Writing and Reading log – June 2017

One of my doodles!

Welcome once again, my dear readers on these pages!

And welcome to my personal reading and writing account I share once a month with you!

I have to admit that lately I haven’t been very consistent. I haven’t written new words for my WIP. Loads of useless thinking and no practice to be honest.

I think I’m tired, as simple as that.

Hence this will be the last post for now. I’ll take a break in order to give myself as less things to do as possible so I can come back stronger.

From time to time I might publish my doodles, like the one you see in this post, but that’s the best I can promise at the moment.

I really have to stop the blog writing at times like this, hopefully it’s just a matter of organization. If it is, I’ll figure out a way to improve!

And here we go with the numbers:

Word written for the WIP: 27191 words but there is a big chunk copied from the notebook. In order to see progresses I’ll have to finish that task!

Fairy tales written: 5 + ideas already for the last two. For number 6 the head sentence with the character’s name is already on paper.

Blog post written this month: 4on4, out the skin of my teeth really, but who complains.

Researching: N/A

Plotting: N/A

As for the reading, I’m still concentrating to narrow down the number of the books I’ve started a while ago.

Being sick at home I manager to give a good push to the Diary of Anne Frank and to finish the book thief.

Still the list is too long and I’ll have to reduce it. Although I have so many titles active at the same time, I end up in reading one by one anyway. So why should I have to complicate my life so much!

Just to summarize:

There is no news for Irish ghost stories,

Wizards first rule, Memorie del sottosuolo, The wisdom of the dead man, A Song of Ice and Fire, Enciclopedia. Tutta la seconda Guerra Mondiale-volume 1, Irish Ghost Stories and Madame Bovary.

However, there is bit of improvement for the other titles:

Delitto e castigo – I’m at page 236 on 677.

The book thief – Finished!!! So sad, sad finale…almost cried!

Outlander – I’m at page 408 on 684.

Hunger – I’m at page 246 on 684.

Diary of Anne Frank – I’m at page 155 on 351

American Gods – I’m at page 189on 640 (plus extras)

So, this is it for this month.

As usual, my dear readers, I ask you to help me, in case you have some wise tips to give me!

Have a lovely weekend and I’ll see you as soon as possible on these pages!!!

As I said, it’s time once again for my break!

Previous lifetimes imaginary travel – part two!

Welcome back in my fictional soul rollercoaster through the centuries.

Now, before I’ll go on, I want to paste and copy the explanation and the reason behind these posts. In this way, whomever new reader will land on these pages, he or she will understand this blog style!

I don’t want to pretend I know something about previous lifetimes and, if any of you happens to be an expert or a real believer, please bear in mind I’m not mocking anybody in writing things about past.

The only aim of these posts is a literary and fantasy exercise.

My aspiring writer brain got stimulated, excited and felt challenged so this is the only meaning behind the following mess!

Before I go on, I want to give you another explanation. I’m not even an history expert, so what I did was to open the Wikipedia and look for the history of the world time line.

Said that, where have we left?

Oh yes, with the execution of one of my personal historic love: William Wallace!

Let’s go on then:

1325 – Aztecs fund Tenochtitlan. I was the wife of one of the founders. I had to kill loads of people for the cause. Woman.

June 1348 – England. Black Death. I die after witnessing my whole family death. Woman.

1380 – England. Peasant revolt. I was one of the organizer of the revolt and I was hanged. Man.

1497 – Vasco da Gama first voyage from Europe to India. I was on the ship with the man. Man.

1507 – Epidemic of smallpox in new world on Hispaniola. Devastate the Taino population. I was one of the healers. Man.

1514 – Dóza’s rebellion in Hungary. I was the wife of one of the leaders. Woman.

1531 – Inca civil war fought between two brothers Atahualpa and Huascar. I was a woman loved by both. Woman.

1553 – Mary Tudor becomes first queen regnant of England under Papal authority. I was her assassin. Woman.

1590 –  Siege of Odawara Go-Hojo clan surrender to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Japan is unified. I was a kunoichi at the direct service of Toytomi Hideyoshi. Woman.

1623 – Amboya massacre. English and Japanese are tied and beheaded by Dutch. Killed, I was Japanese. Man.

1692 – Salem witches’ trials in Massachusetts. I was burned innocent. Woman.

1720 – The crew of Calico Jack was hanged. I was Mary Read. Woman.

1745 – Second Jacobite rising it begun by Charles Edward Steward in Scotland. I was hanged as rebel. English won. Man.

1804 – First steam locomotive begins operation. I was a worker on the tracks. Man.

1865 – Lewis Carrol published Alice in Wonderland. I was his house keeper. Woman.

1888 – Jack the ripper’s murders occur in Whitechapel, London. I was one corrupt officers who made people disappear.

1916 – Easter rising. Ireland. I was fighting on the Irish side. I died in the GPO siege.

March 1941 – Expansion of Auschwitz prison camp to be run by commander Rudolf Höss. I was one of the official at his service.

1979 – Current life!

And we finished!

I have to admit that this game was very fun and stimulating!

I had a couple of ideas, I’ll keep for this blog only, at least for the moment!

I have my plate full at the minute with the two WIPs I’m working on, plus the fairy tales.

In fact, what I was thinking about was to write a brief piece for each life. I still don’t know whether it will be about the death moment or something else. It might be a flash fiction or a longer piece, we’ll see.

I’m telling you already, I won’t do much research, I’ll try to defeat the obsessive-compulsive researcher in me.

I’ll do just for the fun!

Would you like to read something like this?

Do you have any suggestion for me? Please let me know in the comment below!

Previous lifetimes imaginary travel – part one!

 

One of my doodles

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I started to think about the theme of previous lifetimes.

Now, I don’t want to pretend I know something about it and, if any of you happens to be an expert or a real believer, please bear in mind I’m not mocking anybody in writing things about past and possible a few others.

The only aim of these posts is a literary and fantasy exercise.

My aspiring writer brain got stimulated, excited and felt challenged so this is the only meaning behind the following mess!

Before I go on I want to give you another explanation. I’m not even an history expert, so what I did was to open the Wikipedia and look for the history of the world time line.

Here we go then.

This is how I imagine the travel of my spirit across the ages:

3200 BC –  I was living in a small village in the south of Egypt close to the Nile. I was living of agriculture. Woman.

3000 BC – Accountant of a wood merchant, I could write. This is still in Egypt. Man.

1500 BC – China. I was a merchant-fishermen selling turtle shells or jiaguwen. Woman.

1015 BC – Dynasty V south Mesopotamia. Separate state from Babylon under Ashuri-Hiriari IV. He invaded the Babylon city of Attika. I was his concubine and a couple of evil ideas were mine. Woman.

776 BC – Greece. First Olympic games, when it was still one-day event. I was an athlete of chariot race and I was one of the favorites. However, I broke my leg during one of the competition.  Man.

260 BC – India. Maurya dynasty, Ashoka who move war against the state of Kalinga. Embraced Buddhism after witnessing the mass of the dead following the Kalinga war. In this case I was a poor farmer killed in a fire. Woman.

240 BC – Ireland. Druids were still active, I was one of them. Woman.

200 BC – Mayan civilization. I was the brother of one of the ladies picked for the sacrifice. Man.

42 BC –  Battle of Philippi. Mark Anthony and Octavian defeated the faction who killed Caesar. I tried to kill Cleopatra as I was infiltrating in this faction even after his death. Man.

561 – China. Sui Dinasty. I was minding the children in the palace. Woman.

786 – Viking warrior, woman warrior. Still have to decide where I was exactly –more to come. Woman.

827 – Sicily, Muslim invasion. I was killed during the raid. Woman.

843 – Kenneth McAlpin become king of Picts and Scots creating the kingdom of Alba. I was the butler of the king, but I died of consumption. Man.

866 – Fujiwara period. Japan. The Fujiwara were the most powerful clan during the Heian Period.  I was one of the concubine of the head of the clan. Woman.

1021 – Genji Monogatari is written by Murasaki Shikibu. Japan. I lived with Murasaki but I had several women and eventually I died of syphilis. Man.

1095 – Pope urban issues the crusade. 1096 First crusade. I was one warrior and killed during a watch as I was dozing off. Man.

1199 – Europeans use compasses (astrolabes were in use already). I was a sailor. Man.

1206 – Gengis Khan elected as khan of Mongols. I was one the news bringer and I lived on my horse. We had an accident and died on a desert road. Man.

1306 – Scotland. William Wallace is executed. I was a noble Scotswoman working in secret with the rebels. Woman.

Ok, I guess that I got to enjoy this too much, so I have to divide it two posts.

See you next time!

But please, let me know in the comment what you think about it!!!

Sport day!

Friday I attended to the sport day in Maya’s school. I’ve never seen such an event before. I hope you’ll excuse me if I treat it as an amazing thing, as I’m still in awe!  It will be brief, though, I promise!  

When I was in elementary school we did once some games, they were very simple. The PE teacher organized some obstacles around the gym and that was it.  All the parents were around to cheer us up. I was too little, so I don’t really remember if it was all day or only in the afternoon, after the lessons.  The fact I vividly remember was the majestic fall of one of my class mates, R., who tripped and fell on his face. But doing so, since he was with his mouth open, cut his tongue and loads of blood came out. He didn’t chop it off, if you’re wondering, but it was pretty traumatic to see that much blood anyway.  

You can guess I was pretty surprised when I read the note in Maya’s bag that all day would be dedicated to the sport activities.  All the teachers and even the principal – I love her, she’s so involved in the school life, she knows the name of each and every pupil and who are the parents too – were dressed in leggings and trainers.  All the activities were well organized and the timing followed by the second.  

 

Maya had the race, the race with a potato on the spoon, the sack race, the dance session where she learned a small set of movements, the parachute and skipping rope time and then the fitness session with a coach especially hired by the school for the occasion.  For the parents they ordered sandwiches, tea and coffee so we had our lunch too. I’m amazed and I’m grateful Maya ended up in this school.

There are a lot of initiatives and a lot of different fun events organized.  I wish I could be more involved. Unfortunately, being off only one day during the week, my chances to be more involved and to participate to more events are very limited. Sometimes I can take the day off, but not always is possible. I’m trying to make the most of it though.  I’m really getting curious now, as I’m wondering whether I was just lucky with Maya’s school or all the school are as such.  Personally, I’m living in a constant amazement.

Where are you reading me from?

How’s your kids’ schools?  

Please let me know in the comments below.