Review: #TheWalkingDead S9:14 SCARS #TWD #TWDFamily

Review: S9:13 CHOKEPOINT

The answers we've been waiting for since episode 6 - and, true to TWD form, the reason for those scars and the rift between Alexandria and the other communities was NOTHING like I expected!  Thanks to Corey Reed and Vivien Tse for writing and to Millicent Shelton for directing this unusual and fascinating episode.  I expect comparisons with The Grove; very different, but equally as shocking and as well executed.

I love a dual timeline; it's a structure that can be so effective (as in S6:1 First Time Again, my all time favourite episode) and Scars was a perfect example, as the two stories unfolded alongside and finally came together, when we at last learned why Michonne is as she is now...and who could not feel understanding for her?  I try to avoid spoilers, but I'd seen that Michonne killed children to save herself and Judith, and wondered how it could happen while maintaining our sympathy for Michonne, but it absolutely worked - Michonne's torment was heartbreaking.

The strong emotional ties between Daryl and Michonne were so evident in this episode; after all they had been through over the years, losing and searching for Rick cemented the bond, and their shared secret even more so.  The short exchange between Daryl and Aaron was equally touching; as ever, with TWD (one of the things I love about it), the depth of friendship was conveyed in the eyes, the brief touch of hand on shoulder, rather than in schmaltzy words.  

(btw, now we know the real reason for Michonne's new hairdo, i.e., to avoid confusion between the colourful now and the sepia-tinted past.  It's okay, though; we would have been able to tell the diff, because six years ago Daryl's shirt still had two sleeves.)

 

A round of applause for the lovely scene with Daryl and Judith by the water; shortly afterwards Judith exhibited more of her best Grimes traits by taking off on her own to help the friends of Alexandria - Carl going off to kill Negan, anyone?  

...and what a good case for nuture over nature, as Negan pointed out to Michonne that Judith is exactly like her mother, and not one to take shit lying down.  (Real mom Lori was better at making dinner and caustic asides.  There was the time she went to rescue Rick from rescuing Hershel, but she had to be rescued by Shane.  No, I'm being too harsh; having Judith in the first place was brave, in itself.  And I got to understand/like her more as I watched S1, 2 & 3 again.)

 😱😱

Now, Jocelyn.....

When Michonne's old pal was first allowed into Alexandria (yes, Aaron, you were right, as ever), we were given no idea of how insane she really was, i.e, bringing up the kids to know that the strong survive and thrive, and that stringing up, branding and slashing at pregnant women is the way forward.

Particularly pertinent that they escaped through the manhole cover.  That whole scene when Michonne was crying out to Negan-in-waiting Linus, 'I don't want to have to hurt you' was so-oo good.  I'm gutted that Michonne is leaving in Season 10, but I hear she may join Rick - hope so.  With Judith and RJ too, preferably, though Judith would be a great loss for the show, too.  Love that she remembered exactly what happened, all along.

Other stuff I liked:

• Nice to see the lovely Scott again, in the flashbacks, and a special guest appearance of ex-wife-of-Negan Frankie, with not an LBD in sight - wonder what happened to the two of them?  Tanya, too?  Don't think I've seen them since the time jump.
• In the end scenes, I loved Michonne and Judith's horsedrawn wagon made out of an old car!
• Throughout, I was once more struck by what a good actress Cailey Fleming is.

Incidentally, I notice that TWD episode 14s are always particularly good, a sort of coming together/blowing up of all that has happened in that season, before the crescendo of the last two episodes - like when Morgan and Rick's pain reached boiling point in S8:14 Still Gotta Mean Something, Maggie finally talking to Daryl again and Sacha and Rosita making up in S7:14 The Other Side, and the real start of the Negan war in S6:14 Twice As Far.  If you binge-watch the seasons again, you really get to notice the structure of the whole.

Meanwhile, back at the Kingdom... 

...the Whisperers know where you are...

And finally - talking of all that Daryl and Michonne have been through together, here is a look back at a few of those moments - from the wild woman who turned up at the prison, until the saddest moment of all.

😢😢

Your First Novel is Ready to Go - Five Things to Consider #SelfPublishing #WritersCommunity #WritingCommunity.

1. Publishing for the first time: yes, it's terrifying!

Are you nervous about seeing your work out there?  About total strangers entering the world that, up until now, has existed only in your head and on your laptop screen?  Don't worry - it's the same for everyone!

The other day a newish writer asked me this question: How did you feel when your first word-baby was about to see the world for the first time? 

I thought back to the first book I published, in 2011, and remembered how exposed I felt, seeing my book sitting there on Amazon, almost as if I was inviting strangers to read my diary.  The bad news is that it doesn't get any better; I still panic every time, and I'm soon to publish my nineteenth book.  I still feel sick with nerves when I send it to my proofreader because she is the first person to read it (while she's correcting all the duplicated/missing words that I managed not to see through six or seven drafts), and ditto when I send out mobis to book bloggers.  And as the first sales start.  It never ends.

The good news is that you get used to it - and it's still worth it, for the lovely feeling (and relief!) of those first good reviews. 😀

2. If you don't read the rest of the post, please read this bit

...and I won't apologise for saying it again, because it's so important, and I hate seeing fellow writers wasting their money.  Please, please, beware of the scammers and the inept:

• The publishers who lead you to believe you have a real publishing deal but ask you to contribute to the cost (unless you have made an active choice to go with a vanity press, of course.  But please don't be fooled into thinking it's a publishing deal in the traditional sense).
• The editors with no proper training or professional editing experience.
• The critique services by people who have no proven experience in the market.  I would not pay anyone to critique my work who doesn't have professional, developmental editorial experience, and you shouldn't, either.  If they don't have this experience, you're better off looking for beta readers - many will test read your book for nothing.
• The writing competitions that require a large entrance fee.  Mostly, these are just money-makers for the organisers.  Even if you win, it only makes you the winner out of the 60 people who entered the competition, not all writers of your genre, and the badge they give you is unlikely to turn your book into a best seller.  There are so many online awards and competitions for writing these days that they tend not to mean very much, sadly.
• The proofreaders who can't punctuate, don't have a sound grasp of English grammar, and use 'proofreading software' instead of the human eye.
• The promoters who promise exposure to thousands of readers in your genre - you need to question this.  It may just be their social media following.
• The publishers who expect you to fund the process by online begging. 
• The promotional courses that promise you thousands of sales if you sign up, pay out and adopt their methods - if their sites feature testimonials from authors, get in touch with those authors.  I did, once, and found that her words had been taken out of context.

Some websites are so convincing, but before you hand any money over, get recommendations from established writers, or ask someone who has been publishing for a while to check out the site.  

Please note: sometimes, these services might be offered by authors themselves.  It's worth checking out how successful their own books are and if they are qualified to offer all they do, or if they are just trying to top up disappointing book sales - do not assume that, just because they have published a book or two, they necessarily know their stuff.

Repeat: always get recommendations from established writers!

3. Book bloggers are not your employees!

I've seen so much written about this lately.  Please remember that the majority of book bloggers have a life, and work on their blog in their precious leisure time.  They don't owe you anything.  They don't have to take your book for review, and, if they do, they do not have to give it 5* and say it was brilliant.  If you're disappointed with a blog review, please remember that they gave up their time, free of charge - just say thank you, and leave it at that.

Even if you are paying them, either by a set charge or by donating to a blogger's Patreon, they still do not owe you a great review if they do not think the book merits it.  You are paying for their service, not a dishonest endorsement. 

A few less than glowing book reviews will not harm a book's sales.  Look at the best selling books in your genre - you will notice that they all have a range of ratings. 

A tip: it's a bad idea to send a book to a book blogger until it has been through its final proofread and edit, even if you assure them that all errors will be corrected before publication; they can only review what they see.  

4. Sadly, not everyone will be as interested in your book as you are

...so please don't be tempted to send tweets and Twitter DMs (or whatever people do on other sites) asking random strangers to review it.  If you want reviews, take the time to check out book bloggers.  On Twitter, you can find them by putting #bookblogger into the search. Study their blogs, see if they take your genre, and if they're currently accepting submissions.  Submit as per the guidelines stated.  This is a much better plan than picking on new followers and diving in with offers of mobis and PDFs and long explanations of what the book's about, telling them how much they will love it.  Everyone hates these.  Yes, even those who are kind and polite enough to show some interest. 

Eventually, if you engage with people in a genuine way, and take time to use the sites properly, they will discover your book for themselves.  Don't forget the 'social' in social media.

Try not to become obsessed with getting reviews.  They may or may not come after people have taken an interest in your book, bought and read it.  Don't hassle people for them.

5. It's a good idea to build your 'platform' on social media

...before you publish, but it needs to be authentic.  It needs to be you.  Yes, marketers talk about creating your 'brand' (😩), but making grandiose claims or tailoring your real self to what you think sounds good doesn't work in the long run.  If you decide to say you're into, say, veganism, sustainability and gin, because they're trending right now, you'll find yourself having to 'rebrand' as soon as those things go out of fashion....

Authenticity is the key word.  One of the best examples of pre-debut-release platform building I've seen is that of Icelandic blacksmith Bjørn Larssen (Twitter HERE).  His book is not even out yet, and he's already clocking up the pre-order sales and reviews.  I think it's working so well because he's just blogging and talking to people about the things he's passionately interested in, and taking the time to find out about others, too.   

Incidentally, when I pointed this out to Bjørn, he said he'd been reading books about platform building and didn't think he was going to be much good at it.  
This, I think, says it all. 😄😉

You will find lots more useful articles for writers, new and otherwise, by clicking the link below - some by me, and many more by editors, book bloggers and other experienced professionals.

Useful Articles for Writers

Good Luck!

Review #TheWalkingDead S9:13 CHOKEPOINT

Review: S9:12 GUARDIANS


Great episode - three cheers for Daryl, Connie and the ever-brilliant Carol!   Big thanks to Liesl Tommy, Eddie Guzelian and David Johnson McGoldrick for another great episode :)

The menace of the Whisperers is building in such a tantalising fashion, with all their scary weirdness; these are no Governor or Saviors, no normal human beings with whom you may, at some point, be able to reason.  Their symbiotic relationship with the Walkers is so spookily clever, too; 'I'm going to be one of them', says an injured Whisperer, and you get the feeling that Beta doesn't think this will be too tragic; 'the change is coming'

And so Daryl, Connie, Lydia and the ever-petulant Henry embark on a hair-raising journey, because Henry 'didn't know what he was getting his ass into'.  No surprises there, then.  Love how Daryl has no time for adolescent daftness; Henry and Lydia do not, somehow, inspire that same 'ahhh' feeling that Carl and Enid did - not that I think they're meant to.  I'm sure Henry is going to get someone killed, sooner or later....

Talking of fledgling romances, Daryl seems to communicate with Connie more directly and than he does with others (he touched her on the shoulder, too!) - maybe only because she has to be able to lip-read?  Come on, writers, make it happen...!

And so to the fair - at the Kingdom, when Nabila commented to Carol about them being different people now, not warriors, I thought, 'good luck with that, then' - such words so often need to be said with fingers crossed! 

Ezekiel's idealism when dealing with Ozzy and his Highwaymen's grammatically correct death threat was no match for clever Carol's sussing out, immediately, what would bring them on board.... 

 Ozzy trying not to look to excited about movie night

...and I liked how Jerry, Diane and co suggested that they could have been ambushed by Jed's gang of renegade Saviors, but Carol knew better....!

Back on the road to the fair, Tara and the Hilltop gang find a big log obstructing their way, and try to chop it up in a laborious fashion instead of lifting it 😶😏 😂, leaving plenty of time for those guardians to come calling...

...which was a fairly obvious excuse for a good Walker despatching scene, and the introduction of the Highwaymen as not so bad guys after all, but I liked the Tammy Rose and Earl scenes.  Love those two - I like that there are still some older survivors, as well.

The idea of the Highwaymen is a good one, in principle - another example of how the collapse in civilisation has made the world echo more lawless times of hundreds of years ago.

Meanwhile, back at Connie's chokepoint plan, Henry offers Lydia one of his big sticks.  I was worried when Daryl made clear that he wanted to finish off the Whisperers there and then, because he was 'sick of running' - his conviction that they could be overcome by just the three of them (that's him, Connie and Dog!) reminded me of how he was so sure they could beat the Saviors, not having a clue what they were up against; remember 'the boogeyman, he ain't shit', before he promised to despatch them for Hilltop in return for food?  

Daryl, Daryl, you must know it's never going to end quickly, and is set to get a lot worse.... he knows, though, that they can't stay at Alexandria or Hilltop, because that would endanger everyone else.  In that 'whole world out there', where are they going to go?

I notice that he's is assuming leadership so readily now, much more so than when Rick was in charge - Rick being gone has brought out another side of him.  He's come a long way from being 'some redneck asshole'... 

The conflict in the building was all absolutely gripping, from the hope that Henry might have been fatally wounded, to Connie despatching Whisperers via catapult and filing cabinet - and who needs Shiva when you've got Dog?! 😃🐕  

Daryl and Beta's fight was thrilling, so convincing, and yes, I loved Daryl's nonchalant saunter away, picking up Beta's knife.  As for the end ... well, you don't throw Opie Beta down a lift shaft and expect to get away with it....

...Where is she....

As for next week - in Episode 14, Scars, we're going to find out what happened during the time jump AT LAST, and see Michonne pregnant with RJ - can't wait!
More about it here!