WOOT WOOT! *dances*
I have FINISHED the first draft of Letters to Oliver! Huzzah!
Now I still need to edit it and send it to betas, of course, because right now I am way too happy with it and of course I need to find things to make better. Because there are going to be things that need to be fixed. Aside from a few historical details I need to check up on, I have no idea what those are.
But. I am not going to think about Letters to Oliver for a while so that I can see it clearly when I go back to it. (I also need to go print the whole thing out. *researches cost of printing things at Staples*)
SO. This means lots of reading (yay John Green books), job hunting (ugh), and possibly the start of a new and intense round of revisions/rewriting for A Bridge to War. More on that later, I suppose.
Wish me luck with this one, guys!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Teaser Tuesday: Un-rabbited!
In my last tease, Oliver had been turned into a rabbit and was lost somewhere in London. Now, after a whole mess of things happened, he has been retrieved! Fortunately, he was lucky and fast enough to escape the cats and East Enders who wanted to eat him.
------------------------------------------
*snip*
------------------------------------------
*snip*
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Excitement
Good morning, blogsphere! (says I at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. I have been up for half an hour. But it is summer. Also, even if it was an accident, staying up till 3 am watching vlogbrothers videos is never a good idea.)
So because my mom is an awesome and wonderful person and answered my question, this blogpost is based on her idea. Because she has good ideas.
What sorts of things are you irrationally excited about?
And I mean REALLY OVERLY EXCITED, the JUMP UP AND DOWN AND SQUEAL kind of excitement. The EVERY TIME SUCH AND SUCH HAPPENS I GRIN LIKE A MANIAC kind of excitement.
There are many things that excite and amuse me (in fact, when the aforementioned awesome mom was driving me home from college last week, I noticed that the most common phrase in my conversation was probably "it amused me" or "I was amused").
But amusement is not what I mean. I was excited to go see Robin Hood the other night. That's not what I mean - I was excited, yes, because I was going to go see what looked like a pretty good movie with my wonderful friends. But I wasn't bouncing off walls or grinning like a maniac.
I mean the kind of excitement that leads two grown men (read: my awesome dad and our very lovely neighbor) to lean over our slightly-new kitchen stove and proclaim about BTUs (which I think is the right term? I can barely boil water, so...). It was like watching guys talk about cars... but with cooking. That's my dad's exciting thing. And I think the three girls in the house - me, my mom, and my sister - were definitely very, very amused to see those two getting all excited about the stove.
So if "excited over going to see Robin Hood" doesn't count, what does? Here are a few things that I am, rationally or irrationally, really really excited about.
1. Tomorrow! Tomorrow I am going into NYC to visit my best friend on the planet, Ella! We are going to do awesome things and I am going to distract her from her homework (can you say role reversal?) and run around the city in tomorrow's supposedly very hot weather and be silly and probably take lots of pictures, which she will hate but which I will do anyway. I AM SO BLOODY EXCITED FOR THIS.
2. Peanut butter and jelly. Trust me, when you only have access to college pb&j for the past few months, you get very excited when there is very good raspberry jam that actually reaches to the edge of the bread for a change.
4. This is where we get into the irrational excitements. The other night, I found out that Neil Gaiman is going to write an episode for next year's season of Doctor Who. Had it not been in the vicinity of midnight when I learned this, I definitely would have squealed and jumped up and down and done silly things. Because Neil Gaiman is amazing. And Doctor Who is amazing. But seriously... that's a whole year away! Talk about irrational excitement.
3. Music. I get very irrationally excited over music. I definitely did squeak a little when my Tale of Two Cities musical cd arrived, and my poor family has had to suffer through me playing it on a loop ever since (sorry guys). I definitely spazzed about it to my friend from college over AIM (although this led to me forcing her to listen to James Barbour sing... you're welcome, Katrina ;P). But I had been waiting for a CD of this since... er... November of 2008? Wow.
But to put my irrational excitement into true perspective, you guys get to see just how dorky (and overly analytical) I am. If you did not already know just how dorky I am, prepare to understand, and I apologize for the extreme levels of dork-ness.
Have you seen Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame? Heard the song Heaven's Light/Hellfire? It is the transition between the two parts of that song that have me thoroughly convinced that Alan Menken is a musical genius. It uses a theme that has already appeared in the movie, but in the Heaven's Light portion it is sweet and light. In the Hellfire portion, it is dark and heavy and ominous. And how does the musical genius achieve this transition? A drumroll. Just one drumroll. That's it. And it works perfectly. In literally the space of two seconds, the entire tone of the song changes, and it is absolutely amazing. I literally grin like a maniac every single time I hear that - which, let me tell you, is often.
Now that you have written proof of what a dork I am, and I have rambled for quite some time about it, I shall stop and ask you what things you are irrationally excited about.
DFTBA
(ETA: Blogger, you're mean. Why can't I post an exclamation point in my title?!?)
So because my mom is an awesome and wonderful person and answered my question, this blogpost is based on her idea. Because she has good ideas.
What sorts of things are you irrationally excited about?
And I mean REALLY OVERLY EXCITED, the JUMP UP AND DOWN AND SQUEAL kind of excitement. The EVERY TIME SUCH AND SUCH HAPPENS I GRIN LIKE A MANIAC kind of excitement.
There are many things that excite and amuse me (in fact, when the aforementioned awesome mom was driving me home from college last week, I noticed that the most common phrase in my conversation was probably "it amused me" or "I was amused").
But amusement is not what I mean. I was excited to go see Robin Hood the other night. That's not what I mean - I was excited, yes, because I was going to go see what looked like a pretty good movie with my wonderful friends. But I wasn't bouncing off walls or grinning like a maniac.
I mean the kind of excitement that leads two grown men (read: my awesome dad and our very lovely neighbor) to lean over our slightly-new kitchen stove and proclaim about BTUs (which I think is the right term? I can barely boil water, so...). It was like watching guys talk about cars... but with cooking. That's my dad's exciting thing. And I think the three girls in the house - me, my mom, and my sister - were definitely very, very amused to see those two getting all excited about the stove.
So if "excited over going to see Robin Hood" doesn't count, what does? Here are a few things that I am, rationally or irrationally, really really excited about.
1. Tomorrow! Tomorrow I am going into NYC to visit my best friend on the planet, Ella! We are going to do awesome things and I am going to distract her from her homework (can you say role reversal?) and run around the city in tomorrow's supposedly very hot weather and be silly and probably take lots of pictures, which she will hate but which I will do anyway. I AM SO BLOODY EXCITED FOR THIS.
2. Peanut butter and jelly. Trust me, when you only have access to college pb&j for the past few months, you get very excited when there is very good raspberry jam that actually reaches to the edge of the bread for a change.
4. This is where we get into the irrational excitements. The other night, I found out that Neil Gaiman is going to write an episode for next year's season of Doctor Who. Had it not been in the vicinity of midnight when I learned this, I definitely would have squealed and jumped up and down and done silly things. Because Neil Gaiman is amazing. And Doctor Who is amazing. But seriously... that's a whole year away! Talk about irrational excitement.
3. Music. I get very irrationally excited over music. I definitely did squeak a little when my Tale of Two Cities musical cd arrived, and my poor family has had to suffer through me playing it on a loop ever since (sorry guys). I definitely spazzed about it to my friend from college over AIM (although this led to me forcing her to listen to James Barbour sing... you're welcome, Katrina ;P). But I had been waiting for a CD of this since... er... November of 2008? Wow.
But to put my irrational excitement into true perspective, you guys get to see just how dorky (and overly analytical) I am. If you did not already know just how dorky I am, prepare to understand, and I apologize for the extreme levels of dork-ness.
Have you seen Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame? Heard the song Heaven's Light/Hellfire? It is the transition between the two parts of that song that have me thoroughly convinced that Alan Menken is a musical genius. It uses a theme that has already appeared in the movie, but in the Heaven's Light portion it is sweet and light. In the Hellfire portion, it is dark and heavy and ominous. And how does the musical genius achieve this transition? A drumroll. Just one drumroll. That's it. And it works perfectly. In literally the space of two seconds, the entire tone of the song changes, and it is absolutely amazing. I literally grin like a maniac every single time I hear that - which, let me tell you, is often.
Now that you have written proof of what a dork I am, and I have rambled for quite some time about it, I shall stop and ask you what things you are irrationally excited about.
DFTBA
(ETA: Blogger, you're mean. Why can't I post an exclamation point in my title?!?)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Teaser Tuesday: Backbones!
Hello, all! I'm back to teasering, huzzah! Now that I'm back from college, I feel I ought to blog a bit more, but I've no idea what to say. Any ideas for more blitherings from me you'd like to see?
In any case, in this snip, Emily's decided to actually do something! Oliver has come up to London with the intention of rescuing his damsel in distress - and got himself turned into a big white rabbit. So now it's Emily who's got to do the rescuing, and now that she's set her mind to it, she'll stop at nothing to get him back.
---------------------------------------------
*snip*
In any case, in this snip, Emily's decided to actually do something! Oliver has come up to London with the intention of rescuing his damsel in distress - and got himself turned into a big white rabbit. So now it's Emily who's got to do the rescuing, and now that she's set her mind to it, she'll stop at nothing to get him back.
---------------------------------------------
*snip*
Friday, May 14, 2010
Back from College!! / Blog Award
Freshman year: I survived it. :D
Thanks for being patient with me while I suffered through final projects and exams. I'll still be busy - I've got auditions and I have to apply for jobs everywhere I can stick my nose in the door (which involves being bold for a change. Eep) and of course the obligatory catching up with friends. But I am beyond excited to get some Butt In Chair time for Letters to Oliver - I've been home two days and already I've churned out about a thousand words. I hope to have it finished in a week or two, polished, and sent off to betas by the end of the month at the latest. :)
Also, reading. Goodness, but I have missed reading. My mom got me a book called "Jane Austen Ruined My Life" which I shall be reading at my sister's dance competition this weekend. And I intend to read everything John Green has ever written. Because I hear he's amazing and I feel I've missed the boat somewhere.
Anyway, enough of that. I haven't posted before now because I was wondering what to say (I think I'm still slightly braindead after my exams). I was going to put together a list of some sort, a kind of "Caitlin's Guide to Surviving Freshman Year," and I think I still might do that... next week. When I can think straight.
And then I had the problem solved for me by the lovely Karla Calalang, who gave me a blog award!
So, apparently I'm supposed to put up a few things that make me happy.
1. Being Home - I am SO relieved to be home, it's absurd. I mean, I LOVE Ithaca, it's a wonderful place and most of my classes are great and I've made so many wonderful friends (some of whom live entirely too far away during the summer months). But home has my wonderful family and good food and cats and more wonderful friends. So I'm glad to be home. :)
2. Writing! - does this need an explanation?
3. Old Stuff - there's a reason I write historicals. I love everything old fashioned - it's just so pretty! And yes, I am fully aware that there were some pretty awful problems going on in, say, the Victorian era. But isn't that true now, too?
4. Music - whether it's listening to music, performing in musicals, or just singing (either loudly with my roommates or actually properly for my voice lessons and things) music is a huge part of who I am. Sometimes, especially recently, it's gotten shunted under the rug for various reasons and I always feel bad. There's nothing like singing to cheer me up, after all.
5. My friends - The Usual Suspects at home. All my myriad groupings of friends at school. My awesome roommates. I love them all dearly, even if they do tease the heck out of me (hey, what can I say, it's easy to do).
In any case, I'll stop rambling on about my life and tag some awesome people!
Becca! - Because she is such a sweet person.
HR! - Because she is awesome and I have recently converted her to the wondrousness that is Doctor Who.
Choco! - Because, again, she's a sweetheart and likes Letters to Oliver. :)
Ink! - Because she's a great person and her writing is amazing.
Okay. Tada!
Happy weekend, all. :)
Thanks for being patient with me while I suffered through final projects and exams. I'll still be busy - I've got auditions and I have to apply for jobs everywhere I can stick my nose in the door (which involves being bold for a change. Eep) and of course the obligatory catching up with friends. But I am beyond excited to get some Butt In Chair time for Letters to Oliver - I've been home two days and already I've churned out about a thousand words. I hope to have it finished in a week or two, polished, and sent off to betas by the end of the month at the latest. :)
Also, reading. Goodness, but I have missed reading. My mom got me a book called "Jane Austen Ruined My Life" which I shall be reading at my sister's dance competition this weekend. And I intend to read everything John Green has ever written. Because I hear he's amazing and I feel I've missed the boat somewhere.
Anyway, enough of that. I haven't posted before now because I was wondering what to say (I think I'm still slightly braindead after my exams). I was going to put together a list of some sort, a kind of "Caitlin's Guide to Surviving Freshman Year," and I think I still might do that... next week. When I can think straight.
And then I had the problem solved for me by the lovely Karla Calalang, who gave me a blog award!
So, apparently I'm supposed to put up a few things that make me happy.
1. Being Home - I am SO relieved to be home, it's absurd. I mean, I LOVE Ithaca, it's a wonderful place and most of my classes are great and I've made so many wonderful friends (some of whom live entirely too far away during the summer months). But home has my wonderful family and good food and cats and more wonderful friends. So I'm glad to be home. :)
2. Writing! - does this need an explanation?
3. Old Stuff - there's a reason I write historicals. I love everything old fashioned - it's just so pretty! And yes, I am fully aware that there were some pretty awful problems going on in, say, the Victorian era. But isn't that true now, too?
4. Music - whether it's listening to music, performing in musicals, or just singing (either loudly with my roommates or actually properly for my voice lessons and things) music is a huge part of who I am. Sometimes, especially recently, it's gotten shunted under the rug for various reasons and I always feel bad. There's nothing like singing to cheer me up, after all.
5. My friends - The Usual Suspects at home. All my myriad groupings of friends at school. My awesome roommates. I love them all dearly, even if they do tease the heck out of me (hey, what can I say, it's easy to do).
In any case, I'll stop rambling on about my life and tag some awesome people!
Becca! - Because she is such a sweet person.
HR! - Because she is awesome and I have recently converted her to the wondrousness that is Doctor Who.
Choco! - Because, again, she's a sweetheart and likes Letters to Oliver. :)
Ink! - Because she's a great person and her writing is amazing.
Okay. Tada!
Happy weekend, all. :)
Friday, May 7, 2010
OH SNAP FINALS
So, I just finished classes of my freshman year of college.
Whoa.
I've been working on stuff most of today - my creative writing portfolio only has short story critiques left to do, and I am done with the hateful exercises. And my room is vacuumed, somewhat more organized, and slightly more packed up.
That being said, this weekend and next week (till Wednesday, anyway, when I go HOME!!!) will be crazy. So no teaser this week, apologies.
Mr. Tennant will make it up to you. :D
Whoa.
I've been working on stuff most of today - my creative writing portfolio only has short story critiques left to do, and I am done with the hateful exercises. And my room is vacuumed, somewhat more organized, and slightly more packed up.
That being said, this weekend and next week (till Wednesday, anyway, when I go HOME!!!) will be crazy. So no teaser this week, apologies.
Mr. Tennant will make it up to you. :D
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Teaser Tuesday: Unsent Letters
I actually had time to write yesterday! Before dinner, I had an hour where I just sat down and plunked out about a thousand words. It felt so good to get back into Letters to Oliver!
This segment isn't from yesterday's letter - I'm now having to skirt around giving you guys any major plot details, hehe - but it's kind of important. The last time I posted one of Emily's letters to Oliver it didn't go over particularly well, and I can't have these be boring. They might not have the whiz-bang magic factor, but they are pretty important. After all, that's what the title is.
So anyway, here's a snippet from Emily's last letter to Oliver; the first paragraph (not posted here) is when she tries to write him a letter he will actually recieve. Please tell me if it's boring, or if she's too whiny. Don't worry, she's getting a good kick in the pants soon. Yay for growing spines!
-----------------------------------------
*snip*
This segment isn't from yesterday's letter - I'm now having to skirt around giving you guys any major plot details, hehe - but it's kind of important. The last time I posted one of Emily's letters to Oliver it didn't go over particularly well, and I can't have these be boring. They might not have the whiz-bang magic factor, but they are pretty important. After all, that's what the title is.
So anyway, here's a snippet from Emily's last letter to Oliver; the first paragraph (not posted here) is when she tries to write him a letter he will actually recieve. Please tell me if it's boring, or if she's too whiny. Don't worry, she's getting a good kick in the pants soon. Yay for growing spines!
-----------------------------------------
*snip*
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