Good Job, Good Witch!

The magic finally came together

In 2008, Hallmark aired The Good Witch, a movie starring Catherine Bell as Cassie Nightingale and Chris Potter as Middleton Chief of Police Jack Russell. 12 movies and 5 television seasons later, the magic finally came together in Good Witch (Season 6).

Probably due to Catherine Bell being one of the Executive Producers of the series, the show has consistently and expertly passed the Bechdel Test. Middleton seems to be pretty decently populated with independent and influential women (business owners, council members, etc.). I mean, try to get anything done in Middleton without Mayor Martha Tinsdale!

“No, no, dear.” – Mayor Martha Tinsdale (probably)

For Season 6, it feels as though there were some changes (both in front of the camera and behind the scenes) that led to a much more cohesive and satisfying season than we’ve had from Good Witch previously. No disrespect to Bailee Madison (who left after playing the role of Grace Russell since 2015) but, with the characters of Nick and Grace graduating high school and going away to college, there was an opening for new plot arcs and it definitely it looks like a lot of interesting ideas made it to production.

In addition to adding the character of Joy Harper (a mysterious stranger played by Katherine Barrell who comes to Middleton with a secret; a character intro that has been used M.A.N.Y. times on this series), the show also had more diverse casting for the one-off storylines, which was super refreshing. The main cast is still very white, but there does seem to be a desire to show Middleton residents who don’t all look alike. Very nicely done!

As well as opening up the casting decisions, the storylines this season felt fleshed out and natural. In previous seasons, while there was usually one overarching mystery that covered the whole season and acted as a bridge between the movies (more on that in a minute), the smaller story arcs both came out of nowhere and disappeared back into oblivion after 3 episodes. In Season 6, we got some really good story-telling and plot creation that had implications and ramifications for most of the characters. Again, very well done!

Every Good Witch season is book-ended by a movie, airing around mid-October. (And then never repeated again! What’s up with that Hallmark?!) The movies usually only tangentially tie into the stories of the season but every now and then, there is a character or scenario introduced in one of the inter-seasonal movies that becomes a part of the series. We missed the movie that aired between Season 5 & 6 (Grrr!), but even without it, Season 6 really shone above the prior seasons. Good Witch was renewed by Hallmark for a 7th Season, with a release date to be determined.

Lingering Frustration: What is the Bistro?! Stephanie’s Bistro Cafe (usually referred to as “The Bistro”) simply defies definition. It is a sandwich shop, a coffeehouse, a bakery, the kitchen for her catering business and food truck, Middleton’s (only?) restaurant, a cafe and a wine bar. It is also the community hub, serving as an open mic venue and a place to bring international dignitaries. It has outdoor seating, which we never see, and apparently no waitstaff or kitchen crew other than Stephanie.

Related

  • My hands-down favorite character on Good Witch is Mayor Martha Tinsdale, played by the indomitable Catherine Disher. She has done behind-the-scenes clips and location tours for Hallmark, which should not be missed.
  • Katherine Barrell (Season 6’s newest addition) had previously been on Wynona Earp, a show that we started but got lost in the shuffle, so it’s been fun to revisit Purgatory and catch up on that show.

Disappoint…………ment

Let’s jump to the end and work backwards, shall we?

I did not finish my manuscript. The failure project failed. (Succeeded? Shrug.)

I wish I could blame the craziness of 2020, but unfortunately my world turned upside down a bit earlier than everyone else. Yay?

In truth, it was a sort of blessing because I had an extra 6 months to learn to deal with disruptions and disappointment so I was a bit better prepared. (No, I won’t post the “Everything is fine.” picture. Why? Shrug.)

But I’m back to try again.

(And I kind of hope that if we’ve all just been prescribed a year of fear, frustration and dead dreams, then maybe everyone else might be okay in about 6 months time. Fingers crossed.)

So here we go again……..

Be A Good Sphinx – Charlotte’s Purpose: Weekend of Kindness

The Weekend of Kindness is a yearly event organized by Charlotte’s Purpose in memory of Charlotte Elizabeth Carnaghan, who was stillborn on October 21, 2017. Charlotte’s family invites family members, friends, and friends-they-have-yet-to-meet to do acts of kindness and service during the weekend closest to her birthday. In 2020, the Weekend of Kindness will be October 24 – 25, 2020.

The mission of Charlotte’s Purpose is to support those grieving after stillbirth. Statistically, African American women are 2.2 times more likely to suffer a tragic loss like this in the United States. This is why many of the projects selected by Charlotte’s Purpose this year are focused on the Black community. We believe that small, purposeful kindnesses can have a big impact on the future of our country, even in terms of affecting something as daunting as systemic racism which is the root of the racial disparity in stillbirth rates. One way we intend to affect positive change at a local level is to increase diversity in K-8 classroom library offerings. Equity begins with understanding and understanding begins with exposure to experiences that are different than our own. There is no better place to begin exposing children to a wealth of human experience than through literature.

Every purchase of Weekend of Kindness gear helps the Charlotte’s Purpose group stock classroom libraries at Monarch Global Academy with children’s books that feature Black and Brown authors, main characters, and culture. Every kid deserves to see themselves reflected in the classroom library!

There are two days left to order some 2020 Weekend of Kindness Gear!

Overdue

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. Douglas Adams

For the past three weeks, I’ve been sick. Like, very sick.

And also procrastinating. (More on this a bit later.)

But mostly sick.

Unfortunately, those three weeks included my deadline for getting my rough draft done. When I first fell ill, I was very upset with myself for not feeling up to writing and possibly missing my deadline.

But as I kept getting sicker, I also got more clarity. The deadline I was racing to meet was my own invention and my own schedule. And, thus could be changed. I won’t always have the ability to move a goal post like this, but this time I do.

So I let myself off the hook and gave my body time to heal. Interestingly, the rest/healing period has given me some time to brainstorm on one of my Future Rejections and I like what I’ve been able to piece together.

The Rejection Project: Q & A (Part 2)

I am a dreamer-plotter who will pants as a last resort.

Boy, aren’t y’all a curious bunch! More answers to more questions.

Are you going for a specific word count?

No.

1. I don’t want to limit or fool myself and hitting 50,000 words (or any other arbitrary limit) would make me think that my story is done regardless of if I’d hit all of the right beats and closed up all of the plotholes. Similarly, if I get the story out but haven’t gotten to 50,000 words, I might feel pressure to add words. Knowing me, that means more plot which only works to wildly confuse matters.

2. I know enough about revising to know that the manuscript will shrink and grow during the revision and critique process, so I’m not worried about the word count right now.

Are you a Pantser or a Plotter?

For the uninitiated, “Pantsers” are those who write by the seat of their pants; they just start typing and let the muse take the pen or the keyboard. “Plotters” outline and try to plan out the story before writing.

I am a dreamer-plotter who will pants as a last resort.
Most of the future rejects started out as daydreams that can be most easily summarized as “What would happen if…”

After I’ve played in the daydream for a while, I try to wrangle what I recall into a 9-part/3-act outline with GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict). I usually find that I’m missing realistic GMC and Acts I and III of the outline.

But if I’m still interested, I try to write up notes from my memories of the daydreams (not the easiest task in the world, I don’t mind saying) while brainstorming on the pieces that I’m missing. Sometimes it works and I get most of the way to a full outline which I then try to parlay into a full manuscript. Sometimes it doesn’t, so then I pants.

Either way, I’m still trying to get to a full manuscript.

Will you read my story/draft/novella?

No.

I. Sphinx