Gillian Flynn

The State of the Reader: 9/21/22

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<–The State of the Reader: 9/7/22         The State of the Reader: 10/5/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 4

Total: $47.66

Books Finished: 1

Title: Sharp Objects
Author: Gillian Flynn
Date Added: December 26, 2021
Date Started: September 8, 2022
Date Finished: September 19, 2022

Cover of Sharp Objects by Gillian FlynnMedia: eBook/Kindle

I read this so quickly it wasn’t even on an update…well not until now.  You can tell this is Flynn’s debut novel, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t well worth the read.  I wasn’t entirely wrong about what happened, but I wasn’t entirely right either.

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The State of the Reader: 8/24/22

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<–The State of the Reader: 8/10/22         The State of the Reader: 9/7/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 1

Total: $0.99

Books Finished: 1

Title: Dark Places
Author: Gillian Flynn
Date Added: October 4, 2018
Date Started: August 1, 2022
Date Finished: August 21, 2022

Cover of Dark Places by Gillian FlynnMedia: eBook/Library

Woot!  I finished this before it was returned to the library.  I think this is the fastest I’ve read a book, and I’m so glad I did complete it.  I don’t think I could’ve waited on hold and probably would’ve wound up buying it.

I initially gave this four stars, but then I bumped it up to five.  The reason for the four stars was because I didn’t like the MC that much, but honestly?  You’re not supposed to.  Gillian Flynn has a knack for making unlikable main characters because the points she’s trying to make require it, and this book is no different.  Libby isn’t likable.  She has terrible habits.  She steals.  She lies.  She’s a mooch.   She’s also extremely traumatized from what she lived through.

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The State of the Reader: 8/10/22

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<–The State of the Reader: 7/27/22         The State of the Reader: 8/24/22–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Purchased: 2

Total: $3.98

Books Finished: 0

Books DNF: 0

Books On Hold: 1

Title: Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness
Author: Da’Shaun L. Harrison
Date Added: February 11, 2022
Date Started: May 2, 2022
Date On Hold: August 1, 2022

Cover of Belly of the Beast by Da'Shaun HarrisonMedia: Paperback
Progress: 13%

This book is too heavy for me right now.  I’ve been struggling with what to watch lately, too.  I know those two sentences don’t seem to fit together, but they do.  There’s been this awkward balance of me needing something that will hold my attention but not be too intense.  Anyway, I’m going to shelve this for a bit and come back to it later.

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The State of the Writer: 2/6/21

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<–The State of the Writer: 1/23/22         The State of the Writer: 2/20/22–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 1

Project: Story
Working Title: The High Archon
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Original
Length: Novel
Current Word Count: 10,684
Prior Word Count: 10,530
Word Difference: +154
Status: Adding line edits from notes
Progress: Chapter 2

I wasn’t planning on adding more words to the draft, but as I was working on fitting in the line edits it just happened.  I was adding something near the end of where I’d stopped, and since I usually try to stop with a question, dialogue, or in the midst of some kind of action, it’s easy to prime my brain for what comes next.  It also doesn’t help that I love the sassy dialogue between my MC and her BFF.

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Date Added: June 14, 2013
Date Started: September 8, 2018
Date Finished: October 3, 2018
Reading Duration: 25 days
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Drama, Crime Drama, Psychological Drama

Cover of Gone Girl by Gillian FlynnPages: 415
Publication Date: April 22, 2014
Publisher: Broadway Books
Media: Paperback

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

Note: I’m going to split this into a Review section and an Analysis section.  The Analysis section will contain spoilers, and I’ll post another warning prior.

Review

I have to give Gillian Flynn props.

There is something…off about both Nick and Amy.  Flynn does an excellent job laying the groundwork for this paradigm, but not rushing the reveal.  It reaches the point where there’s no allegation too outlandish to consider, and that’s where the genius of Gone Girl lies.  I thought I had it all figured out, but all of my formulated theories were wrong.  The author is a master of the bait-and-switch misdirect, and I fell for all the red herrings.

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The State of the Writer: 1/23/21

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<–The State of the Writer: 1/9/22         The State of the Writer: 2/6/22–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 0

Project: Story
Working Title: The High Archon
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Original
Length: Novel
Current Word Count: 10,530
Prior Word Count: 10,530
Word Difference: 0
Status: Organization
Progress: Chapter 2

I highlighted the text where the fixes need to take place.  I wanted to work on it last night but was too tired.  Some of the fixes are in a specific place, but some are more general like showing a slower progression of time.  I’ll have to fix that in a fuller edit.  I still hope to be drafting again before the end of the month.

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The State of the Writer: 1/9/21

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<–The State of the Writer: 12/26/21         The State of the Writer: 1/23/22–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 0

Project: Story
Working Title: The High Archon
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Original
Length: Novel
Current Word Count: 10,530
Prior Word Count: 10,530
Word Difference: 0
Status: Organization
Progress: Chapter 2

I figured out a lot of the logistical stuff with the time, and made a guideline for myself.  I think I’m going to do a micro-outline for Chapter 2 next and then highlight in the text where the fixes/updates need to take place.  I really hope to be drafting again by the end of this month.

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The State of the Writer: 12/26/21

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<–The State of the Writer: 12/12/21         The State of the Writer: 1/9/22–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 0

Project: Story
Working Title: The High Archon
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Original
Length: Novel
Current Word Count: 10,530
Prior Word Count: 10,530
Word Difference: 0
Status: Organization
Progress: Chapter 2

I’m making progress with my organization but still working on it.  Given the last two weeks contained Christmas, I wasn’t expecting to make much headway; however, I managed to organize the conversation beats for Chapter 1 and fix the micro-outline (it was such a mess).  I need to do the same for Chapter 2 and fix the micro-outline there as well.  There are other things I need to add in/fix like how I completely fucked up the progression of time.  It’s the equivalent of an August evening so the sun would set late, so I have to figure out the logistics of when they get to town, how long they’re there, and when the sun sets.  They keep time differently from how we do, but the hours of the day are the same.

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The State of the Writer: 12/12/21

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<–The State of the Writer: 10/31/21         The State of the Writer: 12/26/21–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 0

Project: Story
Working Title: The High Archon
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Original
Length: Novel
Current Word Count: 10,530
Prior Word Count: 771
Word Difference: 9759
Status: Drafting & Organization
Progress: Chapter 2

I’m happy to report I made my NaNoWriMo goal of 10k words and then some.  Setting lower goals or maybe more bite sized really works out for me.  There were some days where I wrote more, a few days where I wrote less, and some where I wrote nothing, but all in all I was able to make my set goal, and I’m really happy about that.  I thought I’d only be working on the first chapter, but 10k is a lot of words for just one, and there was a natural place to end it and start Chapter 2.  I’m absolutely loving the relationship dynamic between Maya and her BFF.  It’s…different but still familiar.  There’s some subversion of the familiar “best friend with a crush” trope that I hope works out.

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The State of the Writer: 10/31/21

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<–The State of the Writer: 10/17/21         The State of the Writer: 12/12/21–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 0

Project: Story
Working Title: The High Archon
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Original
Length: Novel
Current Word Count: 771
Prior Word Count: 771
Word Difference: 0
Status: Drafting
Progress: Chapter 1

I think I’m ready for NaNoWrimo and have figured out the tie stuff and what I want to happen in this first scene.  There’s one more thing I need to clarify *takes quick note* and then I should be good to go for tomorrow.

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