Last night was devastating. Not just for Paris, but for Japan, Lebanon, and Mexico as well. Lebanon, like Paris, experienced bombings, and Japan and Mexico both had earthquakes.
Pray for Paris.
Pray for Japan.
Pray for Lebanon.
Pray for Mexico.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Places
Today I'm writing in my basement.
I've written most of my book so far in the upstairs of my house, so I decided to try for a different perspective, see what that does for my writing.
I always try to write wherever is the most appealing... sometimes that's in my room, sometimes it's in the recliner in my parents' room, and sometimes it's outside on my trampoline. Today, the spot that seemed the most appealing was outside, in the middle of street, among the blowing leaves.
I decided to write downstairs instead. It seemed safer.
I've written most of my book so far in the upstairs of my house, so I decided to try for a different perspective, see what that does for my writing.
I always try to write wherever is the most appealing... sometimes that's in my room, sometimes it's in the recliner in my parents' room, and sometimes it's outside on my trampoline. Today, the spot that seemed the most appealing was outside, in the middle of street, among the blowing leaves.
I decided to write downstairs instead. It seemed safer.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
So...
So, I guess tomorrow is November 1st. And I guess that means NaNoWriMo starts, or something like that. I don't know, I haven't been paying attention.
Oh, who am I kidding? I've been counting down the days for weeks.
I remember when I first heard about NaNoWriMo, I thought my friend was crazy for doing it. Turned out he wrote a pretty cool novel, and I ended up doing what seemed impossible and writing a novel in November, too. It's so weird to look back on Novembers before 2011, and to think about a time when I wasn't completely obsessed with the same set of characters for thirty day. It's weird to remember not looking forward to November. I don't really remember what it feels like for it to be December 1st, and to think "I'm ready for next November."
NaNoWriMo even provided me with my final essay for my English Comp Class freshman year of college. I had a list of essay ideas to choose from, and I was able to use one of them to write about writing, and my feelings about my own writing.
NaNoWriMo has boosted my confidence about my writing so much. When I dove in and wrote a novel in a month way back in 2011 when I was practically a child, it shot my confidence through the roof. I had done it! I had written the longest thing I'd ever written! And I'd written it in only like 27 days! And it was totally amazing!
Okay, so maybe that last one wasn't completely true upon looking back on some of my cringe-worthy lines. But I don't even care. I had so much, and it launched me into a world of writing a novel a year. This is my fifth year, and I can't wait to see what kind of adventures it brings me.
Oh, who am I kidding? I've been counting down the days for weeks.
I remember when I first heard about NaNoWriMo, I thought my friend was crazy for doing it. Turned out he wrote a pretty cool novel, and I ended up doing what seemed impossible and writing a novel in November, too. It's so weird to look back on Novembers before 2011, and to think about a time when I wasn't completely obsessed with the same set of characters for thirty day. It's weird to remember not looking forward to November. I don't really remember what it feels like for it to be December 1st, and to think "I'm ready for next November."
NaNoWriMo even provided me with my final essay for my English Comp Class freshman year of college. I had a list of essay ideas to choose from, and I was able to use one of them to write about writing, and my feelings about my own writing.
NaNoWriMo has boosted my confidence about my writing so much. When I dove in and wrote a novel in a month way back in 2011 when I was practically a child, it shot my confidence through the roof. I had done it! I had written the longest thing I'd ever written! And I'd written it in only like 27 days! And it was totally amazing!
Okay, so maybe that last one wasn't completely true upon looking back on some of my cringe-worthy lines. But I don't even care. I had so much, and it launched me into a world of writing a novel a year. This is my fifth year, and I can't wait to see what kind of adventures it brings me.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Book Review: Imaginary Girls
Title: Imaginary Girls
Author: Nova Ren Suma
Number of Stars: 2 and 3/4 (of 5)
Number of Stars: 2 and 3/4 (of 5)
Flash forward two years, and Chloe has been living with her dad, hours away from Ruby. Chloe has become very apathetic towards life, and toward Ruby, who she has barely spoken to over the last two years. Then suddenly Ruby forces her way back in Chloe's life, and Chloe returns to their small town with her sister. But things are not as she remembers; they are very different, and very sinister.
My Review:
I'll start with the good. First, I devoured this book in two days. I was desperate to figure out what was going on. I love a good mystery, and this one delivered. As a mystery, but not much else. The tone reminded me of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman. It had the same kind of dark, sinister tone where you know something is wrong but you can't quite put your finger on it.
I also really enjoyed the writing. Nova Ren Suma is a good writer, despite the problems I had with the book. The characters are interesting, and for the most part the story keeps you reeled in and wanting to find out what happens. I was fascinated by Ruby, even as I disliked her more and more. As it became more and more apparent that everything was not what it seemed in this town, I wanted to reach the end as quickly as possible so I would finally have all the answers.
One last thing I really liked was the mystery of the drowned town, Olive. Ruby and Chloe are obsessed with the story of Olive, a town that was flooded when the people refused to leave for the reservoir to be built. Ruby always says that the townspeople are still down there, living their lives at the bottom of the water. The subplot of Olive becomes more fascinating as the story goes on.
But unfortunately, that's where the good stops. I did have some problems with this book, the main one being that it was just too long. Neil Gaiman had it right when he wrote The Ocean at the End of the Lane as a novella, instead of 350 pages, which is about how long Imaginary Girls is. I expected my curiosity to be satisfied by the end of Imaginary Girls, but it just wasn't. It's never really explained what's going on, and that disappointed me. With Neil Gaiman's book, when you don't get any solid answers, it's okay because the book is short, and it feels like a snippet of a longer story. But with Imaginary Girls, it just feels like a letdown.
My other problems were small, like the side characters being flat and uninteresting, and scenes that didn't move the story along, or hold my interest. The second of these contributes to the unnecessary length of the book.
When I first finished the book, I didn't really know how to feel. I was disappointed, yes, that there were no real answers, but at the same time I could not stop thinking about it. And I still can't. I keep turning the story over and over in my head, thinking about the characters, and the plot, and what the heck was even going on. The book didn't quite live up to its potential, which is too bad. It could have been amazing, but instead it was not quite good.
Next up on my To Be Read Pile: The Accident Season, by Moira Fowley-Doyle
I'll start with the good. First, I devoured this book in two days. I was desperate to figure out what was going on. I love a good mystery, and this one delivered. As a mystery, but not much else. The tone reminded me of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman. It had the same kind of dark, sinister tone where you know something is wrong but you can't quite put your finger on it.
I also really enjoyed the writing. Nova Ren Suma is a good writer, despite the problems I had with the book. The characters are interesting, and for the most part the story keeps you reeled in and wanting to find out what happens. I was fascinated by Ruby, even as I disliked her more and more. As it became more and more apparent that everything was not what it seemed in this town, I wanted to reach the end as quickly as possible so I would finally have all the answers.
One last thing I really liked was the mystery of the drowned town, Olive. Ruby and Chloe are obsessed with the story of Olive, a town that was flooded when the people refused to leave for the reservoir to be built. Ruby always says that the townspeople are still down there, living their lives at the bottom of the water. The subplot of Olive becomes more fascinating as the story goes on.
But unfortunately, that's where the good stops. I did have some problems with this book, the main one being that it was just too long. Neil Gaiman had it right when he wrote The Ocean at the End of the Lane as a novella, instead of 350 pages, which is about how long Imaginary Girls is. I expected my curiosity to be satisfied by the end of Imaginary Girls, but it just wasn't. It's never really explained what's going on, and that disappointed me. With Neil Gaiman's book, when you don't get any solid answers, it's okay because the book is short, and it feels like a snippet of a longer story. But with Imaginary Girls, it just feels like a letdown.
My other problems were small, like the side characters being flat and uninteresting, and scenes that didn't move the story along, or hold my interest. The second of these contributes to the unnecessary length of the book.
When I first finished the book, I didn't really know how to feel. I was disappointed, yes, that there were no real answers, but at the same time I could not stop thinking about it. And I still can't. I keep turning the story over and over in my head, thinking about the characters, and the plot, and what the heck was even going on. The book didn't quite live up to its potential, which is too bad. It could have been amazing, but instead it was not quite good.
Next up on my To Be Read Pile: The Accident Season, by Moira Fowley-Doyle
Update, and a New Feature!
It's been ages since I blogged. I've been busy with school and writing. But I am really going to try to blog more often, and one thing I'll be doing to make that happen is adding a new feature: Book reviews! I've been thinking about doing this for ages, and I finally decided to do it. My first review will be posted later today, a review of the book Imaginary Girls, by Nova Ren Suma.
Update time! I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this year! I'm planning to write a continuation of Hansel and Gretel, and I'm very excited about it. I can't wait for November 1st to come.
I've also been working on the second draft of my last NaNo novel, and I'm almost done with that. I was hoping to have it finished before NaNo this year, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. But I still have a week to finish it! And it's the first week in ages that I haven't had a major unit test to prepare for.
Until next time! Ttfn.
Update time! I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this year! I'm planning to write a continuation of Hansel and Gretel, and I'm very excited about it. I can't wait for November 1st to come.
I've also been working on the second draft of my last NaNo novel, and I'm almost done with that. I was hoping to have it finished before NaNo this year, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. But I still have a week to finish it! And it's the first week in ages that I haven't had a major unit test to prepare for.
Until next time! Ttfn.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Year One
How can I sum up my first year of college? It was crazy, long, fun, insane, difficult... I had a lot of hard days, but some of my favorite times were in this first year or college. So I decided to write about it. :) Summer is wrapping up, and I'm getting ready to start my sophmore year (yay! I'm not a freshman anymore!!).
First semester: Whooooaaaaa. Week one, I thought I was going to die. Okay, not really, but I was miserable. I'd been dreading starting college for weeks, and that first day? I had no trouble finding my classes, and it seemed like my teachers were going to be nice. But I still remember sitting in my English class, leaning my chin against my hand, staring at my teacher as she talked, and realizing I was going to have to be on campus five days a week until Christmas. That's when I thought I was going to hate college. From there I headed to my Psychology class, where I also sat miserably (in the front row), wishing that I'd never graduated.
I don't really remember much else about that first week except that I managed not to break down until Wednesday. I also don't really remember when I started interacting with the girls who I now call very dear friends, but I do recall it happened on the walk between English and Psych, which we were all taking.
As I got into a groove, I began to hate college less and less. Sure, I still wanted to go back to homeschooling, but I was enjoying my classes, and I had made friends within the first month. My first semester was turning out to be a success! Plus, I got to work as a reading tutor for first graders, which meant I was getting paid to read picture books with adorable children.
I passed all my classes, which thrilled me, and I headed into Christmas break feeling great about my first semester. Christmas break flew past way too quickly, but I headed into the second semester with my head up. My math class, which was at 8 am (NEVER AGAIN) turned out to be not as difficult as I'd originally thought, and even though I didn't have classes with the friends I'd made first semester (except math, but we were at different tables), I still saw them regularly.
My second semester was harder than the first, mostly because I was busier. I had more homework, and I was doing classroom observation, as well as working, and teaching religious education. Long semester, but I still pulled good grades in all my classes. When the last weekend before summer hit, and I was studying for my finals (two out of my four classes didn't have finals), I started counting down the hours until I was finished.
And then, suddenly, I was done. I had taken my last final (math), and I was at home and ready to relax. I can still remember lying on my couch, reading something on my iPod touch, and trying to realize that I had until August to relax. It took a while for that to sink in, and it took even longer to stop having brief moments of panic thinking that I had forgotten an assignment.
It has been a great summer. I got to spend time with friends and family, but I also got lots of relaxing me-time. I read some great books, and even got some writing done (although not as much as I wish; my imaginary friends won't talk to me). I also got to attend a Steubenville conference as a young adult leader, which was an awesome experience. Overall, I am very happy with the way the last year of my life has gone. I learned lots about being an adult, and I made some wonderful, lifelong friends. I can only hope that my life continues down this fabulous path that God has put me on.
First semester: Whooooaaaaa. Week one, I thought I was going to die. Okay, not really, but I was miserable. I'd been dreading starting college for weeks, and that first day? I had no trouble finding my classes, and it seemed like my teachers were going to be nice. But I still remember sitting in my English class, leaning my chin against my hand, staring at my teacher as she talked, and realizing I was going to have to be on campus five days a week until Christmas. That's when I thought I was going to hate college. From there I headed to my Psychology class, where I also sat miserably (in the front row), wishing that I'd never graduated.
I don't really remember much else about that first week except that I managed not to break down until Wednesday. I also don't really remember when I started interacting with the girls who I now call very dear friends, but I do recall it happened on the walk between English and Psych, which we were all taking.
As I got into a groove, I began to hate college less and less. Sure, I still wanted to go back to homeschooling, but I was enjoying my classes, and I had made friends within the first month. My first semester was turning out to be a success! Plus, I got to work as a reading tutor for first graders, which meant I was getting paid to read picture books with adorable children.
I passed all my classes, which thrilled me, and I headed into Christmas break feeling great about my first semester. Christmas break flew past way too quickly, but I headed into the second semester with my head up. My math class, which was at 8 am (NEVER AGAIN) turned out to be not as difficult as I'd originally thought, and even though I didn't have classes with the friends I'd made first semester (except math, but we were at different tables), I still saw them regularly.
My second semester was harder than the first, mostly because I was busier. I had more homework, and I was doing classroom observation, as well as working, and teaching religious education. Long semester, but I still pulled good grades in all my classes. When the last weekend before summer hit, and I was studying for my finals (two out of my four classes didn't have finals), I started counting down the hours until I was finished.
And then, suddenly, I was done. I had taken my last final (math), and I was at home and ready to relax. I can still remember lying on my couch, reading something on my iPod touch, and trying to realize that I had until August to relax. It took a while for that to sink in, and it took even longer to stop having brief moments of panic thinking that I had forgotten an assignment.
It has been a great summer. I got to spend time with friends and family, but I also got lots of relaxing me-time. I read some great books, and even got some writing done (although not as much as I wish; my imaginary friends won't talk to me). I also got to attend a Steubenville conference as a young adult leader, which was an awesome experience. Overall, I am very happy with the way the last year of my life has gone. I learned lots about being an adult, and I made some wonderful, lifelong friends. I can only hope that my life continues down this fabulous path that God has put me on.
Monday, February 16, 2015
I Guess...
I guess I don't know what to post about. So I'll just post a list of my favorite musicals in reverse order, plus my favorite song! That's fun, right? Because obviously I only have one favorite song from each musical... And I can totally rank my favorite musicals...
Who am I kidding?
Anyway, favorite musicals, no particular order (except I'm totally saving the best for last) current favorite songs from them:
1. The Phantom of the Opera
Great musical. Have you heard Ramin Karimloo's version? No? Get out.
Just kidding. But seriously, go listen to it. It's completely fabulous.
FAVORITE SONG: The Phantom of the Opera. Love, love, love.
2. Legally Blonde
Yeah, okay. I know how that kind of makes me sound like I'm probably a shallow blonde, right? WRONG. I am a brunette. I like this musical because the lyrics are clever and witty, and it encourages listeners to go after their dreams, and not let anyone tell them they can't do something.
FAVORITE SONG: Chip On My Shoulder. It's a long one, and it has dialogue, but what I've learned about songs with dialogue is that if you listen to them enough, you can memorize the dialogue, too.
3. Wicked
I adore this musical. Brilliant songs, brilliant singing, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. It's sharp (just like Elphaba. Ha.) and clever, with ingenious tributes to the original story. I've seen it three times, I have been unable to find a flaw in the way they weave it together with The Wizard of Oz.
FAVORITE SONG: Defying Gravity. Easily the best song in the musical, although No Good Deed and Dancing Through Life come close. It's hard to imagine ever picking a different song as my favorite.
4. Ghost, and [title of show] are tied for this one.
Okay, so maybe I only know one song from each, but those songs are pretty amazing. It makes me want to sit down and listen to the whole show for both of them. Also, [title of show] is about writers. Plus, fabulous title.
FAVORITE SONGS: Ghost: With You. Only song I know, but absolutely beautiful. [title of show]: A Way Back to Then. This song so wonderfully portrays how growing up feels.
5. Any Disney musical
All of them. I grew up with them, and I love them dearly. I thought about listing them, but then I remembered I have tendonitis and typing all that out would kill my wrist. But my current favorites are Frozen (yes, still) and Tangled (always my favorite).
FAVORITE SONGS: You can't make me pick.
6. Les Miserables
Ahhh, Les Mis. The best musical I've ever heard or seen. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, and absolutely brilliant. I can't even put into words how much I love this show. I just absolutely love it.
FAVORITE SONG: I Dreamed a Dream. Never fails to make me want to sob.
Soooo, what are your favorite musicals?
Who am I kidding?
Anyway, favorite musicals, no particular order (except I'm totally saving the best for last) current favorite songs from them:
1. The Phantom of the Opera
Great musical. Have you heard Ramin Karimloo's version? No? Get out.
Just kidding. But seriously, go listen to it. It's completely fabulous.
FAVORITE SONG: The Phantom of the Opera. Love, love, love.
2. Legally Blonde
Yeah, okay. I know how that kind of makes me sound like I'm probably a shallow blonde, right? WRONG. I am a brunette. I like this musical because the lyrics are clever and witty, and it encourages listeners to go after their dreams, and not let anyone tell them they can't do something.
FAVORITE SONG: Chip On My Shoulder. It's a long one, and it has dialogue, but what I've learned about songs with dialogue is that if you listen to them enough, you can memorize the dialogue, too.
3. Wicked
I adore this musical. Brilliant songs, brilliant singing, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. It's sharp (just like Elphaba. Ha.) and clever, with ingenious tributes to the original story. I've seen it three times, I have been unable to find a flaw in the way they weave it together with The Wizard of Oz.
FAVORITE SONG: Defying Gravity. Easily the best song in the musical, although No Good Deed and Dancing Through Life come close. It's hard to imagine ever picking a different song as my favorite.
4. Ghost, and [title of show] are tied for this one.
Okay, so maybe I only know one song from each, but those songs are pretty amazing. It makes me want to sit down and listen to the whole show for both of them. Also, [title of show] is about writers. Plus, fabulous title.
FAVORITE SONGS: Ghost: With You. Only song I know, but absolutely beautiful. [title of show]: A Way Back to Then. This song so wonderfully portrays how growing up feels.
5. Any Disney musical
All of them. I grew up with them, and I love them dearly. I thought about listing them, but then I remembered I have tendonitis and typing all that out would kill my wrist. But my current favorites are Frozen (yes, still) and Tangled (always my favorite).
FAVORITE SONGS: You can't make me pick.
6. Les Miserables
Ahhh, Les Mis. The best musical I've ever heard or seen. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, and absolutely brilliant. I can't even put into words how much I love this show. I just absolutely love it.
FAVORITE SONG: I Dreamed a Dream. Never fails to make me want to sob.
Soooo, what are your favorite musicals?
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