So right now, I'm bored. Go figure! It happens a lot when I have free time. And when I've finished all the homework I can do right now. Like reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray."
For the record, the ending of "Dorian Gray" (which is really good book in general, by the way) is the hugest mind-fudge ever. If any of you have read the book, you would know what I mean. If any of you haven't read the book, I suggest you do so, especially if you like books that involve the slow descent into insanity and darkness and people who you think are someone are actually embodied in other things and stuff. And huge mind-fudges where it turns out what you thought was someone was someone else and stuff (think Mad Eye Moody and the polyjuice potion from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Wait... that was basically the same thing I said earlier. Never mind. But it was still an epically huge mind-fudge.
But, in all, it was a really good book. Also, the painter dude was completely in love with Dorian (ye who have read the book shall not deny the obvious truth to this statement. You know it's true).
Anyway, in other news, MUSICAL REHEARSAL IS PICKING UP!!! This is good because it means that the show will be going up soon. It's bad because it means that I have rehearsal until 7:00 (3 hours a day) all this week and next, with two-hour rehearsals on Saturdays; in two weeks, it'll progress to 8:00 rehearsal every day (4 hours a day); then it'll be 9:00 (5 hours a day) and then it'll be show night. AAAHHHH!!!!!!
I think it's going to be a good show, but we NEED to work on one of the songs. I haven't gotten my music for it, and I have a solo in it. I'm not important enough to have a script, so I need a photocopy of the music, which I haven't gotten. I don't know about you, but I can't really sing something well if I don't know the words. Or the notes. Or the harmony. What's worse is that there are no rehearsal days assigned for the song, so I can't learn it at a rehearsal with the other people in the group. Grrrr.
But some of the songs are going really well. Yesterday, we spent three hours re-working the choreography for one of the all-girl songs, and it turned out really well. I think that'll probably be one of the best songs in the show if it keeps going the way we're going. It just bugs me that I don't have music for the other song. A lot.
Um... there isn't much else to report, except for the fact that I have to do homework later and go to chorus at some point to pass the class and demand my music.
Also, I may have to miss musical rehearsal for the first time ever in a few weeks. I have a scholarship interview at a school that I want to go to. On the other hand, it's a private school, and is therefore expensive, so financial aid in any form it presents itself is very welcome.
So... that is my story/ rant for today. Huzzah!
Farewell. I must depart to go to class and demand music and such.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
First Post of 2012!
Hello, and welcome to 2012! For the record, the apocalypse will NOT come in December, if it comes at all - it will come in June, when I graduate. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, I'm done screaming. For now. I may come back and scream some more later... maybe.
Anyway, since it's a new year and stuff, I've decided to post my new year's resolutions. Huzzah! Judge them/ me how you will. I really don't care.
Anyway, the list:
1. Finish a novel.
2. Read a lot of books (target: 50-ish).
3. Get good grades.
4. Get into college.
5. Go to college.
Yeah. Not a lot of resolutions to keep, I know. But that's why it's going to be rather easy to keep the resolutions - because there's not many of them.
Anyhow, in other news, I was NOT partying last night at midnight, nor was I watching the ball drop. I was at home. Reading. Yeah. But the book - "City of Bones" - is really good. Yes, I've finally started it. And it's NOTHING like "Twilight," which is very, very nice.
How is it different?
First, there are demons.
Second, the characters have depth.
Third, there are more questions that just "Who/ what are the Shadowhunters?" There are also questions like "Why can Clary tell there are Shadowhunters when she's not a Shadowhunter herself?" and "What is this block in Clary's memory and why is it there?"
Yeah. City of Bones is REALLY good. I love it. I find it rather annoying, however, that I have to force myself not to read it - a rather difficult task, as I really want to go back to reading it, now that I've started talking about it - because I have to read "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and finish a study guide for government instead.
Yes, I have break work.
No, I have not done it yet.
Gotta work on that...
Yeah...
Yep, I'm off to be rather dorky. I will be reading fantasy and doing homework on New Year's Day. I hope this doesn't carry any foreboding for the rest of the year. I do NOT want to be constantly doing homework until December.
Okay, I'm done screaming. For now. I may come back and scream some more later... maybe.
Anyway, since it's a new year and stuff, I've decided to post my new year's resolutions. Huzzah! Judge them/ me how you will. I really don't care.
Anyway, the list:
1. Finish a novel.
2. Read a lot of books (target: 50-ish).
3. Get good grades.
4. Get into college.
5. Go to college.
Yeah. Not a lot of resolutions to keep, I know. But that's why it's going to be rather easy to keep the resolutions - because there's not many of them.
Anyhow, in other news, I was NOT partying last night at midnight, nor was I watching the ball drop. I was at home. Reading. Yeah. But the book - "City of Bones" - is really good. Yes, I've finally started it. And it's NOTHING like "Twilight," which is very, very nice.
How is it different?
First, there are demons.
Second, the characters have depth.
Third, there are more questions that just "Who/ what are the Shadowhunters?" There are also questions like "Why can Clary tell there are Shadowhunters when she's not a Shadowhunter herself?" and "What is this block in Clary's memory and why is it there?"
Yeah. City of Bones is REALLY good. I love it. I find it rather annoying, however, that I have to force myself not to read it - a rather difficult task, as I really want to go back to reading it, now that I've started talking about it - because I have to read "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and finish a study guide for government instead.
Yes, I have break work.
No, I have not done it yet.
Gotta work on that...
Yeah...
Yep, I'm off to be rather dorky. I will be reading fantasy and doing homework on New Year's Day. I hope this doesn't carry any foreboding for the rest of the year. I do NOT want to be constantly doing homework until December.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Sherlock, dorkiness, and NaNo songs
Greetings! First off, I just saw the most recent Sherlock Holmes movie, and I HIGHLY recommend it because it was one of the most bloody brilliant movies I have seen in quite some time (in the fast-paced way full of mind-boggling logic and observations that only Sherlock Holmes, even the one played by Robert Downey Jr., can come up with). I enjoyed it immensely.
Second of all, I want to admit to my increased amounts of dorkiness. I didn't mention this yesterday (not sure why), but I went to the National Air and Space Museum in DC yesterday, and while I was there, I found William Shatner's memoirs of "Star Trek."
Yes, I bought it.
And yes, I understand most of the "Star Trek" references that are reasonably rampant within it. It would be impossible to write a memoir of a franchise you've been a part of for a quarter of a century and NOT include references to the franchise.
Anyway, the third thing I'll mention has to do with the NaNoWriMo forums. Being the National Novel Writing Month dork that I am, I still peruse there, waiting for next year's NaNoWriMo and looking for good ideas (and often procrastinating and/ or passing the time). Anyhow, while I was looking through the forums, I found a thread entitled "the 12 days of Nanomas." Upon looking further, I found that several Wrimos had compiled a parody of the classic holiday song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
Because the song is rather awesome, I copied and pasted it here. Sing along if you want. Enjoy!
On the first day of Nanomas
my inspiration gave to me
a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
On the second day of Nanomas
My inspiration gave to me
2 cliched characters
and a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
(skipping ahead to the last verse...)
On the twelfth day of Nanomas
My inspiration gave to me
12 Chekhov's guns
11 heads a-desking
10 characters dead
9 cups of coffee
8 sleepless nights
7 macguffins
6 zany subplots
5 deus ex machinas
4 sequel thoughts
3 plot holes
2 cliched characters
and a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
Second of all, I want to admit to my increased amounts of dorkiness. I didn't mention this yesterday (not sure why), but I went to the National Air and Space Museum in DC yesterday, and while I was there, I found William Shatner's memoirs of "Star Trek."
Yes, I bought it.
And yes, I understand most of the "Star Trek" references that are reasonably rampant within it. It would be impossible to write a memoir of a franchise you've been a part of for a quarter of a century and NOT include references to the franchise.
Anyway, the third thing I'll mention has to do with the NaNoWriMo forums. Being the National Novel Writing Month dork that I am, I still peruse there, waiting for next year's NaNoWriMo and looking for good ideas (and often procrastinating and/ or passing the time). Anyhow, while I was looking through the forums, I found a thread entitled "the 12 days of Nanomas." Upon looking further, I found that several Wrimos had compiled a parody of the classic holiday song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
Because the song is rather awesome, I copied and pasted it here. Sing along if you want. Enjoy!
On the first day of Nanomas
my inspiration gave to me
a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
On the second day of Nanomas
My inspiration gave to me
2 cliched characters
and a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
(skipping ahead to the last verse...)
On the twelfth day of Nanomas
My inspiration gave to me
12 Chekhov's guns
11 heads a-desking
10 characters dead
9 cups of coffee
8 sleepless nights
7 macguffins
6 zany subplots
5 deus ex machinas
4 sequel thoughts
3 plot holes
2 cliched characters
and a novel idea
that was only slightly crazy
Monday, December 26, 2011
Holiday Greetings!
Happy (belated) Hanukkah, Merry (belated) Christmas, Joyous Kwanzaa (which isn't late!), Merry Solstice (belated, and I probably got the salutation wrong), and General Winter Holiday Greetings for whatever you may celebrate but that I may have missed!!! May the holidays be awesome to you (unless the holidays are, for some reason (be it cultural or religious), not supposed to be awesome for you... I'm not judging you if they are...)!
Personally, I celebrate Christmas, and it was rather awesome this year.
Why?
Well, we flipped up who made what for dinner this year (my brother and I normally do the desserts, but he made the turkey and I made the potatoes).
Also, I only got two articles of clothing: a hat and a National Novel Writing Month Winner's shirt. I specifically asked for no clothing, and I was happy that I didn't get any. I DON'T NEED ANY MORE CLOTHES. Everyone needs hats (especially super-awesome beanies like the one I got), and the National Novel Writing Month Winner's shirts are rather cool. Also, my mother found my fedora, which is EXCITING!
I also got "The Comedy of Errors" and "City of Bones" from my brother. "City of Bones," going from the summary on the back, sounds like the Twilight series but better, because they have demons, action, and the main character seems to have some sort of ability that confuses everyone (as in, they seem to be confused as to what this ability might be and why the main character, of all people, possesses it).
I think it's this ability that captures my interest in "City of Bones" more than my interest in "Twilight." I mean, the first book of "Twilight" wasn't bad, plot-wise, because there was the "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE???" element and the "WHO ARE YOU, EDWARD???" element, but the other books didn't (and, to an extent, really couldn't) expound on that.
Also, the end of "Breaking Dawn" (more specifically, the climactic sequence of "Breaking Dawn") was kind of disappointing. I don't know whether the author is morally opposed to writing fight sequences or something, but if she were, then she could've at least written some sort of struggle in that scene (epic arguing, someone letting their guard down or something that could have endangered EVERYBODY and made you wonder whether anyone was going to come out in one piece) but she didn't. (That non-battle scene is a major contributing factor to the Reasons Why I No Longer Like "Twilight").
Unfortunately, I have a LOT of books to read before I can get to "City of Bones," so I cannot find out what this ability is, why the main character has it, and other reasons why it's different from "Twilight" for a week or two at least. This is kind of depressing.
Well, I have all break. I can read a lot in that time. :)
Personally, I celebrate Christmas, and it was rather awesome this year.
Why?
Well, we flipped up who made what for dinner this year (my brother and I normally do the desserts, but he made the turkey and I made the potatoes).
Also, I only got two articles of clothing: a hat and a National Novel Writing Month Winner's shirt. I specifically asked for no clothing, and I was happy that I didn't get any. I DON'T NEED ANY MORE CLOTHES. Everyone needs hats (especially super-awesome beanies like the one I got), and the National Novel Writing Month Winner's shirts are rather cool. Also, my mother found my fedora, which is EXCITING!
I also got "The Comedy of Errors" and "City of Bones" from my brother. "City of Bones," going from the summary on the back, sounds like the Twilight series but better, because they have demons, action, and the main character seems to have some sort of ability that confuses everyone (as in, they seem to be confused as to what this ability might be and why the main character, of all people, possesses it).
I think it's this ability that captures my interest in "City of Bones" more than my interest in "Twilight." I mean, the first book of "Twilight" wasn't bad, plot-wise, because there was the "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE???" element and the "WHO ARE YOU, EDWARD???" element, but the other books didn't (and, to an extent, really couldn't) expound on that.
Also, the end of "Breaking Dawn" (more specifically, the climactic sequence of "Breaking Dawn") was kind of disappointing. I don't know whether the author is morally opposed to writing fight sequences or something, but if she were, then she could've at least written some sort of struggle in that scene (epic arguing, someone letting their guard down or something that could have endangered EVERYBODY and made you wonder whether anyone was going to come out in one piece) but she didn't. (That non-battle scene is a major contributing factor to the Reasons Why I No Longer Like "Twilight").
Unfortunately, I have a LOT of books to read before I can get to "City of Bones," so I cannot find out what this ability is, why the main character has it, and other reasons why it's different from "Twilight" for a week or two at least. This is kind of depressing.
Well, I have all break. I can read a lot in that time. :)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Nearly-Winter-Break rantings
I'm rather excited for winter break, because it will involve a lot of free time, no homework, lots of sleeping, and a LOT of writing. Huzzah!
But I have to wait until Thursday is over before winter break starts. It's rather annoying (and by 'rather annoying,' I mean 'a major source of irritation').
What's the point of this week, anyway? I mean, really. Barely anyone assigns any homework (except for the English teachers who assign books over break, like my teacher has), and since so many people are leaving for the holidays early, the numbers are so diminished that barely anyone is around to do those corny pre-winter-break games that teachers sometimes come up with. Even if teachers actually teach, there are often so few people around that it's kind of lost. For example, there were five people in calculus today (well, there are normally 10 or 12, so that's kind of irrelevant... but the fact remains). Also, there's a good chance that many of us will forget about a lot of the stuff they're saying over the course of winter break anyway. This week is rather boring, and a bit useless, except for feeling bored and getting some writing done in the school library and things of that nature. And for musical rehearsal.
The annoying thing is, though, that I can't skive off school for this week, because I'm applying to William and Mary over break (I sent in my VCU audition request last night! WOOHOO!), and I have to make sure that my semester grades are really good so I can bump my not-exactly-William-And-Mary-Worthy GPA (but I want to finish my novel by January First so I can add that to the resume; hopefully my creds there will cancel out... not likely, but still).
Yeah. This week is annoying. Really annoying. Grades, Break, or Novel? Hmmm....
As the week goes on, though, I believe we will get an increasing number of free blocks as more and more students leave to spend the holiday in Hawai'i or somewhere equally awesome; thus, the boredom factor of the other students will drastically increase. One of my friends left for India on Friday, for example. My brother is going to the Dominican Republic in January. A friend leaves for Hawai'i tomorrow. I'll just be around, doing pretty much nothing except writing and applying to college. GRR!
I wish we had a snow day. Or something. I like snow. A lot. Especially during Christmas.
You know, it kind of bugs me that it snowed close to Halloween, but it's currently December and there's no snow in sight. Even the temperatures do not want to forebode snow (at least not last week. The temperatures are descending again, but there's some doubt in my mind that there will be enough moisture in the air to supply snow as well).
But more on that when it actually happens.
Anyway, in other news, my group of friends had a mini-secret-Santa thing today. My person gave me a Lord of the Rings piano/ voice book for Fellowship of the Ring, and a little button that says "I <3 To Sing." It's really exciting, and I adore them, especially the song book, mostly because it has songs that I have to actually practice on (as opposed to those really annoying big-note books designed for the 12-and-under pianists who are still learning to sightread, but have songs that the 13-and-ups can get in two tries), and some of the vocals are in ELVISH! WOOHOO!!
Today I have proclaimed to be a good day.
If I could get some more writing in, it would be an AWESOME day.
That remains to be seen.
Nevertheless, I am going to make a prediction, and I'm fairly certain that this prediction may come true: the rest of the week has a high likelihood of being horribly boring and rife with free blocks. I'll keep you updated; for now, I must go to class.
But I have to wait until Thursday is over before winter break starts. It's rather annoying (and by 'rather annoying,' I mean 'a major source of irritation').
What's the point of this week, anyway? I mean, really. Barely anyone assigns any homework (except for the English teachers who assign books over break, like my teacher has), and since so many people are leaving for the holidays early, the numbers are so diminished that barely anyone is around to do those corny pre-winter-break games that teachers sometimes come up with. Even if teachers actually teach, there are often so few people around that it's kind of lost. For example, there were five people in calculus today (well, there are normally 10 or 12, so that's kind of irrelevant... but the fact remains). Also, there's a good chance that many of us will forget about a lot of the stuff they're saying over the course of winter break anyway. This week is rather boring, and a bit useless, except for feeling bored and getting some writing done in the school library and things of that nature. And for musical rehearsal.
The annoying thing is, though, that I can't skive off school for this week, because I'm applying to William and Mary over break (I sent in my VCU audition request last night! WOOHOO!), and I have to make sure that my semester grades are really good so I can bump my not-exactly-William-And-Mary-Worthy GPA (but I want to finish my novel by January First so I can add that to the resume; hopefully my creds there will cancel out... not likely, but still).
Yeah. This week is annoying. Really annoying. Grades, Break, or Novel? Hmmm....
As the week goes on, though, I believe we will get an increasing number of free blocks as more and more students leave to spend the holiday in Hawai'i or somewhere equally awesome; thus, the boredom factor of the other students will drastically increase. One of my friends left for India on Friday, for example. My brother is going to the Dominican Republic in January. A friend leaves for Hawai'i tomorrow. I'll just be around, doing pretty much nothing except writing and applying to college. GRR!
I wish we had a snow day. Or something. I like snow. A lot. Especially during Christmas.
You know, it kind of bugs me that it snowed close to Halloween, but it's currently December and there's no snow in sight. Even the temperatures do not want to forebode snow (at least not last week. The temperatures are descending again, but there's some doubt in my mind that there will be enough moisture in the air to supply snow as well).
But more on that when it actually happens.
Anyway, in other news, my group of friends had a mini-secret-Santa thing today. My person gave me a Lord of the Rings piano/ voice book for Fellowship of the Ring, and a little button that says "I <3 To Sing." It's really exciting, and I adore them, especially the song book, mostly because it has songs that I have to actually practice on (as opposed to those really annoying big-note books designed for the 12-and-under pianists who are still learning to sightread, but have songs that the 13-and-ups can get in two tries), and some of the vocals are in ELVISH! WOOHOO!!
Today I have proclaimed to be a good day.
If I could get some more writing in, it would be an AWESOME day.
That remains to be seen.
Nevertheless, I am going to make a prediction, and I'm fairly certain that this prediction may come true: the rest of the week has a high likelihood of being horribly boring and rife with free blocks. I'll keep you updated; for now, I must go to class.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Well, the reality has finally sunk in.
I am a senior.
I did my last winter chorus concert last night. I sang the Hallelujah Chorus for the last time in the black uniform dress that we have to wear; next year, if I go, I'll be wearing jeans, probably. If I go next year, I'll be in the audience for the whole concert instead of performing for a few numbers, for the first time... well, ever. I didn't go to any of my school's concerts before I went to my school (I didn't have any reason to), so the first time I went to a Winter Concert at my school was when I was in sixth grade and I had to sing some song with the Middle School Chorus.
Yeah. This is SO WEIRD. CAN'T DEAL. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
grr.
I am a senior.
I did my last winter chorus concert last night. I sang the Hallelujah Chorus for the last time in the black uniform dress that we have to wear; next year, if I go, I'll be wearing jeans, probably. If I go next year, I'll be in the audience for the whole concert instead of performing for a few numbers, for the first time... well, ever. I didn't go to any of my school's concerts before I went to my school (I didn't have any reason to), so the first time I went to a Winter Concert at my school was when I was in sixth grade and I had to sing some song with the Middle School Chorus.
Yeah. This is SO WEIRD. CAN'T DEAL. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
grr.
Friday, December 9, 2011
More rantings from the wearied novelist
This may very well be the longest Friday I've had in a very long while. First of all, I was up until one in the morning last night (a new record), then I woke up about half an hour before I had to leave (which is half the time I leave myself), then I was almost fifteen minutes late to school because my parents wouldn't give me a ride (figures, under the circumstances). Then everything just kind of deteriorated for the rest of the morning. It kind of majorly sucked.
And then I got to my free blocks, and all was well. Mostly because I was in the library (as I am now), and I was asked for a book suggestion from a middle school girl who needed something to read. Since she'd read the Protector of the Small Quartet (by Tamora Pierce), I sent her to the Lioness Quartet (also by Tamora Pierce, who is probably the Master of Worldly History Tie-Ins; she has around a zillion books set in the same kingdom, and everyone knows about a lot of other people's stories, so which is kind of ridiculously cool. Also, Tamora Pierce is generally a really good writer).
Also, I was happy in the library because I like being in the library, and I had a full two hours of time in which to do absolutely nothing of consequence (except for government homework).
Anyhow, now I'm in the library again, and I'm STILL feeling tired. I WOULD go to Starbucks, but I have rehearsal today and I cannot get to Starbucks and back in half an hour or less (ditto for taking a nap). Well, closer to twenty minutes. So I'm in the library, with no caffeine, so I am blogging to keep myself awake. I'll probably write more of my novel later, once I log off.
I'm pretty sure the novel's going pretty well. I mean, it's not going BRILLIANTLY, because I'm TIRED and can't spout out two decent words to save my life, but the plot's still moving. I'm beginning the ever-steepening descent into the climax, which is really exciting because it's the climax, and also because it's the farthest I've gotten in any attempt at a literary work that I've ever made (in terms of plot, that is. I'm pretty sure what I have added to last year's NaNoWriMo novel makes that story, not this one, the longest thing I've ever written ever, INCLUDING history essays).
Well... um... yeah. I have nothing more to say to you, because I am tired and I am not in a creatively rambling mood. Were that the case, I would continue.
I am going to go write now (this probably will not go very well, because I now have ten minutes until rehearsal and no flow of creative juices). And do other things. And try to keep myself awake for a while longer. And probably get some food at some point.
Anyway... yeah.
Bye.
And then I got to my free blocks, and all was well. Mostly because I was in the library (as I am now), and I was asked for a book suggestion from a middle school girl who needed something to read. Since she'd read the Protector of the Small Quartet (by Tamora Pierce), I sent her to the Lioness Quartet (also by Tamora Pierce, who is probably the Master of Worldly History Tie-Ins; she has around a zillion books set in the same kingdom, and everyone knows about a lot of other people's stories, so which is kind of ridiculously cool. Also, Tamora Pierce is generally a really good writer).
Also, I was happy in the library because I like being in the library, and I had a full two hours of time in which to do absolutely nothing of consequence (except for government homework).
Anyhow, now I'm in the library again, and I'm STILL feeling tired. I WOULD go to Starbucks, but I have rehearsal today and I cannot get to Starbucks and back in half an hour or less (ditto for taking a nap). Well, closer to twenty minutes. So I'm in the library, with no caffeine, so I am blogging to keep myself awake. I'll probably write more of my novel later, once I log off.
I'm pretty sure the novel's going pretty well. I mean, it's not going BRILLIANTLY, because I'm TIRED and can't spout out two decent words to save my life, but the plot's still moving. I'm beginning the ever-steepening descent into the climax, which is really exciting because it's the climax, and also because it's the farthest I've gotten in any attempt at a literary work that I've ever made (in terms of plot, that is. I'm pretty sure what I have added to last year's NaNoWriMo novel makes that story, not this one, the longest thing I've ever written ever, INCLUDING history essays).
Well... um... yeah. I have nothing more to say to you, because I am tired and I am not in a creatively rambling mood. Were that the case, I would continue.
I am going to go write now (this probably will not go very well, because I now have ten minutes until rehearsal and no flow of creative juices). And do other things. And try to keep myself awake for a while longer. And probably get some food at some point.
Anyway... yeah.
Bye.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
News and Stuff
Well, I have one item of good news and I have several items of bad news.
The solitary item of good news is this:
1. I have commenced the even more rapid descent towards the climax! Huzzah!
The several items of bad news are as follows:
1. I'm steadily running out of paper (I'm on page 190 of 200).
2. I have no cash to buy another notebook (they're a dollar from the school library. I don't have a dollar. Lame, I know).
4. I have to keep my grades up, which means that calculus and government take precedent over writing about Shakespeare and world-saving. Which kind of sucks. Shakespeare and world-saving are far more interesting.
5. For some reason, I skipped number three. I don't know how that's relevant, but I figured I'd point it out anyway. So it's noted. Moving on.
Anyhow, that is my news for today.
Surprise Of The Day: Romeo and Demetrius FINALLY kissed (well, actually, that happened yesterday, but the point still stands). Okay, it WAS a brief kiss that Romeo did to get him to get moving, but it still happened. HUZZAH! Of course, this DOES make Romeo like Demetrius a lot more (or at least it makes her more aware of him), which is kind of annoying, but also kind of funny (or at least has the potential to be). But it happened, and it was EXCITING! (and also really short and rather anti-climactic).
Actual Surprises: I didn't expect her to save Demetrius so soon, or that Jourdain would be mortally wounded (he gets better!), or that Emilia was a mage capable of turning herself into a big purple dragon, and who was indirectly involved with the death of Demetrius's parents. Also, I didn't know that Demetrius's parents were closely involved with the king and queen. I KNOW that Othello of Venice is a general, but I didn't think that he was the general of Mercanova as well. Well, turns out he is.
Also, Emilia = Emilia from "Othello" (there are several Emilias in Shakespeare, I've discovered). In this tale, she was formerly married to Iago, but she figured out what he was doing, pointed it out to the right people, and left before Iago could kill her. Now she's back, with the intent of doing Iago some serious harm. I need to figure out the technicality of how she got out of the marriage after she left, but I'll figure that out later.
Sadly, I can't really pursue a lot of that right now. I have an essay to write. And a test to study for. And a book to read (which is actually really good!).
Yeah. Writing (and not being allowed to) is really difficult sometimes.
Oh, well. I have several free blocks tomorrow. I can pursue that then.
Unless I don't finish the essay, which I'm hoping will NOT happen.
The solitary item of good news is this:
1. I have commenced the even more rapid descent towards the climax! Huzzah!
The several items of bad news are as follows:
1. I'm steadily running out of paper (I'm on page 190 of 200).
2. I have no cash to buy another notebook (they're a dollar from the school library. I don't have a dollar. Lame, I know).
4. I have to keep my grades up, which means that calculus and government take precedent over writing about Shakespeare and world-saving. Which kind of sucks. Shakespeare and world-saving are far more interesting.
5. For some reason, I skipped number three. I don't know how that's relevant, but I figured I'd point it out anyway. So it's noted. Moving on.
Anyhow, that is my news for today.
Surprise Of The Day: Romeo and Demetrius FINALLY kissed (well, actually, that happened yesterday, but the point still stands). Okay, it WAS a brief kiss that Romeo did to get him to get moving, but it still happened. HUZZAH! Of course, this DOES make Romeo like Demetrius a lot more (or at least it makes her more aware of him), which is kind of annoying, but also kind of funny (or at least has the potential to be). But it happened, and it was EXCITING! (and also really short and rather anti-climactic).
Actual Surprises: I didn't expect her to save Demetrius so soon, or that Jourdain would be mortally wounded (he gets better!), or that Emilia was a mage capable of turning herself into a big purple dragon, and who was indirectly involved with the death of Demetrius's parents. Also, I didn't know that Demetrius's parents were closely involved with the king and queen. I KNOW that Othello of Venice is a general, but I didn't think that he was the general of Mercanova as well. Well, turns out he is.
Also, Emilia = Emilia from "Othello" (there are several Emilias in Shakespeare, I've discovered). In this tale, she was formerly married to Iago, but she figured out what he was doing, pointed it out to the right people, and left before Iago could kill her. Now she's back, with the intent of doing Iago some serious harm. I need to figure out the technicality of how she got out of the marriage after she left, but I'll figure that out later.
Sadly, I can't really pursue a lot of that right now. I have an essay to write. And a test to study for. And a book to read (which is actually really good!).
Yeah. Writing (and not being allowed to) is really difficult sometimes.
Oh, well. I have several free blocks tomorrow. I can pursue that then.
Unless I don't finish the essay, which I'm hoping will NOT happen.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Wow...
This is depressing. My novel lag is currently set to 'maximum,' which is really, really annoying, because I'm still not at the climax, and I'm still feeling like a five-year-old waiting for their birthday party about the climax. BOOOOOO!!!!
I'm still working on the novel, but I'm only doing around a page and a half a day; this is about one-sixth of what I was doing during NaNoWriMo. That's really, really depressing, I know. I'm duly ashamed.
But something cool happened today. Okay, it was a bit weird, too, but that's mostly because it was a supermassive disconnect between what was actually happening and what I thought would happen. See, one of my teachers from Camp Shakespeare was teaching the non-AP English students how to understand and perform Shakespeare, and she was waiting outside before lunch for her ride to come. I was going to lunch late after Women's Camerata (because there is never a day when Wom's Cam lets out on time), and I was taking the outside route (as opposed to walking up 70-odd stairs to the cafeteria). And we saw each other and we talked about school and Shakespeare and stuff. It was kind of weird, but kind of awesome too. Mostly because I never expected that I'd see someone I had met over the summer at my school, and she's pretty cool.
Yeah, that's my story. The end.
I've got to go and write and do homework and do other things of a productive nature. Farewell!
I'm still working on the novel, but I'm only doing around a page and a half a day; this is about one-sixth of what I was doing during NaNoWriMo. That's really, really depressing, I know. I'm duly ashamed.
But something cool happened today. Okay, it was a bit weird, too, but that's mostly because it was a supermassive disconnect between what was actually happening and what I thought would happen. See, one of my teachers from Camp Shakespeare was teaching the non-AP English students how to understand and perform Shakespeare, and she was waiting outside before lunch for her ride to come. I was going to lunch late after Women's Camerata (because there is never a day when Wom's Cam lets out on time), and I was taking the outside route (as opposed to walking up 70-odd stairs to the cafeteria). And we saw each other and we talked about school and Shakespeare and stuff. It was kind of weird, but kind of awesome too. Mostly because I never expected that I'd see someone I had met over the summer at my school, and she's pretty cool.
Yeah, that's my story. The end.
I've got to go and write and do homework and do other things of a productive nature. Farewell!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Boredom, and other things
Yeah. I'm full-on in Post-NaNo Blues mode. It's kind of depressing. See, normally I'd be writing right now, because I have two free blocks and it's Friday, so I don't really have to do any homework for a while.
But I'm not writing. I left my notebook at home, which leaves me with basically nothing to do. I can't type it up; I can't finish it; I can't work on it at all. All I can do is sit here and blog about how I'm really bored and can't wait to finish my novel. And about how annoying it is that I can't work on the novel right now. And things of that nature.
I can't knit - I have some stuff, that's true, but I already finished the commission due soon, and I can't improve upon it and do the last shindigs until I get home. I NEED SOMETHING TO DO!!! GAH!!!
I miss writing.
But I'm not writing. I left my notebook at home, which leaves me with basically nothing to do. I can't type it up; I can't finish it; I can't work on it at all. All I can do is sit here and blog about how I'm really bored and can't wait to finish my novel. And about how annoying it is that I can't work on the novel right now. And things of that nature.
I can't knit - I have some stuff, that's true, but I already finished the commission due soon, and I can't improve upon it and do the last shindigs until I get home. I NEED SOMETHING TO DO!!! GAH!!!
I miss writing.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
December... WHAAAA...?
Wait... December? ALREADY? BUT MY NOVEL'S NOT DONE YET! I BARELY WROTE 300 WORDS YESTERDAY! GAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!
Commence other forms of "post-NaNo confusion" and "post-NaNo blues" and other things that go along with NaNoWriMo being over.
It's actually surprising that I kind of miss it. A lot of the time, I was ambivalent about the plot of my novel. I I still enjoyed it, but maybe the first year's a lot more fun than the second year. Maybe the fun was sucked out of it the second year by AB calculus and over-plotting. Well, next year, wherever I am, I'll hopefully not be taking calculus, and I'll have a lot more free time to write. Probably.
Anyway, whatever my situation is next year, I'll hopefully know what NOT to do.
Actually, I'm going to make a list here and now. (Hey! Blog Title Reference! WIN!)
What To Do To Win NaNoWriMo And Enjoy It:
1. Have a basic set of characters
2. Allow room for adding people in
3. Have a goal for your characters (a plot, basically. Nothing too elaborate, though)
4. Do your research, if you need it.
5. Allow yourself to sleep.
6. If you find yourself freaking out, get some sleep.
7. Find friends to hold you accountable (if any of you have been to my Facebook page, you'll notice I have three friends in this with me)
8. If you want to write by hand, find a Magic Pen, a Magic Notebook, a Magic Place To Write, and a Magic Block of Time in which to write. If you're typing, find a USB/ thumb drive, a Magic Corner in which to write, and a Magic Block of Time to write in.
9. If you're an overachiever, be a consistent overachiever.
10. Allow yourself room for word-count-missing. But not too much room.
What To Avoid During NaNo:
1. Over-plotting
2. Controlling the story
3. Absolutely no goal
4. Let yourself get bogged by research
5. Coffee, if you're like me and it caffeinates your Inner Editor
6. Avoid your Inner Editor, period
7. Not doing homework
8. Thinking you have a dumb idea. (just like there are no stupid questions, there are no stupid ideas, only people who think so. Who needs them?)
9. Avoid pulling all-nighters.
10. Avoid randomly finding time to write. Like, if you're only getting in half an hour in the morning and twenty minutes in the evening, you're going to get a horrid word count. But if you get to your Daily Necessary Destination (class, work, school, etc) early, then you can leave when necessary, do all your Post-Necessary-Destination work right when you get home, and then write your sorry little fingers off. Or wrists, if you're hand-writing.
So those are my lists. I hope you like them. I expect ALL of you to do NaNoWriMo next year. If you're like my dad and don't think you have a novel inside you, write 50,000 words about you protesting to an annoying teenager that you're NOT GOING TO WRITE A NOVEL.
10 Counter-Arguments/ ways to get over the excuse that "I Don't Have A Creative Story To Tell/ I Don't Have A Novel In Me/ etc":
1. if you don't have a creative story to tell, tell an un-creative one.
2. If you don't have a novel in you, that means it's outside of you. Track it down and write it next November. It's hiding because it doesn't like your innards very much, and because your anti-novel-writing is scary to your poor story.
3. If you're worried about quality, swear to yourself that you won't let anyone see it after you're done with the book.
4. If you're strapped for ideas, look for drama (DO NOT CREATE DRAMA) at your workplace. Listen to conversations in the lunchroom and then tie them into your novel.
5. Also on the topic of work: if you don't think you can think up something, write about yourself going to work and writing a paper. Have the paper change the world.
6. If you don't think you have a 50,000 word novel in your guts (or hiding outside your guts), then there are ways to manipulate your wording so you can pad your word count. For example, ban apostrophes from your novel (the punctuation, not the lit device). Instead of saying "don't," say "do not." Instead of saying "KnitterWriterBlogger's List," say "the List that KnitterWriterBlogger wrote." Additionally, you could say "the List that Knitter Writer Blogger wrote," and making "Knitter Writer Blogger" three words instead of one.
7. If you don't think you have a read-able novel, tell yourself you're going to stash it under your bed and never look at it again.
8. If you just plain don't want to write a novel, no matter the topic or the time frame or the number of words it takes, write about how you don't want to write a novel.
9. If you don't think your life is cool enough for a novel, I refer again to the work-place scenario. You can write about something to do with your job. If your job is really complex, go into great depth to explain how the complexities work. If you really need a PhD to understand what you're talking about, then forget the explanations early on and have the plot revolve around how a novice (who doesn't have a PhD) comes into the field, and they figure out something about it, and then the villain reveals something in the Dastardly Plot that completely baffles the hero and leads to the eventual demise of one of them. Who said it had to be a comedy?
10. Write the bloody novel anyway, no matter what you want/ don't want/ think/ don't think/ wish you could/ should be doing. Just have a massive word barf/ word war/ word explosion, and then stash it under your bed and never look at it again. When you're famous for something that's "more important" than writing a novel, your biographers will come poking around your house and find a novel under your bed and add "noveling" to the list of your many merits. HAHAHAHA!
Just don't let yourself think you CAN'T do something, because will mean you can't. And that will really suck. Who wants to be incapable of doing stuff because they doubt themselves?
Commence other forms of "post-NaNo confusion" and "post-NaNo blues" and other things that go along with NaNoWriMo being over.
It's actually surprising that I kind of miss it. A lot of the time, I was ambivalent about the plot of my novel. I I still enjoyed it, but maybe the first year's a lot more fun than the second year. Maybe the fun was sucked out of it the second year by AB calculus and over-plotting. Well, next year, wherever I am, I'll hopefully not be taking calculus, and I'll have a lot more free time to write. Probably.
Anyway, whatever my situation is next year, I'll hopefully know what NOT to do.
Actually, I'm going to make a list here and now. (Hey! Blog Title Reference! WIN!)
What To Do To Win NaNoWriMo And Enjoy It:
1. Have a basic set of characters
2. Allow room for adding people in
3. Have a goal for your characters (a plot, basically. Nothing too elaborate, though)
4. Do your research, if you need it.
5. Allow yourself to sleep.
6. If you find yourself freaking out, get some sleep.
7. Find friends to hold you accountable (if any of you have been to my Facebook page, you'll notice I have three friends in this with me)
8. If you want to write by hand, find a Magic Pen, a Magic Notebook, a Magic Place To Write, and a Magic Block of Time in which to write. If you're typing, find a USB/ thumb drive, a Magic Corner in which to write, and a Magic Block of Time to write in.
9. If you're an overachiever, be a consistent overachiever.
10. Allow yourself room for word-count-missing. But not too much room.
What To Avoid During NaNo:
1. Over-plotting
2. Controlling the story
3. Absolutely no goal
4. Let yourself get bogged by research
5. Coffee, if you're like me and it caffeinates your Inner Editor
6. Avoid your Inner Editor, period
7. Not doing homework
8. Thinking you have a dumb idea. (just like there are no stupid questions, there are no stupid ideas, only people who think so. Who needs them?)
9. Avoid pulling all-nighters.
10. Avoid randomly finding time to write. Like, if you're only getting in half an hour in the morning and twenty minutes in the evening, you're going to get a horrid word count. But if you get to your Daily Necessary Destination (class, work, school, etc) early, then you can leave when necessary, do all your Post-Necessary-Destination work right when you get home, and then write your sorry little fingers off. Or wrists, if you're hand-writing.
So those are my lists. I hope you like them. I expect ALL of you to do NaNoWriMo next year. If you're like my dad and don't think you have a novel inside you, write 50,000 words about you protesting to an annoying teenager that you're NOT GOING TO WRITE A NOVEL.
10 Counter-Arguments/ ways to get over the excuse that "I Don't Have A Creative Story To Tell/ I Don't Have A Novel In Me/ etc":
1. if you don't have a creative story to tell, tell an un-creative one.
2. If you don't have a novel in you, that means it's outside of you. Track it down and write it next November. It's hiding because it doesn't like your innards very much, and because your anti-novel-writing is scary to your poor story.
3. If you're worried about quality, swear to yourself that you won't let anyone see it after you're done with the book.
4. If you're strapped for ideas, look for drama (DO NOT CREATE DRAMA) at your workplace. Listen to conversations in the lunchroom and then tie them into your novel.
5. Also on the topic of work: if you don't think you can think up something, write about yourself going to work and writing a paper. Have the paper change the world.
6. If you don't think you have a 50,000 word novel in your guts (or hiding outside your guts), then there are ways to manipulate your wording so you can pad your word count. For example, ban apostrophes from your novel (the punctuation, not the lit device). Instead of saying "don't," say "do not." Instead of saying "KnitterWriterBlogger's List," say "the List that KnitterWriterBlogger wrote." Additionally, you could say "the List that Knitter Writer Blogger wrote," and making "Knitter Writer Blogger" three words instead of one.
7. If you don't think you have a read-able novel, tell yourself you're going to stash it under your bed and never look at it again.
8. If you just plain don't want to write a novel, no matter the topic or the time frame or the number of words it takes, write about how you don't want to write a novel.
9. If you don't think your life is cool enough for a novel, I refer again to the work-place scenario. You can write about something to do with your job. If your job is really complex, go into great depth to explain how the complexities work. If you really need a PhD to understand what you're talking about, then forget the explanations early on and have the plot revolve around how a novice (who doesn't have a PhD) comes into the field, and they figure out something about it, and then the villain reveals something in the Dastardly Plot that completely baffles the hero and leads to the eventual demise of one of them. Who said it had to be a comedy?
10. Write the bloody novel anyway, no matter what you want/ don't want/ think/ don't think/ wish you could/ should be doing. Just have a massive word barf/ word war/ word explosion, and then stash it under your bed and never look at it again. When you're famous for something that's "more important" than writing a novel, your biographers will come poking around your house and find a novel under your bed and add "noveling" to the list of your many merits. HAHAHAHA!
Just don't let yourself think you CAN'T do something, because will mean you can't. And that will really suck. Who wants to be incapable of doing stuff because they doubt themselves?
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Day 30: um... what?
Start Page: 178
Current Page: 178
Target Page: No Longer Exists
Pages Written Today: 0 (not even ONE WORD. SADNESS!)
Pages Left To Go: No Longer With A Target...
Location In Story: Belarius is about to learn that everyone is basically screwed unless Oberon and Hippolyta agree to help.
Surprise of the Day: that would require writing...
Yeah. I haven't written today. Very depressing, I know. I kind of hate it. I'm going to have to memorize an Iago monologue or two (okay, it's technically two, because Roderigo says some stuff in between, but I've deleted Roderigo and making it one monologue) before I can do some Writing Of The Novel.
I'm still kind of in shock that it's almost December. Actually, I'm not in shock; that would involve coming to terms with the fact that it's November 30th and I'm not going to be able to write anything at all for at least another hour because I'll be studying Shakespeare's villain's monologue (and my own villain's monologue, technically, too. Sadly, my Iago is not that heartbreakingly good of a liar). I somehow managed to choose the monologue, without realizing it at the time (since I hadn't done a translation of the Shakespearean yet), where Iago specifically likens himself to things of a Supremely Evil Nature in the fact that he's going to BE a being of a Supremely Evil Nature. Not that he isn't already.
The lines are these:
"When devils will the blackest sins put on
They do suggest at first with heavenly shows
As I do now:..."
It means, for all ye Shakespearean Illiterates, that devils commit sins against humans, and when they're going to do their worst sins/ tricks/ what-have-you (the 'blackest sins'), they first pretend like they're doing everybody a favor and being awesome to everyone (the 'heavenly shows'). As such, Iago's going to pretend that he's doing a favor to Othello, but really he's kind of winding up getting Othello's lieutenant disgraced (and maybe killed? I don't remember), getting Roderigo killed, confusing everybody, disgracing Desdemona, and driving Othello to kill his own wife. Also, Iago kills Emilia. What kind of husband kills his own wife? I mean really. Okay, Othello was tricked into doing it by a sociopath who wanted to get into Desdemona's trousers and thought Emilia was cheating on him for no real reason. And, okay, Iago is a sociopath and she DID sell him out at the end, but still. I LIKED Emilia. Emilia's really cool.
To get back at Othello's Iago, I'm bringing back Romeo's Emilia and having her kick Romeo's Iago's butt.
That made no sense out of context. Oh, whatever. I have a monologue to memorize and a novel to write. I'll explain this all later when it actually makes sense to me and to everyone else.
Perhaps when the novel is done. And when I'm done with this monologue.
Current Page: 178
Target Page: No Longer Exists
Pages Written Today: 0 (not even ONE WORD. SADNESS!)
Pages Left To Go: No Longer With A Target...
Location In Story: Belarius is about to learn that everyone is basically screwed unless Oberon and Hippolyta agree to help.
Surprise of the Day: that would require writing...
Yeah. I haven't written today. Very depressing, I know. I kind of hate it. I'm going to have to memorize an Iago monologue or two (okay, it's technically two, because Roderigo says some stuff in between, but I've deleted Roderigo and making it one monologue) before I can do some Writing Of The Novel.
I'm still kind of in shock that it's almost December. Actually, I'm not in shock; that would involve coming to terms with the fact that it's November 30th and I'm not going to be able to write anything at all for at least another hour because I'll be studying Shakespeare's villain's monologue (and my own villain's monologue, technically, too. Sadly, my Iago is not that heartbreakingly good of a liar). I somehow managed to choose the monologue, without realizing it at the time (since I hadn't done a translation of the Shakespearean yet), where Iago specifically likens himself to things of a Supremely Evil Nature in the fact that he's going to BE a being of a Supremely Evil Nature. Not that he isn't already.
The lines are these:
"When devils will the blackest sins put on
They do suggest at first with heavenly shows
As I do now:..."
It means, for all ye Shakespearean Illiterates, that devils commit sins against humans, and when they're going to do their worst sins/ tricks/ what-have-you (the 'blackest sins'), they first pretend like they're doing everybody a favor and being awesome to everyone (the 'heavenly shows'). As such, Iago's going to pretend that he's doing a favor to Othello, but really he's kind of winding up getting Othello's lieutenant disgraced (and maybe killed? I don't remember), getting Roderigo killed, confusing everybody, disgracing Desdemona, and driving Othello to kill his own wife. Also, Iago kills Emilia. What kind of husband kills his own wife? I mean really. Okay, Othello was tricked into doing it by a sociopath who wanted to get into Desdemona's trousers and thought Emilia was cheating on him for no real reason. And, okay, Iago is a sociopath and she DID sell him out at the end, but still. I LIKED Emilia. Emilia's really cool.
To get back at Othello's Iago, I'm bringing back Romeo's Emilia and having her kick Romeo's Iago's butt.
That made no sense out of context. Oh, whatever. I have a monologue to memorize and a novel to write. I'll explain this all later when it actually makes sense to me and to everyone else.
Perhaps when the novel is done. And when I'm done with this monologue.
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