I wish I had more time for this post, but I really don't, and so I'll have to make due. I'm about to leave for the weekend and experience Covenant College's Campus Preview Weekend. This will be my first time every being at Covenant (or in Georgia, for that matter). I'm pretty excited.
In other news, I wrote a bunch of poems, worked on my Solomon Wise idea, drew said character in manga style, chatted with Danielle about where Avaria goes from here, watched Paths of Glory, got super-cool sandals, started reading Frankenstein for Brit Lit class, and have been sneezing my head off because of allergy season. It's been fun [except the sneezing part].
Anyway--keep me in your prayers, and I apologize for the lack of anything mildly interesting on my blog. It's going to change someday, I promise =3
Oh, and if anyone's willing to babysit my characters while I'm gone, that'd be awesome. Right now they're kind of making war on my brain because they know I have a few days free to write. Joy.
~Elisabeth
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Marching Forth with Beautiful People
Yikes. Long time no post. Sorry about that. Anyway. Not much going on... School is eating me alive [but that's normal].
To keep my blog alive and busy, here's Beautiful People-The March edition. This one was particularly fascinating, because it deals with more than one character at the same time, and because it involves relationships (and not just romantic relationships). Who doesn't find relationships fascinating?
Anywho...
I answered the questions using Sol and Lillee from my newest idea The Thirteen Tales of Solomon Wise. The title has nothing to do with the plot, so that's a problem. Actually, the book's more about time travel. It's an interesting study for me, because I generally don't go near any more sci-fi fantasy stuff like that. But the story is really engaging me, and I hope you find Sol and Lillee engaging, too :3
1. Do they believe in anything that most people think is impossible?
Time travel, for one, because Sol is a time traveller and Lillee is learning more about her deceased father's hand in the time travelling world every day. At first she was skeptical, but the chaotic events which occur when Sol comes to town imply that something bigger is going on.
2. Are they strong, or the "damsel/knight in distress" sort?
Lillee is tough; she dislikes being seen as helpless or in need of assistance. However, deep inside, the idea of being swept off her feet by a knight out of one of her many books fascinates her. Sol, though he suffers from some memory loss at the beginning of the story, is very committed to protecting Lillee and anyone else who is in danger due to his presence.
3. Do they have a special place? (e.g. a corner in his/her bedroom, under a tree...)
Lillee lives in her books. She is well-versed in many genres and knows most of her favorites by heart. She often concerns the townsfolk by walking down streets or in front of cars with a book held up in front of her face. Sol, since he is a stranger in the town and the time, feels out of place and is almost never comfortable unless he is completely alone.
4. What occupation do they have, or plan on having?
Sol is a time traveller. I haven't exactly figured out what he does, or why, or how, or anything. But that is his occupation, and he is an expert in his field. However, a bad accident landed him in 1919 from an unspecified future time and robbed him of a substantial part of his memory. There is probably a lot of corruption and conspiracy going on back at Time Travel Headquarters, and I'm still trying to figure out if there's someone higher up who is out to get Sol because of something he knows, or because of something he is trying to learn.
Lillee, though she's only 17, has made herself quite the scholar. She haunts the library and has more than once mentioned her desire to work there. She is also an artist, though she does not devote half as much time to painting as she does to reading.
5. Describe their current place of residence.
Sol stays at a boarding house while he's in Indiana. He rooms alone, but he has trouble paying for his room and has been threatened with eviction by the home's usually gracious matron.
Lillee lives with her estranged mother in a classic home on the edge of town. Her father bought the house for its character; it is a large house, furnished with ornate carpets and sofas from around the world. Professor Dae (her father) was known as "modestly wealthy" by the townsfolk, and left a substantial amount of money to help pay for the upkeep of the home. Most of the rooms stand empty, though, as Widow Dae refuses to change anything from the way her husband left the house.
6. Explain their last crisis. How had they changed when they came out of it?
Sol reminds Lillee of her father, whom she dearly loved. She wants to invest everything in him, help him in any way she can--after all, this is the first time she's really lived every since her father died and she buried herself in books. Sol, however, knows that not only will he need to leave 1919 before he overstays his welcome but also that there are certain persons searching for him who want to make sure he never leaves. Unwilling to put Lillee in danger and unsure of his own past, Sol rejects her help almost as forcefully as she offers it. Both are high-strung and offended after the fact, but the dire situations they encounter along the way force them to come up with a new strategy.
7. If they could drive any kind of car they wanted, what would it be?
I see Sol in a classic car, probably German and with a nice loud engine. Lillee would probably go for a brightly-colored buggy.
8. How do they deal with change?
Lillee recoils from it, ignores it, overlooks it, as though it never happened. Sol fights it, always unsure as to where another change might land him.
9. If they had to amputate one body part, which one would they choose?
Sol would cut off his hand, as he uses his feet quite often for running and getting from place to another.
Lillee, on the other hand [no pun intended] would rather amputate her leg than lose one of her delicate, overworked hands--and her ability to turn pages quickly and wield a paintbrush.
10. What would their favorite be at the local coffee shop?
Lillee would go for something tall and cold, like an iced coffee. Sol, though it surprises most people, is more of a hot cocoa guy.
Bonus Quezzies!
1. How did they meet?
Sol landed himself in 1919 Indiana after a massive accident. He is disoriented when he meets Lillee; he is looking for her father, Professor Dae, who was a distinguished time traveller before he died in the Great War. Since Dae was the only person who could have helped him, Lillee takes it upon herself to find a way to get Sol back to his own time.
2. How do these two deal with conflict?
Mostly by sulking or screaming it out--it depends on how hot the conflict is. Lillee will rarely dissolve into tears, but when she does, it's a veritable flood. Sol is more likely to stalk off and frown at the wall--or punch it.
3. Do they have a special song, phrase, item, or place?
Lillee often quotes her father. Sol whistles a lot when he's working.
4. What kind of things do they like to do together?
Although the two don't have much free time together, they both enjoy reading and do so to a great extent. One of the thing that endears Sol to Lillee is that he has read Paradise Lost and knows parts of it by heart. Paradise Lost was Professor Dae's favorite story and he read it Lillee when she was only three or four years old.
5. Describe their relationship as a whole in 3 words or less.
Confusing. Multifaceted. Endearing.
That's all for now! Enjoying the spring weather,
~Elisabeth
To keep my blog alive and busy, here's Beautiful People-The March edition. This one was particularly fascinating, because it deals with more than one character at the same time, and because it involves relationships (and not just romantic relationships). Who doesn't find relationships fascinating?
Anywho...
I answered the questions using Sol and Lillee from my newest idea The Thirteen Tales of Solomon Wise. The title has nothing to do with the plot, so that's a problem. Actually, the book's more about time travel. It's an interesting study for me, because I generally don't go near any more sci-fi fantasy stuff like that. But the story is really engaging me, and I hope you find Sol and Lillee engaging, too :3
1. Do they believe in anything that most people think is impossible?
Time travel, for one, because Sol is a time traveller and Lillee is learning more about her deceased father's hand in the time travelling world every day. At first she was skeptical, but the chaotic events which occur when Sol comes to town imply that something bigger is going on.
2. Are they strong, or the "damsel/knight in distress" sort?
Lillee is tough; she dislikes being seen as helpless or in need of assistance. However, deep inside, the idea of being swept off her feet by a knight out of one of her many books fascinates her. Sol, though he suffers from some memory loss at the beginning of the story, is very committed to protecting Lillee and anyone else who is in danger due to his presence.
3. Do they have a special place? (e.g. a corner in his/her bedroom, under a tree...)
Lillee lives in her books. She is well-versed in many genres and knows most of her favorites by heart. She often concerns the townsfolk by walking down streets or in front of cars with a book held up in front of her face. Sol, since he is a stranger in the town and the time, feels out of place and is almost never comfortable unless he is completely alone.
4. What occupation do they have, or plan on having?
Sol is a time traveller. I haven't exactly figured out what he does, or why, or how, or anything. But that is his occupation, and he is an expert in his field. However, a bad accident landed him in 1919 from an unspecified future time and robbed him of a substantial part of his memory. There is probably a lot of corruption and conspiracy going on back at Time Travel Headquarters, and I'm still trying to figure out if there's someone higher up who is out to get Sol because of something he knows, or because of something he is trying to learn.
Lillee, though she's only 17, has made herself quite the scholar. She haunts the library and has more than once mentioned her desire to work there. She is also an artist, though she does not devote half as much time to painting as she does to reading.
5. Describe their current place of residence.
Sol stays at a boarding house while he's in Indiana. He rooms alone, but he has trouble paying for his room and has been threatened with eviction by the home's usually gracious matron.
Lillee lives with her estranged mother in a classic home on the edge of town. Her father bought the house for its character; it is a large house, furnished with ornate carpets and sofas from around the world. Professor Dae (her father) was known as "modestly wealthy" by the townsfolk, and left a substantial amount of money to help pay for the upkeep of the home. Most of the rooms stand empty, though, as Widow Dae refuses to change anything from the way her husband left the house.
6. Explain their last crisis. How had they changed when they came out of it?
Sol reminds Lillee of her father, whom she dearly loved. She wants to invest everything in him, help him in any way she can--after all, this is the first time she's really lived every since her father died and she buried herself in books. Sol, however, knows that not only will he need to leave 1919 before he overstays his welcome but also that there are certain persons searching for him who want to make sure he never leaves. Unwilling to put Lillee in danger and unsure of his own past, Sol rejects her help almost as forcefully as she offers it. Both are high-strung and offended after the fact, but the dire situations they encounter along the way force them to come up with a new strategy.
7. If they could drive any kind of car they wanted, what would it be?
I see Sol in a classic car, probably German and with a nice loud engine. Lillee would probably go for a brightly-colored buggy.
8. How do they deal with change?
Lillee recoils from it, ignores it, overlooks it, as though it never happened. Sol fights it, always unsure as to where another change might land him.
9. If they had to amputate one body part, which one would they choose?
Sol would cut off his hand, as he uses his feet quite often for running and getting from place to another.
Lillee, on the other hand [no pun intended] would rather amputate her leg than lose one of her delicate, overworked hands--and her ability to turn pages quickly and wield a paintbrush.
10. What would their favorite be at the local coffee shop?
Lillee would go for something tall and cold, like an iced coffee. Sol, though it surprises most people, is more of a hot cocoa guy.
Bonus Quezzies!
1. How did they meet?
Sol landed himself in 1919 Indiana after a massive accident. He is disoriented when he meets Lillee; he is looking for her father, Professor Dae, who was a distinguished time traveller before he died in the Great War. Since Dae was the only person who could have helped him, Lillee takes it upon herself to find a way to get Sol back to his own time.
2. How do these two deal with conflict?
Mostly by sulking or screaming it out--it depends on how hot the conflict is. Lillee will rarely dissolve into tears, but when she does, it's a veritable flood. Sol is more likely to stalk off and frown at the wall--or punch it.
3. Do they have a special song, phrase, item, or place?
Lillee often quotes her father. Sol whistles a lot when he's working.
4. What kind of things do they like to do together?
Although the two don't have much free time together, they both enjoy reading and do so to a great extent. One of the thing that endears Sol to Lillee is that he has read Paradise Lost and knows parts of it by heart. Paradise Lost was Professor Dae's favorite story and he read it Lillee when she was only three or four years old.
5. Describe their relationship as a whole in 3 words or less.
Confusing. Multifaceted. Endearing.
That's all for now! Enjoying the spring weather,
~Elisabeth
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
And there it was.
 |
| {via} |
You know how people always ask you "that question" on your birthday? You know the one. "How do you feel now that you're *insert any number from 3-25*?" I've always been mildly annoyed by those questions. It doesn't feel any different. It's just another day in the life. Turning 17 isn't what makes you feel 17; all the awesome and not-so-awesome things you experience when you're 17 are what make you feel a year older. And by the time you feel that way, you're 18, and the cycle starts over again.
I got asked a similar question recently. I was sitting there, holding it in my hands, staring down at page 32 with a slightly dazed expression on my face and a pure cloud of golden joy fogging up my vision. "So," my dad asked. "How does it feel to be published?"
The answer?
Not that much different. It feels great, don't get me wrong. I don't think I'll ever forget the feeling I felt when I tore away that envelope and saw the magazine hiding inside, or the feeling I felt when I saw my story printed on a crisp white page, one of those shiny expensive magazine pages and not the flimsy computer paper pages my stories have lived on for so long. I couldn't stop smiling. But I didn't feel all that different. I have a theory. Getting published the kind of experience that totally exhausts you and makes you terribly happy and is often followed by a burst of applause from friends and family. Then when it's all over, you sit back, read your story a few times, and tap your fingers on the table.
That was fun, you think. Now let's do it again.
And I'm already planning to.
Ps. Getting published could also be just like doing a gigantic face-smash into a delicious chocolate cake. I haven't quite decided yet.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
February Favorite: Scrivener
Hi guys! I just wanted to share with you a cool little writing tool I found via the interwebz this past week. It's called Scrivener.
When it comes to writing, I'm a very organized person [Unfortunately, my organizational skills don't extend into the real world, much to my mother's chagrin]. I love to have little folders on my laptop for each book, then subfolders for each character, then sub-sub-folders for every quirk my character has. In short, I love to organize my ideas, my characters, their personalities, their favorite foods, places they've been... I'm a veritable maniac when it comes to character analysis.
That said, I use Microsoft Word for my books. It's great--it has all the tools I need to get a story down on paper. The problem comes when I'm trying to file away characters, scenes, information about my worlds, etc. I can never find the folder I need, the character I'm seeking, the specific picture of a tree I've stashed away. And just as a note: NEVER put all your characters into one Word document. The results aren't pretty.
I've often wanted a better way to keep my characters filed, but I didn't know that way actually existed until I found Scrivener.
Scrivener is a computer program specifically for writers; it's geared towards better organizing your stories, your characters, even your scenes, places and creatures. The opportunities are endless... once you get the hang of the program. But that doesn't take long. After you've explored, it's time to stash. Scrivener has a unique corkboard background, on which you can place an infinite number of virtual 3 x 5 cards. Each card serves as a snippet of the massive document it represents--you can make long character pages without taking up pages and pages of space in a Word Document, and when you're done, all you see on the main page is a little card with your character's name. Same for cards representing scenes, places, interesting facts, etc. It's COOL. I'm having so much fun.
Now, you might be wondering why I'm telling you this. You guessed right if you thought Scrivener is expensive--it costs $40. I'm still debating on whether or not to buy it.
I'll let you wonder how I can have it without buying it for a moment :3
Okay, ready? This program is availible for a free, non-consecutive 30 day trial. It's super easy to download, and if you decide you don't want to make the investment when the 30 days are up, you can export all your information so you don't lose anything. I'm having a blast with those little 3 x 5 cards. I think you will, too.
So go check it out! You can find more information about the program and the opportunity to start your own 30 day trial at:
http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php
I highly recommend this program. Now does anyone have an extra forty bucks I can borrow to have it forever? 8D
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