Elisabeth with an "S"

 It doesn't sound quite the same, but it's true. Elisabeth with an "S" is a much more interesting way to spell the name ^_^ Biased? Nooooo, not I.

Well, this is getting to be a trend, I think. First Little Women ate up gobs of my time while thoroughly delighting me; now Anne Shirley has captured my attention. That's right--I finally made good on my promise to read the books. And now that I've finished the first one, I don't know how I can bear to read the second one. I just know the characters are going to change.

Anne of Green Gables has an intriguing premise. As the sister of two former foster boys, Anne's plight captured my heart. Just thinking about arriving at what you assumed to be your forever home and then be faced with the prospect of being turned away is heartbreaking. And L.M. Montgomery writes with such maturity that she actually makes Anne's plight become real. The result is breathtaking.

Besides the characters, who deserve a blog post all to themselves on account of their incredible awesomeness; and besides the storyline, which is as simple as can be and yet held me captive for about four hours straight; and besides the fact that this book is set in a real place that you can actually visit (you can certainly tell that Montgomery was a Canadian--she describes every detail in Avonlea to perfection!), I loved the fact that after 100 years (YES! 100 years!) Anne's story is still as believable as ever. The writing is not over-wordy and doesn't use terms foreign to a 21st century teenager (namely, me).

If you've read Anne of Green Gables, I hope you share in my joy. If you haven't, I hope you pick it up and read it sometime. Even if you don't particularly like it, it's a great story and Montgomery was quite accomplished in her craft. I found it almost too easy to read Anne of Green Gables in under four hours, and I definitely plan to read it again in the future. The sequels? I'm not too eager to read them yet. I still have a perfect picture of Anne's life after Green Gables in my mind, and I don't really want her to grow up just yet :]


Besides my latest literary raptures, I've written a bit in the past couple days. College website surfing and college applications have been eating up my time and my insanity. It's hard to believe that I could be in COLLEGE this time next year o_o Scary is a better word, actually.
I wrote a poem, and a muse, and some random outbursts of frustration at my inability to express my joy at being able to write again. None of them passed the "blogworthy" test, however, and thus I have nothing to show to you. Lord-willing, I will. Soon. VERY SOON.

Alas, it's time to say goodbye. Take a look at my new siggie as you leave. I made it HERE. You should all grab one, too!

God Bless!

(GRAHH. It has a white background DX Oh, well. Another thing to tinker with ;D)

Pumpkins, Hemingway and Questions

What can all these things have in common, you ask?

Nothing much. They just happen to be the things which have consumed my brain over the last few days.
First up: pumpkins. I love pumpkins. They're round and huge and orange and such fun to paint. We don't celebrate Halloween (in fact, we take great cares to be out of the house and enjoying a meal at the nearest Cracker Barrel when the Trick-or-Treaters start coming around). But we buy pumpkins every year for our front steps, and this year my siblings and I decided to have a pumpkin-carving party. In the dark. With sharp knives. And an eerie pumpkin-candle glow.
I had so much fun.
First, I tried to pose as the headless horsewoman, but my pumpkin was pretty heavy, and I could only hold it up for so long (thus the fuzzy picture up top there). Gutting the pumpkin was the hardest part--it was sticky and slippery and gross inside, but the seeds made excellent missiles. In total, I carved three pumpkins--mine, my youngest brother Jude's, and my brother Issac's, who succeeded in slicing his finger before he'd carved out his pumpkin's leering mouth (don't worry, he's fine. But he did convince my dad that he needed bedrest and extra ice cream that evening).

When we were finished, we took a little candle and lit up our pumpkins. The result was pretty cool. That's my pumpkin--with the huge, hollow eyes and only one tooth. Our back porch is covered with seeds that stick to your feet, but it was a fun night. Maybe we can do it again next year.

I recently started reading For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. My mom's book club read it, and she gave it to me. I have seen the old Gary Cooper movie, and the story intruiged me, so I started to read it. It's funny how different literature was written sixty years ago. The writing is immaculate, but very hard to read. I don't know exactly why. Hemingway is brilliant in his use of dialogue--he has the characters speaking Spanish, but their lines are written in English. The result is a strange word order, a lot of thees and thys, and a very respectful feel to the conversations. I'm enjoying the book so far, and I plan to finish it (even though I already know how it ends).
The hard part is finding time to read. I'm basically on my own school-wise this year--all of my homework is from classes and it's on me to get it done in time. I actually have a lot more time, and I've started setting aside an hour (or however much time I can find) a day to read. Some days, it will be impossible to find an hour, but on other days, I might be able to read for two or three. I really want to read more--there are so many books I want to get through. Hopefully this new pattern will help me do it.

Questions have been consuming me for the last few days. Unfortunately, they're not the deep, life-changing questions that I should be pondering. They're all from memes. That's right. I'm in meme mode and I can't get out (I need a Life Alert button).
Memes are great. But after a little while, they all sound the same. And then you're sitting there asking your poor characters the same questions over and over and over again. And they don't like that, no sir. Several have committed mutiny and refused to appear in any more memes X3 So I'm going to write--I'm going to write scenes in my book until my fingers fall off or until my laptop dies. A meme or two will find its way in, as will some poems. But I want to write stories again. I want to write my characters, not just interrogate them. So that's my resolution for the next however-many-days-I-can-keep-this-up. I'm thinking two. But two days of nonstop writing will be better than twenty of nothing at all.

By the way, how did you like that meme I left you last time? It's my favorite so far :3

Signing off,

Elisabeth

"Second to the Right, and Straight on Till Morning"

WARNING: For those of you who haven't read Peter Pan, this post contains spoilers.

 I grew up with Walt Disney's animated classic Peter Pan (in fact, I grew up with practically ALL the Disney classics, and love them still today). Little me would swoon over Peter's swashbuckling antics, admire Wendy's nightdress and English accent but begrudge her place in Peter's heart, try to be a Lost Boy with John and Michael and fail horribly, fume at Captain Hook and wish I could take him on myself, and love the ever-clueless Smee. Tinker Bell I sort of ignored until the end, when she was immortalized in my young heart as the only other "person" who would sacrifice herself for someone she loved besides Jesus. Don't worry--I now know of several better examples XD

 The movie remains one of my very favorites, which is why I was reluctant to read the actual book when it was offered to me. What if it ruined my beloved view of the characters already ingrained in my mind by the film? What if I didn't like it? What if Neverland wasn't the same?

Well, I can truthfully say that it wasn't.

It was much, much better.

I read Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie this afternoon while I waited out the hurricane in this area. The first thing that drew me in and the thing I feel that the movie missed out on was the writing style. J.M. Barrie was writing a children's book, yes, but he wasn't afraid to tackle grown-up themes, and at the same time he wasn't afraid to think like a child. Peter Pan is full of truths like growing up, death, love, loss, and fear, and these truths are often written in very blunt and surprising but never inappropriate ways--ways that sort of made me wonder if I was still reading a children's book.

The characters in the book were much different than they were portrayed in the movie, but I had expected that....

Peter seemed a bit more clueless concerning the "real world", although it made him no less lovable to me. He was very skillfully portrayed in his pride and his self-centeredness, something one would expect from a little boy who had been the only authority in his life for--well, his entire life! He was a more tragic figure in the book--barred, as Barrie put it in the sixteenth chapter, from what all other children had even though he had Neverland. He was forgetful and distracted, sort of like a little ghost drifting from one adventure to the next and forgetting about all the others except the one he was in. He was brave in each adventure, however, and in the end proved himself a fitting and lovable hero.

The Darling children were the characters who surprised me the most. Their entire story was so different from the one I am used to. They stayed in Neverland for many weeks instead of only the odd day-or-two depicted in the movie. Their parents were much less endearing though not totally unlikable. Wendy was a pleasant surprise--she was such a classic little girl, one who was methodical and driven in her quest to be a good mother but never quite losing her longing for her own. The things she said and did in the book were so well written that they could have been said or done by several small girls I know. She was believable, sometimes clueless but never forgetting her duty to her "children." John and Michael were quite the pair. They appeared less often in the book than in the movie, but were just as cute and funny. Michael, my favorite in the book and the movie, was missing only his teddy bear which I'd expected him to fly all over Neverland with--the rest of his character was adorable. John was a logical little chap, though I was quite dismayed when Peter popped out the bottom of his tophat to make a chimney.

The Lost Boys were a disappointment, NOT because of underdevelopment of their characters, but only because they actually grew up. I was so attached to them that I couldn't believe Tootles as a judge or the twins in an office. I also had a bit of trouble believing that the Darling parents adopted six strange boys dressed in bearskins and leaves, but maybe that's just because I didn't want them to do it XD I have to say that I preferred Disney's ending, where the Lost Boys stayed with Peter and keep the perfect picture of seven wild boys I've had all these years. What can I say--I'm biased!

Hook and the Pirates were a real delight to read. Sometimes cruel and viscious, but never overly scary, they were truly convincing characters. Besides that nasty hand incident, I never did get why Hook hated Peter so much--maybe Barrie didn't feel the need to mention it at all. Smee was a joy. Hook's end was satisfying, especially after his entire thought process on "good" and "bad" form, which was one of the most fun parts of the book to read.

Tinker Bell, the fairies, Indians, and wild animals of Neverland were a perfect supporting cast for such amazing characters. Tinker Bell was especially colorful, as was her classic line which was repeated about 15 times and probably means something totally different today. She didn't save Peter from a ticking bomb, but drinking his poisoned medicine was just as heroic.

Neverland itself was simply more real in the book. The description was more colorful, and the dangers more real. The creatures were original and usually had "Never" tacked onto the front of their names, which made for an amusing pattern throughout the book.


I'll always be a fan of Peter Pan, the Disney classic. I don't think anything could replace it in my mind. But the book gave me a whole new perspective on characters I thought I knew so well--made them better. It made them more real, more believable, more loveable. I realized that writing for children is an art, especially when writing chapter books with more of a plot than "Sue loses her shoe." And Peter Pan has whetted my appetite for more classic children's books. I want to read more--I want to rediscover the classic characters I've heard about or watched. And I encourage you to do the same.

Next on my list is Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, both in one big book called The Annoted Alice. I'm looking forward to this journey and don't worry--you'll be hearing all about it =)

~Elisabeth

Three Weeks?!

I know, I know, I just made a fatal error in punctuation (and in my post title, no less) but I'm rather panicked at the moment! The Writer's Conference is the sneaky sort--it always creeps up on me--but NEVER have I been THIS unprepared. It's rather scary, actually.
I always try to get the most out of this conference--I mean, I don't want to pay over a hundred dollars (and that's with a generous discount!) and not get my money's worth. But it's just this year that I'm beginning to realize that this is a two-way thing--GPCWC provides the conference, the authors, editors, materials, suggestions, and opportunities--I gotta DO something with them!
And I have three weeks.
Blast.
Avaria's my biggest concern. It hasn't changed much from last year, and there is a lot of polishing I could still do on the first few chapters. But I don't want to limit myself to just that. I want to bring other ideas, short stories, even poems! I want to give people a broader view of my work (if you can call it that). I have so many things I could bring, but they need a bit of help.
In three weeks.

So, I'm asking for your opinion. I AM GOING TO POST SOME OF AVARIA (I just put that in caps as a reminder for myself to actually do it). But I need your help with other things as well.

*Of the things I've posted here, what would you like to see go to the conference?
* Of the things that you chose for the above, do any need changes/help?
* If so, can you suggest ways to make said things better?

I don't mean to make you do homework, and you don't have to. But I really would love your input--it would be very encouraging :]

On a happier note, I got BOOKS today! About fifteen! Most are from the 1950's and below; I stuffed them all into a poor shopping bag and nabbed the entire batch for only five dollars! I'm rather spazzed =D Just thought I'd share that random joy with you :]

Yours (Exhausted)~

Elisabeth

Books on Books!

So, I figured since I'd like to use some of the books on writing that I own to help us develop our skills, I should probably name them and tell you exactly why I like them! Most of these books I found at writer's conferences, but I recently stumbled upon the breathtaking array of books on writing at my local bookstore! That's a good place to check for some of these titles =D

Seize the Story~ Victoria Hanley: This was a really great book, and a quick read, too. I haven't had much time to do the exercises (summer goal) but I liked her approach and appreciated the examples she used.

Wild Ink~ Victoria Hanley: The sequel to Seize the Story! This book focused less on exercises and more on how to choose your genre and where to look for publishing opportunities.

The Write-Brain Workbook ~ Bonnie Neubauer: One of the most fun books I've ever had--EVER. It's composed of 366 exercises and meant to be done in a year's time. Some of the prompts are short and don't give much wiggle room, but some can be expanded on and may even end up in a new book! I'm absolutely loving this book and would love to post a couple of the prompts on here in days to come.

Writing the Breakout Novel ~ Donald Maass: This is a helpful book with a lot of questions to ask yourself about developing your character, villian, secondaries, and storyline. I haven't worked in it in a LONG time, and am just starting to read through it again. Some of the examples used have profanity and other issues, as a heads-up; aside from that, it's a really great resource.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers ~ Renni Browne and Dave King: A helpful little workbook dealing more with mistakes writers often make than with developing character, etc. Again, it has issues with language, which is actually sad considering that it's a good book otherwise.


These are just a few of the books [on writing] which I own and enjoyed working through.
My question for YOU is: which books (if any) do you find helpful in developing writing skills?

~Elisabeth