Lit Savvy by S.K. Salazar

Sorry for taking so long to post the conclusion of this adventure, folks. Between moving, getting a new job and joining a Boot Camp fitness program, I've had a lot on my mind. Not to mention, I'm just experiencing this massive creative block that makes it seem as if my writing chair has spikes on it and my keyboard has needles instead of keys. So, I struggle to get myself to write on most days. But as promised, here is the documentation of my last day of the Ration Challenge, as well as my conclusion on the entire experience. Day 7 For my final day of the Ration Challenge, I had to go to my boyfriend's cornhole tournament. (For the uninitiated, cornhole is a bean bag toss game. Some people take it pretty seriously.) I had my breakfast of congee mixed with mujadara and I bucked up for another day that would be just as hellish as Father's Day was. The minute I arrived at the deli in Fullerton, I knew it was going to be a long day. Between the unbearable crowd of part...

NOTE: Because my idiot blog decided to stop displaying text halfway through, the rest of the post is screenshots. Welp, I’m in the home stretch now, everyone! I knew I’d make it, but I didn’t realize how strenuous an experience this was going to be. As of now, I’m capping off Day 6 and getting ready to slog through tomorrow. Until then, let me dish about how the past couple of days have been…   Day 5   This was a particularly big day for me. Not just because it was June 20 th , otherwise know as World Refugee Day. But because I had quite a bit to get done throughout that day. Between going to Chino Hills (a city that’s approximately 30 miles away from my residence) and attending my job’s mandatory sexual harassment training, I still had to do my part to raise awareness about the struggles refugees face and the good they do for society once they’re integrated into their new country. Every hour, between my humble meals and the tasks that I had to cross off of my to...

Believe it or not, folks, I have made it to the middle of the challenge! (Forgive me if my writing sounds nonsensical right now. Brain fog is taking over me right now.) Since I used to have an eating disorder as a teenager and I’ve done religious fasts many times for Lent, I’m no stranger to what it’s like to be hungry by choice and to watch the world around you eating tasty treats. I must mention that on the night of Day 2, I started to feel leg cramps. (A result of potassium deficiency and a side effect of starvation.) I also had a fitful sleep. My stomach was turning with nausea and I kept burping up the taste of the flatbreads. But so far, that’s been the only awful experience at night that I’ve had so far.   Day 3   As of Day 3, there were still no severe cravings. (Maybe because I’m dead inside, anyways.) For some reason, the leg cramps were the most prolonged symptoms. I started to get them in my arms, too. Brain fog got pretty bad since I was unable to ...

In 2014, a group of Australians called Act For Peace decided to create an epic fundraiser for refugees. I imagine the conversation went something like this: An opponent: “I just don’t think it’s that important to feed refugees when we already have so many hungry Australians to attend to first.”   Act For Peace: “How can you say that? Do you even understand what refugees go through on a daily basis?”   Opponent: “I bet it’s not even that bad.”   AFP: “Oh yeah? Care to put a…wager…on that?”   All jokes aside (because this is a very serious matter), the Ration Challenge has ballooned in popularity and efficacy since that first year. Now, the fundraiser has been extended to New Zealand, the United Kingdom and for the first time in 2019, the United States. And you know that this rootin’, tootin’ American right here had to partake. It all started with a Facebook ad. A picture of two weather-worn Syrian refugees holding their ration packs was...

If you’re reading this blog, it’s probably because you know about my debut novel, Paradise in Flames . Now, you’re coming to your ol’ pal S.K. Salazar with your questions about it. Well, let’s start with the reason why I chose to write this story.             My initial spark came from watching The Phantom of the Opera . You know how it is. You’re watching a movie, you go down a rabbit hole, imagining yourself in the adventure or what kind of other adventures it could spark. Then, the movie has already moved along and you have to rewind it because you need to catch up on the juicy details.             Well, I liked the dark and light dynamic between Christine and the Phantom. I found it romantic. I imagined a person aligned with darkness learning kindness and goodness from their partner, who is aligned with light. And vice versa, I imagined a person aligned with light le...

There, I said it. I know it sounds incredibly harsh. It’s especially unfair because writing is something so personal. We desperately want people to care about what we have to say; especially our loved ones. But sometimes, your loved ones will be the harshest critics you’ll have. In my case, both parents, my significant other and several aunties were absolutely appalled by the subject matter of my debut novel, Paradise in Flames. One parent took umbrage to me writing a character who suffered childhood abuse because they took it as a reflection on how they parented me. That same parent told me that I should write something different, something more pleasant. My other parent, who offered to give me feedback on my story, delayed in doing so, being too busy instead with personal pursuits and work. (Which is fine, but no one should ever offer to give a writer feedback if they’re too busy. It’s hard enough finding beta readers as it is and it helps to not give us hope.) My significant other...

⚠️ WARNING! Spoilers ahead ⚠️ | | | | | | | | | | | I’m serious. You’re playing yourself if you go past this point without having watched the movie. | | | | | | | | | | | Okaaaaay. Last warning... | | | | | | | | | | | 1.) In the opening scene with Clint, after his family disappeared, I would’ve preferred it to be a still shot. I get that these kinds of shots are an artistic way of putting the audience into the action. But to me, the running is shaky and incredibly uncomfortable to watch. It reminds me that this is indeed just a film. 2.) I get that the film deals with trauma and grief, hence why the colors and lighting were so dark. But my God, everything in the film was so dark. Even the lighthearted moments had low lighting and muted colors. Maybe it was just the theater I was at, but it was distracting. If it wasn’t, I would’ve mixed up the color scheme and the composition so that it doesn’t seem so omin...