(no subject)
Sorry I've been so negligent about posting here. LJ has been very weird -- I honestly had a lovely post prepared last week that was eaten up and never got posted. It's very annoying.
In brief:
1. Ordered books from Borders -- a Provence cookbook that was rather disappointing, but an exciting Thief of Time and exhilirating True Grit soundtrack! Sadly I fear I shall never receive the Folklore of Discworld, or Hogather With The Pretty Cover That I Covet.
2. Started 'Temeraire: His Majesty's Dragon' today (mmm! Tasty!), as well as the last of the Immortals Quartet. I have been reading Mists of Avalon and have to occasionally rant at the narrator for her view of Christianity, but at least I'm reaching a lot of theological conclusions this way! And 'The Uses of Enchantment,' which is just fascinating.
3. Have been working on writing -- guys, how does anyone find inspiration for a story that doesn't involve magic? Not that I need magic -- c'mon, I can use mermaids, religious fanatics, wild magic, paladins, holy quests, dragons -- dangit!
4. For the first time I feel I've run into what my seventh-grade teacher said, that a writer first comes up with a theme and then builds a story around it. Being a fledgling writer myself I set out at once to correct his viewpoint. He didn't take kindly to it. I lost, because he was the teacher. And now darn him I have to write something to show off that I can do realism as well as fantasy! But Fantasy is where I get my ideas!
5. Dad has lately been ticking me off with this writing strategy that basically consists of "Transcribe something -- a TV show, a short story -- word for word about twenty times and then you can write that genre perfectly!" I find it really, really insulting for some reason.
6. I am still angry about failing to get the Sigma Tau Delta presidency for my school's chapter. Still very angry about that and about who got it.
7. That said, what with reading and writing and taking up swimming again, I'm having a great summer. :D
In brief:
1. Ordered books from Borders -- a Provence cookbook that was rather disappointing, but an exciting Thief of Time and exhilirating True Grit soundtrack! Sadly I fear I shall never receive the Folklore of Discworld, or Hogather With The Pretty Cover That I Covet.
2. Started 'Temeraire: His Majesty's Dragon' today (mmm! Tasty!), as well as the last of the Immortals Quartet. I have been reading Mists of Avalon and have to occasionally rant at the narrator for her view of Christianity, but at least I'm reaching a lot of theological conclusions this way! And 'The Uses of Enchantment,' which is just fascinating.
3. Have been working on writing -- guys, how does anyone find inspiration for a story that doesn't involve magic? Not that I need magic -- c'mon, I can use mermaids, religious fanatics, wild magic, paladins, holy quests, dragons -- dangit!
4. For the first time I feel I've run into what my seventh-grade teacher said, that a writer first comes up with a theme and then builds a story around it. Being a fledgling writer myself I set out at once to correct his viewpoint. He didn't take kindly to it. I lost, because he was the teacher. And now darn him I have to write something to show off that I can do realism as well as fantasy! But Fantasy is where I get my ideas!
5. Dad has lately been ticking me off with this writing strategy that basically consists of "Transcribe something -- a TV show, a short story -- word for word about twenty times and then you can write that genre perfectly!" I find it really, really insulting for some reason.
6. I am still angry about failing to get the Sigma Tau Delta presidency for my school's chapter. Still very angry about that and about who got it.
7. That said, what with reading and writing and taking up swimming again, I'm having a great summer. :D