And That's a Wrap
How is it the middle of November already???
And That’s a Wrap on Scarlett Hood
NaNoWriMo
Writing Ephemera
Help me help you help yourself…(or something)
What I’m Reading
1. How is it the middle of November already?
Happy November!
We are about a week away from Thanksgiving here in the US. Like all of our history, the truth about the day is far less black and white than turkey and stuffing. Google ‘Thanksgiving controversy’ for your own edification. I suggest you visit this page to learn about Native American Heritage Day on Friday, November 24.
I mention this, because the gathering of family and friends at Casa Sarrecchia will no doubt discuss the country’s sinister history, and Spike’s conquering nation speech, whilst consuming massive amounts of turkey, ham, adult beverages and pie (sooo much pie).
2. And That’s a Wrap on Scarlett Hood
The final season scripts of the Scarlett Hood Adventures are now in the hands of the producers at the Radio Theater Project! The audio drama should be available for your earballs in 2024.
Writing Scarlett and tweaking the old fairy tales was a lot of fun but the real thrill was working with all the talented folks at RTP including (but not limited to) Joseph McGuire, Robyn Candelaria, Kelly Visten, William Christopher Mask, Laura Corliss (again), and all the others! I look forward to working with those folks again in the future.
Scarlett wraps after 3 seasons (18 episodes total) in which we heard Ms. Hood mature from a cat burglar (no, she didn’t just steal cats) into a rebel leader. We leave her a different woman with far different priorities at the end of episode 18. Is this the last of Scarlett? I certainly hope not, but only time will tell.
You can catch-up on all the adventures of Scarlett, Whitney, Evynn and the gang everywhere you get your podcasts. Spotify; Apple.
3. NaNoWriMo
Total days in: 14
Total words written: Let’s not, okay.
NaNoWriMo is the annual attempt by writers who take part to create a 50K word novel during the month of November. Obviously, the novel won’t be a salable project until several levels of editing take place, but completing NaNoWriMo is a noteworthy accomplishment for those who succeed.
I thought this year I would I take part, but, ‘twas not to be. No worries. Instead, I am plotting (in my head, anyway) a YAish adventure horror novel I’ll work on next year.
4. Writing Ephemera and Resources
One of my favorite web pages is Word Hippo. It provides synonyms, antonyms, definitions, translations, examples, rhyming words (for those rap battles) and much more. There is a free app for iOS (probably one for Android as well, I don’t know). Because I am a word nerd, I can easily lose an hour or two following the links to associated words.
Another favorite is the Online Etymology Dictionary. Wanna know the first usage of haberdasher (and who doesn’t?) this dictionary will let you know that haberdasher (I really just like saying that word, though not as much as apothecary) was first used in the “early 14c. (late 13c. as a surname), “seller of small articles of trade” (caps, purses, beads, thread, stationery, etc.), from Anglo-French, where apparently it was an agent noun formation from hapertas “small wares,” also a kind of fabric, a word of unknown origin.”
Would someone in Victorian England use “okay” in common parlance? No, they wouldn’t because that slang wasn’t used until 1838ish in the United States. If you dig a little deeper, the site will also provide trending information.
5. Help me help you help yourself…(or something)
What do you guys hope to get out of this newsletter? Obvs, you will always get project updates and writing topics. But let me know in the comments what you’d like to see and I’ll do my best to accommodate your wishes. If you are interested in an ongoing fiction piece, let me know because I have a few ideas on that as well.
6. What I’m Reading
I’d forgotten how much fun TREASURE ISLAND was to read. If you haven’t read Mr. Stevenson’s tale of hijinks on the high seas since your wayward youth days, give it a gander. You won’t be disappointed.
This one is huge, 17,000 Kindle pages. But, I didn’t know Aurthur Conan Doyle and Edger Allen Poe wrote pirate tales, so that was cool to learn.
The jury is still out on this one. I am not a fan of short stories that don’t end and point you to a novel. If I know up front, sure, but I don’t expect ‘to-be-continued’ in an anthology.
This one is moving along at a good clip. It’s probably one of his early novels (they published it after his death) based on some of the redundant word choices and cliches, but not a bad read at all.
I am also listening to Scott Sigler’s military scfi novel THE CRYPT on Audible (narrated by Ray Porter). Not usually a fan of military stories, but this has a swashbuckling feel and takes place on a ship that can travel through dimensions. The only drawback is the inter-dimensional travel process can drive someone mad so the ship is populated with murders, rapists, thieves, cowards or just sorry saps who annoyed the wrong admiral. Highly recommend.
What’s that? Why, yes, you may have noticed a theme. Let’s just say one of the cool things about being a writer is the research for future projects.
Thanks for reading! Please share this with your friends. It would be outstanding to have 100 subscribers by the end of 2023 and I can only do that with your help.
Stay warm, love your people and pets.
Be seeing you.
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