End of Semester/Writing Update

Welcome back to the Tramway.

Well friends, the end of the semester has come once again. Albeit a little different this time, given the COVID-19 Pandemic and needing to stay at home. I hope you are all doing well and are staying healthy and safe.

Working on the final exams from home was definitely a different experience. A few of my exams were easier than I was expecting, and quite possibly easier than they would have been in person. (I would've preferred to do them in person, but given the circumstances, I can't complain). Surprisingly, I had some time during finals week to work on my writing again, which was a nice change of pace.

Classes don't start again until Monday for May Term, our mini semester to wrap off the year, so I have the weekend to relax and do some writing. So far during this stay at home time, I've finished two short stories (one that I turned out much longer than anticipated, and have began rewriting (for the final time) my first project.

The first project I finished is a retelling of the classic Knight vs a Dragon fairy tale, but with a few twists. It's one I have several drafts of since I wrote it my sophomore year of college. I'm still trying to work out the kinks with my ideas (the main problem being trying to describe some fantasy-technology and make the story work).

The second is a short story in a series I have planned, but haven't started yet, a sci-fi world where railroads race across the stars, inspired by the amazing anime series Galaxy Express 999 and Galaxy Railways. I was inspired by a story about train wreck songs to write a story about a wreck in space, which didn't turn out as I planned. I was planning to have a character die, but that seemed too obvious. Or maybe I'm just too kind to my characters. Then again, is having them nearly sucked into a black hole kind? 😜

Speaking of trains in space, do you remember when I talked about the Bethany Galactic Railway chronicles? Well... I decided to scrap that idea. The space part anyways. The idea of talking locomotives with faces in space didn't seem to click with me (if you want to use that, by all means, go for it, it's not mine to claim. There has been other series like that, See Galaxy Express 999 or Galaxy Railways).

As I've mentioned on Twitter, Johnny and the other characters who make up the story are some of my oldest characters. Since I decided to write in 5th or 6th Grade, I have been working on the project in some form. It's a story I want to finish, but I've struggled to do so.

As I explained when I've struggled with my overwriting/overthinking, I have in the past struggled to finish projects and continuously rewrote projects. And then, I saw this video a few weeks ago by Ellen Brock:

When I heard the section about writers who start projects but never finish, I thought "Crap, that's me!" I decided enough was enough, I was going to finish this draft. I wrote myself a simplified outline (based off mine using the Snowflake Outline Method, link here if interested) and have been working at it ever since.

So where am I currently? I finished Chapter 4, and am working on making my way through Chapter 5. Unfortunately Chapters 3, 4 and 5 in my outline would have been more condensed, but I had to spread them out a bit. I'm aiming for 12 pages per chapter, which I have stuck to so far (with maybe an extra page to finish a chapter well. I'll condense it in the edit).

All right, last writing update: I have continued working on The Occasional Express, my spin off blog for train related news and opinion pieces. The views fluctuate with the posts, same as here, but I'm all right with that. For a time during the stay at home/quarantine, I considered not writing any more posts. However, I'm going to stick with it, and see where it goes.

One thing that is consistent in my writing is that is has given me a bit of escapism from the stress of the news and just life recently. Being able to create has helped me feel like I have some normalcy as well. I hope you are finding the same in whatever you may be creating or doing to keep yourself mentally healthy.

That's all I have for this blog entry. For my writing friends, what have you been working on during these crazy times? And for my non writing friends, what have you been doing/working on?

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this blog post, please consider subscribing here on Blogger to keep updated. You can also find me on Facebook, and Twitter. Thank you, and I'll see you on the Tramway!

Coronavirus Update (And my Quarantine Reading List so Far)

Hello everyone, welcome back to the Tramway. I hope I find you all well during these very stressful times. It's been a while since I've written (probably the longest hiatus I've had).

I think you can probably guess the reason why, but in case you're reading this post 2020 (if you are, hello from the past!) the Coronavirus shut down/chaos meant that my blogs had to go on hold as more important issues came up.

So a while back I had to move off campus early, which wasn't what I was hoping would happen, but wasn't avoidable. The Governor of Indiana ordered restaurants to close to dining service, which meant the dining hall on campus had to close. I wasn't happy about it, but all things considered, it wasn't their fault (the reason I was so upset was that we planned to stay open but everyone stayed in their rooms, and that changed quickly. As I've seen, that's what this time has been full of: quick changes). And I certainly am lucky I'm not a senior this year (current seniors of the Class of 2020, High School or College, I'm so sorry, you have my sympathy).

I'm now back at home, which is going well. It's slightly awkward because our current place is small, but we're making due. With that said, I don't have it the worst, and I don't want to sound like I do. Thankfully my family is safe and healthy, and we have enough food to last us. As my Mom has pointed out to me, with our background, we know how to survived during a crisis like this.

Getting back on topic of the hiatus, my school work has increased a lot, along with my stress/anxiety, so I haven't felt that motivated to write anything for fun. Thankfully, I have things more under control, though next week is Finals Week (fingers crossed everyone 🤞)

I have taken one online exam so far, so I kinda know what to expect. Hopefully it won't be too bad.

So that's where I'm at with the Coronavirus. I hope you and your family and friends are safe as well. And if you're working as an essential worker, please be careful and look after yourselves. And thank you.

Quarantine Reading List (So Far) 

So as I hinted to in the title of this post, I've been catching up on some reading, which has been really nice. I finally got around to reading some indie works I was able to get copies of for free (thank you Authors) and I figured "Hey? Wouldn't it be fun to write about what I've been reading so far?" So here we are. I'm going to format this in a bit of a list (not in any particular order, except my best attempt at chronological order).

1. Shark River, a Faerth Novella by Tara Maya

Image © Tara Maya

When I saw the title of this book, I was hooked, and was glad that I was able to read it for free. (Thank you Ms. Maya). 

Shark River is a standalone Novella in a larger series, the Unsong Series. To provide a brief synopsis, Dindi, a low level magic user, is kidnapped to be a sacrifice to a Shark shapeshifter, who is attacking a village, and her friend (along with a captured enemy) must rescue her before she is killed. I think this may also be the first Novella I've read.

Unfortunately, this book isn't on GoodReads (as far as I can tell), so I couldn't review it there, so I'll summarize my thoughts here: I loved it.

Even though I haven't read the other books in the series, I was still able to understand the story and the world. The worldbuilding in the story is also very well done, and you can easily understand the conflict that arises from the world, such as the agony of being banished. 

The main characters are very likable, and the resolution makes you feel very glad inside. The ending could be seen as cheesy to some, but I felt it worked well with what was set up beforehand. 

Overall, I definitely recommend checking out Shark River, and the rest of the Unfinished Song Series. If you want to download Shark River for free, you can do so here on Ms. Maya's website. Want another review? Check out this post here. 

2. Autonomous by Andy Marino

Image © Disney-Hyperion Publications. Used Under Fair Use

The next book is more mainstream, which I found in the Bookmobile that came to my College before we closed. Autonomous by Andy Marino is a road trip if your AI (spoiler alert) was modelled after KARR from Knight Rider (not KITT mind you, KARR) or Ultron from Marvel. It's a thriller/suspense as 4 friends' secrets are exposed to each other, and they try to survive at the AI of their car, dubbed Otto, becomes more aware.

I enjoyed this book, however, I do want to note that the book has been slightly mis-targeted. It says it's a Young Adult book, however there are themes in Autonomous that are not suitable for readers under the age of say 16 or 17. The characters do feel fleshed out, and have a lot of flaws, which creates a lot of drama between them.

While a lot of reviews on GoodReads are very negative (mostly due to the target audience being Young Adults 14 and above, I personally enjoyed it, and would reccomend for readers who are prepared to read a more mature novel. If you want to buy a copy (and support bookstores during these hard times) you can find a copy for sale on BookShop.org here. (Disclaimer: I do not make any money from sales)

3. Beauty Pop Volume 1

Image © Viz Media. Used under Fair Use.

This' another book from the Bookmobile. Now I haven't read a lot of Manga (except for the first volume of Death Note, which I need to go back to at some point). So when I saw this and read the synopsis, I decided to give it a look into. And I'm glad I did. The story is a slice of life drama that helped me forget about my current struggles.

The story follows a young hairdresser who takes on the "Scissors Project" at her school, even though she doesn't want to be in the spotlight, and does it just for the art. It took me some time to adjust to the manga's format, though I did adjust and really enjoyed seeing another way to format comics/manga. 

Ms. Arai's writing is very enjoyable, and the artwork compliments it well. My only regret with this book is that I don't have any other volumes, so I'll have to wait a while before I can read Volume 2. It will definitely be worth the wait. 

If you want to check out Beauty Pop Volume 1, you can find it on BookShop.Org here. (Again, I do not make money by doing so, I just really like BookShop.org and feel they're a business worth backing). 

4. Fire Arrow by Edith Pattou

Image © Magic Carpet Books. Used Under Fair Use.

Another book I for got for free thanks to the Bookmobile, "Fire Arrow" is the second book in a fantasy series, which follows one of the secondary protagonists from the first book, Brie, as she goes on a quest into a magical land to avenge her Father's Killer. To aid her quest, Brie inherits a magical arrow, and as she goes on her vengeful mission, she learns the killer is closer to her than she thinks.

What I really liked about Fire Arrow is that we see the affects of seeking revenge on Brie. (Minor Spoiler)


After killing some of her father's killers, Brie feels an immense sense of guilt, especially after she and her friend argued over her going down the path of revenge. Brie learns from it, and becomes a better person for it.

I really liked the world building of the land Fire Arrow is set in, and it's made me want to go and find the first book and future sequels. I'd recommend starting with the first book, but Fire Arrow (in some ways) works well as a standalone book, despite being a sequel.

If you're interested in Fire Arrow, you can find it on BookShop.org here.

5. Tristan by Sylvain St.-Pierre

Image © Goal Publications. Used Under Fair Use

This' the most recent book I finished since the Stay At Home push came. Tristan by Sylvain St-Pierre is a sci-fi revenge story following the titular main character, Tristan, going after the people responsible for him being locked in cryo for 10 years. 

Like Shark River, I was able to get a copy of Tristan for free (thanks Mr. St-Pierre!) and I definitely enjoyed reading Tristan and seeing his journey. 

Tristan is definitely one of the most violent books I have read, which's fair because this' a revenge story following an alien who resembles a bear. Tristan is more than brawn, he's also very intelligent, which helps him break into places and trick people when necessary. (Again, Minor Spoilers ahead)

The most tragic part of Tristan's story is his manipulation of Alex, a human who is into aliens, and seeing the way Tristan manipulates him (and also drugs to make him sick so he can break into his work) is heartbreaking.

On that topic, I guess my main critique of the book is that Tristan might be too unlikable as a main character, though that may just be my personal bias showing. Tristan is definitely more of an anti-hero than a hero, which there is nothing wrong with, and it does work for the main plot of the story. 

If Tristan sounds up your alley, you can find a copy here.

All right before I finish, I want to mention the book I'm currently reading.

The Van Helsing Paradox by Evelyn Chartres 

The Van Helsing Paradox is a book I've been meaning to read for a while, which I found out about by interacting with the author a few times on Twitter. Like Shark River and Tristan, The Van Helsing Paradox can be found online for free, such as on Google Books. (Sorry, no link this time, I'm not sure if it will work or be a personal url, I'm also having internet problems at the moment).

I'm only a few pages in so far, but I'm really enjoying the story. I will go into more detail on this book when I get farther in.

What have you been reading during this very trying time? Are you reaching out to new books or going back to old favorites? Let me know on here, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. Thanks for reading everyone. Stay healthy, keep washing your hands, and I'll See you on the Tramway.