tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3009913903917879362024-03-05T02:27:30.190-08:00Reliquary for a DreamA compendium of inspiration, nonsense, and information about my original fiction.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-673748367441131892014-02-08T17:08:00.002-08:002014-02-08T17:08:44.034-08:00The Electric SoldierSo I'm starting this thing? And I'm really looking forward to it?<br />
In essence, I'll be writing and publishing a novel all online, through tumblr. For the most part, it will be done <i>fairly</i> traditionally, considering the medium, but I do have a couple of surprises in store.<br />
<i><a href="http://electricsoldiernovel.tumblr.com/">The Electric Soldier</a></i> is about Mina Barros, an ordinary young woman seeking something incredible. She finds it in the form of a beautiful old painting in a strange antique store. Mina finds herself transported to Elasia, another world ruled by a cruel king and his vicious military commander. It's up to Mina and an army of friends in this strange new world to save everything and stop its collapse.<br />
Going will be a bit slow, at least for now, but hey! It might be a cool thing for you to check out and enjoy!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-25180290242067517912013-12-02T23:03:00.002-08:002013-12-02T23:03:29.030-08:00Winning Mode<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpexuEHvJEmSrnjWj4BILCR3MPXi7uJljYOZrXTsfVJ8GzOKUsfYzRpMsDp7s1Yj6nVp-xwdZA6nPW3eiHRVWSXRzUDxzyxVzfXmb37h25l3Gh5DBlKcZSjqey_xyKl8FEGViGVPWAYk/s1600/2013-Winner-Facebook-Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpexuEHvJEmSrnjWj4BILCR3MPXi7uJljYOZrXTsfVJ8GzOKUsfYzRpMsDp7s1Yj6nVp-xwdZA6nPW3eiHRVWSXRzUDxzyxVzfXmb37h25l3Gh5DBlKcZSjqey_xyKl8FEGViGVPWAYk/s400/2013-Winner-Facebook-Cover.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Yup, I won <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/participants/starlithorizon">NaNoWriMo</a> this year! But I still have to finish <i>All the World was Grey</i>. I'm fairly tempted to post and update it online, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about doing that. Maybe Google Docs? If anyone has any ideas, absolutely feel free to share them.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-68842317288857713312013-10-19T15:36:00.003-07:002013-12-02T23:03:45.369-08:00Planning Mode<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://perpetualpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/nanowrimo-450x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://perpetualpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/nanowrimo-450x300.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this year, and I'm definitely looking forward to it! I've seen some bloggers kind of deride it, saying that 50,000 words does not a novel make, and while that's sort of true, that's running under the assumption that everyone's just going to be bashing out every word they've ever learned to make the goal. And while I'm sure there <i>are </i>people who are gonna try that, there are so many more who are going to sit down and at least start a novel. It's a good jumping-off point, I think.<br />
I don't know, I can't form too much of an opinion, it hasn't even started yet I'm just in planning mode for my novel.<br />
Anyway, if you're doing it this year as well, or if you've just now decided to give it a try: <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/participants/starlithorizon">wanna be buddies</a>?Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-89848005657036656792013-10-13T14:07:00.000-07:002013-10-13T14:07:10.765-07:00Oh, Look!I've been published! It isn't much, just the blog of a local environmental group, but still! <a href="http://www.havasiwf.org/caught-in-the-net/">Go check it out</a> if you're interested in why I love biology, and why I think education is so important for ecology!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-5161828558192276782013-09-18T00:18:00.003-07:002013-09-18T00:18:22.434-07:00It Was QuietIt was quiet and soft and patient in the way it crept in. It was like the mute stretching of shadows as the sun went down and painted the world purplish-blue. It was insidious and fine and gossamer-light. One day, you'd be fine, and the next, you'd notice that things haven't been quite right for a long, long time.<br />
While its origination was slow and subtle, the realisation was swift and terrible. It was the dark understanding that you haven't touched that doorknob with your bare palm in months. It was the shadowed knowledge that you ignored the ritual and were fine until you noticed. It was the black realisation that your shoulders have been hunched and the skin of your hands are cracked and dry and you have't taken a proper breath in <i>days</i>.<br />
It was poison.<br />
It was, quite simply, <i>horrible</i>.<br />
And, while one may write or speak about it in the past tense, with some dull notion that it was somehow <i>easier </i>that way, it would never be anything other than hideously, constantly, persistently <i>present</i>.<br />
It was something dark and grey in your veins, clinging sharply to the inner walls and gasping for your notice. It was in the pockets of the marrow of your bones, centred most thickly in the fine bones of your wrists and hands. It was in the deeply-worn creases of your overwashed, overdried, overlamented palms.<br />
It was different for everyone, manifesting as counting and washing and coping and screaming and coping and screaming and coping and screaming and screaming and screaming and screaming.<br />
It was a monster with endless jaws and teeth and whispers. Something that was okay one day was horrible the next. Something that you hadn't noticed yesterday was <i>wrong</i> today.<br />
It was a battle you constantly lost, a problem you hated endlessly.<br />
It was—it <i>is</i>—winning. And one day, lungs burned by bleach and skin washed down the drain of the bathroom sink and tear tracks etched into your face after all these disordered years, it would win.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-75961375121130977012013-08-23T21:48:00.000-07:002013-08-23T21:48:00.748-07:00The Willow PlaylistGo fill your ears with the auditory equivalent of <i>Willow</i>. This is a small, condensed version of what I listened to while writing it. Be glad it's not the massive version (though I could totally set you up with that if you wanted).<br />
Check it out <a href="http://grooveshark.com/#!/playlist/The+Willow+Queen/89065781">here</a>!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-27539322560344129922013-08-18T19:58:00.001-07:002013-08-18T19:58:19.226-07:00The Soldier Who Did Not Kill<div class="MsoNormal">
He was a typical soldier, he supposed. Well, anyone would
suppose such a thing, really. He went in right out of school, with his mother
tutting nervously while his father sat back proudly. He went to training and he
learned everything he was meant to, and perhaps a bit more than he’d thought he
would. He was, for the first time in a long time, exhausted to the point where
happiness didn’t even matter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He did everything a training soldier was meant to do, and he
did it well. He learned so much, so quickly. He and his newfound brothers
learned to shoot guns, clean guns, maintain guns. They learned how to kill.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It wasn’t until his unit was deployed that anyone learned
how to die.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was sand and heat and far too much sun sparkling on the
sand and rippling in the heat. So much, always, all the time. It was constant
and horrible and eventually, it was so, so red. Seeping into sand and boots and
cracks in hands. It was everywhere. The coppery hotness under his tongue was
everything.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sprays of red stars and grey matter and shattered hearts shone
in the sun like nebulas spinning together and screaming apart. The soft rush of
air before a hot bullet slipped through the air was so quiet, but hideously,
viciously loud in the hush before someone fell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the most heinously unfair thing, he thought, that he
had been taught so many things and that he hadn’t ever properly known what
death was until he saw it in the blazing deserts and sand and red red red
glitter of life forcibly expelled.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His finger was always on the trigger, as any good soldier’s
would be, but he was something strange and wonderful and terrible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was the soldier who would not kill.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Never did a bullet explode from the muzzle of his gun. Never
did he drive existence out of the body of, God, <i>anyone</i>, friend or foe.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heat and pain and his accidental brothers yelling and he was
being lifted off the ground on which he had collapsed. It felt like the end. It
felt like the last few words of the novel of his life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It felt like void.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He woke up two days later, and went home a month after that.
He’d just been shot in the leg, and was, ultimately, fine. He limped for a
while, but eventually, he was able to go back to work. He was never put on the
front lines again, but he was still that strange and wonderful and terrible
thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over thirty years at that job, and he was still, always and
forever, the soldier who did not kill.<o:p></o:p></div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-32973428906817421182013-08-03T14:07:00.000-07:002013-08-03T14:07:00.849-07:00For a Change, We Dance<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I kind of thought I'd start posting little snippets from <i>The Willow Queen</i>, because I'd like to be presented with a very good reason as to why I <i>shouldn't</i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That's right, you totally can't.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ha.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All that aside, here are a few paragraphs from Chapter Five. I hope you enjoy!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Life drags on, no
matter how awful everything gets. It keeps going, on and on, constant and full
and so thick and heavy that I can hardly breathe. But I am the same. I am constant
and ongoing. I keep my ladies distracted, especially if they have sweethearts
in the army. I help Charlotte prepare for her wedding. I strategize with Mel
and Beaufort. I slowly read my way through the library.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When the day comes,
things feel almost bright. Most of the people in the church are either female,
children, too old for the military, or simply uninterested in war games. There
are so few people here. Yet every single face wears a smile. The music makes us
thrive. Charlotte and Alec are bursting with light.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For a change, we
dance. Just like the coronation, we dance defiantly. In the wake of horror and
war and death, we dance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I fall asleep
feeling slightly uneasy, full to the brim with an uncertain mixture of utter
joy and inexpressible dread. The dread is such a constant thing that I’ve
almost grown accustomed to it. I’m unused to happiness. How strange. It’s been
three months and already happiness feels unfamiliar. This is what war does. It
drains you of everything good and leaves you empty. Anything that fills you up
again feels strange and, I don’t know, <u>wrong</u>. It ruins and scars you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mel hugs me in his sleep, and suddenly, I know that I’m wrong. The war
may wound me, but its damage will not be permanent. As long as I have this
little moment, and moments like it, I know that I’ll survive.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</blockquote>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-42688358749229600822013-08-01T13:58:00.001-07:002013-08-01T13:58:10.238-07:00Let Me Just SayWhile summaries will be the death of me and synopses merely an unfortunate bout of the flu, query letters might just resurrect me for the sake of killing me again.<br />
And to think, people do this with only <i>hope</i> spurring them on.<br />
Idiots.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-23636639599667053822013-07-17T18:45:00.000-07:002013-07-17T18:45:25.378-07:00Playing Favourites<div style="text-align: justify;">
Technology is a wonderful thing. It's been finely honed to give the world the iPad, and a bunch of apps to put on it. These are some of the apps I use for my writing.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For the record, I don't know what other platforms have these apps, but I know that you can get them for your iPad, and maybe even your other iProducts.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Also be well aware that all of these are free. I'm a total cheapskate, and I'd imagine that I'm not alone in that. Relish this news.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The funny bit is that all of the screenshots are from the iPhone. I don't even <i>have</i> an iPhone.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a941.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/094/Purple/v4/58/17/66/58176672-6f22-48f3-b41c-2878149c40b1/mzl.akxranan.320x480-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a941.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/094/Purple/v4/58/17/66/58176672-6f22-48f3-b41c-2878149c40b1/mzl.akxranan.320x480-75.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/a-novel-idea/id421948244?mt=8">A Novel Idea</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is a great story structure app. There are various different places to flesh out ideas and characters and everything. It's incredibly simple and allows you to connect ideas. It's sort of like a series of questionnaires, and I love that. The character section, for example, asks for stuff like height (eight feet), hair colour (N/A), and external conflict. Cool, no?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm not impressed with the sudden bout of ads suddenly filling up the screen, but, hey, it's free.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a368.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/085/Purple/v4/1d/33/5a/1d335afa-d688-5a00-4721-d6aacb7457eb/mzl.sbmyxvzk.320x480-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://a368.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/085/Purple/v4/1d/33/5a/1d335afa-d688-5a00-4721-d6aacb7457eb/mzl.sbmyxvzk.320x480-75.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moleskine-journal/id550926297?mt=8">Moleskine Journal</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This one's just a lot of fun to play with. I've got a million notebooks going right now, and one is devoted to my current project. It's pretty user-friendly, and allows you to draw and write and put in pictures all over the place. It's a great place to compile your inspiration.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's still kind of glitchy, but honestly, it's worth it. It is really cool.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a414.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/088/Purple2/v4/fc/d6/72/fcd672dd-a72f-f511-c012-0a0f8e2765df/mzl.xccusaep.320x480-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a414.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/088/Purple2/v4/fc/d6/72/fcd672dd-a72f-f511-c012-0a0f8e2765df/mzl.xccusaep.320x480-75.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pearltrees/id463462134?mt=8">Pearltrees</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This one's great. I use it on my iPad and my computer, though I vastly prefer organising on my iPad. It's so much easier. It's perfect for collecting and organising inspiration and things you find in your research. I also use it as a sort of makeshift YouTube playlist, but that is not the point. Here's my writing <a href="http://www.pearltrees.com/starlithorizon/writing/id7882437">Pearltree</a>, feel free to peruse technical information and inspiration all at the same time!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a869.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/076/Purple/v4/3a/56/22/3a56222d-fa93-37e8-526e-95ca2ec18f29/mzl.tsvdceik.320x480-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a869.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/076/Purple/v4/3a/56/22/3a56222d-fa93-37e8-526e-95ca2ec18f29/mzl.tsvdceik.320x480-75.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8">Evernote</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is one of those catch-all apps. Most of my favourites are, actually. Whatever, I like having <i>lots</i> of places to jot down ideas at three in the morning. I like to write full scenes in this one, actually. Unlike the Moleskine app, it uses your iThing's autocorrect, so you can at least be <i>marginally </i>coherent when you write. It's simple to use, and that's how I roll, yo.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a1881.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/063/Purple/v4/d6/91/6c/d6916c52-023d-0fd0-1124-cafd185336de/mzl.sfgqusqf.320x480-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a1881.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/063/Purple/v4/d6/91/6c/d6916c52-023d-0fd0-1124-cafd185336de/mzl.sfgqusqf.320x480-75.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dictionary.com-dictionary/id308750436?mt=8">Dictionary.com Dictionary and Thesaurus</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you think you don't need a dictionary and/or thesaurus, you are wrong. So very, very wrong. I mean, where else are you gonna look up words like Tarmac or wiles at three in the morning? <i>Google</i>?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Okay, yeah, probably.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-24842657565494817642013-07-08T21:01:00.000-07:002013-07-08T21:01:49.888-07:00Years and YearsI sort of feel like posting more short stories (and eventually a few serials) on here, and you know, I totally will. Gotta stretch those writing muscles, or something like that.<br />
Anyway, here's a little thing I wrote this evening! Let me know what you think! I'd really appreciate prompts, as well. They can be as simple as words or ideas, or as complicated as vague storylines you'd like to see fleshed out. Feel free to share!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Years and Years</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They had known each other for years and years and years. To
the pair of them, the beginning of their friendship felt like the beginning of
the universe. It was like the Big Bang, the spark that ignited every last
little thing. It was intrinsic and absolute; no universe could exist without their
friendship, and that was the thing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The pair had known each other since before they were born;
their mothers had been in the same expecting mothers group, and they had been
born on the same day. He’d been a trouble baby, kept under close watch while
she thrived on the outside world. Once he got past that, though, he was
perfectly fine. He was simply perfect.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They grew up together, spouting like evergreens and daisies.
He grew tall and strong and brave, and she grew fine and delicate and braver.
She saved him from the bullies, and he saved her from her own self-destructive
tendencies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The pair celebrated every birthday together, and it was the
celebration of their eighteenth that broke their hearts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It had become quite obvious to each in turn, truth be told.
It clicked almost simultaneously as they danced at their birthday party, hands
warm on her waist and his shoulder. It was the finality or a camera shutter
clicking shut, or coffin lid banging closed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the absolute saddest thing either had ever known.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each saw it flash in the other’s eyes, and each felt their
heart break. She was leaving in the morning, and he was staying behind. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But still, in the soft light of dusk, grass brushing their
ankles, their lips touched so lightly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a kiss that had waited for years and years, and when
it came, it was the saddest kiss the world had ever known. It was a kiss that
said either tonight or forever, no in-between. It was a kiss like ashes in
their mouths, burned and forgotten memories and what-ifs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So she touched his lips once again, letting the song play
out, knowing all the while that all she could do was leave.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Decades later, their paths crossed, and she tasted ashes in
her mouth again. Her husband and daughter smiled cheerfully enough at the old
friend, and they caught up on each others’ lives, hearing the impossible
possibilities threaded between each word.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
They both went home that night, and they did not remember.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-64763066125928022202013-06-28T18:54:00.005-07:002013-06-28T19:02:25.394-07:00Dress-Up<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://productshots1.modcloth.com/productshots/0130/3047/319b5a565107269c289b4f028fa1072b.jpg?1372190438" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="224" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/luck-of-the-drawing-dress">I love you, Modcloth</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Author tours are a thing, right? So, if I end up getting published, and if my things are popular (as we all know they will be, I'm fantastic), and author tours are actually a thing, can I have a big ol' dress budget set into my contract?<br />
Please and thank you, anonymous faces of the internet.<br />
Sometimes, adorable dresses inspire you to write, and that is okay.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-6020227156179935772013-06-21T00:41:00.000-07:002013-06-21T00:41:14.116-07:00BookwormsMy first reader has completed their mission. That is, reading and telling me things as they do so.<br />
I am pleased.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-49329618275892557612013-05-22T02:26:00.000-07:002013-05-22T02:26:00.108-07:00Alina<div style="text-align: justify;">
Music is one of the most important pieces of my writing process. Certainly more than <a href="http://reliquaryforadream.blogspot.com/2013/04/ever-professional.html">Tetris</a>. As such, I compile playlists every time I start a new project, because I know how much of an impact music has on my writing. It offers inspiration when the well runs dry, helps me to properly envision the scene, and is a good way to waste time while still telling people, "Leave me alone, I'm busy doing <i>writer things</i>."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've <a href="http://reliquaryforadream.blogspot.com/2013/04/on-loop.html">already</a> talked about two of the songs on my <i>Willow</i> playlist, but here's another. It's a slow, haunting melody that really worked well for the more emotional aspects of the story, of which there were many.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Seriously, guys, I'm an emotional wreck.</div>
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Worth it, though.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/8as_BN5h5YQ/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/8as_BN5h5YQ&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/8as_BN5h5YQ&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-27024323270144709922013-05-16T21:52:00.002-07:002013-05-16T21:52:38.904-07:00The Trouble with NamesLocation names and surnames are hard, guys.<br />
I just use <a href="http://www.behindthename.com/">name sites</a> for first names. I'm not even sorry.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-56757132801129152682013-05-11T18:59:00.003-07:002013-05-11T18:59:52.251-07:00Part of Your World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.houstonzooblogs.org/wildconservation/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/mermaids-the-body-found.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://www.houstonzooblogs.org/wildconservation/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/mermaids-the-body-found.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm watching a mockumentary about mermaids. It's called <i>Mermaids: The Body Found</i>, and Animal Planet put it out last year. It's fascinating, and wildly inspiring, but what's funny is how certain people are that this is an actual <i>documentary</i> about <i>real events</i> and stuff.</div>
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Seriously, guys, slow down. It's not real.</div>
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Of course, there are more things in heaven and earth, but you guys have to chill. It's an interesting film, done in an interesting fashion, and not fodder for conspiracy theories.</div>
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Writing about mermaids is making me a cynic. Whoops.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-84401931811242640352013-05-08T02:18:00.001-07:002013-05-08T02:18:49.609-07:00First Tendrils of Fear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/736x/e3/bc/50/e3bc509f1bd44ae6384e9dc360b50e75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/736x/e3/bc/50/e3bc509f1bd44ae6384e9dc360b50e75.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yet <i>another</i> attempted summary for <i>Willow</i>. I'm not sure if I dislike it more or less than previous attempts. It feels like less. Have I found a decent one?</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Callie was born and bred to be special, though never very important. When she quite unexpectedly finds herself the queen of a country at war, she quickly finds that no head is heavier than the one that wears the crown.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While I like that this kind of captures the <i>general</i> feel for my novel, there's not much about the plot. Like, at all. What. So. Ever.</div>
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I can do a little four-word tagline fairly well (Queens must never falter (it's okay)), but an actual <i>summary</i>? That's terrifying, yo.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Writing a proper synopsis isn't quite as frightening, as the point of that is to sum up the whole thing, beginning to end. No need to make people wonder <i>Oh, gosh, what happens next?</i> But a summary has to hook you, grab you in and hold you tight and never, ever let you go.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, not quite, but you know what I mean.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Callie is a young duchess who marries a prince. She leaves her peaceful home for court life, making her own home among the nobility. When she finds herself quite unexpectedly as the queen of a nation at war, however, she discovers that not all battles are fought with soldiers. Callie must suffer personal tragedies while ruling her nation and waging war. How can she lead her people to victory when she can barely keep herself together?</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I think the <i>best</i> summary, however is this: A story of loss and unknown strength, <i>The Willow Queen </i>will hopefully leave you an emotional wreck just like the author.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Just tellin' it like it is. </div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-3040168784363803062013-05-01T21:00:00.002-07:002013-05-01T21:00:22.743-07:00My Writing Motto<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Back that thing up."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Seriously.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">BACK THAT THING UP</u>. I don't care if you use email, Dropbox, a flash drive, or whatever: back up your work all the time.</div>
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These are things we very nearly learn the hard way.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-7583495070773770342013-04-30T01:31:00.002-07:002013-04-30T01:31:53.344-07:00Tools of the Trade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/theridiculoussort/DSC03825_zps434f35fe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/theridiculoussort/DSC03825_zps434f35fe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
These are some of my chosen writing tools. We've got three different notebooks, a sketchbook, several different colours of pens, and a pencil. Though you can see that, actually. I write on a computer, but I like to compile my thoughts and inspirations in notebooks.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I mostly use the black notebook, and it's slowly starting to fill with absurd notes like, reminders to pay my application fee for CSUCI, bits of dialogue ("I rather think I have a better grasp on English than you do."), and chunks of snark like "He is a middle-school girl, okay?" </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The big one is strictly for my current project. So far, I have notes on the species I've created (also a drawing), decisions on how to feel about certain characters, and quotes that act as inspiration. This is where the different colours come in handy. Each has a different purpose, though, truth be told, I haven't totally figured out <i>what</i> yet. Still useful.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/theridiculoussort/DSC03831_zps97a637f8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/theridiculoussort/DSC03831_zps97a637f8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Seriously, though, I am literally <i>never</i> without something to write with and on. When I went to the Renaissance Faire and couldn't find the little circle notebook, I made one out of sketchbook paper. I'm clever like that. My iPad works in a pinch as well. At the end of the day, I just collect relevant things into the black notebook, and <i>one </i>of these days, I'll do the same with my big notebook.</div>
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<a href="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/theridiculoussort/DSC03828_zpsdab457ba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af97/theridiculoussort/DSC03828_zpsdab457ba.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally: a sketch of a character and some <i>really</i> messy writing. It's all good, yo.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-19955497201077700762013-04-29T16:17:00.004-07:002013-04-29T16:17:59.555-07:00So Still, So Serene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGvj8kJK0xW6iptCWaQcRBmF_PmzgrkAEMFq9126XqqAHPecL9hqD5w4zbtYxcb_ALJzNjPXhVsJ4IUT7OBgYqpzKwW8SGFYHbWJYHeYcSF3cl44YQKISCYlc4VDSWLGT1oUw-nHao9c/s1600/willow+tree+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGvj8kJK0xW6iptCWaQcRBmF_PmzgrkAEMFq9126XqqAHPecL9hqD5w4zbtYxcb_ALJzNjPXhVsJ4IUT7OBgYqpzKwW8SGFYHbWJYHeYcSF3cl44YQKISCYlc4VDSWLGT1oUw-nHao9c/s320/willow+tree+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Have I said that I'm terrible at summarising things? Because I am. I really, <i>really</i> am.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That being said, I've taken <a href="http://theridiculous-sort.blogspot.com/2013/02/unsteady-territory.html">another</a> crack at it and come up with one that's really short and not <i>that</i> hideous. I think.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
This story, like so many others, is about a girl who marries a prince and finds her Happily Ever After. Quite a lot happens between the first and the last, though, as Callie finds herself ruling a nation at war. Personal tragedies befall her, but she keeps on going; after all, the queen is a beacon of hope.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Okay, I still hate it. I guess I just have to keep coming up with summaries until I find one that doesn't make me want to tear my hair out in giant clumps. Blah.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-62996242503695131902013-04-24T14:37:00.000-07:002013-04-29T17:24:16.185-07:00Real Live Mermaids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQnyrfG1-kHS2slhVNMBXKxrxeQmYQ5iJEf5RiW0181xLwYpLaZ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQnyrfG1-kHS2slhVNMBXKxrxeQmYQ5iJEf5RiW0181xLwYpLaZ" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sometimes, during your research, you come across people who are way too convinced that mermaids are real. Guys, seriously. The US National Ocean Service said that no evidence has ever been found. And this was last year.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I love researching for novels, you just discover all sorts of things that you never intended to know about.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-76554842308198768842013-04-23T20:50:00.003-07:002013-04-23T20:50:59.161-07:00Ever the Professional<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZNOuMHTSJn30YQQTxhnBTdB7g6ZHrlLlAwvNqS2B8KfN9uKBL" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZNOuMHTSJn30YQQTxhnBTdB7g6ZHrlLlAwvNqS2B8KfN9uKBL" /></a></div>
Truth be told, most of my writing process includes playing Tetris. I can't even say it aids in inspiring me or whatever, it's just fun.<br />
Maybe I'm a Tetris addict.<br />
Can't stop, won't stop.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300991390391787936.post-7659019315103535382013-04-20T00:16:00.001-07:002013-04-20T00:16:08.104-07:00On Loop<div style="text-align: justify;">
While writing <i>The Willow Queen</i>, there were quite a few songs that I played constantly. I had two playlists set up for it, one with more modern songs, one that sounded more like a movie score, and it was fantastic. For this second project, I'm sadly lacking Spotify, so I'm just randomly sifting through music in the hidden realms within YouTube. Worth it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Either way, here are two of the songs I had on repeat for <i>The Willow Queen</i>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XuOYB5qI9YA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Soldier On" by Temper Trap. It sort of became my theme song for my main character, and it became a major inspiration for the whole novel. It has a tremendous sort of strength that was channeled directly into the main character, and I think it affected it hugely. Not that I'm complaining.</div>
<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/KwwKFBeZr5Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Metamorphosis 2" by Philip Glass was another major inspirational song. This one went on the playlist that sounded like a movie score, for good reason. It starts off a bit solemn, but there's the undercurrent of, I dunno, excitement, I think, running through it. I dunno, it just <i>fit</i>. I'm the writer, I say it works.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Also, while writing the book, I ended up listening to more Renaissance and traditional Indian music than I'd ever assumed I would, ever. These are things that happen.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623269750734330146noreply@blogger.com0