tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57504605969309920412024-03-14T02:53:47.069-04:00 Witty Title TBDALL THE WORDS.Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-25467234266598430552015-09-08T16:49:00.001-04:002015-09-08T16:58:40.510-04:00Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Being Afraid of Making Mistakes with Characters of Color<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I've witnessed a lot of conversations
wherein White authors have expressed some trepidation about writing Characters
of Color in their books. While I totally understand where they're coming from
(after all, I write characters who are from different cultural heritages than
me and ask for help/do research to make sure I Get Things Right</span>™), I
must admit that I’m also quite perplexed at the same time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">An example:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m a bi-racial cis-female. My father
was white, and my mother is Filipina. I grew up in a single-parent household,
as my mother took us with her when she left my father. I was around the age of
eight, and am thankful every day that she removed my brother (who is four years
younger than me) and myself from an alcoholic and abusive parent. My mother
worked three jobs to make sure that her children would be well-provided for, and
I’m happy to say that we grew up not really wanting for much. Sure, there were
years when we got that cool new toy that came out during the Holiday Season
(why we ever wanted a Furby is beyond me), but there were also years we knew
that cool new toy wouldn’t happen. Although I was disappointed, I was safe,
loved, and taught that reading was something fun people did in order to pass
the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In high school, one of our required
readings was <i>The Catcher in the Rye</i>.
While some of my classmates absolutely loved the book, I hated it. I thought
Holden Caulfield was whiny, and I had no time then (or now, really), to suffer
boys who whine about their problems and refuse to do anything to change their
circumstances. One could make the argument that I missed the point of the book
entirely, and I’ll admit that I haven’t re-read it since high school, so maybe
now I’d feel different about Holden. Maybe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My point is that, even though I love
reading, there are some books that I don’t think are worth my time. I couldn’t
identify with Holden’s struggle at all, and didn’t care about what happened to
him. So, for about ten years, I’ve walked around hating <i>The Catcher in the Rye</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Question: Does my hatred of <i>The Catcher in the Rye </i>prohibit White
authors from writing more stories with White protagonists?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">No.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Another question: Does someone’s
disagreement with how a White author portrays a Character of Color hold back
other White authors from writing books with Characters of Color in them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The answer I’ve found so far is a
resounding yes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And this, my friends, is privilege.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">T</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">his fear of confrontation (in this
instance, of being critiqued for a character choice) is, perhaps, one of the
more subtle forms of privilege, but it exists nonetheless.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">While I am by no means the spokesperson
for all bi-racial White/Filipina cis-females, I can vouch for my own
experiences – and for the fact that I get asked quite frequently where I’m <i>from from</i>, as if my answer of “Virginia” isn’t good enough. The looks I
usually get are confused, or incredulous, as it <i>does not compute </i>that I come from Virginia. The temporary relief
that crosses their faces when I explain that my mom is from the Philippines
wrenches my stomach every time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It makes sense, all of a sudden. <i>I’m </i>from Virginia, but my mother is not.
My mother is foreign. My mother is not <i>one
of us</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is a confrontation that I didn’t
ask for – but it’s one that I have to face on (at least) a monthly basis. Or
whenever I meet someone new. I have to explain my right to be considered “American,”
because, when I have a tan, I happen to look…not white. My example is also one
of the lighter miroaggressions one can face. I’d also like to remind everyone
that people are dying/have always been killed for looking or presenting a
certain way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My mother didn’t dare teach us any of
her native dialects, because she wanted my brother and me to not be questioned
as much as she is. Other families kept their traditions going while ours fell
by the wayside. I have bi-racial friends
whose mothers are Filipina and their fathers are White, and they can speak
Tagalog fluently. And, like I said before, I can only touch on my own experiences.
What I do know is that I lost a crucial part of one of my cultures, because
white is the default. It’s the expectation. It’s the norm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When White authors write White
characters, are they afraid of getting “whiteness” wrong? Some are, sure, but
others keep on trucking like there’s nothing holding them back. White
characters get to be intelligent, moody, make terrible decisions, win the
championship soccer game, slack off in school, have an excellent grasp of
sarcasm and snarkiness, have powers, save the world, live in dystopia, etc –
and people rarely bat an eye or sweat over whether they’re being “true to the
White experience.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When I was growing up, do you know how
many characters I found who were the same kind of bi-racial as me? (HINT: The
answer is none) So, I went to the next best thing I could identify with – I found
Asian characters that I could cling to. And what was I presented with? Tiger
Moms, Book Worms, endless math equations, broken English, submissive women,
Geisha, Samurai, cultural barriers that were passed off as jokes, nerdy best
friends who only existed to validate the White best friend (and who never got a
date), and Miss Saigon syndrome (wherein: the Asian woman is wooed by the White
American man, who is obviously her ticket out of her horribly under-classed
existence, but she’s then dumped for a better/more suitable female. Usually
White).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I was presented with a portrait of
Asian-ness that was as true as it was incomplete. Sure, there might be some
Asian/Pacific Islanders who’ve had these experiences – but that doesn’t mean
all of us have. I am no more a spokesperson for the Asian/Pacific American
experience than the next, and I certainly don’t expect White authors to
spearhead the movement, either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In fact, the only thing I expect White
authors to do is some research. Acknowledge my culture by putting in time to
get to know it, and then write it as well as you can. Will some people think
your depictions are spot-on and true to their experiences? Sure. Will some
people take issue with what you’ve written? Of course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That’s art. That’s how art works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Art isn’t built to have everyone agree
on everything <i>all of the time</i>. That’s
why I used my Holden Caulfield example. I didn’t particularly care for his
experience, nor did it resonate with me. That doesn’t take away from someone
who does enjoy that book. My experience is just one in a sea of endless
experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, this isn’t carte blanche to just go
off and start writing things without research. If you rely on stereotypes to
convey your Characters of Color, we’re going to have a talk about why that
exists in your story. As a very wise friend pointed out, if you’re writing a
story about a pilot, you’d take the time to do research on what being a pilot
entails – so why would you not take the same care with a Character of Color’s
experiences?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mistakes are inevitable. Everyone messes
up. But to refrain from writing Characters of Color because you’re afraid of
backlash is unacceptable, and it only ensures that underrepresented kids will
grow up unable to find themselves in stories. They’ll be relegated to the best
friend/side-kick role and never understand that they can be the protagonists,
too. They can save the world, win the soccer game, be moody, intelligent, have
an excellent grasp of sarcasm and snarkiness, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">f you do make a mistake, own it, listen
to the people calling you out, and figure out a way not to make it again. Uplift
and help underrepresented writers who crave to get their stories out – who clamor
to be heard every day. Who have amazing stories to tell, but are held back for
systemic reasons and because they’ve been taught that their stories aren’t
worth telling.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But, whatever you do, please don’t make
the biggest mistake you can make: assuming that there are stories out there
that can’t be told. Somewhere out there is a child who desperately needs your
character, your world, your story. To deny them that is a truly frightening thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Isn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-68359335538581558982015-02-01T00:28:00.002-05:002015-02-01T00:28:53.129-05:00To Get the Thing Worth Journeying... (Part 2)Okay, so when we left off in the thrilling saga of <i>Alex does musical theater</i>, I'd gotten a call back and was super excited. So, here's what happened next!<br />
<br />
I got to the call back...about thirty minutes early. I was so freaked out about being late that I basically booked it there (woops). Anyway, I got there about the same time as another person, who I'd talked to a little during the open audition night. She was excited, too, and together we journeyed into the building.<br />
<br />
The Director (who, coincidentally, is my bathroom buddy from the last post) split us into three groups. While I was busy trying to figure out the method with which they divided us, I was herded into the first round of the call back - rhythm.<br />
<br />
Stephen Sondheim likes to make people cry (especially the performers), so his songs are...challenging. Yeah, we'll go with challenging. We had to sight-speak what might be the hardest song in the musical because it's so fast-paced.<br />
<br />
We were randomly assigned parts, and I got The Baker the first go 'round, which was quite disastrous. Our group stumbled through that for about fifteen minutes or so, and after slowing down the tempo to a snail's pace, we left that part of the call back feeling defeated.<br />
<br />
Then we went right to choreography and half my group groaned tragically (myself included). When we did musicals in high school, I was always that kid in the back that the good dancers hid. Don't get me wrong, I have rhythm and was always one of the people keeping people on-beat - while we were singing. But you ask me to dance and I have two left feet, and whatever the other non-dancey cliches are. So, I stumbled my way through that two eight-count, mostly jazz squares routine and thought that perhaps this wasn't for me, after all.<br />
<br />
Luckily, our group saved the best part for last. We went to the acting part of the call back determined to get something right - and we did! We had a couple of asides set aside, and got to act out various scenes from the musical. I was picked to go in the first scene, and was assigned Jack. With the scene I had, my only line was in the beginning and I basically spent the rest of the time off to the side while everyone else in it argued. So, instead of doing that, I started talking to an imaginary cow (he's milking it at various intervals in the scene). Since I was probably a failed stand-up comedian in another life, I encouraged the cow to produce milk because hey, if the US Hockey Team could be Russia in the Olympics and win the gold, the cow could also beat the odds and produce milk. I referenced the movie <i>Miracle</i>, and asked if the cow remembered watching it together and, by this time, the people not in the scene were laughing at how ridiculous I was.<br />
<br />
We switched characters and scenes around, so by the end of it I'd had my fair share of yelling/fighting/being sad. Then we all went back into the auditorium and after five minutes of conferring, they called a group on-stage to talk out that difficult song from earlier. Guess who one of the people they called was?<br />
<br />
Yeah.<br />
<br />
I did a bit better this time, and even ran across the stage at Cinderella at one point (apparently I harbor a secret disdain for Cinderella. No idea how that happened). They ran it through a couple more times with a different group, and then lined us all up on-stage to sing a few bars from a song in the musical. That part was awesome because we all got to hear each other's voices (up to that point, we had no idea what everyone sounded like when they sang).<br />
<br />
We were dismissed after that, and waited for an email with the cast list.<br />
<br />
And waited.<br />
<br />And waited.<br />
<br />
And then, it finally happened!<br />
<br />
I'm pleased (and proud) to say that I got a part!!! WOOOO!<br />
<br />
Which part, though...well. That's another story for another day :)Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-54824502757325750572015-01-12T19:44:00.001-05:002015-01-12T19:44:50.490-05:00To Get the Thing Worth Journeying (Part 1)Okay, so that whole "be better at blogging" thing starts...now! After my introspective last post I figured I'd put something a little more fun on the interwebs. I think I've touched on it a few times in the past, but when I was in high school I was a theater kid. And a chorus kid. Basically, if there was singing and a story, I was all about it.<br />
<br />
Then I went to my undergrad, and while I loved it there and wouldn't trade it for anything, I stopped singing in organized groups. It had been the first time I wasn't in some kind of choral setting since I was in the fifth grade.<br />
<br />
That "no chorus" streak continued into...well, this year (for those of you keeping track, that's 2007-2015). Then, while traveling back to Salem, I decided to look into community theaters to see if auditions were happening for anything interesting. I danced around my hotel room for a while when I found that a theater around twenty minutes away was doing <i>Into the Woods</i>...and that auditions were the day I was supposed to get back from my holiday shenanigans.<br />
<br />
So, I rooted through my vast array of showtunes hoping to find something that would be a suitable audition song. I had a very good idea of which part I wanted, so I picked a song that would <i>probably </i>be sung by my character if she were in that musical.<br />
<br />
One of my goals this year was to do something fun that was outside of work, because I love my coworkers, but everyone needs an escape. I also wanted to do something that was just for me, as a lot of last year focused on me taking care of other people.<br />
<br />
I went to the first night of auditions armed with twenty to thirty seconds of a song and a universe's-worth of excitement to try-out for something that I love (<i>Into the Woods</i>, consequently, is one of my favorite musicals). I got there, and...<br />
<br />
...everyone had sheet music. I had no sheet music, as I hadn't put that much thought into it. I almost turned around, but asked the nice registration lady if I could just go up there and wing it. She checked, and I was clear to sing a capella.<br />
<br />
I waited for about half an hour as other people went ahead of me. Then, one of the directors came out and called my name. After I took a deep breath, I went through the creaky double doors and...immediately cracked a joke.<br />
<br />
You see, I tend to do this when I get nervous. It's a terrible habit (or an awesome one, you decide). Anyway, about fifteen minutes before my audition, I'd gone to the bathroom and was washing my hands when another lady walked in. We did the awkward you're-here-too-I-should-acknowledge-your-existence head nod, and I left.<br />
<br />
So, I walk into this auditorium and one of the directors <i>also </i>happens to be the lady I ran into in the bathroom. Naturally, I blurt out, "OH, YOU'RE MY BATHROOM BUDDY!" at this poor woman. I got a laugh out of everyone in the room, which was probably a blessing and a curse. My "bathroom buddy" quipped that she's a frequenter of the bathroom, to which I replied that I, too, qualify for this title.<br />
<br />
At this point, my brain <i>really </i>wanted my mouth to stop talking, but there was no way to derail the train. They asked me what I was going to sing, so I told them, "My New Philosophy." Someone said that they hoped I wasn't going to sing the whole song, to which I replied that I could sing both parts if they wanted (which would have been interesting).<br />
<br />
If I hadn't already lost their attention, it was fading fast. So I finally stopped talking and sang.<br />
<br />
My bathroom buddy almost fell out of her chair as she scrambled over to the piano, and, by the time I was done, everyone in the room had huge smiles on their faces. They asked me if I knew any of the part that I really wanted (which is a mystery for this post haha), and I told them that I did indeed know that part.<br />
<br />
I wound up singing a bit of a character's song...right into the Director's ear, 'cause she was playing the piano. I projected like my life depended on it, and hit the notes as precisely as I could while I freaked out on the inside. I apologized for yell-singing into the Director's ear after we were done, and she laughed it off.<br />
<br />
I left the audition hoping to get a callback. There was a second night of open auditions a few nights after mine, so I waited all week to get an email about my fate.<br />
<br />
Said fate-email arrived Friday and...I GOT A CALLBACK!!! I pretty much ran laps around the building on Friday after the email came because I'd only ever had ensemble parts in musicals, so being called back for a role with a name --- any role --- was/is pretty awesome!<br />
<br />
Our callback was yesterday, but if you really want to know what happened you'll have to check back on the blog tomorrow :)<br />
<br />
Until then, I'm going to go back into the woods...Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-85778803736836085942014-12-29T22:49:00.001-05:002014-12-29T22:49:59.520-05:00Oh, 2014.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2014 was a thing that happened. Honestly, I don’t
even know how to begin to describe the year, but I think I’m in a good enough
place to give it a try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, here’s my try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The beginning of the year meant the end of my
father. I found out that he passed away on January 1, 2014, and I didn’t know
what to do with that information. You see, I hadn’t seen my father since I was
eight. My last, most vivid memory of him (there aren’t many memories of him)
was when he managed to track us down to our new house. My mom called the police
on him as soon as he showed up, and he was a hurricane of anger and alcohol.
That was probably the best way to describe the man: anger and alcohol.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What he was angry about and drank away, I’m still
not sure. I never got the chance to ask him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whatever the reason, he was these things a lot. Not
that I remember too much about him – or my childhood. I repressed everything
that had to do with him. I have no memories of anything that happened while we
lived with him, and I have no interest in getting them back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I thought I was ready for the day he’d die. I spent
all sixteen years he was gone preparing for it like it was an Olympic Event. I
was going to get the gold medal in coping with your absentee father’s death. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But when the day came, when it was time to show the world what I had, I fell
apart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I didn’t know why I fell apart. Death is difficult
(understatement) but, for all intents and purposes, the man had been dead to me
for sixteen years already. I owed him nothing, he owed my family (and me)
everything. He owed child support, so much child support, to my mother who had
to work multiple jobs to keep us afloat. He owed me all the memories he robbed
me of, and all of the time I spent watching my younger brother while my mom
worked, and worked, and worked. He owed my brother an explanation as to why he
wasn’t there, because he’d ask nearly every single day. After a while, he
stopped asking because he stopped caring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But all the walls and safeguards I’d built up for
sixteen years crashed down when I learned that I also had two half-sisters.
Before my father married my mother, he was married to another lady. I had
sisters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And it was weird then, because things clicked into
place somehow. It’s weird to explain, but I’d gone through life feeling like
there was this missing part. A hole that I couldn’t fill. But I figured it was
just me being super philosophical, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. Then
this happens and it’s cool and terrifying all at once. My family had known
about them all these years and kept my brother and me in the dark. Once I
realized that, the good outweighed the bad. It was rough enough to be betrayed
by my father – now I could add my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and my
hard-working mother to the list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All I wanted was an explanation. <i>Why</i> were these people kept from me? When
I couldn’t get one, I got even more frustrated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My father’s death left me filled with grief, though
only a small bit of it was over him. Instead, I grieved for the life I could’ve
had, if only I’d known I had sisters while I was growing up. How I could’ve had
people who knew exactly what I’d gone through with my father, because he was
just as terrible with them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I ended January with a broken heart. My heart would break
a lot, though I didn’t know it yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My brother broke my heart in March. He’s struggled
with depression for almost ten years now, and one night he called me, saying
things that smashed whatever was left of my heart. I flew down to Virginia to
show that he wasn’t alone, and that I really would be there if he needed me. I
was already emotionally drained, and everything else I had went to making sure
my brother would be safe when I left him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Due to various circumstances, I wound up planning my
father’s funeral. Since he was cremated, we waited until June to have the
service. While I planned his service, every person I spoke to about it offered
their condolences (I was tired of hearing that) and some (the Priest,
definitely the Priest) were supremely unhelpful and even went so far as to ask
me why <i>I </i>was the one planning the
funeral. My answer as always that it didn’t matter why <i>I </i>was the one planning it. I just needed it planned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But it kind of did matter. I planned it more for me
than I did for him. I hadn’t seen the man in sixteen years. I couldn’t tell you
what his voice sounded like, or his laugh, or even what color his eyes were. I
planned it because that was a way for me to get closure. It was a way for me to
know that this was final. I also planned it because no one else would.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No one else – not his siblings, or my mother –
wanted to plan his funeral.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How sad is that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My father was terrible, yes. Drunk, abusive,
continuously unemployed – but he was still a person. Throughout this whole
thing, I’d been trying to find something positive. Some glimmer of the person
he was, because he couldn’t have always been this monster that haunted me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I found the glimmer at a very odd time in my life. I
was visiting one of my half-sisters, and our father came up. She told me about
how they used to have dinner at his mother’s house, and how his father was
worse than he was. His father would berate my grandmother, yelling at her about
dinner and then refusing to let her sit at the table while everyone was eating.
His father also couldn’t hold down a job, and when he did manage to get money,
he spent it all on alcohol, instead of on his wife and kids, or the home they
had. He was abusive, too, and terrible, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And my father was like me. He picked up the pieces.
He was the oldest, the responsible one by virtue of birth order. He held down
jobs, watched his siblings, did everything I did, but decades earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All my life, I’d been terrified that I would turn
into my father. But I’d already become him. Well, the good parts anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For the first time in my life, I was able to
sympathize with the monster. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I decided to take the good parts, whatever I could
salvage, and ditch the bad. I couldn’t carry the fear around anymore – I wasn’t
my father, and I wouldn’t make the same choices he did. I knew better, I could
do better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ll be better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By the end of the year, I was crying on my kitchen
floor at the end of every day. Depression had claimed me, as I struggled to
reconcile my father’s death, my new family, my brother’s depression (he broke
my heart several more times this year), and my family losing a very large sum
of money that we didn’t have in the first place. Work had also been especially
difficult over the summer and fall semester, so that added to my stress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It didn’t help that I refused to acknowledge that I
was depressed. Dishes piled up in my sink, sitting there for weeks – but I wasn’t
depressed. My apartment got messier with each day, and I had no motivation to
clean it – but I wasn’t depressed. I hadn’t written anything new since
February, and couldn’t, just couldn’t, because everything I touched was
worthless – but I wasn’t depressed. I cried on the floor for one, two, three,
four, five days straight for no reason in particular – but I wasn’t depressed.
I felt like I was terrible at my job, I couldn’t do anything right, I was a horrible person – but I
wasn’t depressed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And it’s weird, really weird, but the thing that
helped me admit it was a horror movie. My friend got me to watch this
Australian movie called <i>The Babadook</i>
(which is a really awesome movie and you should watch it if you haven’t yet). I
don’t want to spoil the movie, but it made me realize that I’d had more than my
fair share of bad days, and I was, indeed, depressed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I held everyone together while I was falling apart.
I helped everyone find their way while I lost who I was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And I fell, and fell, without realizing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The good news is, I’ve stopped falling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The good news is, I was selected to participate in
Pitch Wars this year, which was an amazing writing contest and the lifeline I
so desperately needed – even though I didn’t know it. Pitch Wars made me focus
back on writing, as I had to revise one of my books. I reconnected to something
I loved, to who I used to be, and my heart stopped breaking. It pulled itself
back together, very slowly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s still trying to re-assemble, and will be doing
so for a very long time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For the first time in a while, I have hope. Although
cynicism and sarcasm are quite natural to me, at my core I’m an obnoxiously
annoying optimist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This year leeched all of the optimism out of me. I
walked around like a zombie, not feeling, or caring, or thinking. I was on
auto-pilot, I was in despair, I was lost, confused, and locked away somewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m not sure how the optimism came back. It just hit
me one day, like the universe remembered it borrowed it and gave it back,
apologizing for keeping it so long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The good news is, I’m really looking forward to
2015. 2014 was a rough year – and not just for me. All of my
friends had something terrible happen to them or the people they love this
year. And that’s not counting everything that’s happening in the country and
the world right now. But I’ve got a good feeling about 2015, because I think
this year will be about change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The world is changing, for better or worse
(hopefully it’s for the better). I’m determined to change – to let go of things
that are out of my control, and all the anger and resentment I’d carried around
because of my father. I don’t want to walk around thinking he owes me anything
anymore. I want to let the guy rest. Maybe he’ll find more peace wherever he is
(if he’s anywhere) than he did in this life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The beginning of the year marked the end of my
father. So, it’s kind of fitting that the end of the year marks the beginning
of whatever I choose to become. There are a lot of options out there, and I
have no idea how this is going to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Despite whatever happens, I’ll be better. Which was
the whole point of 2014, I suppose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-78710025277807791792014-11-27T12:32:00.000-05:002014-11-27T12:32:06.084-05:00What I'm Thankful For...<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I am thankful for my generation. No, seriously. For all the crap we get about being lazy and self-centered (selfies, by the way, are nothing more than digital self-portraits which people used to do; only they stood in the same pose for months on end to capture their image during the old painting days), I'm thankful that, for the most part, my generation is mad.<br /><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But we're much more than that. We want to see change, because things cannot stay the way they are. We want to bring a little more balance to a skewed world. We want more, we expect more, and the fact that it's still out of reach - that it's still being held from us - makes us mad. So I'm thankful for my selfish, sloth-like generation who stares at their computers all day, doing absolutely nothing. One day, people will see how wrong those labels are, and I can't wait.</span><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I am thankful that I have people who will support me, no matter what. And, that if times get difficult, I'll always have a place to stay. Not everyone can say that, and my life is filled by people who have helped me through what can best be summed up as the worst year of my life. I know it sounds dramatic, but trust me, it was pretty bad.</span></span><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I am thankful that I can express myself through writing. Sometimes I forget how truly awesome it is to be able to say that I've written a book, and will continue to write. But, even better than being able to say that I've written a book is being able to say that people have read my book and enjoyed it. That will forever and always blow my mind. I still have so many stories to tell, issues to explore, and things to do that I'm truly excited for what the future brings.</span></span><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I'm thankful for the students I get to work with everyday. My Resident Assistants, Academic Mentors, and Desk Receptionists are all amazing, and it saddens me that people don't give them enough credit sometimes. I've never met a more compassionate, aware, and active group of students. They are the future, <i>our </i>future, and I fully believe that they will change things for the better. </span></span><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I am thankful for rage, sadness, joy, excitement, fear, happiness, and every other emotion out there. It's what makes us human, the good and the bad. </span></span><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">And finally, I am thankful for you, whoever you are, reading this post about being thankful. I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to stop by, and hope you have an awesome day! </span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Since I would be remiss to not address the negative things associated with today, I'll leave you with this quote. Let us not forget that America was built upon and hasn't yet broken down a heinous system of oppression.<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"Throughout history, the subjugated have always had to be nobler. That is a hell of a thing, to expect nobility in the face of disgrace." - Roxane Gay</span></span></div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-63460791711623135902014-11-11T23:59:00.001-05:002014-11-11T23:59:12.647-05:00A Not-So-Random Whose Line ReferenceOkay, it's not so much a reference as a hint, I guess! I'm about to watch a lot of these (and unearth my copy of <i>Double Indemnity</i>) as I write my post Pitch Wars book!<br />
<br />
A real blog post will happen sometime soon, as I've watched <i>Nightcrawler </i>and <i>Interstellar</i> and have thoughts to form on both of these films!<br />
<br />
Enjoy the clip!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/hfiwtC9J3XY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-79969456870781329282014-11-07T20:58:00.001-05:002014-11-07T20:58:19.894-05:00Pitch Wars, Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes, and I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!WELL HELLO!<br />
<br />
It's been the longest of whiles since I did anything with the blog. There are lots of long stories to go along with why I've been radio silent for so long, but I'm very happy to say that I'm back for reals!<br />
<br />
So many things happened while my blog was silent, but the real highlight has been <a href="http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitch-wars/">Brenda Drake's Pitch Wars</a>! In September, I found my name in the <a href="http://www.brenda-drake.com/2014/09/drum-roll-please-pitch-wars-mentor-picks-announced/">Alternate List</a> and walked around skipping/casually not freaking out (or actually freaking out) because the wonderful, gracious, Zombieland-loving <a href="http://www.nktraver.com/2014/08/pitch-wars-september-2014.html">N.K. Traver</a> decided to make me a part of #TeamTallahassee!<br />
<br />
Based on Nat's feedback, I started to revise my YA Horror - which was easy some days and something close to the part of the action movie where the heroes destroy a major city while trying to defeat the villain on others. But I wound up adding a lot, like A LOT A LOT to my word count, and my story is so much stronger now because of this contest, Nat's advice, my awesome teammate <a href="https://twitter.com/Marisa_Hopkins">Marisa's</a> feedback (she got NINE REQUESTS in the contest, by the way, so hell yeah best team ever!!!!), and my CPs, who had to read like 50 billion versions of my story and never complained! You all are awesome, and I <3 you to the end of the universe and back!<br />
<br />
But to fully appreciate the beauty of my new first page, I think it would be kind of cool to go back to my <i>first </i>first page of this story. You see, it started two years ago as my NaNoWriMo endeavor. While I managed to win NaNo with this story, it was very much a hot mess of like 53,000 words. It had it's creepy moments, yeah, but it was also really different. It started out following a group of teens who lived in a boarding school - and were also participating in a reality TV show. I wanted to deconstruct reality TV <i>and </i>have ghosts running around, and it...well, like I said, it was a hot mess. The characters were also rehearsing a certain Shakesperean show, which was going to be cool once I figured out how to tie the cameras and fake reality show things in, I swear.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the first page of that...<br />
<br />
I don’t know what I’m saying. That’s the problem with Shakespeare, I guess. He finds just about every way of saying something without actually saying it.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
Oh, God. I’m starting to sound like him. Cam laughs – it’s a high melody – kind of like a bird chirping or something. Huh, there’s a thought – maybe Kate can sing along to Cam’s laughter. <br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
“Miss Thomas!” Our theater teacher’s voice scratches out my name like nails on a chalkboard. Thankfully, we don’t have a chalkboard in the auditorium. <br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
“Yeah, Mrs. Jones?” I ask, squinting into the light. She’s standing off-camera, directly behind the blinding light coming from the top of that stupid recording device. Excellent. I don’t suppose I’ll get used to being watched like this anytime soon.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
“Get back to the play, please.”<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
“Ah, yes, it is the thing,” I mumble. Cam laughs again and I shoot her a look. She shakes her head, swinging her white-blond hair everywhere. She’s so pale and fragile looking that she makes perfect sense as a witch. Me…not so much.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
But, whatever, I need this theater credit.<br />
<br />
Mrs. Jones drums her long fingernails on her clipboard. “Miss Thomas, if you would start reciting lines from this play, perhaps we wouldn’t have to stop rehearsals every two minutes.”<br />
<br />
“Hey, I could’ve been a great Hamlet- ”<br />
<br />
Mrs. Jones rolls her eyes and waves a dismissive hand in my face. “Spare us the jokes, Quinn. Just get on with the scene.”<br />
<br />
I <i>dramatically</i> hold the script in front of me. Well, it’s not really a script. It’s the Spark Note’s “No Fear Shakespeare” version of Macbeth. Spark Notes totally had the right idea with this “translation anyone can understand” thing. I’m still not sure why we’re using this version – it’s not like Prufrock Prep can’t afford actual Shakespeare scripts.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----------------------------</div>
<br />
So that was a thing that happened. A few months after NaNo, I was still tearing my hair out and trying to make the story work, and it wouldn't cooperate. Then one day I figured out that I had the whole thing wrong. Like way, way wrong. I decided that, while I loved my MC, she wasn't really in the right story. So I took her out of it, away from the prep school drama and the Shakespeare rehearsals, and threw her into the world of Colonial Williamsburg, urban legends, and missing relatives. Oh, and I decided to make it mimic a found-footage movie, because I got it like that.<br />
<br />
If I wanted to make it super found footage-y, though, I knew I had to start it with something a little creepy. Though I deliberated for a long time about <i>who </i>should start the story, I ultimately landed on Quinn's cousin, Eli, who disappears along with her friends while hunting an urban legend for a reality TV show.<br />
<br />
Which means my first page looked like this:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>This is the part where they disappear</b>. </div>
<br />
June 21, 2013 (Summer Solstice)<br />
8:00 PM<br />
Outside of Williamsburg, VA<br />
Battery Level: 89%<br />
<br />
We shouldn’t be here. Despite all the signs, and how much we want to help, going into the White Woods this close to sunset is a stupid idea.<br />
<br />
“When’s it supposed to get dark again?” Josh asks. If he’s joking, I’m gonna punch him.<br />
<br />
“Not for a few more hours. It’s the longest day of the year, remember?” Alanna stands behind me, leaning on my shoulder as she stares into the camera’s display screen. She’s wearing her usual overly floral perfume – which is kind of ridiculous, since cryptids don’t really care how she smells. Well, that Wendigo in Oregon kind of did, but that was the only time. If it even was a Wendigo. I still think it was an overzealous bear.<br />
<br />
But Alanna didn’t become a Wendigo-meal, or a bear-meal, so I guess it worked out.<br />
<br />
She laughs as she moves next to me, keeping her eyes on Josh. “I think you’re gaining weight, Banks.”<br />
<br />
Josh sticks his tongue out at us as Jira laughs. “I think she’s right,” Jira says, poking him in the shoulder. “Maybe you should stop eating so many cheeseburgers.”<br />
<br />
“As fun as it is to point out Josh’s obsession with Big Macs,” I say, panning the camera across the open field. “We’ve still got a lot of ground to cover before the sun goes down.”<br />
<br />
Josh laughs, walking over and clapping me on the shoulder. “Eliza, you need to stop worrying. Cameramen are supposed to be fearless, remember?”<br />
<br />
The camera’s light mysteriously shines right in his face. Josh’s hands go up in front of his eyes as he staggers back.<br />
<br />
“What the hell was that for, Chen?”<br />
<br />
I shrug. “I’m a camerawoman, not a cameraman.”<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
----------------------------------------------</div>
<br />
Which is all right, I suppose. It stayed like that for a little while...until PitchWars made me re-evaluate my life choices. After much toil and trouble (see what I did there?) I wound up submitting that and thennnnnnnnn the work began! Fast forward two months, and my first page now looks like this:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>This is the part where they disappear.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Wailing Wanderer</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> Season 2, Episode 1</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Day 6</b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Cameraperson: Eliza Chen </b></div>
<br />
June 21, 2013 (Summer Solstice)<br />
8:00 PM<br />
Outside of Williamsburg, VA<br />
Battery Level: 89%<br />
<br />
We shouldn’t be here. Despite all the signs, and how much we want to help, going into the White Woods this close to sunset is a stupid idea.<br />
<br />
Josh throws an overly dramatic hand on his forehead. “Can we speed this up? I’m too pretty to risk being stuck in these woods for forever.”<br />
<br />
Oh, good. If he keeps this up, I’ll punch him right where that embroidered eagle sits on his preppy polo. I swear, if we get trapped in these woods because we listened to someone who marks time by when the next J. Crew sale’s about to go down, instead of all the warnings – well. Let’s just say there aren’t enough words in the English language that can describe what I’ll do to him.<br />
<br />
“It won’t get dark for a few more hours. It’s the longest day of the year, remember?” Alanna stands behind me, leaning on my shoulder as she stares into the camera’s display screen.<br />
<br />
She’s wearing her usual floral perfume – which is kind of ridiculous, since cryptids don’t really care how she smells. Well, that Wendigo in Oregon did, but that was the only time. If it even was a Wendigo. I still think it was an overzealous bear.<br />
<br />
But Alanna didn’t become a WendigoMeal™, or a BearMeal™, so I guess it worked out.<br />
<br />
She laughs as she moves next to me. “Either the camera really does add ten pounds, or Josh needs to lay off the cheeseburgers.” She tosses her dark hair back, waiting for whatever smartass comment he’ll shoot her way.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
------------------------------------------------</div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's been really cool to see how much this book has changed over the past two years, and I'm really excited about what it's become. Although there have been times where I've cursed it's name, it's turned out to be better than I ever thought it would be, and there really isn't a good way to express how happy I am with it!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've learned a lot, and am really grateful for being chosen and having such an awesome opportunity! I snagged quite a few requests, and I will now and forever Snoopy Dance around my apartment because my ghost/Japanese demon/Tarot Card/<i>authentic </i>Colonial Williamsburg story is pretty kick-ass...and slightly terrifying ;D</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And now I'm on to the next story while I wait. It's also going to be a YA Horror, so get ready :D</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Until next time!</div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-72687751452547155392014-04-16T01:40:00.001-04:002014-04-16T10:31:22.442-04:00That's What It's All About...<i>I promise I'm going back to normal blogging soon. For now, though, here are my thoughts on a day that will always mean so many things.</i><br />
<br />
I was lucky enough to attend Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University if you want to be really fancy about it) for four years. Last week, I was lucky enough to return to my undergraduate institution (which shall herein be referred to as my home), and spend some time reflecting on what Virginia Tech means to me.<br />
<br />
Whenever I visit my home, I spend a lot of time at the April 16th Memorial. It's a nice place to sit and think, and I've definitely done my fair share of sitting and thinking there. On my last night of sitting and thinking, I was caught off-guard by a student who happened to walk by. He was caught off-guard by me, too, because he stopped mid-walk, took his head phones out, and spoke to me.<br />
<br />
"Are you okay?" He asked.<br />
"I'm fine." I smiled, somewhat apologetically. "It's just a nice place to sit and think."<br />
He considered this for a moment, and then smiled back. "I'd join you, but I have a quiz in ten minutes."<br />
"I'll be all right. Thank you for checking on me, though. Oh, and good luck on your quiz!"<br />
"Thanks!" He put his headphones back in. "Good luck sitting and thinking." He walked away, off to test his knowledge.<br />
<br />
I really hope he got an A on that quiz.<br />
<br />
It's kind of funny how a random encounter can shift your perspective. Until that student stopped to talk to me, I'd been somewhat moody, brooding over tough decisions and letting the weight of various things press down on me. I was at a pivotal moment where I knew I made the right decisions, but needed reassurance that the things I'd done would work out in a good way.<br />
<br />
He was the sign I needed. It was that small act of kindness that completely turned things around for me. Just by stopping to talk to me, this student reminded me that, no matter how much bad there is in the world, there will always be good to counter it.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, I burst into tears after he left, because I wasn't expecting that to happen. There I was, sitting alone at our memorial, looking out at the Drillfield, one of the most iconic things about my campus. And there he was, on his way to a quiz, taking time out of his day to make sure that I was all right. This stranger would've sat with me in silence, watching people walk home from classes or club meetings, if not for his quiz.<br />
<br />
And that's when it hit me. He wasn't a stranger. He was, and is, part of my family.<br />
<br />
You see, <i>that</i> is what I love about my home. Virginia Tech is filled with people just like that student - selfless, thoughtful, kind, and compassionate. Our school's motto is Ut Prosim, which means "That I May Serve." And oh, how we love that motto. We try to live that motto out every day, in many different ways. That student lived the motto out just by making sure I was all right. Our student body literally embodies that motto when they participate in The Big Event, or raise an absurd amount of money for Relay for Life. Our dedication and service doesn't just extend to our fellow Hokies and the community that surrounds us - if someone is in need somewhere and a Hokie is around to help, we will jump in head-first and do what needs to be done.<br />
<br />
That intense level of selflessness is something that I learned while I attended Virginia Tech - but I didn't figure out until I went back there last week.<br />
<br />
I also learned a lot about resiliency and strength. There had always been something so special about my home, though I often had a hard time articulating exactly what that was. As I walked around campus last week, I finally figured it out. My home had been through a lot. That's an understatement. Let me rephrase.<br />
<br />
My home went through hell and back. My home was torn apart, my home was attacked, my home was wounded, and confused, and scared, and angry, and lost. My home was sad. Sad for days, months, years. My home mourned, my home was forever changed. My home was scarred.<br />
<br />
My home was all of these things when I moved in. But that's not everything that my home had to offer.<br />
<br />
My home, and my family, found hope through despair. My home found a way to heal. It wasn't a perfect way - I don't think there is such a thing when it comes to healing. But my home figured it out. It was painful, and probably won't ever be quite finished, but my home kept going. Despite everything, the Hokie Nation kept going. Through the pain and the heartache, through the unspeakable sadness, my family leaned on each other and pushed forward. We moved on because that's what we needed to do, but we never forgot. And we never will. Forgetting isn't in our nature - and neither is giving up.<br />
<br />
We persevered by finding a strength we never knew we had. And I can attest to this, as someone who witnessed said strength first-hand. That's how I learned what true strength was. True strength wasn't stating that everything was all right when it wasn't. True strength was standing on the Drillfield with thousands of people, crying as 32 names are read out. True strength was comforting the person next to you, even though you'd never spoken to them before. True strength was acknowledging that things weren't all right and allowing that pain to take over - but only for a little while. Dwelling in pain isn't useful or healthy, but finding ways to create something good from something terrible is a mark of true strength.<br />
<br />
I'd like to think that I gave a little bit of that strength back as I spent more time there and fully understood what my home meant to me. I'd also like to think that I can keep giving a bit of that strength back as I move farther and farther away from a place I love. My home, my family, has taught me that terrible things happen and that it's fine to feel lost for a little while. But there are always people who will be around to help and heal with you, because there's more to life than just pain.<br />
<br />
My home taught me many things, though I didn't realize it while I was there. I will forever be thankful for discovering what it means to truly be selfless, compassionate, kind, loving, a good friend, supportive, strong, resilient, brave, creative, innovative, kick-ass, hilarious, and everything else I'm at a loss to explain.<br />
<br />
So, since I'm at a loss to explain it, I'll just let Nikki Giovanni go ahead and break it down. She does it quite well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0cSuidxE8os?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
I love my home. I'll always love my home. I hope I can make it proud every day, because it's an amazing place full of amazing people and it's time everyone saw that. We are so much more than our tragedy.<br />
<br />
We are Virginia Tech, and we will neVer forgeT <3<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-47057387854321369862014-03-10T00:22:00.000-04:002014-03-10T00:22:01.395-04:00I think this post's mostly filler...<br />
There's a real blog post coming soon, but until then, here's another excerpt from my YA High Fantasy :) My narrator is in the middle of a fight. But it's not a fight to the death or anything, so don't worry.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
You were worried, weren't you?</div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
-------------------------------------------------------------</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Our
giant wooden sticks, which were, quite frankly, a bit silly and a little
suggestive, clashed against each other as we countered the other’s
strikes. We were only inches from each other, and pretty evenly matched. So I
did the only thing I could think of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I
cheated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I
let go of the staff and landed a punch square on his jaw. He recoiled back as
pain flared in my hand. That wasn’t the best plan, but it bought me the time I
needed. And hey, maybe <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cheated </i>is a
strong word. If the only rule in the whole match is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">don’t kill the other person</i>, and the objective is to win, I think
punching is a fine way to achieve said objective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The
only problem was, I hadn’t quite punched him right. That’s why my hand hurt
more than it should. I tried to shake it off as he staggered toward me,
laughing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Seriously?”
He asked, only loud enough that I could hear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Er,
sorry?” I wasn’t really sure what else to say. “I guess—”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Whatever
I was going to say was lost as soon as the first scream tore through the air.
My opponent, whose name I still didn’t know, tensed as he turned toward the
crowd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-10935760808532656892014-02-17T22:05:00.000-05:002014-02-17T22:05:23.601-05:00Progress!Right, so I've managed to get a bit of writing time in during this long weekend! YAY! I'm really excited to get back to making things up, and got a few research books today that I'll have to pour through to get my world-building stuff right! I'm basing a lot of my high-fantasy off of ancient China and Japan, and I really can't wait to incorporate both of those cultures into the world my characters are trying to figure out.<br />
<br />
I made it to 17K today, and am really hoping to get to 20K by the end of the week! I also have a lot of things to beta (sorry, CPs, for being the worst writing friend on the planet these past few months) and a ton of pubbed things to read! I think one of the reasons I went on a mostly-accidental writing hiatus is that I had a difficult time finding balance between a time-consuming, but pretty rewarding job, giving my brain time to rest each day after said job, and whatever other curveballs life decided to throw my way. But I've got a semester of experience behind me now, and I'm totally ready to do this thing!<br />
<br />
So, in honor of me actually posting more than one thing on this blog in a month, and me getting back to writing, here's an excerpt of the YA high-fantasy I'm working on (shameless plug? Maybe...)<br />
<br />
Be on the lookout for more posts this week! (HINT: One will probably be about <em>Frozen</em>, and only 60% of them will be as self-serving as this one haha)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
<div align="center">
---------------------------------------------------------</div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><div style="text-align: left;">
.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I
used to be afraid of thunder. It doesn’t make a lot of sense now, of course.
Lightning was the more logical thing to be scared of. It was flashy,
unpredictable, could kill you if it hit you – but I couldn’t find it in me to
be frightened when it struck. It’s not like I thought lightning was beautiful,
or divine, or fascinating. Lightning just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i>,
and I didn’t care that it existed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Thunder,
however, was terrifying. It was loud, and invisible, and could wrap around you,
completely engulfing you, if you let it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I
thought I’d grown out of my fear, but as I stood in the middle of the field,
waiting for my opponent to come out of his hiding place, it was like standing
in the middle of a million storms. I was six again, and afraid, so afraid, that
the thunder was coming to get me. Never mind that the thunder was only the
cheering crowd. It wasn’t even troubling that, for the most part, they weren’t
cheering for me. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</span><div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-91776963841415548282014-02-04T20:22:00.000-05:002014-02-04T20:22:56.839-05:00And now I'm back...from outer space!By "outer space" I totally mean whatever long-term-accidental hiatus happened these last few months. Well, it's been more than a few months, but I don't think that's the point.<br />
<br />
So hello! It's been a long, long time and I'm really very sorry that I've been so M.I.A. I'm hoping that'll be over soon as I'm finally learning how to balance my big-kid job with actually having a life outside of said job. And part of that outside life is getting back to writing! I think my break from everything writing-related was nice, because I remembered why I started to come up with stories and characters in the first place. <br />
<br />
This past year has been quite the roller coaster and I think I lost sight of a lot of things that are important to me. Thankfully life has a way of smacking you in the face and reminding you about what matters most.<br />
<br />
So.<br />
<br />
I'm going to focus a bit more on the two stories I've started. One is a YA High Fantasy that has a pretty epic unreliable narrator and will require an <em>Ocean's 11</em>-esque amount of planning, if you catch my drift. ;D <br />
<br />
The other is...hmm, how do I describe this? I suppose it's a YA Contemp with quite a bit of magical realism. I'll just leave the first page at the bottom of this post and let you draw your own conclusions about what's happening (10 points to your Hogwarts House if you get it right!).<br />
<br />
2014 has been a challenging year so far, but it's also let me learn a lot about myself. I can't wait to see what else happens, and to tackle this undoubtedly eventful year with some awesome people (and hey, if you're reading this, you count as one of them!).<br />
<br />
Happy 2014, y'all! Let's do this thing!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
First page time what what?!?</div>
<div align="center">
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve gotta be dead. Or in hell. That’s the only
reasonable explanation for why I’m listening to this perpetual blonde stereotype
drone on and on about how her Dad started her stupid pill addiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Well, I guess that’s not fair. Her addiction isn’t stupid.
She is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If I have to sit through five more minutes of, “My Dad was a
psycho, he locked me up in the attic, and the only other thing in there was an
exercise bike,” I swear, I’m gonna set this whole place on fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So what if I actually end up in Juvie this time? It’ll be a
whole lot better than this pathetic excuse for a school. And this damn
“sharing group.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The blonde nightmare bites her lower lip again, shaking in her
seat. “And I didn’t have anything else to do, so most of the day I just
used the exercise bike. And, it’s like, no matter how fast I pedaled, I
just couldn’t get away—”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Because those bikes are stationary,” I spit out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Mal,” our bottle-of-sunshine group therapist chides, “you’ll have
your turn in a few moments. Right now it’s Rory’s time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rory, Little Miss Exercise Bike herself, gives me what might be
her version of a death glare. I slide farther down into my chair.
“Sorry, princess. Go ahead,” I say, while mimicking a very strange
sit-bow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ms. Therapist shoots me a look, but I’m not apologizing for
calling Rory a princess. She sure as hell acts like one all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-19254758186740041462013-10-14T17:14:00.001-04:002013-10-14T17:16:41.889-04:00Research-y Things: The Tarot EditionHello all!<br />
<br />
It's been a while, hasn't it? Hopefully I'll start blogging regularly again soon, because I have a fun new YA Horror to gush over. But the gushing will have to wait for now. What I <i>would </i>like to talk about today is book research. Some of us have googled some questionable things in the names of our manuscripts, and I'm not saying I've done that, but...<br />
<br />
I've totally done that.<br />
<br />
Anyway, when I started writing this ghost story, I knew I wanted Tarot to play some sort of role. I'd been really fascinated with it for a while, but had no idea how to read the cards or what the purpose actually was. So, in the name of actually getting the facts correct in my manuscript, I looked up Tarot card meanings while sitting in an airport. And then I bought a book. And then I might've gotten a reading.<br />
<br />
All for research, of course.<br />
<br />
So Quinn, my main character, has been doing Tarot reading for years. She's quite good at it, and really dismayed when they visit a psychic who only has a very surface-level grasp of the concept. The psychic in my story is a bit of a wonderful troll, though, so she gives everyone an ominous card or two. The cards could definitely be taken as hints/warnings, but since this psychic really doesn't know what she's doing, they could also be taken as someone trying really hard to be a mystic and failing even harder.<br />
<br />
It was a lot of fun to figure out who got what and how their cards relate to the story. I figured I'd share them, since I haven't posted in a while and I just bought a Tarot book today to further my research :)<br />
<br />
So, without further ado, my characters and their cards:<br />
<br />
<b>Quinn: </b><br />
My main character gets The Magician, which suits her ridiculously well. This card is all about being resourceful and being a change agent and using what you have to achieve your goals. My dearest Quinn faces quite a few obstacles, and she uses her awesome skills (and her friends' skills) to make the best of each situation.<br />
<br />
My favorite line of hers, though, happens when the psychic reveals her Major card.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
“When you say it like that I sound like a magical, talented, cocky asshole.”</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Cam:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
One of Quinn's best friends, and the one who constantly keeps her in check, Cam's Major card is Strength. Cam can be assertive when she needs to be (usually when she's reigning in her friends' sometimes overly dramatic tendencies), but she's got a lot of heart, and is a very calming presence. Cam isn't afraid to tell it like it is, but she's also a huge fan of giving out hugs.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Leo:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Leo gets The Star because he wants to work in TV. Just kidding, he <i>actually </i>gets The Star because it mainly represents hope. Even though Leo gets pretty badly shaken at the beginning of my story, he holds on to the hope that his friends can solve the mysteries surrounding the infamously haunted White Woods. He's there to ground his friends, and pick them up whenever they're feeling down.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Rav:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Rav's card is probably my favorite, because I love foreshadowing :) My master of disaster gets The Moon is this awesomely ambiguous card that can represent uncertainty and deceit. To say more would give a lot of my story away, but I'll just say that his card is scarily accurate, and that he might want to trust his friends a liiiiiiiiitle bit more!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
That's all I've got for now! I'll post four more characters and their cards tomorrow :)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-6658576183548624042013-09-10T23:40:00.001-04:002013-09-10T23:40:40.459-04:00That one time I went on an accidental hiatus...WOOPS.<br />
<br />
Sorry about that. I'll have an actual blog post soon with life updates/information on the Witch City, since that's where I'm living now!!! But the important things, really, are that I'm employed, my job is awesome but keeping me wayyyyyy busy, and I'm still working on my ghost story!<br />
<br />
So yeah. More info soon. I miss you all and I'm sorry about my blogging fail for all of August :-/Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-36777453372018689252013-08-07T16:36:00.001-04:002013-08-07T16:39:38.756-04:00What's Up Wednesday/Ready. Set. Write! Post # 9<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
So <a href="https://twitter.com/lyssness">Alyssa</a> from <a href="http://www.thegreatnovelingadventure.com/">The Great Noveling Adventure</a> contacted me for an interview!</div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<img alt="image" src="http://media.tumblr.com/ef58a4c7830971ffd4c29befa7f31a81/tumblr_inline_mjw35e80831qg907p.gif" /></div>
<div>
This was my face when I got the email :P<br />
<br />
If you'd like to see how bad at math I am, <a href="http://www.thegreatnovelingadventure.com/2013/08/your-adventure-guest-interview-with-alex-brown/">click riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight here!</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<img src="http://commutinggirl.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/ready-set-write-button.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyZYtGFkEcjZl4n9a3YIEvqzYDg9fChNigGMa3bA32A-PZhlRiG7sE2hwC24M6WCAwpGx5sTWL9csVzoXG64rlMmCocJ5Sx0heisvpUGTo5e6mwRL-gPjI5Ds47d5Qgz5eP9CrVlBxcud/s320/ButtonLargeNoBorder.jpg" width="244" /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">
<b>What I'm reading:</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">
I'm still reading Ellen Oh's PROPHECY :) ASIA BASED HIGH FANTASY NOVELS ARE THE BEST!<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">
<b>What I'm writing:</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">The Ghost Story is officially at 23K!!! It'll probably get to 25K tonight :)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Here's another excerpt! My MC and her friends are about to figure out what's been waiting for them in a certain safety deposit box...</span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px; text-indent: 48px;">**************</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
feel like a bank robber. I shouldn’t, since we have a key and Cam’s Josh’s
sister, but there’s something really weird about going through someone else’s
safety deposit box.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Are
you ready?” Cam asks as we all sit in the car outside of the bank. No one
answers. “I’m gonna take that as a yes,” she says, switching the ignition off.
“Just…just let me do the talking, okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We
all get out of the car without saying anything else. After everything that
happened last night, I don’t think any of us got a lot of sleep. My hand still
stings from that whole blood ritual thing, and Leo hasn’t spoken to any of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He’s
been so quiet. I don’t know what to do to help him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jeff
nudges me, trying to smile. “You look like you came out of a horror movie.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yeah,
and you look like a beauty queen.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 32px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">**************</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
(Attainable!) Goal is 40K by the end of August!!!</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b>What else I've been up to:</b></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
I GOT A JOB!!! I'll be moving to Salem, Massachusetts very soon and will have lots of updates, especially around Halloween (they celebrate Halloween the WHOLE month of October!)</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<b>What inspires me right now:</b></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
GHOSTS.<br />
<br />
In honor of my new job, WITCHES.<br />
<br />
Pretty much anything creepy.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
Happy Writing!</div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
:P</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-60341551392795588742013-07-31T00:00:00.001-04:002013-07-31T00:06:47.243-04:00What's Up Wednesday/Ready. Set. Write Post #8!<div style="text-align: center;">
Soooooo I didn't do one of these last week.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="image" src="http://media.tumblr.com/ef58a4c7830971ffd4c29befa7f31a81/tumblr_inline_mjw35e80831qg907p.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This is still one of my favorite GIFs. And maybe also my punishment for not posting last week.<br />
This will haunt me in my nightmares tonight.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://commutinggirl.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/ready-set-write-button.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyZYtGFkEcjZl4n9a3YIEvqzYDg9fChNigGMa3bA32A-PZhlRiG7sE2hwC24M6WCAwpGx5sTWL9csVzoXG64rlMmCocJ5Sx0heisvpUGTo5e6mwRL-gPjI5Ds47d5Qgz5eP9CrVlBxcud/s320/ButtonLargeNoBorder.jpg" width="244" /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b>What I'm reading:</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
I'm bringing Ellen Oh's PROPHECY with me during my travels :) I'm quite excited to read an Asia-based high fantasy!!!<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b>What I'm writing:</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">The Ghost Story is officially at 22K!!! I had massive writers block for a couple of weeks, but I think it's broken now, so YAY! </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0.5in;">Here's an excerpt (this still takes place in the cemetery, shortly after the last excerpt I posted)!</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px; text-indent: 48px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px; text-indent: 48px;">**************</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Cam
makes it to the circle of candles and bloodied dirt first. “What the hell are
you doing? Why didn’t you answer your phone?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My
face warms as I put my cut-open hand behind my back. “I, uh, left it in the
car-”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“What’re
you thinking? Why’d you leave it in the car?” Her eyes dart around from Tal, to
the candles, to the knife that Tal didn’t bother hiding. Damnit. Here we go.
“And show me your hand.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
don’t move. “I-”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You
will show me your hand right now, Quinn Thomas!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My
shoulders sink in as I hold out my cut hand. Leo skids to a stop in time to see
it, and Jeff, who’s never been able to control how he runs, smacks into him.
They barrel into the ground, cursing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I’d
laugh, but Cam’s face is enough to make sure I never feel the need to be happy
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You.” She points at Tal. “You did this to her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tal
shrugs. Props to her for not wilting under Cam’s death-glare. “It needed to be
done. I was hoping the rest of you would join us before we got started.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Before
what got started?” Leo asks, brushing himself off.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tal
smiles. “Our conversation with dead people.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 32px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">**************</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
New goal is maybeeeeeeee 40K by the end of August? I think I can do that!!!</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b>What else I've been up to:</b></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
MOAR job interviews. That's...that's pretty much it haha</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
;_;</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<b>What inspires me right now:</b></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
GHOSTS.<br />
<br />
I'm actually in Salem, Massachusetts right now, so I'd be remiss to leave out witches/witch trails :)<br />
<br />
And...my sad playlist, surprisingly...<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
Happy Writing!</div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
:P</div>
</div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-69302339293017849492013-07-29T21:29:00.002-04:002013-07-29T21:35:26.530-04:00Me Vs. Summer Movies: The ConjuringHello all!<br />
<br />
So..."The Conjuring" happened. Twice. In case you didn't see my tweets about it, I absolutely LOVE this movie. It's a beautifully shot horror movie, hits all the scare beats perfectly, and is just full of win.<br />
<br />
Like, a lot of win.<br />
<br />
I was ridiculously excited when I learned about the movie! During my freshman year of college, Lorraine Warren came to my campus and spoke (it was on my birthday, which made it even better, really), and it was an amazingly intense experience. Whether one believes in the paranormal or not, some of the footage they showed and voice recordings they played were downright chilling (there's one of a supposed Civil War soldier that made me involuntarily cry). It was also pretty cool that, during a lecture in "The Conjuring," they recreated one of the actual videos of a supposed exorcism that I saw during Lorraine's lecture at my university!<br />
<br />
I disclose this because I already had a bit of a bias going in to the movie. BUT I'm quite glad that it not only met but exceeded my expectations :D<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>With that person disclaimer out of the way, here's my breakdown of why I love this movie! </b></div>
<br />
First and foremost, THIS MOVIE PASSES THE BECHDEL TEST. It's the <b>second</b> movie this summer I've seen that passes the test. I'm just gonna let that thought sit there for a bit. The only two movies to pass the Bechdel Test so far were "The Heat" (a wonderful female buddy cop comedy) and "The Conjuring" (an excellent haunted house movie).<br />
<br />
Second, this movie was great because at one point a lady in the theater legitimately jumped out of her seat, screaming. She ran out of the theater, still screaming, and the movie hadn't even reached its highest level of scary yet. I had no idea that people actually jumped out of seats like that in real life (when I get scared I tend to slide down my seat, and usually end up on the floor). I think any movie that can evoke that kind of response from someone is doing something right (and she was fine, she came back and watched the rest of the movie).<br />
<br />
Third, the movie reinforced the idea that imaginations really are our worst enemies. "Jaws" is one of my favorite movies, and the whole reason it works/scared so many people is because Bruce (the shark) isn't revealed for a good part of the movie. I know this was because Bruce wasn't working for most of the shoot, but it's hard to imagine that movie being so scary if the shark was shown from the start. Likewise, "The Conjuring" works best when it's <i>not </i>showing us what's messing with the family.<br />
<br />
The shots of the antagonistic force inside the house are scary (and there's a bit involving that force and another creepy thing that made me actually fall on the floor). BUT there's a part where one of the daughters is just staring into the darkness, claiming to see something, and all the audience can see is, well, darkness. That was one of the worst parts for me, as my mind ran through a dozen different scenarios, and none of them were bright and sunshine-y. Our imaginations are awesome things, and are even better if we can tap into that dark part and turn it against ourselves.<br />
<br />
This movie works because the director understands what makes something as innocuous as a broken clock terrifying, and all of the actors are also awesome at selling this intense, well-rounded 1970s haunted house story. I'm gad this was already greenlit for a sequel, because it certainly deserves it! I look forward to watching the next ghost hunting adventure with the Warrens. In the meantime, I might go see "The Conjuring" for a third time.<br />
<br />
Even if I won't be able to fully leave my imagination at home...Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-47146424189227716532013-07-21T21:06:00.001-04:002013-07-22T19:05:19.576-04:00It's just a bunch of hocus pocus!Hello everyone!<br />
<br />
I haven't written a blog post in a while, so I figured I'd try to fix that a little bit. We'll see how this goes, though. Also, here ye be warned. <i>Les Mis </i>GIFs galore because I'm me.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I don't know why this is relevant, I just think it is. Maybe it's how I feel?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/5873ccbf1449583e3f7f7daf2f7c4ee6/tumblr_mnhaqjkmUi1s53mdeo8_250.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Anyway, I'm almost at 19K in my ghost story, which makes me really really happy! Erm, because writing about people dying and tragic ghost stories are the kind of feel good puppies and rainbow stuff that I fill my life with. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/5ef469983e1c65108c5ab174c0a78e54/tumblr_mnhaqjkmUi1s53mdeo1_250.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In all fairness, I <i>did </i>listen to <i>Les Mis</i> for like five months straight so I guess my "happiness meter" is a little off.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So, the ghost story. Early reports are that it's creepy, which is a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge plus for me because it means that I've actually figured out how to...be creepy.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Yeah, it's mostly by doing this a lot...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/a433debfd34e39c13de08d302bbb511c/tumblr_mnhaqjkmUi1s53mdeo4_250.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Since I'm still in the drafting process, I can't give too much away, BUT I can talk about what it was before this draft (which, hey, it's the point! I figured out the point of this post!!!).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/ef58a4c7830971ffd4c29befa7f31a81/tumblr_mnhaqjkmUi1s53mdeo5_250.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will never not get tired of this GIF.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Before the current draft, my story was an around 60K product of NaNoWriMo. It still had most of the same characters, and it took place at a boarding school that had a rather sinister reputation. <i>Macbeth</i> played a big role in my story, and my main character was cast as one of the witches. She also made a lot of <i>Hamlet</i> references, just to mess with her drama teacher.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
There were a lot of subplots, a character who was kind of like a high-functioning zombie, ghostly dreams, things getting written in blood, and a few fun sequences that might get adjusted and put into my newer version. I was super pumped during NaNo because I thought this story was <i>awesome</i> and that it would be super legit when I was done with it. And I'd totally planned on finishing my first draft in December.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/af1775daf2b8739d8f7a3ae200f3ff76/tumblr_mnhaqjkmUi1s53mdeo3_250.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Which obviously didn't happen, since <i>Les Mis </i>sort of took over my life.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When I went back to the draft of my ghost story, I knew it was a bit of a hot mess. And I was determined to fix said hot mess. I'd come up with a new angle and was really excited because this angle meant that I'd have to revise, but not a significant amount. So I started the story a chapter earlier with my new angle, and refused to acknowledge that something was off about it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I sent it to a very trusty CP and...she said something was off. So then I sat there, staring at this story that had come so far, and I...didn't know what to do.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://31.media.tumblr.com/4a08ef2d429fb430c6ba23861658f53c/tumblr_mnhaqjkmUi1s53mdeo2_250.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This was my face as I tried to figure out what went wrong.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I came to the conclusion that the whole thing just didn't work. Which is probably the worst feeling in the world, when I'm 60K into something and I love my characters and the concept and the whole thing just isn't clicking into place.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The book I'd written before the ghost story had happened so easily that I was really confused when this wouldn't work. No matter how many times I tried, it wasn't happening. Not being able to fix my story was terrifying, disheartening, and basically had me feeling like this:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/3847d6f2ce09b9ac56c30df619f10dc7/tumblr_mpic4y92Za1stedoso1_250.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
STORY WHY AREN'T YOU WORKING???</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And that's when I realized that I had to change my whole book to make it work. I got a bit scared again, because I'd written so much and I'd have to start fresh. I was attached to certain things from this first draft, and I knew I'd lose a lot of it by taking it in a new direction.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So then I did this for a while:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/81cbf39c9e6076d47161fb737d75f670/tumblr_mpic4y92Za1stedoso7_250.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
On my own. Writing a ghost storyyyyyyyy.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But then something awesome happened. Everything clicked into place. The characters I loved actually felt like they belonged in this new story. The concept I'd wanted to incorporate from the beginning WORKED. My story WORKED. And it was really through something as simple as changing the setting and the circumstances surrounding a major plot point/the story's concept. It was the book I'd wanted all along, but had no idea how to find in November. It was my ghost story. I'd finally found my ghost story.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/c7963f3293e8bc5f2eef5e049125442c/tumblr_mpic4y92Za1stedoso2_250.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I was surprised, too.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So now I'm happy to report that I have full confidence in my tale of ghostiness. I know the plot twists, and how I want to make everything happen, and if I could publicly gush about the concept, I would, because I love it and it's everything I ever wanted to write. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I suppose the point of all this, if there was one, is that I wouldn't have a story I was completely in love with if I hadn't realized that I didn't love the first version of it. The lesson I learned here is that, when it comes to my own stories, I really should trust my gut. Otherwise, I won't be happy and the whole thing will wind up being one hot mess.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Okay, I think I'm done rambling! YAY for figuring stories out! And YAY for facing the fact that sometimes there are stories that cannot be --- because there are better ones waiting to happen :)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/ef58a4c7830971ffd4c29befa7f31a81/tumblr_mnhaqjkmUi1s53mdeo5_250.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Yeah I'm using this GIF twice in one post.<br />
One might say I have a heart full of love for it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
**GIFs from tumblr!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-29257015064669633102013-07-16T21:25:00.000-04:002013-07-16T21:27:22.618-04:00What's Up Wednesday/Ready. Set. Write Post #6!<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm writing this a full day in advance!!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm learning!!!</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="image" src="http://media.tumblr.com/ef58a4c7830971ffd4c29befa7f31a81/tumblr_inline_mjw35e80831qg907p.gif" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>WHY </i>is this one of my favorite GIFs now?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://commutinggirl.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/ready-set-write-button.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyZYtGFkEcjZl4n9a3YIEvqzYDg9fChNigGMa3bA32A-PZhlRiG7sE2hwC24M6WCAwpGx5sTWL9csVzoXG64rlMmCocJ5Sx0heisvpUGTo5e6mwRL-gPjI5Ds47d5Qgz5eP9CrVlBxcud/s320/ButtonLargeNoBorder.jpg" width="244" /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b>What I'm reading:</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
I'M BETA READING THINGS AND READING GHOST STORIES SET IN VIRGINIA FOR RESEARCH THINGS. I'VE NO IDEA WHY THIS IS CAPS LOCKED. OH WELL.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b>What I'm writing:</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">The Ghost Story is officially at 15K!!! WOO! I still can't say a lot about it, because the whole concept is quite spoilery, but here's an excerpt! My MC, Quinn, is meeting with another character in a cemetery. There may or may not be a nod to something in their conversation </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">;D</span></div>
<div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuun!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px; text-indent: 48px;">**************</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
moonlight barely peeks through clouds that definitely weren’t there a minute
ago. This whole place is surrounded by woods, which might be awesome during the
day, but by lamplight it’s less awesome. And yeah, lamplight. There aren’t
legitimate light poles in this cemetery. Maybe they took a leaf out of Colonial
Williamsburg’s book and wanted to be “authentic.” An owl hoots somewhere in the
distance, and everything in this place is so silent that the sound of its' flight tears through the
air. That’s a shame. That owl was the only other living thing in this place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You’re
on time,” Tal’s voice makes me jump ---right into a gravestone. Pain arches
across the back of my legs, but it doesn’t stop me from glaring at her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“And
you’re late.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Only
by a minute.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You
also made me run into something for the second time today.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“That’s
your fault, not mine.” Her eyes drift down to my camera bag. “What’s the
matter, not recording any of this?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“How
do you know I haven’t rigged a camera up in that tree?” I point behind me. “Gives
everyone a perfect view of you in case you try anything.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She
laughs. “It’s a clever lie, but I’ve been here for an hour now. You haven’t
done anything save for pace back and forth and sing ‘On My Own,’ over and over.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“What?
It’s a solid song from an awesome musical.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yes,
but did you have to sing it twenty times?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Was
it that bad?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“No,
you have a pretty good voice, actually.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Aww,
thanks. You know, we did <i>Les Mis</i> last
spring, and I didn’t get picked for Éponine.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Really?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start; text-indent: 0px;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yeah.
I was so pissed. I mean, I ended up getting Madame Thenardier’s part, so close
enough, I guess, but-” I laugh, stopping the derailing train that was our
conversation. “But that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Can you please
tell me <i>why</i> I’m in this creepy-ass
cemetery after sundown?”</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 32px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">**************</span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
New goal is maybeeeeeeee 25K by the end of July? I think I can do that!!!</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b>What else I've been up to:</b></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
MOAR job interviews. That's...that's pretty much it haha</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
;_;</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<b>What inspires me right now:</b></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
GHOSTS.<br />
<br />
Other creepy things.<br />
<br />
Marathons of "Destination Truth" :D<br />
<br />
MS MR's "Bones"<br />
<br />
<i>Macbeth</i>.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
Happy Writing!</div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
:P</div>
</div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-31617147620578526452013-07-16T11:35:00.001-04:002013-07-16T11:35:31.017-04:00I pretty much can't stop listening to this song...I bought it on iTunes, but you really need to watch the video because...<br />
<br />
Just because.<br />
<br />
Oh, it's a Les Mis/Will. I. Am. mash-up. You're welcome in advance! hahaha<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/P3fjFtlSz3Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-70132660191702752782013-07-14T16:57:00.000-04:002013-07-14T17:01:00.987-04:00That one time my characters were happy!Right. So today's Bastille Day, which is super fun for my Les Mis retelling characters (especially my version of Enjolras, because <i>any</i> version of Enjolras is going to love the hell outta Bastille Day).<br />
<br />
Anyway, I bring this up because this morning I got to write a fun little short story with a few of them as they celebrated Bastille day! Since <i>a lot</i> of my retelling focuses on super sad things, it was fun to write something that actually had my characters enjoying themselves and being stress-free.<br />
<br />
It takes place about a year before my actual story, back when everyone was happy! It was a lot of fun to write, and it was a cool challenge for me, since usually these characters don't get the chance to pause and celebrate things!<br />
<br />
I've posted it here, in case anyone wants to read it :D And, if you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend trying to put your characters in situations outside of their norm! I'm definitely going to try this again with more of my characters soon.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Notes: This is told from my MC, Pon's, perspective. Oh, and a "star chart," is kind of like this high-tech parchment thing that is mostly used for fortune telling purposes...</b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
********</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“It’s
a secret holiday,” Jorl said to her, so many years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“A
secret holiday?” She responded. “What’s the use in that?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“The
same thing that we get out of regular secrets.” He winked. “The chance to share
them with someone.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Right.”
She laughed, hitting him lightly on the shoulder. “And what exactly is this
secret holiday?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He
held out a hand, and she took it. “You’ll see.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">####<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Where’re
you taking me?” Roche asked as they climbed their fifth flight of stairs. “And
why’d you blindfold me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You’ll
see,” was her only response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Last
time I let you talk me into anything,” he mumbled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She
laughed. “Have a little faith in me. It’ll all work out in the end, I promise.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You’re
not trying to feed me to the Glorbs or anything, are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Of
course not. Though, if I were, do you really think I’d tell you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You’re
terrible.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I
know.” They made it to the last landing, and she guided him to the door. “Don’t
make a sound,” she whispered. She knocked three times, and waited.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“WHO
DARES ENTER THE LAIR OF THE GLORB?” A voice boomed from the other side. Roche
jumped back, almost falling down the stairs. Pon caught him, laughing, as the
door flew open.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Next
time you might want to be a bit less terrifying,” she said as she tore Roche’s
blindfold off. “You almost killed my brother.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jorl
laughed as Roche ran up to him, nearly tackling him to the ground. “Apologies,”
Jorl said as he ruffled her brother’s hair. “I heard your conversation and
couldn’t resist.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Rius
leaned in the doorway. Pon’s heart soared, but she quickly put an end to it.
Tonight wasn’t the time for whatever strange things she had started to feel for
him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tonight,
they had a secret holiday to celebrate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Is
everything ready?” She asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Rius
nodded. “See for yourself.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
small room had been decorated in the Third Republic’s colors: blue, white, and
red. Streamers were flung haphazardly around the wall, and Pon was quite
certain Jorl was responsible for that part of the decorating. She could almost
see him jumping around the small room, excitedly flinging the paper ribbon
around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A
small table with four chairs sat at the center. Instead of a centerpiece, a
basket of food sat in the middle of it. Pon’s mouth watered as she took in the
four baguettes, various pieces of meat, strawberries, blueberries, and…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Wine?”
She raised an eyebrow, looking at Jorl. None of them drank, and Roche was only
eleven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Ah,
it only <i>looks</i> like wine,” Jorl said,
picking the bottle up. “It’s actually sparkling cider. Non-alcoholic. Perfect
for celebrating.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“But
what’re we celebrating?” Roche asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pon
thought it would be impossible for Jorl’s smile to widen, but it did. “Have a
seat the table, and I’ll tell you,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Roche
ran over to the table, sitting on his hands. Pon held back a smile. She’d
taught him that trick, to make sure he didn’t take food when it wasn’t his to
take.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Rius
sat across from her brother, watching Jorl as he raced around the room.
Finally, he stopped in front of Pon, taking her hands. “You brought it, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Jorl,”
she gave him a long look. “If you’ll let go of my hands, I can get it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He
pulled her into a hug, and nearly skipped to the table. He sat next to Rius,
who was clearly doing his best to hold back his laughter. They’d seen their
friend passionate before, but this was something else, entirely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jorl
was giddy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pon
placed her bag on the floor, finding the old star chart quickly. She sat down
next to her brother, laying it out on the table. Roche winced, but Pon laid a
hand on his shoulder. “It’s not quite what you think. I, um, made a few
modifications to this one.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Roche
relaxed slightly. “Like what?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She
winked at him. “You’ll see.” She opened it, and the stars inside grouped
together to form a tall tower that grew thinner the higher it went. It capered
off to a point, and seemed to be made entirely of metal bars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Today
is a very special day,” Jorl’s voice was reverent. “Because not a lot of people
know about it.” He nodded, and Pon disrupted the tower, shifting the stars to
form a palace. “A long time ago, somewhere far, far away, there was a
government much like our own. The people were ruled not by someone they’d
chosen, but by someone who thought they were entitled to power.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She
moved the stars again, and her best interpretation of a Royal Court filled the
space above the table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jorl
leaned closer to the image. “The Royals thought they could do as they wished,
and ignore the people’s calls for help. It worked, for a time. And then
something wonderful happened.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pon
changed the images again, and both Roche and Rius gasped. She smiled. Rius had
seen this before, but every year he had the same reaction. The people in the
Royal Court all merged together to form the outside of the palace. The stars
that had remained in the sky fell to the ground, becoming people. Those people,
in turn, stormed the palace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jorl
shot out of his chair, pacing behind Rius. “The people united, bound together
under a common cause. They removed the monarchy, and fought for their chance to
be free.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Once
the last person had run into the palace, the image changed again into that odd
metal tower. She waited for Jorl to finish the story before setting off the
last effect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“So,
my friends,” Jorl moved around the table, squeezing their shoulders. “Tonight,
we gather to celebrate the will of the
people. The oppressed will always rise to fight for what is right.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Roche’s
eyes widened as pieces fell off of the tower, flying into the air and exploding
like fireworks. “That,” her brother said, “was the coolest story ever.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jorl’s
eyes blazed as he watched the fireworks. “I know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“And
the effects were also quite spectacular,” Rius added. “As they are every year.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Thanks.”
Pon’s face warmed. She’d have to figure out a better reaction to compliments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yeah,”
Roche said, hitting her on the shoulder. “How’d you learn to re-program a Star
Chart?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She
shrugged. “All those years fixing broken ones paid off.” She didn’t add that
they weren’t broken at all. Her mother made her rig them, more often than not
to reveal some tragedy to an unsuspecting Mark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Well,
that was really cool.” Roche said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Thanks.”
Her face grew hotter again. “Uh, anyway, should we eat? I don’t want all this
wonderful food to get cold.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jorl
nodded. “Tonight, we celebrate what is right. Tonight, we’ll remember that the
people always win.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">They
all cheered, and dug into the food. Roche, Rius, and Jorl all talked about the
story that happened so long ago. Pon ripped off a piece of baguette, chewing on
it as she listened. Jorl described the King and Queen that lived in excess
while their people starved. Rius described the ancient architecture, making the
buildings come alive with his words. Roche asked a million questions, which
they answered with enthusiasm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pon
sat there, smiling, while a silent war raged within her. The people in Jorl’s
story <i>did</i> manage to defeat the
monarchy, but it was replaced with another one not long after. If victory was
followed by defeat, could it still count as such?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But
the most troubling part was Jorl’s belief that the same thing would happen in
their Galaxy. He was so sure about the Rebellion, he’d joined with it as soon
as word had floated through the Café of a resistance. He was willing to risk
his life for the chance at freedom. And maybe he had the right idea. The Empire
wasn’t exactly just, and definitely didn’t treat its people fairly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Still,
all wars came at a price. So what would they end up paying to be free?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Pon,”
Rius smiled at her. “You haven’t eaten much.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Oh,
I know. I’m starving, I swear. I was just thinking…well, it doesn’t matter what
I was thinking.” She poured some sparkling cider into a glass and waited for
the others to do the same. “I’d like to make a toast,” she said, holding up her
glass. “To all of us, as we are right now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“And
to the people, for wanting change,” Jorl added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“To
friends,” Rius laughed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“And
family,” Roche said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Their
glasses clinked together in perfect harmony. As she emptied her glass, it
didn’t matter what the cost of freedom was going to be. All that mattered was
that moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And
in that moment, surrounded by everyone she loved, she couldn’t have been
happier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Happy
secret holiday,” she nodded to Jorl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He
laughed. “And to you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Can
you pass me some more bread?” Rius asked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pon
threw it at his head, and he ducked out of the way. They all laughed and, for
the first time in her life, she allowed her worries to slip away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-66099966922585766722013-07-12T19:02:00.004-04:002013-07-12T19:04:30.303-04:00Me VS. Summer Movies: The Pacific Rim Post.Well hello all!<br />
<br />
If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know that I've been OBSESSED with "Pacific Rim" since the movie was announced. And last night I went to my IMAX 3-D showing of it, hoping not to be let down.<br />
<br />
I mean, it's a movie with giant robots fighting giant monsters (Kaiju), and, as someone who loves the hell out of the old Godzilla movies, I was SO READY for this movie.<br />
<br />
SO READY.<br />
<br />
Before I critique Pacific Rim, I would like to go on-record saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. If ever there were a summer blockbuster action movie made for me, it would totally be this one. Cities get wrecked by Kaiju, and giant robots that take me back to my Power Rangers fandom days show up to fight them. Seriously, if you aren't sure whether or not you should see this movie, get thee to a theater and try to find an IMAX/IMAX 3-D showing because it was friggin amazing.<br />
<br />
With that said.<br />
<br />
Where were my ladies at in this movie? The world gets destroyed, countries unite to build giant robots, people are picked to pilot said robots and...apparently males are the only ones capable enough to pilot these things.<br />
<br />
While it's totally true that Mako Mori, the female lead played by the awesome Rinko Kukuchi, plays a significant role (and does get to co-pilot a Jaeger), she's...the only significant female character in the whole movie.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>I'm just gonna repeat that. Mako Mori is the ONLY significant female in the entire damn movie.</b></div>
<br />
The only other female character who gets a name is another co-pilot from Russia, and I think she gets one line.<br />
<br />
This seriously took my enjoyment level of the movie down several notches. Why couldn't there have been a Jaeger pilot team of two female characters? Why couldn't one of the scientist characters have been played by a female?<br />
<br />
WHY COULDN'T THERE HAVE BEEN A MOMENT WHERE THE ONLY TWO FEMALE CHARACTERS IN A MOVIE SPOKE TO EACH OTHER?<br />
<br />
Even when Idris Elba's character's talking to the U.N. at the beginning of the movie, the people shown in the panel are ALL GUYS. There's ONE FEMALE amongst all the U.N. dudes. ONE.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Apparently, in the future, women have even less to do than we do now.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So...what happened? Did the Kaiju show up and all the females on the planet shrieked and fainted in terror? Did we just decide that Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em robot piloting was better left off to the guys? Did we really regress so much after those monsters attacked that there were literally no women left on the planet to do anything significant?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The movie will get credit in the fact that Mako is never hyper-sexualized, and is actually treated like a human being. There aren't any gratuitous fanservice shots <b>(I'm looking at you, Star Trek: Into Darkness).</b> So it gets points there in it's treatment of her and the fact that she has flaws and is a strong character.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
BUT Y'ALL. There were...hang on, let me count, 15 male characters who were super significant in the movie. And of those, probably about 11 of them got more lines than the female Russian Jaeger co-pilot (her name, by the way, is Lt. A. Kaidanovsky).</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Color me disappointed. If, say, one of the scientist characters had been changed to a female, or another pilot had also been a female, or the Bridge Operator guy who talked with the pilots had been female, nothing drastic would've changed. Relationships in the movie would be the same, and oh look, females would've gotten something useful to do.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm getting really tired of this. I LOVE the fact that this movie was international, I really do. But COME ON. Women have a place in actiony summer blockbusters just as much as men do. They can be just as flawed, or evil, or kick-ass, and, at the same time, NOT be hyper-sexualized. There has to be a way to make this happen.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Because it'd be nice to see a future where women actually, you know, EXIST.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-70144655380888165302013-07-10T11:37:00.002-04:002013-07-16T00:40:40.859-04:00What's Up Wednesday/Ready. Set. Write Post #5<div style="text-align: center;">
Well, I'm...a bit late to the party, but here's my post for this week!</div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://commutinggirl.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/ready-set-write-button.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<img height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyZYtGFkEcjZl4n9a3YIEvqzYDg9fChNigGMa3bA32A-PZhlRiG7sE2hwC24M6WCAwpGx5sTWL9csVzoXG64rlMmCocJ5Sx0heisvpUGTo5e6mwRL-gPjI5Ds47d5Qgz5eP9CrVlBxcud/s320/ButtonLargeNoBorder.jpg" width="244" /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b>What I'm reading:</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
I've acquired a few things to beta read, so that'll be the rest of my week :) I finished Catherine Fisher's OBSIDIAN MIRROR, and while I enjoyed the book overall, there were a few plot things and a couple of characters that ended up disappointing me, which was sad.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
<b><br /></b><b>What I'm writing:</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
I feel like the better question is what <i>aren't</i> I writing? DRAGON FAIL has temporarily been pit on hold because I got this fabulous idea for a ghost story! I don't want to say too much about it, because the whole concept is a spoiler, really, but here's an excerpt from what I wrote in the airport yesterday :)<br />
<br />
This takes place when my characters take a detour into a psychic's shop. The psychic decides to give them a very informal Tarot reading. My narrator's name is Quinn Thomas, and the last line of this excerpt is why I love her :P<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">**************</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 30px; margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My
hands shake as I flip the first card. I stare at it, not fully processing the
image. An upright Ten of Swords. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Ah,”
Madame Theresa’s voice lilts. “The cards do not seem to favor you, Little
Warrior. Pain and tears, defeat, sudden misfortune-”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Ruin
of plans,” I whisper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She
nods. “Flip the other card, please.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My
hand definitely shakes as I reach for the other one. I nearly fall out of my
chair out of relief. “The Magician,” I say, holding the card up for everyone to
see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She
smiles. “I thought the cards might grace you with the magician. Your will-power
is strong, yes?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jeff
laughs. “Ma’am, she has one of the strongest wills I’ve ever met.” I shoot him
a look, and he holds his hands up in surrender. “It was a compliment, Thomas.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Oh.”
My face warms. “Right. Sorry.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Madame
Theresa’s eyes meet mine. “You are also quite confident in yourself and your
abilities, and are very creative. Perhaps even a master of sleight of hand.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“When
you say it like that I sound like a magical, talented, cocky asshole.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">**************</span></div>
<br />
So I guess my new goal is to get as much of this written as I can? I'm already 6K in so I think it'll go pretty fast/maybe be one of the shortest books I've ever written haha<br />
<br />
<b>What else I've been up to:</b><br />
I just got back from Massachusetts, where I had a job interview, so keep your fingers crossed for me!!!<br />
<br />
With that said, I'm still exhausted.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<b>What inspires me right now:</b></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
GHOSTS. And other creepy things. Oh, and marathons of "Destination Truth" :D<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
Happy Writing!</div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
:P</div>
</div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-4095857902521525522013-07-09T00:53:00.002-04:002013-07-09T00:53:48.605-04:00WHOOPSI'm going to actually do the What's up Wednesday/Ready. Set. Write post this week, I swear!!!<br />
<br />
And blogging will be a thing again too!<br />
<br />
But, for now ---<br />
<br />
Thank you for randomly reading this :PAlex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-75158113831821552982013-07-02T20:31:00.001-04:002013-07-02T20:31:28.497-04:00What's up Wednesday/Ready. Set. Write! Post #4Sooooooooooooooo. I might've had a fail today and forgotten to do this post.<br />
<br />
WHOOPS.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow I'll have a What's up Thursday post! Sorry, y'all! Life is being life right now haha o_OAlex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5750460596930992041.post-19719729404239655132013-06-29T16:08:00.001-04:002013-06-29T16:16:01.770-04:00Me VS. Summer Movies: The Intro PostI'm going to interrupt my usual book-ish talk to do something random this summer. It's not really a secret that I LOVE going to the movies. I'm pretty sure I've written about it a couple of times on this blog, and one of the reasons I love summer so much is that there's something new I want to see every week.<br />
<br />
But recently, the movies have been disappointing me. You see, I've been holding them up to the Bechdel Test standards and...not one movie passed so far. Well, until today. I saw "The Heat" and was worried about it NOT passing as I sat in the theater. Since it's the only mainstream female-centric film out right now, I not only wanted it to be good, I wanted it to pass the test.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
And it did. I'm both sad and relieved that it passed. </div>
<br />
For those of you who are a bit unfamiliar with the test, it's quite simple (which is why I'm always so mad when something I watch/read doesn't pass it). There are three (or two and a half, depending on how you look at it) rules.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>There have to be AT LEAST TWO NAMED FEMALE CHARACTERS.</li>
<li>These female characters have to have a conversation.</li>
<li>About something that IS NOT A GUY.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Not super difficult, right?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
...wrong.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let me break this down. So far this summer, I've seen:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>"Star Trek: Into Darkness"</b> Most definitely male-centric.<br />
I don't think the female characters (of which there were...three?) said a damn thing to each other. Throughout the whole movie. I had other problems with this movie, too, but I'm leaving it at the Bechdel Test fail right now.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>"The Purge"</b> This one's sort of evenly male/female-centric.<br />
I actually really liked this movie, and there were more than two named female characters. But when the female characters did manage to have a conversation, it usually revolved around the daughter's boyfriend or the patriarch of the family. So womp womp there.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>"Now You See Me"</b> Definitely male-centric.<br />
Aside from the whole one-female-character-is-a-constant-weight-joke thing, this hardcore fails the test. There are three female characters in this (though one just hangs off of Morgan Freeman the whole time and doesn't really say anything). So the two female characters who are actually integral to the plot don't talk to each other. There's an interrogation scene at the beginning, but they're talking about a man, and there's also a man in the room with them, and that's literally the only time those characters interact. Awesome.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>"Man of Steel"</b> Do I even have to say it was male-centric?<br />
So then we get to Superman, and though there are...five (hey! the most so far!) female characters who are important players, all their time is spent discussing...Superman.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>"World War Z" </b>Male and zombie-centric.<br />
Brad Pitt travels around the world, saving it and stuff. There are indeed more than two named female characters here, but they don't get much to do. We've got Brad Pitt's wife and daughters, who spend the whole movie wondering if he'll be all right, and there are a couple more ladies who are important, but their roles are spoilery so I'm not gonna go into it. Just know that, if they do talk, they're talking about Brad Pitt (because he's doing stuff with zombies).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>"The Heat" </b>Female-centric.<br />
The buddy cop movie we didn't know we wanted. Though Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy do spend most of their time trying to find a mysterious bad guy, there are parts of the movie that qualify it for passing the test. It might've been a bit predictable, but I laughed, and as the only mainstream female-centric movie out right now, I'm very glad it passed the test.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So let's recap:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Summer movies I've seen: <b>6</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Summer movies that were male-centric: <b>4</b></div>
<div>
Summer movies that were evenly-centric: <b>1</b></div>
<div>
Summer movies that were female-centric: <b>1</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Summer movies that passed the Bechdel Test: <b>1</b></div>
<div>
Summer movies that failed the Bechdel Test: <b>5</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
This week, I'm going to go see "Monsters University," so we'll see how that does. I'd like to state that I really do love movies, which is why I'm doing this. I'm certainly not the first person to point that out, and I've no idea if I'll ever have the kind of power to change any of this. But when only ONE movie so far has named female characters talking about something other than a guy, there's a problem.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And I'm both very excited and very saddened that, because of what's getting released, I'm going to keep talking about this problem all summer.</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
Alex Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978679927001876noreply@blogger.com2