I figured this year, it’d be fun to do a weekly update chatting about my previous week, mostly updates in writing, reading, editing, watching, and listening, because those are all the things I genuinely love to do! And, I mean, it’ll at least give me something to post about/chat with you guys about.
So, let’s get to it!
Writing
Well, last week was only a fraction of the productivity I was aiming for. I’d hoped to write close to 10,000 words, but I only managed 4,107 for the week in Bloodlines. Most of this was because I had to slow down to craft an entirely new scene that had to be inserted and carefully interwoven with some details that were relevant to what’s coming down the pike in the book (and the series), so that took a bit longer than expected. (Drafting is, for the record, always a much, much slower process than writing is for me.) Last week was also the week where I take two days off instead of the one I normally take, so that cut into things for sure. It happens. I just need to plan for it accordingly going forward.
Total word count for this month so far: 22,027
Editing
I got a lot of editing done this past week, mainly because I had to. (Deadlines and all, ya know?) I edited 299,884 words for clients last week, in an assortment of line editing, copy editing, and proofreading, which is…well, a lot of editing. I don’t remember how many books that equaled out to, but I finished a few!
Total word count edited this month so far: 759,755
Reading
I’ve already read thirteen books and stories this year (counting client works in this, too, since it’s technically reading)! A select few:
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
I had to read this for my Gothic Tradition class, and I actually liked it. It’s a bit short, around 40,000 words long, but it’s got an interesting (if admittedly strange at times) plot, and I’d recommend it for anyone interested in reading some of the books that birthed the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres.
River Marked by Patricia Briggs
This is from the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. I’ve read the first five (now six) books and am currently playing catchup on the series, since I fell a wee bit behind on it!
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
I wasn’t much of an iCarly fan when I was younger—I was very much outside the demographic Nickelodeon was targeting—but my younger sister was right in that demo and watched the show, so I was relatively familiar with it and knew who McCurdy was. So when I was reading/seeing the reaction to her book, I decided to read it. I’m really glad I did, and I very much suggest reading it if you’re interested in the trauma that can result from the dark side of Hollywood, especially for child actors.
I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum
Yes, I’m one of those people who misses the days when MTV used to play music videos. This book is a great oral history of the story of the creation and “golden age” of MTV before it went to crap. Highly recommended for those of you who, like me, miss those days.
“The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Premature Burial” by Edgar Allan Poe
Read these two stories for my Gothic Tradition class. Is it just me, or does Poe have a fascination/paranoia of the idea of being buried alive?
Watching
I thought it would be fun to keep track of some of the stuff I’ve been watching this year, just because I’m curious how my mood changes and shifts throughout the year and what I liked to watch. So I’m tracking my movies and TV shows and such this year, because why not?
A few things I’ve watched so far this year:
Hawkeye (Disney+)
This is actually a rewatch. I subscribe to a YouTuber’s reaction channel, and he’s been reacting to Hawkeye, so I thought it’d be fun to do the watch-along and revisit this show. I still stand by my previous opinion that this is, hands down, the best of the Disney+ MCU shows so far.
Jurassic Park (1993)
I rang in the new year watching this. First, this movie is only a year older than my younger sister, so wow. But man, does it hold up well. The mix of CGI and practical effects definitely helped with that.
The Monuments Men (2014)
I was on a bit of a WWII movie kick for a few days, so I watched The Monuments Men, which was directed by George Clooney and is based on a true story. Definitely recommend this one to those of you who are curious about the Allies’ efforts to protect important historical and cultural materials, such as artwork and sculptures and even entire buildings, from the ravages of WWII.
The Imitation Game (2014)
Another WWII movie, this one about Alan Turing and the breaking of the Nazis’ Enigma code during the war. Excellent movie featuring quite a few excellent actors, including Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays Turing).
Unstoppable (2010)
I needed a fun action movie, and this one delivered. I’ve seen it before, so it was definitely a rewatch (heck, all of the movies on this list are), and it was also a movie (loosely) based on a true story. And, I mean, it stars Denzel Washington, and you really can’t go wrong with a Denzel movie, amirite? He’s seriously one of my favorite actors.
Listening
One of the things I decided I was going to do this year was branch out my music tastes a bit, try to find some new stuff to listen to. I tend to get stuck in musical ruts, listening to the same handful of bands and albums over and over again, so I’d like to toss some variety into it occasionally. So I started building a playlist of songs and albums that looked interesting or were recommended to me, and I’ve been working my way through the playlist, deleting the ones I don’t like, keeping the ones I do, that sort of thing.
So, according to Last.fm, last week I had 155 scrobbles, made up of 22 different artists, and of the albums I listened to last week, 50% of them were new albums that I’d never scrobbled before. So I guess that was a pretty decent mix of new versus old favorites. And I stumbled across some bands and singers that I’d either heard of but never listened to or that I’d never heard of but turns out I rather like their music. So there’s that!
For those interested in that sort of thing, you can see my entire last.fm profile right here. Feel free to follow me over there! I don’t really interact much, mostly just scrobble and track my stats, but I do like looking at my followers’ profiles for new music suggestions! (And if you don’t use last.fm, I can’t recommend it enough—I’ve been on the platform since 2008, and it’s great!)
What have you been reading, watching, and listening to this month so far? Let me know in the comments! Maybe I can get a good new suggestion or two for something new to watch on my end!