BW2: Sunday's Book Babble - Antiheroes

 

It's book week 2 in our 52 Books quest and I have anti-heroes on my mind today and have been thinking about the differences between the antihero and the villain, or between the hero and the anti-hero.  My son and I have been watching you-tube videos by Harry Potter Theory about the Harry Potter series and they've posted several videos discussing Severus Snape. You never quite know whether to trust the man. What are his motives?  Is he good or bad, working for or against Harry?  

Joe Bunting from the Write Practice says:  "Snape, like all Anti-Heroes, represents what society detests: cruelty, cowardice, self-interest, and dishonesty. He is the opposite of the hero, a villain, and yet somehow he’s a villain on the good guys’ side."   

We love to hate them, but then again we have to trust that the good side will outweigh the bad side and they'll redeem themselves in the end. 

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I’m currently sipping from Sharon Kay Penman’s When Christ and Her Saints Slept and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I didn’t get too terribly far in either book when I was distracted by life events and turned to comfort reads.  Nora Robert is one of my favorite authors and her Key Trilogy drew my attention this week.  I think a Nora Roberts reread is in order for the year as she provides not only comfort, but creativity as her writing inspires me.   

Decided with ebooks I’m going to go alphabetical A to Z and I finished And Then There were Nuns as well as Baking Bad and even managed to write reviews for them. Started My Christmas Number One by Leona Mack.   

 Craft wise I’m sipping on Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic process edited by Joe Fassler as well as James Scott Bell’s Just Write.   In the middle of John Strelecky’s Café on the Edge of the World and for some reason this story strikes me as an advertisement for something else. Can’t quite put my finger on it, but something is missing in the narrative.  For some reason it reminds me of Amway. 😊

I don’t have just one favorite anti hero. At this point in time, Roland from Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and Severus Snape from Harry Potter are my two favorites. Lizbeth Salander from the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo runs a close third.  She was an odd duck. 

WIP Row 80 Wednesday Update: Time is fleeting!

Clock walker courtesy of Profound Whatever

Have you ever noticed that as you get older time seems to pass so much more quickly.   I really don't know where the week went.  Between lessons, reading, work, reading, cats, reading, editing,  and reading.... Well I think we know what I've been doing with my time.  *grin*    Oh and Eureka and Glee are back.  Yeah!

I managed to revise chapter two of my current WIP and give a bit more life to my main male character.   I can see where this is going to be a slow process.  I finished reading James Scott Bell's Revision and Self Editing in the Write Great Fiction series.  And he himself says

"Learn always about the craft, but when you write, write like Fast Eddie Felson played pool in The Hustler, fast and loose.  When you revise, revise slow and cool."

I've decided not to rush the process and do my best.  Going to give myself a few days, then start the next book in the series:  Characters, Emotion and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress. I like how they are all written in the same format which makes seem to all mesh together.   For the next week, will be working on Chapter 3 and rewriting it from MMC point of view. 

I discovered a new to me author this past week - Jennifer Estep who writes urban fantasy.  I've fallen in like with her Elemental Assassin series, devoured the first four books and just started #5 Spider's Revenge.  I really need to start analyzing what it is that draws my attention to these stories. Besides the writing that is.  As soon as I'm done reading # 5, I'll be diving into Nora Robert's latest book The Witness which just arrived today.  She, of course, is on my master list of authors to study - she is a writing diva.  I'm working my way slowly, very slowly, through The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky for my April Read a Russian Author Month. 

I'm persevering with the treadmill. Although I discovered something interesting.  I broke down last Saturday and bought a dozen bakery cookies which are huge. They have been affecting my stamina - don't know if it is the added sodium or the sugar but it's been more a struggle to get make it through my 1 hour workouts. Cross my heart and all the jazz, I won't be buying any more.  That and corn makes my nose stuff up.  Can't blame on the spring weather which I am so happy has arrived so I can sit out on the patio in the mornings and write. Have you ever noticed your productivity goes up in the spring? 

Social media - big fail this week.  Promise to make my rounds and drop by soon! 

So how are my fellow rowers fairing?  Making progress or revising your goals?

Sunday Salon: Headline News - Dieting cat discombobulates household

Poor Herbie Bear is having issues again and has to go on a diet. As you can imagine in a household with 4 cats who are all on different feeding schedules and like to munch throughout the day, this has thrown them for a loop. But...But...But... Why is he getting something different. I want what she's eating. I'll just wait til she leaves the room and dip into the bag when she isn't looking. Quick he's outside, give me food...Now!  

They are learning to eat when the dishes appears because they could disappear at any moment. And hubby is learning not to give when sweet faces peer up at him, meow longingly and wind their way around him.

Writing wise, I haven't accomplished much this week. I'm just not happy with the opening of Blue Steel. Since I didn't take much of a break from it when originally finished the first draft and seem to be stuck, going to set it aside and give it a rest while I work on  Eyes in the Ashes.  My goals for this week will be simple - figure out my plan of action.

1)  finish typing up remaining pages - discovered didn't type up the last 3 or 4 chapters.

2)  reread in entirety and make notes of what needs to be done. 

I'm still reading "Revision and Self Editing" by James Scott Bell and gleaning a lot of useful information.  Speaking of Bell (synchronicity again), he wrote a great post over on The Kill Zone "Listen to the Book".  He talks about the actor Eli Wallach (you remember him don't you?)  who used to say "The secret to acting is listening" and applies it to writing.  Makes a lot of sense.

And another writer who makes a lot of sense is Jody Hedlund.  She has a new book coming out in September and I highlighted her over on Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks this week.   I'm also thrilled to announce 52 Books will be one of 12 bloggers taking part in the book blog tour for Frank Peretti and his newest book "Illusions" which will run from March 26 through April 9.  

 I'll be hosting on April 4th and will be reviewing Illusions here on My Two Blessings as well.  I first discovered Frank's books back in the 80's with This Present Darkness  about a town caught up in a spiritual warfare battle between angels and demons. His books are spine tingling, chilling, nail biting, good so looking forward to reading his latest. 

I've been doing great with my exercise goals and did the treadmill 5 days this week for one hour a day and upped the grade to 1 which may not seem like much but made a difference in calories burned.  Not doing too great on the cookie front since Girl Scout are still selling their cookies. Honestly, who can pass up Thin Mints? 

Be sure to check out my fellow ROWers. Round two ends on the 22nd and another round will begin April 2nd. I'll be a sponsor for the next round.  If you've been wanting to jump in, now is the time. 

 The first thing you lose on a diet is your sense of humor.  ~Author Unknown