When the Ending Changes Everything

Last month, I binged on all things – books, movies, TV shows - creepy. The results? I yelled at two terrible movies, spent enjoyable chunks of time with solid entertainment, and was blown away by one movie and one book. 

 

Hunter Hunter is my kind of movie: dark, disturbing, tense. I was uneasy the entire time I watched it, gaze riveted to the screen. Until the ending. It was so gory I had to look away over and over. And, yet, the ending absolutely fits the story so well that I can't call it gratuitous. It haunts me to this day. (I don't usually talk trigger warnings, but this ending is not for the faint of heart.)

 

Come With Me by Ronald Malfi is a horror novel for people who don't like horror. In fact, I'd call this more mystery with paranormal elements than anything else. It's atmospheric, creepy, heartbreaking and lovely. Though parts of it felt kind of slow, it still stayed a solid 4 stars for me. Until the ending. When I got there, I gasped then flipped back through the book, re-reading certain moments with fresh eyes. The ending added a whole other layer that had me in tears. It leaped to 5 stars and is easily one of my favorite reads of the year.

***** 

 

How was your October/Halloween? Anything you read/watched that you'd recommend? Are there any endings that haunt you from books/movies/TV shows? What's next for you in November?

Maybe More Than a Little

Last week, a local theater ran the original Psycho. In honor of Halloween and the start of another NaNoWriMo, my husband and I went. We'd seen Psycho before but not on a big screen, not in a roomful of people with their own reasons for going. Soon, we were all lost in another time, another place. 

That's pretty much what happens to me during November - I get lost in a world of my own making. I look up from my keyboard and have to blink a few times to situate myself. I walk out of my office and catch a glimpse of a character running down the hall, darting into another room. I have to ask my poor husband to repeat his question a third time because I'm busy trying to figure out how - or if! - my protagonist will manage to kill the creature lurking in the shadows.

I am not easy to live with during the best of times, but November brings its own special kind of Hell for my long-suffering, patient husband. So, while we were watching Psycho, a particular scene made me laugh out loud because I'm pretty sure it sums up what my husband thinks of me during NaNoWriMo. (Okay, maybe he feels this way all the time, but he's too nice to say it.) 

"IT'S NOT LIKE [SHE'S] A MANIAC 

OR A RAVING THING.

SHE JUST GOES A LITTLE MAD SOMETIMES.

WE ALL GO A LITTLE MAD SOMETIMES.

HAVEN'T YOU?"

(Norman Bates)

*****

Do you wig out (pun intended!) during NaNoWriMo? Or when you're deep into a creative project? How does your spouse/significant other/support team handle you? Do you do anything to thank them when - if?! - sanity returns?

IWSG: My Little Monster

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For the last two IWSG posts, I bemoaned my poor horror novella, the one that refuses to come out from the dark, dusty corner where it's been hiding. I managed to coax it out in time for NaNoWriMo . . . only to find that what I thought was a pretty good story was really a giant clump of grisly ideas, cracked characters and mucous-y dialogue strands that have since formed a vile puddle beneath my feet. And did I mention the various eyeballs? Some look at me with total trust, others with desperation, and still others with snide contempt.

As ugly as the little monster is, though, it is still mine. And this November, we're a team. I'm handcuffing myself to one of its many wildly gesticulating hairy arms and dragging it through NaNoWriMo-Land.

What will happen at the end of the month? Will I come back with a sweet little novella or a shiny novel holding my hand as we cross Success Street? Or will the Monster make quick work of whatever sanity I've got left and leave me behind like roadkill?

Hmm . . . maybe I'd better appoint someone to wipe up all the Monster drool. Just in case. The tortoises do like a clean blog . . . .

IWSG: A Week of Writerly Ups and Downs

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Last week was full of writerly ups and downs for me....

I released my first ever ebook. I was excited, anxious, thrilled, nervous and full of so much doubt, I'm surprised it didn't spill over the way the water does when Larry the tortoise settles into the soaking dish. What if no one buys it? What if no one reads it? What if people read it and don't like it? Now, although I still feel some of those things, it's all gone down a notch or two, thanks to you all. Thanks so much to those who offered kind words of support and encouragement, to those who bought the book, to those who already reviewed it on Amazon and rated it on Goodreads, and to those who said they would. I appreciate all of it!

My story, "Maybe Someday," made its appearance over at Every Day Fiction. I love EDF and the great critiques from the editors and the feedback offered by the readers. I have been truly humbled to have a number of my stories receive praise and positive feedback. So, when "Maybe Someday," didn't receive as high a ranking or as many comments and votes as my previous stories, it reminded me - not everyone is going to like everything. And that's okay. Especially since many of the comments were well thought out and sincere in expressing what readers had problems with or didn't enjoy. Definitely a lesson learned!

And last Friday was the start of NaNo.... Enough said.

(Since this is my first official month as part of the IWSG, I'm looking forward to visiting as many of you as I can and offering support and encouragement!)

November Reading Recommendations

Even though I'm no longer participating in the Off The Shelf Challenge, I'm still reading lots of books and, as you all know by now, one of my favorite things to do is talk about the books I recently read and loved. So, here are my...

Standouts in November:

Every Day by David Levithan - Every day, our protagonist - 'A' - wakes up in the body of someone else. 'A' has gotten used to it - going so far as to set up rules, such as do no harm and don't get attached. It's all good until the day he wakes up in Justin's body . . . and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend.

Now I know some of you are shaking your head and saying it's not your genre or your kind of thing but please, please don't dismiss it so quickly. I don't care if you never read YA, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. It is smart and fresh and complicated, and 'A's voice is so clear and true you'll think 'A' is in your head. The ending is both perfect and heartbreaking, and it will stay with you long after the book is done.

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes - This is a fantastic mystery/thriller in a similar vein to S. J. Watson's Before I Go to Sleep. One of the things I like about this book is the way Haynes tells Catherine/Cathy's story in alternating timelines, one in the present and one three years before. Even though it's the same POV character, Catherine/Cathy changes so much over those three years it almost feels like we're reading about two different people. Also, we're able to trace what happened to Catherine then to how and why Cathy does what she does now. Oh, and for you all you NaNoWriMos out there - this book started as a 2008 NaNo novel!

*****

Books read in November:  7

Total Books Read 2012 (so far!):  69

Have you read either of these two and if so, what did you think? What are you reading and loving - or maybe not loving so much - right now? What's next in your TBR pile?

Why I Am NaNoWriMo-Less This November

I participated in and won National Novel Writing Month for 8 years. 

I participated in and won Camp NaNo for 2 years.

This November I am saying "no" to NaNo in order to say "yes" (See my The Year of Yes post) to something else - my current work in progress, the manuscript I took to the The Breakout Novel Intensive V2.0 conference this past September. 

I tried to find a way to make this WiP fit in with NaNo but I just couldn't. And I didn't want to lose the momentum and forget all the great advice and encouragement I received at BONI.

And so, this year, while I will not be sporting the newest NaNo t-shirt (believe me, I have enough of them - they're pretty much my in-house wardrobe), I will take out my "plot" mug and I will raise it in a toast to all of you who are participating - Good Luck, Everyone!

A Rebel Yell . . . The NaNoWriMo Way

It's almost November and most writers (and spouses and families of writers) know what that means - NaNoWriMo time!

I've participated in, and won, National Novel Writing Month for seven years. I've written manuscripts that ended up in the drawer. I've written novels that were revised, sent out to agents and editors, and received positive feedback. I've even written one that was revised, sent out into the world, and landed me an agent. (That was many years ago and we've since parted company.)

So, this year, my eighth doing NaNoWriMo, I decided to shake things up a bit. I am going to be a NaNo Rebel. What does this mean? Well, it depends. For me, it means I won't be starting from scratch. I'm going to finish my Camp NaNo novel and probably write some novel and/or character related stories. I will absolutely write my 50,000 (plus!) words though.

I love NaNo but I've struggled a bit in the last few years - time, ideas, writer's block, etc. This year, I'm excited again. I can't wait for November!

Any other NaNoWriMos out there? Anyone else setting themselves a challenge of some sort? What is everyone working on? Share, and then let's support each other.

Whoo hoo! (That's about as close as this transplanted New Yorker gets to an actual rebel yell.)