Super Quick Post Filled With Random Things!

My grandparents are over to celebrate Christmas, and I got the LotR soundtrack from them!!!!

It's a blue moon where I live tonight.

This is my last post in 2009.

What is all this fuss that I hear on the news about when the decade begins/ends? A decade is 10 years, no? Let's see...2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009...that's 10 years! Count 'em yourself! It's settled then! This is my LAST POST OF THE DECADE!!

That's creepy.

Happy New Year, ya'll!

And Happy End-of-the-Decade!

Izori

Announcement!

I'm going to be taking a short break from blogging--this time so that I can re-write Dun Zarum, and also to get control of my schoolwork.

Izori

Christmas is over.

We lit all five candles in our advent wreath on Christmas Eve, and then went to church. Our associate pastor talked about the wise men and how their display of faith was probably one of the greatest in the Bible. They actually followed a star--a STAR!! How many people would leave their country because of a star?!--and followed it all the way to a tiny town to kneel before a little baby. Ever wondered if you, in their place, would have done that?

Okay, now on to gifts.

All of my presents were given with love, so I can't choose a favorite. One pair of grandparents gave me (among other things) a laptop! I have been dreaming of one for a loooong while.

Then my mom gave me a Celtic Tinwhistle in the key of D! I can play it very well already! If blogger cooperates (it's been giving me trouble with videos lately) I can show you a video of me playing. You also might finally get a glimpe of my face.

Then my grandma gave me a new camera! One step up from the first one.

Erestor gave me a Bionicle--Mata Nui, to be exact.

And there was COFFEE SOAP!!!! This is from my friend at church. Since she appears on my blog so much, I'll give her a name. Now she will be called...Herenya. Okay, so Herenya gave me a bunch of things, but among those was coffee soap.

Those were just a few things among so many others, and thank you very much for all of them! (if you happen to read my blog, grandparents and relatives and Herenya!)

Soon I'll maybe show you a really cool picture of the advent wreath that I got.

Oh, also, and I have two prayer praises.

One, we had relatives over last night that kind of...well, you know relatives. But thankfully everyone was really nice! We actually had some very good talks about Christianity.

Two, Dad is doing really well! He didn't seem very exhausted last night, although he's sleeping in today. This is kind of a prayer request mixed in: he has ten pounds to gain, and he's going to have a PET scan on the 1st of January. PLEASE pray that there's no more cancer.

So Merry Christmas, y'all!

Izori

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and palced him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-7

Ever wonder why Jesus came down?

He didn't have to, that's for sure.

At the cross dying for us, He could have called on a legion of angels to take Him down. He could have just ignored us here on earth and thought about more pleasant things. After all, it was OUR fault, NOT his, that got us into the mess we are in now.

But he did, and it certainly wasn't pleasant for him.

He was born in a dirty barn, put in a feeding trough filled with straw and animal drool (and maybe even splinters from the wood), in a dark, cold, crowded city. Not to mention Mary and Joseph had just completed a long, hard, dangerous journey. It wasn't going to get much better, either. Jesus lived a life filled with suffering, and a cross was waiting for him.

He did that because he loved us that much. And he didn't even have to.

I often-times wonder why God doesn't just throw up his hands in disgust and pronounce me hopeless. I've thrown much more than my share of spiritual temper-tantrums, rebelled against Him too many times, and have a total lack of trust in Him daily. I mean, if I were God, I certainly would have lost my patience a looong time ago. I don't deserve him.

But isn't it really great that He DID come?

Merry Christmas!


Izori

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!

Where has the time gone?! Tomorrow--Christmas Eve! Day after that--CHRISTMAS!!!!!!! The day that I have been waiting in suspense for ever since July ('Just six months 'till Christmas, mom!'). I remember being so excited that Christmas was a month away on November 25. And now it's December 23!!

Every wonder where the time goes? It's just gone. I personally think that it goes down the sink drain...but that may not necessarily be true.

So, to make sure that I'm 100% ready for Christmas, I have a feeling I won't be blogging until a wee bit later this year. I have a post scheduled for Christmas, but that doesn't really count.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF MY FOLLOWERS AND READERS!

Izori

My Thoughts on 'Prince Caspian' (Wednesday Debate)

Okay, sorry that I didn't do a weekly debate thing for a while. Got kind of busy!


I posted something about this a loooong time ago, but my thoughts on that were kind of rushed and not very organized. So I think I'll expand.

First, the book.

I LOVE the book, which is by C.S. Lewis (although I know that everyone knows that). It has battles and rebellions and, very importantly, it's an allegory. It has Christ at the center, and that is what makes it so good to read. Unlike a lot of books that aren't Christian, we don't have to try and kind of 'ignore' the other parts in it that really are not very edifying to read.

The only parts I don't like is the part when (***SPOILER*** if you haven't read the book before) Peter and Susan are told that they won't go back to Narnia. And then, I don't like it because it's sad, not because it's un-godly.

Now, the movie.

Well...I'll say this for it--it was...entertaining.

If it wasn't supposed to be based on 'Prince Caspian', I would have really liked it. It has about as much romance as, say, 'Ratatouille'. But they added on the romance, making it really un-enjoyable for a purist like me, made Caspian really old, and COMPLETELY messed it up! They had Caspian and Peter going at each other's throats (nearly literally) when the book specifically said that they were good friends right off, Susan disrespecting her brother who happens to be the High King, and they really dampened down the allegorical stuff.

One good thing was that they made Edmund really good though. I'd watch it again just to see him. :)

I suppose I like the movie...kind of. I really liked "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" better.

What are y'alls opinions on it?

Izori

Oh, and Merry Day-before-Christmas-Eve!

Hey, even authors need exercise, too!

*pant, pant* I just got up from the basement, where I was watching Galdor. Seriously, people, this kid knows how to make people WORK!!

He makes me take him down to the basement whenever I'm watching him for mom, and then he makes me turn on Tchaikovsky ('The Nutcracker', to be precise) and then he makes me dance to it. I actually still have a lot of tricks left in my old noggin from when I took ballet, and I also improvise my own...unique...moves and choreography. It leaves me panting! But he loves it!

I actually really love enjoy exercise. I guess you could call me a health nut!

After sitting at the computer, staring at the screen, a little bit of running around really livens up the brain, and I tend to write my best scenes after I've danced or ran around a wee bit. Even just being outside for a while works!

I also have a bonus--I can lift weights. I know, I know, I'm only 13, but I've stopped growing *smirks*. That's the good side of not growing any more. Maybe the only one. Now all of my friends are catching up! One friend, who I've been taller than for YEARS, is now TALLER THAN ME!!!!!!! It frustrates me to no end!

Anyway, enough ranting and raving about that. I suppose I shall just get really high heels sometime soon.

Another good thing about exercise is that it makes you feel less guilty around Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years. All those goodies, not to mention two December birthdays in our family, makes me feel sometimes that I have had an overload of sugar.

Izori

Tagged by Earwen!

I've done this tag already, but it's a fun one, so I get to do it again!

Six names you go by:

1. Izori O

2. Izori

3. my real name


4. Honey


5. Sugar (by my Grandma)


6. RainaSaerwen (I got that Elvish-name translation from HERE )


Three things you're wearing right now:

A t-shirt, speckled with red paint that reminds certain people of blood *gasp*

sport-pants. Or at least I think that's what they're called.

matching socks. Think that's a no-brainer? For me, it's not.


Three things you want very badly:

My re-writing to be over with!

Jesus to come soon!

For my dad to be well!



Three things you did last night/yesterday/today:

Sewed.

shopped.

played in the snow.



Two things you ate today

Um...coffee and, uh...shtolen. That's how it's pronounced, at least.



Two people you last talked to on the phone:

My friend and Rin. I don't talk on the phone that much at all.



Two things you are going to do tomorrow:

Hopefully have some friends over.

Decorate outside. It's almost Christmas Eve, sheesh!



Your three favorite beverages:

Coffee

Eggnog

Water


Tag five people

Cassie (thanks for following, btw!)

Taylor

Emma

Lady Milisande Awnia Grim

tinydancer

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY! IT'S SNOWING! OVER 20 INCHES, AND IT'S NOT GOING TO MELT FOR A WHILE!!!!!

Can you tell I'm excited?!? You should have seen me yesterday!

Anyway, I played outside in the snow a LOT today, even though it's dry and powdery and not much for sledding. And it's SO deep! You could fall backward off of my friend's fence and not feel a thing. And I really need to finish up Erestor's present, so goodbye!

Izori

Writers Daybook

My, I haven't done this thing in AGES!! And I'm also going to be adding a few questions as I go along.


WRITER'S DAYBOOK
Entry 3

What time is it...9:14 AM

I'm feeling...excited. It's a snowstorm out there!

Outside is...snowy and pretty and it looks like everything's coated with fairie-dust!

Today I...am going to play outside in the snow, and write Erestor's Christmas gift. And make more Christmas gifts for my grandparents.

I am hearing...Mom and Luthien holding some kind of conversation in the kitchen, the keyboard going clickety-click. And Galdor just brought me a can of ginger ale. And then he dropped it. Oh, now he's shaking it around! I feel really sorry for whoever's going to open that.

I am hoping...that I can get everything done, and that the neighborhood kids won't trash the sledding hill.

I'm looking forward to...I don't know.

I am glad that...we got to go to Shadowland last night, and that we don't have to go anywhere today.

What I'm currently working on writing-wise...Erestor's Christmas present. And a script.

What I just finished reading...'Out of the Wild', by Sarah Beth Durst, 'Anne of Green Gables' by L.M. Montgomery (I think), and 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien.

What I'm hoping to read...'Tomorrow's Magic', by someone who I can't remember. Dad's looking it over for me to read, because we aren't sure how great of a book it'll be.

Writing buddy who I talked to last...Rin. We talked about how violent and cruel I can be to my characters (killing my main character once, torturing various ones, etc.) and how gentle and nice she is to hers.

Writing tip of the week...be willing to be mean to your characters. Also be nice when the occasion calls for it. I rewarded Elizabeth (poor lady; she was the one who got killed) with a chapter all about how nice and kind she was. She also got a cookie.

Number of words I wrote this week...maybe about four thousand or something. I'm not pushing too hard.

What time is it now...9:25 AM

Erestor's Birthday Party and Snow!

Sorry to be posting a lot today--the Writers Block post was scheduled, and then of course today's events are very 'post-able'.

So...today was Erestor's 11th Birthday Party! We had it at Shadowland and played laser tag. It was SOOOOOOOOOOO fun!!!! I was the only girl there--second oldest, and second tallest--and I did pretty good, even if I say so myself. I got rank 9 for the first game, and rank 4 for the second and last. It was so fun that I even requested (to Dad) that I have my 16th birthday there. :)

Anyway, it was really fun, but it would have been even funner if everyone followed the rules. Oh, don't worry, everyone in OUR group acted real politely ('Um, sir? Do you mind if I shoot you? Yes? Oh, I'm sorry!' jk, lol), but we were paired with a group that...uh...didn't. But I shalnt dwell over it.

And SNOW!!!! It's supposed to snow between 14-20" here! That is SO rare for where we are? What happened to global warming? :) Maybe we'll get a white CHRISTmas!

Izori

Different Forms and Stages of Writing Block (according to me)

#1. Perfection Writers Block--this is when you have trouble with a scene, sentence, paragraph, or whatever of a book because 'it just doesn't seem right'. Your characters may have mutinied, your words may refuse to line up for you, and you are NOT enjoying it.

Cure: relax. There is no such thing as a perfect first draft, or second draft, or even third draft. Write it out, no matter how un-perfect it sounds, and move on. It's keeping you from finishing your book.

#2. Lazy/Bored Writers Block--this is one that I suffer the most from. Your book has become boring and/or you just don't feel like writing. Some forms of this (Procrastination Writers Block, Busy Writers Block) are coming up soon.

Cure: plunk yourself down and write. Pick a time and place where you won't be distracted, and truly write. If you are bored with your book, add something exciting. A drastic plot twist, a dramatic battle, a new character or setting...whatever.

#3. Biased Writers Block--this one is where you are usually just starting yet another book after you have ditched at least five of its predecessors. You are thinking that this is going to be just like the others; you eagerly work on the beginning of it, but then the novelty (no pun intended) wears off and you end up stuffing it into the back of your closet.

Cure: get out of that mindset. Tell yourself that this is one that your going to finish. And maybe you could even do so--write a very small first draft first, and then expand on it. That is what I did with Sarea, the first real book that I actually finished (or am close to finishing).

#4. Busy Writers Block is when you feel really rushed. You have a dozen places to be one after the other, lots of school work and chores and responsibilities, and you just don't have the time to write.

Cure: find the time. If you aren't the one driving (duh), and you don't get car-sick, write in the car. If you have a minute while waiting in the dentist's office, write. And so on.

#5. Procrastination Writers Block--that's where you keep on laying off writing. You may have convinced yourself that you don't have enough time to really write right now, or that you'll get on to it later. I think a lot of people suffer from this one. Myself included.

Cure: Don't procrastinate. Simple, huh? Even if you only have five minutes to write, write for five minutes. At least you wrote. And tell yourself that you might not have time to write tomorrow, so you should get it done now.

Now for the stages of writers block:

Stage Green--you don't have any writers block.

Stage Yellow--you have writers block, but it's just mild and you can pass the glitch easily. Only lasts for 2 seconds up to a day.

Stage Orange--writers block that is moderately hard. You've been staring at a blank page for a while, and keep on hitting the delete key over and over again. Last from over a day to three or four days.

Stage Red--severe writers block that can't be surpassed. Lasts from over four days to a long time. Like months. I had this once, and that started out as Procrastination Writers Block.

Stage Past-Red--writers block so bad that you don't write again. Ever. Thankfully, I don't know anyone who's had that.

Did I miss anything?

Izori

Read This, Please!

Melian asked me to post this, and I would like to pass on the request.

Why do we ((sleep)) in [[church]],
But stay ((awake)) through a [[2 hour movie]]?
Why is it so ((hard)) to talk about [[God]],
but so ((easy)) to [[Gossip]]?
Why are we so ((bored)) when we look at a [[Christian magazine]],
but find it ((easy)) to read [[Cosmo]]?
Why is it so easy to ((ignore)) a [[Godly]] post or email,
Yet we ((resend)) the [[nasty]] ones?
Why are ((churches)) getting [[smaller]],
But ((bars and clubs)) are [[growing]]?

Think about it, are you going to repost this?
Or are you going to ignore it, cause you think you'll get laughed at?

Would You Have Opened This if it Said.... Read This In Gods Name.

Jesus Christ said:
"If you deny me in front of your friends, I will deny you in front of my father."

Izori

Happy Birthday, Luthien!

Lightning quick, here (seems like all of my posts lately have been lightning quick!), but HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY LUTHIEN! You may majorly annoy me at time, and you do snore (and I have to share a room with ya') but I love you anyways.

Now you get to hear me sing!

Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday dear Luthien,
Happy Birthday to you!

Izori

Finally something to do with Christmas!

Or was going to. I was going to post a video of me playing 'Away in a Manger', but the video was taking so long to upload that I finally gave up.

So, I suppose I'll write about Christmas-y stuff.

We've just started making cookies--I've made the dough for candy cane cookies, and mom and Erestor have just made peanut butter blossoms. The inside of our house is decorated, but Dad and I haven't got around to hanging to icicle lights outside yet. Hoping to before Christmas!

And I've almost finished making gifts! All I have to do is make something for grandparents.

While I'm posting...would anyone like me to do another post on making up names? Because I just made up two names that I think sound SO beautiful. Aryn (wait, is that made up? I thought I had thought of that, but Blogger isn't marking it as a mis-spelled word) and Elìan (okay, this one's a 'mis-spelled' word).

I've been thinking what names I would name kids (if I had any), because that'll probably come in handy sometime in my life. Here are all the names:

boys

Shane
Ein (pronounced like Ian, but spelled the way I like it :)
Patrick (maybe...I really like that name, but I'm good friends with someone who has that name. Why'd you have to steal that name, dude?)
Darren
Haldir (hey, I really like that name! I know someone who's named Galadriel! Now THAT'S a beautiful name!)

There aren't that many boys' names as girls' names.

girls

Aryn
Elìan
Colleen
Brigett
Fiona (I really, really, really like that name--it's Scottish)
Angela
Mikaela :)
Galadriel (I just had to add it. I love that name. Although, if I named just two kids after a LotR character, and then ALL of my kids turned out to be fans of LotR, they'd be awfully jealous of poor Galadriel and Haldir. And we don't want that happening!)


Tell me what y'all think of the names!

Izori

Quick Post!

Thank you, everyone who prayed! All of our colds have gotten a lot better, and so far Dad's not sick!

Also, I'm writing a book for Erestor this Christmas; I already told you that, but I said it again just in case anyone forgot ;) . It's about this boy named Galidine who is a page at a castle. He has a 'pet' dragon, Feth. Galidine's complaining to Feth about having to take dancing lessons, and they get into an argument. Galidine says that Feth isn't really sympathetic because dragons don't have to dance. Feth replies that dragons actually can dance rather well, and he himself can dance pretty good for a dragon. So eventually they decide that Feth, for one lesson, will take Galidine's place! Oh boy, a dragon in dancing lessons! I'm SO looking forward to writing that scene!

Does anyone want to hear my complaints? And a prayer request.

Huh? Anyone?

*sigh*. I had a MAJOR bloody nose last night. And I mean major. At 3:45 to 4:00-ish AM. And because I accidentally swallowed some blood, I felt like I would throw up for the rest of the night (morning, rather). I'm glad I'm allowed to touch the key board still!

So...I have Spanish class today, and you should try to hear me speak. I sound like a frog. A frog with a sore throat. No, maybe you should try and hear me sing! (not) lol.

Can y'all pray for us? My Dad's immune system is rather weak from chemo and radiation, and a cold could be enough to send him to the hospital. And because all four of us kids are sick, including Luthien and Galdor, both under age 6, it's really hard to keep germs from spreading. Y'know, Galdor could sneeze all over the table during dinner, and he's too young to learn how to cover his mouth.

Thanks!

Izori

Clara's Christmas

I have a HORRIBLE cold--really stuffed up, and coughing and sneezing all over the place. But in spite of that, Dad took me and Luthien (who also had a cold) to a ballet performance of 'Clara's Christmas'. It was really cool! My old ballet instructor (I took ballet from three to around seven or eight year old) was in it, as well as igirl and several other friends. All throughout it though, us girls were guzzling cough drops one after another.

Igirl--you did a great job! Bravo!

And now I'm off to get more orange juice and watch the Redskins play.

Izori

Luthien's Birthday Party

Of course, we have not one but TWO December birthdays. Luthien is actually turning five on the 17th, but we celebrated today. Three friends of hers came over, and they decorated their own aprons, cupcakes, and pizzas! Also, one of my friends and one of Erestor's friends came over to help out and to hang out with us two. Had a lot of fun, but I am EXHAUSTED!!

Well, Erestor wants to computer now. Bye!

Izori

'Interesting' Solutions for Writers Block

Here are a few methods to get over writers block:

Tools that you'll need for all of the methods:

writing utensil
pad of paper (or whatever you like to re-write on)
stick that could pass for a 'sword'. A baseball bat might even do.
rotten tomato


Method #1: (Note that this method does not use the stick)

Steps:

Go to a place (like the backyard) that you won't be observed. Either that, or you could go out into the middle of the street and have everyone think you're a lunatic. I prefer the former way.

Start writing.

However, before you start writing, tell yourself that if you come to a point where you can't think of anything to write, you will smash the tomato on your face.

That ought to take care of any writing block.

;D Joking, LOL.

Method #2: (this method uses all the tools above. Also, you might need more than one rotten tomato*)

Steps:

Once again, go to a relatively quiet place.

Start writing.

Whenever you get to a point where you are stuck, take the stick and start 'sword-fighting' the tomatoes. You can like them up in a row and smack 'em off one by one, or you can throw them up in the air and see how many hits it takes to send juice flying everywhere.

When you get an idea, write. Repeat process.

Method #3: (this method doesn't need any rotten tomatoes. Also, it is very good for writing battle sequences)

Go to a quiet place, once again.

Write.

When you get stuck, 'sword-fight'. Fight an imaginary opponent, make up new sword moves, pretend that you are your main character, desperately fighting the foe. This ought to give you a bunch of ideas for you battle sequence.

Izori

*in this method, tomato can be substituted for any other thing that you have no other use for, like stale bread or left-over, dyed Easter eggs (around Easter, of course).

Trilogy that you MUST read!!

The Door Within Trilogy--by Wayne Thomas Batson.










I first followed Mr. Batson's blog about a few months ago, and thought that getting his books out of the library would be a really good idea. However, procrastinator that I am, I kept on forgetting until one day I randomly happened to pick up one of his books off the library shelves! (Where do I recognize that name? Oh, yeah, it's that dude that had all those cool books!)

Wondering if it was a providential 'coincidence', I took the book home ('The Door Within', which is the first book of the trilogy) and began to read it.

It was AWESOME!!!!! I read it in one sitting, with the exception of getting up to do my chores :)

First off, it's an allegory, and it was very good to read spiritually. It made me think, 'Wow! If you put it in the way that resisitng temptation is like having a sword fight, I think I'll try harder!". Next, the characters were really strong. Sir Mallick is one of my favorites! :D And Bolt, of course *sniff*. It didn't take me long to read the next two in the series! Third, all the sword fighting and action kept me completely hooked. As I have mentioned before, one thing that really draws me into a book is all the adventure...and this trilogy has TONS of adventure!

You must, absolutely MUST, read these!

Oh, and click HERE to get to Mr. Batson's blog. I would suggest it!

Izori

I think I shall return now...

Ta-da! Didn't you guys miss me? Huh? Anyone!?!? LOL, jk.

So, while I've been gone...

...I finished Erestor's present in the nick of time.

...I did a bunch of schoolwork.

...I pushed a bunch of plot ideas into the back of my head.

...and I started a new book.

I didn't mean to do the last one. But it links up to the first one. Y'see, I was kind of clueless to what Erestor's birthday present from me should be, so finally I wrote a poem. It's rather long...as in three pages...and it's not very good because I wrote it in ten minutes. It's about this dude named Sir Galidine, his sword Kwestian, and his dragon Feth. And they go and retrieve King Can's crown from a gryphonbane.

That gave me an idea. If I could just expand on that and write about Galidine and Fetha and their other adventures, that would make a really great book to give Erestor for Christmas! So now I have yet another book to work on.

Um...I don't think anything else has changed...except that now our house is pretty much decorated for Christmas, and I STILL haven't gotten a start on the Christmas cookies! Hoping to do gingerbread cookies to night.

Izori

Happy Birthday, Erestor!

Just a quick post--but Happy 11th Birthday to ya, Erestor! (Did you think he was older than 11? Well, he kind of seems that way sometimes. We do a lot together) Even though he doesn't know it yet, Dad's going to take him to Caribou Coffee for breakfast!

So...I suppose we get to sing the birthday song!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Erestor,
Happy Birthday to you!!

Izori

Tag from Olive Tree!

And not one, but TWO tags!

1. Do you believe Jesus is the reason for the season?
DEFINITELY!

2. Have you ever been in a Christmas Play? What were you?
Uh...I don't think so.

3.What is your favorite thing you get in you stocking?
Maybe the pop tarts. We only get to have them once a year.

4. What is your best Christmas memory?
I loved all of them, so I really can't decide!

5. What is your favorite Christmas beverage?
Hot chocolate, or egg nog, or cider...

6. What do you put on your tree top?
An angel.

7. Where do you get your tree?
At a Christmas tree farm. We have never had a fake one.

8. Do you go somewhere for Christmas or do you host?
We usually go to our friends' house, or to our grandparents. But we spend the actual day at home.

9. Do you have any traditions?
Oh, yes. The cookies for Santa, the Advent Wreath, the decorating of the Christmas tree, listening to The Nutcracker music...it goes on and on.

10. How much do you like Christmas?
If I could count the ways...we'd be here a LONG time.

11. What do you do on Christmas Eve?
Go to our Christmas Eve service (it's awesome--our pastor does GREAT sermons!), and then at different times during the night we sneak down and put Christmas presents under the tree.

12. What do you do on Christmas Day?
We open presents, open stockings (in opposite order), and then we used to go to our friends' house, but they moved to Florida :(

13. What is your favorite Christmas song?
All of them! Carol of the Bells, Jingle Bell Rock, Silent Night, Let it Snow, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, Angels We Have Heard on High, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, etc.

14. What do you really want for a gift this year?
A new camera; my old one's kind of broken. A laptop, and an older sibling. There was a miscarriage before me :(

15. Favorite treat?
Cookies, candy canes...

16. Do you usually have a white Christmas?
*sniff* No. There was only once. That's why I love Let it Snow and I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas.

17. How long did you believe in Santa Clause?
About six or seven.

18. Who's your favorite reindeer?
Rudolph.

19. The Christmas present you always wanted but never got?
A dog, an older sibling, and other things.

20. Last one. What is the best thing about Christmas to you?
The fact that Jesus cared enough to come down here.

And then this other tag.

What is your favorite Christmas carol?

See above tag, question #13.

Do you have an artificial tree or do you get a real one?

Real. I kind of consider getting a fake one cheating.

Where you live do you get snowy Christmas's?

Why must you repeat this painful question? NO!

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

All of them.

What is your favorite holiday? Why?

Christmas. Because that's when Jesus was born. Or at least when we celebrate it.

Do you go caroling?

Sometimes.

What is your favorite Christmas movie?

I don't know. I don't really watch a lot of Christmas movies. I'd have to say Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer.

Do you like listening to Christmas music?

Oh, yeah.

Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Well, I believe that there was a St. Nicolas.

What is your favorite Christmas meal?

Mexican food. It always reminds me of Christmas. Oh, that's another tradition--we have Mexican food on Christmas day.

Do you write people Christmas cards?

Yeah.

Do you have a manger scene?

Are you kidding?! They're all over the house!

Will you wish anyone Merry Christmas?

You bet.

Liked the tag?

Yeah. I'd have enjoyed it more if Erestor wasn't making odd noises and punching the back of my seat. For 11, he can be rather...juvenile...sometimes. (Erestor, cut it out!)

Now I tag...

uh...

I tag...
EVERYONE! And igirl.

Izori

I'm feeling very rushed!

Yep, both Erestor AND Luthien's birthdays are coming up...Christmas is coming up, and I'm in charge of making the cookies...I'm hand making all of the gifts I'm going to give...I NEED to learn my Christmas piece for the recital...so I'm going to take a break from all things that have to do with writing. And that also means blogging :(

Let's just see if my characters will leave me alone for just a little bit. I think I've been writing too much and have worn out all plot ideas.

Izori

Tagged by Elrania

1. Six names you go by:

1. ___ (my real name)
2. Elf-person
3. Secretary (in 4-H)
4. Izori
5. Bowie
6. Emvie

2. 3 things you are wearing right now:

1. Sweatpants

2. My mom's turtle neck...lol.

3.uh...my watch.

3. 3 things you want very badly right now:

1. To be able to have more time!

2. To be able to finish a script that I'm working on for friends really soon. I've been putting off because of NaNoWriMo.

3. To be able to sing really good. I can sing, but really good? No.

4. Three things that you did last night/yesterday:

1. Went to co-op

2. Did schoolwork

3. Rode my bike

5. Two things that you ate today:

1. A burrito.

2. Hot chocolate.

6. Two people you last talked to on the phone:

1. Enna-Rin

2. My mom.

7. Two things that you are going to do today/tomorrow:

1. Go to church.

2. Play in the snow!

8. Your three favorite beverages:

1. Water

2. Root beer (*ahem* and orange soda;)

3. Uh...and then hot chocolate. Or eggnog.

Now tag 8 people:

8 people! Oh dear!

Okay, I tag my first eight followers.

Izori

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...!

IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it! In this area, it usually doesn't snow 'till January, and now it's snowing before Erestor's birthday! This is so COOL!

After lunch, I am definitely sledding...

*goes off singing 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas'*

Ouchie...

Masters Accompaniment Class went okay last night, except I played horribly :( Oh well.

For some reason, I'm feeling rather stressed at the moment. And when I'm stressed, I usually take it out on our poor piano!

Er, that is, it's not like I take a hammer to it or something...I make up really loud songs on it.

Matter of fact, I played so hard that my thumb joint turned red! Then I put a band-aid on it for padding and it worked fine! :)

Izori

Tips on Editing

I've begun editing work on my NaNoWriMo book! And surprisingly, it doesn't need half as much editing as I thought. There's something about desperately scrambling to add a few thousand more words to your word count that cranks out plot-possibilities that you never would have thought of otherwise. But still, it did need some editing; here are some tips that I've have found out for myself from my experiences.

1. Get a fresh perspective. Don't edit something as soon as you've written it, basically. If you do it immediately, you'll still be thinking, "Oh, I need to change that around" or "I should have put that instead of this", and so you won't be thinking as much, "Well, would it work out like the way I have it?" If you wait a little, you might forget what the problem is, but that's not really a big deal. If the problem was major, you would notice it once you re-read your book. Then, if it still sounds bad or conflicts with the plot, you can change it all you want.

2. While we're on it, get an even fresher perspective. Have a family member or friend read your book and edit it for you. They will notice things (especially plot contradictions) that you have missed because they are getting all of their information from your writing. You, on the other hand, already have it dancing around in your head, so even if you left out something in the book you won't notice because it was really supposed to be there in your brain.

3. Print your story out and edit it non-electronically. You don't even have to print it out all at one time. You don't even have to edit it by hand. However, I do it that way because I seriously get tired of staring at a computer screen and trying to nitpick my work. Plus, while you can't take your computer everywhere you go, you can take a chapter of your book to edit. I write in corrections with a pen (a green pen, to be exact. A good deal of people use red pens, though) in the margins.

4. Write character information down. It really helps. There are points in my story where one character, Thea, has red hair, and other points when she has blond hair. That was because I didn't write her description down, so that whenever I forgot I could just look at that. Also comes in handy when trying to remember the names of cities ( etc.) that you made up.

5. Be specific in your corrections. If you just go through the book and put post-it notes where you see a problem, you probably won't remember exactly what was wrong. Instead of circling the sentence, "Her blue eyes sparkled as they caught the light," write next to it, "Character has green eyes, takes place in dark room" or something like that. Basically, write so you can remember. This also should be in consideration when you're editing a book that someone else wrote. They can't read your mind, and just seeing a sentence circled will make them wonder, "What on earth? Looks fine to me!"

Hope these help anyone who needs them!

Izori

Oh, joy (not)!

I've been looking over Sarea (working title) and I have found the worst. I knew that I would have to edit the book--but I only pictured a few changes, and perhaps one or two re-written scenes. Well...

I have decided that I need to just re-write the whole thing. Re-name a bunch of characters, and even re-do a bit of the plot. Igirl has been kind enough to edit Sarea for me, and once she's done correcting (no pressure, igirl!), I'll rewrite.

Also...I have Masters Accompaniment Class tonight. We go to this music school called Allegro, and all of their best students attend the Masters Accompaniment Class. I'm one of them; but don't get me wrong. I am NOT a musical prodigy. It is simply because I have been playing the piano for over half of my life (I'm 13). And for playing that long, I'm not very good. So I'm REALLY nervous. I have to accompany this dude on the clarinet, see, and I wasn't able to practice the piano much in November because of NaNoWriMo.

So anyway...ignore my complaints and whining.

Good news...I'm a good way done with editing my NaNoWriMo book. It was actually sort of fun reading over what I've written. Also, I'm starting to get ideas for the sequel.

Izori

Book Excerpt

People have been asking me if I could put up a excerpt of Sarea on my blog, and well...all you writers have most likely experienced this.

You see, I'm a rather shy person at heart (although sometimes you may not be able to tell :) and when people usually ask me about my book, I'm usually like "Well, it's about this girl...who finds this portal-thingy, and she goes into another world..." and I totally leave out all the battles and quests and the other 'good things'. It's sort of like a feeling that other people will think when you're telling them about your book, "Man, that sounds like a dumb story," or "Her writing style is NOT the best!". Y'know?

Well, I was trying to get around all the excerpt requests, but then a poll showed that 'Excerpts from Sarea' was the thing that you wanted me to post the most of. So I guess there's no wiggle room now...just don't laugh, and remember that you asked for it!

--- --- ---

Betha slowly turned over, groaning to herself. She still was sore from harvesting a crop of winter wheat, and she certainly wasn't looking forward to getting up and facing yet another day of back-breaking labor in the fields. The sun hadn't even begun to peek over the Opeladami Mountains yet.

But time was wasting, and no doubt she would be even more sore from the whipping she would get if she was late. Sarono, Jerad, and Father had most likely left already for the fields. And she supposed she would have to wake Ehra up, too.

To tell the truth, Betha was rather concerned about her little sister. Ehra seemed to be the one who always got the most whippings, and she was always so worn out at night. All that work wasn't good for someone so young...

"Ehra?" Betha slowly rolled over in the dark, reaching out to shake her sister awake. "It's time to--" She stopped in the middle of her sentence.

Ehra was gone.

Her side of the bed was neatly made, and her spare change of clothes--the ones with the large patch in the knee--were missing.

Stay calm! Betha tried to reassure herself, even though she was quivering from anxiety inside. She could have just left early with Father and the twins.

But she couldn't deny the facts that spoke against that possibility. Betha knew that Ehra would never get up that early if she could help it, and why on earth would she have taken her spare clothes? There was something seriously wrong. And Betha had a suspicion that it had to do with that strange peddler.

--- --- ---

So there you have it. Helpful comments and criticisms are appreciated!

Izori

Help!?!?!?!

Okay, this is sort of weird...but my Blogger Dashboard says that I'm not following any blogs. I know that I follow at least fifty of them. Also, it doesn't show that I have any followers, although I can still see on the Followers gadget on my blog that I do have followers...37 of them.

Has anyone else had this problem? More importantly, does anyone know how to fix it?

Thanks so much!

Izori

EDIT: Now it shows the blogs that I follow *whew!*, but I'd still like advice in case it happens again and doesn't come back up.

And we have our long awaited Caption Contest Results!

Okay, sorry this took so long, people!

We didn't get much captions; only three people entered. Did I miss someone? Anyway, if you are not Vellvin, Nahla, or ***Emily*** and if you entered a caption, then I didn't see it. So please tell me if I skipped you.

Okay, so for the funniest captions per picture:

#1.



***Emily***: *counting as he does sit ups* "79, 98, 100! See, I told you I could count to a hundred while doing sit ups. Wait, I skipped from 79..."

#2.



Nahla: My name is Inigo Montoya. You stole my cookies. Prepare to die"

#3.



***Emily***: *in a whisper* "Do you think she'll notice if we ditch her picnic and go to Burger King?

Nahla: "I'm smarter than I look, wise guy! In fact, my smartness is inconceivable."

#4.



***Emily***: Aragorn: When do you suppose they'll take the picture?
Frodo: I hope Pippin doesn't have his mouth open.
Gandalf: snore.

#5. For some reason, this picture didn't appear. No captions for it, anyway.




#6. Ditto.



#7.




***Emily***: Frodo: What do ya mean you want the keys to the Evil mobile?


#8.



Vellvin: Away from Shadowfax; he's mine! So there!

***Emily***: Is that Sauraman in a hula skirt?

#9.



***Emily***: Frodo: Wow. Gandalf, you're a giant!
Gandalf: I know, I came back from the dead as one.

#10.



***Emily***: Jadis (the White Witch): Look over there Edmund. See that flying object?
Edmund: Is that an UFO?
Jadis: Yes, son of Adam, that is my house.
*Edmund's eyes go wide* Edmund: You're an Alien!


#11.




Vellvin: Do you see those cadbury chocolate trees? My house is right between them.


All of them were really, really funny! But I think I would have to go with...



#2.



Nahla: My name is Inigo Montoya. You stole my cookies. Prepare to die"

So, there you have it. Nahla, congratulations!

Izori

Tagged by Kendra!

Not really tagged; she said that anyone could do it who wanted to. And I wanted to!

1- Have you been asked out?
Yes, twice...by my Dad! lol

3 - What's your middle name?
*sigh* Brown. But I made up my own middle name for myself that's actually a real name: Elizabeth.

4 - Your current relationship status?
Uh...daughter.

5 - What's the first thing you do when you wake up from a nap?
I don't take naps. When I do, I usually listen to music afterward.

6 - What is your current mood?
Frazzled. Lots of schoolwork today!

7 - What color shirt are you wearing?
Dark red with white collar and cuffs.

8 - Missing something?
NaNoWriMo. I like writing a lot.

9 - Current Favorite Quote?
I don't really have one at the moment.

10 - If you could go back in time and change something what would be?
A lot of things. Probably the Fall, if I had to pick one thing.

11 - If you must be an animal for one day, what would you be?
I don't know! I'm rather content being a human!

12 - Ever had a near death experience?
Are you kidding me? I've had about (let me think)...six near death experiences, from ignorant nurses trying to yank my arm off and choke me to copperheads.

13 - Something you do a lot?
Write (lol) and sing.

14 - The song stuck in your head?
Carol of the Bells.

15 - Least favorite household chore?
I don't know...I think laundry.

16 - Name someone with the same birthday as you?
Abigail Adams!

17 - When was the last time you cried?
Over physical pain? A looooong while ago. Maybe when I was six.

18- Have you ever sung in front of a large audience?
Yes.

19 - If you could have one super power what would it be?
Invisibility.

20 - What's the first thing you notice about the opposite gender?
Um...I don't know.

21 - What do you usually order from Starbucks?
I don't know the name, but it was something GOOD!

22 - What's your biggest secret?
...and why would I want you guys to know that? :D

23- What's your favorite color?
Blue, silver, brown, green, gold...

24 - Do you still watch kiddie shows or TV shows?
I still enjoy Veggie Tales!

25 - What's on your walls?
Shooting awards, horse posters...all that good stuff.

26 - What are you?
A crazy elven princess/scribe!

27 - Do you speak any other language?
English, Spanglish, I used to speak Russian, and...my own language.

28 - What's your favorite smell?
Don't know.

29 - Describe your life in one word!
Crazy.

30 - Have you ever kissed in the rain?
Ahem...NO!

31 - What are you thinking about right now?
Luthien standing right next to me.

32 - What should you be doing?
lol...schoolwork.

33 - Who was the last person that made you upset/angry?
I've not really been upset for a while...

34 - How often do you talk to God?
All day.

35 - Do you like working in the yard?
Yeah.

36 - If you could have any last name in the world, what would you want?
I'm satisfied with my own. My last name is really, really cool!

37 - What is your natural hair color?
brown :(

38 - Do you have many friends?
You betcha!

39 - Who is your role-model?
Jesus.

Now I tag anyone who can touch-type!

Izori

Rolling the credits

Of course, I have to thank all of the people that helped me write my NaNoWriMo book, intentional help or otherwise.

Mom and Dad: For giving me plot suggestions, granting me extra computer time, editing offers, and (Dad on this one) for saving my story to his computer just in case this one crashed.

Erestor and Luthien: Sorry I had to kick both of you off the computer multiple times! You guys were both so patient (ahem, most of the time) when I had to turn down offers to little soccer games in the basement because I was writing.

Galdor: Thank you, kiddo, for not banging on the mouse too terribly hard while I was trying to hold you and type at the same time. If the mouse had broken, I wouldn't know what to do!

Andrea, igirl, Enna-Rin, and various friends: For discussing my book with me, and for helping me along with things. (What!?!? You killed your main character!? Great, Izori! ;) Also thanks to three friends in particular, who patiently waited while I had to postpone writing our movie script for the month. Sorry, ladies!

The girl that inspired both Angela and Skye: Thank you! You don't know that you helped me come up with two thirds of my main characters, but you did!

And, of course, thanks to the Lord for getting me through all of this!

(don't forget my trusty alarm clock, blaring in my ear at 5:30 AM every morning so that I could get up and write! It actually inspired the beginning of my story.)

Also, results for the poll ('What would you like to see more of):

Book Reviews and Opinions on books...........5 people voted for this

Writing Tips............7 people voted for this (38%)

The last Elandai book..........4 people voted for this (30%)

Small samples of Sarea (working title)..........7 people voted for this (53%)

Tags..........3 people voted for this (23%)

Caption Contests..........5 people voted for this (38%)

I don't care!..........1 people voted for this (7%)

So, it's a tie between the small samples of Sarea and writing tips! Alright, I'll work on those.

Izori

Never mind about the fish getting along...

*sigh* Don't you fish know that it's close to Christmas? That means you're supposed to BEHAVE, but no, instead you start attacking each other! No Christmas presents for you, young ladies!

Yep, our betta fish fight. So now they're separated. And I've also at least decided which one is mine. You see, one fish is white/ice pink, and the other is black. I thought both of them looked pretty cool, so I wasn't sure which one was mine. But now I've picked the black.

If only I had a really cool name for her...any suggestions, anyone?

Izori

More Fish!

After Arwen and Galadriel's untimely deaths (the fish, not the elves, remember?!) we got two new betta fish. Females of course--if we had gotten two male betta fish, they would have eaten each other. And, so far, these fish (unnamed yet) appear to be a lot healthier than the last ones! They get along well, too.

We haven't put Shrimp in there yet, though. We're just waiting for our unnamed fish to get used to their new home before we introduce him. Arwen and Galadriel both tried to eat Shrimp, and we don't want that happening again! So now he's just in a plastic container. Poor guy; in the last week he's been moved back and forth about six times!

While we were getting our fish, Mom, Luthien, and I (Erestor, Galdor, and Dad didn't go) took a look at some other pets. The kittens were SOOOOO cute! And the rodents...I LOVED them, but Mom has this thing about anything that looks like a rat (does that sound familiar?) And of course I saw the parrot. :D I think parrots are cool. However, Mom also has this thing with birds...

Izori

I finished NaNoWriMo!!!!!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't know that I'd be able to do it, and even though I managed to finish a little ahead of time, it was rather...crazy.

But, Lord willing, I'm counting on doing this next year!

I was just skimming over my novel (50,305 words, 210 pages) and...well, it was a lot better than I expected it to be! I thought that it would be horrible because it was so rushed, but I actually think that its better written than Sarea, which definitely wasn't rushed ;)

Yeah, so I managed to get Elizabeth back to life (thankfully! Everyone's been giving me a hard time about killing my character :) and I also managed to add in a lot of characters! Matter of fact, here they are.

Main Characters:

Elizabeth Miller--14 yr. old human girl

Angela Hawkins--15 yr. old human girl

Skye Connolly--14 yr. old human girl


Second Characters: (A lot of them, but not all!)

Thea--? yr. old Caeleryn girl

Abriel--17 yr. old Caeleryn boy

Durain--? yr. old Caeleryn boy

Dubli--376 yr. old troll man

Kate--18 yr. old human girl (Elizabeth's older sister)

Miriah--12 yr. old Caeleryn girl

Mary--4o-something yr. old human woman (Elizabeth and Kate's mom)


And that's only about half of them!

The working name for this book is 'Portal', by the way, for lack of a better name. It was going to be 'Clouds', but I don't think I can put clouds in this book. Although I really liked that name...

Izori

A Less Rushed Thanksgiving Post (and some other things)

Okay, sorry that I didn't do this yesterday! Yes, I am thankful, but I'm also...busy.

So, I am thankful for...

1). God! Seriously, this is a very good thing to be thankful for. If it wasn't for God, we wouldn't be here.

2). My family! Yes, this is the usual, run of the mill thankful thing, but there's a reason why its so common!

3). Shrimp! (The pet, not the food. I don't like eating shrimp, or Shrimp :) unless I cook it myself). Anyway, Shrimp (our pet) has now survived three fish. Yes, Ano died :(. So we got two female betta, Galadriel, which was mine, and Arwen, which was Erestor's. They both died, too. I don't know why, but they did. So now I think that our family should strictly stick to shrimp as pets. Apparently we kill off everything else.

4). All of my friends, online and offline! And also friends that I know both online AND offline!

5). This blog!

6). My gift (sometimes curse) of writing!

7). NaNoWriMo! I'm really enjoying it!

8). Wierd names, like mine. I actually think I sort of like my name.

9). Comments! *hint, hint!*

10). Awards! *hint, hint, again!*

11). Our wonderful, amazing church!

I could go on all afternoon, but I also have a few other things to say.

First off, I'm on the homestretch of NaNoWriMo! Just a few thousand more words to write!

Second, we're decorating for Christmas today! Whohoo!!

Third, HERE is a very good post from Earwen's blog, A Hot Heart. Read it, and also read the blog! It's very, very good!

Izori

Tagged by Eldarwen Failariel! (And a very Happy Thanksgiving!)

Why do you have a blog?
Because I like to write, and because it's fun!

Do you have more close online friends or offline?
Well, I have online friends...but I definitely have more offline.

Do you correspond?

Yep.

Do you have a best friend?

All my friends are my best friends.

Do you play April Fools Day pranks?
Most definitely!

Have you watched a movie and then regretted it?
Yeah. One was 'My Fair Lady' with Audrey Hepburn somewhere in it.

Do you generally prefer books or their movie adaptions?
BOOKS!

How many siblings do you have?
Three.

Do you want more?
Yes!

Do you have any married siblings?
*snickers* Nope. (All of you who know my family personally will most likely get this).

What is your favorite branch of the military?
Marines or air-force.

What do you hate most in books/movies?
Un-godliness and immorality.

If you had to name just one book (other than the Bible) to call your favorite, what would it be?
That is the question I was dreading. I don't have one favorite, so I guess I can't answer that.

What book/series/movie have you been the most wrapped up in?
Lord of the Rings.

What music are you listening to right now

I'm not listening to anything. Most recently was igirl playing on the piano.

What are you having for dinner?
We had a Redwall feast that Erestor and I made! Details (possibly) coming up.

And now I tag:
Hmmm...let's make this interesting...I tag anyone who has ever been to the White House.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Izori

I cannot believe this.

I really can't.

This is the first time I have ever completely shocked myself with my story, and I also made myself cry for the very first time in my story.

I just killed my main character.

WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!!!!!

I'm making plans to get her back to life...I hope. Good thing its an allegory, so maybe I can have this a sort of allegory for the story of Lazarus.

But I still can't believe this! *sniff* My characters have completely run off with my NaNoWriMo story! Now one is about to be tortured, one is believed to be dead, one has been tragically shot in the back by an arrow, and now one has been killed!

*sniff*

Poor Elizabeth.

...whoa, read that out loud! Sniff, poor Elizabeth. It rhymes!

Okay, random person here...

Photography Blog

I am SO sore...yesterday I ran a 5K (about 3 miles) race...without any training except for a tiny bit! I didn't make good timing, but I did see a lot of people I knew!

The main reason I'm posting on a Sunday is to tell you all (who are, for the most part, writers like myself) (hey, did you notice--myself? ;) that Andrea and I took several pictures on the subject of writing! Click HERE to see them!

Also, I might as well put my NaNo update in this post and accomplish two things...I'm doing pretty good! Much better than I thought I would, at least. I've managed to get somewhat ahead, which was good because today I hardly wrote much at all :) And today we have the week off...so writing, here I COME!!!

Update on NaNoWriMo and some ponderings of mine on Twilight

Hello all,

I am ahead in my word count! *does happy dance* And, believe it or not, I am actually looking forward to getting up at 5:30 AM to write a few thousand words every day!

However, I am starting to feel the strain on my schoolwork. I have been working all day, on either schoolwork or on writing, and it doesn't help that this is going to be a busy week. I am not behind, thankfully, (except in Latin and Grammar...I am hoping to do some Grammar tonight, though) but I'm certainly not ahead.

Also, I was thinking about Twilight. Edward Cullen is supposed to be a Christian, is he not? Or at least, he's supposed to believe in God. And the Bible says that you shall know someone to be a Christian because of their fruits, right? (fruits, as in their actions). And Bella, who Edward marries, isn't a Christian? And he marries her? Doesn't the command to 'not be un-equally yoked' come to mind, here? I certainly don't see much fruit from Edward. Just a quick thought that I wanted to share before it totally left my mind.

Well...oh, yeah, this is my 252 post on this blog! I haven't celebrated my 100th or 200 post, so I'm hoping to celebrate my 300th post with...something; I'm not really sure yet.

A tag from Eldarwen!

Sense and Sensibility vs. Pride and Prejudice?
Hmmm...I've read S&S, but I've watched about three versions of P&P. I'd have to say P&P.

Elinore Dashwood vs. Elizabeth Bennet?

Elizabeth Bennet.

Dashwood vs. Jane Bennet?

Jane Bennet

The Lord of the Rings vs. Narnia?
Lord of the Rings. I like the Narnia books, and the first Narnia movie was...okay (the second was horrible)

Aragorn vs Peter?

Aragorn!

Susan vs Arwen?

And what kind of a question is that? Hmm..I think I would have to say...ARWEN!

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers vs The Sound of Music?

The Sound of Music

Enchanted vs Narnia?
I have never watched Enchanted, so I will go with Narnia.

Caspian vs Robert?
Prince Caspian (In the BOOKS! NOT in the movie!) Who is Robert, anyway? :)

Giselle vs Lucy?

Lucy.

Pirates of the Caribbean vs The Lord of the Rings?
Can you believe this? I've never watched Pirates of the Caribbean! And Lord of the Rings is way better, anyway :)

Will Turner vs Legolas?

Legolas.

Elizabeth Swann vs Eowyn?

Eowyn. I've never seen Elizabeth Swann in action (although I think I know who she is...vaguely)

North and South vs Pride and Prejudice?

Pride and Prejudice

Mr. Thornton vs Mr. Darcy?

Mr. Darcy

Margaret Hale vs Elizabeth Bennet?

Elizabeth Bennet.

Narnia vs Pirates of the Caribbean?

Narnia.

Jack Sparrow vs Edmund?
Edmund.

Elizabeth Bennet vs Lucy?

Lucy.

Emma vs Persuasion?
I haven't read or seen either, so I can't really choose.

And now I shall tag:

Tinydancer
Ivorydancer
igirl

Just a quick post...

I have to do my school work, and I'm really behind on it, and because Mom, Luthien, and Galdor are picking up Great-Grandma from another state, I got to do the dishes last night, and this morning...*sigh*. Don't you LOVE dishes? They're so...non writing-friendly.

Oh, yeah, and the Redskins FINALLY won a game! Against the Broncos, I believe. All people who cheer for the Nationals (baseball) and the Redskins (American Football) are very loyal fans.

Also, the soccer tournament on Wednesday (I know, late update. Sorry!) was rained out *sniff*. BUT MY TEAM WOULD HAVE WON!! No, actually they wouldn't have. We probably would have been creamed.

So, onto math...*another sigh*.

Izori

Things to keep in mind for NaNoWriMo

1. It's quantity that counts here, not quality. When you're trying to get 50,000 into your computer in 30 days, I do not want to be fretting about an awkward sentence or a choppy paragraph. Writing perfectly in first drafts never happens, so why try?

2. Don't stare at the computer screen too long. It causes writers block. When your eyes start feeling tired, and you feel like you've been on the computer all day, take a break. Have a snack or something, but what really works well is exercise, especially outdoors.

3. Don't get distracted. I like listening to music when I write, but if it's music that has words, I pay more attention to the song then to what I'm writing. Also, Erestor has a habit of walking into the computer room every five minutes and asking how far I've gotten. It's great that he's concerned about what I'm writing, but he's also distracting me. That's why I have to (gently!!!) ask him to please go away, because he's not helping my word count grow any.

4. Get ahead, or at least caught up on, schoolwork before NaNo begins. Trying to do schoolwork and finding time to write is very hard, especially when you have three other siblings and a real life.

5. Don't get discouraged if you completely miss a day and are therefore many thousand words behind everyone else! Just keep on plugging at it!

Tagged by Elrania!

First off, I noticed a leap in my followers! 35 and counting! Thank you so much, every one of you--with just one of you missing, I wouldn't have this number!!!!!

And then a REALLY awesome looking tag from Elrania!

The rules are...

First, list twelve characters from any fandom, then answer the questions below

And here I go...

1. Haldir

2. Sir Mallick

3. Sauraman (I think that's how you spell it)

4. Aragorn

5. Elinor Dashwood

6. Ehra (from my own book)

7. Galadriel

8. Arwen

9. Eowyn

10. Gimli

11. Legolas

12. Jadis, the White Witch

1. Who would make a better collage prof, 6 or 11? (Ehra or Legolas)
Oh man, I don't know! I think Ehra.

2. Do you think #2 is hot?

Sir Mallick? Um...I don't think of people as hot...but he's funny!

3. 12 sends 8 out on a mission. What is it? Does it succeed?

The White Witch sending Arwen out on a mission? Oh dear. It's to find a really nice piece of jewelry, and because Arwen has good taste, the mission succeeds.

4. What is or what would be 9's favorite book?

Aragorn...'How to Swordfight and Look Cool While You're at It'

5. Would it make more sense for 2 to swear fealty to 6, or the other way around?

Aargh! I don't know. Sir Mallick is a knight, but Ehra's a lady.

6. For some reason, 5 is looking for a roommate. Should (s)he room with 9 or 10?

If Elinor Dashwood is looking for a roommate, she would probably choose Eowyn over Gimli. Just a feeling, but I think I'm right.

7. 2, 7 and 12 are going out to dinner. Where do they go and what do they discuss?

Hmmm...Sir Mallick, Galadriel, and the White Witch go to Don Pablos, and Galadriel and the White Witch get into an argument. Sir Mallick looks helplessly on and feebly attempts to put a stop to it.

8. 3 challenges 10 to a duel, who wins?

If Sauraman duels Gimli...GIMLI WOULD SOOOOOOOOOO WIN!!!! DON'T YOU DARE SUGGEST OTHERWISE *glares at Erestor, who is looking over my shoulder and 'suggesting otherwise'*

9. If 1 stole 8's most precious possession, how would (s)he get it back?

First off, Haldir would NEVER steal Arwen's most precious possesion. And if he did, Aragorn would get it back for her.

10. Suggest a story title in which 7 and 12 both attain what they desire.

Galadriel and The White Witch...'In White'

11. What kind of plot device would you have to use if you wanted 1 and 4 to work together?

Haldir and Aragorn work pretty well together already.

12. If 7 visited you for the weekend, how would it go?
If Galadriel visited me, I would be VERY HAPPY!!!

13. If you could command 3 to perform any service or task for you, what would it be?

I would command Sauraman to become good.

14. Does anyone on your friends list write or draw 11?

Draw Legolas? I don't know.

15. If 2 had to choose sides between 4 and 5, what side would (s)he choose?

Haldir would probably choose Aragorn's side, rather than Elinor Dashwood's.

16. What might 10 shout out while charging into battle?

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?!! (Gimli)

17. If you had to choose a song to best describe 8, what would it be?

To describe Arwen...Evenstar.

18. 1, 6 and 12 are having a dim sum at a Chinese Restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left, and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets it?

Haldir would beat Ehra and the White Witch.

19. What might be a good pick up line for 2 to use on 10?

I honestly don't know.

20. What would 5 most likely be arrested for?

Elinor Dashwood?! She wouldn't be arrested for anything.

21. What is 6's secret?

Ehra's secret is deep and dark...she likes brownies *gasps of horror*. They don't exist in Sarea, so that's why she keeps it a secret (I mean brownies as in the dessert, not the mythical creature) . Even from me, until now...

22. If 11 and 9 were racing to a destination, who would get there first?

Legolas would CREAM Eowyn! (Not that I'm anti-Eowyn, it's just that Legolas is an elf)

23. If you had to walk home through a bad neighborhood late at night, who would you feel more comfortable walking with, 7 or 8?

Galadriel or Arwen? Probably Arwen.

24. 1 (Haldir) and 9 (Eowyn) reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4's (Aragorn's) sinister secret organization. 11 (Legolas) volunteers to help them,

but it is later discovered that s/he is actually a spy for 4 (Aragorn). Meanwhile, 4 (Aragorn) has kidnapped 12 (The White Witch) in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise
advice of 5 (Elinor Dashwood), they seek out 3 (Sauraman) , who gives them what they need to complete their quest. What title would you give this fic?

...?...Um...'Mixed Up'. LOL.

And now I tag...

Whoever has not done this before! A lot of people have done this already.

Eldarwen Failariel gave me an awesome award/tag!

Rules:

1. Do a post about the person who awarded you, and their blog.

2. Give the award to 5 (just 5?!?!?!) of your favorite blogs, give a reason, and leave a comment telling them they have been awarded.

3. Answer the 10 random questions.

4. Have Fun!

Okay, Eldarwen Failariel, I can see why you got tagged/awarded this first! Your blog is funny, cheerful, and I look forward to every post you make! You are a wonderful follower, too, and a sister in Christ! I definately would award you the 'Favorite Blog Award'...but you already got it.

1. Earwen, I award you because you have a simply amazing blog! Your posts are either funny, inspiring, or convicting in a very good way. You are also prodding me on in writing, whether you realize it or not (good grief, has Earwen really finished her next book! I'd better get writing if I ever want to catch up! :)

2. Ivorydancer, I awarded you because you are a really neat person with a really neat blog(your header for your blog is very beautiful! I like colorful things)! I enjoy visiting it, and I hope you have it for a loooooooong time!!!!

3. Enna-Rin I awarded you because of your simply wonderful blog...and because you're the one that got me blogging in the first place! You've been an awesome friend since we were three years old, and it 'happens to turn out' that we both grew up to love writing! Isn't that cool?!


4. igirl, I have awarded you because your blog is really awesome! And also because you're a great writing friend! I'm enjoying your blog already, and I'm looking forward to seeing it grow! Keep it up!

5. Last, but not least, I award Princess Catherine Whiterose! You focus on modestly and living a virtuous, pure live as a Christian young lady, and your posts are uplifting and inspiring! You may share the blog with other princesses (including myself) but you have done the majority of the posts, and have kept the blog going! Great job, Princess Catherine!

Now here are the weird questions...

1. Have you ever ridden an elephant?
No.

2. Have you ever eaten squid?
No, but I heard it tastes really good!

3. What is something crazy you have done with your best friend?
Oh, I'm known as being crazy! One time, my friend and I offered a bouquet of wild bluebells to a mother goose, congratulating her for seven beautiful goslings. No, we didn't walk up to her and do it, we just set them a good distance from the nest. She would actually let us get up close. And then once Enna-Rin and I dressed up in really strange clothes and otherwise 'disguised' ourselves, and then pretended to be door saleswomen to try and sell books to our brothers. It didn't work. There are plenty of other crazy things I've done.

4. Have you ever held an alligator?
No. I've actually seen one in the wild, though.

5. Have you ever let a snake slither through your fingers?
Oh, yes. We have tons of snakes in our woods (I only pick up the grass snakes, I leave the copperheads alone!). I've also touched python. It was in our library. I'll leave you guys to figure out how a python got into our library :)

6. What is your first and foremost dream in life?
To serve God, and to be a good wife and mother. Second, to be an author.

7. What is your dream vacation?
Ummm...Scotland.

8. What is the funniest movie you have ever seen?
I don't know. I watch a lot of funny movies. Cars was pretty funny, and so is Snow White, and so is Ratatoille, and so is...etc.

9. What is your favorite song?
I don't know. Maybe Khazad-Dum, by Howard Shore.

10. If you could change the world in one way, what would you do?
Bringing Jesus back into society.

And now I need to do my schoolwork!