Saturday, February 5, 2011

I have no title...

I finally got past that scene in my book that was giving me oodles of trouble yesterday! It's not great, but it's about as it's going to get in a first draft. (Uhg! I have to write another draft?!) Anyway, that's finally over and done with and fairly satisfying. Except, now I don't know what to do next! Should I just jump right to the thing that the scene hints at? (Hints strongly. I probably shouldn't even call it a hint...) Or should I go through the motions of them getting ready/freaking out some more? I'm thinking just skipping... And then I can get to something even more excited. But that's going to be a challenge to write, I can already tell.

I had to stop writing for a minute so I could procrastinate -- which is why I'm doing another blog post. I even attempted mapping stuff out. I keep trying this even when I know I can't. Period. I have to write blindly. Like, I know more or less where I'm going, but I don't know how I'm getting there. That's something I figure out when I get there. I admit, it turns out fairly well when I'm writing with someone else, but not when I'm writing alone. It ends up changing the plot and I have to go back over and over and over and over... And that's a pain. I get that it comes with being a writer, but that doesn't make it any less of a pain.

Me comma button doesn't want to work... Only when I press on it really hard... That's another pain.

Odair thinks I want to listen to Metallica... Not that I don't want to, but the scene currently in the works doesn't go to well with that... Now, here in a minute... it will. Really, really well... (If you're curious, I'm currently listening to Seek & Destroy. It's kinda... dark. But that's Metallica for you, right?) Wow... it's insane how well this fits something that's about to happen... (There you go, Anna! Are you happy? You have a hint! As if you're not going to be reading it soon, anyway...)

I think I'm done for now... Ooh! I'm finally getting around to knitting that Slytherin scarf that got me wanting to knit in the first place! (Only two years later...) I got the yarn today! Yay!

Okay, I really am done now. I need to go work on Nethergroundyness stuff.

Hayley

Good Morning! Darn, it be afternoon already.

Well, I'm lying in my bed because I slept late, and I had my iPod, which I am listening to now (Safety Dance, rah!) and trying to think of reasons not to get up yet. Blog post became a great reason!!!!!

Okay, so. Weather. (Yes, I'm actually going to talk about the weather!) I think snow is dope. And I think cold is dope. But I'm a little bit bitter towards the snow after being rolled in it. (This was not voluntary on my part, and I'm not going to talk about it because Hayley already knows the story and I feel no need to recount it again....) I'm also bitter at the snow because it won't melt. It keeps piling up more. Which I normally wouldn't mind, but I CANNOT DRIVE IN IT.

I'm used to going to Lubbock a lot to be with my besties! I haven't seen any of my Lubbock besties this week! Grah! (Peter and Grace are getting to me! Horror! Not really. Their grah-ness isn't horrible.)

So, I think the snow needs to stop. I don't care what the cold does, but the snow needs to go visit somewhere else.

I realized just a minute ago as I was reading a knitting blog that I HAVEN'T BEEN ON RAVELRY IN A LONG TIME! What up with that? Of course I'm on there right now, remedying this.

Hayley, you haven't put up any new projects! :( Grah! I haven't either. Grah! (I have finished the mitt part of the first Hermione mitt, though, and barely started the other one! Maybe I should work on that today.....)

I'm hungry. Hmm. This should also be remedied soon. Maybe right now.....or something.

Friday, February 4, 2011

As I sit here with the cord of my headphones hanging from my mouth...

I write about stupid scenes in my book.

I just realized how ironic this is. I'm writing to get away from writing.

Anyway, all day writing day at home and I've already done more today than I did the last time Anna and I had a writing day out of the comfort of our own homes. Maybe we should do these more often, Anna. I'm better at writing when I'm in my element. The comfy place in the middle of my room with Three Days Grace screaming, "PAIN!" in my ear. Ooh... now Lifehouse. Big change there.

I'm working on a scene that has proven to be a lot harder than I'd planned. I mean, how hard can it be to ask someone out? Probably really hard, actually, but I don't have any experience in the field. I even went so far as asking my Mom -- not much help there, but at least she tried! I even attempted consulting Twilight (the only book I have where romance is most of the plot) then I realized just how stupid that was (I can't even get through the books anymore. They're mostly just taking up space on my bookshelf right now) and I put it back. I can't very well call my sister -- who has more recent experience in dating -- because she's a little tied down with a newborn and a one year old with the flu. (The newborn doesn't have the flu -- thank goodness!) And I know-ish how her most recent story goes anyway. Something having to do with rice, and that's not relevant to Harpe and Deej's story -- it is to my sister's and her husband's, but they're not Harpe and Deej, so that doesn't work out...

That was a long paragraph... How is it I can write more about being unable to write this scene and why I can't write it, but I can't actually write the scene?! Maybe I should watch a chick flick... But then I'd get absorbed (yes! Even I can get absorbed in chick flicks!) and no more writing would happen. And I kinda would like more writing to happen, because I'm excited about this scene! Even if it doesn't want to get written!

Taylor Swift now...

On a not completely different note:
1) I finally got past 50,000 words! Only three months late! Currently at 51,611! That's exciting... I should celebrate or something.
2) I'm tired because I woke up at nine so I could do school before I started my all day writing fest.
3) I've had three cups of coffee and have a coke waiting for me in the fridge.
4) I'm still tired after all that caffeine.
5) I just spelled caffeine right on the first try! Sadly, that's the first time that's ever happened, I think. It's a far cry from last night when I was so tired (I obviously need more sleep!) it took me four tries to spell "hungry" right.
6) Taylor Swift again. Aww! Sad song! Harpe and Deej song. Last Kiss... Are you gonna start crying again, Anna? Please don't... even if I think it's kinda funny...
7) I seem to like making lists, too.
8) The front door is open and it's letting light in through the crack under my door. Someone keeps walking by it and I jump every time, thinking it's a mouse. It's very distracting.
9) I hate mice.
10) I got very far off base with this list. One more thing left, I think.
11) PETER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay. I think I'm done now. I'm gonna change Odair to only playing Taylor Swift and go back to attempting to write this scene that eludes me. And hope that I don't make it sad because most of Taylor Swift's songs are about breaking up -- or along those lines. Maybe I should rethink the Taylor Swift thing.

Hayley

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Further Thoughts on Procrastination When You're Supposed to Be Doing Something Else

In this case, it would be writing! Which, don't get me wrong, I love to write. Lots. But there's something about it...you have to stop every minute or so and do something else. Helps you think. Or...something. Yeah, let's go with that. So here's a list of things that happen when you're writing.

1. Stop. Stare out the window.

2. Stop. Stare out the window some more. Think.

3. Stop. Stare anywhere, think.

4. Stop, pull out notebook and draw a doodle of your characters, resume, stop, think.

5. Stop, look around idly, pick the zits on your face because that's a convenient thing to do it and it's about time for some of them anyway.

6. Realize that you have a whole blog post you could write about the things you're doing and go do that.

7. Resume.

8. Do all that again, except maybe not the blog post, because you've already done that.

9. Rinse and Repeat.

Your Number One Procrastination Station = More Elf!

Okay. So, I'm on the computer, doing my routine morning procrastinating.

I just realized that I put waffles in to toast a few minutes ago, and they've probably popped. I don't want to get up. They're probably already cold. Blah!!!

I decided that, since I didn't have much else to do on the computer to procrastinate (except start writing, which would be useful for procrastinating school all morning, and then keep me from writing with Hayley this afternoon.....so I can't do that) I decided to write a blog post!

Are you not excited?! Be excited!

I don't think I have very many interesting things to say, if any interesting things to say at all.

I guess I'll talk about Three Days Grace fora minute. I have lots of songs by them on my iPod, because Hayley's nice and lets me borrow her CDs all the time. (I used to not load CDs to my iTunes....because of ONE person that consistently says it is illegal. I hear lots more people say that it is legal as long as they don't sell it, so I'm just not going to even worry about it anymore....)

I haven't listened to their third album, Life Starts Now, as closely as the other two, and it's the only complete album I've got on here. One X is my favorite, but I'm really enjoying Life Starts Now today. I discovered Without You (which is an AWESOME SONG!!!), which is now in my top five Three Days Grace songs (if I had a list...).

I've also fully realized just how many Three Days Grace songs fit Peter. I'm sorry - you people that probably aren't reading this blog wouldn't really know about Peter. But Hayley knows who I'm talking about and I know who I'm talking about, and if Peter is a blog reader (which I seriously doubt) he would know who I was talking about, too.

I mean, seriously! If the song doesn't fit Peter, then Peter likes the song. I think that's pretty much how it rolls.

Now I think I'll talk about Peter. I really like him. He's in my top five character list (and I do roughly have that list.....right now, it be Dwalyn, Quid, Peter, Grace and someone......probably.....I don't know. North? Niquill? Mudfrey? No, not Mudfrey.) And all that's in no particular order. Again, you won't know who I'm talking about (you non-existent strangers that read this blog) but Hayley will! And Dwalyn, Quid, and Peter all know, too! And Grace! YEAH!

So....where was...? Yep! I really like Peter. Top five character list. Or technically, top four. But he gives me problems, because he's Peter and he just can't make things easy for me. For instance: I don't know why he wants to go home. But Peter needs to want to go home. Peter, why do you want to go home?
*Peter looks at me like I'm an idiot*
Don't look at me like that, Peter. I'll give you a candy cane!
*Peter holds up candy cane*
Cigarettes?
I don't need you to buy me cigarettes. Leave me alone.
Peter! Help me out!
Go away.
You're gonna hurt my feelings.....
Good, go away.
*sighs*

I formatted all of that in a very confusing way but I am not going to fix it. Okay, I'm really hungry, so I've got to stop procrastinating now. Go get those waffles, stick 'em back down in the toaster so they get warm again. Probably burn them, or something. And then do boring things! Like SAT Math and Biology! Yuck!
So long....so long? Wow.
Bye!
Anna

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Paper Towns and a boring blog title

I'm having trouble typing today, because I'm cold and these fingerless mittens weren't made for wearing while typing. But I refuse to take them off because they're blue, fuzzy, and WARM.

I'm hungry, so I'm just gonna skip to the point of today's bloggy-thingy.

I finished Paper Towns yesterday! I'm not going to write a long, drawn out review or anything like that, but I am going to write what I thought about it. So... you can just skip over this part if you don't want to read it because I really suck at doing anything like this.

This. Book. Was. Awesome.

Wow. That was actually a lot easier than I was expecting.

No, I'm really not done. The book is fantastic, but you have to get past all the cussing and... other stuff. Not that the other stuff is graphic, in fact there is no other stuff. Just talk about other stuff. Not really even that. Talk about other stuff used in other stuff. I really hope you know what I mean by "other stuff" because that's as specific as I'm getting.

And I would have liked a different ending. But I can't say how without ruining the book. There was closure, but I would  have liked more closure.

Anyway, I'm hopefully going to the library today (yay! for brave me and the cold!) and I'm planning to get An Abundance of Kathrines... So that's exciting. Same author, obviously. Mostly because he's a great author. Another to add to that list of authors you read and then wonder how on earth you're ever going to ever even be able to attempt to even remotely thinking about writing again.

On a different note, I've decided that this whole being responsible thing is stupid. At least the little stuff, y'know, the stuff that I should actually do right now. Like going to bed early(er) and getting up early(er). I went to sleep about 2:30, which is good for me. great even, because it's not 4. I woke up at 8... went back to sleep until my alarm went off at 9... then slept until 12. So... something I obviously need to work on. But, thanks to my Dad, I'm not nearly as freaked out about this whole "growing up" thing. So... even though you don't read us, thanks Dad! ~HUG~

I think I'm done. The back of my neck is cold. I'm thirsty. Hungry. Need to do school... That may be hard to do in these mittens, too... Hmmmm.

Hayley

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

A list of things. Because I like to do lists of things. Lists of things are *cool.*

1. Hayley - *HUG.* I know I gave you one...or several....yesterday. But - *HUG.* Because for me, there's really no such thing as too many hugs. I like hugs. They're *awesome.* They're like....I don't know. Hugs are just hugs! They're warm and comforting and cuddly, like lots of blankets and soft pillows and cookies. Hugs are some of my favorite things. It would be weird for me to not have a hug every day from somebody....

2. I started rereading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! This is the longest Harry Potter book out of all seven. (Seven should have been the longest.) I like this one for lots of reasons. I think one of them is just because of the dope blue cover art. Blue things are just...blue's my favorite color. Blue is an Anna color. And a Doctor color.

3. Isn't it great when you create new characters and know that you've got something solid? Just because you actually care about the character, and another new character cares about the new character that I'm talking about right now? And he has a dope name! I'm proud of him, but he's technically not born yet. Not in his time line. And neither is the other new character that I just mentioned. I'm not sure when I'll get to write with this new character that I'm talking about....I could just tell you his name instead of saying 'new character' and making it all confusing, but it's more mysterious this way!

4. I think growing up is absolutely terrifying. I had a meltdown about it yesterday, actually. (In case you can't tell, I'm responding to Hayley's blog post...) Or...actually....I just had a meltdown. It was an up and down day, and today feels like a mostly up day, so that's good. Up days are a lot easier to get through. That makes life sound really depressing, doesn't it?! How dare me!
I like what C.S. Lewis said about growing up, and age. I couldn't find the quote, but I think I remember it pretty well:

I don't think age matters so much as people think. At twelve, I think parts of me were already fifty, and at fifty, I think parts of me are still twelve.

Isn't that the way it goes? I'm still a little kid about some things! I still love to go get expensive ice cream! But I've still changed about some things. Because when I was little, I didn't care as much what people thought about my writing, and I forced lots of people to read it. Poor people. I'm so sorry. Poor younger me. What? No. 'Poor younger me' should be apologizing to older me, right now. She embarrasses me! Younger me - stop it!
*Cough* - anyway - I'm a lot more self-conscious about that now. There are only a few people that get to read my stuff frequently. Well, one. Hayley, congratulations.
I feel really awkward asking most other people to read my stuff (not all, but most) and often regret it when I do. It's hard to get people to criticize it - and when they do, they usually aren't that helpful. I have to beg Hayley to criticize, and when she does, she's way more helpful than some of the other people I've gotten to read stuff. (It's not a bad idea to ask older people....but they think in terms of grammar, and not story. They don't even think in terms of words....unlike Naomi, who is dope and thinks in terms of grammar that breathes.)
Still, I'm a little bit mad at younger me for letting this 'not caring what other people think' thing slip. How dare she. YOUNGER ME! STOP IT!
All the responsible stuff scares me too. Publishing a book scares me, actually. Nearly all future stuff is scary to me. (Hey kids, let's watch while Anna screams her way through college! OH LOOK! SHE TRIPPED AND FELL!) Hopefully falling will be kept to a minimum. And hopefully, screaming will only be figurative. Not literal.

5. Number four was very, very long.

6. THERE'S SNOW OUTSIDE! So, today, I'm going to do things that ought to be done while there is snow outside. Such as: Read. Write. Knit. Take a bubble bath and read. School. (:P) Watch...stuff. Draw/color/paint. (Hopefully. We'll see.) And wear socks! My feet are cold!

7. Continue drinking herbal stuff in my water to banish this freaking stupid cough. Thankfully no gagging on my own breath today. Yet. You wanted to know that, didn't you?! Yep!

8. Part of me kinda wants to go outside and throw a snowball.

9. All of me thinks hot chocolate would be a good idea, today.

10. My dog is spending the whole day in the house! She's so cute (annoying) when we're eating.....she comes up and does this melting puppy dog eye thing! What am I supposed to do with that?!
"Autumn, stop begging."
*Eyes*
"Autumn, stop begging."
*Eyes at someone else*
*Someone else gives her food*
*I finish eating*
"Autumn, come 'ere!"
*Rubs Autumn's ears*
"I don't have anymore food!
*Eyes*
"Do want to lick the plate?"
*Autumn licks the plate.*

Yeah. :D

This is *really* long blog post. I'm going to stop now.