A very brief word:
New chapter up for HHL in which more of Javert's childhood troubles are revealed: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5480101/4/Homo_Homini_Lupus
I've also updated my fic The Phantomess on deviantart: http://mllerevenant.deviantart.com/art/The-Phantomess-Pt-1-Ch-1-79906732. More chapters will be coming soon since I wrote them much a while back. Enjoy!
"No amount of therapy will ever make this moment okay." - The Fairly Odd Parents
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
In Which Lethargy Can Be Fatal . . .
A brief word:
Being a once-upon-a-time LotR buff, I became engaged in a discussion the other night with a fellow flatmate on characters from the movies and books. During our tete-a-tete, she expressed to me her deep irritation regarding the films' interpretation of Faramir, her favorite character. His portrayal as a power-hungry warrior like almost every other male human in the story is (and I agree) very OOC. She summed up his character in these words (as if he were saying them):
"Hmm, power. That sounds like somthing that would get in the way . . . of reading."
So epic.
To my dismay but not enormous surprise, the weekend as thus far left me unmotivated to do anything related to school or to personal projects. The school bit, right now, takes a bit more priority only because the workload is going to quickly increase as the semester progresses. I would like to have a handle on it now and find free time later. I don't think this is going to actually happen, though. I'll at least try to catch up on my reading today. Sleeping in, as nice as it is, doesn't help one get things done.
It seems that our group is trying to plan a birthday surprise for one of our own. Hopefully we can go to this sushi place at the local mall since it's not even two blocks away. We'll see, though.
I'm still very, very, very annoyed at our internet. We're still on the temp plan that won't even let us watch vids on youtube. Grah! We HAVE to get this resolved soon.
Now, projects, projects, projects . . . despite my recent decision to post my main story on ff.net, I'm once again reconsidering. Mostly because if I do decide to publish it, ff.net may not be the best place to give it exposure. So I might - might - start posting here. Again, we'll see. I keep rewriting the beginning and it still doesn't want to cooperate. It either throws the reader into the story too quickly and without enough creative exposition, or the exposition is too lengthy and predictable. I've also been fiddling with possible prologues. I think I might have hit on one that will work the best, but I still have to actually put it into words. I hate it when I start narrating in my head and it sounds really good, but then I can't write down what I'm thinking right away, and then when I do eventually do write it, it never sounds as good. Then again, I tend to get ideas that sound good when I first think them, and then on belated reflection they sound really strange or idiotic. Ah, the creative process. What a turbulent journey (i.e. pain in the ass).
Just another dreary day in London. It's after 3pm and it looks like it's 10 in the morning. Oh joy.
Oh, but I did visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum the other day. It's amazing how many antiques the owners had to collect and bring together to create such a Victorian ambience. And the wax figures made me jump.
"Watson, that is a very loose translation!" - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, "The Red-Headed League"
Being a once-upon-a-time LotR buff, I became engaged in a discussion the other night with a fellow flatmate on characters from the movies and books. During our tete-a-tete, she expressed to me her deep irritation regarding the films' interpretation of Faramir, her favorite character. His portrayal as a power-hungry warrior like almost every other male human in the story is (and I agree) very OOC. She summed up his character in these words (as if he were saying them):
"Hmm, power. That sounds like somthing that would get in the way . . . of reading."
So epic.
To my dismay but not enormous surprise, the weekend as thus far left me unmotivated to do anything related to school or to personal projects. The school bit, right now, takes a bit more priority only because the workload is going to quickly increase as the semester progresses. I would like to have a handle on it now and find free time later. I don't think this is going to actually happen, though. I'll at least try to catch up on my reading today. Sleeping in, as nice as it is, doesn't help one get things done.
It seems that our group is trying to plan a birthday surprise for one of our own. Hopefully we can go to this sushi place at the local mall since it's not even two blocks away. We'll see, though.
I'm still very, very, very annoyed at our internet. We're still on the temp plan that won't even let us watch vids on youtube. Grah! We HAVE to get this resolved soon.
Now, projects, projects, projects . . . despite my recent decision to post my main story on ff.net, I'm once again reconsidering. Mostly because if I do decide to publish it, ff.net may not be the best place to give it exposure. So I might - might - start posting here. Again, we'll see. I keep rewriting the beginning and it still doesn't want to cooperate. It either throws the reader into the story too quickly and without enough creative exposition, or the exposition is too lengthy and predictable. I've also been fiddling with possible prologues. I think I might have hit on one that will work the best, but I still have to actually put it into words. I hate it when I start narrating in my head and it sounds really good, but then I can't write down what I'm thinking right away, and then when I do eventually do write it, it never sounds as good. Then again, I tend to get ideas that sound good when I first think them, and then on belated reflection they sound really strange or idiotic. Ah, the creative process. What a turbulent journey (i.e. pain in the ass).
Just another dreary day in London. It's after 3pm and it looks like it's 10 in the morning. Oh joy.
Oh, but I did visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum the other day. It's amazing how many antiques the owners had to collect and bring together to create such a Victorian ambience. And the wax figures made me jump.
"Watson, that is a very loose translation!" - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, "The Red-Headed League"
Monday, January 18, 2010
Oh What an Overcast Morning . . .
At last at last at last we are in our flat. The bad news? No internet & no phones. At least not until sometime later this week. Apparently the snow threw off everybody's schedules . . . the damage a few inches of snow can do. (This is coming from someone who's lived in the New York/New England area most of her life).
At least other things have been taken care of - paying for rent, moving in, and finding the proper adapter for my laptop. Woohoo. Now if only my iPod would work. XP
This is now the time for me to start planning for trips, before the chaos of classes, work and interning overloads my brain. Already I know I'll be going to Edinburgh on the school-sponsored tour in April, my family and I will travel during to Scotland during my spring break, and I'll probably arrange a trip over the Easter weekend. I love that Easter will be a 4-day weekend. But I don't know yet if I'll be able to fit in several locations in Scotland into that one trip, or if I have to narrow it down to one or two. In any case, it looks like most of my travels will take place later in the semester. I'll have to run that by my professor to make sure that will be suitable.
A lot of people seem to be stressing out about school work and travel already. And it's the first day! I will very likely be among them soon, but all the same, I want stress to be at a low for this semester. That doesn't mean I won't work hard - we've been told that grading standards will be higher here - but I also want to enjoy London. So I'll plan as much ahead as I can to keep stress at a minimum, however impossible that may prove to be.
Still no feedback on my latest chapter. I can't say I don't know what it's like to be on the other end - the reader who is reluctant to leave feedback either because she is not sure where to start critique-wise or is too lazy to really assess how she feels about the story. I've read a number of stories where I've not bothered to review on way or another, but I'm trying to break that habit. As a writer, I fear that the lack of reviews indicates that I need to push further and do more reworking to get the story where it needs to be. BUT real life obligations often outweigh indepedent pursuits in terms of priority.
I might gain more momentum once I actually start working on the other project that accompanies this one. And by working, I mean writing legitimate chapters that I would not be embarrassed to post on ff.net. Or deviantart. I was originally planning to go with the latter, but now that there's a crossover section in the former, I might opt for FF simply because the story won't be floating around in "writers' limbo" on an art site.
"Now I'm trapped under the cart . . ." - Les Miserables (1998)
At least other things have been taken care of - paying for rent, moving in, and finding the proper adapter for my laptop. Woohoo. Now if only my iPod would work. XP
This is now the time for me to start planning for trips, before the chaos of classes, work and interning overloads my brain. Already I know I'll be going to Edinburgh on the school-sponsored tour in April, my family and I will travel during to Scotland during my spring break, and I'll probably arrange a trip over the Easter weekend. I love that Easter will be a 4-day weekend. But I don't know yet if I'll be able to fit in several locations in Scotland into that one trip, or if I have to narrow it down to one or two. In any case, it looks like most of my travels will take place later in the semester. I'll have to run that by my professor to make sure that will be suitable.
A lot of people seem to be stressing out about school work and travel already. And it's the first day! I will very likely be among them soon, but all the same, I want stress to be at a low for this semester. That doesn't mean I won't work hard - we've been told that grading standards will be higher here - but I also want to enjoy London. So I'll plan as much ahead as I can to keep stress at a minimum, however impossible that may prove to be.
Still no feedback on my latest chapter. I can't say I don't know what it's like to be on the other end - the reader who is reluctant to leave feedback either because she is not sure where to start critique-wise or is too lazy to really assess how she feels about the story. I've read a number of stories where I've not bothered to review on way or another, but I'm trying to break that habit. As a writer, I fear that the lack of reviews indicates that I need to push further and do more reworking to get the story where it needs to be. BUT real life obligations often outweigh indepedent pursuits in terms of priority.
I might gain more momentum once I actually start working on the other project that accompanies this one. And by working, I mean writing legitimate chapters that I would not be embarrassed to post on ff.net. Or deviantart. I was originally planning to go with the latter, but now that there's a crossover section in the former, I might opt for FF simply because the story won't be floating around in "writers' limbo" on an art site.
"Now I'm trapped under the cart . . ." - Les Miserables (1998)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Don't give me that look . . .
A not-so-brief word:
Yeah, it's been a while. Coming to London has proved to be one hectic adventure after another. First just getting to the hotel, then having orientation, then finding housing, then keeping teachers and parents updated on events . . . I've barely had a chance to breathe! Now I have a little bit of time to regroup and recommence with my insignificant string of thoughts in this here dark corner of the Web. So let me unwind a little. *stretch* *sigh*
All right, so what's important right now? Well, for the moment I feel like an incompetant jerk because I woke up late and missed both the workstudy meeting and the rendezvous with my flatmates to submit our downpayment. Because I still don't have a sim card, no one can call me directly. I've left a message on one of their machines, so hopefully things will work out. Still, I could kick myself. Repeatedly.
As you can probably guess, all this insanity means I haven't had an opportunity to work on anything writing-wise - I didn't even have a decent chance to get on here! XP Sometimes, though, the creative juices get backed up when real-life issues step in. But even so, I'm trying to stay open to inspiration. Maybe for nothing I'm working on now, but some future endeavor - I need something aside from school work and socializing to look forward to.
Things will be a lot easier once I can access my own laptop instead of having to use a computer at the school. My stupid adapter has only two holes for plug prongs instead of three, so I can't fit my laptop plug into it. *headdesk* Also, I won't have access to the Internet on my laptop until we move into the flat. Which will be Sunday. *takes deep breath* Just a little while longer . . .
I don't usually get homesick, at least not until the end of a term when I sense the end drawing near. But now, what with my big sleeping-in fail and everything else, I'm a bit blue. I think this constant connectivity with my mom is also contributing, which is bizarre. Normally I don't talk to my parents very regularly when at school, so I can kind of pretend they don't exist, which makes me miss them less. Sounds horrible, yes, but it's helped me not feel as stressed about school. Now that I'm more aware that my family's not near by because I'm talking to them so much, I actually miss them more. Why am I so messed up? *another headdesk*
I'll feel better once there are things to do. I have no doubt of that. It's London for crying out loud - there's too much to do! Unless you're broke, which I'll probably be in a month. I applied for workstudy at the school, which will hopefully not interfere with my internship or my independent study. I need some kind of cash inflow.
Oh, by the way, it SNOWED here on the second day. American weather is stalking us!
"These are bigs hotdogs." - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Yeah, it's been a while. Coming to London has proved to be one hectic adventure after another. First just getting to the hotel, then having orientation, then finding housing, then keeping teachers and parents updated on events . . . I've barely had a chance to breathe! Now I have a little bit of time to regroup and recommence with my insignificant string of thoughts in this here dark corner of the Web. So let me unwind a little. *stretch* *sigh*
All right, so what's important right now? Well, for the moment I feel like an incompetant jerk because I woke up late and missed both the workstudy meeting and the rendezvous with my flatmates to submit our downpayment. Because I still don't have a sim card, no one can call me directly. I've left a message on one of their machines, so hopefully things will work out. Still, I could kick myself. Repeatedly.
As you can probably guess, all this insanity means I haven't had an opportunity to work on anything writing-wise - I didn't even have a decent chance to get on here! XP Sometimes, though, the creative juices get backed up when real-life issues step in. But even so, I'm trying to stay open to inspiration. Maybe for nothing I'm working on now, but some future endeavor - I need something aside from school work and socializing to look forward to.
Things will be a lot easier once I can access my own laptop instead of having to use a computer at the school. My stupid adapter has only two holes for plug prongs instead of three, so I can't fit my laptop plug into it. *headdesk* Also, I won't have access to the Internet on my laptop until we move into the flat. Which will be Sunday. *takes deep breath* Just a little while longer . . .
I don't usually get homesick, at least not until the end of a term when I sense the end drawing near. But now, what with my big sleeping-in fail and everything else, I'm a bit blue. I think this constant connectivity with my mom is also contributing, which is bizarre. Normally I don't talk to my parents very regularly when at school, so I can kind of pretend they don't exist, which makes me miss them less. Sounds horrible, yes, but it's helped me not feel as stressed about school. Now that I'm more aware that my family's not near by because I'm talking to them so much, I actually miss them more. Why am I so messed up? *another headdesk*
I'll feel better once there are things to do. I have no doubt of that. It's London for crying out loud - there's too much to do! Unless you're broke, which I'll probably be in a month. I applied for workstudy at the school, which will hopefully not interfere with my internship or my independent study. I need some kind of cash inflow.
Oh, by the way, it SNOWED here on the second day. American weather is stalking us!
"These are bigs hotdogs." - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Monday, January 11, 2010
Crossing the Pond . . .
A brief word:
Packing is a b****.
Today's the big day. A little more than an hour from now I'll be departing for the airport. It's still hard to comprehend that I'm leaving not merely my home, but my country, for 4 months. Gah! But I'm still excited . . . and terrified . . . and excited . . . stupid mixed emotions!
Here's to writing for the last time until May from the good ol' USA. See ya.
(I'll still be posting -- from jolly old England. ^_^)
"Cheese and crackers!" - The Happening
Packing is a b****.
Today's the big day. A little more than an hour from now I'll be departing for the airport. It's still hard to comprehend that I'm leaving not merely my home, but my country, for 4 months. Gah! But I'm still excited . . . and terrified . . . and excited . . . stupid mixed emotions!
Here's to writing for the last time until May from the good ol' USA. See ya.
(I'll still be posting -- from jolly old England. ^_^)
"Cheese and crackers!" - The Happening
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Your Mom . . .
A brief word:
I feel like my understanding of my parents and grandparents keeps changing as I get older. Take my nana, for example. She is the ultimate old-fashioned, Jesus-loving, sweet elderly lady who you are terrified to say anything around less something that scandalizes her slips out by mistake. Yet I still have to come to grips with those aspects of her personality that clash with my childhood perspective of her. Just today, I was going through some pictures I had on my computer and she spied on what I was doing. I showed her one drawing of a girl with brown hair and I asked her what she thought of it. This was her answer:
"She's cute. I like blondes better."
It has taken me some time to realize that when it comes to appearances, my grandmother is quite shallow. Don't you hate it when childhood illusions are shattered?
We've made another important step in our preparations. Well, okay, not that big a step - I bought a new laptop sleeve, batteries and an outlet adapter. So I'm a little further along, at least. The book issue is pretty much resolved, so that's a load off my mind. Now it comes down to a question of packing. *headdesk* "Easier said than done" would be an understatement.
Any other thoughts? I guess I'm going to miss the snow in London. For some reason, the cold is easier to endure when there's snow. I know snow is a pain for most people, but I think it adds brightness to an otherwise dreary season. On the other hand, I hear spring comes earlier in Britain than the U.S., which will hopefully be true this year. It's been nippy, though. Global warming strikes again.
I've decided to put up links to stories I'm posting and updating. Since I just posted a new chapter for it, I'll give a summary for one of my stories:
Homo Homini Lupus - For Les Miz fans, you can think of this as another backstory for Inspector Javert, with a macabre twist. I'm putting this up as a prelude to my main project. I recently uploaded the third chapter.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5480101/1/Homo_Homini_Lupus
"Lie for Italia." - Nine
I feel like my understanding of my parents and grandparents keeps changing as I get older. Take my nana, for example. She is the ultimate old-fashioned, Jesus-loving, sweet elderly lady who you are terrified to say anything around less something that scandalizes her slips out by mistake. Yet I still have to come to grips with those aspects of her personality that clash with my childhood perspective of her. Just today, I was going through some pictures I had on my computer and she spied on what I was doing. I showed her one drawing of a girl with brown hair and I asked her what she thought of it. This was her answer:
"She's cute. I like blondes better."
It has taken me some time to realize that when it comes to appearances, my grandmother is quite shallow. Don't you hate it when childhood illusions are shattered?
We've made another important step in our preparations. Well, okay, not that big a step - I bought a new laptop sleeve, batteries and an outlet adapter. So I'm a little further along, at least. The book issue is pretty much resolved, so that's a load off my mind. Now it comes down to a question of packing. *headdesk* "Easier said than done" would be an understatement.
Any other thoughts? I guess I'm going to miss the snow in London. For some reason, the cold is easier to endure when there's snow. I know snow is a pain for most people, but I think it adds brightness to an otherwise dreary season. On the other hand, I hear spring comes earlier in Britain than the U.S., which will hopefully be true this year. It's been nippy, though. Global warming strikes again.
I've decided to put up links to stories I'm posting and updating. Since I just posted a new chapter for it, I'll give a summary for one of my stories:
Homo Homini Lupus - For Les Miz fans, you can think of this as another backstory for Inspector Javert, with a macabre twist. I'm putting this up as a prelude to my main project. I recently uploaded the third chapter.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5480101/1/Homo_Homini_Lupus
"Lie for Italia." - Nine
Friday, January 8, 2010
Good Morning, Sunshine! Or Snow . . .
A brief word:
Today when I went to my dad's bank to get travelers checks for my upcoming trip, I saw a TV screen flashing some random bits of news on various subjects. One newsflash said that excited scientists believe that they will be able to locate Earth-like planets in the next few years.
Yeah, just like when my parents keep promising that we'll go to Paris 'next' summer. I'm not holding my breath.
It's coming down to crunch time and I feel rather unprepared. Which is bad, but I'm not ready to freak out yet. Right now we're figuring out if I need to buy my books for my independent study now and carry 20+ pounds of books on the plane, or wait to rent them from the library or have them sent from home to London once I'm there. Some of the books I know I can get at any library or bookstore - novels, mostly. The others my mom hopes she can order from Amazon and have sent to me overseas - the main question is the extra cost for shipping.
I've also been reviewing my independent study proposal, which now appears more daunting than a few months ago. Guh. I'm to conduct a study of Scottish history and research family history and somehow fit the two together. It'll mostly be what my advisor calls a "culture shock" experience. But as intimidating as it still seems, I really am excited about exploring the countries (Britain as well as Scotland) of my ancestors. I feel I've had more contact with British culture than Scottish culture, so the latter will be more new and maybe more of a challenge to take in.
But, for now, I'll focus on the immediate present. Right now we're all watching a movie about Florence Nightingale starring Jacelyn Smith, Timothy Dalton, and the ever lovely, ever wonderful Jeremy Brett. I don't really know anything about the historical figure, but the movie portrays her as a young woman who wishes to be more than a lady of high society and eventually pursues her passion to help the poor by practicing medicine. It's kinda of an age-old story by contemporary standards, but I'm becoming more and more aware of how challenging it can be to pursue one's dreams. It's more than just dreaming about them, but about going out there and finding opportunities to fulfill them. That takes an amazing amount of courage. Go, Flo, go! And give Dalton a good mack from me. ;D
Anyway, I'm figuring out if I can do anything on here regarding my stories. I have still more fiddling to do with the blog.
"D. It is written" - Slumdog Millionaire
Today when I went to my dad's bank to get travelers checks for my upcoming trip, I saw a TV screen flashing some random bits of news on various subjects. One newsflash said that excited scientists believe that they will be able to locate Earth-like planets in the next few years.
Yeah, just like when my parents keep promising that we'll go to Paris 'next' summer. I'm not holding my breath.
It's coming down to crunch time and I feel rather unprepared. Which is bad, but I'm not ready to freak out yet. Right now we're figuring out if I need to buy my books for my independent study now and carry 20+ pounds of books on the plane, or wait to rent them from the library or have them sent from home to London once I'm there. Some of the books I know I can get at any library or bookstore - novels, mostly. The others my mom hopes she can order from Amazon and have sent to me overseas - the main question is the extra cost for shipping.
I've also been reviewing my independent study proposal, which now appears more daunting than a few months ago. Guh. I'm to conduct a study of Scottish history and research family history and somehow fit the two together. It'll mostly be what my advisor calls a "culture shock" experience. But as intimidating as it still seems, I really am excited about exploring the countries (Britain as well as Scotland) of my ancestors. I feel I've had more contact with British culture than Scottish culture, so the latter will be more new and maybe more of a challenge to take in.
But, for now, I'll focus on the immediate present. Right now we're all watching a movie about Florence Nightingale starring Jacelyn Smith, Timothy Dalton, and the ever lovely, ever wonderful Jeremy Brett. I don't really know anything about the historical figure, but the movie portrays her as a young woman who wishes to be more than a lady of high society and eventually pursues her passion to help the poor by practicing medicine. It's kinda of an age-old story by contemporary standards, but I'm becoming more and more aware of how challenging it can be to pursue one's dreams. It's more than just dreaming about them, but about going out there and finding opportunities to fulfill them. That takes an amazing amount of courage. Go, Flo, go! And give Dalton a good mack from me. ;D
Anyway, I'm figuring out if I can do anything on here regarding my stories. I have still more fiddling to do with the blog.
"D. It is written" - Slumdog Millionaire
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Now for something completely different . . .
All right, let me get this over and done with. Ready? This is for my sis:
BANANA HAMMOCK!
(I'll give a hundred virtual cookies to anyone who gets the reference.)
Greetings and welcome to "The Drafty Corner", my new and first blog. Why have I created a blog? No real reason, to be honest. I suppose the main one is that as a writer-to-be, I should force myself to write something - even if it's completely inane and meaningless - every day. My other lame excuse is that come next Monday, I will be traveling to and studying in London for a semester. So it'll be good for me to have a means of recording any experiences I want to keep a record of. We'll see how that all pans out, though.
I also hope to use this blog as a way to keep track of my creative projects, which will hopefully gain momentum in the time to come. I'll more than likely just jot down some thoughts here and there, but I may also consider posting some stories or artwork on here, depending on how busy and optimistic I am. ;)
All right, I'll wrap this up for today since my sister keeps distracting me and my grandmother just arrived to spend a week with us. Ciao.
BANANA HAMMOCK!
(I'll give a hundred virtual cookies to anyone who gets the reference.)
Greetings and welcome to "The Drafty Corner", my new and first blog. Why have I created a blog? No real reason, to be honest. I suppose the main one is that as a writer-to-be, I should force myself to write something - even if it's completely inane and meaningless - every day. My other lame excuse is that come next Monday, I will be traveling to and studying in London for a semester. So it'll be good for me to have a means of recording any experiences I want to keep a record of. We'll see how that all pans out, though.
I also hope to use this blog as a way to keep track of my creative projects, which will hopefully gain momentum in the time to come. I'll more than likely just jot down some thoughts here and there, but I may also consider posting some stories or artwork on here, depending on how busy and optimistic I am. ;)
All right, I'll wrap this up for today since my sister keeps distracting me and my grandmother just arrived to spend a week with us. Ciao.
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