You're a wizard, Monica.

I declare myself a wiz kid. I don't know how I did it, but I did. I can practically hear Dora in the background... We did it! We did it! We did it!

I want you to imagine my distress when I discovered that BBC never released the soundtrack to North & South. I was devastated. Like, I ate three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches today devastated. (They're my go-to comfort food.) I ran to the Amazon forums and found some websites that promised a free download of some of the music. One of them delivered, and I shivered with delight... then realized that the files weren't compatable with iTunes.

I ramaged the Internet and scoured it for resources to convert my files. I downloaded a program that promised help, but I wasn't able to find it on my computer. I was about to give up hope when, out of nowhere, I found the program and converted all of the files in the blink of an eye! I downloaded the album to iTunes, picked out some album artwork, then set about downloading The Taverner Chronicles soundtrack as well. It truly was a labor of love. I mean, it only took an hour and a half. NBD, right? Then I bought music on iTunes and half the files were corrupted and now I have a bone to pick with Apple... You win some, you lose some, I suppose.

At some point, this post is going to have a point. I mean, I didn't just write this to share my triumph in downloading that soundtrack.

Or did I!?

An Interesting Tangent

I've done it. After all that waiting, after all those promises to do it, I've done it. What have you done? you may ask yourself as you stare at your computer screen. Now ladies, try to contain your excitement:

I finally scrounged up the time to sit and watch North & South.

Now I can swoon over Mr. Thornton with the rest of them!

Really, I wish I could watch this movie every day. The way they used light and color to contrast the North and the South. The subtle character development. The gorgeous music. I wish I could watch it for the first time all over again! It truly was one of the best movies/mini series I've seen in a long time. May I ask, did anyone else notice a certain Mister Bates wandering the premises? I daresay that Nicholas fellow looked rather familiar. (And with that, the Downton Abbey fans are at attention.)

Before I go off on that aforementioned tangent, here's a taste of the music. I am buying the soundtrack with my birthday money. My mind is quite made up.

When the theme kicks in, a part of me melts and what's left of me is transported into another world altogether. All of this probably sounds like my usual fluff, but really, this movie was fantastic. I am not just gushing --- I am gushing from the heart!

Now, for the interesting parallel. While I was watching the first half of the film with a friend of mine, we discussed how pretty the actress is who portrays the female lead, Margaret. I ended up getting into the same conversation with my mother during the second half, and we all came to the same conclusion. She's a very wholesome kind of pretty, we conceded. In fact, the girl is stunningly beautiful. Not in an in-your-face kind of way. She's simply nice to look at, and has a sort of feminine quality and a grace that is quite becoming. (I gave her a very kind description; Maybe she will stumble upon it in the future.)

This got me thinking: There are so many different kinds of attractiveness in this world. The obvious beauty of a sunset, the hidden beauty of someone in need, the indescribable beauty of music. This rule applies to every aspect of our lives as well as to our characters. This is why run-of-the-mill descriptions simply won't do.

Take this for example. The actress/character I just described (Margaret) could also be described in this manner: She was pretty and had dark brown hair and blue eyes. [Note: This is not the author's description from the book the movie based upon. This is a simplified example.] Two different readers might envision two different people.

Daniela Denby-Ashe as Margaret Hale

Megan Fox

Woah! These are two very different-looking women! Such a generic description gives the reader no sense of what sort of character they're supposed to be imaginging. Furthermore, if you give the reader twenty of these simple descriptions to remember, they won't remember anything you told them and will probably just come up with their own descriptions.

Mind you, a description might not be necessary for every character. In fact, you may choose to opt out of using any physical descriptions at all. But if you really want to impress the overall look of your character upon your readers, take heed and do it right!

Some of my favorite descriptions are from Gail Carson Levine's The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales. She doesn't say anything about hair color or eye color, but it doesn't matter. The reader has a sense of the character anyways. Here are a few good examples:

"The twins, Prince Randolph and Prince Rudolph, would have been handsome if they had ever stopped glaring at each other. The youngest prince, Prince Tansy, had freckles, a cowlick, and a serious expression. Parsley thought he looked exactly the way a prince should." - For Biddle's Sake

*** Note: The next one is long, simply because it is my all time favorite. I could include the entirety of the passage, because it gets even better, but you'll get the general idea.

"He'd bumped into a Royal Dairymaid. A pretty one, with a sweet face, a very sweet face.

Now here's someone with a kind face, Marigold thought. Too bad he was a farm lad. It would be a waste of time to talk to him, since he wouldn't have a suit of armor. But she wanted to know what someone who looked so kind would say. She smiled at him, feeling shy because he looked so nice. "Er, pardon me. What would you do if you won the contest and became prince of Skiddle and Luddle and Buffle?"

He liked her dimple. "What?" What had she said? "Sorry."

None of the others had apologized for anything. "That's alright." She repeated the question.

"I don't know." He wished he had a good answer. "I don't want to be the prince."

Ah. What a good answer." - Cinderellis and the Glass Hill

*** I am skipping the lovely description of the sleeping beauty's general dirtiness for the good part. You're welcome.

"Her eyes were big and gray, and her teether were white against her dirty skin. Her teeth looked clean. The inside of her mouth was probably clean too, so she wasn't dirty all over.

He looks nice, Sonora thought. There was something smiley about him. He was sort of handsome, but mostly he looked nice." - Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep

Some parting advice. I know how much we all like to write attractive characters. It's good fun when your heroine is pretty and your hero is handsome! However, it is easy to fall into the trap of telling your readers that your MC is good looking in one way or another. Let them figure out for themselves what makes them so attractive to other people. Is it just their features? Or is it something in their personality? In my opinion, the examples above are more natural and realistic ways of describing the positive attributes of a character. Would you rather hear about a smiley prince or a generic looker?

I shall end with a Doctor Who quote, because I think Amy Pond said it better than I have in this post. Remember your characters as you read it.

"You know when sometimes you meet someone who's so beautiful, then you actually talk to them and five minutes later, they're as dull as a brick? And then there's other people, and you think they're okay - but then you get to know them and their face becomes them. Like their personality's written all over it, and they just turn into someone beatuiful."

Now go write somebody's personality all over their face and make something beautiful.

7 Things

^ That's a Miley Cyrus song. About my man, Nick Jonas. And I was addicted to it when it first came out. No lie.

Oh hey! I'm BACK! Try to contain your excitement. I have ever so many stories to tell. Many of them involve dancing, something that I could never have claimed a few years ago. Let's just say it was wonderful being one of the few people at camp that already knew to dance.

And I learned to do floor spins. *insanely wide grin*

I will gush more about camp later. For I have been challenged by the lovely and effervescent Marlene Schuler to take the challenge and share seven previously unknown fun facts about yours truly with the blogosphere.

(I believe this is the award I am earning. If I am wrong, the stunningly beautiful and altogether fantastic Marlene shall correct me.)

Unto the challenge!

1. I once desperately wanted to be a recording artist.
It was a fantastic, unrealistic dream that I really don't wish to discuss. I seriously had to fight the voice inside my head telling me to just become a writer already. I mean, I still adore singing and drive people crazy with it. Who was the one up at 11:00 PM singing along to Anastasia? That would be me. Still, I'd rather not talk about this rather awkward phase of my childhood.

2. The first movie I ever cried over was Little House: The Last Farewell.
It was late. It was on Hallmark. I was a newly minted teenager, which means the hormones were raging. As they blew up every single house in Walnut Grove, I bawled like a baby. This was one of the shows of my childhood! I had missed the beginning of the movie, so I just kept asking myself, "Why!? Why!?" I had always teased people who cried in movies. I was converted to a crier overnight.

The fun begins at 8:46. Hit play, mute it, and then start the music below.

3. If I could have anything in the entire universe, it would be a big brother.
Enough said. You know what, I'd even take a little brother.

4. I decided I wanted to become a writer when I started with... *gulp*... fanfiction.
I'm sorry, but I abhor the genre. I wrote an immense amount of Narnian fanfiction in middle school. It was some terrible stuff. Ghastly, really. Yet I have never enjoyed writing as much I as I did writing that mess. I wasn't writing for anyone but myself and it was incredible fun. Then I realized how creepy some fanfiction is (please, don't ask, chances are it's worse than whatever it is you're envisioning), so I kind of quit. I do not advocate for the genre in general because some people can take it down a twisted road, but it was sort of fun.

5. I would make a great companion: I fell in love with the Doctor within 5 seconds.
Don't read too far into this. I'm in love with about fifty fictional characters. However, the Doctor is funny because I wasn't even watching Doctor Who. I had never seen it in my life, and it came on for a few seconds on the commercial and... I was quite taken with him. I think he was getting slapped. Of course, I was in love with William within 5 seconds too, but I was actually watching Downton Abbey. Big difference.

Cut out the dialogue. It was just the slap. Not even kidding. I was destined to be a Whovian.

*long pause while Monica watches a bunch of Doctor Who clips*

6. I still love children's programming. 
No language. No "oh-my-goodness-guys-hide-your-eyes" moments. No skipped scenes. Just a bunch of educational fun!!! It's not like I still watch Sesame Street or even Barney (The Show of my childhood). But if I come home and Arthur is on or they're playing Cyberchase, I will watch it. The stuff aimed at my demographic is pathetic. Sixteen and Pregnant? Jersey Shore? No thanks, I'd rather learn fractions.

This applies to film as well. I am a hardcore Disney animated movie fan. No ridiculous, run-of-the-mill rom-com is ever gonna change that.

7. When it comes to cooking, I literally am Anne Shirley.
Anne Shirley may have fudged up a few cakes and gotten her best friend drunk, but I have successfully destroyed my mother's pans, left out key ingredients, and made things as hard as rocks. The brownies I brought to school as a peace offering with my lunch table were a failure. (Should have tasted them first.) I've left eggs out of cookies and and almost forgotten to add the flour. Even when I do everything just like momma taught me and put my baked goods in the oven for just the right amount of time, they still don't taste as good as my sister's.

Now, I must be off to set the table. Laugh at me all you like, now that I'm gone. I really am quite ridiculous. Some of you should be grateful you didn't know me as a child. These seven truths could have been a whole lot more embarrassing back then.

Love Triangles

I am back!!! For all of... add two... subtract four... carry the one... Well, I am leaving first thing tomorrow. I literally just walked in the door and here I am, blogging. After four days of non-stop exercise and girl drama, I jumped at the chance to put some words on paper.

Now, onto the subject for today. Luuuuurve triangles. C'mon --- these things can be found in practically every story. Here is a list of biased examples tailored to my exquisite taste:

• Edward/Bella/Jacob from Twilight [EW GROSS! A love triangle between a stalker, a pedophile, and a girl with about as much personality and willpower as a piece of wood. But it did spark the whole "Team" trend. If you wish to debate that Twilight is good, I'd like to hear your defense. I'm game for a good laugh.]

•  Cosette/Marius/Eponine from Les Miserables [Does Eppie deserve Marius? Heck to the yes! Is her fate part of what makes Les Mis awesome? Heck to the yes! Both sides get awesome duets, so the tension in this triangle definitely pays off. Of course, I'm referring to the musical. The book is a little more complex.]

"Why yes, Marius. Please desert me, one of your best and most loyal friends, for a blonde soprano. I mean, it's not like I'm going to die for you or anything. Right?"


• Peeta/Katniss/Gale from The Hunger Games [Admit it: this one kept us guessing for ages. It was virtually impossible to tell who Katniss would choose, at least in the beginning.]

• Charles Darnay/Lucie Manette/Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities [This one is in here simply because I am craving ATOTC. Don't get me going on the whole symbolism of Sydney and Charles' likeness...]

Ewwww ugly Lucie Manette version!

• Darcy/Elizabeth/Wickham from Pride and Prejudice [All Austen novels have a love triangle. But let's face it: This one is probably one of Austen's best. The tizzy over Lizzie!]

I asked for this shirt for my birthday, BTW. *fingers crossed*

• Westley/Buttercup/Humperdink from The Princess Bride [I just wanted an excuse to say this. *ahem* Mawwiage...!]

Lookin' pretty fly, Humperdink. Does anyone else find Westley's shoulder distracting?

• Peder/Miri/The Prince from Princess Academy [This was my favorite book as a child. Peder was the first fictional boy I ever fell in love with. I mean, he smells like bread for Peder's sake! This book is so good I tried to quarry speak. You ought to read it.]
• Side Note: HOLY MACARONI ACCORDING TO THIS MY FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOK IS GONNA HAVE A SEQUEL!?!?!? Furthermore, I would like to direct my fellow Austenites to this. Have we found ourselves a kindred spirit in this lovely author?]

• William/Me/Branson from My Obsession with Downton Abbey [I will not hesitate to profess my love for William. Or at least Season 1 William. I am terrified that something bad will happen as of Season 2. But then there's Branson, who is IRISH, which is seriously tempting. Don't even get me started on Matthew... Then the Austen heroes show up and I can't stop swooning and things get ugly. Too many professions of love at once.]



William, a.k.a. the most adorable gentleman ever.



Hullo, my name is Branson, and I'm so cute it shouldn't be legal.

 It is important to note that not all love triangles are created equal. Believe it or not, that's okay! Well, sometimes. Allow me to explain.

Love triangles can be the basis of a story, an important aspect of a story, or a mere part of a story. The important thing is that readers are genuinely unsure of who is going to get the girl/guy in the end. Otherwise, the triangle falls flat.

Or you could be Twilight and just be plain bad. Just because your readers are guessing doesn't mean your characters are any good. Or your writing. Or your dialogue. Or your plot...

In The Hunger Games, I genuinely did not know who Katniss was going to choose. Gale was her best friend, one of the most important people in her life. However, Peeta was the classic "good guy" and was totally swoon-worthy. Gale was the dark, brooding type. Peeta was the martyr. Later on in the series, the tension seemed to weaken, but that is simply my personal opinion. Even though the triangle wasn't the central plot of the series, it played a huge role. Making sure that readers were guessing was essential.

In Princess Academy, however, there is little doubt that (SPOILER) Miri is going to end up with Peder. The prince is virtually non-existant for the beginning of the book. Miri and the prince don't have feelings for each other, even though they make good friends. Yet the possibility of marrying the prince drives a lot of Miri's inner conflict. If she marries him and gets to move to the lowlands, her family won't have to worry about harsh winters or accidents or money. On the other hand, she loses her family and friends. Yet she loves learning and wants to be noticed. What about her feelings for Peder? Furthermore, the prince's activity in the story leads to a lot of the external conflict. Even though the reader isn't necessarily left guessing, the love triangle matters.

A Tale of Two Cities: Carton can't have Lucie, but his love for her drives the entire end of the story. Les Miserables: Eponine saves the day out of love for Marius, thus driving the external plot as well as adding tension. Twilight: An emotionless twit does nothing while a stalker and a man in love with her child fight over her, while stuff happens. Are we sensing what makes a good triangle yet?

RULE OF THUMB: Tension is key. Either you want your readers to be actively involved in guessing who comes out on top of the triangle, or the triangle needs to drive the plot. Or both!

Writing Update: This post? I mean, it only took an hour and a half.

Reading Update: I got another page into The Scarlet Pimpernel. I might save it for later since I bought Between Shades of Grey today and I am simply dying to read it. It has Lithuania! I'm Lithuanian! Wootwoot!

Next week, my loyal readers. I shall return.

Return of the ME!

Oh yes, I am back from camp. And yes, I leave tomorrow for my next camp. And one day to pack before the camp after that. Do you know how much I am missing for camp!? Before the summer is out, I shall be all out of friends!

Anyways, I have made my return. You may hold your applause --- you look ridiculously silly doing that alone in front of the computer screen. Work camp was great (as usual). It was a totally different experience from last year and the year before that, which was what I expected... yet didn't expect. I got to paint a shed and a bench, trim and shape about 20 hedges, serve ice cream to the elderly, weed, plant flowers, turn over soil, and meet other teenagers. I also ate a lot of unbalanced meals and played a lot of frisbee in the quad. It was great.

Now that I'm back to regular food and my own bed, I am also back to the computer, where I can rock out to Regina Spektor and write this blog post. Here goes nothing.

WRITING UPDATE: I did try to write while I was at camp. Look!

My hair was so crazy that day. The humidity was insane at camp! My hair is 80's huge in all the pictures. However, that's not the point!!! I wrote! Not much, but I wrote! :)

I am feeling really guilty after reading this post about making time to write. The first part of the list is about making excuses and putting things off. I am so guilty of that. Recently I am guilty of that. My family used to have to pry me away from my writing. Then my perfectionism started to seep in and it became less fun. Also, I am the sort of person that wants everything to have a purpose. When I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing with a project, it feels pointless and I am tempted to give up. That needs to change.

The post also talks about setting small, concrete goals. I have a handful of short stories that need finishing, so I think I am going to focus on them until I hit NaNoWriMo. I asked for Irish history books for my birthday, so I am going to wait and see if I get any before starting my research. I think I need to get back into a good habit before I can concentrate on anything huge. Oh, and do hold me accountable. Please do!

READING UPDATE: I tried to read The Scarlet Pimpernel at camp, but it was too crazy. I got another page into it, I believe, before I had to get in the 45 minute line for the shower and dash of to dinner and program. I have the book packed for my next camp and intend to read whenever possible.

Sorry this is so short. I only wish I had more free time. Believe it or not, my life might actually be simpler when I have school on my plate. Hmm, think of that...

PS - Did I mention I dreamed about stopping a fire? And that Colin Firth taught me how to get ketchup stains out of clothing? The dreams just keep getting curioser and curioser.