and thus the inside of my brain looks like this.
...
Yeah. There go my blogging aspirations.
Showing posts with label Sarah has the immune system of a 2 year old. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah has the immune system of a 2 year old. Show all posts
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
An Apology
It's been forever since I blogged. I know that. The thing is, I got home and became horribly ill yet again and fell incredibly behind on everything. Then I spent a couple weeks trying to catch up on play practice, dance and other classes. I discovered four new stories living inside me. I began writing two of them.
It's been a hectic few weeks.
Near the end of last week, my grandpa asked me when I was going to start blogging again. I hit myself on the head and told him I'd do it that weekend. True to my word, I started a post. I was so tired that I was falling asleep trying to write it. I put it away and decided to do it later.
Now, on Wednesday, I am finally blogging. I'm blogging to tell you I'm sorry. My life is in tatters right now. My writing is failing. I'm depressed and exhausted. I don't know when I will be blogging again. It will happen. I WILL give you pictures and updates. Just not yet.
In other news, five more sleeps until my braces come off. Unless I take naps, in which case it will be more sleeps.
Naps. How lovely does that sound?
I love you all, and I really am sorry. Please bear with me a little longer.
It's been a hectic few weeks.
Near the end of last week, my grandpa asked me when I was going to start blogging again. I hit myself on the head and told him I'd do it that weekend. True to my word, I started a post. I was so tired that I was falling asleep trying to write it. I put it away and decided to do it later.
Now, on Wednesday, I am finally blogging. I'm blogging to tell you I'm sorry. My life is in tatters right now. My writing is failing. I'm depressed and exhausted. I don't know when I will be blogging again. It will happen. I WILL give you pictures and updates. Just not yet.
In other news, five more sleeps until my braces come off. Unless I take naps, in which case it will be more sleeps.
Naps. How lovely does that sound?
I love you all, and I really am sorry. Please bear with me a little longer.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Why I Love This Job: Reason #174
Still sick over here, but I had to emerge from my disease-ridden solitude to share this gem. One of my lovely friends, Charity Burton, has been reading A Winters Tale to her little brothers for their 'story time'.
Today, five year old Gabriel sent me a message. Here it is.
This just made my day. Thanks a million, Gub! I will ensure that Aaron eats plenty of inedible things in the sequels ... but for now, I have to slide back into my coma. See you all later!
P.S. I know this post thinks it was written by Charity, but it's wrong. We had a little trouble with the video, and this was the best solution we could find.
P.P.S. For those of you who, like Lisa, can't hear what he's saying because of noisy surroundings, here is the transcription:
Sarah, I like, um, your book, and Aaron, the guy that eats the Christmas ... (incomprehensible mumbling to someone off-screen) ... decorations -- he is really funny. And that one [else?] girl that makes the, um, brother [pain?] like, "Are you THE Pane?" (laughs) It was hilarious. Goodbye, Sarah!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Introducing Character Crushes -- Kaladin
I'm back! In spite of a splitting headache and possible laryngitis, I am back to blogging. And I've decided to start a new post series: Character Crushes.
We all have them, don't we? Mine have ranged from squeal when he enters the scene to OH MY CAN I MARRY HIM NOW? I feel that such excellent characters deserve to be recommended to the world. Thus, I introduce ...
CHARACTER CRUSH #1: KALADIN STORMBLESSED
Brought to ALL OF US by Brandon Sanderson's THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE
First, a little about the book ...
I knew I would be reading it as soon as Sanderson announced it, because I will read ANYTHING that man writes. He is a genius. His worldbuilding is always fabulous and his characters stay with you forever. He surpassed himself here, however.
THE WAY OF KINGS, first book of The Stormlight Archive, is set on Roshar, a world where devastating highstorms (think tornado plus hurricane plus THIS STORM WILL KILL YOU SO HIDE) rip across the land at least every week. All the plants and animals there have adapted to survive, so basically we have a landscape full of crustaceans and grass that can retract into the stone. That alone took me a hundred thousand words or so to get used to, but the descriptions are vivid and now I have no trouble imagining it.
Then there are the peoples. I am utterly fascinated by the races and cultures Sanderson has created here. You'll find everything from 'indecently exposed' left hands to white eyebrows that grow over a foot in length. Like the landscape, this was bewildering at first, but now I can distinguish Alethi and Thaylen at a glance.
This book would be a masterpiece even if it were 400,000 words of setting and worldbuilding ... but IT'S NOT! The plot is incredible. Like everything else in the book (except Kaladin), it took a while for me to catch on, but once I did ... let's just say I was blown away. (That was figurative, by the way. No highstorms here, although the wind nearly did take out the power a few days ago.) I was almost awed by the ending of this book as I was by HERO OF AGES, and that left me bawling. Good, good book. You should read it. Like, now.
But that isn't what I'm here to talk about. Let me introduce him to you.
Sarah: It ought to be hard for me to choose a favorite character from this book, because let's face it, they're all pretty incredible. Even Shallan. Don't get me wrong -- I like Shallan. She's quite clever and I sympathize with her ... maybe a little too much -- she does some incredibly stupid things in this book. So, like I say, it OUGHT to be hard for me to choose a favorite, but it really isn't, because who else could stand a chance against the amazing, totally crush-worthy ...
Kaladin Stormblessed walks in.
Sarah: ... heroic, heartbreaking, beautiful Kala-- What? Why are you all looking over my ... Oh my word. Kal-- Kal--
Kaladin: (frowns at me) Do I know you?
Sarah: (squeaks) No. BUT I KNOW YOU. (Did I actually just say that? Someone shoot me now.)
Kaladin: Oh. (turns to walk away.)
Sarah: Wait! Could you ... could you maybe ... (blushing furiously) sign my book?
Kaladin: What?
Sarah: And maybe you could write something like 'For Sarah, for whom I would ...'
Kaladin: (suspicious) Is this some kind of trick? I can't write.
Sarah: Dang it. I totally forgot about that. Maybe you could just draw a heart. Or ... bones and muscles. Or a complex surgical operation. What do you think would be best?
Kaladin: (even more suspicious) You're the lighteyes. You tell me.
Sarah: Oh, no, I'm not a ... Well, my eyes are light. But I'm not sure exactly what color they are. I've been worried about that lately. They used to be blue, but now they might be green ... or maybe gray. What do you think?
Kaladin: (mutters to self) I don't have time for this. (walks away)
Sarah: No! No, wait, please! I'll give you bandages and antiseptic! I'll give you an emerald broam! I'll tell you what happens in the next chapter! I'll tell you ALL THE THINGS!
Oh, it's no good. He's gone now. I'll just have to tell you all about him.
Physical description:
Kaladin has dark brown hair and dreamy dark brown eyes. (Undertext: Word 'dreamy' does not appear in any reliable sources. Sarah may have made that part up.) He hates having a beard, even if he does wear one for much of the book. He has more scars than you would expect on a nineteen-year-old, most notably the [very slight spoiler here: you find out about this in Chapter 2] brand on his forehead. He's not so tall that anyone makes a point of it, but he's definitely not short, as evidenced in Chapter Six. Well-muscled. I staunchly believe he is the most attractive man in the book, even when he is filthy and half-dead.
Skills:
He's a talented surgeon. He has an excellent memory and is quick to notice patterns and irregularities. His leadership skills are astonishing, and have I mentioned that he can kick butt with a spear? I mean, wow. He has other abilities as well, but I can't mention them for spoilers.
Faults:
Kaladin tends to be suspicious of people in charge, especially lighteyes. He's also stubborn, which sometimes is a good thing, and sometimes is very, very bad.
Why do I crush on him?:
Honor. That pretty much sums it up. Kaladin is one of the most honorable men I have EVER read about. (Competing for Most Honorable is Dalinar from the same book, but ... he's fifty, guys. No crushing there. Unless you're also fifty, in which case, crush away.) He has a constant desire to help people, no matter who they are or how they treat him. I liked him right off.
And then ... then he faced some of the most horrific circumstances I can imagine, and he defeated them. He not only escaped, he carried others with him. Even when it seemed like honor was dead, he acted heroically.
In conclusion, Kaladin is awesome. Also, The Way of Kings is awesome. Also Brandon Sanderson. But please don't crush on him, because he is 36 and married and has two kids.
(If you read all of that, I AM IMPRESSED. Here is a shiny gold star. I recently had a plethora of them bestowed upon me.)
(Also, today is my bestest-Megrat's birthday! Wish her a happy 15th for me, will you? I am too lazy to go upstairs.)
We all have them, don't we? Mine have ranged from squeal when he enters the scene to OH MY CAN I MARRY HIM NOW? I feel that such excellent characters deserve to be recommended to the world. Thus, I introduce ...
CHARACTER CRUSH #1: KALADIN STORMBLESSED
Brought to ALL OF US by Brandon Sanderson's THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE
First, a little about the book ...
I knew I would be reading it as soon as Sanderson announced it, because I will read ANYTHING that man writes. He is a genius. His worldbuilding is always fabulous and his characters stay with you forever. He surpassed himself here, however.
THE WAY OF KINGS, first book of The Stormlight Archive, is set on Roshar, a world where devastating highstorms (think tornado plus hurricane plus THIS STORM WILL KILL YOU SO HIDE) rip across the land at least every week. All the plants and animals there have adapted to survive, so basically we have a landscape full of crustaceans and grass that can retract into the stone. That alone took me a hundred thousand words or so to get used to, but the descriptions are vivid and now I have no trouble imagining it.
Then there are the peoples. I am utterly fascinated by the races and cultures Sanderson has created here. You'll find everything from 'indecently exposed' left hands to white eyebrows that grow over a foot in length. Like the landscape, this was bewildering at first, but now I can distinguish Alethi and Thaylen at a glance.
This book would be a masterpiece even if it were 400,000 words of setting and worldbuilding ... but IT'S NOT! The plot is incredible. Like everything else in the book (except Kaladin), it took a while for me to catch on, but once I did ... let's just say I was blown away. (That was figurative, by the way. No highstorms here, although the wind nearly did take out the power a few days ago.) I was almost awed by the ending of this book as I was by HERO OF AGES, and that left me bawling. Good, good book. You should read it. Like, now.
But that isn't what I'm here to talk about. Let me introduce him to you.
Sarah: It ought to be hard for me to choose a favorite character from this book, because let's face it, they're all pretty incredible. Even Shallan. Don't get me wrong -- I like Shallan. She's quite clever and I sympathize with her ... maybe a little too much -- she does some incredibly stupid things in this book. So, like I say, it OUGHT to be hard for me to choose a favorite, but it really isn't, because who else could stand a chance against the amazing, totally crush-worthy ...
Kaladin Stormblessed walks in.
Sarah: ... heroic, heartbreaking, beautiful Kala-- What? Why are you all looking over my ... Oh my word. Kal-- Kal--
Kaladin: (frowns at me) Do I know you?
Sarah: (squeaks) No. BUT I KNOW YOU. (Did I actually just say that? Someone shoot me now.)
Kaladin: Oh. (turns to walk away.)
Sarah: Wait! Could you ... could you maybe ... (blushing furiously) sign my book?
Kaladin: What?
Sarah: And maybe you could write something like 'For Sarah, for whom I would ...'
Kaladin: (suspicious) Is this some kind of trick? I can't write.
Sarah: Dang it. I totally forgot about that. Maybe you could just draw a heart. Or ... bones and muscles. Or a complex surgical operation. What do you think would be best?
Kaladin: (even more suspicious) You're the lighteyes. You tell me.
Sarah: Oh, no, I'm not a ... Well, my eyes are light. But I'm not sure exactly what color they are. I've been worried about that lately. They used to be blue, but now they might be green ... or maybe gray. What do you think?
Kaladin: (mutters to self) I don't have time for this. (walks away)
Sarah: No! No, wait, please! I'll give you bandages and antiseptic! I'll give you an emerald broam! I'll tell you what happens in the next chapter! I'll tell you ALL THE THINGS!
Oh, it's no good. He's gone now. I'll just have to tell you all about him.
Physical description:
Kaladin has dark brown hair and dreamy dark brown eyes. (Undertext: Word 'dreamy' does not appear in any reliable sources. Sarah may have made that part up.) He hates having a beard, even if he does wear one for much of the book. He has more scars than you would expect on a nineteen-year-old, most notably the [very slight spoiler here: you find out about this in Chapter 2] brand on his forehead. He's not so tall that anyone makes a point of it, but he's definitely not short, as evidenced in Chapter Six. Well-muscled. I staunchly believe he is the most attractive man in the book, even when he is filthy and half-dead.
Skills:
He's a talented surgeon. He has an excellent memory and is quick to notice patterns and irregularities. His leadership skills are astonishing, and have I mentioned that he can kick butt with a spear? I mean, wow. He has other abilities as well, but I can't mention them for spoilers.
Faults:
Kaladin tends to be suspicious of people in charge, especially lighteyes. He's also stubborn, which sometimes is a good thing, and sometimes is very, very bad.
Why do I crush on him?:
Honor. That pretty much sums it up. Kaladin is one of the most honorable men I have EVER read about. (Competing for Most Honorable is Dalinar from the same book, but ... he's fifty, guys. No crushing there. Unless you're also fifty, in which case, crush away.) He has a constant desire to help people, no matter who they are or how they treat him. I liked him right off.
And then ... then he faced some of the most horrific circumstances I can imagine, and he defeated them. He not only escaped, he carried others with him. Even when it seemed like honor was dead, he acted heroically.
In conclusion, Kaladin is awesome. Also, The Way of Kings is awesome. Also Brandon Sanderson. But please don't crush on him, because he is 36 and married and has two kids.
(If you read all of that, I AM IMPRESSED. Here is a shiny gold star. I recently had a plethora of them bestowed upon me.)
(Also, today is my bestest-Megrat's birthday! Wish her a happy 15th for me, will you? I am too lazy to go upstairs.)
Thursday, September 22, 2011
THE WALL
Okay, I admit it.
I have hit THE WALL.
It's that point when you look at your WIP and you say ... "Oh, ice. What have I done?" (At least, you say that if you're me. Because I, uh, pick up some in-world language from my characters.) And then? Then you put your head on the keyboard and cry. That wild, intoxicating rush that Horizons once was.
It's gone. And I can't help but feel like it's gone forever. How did I do this, I ask myself. How did I manage to dig myself such a deep hole while writing so joyously?
The truth is, I was ignoring the problems. I should have noticed when that one thread started to feel a little awkward. I should have realized that I couldn't wait to get away from my MC, and I should have fixed the problem right then. But I didn't. And now I have 15,000 wasted words that I need to replace with new ones.
Okay, that looks really pathetic written out like that. But it is DEVASTATING. Perhaps it's that I'm ill, or that I have the constant stress of school looming over my head, but lately every word feels like it's being wrenched from my brain with a ... wrench, probably. What else is good for wrenching?
I don't think I've ever felt this discouraged by my writing. I'm so discouraged, in fact, that I did NOTHING today -- or I guess it's yesterday now. Despite my many looming self-imposed deadlines, I spent the whole day checking my Facebook and catching up on other people's blogs. And chatting with crit partners/best friends, because honestly? That IS what keeps me alive right now. (Warmth knows I can't eat enough food to do the job.) (One of these crit partners, by the way, is reading the climax of Sarawen AS I WRITE THIS. And it's 3:30 AM her time. And she has triplet babies to help care for. I am awed by the awesomeness of Lisa.) (Also, I freaking love her to pieces. Although that seems a little violent for someone who is going on 4 hours of sleep for me. For the second time in ... what is it? A week?)
So yeah. I am at the point where random shadows on the wall seem to say 'You suck. Your writing sucks. You are never going to be anything close to anything.' (And even my evil voices don't usually say 'suck', because I have a particular grudge against that word.) Getting through these next weeks ... well, it's not going to be fun.
But at the same time, I am so lucky. No, I'm not lucky. I'm BLESSED. And when I find myself starting to complain ... I'll probably keep complaining. But I won't for one second forget how wonderful my life is. Even when I hate it.
Life is wonderful. You are all wonderful. Please don't let me forget.
I have hit THE WALL.
It's that point when you look at your WIP and you say ... "Oh, ice. What have I done?" (At least, you say that if you're me. Because I, uh, pick up some in-world language from my characters.) And then? Then you put your head on the keyboard and cry. That wild, intoxicating rush that Horizons once was.
It's gone. And I can't help but feel like it's gone forever. How did I do this, I ask myself. How did I manage to dig myself such a deep hole while writing so joyously?
The truth is, I was ignoring the problems. I should have noticed when that one thread started to feel a little awkward. I should have realized that I couldn't wait to get away from my MC, and I should have fixed the problem right then. But I didn't. And now I have 15,000 wasted words that I need to replace with new ones.
Okay, that looks really pathetic written out like that. But it is DEVASTATING. Perhaps it's that I'm ill, or that I have the constant stress of school looming over my head, but lately every word feels like it's being wrenched from my brain with a ... wrench, probably. What else is good for wrenching?
I don't think I've ever felt this discouraged by my writing. I'm so discouraged, in fact, that I did NOTHING today -- or I guess it's yesterday now. Despite my many looming self-imposed deadlines, I spent the whole day checking my Facebook and catching up on other people's blogs. And chatting with crit partners/best friends, because honestly? That IS what keeps me alive right now. (Warmth knows I can't eat enough food to do the job.) (One of these crit partners, by the way, is reading the climax of Sarawen AS I WRITE THIS. And it's 3:30 AM her time. And she has triplet babies to help care for. I am awed by the awesomeness of Lisa.) (Also, I freaking love her to pieces. Although that seems a little violent for someone who is going on 4 hours of sleep for me. For the second time in ... what is it? A week?)
So yeah. I am at the point where random shadows on the wall seem to say 'You suck. Your writing sucks. You are never going to be anything close to anything.' (And even my evil voices don't usually say 'suck', because I have a particular grudge against that word.) Getting through these next weeks ... well, it's not going to be fun.
But at the same time, I am so lucky. No, I'm not lucky. I'm BLESSED. And when I find myself starting to complain ... I'll probably keep complaining. But I won't for one second forget how wonderful my life is. Even when I hate it.
Life is wonderful. You are all wonderful. Please don't let me forget.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Cough Cough
So, I didn't go to school today. I haven't had to for a whole week. You might expect that I've written, I dunno ... twenty or thirty thousand words in that time?
Nope. Not even close. Total is closer to 6k.
That's cause I'm sick. My head is pounding, my nose is running, and my coughing sounds like a rabid wolf is caught in my throat. These are not conditions conducive to writing, people! Especially when I'm still unable to chew after jaw surgery. To top it all off, Horizons is being difficult. I think it's caught my illness ... or maybe something different, as it seems to be throwing up regularly. I'm frantically scrubbing off the vomit and trying to fix the problems, but it's SO FRUSTRATING.
SO VERY FRUSTRATING.
On the bright side, I just gained a new crit partner. (Or rather, I entrusted an established crit partner with Sarawen.) And she is awesome. Awesome enough to stay up until 4am reading. That might be all that keeps me moving forward right now. What would we ever do without friends?
Anyway, I have no mental energy. So again, I am turning to a snippet from my book. (Sarawen, this time.) I hope this makes enough sense out of context for SOMEBODY to laugh at it.
"Are you ... Did you just ask me to marry you?"
"No!" he blurted. "I ... I asked you to consider ... it."
Drat. That was much funnier in context. I'll leave it anyway. I've got urgent matters to attend to. You know -- Cough, sniffle, blow nose, repeat ...
Nope. Not even close. Total is closer to 6k.
That's cause I'm sick. My head is pounding, my nose is running, and my coughing sounds like a rabid wolf is caught in my throat. These are not conditions conducive to writing, people! Especially when I'm still unable to chew after jaw surgery. To top it all off, Horizons is being difficult. I think it's caught my illness ... or maybe something different, as it seems to be throwing up regularly. I'm frantically scrubbing off the vomit and trying to fix the problems, but it's SO FRUSTRATING.
SO VERY FRUSTRATING.
On the bright side, I just gained a new crit partner. (Or rather, I entrusted an established crit partner with Sarawen.) And she is awesome. Awesome enough to stay up until 4am reading. That might be all that keeps me moving forward right now. What would we ever do without friends?
Anyway, I have no mental energy. So again, I am turning to a snippet from my book. (Sarawen, this time.) I hope this makes enough sense out of context for SOMEBODY to laugh at it.
"Are you ... Did you just ask me to marry you?"
"No!" he blurted. "I ... I asked you to consider ... it."
Drat. That was much funnier in context. I'll leave it anyway. I've got urgent matters to attend to. You know -- Cough, sniffle, blow nose, repeat ...
Monday, July 11, 2011
Insert Witty Title Here
So. I had my blog post for today all planned out, and written out, and even posted. And then I realized that there were pictures of me holding someone else's babies in it, and that I had to check and make sure it was okay to post those pictures. So here I am. Posting. With no cute pictures to distract you from the really obvious fact that I have nothing to say.
Um. Well.
It's all summer's fault. I hate summer, you know. With the bugs and the pollen, I'm stuck lying on my couch day after day, taking allergy medication and littering Kleenex all over the house. I've been making the most of it. I've been plotting and scheming intensely over the weekend, and I've done a lot of outlining and file-sorting and a lot of other things that really don't matter to you.
So what does matter to you? I'm really open to suggestions. What do you wish this post were about? What should my next post be about? Suggest a title, or a subject, or ask me a question ... anything.
If my next blog post isn't interesting, it's your fault.
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