you guys, I wrote 1500-ish words yesterday. I know it's not a terribly large amount, but I feel really good about it. I'm hoping that this will be the jump start I need to finally finish my dang novel.

    And speaking of jumping, it's that time of year again: http://support.heartandstroke.ca/goto/declanbananapants
    Tags:

    A poem

    Aug. 16th, 2018 05:45 pm
    valkryor: (Default)
    Roses are red
    Violets are blue
    Because colour is subjective
    And nothing rhymes with purple
    Tags:

    (no subject)

    Oct. 20th, 2005 03:50 pm
    valkryor: (Default)
    Sleep helped some, but not looking for work this morning helped even more. I know I should be looking everyday, but I couldn't face it today. I would like to keep what little self-esteem I have left, if it's all the same to you and not looking for work, while counterproductive in some ways, is the best thing in others.

    And yes, those others do include cleaning. The bathroom no longer has that odd aroma to it that no airfreshener could touch (ew!). I even made the effort to throw the shower curtains and window covering (which is just another piece of shower curtain to keep the wooden frame and sill dry and mostly mold free) into the wash machine. Some laundry detergent, vinegar and the throw rugs (hey, they were dirty, too) meant my clear vinyl liner is back to being clear again. Now all I have to do is a quick sweep and I'm done. Yippee.

    Oh, and since all the other cool kids are doing it...


    Official NaNoWriMo 2005 Participant

    :P

    Apr. 19th, 2005 09:57 pm
    valkryor: (Default)
    The measure of a true writer: being able to write when the baby's fussing beside you because she's tired and won't go to sleep.

    (no subject)

    Apr. 9th, 2005 10:54 am
    valkryor: (Default)
    I've just gotten around to finally putting entries into the "memories" thing...one about work that sums up how I feel about where I work and the job that I do in less than 25 words, and the two writing ones, mostly so I don't have to go searching through the archive to find them (nor will anybody else if they're interested in reading them).

    And maybe, just maybe, I'll get more of my novel written and possibly post another of the sections (that are work safe, at any rate)...
    Tags:
    This is part of the novel I'm currently working on. It's called Fragments and the section is called "Summer". To save space on your friend pages, I'm putting it behind a cut. )

    Well, that's what I have so far (for that section...I do have one completed, but it's far from work safe, if you catch my meaning). Most of that was written tonight. Woo hoo! :) I tell you this, though. It's bloody difficult to think like an eight year old boy.
    Tags:

    Inner Dialogue

    Feb. 8th, 2005 08:04 pm
    valkryor: (Default)
    Cut To Save Space )
    I'm so very tempted to give up writing completely. Go work in a factory somewhere and just give it up. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy doing it and I would love nothing more than to eke a meager existence out of it, but right now that doesn't seem very practical.

    The baby takes a lot out of me. So much that it feels like there's nothing left...no motivation, no drive, no creativity...nothing.

    It looks like it's back to the phones when MatLeave is done. Oh well. It was a nice dream.

    (no subject)

    Feb. 5th, 2005 05:36 pm
    valkryor: (Default)
    I just realized that even though I haven't really written anything in the last two days, I don't really care and that it would be very easy to just stop. Old habits, like apathy and laziness, die hard, I guess.
    Tags:

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