I started out the month, and the year, SO strong—ready to make up for losing steam in December—but then found myself fumbling once again. The Polar Vortex struggle is real. I DNFed a few things, read a book for the RWA RITA Awards that I can’t name for obvious reasons (I still have six more… Read More Mala’s January 2019 Hot Reads
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about characterization and plotting on soaps—as kind of an expansion on a Twitter thread I wrote back in 2017. When it comes to most kinds of fiction writing, there are “plotters” and there are “pantsers.” A plotter outlines and diagrams every beat, every decision, that goes into creating a… Read More Soap Writing 101: Plotting, Pantsing, and Pretty Little Liars
A few months before my birthday last year, I composed a lofty post with 40 Things To Do When I Turn 40. Now, here I am facing down 41 and realizing that I never completed that list. There were 14 things undone! So, this year, I’m giving myself another challenge: Knock out those 14 items AND complete… Read More New Year, New-ish Goals
I finished 121 books in 2018. A few rereads, but mostly new-to-me titles—and not counting stuff I may have forgotten to log. That is 15 down from 2017. Boo! It’s no wonder I lost my steam in December, going several days without reading anything at all (I know, I know…a terrible place to be!). Luckily,… Read More Mala’s December 2018 Hot Reads
2018 has felt approximately 224 years long, so I honestly don’t remember a lot of the pop culture I consumed and/or enjoyed. It’s like a blur. And that’s funny, because I feel like I immersed myself in film, TV, and books even more deeply than I did in 2017. It’s probably the most productive thing… Read More Mala’s Best of 2018 Pop Culture Round-Up
