You're probably glad it's Friday like I am. I mean, who isn't glad when the weekend looms so close you can taste it? Let's jump right into the post then: my 5 random things for Friday. Maybe I'll do random fun facts next Friday! What's with this thing for alliteration? Moving on...
1. Watching ice skating (Olympics and otherwise) makes me nervous because I'm always afraid they'll fall when they jump. The outfits have improved a lot over the years. The Japanese-American skater, the girl who skated last yesterday, is from near my area. W00t, represent! In men's figure skating, Stephane Lambiel does the best spins I have ever seen. His spins are like magic. I kid you not.
2. The sister and I started watching Spartacus on Friday nights since Ghost Adventures (arguably one of her favorite shows) hasn't been on. Spartacus is a bit over-the-top, which jives with its 300-esque look and style, and it is entertaining. I just feel like it's trying too hard to be edgy and artsy (while also trying to distance itself from the whole 300 thing). ROME was much better, granted the style and focus of the 2 shows are pretty different.
3. Speaking of "ghost" shows, maybe I've been watching too much Supernatural lately (trying to catch Luce up to current season) because I've started a new short story. It has creepy paintings. I hate creepy paintings. (Supernatural did a fine episode on creepy, creepy paintings in Season 1.) But I do love the look of the Victorian time period, which this story also has. That probably has to do with my finishing Libba Bray's wonderful A Great and Terrible Beauty on Wednesday. (Book reading update to come.)
4. Criminal Minds makes me paranoid, though I enjoy the show immensely. It also results in hilarious conversations with the parentals. Mostly, they say, "Hey, when are you going to make use of that Psych degree and join the FBI, so you can fly around in a private jet?" To which I reply, "Um, I think I need some sort of graduate degree first and maybe combat training. Also, I think the jet is for business use only." The private jet does NOT outweigh the facing serial killers part.
5. Pet Peeve: People who don't use their turn signals when they drive. IT'S NOT THAT HARD. It's also a matter of safety, especially if said people are going to lurch all sudden-like into my lane. I'd like a heads up, thanks. Common courtesy, people.
Since there's a lot of TV mentioned here, what have you been watching lately?
And that's it for my random 5 for Friday. Oh, and be sure to check out Alz's post below on her short story writing process. Catch you later!
2.26.2010
2.25.2010
The Writing Process: Longhand Short Stories
I've found that I crank out my short stories best when written extemporaneously by hand in a journal between the hours of 12 and 5 am. Which is to say I'm about to go to sleep but decide to jot down a starter line or new idea before I do, and then it gets wildly out of hand, and before I know it it's 4 hours later and my hand is cramping.
The story then sits untouched, mere ink on paper enclosed in the darkness of the closed journal, for several days.
I then unearth it and type it up, making minor revisions as I do so, and taking notes on future ideas/changes. It sits for a few days more.
Then I bring up the file and revise, usually expanding the wordcount considerably in the process. The story then sits for another few days to weeks to months.
Next I chop and revise some more. This is usually the hack round where segments and bits that I've changed my mind about end up littering the cutting room floor. Some of these bits are saved in case I change my mind while some get deleted forever.
The next few days are spent polishing and reading and rereading and usually not really liking it very much. I let it sit for a while (how long is quite variable, but generally a few days at least and a few weeks at most) and then I reread it to see if I like it anymore. Usually I do, because I've had some time to forget the slave-labor spent on it and, after all, distance makes the heart grow fonder (hopefully).
By this point, I consider the story mostly complete, although I am of course prone to changing my mind about things and there's always room for more editing anyway. But this supposed-to-be-sleeping business does tend to give birth to whole (or mostly whole) stories within the short span of a few hours, as opposed to when I have a story idea I've been thinking about and then try to write it out on the computer only to have it sit around in bits and pieces, lackadaisically adding to it every few weeks/months/years or so. I suspect that the period of relaxation in the inspiration-hot-spot shower beforehand has something to do with this unexpected fount of pre-slumberous creativity--that and the additional pressure of omg-I-should-be-sleeping-now-but-I-need-to-finish-this! Deadline pressure can produce miracles, as essays and reports and the world of academia at large can attest.
Which is not to say that I am utterly incapable of completing a short story by computer composition alone. Just that I've noticed it usually takes much longer. Probably this has a great deal to do with my attention span, which by all rights should belong to a two-year-old in a sparkly toy store as opposed to a graduate student in a writing program. I like instant gratification and a sense of reward, and having the entirety of a story written out, no matter how rough, makes me feel tremendously accomplished--and I like to tell myself that getting the writing done is the hard work of baking the cake, while revision is the icing, the gilding, and the spun-sugar flowers. (Which is, of course, a lie. Revision can be and often is way harder than the actual original composition.)
What do you prefer? Writing longhand or typing on a keyboard, or perhaps both? Do you prefer pen or pencil or felt-tip marker? Do you write on looseleaf paper or in a fancy journal?
The story then sits untouched, mere ink on paper enclosed in the darkness of the closed journal, for several days.
I then unearth it and type it up, making minor revisions as I do so, and taking notes on future ideas/changes. It sits for a few days more.
Then I bring up the file and revise, usually expanding the wordcount considerably in the process. The story then sits for another few days to weeks to months.
Next I chop and revise some more. This is usually the hack round where segments and bits that I've changed my mind about end up littering the cutting room floor. Some of these bits are saved in case I change my mind while some get deleted forever.
The next few days are spent polishing and reading and rereading and usually not really liking it very much. I let it sit for a while (how long is quite variable, but generally a few days at least and a few weeks at most) and then I reread it to see if I like it anymore. Usually I do, because I've had some time to forget the slave-labor spent on it and, after all, distance makes the heart grow fonder (hopefully).
By this point, I consider the story mostly complete, although I am of course prone to changing my mind about things and there's always room for more editing anyway. But this supposed-to-be-sleeping business does tend to give birth to whole (or mostly whole) stories within the short span of a few hours, as opposed to when I have a story idea I've been thinking about and then try to write it out on the computer only to have it sit around in bits and pieces, lackadaisically adding to it every few weeks/months/years or so. I suspect that the period of relaxation in the inspiration-hot-spot shower beforehand has something to do with this unexpected fount of pre-slumberous creativity--that and the additional pressure of omg-I-should-be-sleeping-now-
Which is not to say that I am utterly incapable of completing a short story by computer composition alone. Just that I've noticed it usually takes much longer. Probably this has a great deal to do with my attention span, which by all rights should belong to a two-year-old in a sparkly toy store as opposed to a graduate student in a writing program. I like instant gratification and a sense of reward, and having the entirety of a story written out, no matter how rough, makes me feel tremendously accomplished--and I like to tell myself that getting the writing done is the hard work of baking the cake, while revision is the icing, the gilding, and the spun-sugar flowers. (Which is, of course, a lie. Revision can be and often is way harder than the actual original composition.)
What do you prefer? Writing longhand or typing on a keyboard, or perhaps both? Do you prefer pen or pencil or felt-tip marker? Do you write on looseleaf paper or in a fancy journal?
2.18.2010
"Real" Books FTW!
I forgot that it's a short week. Almost missed a posting. Oops.
Anyway, I've been sort of following the whole E-Book/Kindle/Nook/iPad vs. Real Book thing on the Interwebz, and while I kind of really want an iPad (What? It's shiny and beautiful, if a bit unfortunately named), I'm firmly in the "real book" camp. A little while back, XiXi did a post about 10 Ways a Real Book is Better, which I heartily agree with (not to mention her post totally made me LOL). All very good reasons, but I'd like to expand a little more on that and just ramble about why I love myself a good, paper-in-hands book.
1. Reading is an experience: A big part of the reading experience for me is the physical presence of the book - the weight of it, the feel of the paper, the smell, and the sound of flipping pages. There is just something about the book itself being there in my hands that adds to my enjoyment of the actual reading. Basically, the whole act of reading is kind of ritualized and has all these psychological associations. You expect to do certain things when you're reading - flipping the pages, curling up on a couch, reading in the dark by flashlight, etc. Those things that you do, the presence of the book, all become almost as important as the reading itself. It's this kind of association and psychological connection that E-Books will be hard pressed to rival.
It's kind of like why it's so hard for people to quit smoking, for example, because a large part of the addiction (nicotine aside) is the psychological aspect of it - the act of smoking and what the person associates that with. Look at me, I retained that college learning; thanks Drugs and the Brain professor!
2. Reading on screens is not for me: Yes, I do spend inordinate amounts of time staring at a computer screen (and sometimes a TV screen), so it doesn't seem like a stretch for me to be reading on a screen. However, I can't seem to do long-term reading on one. Articles and blogs and essays, sure! But books? Not going to happen, friends. I used to read quite a bit of fanfiction back in the day, and I really did enjoy it and loved the whole fandom thing, BUT I really hated reading on my computer screen. Now that I think about it, that's probably part of the reason I dropped out of the fanfic thing, despite my continued interest in some ongoing fics. I just got tired of reading on the computer, and the thought of it deterred me from picking fics back up. I used to have friends who would print whole fics out for better reading (and travel purposes), but I always felt too guilty about wasting paper to do that.
I also get that technology has made reading on screens much better now; I get that reading on Kindles/Nooks/iPads is not the same as reading on the computer. I still don't like it. I have an iPod Touch, on which I have a few E-Book short stories. I started reading one of those short stories. I liked the story, but I still haven't finished it because I can't get into reading on the iPod. (I should finish the story though...)
3. E-Book reading is less visually satisfying: When I finish a book and close it, I get an immense feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Part of this has to do with being able to see my progress through the book. I'm sorry, but seeing my bookmark a third of the way through a book, then half, then near the end is more satisfying than watching the scroll bar on the side of my page move towards the bottom. You can "flip" pages in an E-Book, but you can't see how far through the book you are - like really SEE it.
Speaking of visually satisfying, there's also just book design. I confess I have very little experience with E-books, but real books are just pretty! Yeah, I know in iBook, you get a nifty virtual bookshelf to display the beautiful covers of your lovely E-books, but book design is so much more than a nice cover. There's the size and spacing of the words on the page, the font chosen for the headers and chapter titles and text. Some books have illustrations, others have simple page decorations, and still others have pages with uneven edges. You don't get that with an E-book.
4. What am I going to do with all my cool bookmarks? This speaks for itself.
In conclusion, I really like books. They are one of my Great Loves. So ends my soapbox spiel for Thursday. Yay short week!
Anyway, I've been sort of following the whole E-Book/Kindle/Nook/iPad vs. Real Book thing on the Interwebz, and while I kind of really want an iPad (What? It's shiny and beautiful, if a bit unfortunately named), I'm firmly in the "real book" camp. A little while back, XiXi did a post about 10 Ways a Real Book is Better, which I heartily agree with (not to mention her post totally made me LOL). All very good reasons, but I'd like to expand a little more on that and just ramble about why I love myself a good, paper-in-hands book.
1. Reading is an experience: A big part of the reading experience for me is the physical presence of the book - the weight of it, the feel of the paper, the smell, and the sound of flipping pages. There is just something about the book itself being there in my hands that adds to my enjoyment of the actual reading. Basically, the whole act of reading is kind of ritualized and has all these psychological associations. You expect to do certain things when you're reading - flipping the pages, curling up on a couch, reading in the dark by flashlight, etc. Those things that you do, the presence of the book, all become almost as important as the reading itself. It's this kind of association and psychological connection that E-Books will be hard pressed to rival.
It's kind of like why it's so hard for people to quit smoking, for example, because a large part of the addiction (nicotine aside) is the psychological aspect of it - the act of smoking and what the person associates that with. Look at me, I retained that college learning; thanks Drugs and the Brain professor!
2. Reading on screens is not for me: Yes, I do spend inordinate amounts of time staring at a computer screen (and sometimes a TV screen), so it doesn't seem like a stretch for me to be reading on a screen. However, I can't seem to do long-term reading on one. Articles and blogs and essays, sure! But books? Not going to happen, friends. I used to read quite a bit of fanfiction back in the day, and I really did enjoy it and loved the whole fandom thing, BUT I really hated reading on my computer screen. Now that I think about it, that's probably part of the reason I dropped out of the fanfic thing, despite my continued interest in some ongoing fics. I just got tired of reading on the computer, and the thought of it deterred me from picking fics back up. I used to have friends who would print whole fics out for better reading (and travel purposes), but I always felt too guilty about wasting paper to do that.
I also get that technology has made reading on screens much better now; I get that reading on Kindles/Nooks/iPads is not the same as reading on the computer. I still don't like it. I have an iPod Touch, on which I have a few E-Book short stories. I started reading one of those short stories. I liked the story, but I still haven't finished it because I can't get into reading on the iPod. (I should finish the story though...)
3. E-Book reading is less visually satisfying: When I finish a book and close it, I get an immense feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Part of this has to do with being able to see my progress through the book. I'm sorry, but seeing my bookmark a third of the way through a book, then half, then near the end is more satisfying than watching the scroll bar on the side of my page move towards the bottom. You can "flip" pages in an E-Book, but you can't see how far through the book you are - like really SEE it.
Speaking of visually satisfying, there's also just book design. I confess I have very little experience with E-books, but real books are just pretty! Yeah, I know in iBook, you get a nifty virtual bookshelf to display the beautiful covers of your lovely E-books, but book design is so much more than a nice cover. There's the size and spacing of the words on the page, the font chosen for the headers and chapter titles and text. Some books have illustrations, others have simple page decorations, and still others have pages with uneven edges. You don't get that with an E-book.
4. What am I going to do with all my cool bookmarks? This speaks for itself.
In conclusion, I really like books. They are one of my Great Loves. So ends my soapbox spiel for Thursday. Yay short week!
2.12.2010
Promptly Following Krispy's Friday Randomosity Post
Krispy frequently tells me to blog more and I always tell her that I'm working on something, which I usually am. Problem is that it never tends to get done in a timely manner, so I'm taking a leap on this one and just copy-pasta-posting, more or less.
Today I was healthy and had a brownie for breakfast—mostly because Krispy's post made me think of Valentine's Day, and chocolate, and there was this brownie sitting right there and who I am to resist the seductive siren song of chocolate?
Sunday will be our hard-working long-suffering Val's birthday, and four days afterward on the 18th will be our wonderful blog's marveltudinous second anniversary! I'm currently attempting to write a little drabble for our angel-baby, so we shall see where that goes, and if either Krispy or I can't whip up something else too. Two years—it seems so terribly long and yet so not long at all. In angelic terms, I suppose two earthly years are nothing—but who knows what time angels keep? Maybe it's nearly an eternity for them. (For Val, two years in the company of Nuel is probably less eternity than an eternity in hell, but he would never say that. He'd only think it. Secretly and mostly sub-consciously. Mostly.)
Anyway, here's the same meme stolen from Krispy stolen from Merc. Wow, when I put it like that it sounds like some ancient barbarian introduction of lineage or like those Ogier folk from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time.
Below the cut are random assorted first sentences (even if the meme says "lines") from WIP and unfinished projects, short stories and novellas and novels and whatever else I dig up. The idea, I guess, is to poke the brain into working on one of them. I just do it for fun. ;)
SHORTS
"Marcel's Flight": Marcel was six years old when he decided to learn to fly.
"The Remnidine Elimination": The Recall Project never lacked for funds.
"The Magical Picnic Story": Once upon a time, it so happened that Krunchy woke up one morning and looked out her window: outside fresh dew dripped like liquid diamonds from the magical plants, a gentle breeze was making the various bright flowers nod their heads as though greeting the rising sun, and the sky was a brilliant blue dappled with fluffy white clouds.
"Bellosse and the Demon": I don't want to alarm you, but if I don't tell you this you're going to die.
"Cinder and Michael" (unrelated to Krispy's story): Cinder was five when she met the Archangel Michael.
"Celestyn the Mighty": The great city of Grandswell Port was a bustling place full of the fresh salt air, imports from all the world over ranging from the mundane to the magical, the ordinary to the exotic, and sailors and brigands and merchants and travelers and more trouble and excitement than you could shake a stick at, which was mostly what the local guard did.
NOVELS/LONGER WIPS
Interregnum (NaNo 2007): At the beginning of time, when the sky was not and earth was not and ocean was not and time was not, there were eight dragons lead by a ninth.
The Lord of Passionate Leaping Flames (A Trashy Romance Novel): Deep in the sultry shadows of a carefully cultured wild garden, there lurked a gracefully slender dangerous figure.
Chronos Sonata (NaNo 2005): It is said that many ages ago, a brash and clever thief made to steal the eyes of Aerizé, Grandmaster of Time and Lord of Luck.
Therapy and Thievery: It began with a dagger.
The Aegis Letters: Dear Cousins: First of all, I want to tell you that for being a pair of angels, you two are certainly the craftiest and most bastardly and knavely (is that a word? It is now) angels I've ever had the misfortune to meet.
NaNo 2006 (aka Abbadon&Yarn Story): In the 12,039th year of the Lucifelian Era, beneath the quarter moon and the dancing scarlet sweep of the bicentennial inferno borealis, Yarn was born.
Two Lives: "I live two lives," Leeza shrugged.
Shadowswept (Nano 2009): Sincère Vrai was a Royal Knight and a Lord in his own right, the head of the family, although currently his immediate family consisted solely of himself and his little sister Ciel, their mother having breathed her last many years ago and their father having disappeared at sea a few years later on.
Lastlight: A Love Story: This is a story about love.
~*~*~*~
Evidently I like my first lines to be nearly the same as the title of the piece, or else I like to have long wordy descriptions of place or character or something with a mythological bent.
In a final note, I did sorta-semi-kinda participate in Write Your @ss Off Day. I wrote a decent bit and polished a tad and revised some, and vaguely planned where I wanted the story to go next, although I did not sit down and make a concentrated 8-hour effort to work/write. I was distracted by stupid computer games and actually did some real homework and suchlike and so on.
Let's keep those first-liners coming and share the love! Remember your old works, look them over, cringe if you must and cry if you will, and then buckle down and finish 'em. These WIPs need to reach completion someday!
Today I was healthy and had a brownie for breakfast—mostly because Krispy's post made me think of Valentine's Day, and chocolate, and there was this brownie sitting right there and who I am to resist the seductive siren song of chocolate?
Sunday will be our hard-working long-suffering Val's birthday, and four days afterward on the 18th will be our wonderful blog's marveltudinous second anniversary! I'm currently attempting to write a little drabble for our angel-baby, so we shall see where that goes, and if either Krispy or I can't whip up something else too. Two years—it seems so terribly long and yet so not long at all. In angelic terms, I suppose two earthly years are nothing—but who knows what time angels keep? Maybe it's nearly an eternity for them. (For Val, two years in the company of Nuel is probably less eternity than an eternity in hell, but he would never say that. He'd only think it. Secretly and mostly sub-consciously. Mostly.)
Anyway, here's the same meme stolen from Krispy stolen from Merc. Wow, when I put it like that it sounds like some ancient barbarian introduction of lineage or like those Ogier folk from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time.
Below the cut are random assorted first sentences (even if the meme says "lines") from WIP and unfinished projects, short stories and novellas and novels and whatever else I dig up. The idea, I guess, is to poke the brain into working on one of them. I just do it for fun. ;)
SHORTS
"Marcel's Flight": Marcel was six years old when he decided to learn to fly.
"The Remnidine Elimination": The Recall Project never lacked for funds.
"The Magical Picnic Story": Once upon a time, it so happened that Krunchy woke up one morning and looked out her window: outside fresh dew dripped like liquid diamonds from the magical plants, a gentle breeze was making the various bright flowers nod their heads as though greeting the rising sun, and the sky was a brilliant blue dappled with fluffy white clouds.
"Bellosse and the Demon": I don't want to alarm you, but if I don't tell you this you're going to die.
"Cinder and Michael" (unrelated to Krispy's story): Cinder was five when she met the Archangel Michael.
"Celestyn the Mighty": The great city of Grandswell Port was a bustling place full of the fresh salt air, imports from all the world over ranging from the mundane to the magical, the ordinary to the exotic, and sailors and brigands and merchants and travelers and more trouble and excitement than you could shake a stick at, which was mostly what the local guard did.
NOVELS/LONGER WIPS
Interregnum (NaNo 2007): At the beginning of time, when the sky was not and earth was not and ocean was not and time was not, there were eight dragons lead by a ninth.
The Lord of Passionate Leaping Flames (A Trashy Romance Novel): Deep in the sultry shadows of a carefully cultured wild garden, there lurked a gracefully slender dangerous figure.
Chronos Sonata (NaNo 2005): It is said that many ages ago, a brash and clever thief made to steal the eyes of Aerizé, Grandmaster of Time and Lord of Luck.
Therapy and Thievery: It began with a dagger.
The Aegis Letters: Dear Cousins: First of all, I want to tell you that for being a pair of angels, you two are certainly the craftiest and most bastardly and knavely (is that a word? It is now) angels I've ever had the misfortune to meet.
NaNo 2006 (aka Abbadon&Yarn Story): In the 12,039th year of the Lucifelian Era, beneath the quarter moon and the dancing scarlet sweep of the bicentennial inferno borealis, Yarn was born.
Two Lives: "I live two lives," Leeza shrugged.
Shadowswept (Nano 2009): Sincère Vrai was a Royal Knight and a Lord in his own right, the head of the family, although currently his immediate family consisted solely of himself and his little sister Ciel, their mother having breathed her last many years ago and their father having disappeared at sea a few years later on.
Lastlight: A Love Story: This is a story about love.
~*~*~*~
Evidently I like my first lines to be nearly the same as the title of the piece, or else I like to have long wordy descriptions of place or character or something with a mythological bent.
In a final note, I did sorta-semi-kinda participate in Write Your @ss Off Day. I wrote a decent bit and polished a tad and revised some, and vaguely planned where I wanted the story to go next, although I did not sit down and make a concentrated 8-hour effort to work/write. I was distracted by stupid computer games and actually did some real homework and suchlike and so on.
Let's keep those first-liners coming and share the love! Remember your old works, look them over, cringe if you must and cry if you will, and then buckle down and finish 'em. These WIPs need to reach completion someday!
Randomosity on Fridays: First Lines Meme
Happy Friday, friends! This is one crazy packed weekend. Percy Jackson movie opens today! Hopefully, I'll see it tonight. It's Valentine's weekend, and even though that doesn't really apply to me, it's a big deal for lots of other people. Plus, I used to work in a candy store, and let me tell you, Valentine's Day is like THE DAY of the year. All of one's candy-store-related skills are put to the test: making suggestions, restocking, balloon-inflating, box ribboning, box making, managing the cash register, curling ribbon, SPEED SPEED SPEED. It was worth the free weeks' worth of chocolate covered strawberries though.
This is President's Day weekend too, right? I'm kind of in love with some of the Founding Fathers, so I get excited about President's Day (the whole no-work thing aside).
It's also CHINESE/LUNAR NEW YEAR! It's actually on Valentine's Day, and in my case, totally trumps Valentine's Day. Good food, family, new clothes, and um, red envelopes. I'm looking forward to hot pot with the fam. Delicious! Year of the Tiger! My year, w00t! Though, I was recently informed by my dad that if it happens to be your zodiac year, it's not usually good luck for you - quite the opposite really; it's going to be a tougher year for tigers. *SIGH*
Our character, Val (the inspiration for the title of this blog) will be celebrating his birthday as well on Valentine's Day. Yay Val! Don't let Nuel bully you around!
Anyway, onwards to the meme! I stole this from Merc, who saw it floating around in LJ land. It seemed like a fun meme, and I rather liked Merc's lines. So here are mine and a brief explanation taken straight from Merc's LJ.
Below the cut are random assorted first sentences (even if the meme says "lines") from WIP and unfinished projects, short stories and novellas and novels and whatever else I dig up. The idea, I guess, is to poke the brain into working on one of them. I just do it for fun. ;)
SHORTS
"Horseman": As with many things, it started with a word.
"Thorns": Before Leander's father died, he had a moment of burning clarity after weeks of fevered daze.
"Clockwork Heart": There once was a man whose wife was in need of a new heart, so he endeavored to make her one - a better one of fine gears and careful enchantment.
NOVELS/LONGER WIPS
NaNo2009: Cian searched for treachery in his shadow, but the dark figure against the wall remained as motionless as he was.
Cinders and Glass (NaNo2008): Another gust of wind rattled the windows and slammed into signs, shutters, and banners as it hurtled down the empty streets of town.
NaNo2007 (aka Candy Store novel): In the morning, Sybil found Sol perched on the kitchen counter.
Untitled (based on a 100 Themes meme): (This one actually has 2 possible "first lines" since it has 2 opening scenes written for it. WTF, I don't know.)
1. It was early morning, just before dawn, and a thin mist hovered in the empty, cobblestone streets.
2. There was nothing Casey loved more than sleeping in on a cold day, all bundled up in her goose-down blanket and fleece quilt.
The One Left Behind (stand-in title, argh): (Opening few lines because it doesn't work otherwise.)
A black and white portrait.
A hastily scribbled note with names unfamiliar.
A simple scythe leaning against the wall, plain and ordinary.
Her mother had been a woman of few possessions and so had few possessions to leave behind.
**
And that's it! I don't know why I start so often with description. Something to change and work on perhaps. Some of these are so old. Eck. I haven't even unearthed the really old stuff. Scary.
Anyone else up for sharing their first line(s)? And what are you celebrating this weekend?
This is President's Day weekend too, right? I'm kind of in love with some of the Founding Fathers, so I get excited about President's Day (the whole no-work thing aside).
It's also CHINESE/LUNAR NEW YEAR! It's actually on Valentine's Day, and in my case, totally trumps Valentine's Day. Good food, family, new clothes, and um, red envelopes. I'm looking forward to hot pot with the fam. Delicious! Year of the Tiger! My year, w00t! Though, I was recently informed by my dad that if it happens to be your zodiac year, it's not usually good luck for you - quite the opposite really; it's going to be a tougher year for tigers. *SIGH*
Our character, Val (the inspiration for the title of this blog) will be celebrating his birthday as well on Valentine's Day. Yay Val! Don't let Nuel bully you around!
Anyway, onwards to the meme! I stole this from Merc, who saw it floating around in LJ land. It seemed like a fun meme, and I rather liked Merc's lines. So here are mine and a brief explanation taken straight from Merc's LJ.
Below the cut are random assorted first sentences (even if the meme says "lines") from WIP and unfinished projects, short stories and novellas and novels and whatever else I dig up. The idea, I guess, is to poke the brain into working on one of them. I just do it for fun. ;)
SHORTS
"Horseman": As with many things, it started with a word.
"Thorns": Before Leander's father died, he had a moment of burning clarity after weeks of fevered daze.
"Clockwork Heart": There once was a man whose wife was in need of a new heart, so he endeavored to make her one - a better one of fine gears and careful enchantment.
NOVELS/LONGER WIPS
NaNo2009: Cian searched for treachery in his shadow, but the dark figure against the wall remained as motionless as he was.
Cinders and Glass (NaNo2008): Another gust of wind rattled the windows and slammed into signs, shutters, and banners as it hurtled down the empty streets of town.
NaNo2007 (aka Candy Store novel): In the morning, Sybil found Sol perched on the kitchen counter.
Untitled (based on a 100 Themes meme): (This one actually has 2 possible "first lines" since it has 2 opening scenes written for it. WTF, I don't know.)
1. It was early morning, just before dawn, and a thin mist hovered in the empty, cobblestone streets.
2. There was nothing Casey loved more than sleeping in on a cold day, all bundled up in her goose-down blanket and fleece quilt.
The One Left Behind (stand-in title, argh): (Opening few lines because it doesn't work otherwise.)
A black and white portrait.
A hastily scribbled note with names unfamiliar.
A simple scythe leaning against the wall, plain and ordinary.
Her mother had been a woman of few possessions and so had few possessions to leave behind.
**
And that's it! I don't know why I start so often with description. Something to change and work on perhaps. Some of these are so old. Eck. I haven't even unearthed the really old stuff. Scary.
Anyone else up for sharing their first line(s)? And what are you celebrating this weekend?
2.09.2010
"Witty Alliterative Title Here" Writing Update
So I said last Friday that I was doing the whole Write Your @ss Off Day thing. Well, I sort of did it (I'll explain), and here's how it went.
On Friday, I had work and was so excited for the weekend that I didn't do anything of consequence to writing. Anyway, my Day of Writing was technically Sunday.
On Saturday, I had a dentist appointment in the morning. I was supposed to go to a Glee watching marathon in the afternoon, but I wasn't feeling well. I took a nap instead. Then there was dinner with family friends. At night, I opened my doc and tinkered around a bit, realizing that Oh, Scene 2 really should NOT have been changed to Scene 1. I'll switch it back, but uh, okay, is this bit of information going to be mentioned in the re-established Scene 1 or should I leave it in here? Great, I've thrown my entire opening time line off. THAT'S FANTASTIC. I freaked out a little. Bright side? The enigmatic Midnight Sun revealed something about himself that is quite cool. Other than that though, I have the feeling he'll be a complete pain to work with once I get to him. I'm preparing myself.
On Sunday, I got up early (for me), went to lunch with Luce and the sister, and thenwrote got talked into going shopping (for just a short time) by the two of them because we had discount coupons! Of course, we failed the read the fine print that said the discount was only valid on REGULAR PRICE ITEMS. Shopping!fail guys, except not because I bought a dress on a sale.
AHEM. Got home well before the start of the Super Bowl, and while the sister and Dad watched, I opened my doc and tinkered some more. You may notice I'm good at tinkering, not so good at actual writing. IT'S OKAY THOUGH because the rules were to just work on it. I researched some clothing and architecture and even some agriculture. Somehow I ended up on Etsy, where -not gonna lie- I wasted some time. Blah blah blah. After dinner, instead of having a Supernatural party with Luce, we got together with Alz and had a crafts/writing party.
So all in all, it was a productive weekend for me. I probably should've NANO-styled my writing (no Inner Editor), but Real Life sometimes gets in the way of writing (and delicious homemade cheese bread, which I missed out on since I didn't make the Glee party).
Random aside of the post: It is COLD, guys. I know I'm doing the whiny Californian thing again, but I can't help it! The coldness of my toes (I'm wearing socks, and I don't like wearing socks) and hands is taking up like 40% of my already limited attention span. Granted, my hands tend to just be on the cold side; some people think I'm a vampire. (No, I don't sparkle, and if I did, I'd join the circus to take advantage of my freakish physical feature. Wait, this sounds like a story... Alz? One of yours?)
I was going to watch Supernatural with Luce, but it's too cold for either of us to want to venture outside our houses. I'm the one with the episodes, but I've seen them (Luce is on Season 3); Luce hasn't seen them, but she can't watch them alone because they are scary, no lie.
End ramble.
How was your weekend? Fun?
See you peeps Friday for a special Friday Randomosity Work-In-Progress Edition Meme!
P.S. Coincidentally, Moonrat at Editorial Ass linked to a post about the racebending of The Last Airbender and the whitewashing of book covers that I found quite worth the read. Please take a look if you are so inclined.
On Friday, I had work and was so excited for the weekend that I didn't do anything of consequence to writing. Anyway, my Day of Writing was technically Sunday.
On Saturday, I had a dentist appointment in the morning. I was supposed to go to a Glee watching marathon in the afternoon, but I wasn't feeling well. I took a nap instead. Then there was dinner with family friends. At night, I opened my doc and tinkered around a bit, realizing that Oh, Scene 2 really should NOT have been changed to Scene 1. I'll switch it back, but uh, okay, is this bit of information going to be mentioned in the re-established Scene 1 or should I leave it in here? Great, I've thrown my entire opening time line off. THAT'S FANTASTIC. I freaked out a little. Bright side? The enigmatic Midnight Sun revealed something about himself that is quite cool. Other than that though, I have the feeling he'll be a complete pain to work with once I get to him. I'm preparing myself.
On Sunday, I got up early (for me), went to lunch with Luce and the sister, and then
AHEM. Got home well before the start of the Super Bowl, and while the sister and Dad watched, I opened my doc and tinkered some more. You may notice I'm good at tinkering, not so good at actual writing. IT'S OKAY THOUGH because the rules were to just work on it. I researched some clothing and architecture and even some agriculture. Somehow I ended up on Etsy, where -not gonna lie- I wasted some time. Blah blah blah. After dinner, instead of having a Supernatural party with Luce, we got together with Alz and had a crafts/writing party.
So all in all, it was a productive weekend for me. I probably should've NANO-styled my writing (no Inner Editor), but Real Life sometimes gets in the way of writing (and delicious homemade cheese bread, which I missed out on since I didn't make the Glee party).
Random aside of the post: It is COLD, guys. I know I'm doing the whiny Californian thing again, but I can't help it! The coldness of my toes (I'm wearing socks, and I don't like wearing socks) and hands is taking up like 40% of my already limited attention span. Granted, my hands tend to just be on the cold side; some people think I'm a vampire. (No, I don't sparkle, and if I did, I'd join the circus to take advantage of my freakish physical feature. Wait, this sounds like a story... Alz? One of yours?)
I was going to watch Supernatural with Luce, but it's too cold for either of us to want to venture outside our houses. I'm the one with the episodes, but I've seen them (Luce is on Season 3); Luce hasn't seen them, but she can't watch them alone because they are scary, no lie.
End ramble.
How was your weekend? Fun?
See you peeps Friday for a special Friday Randomosity Work-In-Progress Edition Meme!
P.S. Coincidentally, Moonrat at Editorial Ass linked to a post about the racebending of The Last Airbender and the whitewashing of book covers that I found quite worth the read. Please take a look if you are so inclined.
2.05.2010
Randomosity on Fridays: Meme Edition
This weekend, I'll be participating in Write Your @ss Off Day, which is being hosted by Moonrat at Editorial Ass. I'm picking Sunday, Feb. 7, since I think I'm going to a Glee-watching marathon at a friend's and possibly crashing the Borders Percy Jackson Party (because my sister wants to) on Saturday. Yes. Anyone else joining in?
Anyway, I usually do Memes when I'm bored or procrastinating. I'm neither of those at the moment! Instead, I read Amy's post over at Inkfever and decided it's been too long since I last did a meme (been too busy playing Bejeweled to tell you the truth XP).
One Word Meme - where all answers must be one word. This is a challenge because like a certain one of my characters, I'm a babbler.
Your Cell Phone? Old
Your Hair? Straight
Your Mother? Asleep
Your Father? Morning!person
Your Favorite Food? Ice-cream
Your Dream Last Night? Nothing
Your Favorite Drink? Coffee?
Your Dream/Goal? Fulfillment
What Room Are You In? Living
Your Hobby? Eating? (Okay, reading)
Your Fear? Failure
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Employed (still & happily!)
Where Were You Last Night? Home
Something That You Aren't? Tall
Muffins? Tasty!
Wish List Item? iPad!!!
Where Did You Grow Up? SoCal
Last Thing You Did? Supernatural!
What Are You Wearing? PJs
Your TV? Small
Your Pets? Um.
Friends? AWESOME!
Your Life? Chill (right now)
Your Mood? Sleepy
Missing Someone? Friends
Vehicle? Volvo
Something You Aren't Wearing? Socks
Your Favorite Store? Depends...
Your Favorite Color? Blue
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? 9pm-ish
Last Time You Cried? Uncertain
Your Best Friend? Unanswerable
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Friend's
Facebook? YES.
Favorite Place To Eat? Corner (Bakery)
P.S. You might see a trailer for The Last Airbender during the Super Bowl, and I'm not gonna lie, it looks pretty cool. On the other hand, Racebending asks where's the representation in casting? Asian-based worlds and cultures are cool, but they'd be cooler with, I don't know, some actual Asians populating them. (There's my 30 second soap box spiel.)
P.P.S. Zombies vs. Unicorns. AWESOME. For the record, I'm Team Unicorn, and not just because one of my favorite books of all time is The Last Unicorn.
Anyway, I usually do Memes when I'm bored or procrastinating. I'm neither of those at the moment! Instead, I read Amy's post over at Inkfever and decided it's been too long since I last did a meme (been too busy playing Bejeweled to tell you the truth XP).
One Word Meme - where all answers must be one word. This is a challenge because like a certain one of my characters, I'm a babbler.
Your Cell Phone? Old
Your Hair? Straight
Your Mother? Asleep
Your Father? Morning!person
Your Favorite Food? Ice-cream
Your Dream Last Night? Nothing
Your Favorite Drink? Coffee?
Your Dream/Goal? Fulfillment
What Room Are You In? Living
Your Hobby? Eating? (Okay, reading)
Your Fear? Failure
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Employed (still & happily!)
Where Were You Last Night? Home
Something That You Aren't? Tall
Muffins? Tasty!
Wish List Item? iPad!!!
Where Did You Grow Up? SoCal
Last Thing You Did? Supernatural!
What Are You Wearing? PJs
Your TV? Small
Your Pets? Um.
Friends? AWESOME!
Your Life? Chill (right now)
Your Mood? Sleepy
Missing Someone? Friends
Vehicle? Volvo
Something You Aren't Wearing? Socks
Your Favorite Store? Depends...
Your Favorite Color? Blue
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? 9pm-ish
Last Time You Cried? Uncertain
Your Best Friend? Unanswerable
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Friend's
Facebook? YES.
Favorite Place To Eat? Corner (Bakery)
P.S. You might see a trailer for The Last Airbender during the Super Bowl, and I'm not gonna lie, it looks pretty cool. On the other hand, Racebending asks where's the representation in casting? Asian-based worlds and cultures are cool, but they'd be cooler with, I don't know, some actual Asians populating them. (There's my 30 second soap box spiel.)
P.P.S. Zombies vs. Unicorns. AWESOME. For the record, I'm Team Unicorn, and not just because one of my favorite books of all time is The Last Unicorn.
2.03.2010
Resolution Pressure
Pressure, if not the road to success, is at least proving to be sufficient fuel to drive myself along it.
Krispy manned as manfully up to grading herself on her resolutions as only Krispy can do even though she is not a man. I blame the masculine descriptions on the fact that between the three of us—Krispy, our friend Luce, and I—we've been reading quite a lot of romance in the YA and regency genres. And the men are manly men, even when they wear skintight canary yellow breeches. Let's see how well I kept my resolutions:
1) Write more, and more regularly, and concentrate on a few projects: I have written somewhat more albeit not really on a schedule, and while I've concentrated mostly on a single project, I've also dabbled in miscellaneous others…and started a new one. ¬_¬ Grade: C
2) Finish Nanowrimo 2006/thesis story: There is something marvelous about the pressure of the "mustsubmitcoherentworkforworkshop" feeling. I wrote a tad bit more of the end, and revised and edited a decent number of pages from earlier on. I feel accomplished! Grade: B
3) Blog more: I have. Just not here. Sorry, Krispy. I will make an effort to blog here more though! Krispy has been doing such a marvelous job—I shall just have to emulate her. Grade: C+/B-
4) Read more: I have! The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter, Fallen by Lauren Kate, Duchess by Night by Eloisa James, and The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, proofed a manuscript that will be published soon by our school, and a couple books of okay-ish poetry). Grade: B+ (I would've given myself a higher grade if half of these things—manuscript, poetry, and noir novel—hadn't been required for class.)
5) Get published: Uh, this wasn't really something I was exactly intending to accomplish precisely in January, so I'm just going to copy Krispy and give myself an incomplete on this one. Grade: I
6) Finish Nano 2007/2008: I didn't work on this at all, especially since I said I shouldn't until I'd fulfilled resolution #2. Grade: I/F (Incomplete because I didn't fulfill #2 yet, and Fail because I didn't think about it at all and forgot that I'd made this a resolution.)
7) Syldraverse Renewal: Didn't write so much as a single word. Grade: F
Overall, I did rather worse than Krispy, who at least has one sparkly A+ to boost her GPA. I'm just wallowing along in a sweltering welter of not-quite-mediocrity. Seems as though most of my drive to accomplish things is delivered via academic pressure—which, now that I think about it, actually isn't much of a surprise.
Krispy manned as manfully up to grading herself on her resolutions as only Krispy can do even though she is not a man. I blame the masculine descriptions on the fact that between the three of us—Krispy, our friend Luce, and I—we've been reading quite a lot of romance in the YA and regency genres. And the men are manly men, even when they wear skintight canary yellow breeches. Let's see how well I kept my resolutions:
1) Write more, and more regularly, and concentrate on a few projects: I have written somewhat more albeit not really on a schedule, and while I've concentrated mostly on a single project, I've also dabbled in miscellaneous others…and started a new one. ¬_¬ Grade: C
2) Finish Nanowrimo 2006/thesis story: There is something marvelous about the pressure of the "mustsubmitcoherentworkforworkshop" feeling. I wrote a tad bit more of the end, and revised and edited a decent number of pages from earlier on. I feel accomplished! Grade: B
3) Blog more: I have. Just not here. Sorry, Krispy. I will make an effort to blog here more though! Krispy has been doing such a marvelous job—I shall just have to emulate her. Grade: C+/B-
4) Read more: I have! The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter, Fallen by Lauren Kate, Duchess by Night by Eloisa James, and The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, proofed a manuscript that will be published soon by our school, and a couple books of okay-ish poetry). Grade: B+ (I would've given myself a higher grade if half of these things—manuscript, poetry, and noir novel—hadn't been required for class.)
5) Get published: Uh, this wasn't really something I was exactly intending to accomplish precisely in January, so I'm just going to copy Krispy and give myself an incomplete on this one. Grade: I
6) Finish Nano 2007/2008: I didn't work on this at all, especially since I said I shouldn't until I'd fulfilled resolution #2. Grade: I/F (Incomplete because I didn't fulfill #2 yet, and Fail because I didn't think about it at all and forgot that I'd made this a resolution.)
7) Syldraverse Renewal: Didn't write so much as a single word. Grade: F
Overall, I did rather worse than Krispy, who at least has one sparkly A+ to boost her GPA. I'm just wallowing along in a sweltering welter of not-quite-mediocrity. Seems as though most of my drive to accomplish things is delivered via academic pressure—which, now that I think about it, actually isn't much of a surprise.
2.02.2010
How Resolute was January?
It's February, and I forgot how SHORT this second month of the year is. Yikes! I better get cracking on some of those resolutions. So, at the one month mark, it's a good time to look at how those resolutions are going - and GRADE my progress (because it's ingrained in me to be afraid of grades).
1. Writing habits/schedule: Sadly, I'm having a hard time with this one. I'm having trouble figuring out when is the best time to insert my at-least-15-min of writing time. I'm not a morning person, so getting up early enough before work is 100% out of the question. Grade: F (I'm crying a little inside.)
2. Solaris short stories: I actually have until April to finish at least 2 of these, so... Okay, yeah, I haven't touched them. BUT I have figured out important plot points in one of them. I get points for that, right? Grade: I (for Incomplete because my deadline is still far in the future, and I've done some work on it - just not enough to be graded.)
3. Work on 2009 NaNo story: I'm actually working on this! Even though it's very slow and it involves a complete rehaul of the beginning, which is totally against NaNo rules but it's no longer NaNo, so there! Grade: C+/B-
4. Write down ideas somewhere: I did this! Then again, it's not like I've had many brilliant ideas this past month, so it wasn't hard. Grade: C (Hey, it's average work.)
5. Blog more: I'm doing pretty good with once a week! Not ready to move on to more than once a week consistently, but baby steps! Also, it would help if the OTHER PERSON around these parts would PIPE UP once in a while. She does more writing-related type work on a normal basis than I do! Ahem. Grade: B (For me, I'm doing pretty well with keeping this schedule.)
6. Read more: SO DONE. Actually, I might have to take a break. I think I'm starting to burn out from the unusual amount of consistent reading I've been doing. Don't get me wrong; I'm enjoying the reading and really like most of the books, but it gets tiring! I'll update my List of Books Read in a few days and share. Grade: A+
So um, these are totally some of the worst grades I've ever gotten. Ever. Have to shape up!
How are you doing with your goals/resolutions?
1. Writing habits/schedule: Sadly, I'm having a hard time with this one. I'm having trouble figuring out when is the best time to insert my at-least-15-min of writing time. I'm not a morning person, so getting up early enough before work is 100% out of the question. Grade: F (I'm crying a little inside.)
2. Solaris short stories: I actually have until April to finish at least 2 of these, so... Okay, yeah, I haven't touched them. BUT I have figured out important plot points in one of them. I get points for that, right? Grade: I (for Incomplete because my deadline is still far in the future, and I've done some work on it - just not enough to be graded.)
3. Work on 2009 NaNo story: I'm actually working on this! Even though it's very slow and it involves a complete rehaul of the beginning, which is totally against NaNo rules but it's no longer NaNo, so there! Grade: C+/B-
4. Write down ideas somewhere: I did this! Then again, it's not like I've had many brilliant ideas this past month, so it wasn't hard. Grade: C (Hey, it's average work.)
5. Blog more: I'm doing pretty good with once a week! Not ready to move on to more than once a week consistently, but baby steps! Also, it would help if the OTHER PERSON around these parts would PIPE UP once in a while. She does more writing-related type work on a normal basis than I do! Ahem. Grade: B (For me, I'm doing pretty well with keeping this schedule.)
6. Read more: SO DONE. Actually, I might have to take a break. I think I'm starting to burn out from the unusual amount of consistent reading I've been doing. Don't get me wrong; I'm enjoying the reading and really like most of the books, but it gets tiring! I'll update my List of Books Read in a few days and share. Grade: A+
So um, these are totally some of the worst grades I've ever gotten. Ever. Have to shape up!
How are you doing with your goals/resolutions?
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