Mirkwood Reflections

I have thoughts to share. Really I do. But when I start writing them down, I judge every one. That's not interesting. That's not insightful. That's not original. That's not even grammatical. Why am I so hard on my own writing? I read lots of other people's words. I used to read many blogs. Before I was so busy, I spent lots of time reading other people's writing. I read books, magazines, blog posts, Facebook posts - all kinds of things. Most people don't worry very much about their writing, at least from the evidence. I teach writing. My goal is to help students write concisely and correctly. I sometimes feel like a fraud because teaching writing doesn't leave me time for actual writing. But this year is going to be different. I am going to write daily. Why? Well, I can blame NaNoWriMo this past November. My daughter asked me to write her some fanfiction. I'd never written fanfic before, especially not in the Harry Potter wizarding world. I did...

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - 3/6/2014 Excellent - Fantasy 480 pages - Audio 19 hrs and 11 mins Frodo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire, inherits a dangerous magic Ring which must be destroyed, so he sets out on a quest accompanied by 8 companions. James requested to read Lord of the Rings for literature, so I decided to read along with him. He read it much faster than I did. I actually found it difficult to get through FOTR this time around, which is at least my 4th reading of this book. Maybe next time I'll be in the mood. Fates: I Bring the Fire Part IV by C. Gockel - 3/21/2014 Good - Fantasy 407 pages - Kindle Amy Lewis and Bohdi Patel team up with Thor to find Loki who hasn't been seen for two years. I adore C. Gockel's modern mythology of the Nine Realms. Yes, I started reading because of Loki. But I kept reading because of her interesting take on the mythology as well as her capable and compelling storytelling.  Water for Elephants by Sara ...