In Which a Rambling Apology is Issued*

I'm sorry, blog! I've been neglecting you terribly, haven't I? Things have just been so crazy here... yes, I know that's hardly any excuse. I'm aware that it makes me a terrible person to be neglecting my blog, my readers, and my own writing all at once, there's no need to shout about it. Look, could you see things from my perspective for a second? You know that old joke about college, the one that goes "good grades, sleep, a social life: pick two." Well, for me, it's more like "good grades, sleep, a social life, writing: you still only get to pick two."

Yeah, I know we do movie nights most weekends. It requires a lot more cerebral energy to write something than it does to watch a movie. Especially the ridiculous movies we tend to watch. I mean, the Avalon High adaptation? That requires no thought whatever to watch.** I'm working on it, okay? I'm using my historical fiction final project as an excuse to work on my own writing. It'll turn out all right in the end, you'll see.

... yes, I know I'm not Mrs. Potts. Quiet you.

I'm trying, okay? Hopefully things will be a little bit calmer for a while and I can pay more attention to you. I'm sorry. Blame the homework. Hopefully my lovely readers will have some suggestions for topics they'd like me to talk about and would find helpful***, as my brain is so fried I can't come up with anything beyond ludicrous made-up dialogues between me and my blog.

No, I'm not insulting you. Sorry, blog. I'll be quiet now. And maybe take a nap?




* This blog post brought to you by sleep deprivation and a heavy dose of Bad Blogger's Guilt.
**Other than the thought that goes "this is NOT like the book!!!"
*** I'm serious about this. What things would be helpful to you? I wish to be helpful! Tell me how!

Let's go back to English, shall we?

'Ello, blogosphere! How are you all today? Are there full requests filling your inboxes? I do hope so!

I'm home now (as hinted in my spazzy Italian post) and am trying to kick myself back into writing mode, even though really, all I want to do is sleep. I like sleep. One does not get enough sleep when one is a college student. Sometimes this is for good reasons - for instance, my roommate is made of awesome and we will frequently have epic late night (and by late night I mean three o'clock in the morning) conversations that go from deep and meaningful to ridiculous in the space of one sentence. But mostly this sleeplessness is for not-good reasons, such as staying up till the aforementioned three o'clock hour working on papers and still having to get up at 8 for class the next day.

Still, I am countering that desire to sleep 24/7. For one thing, tomorrow morning (yes! Morning!) I shall be on a bus to NYC to visit my dearest friend ever and to search for sheet music in Lincoln Center!

And for another I am, like I said, trying to get back on track writing-wise. My "write at least 100 words per day" goal was admirable and very, very short lived. Never take on such a goal three weeks before the end of the semester. It simply won't work.

I've gotten so used to churning out things for classes that it's taking me a little while to recuperate. But I'm determined to do two things over break:

1. Write as much of Preposterous Things, my graphic novel project with Ella, as possible.
2. Fix the mess that is my werewolf novel.

So far, attempts to deal with that mess have looked like this:

1. IDEA!
2. :D
3. *frantically plot idea in a very detailed fashion*
4. *come across fundamental problem with this idea*
5. *come across seven more, similarly fundamental problems*
6. *discard idea*
7. :(
8. IDEA!
9. :D
10 *restart from step three*

So we'll see how that goes.

On the plus side, when I have something to edit, my made-of-awesome roommate gave me a pretty fabulous Christmas present:



Yes, that IS a red-ink quill pen. Yes, you SHOULD be jealous. Yes, I DO make stupid faces when taking pictures of myself.

Right. Well, I should toss myself back into the loop of ideas (right now I'm on step seven) and get cracking.

What are your writing plans for the winter holidays, if you have any?

Things for August

So, hallo blogsphere! (Apparently that's actually blogosphere, but I thing blogsphere sounds nicer, don't you?)

Guys, how did it get to be August already? Seriously, it seems like I was frantically pounding out the last pieces of Letters to Oliver only a few weeks ago - and that was in May! Time flies when it's summer...

I go back to school on the 23rd, and of course am excited to go back and have cool classes and be in the amazing place that is Ithaca and see all my friends. But I will miss home, and I am still enjoying summer very much, and I am taking two writing classes that I fear will grossly interfere with my personal writing time. Ah well. Such is life.

Anyway, a few random notes before returning to our normally scheduled programming.

The first is that the lovely and talented Vee of Ramblings of a Writer is having a contest! I have experienced her skill as a beta and would love one of those fifty-page critiques she's offering!

The second is regarding regularly scheduled programming. I have two more book reviews I might do (I Am the Messenger definitely; Starclimber maybe), as well as weekly teasers of course. I'm also feeling a post in the mode of Tahereh in the near future.

But I'm not making this blog for me (although comments are nice I love comments yaaaaay comments). I believe the whole point of putting content on the internet, whether it be Blogger or YouTube or what-have-you, is to start a discussion. To connect with people that don't live near you or share different views, people you would not ordinarily be able to talk to. To toss your ideas out and see what other people think.

So. My question to you is, what do you want to discuss?