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'*
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
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
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
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
Thursday, December 3, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
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
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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
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
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