My Humble Abode – Tbilisi, Georgia – 10:55pm
Today, I didn’t feel well because I’d just gotten my period. Strangely enough, the older I get, the more period cramps hurt me. When I was younger, I could run and tear through the neighbourhood no problemo on my period; it didn’t bother me. Now, I just want to lie in bed all day and do nothing.
That was kind of what I did. I was supposed to go for a drums lesson and practice (and maybe a violin lesson) today, but I really wasn’t feeling up to it. My teacher ended up saying that postponing the lesson worked out better for him too, since he was pretty busy with family stuff today. I had some ghostwriting work to do and that felt like it took forever to slog through.
But sometimes you just need a day off. I kind of feel like I’ve been having a few days off since I didn’t really do much this last weekend, but I have been having a few pretty full-on weeks. Clearing the schedule feels well-deserved. Anyways, it’s not about whether I deserve a break or not; it’s about whether I need it. I had been contemplating showing up for a pole fit class, but I’m grateful I listened to my body and just rested because there’s no way I would enjoyed myself.
On the plus side, I also had time to finish up a novel I had been binge-reading starting from last night (yup, finished all 268 Kindle pages in maybe 6-7 hours). I started out wanting to write romance novellas, and I might get back to that at some point, but for the month of October, I want to experiment with horror stories. I randomly picked a novel that was free on Kindle Unlimited and rolled with it.
The Hit, by Julie Weaver
I enjoyed the read. I think it followed a pretty standard plot and story arc, but sometimes you just want a brainless guilty pleasure for a lazy afternoon. Kudos to Weaver because I did get sucked into the story at multiple times, forgetting where I was in the real world. I liked the characters and their undeniable chemistry. I found myself checking out the dialogue throughout though, trying to see whether they had any distinctive voices. I’d been reading some tips on crafting dialogue since I think writing dialogue is one of my weakest points. My characters’ voices all sound the same, and the dialogue sounds pretty generic and boring, in my opinion. The dialogue in the novel was pretty predictable and stereotypical, but that kind of works in romance since readers want many of the same tropes, it seems. Overall, it was a fun read to blast through. Ultimately, it was addictive to read, and that’s the kind of story that catches readers. That much is proven from the 1700+ reviews on her book page on Amazon. Weaver got some things right, and I guess that’s what I should try to model in my own novellas.
Other things to look forward to:
- There’s an international documentary festival happening in Tbilisi from the 12th to the 14th. I’m going on Saturday to watch it with a friend: they’re showing eight documentaries from around the world. One of them includes kiteboarding around New Zealand, so I’m looking forward to seeing that one.
- Also, finally roped someone into attending the Harry Potter movie night at Tbilisi Movie Nights, so I’ll finally get to try the six-course HP-themed meal. Couldn’t be more excited for a nostalgia-filled evening with Butterbeers!
I do need to focus on writing my novellas soon. Time is ever ticking away. I just wrote a measly 59 words today, just to say I got some more down on paper. I’m just too exhausted right now, and I’ve got to get up early again tomorrow since I’m traveling out to Rustavi again for my first ever extreme driving lesson! I’m nervous and excited. Let’s see how it goes!
Toodles,
Alaska