We've All Gotta Start Somewhere

 
"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." --Henry van Dyke

Sometimes, just for kicks, I go back and open up a very dusty computer file titled OLDER WORKS. It contains nearly four-hundred (mostly) unfinished stories, some of which I haven't touched since 2004. Some of them have close to fifty pages--a choice few almost reached one-hundred (that would've been a huge accomplishment for me back then). But most are under twenty pages long.

Hell, there's quite a few of them that didn't even reach five pages.

Anyway, when I find myself in need of a confidence boost, I brush the dust off that folder and sit back to read some of my old work. And, let me tell you--it really sucks.

It really, REALLY sucks.

One that I opened recently is a story I wrote--and finished, surprisingly--back in 2005 called FORBIDDEN LOVE. (Lol! There are actually two other documents in that folder with variations on that title--A FORBIDDEN LOVE and FORBIDDEN LOVERS. Wow, I was soooo creative back in the sixth grade.)

It was a borderline rip-off of Disney's Aladdin. Basically, this princess is annoyed/upset because her father keeps her locked in the palace. She sneaks out and meets/helps a wounded man who turns out to be a very prolific thief. But he's also a "nice guy," and pretty "funny," so she continues to sneak out to see him. They fall in "love" through a series of wacky hi-jinks, only to find out soon after that the princess's father has already chosen a man for her to marry. So then, she faces the choice of whether to run off with her criminal lover or stay and marry the man her father chose for her. (That's pretty much where it leaves Disneyland, as she actually does stay and marry her betrothed, only to murder him later.)

Now, this is one that almost made it to one-hundred pages, (fell short at ninety) so I was pretty proud of it at the time. Looking back at it now, I almost want to laugh.

It's soooo bad!

And even though it's all around cringe-worthy, it still put a huge smile on my face. Why? Because that was the best I could do six years ago and I know I've done a lot of skill-sharpening since then.

But let me put my money where my mouth is. Despite the extreme embarrassment this is probably going to cause me, I'm going to let you guys see the first paragraph of FORBIDDEN LOVE, then I'll rewrite it. Let's see how it goes, shall we?


Original:

I sat in my room at my window, staring out at my father's kingdom. The marketplace outside the palace walls was alive with the sounds of happy citizens. A sigh passed over my lips--I had never been allowed passed the palace walls. Father was terrified--I suppose--that something would happen to me if I were to leave the palace. I was not certain why he would want to keep me under such guard. He had other children--I was one of three daughters and four sons. Perhaps it was because I was his first-born, or that I looked so much like Mother.

Oh, that's gag-me-with-a-spoon bad. (I can't believe I'm putting this crap on the internet. I must've lost my mind.) Well...time for the rewrite. Alright, guys. Here goes nothing.

Rewrite:

Faint laughter from the marketplace below tickled my eardrums. I clutched the windowsill in my bedchamber and leaned out a bit further, ready to chance a fatal fall, if only to hear another second of the village's merriment. For me, the market was a glorious mystery--something exciting and colorful, yet somehow home to untold dangers all at the same time. Or at least that was what Father would have me believe. I wouldn't know for sure--I'd never been outside the palace walls. Of his seven children, I was the only one kept under lock and key. Perhaps it was because I was his first-born. Perhaps it was my striking resemblance to Mother. Or maybe he believed I couldn't take care of myself. But whatever it was, I couldn't--no, I wouldn't put up with it much longer.

Not my best, but definitely a step or two up from the original, am I right?

I certainly think so :)

I've seen people say things like, "I really wish I could write as well as so-and-so" and "I don't think I'll ever be as good as so-and-so."

Once, on deviantART, I met a kid who'd opened an account to post the stories he'd been writing. Now, he hadn't been writing very long--a couple of months, I guess--but after only a few weeks on dA, he told me how upset he was because his "writing wasn't as good as everyone else." I tried to explain that most of those people had been writing for a long time, and that with some time and practice, he could be just as good. But not a month later, he made a post of his journal and explained that he didn't want to write anymore and deactivated his account soon after that. It's too bad, really. If he hadn't given up, maybe one day he would've been looking back at those stories and smiling, the same way I do with my really early stuff.

What I'm saying with all this is, don't expect instant greatness. I've been at this for almost ten years and I know I've still got a lot more growing and evolving to do as a writer. And certainly don't give up on writing because you're "not as good" as someone else. Just keep practicing and you won't do anything but get better.

Do you ever reread your older works for kicks?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Plans For The Future And Junk

I'm nearly 88k into DARK WATER. I'm close to the end, but not as close as I'd like to be. Meh. I like to overwrite things, so it's probably going to exceed the 100k limit I preached so hard to my boyfriend. ("I'm definitely not going over 100k. Not this time." Yeah...suuuuure. I think I knew that was bogus the moment I said it.) But it's no big dealio. That's what editing is for, after all.

I'd like to finish the first draft some time in July or August and get through the first round of edits before September. 

Y'see--I've got it in my head that I am participating in NaNo this year. I couldn't do it last year because I had too much on my plate. The way things are working out this year, I should have DARK WATER ready to pass around to beta reader (which I still need to find...hmm...) by the time NaNo season rolls around. If I get things done on schedule, I'll even get a couple of months worth of planning/plotting time.

I've already chosen a project.

It's another YA fantasy, tentatively titled CAGED. (Mentioned in THIS POST.) The premise is pretty unique, IMO, so I'm rather excited about that. But what's really got me eager to work on it is the MC. 

It's a guy! 

I know right?! 

I've never worked from a male POV before. Squee! I'm so super excited to give it a try.

Meet the newest addition to my MC lineup, Finch Bettencourt.

 Or...Calum Worthy, technically.

Let's just say Finch is a knight-in-training, questing for the secret his father used to give him and his little sister life.

So yeah--I'm doing NaNo this year. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I think it'll be a good lesson in time management. (Which I totally need. No joke.)

 In other writing related news, I've done a lot of thinking about my query for DARK WATER. (Jumping the gun a little, I know. But it's never too early to start planning!) The one I've got right now is complete crap, but hey--you gotta start somewhere.

I've also been thinking about my OPHELIA rewrites. I've got lots of good ideas simmering, so I shouldn't have much trouble once I get around to it. But that probably won't be until after I've sent off queries for DARK WATER. (So...awhile.)

In non-writing related news, I realized the other day I like my coffee black. Or "black as midnight on a moonless night" as agent Cooper would put it. (That's a Twin Peaks reference.) I dunno...I put too little milk in my coffee by mistake the other day and instead of adding more, decided to just go with it. It was surprisingly good.

That's all for now, folks!

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

And beyond that? What are your plans for next year?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Everyone Screws Up--Even Webster's!

Typos.

They happen to everyone. But for some strange reason, I've met a lot of writers (especially newer writers) who all but hide their head in shame whenever someone points one out in their WIP. And the more typos that person points out, the more embarrassed the writer becomes. Hell--I've seen a few who have gotten downright irate about it (not around the blogosphere, of course).

I know I used to get a little red in the face about my typos.

(Though I've never gotten angry with the person who pointed it out. That's just plain silly.)

But here's a little fun fact for you:

Everyone screws up.

I know. It's hard to believe you're not the only one out there who hits the wrong key. (Or types the wrong word all together.) But it's true. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time.

Even Webster's Dictionary.

That leads me into the story of dord. Dord isn't actually a typo, per se--it's a ghost word.

A ghost word, according to the Wiki definition, "is a word that has been published in a dictionary or similarly authoritative reference work, or has been adopted as genuine as the result of errors in communication, such as misinterpretations or typographical errors."

In 1934, "dord" was listed on page 771 of Webster's New International Dictionary as a noun with a simple, one-word meaning: density. But as it happens, no such word exists. How did it happen?

Well, I did a little snooping...before realizing Snopes.com (that handy little tool) did all the snooping for me. Yay!

Annnyway--you can read the whole story HERE, but this is the short version:

In Webster's first edition, the entries for abbreviations were littered in with the rest of the words. It most likely came off as a giant clusterf*ck, so they changed it in the second edition and gave abbreviations their own section in the back. Buuuut, as with most well-laid plans, something went a little wrong. A card that read "D or d, cont/ density" was prepared to go to the abbreviation pile, but through some error, ended up in the word pile instead. D or d soon became dord, and thus, a nonexistent synonym for density was born.

It took five years for an editor to catch the mistake and have dord eradicated.

So, if you ever find yourself in possession of one of these:

Flip to page 771 and let the warm fuzzies rain down on you. Because you're not the only one who makes mistakes.

Also! Since we're on the subject of typos, I thought I'd direct you to DamnYouAutoCorrect.com, a sometimes vulgar (can't say I didn't warn you), but always hilarious website where people post their best auto correct screw ups.

Double also! I thought I'd share a few of my most ridiculous typos to, hopefully, supply you guys with some lulz.

"I don't want to believe it, but I can't deny the grime sincerity in his voice." --DARK WATER, meant to be "grim."

Vidette can't deny the dirty sincerity. No one can.

"He scrubs at his face with his face." --DARK WATER, meant to be "sleeve."

Just...how? The images that conjures up are priceless.

"Or maybe he's still fuming about me hanging up on him last night and he's here to rip my hare off." --BROKEN, meant to be "head."

Kelvin's just arrived to steal Skye's rabbit, all because she hung up on him. Tisk, tisk--the youth of today.

Do you have any lulz-worthy typos you want to share?

Do your typos/mistakes embarrass you or do you laugh them off?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

"This Is Really Weird."

As a kid, I saw a movie called Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. I don't remember anything about it, except an instant near the middle where I turned to my brother and said, "This is really weird."

Not long after watching it, I mentioned how strange it had been to my parents and found out the movie was a prequel to a short-running 90s TV drama. From what I was told, it spawned quite the cult following with it's two season run (of which my dad is apparently part of).

A few days ago, something jogged my memory and made me bring it up again. Somewhere between Daddy's enthusiastic recounts of how "if you missed a week, you were just screwed" and Mom's constant groaning (she, on the other hand, couldn't stand it), I decided I wanted to watch the show for myself.

Now, I'm about four episodes in (that's a 94 minute run-time for the pilot episode, and 45 minutes for the ones that follow) and, once again, I find myself turning to the person beside me (it's my boyfriend this time) and saying "This is really weird."

Déjà vu, right?

Seriously though...

There's a dream sequence that deals with a dwarf in a red suit who does a little dance and his cousin that looks like the murdered girl, but isn't (maybe?), and they both talk funny, like someone is playing their dialogue backwards. The murdered girl's mom sees flashes of what I can only describe as "ominous possibly psychic stuff." There are multiple subplots that involve a local factory, and some waitress with a wife-beating, drug-dealing, truck driver husband with a blood-stained shirt that may or may not be related to the murder, and pretty much everyone in town having sex with everyone else.

That's not even half of it, either. I could keep going.

It's like only being a few chapters into a book and already having all this stuff thrown in your face, but all you know for sure is some beloved/troubled girl got murdered, the other people in town are about as fecked up as they come, and the FBI agent investigating the case really loves pie and black coffee.

And everything else is just...weird.

I think what was the most jarring was how it came off as a normal murder drama until the very end of the pilot episode with the first ominous possibly psychic vision. Things go back to being semi-normal through episode two, then there's that dream sequence and from there, everything goes completely wacko. It really came out of left field for me. All I could do was sit there with my head cocked and my jaw ever-so-slightly slack.

Here's the thing though--I'm so confused, I'm going to keep watching, just to see if I can figure it out. But if I were reading it instead, I would've set the book down a while ago. (Probably the first time they sprang a possibly psychic vision on me out of nowhere with no explanation.)

I dunno--maybe it's because a book actually requires some brain work, whereas all I have to do is gawk at the TV for the needed information to enter my brain. (Or maybe it's because I can always get a few cheap lulz off the actors' bad 90s melodrama.) Whatever the case, there's only so much random weirdness I can take from a book before I give up on caring about the outcome.

I mean, think about it.

A new book has come out and you're interested in checking it out. Your friend is a few chapters in, so you ask them what it's about. They respond with, "Well...it's a murder mystery, but there's also a love octangle and a mill that might be getting closed and an FBI agent that loves pie who has a dream about a backwards-talking dwarf and a chick who tells him the murderer's identity, but he forgets. Oh, and I think the murder victim's mom might be psychic...I'm not sure yet."

That sounds like a mess, doesn't it?

That's not to say I don't enjoy a good amount of weirdness from the stuff I read--I totally do. It just can't show up halfway through chapter three and yell, "SURPRISE! This is what we're doing from now on!" I'd much rather know up front that I'm in for an odd trip.

Or maybe I'm the only one who finds surprise weirdness way too jarring where books are concerned.

Where do you stand on weirdness--spring it on me or let me know up front?

Have you ever read something that started out normal, but ended up being a barrel of bizarre?

Have you ever seen Twin Peaks?

Did you like it or hate it?

Do you think it would work as a book?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Back From A Video Game Induced Trance

Ugggh. 

Whe...where am I?

How long have I been out?

Oh...oh, wow. It's been a week, hasn't it? *sigh* Well, I guess I finally have to come clean.

Sometimes--not very often, don't worry--I go through a little...transformation. Kinda like a werewolf. Except I turn into a gigantic nerd for days on end.

(Yeeeah, not nearly as cool as a werewolf.)

That's the reason for my recent absence. Between Portal 2 and Sims 3 Generations, I just couldn't control the beast inside me any longer. It infected my mind and...changed me. Bent my spine forward and hunched my shoulders. Drained the color from my face. Hung deep purple bags under my eyes and etched tired lines around their edges.

*shiver*

As always, I eventually managed to drive the sleepless demon of Gaming back into the depths of my mind. But it's always there...lurking in the shadows of my psyche, waiting for the slightest sign of weakness.

Okay, okay--I'm done being melodramatic. But I did just spend a week straight playing the Sims and watching my brother and boyfriend play Portal. (I'm feeling pretty unaccomplished and lazy.)

Rane Anderson of The Lit Express (It's an awesome blog, btw. You should totally follow them if you don't already) posed this question on my last post:

"Do you ever make videos of what you do on SIMS? I'm really curious! I've seen a couple youtube videos...hmm...I guess I don't understand the purpose of the game...like what are you trying to achieve?"

To answer the first question, no, I've never made any videos. I have given some thought to making Sim representations of my characters. (Just realized that would probably be easier than spending hours looking for pictures of suitable celebrities...)

Now, as for the second question...it really got me to thinking--seeing as I just killed A WEEK playing. I don't think there is much of a purpose to the Sims. Or rather, the purpose is whatever you want it to be.

My boyfriend plays to build things. He could care less about creating Sims and watching them move about in their world. All he wants to do is see how many interesting sites he can build.

My brother only wants to see how many hi-jinks he can get his Sims into/how much drama he can create in their lives. He's a wrathful overlord where his Sims are concerned.

And me--I like to watch a story unfold. You create these people, assign them a set of traits and a lifetime aspiration (usually based on the traits you choose, though they did open it up recently so you could choose whatever wish you want), and set them free into their world. They want to go certain places, get certain jobs, learn certain things, and meet certain Sims. Given enough free will, they'll live their lives for themselves, only needing you to help grant their wishes and achieve their goals. I love watching my Sims' families grow and evolve, seeing all the wonderful and tragic things that happen along the way. The one I'm working with now has five generations so far.

On that note, I wanna show you one of the best stories I've seen come out of the Sims 3.

The story of Alice and Kev, created by Robin Burkinshaw.

Here's Robin's intro to the story:

"This is an experiment in playing a homeless family in The Sims 3. I created two Sims, moved them in to a place made to look like an abandoned park, removed all of their remaining money, and then attempted to help them survive without taking any of the game’s unrealistically easy cash routes. It was inspired by the old ‘poverty challenge’ idea from players of The Sims 2, but it turned out to be a lot more interesting with The Sims 3′s new living neighborhood features.

I have attempted to tell my experiences with the minimum of embellishment. Everything I describe in here is something that happened in the game. What’s more, a surprising amount of the interesting things in this story were generated by just letting go and watching the Sims’ free will and personality traits take over."

The Sims doesn't really have a set "purpose." And that's what's really great about it. You can choose to make the game about just about whatever you want. (And with all the neat expansion packs coming out every few months, new possibilities are always popping up.)

Anyhow--this post is getting kind of long and I still have a tagging to attend to. So yeah, click that link and check out Alice and Kev's story. I found it very enjoyable when I came across it back in 2009.

I've been tagged by the amazing Madeline Bartos of Capricious Existence. What fun! :D

Do you think you're hot?

I'M A SEXY BEAST! RAAAWR!

Ahem...what I meant to say is, I have my days when I wake up and grin at the mirror, thinking Hell yeah, who's that tasty mama in the mirror? Oh right, me. (I'm kidding. I'm not really that lame.) And I also have my days where I'm pretty sure I've seen fish with better looks.

Upload a picture or wallpaper you're using at the moment.

Oh lord...*headdesk* I drew this up a while ago for the sole purpose of serving as my desktop image. Enjoy my lameness.

When was the last time you ate chicken meat?

*gigglesnort* What sort of weird question is this?

But it's kinda funny this is being brought up. My mom has an unnatural love of eating chicken. No joke--if she had her way, I'm positive all her meals would have chicken in them. I think I inherited it to some degree. So, to answer your question, really recently. (I can't give an exact date...pork yesterday, chili before that, and from there I'm drawing a blank where dinner is concerned.)

The song(s) you listened to recently?

What were you thinking as you were doing this?

My exact thoughts went a little something like this:

Hmm...should I make more coffee? Hmm...

I wonder if I could fit in another hour of Sims--NO! No. Must finish blog post. Must write.

*Elevator music*

Yeah...I should totally make more coffee. I've only had two cups so far today. A couple more won't hurt.

Am I addicted to caffeine? Naaaah....

*More elevator music*

Where did my other shoe go...?

Yeah. That's the wonder of my mind at work.


Do you have any nicknames? What are they?

I had so many nicknames in middle and high school it isn't even funny. Lots of people called me Mickey Mouse for unknown reasons. Really--I have no idea why they did that. Other people liked to call me "Kristmas" because one of my favorite ensembles involved a green sleeveless shirt and a red undershirt. There were a couple of other plays on my name: KrissKross and Kristibug. In high school, they called me Mary Poppins because I had a seemingly magic purse that carried anything and everything. Oh, and I had a particular friend who called me Vanilla Bear, because Scrubs was "our" show.


Tag 8 blogger friends...

1. Rane Anderson
2. Artemis Grey
3. Colene Murphy
4. Jodi Henry
5. Quinn
6. Teralyn Pilgrim
7. Loralie Hall
8. Kerri Cuevas


Who's listed as No. 1?

My blogosphere BFF! Her blog is amazing and don't even get me started on the awesomeness that is WHO IS SAINT GIOVANNI? (Which you can read on her blog...for FREE! Go. Go now, and read.)


Say something about No. 5.

Hi Quinn! I've missed your fantastic posts since you broke your hand. Hope that's healing nicely, btw. I can't wait to have you back on the blogosphere--it's not quite as fun without your posts!


How did you get to know No. 3?

Through blogger? Lol. I've followed her super-awesome blog for a while. Her Word Verification posts are freaking hilarious :)


How about No. 4?

Pretty much the same. I've followed her blog for a good l'il minute and find her absolutely hilarious. Her sense of humor never fails with me.


Leave a message for No. 6.

Hiya, Teralyn! You write some great posts! And I can't wait for SACRED FIRE to hit the shelves so I can get a copy! :D


Leave a love-dovey message for No. 2.

Uh...I've told you before...I'm not exactly the lovey-dovey type. Ehh...I'll give it a try.

Artemis,

Your posts ROCK MY SOCKS OFF. The situations you describe are priceless! And your flawless descriptions really bring your hi-jinks to life. My newsfeed would be a very dull place without your posts. Don't stop being awesome!


Do No. 7 and No. 8 have any similarities?

They're both too awesome for words, not to mention fantastic writers. 'Nuff said.

Whoo...my apologies for this super-long post, everyone. It's great to be back! I promise I won't go on any more week-long trance-outs any time soon!

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

**Also, I just want to let everyone know, blogger is being an unbelievable pain in the ass. It won't let me log into my Google account to comment. So...yeah...I'll try to work around it somehow, but please bear with me until they DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!

Please Stand By

I'll be returning to the blogoshpere soon to update regularly and make my rounds. I do apologize for not being around :(

I've finally got Sims 3 Generations and I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN WITH IT!

And my brother, Ronnie, picked up a copy of Portal 2 yesterday. I've been watching him and Travis play. I really enjoyed watching original Portal, and this one is double-fun! (I told you I don't play many newer games. I'll watch though.) GLaDOS is even funnier this time around. And seeing Ronnie and Travis play at the same time is just hilarious. I nearly busted a lung laughing at them. (Because Ronnie never takes his Troll Face off. He's such a little meanie, and GLaDOS does a great job backing him up.)

I do hate to use video games as an excuse for slacking off...that seems so lame of me.

I'm really sorry guys :\

I'll go on a commenting spree as soon as I get a chance and stop by everyone's blog. Pinky promise! 

Love you guys!

HAPPY GAMING, LOVELIES!