Every story idea has been told...

And because of this, writers must add their own twists and turns as best they can which still usually means several different story ideas are mixed together. Nothing is new. Really...how can it be with thousands and thousands of books published over the years?! What hopefully distinguishes similar stories from one another is the author's own "voice". I believe the emotions and any dialogue the writer gives the characters is especially important in helping that book stand out a little more from others of the same genre.

It's still tough, though. I find myself thinking, "Isn't my manuscript like blah-blah that I just read?" Or, "Is this too similar to what I just published?" Then I'll realize something different about it...some new turn of events, romantic relationships which are not the same, character flaws or strengths unlike a previous character I've read/written about, the good vs. evil elements shoot off in a different direction even if some portions might be familiar, the threat to the main character could be a group of baddies in one story but an individual meanie in another, and so on.

I'm sure every single writer has been influenced in some way by some thing they've read or watched in a movie. Which is a compliment to the influencing factor. We just need to warp that idea into our own and give it new life. And it never hurts to toss in a new creature or two ;) (coming from the mind of a paranormal thriller, urban fantasy writer, of course!)

"Grimm" Show, General Updates

I posted on my Enter Paranormal Blog about the new show "Grimm" - which I love! Here's a tiny excerpt from that blog post (or just click here to read all of it):
"Grimm" - The previews over the last few months caught my attention. I'm already watching many evening shows as it is, and wasn't convinced I would start up another one. I'm so glad I did. Even my husband, who is Mr. Critical, enjoyed it. He gets rather tired of watching all the paranormal/supernatural/fantasy/sci fi TV shows (and movies) that I love. I feared he'd barf at one more in that genre that my curiosity beckoned we at least check out. It racked up a 7.4 out of a 10 score at www.imdb.com. I think that's pretty impressive. Hopefully it can continue keeping its audience glued to the screen for the ten episodes filmed in this first season (according to IMBD-it shows 10) and keep the ratings up. I'd like to see it get picked up for an additional season.
(much more to the post...)

In other news: My new cat, Jessie, is keeping me entertained and has adjusted well to indoor living. Several house maintenance chores checked off list with several more to go. Fiddling with which free security software to install on computers once my "paid for" security suite expires in three weeks (testing AVG and Zone Alarm on one, Avast and Comodo on another. Plus have Spybot and MalwareBytes set as on-demand scanners. And have Windows UAC set to ON.) Also I am slowly grinding away at my third book. Too many interruptions in life that derail my writing attempts, though. The National Novel Writing Month (affectionately aka NaNoWriMo) is currently in session. For those who don't know what it is - you write a book of at least 50,000 words in a month. Bonk me if I'm wrong on the word count, but I know it's around that number. I have sworn to myself that I would complete my current work in progress this month. Hmm...then I suppose I need to get busy & bounce out of here, as I should be writing my story now (*bonk* to get on it!)  Cheers!