Saturday, June 30, 2012

Character Development

People can change. It is important we keep this in mind when we write, and when we go through our daily lives.

My younger siblings were in a play today called Flapper, about --- wait for it --- flappers. The songs were unbelievably long and it wasn't as funny as the show they had put on last year. The costumes were fantastic, though. My sister had on an authentic flapper dress. It was 90 years old and gorgeous! Anyways, back to character development. The main character was the fabulous, famous flapper Polly Pepper. A million gazillion things happened that I couldn't really keep track of, but the point is, amidst all the action, Polly never changed. She was the all-around perfect girl when she walked on the stage, and when she walked off, there was still not a single flaw in her character. Everything went right for her. She got everything she wanted. She was happy and content for every single moment of the show. It was pathetic.

In our own personal lives, we change. And we're usually not Polly Pepper perfect. I can attest to it. A couple of years ago, I was left out and facing things on my own. I blamed myself for other people's problems and developed poor self-esteem. I struggled with my self image for years, until I finally opened myself up to God's grace at my annual work camp. And with that, my life began to change.

I quit putting myself down and dropped all the insults. I started dressing in a way that made me feel happy, which meant dressing up most days and feeling good. Best of all, I was able to deepen friendships with people who encouraged me to be a better person rather than drag me down. I changed, and it was a great change. Last night, sitting around a campfire with some of the best people in the world (they know who they are --- see, they're raising their hands!), I realized things were finally coming full circle. I am leaving for the same camp tomorrow and I am going to arrive there a different person. I am someone who is happy with who I am, who now knows what it's like to have people support me and love me for who I am, and what it's like to feel good when I look in the mirror. I didn't do that myself --- it was all God --- so I spent a lot of time thanking Him today.

Characters undergo changes like mine all the time, although some changes aren't for the better. But in many stories, a character changes to recognize a flaw, become a better person, etc. They can't start off perfect and remain that way for the whole story. Nor can they be a horrible person and remain equally nasty at the end. Character changes and character development are important aspects of every story.

Start by examining the major changes in your personal character. Maybe you can identify a change that you and your character have in common. But whatever you do, don't be like Polly Pepper.

WRITING UPDATE: Again, nothing. I will get to write tomorrow during the huge car ride to camp. That is, if I don't sleep the whole time. That campfire I mentioned? Yeah, it was a sleep-over complete with 2 full hours of sleep. That's what I like to call the rise of the living dead. Zombie apocalypse?

READING UPDATE: Just finished Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. The story world was fantastic and I adored the concept. The characters were alright, although some were vague and flat. I hope there is a sequel mainly because I feel the conflict didn't resolve well enough at the end. If you plan to read it, be forewarned: there is some language in it. However, if you're looking for something original, it's a very fascinating book with a good storyline. I am now 9 pages into The Scarlet Pimpernel. So far, it's yummy. Of course, nothing's happened, but I have high hopes.

Like I said, I am leaving for camp tomorrow. Wish me luck! Back in a week. Hoping to sneak in a post before my next camp.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

In my humble opinion...

We got home at 2AM this morning from New York. I repeat: two in the morning. I couldn't sleep on the bus because the seats were really weird and uncomfortable. I said some witty things while I was drowsy that I was hoping to share, but I forget now. I had a good day roaming the city. We took the Museum of Natural History by storm, although it looked nothing like Night at the Museum, which broke my heart. Then we saw Evita (aka the point of the trip), which was good. I liked it. The music was super great and the dancing was to die for. I wish I could tango! However, it was kind of raunchy... Language and sex and stuff... Mind you, I went with me mum and she didn't have to like shield my eyes or anything, so it wasn't too bad. The lead actress was good but she was really shrill in the upper range and as a result I couldn't understand part of the story. Oh, and I felt like they never truly got into the heart of her character. Look at me, so opinionated! (Remember that sentence, we'll revisit it shortly.) After that I ate a fantastic Italian dinner and watched a bunch of crazy Spanish people freak out over football. We went shopping at stores with four floors and ran amuck in the Disney store. I was the only one who knew the words to Following the Leader from Peter Pan, which was awesome. Then I ate low-carb cheesecake and felt like a fat whale on the bus. Good day. Oh, and I woke up at 8 AM to baby-sit and go to practice. Yay!

Now that we're done with the diary portion, onto the Actual Post.

I was going to tell you in my reading update, but here goes: I finished Emma. It was wonderful. Totally worth staying up late for. That is, until I read the Introduction.

I hate whoever wrote the Introduction. First of all, because I accidentally read part of it while reading the book she--- Wait, Whovians, I'll let River Song say it.


I won't spoil it for anyone else, so there. I'll just say there was a huuuuuge spoiler in there. Huge. Ginormous, really. The other reason why I hate the Intro person is because I totally and completely disagree with them. If he/she told me that 2+2=4, I'd pull a 1984, scream "It's 5!!!" and shoot rats at his/her face. (If you haven't read the George Orwell book 1984, that joke just went over your head.)

I won't get into specifics, but I was flipping through the Introduction and reading bits and pieces and kept running into stuff that just seemed, well, wrong to me. They made some speculations concerning Emma's character that didn't quite make sense to me. Furthermore, they (I don't know if it was he or she) seemed to make the story too complicated. Yes, yes, Austen was a master who clearly was intentional with the way she structured the society in Emma. But you'd have to have a degree from Harvard, Princeton, and Yale to come up with something this complex all on your own. I mean, from a writer's perspective, I know that we all like to take on a deeper meaning. The writing world is riddled with symbolism and allegory and whatnot. But we're only human. We can only make our writing so deep.

I closed the book before he/she/it could get his/her/its grubby hands all over Knightley.

Moral of the story. We all have our own opinions. We all have our own interpretations of literature. There's the author's interpretation, then there's what each individual reader takes from the story. This reigns true in most aspects of our life. For example...

Lisa: I loved the chicken. The sauce was delicious!
Emily: Really? Mine was a bit dry.
Abby: I liked the chicken, but the sauce was too much.
Katniss Everdeen: I killed that chicken. It could have used some more bones for me to chew on in my hunger.

Katniss was the equivalent of the author. Sort of. Anyways, we all are entitled to our own opinions. And in my opinion, some opinions are wrong. :) Like Introduction person. They are wrong, wrong, WRONG.

WRITING UPDATE: Planning to slip some writing in later. After I eat more food and pack more and send out 20 gazillion graduation cards.

READING UPDATE: In the middle of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Some language. It's a creepy book, with creepy photographs to match. But there is time travel (!!!) so I can't complain. Although the romance vaguely resembles one with a certain Dr. R... (If you aren't reading TC, here's the link. Check it out.)

Now, I am going to sleep. Enjoy the most famous song from Evita, because I'll admit, I certainly did.

PS - I am giving you the Lea Salogna version because she did Les Mis and is a Disney princess. Patti LuPone gives me and my friends the creeps and no one wants to see Madonna do anything ever. So here.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Post in a Pinch

I am leaving for NYC at 5:45 AM tomorrow and will stay there until 10:30 PM. Crazy, I know.

Therefore, my post must be brief. Just a warning, I won't be posting a whole lot for the next month. I have work and practice Thursday, parties Friday and Saturday, and I am leaving for Boston on Sunday and will be at camp for a week. Then I have another camp for four days. Then a camp for eight days. I have a burfday somewhere in there... You should see my Birthday Wish List. It's the bomb. A copy of A Tale of Two Cities, Doctor Who merchandise, any and all available seasons of Downton Abbey... I dream big. :) In short, I have a lot coming up and I will try to post whenever I can. And write whenever possible, which is going to be difficult. Nonetheless!

I wanted to inform you, the Office of Letters and Light is shutting down Script Frenzy. To think, I could have been one of the last winners! They just didn't have enough participants/donors to sustain the program. As sad as this is, I hope to support them with my support in NaNoWriMo this November and I would encourage you all to join me. It really is a fantastic program!

WRITING UPDATE: Zilch. I woke up late this morning, threw a fit because I couldn't find my sneakers to go on a walk (my mother put them in her own closet, of all places), showered, ran to cheer practice, ran to dinner, ran to an appointment, ran back to coach little itsy bitsy cheerleaders, ran home for "dinner" (aka a protein bar I shouldn't have eaten), and now I am supposed to be packing for my week in Boston since I will only have a few fleeting hours to do so on Thursday. Hoping to bring a notebook on all of my travels and jot a few things down. I could use a nice long writing session.

READING UPDATE: So ridiculously close to being done with Emma, it hurts! I am in the final chapters. Still. Every time I settle down to read, I end up falling asleep... and have strange dreams. There was the Darcy dream, followed by the Doctor Who dream. The TARDIS was full of Jews (NO IDEA WHY), and the Doctor saved them from something futuristic. Apparently the Christians didn't make it. We only filled half the seats in the auditorium. My job was to transcribe song lyrics and walk around with a priest to visit people's teepees. How reading before bed causes these bizarre dreams, I have no idea. But there is a definite link!!!

STORY-TIME!!!

My sister and I got into a deep discussion about what type of man each of my sisters and I are going to marry. My sister firmly believes she will end up with a goofball, which is probably true. Anyways, we concluded I will end up with an intellectual of sorts (because I am just that smart). I tried to describe Mr. Right in the best way possible.

"This is gonna sound weird," I began, "but I really like quiet guys."

"Ha!" my sister snorted. "That's because you like to talk all the time." 

I envisioned this particular couple and cringed.


Poor, poor Mr. Palmer. So I shrieked, "No, not like the Palmers!" Then I continued, "I mean quiet in a Darcy sort of way... You know, socially awkward... but not really... he's just... when he says stuff, it's important. Like... important... You know how Knightley always...? I wrote about this one character... Have you ever read...?*sigh* Never mind."

She's probably right. No quiet men for me... I'll talk his ears off. Still, a girl can dream.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Dress up time!

Part of me wishes I was a fashion blogger. I mean, I am addicted to several modest fashion blogs. I check them practically every waking moment of the day. I drool all over their wonderful clothes and wish that it was fall because I am uber fashionable in the fall. Summer? It's too hot to be creative. Skirt and shirt. Capris and shirt. Dress. Sometimes, I mix it up and wear a sweater. That's when I'm feeling really crazy.

It was on one of these wonderful sites that I found a link for one of those cool companies that sends you random merchandise for a flat fee and you save money and stuff. I doubt I will ever purchase anything from one of these places, but I have to admit, I like staring at all the pretty things and reimagining the things I own. When you sign up for the company site thing, you fill out a profile so they can match you up with merchandise you'll like. I flipped through the questions without much thought, until I hit the last one:

Who do you dress to impress?
[Men] [Women] [Myself]

I paused for a moment to take that question seriously. Who do I dress for in the morning? I mean, when a girl says "I dress to attract men", you get a pretty sketchy picture in your head. But I think that can be a girl's intention without being inappropriate. Let's admit it, ladies. You fancy a gent, you know he's going to be somewhere, you automatically dress a little nicer. When a girl dresses for other girls, she wants other people to appreciate her mad fashion sense. It's normal!

I think "who do you dress to impress" is a valid question. After some serious thought, I decided the "myself" option. If there was a "myself first, sort of for women, and maybe subconsciously for men" option, I would click that. I tend to wear whatever it is that I like, regardless of the current trend. But I am aware of how the other women around me are dressed and try to match the occasion. And when I dress for guys, it's usually a full blown attempt to look "normal", whatever that means.

This is a question we should ask every single one of our characters. I think it is very revealing about what sort of person they are and where their insecurities as well as their strengths lie. It applies to guys and girls. Do they have a specific person in mind? (i.e. Would mother approve of this? Do you think So-and-so would like this?) Does their attire have to do with their goal? (i.e. Will the evil aliens be able to see me in this camoflauge?) Does it have to do with their character flaws? (i.e. Ohhh yeah, this makes me look soooo good, I am a fashion god. Does this make me look fat?) I mean, I know all about how clothing can affect one's mood/feelings/etc. I feel like conquering the world in heels. Sweatpants? I don't even want to look at myself, much less get out of bed and have other people look at me. I get a lot of comments because I dress up all the time, whereas at my school, jeans and t-shirts are pretty standard. But you know what? I dress that way because it's a part of who I am. The same applies to our characters, whether they realize it or not.

WRITING UPDATE: I killed someone today. It was weird... I haven't done that in awhile. However, the writing was not emotional at all. Very flat. Standard stuff. Oh well, at least I wrote. Only a few hundred words, if that, but I wrote! It's June, it's still a free write month according to the battle plans, so my muse cannot complain.

READING UPDATE: Still have to finish Emma. Usually I would read before bed, but I've had a few late nights, so the book keeps getting put off.

Now, onto another week full of adventure!

Friday, June 22, 2012

The Man of My Dreams (and other news)

Mr. Darcy was in my dream last night. Of course, I was watching P&P before I went to bed, and he didn't really do much so I can't classify it as an Austen Dream, but it was pretty awesome.

My 11 year old sister wants to pick up Austen now. Her roommate and older sister says she's just copying me, but she's genuinely interested. I could hardly contain my excitement upon her declaration, but I'm encouraging her to read some other classics first so that she'll be able to understand the language. Still, she's 11 and wants to read Austen! Eep! I'm so proud!

WRITING UPDATE: I finally got to sit and write today!!! Okay, only for half an hour, but it was delightful. It was delicious. It was de-lovely! (see "De-Lovely" from Anything Goes) I uncovered an old plot synopsis from a few months ago and decided to write a passage and expand the plot. Goodie, what fun I had! It's a period drama, which means I have no idea what I'm doing. Historical accuracy? Psh, who needs that stuff? (I have my inner editor tied up with duct tape in the back of my brain, which is the only reason I can say that without gagging.)

Halfway through my plotting escapade, I realized that the plot was starting to resemble Downton Abbey... and Mansfield Park... and Pride and Prejudice. Yet it's totally different! The gent, George, and the lass, Susan, resemble Matthew and Mary Crawley (<--- I nearly wrote "Mary Crawford"!) in terms of the whole distant-cousins things. Susan has two sisters (Mary Crawley again) who are rather silly (hence P&P). However, I have drunk fathers and George's general lack of social graces, so I'd say my tale is rather original.

Anyways, all I wrote was a general plot overview and Susan and George's first meeting at Susan's aunt's house. It was all good fun and I feel so much better now that I get to set my pen to paper. Or rather, my fingers to the keyboard!

READING UPDATE: Nothing to report. I sacrificed my reading time for writing time. You can't always get what you want.

We'll see if anything becomes of this random plot I've come up with. I must say, I do love toying around with a good idea!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

I'm sorry...

... for breaking all the promises that I wasn't around to keep.

Yeah, I just quoted The Jonas Brothers.
Yes, I was obsessed with them in middle school.
And yes, Nick Jonas is still madly attractive (although he has lost some favor now that he CUT HIS HAIR).

But how can't you love a group of boys that made this lovely music video!?

Hullo!? Modesty? WWII? NICK JONAS!? There's a reason I love them. Okay, Nick and Kevin --- Joe is kind of weird now.

ANYWAYS.



I'm sorry I haven't posted in ages. Between cheerleading practices, baby-sitting, volunteering, band, piano, etc. I have been swamped with things to do. That, and I have an addiction to Pinterest which eats up all my free time. Oh, and Doctor Who nights. Did I mention that Dalek-human-things are nasty? Cuz they are.

WRITING UPDATE: I am beyond lame. I've barely written since school let out, although I have attempted to. Thing is, there is this nagging voice that keeps screaming "YOU HAVE RESEARCH TO DO, MISSY!" and I really just feel like being creative. For someone who loves history and historical fiction and learning, I abhor research. I'm too much of a perfectionist. I have to decide how in-depth I want to get and how historically accurate I want to be, and sometimes it's simply too much. I think I'm going to focus on NaNoWriMo, which is a dystopia and requires no research. I can write character profiles and load up on B&N gift cards to buy research books. Oh, and I'm planning to finish up some short stories! They're HF pieces but don't require too much detail. I know y'all are probably thinking I never ever ever actually write anything, but I'm in the slump of my life and I could use some hugs and chocolate and maybe some roses. Yeah... I could go for some roses.

READING UPDATE: On the brink of being finished with Emma!!! Spoiler alert, BTW. Emma and Knightley finally let out their true feelings (about time!). I was all happy and stuff and smiling like an idiot and reading the best parts aloud to my sister (who really didn't want to listen but, as usual, tolerated my weirdness). Then I hate a 5 page letter from Frank Churchill and decided my brain was fried and I needed sleep. Sooooo almost done. Almost!

Did I mention I got my sister to read Pride and Prejudice? And my dad to watch part of the movie? Now that I've roped them into Austen, Doctor Who, and British everything in general, I'm seriously considering expanding my vision and taking over the world. Turns out I have a lot of influence!

Story Time

Once upon a time, a girl named Monica ventured into the World of Wally alongside her beloved mother. While her mother browsed the aisles for summer essentials, the fair maiden wandered into the enchanted forest of books. Pushing past the romance novels, popular YA literature, and countless self-help books, she was reunited with the books known to the other lords and ladies as "required reading". She gathered them in her arms (literally) and pet them like small birds (true story). When she realized she simply couldn't take all of the forest creatures home with her, she was forced to choose only one. Upon her departure, she bade them each farewell, calling each by name.

"Goodbye Jay! Goodbye Holden! Goodbye Scout!" She stroked each and every cover for good measure while confused employees looked onward. Then the lady took the creature home and added it to her To Read List, which is currently over 20 titles long.

The End.

Hopefully that tale makes up for my absence.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

In Which I Say "Sorry"

I have been saying "sorry" a lot lately.

For example, I'm sorry that I haven't had a chance to post recently. Between my sister's godfather's ordination (he's a deacon now!) and my wisdom teeth surgery, I haven't had a chance. But you knew that... Right?

I also kept apologizing to the surgeon when they removed all four of my impacted wisdom teeth. The laughing gas didn't make me as crazy as this poor gel, but I was quite determined to prove that I was perfectly competent and ended up sounding like a lunatic. I used a lot of "thank yous" as well. I was also shivering and crying because I missed my mom. But that's besides the point.

Now that I look like a chipmunk and have nothing to do besides watch Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Boy Meets World, NCIS, The Middle (I really can't do much), etc., I can actually sit and WRITE. It's amazing! I'm doing some work on developing my characters which is probably one of the best parts of writing. And now I can write a blog post, which is fantastically fun and great writing practice!

Writing Update!!! Now that I'm home and alive and stuff, I'm working with the infamous Irish novel. Like I said, focused on characters. Research when I feel a little better. The research is soooo daunting for this book! I want one of the characters father to be a doctor (don't swoon, Marlene, he's no Dr. R), but there are no books out there titled All You Need to Know About Doctors During the Irish War of Independence - with Photographs. Here are some titles I wish existed.

  • Irish Politics for Dummies
  • Medicine in Ireland from 1919 - 1921
  • The Doctor, A Convenient Trip to the Setting of Your Choice, and the TARDIS
  • Irish Pastimes of the Early 20th Century
  • What Everyone was Like (audio CD w/ interviews included)
  • How the Irish War of Independence Played Out for Everyone in a Small Country Village Located Near the Ocean in Co. Cork
I need to contact a lot of people, read a lot of books, and watch some more movies before I can really get this thing going. I don't know where I'll find the time. But this is a labor of love, one that is moving at the speed of molasses but is made of love anyways. My library is short on books concerning Irish history which is partially why I need to reassess my situation. However, this summer, I will be attending a talk on Irish history at the camp I am going to (LUCK O' THE IRISH), so hopefully that will help me to form a base for my research and move on from there. Until then, I will keep filling up the Netflix queue with films that I hope will give me a feel for what I'm supposed to be writing about.

In one of my upcoming blog posts, I'd like to tell you a little bit about my characters. I guarantee they won't be the same people who end up in my book (my characters usually undergo a series of make-overs before making the cut), but it'll give you a general idea of the character archetypes I'm dealing with.

Reading Update!!! Still reading Emma. I showed up at the doctor's office with it, literally clutching it to my chest. I opened it, read one sentence about Mr. Frank Churchill doing something-or-other, and they called my name. I nearly cried.

That's all for now. I'm off to rest and recover until my mum decides to drive my wretched self somewhere just for a change of scenery. Here's to a speedy recovery!