Catch You On the Flip Side

Blog is going dark until January 18. Wish I could do one update in China, but I'm fairly sure it's blocked there. Can't have us expressing our opinions on the internet, no way. 

I'll miss reading your blogs!

Love,

XiXi.

PS I finished the second draft of ATRS. Right on time. :-)

New Year's Resolutions

For writing. Because those might actually come to pass. As for the normal life ones, I don't see the point of them. They're nice for about a week until I fail spectacularly and think, welp, I've always got next year. 11 months to go! So that's how successful my life is.

While you'll all undoubtedly be having lots of fun on New Year's Eve drinking champagne, getting kisses, and partying it up past midnight, I will be sitting on a plane, staring like a vagrant dog at the flight attendants for my next meal. Fact: I get hungry almost every two hours so sitting on a plane where they only give you four meals (ish) is absolute torture for me. I'm basically starving the entire trip. Sometimes, I feel like I'm pregnant because I'm so damn hungry all the time. I must be eating for two. Also, turbulence scares the crap out of me. Not to mention, that scary Detroit pseudo-terrorist thing a couple days ago doesn't make me feel good either, but at least I'm traveling out of the country instead of in. But positive, right? Think positive. I am thinking very positive.

Writing resolutions time.

1) FINISH ATRS, REALLY. I started this thing last January. It's time to clean it up, edit the crap out of it, and send it out. I have to test the waters sometime.

2) Not be so bad at doing updates on FFnet. Also linked with this, stop promising updates that I cannot follow through with. Whoops. I am getting better, kind of. Lie.

3) Finish the NaNo book!

4) Start new, shiny urban fantasy project with water horses and selkies YAY (stop tempting me, you slutty new project, you).

That's all. It's not too ambitious, I guess. I'm starting small.

PS My mom is approving my suitcase right now YES PARENTS PLEASE FLIP THROUGH ALL OF MY CLOTHES TO SEE IF THEY SUIT YOUR STANDARDS guh. Fine, if you don't understand that I have to bring every single scarf I own; I can't part from my scarves! Packing is such an ordeal in my household. Mom, I am wearing high-heeled boots to the airport. I don't care that they aren't practical. I am not a very practical human being. That's why I'm a writer.

If I Were You, I'd...

Among the books I've read over break, the standout has to be Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. It's a mish-mash of several fairytales retold, but the best part is, it's not straightforward. I really, really hate predictable plots. And sometimes, the pitfall with fairytale retellings is that they are quite predictable. Anyway, just throwing it out as a suggestion. The first half is a bit slow, but the second half completely redeems any failings. I also lack sisters of any kind, so I kind of enjoy stories with a lot of sisters. I am rather sad, because I won't be able to read the sequel, Cybele's Secret, for quite some time because I'll be gone. I have two days left, mostly consisting of packing and going to Chicago to shop with amigos, so I won't be able to finish it. Trust me, I was dying when I walked out of the library empty-handed. I think, though, I'll buy both books when I get back. Worth the investment!

Anyway, I wanted to talk about character flaws. Now, we all know it is impossible (well, not impossible, but not intelligent) to have a perfect character. Nobody likes someone who's perfect. A) That's boring. B) It would make the reader jealous. But that's not what I want to concentrate on. I want to discuss what you think is the most annoying character flaw. Your so-called dealbreaker in terms of character likeability.

I read Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, and while it was an okay read, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It has great reviews on Amazon, though, so maybe I'm just out of sync with the world. It's not special. There's nothing about it that makes me want to read it again (there was barely enough to get me to keep reading). But above all, the main character annoyed the HELL out of me. I despise characters that are obnoxiously curious. Sure, I think it's healthy and necessary to have a regular dose of curiosity, but this is like...curiosity kills the cat type curiosity. Like, if you continue being curious, you are going to get yourself killed.

I am the kind of person, if you can't tell, when I watch horror movies (which is rarely) I am shrieking at the screen, "DON'T WALK IN THAT CREEPY MANSION, YOU DIMWIT! CAN'T YOU SEE IT'S HAUNTED AND YOU ARE GOING TO DIE?" That person. Yes, I am very unpleasant to watch horror movies with; you should all feel fortunate that you'll be spared that experience. So, when a character continues being curious to the point where it causes serious detrimental effects to other characters (ie DEATH), you would think said character would stop. Because she's KILLING PEOPLE. But I guess not. She keeps going because, maybe nobody will die next time! Yeah, right.

Of course, I am fully aware that if the MC had the curiosity of a doorstop, the story probably wouldn't continue. But that still doesn't make their curiosity logical in my eyes. It just bothers me. Maybe it's because if I were in the MC's shoes, I wouldn't behave like that. So I can't identify well enough, I guess. The prime example of this DEATHCURIOSITY is Psyche in the myth Eros and Psyche. She is obviously not supposed to look at the figure when he's sleeping, but because she is curious and it's driving her crazy, she does it anyway, naturally has to drop hot candle wax on his shoulder, wakes him up, and ruins the spell. Way to go, numbskull. Way to go. I think the worst part is, though, she cries about it forever until other people help her complete her tasks. I hate excessively weepy heroines. Tears should be used sparingly and with purpose.

I shouldn't be this angry over a fictional character, but man, does it tick me off, this DEATHCURIOSITY. I'm sure that most people wouldn't bat an eyelid toward DEATHCURIOSITY. Many people might even find it justified. I am just an odd duck.

What is your can't-stand-it character flaw? Tell me, I am curious (but not DEATHCURIOUS) to know!

PS I am writing like a maniac for ATRS. It is seriously almost done and my word count is like you would not believe. NaNoWriMo = the best thing ever for creating awesome writing habits.

Gifts To Me and Gifts To You

First of all, since I'm not going to be obnoxious and announce it on Facebook, I'll be That Girl who announces it on her blog. I got a 4.0 this semester, which is super-awesome because I am always the pessimist who thinks I've failed everything. Great Christmas present from the University. :-)

Also, blogger-like people have given me awards!

One from Amanda J (THANKS SO MUCH):

• Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
  
• Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
  
• Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
• Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
  
• Each SuperiorScribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

There. And I nominate:

1. Weronika Janczuk. She is superior in every way, in scribbling and otherwise.

2. Jill Kemerer. I particularly enjoyed her series this month on vacations complete with beautiful pictures.

3. Rebecca Sutton. For having a superior scribbling year and accomplishing so much.

4. Krispy. For being generally awesome and kick-ass.

5. Sarah. For being hilarious and my Canadian role model at life.

Also, from Tere Kirkland:

Many thanks for this award. I am very touched. Funny story which is probably not funny to anyone except myself. Senior year of high school, I was co-editor-in-chief of our annual literary publication, Brome and Beyond, and the issue we put out that year was called Silver Lining, which subsequently went on to win the Highest Award in state for high school literary magazines.

I pass this award on to everyone who reads this blog, ever. Because you help me see the silver lining in my writing. So feel free to display the award as you see it. You are all wonderful!

Also, I know some of you have e-readers, and I wanted to let you know that Maureen Johnson, in her infinite generosity, is offering FREE ELECTRONIC COPIES of Suite Scarlett. Read all about it right here. No catch. Just free book plus sneak preview of sequel. The best thing is that even if you don't have an e-reader, you can get an electronic copy just for your computer. Basically, the message here is: who cares whether you've heard of this book or whether you care about her genre of writing, IT IS A FREE BOOK. Nobody sane turns down free things, so don't be That Insane Person. Downloadable until January 15. She is a bestselling author, so you can expect something of quality. One day I want to be Libba Bray partly so I can be friends with Maureen Johnson.*

Merry Christmas, everybody. It's the very best time of the year.

*Since it's impossible to be both of them, I settle for what I can.

Goal

I am posting it on my blog because as you might know, my blog started out as a motivational factor for me, so I could hold myself accountable to my non-existent readers to keep writing.

Well, now I kind of have real readers sometimes, so you can hold me accountable. Because now you know my goals and you can make me feel guilty through the Intramanets if I don't complete them. Right? Yeah. I don't want to disappoint you! (pretend like you'll be disappointed if I don't complete my goals) I like how I have to create fallback guilt trips for myself in order to get anything done. My life is obviously in order.

Goal: finish Across the River Styx by the time I go to China (December 31). Remember how I started that novel (the first draft) in January of this year? I have let the second draft sit for way too long. I know this is going to involve 2,000+ word writing days, but thanks to NaNoWriMo and Three (which I have been writing at an unbelievable rate, basically wrote a novella in two weeks - if you're really motivated, it actually doesn't take a long time to write; imagine that!) I believe in my ability to do that. It will be a writing spree like no other. But what a great way to start off the new year, huh? I'll be starting it on a stuffy plane, watching lame-ass movies, but let's not think about that.

The countdown begins. Nine days left.

Excerpt For the Fan Fiction Readers

Just a little something, in case you're stalking my blog. I like lurkers. It's okay. Here's some proof that I've actually been writing.

From Part Three:

So it’s not exactly the best of moods he wakes to when four hours later, a teenage girl pokes him, standing above him with her hands on her hips.  He blinks, thinking he’s still locked in a dream.  “Can I help you?” he murmurs, skimming the edge of coherence.  

Her eyes are ringed with heavy black eyeliner – they make her eyes even brighter feverish blue.  And she is studying him with extreme intensity.  He feels as if he is a bug that has been pinned on a corkboard to be examined by scientists.  “Bleargh,” he says.  She looks a bit familiar, as if he’s seen her somewhere before – oh, yes!  “Hunter.  You’re one of the Hunters, aren’t you?”  He can’t imagine why she’s come here to find him, in the shadier section of Washington D.C.

She nods.  She kneels so she’s closer to his height.  “Percy Jackson,” she says.  “I’ve found you at last.  It’s been a couple hundred years.  And wow, are you a poor excuse for a human being in this lifetime.”

…And it’s way too early in the morning for him to process that in his head.  He sits up, rubbing his forehead and realizing he really needs a shave.  “What?” he says, none too articulately.  Then, he lets his brain do a little bit of catching up with his ears.  “What did you call me?”

“Percy Jackson,” she repeats.  “It’s taken me months to find you, after Chiron told me you had left for good, and that – jeez, you’re reborn as a son of Hermes?  What is that?  Anyway, he said you were probably wandering around the country like a no-good jobless hobo, and that you grew up here, so I figured D.C. would be the best bet.”

She looks so sure about it.  He coughs and rubs his hands together.  The fire has gone out.  “I’m not really sure what you’re talking about, actually,” he says.  “I’m James Fording.  Chiron knows that.”  

Regular posts return on Monday, as usual (because I'm always so ordered and schedule-like, you know).

Reading Like A Writer

Currently Reading: Chalice by Robin McKinley

Currently Writing: Part Three, Three

(I am done with finals and have returned home, so here I am again, alive and well.)

I always enjoy sitting down with a good book on craft. I have a few favorites on my shelf that I have mentioned before and am constantly looking for the next great addition. Reading Like A Writer by Francine Prose is not a craft book. It is an odd book. I think it stands out on its own in terms of books for writers. It is a book that can readily be enjoyed by someone who loves to read (and reads a lot, reads widely). But it is definitely the writer who gets the most out of it.

The best part of this book is how many little nuggets of truth - truth that had maybe crossed your mind before but you were never sure - are sprinkled throughout. For instance, I am almost positive that everyone who began to write did so because they were inspired by a book. Or books. I know the book(s) that inspired me. Maybe you can think back about which one(s) inspired you? Prose says, "...I discovered how reading a book can make you want to write one. A work of art can start you thinking about some aesthetic or philosophical problem; it can suggest some new method, some fresh approach to fiction." Do you not find this true?

Or how about, "To be truthful, some writers stop you dead in your tracks by making you see your own work in the most unflattering light. The only remedy I have found is to read a writer whose work is entirely different from another, though not necessarily more like your own - a difference that will remind you of how many rooms there are in the house of art."

Or maybe, "After...I've quoted at length from great writers, so that I've had to copy out long passages of their work, I've noticed that my own work becomes, however briefly, just a little more fluent." Surely, some of you out there have your favorite books sitting at your side when you write because when you read them, your style takes on just a small bit of their shine.

The book is divided up into chapters from the smallest building blocks of writing to the biggest, like how to read: (1) words, (2) sentences, (3) paragraphs, (4) narration, (5) character, (6) dialogue, etc. And it quotes many, many classical works, from Tolstoy to Flannery O'Connor (probably my favorite short story writer). It is illuminating. There will be a passage from some famous work, and I'll read it, but then Francine Prose gives this two page dissection of what has been written, and I'm like, never in a million years would I have been able to come up with that on my own. Basically - I can't read. I'm illiterate. In the writing sense, anyway. It makes me want to pick up old books and reread them for new significance, things I missed before. That in itself, makes this book completely worth your time. 

I am pleasantly surprised. Honestly, I never thought I would enjoy it this much. Reading Like A Writer is like a bar of dark chocolate. It's so delicious and melting that you just want to take your time going through it, chapter by chapter, word by word, so you can absorb every nuance. Because Francine Prose's words ain't half-bad either. Her own writing, even in a "craft" book, reads so smoothly and is just as worth digesting as all of the story excerpts.

The most important thing, I think, is that we are all so pushed to get critiques, get criticism, get all of the bad stuff underlined and cut that sometimes we forget the other part of being a good writer. Here, as she says so succinctly, "...the workshop most often focuses on what a writer has done wrong...whereas reading a masterpiece can inspire us by showing us how a writer does something brilliantly." 

The other thing I wanted to say is about why I added The Great Gatsby to my reading list over winter break. Confession time: In high school, even though I got an A in AP Lit and a 5 on the exam (full score; got 4 college credits for it too), I read less than 30% of what was assigned. The essay I had to write on the AP test was about A Streetcar Named Desire. I never even cracked open the book. To be sure, AP Lit taught me a wealth of things, namely, how to write glowing essays - how to be vague enough to hide that I hadn't read the text and specific enough to get me an emphatic A. If it lessens your disrespect for my slacking, I'll add that after the class was over, I went back and read ALMOST everything. The short stories, I read all of (Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad sucked just as much the second time around). Discovered Flannery O'Connor, in fact. But one of the books I never read was The Great Gatsby.

Now, I am not a huge reader of classics. When I do read them, I find them dry and too narrative, mostly. I can count the number of classics I like on one hand (Uncle Tom's Cabin, Jane Eyre, Madame Bovary...). While I was reading Francine Prose's book, she mentions something about how classics are classics for a reason, because they endure, and they are always worth reading. Then, she quoted a passage from The Great Gatsby, and gee, if I wasn't blown away. It was so beautiful. I decided, at that point, I could not avoid that classic any longer. So yeah, I'm going to read it, even though I know the plot well enough via Sparknotes to whip out an essay right now. Maybe this time around, I'll get something better out of it, though.

Winter Break Books

So remember how I went to go see Princess and the Frog? Yeah, I saw it again within twenty-four hours. I'm basically going to blow my last month's wages on a Disney movie. Cool. Because I'm seeing it again when I get home with my friends possibly twice. That is so how good it is. The best thing since The Lion King. Some of my friends might disagree, but I think Tiana is a better princess than Belle. I'm a sucker for a hard-working princess who doesn't sit around waiting for her prince to come. Also, I have a GIGANTIC CRUSH small infatuation with Prince Naveen. It is totally feeding horrible ideas to little girls about how lazy-ass playboys will change for YOU (have yet to see THAT happen in real life), but you guys, his accent is so adorable. Plus, he says the most romantic things. There is seriously nothing sexier than a guy who will support your dreams. Again, damn you, Disney, for another generation of girls having unrealistic expectations for men. Ah, whatever. You know I'm going to buy this movie and watch it over and over until every last moment is permanently embedded in my brain. Also, THE MUSIC! It's fantastic. Love that jazz and gospel.

I'm supposed to be studying nuclear physics and the English Civil War because HA I have a final in less than nine hours, but WHO CARES. I have hit that point. That point when you no longer care if you get sleep or if you're blasting music and singing. It is the point of crazy. I am there.

The real point of this post:

1) Chalice by Robin McKinley

2) Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli

3) His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

4) Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marilliet (retelling of Twelve Dancing Princesses)

5) Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George (retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon)

6) Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz (I swear, this is the last vampire series I will ever EVER read)

7) Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier

8) The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (PLANTAGENETS, FTW, DORK HISTORY MAJOR)

9) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (will explain this in a later post)

The theme for my break is "fantasy." So I am reading a lot of fantasy books. I kept meaning on reading His Dark Materials (it's kind of a classic; you can only avoid it for so long). I'm leaving for China on December 31, so I won't finish this list. My goal is a book a day. It's always good to have overhang rather than underhang. More books for later, after all. The exception on this list, of course, is Alligator Bayou, but I ain't missing my favorite author's books, fantasy or not.

Later, if I emerge alive from Monday (8 am final, 1:30 pm final, 5:00 pm paper due, 7:30 pm working my last shift for the semester at the newspaper), I will do a post on Reading Like A Writer by Francine Prose.

So I'm going to study now, really. I always go into panic mode around finals, but for some reason, I am epicly convinced that I have somehow ruined all of my grades and my GPA is going to go down the toilet. I blame Three (the fan fiction). Did I mention I wrote 5,000 words yesterday? I think it's a personal record. Unfortunately, it was during finals week. That is a personal record of NOT PUTTING PRIORITIES IN ORDER.

Study. Right. Pray/hope/wish on stars/burn incense for me.

Critique Groups

It's finals week, and I have been so busy with writing 10,000 words of Three in four days studying. NaNo has built some pretty great habits in me, let me tell you. Also, I'M ABOUT TO GO SEE PRINCESS AND THE FROG. Like right now. Right after I finish this blog post. My friend was worried that we wouldn't get there soon enough and it would be full. And I was like, really? Firstly, it's a matinee on a school day. Secondly, only college-aged girls care anyway. We are the definitive Disney Princess generation. We rank our favorite Princesses. We watch the movies with ice cream when we are depressed. I mean, we have Disney Princess-themed dorm bathrooms. Come on now. Only we would be excited about a new one. SO EXCITED. Yeah. I know that Disney is crap sometimes when it comes out with stuff like G-Force*, but every once in a while, they do something that is basically flipping the bird to the world like: Shit, world, we still GOT it. This is one of those times. I know it.

Time to smuggle candy in our big ole bags and eat puppy chow in the theater. Once, we brought a jar of nutella and pretzels, dollar store cheetos, chips, pop, and Skittles**. We are THAT cheap.

Okay, critique groups. So I went to one that meets on campus. And here are things that I observed.

1) I am the youngest one there. I'm not that surprised, but aren't there any college people who write? Maybe? Maybe not? Okay, I'm just a freak, I guess. But they were all really nice. Very, very nice to me. I sat in and listened to people read stuff out loud and everyone else listened intently, took notes, and offered praise and criticism. Which leads me to my second point.

2) I suck at listening. The first story, I found myself continually wandering off oooo, look at the pretty pattern on the wall, wait what? and losing track of where the story was going. I had to pay serious attention and visualize the whole thing in my head. It also didn't help that, you know, I had missed previous chapters, but still. My listening skills blow. I do think that reading aloud is a great thing to do in a critique group. It's good for the reader to catch problems they don't see on the page and for listeners to...listen. Everyone likes a good storyteller.

3) I apparently missed the memo on writing styles. I do not write literary fiction. I LOVE reading literary fiction, but geez, I'm not good enough to write that kind of stuff. I write action-based plots, fast-moving dialogue - contemporary fiction. Everyone there writes literary fiction. Which is fine, really. I love hearing how the language paints pictures with slow brush strokes. It's soothing and beautiful. But this is not something I feel like I could bring my stuff to (I didn't; it was the first time I went, and I wasn't about to be like HEY THUR GUISE I KNOW YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ME BEFORE BUT LOOKIE LOOKIE AT MY STUFF) because the styles are so different. 

So I don't know if I will go back, but it was a great experience. Maybe one day, I will find a group that fits my needs. Until then, it's online for me.

I hope you guys have a great Friday - I have lost track of days since classes ended.

*I do not count Pixar as part of Disney, even though they are technically "one." Pixar, I always love. Pixar, I would have children with if it were a person.

**You know women carry big purses for a reason.

WIP Wednesday

Currently reading: Reading Like A Writer by Francine Prose (it's really good so far)

Currently listening to: Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble (love)

So I usually don't do these, but I've just had the most productive writing day in living memory (just hit 3,000 words). I mean, seriously, the story won't let me go. And the characters are just way too fun. Don't you love that? Even if it's fan fiction. Whatever. This story is obviously worth telling if it can get me to turn off the internet, turn off the music, and write for three solid hours and be sad to go to bed. Yeah, you're getting excerpts. I can't help myself. It reads like normal fiction (because of the whole reincarnation dealio), so it's really, honestly like writing my own story.  I have a playlist for it and everything. LEGIT.

He’s goading her!  She attempts to hide the icy finger of fear sliding down her spine.  She cannot lose her job.  If he reports her for misconduct, she is done for.  But she also can’t seem to keep her big, fat mouth shut against this guy.  Between flirty, rude customers and getting three hours of sleep, civility is the last thing on her mind.  “Fine.  I hope that makes you feel better as a human being.”

“Now, see here, Rose”—and she detests that they are on a first-name basis now—“I come onto this plane minding my own business, you insult my clothes, and then you accuse me of trying to hit on you.  I don’t know where all of this hostility is coming from, but it’s certainly not because I am being a, uh, ‘whiny bitch,’” he says, making air quotes.  “Besides, I am entitled be that way if I so choose.  I paid for a ticket.” 

She stands there dumbly.  “Okay.”

“Okay,” he says, finishing the glass and pouring himself another.  “I’m glad we got that all settled, then.”  He smiles at her.  “You have to be one of the most interesting flight attendants I’ve ever met.  And if I weren’t afraid of getting reported for sexual harassment – since you seem to think I’m assaulting you or something – I would tell you that you’re quite pretty.”

What a jerk.  She stiffens and stands straighter.  Right now, she is thinking two things.  One – he’s probably not going to report her for misconduct, which is good.  And two – he’s also having way too much fun with messing with her, and she’ll be damned if she spends the rest of this flight exchanging verbal spars with a tipsy, horny businessman.  She decides to quit while she’s ahead.

“Well, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” she says formally, ending the conversation.  She is tempted to do a little mock curtsy but thankfully manages to hold her snarky side back.

“Oh, I will,” he says with a grin.  He keeps his word too.  Throughout the seventeen-hour flight, every time he needs anything at all, he makes a point to ask for Rose and none of the other eleven flight attendants on board.  She is so, so tempted to poison his second bottle of vodka but figures that would be going over the top.  So instead, she settles for spitting in his steak, which makes her feel better long enough to not accidentally taser him for the entire trip.

Tomorrow, I will do an actual post on critique groups (I went to one tonight) and learning to read and write. Maybe by that time I'll have crazy characters out of my head and onto the page.

Sort of Pointless

See, I thought this post was going to have a point, but I amazed myself with my own lying abilities. One other honest thing about me is that even though I am an accomplished liar, I am hugely gullible. Hugely. One of my friends in high school managed to convince me for over an hour that she was ten-years-word. I drank it up with the naivete of a child who believes in the tooth fairy (my soul was crushed when I discovered she was fake too; LYING PARENTS).

Anyway, I wanted to say that I have found a live critique group on campus! I saw it being advertised in a features article in the paper that I copyedited tonight. They have meetings on Tuesday, so I will go tomorrow and check out what all of the fuss is about. 

Also, I don't know about you all, but I have a substantial winter break reading list that I am still compiling and will share soon. Because I know you all care about my reading preferences. No, really, though, you should all share what you think is good. Because when we share books, we all win!

Furthermore, I am a fan fiction addict and cannot leave. But this new story is particularly cool for me, because I have a lot of free reign with the characters since they are reincarnations. They get new names, new occupations, and new quirks to their personalities. It's a very fun exercise for me. It's like real fiction, except I get instant feedback! Wahoo!

Excerpt from "Part Two" of Three, a Percy Jackson fan fiction novella

“Yeah, whatever you’re called.” He fixes his tie. “Say, have I seen you somewhere before?”

 

Privately, Rose thinks that people like him are a dime a dozen, and she certainly does not go out of her way to meet douchebags. Obviously, she voices none of this aloud and only shakes her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Huh.”

“Can I get you something?” she asks him, trying not to get derailed by his attitude. It’s one of the first lessons new flight attendants learn: don’t let the passengers get to you. Nobody wants to see a flight attendant lose her cool on the plane.

“Um, yeah,” he says, checking his pager. It’s basically like talking on a cell phone while checking out, and it drives her nuts. How can he not at least have the courtesy to look at her while asking her to bring him stuff? “Can I get a bottle of Grey Goose vodka, please?”

“Of course.” In the beginning, she used to tell people how much it would cost. Now, she realizes the first-class passengers don’t glare at her because they already know, but because they don’t care. She wonders what it would be like to order whatever the hell she wanted and get piss-drunk on a plane. Gods, she hopes he doesn’t get drunk on this flight. She hates dealing with wasted passengers.

Okay, I swear, this weekend I'm going to write original stuff. Really.

November Aftermath

There comes a point after the elation of NaNoWriMo wears off when you realize, Crap. My novel's not actually done. Yeah, that. It's kind of easy to flaunt your 50,000 word manuscript and forget it cuts off mid-chapter. So now, I have to figure out how to wrap this sucker up.

Also, remember how I had that second draft of my first novel hanging out, about 10,000 from being done? Have to get on that too. But the happy thing about this is, hopefully sometime soon, I'll have two drafts to look at and edit.

Other things:

1) You get a nifty proof copy if you so desire. And when I finish the draft, I will get one, not because I think it's done, but because I think it'll look cool when I pull it out from under my pillow you didn't think I was actually going to show that monstrosity to anyone, did you?. Like I've said before, most of my decisions in life are based on whether or not they will be considered cool. Proof copy? Cool. Now I just need a title!

2) Also, 50% off Scrivener? I'm thinking about it. I don't know if I can really be justified in buying a program just for the sake of novelling, when I'm not published right now trust me, this consideration is important when asking my parents to shell out the money since they pay my credit card bill each month and just because a ton of people say it's nice. Writing on MS Word is fine. It works. I'm drawn by everything that says ___% off because I convince myself that it's such an excellent deal that I have to buy it. I might do the 30-day trial version in January or something and see if I like it. I'll let you know if I do. Do any of you use Scrivener now? Like? Dislike?

3) I feel like I need a NaNo shirt. Just like I felt like I needed a leopard print scarf today (but luckily, I curbed my scarf obsession before I spent $10 on accessories). So, really, do I need a NaNo shirt? 

4) I ordered "Reading Like A Writer" by Francine Prose off Amazon yesterday because Peter Carey recommended it in the last pep talk. The reviews are promising. I happen to think the best way to improve your writing is by reading the better writing of other authors. So maybe I should learn how to read better. I'll read it and tell you whether I think this book is worth it or not. 

Happy Friday!

Honest Scrap

I know you must tire of hearing me complain about my busy, boring life, but it's nearing finals and the life is getting ever more busy and boring. I'm also starting to think it was a bad idea to promise a new chapter for my in-progress fan fiction for the patient people who waited without an update through November. I am good at making promises I cannot fulfill. Alas.

But I am not too busy to thank Sarah profusely for the AWESOME award she gave me, like so:

This is totally amazing. I'm not quite sure what the hammer means. Kind of like a hammer and sickle communism logo? It's red too! Maybe it's a secret message. In any case, I display it proudly.

10 Honest Things About Me

1. I suppose this would be a bad time to admit that I am a rather accomplished and convincing liar. Although, I try very hard not to lie (jeez, I sound just like the protagonist from Justine Larbalestier's book about a compulsive liar). I'll also add that I've never lied under oath.

2. I have been to Disney World (Orlando) five times, and once by that I mean last year, I seriously considered having a sham wedding there so I could get FastPasses to every ride. I even had a guy friend consent to being my sham husband. Because you wouldn't REALLY want to get married in Disney World - I would feel weird doing adult things (like having alcohol among other things) with small children running around. I am wearing a Mickey head gold ring I got from Disney right now. Am I obsessed? You could say so. You can't have too much of Disney, though. Which is why I will be at the first showing of The Princess and the Frog, and you can take that to the bank.

3. I am deathly afraid of sharks. Even in swimming pools.

4. I am a die-hard Harry/Hermione shipper and J.K. Rowling will never be able to convince me that they are not meant to be. Neither will you. Ginny is a trophy wife. Fact.

5. When I was young, apparently I used to think that when people died in movies, they really died. I suppose my small, childish mind believed there were actors who volunteered to commit suicide in a bloody way on screen as their last masterpiece. Apparently, I was either Rosemary's baby in real life or really, really stupid.

6. The place of birth on my birth certificate is incorrect. The document was created so I could immigrate to America and have, you know, an identity. So they special-commissioned one for me after the fact. They don't really give people birth certificates in China, or they didn't back then, at least. I was born in Xining. The certificate says Xi'An. 

7. So when I applied for my passport, I filled out the "place of birth" as the real place, and my dad had to correct me. It was kind of embarrassing because the lady behind the desk gave me weird looks. Because who doesn't know where they're born? Also, the birth date on my mom's passport is wrong (no birth certificate for her either). We're all about being in the wrong aka liars, my family and me.

8. I absolutely HATE that I have to write my real name on all of my papers now that I'm in college and not on a first-name basis with all of my professors. I successfully went through high school with half of my class not knowing what my real name was until graduation (when I spoke, and everyone was like THEY SPELLED YOUR NAME WRONG), and I had to admit the horrible truth. I will not tell you now.  Guess away!

9. I will tell you, though, that my name means "when rain ends at sunrise" because that's what happened when I was born. I am a magic fairy child; I control the weather. My uncle named me, thank God, because my parents were just going to mesh together their surnames to make one gigantic sucky name.

10. One of my novels I wrote as a child was about the Oregon Trail. It was pretty much plagiarized from some book that I had recently read about it. Maybe Dear America? Isn't it a great world when you're a kid and you think the world is for your taking? Before the law crushes your dreams. That's why I'm going to be a lawyer. So I can crush other little kids' dreams.*

This is too long, and you never needed to know that much about me. I give this award to everyone, because I don't read a ton of blogs, and the ones I do are all FABULOUS and completely worthy of this scrap-tastic award. Thanks 100000x to Sarah, who is funny and scrappy and smart.

*I'm totally kidding; that's not really why I want to be a lawyer. I am not a dream-crusher. Although, kids, PLAGIARISM IS WRONG. If you break the law, I will come after you with my non-existent law degree.