In fact, you should NEVER believe that writing SEO content for website is joyous, because that is ALWAYS a lie. But on the upside, I’m doing a lot less of it and a lot more actual, you know, novel-writing.

One of these days I’ll update here with a proper post but for now:

a) Yes, I am still writing.
b) Yes, I have been published. A real book and everything! But not under this name.
c) Nothing has turned out the way I expected.
d) There’s nothing wrong with that because we all have to forge our own path in this crazy industry.

That’s all for now. I have revisions to finish!

If you’re still blogging and/or writing and your peepers happen to pause upon this post, tell me what you’ve been up to these past few years, eh?

Here is a picture of flamingos being flamingos. Because, why not?

So… scientists have identified a new genus of bat! Yes, that’s right. I said bat. I love bats.

They’re so CUTE, with their beady little eyes and flappy skin-wings and hooks for hands… awwwwwwwwww…

The discovery of this new bat species in South Sudan led scientists to identify a completely new genus, and this particular bat is only the fifth of its kind ever picked up by scientists for study (poor bat…). The bat species is called Niumbaha superba, and if you think that’s a cool name, wait until you see the pictures below.

I love this bat. I want to cuddle it everyday.

EVERY.

DAY.

What’s The Ancient Standard, you ask?

It’s been awhile since I’ve mentioned it… but it’s a joint project between El Husbando and myself: A blog with regular posts about ancient history (including recent archaeological discoveries).

If you haven’t been there before, go check ‘er out!

And hang on for a post there later this week, when I’ll tell you what a xebec actually is (though the photo above is pretty much a dead giveaway)…

I am not making this up.

My fantastico friend Emily cut this out for me once. Now, I could be mistaken—perhaps it’s from some other British publication?—but still.

It’s a “vole of the month” feature.

Wherever this comes from? I want to go to there.

And in case you’re feeling tired too, here’s a video of a kitten riding a tortoise. If that doesn’t at least make you smile, then you’re beyond help today…

Exciting, eh?

Guess that’s what happens when you agree to blog for a month, then make a list of all your intended topics without actual notes next to those topics to explain what the heck you meant by THAT.

Today’s note said “noticing”. Er, okay. I’m sure I had a brilliant post planned, but darned if I have a clue what it was.

Oh well!

So, uh… how’s the challenge going for everyone else? o_O

I can see both sides of the argument, and I think there are valid points on either side!

If you’re published, you’re part of a smaller community, and is it fair to cast judgment on your peers? Particularly when it comes to books you didn’t like—is it right to critique work from a fellow author? Won’t that mean bad press for you and some really awkward moments when you run into that author at an industry convention?

But on the other side, everyone knows that not all books are for everyone. So what if you don’t like Author X’s work and write a review explaining exactly why, leaving anything personal out of it (like any good reviewer, focusing only on the storytelling)? Aren’t we all mature enough to realize that it’s not personal? Hopefully Author X would, if she read your book in the future, judge it on its own strengths and weaknesses instead of retaliating against your bad review.

And then there’s the editor and the publisher to consider. Will they see your critique as a strike or attack against them?

I know some authors have worked around this potential conflict of interest by only posting reviews of books they like, ignoring the bad ones entirely. Kind of like positive reinforcement… ignore the bad stuff, praise the good, and eventually the good behaviors (books?) will prevail.

It’s a good idea, but where’s the honesty in that? I’d like to know what my favorite authors enjoy and dislike—it might give a little more insight into the way they tell stories.

How do you feel about authors writing book reviews?

Really! I can start just about anything. A story, a novel, a script… a course, a craft, a project… a choreography, a game, a cleaning task…

…but finishing?

That’s another story entirely. I’ve recently come to the realization that… I’m terrible at finishing.

I don’t start and then stop on purpose.

I might get bored. Or frustrated. Or confused. Or need help. Or not know what to do next. Or distracted. Or overwhelmed. Or mess it up so badly I don’t even want to continue.

But that’s a terrible way to go through life. If I keep starting and never finish, how will I accomplish anything? Well, I’ll accomplish plenty of small things, but nothing substantial. Half a substantial project is still incomplete.

I’m trying to make a concerted effort to see things through once they’re started, but it’s hard changing one’s lifelong habits.

First on the list? Finishing this A-to-Z Challenge…

Is there anything you’re struggling to finish right now?

The problem is that people tend to take “April Fool’s Day” seriously in a way that benefits only the person pulling the prank—not in a way that makes the pranker and the prankee laugh together over the joke, and move on with their day in good spirits.

Mean-spirited pranks often seem “harmless” to the one pulling the prank, because they think their idea is so awesome that if the person being pranked gets upset, they have no sense of humor, or they’re the mean ones, etc..

I’ll be honest, I can’t remember ever being pranked in this way… probably because I made such angry faces at everyone when they mentioned April Fool’s Day, that they feared I might punch them in the nose if they tried anything.

But here’s the kicker: April 1st is the anniversary of the first date I went on with (now) El Husbando (for first-timers to the blog—yes, that’s my husband, it’s just a million times more fun to say it with a terrible Spanish accent… that’s right, a MILLION… I did the math).

Yeah, I wondered that night whether the whole thing was a joke at my expense. Even while on the date, I think I mentioned my hatred of April 1st and threatened bodily harm, should he attempt any stupid jokes only by virtue of the calendar date.

And, aside from giving away the ending to two sci-fi series that I had yet to finish watching (I’m not still bitter, noooo, *ahem*), no pranks were involved and the evening went remarkably well (obviously, I mean, we’re married now… ).

I guess my point is that even crappy days and stupid traditions can be redeemed. If you hate a particular day of the year, it’s never too late to do something FANTASTIC on that day—even if everyone else thinks you’re a little weird for it—because then, from that year forward, it’ll be the anniversary of something happy instead of being a day of anger / disappointment / bitterness.

Yes, that applies to Valentine’s Day, Christmas, birthdays, and whatever other day you just might happen to hate.

Get out there, and make it your own! You never know what random happiness might be around the corner.

In the meantime, anyone have any good April Fool’s Day memories to share?

This will be my third time participating, and it’s always a blast. Plus, this time around we’re joined up in larger groups but without the requirement to follow everyone in all the other groups (but you can if you want to!). I’ve met some great people through the other campaigns, and found some excellent new blogs to read.

If you’re not entirely sure what this entails, here’s a little blurb from Rachael’s blog:

The Campaigners are people who genuinely want to meet others, pay it forward, and make connections with other bloggers. This therefore gives you a pool of bloggers (some starting out, some established) who you know are in the same position. You can make friends, find critique partners, get support in your writing etc etc – basically, it’s up to you. For those bloggers who are just starting out (and even those who’ve been blogging for a while), the Campaign gives you a head start in finding other like-minded bloggers to connect with.

Sounds pretty good, right? You know you want to participate. But sign up soon! The list of participants closes on August 31st. See you there, Campaigners!