In Case You're Curious...

During my last post, I actually didn't mention what I've actually been up to in the past three months.

So, in case you're curious, and without further ado, I...

• Got my author photo (Actually, it was a bunch of photos, and I haven't picked one yet. Wanna see one? Wanna? Look right! Honour Hiers took them. She's absolutely awesome.)
  
  
• Replaced all the software on my poor crashed comp. (I actually like the new Microsoft for Mac. I even set up Outlook, because I missed its calendar. Yes, I am a dork.)
  
  
• Started walking again (although less now since it got so freaking cold)
  
  
• I found Sarabeth’s jam at Sur La Table and have used up almost the entire jar. (If you are wondering why this is worth mentioning, you probably haven't ever had Sarabeth's jam. Go get some! Totally worth it!)
  
  
• I knitted and embroidered four Christmas gifts. I would be more specific, or maybe even post pictures as evidence, but some of my family members read this blog. - I don't want to spoil the surprise.
  
  
• Watched ALL of Avatar: The Last Airbender (so CUTE! I know everyone says this, but the series is much much better than the movie. Even if you've seen the movie, don't give up on the cartoon without watching a few episodes. )
  
  
• Reread EAS#1 and made a TON of revision notes
  
  
• Wrote a more detailed synopsis for EAS#2 for Jo (yaaaaaay! I actually don’t mind synopses so much. It’s more the timelines I set for myself.)
  
  
• Was sick – like SICK IN BED and totally out of it – for two weeks straight
  
  
• Sickly, I watched a ridiculous and random amount of films on my laptop, including all of the Harry Potter movies (I, uh, bought the box set at Target *whistles awkwardly in her fandom*) and Anne of Green Gables (Does anyone else remember this one? I loved it so much as a kid. It's the only time I ever had a crush on a dude named Gilbert.)
  
  
  
• Wrote and rewrote the beginning of EAS#2 at least six times. Sigh. Still not totally happy with it.
  
  
• Filed ALL of my receipts from the past 18 months (I think I also caught some sort of organizing bug right after my flu phase.)
  
  
• We did Thanksgiving, and I ate a ton of Turkey and took a four hour nap.
  
  
• Saw Harry Potter 7: Part I with Angela over Thanksgiving (OMG!! Did they really have to end it there????)
  
  
• Reread HP7 (Yes, after the movie. The order is important. I enjoy the movies so much more if I don’t read the book beforehand.)
  
  
• Actually, I only read 18 books.
  
  
• But I finally finished the FABLEHAVEN series, and OMG, they just kept getting more and more awesome.
  
  
• Visited my sister in Charleston for her birthday. (Actually, this was my first trip driving on the highway by MYSELF – at least outside of Montana.)
  
  
• Snuck in a half-hour trip to the beach on the way back from Charleston, where I had lots of epic EAS#2 thoughts.
  
  
• Did the dreaded Christmas shopping. (I even braved the mall...)
  
  
• Went to my high school and told my advisor (ie. homeroom teacher) that I’m gonna be published. *grins* He was excited. (And now you know what I looked like the day I graduated from high school....about the same, actually. I wonder if Waps minds that I put his picture on this blog. Hmmmm. I will have to ask him when I see him in January.)
  
  
• Wrote some Christmas cards. (Before Christmas even!)
  
  
• Sent some Christmas packages with the cards. (Also before Christmas! I'm totally on a roll this year.)
  
  
• Helped my mom and dad put on a company party for 30+ people (Except for the meat plates, Mom and I made all the food. I swear, my arms are STILL sore from mashing those potatoes. In fact, we may still have some of those mashed potatoes.)
  
  
• Relocated to Montana for Christmas and New Year's, which is where I am now. I am aiming to write as much as possible (Hmmmmmm. So far it's working pretty well, I'd say) AND to reach my goal of reading 100 books this year (two more to go!).
  

Still Alive for the Friday Five...

I've never done a Friday Five post, but I was in the mood today (ie. feeling very random). So, here we go...

1. Storm. I don't know if anyone caught my tweet yesterday, but I had a harrowing drive back from town yesterday. For serious. It was epic. I actually wasn't sure if I would make it.
   
   The storm came up fast. When I entered the grocery store, it was sixty degrees and sunny. It started to snow just as I stepped back outside. As soon as I turned the ignition, the wind gusts were so strong that they shook the car. By the time I got on the highway, it snowed and blew so hard that you could see only 200 meters or less.
   
   Basically, a white-knuckled drive.
   
   Luckily, though, I outran/drove the storm. It was warmer and only sprinkling in the mountains. I thought I was safe.
   
   Unfortunately, the storm caught back up with me when I turned up the mountain I live on. It actually got a little scarier, because for one thing, there's the drop on the side of the highway...which I actually couldn't see since it was so high up that I was driving IN the clouds. Visibility was down to 50 meters, and the traffic crawled at thirty mph. The snow melted on the windshield and froze again, which didn't help me see any better. Once the car started to skid, but I corrected it.
   
   
   Actual visibility through windshield right before I turned into my neighborhood.
   Q: Can you find the oncoming traffic?
   (And why don't they have their lights on??)
   
   
   So, I totally made it back alive. Then I sat down (shaking a little, actually) and freewrote all my feelings/sensations so that I could use it in my manuscript. I even had a scene in mind, where my main character fights off seven dragons and then gets chased by a Giant. :-P
   
   
2. How to Train Your Dragon. I loved this movie! LOVED it! It totally got me in the mood for a pet dragon of my own. (Sadly, that won't work for obvious reasons.) Then it got me in the mood to make sure my main character got to ride dragons. (Unfortunately, that won't work either - my main character has a pretty intense fear of heights, and she also engages in that aforementioned dragon-slaying.) Hmm. Will just have to settle for loving the movie, and possibly, purchasing it when it comes out.
   
   
3. Shopping. I actually went to town for supplies, ie. groceries and one book. I came back with seven books (gasp! I know, but the used bookstore I visited actually had a bunch of books I wanted.). And also, gigantic binder clips.
   
   
   I've been pining after them for a long, long time. When I was an editorial assistant, we literally had hundreds of them floating around the office. They're the only clip big enough to hold a whole manuscript together. I didn't think I would miss them, but recently, I've been swimming in so many loose papers (ie. manuscripts and drafts of said manuscripts) that I went and bought some of my very own. It is indicative of my nerdiness how happy they make me. Yay!
   
   
4. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, ie. one of the seven books I bought yesterday. I found it in the bargain section of B&N, and while flipping through, I found this entry:
   

   DOBIE/DOBBY
   
   A British house fairy, known mostly in the north of England, and as others of its kind, it likes to help human beings. They particularly like to join in with the kind of tasks undertaken by labourers, and are sometimes given the job of guarding treasure. However, the Dobie is not known for its wisdom, and often makes ridiculous mistakes or is easily confused. In parts of West Yorkshire, the name Dobby is applied to an evil fairy who leaps on the backs of unsuspecting travelers on horseback and garrottes them. Today, the Dobie is best known for its appearance in the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, where it generally assumes the role of a helpful but not very bright companion to the young wizard. (136)

   I had no idea Dobby (the house-elf who first appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) was based on legend. Obviously, I had to buy the book - to find out more awesome tidbits that prove how amazing J.K. Rowling is. And also, possibly, to expand my own knowledge of magical creatures. (I knew soooo many when I was in elementary school - from reading similar encyclopedias. I'm not sure what happened.)
   
   
5. Merlin (BBC). How have I not heard about this show until now? (Possibly, because I've been on a mountain cabin without cable for months now.) I just randomly discovered the whole first season on Hulu earlier this week.
   
   It's a BBC series where Merlin, Arthur, Morgana, Guinevere, and Lancelot are all about seventeen or so, and Arthur's dad, King Uther, has outlawed magic. So, while working as Arthur's servant, Merlin has to hide his magic, get Arthur out of scrapes, and basically save Arthur's life all the time while other people get the credit.
   
   And yes, it totally throws me off that the actor that plays Rupert Giles (ie. Buffy's Watcher) also plays King Uther.
   
   The banter (and friendship) between Merlin and Arthur is one of my favorite parts, but better than that, the show delves into destiny a lot, ie. knowing that you might be destined to be great someday - but meanwhile, you're still making a lot of mistakes right now. (Actually, it has a lot of similarities to my main character's dilemma.)

Hmmm. I wonder if Friday Fives are usually so long.... Oh, well.

Happy weekend!!

Frog Kissing is probably not as bad as they say.

I finally saw The Princess & The Frog!



I remember when old-school animated films came out every summer. My sister was head over heels for the Lion King, and so, not to be outdone, I went through a Pocahontas phase - at least until Mulan came out. Pixar is fantastic, of course, but I missed 2-D drawings. I've been looking forward to this since my college friends told me about it. (They were excited about two Disney first in this film - an African-American princess and an interracial couple.)

Highlights for me:

1. Tiana's can-do personality - I loved that she was working two jobs to make her dream happen before her adventure began, and I loved how more often than not, she was leading the charge and Naveen was stumbling to catch up.
   
   
2. Lotty - She was spoiled and hilarious, but she had a good heart. She put her plans on hold without even a hint of temper tantrum to try and help Tiana. That's real friendship there.
   
   
3. Prince Naveen - What can I say? I'm a sucker for the reformed rake. (In fictional character form, I might add.)
   
   
4. The Shadow Creatures - Halfway through the film,when the Shadow Creatures were coming after our hero, my mom said, "If I was a kid, that would scare me!" I haven't been a kid for a while now, but they really freaked me out! If I was younger, I would probably develop a fear of the dark.
   
   
5. Dreams...With Hard Work - Disney has come a long way from "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes." They give Tiana a dream with goals - one that can be accomplished through her own efforts, but Tiana also learned that you have to let your dreams change. You don't exclude the things you've always wanted, but your dream will just get bigger to encompass the things you never knew you needed. In other words, you can have your restaurant and your prince - if you're willing to wait a little longer and work a little harder to get both.
   

This isn't really a criticism exactly, but watching a Disney movie as an adult, I watched them construct the message. I knew exactly what they were aiming for when Tiana's dad came onscreen for the first time. Between that scene and the trailers, I had a pretty good sense of the rest of the plot.

The same thing happens in books. I call it the "stitching" of the novel, where a writer plunks down something - a character, a detail, a plot device - so obviously that you know it'll be important later. It's easiest to see it in young or immature writers (I'm not excluding myself here) - in the stories written while the writer is learning their craft. Later, when a writer has covered the basics, he or she learns how to mask their stitching - either embroidering over it with humor, or taking smaller stitches by using more subtle (and usually more beautiful) language.


J. K. Rowling is a master at masking her stitching. She dazzles you with the richness of her world - or she makes you laugh so hard that you remember the joke, not the detail she revealed. You don't miss the point exactly, but you don't recognize it until she wants you to. For instance, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, how did Harry, Ron, and Hermione figure out who Nicholas Flamel was? (HINT: Harry knew even before he reached Hogwarts.)

***

One more thing: I noticed that E. D. Baker's The Frog Princess has a sticker on it that says, Read the book that inspired the movie The Princess and the Frog, or something similar.

It's a good book in its own right; I read it when it came out. I know that it would be hard for Bloomsbury to resist, but I would be very wary of the outcry against it. The book and the movie differ greatly in plot, setting, characters - well, pretty much everything except the fairy tale they stem from and the fact that the girl protagonist accidentally becomes a frog too. E. D. Baker herself blogs about it here.

But after all is said and done, I'm probably going to purchase The Princess & The Frog DVD. Probably not right away, but eventually. I have this feeling...