Not Writing

I'm trying to solidify my thoughts before starting on my second draft of my NaNo from this past year, so let's take a look at what I'm doing when I'm not writing, because I've been doing a lot of it lately.

Since Dragon*Con 2007, I've been an avid cosplayer. Cosplay is simply dressing up and acting like a favorite character, usually at a convention, though I would randomly announce "informal cosplay" days at school where we'd dress it a character's signature colors and have a go at their hairstyle. Maybe as a procastination technique for writing, most of my free time the past week or so has been dedicated to my first serious costume in several months, a variation on Belle from Beauty and the Beast and, more to the point, the gorgeous Disney-Square Enix video game Kingdom Hearts II.

The variation I'm doing is an original design and I'm pretty sure it hasn't been done before (I call it the "What if?" that went insane), but basically it's a cross between this:



And this:



Interesting, yes? Yes.

I've made a lot of progress on it, but it's not to the point where it's wearable (or recognizable as clothing). See:



There's almost two yards of fabric in twelve pieces in each of those large, funny-looking shapes.

And here's a little detail I'm adding to the inside of the jacket once it's hemmed:



It's kind of the logo for Organization XIII, the people who typically wear the black coats seen above. That piece of pretty white fabric, smaller than a piece of computer paper, has four feet of edges that need hemming. Four. Feet.

But it'll so be worth it during the costume contest judging at AWA.

Yes, I'm a dork. In so many ways. And yes, that is a stripey beach towel. I use it on my ping pong table when the ironing board's too small.

The First Book (a blog you should be reading)

Just when I'd almost lost faith in the publishing industry/my future as a writer/life in general, the First Book came along and reminded me that every author who is published sold a first book sometime. The First Book in a blog interviewing authors who've recently released their first novels--how they got published, what their novel is about, how they write, and, most importantly, whether or not they have cats.

I haven't read a lot so far, but I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've read so far, and that's not just because I'm procrastinating with it instead of writing. Put this one on the blogroll, my friends. You won't regret it.


On a more Zen-like note, my weekly skimming of TIME magazine revealed that the one article in the whole frikkin' thing that wasn't about Barack Obama* was fascinating. It was about The 100 Thing Challenge (which doesn't seem to have a website, and that's strangely fitting) where people are trying to cull their belongings down to 100 things. I first heard the idea of living with only 100 items when I read the Gospel According to Larry (the author of which probably deserves credit for this movement, but I digress.)

It looks like people are taking the plunge. A Guy Named Dave is working on cutting down his stuff, as is someone who is stuck in stuff.

My question is: what counts? Larry was pretty monastic in the novel--he counted everything that he owned as a seperate object (pairs of shoes count of one object, obviously, but apart from that, no breaks). Stuck in Stuff isn't counting books (don't blame her). Dave isn't counting the things he shares with his family, like the couch and the kitchen. But say there was an official set of rules. How would they count music? Would furniture be included? How would they quantify a bed--would each blanket and pillow and sheet count as a separate possession, or it all be one thing? And what about things that you don't have for very long, like food or toilet paper or tissue boxes? What would your rules be if you decided to take the plunge?

*I like Obama a lot, but four articles on him? Four? Have you no shame, TIME?

Laugh A Little

It's not lol. It's lAl. And that makes no sense whatsoever. Moving on...

In honor of school being out in some places and really close to it in others (today's our district's last day, but I was done before that - final exemptions for the win), I demand that you find something that will make you laugh. An old TV show. A favorite YouTube video. Anything.

If you can't think of anything, I recommend the Evil Overlord List.

Have a great day, and start your summer with a laugh.

Cnidoblast

FreeRice is one of my favorite sites, as both a humanitarian and a writer. If you haven't been there yet, you answer vocab questions and for every one you get right, they donate 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program to end world hunger. Through a little knowledge of root words, minimal use of Dictionary.com, and a staggering amount of good luck, I've managed to reach level 47.

Around level 40, FreeRice runs out of world anyone will ever need to use and delves into the depths of scientific words, medical terms, and phrases that never before seen outside the pages of Jane Eyre. I've grapped with words I never heard of before (like copra, dried coconut meat), words I heard in conversation but didn't actually understand (like edification, education or betterment), even words that I needed to know for writing but never learned (like antipathetic, which is a good word to know when I have a character named Antipathy.) Sometimes it teaches me medical words I might never have heard otherwise (like axilla, meaning armpit), words that seem better suited to the perodic table of elements (like oroide, or false gold), and words that no one will ever use (like ghee, meaning clarified butter.) I've fought all these words and won to make it to level 47, and I've learned a lot about the ADD nature of the English langauge. However, I met my match when I came to this word.

cnidoblast means:

• small explosion
• large explosion
• rash
• cell type

Is it just me, or have the definition-writers developed a sense of humor?

Overheard at Play Practice

Hey, it's Ink, posting for those who claim I never update.

cough-MIRI-cough.

Well, she's right. I plead mitigation--I was in the play Leader of the Pack and it siphoned away all my free time for both writing and blogging. However, we had a lot of fun and put on a fantastic show, so I'm not complaining. Anyway, we generated twice the amount of ridiculous comments as black belt camp, and therefore deserves another installment of 'overheards', with twice the sugary goodness.

I mean, um, quotes.

Anyway.


OVERHEARD AT PLAY PRACTICE


20. "Come back, I need to tickle you!"

19. "Maybe I WANT to bear your children."

18. "We are such dorks."

17. "I don't know who taught him how to flirt, but he needs a few more lessons."

16. "Hey, blond kid I dance with!"

15. "I'll bring the Jello shots."

14. "WHY CAN'T THE BOYS SHUT THE DOORS TO THEIR DRESSING ROOM?!"

13. "Zzzzzzzzzap!"

12. "Our baby ducks are all grown up."

11. "You can see the whole world in your eyes!"

10. "Aliens!"

9. "This dance is like a reverse striptease."

8. "This is so cute! Who did the choreography for this? Oh, yeah, me."

7. "You can never have enough powder."

6. "Time for the penguin dance."

5. "Somebody wrote 'Johnny is sexxy' on a piece of toilet paper and left it in the bathroom. Classy."

4. "If you wave to an audience member, I will cut your fingers off."

3. "Alli, Jill, and Heather singing this song? What was I thinking?"

2. "Enough with the slappy-butt happy-face!"

1. "I'm going to miss this play so much when it's over."

The Project, or "It's Not Over Yet, Fools!"

I've been commanded to update the blog more often. It's a good habit to get into.

Cough-INK-cough.

So I was given an assignment in Lit class last week: represent a character from one of the works we've read this year...on a ceiling tile. I decided to take on two: Lucie Manette and Therese Defarge from Dickens's classic A Tale of Two Cities. While the book was difficult to read, the story was just amazing, and I love the striking contrasts between these two women.

And, because it turned out so well (honestly, I was floored, as I've never thought of myself as much of a painter), I posted pictures on the Internet. Check them out! See what you think.

I've also been brainstorming on The Queen's Architect. Current verdict: I didn't realize I had so many important characters. And I'm adding two more: Andrew and Rebekah, the apprentice and the betrothed. They're being quite nice about being dragged into this madness, and I love them already.

For the Sake of Clarity

Good night, it's been a long time since we've updated. What have we been doing all this time?

(Despite that being a rhetorical question, I think I can say quantifiably: Performing in school shows and watching Death Note. Ah, the lives of writing dorks.)

BUT. My spring break started on Monday, March 31st. I got Ink to call me early, to get me out of bed. Once awake enough to see straight, I sat down at my computer and wrote for six hours solid. The Queen's Architect is a lovely (-cough) 58,000-word rough draft, and I'll be starting the rewrite within the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for all your support, and I hope we'll remember to update before another two months have passed.