Day 31: Why I Love Halloween

Probably a question to those of you who have read more than one post through this whole endeavour is why did I decide to do this 31 days of Blogtober challenge?

Well, there are a couple of reasons for it.

The first is that because I’m just starting up on this blog and want to allow my readers to get to know me a little a better. I’m a huge fan of transparency, and this seemed like a really good way of helping with that. So, I’m trying to put myself out there so you guys can know who I am and where I’m coming from.

The second reason is that I love Halloween and everything to do with fall, and I thought this was a really good idea. And I’ll be honest, this was a lot of fun.

Now, as to why I love Halloween.

It’s a magical time of the year for me. As a kid dressing up and getting mountains of candy. As I got older and developed a love for horror and the supernatural it became more interesting. The veil between worlds is thinner tonight than is usually is, after all.

I’ve always liked dressing up as someone else and pretending to be someone who isn’t me. I’ve loved the idea of magic and creatures you wouldn’t normally think to exist, existing.

I love pumpkins. I just love everything having to do with it. I could go on and on for a very long time, but eventually, I’d get frustrated because I can’t properly explain all of my reasoning for it. I just love everything about it, it brings up really good memories. I love the aesthetic. Just, everything about it I love.

Thank you for joining me for the LAST DAY of my Blogtober challenge, which was me posting a fall or Halloween themed post every day for the month of October. As of today, all of these posts will be up for you to look through as you like if you’re interested. I will be resuming my regular posting schedule of one logical post on Fridays and additional bonus content throughout the week as things come up. I hope all of you have a happy and safe Halloween, and you get a lot of candy. I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn.

Day 12: Favourite Seasonal Drinks and Why

When the weather begins to turn there’s a myriad of warm drinks that begin to flood into cups and make you feel all warm and cozy.

I have quite a few drinks I really love to have in the fall. Now, disclaimer, I do drink hot tea and coffee(if it’s flavoured) year round, but these will always remind me of fall and everything to do with it.

Apple Cinnamon Tea:

I think the closest thing to this would be cider, but I’ve never had cider before. But this tea just ticks all the boxes for things that remind me of fall. Apples, cinnamon, spice. And, it’s warm. Which makes it all the better.

Hot Chocolate with Peppermint:

Cold weather always meant hot chocolate for me when I was a kid. And something that I found recently was adding a couple of peppermint candies into the mug before adding the hot water(or milk if you’re that anal about it) infuses the peppermint flavour, and it’s delicious! I will drink this all the time when there’s a chill in the air. I am a little bit upset at the moment, however, because I don’t have any mint candies in my house right now and not a lot of hot chocolate mix so I can’t have this.

White Chocolate Peppermint Tea:

You’re probably gonna start seeing a theme here. I get this tea from Teavana(link here if you’re interested —>>> https://www.teavana.com/ ). They do have seasonal teas, and I think this is actually part of their winter collection, but my point still stands. This is so smooth, and sweet, and delicious. I enjoy it. I encourage you to try it. If you can’t get a hold of it, I’m sorry. I’m sure you can find something similar though. Just chocolate and mint tea in general, try some this fall. It’s really good.

Buddha’s Blend:

This is a Davidstea specific tea(If you would like to check it out —>>> https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/tea/buddhas-blend/10348DT01VAR0015204.html ), I know this is a very Canadian oriented company. I think there are a couple of stores in the USA, but I’m not sure if they’re international right now. I do think they do international shipping however. Buddha’s blend is a very smooth and delicious tea. It’s kind of fruity, kind of floral, kind of earthy. It’s a very well rounded tea. And with the floral accents in it, it’s a nice little last minute good bye to summer sort of tea.

I drink a lot of tea. I love having a hot cup(or iced sometimes in the summer) tea next to me while I’m working. It’s calming, invigorating, and really warming, especially when I’m writing difficult scenes or am working on something I don’t want to but needs to get done. It’s a nice hug. That’s how I view it.

Do you have a favourite warm drink you like to curl up with in the fall? Let me know in the comments.

Thank you so much for joining me for day 12 of my October 2018 Blogger Challenge, where I write a fall or Halloween themed post for the month of October. If you enjoyed this, come back tomorrow to see what I have for you then. If it’s after the 31st then all of these posts are up and you can check them all out. I hope you have a great day/afternoon/evening/night, and I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn

Day 11: Why Fall Isn’t That Great for Writers

So, yesterday I talked about all the amazing things about fall that make it so wonderful for writers. Rarely, however, are things so one sided. So, because I rarely show only one side of an argument, I’m going to be going over some of the things that make fall not so great if you’re a writer.

Disclaimer, I know I already did a post about some of the things I don’t like about fall. I won’t be repeating them here. I’m using this post to look at the cons of the season from a writer perspective and not a personal perspective. And, as always, I’m open to arguments and debates in the comments, if you aren’t being an ass about it. Feel free to disagree with me all you want, I just ask you be nice about.

So, without further a due, what are some of the things that make fall less than ideal for writers?

1. It’s cold and flu season.

Maybe for some of you this is fine. You’re used to working while you’re sick, or you rarely if ever get sick. I’m not one of you.

I get sick about twice a year. Once in the fall and once in the spring. Around the frost and the thaw, I think a lot of people do too. But I’ve never been one of those people who can work through their sickness when it gets really bad. Now, granted, I am one of those people who when they get sick it hits them like a ton of bricks so that might have something to do with it.

But, honestly, who wants to be sick? And who wants to be sick and write?

2. A lot of books come out in the fall.

I had this as a pro on my last list, but it can also be a con if you’re one of those people obsess over their TBR list. With all the great titles that get released or announced, it’s fine to add a dozen or two to your wish list. But obsessing over them until it gets to a ‘manageable’ number? I think not.

3. Fall generally means things start up again.

Fall, for a lot of us, generally means school, or sports, or some other obligation. Whether it’s for you or if you have kids that have to do that, when the weather turns busy-ness ensues.

And what generally happens when life picks up like it does? You generally have less time to do the things you want.

Now, if you’re a full time writer fall’s probably a blessing for a quiet house for you. However, for the average joe, not so much.

The unfortunates of the matter, is not a lot of us actually have the luxury of being home all day to write and work on our wips. So, we tend to lose a lot of time.

4. Weather.

Depending on where you live you could have a warm fall, or an extremely cold one, or something in between.

If you do live in a place that has a very cold fall, you might face the problem in the morning of, what I have taken to calling, ‘cozy infiltration’.

You know that feeling when you wake up and it’s a cold morning? Where you know you have to get up, but the air is so cold and your covers are so warm, and you just can’t get yourself out of bed? That’s cozy infiltration.

You’ve infiltrated your bed and blended in with the covers. Now you’re all warm and cozy. Then your alarm goes off, which is the equivalent of your superiors pulling you out of a mission because it’s too risky. You know it’s risky to stay, but you aren’t compromised. And you’ve gotten further down this rabbit hole than anyone before you, and if you back out now no one else will ever get in. So you need to make the call: stay in the cozy? Or get your ass out of bed and get some work done before work, or school, or whatever you have to do?

And its way too tempting to stay in bed. So you’ll be less likely to get any work done. Sucks, doesn’t it?

Anyway, that’s about all I can think of. Do you have another reason why fall sucks for writers that I missed? Leave a comment and tell me about it.

Thank you so much for joining me for day 11 for my October 2018 blogging challenge, which is where I post a fall or Halloween themed post for the month of October. If you liked what you saw here today, come back tomorrow to see what I have for you. And, if it’s after the 31st you have all the posts available to you. I hope you are having a great day/afternoon/evening/night, and I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn.

Day 10: Why Fall is the Best Season for Writers

If you don’t know this by now, you’re a little late to the party, but allow me to educate you. I am a writer. I hope to one day, in the near future, become a published author. As such I have quite a few opinions on certain things surrounding writers and their habits.

Such as this.

1. It’s not hot as hell outside.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t function in the heat. Summer is my mortal enemy. It gets too hot, and I get sweaty, and I can’t sleep, and I inevitably get sick because of the heat and I can’t eat much is anything. And I can’t even pull the ‘Yes, I know I’m eating a lot of ice cream. But it’s the only thing I can eat in this heat.’, because I happen to be lactose intolerant. Meaning I get sick when I ingest most dairy products, unless they are lactose free.

I’m also one of those people who likes it when it’s a little chilly out. You can put on a sweater or curl up in some blankets and you’re perfectly fine. Can’t do that in summer.

2. There are so many new books released in fall.

This might seem like it should be a negative, but what if one of those books is yours? Pretty good incentive to write more, right?

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I also like read in between phases of my wips. I’ll read in between drafts, or before bed, or as a reward for finishing a task I really didn’t want to do. If I’m excited enough for a book, it’s a reward.

You will never hurt your craft by reading, especially if it’s books you enjoy.

3. It’s not that unbearably cold.

Depending on where you live, this might depend. But, where I live it doesn’t get really cold until closer to the tail end of fall, closing in on winter. So it’s far easier to get up in the morning to get work done, rather than remain swaddled in your warm bed. This is, of course, assuming that you get up during the day and have not adopted a nocturnal lifestyle like some writers.

Fall, for me, holds a wonderful in between temperature that allows me to get a lot of work done at most points in my day. As long as it’s not the middle of the afternoon. That generally gets really warm.

4. Warm drinks!

I love me a hot cup of tea. Or a lovely cup of coffee. Or hot chocolate. I’m sure a lot of you out there do too.

That thing about fall, all of those are perfectly acceptable to have hot again. In the summer it’s okay too, a lot of people have a morning cup of coffee. But if it’s the middle of the afternoon and you’re sipping on a hot cup of tea, people are going to question your sanity.

Now, I enjoy my iced beverages in summer too, don’t get me wrong. But I find there is nothing that compliments a solid writing session more than a steaming mug of your favourite with a couple of cookies next to it.

And if that’s not a reason to love fall. I don’t know what is.

5. Halloween.

Let’s be honest, you knew this was going to be here somewhere.

I love Halloween. You probably enjoy it, at least to some degree.

During Halloween there’s scary movies, costumes, parties(that you probably avoid like the plague if you’re anything like me), and just a general air of creepiness all around you. You’ve probably tried your hand, if not full out wrote, a creepy/scary/disgusting scene or piece at one point and time. Halloween is the perfect time to experiment with some of the more grotesque writing angles that you might not be comfortable with.

Or, if you’re like me and already write them year round, a good time to talk about them to people in public without getting too many freaked out stares.

That’s about all I got for you today. Thank you for joining me for day 10 of my October 2018 blogging challenge, where I post a fall or Halloween themed post for the month of October. If you liked this, please come back tomorrow to see what I have for you then. And, if it’s after the 31st you’ll have all the posts to look through.

I hope you are having a great day/afternoon/evening/night, and I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn

Day 9: Getting to Know the Writer Tag

This is going to be the first of a few tag games I do here, specifically this month. This one I got from a tumblr user As Flies to Wanton Blogs(check out the original post and its poster here if you’re interested —>>> https://ofvisitorsthefairest.tumblr.com/post/174340788743/writeblr-friends ).

For those of you who are unfamiliar to tag games, basically what they are is you answer the questions and then tag people. If you are tagged by a person who has already done this tag then you need to do it as well. Depending on the tag there might be additional things you need to do, like come up with your own questions or something like that. This one however, is just answer the questions and tag people you want to get to know.

So, without further a due let’s go!

1. What genre(s) do you write?

I write a lot of fantasy, with romantic subplots. Recently, for one of my wips I have dabbled into action and adventure. Just about everything I write, however, tends to have darker themes or elements in it.

2. What’s on your reading wish list?

I think I’m going to save everyone the grief and just put a link to my goodreads here —>>> https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/86372138

If you’re interested in seeing what I want to read or have read, check it out. I’m not going to force anyone who doesn’t want to, but it’s there if you’re really curious.

3.Your favourite character from your current WIP?

From ‘Realm of the Demon Empress’ I really like Lord Syler. He’s a great character and his actions really challenge your views on how Demons actually act, especially to their loved ones.

From my newest wip, ‘Trials for the Princess Ryanne’ I have to say I really love Blair. Blair comes from a small village near the mountains, she comes from a family of hunters, she has a couple of older sisters who are all married. She’s almost eighteen, and as such her father’s trying to marry her off as well. She doesn’t want this, she’s really taken to her father’s trade and became an amazing hunter, basically becoming a shadow in the forest. She’s sarcastic, agile, adaptable, she doesn’t have a lot of respect for a lot of people, especially right off the bat, but after she gets to know a person and they earn her respect they have it and she’s rather loyal. This is especially evident with the MC, Sloan; whom, as much as I like, she’s not my favourite character.

Those are my favourite. I’ll rephrase, those are my favourites without giving spoilers right now.

4. Some writing tropes you like

I love a good underdog story. There is nothing more satisfying to me than the struggle and the eventual success.

I also love found families. These usually go hand in hand with underdog stories in my experience, but I really do love it. It goes to show that you can choose your family. Family is not restricted to those who are related to you by blood.

I also really like when there are two characters who constantly pick on one another and have dorky nicknames and they just throw insults back and forth at one another, but at the end of the day they are the first one to throw themselves in front of a bullet for the other.

5. The story behind your WIP’s name

I choose titles once I’m done with the first or second draft of my wip, and I’ll select words that are constantly coming up and repeating themselves.  So, with ‘Realm of the Demon Empress’, Realm came up at least once in a chapter; this was because there were different Realms. The Human Realm. The Demon Realm. The Realms under the South-Eastern stars. Realm is everywhere. Demon comes up a lot as well, and the reason I chose to include this in the title, I cannot say because spoilers. Empress doesn’t become prominent until near the end of the book, when Amilia gains that title… somehow.

So, there isn’t really a story behind it so much as it just fit. Sorry if that’s not a great answer.

6. Are you a pantser or a plotter?

Can I say I’m both?

I am a plotter because I need a time line or an outline to help keep me on task because my mind has a tendency to wander. So I need that to stop me from taking the story off in a completely different direction or getting lost along the way.

I’m also a pantser because, while I have an outline, it’s rather bare bones. It’s really only the big, main points that I want to accomplish in this scene that’s on the outline. And I’ll just fill in the blanks as I go. It could take me three sentences to get from one point to the other, it could take me six pages. I might realize I need to include this and forgot to put it in so I’m going to put it in here. I don’t know.

So, yeah. I think I’m both.

7. Do you post your work somewhere?

Here! Pretty much the main reason I made this site. I also post bonus content sometimes on my tumblr (check me out —>>> https://pir8chickk18.tumblr.com/ ).

8. Do you also read/write fanfic? If yes, for the same genres as what you write?

Reading and writing fanfic is actually how I discovered my love of writing. I have/had a fanfic blog that I’ve been posting regularly on until recently(I needed to focus my energy more on my work and building my author platform, which is why I stopped). As for the genres, I’m taking this as the original pieces I’m writing fanfic for. In which case, yes. Action, adventure, fantasy/not our world, with darker elements in them.

9. Your favourite dessert. Because why not.

Okay! Umm, I really like ice cream. But something I had once was tiramisu, which is amazing. So, I’m going to say that!

Alright, now that I’m done I’m tagging all of who are reading this to do this too. You can do this on your blog, on tumblr, on some other platform. Just please remember to come back here and post a link to your answers in the comments here, I would love to see them.

Thank you so much for joining me for day 9 of my October 2018 Blogger Challenge, which is where I post a fall or Halloween themed post for the entire month of October. If you liked what you saw here today you can come back tomorrow to see what I have for you. Or, if it’s after the 31st, all of these are up and you can check them all out. I hope you’re having a great day/afternoon/evening/night, and I will see you next time.

-T.R. Flynn