Tag: Drafting

He stared at me and I felt a change, time meant nothing, never would again!

Sara Mazariegos

Weekend fun. Last weekend, Luis and I went out to dinner with my parents in D.C. at a place called Capitano in The Wharf. It’s a good, Southern Italian place. We caught up with my parents about their recent trip to Norway and Iceland, and they gave us a few souvenirs. We also stuffed ourselves on pizza, pasta, and bruschetta. Oh, and tiramisu.

On Sunday, Luis and I celebrated the 14th early by going to an all-you-can-eat stir fry place by our house. We also watched a few episodes of Dahmer: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which has a too-long title. We’ve already seen a documentary about him, and My Friend Dahmer, so we know about the case. He was a pretty messed up individual, to say the least. We also watched the original Nosferatu, which was very tame by comparison. Can you tell we’re looking forward to Halloween?

Things start rolling soon. I’ve realized, as I look at my calendar, that all of our fun plans start rolling soon. We’re seeing John Green next week, and then about a week later we’re seeing Josh Johnson. And then the following week we’ll be at Disney! Everything is occurring close to each other this year, and it makes it all very exciting. After we go to Disney/Universal, we’re also seeing Rush.

I like having lots of plans in autumn, because it is my favorite season. It does make it a little harder to watch a bunch of Halloween movies, but there’s nothing preventing us from stretching Halloween through November. Especially because the nice, autumn weather probably won’t really kick in until then. I cannot wait to wear hoodies outside again*.

What happens to our imaginations? In all of my nostalgia as I write lately, I remember how I used to create entire worlds in backyards, and get my friends to see the same things as me. I once turned my friend’s backyard into The Haunted Mansion, at least in our minds. It was so cool that I’ll never forget it. All we really had was a red plastic wagon (her little sister rode in the wagon) and some cool, southern gothic-esque porches and trees to play in. We wheeled her little sister around the backyard and I described the imagery of the ride, turning the porch into Madame Leota’s seance room or a tree vine into a snake. We would shake the wagon or run with it down a grassy hill to make the “ride” more thrilling in places. It was so much fun.

What happens to our imaginations as we get older? I feel like I do still imagine a lot of things, but real life and adult sensibilities often get in the way. The whimsy is quieted. I read something online recently that said we don’t remember the last time we played, because we didn’t know it would be the last time.

Maybe the next story I write should be for kids. I’d love to reawaken the whimsical, hyper-imaginative side of my brain. I know it’s still there. Does it know I miss it?

All the pieces seem to fit into place. As things fit into place in my story, I’m starting to feel oddly psyched for the second draft. This never happens. But I wrote down some notes for some changes I already know I want to make, and I’m excited to fill in some gaps and add some more subplot drama. I’ve been doing a lot of research, and humorously enough it’s a lot of looking back and remembering things that happened and when and how.

I’m starting to feel like I really have something here. I hope it’s true.

* I often wear hoodies inside because air conditioning makes me cold.

It’s gonna take patience and time to do it right, child.

Sara Mazariegos

Days off in the middle of the week. Last week, I had Tuesday and Wednesday off and it was so nice to have a break in the middle of the week. It gave me some much needed rest, even if I did wake up early both days to get Disney reservations. It gave me more time with Luis, which is always wonderful. And it made the weekend come sooner. The only downside is the weekend ends up feeling too brief. But then, weekends are always too brief, arent they?

I do intend to keep this in mind, though. Having days off on Monday or Friday to stretch out the weekend is good, but there’s something to be said for having the middle of the week off, too. Especially when I’ve been as tired out as I have been during this summer’s Metro construction. Only twelve more days until things go back to normal and I get to have my shorter commute back! Yes, I’m counting the days.

Spider-Man and potlucks. We were planning to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day again last weekend, but our movie theater unexpectedly closed for maintenance. I was really looking forward to seeing it again (especially not so up-close this time.) We ended up having a nice brunch instead, and watching Jaws, which was nice. There was a “Vinyl Day” at the library nearby, and I’m pretty sure it had a huge turnout because people couldn’t go to the movies. Could’ve been worse. It’s good to support your local library.

Also on Saturday, we went to our neighborhood’s block party. Luis made tostadas that were a big hit. It was nice to see everyone, but we are the neighborhood shy people, so we mostly sat quietly and ate food together. Some ladies introduced themselves and were very into talking about their fresh bean orders online, which was amusing if a bit strange. We have a friendly neighborhood. Oh wow, that’s what I could’ve called this section. “Friendly Neighborhood + Spider-Man.” D’oh!

Disney excitement. On my days off last week, I watched some YouTube videos on how to walk from our hotel to the Magic Kingdom, and how to take the Skyliner into Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. I love that there’s a video for everything these days. The hotels in the videos I found are even the exact hotels we’re staying at, so we don’t have to try to transpose the information for ourselves. There’s a delicate line between avoiding spoilers and knowing what we’re doing so we don’t arrive and feel lost. I love being in the know about stuff. It makes me even more excited. And I also feel dorky watching a ride-through Skyliner video, because it’s literally just a gondola on a line going from a hotel to a theme park gate. But I like to be prepared!

Planning our trips is sometimes more exciting to me than actually being there and doing the things. Sometimes, the being there and doing the things part is more stressful, but imagining doing the things is fun. Also, everything happens so quickly when we’re actually there. But in the twoish months leading up to it, I can daydream about all of the things we’ll do. At the same time, I cannot wait to be at Disney again and experience the new things and the old things we love!

Telling myself the story first. One of the more frustrating things to get in my head is that writing the first draft is me telling myself the story first. It comes out as the messiest version. It’s basically improv so far, making it up as I go along with the aid of some notes/prompts. I’m getting the thoughts and ideas written down so future me can go in and make sense of it. Then the second draft will presumably be better. And then the third draft, etc.

This is the first story I’ve written from the beginning in a long time, because the last two stories I wrote came from previously-written drafts that needed to be heavily rewritten. This time, I’m starting from scratch. And it’s scary. It’s daunting. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought, “well, this is hard. I don’t have to keep writing it.” But that is the trap! Every novel starts out in the frustrating, ‘this isn’t coming out the way I envisioned’ phase. Every author goes through this, probably with every novel they’ve published. It’s hard to imagine, and hard to feel like pushing through the self-doubt and the “grr, this needs to be better” will eventually be worth it. But I know that it will. And then I’ll have a completed novel I can be proud of.

And maybe eventually send to agents. But I’m taking the pressure off myself. For now, it’s best to focus on the enjoyment of writing and discovering things as I draft it all out.

Do you think time would pass me by?

Sara Mazariegos

After-work drinks. On Friday, we went out for drinks and dinner with some of Luis’s friends from high school. It was nice to meet up in the city and go out instead of doing the usual routine, although I did end up quite tired when it was over. We stayed up until one in the morning! What are we, college kids?! We did spend a lot of time with his friends talking about high school people and experiences. I felt so old. 😆

And then, when Luis took the train to Wheaton with me, the scary elevator didn’t seem so scary, and I don’t really remember the bus ride. It was much nicer to have him with me. Only 20 more days of this longer commute for me! Can you tell I’m looking forward to things going back to normal?

Spider-Man summation. Luis and I saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day on Saturday. The theater was more packed than I’ve seen it in a long, long time. We had to sit in the second row, and my shoulders are still sore from looking up the whole time, but it was worth it. It brought back memories of seeing Spider-Man 2 starring Tobey McGuire with my sister, and us having to crane our necks the whole time/not be sick when he was webbing through NYC. I think Brand New Day is the best Marvel movie in a long time. I’m already looking forward to seeing it again. Preferably a little further back in the seating rows.

I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I won’t go into detail. Just know that it surpassed my expectations. I think Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man in the movies. He’s the right mix of jokester and dork. And he’s so agile! It’s funny how the Barbenheimer this summer is two Tom Holland movies. I enjoyed both of them, and one of them is clearly going to win a bunch of awards, but man if I don’t enjoy a fun Marvel movie.

Dumb & Dumber all these years later. On Sunday, we watched Dumb & Dumber. I don’t think I’d seen it since I was a kid, and Luis hadn’t seen it before. There were quite a few things that I remembered. They were somehow lodged in my subconscious. “I like it a lot.” It’s a pretty cute movie, which is funny because the Farrelly brothers are known for being ‘gross out.’ It’s not actually even that gross by today’s standards. I think, after watching The Boys, nothing is that gross.

I loved Jim Carrey when I was a kid, and he is super cute in D&D. It also aged better than Ace Ventura, so that’s a plus. I’ve never seen the sequel, but I have a feeling it might not be worth it… Not everything needs a sequel.

Disney planning is part of the fun! Luis and I are going to Disney World and Universal in October. It feels like forever ago that I mentioned it, because he booked our Disney tickets and hotels as a Christmas present. It’s finally getting close enough that we can start cementing plans for things like which parks we’re going to each day, which restaurants we’re booking {hopefully}, and how we’re getting around. I’m so excited to be staying at Disney resorts the whole time this time, so we can go into the parks early each day, and make use of the close walk to Magic Kingdom, and then use the handy Skyliner and buses the rest of the time. The Skyliner is a ride in itself and, yes, I’m a little scared to ride it. We may ride it once and then decide we prefer the bus. Heh. Heeehh. But if we’re riding the Tower of Terror, the Skyliner should be a piece of cake.

I watched a lot of videos on YouTube recently in preparation. There are even videos that show you exactly how to walk from one specific hotel to the transportation, so we don’t have to get there and try to guess the right way. Theme park YouTubers can be kind of irritating sometimes, but I really like the ones that are just trying to be helpful for people. The logistics can be a real nightmare if you’re not prepared, especially nowadays with all the new technology and available options. I just have to be careful not to watch too many videos, or else I get frustrated that I’m not already able to just do the things!

I guess I’m a ‘plantser.’ I’ve known this for a while, but it’s not like I think about it a lot. I make outlines for my novels, but they tend to be loose. A few sentences per chapter. I fill in the details and scenes as I go, with only a general idea of what I want each chapter to have in it. I guess I initially try to imagine the big picture of the story, and then as I actually sit down to write it, I hone in on the scenes and characters in more detail. At least in the first draft. And then the first draft kind of becomes a long outline for the later, better drafts.

As I’m writing my latest novel, there are many things I know I’m going to need to change. Somehow, knowing it needs work makes me feel better about it. It feels like growth to me, not expecting it to come out perfectly at first and not putting so much pressure on myself to get it well-written and finished within a set time frame. I even fully intend to finish it and leave it alone for months before reading it.

I’m working harder at taking my time.

I never knew me a better time and I guess I never will.

Sara Mazariegos

This year’s been challenging. Without going into too much detail, because it’s personal, this has been a difficult year so far. I’ve been feeling my usual unreality about a lot of things, like how we’re going to Disney World and Universal in October but so much of it has already been booked, I’m just sitting on my hands now. It doesn’t feel like it’s really going to happen. There are also some reasons for me to feel that way that are about more than not having things to plan. Having our ducks in a row is actually the more enjoyable aspect of it. Many other things are up in the air right now… But enough of my vague posting about things I can’t really post about. I’m ready for things to calm down and be more certain.

Mother’s Day delay. My parents are out of town for my grandma’s memorial service, so we’re delaying our Mother’s Day festivities for when they come back. Luis and I went to their house last weekend to visit their cats and spend time with my sister who lives nearby. We met her new puppy! That was some impromptu fun. We spent time with his family on Mother’s Day and then saw The Sheep Detectives, which was also a pretty Mother’s Day-y movie. We weren’t planning to see it, but we wanted to go to the movies and it was playing at a good time. We don’t usually spontaneously see things. I’m glad it worked out well this time.

Saturday Night Live feeling more classic. Matt Damon was the host on SNL last Saturday. Since we recently saw The Martian, my brain kept thinking he was hosting to promote that, but he’s actually in the new Christopher Nolan version of The Odyssey! I had no idea. I only knew “Spider-Man” was in it.

It was a great episode. I feel kind of hit-or-miss with the current cast, and each episode depends on the host more than it did with other casts, but this was a good one. Luis and I (and a lot of people online) particularly liked this auctioneers sketch. The writing and concept make it feel like a classic. I could easily imagine Gilda Radner or even Julia Louis-Dreyfus in this sketch (but Sarah Sherman is great, too.) Many times, SNL wants to be current with what’s popular and in style, but it’s nice for them to relax every once in a while with a more ‘anytime’ sketch like this one. A sketch that doesn’t rely on the audience knowing about x. As long as you know what auctioneers are like, you’ll get it.

Noticing writing mistakes in other novels. When I read books in the genre that I’m writing (romance) I find myself reading more closely than when I’m reading other books. I think about the writing more, and the choices made. People on Threads agreed with me that it’s a sign of a writer to be more observant about the way the story is being told. In the novel I’m currently reading, which I really like, I’ve noticed a few things I’d change, like overly telling sometimes or using the same word or phrase too much. It can be a little distracting from the story, but it’s not too much for me to still enjoy reading it. Reading this closely is another way that reading helps one become a better writer.

I know that many, many authors have noticed mistakes or things they’d change once their novel has been published and printed. No one is expecting perfection, because it’s nigh impossible. Novels that have been published and printed have been read by so many pairs of eyes, and mistakes still happen. So there’s no offense meant when I say I’ve noticed things. It’s likely the author has noticed as well.

Writing my “spare parts” draft. My writing is more laid back now that I’m not thinking about anyone reading it. Maybe that’s the secret to better writing. 🤔 I’m allowing myself to enjoy the words and have fun with things. I keep reminding myself that I won’t worry about editing this draft either, if I’m mainly writing it as a completionist at this point. It may end up being a “spare parts” draft, where I’ll use bits of it for a story but not all of it. There are good bits in this story. I wonder if, reading it back, it will feel like night-and-day from when I was writing it with the intention of querying it someday. I was still having fun with it, but I was harsher with my word choices and scene work. And then, a little over halfway through, I got more relaxed.

I wonder if I should try to write my next story’s first draft in this looser way and then sharpen it in later drafts. I have a tendency to want to get things right the first time, but I’m finding it’s not really the way things turn out. Revisions will always come into play, even with a draft I completely love. (Does such a thing exist in real life?)

It’s lonely out in space, on such a timeless flight.

Sara Mazariegos

Immersive experiences for children. On Sunday, we went to the “Hershey Super Sweet Adventure” in Tysons Corner for Luis’s mom’s birthday. It’s a bunch of kids’ activities, like popping a balloon or going through one of those optical illusion tunnels with the walls that make you feel like you’re going to fall over. In the end, you win some candy, and you also get a candy bar with your photo on the wrapper. At first I was worried the activities/place would be like Chuck E. Cheese or something, but it wasn’t too bad. I did keep thinking about Willy’s Chocolate Experience though. Can you blame me? Thankfully, the people working at the Hershey thing didn’t seem miserable, though I thought they might be thinking, “Why is this group of six adults doing this?” 😝

My issues with Shrinking, a show I do like. We started watching Shrinking a few weeks ago. We like Harrison Ford and Jason Segel, so why not? It’s a cute show, with a lot of fun, likeable characters… But we’re about seven episodes in and we’ve noticed an unusual trend. You know how on most comedic shows there are groups of characters? There’s the main character and their friends or family or both. Then there are the side characters that add levity to the situations. Then there are the recurring cameo characters that show up sometimes and they’re not part of the main group but they add a bit of extra flavor or whatever. Think of Seinfeld. There’s the main group of friends, then there’s their parents or other friends (hello Newman) or what have you, and then there are the recurring but not as frequent characters like Putty or J. Peterman. The recurring, random characters mainly interact with one of the main characters, maybe two but it’s not like J. Peterman hangs out in Jerry’s apartment.

But here’s the glaring issue I have with Shrinking: everyone on the show, all of the characters, seem to be best friends with each other. Jason Segel’s daughter is friends with Harrison Ford even though he’s much older and her dad’s boss. There’s not really much connection there (at least not one that’s shown.) Shawn, the patient Jason Segel becomes too close with, is immediately buddy-buddy with Jason Segel’s nosy neighbor, his daughter, his boss, and his coworker (oh my god, I love Jessica Williams though. She’s my favorite character.) It seems like every time a new character is introduced, they get sucked into being intimate friends with all the other characters. The estate lawyer guy showed up and was also insta-friends with everyone, including the patient who shouldn’t know him at all probably.

I feel like I’m the only one who’s noticed and is bothered by this. Well, besides Luis. I like the show, but almost in an “this irks me but I enjoy watching it anyway” kind of way. It feels like lazy writing.

Overwhelming oneself with monetized “advice.” Many people have noticed this, I’m sure, but there are countless websites and influencers online who offer advice and tips on writing and getting published. They’re often behind some kind of a paid subscription plan in order for people to get the full advice. I started noticing this on Substack, so I stopped using Substack. I don’t think it’s right for everything to cost money, especially if it’s someone telling you the same thing others will say on YouTube for free.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started following an author or literary agent who claims they offer guidance for writers, only to be greeted with ‘sign up for the webinar, only $60’ or something like that. Now I know services are performed by people who need to make a living. I get it. But then again, a successful author who’s making money from book sales shouldn’t be taking a bunch of money from other writers who come to them for help. Many writers don’t have a lot of extra money for every random webinar.

I don’t know. I just think it’s a difficult enough industry without making it even harder and more soul-sucking for people who just like creating imaginary worlds and want to share those worlds with others. I wish free writing advice was more normalized. I should unsubscribe from these people.

Writing update. It struck me last Thursday, don’t ask me why or how, that the story I’m currently revising, as much as I love it and want people to read it, isn’t really attention-grabby enough to catch an agent’s eye. I think it’s good to realize and understand, even if it really hurts. Not every story will work as a marketable book that ends up on shelves. Heck, not even every book that lands an agent actually ends up being sold. It’s a tough business. And it’s probably a better, more realistic idea for me to see this revision as what it ultimately really is: skill-building and enjoyment. From this story, newer and better ideas will bloom and grow and my writing gets stronger every draft I write.

This should be my real takeaway. I skipped writing last Thursday night because I was feeling too gloomy, but it’s still great to finish a draft and see myself getting better. Even if no one reads this one (Luis will read it, but besides Luis!) it’s still worthwhile. And my next novel will be even better. Maybe that one will even be the one that can move me forward.

I’m not giving up, I’m just being kinder to myself and allowing myself to explore different ideas.

Time keeps on slippin’ into the future.

Sara Mazariegos

Snow anxiety. I think it’s difficult for people who aren’t in the U.S. northeast to understand the icy, slippery mess we’ve been dealing with. Giant ice-covered mountains of snowcrete stood at the bus stops and on crosswalk corners for days, unable to be removed because they were so packed and stuck together and heavy. Luis helped me each morning by coming with me to the bus stop and helping me get on without slipping. A nice lady at the bus stop also gave me a hand, which deserves mentioning. But the prospect of going out into this awful situation each day was giving me such anxiety. I wasn’t sleeping well, worried about the mess I’d have to penguin-walk through the next day, and I was having a hard time thinking about anything else.

I told my coworkers how I was feeling, and they were so nice and understanding. One of them even said I was brave for speaking up about it, because many of the others didn’t experience any of this crazy winter storm so they aren’t even thinking about how it could be affecting us.

Fortunately, the sun during the day helps melt things and it’s supposed to become warmer soon. Not soon enough, but soon.

I didn’t get mail at the office all last week.

SNOW UPDATE: The snow is still around and Luis still goes to the bus stop with me to help me get safely on the bus, but it’s not as dicy to walk around, at least. I received a bunch of mail at the office, so that’s good. I’m looking forward to not seeing these snow piles everywhere. He’s probably going to be coming to the bus with me every day this week and into next week, by the look of things. It is nice to have him keeping me company. I’m spoiled.

What’s next for Colbert. As you probably know, if you’ve been reading my site for a while, I’m a big fan of Stephen Colbert. Luis got me to really pay attention to him, so he’s a comedian we’ve been able to share. I’m sad that he is losing The Late Show soon—actually, we’re all losing it because CBS is completely cancelling the show, not just firing him (the dicks)—and I wonder what’s next for him. I’m sure he will not completely go away, but I wonder if he will continue doing political satire or if he’s ready for something else. He is an actor, after all. He could go to Broadway for a while. Write a book. Write a nonfiction treatise on J.R.R. Tolkien. Whatever he wants to do next, I am excited to consume it.

That came out weirdly. But you know what I mean. I want to watch it, read it, hear it, etc. Experience it.

Okay, moving on before this gets too silly. I have a more serious topic to discuss.

Rob Reiner & Catherine O’Hara. I started reading As You Wish, Cary Elwes’ memoir about making The Princess Bride. The forward was, fittingly, written by Rob Reiner. There’s so much of him in that book, and you can tell how much Cary Elwes and the others in the cast just loved him. I’m still very sad about what happened to him. I asked Luis for a copy of The Princess Bride for an anniversary present, since I really want to reread it. A lot of people have been quick to point out that Rob Reiner didn’t write that book. He’d be one of them, too. But he had a massive hand in the movie version, and it’s as wonderful and faithful to the story as it is because of him.

To add insult to my already injured heart, Catherine O’Hara passed away last week. I’ve been a fan of hers since Nightmare Before Christmas when I was little, without knowing who she was yet. She’s in so many things I love, including Christopher Guest movies and Schitt’s Creek. It still doesn’t entirely feel real. When I saw the news online, I shouted, “No!” at my screen.

And it struck me that poor Chris Guest lost two close friends within two months. 😢

Comfortable tenses. I’ve started writing an updated version of the Nerdfighter story that I’m still trying to get to a publishable novel form. The tense my brain hit the ground running* with is present, which I’ve enjoyed playing around with recently. I’ve noticed a lot of romance novels use present tense these days. It’s a tense that makes sense. Hopefully my brain won’t forget about it and start using past tense. That has happened before, and it creates all kinds of confusion when I’m editing.

A lot of writers stress about which tense to use. I think you should write in whichever way you’re comfortable with. And if you’re working on a draft, there’s nothing preventing you from changing your mind and changing tenses. It’s the same with point-of-view, though that can be even more annoying to edit. Finding all the “I”s and changing them to “he”s or whatever.

Write in a way that makes you feel comfortable and true to yourself. After all, cleaning it up is for the editing phase.

* I don’t recommend letting your brain hit the ground

“It’s not your job to be as confused as Nigel.”

Sara Mazariegos

Frankenstein and Predator: Badlands. Last weekend, we saw two movies I really enjoyed. I’d been looking forward to seeing Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein ever since first hearing about it. It’s very faithful to the book! I wish it came out in more theaters; it deserves to be seen on a big screen. It’s beautiful and sad. And then we saw Predator: Badlands in theaters on Sunday and it was better than I expected. I like all of the characters in it, and the message of found family and working as a team instead of trying to do everything alone.

How is it almost Thanksgiving already? Next week is Thanksgiving. I’m still in a Halloween mood, but now I’ve got to think about spending time with people and eating too much. My job doesn’t give us the day off after Thanksgiving; I took it off so we’ll still be able to spend Thanksgiving with Luis’s family and then Thanksgiving II with my family. I’m looking forward to the days off, though they don’t really feel like vacation days, because we do so much socializing and cooking and stuff. I can’t just sit and read for hours. I don’t even really sleep in. Wah-wah. It’s nice, though. I just wish it was still October.

Any novel can be a comp novel if you try hard enough. A lot of people have a difficult time finding comparative titles for their novels when they’re in the query stage. I feel like I have a different problem; I find that every book I read could be a comp title. I notice little things the stories have in common with mine. They’re not usually big things, they’re usually subtle. But I think it’s because my novel is still being molded, so I’m imagining ways each book I read could shape my own story, and I shouldn’t do that because my story already has a satisfying shape. For example, I really enjoyed reading The Love of My Afterlife and finding little ways it fits with my story, but I think most people would think it’s a stretch for me to have it as a comp. There’s nothing supernatural in my novel. There’s no death or deadlines (heh.) But, then again, I’ve heard that comps don’t have to have all the same story elements as long as they have similar themes or worlds. So who knows? My story is also about self-discovery, found families, community, taking care of others, enemies to lovers… So that book could totally end up a comp of my story!

This blog is about my writing process, so here’s a glimpse at that thrilling part of it. 😅

Self-imposed deadlines. Speaking of my writing process, one thing I tend to do is assign myself these signposts to reach in order to keep myself on track. I aim to be finished editing my novel draft before Christmas so I can enjoy the holidays, and then I’m thinking of asking for another reader or two for their feedback. My big deadline for this story is the end of March so I can start sending out query letters.

But let’s see if it actually goes like that. I’m a writer, so I imagine and plan and have ideal situations in my head, but life rarely does what I want it to do.

I’ve heard that it’s quite acceptable and surprisingly fun.

Sara Mazariegos

I’m picky about biopics. I think I’ve discussed them before. When the Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Mr. Rogers ones came out I was irritated because, nearly right before them, brilliant documentaries came out on the subjects. We saw the documentaries and loved them. We saw the RBG biopic and that was all right but not as good, and we didn’t bother with the Mr. Rogers one because the documentary was perfect. More recently, we saw the movie about Bob Dylan going electric and it was… all right. And now there’s a Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White and I just can’t bring myself to care.

We did see Blue Moon about Lorenz Hart last weekend. That was really good. The difference there, I think, is that it was made like a play and didn’t tell his story as much as it showed one major point in his life. He’s also not as well-known to people today as The freaking Boss. It was quiet and subtle, and required prior knowledge about musicals and Broadway in the 40s. It’s probably not doing too well. But I’m tired of seeing the origin story of anyone who’s ever been famous. Tired of even seeing them being made.

I’ve been thinking a lot about aging lately, especially when it comes to people I admire or people in my life who are getting older, and how it makes me feel old in ways that I otherwise might not. It’s strange, I guess; I obviously don’t feel twenty anymore or anything, but I especially feel the passage of time when I see famous people I liked growing up and how they’ve gotten older. Like Tina Fey being in her 50s. That feels insane to me. I’m very glad she’s still around and getting older, of course, because the opposite would be way worse. But honestly… I don’t think people talk about it enough: getting older is scary. It’s like some kind of magic trick that happens in slow motion that no one is controlling, and when you notice it’s happening it’s unsettling and doesn’t feel real.

I was thinking about all the countries I want to visit, and how we often don’t have the time off to go places. And it makes me feel sad and concerned because we shouldn’t wait until we’re 80 to travel. We should go while we’re young enough for walking to not be a problem and we don’t feel too tired to do all the things. I want to visit Amsterdam, Argentina, Berlin, New Zealand (even thinking about that flight makes me feel anxious,) Tokyo, Venice, and I’d love to go back to Barcelona and London since they’re both so great. Domestic vacations are fun, especially Disney, but there is a part of me, in the back of my brain, that thinks, “You should travel to those other countries while you still have a chance.”

I have wanderlust. Somebody explain to my and Luis’s employers that I want to travel so they will give us more days off. Wah.

I’m looking forward to Halloween on Friday and our escape room party on Saturday. It’s not in October, but Saturday is Dia de los Muertos, so it still counts as spooky time. 💀 We’ve gone all out for our escape room this year. It helps that we already own a lot of the stuff and it relies on a lot of lore from the attraction we love so much. I’m excited to see how it all plays out and see how our friends react. They loved our Riddler one last year.

There are understandably a great many shows that people like that are good and become popular. But oh my god. I love The Bear. All the episodes, even the ones that are a half-hour, are like little films. The crazy Christmas episode, “Fishes”… I’m still thinking about it. I was worried when we started watching the show that it was overhyped. That also happens often, but this show is very very good. Can’t recommend it enough, though it is frantic and sad, so you have to go into it knowing it’s not really a comedy. It’s a Drama with some humor in it.

That doesn’t mean I’m rushing out to see the Bruce Springsteen movie just because I like the guy who plays Carmy, though. I like Carmy specifically. I’m not watching everything he ever makes.

Last-Week-of-Not-Writing Writing update: the time off from working on a story has been a good thought cleanse. When I see on the calendar that I’m going to start reading through and editing my It’s A Wonderful Life novel next week, I feel excited and ready to check it out. I have an organized plan, in theory. I’m going to start with a read-through, no note-taking allowed. Then I will go in and make notes of changes, make actual line edits and minor tweaks. THEN I will go in with the bigger rewriting and altering.

Hopefully, by the end of February, I’ll have a fresh new draft I can let people read. And maybe even send to agents.

Here’s hoping,

We all belong to everything.

Sara Mazariegos

The US is in the midst of a government shutdown. It feels like this happens way more frequently than it used to. It doesn’t only affect Washington DC either; Luis and I are going to New York this weekend/the beginning of next week and we wanted to visit Hamilton’s house, but it will be closed because it’s run by the National Park Service, which is funded by the federal government. We’re going to visit the grounds and see the outside of the house at least. It’ll still be nice to be there, but it’s annoying to be shut out for that reason.

I’m excited to go back to NYC for our anniversary. It’s the city I’ve been to the most, outside of cities I’ve lived in. We’re planning to go to Astoria, Queens and Harlem, and we’re staying in Hell’s Kitchen. We get to experience parts of the city I’ve never visited before. I’ve usually stuck to Manhattan. Technically Harlem is part of Manhattan, but I feel like… no it’s not. We’re going to see the Muppets in Astoria, at the Museum of the Moving Image. Apparently there are around 500 Muppets and sets, etc there. I may implode.

I’m enjoying the three main books I’m reading at the moment: Practical Magic, Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice, and House of Leaves. My calendar reminded me that I’ve been reading House of Leaves for a year now. I’m halfway through it. Don’t judge me until you’ve read it. All three books are Halloween-appropriate. I still love Practical Magic. I’m reading it every weekday while I take the Metro home, so it’s slow-going, but it’s great. The Pumpkin Spice one is for young adults and it’s obvious. It seems like it’s for the younger end of young adults. I think she says “pumpkin spice latte” eighty-six bagillion times in it. So it can be somewhat grating, but it’s cute. I’m looking forward to finishing it so I can read another romance about a ghost.

While I’m at the court house for jury duty, I’m planning to read multiple books. We’ll see how much time I actually end up having to read. I remember reading for hours last time. I get kind of jumpy in situations like that, though, so it might be too ambitious to think I’ll be able to finish reading two books. What if—horror of horrors!—I do finish two books and I don’t have anything else to read. Bringing three books might be crazy.

I’m glad I’m not planning to write there. I’d be too distracted to think!

Speaking of writing, here’s my weekly writing update: I wrote out a plot outline and gave it to Luis to read. It was too confusing and messy, so he helped me come up with a rough skeleton to guide me in writing out my ideas. I wrote a new story summary with his skeleton guide and it makes way more sense now. I still have a lot to think about and develop, but I’m getting somewhere now.

I’m still on a break from writing. This is how I take a break from writing.

I keep forgetting we’re going to NYC in a few days and then I remember and get all excited again. ✨

Until next time,

“Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars?”

Sara Mazariegos

Caring for pets is expensive, but worth it in the long run. Boo had her first follow-up appointment on Monday, and it was funny because it was speedy and she was sedated, so she was so calm and sleepy. Her incisions are healing nicely, and she can get her stitches out next Monday.

We probably should’ve been sedating her for appointments the whole time. 😅

Her biopsy results are inconclusive, so we’re going to monitor her for changes and see what happens. We don’t want/need to put her through any unnecessary surgeries if she’s just got inflammation from allergies. She’s already been through a lot. We don’t want to make her miserable. The good news is that the vet didn’t sound concerned. They didn’t find anything bad.

I bit the bullet and ordered a copy of House of Leaves from Bookshop.org so I don’t have to keep returning it to the library, waiting for my hold to come in, and getting it again. It’s too complex of a story. Even if I don’t lose my place, I have to go back and read what was happening to know what was going on where I left off. Luis always recommends these smarty-pants books to me*. I’m excited to own it, so I can stare at the pages for hours like a mega nerd.

If you’re unfamiliar, and you probably are because it’s a very strange book, House of Leaves is written in a very all-over-the-place way. There are footnotes that lead in all kinds of directions, including going back pages instead of forward. Sometimes, they’re vertical, too. It’s easy to get lost in. This is why a slow reader like me can’t just get it from the library and have any hope of reading it in three weeks! I really like it, though. It’s inventive.

My writing is going well. I’m currently resting at a little over 37,000 words – I will write more tonight. I wrote less last night because the vet called. I’m still feeling much better about this draft. I’m getting the story out and then I can go back in and polish it instead of having to rewrite it extensively. I feel like I’ve improved, which is a great feeling. ☺️

I got us tickets to see Wicked this weekend. I’ve never read the book or seen/heard the musical, so I’m excited to see what it’s all about. I’ve seen/heard two of the songs, so that’s the knowledge I have going in. I own the book but it’s on my massive shelf of to-be-read books. Apparently, the book is very different from the musical and a lot of people don’t like it. It’s curious how that happens… How a disliked/controversial book begets an adaptation people love. Gregory Maguire seems happy with it.

I’m sure he’s happy to have found an audience.


* He got me to read Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, and more Alan Moore than just Watchmen.