~ * ~ 65 Random Things About Myself ~ * ~

I've seen this done on other blogs and I find them very interesting (it helps me realize I'm not as weird as I sometimes think).  Who knows!  Maybe I'll have something in common with you!

1. I started my first job at the age of 18 and have stayed with the company for the last 8 years.  (Talk about commitment!)
2.  I love to break the register at work (make it display funny error messages) and find out problems with the coding.
3.  I absolutely love the Asian culture (obviously), but I don't know exactly why or what started it.  [See #23]
4. My favorite type of food is sushi.  [See #32]

5.  I'm rather fond of things that are different/unique.
6.  I'm not a huge fan of cooking, but I believe that it's simply a mental obstacle and once I start cooking (or befriend someone who loves to do it) I will enjoy it much more.  [See #18]
7.  My favorite animal is a tiger.
8.  My bedroom could also be classified as a library because of how many books I own (and not having access to a library card doesn't help the decreasing bookshelf space).
9.  Up until recently, I had never flown on a plane.  It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.*

*This picture may not reflect opinion stated above.

10.  I created my own daily planner using Excel and a mini binder.  I absolutely love it.
11.  I haven't listened to English music in over 8 months.
12.  My favorite music group is Super Junior, where my favorite song writer is David Hodges (though they are in no way related).
13.  In high school, I went through a "goth" faze, but never got around to dying my hair black.
14.  Now (ten years later) I can't seem to get enough bright colors in my life!
15.  I absolutely adore my co-workers and the people that I serve.
16.  I can easily spend hours on YouTube watching vloggers.

17.  My favorite holiday is Christmas as the Spirit is amazing, (and I'm not referring to the materialistic spirit).
18.  My mother suffered from a degenerative disease called Rheumatoid Arthritis for most of my life, and doing simple daily tasks were very painful and challenging.  [See #6]
19.  I am the "President" of a creative writing group with nearly a dozen of my friends, and I love being with them!
20.  My favorite thing to do with friends is go out to eat, window shop, or simply watch funny videos/movies with them.
21.  My favorite movie genre would be technically classified as "Family" or "Children" as I LOVE the animated movies such as Rise of the Guardians, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Megamind for their stories and morals that are taught.
22.  I'm definitely a story-kind of girl.  If the plotline doesn't make sense or isn't interesting (mindless action scenes, etc.), I won't enjoy it.
23. When I was a child, my best friend growing up was from Cambodia.  [Possible reason for #3?]
24.  I am normally very suspicious of people due to my trust being broken in the past.  However I am working on improving this.
25.  I am an only child and wish I had siblings.
26.  Some of my favorite vloggers on YouTube to watch are: Dodger Leigh, Random Panser, Marikplier, and Mary Doodles.  [*Not all content on their channels I approve of, however I do love their vlogs when they simply talk about their daily life]
27.  My birthday is in February and lies on the border with the horoscope calendar, so I have mixed qualities of both Aquarius and Pisces (if you believe in horoscopes).
28.  My mother passed away April 22, 2011 and there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her.
29.  I love fruit, especially during the wintertime.
30.  I have only experienced two "Snow Days" in my entire life, though I have lived in the state with the "greatest snow on earth" my entire life.
31.  My dad and I are really close and have similar personalities (you've been warned).
32.  I love breakfast meals (pancakes, waffles, eggos, bacon, sausage, hash browns, etc.).  It's probably my second favorite food.  [See #4]
33.  I have over 19 hours of kpop music on my iPod and I love every minute of it.

[Image Source]

34.  I wish I had a great sense of style and accessorizing like other girls with short hair, but I don't. [See #54]
35.  I don't even have my ears pierced!
36.  Thanks to my first boyfriend, I'm no longer afraid to be my true self.
37.  Overall I am a generally happy person.  I will act happy even when I'm not, but once you get to know me, you'll be able to tell when I'm having a hard time.
38.  My favorite New Testament story is the story of a man named Legion and how Christ heals him.  For some reason that story has stood out to me for years.
39.  My favorite Book of Mormon story is Alma the Younger's life story.
40.  I love looking for symbolism in life.
41.  I can't wait to go through the temple [See #40].  But I don't have plans to receive my endowment as I would really like to go through the temple my first time with my future husband.  I am temple worthy and hold a baptismal recommend however.
42.  My dream is to someday do an Asian tour and visit all the countries.
43.  I plan to meet someone "famous" in my life.
44.  My guilty pleasure is YouTube, Netflix, and DramaFever.  They will be my downfall.
45.  I love to set weekly goals and strive to accomplish them.
46.  I love video editing (mainly making movie trailers) but after killing my third computer, I stopped.
47.   I miss the days when life was simpler and my greatest concern was whether it was going to be sunny enough to play Power Rangers outside or not.
48.  I am not a big video game person, but I do have friends who are (and I obviously follow YouTubers who are HUGE gamers, but I myself am not one).  [See #26]
49.  I haven't had a serious boyfriend in years (mainly because I told the Lord what I wanted and He was kind enough to bless me with it... though now I'm not so sure I can wait for the blessing).
50.  I am on an adventure called Life and I love every moment.

51.  I would not change anything in my past, for by doing so, I would change the person I am today and I don't want that.
52.  I'm far from perfect, and I hope my future husband has some flaws or I'm going to feel extremely inferior.
53.  As a child, I was never into "girly" things.  In fact, when McDonald's would have the different toys for girls and boys (barbies for girls, Hotwheel's cars for boys) I would cry if I ended up with a barbie because I wanted the car.  Yeah, I was THAT child.  But look at how well rounded I turned out! :)
54.  My entire wardrobe could do with a makeover [See #34].
55.  I can't speak another language, but if I could, it would be Korean.  But I am trying!
56.  I do not have a single scar and I have never broken a bone.  (as of yet)
57.  I graduated with a degree in Family, Consumer, and Human Development, with an emphasis on Community Services.  Basically, I want to work with helping families have a better life.
58.  I originally wanted to major in Psychology, but I hated the medical diagnosis side and loved the application side.  [Hence #57]
59.  I took art all 4 years in high school, but I don't consider myself an artist in the least.
60.  I enjoy writing and coming up with stories.  It's the organizing different scenes into a coherent storyline that I struggle with.
61.  When I was little, I used to eat chapstick; specifically the strawberry flavored kind (Smackers brand).
62.  I didn't like raspberries until after high school because of the "little hairs" but yet I love to each peaches with the skin on (fuzz and all!).  (Side note: I did wash the peach first.)
63.  I'm a total geek at heart. <3
64.  I enjoy playing European table top games ("Euro Games").  My favorites include Dominion, Carcassonne, and Tsuro.  I even wanted to start a weekly game night with friends!
65.  I would LOVE to adopt Asian children once I'm married.  They're ADORABLE!!

I'm going to stop it here.  If you want to get to know me better, feel free to contact me. :)

June Changes

June is going to be a month of great growth and change for me. "I can feel it... in my belly!"

All areas of my life will change this month:

- Academic: My practicum will give me hands-on experience with working in my field (though, as of tonight, I am still looking for a site) and is needed before I can get my diploma.
- Spiritual: I'm going to revamp my spiritual life and make studying the scriptures and pondering an essential part of my life.
- Physical: I am going to get in shape! For so long I've had it as a goal, and this month I'm tackling it!!
- Social: My writing group of friends (Inklings) are doing NaNoWriMo this month (since November is the worst possible time for us to write).
- Romance: I'm determined to boost the area of my love life. I'm watching a seminar and it has really motivated me to put myself out there, take some risks, and just have fun when it comes to dating.
- Mental: When I see "small" projects around the house, I just need to DO them; like taking that basket of old clothes to charity, or selling old DVDs to our local video store for cash.

These all seem to be items that were pushed aside because they are not a priority. Well I'm MAKING them a priority this month.

Then maybe next month I'll tackle cooking. ;)

Confession

I'm human. I'm not perfect.

I feel obligated to admit that the YouTube lent is going really well, but 1) I haven't done as much spiritual study/pondering as I was hoping for; and 2) I have slipped and seen an occasional video once in a while in the last two weeks (for a grand total of maybe 15 minutes).

BUT, I haven't watched ANY Dodger... and that's saying something, especially when it's my last two weeks of school and final exams and projects are bearing down hard. Sometimes all I want to do is curl up with Coffehtime and get lost in her adventures of life (and, of course, cat stories). Not to mention watching her Let's Play videos where she does hilarious voice acting and narration (especially the visual novels/love sims).

So if I'm not spending my time on YouTube or Netflix, and I still am not pleased with my spiritual studying... what AM I spending all my extra time doing, you ask?

Well for starters, I'm doing a lot more writing! I have a writing group now and we have a blast every week. We get together on Thursday evenings and read stories out loud, provide constructive criticism, laugh, and play games. It's seriously the best thing ever. As a result of this group, I'm more encouraged to write and finish my Destroyer story that has been with me for years. And it's working! I've got about ten chapters written so far, and a lot more on the way!

Another task I have busied myself with is homework, sadly enough. But I am in my last two weeks of my college career and after my internship this summer, I will have no more homework! Hallelujah!! So I just need to push through and conquer. I'm almost done...

So, in the end, I have had a few slip-ups, mistakes, and course corrections, but I still feel like YouTube lent is a good thing for me. Now to set some goals to make me stretch and do even more! I'm not quite half-way done with my 40-day fast, but I can see the potentially great effect it can have on my life.

I'm human. I'm not perfect.

But I can grow and change.

Writing Chaos

2014 is the year I am going to write my book.  End of story.

No pun intended.

But seriously, I knew I had lots of notes regarding the series scattered about.  Most were in notebooks, especially entire scenes, but others were on scrap pieces of paper, some of which were frantically scribbled on sticky-notes in an attempt to capture the moment.  Trying to gather all of these notes have been quite a chore.  I still feel as though I'm missing some notes, but I haven't been able to find them.  However, in my search I discovered two more full notebooks (back to front, both sides of the paper filled), along with random sheets spread throughout my school notebooks (which I have since torn out and put with my collection).

The collection is growing.

I think the reason I haven't written this story sooner is because the story world keeps expanding, and as exciting as that is, the thought of compiling all of the notes into one cohesive story feels nearly impossible.

But, I have my grandmother in me and when I become determined, I can accomplish almost anything (except flying... I haven't sprouted wings yet).

In an effort to become more organized, I discovered the wonderful world of Evernote.  It's a program/website that is an amazing tool, as it allows you to tag items and group certain things together and has numerous other advantages.  One of my favorites is that I can access my content anywhere on any device that I have.  This allows for quick notes on the run, and you never know when inspiration might strike!  My dad uses it all the time for work and I thought it might be useful in containing the chaos in my mind.  So far it's amazing.

I'm also looking into starting a writing group with friends in an attempt to help keep me motivated.  Writing buddies are wonderful things.  Hopefully we'll have our first meeting this next month.

Do you have any tips on organizing your thoughts and stories?  Have you ever felt like I do--in that the thoughts of tackling a story seem impossible.  If so, how did you how did you overcome?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Write on! :)

New Year New Goal

It's a new year.

As such, I want to mention one goal out of several I have.  This will be the year that I write my novel (from Destroyer Series).  I'm tired of simply writing "scenes" and "snippets" and keeping everything in three notebooks and two folders.  It's time I organize my creative thoughts from the past 5 years and turn it into something tangible.  I'm kind of frustrated it has taken so long for me to get to this point of no return--in that I'm ready to go down this path head first, dang the consequences!  I'm doing this.

I'm hoping to write at least a little bit every day.  I think that's the trick.  Even if I'm only working on developing something or learning more about my characters, as long as I am touching the world I have created, it will help.

So here is to a year of writing, new ideas, and epic stories!  Bring it on 2014!!

Has It Really Been a Semester?

Long time guys!

I can't believe my last "real" post was back in July!!  Wow.  Sorry about that.  This last semester of school kept me pretty busy and next semester (my last semester) will be even worse!  But, I'm almost done so that is good!

In other news...

It's that time of year again!  Yes, the time of year when it's cold outside and my creative brain starts thinking.  I have had an itch to work on my Destroyer Series for the last couple of weeks.  And now I'm finally getting back into it.

You know what the biggest problem about working on a story only once a year?  You sometimes forget all the different directions your story is taking.  I know it sounds absurd, but when you have a story that is spanning three (to four) books, the story lines easily become one.  I was looking over my mountain of notes and written scenes earlier tonight, and I'll be honest, it's rather overwhelming.  This story (the "Destroyer" story) has been with me now FIVE years.  You would have thought I could have had it written and done.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) every time I work on it, new things come to pass and cause changes within the story, giving it more depth, more meaning.  I absolutely love it!  But I really want to get it written so I have it preserved for years to come, you know?  As of right now, my "story" consists within the pages of five notebooks, multiple sticky-note collections, some Word documents, and iPod playlist of songs, and random scenes written on scraps of paper.  NONE of it is in order.  So even if I fill four entire notebooks with just Destroyer stuff, it is never in order.  I may have been writing a scene from Book 1 and it suddenly sparks an idea for Book 3 that I want to connect.  So I go off of the creative tangent and everything falls out of order.

Have I attempted to organize and condense my thoughts?  Yes.

Have I tried to write out the general outline of each book?  Absolutely.

Does the outline change?  All the time.

Which is the problem.

My original story idea from the beginning of 2009 is soooooooo different from what it is now.  It's as though the story has grown as I have.

Does anyone have recommendations for organizing ideas and stories into a concise outline?  I am reading about story structure and I've thought about using that as an outline, but I'm interested in what others do for outlining their story--whether it's an actual written outline, or if they use index cards (which I have attempted and it's just as chaotic as my writings), or if there's another method that works even better?  I am open to suggestions!  Thanks!

With that, I'm off to find more inspiration to work on my story.

Peace!

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo...

If you are a writer, I am sure you have heard of it.  But if you are not familiar with the term, let me enlighten you:

National

Novel

Writing

Month

It is a national challenge to write a book of 50,000 words (novel length) in one month.  Crazy, I know.  This normally takes place in November.  Why is it November?  I have no idea.  Some say it’s because it’s the end of the year, so we are to let go of all our apprehensions that have kept us from writing all year and just DO IT!  To me, November sounds like a horrible time to write a book (I mean, the stress of the holidays?  Finals?  Eeck!).   In my opinion, some time in Spring or Summer would work best.

Therefore, I am taking the challenge... In the month of July.  I am calling it:

My Novel Writing Month!

Yes, indeed.  This month I intend to write a book!  And not just any book, but after some deliberation I have decided to write my Destroyer Series Book 1: “Tainted” (which may or may not turn into a single book--instead of a series--depending on the flow of the story).

If you have been reading my blog, you know that my Destroyer Series and I have had an “on again, off again” relationship for the past four years.  Yes, FOUR years.  I have written and rewritten the outlines and scenes multiple times... I just haven’t sat down and wrote the story from start to finish before.  I have scenes, snippets, and a general plot outline, but that is all (but these little bits of information fill three notebooks).

I think it’s about time I get my butt in gear to write this story!

As I look back at the notes I have made over the years, it is interesting to see how the story has changed and evolved.  In my opinion, it went from a childish, elementary story to something much deeper, much more personal to me.  In a way, you could say the story has matured as I have matured.  It is neat to see characters grow over the years; not to mention all the plot twists that have even caught their author by surprise! :)

This month will be a crazy one, but I think it will be good; definitely better than November at any rate.  I can’t wait to tell the story of Leah, Kael, Zak, and Red!  It’s going to be good.

Back to the Basics

This year, there haven't been too many movies that had me super excited.  The Amazing Spider-man looked lame from the trailers (I had assumed it to be a retelling of the first Spider-man, but was pleasantly surprised with how good it was).  Madagascar 3 created some excitement, but I was also rather nervous because I didn't want to see the producers end an epic series badly (and they didn't!).  Dark Knight Rises didn't necessarily do it for me either, because Dark Knight was so... well dark!  I was worried this third one would be the same (again, pleasantly surprised).  I am somewhat excited for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Les Miserables, however I am upset that they are splitting The Hobbit into THREE movies!  And where I haven't read the books for either of these, I don't know exactly what to expect in the movie... thus I am not as excited.

But today marks the release date of a movie I was excited to see.  Honestly, I haven't been this excited since Harry Potter 7-2 was released last year.

This movie is...

Of course, Rise of the Guardians.

Prior to today, the more I saw about this movie (trailers, TV spots, etc.) the more excited I became.  For starters, the concept of childhood myths being not only real, but also being guardians of the children was unique to me.  Then the villain entered... Pitch...

You may call him the Boogieman, Pitch Black, or the King of Nightmares.  When I first saw him I knew he was going to be a good villain!

So, the overall story theme I received from the trailers was Pitch has entered the playing field and is spreading fear across all the children of the world.  And if the children do not believe in the Guardians, they will disappear and lose their powers.  So, the Guardians must "rise" together and help protect the children of the world from this new darkness.

Well, I had the great opportunity to finally see this movie today (opening day).  I was very excited, but there was a small part of me that worried I had built it up too much, and that I would be disappointed with the final result.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Despite all my excitement... it still blew me away.

Now, I know there are some out there who say, "This is your simple story of good vs evil."  Well yes, but you know what?  In a time when movies are so popular and everyone is trying to create elaborate and complex stories (*cough*Inception*cough*), it's rather refreshing to go back to the basics.  This was one of the main draws for me.  I'm tired of the complex storylines, the mind boggling twists and turns in plots and character development... just give me a good movie that has excellent character growth and development, with twists and turns that actually make sense but are not predictable, with little to no profanity/inappropriate material, and then I will be happy.

Tonight, I am pleased to announce that I. Am. Happy.

I found this movie to be unique (as I said earlier) and very entertaining.  The writers did a good job to keep the story flowing by adding bits of humor through-out (the elves are hilarious as is the rivalry between Bunny and Jack).  I felt the characters all experienced growth throughout the movie, and especially our main character: Jack Frost.  One of those changes actually happened within myself.  Now, how can this be, right?  I'm not in the movie?  Well, good writing creates changes in the viewer, and there's a point where Pitch "bears his soul" to Jack... and I sympathized.  (Side Note: This is key to developing a good villain in any story.)  It helped me realize what he has been through and it's no wonder he is the way he his and why he does what he does (again, this is key to developing a good villain).  Therefore, Pitch's character was beautifully crafted and well rounded in the end, as were the other main characters.  The only one I didn't see a great change in was Sandy, and if you see the movie you'll understand why.  But I loved him just the way he was anyway!  He's perfect!  (One of my favorites, can't you tell?)

Switching gears, there are many morals and messages portrayed through-out the movie (not just at the end as it is with most).  Things like who we are now is not dependent on who we were before, and that each of us has a purpose while in this life, we just need to find it.  It was one of those movies that simply leaves you feeling uplifted and full of hope and light.  I love these kinds of feel-good movies.  I believe that's what all movies should do: Uplift us and take us away from reality.  I live in reality, why would I want to see a movie that portrays the same thing?  Give me two hours away from this life to imagine something greater, something better, and I feel much happier with my reality when I return to it.

Also, Alexandre Desplat produced the music for this movie.  For those who do not know, he is the brilliant mind behind several of the amazing Harry Potter Soundtracks!  The music was simply stunning and I think I know what to ask for when Christmas rolls around!  Here's a sampling of the type of music on the album:

Speaking of little facts, did you know that this movie is based off of a book series?  I had no clue!!  It is entitled, "The Guardians of Childhood" by William Joyce and includes picture books as well as young reader books.  I actually started reading the "Nicolas St. North" book online and it talks about how Pitch awoke and how Jack Frost came to be (the movie never exactly explains how Pitch came back).  The series looks rather interesting.

I simply love this movie.  I think it was well written with a good story and great characters, and excellent music is a bonus!

Now go and have your spirits uplifted and enjoy a good story of good vs. evil!

The Guardians Have Risen!!

Random Book Update

Wow, this last week has been interesting...

Other than watching more of Vampire Diaries (which I'm secretly obsessed with) I started reading a new book.  Shortly after starting the book, I began to notice some things: My mood started getting darker whenever I read the book.  Never a good sign.  The whole concept--though it sounded fascinating in the store--went against my beliefs, and not in a good "fantasy" type of way either.  I kept getting the thought that I needed to stop reading it.  But I battled with myself and said, "But I have a reading goal, and if I just finished this book..."  But then the other voice would whisper, "Is 300 pages really worth this change in your life?"  After reading to page 144, I put the book down and resigned myself to the fact that I needed to stop reading this book, despite how fascinating it may seem.  Not to mention the fact that there was way too much swearing--nearly a word or more per page--which I somehow missed when glancing through it in the store, and I just couldn't handle it anymore.  Combine that with the whole concept, and I decided the 300 pages was not worth the price I was paying.

And since I stopped reading that book, my world has become brighter!  Who would have thought, right?  Clearly the Spirit was whispering to me to stop reading...  I'm grateful I listened.

So, after I stopped this book, I had a choice.  What book should I read next?

As you know, I have several "new" books to read stacked up on my floor.  Two of which are very recent purchases that I'm really excited about.  However, for the last couple months, I have been wanting to read The Hourglass Door trilogy by Lisa Mangum again.  I have put it off because I knew I had other books to read, stories I had not read before.  But alas, I gave in to my temptation...

I'm reading my favorite series... again.

But even though I've read this series several times before and know everything that's going to happen, it still doesn't make the story any less magical.  To me, the story and writing speak to me... It's like, if I were to ever write a story, it would sound like these books (though, not nearly as good I'm sure!).  But the way in which Lisa writes and the characters that come to life just make me... happy.  I don't know what other word I could use to describe it.

It's like finding a part of yourself that you thought had been lost...  

It's like coming home.

That was how it felt when I started reading this book for the first time.  And even after two and a half years, I still get those same feelings of excitement and comfort.  Like hot cocoa on a cold winter's eve, with the snow gently falling outside while you sit next to the fireplace and dream of the future.

I'm grateful I decided to read this series now.  After feeling the chill the previous book left in my life, it was nice to "come home" and warm up with Abby and Dante.

And yes, I would choose Dante Alexander over any other fictional character that exists.

In other book news, I also finally finished reading Orson Scott Card's Characters & Viewpoint.  It has taken me a while, but the knowledge I have gained in the process has been monumental in the way I view characters (whether they be my own or created by others).  It's absolutely fascinating what Card taught me regarding characters, especially character development.  He also gave extremely helpful advice for trying to decide which POV to write in (which has been a struggle of mine for quite some time):

"First-person and omniscient narrations are by nature more presentational than limited third-person--readers will notice the narrator more.  If your goal is to get your readers emotionally involved with your main characters, with minimal distraction from their belief in the story, then the limited third-person is your best choice."

p. 212

After reading a couple chapters on viewpoints and seeing numerous examples of each, I have come to the conclusion that, as Card explains above, limited third-person is the best for me.  Notice how I said "for me."  It may not be true for you.  Also, I realize each story is different and may require a different POV style.  But as for right now, especially in regards to my Destroyer Series, I plan to use limited third-person.  This decision has been reached thanks to Card's ability to explain and help me see the bigger picture, along with many inner battles fought.

In the end, I have enjoyed what I have read so far this year, and I look forward to reading my favorite series up in the mountains during my family vacation this weekend... maybe even with some hot cocoa! ^-^

TV Shows & Writing

You know how I said I was going to go and read yesterday for my day off?

...Yeah that didn't end up happening.

I started watching a "new" show (new for me, but old for just about everyone else).  Having heard good things about it, and knowing the co-creator/producer of the show will be writing the screenplay for the Tiger's Curse movie, I just couldn't resist.

Yes, this show is The Vampire Diaries.

I know, I know.  Vampires are getting kind of old thanks to Twilight, but I have to admit that this show is pretty awesome and highly addictive.  I'm rather hooked.  In two days I have seen 16 episodes... that's a lot!!  I blame it on having Netflix.

The series is very different than the books (which I read several years ago), but in a good way.  However, it does make me wonder how the Tiger's Curse movie will play out.  Hopefully it won't be too different, but now having seen this show, I have trust in the screenwriter's ability to twist a story and make it into something interesting.  So we shall see what the movie will be like when it's released later down the road.

I am very impressed with the way the characters are portrayed in this series.  The way the creators have "showed" us who they are, as opposed to simply telling us.  It's been fun to watch each character change and come into their own so far.  It's funny, when I first saw pictures of this show, I immediately knew which of the brothers (Stephan and Damon) I would choose.  Can you guess?  Yep, the bad boy.  Damon.  But in the first several episodes... he's horrible.  I thoroughly hated him and was genuinely surprised by my reaction to him.  Normally I can see through the bad boys and can tell they have a purpose to their madness.  But Damon was different.  I'm still trying to warm up to him (even after 16 episodes) and I'm still not sure where things are going.  Granted, I understand his pain a little better, which softens my heart towards him.  But he's still... Damon.

I do sense a change in the wind coming for him though.  Obviously there must be some good in him, otherwise the series would not have continued as long as it has.  So we shall see what happens in the coming episodes.

Watching this show, as well as pondering my own stories, I had inspiration hit me yesterday.  Christopher Paolini once said that inspiration strikes him about every 3 months... Well, that's how it is for me.  What's so exciting, and why I feel it's even worth mentioning, is because it had nothing to do with my Destroyer Series that I'm currently working on.  For 3 years I have worked on my Destroyer story (granted, not every day), but I have lived in that world with my characters for 3 years... and then a little while back I had a random idea for another story.  But it was so small.  I've been trying to develop this idea but it simply wasn't coming together.  Until yesterday.  Having watched hours of Vampire Diaries, inspiration struck.  Funny thing is, it has nothing to do with the show.  In fact, I fail to see any connection between my idea and the TV series.  Yet somehow, seeing the creativity of others has inspired my own creativity once again.  The new story is in the extremely rough stages, but I'm excited about it.

It's something new, something different...

Something exciting.

And I can't wait to see how it all goes down.

On Writing, Pt. 2

Writing.

It shouldn't be that difficult, right?

Well, when you haven't done it for a while, it can be.

You see, back in May I was able to write in my series nearly every day.  I was writing long-hand mind you (filling two college-ruled notebooks in the process), but I was able to write every single day.  However, as finals for that semester drew near and the homework load increased, my time was focused more on school.  Once I survived that, I dove right into my next semester (having only a weekend for a break).  For reasons I am still unaware of, my writing simply stopped.  I wanted to write, but I simply couldn't.  When I would sit down with pen and paper, nothing came to mind.  This is not to say that I wasn't thinking about my story, heavens no!  I live in my story.  But I struggled.

Then I became sick.

And when one is sick, one doesn't feel like doing much of anything at all...

So I've been watching British comedies and reading...

However, I was not writing.  I haven't written anything creative the entire month of June.

Now that it is July (holy cow!!) I suddenly find myself with inspiration and a desire to write again.  This may be in part due to my vivid dream last night (I was apparently a knife thrower and there was a major war going on my grandparents' backyard!  Crazy, I tell you...).  However, the knife throwing reminded me of my character Jade--who happens to be amazingly skilled at lethal tactics. =D

Anyway, I decided to sit down and try to write.  Pulling out my little Netbook "Pakki," I started up Wordpad...

...And stared at the blinking cursor.

Don't you hate that?

Picking a random scene in my head from my story (one I had not considered even writing, but thought it would be fun to experiment with Jade's point of view), I began to write.

It was awful.

Terrible.

So I deleted it and started again.

This time, the words came a bit easier though still plenty awkward.  They didn't flow right... they didn't feel right.

But I pushed through.

And--like with anything else in life--after persevering for a little while, things started to become a little easier.  The dialogue seemed to flow of its own accord.  The scenery became more vivid in my mind, allowing for more detail to be allotted.

After a while, I had a scene written.  A scene that I may be able to use in my series.

One of the greatest blessings I have received from reading the Inheritance Cycle is that of the value of POVs, especially in third person.  Originally, I was thinking of doing a limited third person POV for my story (allowing the reader to experience the story with the character; the mystery of events pulling them in, like with Harry Potter).  But now, having written several scenes from other characters POVs, I'm thinking I might branch out and take a broader approach to my writing.  I think it will make for a more entertaining adventure.

Not to mention the fact that I thoroughly enjoy writing from my villain's point of view!  (Not that there will be a lot of scenes from their point of view--if any--but they will certainly be fun to write!)

So, here is my goal: Write a little bit every day this week.  It doesn't even have to be on my Destroyer Series, but just write something.

We will see how I am doing by the week's end!

Hopefully I can learn a bit more discipline and perseverance than I currently have... and this is one step to reaching that goal.

On Writing

For the past several days, I have basically been home bound due to sickness. What exactly I have been sick with remains a mystery to me. However, being home all day, I have had some time on my hands. Sure, I could have done homework, but who honestly feels up to doing homework when all you want to do is watch the Big Bang Theory or read Brisingr?

Well, having spent a lot of time sleeping (hooray for naps and vivid dreams!), I found myself rather restless. I will admit that it would have been a good opportunity to at least start on my homework, but I chose to do something a bit more creative and which piqued my interests a bit more.

I watched videos on YouTube!!

What a great way to waste your life...

Not only did I watch hilarious animal videos, but I also was drawn to videos of Christopher Paolini. Since I've been reading his books, obviously he's been on my mind. And to be honest, I hadn't really seen any videos of him... Until the other day. Now, it doesn't matter if you love or hate his books, but you have to admit that he's one good public speaker for his age. Having taken a public speaking course in the Spring--learning how to speak in front of an audience--I was genuinely impressed by how he's able to command and maintain your attention. I watched several videos of book premiere's/signings and I've seen a handful of interviews; so can I just say, I have a serious crush on the guy? I mean, he's the perfect age and he doesn't live very far from me! (Who would have thought?). Not to mention how "down to earth" he seems. Dang smart, but down to earth.

You have to love those "celebrity" crushes, right? The kind you know would never work out in a million years, and you'll be lucky to even see the person (let alone actually meet them) in this lifetime! But, this is a vain wish of mine for the future. Perhaps one day will shall cross paths... But I kind of doubt that... Then again, where is my faith?! (LOL!) =P

Anyway, amongst all the interviews and all the fan-based questions he answered, the main repeated question was: "What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?" or "What has been the most difficult part of writing this series."

In answers to both questions, he tackled something that I have heard numerous authors say (including two of my favorites: Lisa Mangum and Colleen Houck). This is a problem I know that I struggle with terribly...
The answer to the questions?

Write.Every.Day.

Over and over again I have heard that those three words are the key to reaching success and being a good writer.

This is not something I have been very good at in the past. I tend to be a procrastinator, and therefore lack the self-control to get things completed. However--I will admit--when I was writing nearly everyday, I did feel more productive and had an overall sense of "well being".

Writing is one of my cures for life. If I'm struggling with a problem in my life, I write about it. If I'm happy and excited, I write about it. If I have a crazy idea for a story pop into my head, I write about it. I have come to realize that if I don't write about it then the idea/inspiration will slip away and I'll be left wondering what that crazy thought was all about in the first place. Also, if I don't write everyday (if I miss a day) my inspiration slowly slips away. I think this is why Paolini (as well as many others) really emphasize this point; if you don't write, you lose your motivation to write. This is certainly true in my case.

So lately I have been re-asking myself, "Why do I write?"

I originally thought it was because I had a story I wanted to tell and characters I wanted to share with the world. But if this was truly the case, why have I not made more progress on my stories?

Why do I write?

Is it an attempt to escape? Run far away from my current situation--whatever that situation may be?

Perhaps it is like what Paolini has said, "Writing is a way that you explain the world to yourself."

Or like I mentioned earlier, do I simply write to "cure" my life?

I will continue to ask myself this question as well as try to write at least something once a day. I think I will feel better emotionally (and creatively). Besides, who knows what may develop!

In the words of one of the heroes in my life who I greatly admire:

"I was made for more than this."

Recipe For Life This Month

Here is what a recipe for my life would look like for the month of May:

Directions for 'Life This Month'

Layer evenly:

1/5 cup work
1/5 cup school
1/5 cup homework
1/6 cup spice of life

Allow to sleep for 6 - 10 hours.  Warning: Less than 6 hours or more than 10 hours will result in a lack of product function.  Do not shake or stir ingredients!  May cause undue stress to occur on final product.  Place in 400° oven and bake for 4 weeks or until sufficiently burnt.  Pull out of oven and enjoy your summer!  *Caution!  Product will be very spent!  Handle with care!

Yes, I did indeed come up with the previous recipe for my life.  And yes, I did do the math to make those fractions as accurate as possible.  Sad that I'm spending approximately the same amount of time at work, in class, and doing homework.  I never thought I would see the day when I would spend nearly 3-4 hours every night doing homework... It's been rather intense.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed taking summer classes.  (I know!  Who wants to kill themselves in a month, right?)  I am taking 6 credits in 4 weeks.  They are basically taking a normal 3½-month course and cramming it into 1.  It was GREAT once I finally got the hang of managing my time (I quickly realized I wasn't going to have a life except on the weekends--which were normally spent sleeping or doing chores and running errands; in other words, doing the things which I failed to do during the week).  But knowing I only have 5 days left... SUCH a relief!  Yet now I look back and say, "Where did the time go?"

I know it has been a while since I have blogged.  It's been crazy with the end of the Spring semester wrapping up and now this summer semester starting, and it's been a dead run ever since.  I'm feel "spent" as the recipe says.  Speaking of which, it's important to remember to layer the ingredients... do not mix them!!  I think at the beginning of the month I was attempting to "mix" the ingredients and it just wasn't working.  Once I found my perfect layering technique, life went a whole lot smoother.  (In other words, once I realized to stop trying to do "everything" during the week and simply start focusing on school, life went smoother.)

Perhaps, now that the craziness has almost ended, I can start blogging more!  I thoroughly enjoy it, yet run out of time way too often.

How is it I have time to blog right now, you may ask?

Well, I'm giving up precious sleep time in order to update you.  Just wanted to let you know that I have not died and I continue to function.  Not normal functioning, mind you, but function I do none-the-less! =D

Hope you all are enjoying your summer and that it's going smoother than mine!

Writing and Characters

With all that has been going on this past week, I've had the strangest inclination to simply write.

Last night I was looking through some of the pictures I've created for my Destroyer Series, and I concluded I'm not simply craving to write just anything, but I'm talking about serious book/novel writing here!

Why?

I honestly don't know.

Back when Mom was in the hospital, I found great peace and relaxation in free-writing... something I haven't done since that whole experience.  I posted several of those free-write sessions on my FaceBook, and I'm thinking I should write more.  I actually enjoyed them because they allowed my mind to create whatever world it wanted to.  I was not concerned with how what I was writing now would have an affect on the over all story later.  I simply put pen to paper and did not remove said pen until I felt satisfied.  It's a great experience!  Perhaps I should do that tonight...

But anyway, back to my Destroyer Series...

I recently purchased a book on character development.  First of all, I love learning about how to develop characters, whether it's seeing how other authors have done it or learning by reading, I love to learn about it.  Second, I'm super paranoid about making my own characters come across accurately.  I want my reader to see the characters like I do.  Alas, I find this to be a false hope seeing as we're all individuals and Reader A will most likely see one character in a different light than Reader B.

However, that knowledge does not deter me from trying my hardest to make the characters the best they can be!

...And I'm learning a lot.

Not only from reading this educational book, but also from the small details of the character's lives that emerge as I think about them.  Little things that start a small fire than burns into a raging inferno.  Occasionally, those seemingly small "match" fires have literally burnt my world down and built a new one... One of those "major" fires was the introduction of Zak to the story.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he entered, but when he came knocking, the entire world shifted--as did the entire story.  No joke.  It's been quite the ride...

Anyway, this post is really just me trying to postpone going to bed tonight.  I'm really tired, but not.  You know?  So I apologize for this being such a random blog.

But that's what blogging is: random.

Oh well, the sooner I get to bed, the sooner morning comes, right?  And I can start all over again!