I Did It!

Never in all my days have I been so excited to finish a semester!  It was so stressful.  Save for a couple of math quarrels I'm practically a graduate!  Woohoo!  Holy cow, I don't have to take another college course if I don't want to.  But...of course I'm looking into graduate school.  What am I doing?  I'm supposed to be celebrating, not thinking about more school.  What was the first thing I did when I submitted my final paper?  I ate a celebratory cookie.  I know, your minds are all reeling with the question, "why isn't she reading yet?"  I'm getting there.

First, I must say that I'm so proud of myself for not caving one night when I couldn't sleep.  I literally reached up to grab a book of my shelf, but just before I caressed the colorful spine I recoiled at the thought of not getting my homework done in time.  You may all think I'm painfully pathetic, but the thought of reading all my new books and a whole summer of great books awaiting me propelled me through my papers.  And guess what!  I finished a whole day early!  Books are powerful tools.  Give a child a book and he/she shall accomplish great things.  Yes, I probably just referred to myself as a child.  I don't even care, I feel like skipping!

Second, I'm equally as excited to start writing again.  I'm so excited about so many stories and now I can finally unleash them.

I sense a great summer ahead of me filled with books, writing, and intense joy.  I hope the start to your summer is as great as mine feels right now.  City of Fallen Angels, here I come!  Happy Reading!

Calm Before the Storm?

Slowly, I'm whittling away at my homework.  I really don't know why it's taking me so long to get it all done.  Okay, that's probably a lie.  It's because I don't want to do it.  However, I'm finding myself more relieved today, and that scares me a bit.  I've still got a lot to do.  Maybe it's because after this weekend I will have only a test and a report to finish.  Most of the hard stuff will be out of the way.  Most of it.  I'm getting closer and closer to picking up those books!  I almost caved last night because after doing homework I felt relief and then I couldn't sleep.  Not a good combination.  But, I'm happy to report I stayed strong.  Only a week left.  If I work really hard, it could be less.

I Want to Read!

So, I'm sitting here, attempting to do my homework, and not having much success.  I think if it wasn't for the snow I wouldn't even be attempting to work.  There are so many other things I'd rather be doing.  For example, I have three, yes three, new books sitting on my bookshelf that I'm dying to read.  I promised myself that I wouldn't read any of them until the semester is over.  Really, I think I'm just looking for any excuse not to finish homework right now.  I want to read, I want to write.  I have stories floating through my head that I just want to put to paper, but I feel guilty, because that's all I will do if I start now.  Just a week and a half.  I can do it.

Infect Me

Amidst homework and many other tedious tasks, I was finally able to finish this book.  It was really good and one of those that inspires us all to think for ourselves.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver is the story of Lena.  She lives in Portland, but not the Portland we all know.  This is a time when the cure for hate, revenge, pain, and all the evils in the world you can think of has been discovered.  What is this cure?  It's a cure for love.  They've discovered that love causes pain and no one wants to suffer anymore, so, there is a procedure that cures it.  Love is considered a disease.  Precautions are taken for young people because they cannot get the cure before they are 18.  There are too many risks.  Lena is 17 and cannot wait for her procedure.  She's even counting the days.  What will she do when she finds out everyone has been lying to her?  But, what have they been lying to her about?

I really enjoyed this book.  The characters feel real and it's easy to experience what they are.  Hope you enjoy it too!  Happy reading!

Breakthrough!

I think I had a breakthrough last night.  So often while I'm writing a story I think about it as a movie in my head.  This is all fine and dandy until I realize that all I have offered my poor readers is description and stage direction.  The emotion falling completely flat.  It's been happening less and less now that I've noticed it.  But, unfortunately it still happens.
Last night The Proposal came on TV, and yes, I watched it instead of going to bed or doing homework.  I've always thought the movie was a little lacking in the chemistry part.  I never felt like she connected with him or showed her connection strongly enough until the very end.  While watching it, the opposite happened.  I actually found myself thinking about what her thoughts would be in novel form!  This has never happened.  And I thought that this could be one of those instances where a novel could be better than the movie (maybe) simply because the reader could experience what she's thinking!
I guess it's true that a writer is always writing huh?  For me that was an incredible breakthrough!

Micro-Meltdown

So, I had a bit of a meltdown today.  I woke up thinking, "what am I doing? and what was I thinking when I decided to become a creative writing major? I'm not a great writer!"  I was also supposed to be meeting with my advisor today to finalize my portfolio.  When I woke up this morning, I had one single piece in that portfolio and only one more meager story to put into it.  I really didn't know how I was going to make it through the rest of the semester.  And, more than anything, I was beginning to think that it was impossible for me to fulfill my dreams of ever becoming a writer.

There have been a few times in life where I have recognized that I needed help.  This morning was one of those mornings.  In the climax of my meltdown I texted my friend Jernae, who is also a writer, and said.  I need some positive affirmation.  She told me exactly what I needed to hear to walk into the meeting with my advisor with a bit more confidence.  I handed her my flash fiction and she actually remember what story it was.  (A good sign considering how many students she has to take care of, and how many stories she reads everyday.)  Not only that but I now know what other stories I can put into my portfolio and I feel confident in doing so!

I haven't felt inadequate in my writing abilities for a while now thanks to all the prayers I've said to help me not be a perfectionist and to help me learn from my failures.  I don't really know what my point was in writing this, other than to prove to myself that I'm not going to give up on my dreams.  I know that this is what I'm supposed to be doing and I love it too much to ever quit.  So, I shall send this message out into the ever growing void that is the internet and say,  "Look out world!  Because I'm one more person who believes in her dreams!"

Loved It!

For my book club this month we read The Help and it was fantastic!  I knew it had been on the best seller lists forever and I wondered about it for a long time but never actually picked it up until now.

It's the story about three amazing women who risk everything to do what they feel is the right thing in a world where it's considered wrong.  I don't want to tell you too much about this book because I want you all to experience it for yourselves.  This is also the first novel that Kathryn Stockett has written and I was astounded that she could create such beautiful characters who each have a mind and voice of their own.  This is a book that also makes you think about what you would do if you were placed in the situations of these women?  Who would you be?

I highly recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Surprising

I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  Because of other things that I've heard and read from Dr. Allred, I wasn't sure if I was really going to like this book or not.  Not only was I worried about the writing, but it was also a biography.  Typically, biographies are not really my style.  I've read a few that have been really good, but facts tend to leave me cold sometimes.  When I read a book, I usually do it to escape in some way or another into the life of someone else.  This book was assigned by Dr. Allred in my biographical writing class so I had to read it.  I decided to get a head start on it so that I could have spring break to read whatever I wanted to read.  But, I didn't expect what I read.  I'm also so happy to know the author of this book.

The Kamikaze had always been a bit of a mystery to me, why did the government of Japan allow so many men to plummet to their death in hopes of striking a foul blow to the enemy?  What I didn't know, was that these men were actually just teenagers, and the main character was only fifteen when he was drafted as a pilot into the Japanese air force.  This book gives a truly remarkable account of the Kamikaze and what they went through to be considered "worthy" to die for their country.  This book may be a biography but it reads like a novel.  While I was reading this book everyone asked me how a suicide pilot survived to tell the tale and I had to keep replying, "I don't know yet!"  I did find out and I hope you take the time to check this book out and find out for yourself.

Vicarious

Many of you know that I am in love with books.  Not only the stories, but the actual books themselves.  I love leafing through the pages of a new book, smelling it, and hearing the soft cracking when the cover of a brand new hard back is being opened for the first time.  Never do I allow my books to get wet in the stormy weather, and I never read in the bathtub because I'm terrified that I will drop the book in and it will forever be ruined.  So, because I treasure my books so much, I also want to make sure the stories are worth my money.  I will research a book before I ever purchase it.  If I know nothing about it, I will read the synopsis, editorial reviews, customer reviews, and put it on my wish list for a while until I'm sure it's a book I want.  I stew and stew about a book for a ridiculous amount of time before it's ever purchased.

Right now all of you probably think that I'm a total nerd, and I'd have to agree with you.  I never understood why I do this.  I understand that it's important to use money for good things and not buy something that I don't even want.  Originally, I thought this was why I research for so long.  But, books are the one thing that I continue to purchase even when I don't have a steady stream of income.  So, obviously, frugality is not the reason.

It occurred to me the other day, just how much I live my life through fiction.  So, if I live my life through every book I happen to be reading at that particular time, it's important that I live my life right, don't you think?  In essence, I'm saying that I not only research the stories I want to read, but I research the life I want to live.  The good news in all of this is I'm rarely disappointed with the books I buy.  Young adult literature has so many excellent stories with turmoil, love troubles, joy, and usually happy endings.  I think that's maybe the reason I read so many of them.

In short, I have a love affair with the written word, and I'm glad to share that love with all of you!
Happy Reading!

Scorching!

Whew!  I really liked this book.  It was so exciting, entertaining, and I hardly had a moment to take a breath.  This book was hard to put down.  I love those books where you literally can feel yourself holding your breath right along with the characters. 
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner is the second book in the Maze Runner series.  (If you haven't read the Maze Runner you can refer to one of my very first book posts.)  Thomas finds himself in another trial, only this time it's not a maze and the task at hand seems easier than the first.  But, when WICKED is involved, nothing is ever easy.  He finds himself in worse situations than he could have imagined for himself, all the while still trying to remember why all of this is happening and what he had to do with it.  His memories are starting to come back, but what do they mean?  Like it says on the back cover, "the maze was only the beginning."
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the first and I really can't wait until the last one comes out in November.   This is one of the most unique stories I've ever read and one of those that keeps you reading to find out how it can possibly all play out.  I guess that's the curse of the main character whose memory has been erased.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Happy reading!

Didn't Love It

I recently had to read Papa Hemingway for my Biographical writing class and I must admit that I didn't love it.  There were some redeeming qualities and some interesting moments, but overall, it didn't do it for me.  The biggest problem I saw was that the writing didn't match that of Hemingway.  Ernest had a very interesting life and that show by all the places he lived and all the books he wrote and the people he knew, but the writing felt stiff to me.  I realize that the book was written in the 50s and that can account for some of the stiffness but, apparently Hotchner's writing style hasn't really transcended time.  There were multiple people in my class that felt this way.  It's not that the book was bad because it wasn't, it just didn't capture my attention.

I Don't Get It

I have yet to understand why it's so complicated for employers to work with students.  This is the second time I've been told that "it's just not working."  It wasn't said in exactly those same words this time, but it was essentially the same.  Because I refuse to dwell on the fact that I've lost my job again because I'm a faithful student and school will come first until I'm done, I'm not going to talk any more about my job.  Instead, I'm going to focus on the fact that now I have a lot of time to get some reading and writing done.  And, honestly, those are the areas of my life that I seem to be succeeding in.
Right now I'm a supplemental instructor for one of my professors in the technical writing department and I never expected that I would get such an amazing experience.  Apparently someone has seen that I can do something that is worth while and I get great data to put on my resume.  I think someone's just trying to tell me something.  And I think that something is the same something that I thought when I lost my job the last time.  "You need to write."  So, that's what I'm going to do with this free time I've got.  I'm going to write!
For all of you out there to suffer with the pressures of trying to be a good student and then getting no money to be one... I dedicate this post to you.  Sometimes life sucks, but it will be sweet in the end.  I know that an education is worth more than most of the jobs we have trying to earn one and I hope the best for all of you. 

Be Ugly, Not a Bubble Head

The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld

Yesterday, my friend, Selina, asked if I had read the Uglies series.  Because I have and really enjoyed them, I thought I would do a post about them.  I read this series (all three books) in five days.  (Notice there are four.)  They were an entirely new twist on the dystopian world.

In this series everyone starts out "Ugly."  This is when everyone goes to school and learns about life and about the society they need to know... or, of course, what governmental powers want everyone to know about life and society.  I believe it's the age of 16 that each person becomes "Pretty" and they get to move to the house where everyone has a good time and everyone is "Pretty."  Never again do they have to associate with the little "Uglies."

Tally can't wait to become pretty and has watched many of her friends and people older than her turn pretty.  Though it's a series of plastic surgeries, she can't wait.  As an "Ugly" (meaning she's simply natural and real) she's treated as more of an outcast than the "pretties" seem to be treated.  One day she meets a girl named Shay.  She has an entirely new outlook on life and may be the only person Tally knows who doesn't want to be pretty.  Is "pretty" all it's supposed to be?  or are there secrets and mysteries she must solve before she can decide what she really wants?

You might notice that there are four books rather than the three I talked about above.  Extras is also good but it's about a different character.  It's the same type of society but it takes place on the other side of the globe.  I read it about a year later and understood everything just fine.  And check out the beautiful new cover art for Specials and Extras!


This is a fun series and one that I tend to think about quite often.  It made me think about what real beauty really is and the pressures of "doing what's right."  Hope you enjoy!  Happy reading!

Biographically Speaking

So, I signed up for a biographical writing class this semester because I'm primarily a fiction writer and love stories about people and those who overcome their struggles and what not.  I thought biographical writing would be the best way to continue on about learning the "realness" of people and that would in turn help me craft fictional characters.  I don't know how anyone does it!  Biographical writing is hard.  The pressure to find the very essence of an actual person is stressful.  Fiction writing is so much easier because you're actually creating the person in your mind and then letting it flow out onto the page.  In biographical writing the person is already created, and it's not someone that you created.  You might know their thoughts and dreams and feelings but to put those on a page in your words instead of theirs is not as easy as I thought it would be.  Should've taken poetry.

Personal Narrative

I started out with this personal narrative for my biographical writing class and I was quite happy with the introduction.  As it went on it really fell flat.  Unfortunately, I found myself unable to keep up with the style and I'm not quite sure why.  Nevertheless, I've decided to share a little piece of it here with you.

I remember brown, orange, wet.  I remember the dirt, the mud on their feet and under their nails.  Their dark skin and children without shoes.  The tarp that was blue, rabbits and chickens meant for dinner.  I still hear the language I didn’t understand and the words that I did.  Our white skin we thought was tan dipping into the muddy wet that would make a brick.  Clumsy pale hands attempting to smooth the mold and the brown steady fingers quick to do the work.  The work we thought would be easy.  I remember my hesitation, my fear, my badge that said I was there to help.  Trying to hide my tears when only two of us squeezed into the hut meant for four.  Averting my eyes when I realized I was staring.  I remember the village I saw later: square, brown, dry.