Dec IWSG and Happy Holidays plus Grey's Anatomy, Ally McBeal, #BathroomGate

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CvBag2SPD/ #BathroomGate The United States Congress doesn't want all elected members to be allowed to use the bathrooms in Government buildings. Gonna need to pause doing your job of running the country to poop at the deli down the street, I guess. We'll be back to toilet segregation in no time.

"This is your priority, that you want to bully a member of Congress, as opposed to welcoming her to join this body so all of us can work together to get things done and deliver real results for the American people?" Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. - BBC news

Again, to clear this up, the MAGA Republicans are saying if a person is born with a 🌮 "taco" and has since undergone extensive surgery, medical treatments, psychology, basically thousands of dollars in medical costs, and now has an 🍆"eggplant," that person should use the bathroom labeled ladies. 🚺 Because that will prevent sexual assault. To have people who now have a penis in the ladies' room will PREVENT sexual assault. Additionally, a person born with an 🍆"eggplant," who has had the medical procedure to slice it open and fold it over, so now the person has a 🌮 "taco," that person should use the bathroom labeled men. 🚹 For their own protection, of course. 🤦

As usual, no mention of people born with multiple reproductive organs, or none. 

It's an American problem. Partly because our restrooms our so poorly constructed. Huge gaps between the doors and walls, neither of which go all the way to the floor or ceiling. The "locks" rarely keep the doors closed. And now, apparently, over half of the population has become obsessed with watching others use a toilet. 🚽🧻

But, back in the 1990's, the show Ally McBeal had a unisex restroom. "We all go together." Gen X survived with that. "Some say Ally McBeal was a quintessential show of the 1990s."

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

December 4 question - Do you write cliffhangers at the end of your stories? Are they a turn-off to you as a writer and/or a reader?

Cliffhangers... use one book to sell the next. My beloved Grey's Anatomy just did another big cliffhanger to 🤔🫣😵‍💫 drive fans crazy for the next few months. (Returns March 6. Jo!!! 🤰) 

You gotta go with what the story calls for, I guess. Traditional publishers seem to be looking more and more for novels under 90k. So, sometimes you need a cliffhanger. Of course, a lot of them also want stand-alones, so then there's no cliffhanger. 😅

A story I've been working on for a few YEARS has cliffhangers between chapters. A main plot point of the story might not exist much longer, so I don't know what to do about that. I should just indie publish it because trying to find just the right people to represent it is getting more and more difficult. 

https://bsky.app/jamiewriter.bsky.social

Some of you may recall my LONG battle with Twitter to restore my account. It had been shut down due to quoting a Jeff Dunham character joke in a blog post title and sharing a link to my post. (Oddly, a Gif with the same quote was readily available on Twitter. And Jeff's own account used the words multiple times without being banned.) 

ANYWAY. I finally got my Twitter account restored.

And now I don't even want it. 😅

Now the platform is full of hate speech, sandbags any posts with links, and is used to train AI.

TL;DR = I'm on Bluesky now! And I prefer it. Much happier place. If you've moved too, please hit me up. I'd love to make more writer pals over there. - JamieWriter 

Stop the Hate of Grey's Anatomy Tolerance

 

Ellis and Richard are the older characters on the show. There are flashback episodes to the intolerance they faced as surgical interns. Racism, sexism, the usual prejudice from small minds. 

Some people claim the show has "gotten too political and too woke." 

I poked a troll. Because the stance is crap. And prejudice shouldn't be "political." I mean, it is, especially now with the hate about to be fully in charge of the US government. (Our biggest threat will come from within.) 

I miss the days of people being afraid of getting called out for being prejudice. So yeah, today, I opted not to be silent. 

Bluesky

 

https://bsky.app/profile/jamiewriter.bsky.social

US Education

The dissolution of the US Department of Education will probably help America... 🤔🤨😐😑😑😑🫥😶‍🌫️

I'm sure the poorest children in the US will start getting the FINEST educational opportunities by September 2025. Oh yeah, it's gonna be like the prep school young Barron Trump attends, but for EVERY school in America. Right? 🤔🤨😒😬

Yeah, the Department was what held schools back. Funding is gonna flow like the Mississippi now! All universities are going to be Ivy league, because every child in America is going to be educated enough to attend Ivy league schools. Right?!?! 🤥👨‍🏫👩🏿‍🏫🧑🏻‍🏫

Sure. 

Yeah, the student loan situation could only be looking up. Heck, US secondary educational institutions will probably all be totally FREE by next year.

Right? 

🤔🫣

Sure. 

And if the United States is reclassified as an under developed nation due to the lack of education? 

😲

"Access to education and healthcare: Citizens of developed nations have access to quality healthcare and higher education." 

(We're already barely hanging on in several other requirements for "developed.") 

Yeah, that's okay. 🤬

Political story

 #politics 

Once upon a time...

There was a caterpillar 🐛

and it was preparing to transform, creating a chrysalis.

"Whoaaa, hold on there! You were born as a caterpillar. You crawl. That's it. That's what you are. That chrysalis is against nature, against some god or religion or something, and just plain offensive. Nexy you're gonna expect us to let you fly around, like others born with flight. You might poo 💩 in places caterpillars don't usually poo. And then expect us to respect your new identity by calling you *butterfly*! Ohhh no. Nope, nope, not on our watch. You go back to crawling or you will not be alive! Period. If you were meant to be something else, you'd have been born that way, NO EXCEPTIONS." 

And then the group eradicated all the butterflies 🦋 from the world, because obviously butterflies were not created by any god but by those evil Democrats, who obviously traved back in time and created such offensive, wretched creatures. 

Of course, butterflies were pollinators. So many types of flowers, fruits, and vegetables went extinct. But obviously those time-traveling Democrats created those species of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. And then other parts of the food chain vanished from existence. And that's all the Democrats fault! Because no god, no creator of the universe, would ever dare to make anything that can change. Butterflies are an abomination. 

In the next story, we'll learn about the serious evil of Seahorses, another creature created by time-traveling Democrats. They reproduce all wrong and mistreat the males. That species needs to be extinct. 

Make the world great again. Eradicate all the species that don't follow the rules of the one true leader. No more change in nature! No more diversity. 🍁🍂 Stop the leaves. Eliminate the science books that dare to suggest this is normal and necessary. Pinecones do not have an key ingredient in the life cycle of pine trees! Seeds do not turn into plants! 🌾 More Democratic lies!! 

(And someone go edit that part in Genesis that blames the Christian God for creating animals and trees and any nature that permits change!)

^ The above is sarcastic. 

But really, since the Republicans don't believe the LGBTQIA+ population could exist, may as well use the same reasoning for other nature. 

What if

 We've been making an assumption for the last decade that the "wall" he keeps longing to build is an actual, physical 🧱 wall, like made of brick or stone or whatever physical materials. 

🤔 What if we missed the much more obvious option? A "wall" in the more philosophical sense. 

Like, remember in the movie INDEPENDENCE DAY, when David sorta flips out and starts trashing his work place, because maybe if the planet is screwed up enough, the aliens 👽 won't want it? 

Well... what if that is the plan? 

Take away enough rights, mistreat large chunks of the American population enough to turn the country "cringe" 😬, maybe that "wall" will build itself because people won't want to immigrate. 

It's kind of brilliant. Like, imagine if the Native Americans who first made contact with the Mayflower, if they had shown the Pilgrims a horror show. Imagine if the first group of slaves that Columbus took got to Europe and were all, "thanks for the rescue from our toxic home," and then all agreed to make up a horror story of insurmountable odds. And Europeans were like, "maybe we don't want to sail west anymore." The Vikings didn't seem to enjoy Canada 500 years before that. 

Maybe this is the plan. Because maybe if enough Americans look like the old Sally Struthers commercials, which tinted the view of the whole continent of Africa 🌍 (wasn't the goal, but was the outcome), maybe that's the MAGA plan. To sully the country in the eyes of the world. 

Even hired a comedian to test it out. On the stage of a former president, a comedian insulted an American Commonwealth. And that former president did nothing, didn't storm out and defend his country. Just stood by. 

Because maybe it was a test. Could they trash the country and still win support from the country? 

Yup. 

So maybe they attack women, LGBTQ+, poor people, the elderly, disabled Americans, veterans, and 👱🏾🧔🏿‍♂️🧔🏽‍♀️🧔🏽👨🏿‍🦰👨🏼‍🦰👩🏻👩‍🦰🧑🏼‍🦲 nearly every ethnic group. Basically everyone. 

Hobbies, Fiction, Marketing, and Chucky #IWSG

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

One last bit of Halloween humor, from "SEED OF CHUCKY," where murder is a hobby.

Because I don't know how best to answer this anymore. I've had several other creative pursuits over the years, but I mostly just watch tv and movies with my husband now. I don't do most of the other activities I enjoyed when my body functioned better. Sorry. I barely give a damn.

I do go on useless rants on social media from time to time. Since this one is about books, I'll share it in this post.

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/CR7NAfFACnY3Rzgy/

🙋‍♀️ Hi, excuse me... I'd like to add to the question, please.

We have NA, YA, teen, middle-grade, ... seriously, the first 20 years of life all have their own little subgroups. 

Where's elder fiction?

And no, Captain Sarcasm (who always appers when I ask this), I do NOT just mean "large print." 

I mean novels with protagonists over age 65. 

And no, I also don't mean the history or political fiction sections, even in the years when nearly all of Congress and higher were people over age 65. 

( 🤔 One would really think life quality would be better for seniors, especially when they were the most represented group in the highest US Federal Government... but no, shockingly the representation didn't actually improve the situations.) 

If there's a story with a detective🕵

- mystery subgenre

- if that's a woman 🕵‍♀️, now it's "chick lit mystery"

- if it's a 17yo teen girl, now it's "YA chick lit mystery" 

- 🧛‍♀️ give her fangs, now it's "YA fantasy chick lit mystery" 

- she falls in love with 🧝‍♂️ an elf, now it's "YA paranormal romance"

(And all romance is automatically for women, even when it's 👨‍❤️‍👨 guys... 🤔🤔🤔🫣🤨🤨😶‍🌫️)

Seriously, bookstores like Barnes & Noble would take a main character and break categories down to the smallest niche. And Amazon is even worse, if you go to the site on a computer and scroll down to look. 

BUT

Over age 21 is adult. And that's it. 

As if a main character over a certain age couldn't have additional internal struggles? Or extra life experience and wisdom. 

Reimagine, for a moment, Twilight but Bella was Betty White. 

"Edward, you're too young for me."

"We were born nearly the same year. Actually, you're still older than I am."

"Yeah, but I mastered makeup years ago, so I know how to conceal reflective, sparkling skin. Honey, I can't commit to someone who hasn't figured out how to apply foundation. You've gone to high school and college over and over, and not once gotten makeup tips? Never took a cosmology class? Hon, you're an idiot." 

Ohhh... but there's no market for THAT book. Because we don't have a space for fiction with elder main characters. 

Wait... we do on tv. 🕵‍♀️ "Murder, She Wrote" had an inadvertent female detective elder, and look how well that show did. And elder male detective shows? Also had tv spots.

But as books? 

🕸*tumbleweeds*🕸

Okay, they probably exist.

And Goodreads probably has a list. Created by READERS, not publishers. Because we don't market reading or entertainment to seniors... just medication, diapers, and reverse mortgage scams. As if audiobooks couldn't be big sellers with older adults? 

It's a marketing HOLE. 

And that, by the way, IS THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.

There's no men's fiction because then they'd have to market to men. Sorry, advertising people have ruled that men can only purchase tech, alcohol, cigars, sports, and cars. Men don't read. 

These are the same advertising geniuses who won't market video games to females. Even when Halo Online revealed that half the players were, in fact, the females they refuse to market to because women don't play video games. 

Ad executives keep deciding on rules, but they are totally daft at actual market research. They keep telling people that THEY decide what sells and to whom... 

And social media has proven they are WRONG. 

So, one last rant from the soapbox...

All these politicians begging for money (I get at least 3 texts a day, I don't know about you) because they can't WIN without money...

Those same fool advertising people are telling them that! 

Get online. Social media campaigns have higher results and positive interactions, when done well. Stop wasting money on what an ad agency says. 

Oh, and no one wants to read a book about some astronaut geologist who is left behind on Mars. 

Except for all the people who bought The Martian from Andy Weir. And that Matt Damon guy, who played thr character in a blockbuster movie. Just another example of advertising people being proven wrong. Indie books can sell, and get big Hollywood deals. 

---

"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke

The real problem is indifference. 

Whatever happens next will be because of people who just 🤷 shrugged it off and were indifferent about what could occur. 

Don't blame the scorpion. 🦂 It is going to sting, because that's what a scorpion does. 

🐢🐸 The turtle (or frog, depending which version you've heard- same story) is always gonna get stung for letting the scorpion get on their back.

#WMHD and #WEP Horrorfest 2024

October 10 is World Mental Health Day.






Sometimes, having someone else shop for you can improve your mental health for the day. Here's a discount on Instacart.

Https://inst.cr/t/d832be624  JDORNER1E119 code to save!

~~~🎃👻👿💀😈💫~~~🎃👻👿💀😈💫~~~

https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2024/10/wep-halloween-flash-fiction-special.html

Disclaimer 1:

For this fiction, Hell exists. It is sort of a pocket dimension. Human souls are often sent there after death for "cleansing punishment" in varying degrees of time and type. (Eternity for some, momentarily for the more innocent, etc.) Those condemned souls are usually unaware of the death the body they inhabited has undergone, thus they can experience pain, suffering, and trauma— all as the living would. 

Accounts of Hell describe it as a place of incredible fire, as if inside a star or forming planet, with strong stenches of sulfur. Demons are known to be the primary creatures to deliver punishment and are thought to be organized in a hierarchy (like corporations, militaries, etc.). 

Disclaimer 2: 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22003362/

Special Forces: World's Toughest Test

("Special Forces: World's Toughest Test is an American reality quasi-military training television series that premiered on Fox on January 4, 2023.")

This FICTION is inspired by this "reality tv" show. 

This fiction should, in no way, be considered a true or accurate desire or wish. There was an episode where one of the Staff insulted a candidate by saying he was like a "scared little girl." That is the inspiration for this, because there was no need to insult an entire gender or age group. 

In every episode, they all go somewhere to do a challenge. Then, the Staff picks a candidate to blindfold with a hood and pull into the meeting room to discuss why they're there and dig into their mental and emotional states. After that, usually, there are endurance exercises or something to "pay" for failing the challenges. (The Format changes by episode.) 

Pronunciation Guide: Jauroran - Make the J sound, "Juh," then the word aurora, then "an." Imagine him as a handsome young actor who would be cast to play a prince. 

Cruelabra - Combine the word cruel with "abra" (like candelabra).

Tagline: Never underestimate "scared little girls."

Guardian Demon

Jamie Dorner - 800 words - FCA

Bucky and the other Staff decide to pull candidate Jauroran in for a discussion. As his hood is removed, Jauroran shakes and sweats as he is sat on the metal chair. 

"Still a mess? You're back here on solid ground. Worried you'll fall off the chair?" Bucky asks, his smirk widening at the terrified young celebrity. 

"Yes, Staff. Err, no, Staff." Jauroran puts his head in his hands and tugs his famous haircut.

Bucky yells at him, "LOOK AT ME!" 

Jauroran moves his hands. His eyes close as he slowly cracks his neck. His fingers extend, each knuckle cracking. The stink of sulfur fills the room as the camera equipment fails. Jauroran's handsome twenty-four-year-old face appears to wrinkle and melt, replaced by a ghastly visage. 

"What thef**k?" Bucky smacks the table as he tries to get up. 

"Aww, can't move? Pity." An eerie voice emanates from Jauroran, like an evil ventriloquist woman is puppeting him. "That wide-eyed look, your racing pulse, the urine running down your pants… if I didn't know better, I'd say you, Bucky, have become a scared little girl." 

The last three words echo off the walls. Next to the table, a cloudy vision of Bucky using that same phrase earlier appears. Jauroran, clinging to a rope, begging for help and direction, fades in the cloudy hallucination. Only the ghost-like view of Bucky shouting about worthlessness remains. The shape changes as clouds swirl around the form. A young Bucky hovers there, yelling at someone else. 

"A scared little girl," the eerie voice from Jauroran says. "I do hope you remember your first." 

Bucky swats at the cloudy image. "What is this?" 

"We normally wait for your death to review your failures to humanity." The eerie voice cackles. "I am Cruelabra, a demon in service directly to our leader. It is impossible to imagine that she was once a human child, isn't it?"

"What? Who? How?" Sweat pours down Bucky's face. 

"She died that day. You impressed the bullies for a few hours. And she fell to her death. Scared, betrayed, begging for your help. Such an isolated child. Upon arrival to Hell, she was found almost entirely innocent. Except forgiveness was not in her soul. We don't mind. In fact, such a trait made her a demon and fast-tracked her promotions. She leads the demons now." Cruelabra's cackling laugh shakes the room. 

Jauroran's feet kick up onto the table as his body reclines in the chair. "Here's what's especially funny," Cruelabra's voice says from his melted-looking lips. "The scared little girl you failed to help, who you harassed to save your own skin, not only is she now the demon ruler of Hell, but Jauroran is her nephew."

Bucky whimpers that it wasn't his fault, crying about his innocence and just being a boy back then.

Cruelabra laughs. "That girl's family assumed she went to some other dimension. Peace, love, fluffy clouds, whatever humans hope to go to after life. So, when her sister gave birth twenty-four years ago, and the infant struggled to survive, the family prayed for the dead girl to look after the baby. They didn't know what they asked. She assigned me."

Bucky retched. "You're a guardian angel?"

Jauroran's feet swung off the table. Cruelabra scoffed at the bile. "Disgusting human. I am a guardian demon, more or less. I possess this body whenever he feels stressed or pained, or so many of the feelings he felt today. Usually, he's a happy actor, playing the prince you all know and love. You know the feelings he mentioned that his career has been so much easier than everyone else's, that he's here to test himself because he feels like something unknown has always helped him? That's accurate. He doesn't know I can enter at any time or that I've ensured his success at every turn. I have. And he will win your little show. You will see to it."

"I can't. There's nothing I can do," Bucky's words sputter as he begs.

"You will. Jauroran shall not feel such fear and failure again on your watch." Cruelabra leans closer. "We have no obligation to wait for your death to start the torture. I have taken down many humans. Do you like your identity?" 

Bucky whimpers, "Please, don't do this."

"Jauroran wins. You will protect and help him. Prevent him from feeling isolated and abandoned. Cheat, lie, do all that you must. Oh, and never call someone a scared little girl again. You have one waiting for you, though she's no longer scared. And certainly not little. Your soul belongs to a demon leader, and you will feel what she felt, amplified, for all eternity."

As his face returned to normal, Jauroran shook his head. "Staff? Did I pass out?"

 

Funniest ... well, at least the humorous image goes with my story. 

😅🤷‍♀️ I tried. 😘

IWSG Ghost Stories

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

I love the horror genre. But ghost stories, pretty much any horror, doesn't send chills up my spine. I lived through some 💩 in childhood. 

But I love the Child's Play movies. Chucky marathon was on USA Network one day in the early 90s. I was watching the movies. My younger brother came in the living room and plopped down beside me.

"Don't watch this. You'll have nightmares."

He just shrugged.

I tried again to make him go away. He didn't.

The commercial ended.

"Fine. But don't cry to mom later and blame me. I tried to warn you."

We watched the marathon together, laughing our butts off. And the next week? Yup, we watched the Nightmare on Elm Street marathon. And Friday the 13th. 

He didn't get nightmares from it.

I didn't get in trouble.

And, years later, as adults, we still go to horror movies together! Lifelong bond. 

We are those really terrible people in the movie theater who double over laughing every time someone jumps or screams or whatever. 

We saw Seed of Chucky like 3 times in a row. We laughed so hard at that movie, omg. 

So what does scare me?

This guy:

Sept  5, 2024 — Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance says school shootings are a “fact of life" 

👻 Ghosts havs nothing in comparison. 

After I had a stroke, when I couldn't remember how to stand up. Literally could not recall how I did such a simple act, one I'd been doing successfully for over 40 years. When was the last time you THOUGHT about standing before just getting up? Unless you've dealt with a related health crisis, probably no thoughts about it since toddlerhood. (I don't mean just noticing time and that you should get going. I mean focusing on physically how the mechanics work.) 

Yeah, the first weeks were scary. 

Glancing at the bank account now that we're a "1/2 of one income" family. Applying for charity care and being told we're 300% above the federal poverty level. (Which we aren't. Even without percents. They're basing it on how we were doing two years ago, before everything went to 💩.) That's scary. I can't even deal with how scary our new budget is. There's absolutely no hope for the future and it is about to get so much worse. I can't even think about it at all. 

Civ VI gameplay plan

I'm not a gaming expert, but I prefer this gameplay plan for the video game Sid Meier's Civilization VI.

I have all the expansions, so this plan is based on that. It aims mainly at peaceful victories, such as in science, diplomatic, or culture. 

Research should be chosen based on nearby resources for the first few turns. Workers getting tiles to earn for your civilization is essential to sustain and grow a city. Beyond that, I've laid out my favorite Wonders, tech, and cultures. 

Hanging Gardens - Ancient - Irrigation - Increases Growth by 15% in all cities. (Must be built next to a River.)
[tech] - Ancient - Animal Husbandry - Reveals Horses.
Oracle - Ancient - Mysticism - Buying Great People costs 25% less Faith (Must be built on Hills.)
[tech] - Ancient - Bronze Working - Reveals Iron

~Code of Laws policy~  Ancient - Military - +5 Combat Strength when fighting Barbarians.

~Craftmanship policy~  Ancient - Economic - +30% Production towards Builders.

~State Workforce policy~  Ancient - Economic - +15% Production towards Ancient and Classical era wonders.

~Political Philosophy policy~  Ancient - Diplomatic The first  Envoy you send to each city-state counts as 2

~Foreign Trade policy~  Ancient - Trader

~Military Tradition policy~  Ancient - Grants Flanking and Support

~State Workforce policy~  Ancient - Government Plaza

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - Classical - Defensive Tactics- All Great Engineer Great Engineers have an additional charge. (Must be built on a coastal tile adjacent to a Harbor district.)

~Games and Recreation policy~  Classical - Entertainment District 

~Drama and Poetry policy~  Classical - Theater Square

~Theology policy~  Classical - Temple

Alhambra - Medieval - Castles - +1 Military Policy slot (Must be built on Hills adjacent to an Encampment district.)
[tech] - Medieval - Buttress - Dam (It must be built on a Floodplains tile and the River must traverse at least 2 adjacent sides of the future Dam tile.)
[tech] - Medieval - Military Engineering - Reveals Niter

~Feudalism policy~  Medieval - Economic - Newly trained Builders gain 2 extra build actions.

~Mercenaries policy~  Medieval - Military - 50% discount on all unit upgrades.

~Divine Right policy~  Medieval - Economic - +15% Production toward Ancient, Classical, Medieval and Renaissance era wonders.


Forbidden City - Renaissance - Printing - +1 Wildcard Slot Wildcard policy slot (Must be built on flat land adjacent to City Center.)
Potala Palace - Renaissance - Astronomy - +1 Diplomatic Policy slot (Must be built on a Hill adjacent to a Mountain.)
[tech] - Renaissance - Cartography - Allows ocean movement. 

Taj Mahal - Renaissance - Humanism - +1 Era Score from Historic Moment earned after the wonder is complete if that Moment is usually worth 2 or more Era Score. (Must be built next to a River.)
Venetian Arsenal - Renaissance - Mass Production - Receive a second naval unit each time you train a naval unit. (Must be built on the Coast and adjacent to an Industrial Zone district.)

~Diplomatic Service policy~  Renaissance - Diplomatic - +50% Production towards Spies. Spy operations take 25% less time.

~Humanism policy~  Renaissance - Archaeological Museum

~Diplomatic Service policy~  Renaissance - Spy

[tech] - Industrial - Industrialization - Reveals coal
Big Ben - Industrial - Economics - +1 Economic Policy slot (Must be built next to a River adjacent to a Commercial Hub district with a Bank.)

~Civil Engineering policy~  Industrial - Economic - +30% Production towards Builders. Newly trained Builders gain 2 additional Build actions.

~Civil Engineering policy~  Industrial - Economic - +15% Production Production towards all Wonders.

~Natural History policy~  Industrial - Archaeologist, Reveals Antiquity Site Antiquity Sites. 

~Urbanization policy~  Industrial - Neighborhood district 

Eiffel Tower - Modern - Steel - All tiles in your civilization gain +2 Appeal (Must be built on flat land adjacent to City Center.)
[tech] - Modern - Steel - Reveals oil
[tech] - Modern - Radio - Reveals Aluminum
[tech] - Modern - Combustion - Oil Well
[tech] - Modern - Radio - Hydroelectric Dam

~Ideology policy~  Modern - Diplomatic - Enemy Spy levels reduced by 2 in your lands.

~Nuclear Program policy~  Modern - Diplomatic - Spies who steal a tech boost without being detected gain an extra boost.

~Totalitarianism policy~  Modern - Diplomatic - Open Borders with all City-States, and +4 influence points per turn towards earning Envoys.

Biosphère - Atomic - Synthetic Materials - +200% Power Power for renewable energy. (Must be built next to a River adjacent to a Neighborhood.) 

{I LOVE using renewable energy for my cities.}
[tech] - Atomic - Synthetic Materials - Geothermal Plants 

[tech] - Atomic - Combined Arms - Reveals Uranium

[tech] - Atomic - Rocketry - Spaceport
[tech] - Atomic - Rocketry - Launch Earth Satellite (first step toward Science Victory)

~Cold War policy~  Atomic - Diplomatic - Enemy Spy level reduced by 2 in your lands. Your Spy level is increased by 1 for offensive operations.

~Space Race policy~  Atomic - Diplomatic - Rock Bands from other players may not enter your territory.

~Space Race policy~  Atomic - Military - +15% Production towards Space Race projects if a city has either a Military Academy or a Seaport.

~Cultural Heritage policy~  Atomic - Shipwrecks

~Cold War policy~  Atomic - Rock Band

[tech] - Information - Satellites - Solar Farm

[tech] - Information - Satellites - Launch Moon Landing (second step towards Science Victory)
[tech] - Information - Composites - Wind farm

[tech] - Information - Robotics - Giant Death Robot

[tech] - Future - Predictive Systems - Offshore Wind
[tech] - Future - Seasteads - Seastead
[tech] - Future - Smart Materials - Exoplanet Expedition, the fourth step toward winning a Science Victory.
[tech] - Future - Offworld Mission - Lagrange Laser Station, Terrestrial Laser Station

~Information Warfare policy~  Future - Wildcard - 50% production toward Giant Death Robots

~Global Warming Mitigation policy~  Future - Carbon Recapture

IWSG Writing RULES

https://pin.it/6t9WfGvJE

One day, the English teacher started using the word predicate. But never said what that meant. That messed me up.
"What is a Predicate? The predicate of a sentence describes either what the subject is doing or the state of the subject. The predicate must always contain a verb, but it can also include objects, either direct or indirect, and different types of modifiers, such as adverbs, prepositional phrases, or objects." -Google



https://www.facebook.com/share/goEFqNo19UWnonxe/

A gift of a book blanket and a candle on my cake. Part of my 45th birthday.

IWSG AI Take-over

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/Gscknx9omhYhbbGy





I don't depend on AI to write. It seems unlikely that AI mastering creative endeavors will continue. The desire for AI comes from the want of humans to have our creations take over the tasks we endure out of necessity so we might have more time for activities that give us joy. We long for more culture and entertainment. (Okay... in fairness, that might be my Democratic viewpoint. I'm not a Florida Republican emptying out libraries to prevent persons under the age of 18 from reading. I believe in science, as should be obvious, because I started my answer by sharing a video from a real scientist.) 

---

I haven't done much writing in the last few months. My stroke made typing or holding a pen nearly impossible for a long time. I finally started thinking about writing again. Wait, no, I never stopped, I just didn't try enough to DO. I don't know. Anyway. This opening came to me:

#FirstLines

I'm awakened in the middle of the night by my husband's special ringtone. One eye open, I glance at my phone. Sure enough, it shows my husband's name and number calling me. Curious, as he's asleep beside me, and his phone is on the charger.

(Going for a scifi horror feel. Feedback welcome.)

IWSG writing software and Health wishes and vibes

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

July 3 question - What are your favorite writing processing (e.g. Word, Scrivener, yWriter, Dabble), writing apps, software, and tools? Why do you recommend them? And which one is your all time favorite that you cannot live without and use daily or at least whenever you write?

I was DIE HARD into MS Word for, basically, ever. I'm Gen X. Word is what I learned since middle school. That's what I knew.
Then, one day when I was house hunting/ dreaming, I thought, "You know what'd be seriously awesome? If I could write on my main desktop commputer, but later use a laptop and sit on the porch or something for a few hours and write there, but still have access to what I was writing. Without saving on a thumb drive or whatever." And BEHOLD, the CLOUD ☁ came into existence. My love of Dropbox is deep. Then I completed NaNoWriMo for the first time, and bought Scrivener. Then I had to LEARN how to use that. And I like it for several reasons. But I can't use it on my phone. (Don't bother telling me the ways I could. The Android app just doesn't "pet my fur." 😼🐈) 

So, honestly, what I use to write most often is Google Drive. I can easily share with my writer friends. I can access it on my phone or laptop (the Desktop is as dead as the Windows Vista it used). And I can save in multiple formats. Plus, it works with Grammarly. So that's my answer.

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I was hospitalized on Jan 13, 2024, and diagnosed with a stroke. I was discharged after having a serious asthma attack, and the medical team realized they were killing me.
I can't change what happened.

But I am going to write some positive vibe stuff, how I WISH things had been handled.

• "I see you're squirming pretty hard, and your 9-1-1 call said you needed to urinate. So I'm going to let you use a bedpan quick, while putting in the IV line here in the ER room where you have a fan and can breathe. Breathing is important. We need to make sure you keep breathing while we assess your possible stroke. 

(Instead of forcing me to continue to hold it. Taking me to the CT room, where it was too difficult to breathe, and increased suffering for 15 minutes while trying to get an IV.  Noting I was struggling to breathe, doing nothing about it. And injecting a dye so it felt like I had urinated, making the urge so much more painful, then yelling at me for not being still enough. Did they WANT me to piss in the CT machine? Because it was crazy close to happening.)

• "Your hand is turning purple, and you are screaming in agony. It seems the automatic bp cuff doesn't work on you, and it, in fact, triggers your "fight/ flight response," which increases your blood pressure. We need to lower your pain to reduce your blood pressure, so we're going to try doing it by hand with a cuff that actually fits your arm."
• "You've been admitted. Here is a mini bottle of hand sanitizer so you can keep your hands clean, especially before you eat. We won't let you wash your hands because you can't get up."
• "Hi, I'm one of the nurses. I need to <medical reason>, so I'm going to grab your gown and stare down in it at your chest. 

(Because in literally any other situation, a stranger grabbing your clothing and staring at your chest... that's assault. Seriously, this is unethical behavior in any other situation, no matter how you cut it. I'm not sure I wasn't assaulted, to be honest. But for my mental health, I tell myself there was a reason. I didn't have any leads on, so it couldn't be one was loose. Umm... maybe he was checking that my ribs were still inside my skin. Uhh... I don't know. I reported it, but I don't believe anyone cares.

My mind, in that moment, went to defending myself. I would have slapped him. But my right arm wasn't properly functioning yet. And, he was a BIG guy, his body was on my left arm, rendering it useless. I didn't think of screaming because it takes a lot of air to scream, and I was having enough trouble breathing.)

• "We see you are taking Advair 250/50. That's a pretty serious respiratory prescription. Is there anything we can do to help keep you breathing?

(As opposed to, "oh, we didn't think your asthma was serious." Said after my attack. 

• "Let me get a tape measure. It seems you won't fit into this MRI machine in the position we need. And it'd be too hot. So we'll leave you in your room.

(Instead of trying to cram me in, injuring my elbow, ignoring that injury, and then exclaiming, "oh damn, she stuck." And then sending me back to my room.)

• "I've brought you back to your room. Let me settle you on the bed and make sure you have your call bell and such."

(As opposed to dropping me and rushing out. Why assign a nurse to escort me if she didn't have the time to keep me alive? The asthma attack was 💯 totally avoidable. Half a second to push a table over. I almost died because someone didn't shove a table my way as she rushed out. Take a second to secure the patient you are with. That's a very basic care procedure. Don't put your "fall-risk" patients in dangerous situations. "ABC" - airway, breathing, cardiac -- make sure your patient can breathe and has a heartbeat before leaving the room.)

• "We're discharging you early because you stopped breathing, and we don't have a way to keep you alive. But, since you just took your first five steps today, we recognize you will need some help getting back into your home. So we've called <paramedics, firefighters, physical therapists, wrestlers doing community service, the local bodybuilders association, who the fuck ever> to help get you home safely since you can't walk on stairs yet."
• "We've contacted tech support and they did some minor programming. Now we can put a copy of your MSDS sheet on your chart, along with a note. So no medical person will ever neglect your respiratory needs again."

(Seriously, since we don't use paper, and thus can't paperclip a thing, create an alternative! We have the technology. Even just a note on the chart, people can Google CT-511 themselves. Or just note that I need air 60℉/ 15.5℃ to properly breathe. An anesthesiologist might need to know details, but at least other doctors could avoid needing to use, "😰 CODE BLUE response team!" Just stop trying to make me unalive.)

Primary reasons I (uselessly) reached out to half a dozen lawyers:

1. I should not have had to experience another asthma attack while hospitalized.
2. My elbow should not have been injured, and that ignored, while hospitalized.
3. My right big toe should not have been injured and ignored while hospitalized.
4. I should not have been prescribed an overdose of aspirin.
5. I was discharged so fast that another patient's information was attached to my discharge summary. HIPPA violation?
6. Arrangements should have been made to get me home safely, as I could not yet walk well enough on my own (especially on steps).
7. I wonder if manual blood pressure readings could have been taken in the ER, instead of letting my left arm turn purple. Especially as my right arm wasn't working at the time. Could one hand/ limb have been protected? 
8. Is it possible, in the future, for my respiratory condition to be taken seriously at the onset?

I'm sharing this on my blog because this is my space. I wanted to write about what happened and how I wish I was cared for instead. Mostly, I wish I would have been safe at the hospital, that my breathing would have mattered. I feel scared and helpless. I know no one can do anything about it. But I wish there was a way to prevent anyone else from facing this situation. And I wish I could protect my future self. Not that this blog post accomplishes either of those, but I genuinely don't know what to do other than leave this record here. 

Thanks for reading.

Asthma/ Respiratory Condition
Requires air 60℉ or below

⚕ Diabetic, Stroke. Jamie Dorner
Latex Allergy

Totally useless medical ID bracelet on my wrist. I had on my old one in Dec, but pretty much the same except for the stroke update.

IWSG a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

This month, the IWSG asked what kind of offering/service do I think the IWSG should consider offering to members?

I'm happy just having fellow blogger-writers to "hop" to monthly. 

But I wouldn't turn down an evaluation of my query letter. (Scroll to my Q post if you can help.) Or ideas on traditional publication stuff in the latest news. (This Spotify horror, for example: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/kJjmGnD5zYhfD4Zc/)

Maybe book blasts on social media? "Check out this new book by a pal of mine!" 

I don't really know. But stuff to help us feel more secure? 

Ways to make my hand and wrist hurt less after my stroke so I will write more?? ✍️  Oh wait, that's why I see a therapist who gives me exercises to try. 

Doctor Feelings

When doctors 👨‍⚕️👩‍⚕️🧑‍⚕️ dismiss my respiratory issues 

😒😵‍💫 I feel unsafe, ignored, and scared

🤔 I would prefer medical personnel to admit that breathing IS IMPORTANT and should be prioritized

I presently have no idea how to improve this situation. I'm just expressing my mental and emotional state because I'm upset.

IWSG and AtoZChallenge Reflecions

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

This month, the IWSG asked about dealing with distractions during writing. 

Well, I just failed to complete the A to Z Challenge thanks to the distraction of pain. My right wrist is so unstable. Typing HURTS. I have failed to overcome this.

Plus, my diabetic husband has been turned from short-term disability to long-term disability. He has gotten worse. Three weeks of laying on the couch, doing NOTHING, but he got a hole in his foot. How??? 

Just dealing with the insane life changes is ALL I can do right now. I lack the fortitude to deal with anything more.

 

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme was to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in school libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html

I didn't make it. I gave up due to pain. 

Hopefully I will be able to do the challenge next year.

Hopefully I'll get the physical strength to edit the book more, and mental health to submit the query letter again (which hopefully is better?), and the emotional fortitude to keep going.

Thanks to the people who visited in April. 

I feel that I left more comments than I got, but that's how it goes. I did what I could when I could.

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Query #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


I need to create a new query letter. 
Here's the latest (without a personal info paragraph, obviously). I'll be revising this story. Please help!

One comment I got from an agent asked Lenore's dad's thoughts and feelings on moving her to another school, especially with the danger to her.

I know the answer.

It isn't in the book.

It NEVER comes up.

I do know.

Why would include something in the query that isn't in the book???

Some have disliked Lenore's anxiety and neurodivergence. 

Okay... but... 

Some people don't like neurodivergent people. Sorry to upset the Boomers, but the Young Adult audiences I'm aiming toward are more tolerant. Maybe I need to work the words "liberal left-wing" into the description?? Are we there? 

"This book will absolutely be banned from Florida."

Maybe I need that disclaimer upfront? 

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

Otis the Cow Bull

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


This is a short conversation Lenore has early on, before going on Teen Writer Season 3. It shows how she interacts with peers.

"An udder is an organ formed of two or four mammary glands on the females of dairy animals and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep."

https://barnyard.fandom.com/wiki/Otis

Barnyard movie DVD on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3VZtAcD

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗

No Money #AtoZChallenge

My April 2024 A to Z Challenge blogging theme is to revise a YA novel I've been working on for almost a decade and then generate a new and better query letter to send in the hopes of traditional publication.
I want to publish that way because I believe it will give the book the best distribution, especially in libraries where underrepresented young people could borrow it. The target audience is teenagers who have an incarcerated family member, teens who are treated as outcasts for situations beyond their control, and Latinas preparing for their quinceañera.
Read more in my theme reveal post: https://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com/2024/03/theme-reveal-2024-atozchallenge-and-wep.html


This is a scene where Lenore is aware of the lack of money her father has.

Feedback is needed! I'm revising, so please make suggestions if you have any. 💗